Another day, another run, another moment to praise the Lord!

My running shoes...minus the pair I can't find at the moment!

I had my annual physical this week, and I was once again reminded of how much I have to be thankful for in life. I am in good health, and have lost 13 pounds from last year. That may not seem like a whole lot, but I've been fighting to lose those pounds! I'm six pounds away from the weight I was when I got married, but I'm not sure I'll ever get there!

Also this week, I realized that it has been a year since I started tracking my miles. I didn't set a goal this past year of how many miles I was aiming to run, but I run mostly because I enjoy it. And running helps me keep my weight in check! Someone recently asked me to name one word that would describe my exercise and reason for running...one word= commitment. For me, that sums it up in a nutshell, oh, there are many other words that go along with that like dedication, perseverance, determination, etc. but that is the one I chose. Why? For me, exercise is like reading my Bible, I am committed to reading it every day just as I am committed to exercising every day. Now, I'd rather have my Bible read than exercise done, but I'm committed to fitting both in my day. It doesn't always happen, but just because I trip up, doesn't mean I should quit the race completely! Actually, reading my Bible often motivates me to exercise because I'll read about my body being the temple of the living God (II Corinthians 6:16), or run that we might obtain, (I Corinthians 9: 24) or controlling my appetite (Proverbs 23:2). Bottom line is that I try to be committed to seeing my body get daily exercise.

I'd encourage anyone to commit to exercise everyday. It provides oxygen for the body, refreshes the mind, produces endorphins, and helps keep the pounds in check...all good reasons to exercise the body and mind. I've found that running allows me to meditate on Scripture, pray for others, and listen to some awesome Gospel songs; therefore, all the more reason for me to do it.

 My greatest encourager and supporter in my husband, Roger. He doesn't necessarily enjoy running, but he encourages me to do it. He never complains about watching the kids while I run or exercise, and I am so thankful for him. God has blessed me beyond measure!

In the past year, I've run three 5k races, a half-marathon, and have logged just over 1,000 miles on my shoes! 600 of those were running miles, while the rest were composed of biking, walking, aerobic exercise, and elliptical. Running a half-marathon was hard work, and while I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment, I'm not sure I'll do it again. I'd like to do a triathlon, but we'll see what the new running year brings.


However, things are changing for our family with our upcoming adventure, and one of my biggest fears (my closest friends have already heard me say this!) is that I will gain 20 pounds in ten weeks due to lack of exercise. So, in the next few weeks, I'll probably be working more on self-discipline and telling the flesh "no" rather than my commitment to exercise.


 July 2012

My friend, Katie and myself
in September of 2011...
and she's very tiny, so she makes me
look fatter than I really am!





The Robertson Family

 

Short-term mission trip to Manley Hot Springs, Alaska



 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I: send me.”  Isaiah 6:8

Dear Family and Friends,

          As many of you know, this past March I was able to take a trip to Alaska. It was a short trip with Wings As Eagles ( a ministry out of our church, Wyldewood Baptist) geared toward evangelistic goals of reaching people with the gospel. There I strengthened a friendship with a missionary to the north, Earl Malpass. I was able to see his ministry, and God really gave me a burden to help this missionary friend. Not knowing what God had in mind, I returned home and my wife and I began to pray about what God would have us to do. We stayed in contact with Brother Malpass, and when he mentioned his desire to go on furlough, I felt God’s direction toward taking a short- term mission trip to help out his ministry while he and his family are away.

           My family and I are planning to head to Alaska at the end of November and return towards the beginning of February.  We will be staying in the village of Manley Hot Springs, which is about a five- hour drive from Fairbanks, Alaska.  Brother Malpass has established a small church family there, and we are looking forward to meeting the people of this community, working with them, encouraging them, and assisting in church services.  We are excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to seeing how God uses us. 

              We are in need of several things.  As we step out on this new experience, we need your help.  First of all, we ask that you pray for us. Pray for safety. Pray we will be a blessing to the people there. Pray that God would use our family for His glory. Pray that God would strengthen our family and give us clear direction for our future.  

Secondly, we are in need of a four-wheel -drive vehicle to use for our 10 week mission trip. It is costly to live in Alaska and in order to cut costs, we are planning on driving there.  We ask that you pray that God would allow us to find the right vehicle.

Thirdly, we are stepping out on faith, knowing that God will provide our needs. Would you be willing to consider giving a one-time monetary donation to help our family with the expenses of gas, a vehicle, and food? We would greatly appreciate anything that God leads you to give.  Any donations can be sent to our home church, Wyldewood Baptist Church. Please ear-tag it for the Roger Robertson family.

 Thank you for your prayers.  If you would like to receive updates and news about our trip, you can find it on our family blog… mudandmanners.blogspot.com. The updates will be sporadic as we will be able to update only when we can connect to the internet. Thank you and God bless. 

Roger, Sarah, Garett, Chandler, Wyatt, and Travis Robertson

 

This is the letter we sent out to family and friends to encourage them to pray for us as we step out on this new adventure. My heart is overwhelmed with the thought of this experience, and I am resting in God to take care of us, provide for us, and to change us more into His image for His glory through this trip.  I am excited about this opportunity, and as a family we are looking forward to this mission trip. The cabin we will be staying in is a dry cabin, which means it has electricity, but no running water! This will be a challenge for me...how badly do I need to go to the bathroom?! I have many questions about how it will all work out, but one thing is for certain...it will be interesting! Prayers are appreciated, and we love and care about you all.

Love, Sarah

Birthday, Birthdays, an anniversary and a wedding!

              Life doesn't offer a pause button, but if it did I'd be sure to use it at times! We've been busy with my baby turning two, and my oldest turning six...where oh where did time go??? We celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary in September, witnessed the wedding of Roger's younger brother, I helped with a Ladies Retreat at church, we had revival services with Tom Farrell, moved on to Missions conference, and started school with Garett somewhere in that list too!



Our anniversary weekend...same dress I wore for our honeymoon, seven years ago!

         We had a family get-together for Travis' birthday, and then Garett had a party with a few families over with their children. Garett asked for tacos for his birthday dinner, and he was SO excited to pick out his own birthday cake from Wal-mart. I did an interview with Garett and asked him a few questions. I saved the questions and hope to repeat them in future years to see how his responses mature and change.





Here are his responses:
 1) What is your favorite thing to do? "maybe....play outside"
 2) What is your favorite food? vegetables
 3) Who is your best friend? "uh...I don't know"
 4) What would be the best birthday present ever? "maybe this" (pointing to the airplane, he had just opened for his birthday)
 5) What is one new thing you learned this year? "maybe...school"
 6) What would you like to be when you grow up? "maybe..I don't know"
 7) If someone was to give you money for a birthday present, what would be the perfect amount? "maybe..twenty dollars".


My four little men...six, four, three and two!

I enjoyed listening to his responses, and I look forward too doing an interview with my other children on their upcoming birthdays as well.

          While life has been just a tad overwhelming these past few weeks, I 've been challenged to manage my time better and blogging hasn't been a priority. However, we have some big changes coming up for our family in the next few weeks and months, and I have been reminded by a friend that I need to get back at this. Stay tuned for new adventures within our family!

Family wedding...Roger's brother, Mark and wife, Allison