From A-Z

A few fun & sober facts about Debbie “Boore” Swart – from A-Z

(I got this idea from another blog that I follow)

A:        Andy:  Andrew Ryan Swart is our middle child.  He was born on March 25, 1980.  He is married to Carman “Wright” Swart and they live in NWA.  Andy and Carman have blessed us with two wonderful granddaughters, Laine and Ellie.  Andy is the lead pastor at Metro Church in Rogers, AR.  Carman does have a Masters in Elementary Education and has taught in the past, but presently is home with the girls who are her #1 teaching priority.

B:        Bev:    Beverly Jean Boore Ferrell is my middle sister.  Bev and her husband Don live in East Texas.  Don and Bev have two daughters, Shannan and Shawna who are married to Michael McEuen and Nathan Tunnell respectively.  Shannan and Michael have 4 children: Madyson, Zachary, Cooper and Alex.  Shawna and Nathan have two boys: Tristan and Noah.

 

C:        Color:  My favorite color has always been red.  Jeff knows he is to bury me in something red with red fingernails and red toenails.  Although I had told him that years ago when red was the popular fingernail color.  Now that I wear solar tip nails, someone will have to tell him he doesn’t need to have my fingernails painted J.

D:        DeDe:  That is my “grandma” name and I love hearing Laine call me that (and someday Ellie will too)!  Jeff is Papa and that too makes him smile real big! 

E:         Ellie:  Our second precious granddaughter is Ellie Kate Swart.  She was born April 23, 2012 and is already such a delight to us!

F:         Facebook:  Those of you who know me well, know that I do love the social networking tool of Facebook.  Yes, I’m quite aware of all the “bad” stuff that is connected to FB but try to steer clear of that as much as possible and just enjoy interacting with so many people from all the various avenues of my life:  family, GHS classmates, dear friends and so many church members and acquaintances along life’s way.  It has definitely made a very big world a lot smaller and I do love it.

G:        Grandparent:  If you aren’t a grandparent yet, then you won’t understand this.  But if you are one, then you know full well what I am about to say.  Jeff and I anxiously awaited the day when we would become grandparents.  Our children were not in near as much of a hurry for that as we were J.  We had been married 37-1/2 years before it became a reality for us.  And what a WONDERFUL blessing it has been! This Scripture is so true:  Proverbs 17:6:  Children’s children are a crown to the aged……So bear with us, younger folks…..someday hopefully you will experience the icing of life that being a grandparent brings J.  We presently have two precious granddaughters and are anxiously looking forward to additional grandchildren in the future!  I thought about posting pictures for every letter….but that would require way too much time and make this posting ridiculously long!  Also, if you really want to see pictures of family, etc., just scan older postings on this blog.  However, I couldn’t resist posting this one picture of those two precious little girls! 

H:        Husband:  God sure did bless me when He gave me Jeff Swart!  What a wonderful “almost” 40 years of marriage we have had.  I am so thankful for a man who loves the Lord first and foremost and then loves me so much.  I’m very unworthy of that love but so glad he loves me in spite of me!  Jeff and I were in the same grade and attended Girard High School all 4 years.  However, we didn’t really know each other till our Junior year when we were assigned seats close by in Mrs. Hiland’s Jr. English class.  Jeff was very popular, was a major player on all the sports teams (football, basketball, track, etc.) and was Jr. Class President.  We were such an unlikely “couple.”  I was very shy and in the “background” kind of girl.  Being raised in a strong Christian home was also a major difference in the two of us.  We started dating our Senior year.  Bless my Baptist Deacon Dad’s heart for ever letting Jeff on our property…..the first time he came to get me for a date (which was to go to Pittsburg to see the movie, “Love Story”), Jeff had on a Budweiser beer t-shirt!  Yikes.  However, God did have a plan!  And Jeff yielded to God’s calling on his life after his first year of college at Washburn University (where he was studying to be a lawyer).  He returned home that following summer and we got engaged.  We also got actively involved in a little Baptist mission church in Pittsburg, Kansas that would have a major impact on the direction of our lives.  We married on December 22^nd, 1972 at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, rural Girard (my home church).  We lived in Girard in an apartment above a grocery store on the square for a few months, before purchasing our first mobile home and living in a nice mobile home park in Pittsburg.  It’s been quite a ride, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world!!

I:          Ipad/Iphone/Computer:  I do love the world of “technology.”  Again, I know with all things, there is bad as well as good, but my computer, Iphone and Ipad are sure an “earthly” blessing to me. 

J:          Josh:  Our first-born son is Joshua Jerome born on September 9, 1977.  We had tried to have children for several years prior to conceiving Josh, so we were so excited when we had our first baby boy – and a red-headed boy at that!  Josh married Erika “Sherman” Swart on August 7, 1999 and they also live in NWA (it’s such a blessing to have all 3 of our children living within 8 miles of each other and only about 75 miles from Jeff and I!).  Josh has an audio engineering degree and works in the music industry mainly for Lionel Richey and the group, Journey.  Erika is the office manager for one of Mercy’s Health Clinics in Rogers.

K:        Kaye:  My baby sister is Kaye Lynn Boore Harkness.  Kaye is married to Rob and they live in central Arkansas.  They are parents of Adrienne, Matt and Michelle.  Adrienne is married to Mike Goering and they have two sons, Lincoln and Graham.  Matt DeMott is married to Kristen, who are parents to a new baby girl, Ellis.  Michelle “Harkness” Stane is the mother of Megan and Nick.

L:         Lainey-Bug:  Laine Virginia Swart is our first precious grandchild!  She was born April 26, 2010 and brought with her a whole new world for us to experience of love and joy!!

M:        Ministry:  Jeff and I will celebrate our 40^th wedding anniversary in December and of that 40 years, almost 38 years have been spent in full-time ministry.  Jeff has pastored churches in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.  He has worked as a Dean of Students at a Baptist College and has taught on two college campuses.  He also helped supervise a world missions program which allowed him to travel in 67 countries of the world.  It has been quite a journey, but such a blessed one.  We are loving our ministry at the present time which is First Baptist Church, Galena, Kansas. 

N:        Names (which represent lives, faces, sweet memories past and present):  God has so richly blessed us with knowing thousands of wonderful people along the journey of ministry and in our present church family and we so look forward to that day that we will all be together in that heavenly city!  O, what a day that will be!!!

O:        Occupation:  While in High School, I was a part of Ms. Dorothy Johnson’s secretarial classes.  She was an excellent teacher and knew how to train a student to excel as a secretary.  So before I even graduated, I began my secretarial career at McNally’s in Pittsburg, Kansas.  There were a few other secular positions along the way, but for the most part, I have worked in a church setting as receptionist, secretary, financial secretary, etc.  Of course, for all those early years of ministry, I was Jeff’s unpaid church secretary, but then when he became Pastor of larger churches that had their own secretaries, I would then work at other churches (it was just easier for us not to work in the same church and know all the same struggles, etc.).  I thoroughly enjoyed my time working at these churches:  Woodland Heights Baptist in Conway, AR; Cedar Heights Baptist in Cedar Hill, TX; and First Baptist Church, Springdale, AR.  However, I love what I’m doing now most of all---a stay-at-home wife!  It seems my days are filled with activity and there sure isn’t any boredom!  I love the freedom to go with Jeff to meetings, hospital and/or home visits, and to see the kids, granddaughters, Mom, sisters, etc.  So thankful for this station of life!

P:         Parents:  I was so very blessed to be born to Edward and Dorothy Boore on December 29, 1953 in Pittsburg, Kansas.  I was raised in a loving, godly home in the small community of South Radley (halfway between Girard and Pittsburg) and we were in church (Mt. Olive, rural Girard) every time the doors were opened.  I have many sweet memories of my childhood – with family, relatives and church family.  My dad passed away in October of 2000 and is missed greatly.  Mom is still living in Girard and doing well for her 83 years of life!  So thankful for my Christian heritage!

Q:        Quote from Bible:  I have MANY favorites.  But today, this one comes to mind:  Psalm 103:17-18:  “¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children’s children—¹⁸ with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts.”

R:        Rachel:  We were richly blessed with our third child, a girl, Rachel Ann, born on May 1, 1985.  She recently married Jonathan McCrary and they live in NWA.  Rachel is a kindergarten teacher at a school in Rogers.  She will graduate in December with her Masters in Elementary Education. Jonathan graduated with his Masters last December and is a computer software engineer for J.B. Hunt in Rogers.

S:         Salvation:  The greatest gift of all is God’s gift of salvation to me.  I accepted Jesus as my Savior in August of 1964 at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, rural Girard, KS.  Bro. Carl George was our pastor and led me in asking Jesus to forgive me of all my sins and to come into my heart and save me.  What a blessed assurance to know that I am saved for eternity and that I have a glorious home awaiting me in glory!!  My prayer, dear blog reader, is that you too, know Jesus as Savior.  If you have any questions about that, please go to this link:  www.jeffswart.com and click on the tab, "How To Become A Christian" or "Contact Me."

T:         Travels:  Oh, how I love to travel (as does Jeff).  My Dad also loved to travel so every summer he would take Mom and us girls on a two week vacation.  It was always by car and always within the U.S. but what wonderful sites did we see.  My favorite memories of childhood, no doubt!  After Dad passed away, Mom didn’t want to stop her traveling, so she has been so generous to provide some wonderful trips for my sisters and our husbands.  If you follow me on Facebook, you have seen many pictures of those wonderful travels—a great blessing!  Jeff and I have also been richly blessed by traveling to the Holy Land.  Jeff was able to go the first time with a group in 1984.  I wasn’t able to go then.  However in 2008 and again in 2011, Jeff led groups to the Holy Land and I accompanied him……and believe me, it is sacred ground!  It’s hard to describe, but you can just feel that God has a special hand of blessing on this land.  Jeff hopes to take another group in 2014, so if you would like to go with us, please let me know!

U:        Urgency: Folks, Jesus IS coming soon!  Are you ready?? 

V:        Vegetable I hate:  Peas!  All kinds!

W:       Women’s Bible Study:  I love to study God’s Word!  And an extra special blessing is doing that with a group of women.  My first taste of personal in-depth Bible study was around 1986 when I became a part of Bible Study Fellowship in Tyler, Texas.  It was a major turning point in my life to realize I could actually study God’s Word on my own and apply it practically to my life (and not depend on my husband to explain everything to me).  I have journeyed through many different types of women’s Bible studies and leaders and have gained knowledge from all.  However, my favorite is Beth Moore and her video-driven/workbook studies.  I have had the privilege to facilitate many of her studies over the years and looking forward to starting another one next week with the ladies at FBC.  I hope that God’s Word is a part of your everyday life as in it, you will find all the promises, strength, instructions and encouragement you will need in your day-to-day walk on this earth!

X:        “Xtra” – As a teenager, I always wanted to be an airline stewardess.  However, living in a small midwestern community several hours away from any major airport, it didn’t ever become a reality for me.  I do love to travel by airplane though!!

Y:        Yummy Food:  Mexican and Italian are my favorite restaurants; roast and trimmings is my favorite home cooked meal, and ice cream is my downfall!

Z:         Zzzzzz:  I’m sure you are ready for a nap after reading that!!  Thanks for indulging me!