The Wilkes Team is committed to living their lives in such a way so that others are drawn to Christ and God is glorified

400 Years of Providential Protection

{jamestown} The first settlement“We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their desires for the furtherance of so noble a work, which may, by the providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the glory of His Divine Majesty, in propagating of the Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God, and may in time bring the infidels and savages living in those parts to human civility and to a settled and quiet government, do, by these our letters patent, graciously accept of, and agree to, their humble and well-intended desires.” (Quote located in CLA’s article on Jamestown)

{jamestown} The 300 year anniversary monument to JamestKing James I (the same King James to authorize the translation of what we now know as the King James Bible) issued a charter for the colonization of Virginia in 1606. The above paragraph is an excerpt from his royal decree. While many have touted the evil of America’s early beginnings, a closer look manifests the original intent. The honorable Rev. Robert Hunt was one of 100+ members on board the 3 ships (the Godspeed, Mary Constant, and Discovery) in 1607 that arrived at Cape Henry.

April 26th was the date of arrival. When the party of men landed on the beach, Rev. Hunt gathered them around and quoted Habakkuk 2:20, “The Lord is in His Holy Temple; Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” For the next 3 days the men were lead in a time of prayer and fasting as a means of dedicating this new land to the Lord. Every morning and evening Rev. Hunt said this solemn prayer unto the Lord, “

Almighty God, … we beseech Thee to bless us and this plantation which we and our nation have begun in Thy fear and for Thy glory … and seeing, Lord, the highest end of our plantation here is to set up the standard and display the banner of Jesus Christ, even here where Satan’s throne is, Lord, let our labour be blessed in labouring for the conversion of the heathen. … Lord, sanctify our spirits and give us holy hearts, that so we may be Thy instruments in this most glorious work.”

The United States of America had been birthed in prayer, fasting, and a multi-generational vision. Were there problems? Did Satan seek to contort what God had meant for good? Of course, and this should not be a surpise that our culture would only remember the evil. Nevertheless, America was founded unto the furtherance of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

{jamestown} President Tyler spoke at the 200 anniversarFormer President John Tyler, his grandson, Booker T. Washington, William Jennings Bryan, and more saw the {jamestown} William Jennings Bryan attended the 200 annimportance of Jamestown’s establishment to the greatness of America. May we remember, amidst our media’s erroneous dogma, that this nation was conceived in prayer for Christ unto greater works. Click here for President Bush’s official Jamestown proclamation. Vision Forum will be commemorating this event June 11-16. Start your own factual historical journey on Jamestown by visiting www.jamestown400th.org.

A Rainy Family Day

{farm} An Alpine Goat peeks out

{farm} Hello, how are you?

One cold, rainy afternoon last week, Daddy and Mommy took Sarah, Adam, Hannah, Markie and I to Frying Pan Park in Reston, VA. It is a historic farm from the early 1900s. {farm} The pigs were fun to watch{farm} One of the workers feeds a baby AlpineWe all got out of the van while the wind and rain hit against us. Because of the bad weather, we were the only ones there, but this made it extra special. We quickly ran to the animal barn where it was warm and {farm} Markie milks a cowdry. While there, we saw goats, lambs, piglets and calves which were just 5 to 10 days old. A farmer came in who was the manager there. He fed the animals and cleaned the hoofs of two horses. After awhile they brought in two milking cows which we helped milk. This adventure inspired us for the day we may be able take care of farm animals!

{farm} Mommy milking a cow

Father and Daughter Retreat

{retreat} Enjoying a basket lunch!{retreat} Saturday afternoon High TeaWhat a blessing it is to be a Daughter of a Father who invests into my life. One of the ways he shows his love to me is by spending time with me. A couple weeks ago, he did just that by taking Jennifer, Hannah and myself away to a Father and Daughter Retreat with Vision Forum in the Callaway Gardens of {retreat} Ice cream social (Hannah & Bethany){retreat} Hannah wins a bouquet of flowersGeorgia. It was an exciting weekend for us just being with our Daddy. When I realized what a sacrifice my Dad made to go there, I knew that he loved us far more than anything else.

The Retreat started off with an afternoon full of Father and Daughter {retreat} Picnic on the alloway Lawn{retreat} Hannah in the Butterfly HouseUnity Games on one of the large Callaway Garden lawns, which overlooked just one of the many beautiful lakes. The Game that I recieved the most enjoyment from was the three legged race.  {retreat} One of the many unique butterflies in the Cal{retreat} Stopping for a picture while biking through tThe goal of this game was to encourage fathers and daughters to working together side by side, in both enjoyable activies and life decisions. The afternoon ended with a wonderful picnic basket lunch on the Callaway Lawn! 

The Lord spoke to me in a real special way that weekend and opened my eyes and heart to the fact that I will be a mother of thousands!! The Lord showed me that I need to begin living my life with the realization that my life will {retreat} One of the many beautiful settingseffect those around me and those that will come after me. I am excited about what the future will hold for me as I continue to be under authority and serve my family! Thank you Daddy.

{retreat} Thank you Daddy!

If at first you don’t succeed…

Kenan and I recently came upon an innovative discovery through the wonderful world of art. Drawing has always been a joy of ours irregardless of talent. There is something awe-inspiring which results from creating scenes, creatures, designs, and illusions on paper.

This past week Kenan initiated a wood carving project that required a sketch of a small barn. I eagerly set myself to team up with him on a seeminly simple project. Little did we realize the technique, calculations, and forethough required! Armed with a picture, pencils, plenty of paper, and Kenan’s eager support, we dove into the project. Here is what resulted:

{barn} Roof does not appear to be cantilevered{barn} Not a bad attempt, roof support beams at wrong angle{barn} Shading lacks, & support beams of roof at wrong angle

{barn} Support beams begin to be modified slightly{barn} Well modified beams, but wrongly angled! We're getting there!{barn} Little bit more shading is needed. Discovery: the beams are to be at the same angle as roof - makes sense!

….Try, try, try, try, try, try again! Whoopee – we made it! A couple discoveries we made along the way included proper shading, creating a front face on the roof support beam, keeping the beams in proportion to the roof, and finally, taking care to have roof line and support beams at the same angle. Jennifer and Daniel were big helps along the way. Here’s the finished product (below):

{barn} We came a long way! Tips from Daniel & Jennifer were a big help!

“…the firmament showeth his handiwork. Psalms 19:1b”

The Young Lady Bugs

{ladybug} The lady bugs are here!A couple weeks ago, Daddy, Jennifer, Sarah, and I went to the Butterfly house in the Callaway Gardens in Georgia. Daddy bought a {ladybug} Carefully opening the lady bug packagelady bug house for me. Its a special gift for Mommy. I mailed a certificate to receive my lady bugs in the mail.

{ladybug} Installing the lady bugs to their new homeThe young lady bugs arrived today, April 17, 2007. There are 3 lady bugs that survived the trip from California. When they grow up like the lady bugs that we usually see then {ladybug} Lady bug land!we can put them in the garden. I have a special keeper that I can put the young lady bugs in and there’s a pipette to put a few drops of water on a felt sponge in the middle of a small crater.

{ladybug} The way to give the lady bugs water

I am excited about watching the lady bugs grow up.

A Few Good Links:

The Staddon Family
The Staddon family has been a big source of enouragement and were the inspiration for our blog.
The Neely Team
Dear friends from North Carolina who are a constant source of encouragement in the area of family harmony and family ministry!

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