Merry Christmas Friends and Family!
We hope and pray this finds each of you well and experiencing peace and joy this Christmas season. Praise the Lord, we have almost made it through 2020!
We are thankful for God’s mercies and provision over our family during a very different year full of twists and turns, as I know it has been for many, but we are embracing and praising Him for the blessings and silver linings that we have found through it.
I will sum our year up through a photo journal of pictures!
Alyson attended her first Homecoming at Providence in February. She and Julia went with friend groups and had a great time!
Josiah’s Providence basketball team finished their season in February and won the championship game. It was amazing to see where this group of boys started at in 2nd grade, losing most every game, to working their way to the top. Proud of their hard work!
We then celebrated Josiah’s 11th birthday March 5th with a few of his buddies from school.
Alyson and Brandon had their last Father-Daughter Dinner and Dance night together at the beginning of March, thankfully right before the quarantine began. I was on a team of moms who planned and hosted the event and enjoyed being a ‘fly on the wall’ watching all the sweet dads and daughters enjoy their evening together.
The last day our kids went to school, right before the quarantine began, Brandon found a scared little puppy hiding inside our shop barn. Thankfully he let us catch him and seemed very thankful as we offered him food and water, a bath, and a warm home. We say ‘he adopted us’ as he took to us very quickly. Skip became his new name and is the baby of the family. God’s timing was perfect in giving Skippy to us at the beginning of a season when we would be home with lots of extra time and love to give him.
The kids didn’t skip a beat when the quarantine began mid-March since we were already set up for part-time homeschool. We enjoyed some much needed rest during that season. On the weekends, with all hands on deck, we worked on outdoor projects such as landscaping, yard work, and finished the outside of our home. This year with Covid we opted out of taking a family vacation and instead put in a pool. It gave the kids something fun to do while home and an incentive to swim after a long, hot day’s work outside. It was encouraging to see our kids grow in their work ethic and take pride in seeing the finished product, knowing they helped, too.
Grandpa Randy loved to help run the tractor!
Lots and lots of raking rocks!
Finishing the front porch/balcony
My dad did the finishing woodwork on our porch.
Julia, nearing her 16th birthday on June 25th, was ready to begin working to help pay for the expense of her first car. Brandon hired her here at home to do weed-eating work around our property each week, weed-eating around our buildings and house, trees, down the long fencing, and at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. She worked hard and did a good job!
Last winter, we began remodeling an old farmhouse on our property for my Dad to live in. We had it completely gutted down to the old, sturdy, rough sawn oak studs, and the old hardwood floors sanded down and refinished. Low ceilings were taken out and vaulted, giving a more open feel. Dad was excited to make the kitchen cabinets and do all the woodwork, even using some of the old oak studs removed from the ceilings and made them into furniture for the house. It was exciting to see the home completely transformed and restored, allowing him to move in late spring this year. I love the parallel of how God redeems our life in the midst of our brokenness and gives us new life and purpose, too!
Before:
After:
Dad used walnut wood that he had leftover from a past job and made the paneled living room ceiling.
We are thankful for the silver linings that came from the Covid Pandemic, but by far the greatest praise was Josiah’s decision to accept Christ as his Savior and Lord. We watched church online from home throughout the quarantine, and little did we know, God was stirring in his heart from the messages of truth he was hearing. Josiah had prayed to receive Jesus when he was 5 years old, but now at 11, he questioned if his faith was real. One night in April, after reading in 1 Corinthians as a family, Josiah went upstairs to his room and felt the Lord’s call upon his heart. He shared with us afterwards that the weight of his sin was so heavy and even made him drop to his knees on the floor. He knew he needed forgiven and freed him from the burden of sin. Josiah gave his life then and there to Jesus, making Him Lord of his life, then ran to tell us the good news. We celebrated with Josiah in his decision and trust God will use him for the Kingdom!
The night Josiah was saved 4-22-20
Alyson turned 13 on May 13th! She is a sweet friend, a playful and ornery sister, meek and quiet-spirited, and fun to be around. Alyson is continuing to take piano lessons and we enjoy hearing her play, especially now at Christmastime! Just recently she got braces which makes her look even more like a teenager!
In May, I held my Grandma Oleta’s hand for the last time. Over the past year, her health declined quickly after being diagnosed with Alzheimers. I am so thankful for the many memories I have with my Grandma and the long life of love she poured into her family. I had the honor of giving a eulogy at her funeral that I wrote called, Grandma’s Hands. It was a reflection of her life and all the love she gave through her hands over the years.
*see previous post if you would like to read it.
A few of Grandma Oleta’s granddaughters
Grandma Oleta’s 5 of 6 children: Marsha, Brenda, Randy (my dad), Allen, and Linda. Her oldest child, Terrel, went to be with the Lord in 2005.
In June, Julia turned 16! After lots of online used car shopping, we finally found the right one for her. She spent the summer driving with a parent in tow before taking off on her own, but it has truly been a blessing now having an extra driver. She even drives all four of them to school each morning!
Julia spent two weeks away at New Life Ranch in June for her next level of Leadership Development called the Timothy Team. She has a huge heart for the ministry at New Life Ranch that began for her as a young camper and is excited to continue in her pursuit of becoming a camp counselor!
Our annual Grace Haven Ranch Firework show in July looked a bit different this year. Rather than our usual gathering in the barn for dinner and sitting outside in groups together for the firework show, we hosted a drivethrough-style dessert and firework show while either staying in vehicles or setting up chairs and blankets in each family’s designated space to allow for social distancing. It was a success and all had a great time despite the change this year. We look forward and hope to be back to a more normal gathering next year with many friends and family!
Grandma Patsy and helpers served her homemade ice cream and desserts from the McNaughton Real Estate Air Stream. So fun!
In early August, we said goodbye to our beloved 9 year old German Shepherd, Bo. He was the best family dog, so loving, gentle, and kind. He was the alpha dog of the three and took his job of training Jed and Skippy serious. We will greatly miss him, but we hold a very special place in our hearts for our Bo.
The day Bo passed away, Jed and Skippy seemed to know and were sad to lose their friend. He will be forever missed!
Through much prayer, we felt the call to transfer our family this fall to Shiloh Christian School, a private school much closer to where we live, also located at the same campus as our church home, Crosschurch Springdale. We will forever love and miss our Providence community as we had been there for 11 years!
The girls made the Jr. High and Varsity cheer teams and the boys joined the Shiloh youth football teams, each practicing through the summer. It was a great way for them to get connected and make new friends before beginning school in the fall. We are thankful for our new community and have especially enjoyed Friday Night Lights!
Julia: 11th, Alyson: 8th, Josiah: 6th, Elijah: 4th grade
Homecoming night, the girls wore cheer uniforms from years past!
Josiah’s 6th grade team finished their season undefeated as well and won the big championship game!
Our Shiloh Saints Varsity team finished their conference and playoff games undefeated, then faced their last battle for the championship @ War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, AR on 12/19 against another undefeated team. The Saints gave it their all and brought home the victory, winning 58-20. Amazing coaching staff, team of guys, and cheerleaders, too... so proud of them all!
Both the Football and Competition Cheer team won their State Championships the same day!
Josiah was in the 6th grade musical theater show, Annie, at the beginning of the semester. It was also a fun way to get to know other students and make new friends!
Julia went to Shiloh Homecoming in October with her friend, Caleb. She had a great time as they went with a group of friends to take pictures, a nice dinner, then to the dance.
Elijah turned double digits on November 12th! We celebrated his 10th birthday with a few friends from school by having a hunting themed birthday. We hung orange cans from the trees for them to shoot with BB guns and big round hay bales for bows and arrows. They had a great time!
We were given some Razorback tickets to the Arkansas/LSU game in November and sat in a booth ground level, right behind the north end zone field goal. We had a great time knowing that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
As for Brandon and I, we stay busy raising our growing family and are continuing to seek the Lord for continued direction and invest, as the Lord provides, into the future retreat ministry here at Grace Haven Ranch.
Brandon is going on 16 years working for Tyson Foods and is currently working in the international department. I am getting used to my new normal with the kids at school full time now and find myself steadily busy managing the home, involved with planning an event, or just trying to keep up with the never ending loads of laundry, but am embracing this season we are in as a family.
We are thankful for God’s continued provision and faithfulness this year. We know we are not promised tomorrow and strive to make the most of each opportunity we are given. We certainly don’t do it perfect, but give ourselves grace as we experience God’s perfect grace each day. We stand on God’s PROMISES as we navigate through this life, knowing we are not alone. He is so faithful and good. We pray you, too, know the HOPE that comes only from knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. The book of John in the Bible beautifully shares His story... the most life-changing story ever told!
We are GRATEFUL for each one of you,
our family and friends!
God Bless you this Christmas season!
With Love,
Brandon, Miranda, Julia, Alyson, Josiah, and Elijah Campbell
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
