THE PREACHER'S WIFE

THE FAUCET

2012-01-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

I know it has not been a year since the last post, but i had told Big John i was going to start blogging since i have a job where i basically do nothing! well i actually said to him i was going to post a blog a day but i hadn't had time! alot has happened since the last post almost a year ago, but we moved back to Louisiana and i recently got this office job (which i love) but we are all caught up with work that there is nothing to do unless someone places it on my desk!

God has been good to Big John and i since he got saved back in 1998! when we left Texas back in July of 2010 i wanted to question Big John about moving back to Louisiana but i held back and said to him well if you think this is God's will well lets go back! and in moving back i have seen God's hand in all that He has done for us! there has been plenty of times i question myself but ultimately i leave it in God's and Big Johns hands because we have that promise from God that He will take care of it all if we just are submissive to him and i know if anything goes wrong God will deal with Big John and all i have to do is follow! now i have to say that it is not easy to do and sometimes i get scared but i have to look back and see all that God has done for us and how he has taken care of us! now sometimes i don't get what i want but i do get what i need!

when we left in July the only one that had a job was Big John! we didn't have a home to come to so we stayed in the prophets chamber in the church for about 3 months (houses are not available in this area so easily) but we got a house which i love and i am happy with! we had been looking for a house and i had said i didn't care where or how it looked, i just wanted something quick! well i had started working selling furniture at a local store here and had plenty of down time! well i started looking at magazines and i had seen a picture of a faucet that i just fell in love with and had told God if we get a house i want a faucet like that and i am going to tell Big John that i left everything i had and known in Texas to follow God and him where ever he wanted us to go and all i would ask in return was for this faucet i had seen in a magazine!

well we got a call from a lady that had a 3 bedroom 1 bath home and we went to go look at it! it was OK, not the best but it was in a good area and within our price range. i wasn't totally sold on the house but i figured oh well this has to be it because we have not seen any other homes available! well we got the application and filled it out and held onto it for about a week! when the lady called to see if we were still interested we told her yes and we would take the application to her! well i sent Diana to go and give her the paper. the lady said she would run our credit and call our references and the house would not be available for another 2 weeks! so we said that was OK and said it was all Gods timing but the lady assured us she would hold the house for us. well the following day Big John called me at work and said he had another call to go see a house that was readily available. so after i got out of work we would go see this house.

so when i got out he went and got me and we went to this house. i liked the outside and the neighborhood BUT when he opened the door i saw the same faucet i had seen in the magazine! i knew then it was the house we were going to get and i had peace! i had not told Big John about the picture in the magazine and he asked me what do you think about the house and i told him i like it but its up to you! we talked about the pros and cons of both houses and he decided to go with the second house that had my faucet! i said all this to say that God knows the desires of my heart and to save Big John some grief over a faucet! God is so Good to us!

after he chose the house i told him about the the faucet and he laughed and told me you see God knows your heart and will take care of all our needs and some of your wants!!!!!

Another year!

2011-05-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Well here you find me writing again a year later! And all I can say is ALOT has happened this past year! The one thing I can say for sure is that God has shown me that Big John is staying true to what God has called him to do and he will not back down or compromise when it comes to the things of God, or the Bible. He has opened my eyes and has taught me that people are not really what they claim to be when it comes to the things of God. I know I am not perfect and I am very far from where I need to be but God has shown me a lot of things in so called Christians. And all I can do is pray. There are times I feel so alone but then I am reminded of THE ONE who will never leave us or forsake us! We are still living in Odem, Texas, but we are going to church in Portland. This past year my dad passed away in July of 2010, but I know he is in a better place and one day I will see him again. Big John had given him the gospel back in 2006 and he accepted Jesus as his Savior so I know one day I will see him again. Last year in July, Big John and I celebrated our 20th anniversary, I must say it was not a good day because I was traveling back from my dad’s funeral on the 27th. I still miss my dad so much. I know God is in control of all things and I think this past year I have learned to trust Him more. There is so much I could write but I won’t….just know that maybe next year I might post it all.....until then......

Hello

2010-05-02T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a year to the date since i last posted! and ALOT has happened in that one year! For starters my husband has moved us to the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS! Pastor Paul Licciardi from Bible Baptist Church in Odem, Texas asked him if he would consider being his associate pastor, well he prayed about it and in September 11, 2009 we moved! I couldn't see us moving at first cause we both had GREAT jobs and he was the associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Jennings La., but John assured me this was God's will so i put my two weeks notice and off we moved! We have had to adjust and it has been a bumpy ride at times BUT i must say i can see the hand of God and we are hanging on for the ride! Now as for my two kids Diana is still not getting married and she is no longer engaged, she is enrolled at the college in Corpus Christi. She is waiting on God and has been a blessing to her daddy and i. Even at 19 she is still "Daddy's Little Girl". Now John John, well he's John John and we are home schooling him. He really prefers to be in public school but for now it's best he is home schooled. And my John, well he still loves the Lord and is working full time at the sheriffs department and is the associate pastor for Bible Baptist Church. He works Monday-Friday and on the weekends or after work he does what pastor wants....He loves the Lord and is willing to do what it takes! Now as for me, i am just here holding on and working. Well i guess this is it for now i might post again soon or maybe i will wait another year! J/K

LAST POST????

2009-05-02T04:34:00.000-07:00

Well originally i had started this blog because my daughter was engaged and this was going to be about the wedding and i was hoping that after the wedding i would be able to blog about any grand babies He would see fit to give us but I have been informed that the wedding is no longer on. I ask that you please pray for her and the other partys involved. i know the hurt of losing the one you THINK you love and how it feels as though you can never get over it but by the Grace of God and His mercy i know in time things will be restored and the pain will slowly fade away. God has a way of showing Himself in our lives and when we don't listen He really knocks us down---its not to hurt us but to help us and with that said I can truly say i have called out to Him more this week than ever and as wicked and unfaithful i am to Him---He was and is still there!!!! Thank you Jesus! i don't always understand why He does things but i can say His mercy is sufficient for me and with time He will show me why He did what He did or He might choose not to ever tell me so i can draw closer to Him and if that is the case i ask that you please pray for us all!!! We are very wicked people and the devil knows our weaknesses and uses everything he can to destroy someone or even a family but OUR FATHER will never leave us! so once again i ask that you please pray for healing and for God's will to be done! and thank God for friends who at a moments notice are willing to tell you the truth no matter how much it can hurt---and to Big John, Diana and John John i love you---

2009-04-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

OK so maybe this will not be only posts of a wedding! I just want to ask that you please pray for the bus ministry! Big John gets so excited to see the kids! and i love to see him happy! we had a total of 19 on the van today!!! we only have a 16 passenger van but managed to get 19 in there!!! visiting these kids pays off! we had a total of 8 people show up for visitation on Saturday and God really blessed our efforts! we had 7 new riders! after church i took 4 of the kids off the church van and put them in our van to get them home! God is good and had really blessed so please pray for these kids and our helpers!

YES, THEY ARE STILL GETTING MARRIED!!!

2009-03-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a long time since I have posted but i thought now would be a good time to update you all on the wedding....it's still on (they just don't have a date set) just continue to pray for Todd as he looks for a house to buy! They have both got involved in the bus ministry and i think they enjoy it---well i can say Diana is enjoying it because she has done it in the past and has enjoyed doing this before!!! Today we had a good day! We had 12 kids today, 7 were new riders! Total riding in the van including helpers and kids was 17!!! God has blessed our efforts! Just pray for the church members---there is so much i want to say about that but i won't so i ask that you pray for hearts to get right! well i guess this is all for now! and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for me! BOY DO I NEED IT!!!

IT WAS A GREAT HONOR!

2009-01-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

WELL TODAY AFTER BEING SAVED FOR FOUR YEARS I FINALLY GOT BAPTIZED THE RIGHT WAY! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW I WAS BAPTIZED BACK IN 2005 AND I KNOW BAPTISM DOES NOT GET YOU SAVED BUT ITS STEPS IN OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW, WELL FOR YEARS I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED IF IT WAS DONE RIGHT BECAUSE WE HAD BEEN WITH OUT A PREACHER WHEN I GOT SAVED AND WELL WE NEEDED TO GET BAPTIZED AND THAT WEEKEND WE HAD A MAN WHO WAS LOOKING TO PASTOR OUR CHURCH AND WE ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD DO IT AND HE SAID YES SO JOHN ASKED THE MEN OF THE CHURCH IF IT WAS OK AND THEY HAD AGREED ON IT BUT IT WAS NEVER BROUGHT BEFORE THE CHURCH---SO THE PAST TWO WEEKS I HAD BEEN DEALING WITH THAT AND THE LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE REVIVAL BROTHER SAMMY MENTIONED THAT IF IT IS NOT DONE SCRIPTURALLY RIGHT YOUR CONSCIENCE WILL NEVER BE AT EASE!!! THAT IS WHEN IT HIT ME! WELL I TALKED WITH MRS. HOWARD AND SHE DID NOT KNOW SO I TALKED TO OUR PASTOR AND HE SAID IF IT WAS NOT BROUGHT BEFORE THE CHURCH THEN IT WAS NOT SCRIPTURAL! AND THAT IS WHEN I TOLD HIM OK WELL THEN I NEED TO BE BAPTIZED AND HE ASKED ME WHO I WANTED TO BAPTISE ME AND AT THAT MOMENT I TOLD HIM I DON'T CARE IT JUST NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT! SO FRIDAY NIGHT CAME AND BROTHER SAMMY WAS DONE AND BROTHER HOWARD HAD ME GO BEFORE THE CHURCH AND HE EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT I WAS NEEDING TO DO. WELL I ASKED HIM IF JOHN COULD BAPTISE ME ON SUNDAY AND WELL SUNDAY MORNING AFTER CHURCH I HAD THE HONOR OF HAVING MY HUSBAND BAPTISE ME!!! IT WAS AWESOME! I LOVE MY HUSBAND AND THANK GOD FOR HIM! HE HAS HELPED ME ALOT AND HAS BEEN THERE FOR ME IN ALOT OF WAYS! SO AS I TYPE THIS I HAVE PEACE! AND NOW I NEED TO GIVE MYSELF TO HIM AND FOLLOW IN HIS PERFECT WILL FOR OUR LIFE! SO PLEASE PRAY FOR ME! I NEED IT! AND THANK YOU JOHN FOR BAPTISING ME! I LOVE YOU!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! THANK YOU JESUS!

2009-01-15T04:33:00.000-08:00

WELL TODAY I TURN 4!!! FOUR YEARS AGO I THOUGHT I WAS ON MY WAY TO HEAVEN BUT I WAS SO WRONG!!! WE HAD GONE TO A REVIVAL IN ODEM TEXAS WITH OUR BABY'S MOMMA---LOL OUR BEST FRIENDS! and Brother Sammy was preaching in Matthew 7---But when he got to verse 23

Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

it hit me like a rock! i knew i was lost but my pride got in the way and i thought there was no way i could be lost because i was married to a preacher, i lived right and dressed right, i taught Sunday school and helped in the bus ministry...you know all the "good stuff" but then my baby's momma went to the altar and got saved! it was then i knew i was lost but my pride got in the way. what were people going to say! well needless to say i did not get saved that night but on the way home i cried and cried and i told John how i felt and he started telling me i was fine... i was ok and i did everything right... and that would calm me down a little but then i would start up again and cry and he told me after a few times of telling me i was fine that he couldn't do that anymore well i cried some more and he told me the HOLY SPIRIT TOLD ME TO SHUT UP I CAN"T HELP YOU! and he stayed quite the whole ride home (an hour and a half of silence and me knowing i was lost and could not admit it because what were people going to think!) man was i scared but NO i didn't get saved!

well we got home and i cried some more and fell asleep. when i woke up i felt so dirty and i thought I'll get in the shower and i will be fine! well that didn't work! then we went to the church to go clean and work on the bus and i wanted to be near john because i figured if the rapture happened he'd take me with him! how crazy is that! well anyways i would talk to DeeDee and she would tell me you got to know and i would tell her i don't and she would keep at it---well i cried some more and then i went to look for John again and i could not find him! man i got so scared and i thought God took him. well after about 5 minutes of looking i found him underneath the bus and i told him please help me! and he says i can't and he told me i don't know what to do! I'm going to call pastor Howard in Louisiana...well he calls him and he puts me with Mrs' Howard and she says to me an i quote i will never forget...

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" i tell her i don't know if I'm saved or not and she tells me well sure you do. you have to know and after going back and forth with that she tells me if you don't know i can't help you! here's the preacher! well he gets on the phone and tells me--- Melinda whats wrong and i tell him i don't know if I'm saved and he tells me well sure you do and he tells me YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO! and at that point i knew! i started crying and asking God to forgive me AND A LITTLE AFTER 230 P.M. BEHIND THE OLD VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH IN HARLINGEN TEXAS I GOT SAVED!!!! THE PEACE I FELT ON THAT DAY! I GOT SAVED THANK YOU JESUS!!!

so with that i want to say thank you to Brother Sammy and John for being sensitive to the Holy spirit! and to DeeDee for helping me out! and counseling with me! so for those of you who read this please be sure and don't worry about what other people will think if they are right with God they will rejoice with you! IT HAPPENED TO ME FOUR YEARS AGO!!! THANK YOU JESUS FOR BEING LONG SUFFERING AND FOR YOUR MERCY AND GRACE!!!

DIANA AND TODD!

2009-01-12T16:09:00.001-08:00

Well as many of you all know my daughter and her fiancee have decided to postpone the date of the wedding until after she finishes school. i thank God for our friends who helped her see what we had been trying to tell her. (THANK YOU DEEDEE AND MANDY---WE LOVE YOU ALL!) It helps to hear it from other people. she was counseled over the weekend and Sunday morning service she went to the altar and came to me and told me she loved me but she had to wait to get married until after she finished college!!! i felt so much peace when she told me and i knew God had worked in her heart! she then went to her seat and leaned over and told her fiancee and he replied "I know." God is so good!!! they were both in agreement and we all just knew it was the right thing to do! THANK YOU JESUS!!! i wish there was a way you can feel the peace i have and how grateful i am to God and our friends for helping her out. prayer works! well i might post now and then about the details of the wedding because we will still be buying things for the big day--we're just not sure when it will be but it will definitely be after she finishes school...i will keep you posted! thank you once again Deedee and Mandy! i really appreciate all that you have done and for sharing yourselves and your family with mine!!! we love you! and Mandy I'm sorry i drew blood---OK not really you deserved it!

Diana Nicole Yanez!

2009-01-09T04:11:00.000-08:00

Diana and Meagan HER MAID OF HONOR.

Diana and her Daddy! the day Todd proposed!

Well as many of you all know today is my only daughter's 18th birthday! i am very proud of her and can say God has blessed us with a great daughter! she has always been very caring and helpful to me and i thank God He gave her to me! sometimes i don't understand why i couldn't have any more kids but i do thank God for all He has done for me and especially for my kids! so today i would like to wish my baby girl a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE A REAL BLESSING TO US AND WE THANK God FOR YOU!

Help!

2009-01-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

Well I'm here at work and i am SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO BORED!!!
I am supposed to be checking emails and printing out time sheets but i finished that and now i am BORED!!! they pay me for nothing! i do NOTHING!!! i love my job but there is nothing to do! i got all the invoices out, reconciled my two checking accounts, mailed out the statements and i emailed the people i needed to email and now i have NOTHING to do. oh how i want to go home! I did go online to look for wedding ideas and now i guess i have to go to my desk and look busy! HELP!!!

Chili's anyone?

2009-01-08T04:49:00.000-08:00

Well it's the day before Diana's birthday and this morning John tells her--Diana are you going to take us to the Chili's in Abbeville---well Diana tells him yeah we can go and i tell him what your taking her to Chili's for her birthday and she says yeah daddy you can take me there for my birthday. Well John then asks Diana for a loan and she says yes. Diana is a very giving person. I thank God for a great daughter! and to think she will be 18 tomorrow---man we're getting old!!! lately i noticed John has been giving into what she wants---I'm not sure if he is doing this because he's afraid the bridezilla will come out and put us all in our place or like me, he has been thinking about how we are going to have to leave her behind when he gets another church---anyways God has really blessed us with two great kids and He has really blessed Diana. she got a surprise party from her future mother-in-law Wednesday night after church. i was not able to go because john john was sick but i knew she was having this thing for her. but she did get some nice gifts and she had a good time! that's all that matters! well i think tonight it's chili's for supper-i just can't stand to drive about an hour. but i guess that is what living in a small town is all about--everything is so far away!

2009-01-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Well we were suppose to go to Texas this weekend but Todd will not be able to go with us because something came up on his end so we decided not to go. Instead I think I am going to take Diana to Orange Texas to go look for the shoes and bridesmaid dresses. Mrs. Howard told me they have a bridal store there so i think we need to check it out. We will probably go to HEB too and see if they sell the tortillas there---we are in a foreign land when it comes to Mexican food but God has been good to us. so i ask that you please pray we find the perfect shoes and we make up our minds about the dresses---also please pray for a safe trip.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER!!!

2009-01-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

Well as you all know alot of brides choose the month of June to get married! and Diana seems to be one of those brides---well our wedding coordinator told us we had to start booking the photographer, ordering the cake, buying the dress, etc., etc., etc.,....well we got the dress and it was a very great deal, we got the invitations, some party favors, some decorations, thank you cards, the bridal party gifts and some other things i can't remember....well anyways i had called a couple of photographers and i got to speak to one over the weekend but I'm not sure if i want to give my money to a guy who i have never met and wants me to call him POPPA D! so i kind of put him in the no section for now and the other photographer called me today and her name is Kathleen and she is from Jennings and has taken over her dads business---she is a well known photographer and she called me today while i was at work. well i did not answer because i did not recognize the number so after i got out of work i called the number and i spoke to her. for a five hour session the cheapest package she offers is 800.00--- she requires a 200.00 deposit so we can be guaranteed the date and it's non refundable and it does go towards the price of the package!!! they tell me she is the cheapest and good at her job. i want to wait a week or two to see if maybe we find a cheaper photographer but if we wait and someone else reserves her we are in trouble---do we really want to go with POPPA D?-NO so please pray that God leads us to do the right thing....that is alot of money! we are seriously considering her because we do not want to rely on other people to take pictures and then we will not be happy with the end results---so please pray!

Pray for us

2009-01-05T05:08:00.000-08:00

Well i am feeling sad this morning---i can't stop thinking about the wedding! i know in about 5 months Diana will be getting married and it saddens me to know that one day when we have to move i will have to leave her behind. i know i still have john john and i love him too but i only have two kids and after john john gets married it will only be john and i....i often think how that is going to be. so pray for me and john he seems to be feeling the same way!!!

NO SHOES FOR YOU!!!

2009-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday we were going to go to Lake Charles to go look for shoes for the bride-to-be but before we could do anything it was my weekend to go clean the church---so with her permission we went to the church to go clean. As we were cleaning EL WAPO--our pastor came in and asked us to touch up the prophet's chamber and put bed sheets on the bed because Bro. Sammy Allen would be making a stop for the night before he goes to odem Sunday night and we told him we would take care of it. So we did and Diana had been wanting to make him some tamales---well when she found out that he was coming through she asked me if we could make him some and because i am afraid of telling her no we did!!! (there are consequences when you tell the bride-to be no) well anyways after we cleaned the church we went to walmart to get the stuff we needed and came home and started making tamales. well back to the shoes---we did go to Stage to look but they do not have the shoes so we asked about the tux rentals and it is very expensive--- i think the cheapest is 99.00 but you have to pay 17.00 extra for the tie and vest and we didn't ask how much for the men's shoes because we do not want the men to spend too much--- so we left with no shoes!!! she then wanted to go to payless and they didn't have any either!!! We need the shoes so they can start altering her dress so we are going to have to try again sometime this week because next Friday we should be going to Odem TX to hear Bro Sammy!!! So please continue to pray for us---boy do we need it!

WHAT A DAY!

2009-01-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well today was a great day!!! Diana is way on her way to getting things done!!! we found the material for her bolero jacket, we found the bridesmaid dresses and with the help of her uncle, Jay, she found my blog. she was making fun of jay because he had not posted his first blog---you see the blog nazi started this blog a day for the whole YEAR and people have fallen into the trans and have done it---and i told her (without thinking)-even i started blogging---she gave me a weird look and she tried for like 20 minutes to find my blog---she had a hard time finding it and i would not give her any information so she enlisted jay to find my blog!!! she made him a promise that if he found it she would make him the guest of honor at her wedding!!! now i don't know how she is going to treat him at this wedding if he comes---does he get an extra piece of cake? an extra helping of food? what are the privileges to being a guest of honor? anybody know? well anyways i think and this is my personal opinion---that Jay somehow is tied into google---i haven't figured it out but he seems to always be running some kind of promotion for google---like a blog a day for a month, a blog a day for a year, or just to simply open a blog spot and start blogging! he must get some kind of commission! anyways back to the wedding details--we got her dress for a GREAT price!!! and we went to go price wedding cakes and man are they expensive!!! we have not made up our minds on the cake but we were able to find a nice modest bridesmaid dress!!! it is so hard to find modest clothing but we found it!! now tomorrow we should go look for her shoes---we need to get them so they can start making the alterations on her dress!!! since December the 1st it has been one thing after another and with God's help we will be getting through this!!! by the way her colors are pink and brown---she has 1 matron of honor, 1 maid of honor and 2 bridesmaids!!! well just pray we can get through this!!! i will keep you posted as we get closer to THE BIG DAY!!!

WHY NOT!!!

2009-01-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

Well after all these years i have finally given in!!! i started a blog!!! I had not been wanting to join in but since my daughter is getting married June 20, 2009, i figured why not write how i am feeling!!! well to start off i am happyand sad! for the past 18 years i have always regretted the fact that i considered having an abortion when i found out i was pregnant! i am ashamed to admit i had considered this option but at the age of 16, i thought that was my only option!!! man was i wrong!!! i look at my beautiful daughter and i get so upset with myself. now i know i didn't go through with it but i have lived with the guilt all these years!!! Diana Nicole is such a blessing to me and has been there for me through my both surgeries, she has been there when i was sick, and has helped me out ALOT!!!!

Well before I go on let me tell you a little bit about myself (for those of you who don't know me!) I have been married for 18 years to John Yanez and have 2 kids---Diana Nicole (17 years old) and John Yanez Jr. (13 years old). My husband is an independent fundamental baptist preacher. He got saved August of 1998 and he surrendered to God's call! We were living in Harlingen Texas where i was born and raised but 3 years ago, September 2005 he accepted a church in Abbeville La., where he pastored a church for over a year---and then God moved us to Jennings La where he is the associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church. We have lived in Jennings for over a year now.
well enough about me and now to the reason i started this blog!!! Diana and Todd met in church and Diana has always had a crush on him but was not sure if she had a chance with Todd because of his age!!! you see Diana is 17 and Todd is 22! Todd would mess with Diana by pulling her hair and pick on her and i knew he liked her but he would not tell her anything but he finally got enough nerve on May 11, 2008 to ask my husband if he could court my daughter-and my husband gave him permission to ask her and after church he asked my daughter and she said yes!!! well they had been courting for 7 months and on December 1, 2008 he proposed to our daughter and of course she said YES!!! we love Todd and know that he will be a great provider for her. since he has proposed we have started planning for the BIG day!!! we are all excited and can't wait!!! well i guess this is all for now i have so much to write but i think i will save it for later---next post i will give you details about the wedding---maybe!!!