Dear loved ones,
Jones' Clips: Gavin and Carrie Jones' Blog
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. The you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:3-6
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
On our way home
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Update on my mom
Written on Sunday, 6/29:
Hi again! Thanks so much for praying! We really, truly felt your prayers and appreciate your caring! My mom was discharged after two days and is continuing to recover at home. We don’t know how long that will take or how much her speech/eating/ will improve, but of course we’re hoping and asking for quick and total healing, trusting the Heavenly Father holds each of our days since before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139, which went through my mind on the way to the ER last week.) It was considered a small stroke, and many people wouldn’t even notice a difference until after some time with her. Of course, we can tell she’s not functioning at 100%, and she is the most aware of any of us. She has an amazing attitude and sense of humor, though! We have laughed at out loud at her jokes and funny observations. (For example, they were trying to turn the TV on and only realized after some time and lots of punching of buttons that they were using the bed-attached telephone.)
We’re in CA now, by God’s grace (after a day’s delay). The Lord wonderfully provided the stamina and encouragement and help we needed, including throughout a missed flight, a five-hour wait in the terminal, and driving back home again to try again this morning.
Written today, Tuesday, 7/1:

Thursday, June 26, 2025
Urgent request for Carrie’s mom
Hi friends, my mom had a stroke yesterday afternoon. We are less than 48 hours from departing on the first leg of our trip back to PNG (We are stopping through CA to visit two church families, Gavin’s family, and our friends and supporters there.) Please pray for my mom and dad and for us as we make decisions. This is all very sudden and overwhelming, but we know that’s par for the course with strokes. Please pray for wisdom for all of us, PEACE in the midst of this, and protection from our own fleshly responses as well as from the evil one. We know the Lord is on His Throne and intimately, lovingly involved in every last tiny detail! Thank you!
In His Grip,
Carrie
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Isaac and Meagan's wedding!
Our photographer, a close friend and cousin of Isaac's, was simply the best. https://www.sienamariephotography.com/
While it will take her a while to edit them all, here are some of the photos we have thus far:
The first look, prior to the ceremony:
Marcie and her new sister - another M name in the family! |
Our handsome (somewhat goofy) sons! |
Isaac's groomsmen have been his best friends, roommates, and accountability partners - his best man and his wife were also his ride to church for a year! They've become family. |
They are married, and all of us are awed by the depth and breadth of God's goodness and love to us as we went through the months of planning (Meagan's mom especially!) and the whole wedding weekend. I cannot tell you how many times I prayed, "Lord, please help me," as I juggled so many more things than usual. And He did! It was the MOST BEAUTIFUL, FUN WEDDING WEEKEND, even better than our own. 😁 Meagan's family and home church family are the most hard-working, organized, creative, kind people you could ask for in celebrating your son's wedding! And I ended up with the most lovely, joyful, jolly, kind, funny, loving daughter-in-love. Again, we are just in awe of the goodness of God, His many big and little faithfulnesses and provisions, sending just the right people to help with the tiniest details at the perfect time. 💗
Marmi took care of one of the biggest, most important jobs: The wedding music on both the piano and the incredible pipe organ at the church! What a delight and blessing to have her giftedness displayed at the first wedding among her grandchildren! It was so very special. Papa helped her tremendously, too, keeping things level in all the chaos of lots of people and not a few changes. You can tell she and Isaac are quite fond of each other! She very much helped raise him as a baby when I had severe postpartum depression. We moved in with them for a few months to help get me over the hump, and I am eternally grateful. The first two photos are also by Siena, just screen grabs (hence the black lines since I "grabbed" them imperfectly).
Aunt Peggy, Marmi/Marcia's dear friend from decades ago and a second grandmother to Isaac and Meagan in Louisville, helped with so many small and big items, including all the reception floral centerpieces and my girls' bouquets. She dealt with the insanity of helping me get the groomsmen suits in the right sizes, and then she hemmed them to the right length and pressed them. They were perfect! Her house serves as both storage and garage during these early weeks of their marriage. She will also be hosting the newlyweds for a couple of weeks this summer when they are between housing.
My poor mom ruptured a disc in her back a few weeks ago. She was a great sport and just sat down as needed! |
A moment with Marcie |
Two darling 12-year-olds
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Dancing to "You'll Be in My Heart," which I heard for the first time while grocery shopping when I was pregnant with Isaac. I was tearful back then, and I've only gotten more tearful and grateful with age! Photograph by https://www.sienamariephotography.com/ |
Making a run for it! https://www.sienamariephotography.com/ |
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And here we are, thrilled beyond words with our 7th child. She's been the easiest to raise, ha ha! We couldn't be more grateful. God is good. |
More later - I've run out of time and space! This is already far too long and too large. Love to all!
Carrie
Sunday, April 20, 2025
A couple of urgent prayer requests
Hi friends,
Well, I spoke/wrote too soon in my last post. Gavin's tendon started to bother him more and more, so after a preaching a beautiful sermon at beautiful Mt. Hermon in Santa Cruz County, he received the much-needed surgery a week ago. The tendon was very angry and nasty-looking, and the surgeon anticipated its removal would bring much relief. Praise God, he was right about that, and thank God, the healing has been amazing! Gavin stumps around on a peg-leg of sorts or scoots along with a leg wheelchair and has even been going to work. He took only two days off. He was also weed-whacking the yard last night. This guy . . . ! He's dubbed himself "Peggy Stumpkin."
In harder medical news, a disc in my mom's spinal column ruptured so completely that she needs to have it removed. The extruded material is moving up her spinal column. We don't know what all this means, but we're just over 3 weeks from Isaac and Meagan's wedding, and I am asking for prayer that my mom will be able to make it! I also need the Lord to sustain me emotionally and mentally as I balance helping her during this time (meeting with surgeon tomorrow) while still running quints to therapies and schools and helping with homework and doing all the other daily household and life tasks that just keep needing to be done! Most of all, please pray for her pain relief and that she can get this surgery ASAP but still be there for the wedding, if it's the Lord's will. Anyone with knowledge on this sort of thing is welcome to email or message me! I am so out of my depth here.
Some pictures before I go:
Marcie got bowled over by a big wave in the 46 degree Pacific! |
The best part of being at Mt Hermon was having Marmi and Papa with us!! 💕 |
Gavin's very much appreciated peg-leg allows him to be quite mobile! |
Enjoying the horses where the girls have their "horse camp" |
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The girls' Bible verse creations at horse camp![]() |
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Gavin's completely ruptured tendon |
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The tendon has been sown to one parallel to it - now one tendon is pulling two muscles in his calf! |
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All cut to size and ready to close up. |
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Post-op drowsiness |
Isaac and Meagan working at the homeschool material distribution warehouse. |
Fun in the California redwoods with banana slugs! |
Less than three weeks until these two are wed! |
Gavin, Carrie, Isaac, Will, David, Marcie, Seth, & Grace Jones
