May
Family
December 16, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ!
Joseph and I would like to share the ‘happenings’
of our life throughout the past eight years! We are blessed to share this life
here on earth as husband and wife! God has made us a perfect fit for one another.
The first 5 years of marriage voyaged quickly from bliss->real life->
you’re getting on my nerves/I can’t stand you->
to rest finally on what the Lord has purposed in our
marriage and the Love that binds us! We both know we are
only at this place because of God’s wisdom, His promises and His people who
have come along side us. Ephesians 5 has been a great reference for us- Paul starts out in
verse one saying “Be imitators of God”. Well,
if you ask me, that’s a whole lot to get “right” in the first four words. If we
are imitating God, then there is little to complain about, in any area of our
marriage.
Within these first five years we were
given the pleasure to care for and train three beautiful souls. Amber -7, Brooklyn -6,
and Curran -4. {Of course, some of you know we
have a baby is heaven Joseph Maurio May, Jr. (MC December 2003)}. After the
loss of our unborn child, God gave us comfort and encouragement in the verses
written in Psalm 127: 3-5
Sons are a heritage
from the LORD, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a
warrior are the sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is
full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their
enemies in the gate.
We find these words so encouraging as it reminds us of our
purpose as parents. That is, to raise our children to contend with their enemies
(ultimately Satan, but any thing that distracts them from their God given
purpose on this earth) in the gate (their heart, thus their souls). Whether we
like it or not, once we bore our children, they entered into to battle with us!
We are pleased that God saw fit for us to raise three beautiful children- and
who knows how many more!!!
All three, have confessed Jesus as the Son of God, that He
died on the Cross for their sins and invited Him into their hearts as their Lord
and Savior! Amber and Brooklyn made
their statement of faith known by being baptized earlier this month! We are
eager to see what the Lord will do in their lives as they learn of
His ways and develop in their own personal relationships with Him. We are
overly blessed to call them, our children AND
our fellow brother and sisters in Christ! Our children are the only possessions
we can take with us into eternity, heaven or hell.
We have shared with you about the first five years. So let us
now share with you about the commencing of the second five! Joseph began 2009
without a job and continued to be jobless for the first four or five months.
But, experienced more blessings during that time than any other time in our
lives combined! David said in Psalm
37:25 “I was young and now I old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.” Now, we are not declaring that we are
old, but we are declaring the FAITHFULNESS of our God. He is just that
good. Have you tried Him? In fact, the verse below says “They are always generous and lend freely and their children will be
blessed.” This has been a testament for us as well- never before have we
been able to give more to others via our time, prayers, clothing, food, etc.
than during this time. ONLY
God can make that kind of math work!
Joseph began working in late spring for two children’s homes. What
a wonderful leader and provider I (Tamika) have for a husband and my children
have for a father. Both of these jobs paid very little money. But there is the
lady from our church who came to me a called me blessed and my husband a “real
man”. She said, “Only a real man would accept a minimum paying job to provide
for his family while he humbly waits for the right one to come along.” I was so
encouraged by this- so much so that I couldn’t wait to encourage Joseph with
those very words.
In October 2009 (or shortly before), Joseph joined the United
States Army. We are now stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia. The Lord has
provided us with awesome sisters and brothers in Christ! We have grown so much
in our faith, our walk, and in what it means to be the “hands and feet of
Jesus”. We count ourselves blessed. But, enough of that or this letter will be
ten pages long!
We are still homeschooling. Curran joined the fun, this year!
He sort of comes in and out! I become more and grateful for the privilege to
teach my children at home. Especially, when the light bulb pops on or I see
them taking the initiative to learn and help each other! I love that I know
their learning styles; it just illuminates the work of the Lord in knitting
them together.
Now, that we have gotten you all up to date. Tell us what’s
been going on with you. We’d love to hear from you. Our address is at the top
of the first page. We hope to continue updating our family and friends during
this Christmas season. We look for forward to sharing with you, again, in 2012
if the Lord tarries.
We pray this Christmas season is most holy and sacred, as you
remember the birth of our Lord and Savior and look to His Coming Again!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Two Warriors & Three Arrows,
Joseph and Tamika
