This and That

Well, our store is officially open and now we just have to hope for the customers to come. We have had positive feedback from those who have stopped by and we realize we have to be patient and wait for the word to get around. One Amish lady told us that "this is too good to be true" so we were very happy to hear that. Our community has a lot of Amish and we hoped that our discount groceries would appeal to them. We are anxious to get the food pantry up and running too, but will have to wait and see how well the store does before we open those doors.

Even though everything has gone fairly well with the store, it has still been kind of stressful, so I thought a couple of things to make me smile would be appropriate to post on my blog. 

How can you not smile back at this adorable face?!?!

On the third Tuesday of each month, I keep children for a Bible Study that Jay and Kristen attend at New Danville Mennonite Church. It is usually just their children and two other sisters (Ashlyn and Sarah) that I watch. This past Tuesday, I was reading a book to them, and Alexis grabbed my phone and snapped this picture. I love the expressions on the childrens' faces.

I wonder what part I was reading that has them so captivated. I think it was a book about Peter Rabbit.

Awstin and I like to walk down to the park on Wednesdays and sit on the swing and sing. In this video we are singing "Here Comes the Bible Train." Take notice of the pink candy that he has in his mouth. We had just come from Megan and Jeremy's house after watching the train in their basement and he always pilfers a few candies before we leave!

Don't we sound good together?

How fortunate we are to have little people in our lives to make us smile!

A Soft Opening

Ten months after purchasing the property that was known as the old Mt. Nebo Store, we are finally ready to open to the public the new Mt. Nebo Center, home of  Martic Store and Martic Pantry. This has certainly been an interesting journey with lots of twists and turns but through it all we have continually been amazed with the encouragement that we have received from friends and community and with windows that have opened when doors were slammed shut. 

Tomorrow we plan to have a soft opening for Martic Store which is a discount grocery store. Most of our items are close to expiration date so we are able to sell them cheaply. We also plan to offer breakfast and lunch sandwiches and coffee. Hopefully, soft ice cream will be available in the near future. Many have been working hard the last several weeks to get the store up and running. There seemed to be a never ending list of things that needed to get done, from cleaning, painting, wiring, and remodeling to purchasing groceries and stocking shelves. When we look around, there are still things that need finished but we believe we have come far enough to open our doors to shoppers. If all goes well with tomorrow's soft opening (which is by invite only) we will open to the public on Monday.

The plan is to use proceeds from the store to fund the pantry.  Persons who come to us that need help with food, will be given a gift card to use at the store. This will allow them to purchase items that they know their family will use as opposed to just giving them a bag of groceries as most other food banks do. We anticipate that the pantry will be operating by summer. We have already received some monetary donations for it and once we get a feel of how much income the store brings in, we will be able to anticipate the amount of funds we can put towards the pantry each month.

This is all new territory for us and sometimes it feels overwhelming. We are trusting God with each step we take and I can honestly say that I have come a long way from my initial doubts and opposition to it. I can see the way God has provided for us when we thought we were coming up against a brick wall and this has increased my faith. I am excited (and a bit apprehensive) to see how the journey unfolds.

If you are reading this, you are probably a friend or family member as I don't think anyone else would want to bore themselves with my blog. Consider this your invitation to join us tomorrow for our soft opening. The store will be open from 9:00 until 2:00. Come out and look around and do some shopping as well!

Happy Birthday Julissa!

What do I say about this lovely lady that was only a figment of our imagination last year at this time? Maybe she was a little more than that, because we knew she existed, but we had no idea that she and Josh would actually become a couple and we were only hoping and dreaming that it would happen. 

I first met Julissa Rochelle Lehman (Eberly then) at a Second Tunic banquet last April. At that time, we knew that she and Josh were communicating but we really didn't know any more than that. We didn't know if they liked each other or if they were deciding not to pursue the relationship. We had gone to the banquet with Steve's parents and it was a little awkward when we realized that she was there. Did we talk to her or just ignore her? Steve's mom solved that dilemma when after the banquet she hopped up from the table and said, "let's go talk to Julissa." I can usually make small talk but I honestly did not know what to say to this charming young woman. She was pleasant and friendly and we managed to talk for a little about nonsensical things and then as she was leaving, she said, "well, I'm sure I will see you again!" Steve and I were ecstatic!  Maybe there really was something going on between her and Josh. On the way home I texted Josh, "she seems really nice." He soon texted back, "I know." It's amazing how two little words of a text can make you so happy. That's when Steve and I realized that the two of them really were serious about their relationship!

I have so enjoyed getting to know Julissa. She is fun to be around and easy to talk with. Having just officially joined the family three months ago we still have a lot to learn about each other but she is fitting in so well that it all seems so easy. Since their marriage, she and Josh have joined us for Wednesday evening suppers. I was hoping she didn't feel like it was an obligation, but when she made the comment that it was nice to have a day when she didn't have to worry about supper, it made my heart happy. It was also nice to see that when Josh had to work a little late and couldn't make it in time for supper she was comfortable to join us herself and take a doggy box home for him. 

Julissa is a woman of many talents who loves Jesus, music, reading, baking/cooking, and exercising among other things. (Well, maybe she doesn't love exercising but she does it and has even run a 5K.) Josh's bachelor pad has been turned into a lovely home thanks to her woman's touch. Josh has always been a pretty happy guy but having her in his life has added an extra spark in his eye and spring to his step that has been wonderful for this mother to see. As I have said in previous posts, seeing my children happy in their relationships is what makes me happy.

When I look back over the past year and think how our lives (especially Josh's) have been blessed by the addition of Julissa to our family I am thankful. Thankful to God for his faithfulness, thankful to Steve's parents for their part in getting them together, thankful for Josh and Julissa that they found each other, and thankful that she is now part of our family.

Happy 28th birthday Julissa! I am so glad to call you my daughter-in-law!