Dear Ones,
Hope you have been having a great day. We are at the Drury Hotel in Coralville, IO and I just had a wonderful swim indoor and outdoor as I watched the beautiful clouds. We had a good trip today and tomorrow we will head home. Thank you for prayers as it has been a great trip and even here we were given an upgrade without asking and perfect for retreat. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  Haven’t we all had times when we looked forward to a special time and it didn’t turn out anything like we expected?  Maybe we felt disappointment as we realized what we hoped for was not going to happen. But just maybe God has a better plan, and we will have to wait for it to unfold. I just read from Romans 5:5, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” He is the One who loves us more than any other and knows best, desiring to give us what is according to His perfect will.
  I want to share an experience we had yesterday as we began our trip home from North Carolina. We left at 5:30 a.m. after a wonderful 5 days with our son’s family. We were able to play many games with the grandkids, go out to celebrate Mark’s birthday, shop, play be the stream, share and pray together, etc. etc. Our hearts were very full when we left and Al and I talked the first 4 hours of our trip homeward, expressing gratitude to the Lord. Our intention was to stop in Louisville at a Drury Hotel, where we have stayed before, that has an indoor/outdoor pool etc. We planned to stay there early afternoon and have a time of retreat but as we neared there, the traffic was terrific since there was road construction and cars all stopped; we got out of there as quickly as we could. I was disappointed as we were looking forward to that time of retreat and I got busy on my phone trying to find another place while the storm clouds were nearly overhead. We stopped in Seymour and every place at the hotel there was taken for the night and the next 3 nights. We made a further stop in Columbus and nearby we saw the Holiday Inn sign and decided to inquire and found something that surpassed what we had hoped for. We told the manager we wanted a room to write and would need a desk and two chairs in the room; and he responded by upgrading us to a suite that turned out to be perfect for retreat.…we had 3 rooms, 2 TV’s, 2 desks, 2 sinks, sofa and access to the pool etc…far more than we would have ever asked for. My disappointment was turned to joy and thanksgiving that the Lord would give us such a gift. The Lord delayed us to give us something greater.
 In my heart it was also a reminder to be grateful for whatever way the Lord chooses to answer the desires of our hearts. It’s all up to Him, whether it is less than we anticipate or more than; for it comes from His loving hand.
Challenge for today: Express to the Lord a need you have but be thankful for however He chooses to answer.
Blessings on your evening and prayers and love, Judy