Meeting Jodi

I've said it before, but I'm saying it again today:  The internet can be an evil place.  "Can be" being the key words.  Social media sites like MySpace and Facebook can be very bad.  Again, "can be" are the key words.  There are so many ways satan, the enemy of our souls who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy us, uses things like what I've mentioned to really mess people up.

However, God, the Lover of our souls, is more than able to use those very same things (all things He created and thought of before any man even had the ideas for) to encourage and spur His people on to love and good works.

That's what blogging has done for me!  And it (blogging) has become a huge blessing and encourager in my life.  The connections I've been able to make and friendships forged have been a cup of fresh water to my soul. 

Several years ago, I discovered Beth Moore's Living Proof Ministries Blog and the Lord has used it to really change my life.  It was the impetus to begin my own blog.  I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life just a couple of months after discovering the blog at LPM and posted a comment asking for prayer.  Now Beth has hundreds of comments to any given post on her ministry's blog.  The best I was hoping for was a few people who would read my comment and genuinely pray for me.

Within just a couple of days of each other, Stephanie (Notes From The Soul) and Jodi (Fruit Inspection) both emailed me with encouraging words and pledges to pray for me!  Out of all the people that read and comment on that blog, these two sweet girls took time to personally contact me.  The Lord used them then and continues to use these two sweet friends to encourage me and spur me on.  I got to meet Stephanie a couple of years ago in San Antonio, TX at a Living Proof Live event.

Yesterday, I was blessed to meet Jodi and her two sweet kiddos!  Her husband Jeremy is involved in a fishing tournament taking place on Lake Okeechobee and they are staying in Clewiston for the week.  Jodi, her daughter Savannah and her son Emery, came to Fort Myers and met up with me, Bentley and JennaBeth at Escape Zone.

Bentley and Emery began playing and paling around like they've know each other all their lives!  It was sweet to have them finally meet IRL (in real life).

This picture is really poor quality...it was kind of dark in the bounce area and I couldn't get a good setting on my camera to get a good picture.  That's Savannah in the corner...and I am sad that this picture is the only one of her I got!  JennaBeth immediately fell in love with her and kept her busy most of the evening.  Jodi, if you got a better picture of Savannah and JennaBeth, please send it to me!!

 

As usual, JennaBeth jumped right in on the action with the boys and would NOT be outdone by them!  After the kids had played for a couple of hours, we took the kids to Yogurt Mountain for a cool treat.  I think both Emery's and Bentley's hair was plastered to their heads...they played hard and enjoyed every minute of it!  Later that evening I had checked in with Jodi by text to make sure they had arrived back in Clewiston safely and she said that her kids wanted to play with Bentley and JennaBeth again today.  I in turn told her that Bentley was wanting to move to Georgia so he could play with Emery everyday!

Jodi, I am blessed to know you!  You are one of the most genuine people I know and I love the transparency and realness with which you share on your blog.  I am go glad we finally got to meet face to face and certainly hope it won't be the last time!  Your faith encourages me and God has used it to spur me along in my own! 

*You can visit Jeremy and Jodi's new business, Anglers Warehouse by going HERE and be sure and connect with them on Facebook by going HERE.  

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!..Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12

Blessings,
Jennifer