Update:

Hello, everyone! I know I haven’t been doing a whole lot on my blog. Russell is home now, and I’m trying to catch up on everything I let go while he was visiting. Don’t think that my lack of posts is any indication that I didn’t have the week of my life or that I am not thrilled. My week with Russell was so much fun and a blessing. Believe me, there is more to come along those lines. Just give me some time.

Right now I’m trying to catch up on journal, emails that have been pouring in, I’m thinking about future posts, trying to get pictures together, spending time with my family, keeping up with my life and daily schedule, and trying to adjust to the fact that Russell is really courting me and all the “newness” that has come about because of that. Russell’s surprise visit really surprised me. You know me--Miss Organized Perfectionist. Well, I’m still trying to register everything that has happened in my mind and “file” it in an orderly fashion. To be honest, my brain is still trying to catch up with the events of the past 2 weeks. We only just started courting, and it seems like people are already wanting answers about the wedding, etc. I feel very overwhelmed and need a little time to catch my breath.

One of these days I’m going to write a post about Russell’s and my love story. As a young girl I would listen to ladies tell how they met and fell in love with their husbands, and I always wanted to have a special story to tell, just like they did. Well, God sure wrote a beautiful love story when He wrote Russell’s and mine. I can’t wait to share it with you all. It is astounding to me what God has done over the years to prepare us for each other and how, with such skill and perfection, He brought us to the place where we are today. If you are single, I hope it will be an encouragement for you to wait for God’s best. It is SO worth the wait! (You’re going to see that phrase a lot, so be prepared! =) I feel like a little bit of Heaven has descended and entered my world. The Lord is so good!

I really miss Russell. It hasn’t been easy to be separated, and I know we’re looking at months of separation still to come. Sometimes I can’t describe how sad I feel. Still, a soothing peace fills my heart. Yes, it is peace. I know, even at this moment, that God is giving me grace. He’s carrying me through. I keep having this verse run through my mind:

And what joy fills my soul,
just to know, just to know
That His grace is sufficient for me.

God’s grace is sufficient! Praise the Lord! Please continue to keep Russell and me in your prayers. The Lord has brought us to this point, and we sure don’t want to mess things up now. “I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD.”

Thank you all so much for your kind emails and comments. We appreciate the love and support you have shown us and the prayers that are being raised on our behalf.

Lord bless,
Hannah

“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” ~ Psalm 27:13-14