Amy Nicole Pentimone - Our Sweet Baby Girl & our Thinker

Amy Nicole Pentimone was born in Gilman, WI, population 464! She was our "Sweet Baby Girl." We used to sing to her: "Sweet baby girl, good morning; Sweet baby girl, good morning, morning; Sweet baby girl, good morning, WE...LOVE...YOU." Amy was our first homebirth. We lived in cold Wisconsin and had been encouraged to trust the Lord and deliver her at home. Besides, a homebirth was a much better option than possibly getting stuck in the snow in March and delivering her on the side of the road! Dan was the "doctor." He read some about delivering a baby and prepared for the miraculous event. But ultimately, the Lord gave much help and courage, and Amy was delivered. Amy truly was a welcome addition to our home.  Daniel and Amy became good play buddies; and as the other children came along, Amy was a great big sister.  As Amy grew, she liked to read. Amy was always an excellent student.  The children all enjoyed playing together. Daniel was the leader. He would have them act out plays and have the children line up in the yard to sing the National Anthem before they could play any games. Daniel was always in charge, but Amy was always everyone's good friend and helper. As new little ones were added to our family, Amy was always the other children's "second mommy," doing all she could to help her Mom. Amy was thoughtful, kind and compassionate.

Amy was the sweetest of young ladies as she grew up: very quiet, but also very helpful and friendly. Amy was on the shy side, but she was always a joy to be around. Amy professed faith in Christ when she was 12 years old. Here is a portion of her testimony from the blog she later started: "God continued to give me a desire for His Word and a realization that I needed Him. I started praying continually that God would give me faith. On January 26, 2006 we had a thunderstorm, (in the very early morning, around two or three o’clock AM) and I went into my parents bedroom. We talked about sin, faith, and being a Christian." When she was 15 she started a publication called Far Above Rubies.  She sent out the publication every 1-2 months, and she sought to encourage young ladies in the Word of God and Christian living. Amy also had a blog by the same name. One of my favorite parts from her blog shared about her family. It reads as follows: I’m fifteen, the oldest daughter in my family. Did I mention, I have the most amazing family ever? God has blessed me with the two most wonderful parents ever and six siblings. I have two brothers – Daniel and David. Daniel is older than myself. He’s a cartographer and avid language learner. His maps are pretty impressive! And he’s learning Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Then there’s David my little brother. Basically, he’s a lot of fun, as he goes about being…David – trying to improve his speed at running races, learn the harmonica, play with his sisters, and the list could go on. I also have four sisters, all of them younger than myself. There’s Bethany, Carissa, and Ellia (my roommates) and then our newest, precious little sister (called sugar pie, as we haven’t decided on a name) who hasn’t made her grand appearance into the world yet. Her due date is October 26th!!!!!! Can you tell someone is more than slightly excited? So yes, my sisters and I all share our cozy lavender bedroom, and have a lot of fun. Bethany is really diligent, Carissa’s favorite thing to do would definitely be to read, and Ellia is the most adorable little family entertainer. 
                               
We often called Amy our "thinker" because she seemed to enjoy thinking more deeply about things. I remember her thoughts on movies and what was appropriate to watch and not watch. She wanted to make sure she was honoring God in her actions and not just going with the flow. She was careful with her modesty, her schoolwork, and her helping around the home. What a beautiful young lady!

Amy was also involved in the National Bible Bee for one year before she aged out. She qualified for the National Tournament that year and enjoyed studying the Bible and memorizing verses. Amy also liked art and has done some amazing drawings. I have one of Amy's pieces of art hanging on my wall in my office. She did a wonderful 3 piece set that was in our prison ministry house for years. She also enjoyed playing the piano. As Amy got older, she took up the violin. She was very good at both the piano and the violin. We all enjoyed listening to her play. For years, Amy helped in the music in the church I pastored, sometimes playing the piano and sometimes the violin. When we planted a new church in 2016, Amy again served in the music ministry with her violin. What a delight it was to see her playing the violin while her sister was now playing the piano for our meetings.

After graduating high school, Amy took a few community college classes in Art. Many years later she went on to finish her AA degree. I helped Amy and Bethany start a house cleaning business together. They would clean the homes together, and Amy would also do all the record keeping. It provided Amy with some good business experience. Amy obtained her Real Estate license after graduating high school as well. Real Estate never really interested Amy much, and she allowed the license to expire. Eventually Amy got a great work-from-home job for the Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC). She did marketing and many other tasks, often proofing their content. Amy did a wonderful job at CHEC. She learned some great skills which allowed her to also pick up some freelance work on the side. Amy liked being at home and working in her room. She enjoyed a good cup of coffee while she worked, and her fish, Gilbert Finney, kept her company. Amy was a great cook and a great help around the house and well. She also really enjoyed spending time with her mom.

Amy stayed in our home until she was 25. We were always glad to have her in our home, and we were sad when she moved out with a couple of roommates. We will always love our "Sweet Baby Girl" Amy. We pray for her daily. We understand she is in a relationship, but we do not know the man. We long to see her again.