School started for 3 of the kids this week...the other 2 go to HeadStart on Sept. 13th.  I have been going almost non-stop trying to get my house back in order and Doyle has been making room in the church for storage.  One day 4 of the kids had to go for school physicals and tomorrow all 5 of them go to the Eye Clinic for exams.  They keep us VERY busy!!  

I posted 2 new albums in Picasa...one is titles "Back-to-School VBS with Lupton Drive Baptist Church" and the other is "Foster Children".  Make sure you check them out.  I have another album to post of the ladies that visited from Midway Independant Baptist in Cove, Arkansas.  Maybe I'll have time to put them on tomorrow afternoon.

Today we had a VERY good attendance.  I picked up 26 kids on the van and had a total of 29 in the class.. (30 counting me)!!  Bro. Deason and his wife weren't here today so I had ALL 29 by myself!!!   Doyle had a good adult attendance of 9 including him.  Our total today was 39!!!   It's growing a little more each week with new ones coming....PLEASE pray that the Lord will send us some permanent help!!!!!!   We could do so much more if we had the help!!!!  

I bought Silent Rae and Tonya  a really good devotional book and each evening I have special time with them.  Right now they are learning how to pray and how that God is Always with them and promises to stay close to them!!!  They LOVE this time and so do I.  Their hearts are tender and they are hurting right now with the knowledge that neither of their parents care enough for them to stop drinking. 

Headed for another BUSY week!!!  I've had several local moms calling to ask for school clothes.....I try to help out as much as I can.

Please remember our youngest daughter, Rachelle.  She is having surgery in the morning for Kidney Stones.  Wish I was there to be with her!!!

 Praying for everyone back home!!!        Sis. Sheri

On Saturday, the 14th, a group of 8 adults from Lupton Drive Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN arrived.  Sunday morning we had about 32 present, which was a good start for the VBS.  Monday evening there were about 35 or so for VBS.  On Tuesday the group gave Doyle and I a MUCH needed day off while they took all the kids that live with us plus 3 others to the zoo and shopping.  What a pleasant break it was for us ( Doyle and me) to be able to go to town together without kids!!!  Usually it is either Doyle or me with 2 or 3 kids.  We can't really all go anywhere together because our car just isn't big enough.  On Wed. night we had about 40 kids for VBS and on Thursday they grilled out Hot Dogs for everyone and gave away Back Packs full of school supplies....so we had around 60 kids plus some adults which gave us about 90 or so people here.  I wish I had taken a picture cause the back yard was full of kids and adults!!!    While picking up the kids for Thursday night we drove down one street and made a stop and the kids from other homes came running down the street to get on the van....it was a beautiful sight!!!!  Not only did the group hold a VBS... they also painted my barn red, repaired and painted my inner front porch, put a new floor in the small bathroom and also worked on the back bedroom in the brown trailer and painted it along with putting carpet in.  We will use that room as our game room for the winter months.  What a Blessing Lupton Drive Baptist Church has been!!!!

This morning we had an attendance of 33 even with about 6 or so of our regulars not here.  Had a good group of adults for Doyle to preach to!!!   Please pray for Ms. Angie...she hasn't been feeling very well lately.  The hot weather is hard on the elderly people and it's 103 here today!!!!   Also pray for our youngest daughter, Rachelle.  She has Kidney stones and is in alot of pain...hopefully they will be able to correct this without surgery. 

Praising the Lord for all He is doing here in Cannon Ball..........Sis. Sheri

We had a MAJOR storm last night....started around midnight and lasted for almost 2 hours.  The Wind was blowing so hard it shook the trailer and even our bed was shaking!!  Felt like any moment the place was gonna be ripped apart.  Trees were down, our walls (YES, the WALLS)  were leaking and so was the roof.  You could actually see the ceiling panels moving up and down!!!!  The past couple weeks Doyle had built a Wooden Swing Set, Monkey Bars and 2 sets of See-Saws.  The wind blew so hard that it rolled the swing set over several times and knocked the Monkey Bars over. It sounded like a Train....a VERY LONG train!! I don't know if this old trailer can take many storms like this one was!!!   Doyle and the 2 boys were at the other trailer and he said it shook just as bad....but the boys slept right through it all!!  The girls sure didn't...we were sitting on the couch waiting for the storm to pass.  Our electricity went off and stayed off until 9am this morning.  I told the girls that the Lord was in control and He knew we were in here and would keep us safe.   

Thanking the Lord for His protecting hand!!!     Sis. Sheri

Well....2 BUSY weeks have gone by very quickly.   Last weekend we had some ladies from our supporting church in Cove, Arkansas visiting.  They arrived on Friday and we all enjoyed their weekend with us.  Unfortunately they could only stay around until Monday.   We LOVE it when someone comes...especially when they are from a church that supports us.  Helps them to more fully understand the ministry the Lord has given us here in Cannon Ball.   Our attendance last Sunday was 34 and then today we were down to 20.....the Big PowWow in Fort Yates effected us more than the PowWow here in CannonBall.

The 5 children are still here......there are times when we laugh alot and then times when we have to remind each other how blessed we are that God has given us this opportunity!!!   It can get pretty  stressful for 2 "old" people that raised their own children over 15+ years ago!!!    

This Saturday a group from Lupton Drive Baptist Church in Chattanooga,TN will arrive.  They are planning classes each evening with the kids along with some fun and games.   The kids are all looking forward to their visit as much as we are.  Will post more about this next week. 

Please remember Ms. Angie in prayer.  She hasn't been feeling too well lately and it's been pretty hot so the heat is hard on her.  

 Thanks for all your love, prayers and support.         Sis. Sheri 

What a BUSY 2 weeks we have had!!!   We are now down from 8 children to 5....looks like they will be with us for quite some time.  The Lord supplied the money for the bunk beds (THANK YOU PHILIPPI BAPTIST CHURCH, in Cleveland, TN)  so Doyle has been busy trying to get them all built.  He has 2 sets done and is now working on the 3rd and 4th!!  I have been busy taking all the kids for Check-ups, dental appts. and made Eye Exam appts. for them....trying to get all this done before school starts next month.    Zachary (the 4 1/2 yr. old) is scheduled for surgery Wednesday.  They are putting tubes in his ears and removing his atenoids (?).  Hopefully this will allow him to hear better and his speech will improve.  Lily's speech is getting better but sure wish we could master the Potty Training!!!!! 

Saturday evening Zack fell and put a HUGE knot on his head and we ended up in the ER......they thought they would have to do a CT Scan but after checking him out really good....decided that wasn't necessary.  He is doing fine now with just a big purple/red spot on his forehead. 

The past 2 Sundays we have had between 25-30 (29 yesterday morning)!!  We had an outdoor Potluck Dinner yesterday morning and everyone enjoyed that.  At first we thought it was going to be really hot outside...but the Lord sent a breeze to help keep it a very nice temperature so we could enjoy the food.   One lady that has not been here for quite some time came...along with another lady that had never been here.  Pray that they will continue to come!!!

Some ladies from our supporting church (Midway Independant Baptist), in Cove Arkansas should arrive on Friday.  They will be here all weekend.  We love it when people come to visit and especially when they are from one of our supporting churches.  Helps them to better understand the ministry here. 

Praying for a good week and praising the Lord for everything............Sis. Sheri

Yesterday was a beautiful day and our attendance was better.  We had 27 yesterday morning and 16 last night.  I sure am enjoying using the flannelgraph and the kids listen so well and can answer all my questions!!! 

We had a MAJOR turn of events last night.  CPS has placed "5" more children in our home!!!  These are kids that have been coming to church since we started and they are "close to our hearts" so we were happy CPS is allowing them to stay in our home.  Please remember us all in your prayers!!!  We now have 8 children living here!!!!!

With the arrival of the other 5 children....we have some URGENT NEEDS!!!  Clothes, toys, bunk beds, twin size mattresses!!!  Doyle can build the bunk beds for about $75 a set.   We need 3 sets of the bunks and 7 twin mattresses (1 set of bunks has already been built).   Donations for these needs can be sent to our home church so they will be tax deductible or if you prefer you can send it directly to us.  Our address is P.O. Box 42, CannonBall, ND  58528.    Just please note on your donation that it's for our "Urgent Needs".  Clothes ranging from size 4 to 14 (the girls are sizes 4/5, 8 and 14.... the boys are size 6,8,10/12's and 14's.  Of course, you can always collect and ship things to us if you prefer to do it that way.  

Thank You so much for your love, prayers and support.    Pray for us daily as we try to make a difference for these children living with us.  

Sis. Sheri

My Blog entry is a little late this week....I have my hands VERY full with our 3 Foster Children!!!  They are coping very well with the exception that they are not used to being corrected. Up to this point they have been basically "raising themselves" so they were used to doing whatever they wanted and when they wanted to do it!!!  This is the case with the majority of the children around here.  Monday evening Zack (the 4 1/2 yr. old) got mad at Lily (the 2 1/2 yr. old) and hit her in the hand with a small pitchfork they had been using to dig up worms for a fishing trip......we ended up in the ER where she got stiches right above her wrist.  Zack is gong to be having surgery on his ears....at the Dr. visit last week we found out because of the parents medical neglect......he cannot hear at all out of one ear and is almost deaf in the other.  This surgery had been scheduled two other times in 2009 but the parents never kept the appts.   Hopefully this will help and he will be able to hear and learn to talk clearly.

July 4th had an effect on our morning service...but we still had 22 present.  On Sunday evening we had a cookout and enjoyed the time of fellowship. Later we enjoyed the fireworks show that the tribe does each year along with all the other fireworks that individuals were shooting.  One thing for sure, the people here in Cannon Ball spend ALOT of money on Fireworks!!!   LATE Saturday night (around midnight) we were woke up by the fireworks show at Kelly's (the bar across the street).

Please pray for us as we care for our 3 Foster Children.  Thank Your for your love and support. 

 Sis. Sheri

Despite the fact that we were down in number this Sunday..we had a good day.  There were 20 in the morning service and 17 in the evening.  I had the kids all by myself today and they were very good.  They LOVE the flannelgraph stories and are very attentive!!!  Roy, who is one of our Foster Children, came home and told Doyle the story all over plus the part that I reviewed with them that I taught last Sunday night!!! 

Needless to say, we have been VERY busy with the 3 kids!!  The oldest is ADHD, the middle one who is 6 yrs. old, cannot communicate very well because he has a definite speech problem, and the little one (3 yrs. old) is so sweet but she has a temper!!!  So we are dealing with multiple situations and it can very exhausting at times.  Please pray that the Lord will give us the wisdom and strength we need each day. 

This week we have a busy schedule, all 3 kids have a Drs. appt today, tomorrow there is a Food Bank Meeting we need to attend, and the rest of the week will be busy with calls for the Food Pantry.  The end of the month proves to be our busiest time for food requests and that keeps Doyle pretty busy. 

Hope you have a good week!!   Happy serving the Lord in CannonBall....Sis. Sheri 

We had a really good Father's Day Sunday...there were 34 present on Sunday morning....one new couple and their 15 yr. old daughter came!!!  Afterwards we had a time of Fellowship and we were able to talk with the couple.  Pray that they will continue to come.     Sunday evening we had 18 here....I got to use my New Flannelgraph to tell the story and the kids loved it!!!   Thank You so much Lutpon Drive Baptist Church for purchasing the flannelgraph for us!!! 

We have been approved as Foster Parents and yesterday they brought us 3 children ( Ages 3,6, and 9).  Both their parents are incarcerated and CPS is looking for a home off the reservation for them.  Xavier is still here with also but I'm not too sure if he is going to want to stay with the other 3 here.  Please pray for us....these 3 have been through so much and they need someone to care for them and really love them!!!

The kids are beginning to wake up....headed for a BUSY day!!!   Sis. Sheri

We had a really good Father's Day Sunday...there were 34 present on Sunday morning....one new couple and their 15 yr. old daughter came!!!  Afterwards we had a time of Fellowship and we were able to talk with the couple.  Pray that they will continue to come.     Sunday evening we had 16 here....I got to use my New Flannelgraph to tell the story and the kids loved it!!!   Thank You so much Lutpon Drive Baptist Church for purchasing the flannelgraph for us!!! 

We have been approved as Foster Parents and yesterday they brought us 3 children ( Ages 3,6, and 9).  Both their parents are incarcerated and CPS is looking for a home off the reservation for them.  Xavier is still here with also but I'm not too sure if he is going to want to stay with the other 3 here.  Please pray for us....these 3 have been through so much and they need someone to care for them and really love them!!!

The kids are beginning to wake up....headed for a BUSY day!!!   Sis. Sheri