The Paine Family

This past weekend, our family was all reunited in the hills of Tennessee after three months of being scattered across America. =) The Lord has been good to us in giving so many different opportunities in which to serve and continue to grow. These opportunities are not always close to home!

Not only were we all back together again, but we had the wonderful opportunity and privilege to spend a weekend with the Bates family in Tennessee.

Our time was greatly blessed, we were so encouraged! On top of a visit and being a reunited, both of our families climbed Mt. LeConte. At 6593′ elevation, Mount LeConte is the third highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! The view was simply amazing! The fellowship, between huffing and puffing, was great! The overall experience was hard, but it was so worth it! The beauty was simply amazing! It all clearly pointed to our Great Creator God who has blessed us with the abilities that we have to be able to even climb a mountain, see the view, feel the breeze and sunshine. God is good and this was an amazing time to just revel in His goodness and beauty.

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:  To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.”
Psalm 92:1-2

After so many great memories packed into one weekend…we had to add one more!…We celebrated Mom’s birthday this past Saturday! It was great time. =) We have all been so, so blessed by the love, the giving heart, and the loyalty that she has so faithfully demonstrated. We love you Mom!…and Happy Birthday!

Please pray for us as this week is a busy for Thomas and Chad as they serve in Nashville, TN at the ATI Regional Conference. And for the rest of us as we continue to meet needs in the Publications Department here in Chicago!

May your week be blessed!

The Family once again left on a road trip! Thursday, they headed down to the wonderful state of Oklahoma to pick up Abigail  from Oklahoma city who has finished her service time there with the GAP ministries. In addition to this, they are visiting our dear friends, the Toedts, in Tulsa.

Leaving on Friday afternoon, they made the long trek southward and arrived early Saturday morning in Tulsa. From the sounds of it, they are having a blast! Swimming in Basin Springs, going to a rodeo for the first time and much more sounds pretty exciting to me. =)

The only members of the family who are not in OK at this point are Thomas, Nate, and I.

Nate has recently returned from Texas, but then left again to lead a Journey to the Heart up in the Northwoods of Michigan. He will be returning to Chicago today! I am excited to hear what God did in the lives of the young men who went up.

We are all looking forward to a family reunion in about a week or so! It has been over three months since we were altogether and we have missed each and everyone that has been away.Will keep you posted on what takes place this week! God bless!

~ Chad

” Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”
~ Proverbs 31:10 ~

The value of a mother?…it can’t be priced, for it’s priceless.

We all enjoyed our mother on this special day. It was a special time of sharing and just being together as a family. We are so blessed by our mother, it is hard to know where to begin to begin expressing our gratefulness to God and her for daily laying her life down for each one us. This is the greatest love that one can have for another. Thanks Mom!…We all love you! 

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield ~ Psalm 5:12 ~

The Lord truly did compass our family about with a shield these past two week.  Last week, Thomas and myself (Chad), left for Big Sandy tx to help with the first ATI regional conference of the year. The Lord blessed the group with safety, speedy travel, and a blessed week! During that time, the remainder of the family (excluding Abigail who remains in Oklahoma City and Nathaniel who resides at IMI) had the opportunity to move our Great Grandmother from Indianapolis, IN to southern Florida. The fam decided to make a slight vacation out of it and really had quite the adventure.

God blessed them with protection and everyone arrived in Florida safely. Once they moved our Grandmother in, they were able to visit our Grandparents on Dad’s side who live in Brooksville, FL. They really enjoyed their time and Thomas and I both wish we could have been there (as well as Nate and Abby I’m sure =). As you can tell from the pictures, they had a blast.

To make things all the more memorable, the family stopped by the Bates Family homestead in the mountains of Tennessee…and the fun was on!

The Bates were so hospitable and went out of their way to make them feel welcome. Thanks again Bates for such a wonderful time!

We all are back together once again…except for Nate and Abby  who we are anticipating seeing within the next couple of weeks! God has been so good. He has faithfully protected us through the many, many miles that we all have travelled.

Praise Him for His care. May the Lord richly bless your weekend with His protection!

~ Chad

The girls had a wonderful time in Oklahoma. In addition to getting some sun, they were a huge blessing to the Toedts in preparing and running the Basic Seminar there in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Abigail remains in Oklahoma where she will be going through character training and have the opportunity to work with young people.

Hannah and Brielle returned with their “chauffeur,” Rob Bennett. Thanks again Rob!

It nice to be back together again! We are just missing Nate and Abby, so please keep them in your prayers as they continue to grow and mature as they prepare for the ministry that God has for them.

~ Photos courtesy of Rob Bennet