The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Friday 3 October 2014

News from Laine!

Today I am handing over the blog to Laine. What an exciting day! If you had told me this would happen I wouldn't have believed you!





This is a testimony to "you never know what God's plan is!" Next week I am going to show you how Helen made all of Laine's past letters into books as a gift for Laine, myself and our friend Kaye who was responsible for saving all these letters to a memory stick so they were never lost. They are a treasure. Having a little read I realised the vast amount of work in them and the content give me all this material that I read for many years and yet now at a different time in my life it is all new. I am going to get myself a note book and treat the letters as a Bible Study and make a project of it throughout 2015. I will start this year but I can see I have a year of Bible study I could do with these letters. I can't wait!






If you followed Laine's Letters you are in for a treat! If you never knew of Laine's Letters you are still in for a big treat!

So over to Laine...


Dear Sisters,
Hi! It is so wonderful to be able to connect with you all on Annabel’s blog, and so kind of her to let me write a letter to you all as my new blog is being set up for some time next year, God willing. I know many of you might not know who I am, so let me introduce myself first. My name is Laine. I have been married to my Love for 33 years now. Art and I have five children and four grandchildren. We are so thankful for each and every one of them, and for our beautiful daughters-in-law and son-in-law. I still can’t believe I am a grandmother sometimes, it is all just too rich. ~Smile~ My four older children are all grown up, ranging from 31 years of age to 21 years of age. But our youngest is only 5 years old as we adopted her from China four years ago. We waited almost six years for her, so there was quite a lot of excitement in the house when we got the call that we were matched with our little Lucy. About the same time that we were matched, we learned that our two older sons and their wives were each going to have a baby! So I became a grandmother soon after the time that I became a mother again. Rich, rich, rich! Not only that, but they all live next door to me or very close by. And now there are four grandchildren. Lucy loves playing with each and every one of them. The grandkids’ ages range from 3 years old down to 9 months. Am I busy? Yes! The best kind of busy. ~Smile~
I was facing the empty nest, and the LORD refilled my nest!
“He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!” Psalm 113:9
I am not barren, and I know this verse has a deeper meaning (Isaiah 54:1), but I sure do pray through this verse that the LORD will help me to keep house and to be a joyful mother of children. 
Because “He makes...”
I can’t do it, but He can!
“He makes...”
Two of my favorite Words in the Bible.
“And the LORD make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you. “ 1 Thessalonians 3:12
“Whereunto I also labor striving according to His working, which works in me mightily.” Colossians 1:29
Right before we were going to get Lucy from China, I was diagnosed with having Interstitial Cystitis. I have learned that anything with an “itis” at the end is not going to be pleasant or easy. I have had this condition for over four years now, and I can attest that it has not been easy. I still marvel that I made it to China given the condition that I was in. But...
“He makes...”
Unfortunately, I got worse for quite a long time before I got better. Plus I had a new baby. Also my poor daughters-in-law, who were living close by me, were so sick with their pregnancies. And my little Lucy had digestive issues, which I had to unravel, causing her to not be able to sleep through the night the first full year she was with us. She would awake crying and writhing in pain almost every night, and sometimes more than once a night. Needless to say, it was an exhaustive year. But Lucy is doing fabulous now through much prayer and nutritional perseverance. She cannot tolerate any soy, can have limited dairy, and occasional gluten. It is just so wonderful to see her thrive! I started teaching her kindergarten 7 weeks ago. God is so good! He has again got us through some very tough times.
“For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Phillippians 2:13
It took me longer to get well. In fact, it’s only been in the last four months that I have felt many days as though I had nothing wrong with me. Of course, I do have to be very careful with my diet. But had I not been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis, I wouldn’t have learned how to help Lucy. And also my daughter Abbie. My sweet daughter, Abbie, started showing signs of Interstitial Cystitis three weeks before her marriage almost three years ago. We have suffered together, and we have worked hard together to get well. We are both doing so much better. Thanks be to God our Father! And in the process, we both say we have learned so much about eating healthier than we would have ever had, had we not been so ill.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
And I love, love, love God.
And I am called to His purpose.
So...
“He makes...”
Yes, He makes!
Love,
Laine
Dear Sisters,
It’s been busy in my house recently. I have been enjoying so many things. We are at the end of summer, but it is still hot here! We are expecting some hot days this weekend. Then, maybe, we can start fall. Yeah!
1~ Art likes to eat as soon as he walks in the door, so believe it or not, we eat dinner at 3:30 p.m. every day. I have his meal ready pretty much the moment he walks in. He loves it! Today we are having chicken, which I know he will love. I made him chili last night, and even though it was a warm day, he was really happy to have chili. I had to make it after I heard Abbie had made it for her husband the day before. I love getting recipe ideas from my kids.
2~ I love to do one “weird” thing a day. This is something that I have noticed that needs to be done, like cleaning a lamp shade or wiping down a wall. Something like that. It usually only takes me a very short time, but it keeps up the housekeeping in a pleasant sort of way.
3~ I learned a cool way to cut Lucy’s long hair. I just put her hair into two pigtails with the hair band right under each ear. Then I comb the ends nice and flat on each side in front. Trim straight across the bottom of each pigtail evenly. Then take out the pigtails and trim up evenly at the back. It kind of forms a pretty scoop shape on the ends of her hair that I love. Plus it is so fast!
4~ I have learned that when I get a bottle of glass cleaner in my hand to just start cleaning everything that requires glass cleaner. I do even my car windows while I have that bottle in my hand!
5~ I twisted my ankle this week. It is all swollen and painful. I put ice on it right away. Then I alternated ice and heat. I also smashed up a comfrey leaf and wrapped that around it with a bit of plastic wrap to help reduce the swelling. I also kept it elevated and rested it. Lucy kept rotating my ice packs for me. It is finally feeling better after four days. Yeah!
6~ Lucy is 5 years old now. She helps me so much. She makes her bed every day, and she tidies her room. She separates her clothes in piles to be put away. She puts the trash can liner into the empty trash can for me in the kitchen. She cleans up her toys and books for school. She cleans up her little messes. She helps me with the dishes. She loves to stir anything I am preparing to bake. And if I am having a difficult day with my health, she will pat my arm and say, “It will be okay, Mama.”
7~ I cook completely different now than the way I used to cook. I have had to learn how to change in my cooking to help my body heal, but I really love our new foods. Here is something I made for us last month. It was such a big hit that I had to make it again for Abbie, and she was swooning while eating it.
Mango Ice Cream
Half a bag of frozen mangoes
Process in the food processor while adding a little cream or milk (I used cashew cream as I can’t have dairy presently) and keep adding a little cream or milk here and there until you have the consistency of ice cream while processing. Enjoy right away! My daughter-in-law did this last night with strawberries, and it worked fabulously! 
8~ We still live in the same house that we’ve lived in for 28 years now. I love living in this old house. It has so many wonderful memories. Sometimes when you live in a house so long, you think the rooms have to be set up the way they always are, because they have always been set up that way. Well, Mel and Abbie helped me convert one of my rooms into a den! I would have never thought it possible, because this had always been the play room of sorts. The place the kids’ stuff went, and where the kids played piano or the boys worked out on their weights. But with the girls’ help we changed that this summer, and now I have a lovely den. It still surprises me when I go in there!
9~ Because my diet has changed so much, I reorganized my baking center. I took down all the canisters of my flours, and I have replaced them with nuts and other items that I use more frequently now. The whole baking cupboard looks so different. But it is so helpful now in my new diet.
10~ I started Lucy in Kindergarten seven weeks ago. I am back to homeschooling! It’s been quite awhile since Gabe was in school, but I am finding it’s like riding a bike. As I teach Lucy to read, it’s all coming back to me. When I want her to say the “ear” sound, I tug on her ear and other little things like that. I am really enjoying Kindergarten...again!
I hope you all have such a lovely day!
Love,
Laine



What a happy day. It is a beautiful Spring day here. We have blossoms on our trees and all my pansies and violas are smiling and looking so cheerful. I had a wonderful few days at the farm with my Mum and Dad. Mum cooked up a storm for us and Dad is always so good to us and generous to us all. He adores Chloe and Lucy. He doesn't want us to leave when we are getting ready to come home! I collected wildflowers and herbs but I will show you all the things I got up to in the next few days!

Here we have a long weekend. I have so many projects ready to get stuck into!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Please leave your comments for Laine as I will make sure she sees them.

Lots of love.xxx

For more Laine's Letters... the Wayback Machine is mysteriously showing the letters again (after this not working and sending us all into a panic!)


60 comments:

  1. What a treat!!! How absolutely wonderful to read your "letters" again Laine. xo

    How strange that the wayback machine now has the archived letters available again. All I can say is that we have had a blessed opportunity to "meet" you Laine and let you know how very much we have missed your lovely uplifting letters. Ladies across the other side of the world - "sisters" - are so very appreciative that this has happened. We are so very excited as we anticipate reading more letters once your blog is up and running again. xo

    Thank you so much dear Annabel for sending out that S.O.S. in the first place! We certainly are rich, rich, rich! Like Laine said... "He makes..." xoxo

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    1. Kaye yes! He makes... amazing things like this happen and friends with so much in common come together. What a blessing.
      It is like a new chapter for us all! xxx

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  2. Annabel, as I said before I hadn't heard of Laine's letters as I had my children in the early 1980s. It is great that she was such an encouragement to you and others. What a nice thing to do to put her letters into book form. Thank you for the lovely post.

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    1. Thanks Nanna Chel. Now I am re reading Laines Letters for the Titus 2 type advice and my current life. I cant wait to see what Laine addresses now she is both a Mum and Grand Mother. This will be really helpful to me.
      Have a lovely weekend.xxx

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  3. Oh the thrill of a new letter from Laine...and paired with one from you Annabel, well it was simply lovely. Thank you for the recipe Laine and for the lovely catch up. I know that old "friends" and new " friends" are going to be richly blessed when you take up your "pen" and write for us all. Love Helen xxx

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    1. Helen I was going to email you about the Wayback Machine link now working again... I emailed you twice and forgot both times! xxx

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    2. Thank you so much for the link! These letters are so encouraging! And to have a new one - is such a gift! Thank you, Taryn

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    3. Thank you Taryn. Hopefully next year we will have Laine's new website to follow and regular letters. When I followed years ago and the kids were little they encouraged me so much they affected my whole week! Thank you for your comment!

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  4. Wonderful news! I'm putting a link on my Saturday Post today. Laine was like a friend to me even though we never met and I have missed her. Thank you Annabel for seeing this project through!

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    1. Thank you Brenda! Its lovely to "meet" another of Laines readers... it means we have so much in common! x

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  5. Oh how exciting to read this today!

    Thank you so much Laine for writing here on Annabel's blog, it is so nice to catch up and hear all news about you and your family. Sounds like you have been truly blessed with a new beautiful daughter and grandchildren. Your mango icecream recipe sounds delightful. I loved your message and will try to remember "He makes", this is simply beautiful. I am so looking forward to your return in the New Year.

    Thank you Annabel, without your help we may not have found Laine again, you are one special lady xx

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    1. Tania thank you for your kind words. this is a case of what Laine says..."He makes...." xxx

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  6. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. I have missed my dear internet sister, Laine so much. So wonderful to know she and her family are well and growing. Thank you, Anabel, for this precious gift.

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    1. I know how you feel Florence. We have a lot to look forward to! Thank you!

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  7. oh so exciting! I really missed Laine's letters, and I am looking forward to rereading them. So good to read an update. I'm sorry that Laine has had trouble with her health, but I'm glad that she is improving. Thank you!

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    1. Thank you Kathy. I am re reading the old letters and cant wait for the new ones! It will be wonderful to got through a new phase of my life with Laine. Thank you for your comment! xx

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  8. Sooo happy you found Laine:) I am over the moon to hear from her again. She was a huge influence in my life.Thanks again
    Becky

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    1. Becky hi, thank you for your comment. The power of a good influence! This is the same for me. Now there are more Laines Letters coming hopefully a new stage of our lives will have her good influence, I am so excited for that.xxx

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  9. I tmight sound silly but I am crying with joy at seeing these letters. Of all the groups I've joined and blogs I've read, Laine's gentle homey letters sustained me through some tough storms. I went searching for them not to long ago when I was spiritually 'sick' and needed their help and was sorrowed to find they were gone. Thank you. Thank you Laine for giving another generation of homemakers a helping hand. I will be saving these to a thumb drive or print off and keep.

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    1. Dear Terri, It doesnt sound silly to me at all. You will now have all the previous letters to read up on and in 2015 new letters as well! I feel just the way you do. Every person I hear from that was a Laine's Letters follower I feel like we already know each other! Thank you for sharing this. Love Annabel.xxx

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  10. Hurray! I am so looking forward to more letters and the book. I often wondered how our friend Laine was since the last I read was of this new health concern.

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  11. Kay I think a book would be a best seller! I am looking forward to next year for many reasons but new letters are one reason! Thank you for your comment.xx

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  12. I followed here from Brenda's blog and am so glad I did. I have loved Laine and her letters for so many years and printed many off and keep them in a notebook. I was just rereading them for the umteenth time this weekend. So good to see an update from her and looking forward to reading her new letters as I too am now in the grandparenting years but will be helping my sweet DIL with homeschooling my grandsons.

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  13. I am so excited to see a letter from Laine. I printed most of them when I found them years ago as a way to "keep" my encourager when she stopped writing. My children are about the same age and she helped me during those years. It is wonderful that she is going to start writing again.

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  14. I only heard of Laine through you, Annabel. But what a lovely way you have with words, Laine. Welcome and I will look forward to seeing more gentle words of encouragement soon...xxx

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    1. Thank you Mimi, Laine and Helen are very alike... so you will love Laine as well! xxx

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  15. Annabel, What a lovely gift your friend Helen gave in making a book of Laine's letters. I am looking forward to your post about it! It was so nice to read Laine's new letter here. Thank you for posting it and also for putting up the link to her past letters. I kept many of them to reread and now look forward to reading more. The flower pictures in your post are beautiful! Are they ones growing in your own yard?
    ~ Lynnea

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    1. Hi Lynnea, I am so glad you now have all the letters to read. And next year we will have new ones on Laines new website. I cant wait for that! The native flowers were from my Mums garden and the yellow roses are from my garden. They are from a climbing rose over an archway. Now that I say this I will take some photos of it! Many thanks, Annabel.xxx

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    2. Annabel, Climbing roses are so pretty on an archway! I wanted to also add that I really like your idea of using Laine's letters to do a personal Bible study. She uses many Scriptures in her letters and there is so much learning and growing left to do. ~ Lynnea

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  16. Oh Laine! I am so happy to see you writing again!

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  17. How refreshing to hear from Laine again!

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  18. Oh, Laine, you have been missed! I am eager to spend time with you once again when you start your new blog next year; you have been the Biblical "older woman" I never had in my life. Thank you!
    Shani

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  19. What a wonderful blessing to read a new letter from Laine. I can't wait for her to start blogging again!

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  20. This was great! I had been wondering about Laine over the years and tried to find her, thinking she would have a blog. I was just thinking about her again and found this post! Thanks! It was great to hear about her and her family. (BTW, my daughter is Annabel too, spelled just like your name). :-) Blessings!

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    1. It is always so nice to hear from another that has read and loved Laine! Hopefully it wont be long and her new site will be up. I am looking forward to that so much!

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  21. I've missed you Laine! I am glad the Lord has blessed your life as your life has blessed many.

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  22. Dear Laine, I have often checked Google to find any updates for you. I often talked to God about you and pondered how you pressed into Jesus. It reminds me of when I did. Thanks be to God for such a refreshing example as you! I love you dear friend. We live in Carnation Washington, on Lake Joy where we raised our big family. Laurie is 28, and has been in a semi coma since 5/5/07 at home now since that summer of '07. I'm her caregiver. She told me when she was 12, "I always want to be your little girl." I'm blessed beyond words. And here you are back on my 59th birthday-October 3rd, and I've often missed you, and asked God to have you return. . And Laurie's birthday was the 19th. Thanks be to God who does abundantly more than we could ask or conjure up in our imagination♪ -Leslie Dawn Neagle

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    1. Dear Leslie,
      I am passing your comment on to Laine to make sure she sees it. Blessings to you and I hope we can both enjoy Laines Letters again when her website is up. Also now the link on my other post about Laine, on the Wayback machine is now working so all of Laines old letters can be read again. Love Annabel.xx

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  23. Any way you'd share a PDF of the letters so we could print it out for ourselves?? What a blessing that would be <3

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    1. Mrs. Miano I have good news for you! The letters stored on the wayback machine re up and working again. Here is the link...
      http://web.archive.org/web/20010420093507/http://www.lainesletters.com/
      This went down and did not work for ages and now it works! So please print them while they are still there. It is a lot of printing but we have done it and made them into books. My friend Helen made them into books and sent them to Laine! Enjoy! xx

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  24. Thanks for getting back to me! I will work on it for sure!! I was just hoping maybe there was already a document created with the letters ready to go....LOL!! I've got a lot of copy and pasting to do :)

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  25. I am so glad to hear from Laine again! I did not find Laine's letters until after she had quit updating them and then I was so distraught over her website being taken down. I am so excited the letters are available again because I still glean such wisdom from them. In fact it was through a websearch tonight for Laine's Letters that I found your site!

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    1. Melissa I have beautiful printed copies now of all Laines Letters that my friend made me! They are such a treasure and they have disappeared from The Wayback Machine before so make copies of the ones you love if you can, as insurance! And new letters are coming next year! Many thanks.xxx

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  26. I've read a little about Laine, but so looking forward to reading much more.
    Blessings,
    Angela UK

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  27. Love you Lord Jesus! It was such a blessing to find Laine again! I loved her labor of love for Jesus and homemakers! I am blessed beyond words, God is faithful, I can't wait to journey again through all she has for us in The Lord! Blessings!🙏💜💜
    Leonor, TX

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  28. Just curious, has Laine started up her new blog yet? I know we all are so anxious to hear from her again.

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    1. Hi, no nothing yet. I spoke with her this week via email... There are hold ups and she says it is in Gods timing. So pray! I am dying for it to be up and read new letters. I have been longing for it.
      The minute it does get up and running I will post about it and provide a link. Sorry not better news... Xxx

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  29. Thank you! I will be praying and watching :)

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  30. Hi Annabel. What a lovely, helpful website- a wonderful treasure! You are so very gifted and thoughtful. Thank you so much for the update from Laine. I learned so much from Laine about spending time with the Lord, "praying and paying" and about giving the Lord the tithe. My sister started reading the Bible because of Laine. I am close to paying off my house thanks to her advice. A thank you to Annabel, Laine, Art and the family.

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  31. Laine's letters were such an inspiration to me. Like a sweet letter tucked in an apron pocket to read over and over. I'm praying she will be sharing again soon. I've peinted off most of her previous letters to have for myself and another for my daughter. Laine, if you are reading this, I am praying for you and want to personally thank you for being such a gentle "older" woman in my life when I needed it.

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  32. It would be so wonderful if Laine could share more of her recipes for a special diet. I have similar difficulties and would love her common sense perspective to health. She is missed by many women and her message is timeless.

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  33. Can you please let Laine know that I sought permission to reprint her articles through her email address on Laines Letters? My message got bounced. I will continue to grab them in case they disappear again. Blessings Glenys

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  34. I hope Laine reads all these comments to know how much she has touched lives of women all over the country and likely the world. I think it was about 15 yrs ago that I read her letters and just loved the Christian mentoring and encouragement of keeping a home that glorifies the Lord. Thanks to all of you ladies that have worked so diligently to bring back Laine in these more recent updates and to remind us of her letters and where our lives were all those years ago compared to now..

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  35. Hi, I just found this blog doing a search for Laine's Letters. :-) They really ministered to me as well here in BC, Canada 12-15 years ago. What I was most touched by was Laine's contact with the Lord and dedication to fellowshipping with His Word in the early morning hours.She found life there that I hadn't witnessed before. I would be blessed finding out if she is still faithful to this charge....anyone here that can actually ask and get a written response? It's lovely that you were actually able to make bound books of all the letters. I myself printed quite a few out,(minus most of "In Our Home"). Thanks again for contacting Laine. It would be awesome if she kept a blog and shared pictures; or even had a FB page. However, I do understand. :-) I'm glad she can see the Lord gathered a community around the world because of her sharing. Maybe it's our turn to minister to Laine!
    love from Christal in Canada

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  36. Loved reading this! I looooooves reading her blog!

    When is the new blog going to be up and running??

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    1. Dear Mrs. U I don't see a blog coming at this time. Laine had some health problems. Keep her in your prayers and you can read the old letters as they still seem fresh and new everythime I read them! xxx

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  37. Thank you for sharing the treasure of Laine's Letters with the cyberworld! I too was mentored by Laine in my early years of motherhood, via her email list. Words cannot express the spiritual impact Laine has had on my life and so many others (as evidenced here, through comments of adoration). One day, we will all worship around the throne of our Lord, together! Thank you, Laine, for shining your Savior's light so brightly!

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  38. Hi Annabel, I just saw your comment from April that Lain has some health problems. I will keep her in my prayers. Does she have an email address that we can use to encourage her and minister grace to us? she has given us so much through her writings, it would be a blessing to be of encouragement to her.

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    1. It would be lovely if you would pray for Laine, that is the best thing you can do and I am sure she would appreciate it! xxx

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  39. Just loved reading this little catch up with Laine. I owe so much to her. Thank you!
    Laura Lane
    Carthage, Missouri
    http://harvestlanecottage.com

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I really appreciate your comments thank you! The aim of my blog is the be a place of encouragement and happiness. Very rarely is anyone rude. Actually only twice so far! If you post a rude or aggressive comment I will read it but not publish it, thanks for understanding.xxx

Spam is never published... if you are advertising a product or selling website your comment wont be published. I am inundated with stuff about drugs, horses and weird things! I am not going to publish this stuff! Thank you.