Wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, I’ve seen all of these titles on the blogs of others and wondered how I would describe myself when it came my turn. Sure I am all of those things and many more, we all are. I may be older than most, younger than some, weathered more seasons than many, still to discover some rough pages in time, but I guess what best describes me, and what I want most is to be TEACHABLE.
My name is Nannette for those who don’t know me. Yvonne Nannette Elkins….yeah it’s a rough one. I blame it on my mother. See my tab titled Candace Jo for the fun story behind the “other” name.
I have been married to my absolute best friend in the whole wide world for 35 years, my Doogalas, as they called him in Latvia. We were blessed with three of the best sons on the planet, Kyle, Kristopher and Korey Ross. I never had a little girl but if I had, I always wanted to name her Rachel. One day I introduced my eldest to a beautiful young lady named, you guessed it, Rachel, and the rest is history. They have been happily married for twelve years. Isn’t God cool? So I got my Rachel and a wonderful DIL at the same time!
My husband blessed me by letting me stay home with my boys after he finished his schooling with the FAA and enjoyed his work as an Air Traffic Controller Supervisor for over 15 years. But during that time God was calling us into full-time ministry and we answered that call in 2001 and finally gave it all up, walked away and never looked back.
In 2010 we answered another call to go overseas and work in the country of Estonia for three months and Latvia for a year. What a difference it has made in our life! We are still involved in the work of God in the Baltics and are now sharing in the States what God is doing there, and can do in the USA, in the form of Revival By Design, which you can read about here.
Besides the blog, I also am privileged to write monthly for Internet Cafe Devotions with a wonderful group of writers who inspire and encourage others to grow closer to Jesus Christ.
Be sure and sign up to follow my blog via email, Bloglovin’, Facebook and Twitter!
Be blessed!
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So good to hear from you on here. We miss your family as well. I didn’t know you had fibromyalgia, it’s a real bummer but they say the key is to keep moving. Yes, it can have flares, mine is doing that right now and some days it is just an effort to put one foot in front of the other 🙁 Hope you all enjoyed a great July 4. Blessings! ♥
Sis. Elkins,
Your website is wonderful! I loved the story of Candace Jo (my mom did not get to name me what she wanted to either). And I, too, have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, although at this time I do not seem to have it as badly as some (but the doctor says that could change at any time.)
We miss you and Bro. Elkins. Just loved you guys as our pastoral family.
Much love,
Michele Smith
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Hey Nannette! Because you’ve been so encouraging, I’ve nominated you for the Sunshine Blog Award. Read about it here: http://dietrying999.wordpress.com/2014/01/05/ray-of-sunshine/. Thanks for all you do!
The Noel boys?? They are my nephews!! LOL! Rhea is my sister! What a small world! ♥
Glad you visited. Happy to have met you. I visited your blog’s Facebook page & it told me that I have some friends who are also fans…the Noel boys! They’ve visited us here in Buffalo many times.
Not savvy…just lucky I guess. But thank you. I like yellow and gray if you can tell 🙂 I checked out your site and loved what I saw, so neat and it wasn’t so complicated, ha. Keep up the good work friend! So glad to have met you! Blessings! ♥
Oh, I doubt that! Your site’s layout is FANTASTIC! You look pretty savvy to me! Ha! 🙂
Oh wonderful! So happy to meet you! I am sure your site is way over my head but I am going to check it out anyway, lol. Blessings new friend! ♥
PTL, Sis. Nannette! I found your blog on the member list for the #31dbc and I’m so glad I did. (I’m UPCI, myself.) I blog over at http://www.julienneink.wordpress.com. My focus really is to talk about technology & how it can build capacity for nonprofit organizations. Best – Julienne
As the title of your website says “Hope in the healing” reading your blog and about you somehow brought hope in my healing :)) I’d like to connect with you and I would like to ask if you can help me to start my dream and that is writing..I’d love to share many things with you. God bless you nannette and the ministry you are doing for the Glory of God’s name..your friend in the middle east- christie
Thank you Annie, many blessings to you! thank you for visiting Hope in the Healing! Please make yourself at home here. You are most welcome. 🙂
I enjoyed reading about you and how you feel and do thing good luck
Little girl I never had 🙂 She is dear to me! Blessings to you and your family!!
How wonderful that you got your Rachel. That made me smile. God is cool! Very cool! I felt the same when God gave me our DIL. I had some regret that we never tried for a third, but oh how He has blessed us. Thanks for connecting us. Much love.
So happy you stopped by! I am looking at your lovely blog! I love it! I will read your story too and follow your blog as well! I love to connect with other bloggers and make new friends. Blessings!
Thank you so much for sharing your story! I also struggle with a couple of Chronic Illness issues and it is so great to connect with others who love the Lord. Prayers are with you and I am excited to be following your blog to keep on reading!
🙂 Rebecca
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This was passed to me by a wonderful blogging friend who helped me get started and you have been a wonderful inspiration to me Ibukun! But I will admit this was a little bit of work! So don’t feel bad if you don’t have time to pass it on 🙂 It took a few minutes but seeing how I am such a newbie I felt indebted to all of you for your kindness these past eight weeks. I have learned so much just by reading your blogs and trying to glean as much as I can! Praying for you and your country! ♥
Wow Candace I never would have thought that you had so much on your plate and dare I say you look like you have it all together and you DO because you have Jesus. So glad you’re using your story and your life to reach out to people in pain. You are a BLESSING and I love you, sweet Candace
Hi Charmaine! So glad you stopped by! Fibro is a bummer isn’t it?! So sorry you had to have surgery but I hope and pray after recovery that you find it has made a difference for you. And you are right, sometimes God heals and sometimes He doesn’t, there is a pst here on my blog I wrote on that very subject titled He Heals Me, He Heals Me Not, you might find it answers some of those questions. http://hopeinthehealing.com/2013/03/25/he-heals-me-he-heals-me-not/ Through it all, God is faithful and we learn that He teaches us along the way. Please stay and touch and follow the blog, would love to hear more from you! I want the blog to be interactive and invite others to share their stories. You can also email me ynannette@gmail.com blessings!
Hi, I just wanted to say that after reading your story I don’t feel so alone. I to have fibro along with back issues. In fact I just had part one of what they think maybe a three part project. The surgery went well but still have some pain in my legs which is why I decided to have the surgery anyway. It sucks when you can’t walk or stand but I guess you know that.. hahaha.
I know that God heals he has healed me before. I also know things happen for a reason and your right being a blessing to someone while your IN your struggles gives God all the Glory! If it were left up to me I would stay in my bed and cry all day. But praise God it’s not up to me or even about ME!
I used to tell people who would say things like “how come your still in pain?” I may be in pain down here but when I get home to heaven all my pain will be gone. So I praise him now for my healing in advance!
Much love
Charmaine
Your friend is my new hero! Wow, lupus and RA all at once. Bless her heart. She’s right . . . every one’s pain counts! Every one’s journey is their own and every journey MATTERS.
I have worked with the parents of chronically and terminally ill children for many years. When they found out I was sick they reached out to me. And I remember thinking these parents with children and their ivs, chemo, pain . . . and they care about my pain.
I love your blog and I think you are one anointed gal. I am going to check out the blog you mentioned. I love the title! 🙂
I had just read another post of yours yesterday and discovered you had MS! My struggles don’t begin to compare but as you may have read in my post, or one of them I mention I have a friend with lupus and RA who tells me that just because she has two broken legs and I have one doesn’t make my one broken leg hurt any less 🙂 She is a classy lady! To have accomplished all you have and CONTINUE to do all you do is amazing. God is good! I have definitely learned valuable lessons through pain and pray I have more compassion. A post I wrote entitled He Heals Me, He Heals Me Not generated unbelievable response from so many hurting people, I think we forget there are so many struggling with these same issues and “where is God?” in all of their pain. So necessary to offer them hope! Blessings!
This is lovely, Candace. I love your tag line and your story. You are such an inspiring woman. I live with MS and Philippians 4:13 has certainly took on a life of it’s own in my life too. 🙂
Totally agree with you! I just wrote an article last week on the Wounded Healer. Only those who have experienced the trials of life, pain and suffering, can best minister to those going through their own struggles. We have been youth pastors, pastors, missionaries and now back in the States traveling in ministry because of my physical problems for now. But whatever God has for you at the time is His will at that moment and I, too, wouldn’t trade it for anything because even when if I might think it is a stumbling block, in reality it is another stepping stone, He knows best. Thank you for taking the time to write. I shall look forward to your insight. Blessings!
I am thankful you stopped by and followed my blog. 🙂 I do feel your pain. The story you read on my blog is actually one of many uphill battles I’ve been on but the JOY of the LORD is MY STRENGTH! I have learned intimately what that means and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Glad to have connected with you dear.
God bless,
Heather
Oh Deirdra, so sorry you are suffering with the dreaded enemy of fibromyalgia. And back trouble along with it you have my deepest sympathy!! I find one of the most frustrating things is having a disease or chronic illness where you don’t “look sick”. That’s a bummer! Not that you want to walk around with a “woe is me” look on your face all the time but people truly do not understand things like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS, fibro, and many other similar chronic illnesses. You are welcome to email me at ynannette@gmail.com if you like. We can share our ailments and get better acquainted 🙂 So Glad you have found the blog, thanks for following!!
Thank you for sharing your journey with me. I, too, travel down this bumpy path of chronic pain. It’s nice to know that there are others who have similar experiences to mine…well….maybe not “nice” …but hopefully you know what I mean! To find someone to truly understand the “feeling” of a fibromyalgia and back pain combo. I know there are people out there with it…I just haven’t met them!
Looking forward to reading more of your blog.
God bless!
I agree Glenda, I miss that very much. Is that prophecy??? Hmmm… I have added your blog to my blogroll! Woot! Getting techy over here 🙂 Love you all!
I miss you as well. I have thought about our ability to ‘really’ connect in conversation, and that closeness is very missed at the moment. But, I know that I will see you at some point in the future, so I wait for that… Hugs to you from Finland! <3 -glenda
Dearest Glenda! What a wonderful surprise! Thank you for writing, I know you too deal with physical issues and pain that wants to keep “hangin’ around”. But you are one that has taught me the blessings that come DURING the trial and for that I thank you. Thank you for your encouragement and your prayers. I miss you, my far-away friend. 🙁 Love you!
This is *very* moving. You had shared your story with me before, but in bits and pieces. To read all of it together makes things more clear. I know we’ve had a few conversations about your pain in the past. I, too, deal with pain that doesn’t want to let go — maybe one day… In the meantime, I’ll continue to believe with you. I love you, my friend. -glenda