Monday, April 14, 2008, 6:07 a.m., D.S.T., Nashville, TN~

Dear Journal~

Bill Sandusky here.  Hope you are well!  I couldn't be better than I am right now!

Wife just left to go to work; hopefully she won't get held up in traffic; these Nashville streets can get pretty dicey in the early mornings as people head for work/school, particularly if there are accidents abound.  Thank God we only live ten minutes away from Louie's work!

I worry about her until she gets to work; she then gives me a ringie-dingie, to let me know she got there safely.  Only then can I breathe again. LOL

The children are runnin' (or rollin') about, getting their school supplies together.  As usual, there's much confusion, chaos.  They want to be ready before the buses come between six forty five (for the older kids) and seven thirty/eight o'clock (the elementary-aged kids).  So far there's been no tears, no fights; I pray this continues.

Yesterday we had a marvelous time at church: a missionary couple from Kenya, Africa, the Otumbwes (still can't figure out how to spell their last names! LOL), came, ministered to us.  There was even a children's choir from Kenya who sang during the presentation; many people were moved to tears.  My son Johnny and daughter Ronee' were so inspired they are thinking of entering the missions field when they are older.

Johnny wants to reach the deaf community; Ronee' wants to reach teenagers or children, particularly those who are disabled.  They both have a heart for young people, and they want to do all they possibly can to spread the Good News to them before it is too late.

I've seen a fire awaken in them that is nothing short of extraordinary.  God is using them both in a mighty way, and it is exciting to think about what may be in store for them.

It's awakened something in me too; have to think of ways to reach the men in our church, our community that are hurting, in need of friends/fellowship.  My wife is ministering to hospitalized patients as she works, and she's done a most marvelous job!

God's been using our entire family to reach the lost.  If we don't do it through music, we do it through prayer, letting people know that we care for them, and are available anytime they need to talk, pray, unload their troubles.  All we can do then is love them and encourage them, pray for them.

We try to demonstrate Christlike love in our actions; in other words, we live our faith, not just talk about it.

We've been Christians for only a short while (less than ten years), but we have been trying to reach as many people as possible with the message of hope, and hopefully we've reached somebody, made a difference in their lives.  This is our hope, our passion, our dream.

God has blessed us in so many ways.  Somehow when the money is tight, he provides just enough to where we can get through another day.  Same way with food, clothing.  He may not deliver when we want Him to, but His timing is never off; He's never let us down yet. 

He's given health back to the sickly ones (case in point--Johnny, Ronee', Loueva, Deborah; all were recently in the hospital, two overnight, the other two for just a couple of hours).

He's given us things we needed for the home:  a new computer table, a new laptop (or two), a new phone when ours died, new crutches or medical equipment, food out the wazoo, just so much we can't even begin to thank Him!!

People at church have been aware of the financial struggles we are facing with raising our village; they've stepped up to the plate, and as a result of our faith, God's been rewarding us in ways we can't even begin to comprehend!

When we think we have it hard, all we have to do is look around, see how truly blessed we really are. My wife and I have a very strong marriage, beautiful children (and grandchildren), an unshakable faith in God, a loving church family, our health (such as it is), loving parents (my in-laws), wonderful pets, jobs that we both love, enjoy, and a heart for people. 

As long as we have God in our lives, what more could we possibly need??

Well, some of the kids are starting to fuss, so I'd best go before an argument ensues.  Don't need that in this early morning!  I will write in here another day; may God bless you as much as He's blessed us in recent days!

~Bill.