Colorado Dreaming from Texas

New Childcare Website

2012-02-02T18:46:00.002-06:00

Check out our new website for our kidcare and preschool.

Another New Blog

2011-12-04T23:51:00.003-06:00

I know, this is hard to believe but I am starting ANOTHER blog! This one is a weight loss journal. If you want to check that out you can go here. If you would like to join my blog buddies on that blog, please let me know. The more we have the bigger support we have!

My New Blog

2011-08-27T16:13:00.000-05:00

Follow me to my new blog. It has links on there to my other blogs, as well.

Just Me & My Thoughts

2011-08-26T21:03:00.002-05:00

It's just me. Well, me and my thoughts. There are so many of them that they come bursting our of my brain right through my fingers as I type. For those of you that know me, I am not a silent person. I can talk. I can talk a LOT. And do, often. When I was in school that used to get me into trouble. Maybe it still does. I am a very open person and I care about people a great deal. Can you care about others too much? I don't think so. We have been doing a study on love. Not just any love, but the love like Jesus loves. We are called to love that way. A tall order, you say? You bet. The tallest order you will ever get. Wrapped up in that command is every other command and direction ever given by God. If we will love like that then everything else falls into place.

This school year started for our family three weeks ago. We happily homeschool our two youngest children, grades 5 and 7. You are always welcome to check out those adventures on our homeschool blog. I am trying to blog more over there this school year. We have an exciting school year planned. We even have an awesome study on Africa that we will be doing that includes music and crafts. We enjoyed our three weeks in Kenya so much that if the Lord opens the door to move there for a time, we will gladly walk through it. You can keep up with our ministry adventures on our missions blog. I am hoping to update some of the water drilling pictures soon.

I just thought I would share some silly pictures of myself and just let everyone know that we are doing well. I am still reading and doing book reviews as quickly as I can. I love to read and am so thankful for the chance to get free books just for reading and reviewing them. What fun!

I am working on a new blog to take the place of this one. I am no longer "Colorado Dreaming" so I thought it was time to change the name of my blog. Watch for a post about the new blog and make sure you start following it instead of this one. Thanks for stopping by.

More Kenya Thoughts

2011-07-08T06:44:00.002-05:00

July 4, 2011

I have been home for over 24 hours now. I have slept much of that time. I’m not really trying too hard to stay up. I just want to sleep when I want to sleep. I know, that sounds so stubborn. I can be that way. One reason I just want to sleep is because of all the work I am going to have to do to get the house in order after emptying the suitcases and getting school stuff ready. I think I am avoiding it and sleeping is a good excuse.

I am having mixed feelings about being home. Is it normal to feel culture shock coming home after only three weeks? And is it normal for someone who didn’t get it while there? It was good to get home. It feels more “natural” doing things here because I have lived here for the past 45, almost 46 years. But even in the middle of doing things I normally do, I felt out of place somehow. We drove home from the movies and the streets were so clean and paved. There wasn’t a person walking anywhere. There were no cows or goats walking alongside the road or in fields, there were no fields. There were only buildings and apartments and houses. I began to feel guilty because of how nice things are here. I don’t think the people in Kilifi want things to be the way they are, they just are. The poverty levels are staggering. I found out that they live off less than a dollar a day. How can people live off that little? There has been a shortage of rain for the past 4 weeks and I thought that because it rained for ten to twenty minutes each day that it was good. I found out that it wasn’t enough. They need fresh water so badly. They need to be able to grow food to feed their families.

One of the places I saw daily was a milk cow plantation. We were staying on that plantation because some very wealthy people had built fancy homes overlooking the ocean there and rented them out. The “houses” that the people staying and working on the plantation didn’t look like a house to me. It was cement walls that connected 7 or 8 rooms in a row. It didn’t look like there could be more than one room for each but there may have been some rooms sectioned off with sheets or something. Our guess is that they were maybe 12’. There was another concrete box for each “house” that had one opening towards their home. That was the kitchen. It was about 5’ x 8’ or smaller. I am not sure all the homes had the “kitchen’s” because on the ones that faced the road those families would gather in the front yard and cook on a pile of wood. That is how they did it in the concrete area but this was on the ground. Their laundry is laid on the ground to dry at some of the homes. There are a few that have clothes lines but not all. The place we stayed in had a lady that did our laundry. She would wash them in a tub with a scrub brush and lay them on the ground to dry. We gave her a clothesline when we got there but she never used it. We would find out clothes laying in a long row during the day. They would iron them before they put them in our room. It left them feeling very odd. And kind of not clean or dry even though they were.

As you look at the picture above, I can tell you it is a far cry from the places I just described. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of those homes in the three weeks I was there. We drove by them at least twice a day, every day for three weeks. Maybe it was because I didn't want to seem like they were on display for visitors that thought them odd. As we passed by them we would wave and yell "Jambo" in response to their calls of the same. I am sorry I didn't take those pictures. I wouldn't WANT to stay in homes like that but I did feel a bit guilty for staying in a place like I did. It didn't seem like it "fit" with a mission trip. We were there to work with the people who needed it but we were living in a huge house with people who washed our clothes, made our beds, and prepared our meals. I'm not saying I wasn't grateful for those things. It just didn't feel right when each day I saw those who had so much less.

I do know that once on the field full time we will have a more modest home. One that will meet all of our needs but will not set us too much above those we have come to serve. And I am totally alright with that. I have a friend whose dad, a long term cross cultural worker, designed a house in another part of the world that helped keep the mosquitoes out and I am going to find a way to "borrow" that floor plan for our home. I was excited to hear about its existence.

As I am able, I will put more of my thoughts down. Thanks for taking the time to read.

Our Last Week In Kenya

2011-06-30T20:41:00.001-05:00

It is almost four in the morning here in Kenya and I am sitting in bed killing mosquitoes instead of sleeping. I just can’t sleep when I am being eaten alive, sorry. I have tried everything. Last night wasn’t bad; I must have closed the net right or something. Tonight they keep coming in and I have many new bites. This is really the last night we will have here. Tomorrow night instead of sleeping we will be driving to the airport. I am not looking forward to starting that journey before a good night’s rest but that is the schedule we get to work with so we must make the best of it.

The kids have done really well, for the most part. Since this is a short term trip it is very focused because much work must be done in a short amount of time. The boys were bored in their off time but found ways to get along with their game boys and picking on their sisters. The girls easily went from sitting in on Discipleship Training to the water drilling site. At the end of each day, most of the time, they got to swim for a short while before dinner was ready. For the past week Tammie has been buying ice cream for dinner. Those two things have given them something to look forward to. Most of their conversations are about the foods they want to eat when they get back to the states.

Today Jennifer told me she hopes to be fluent in Swahili by next year. I am not sure how we will do that but I think it is a great idea for our family to learn. I don’t think it would be hard for the two kids to learn and I believe we could learn it quickly. We would just need a teacher. The past three weeks I have had many teachers and have learned many things like words and they way they do things.

We have become very attached to a young Kenyan man that is on our team. He is twenty-three years old. He has taken us under his wing and made sure we get fair prices on things and that we understand what is going on. He has taught us much about Kenya and its people. We have “adopted” him into our family. The kids are planning on what we need to show him when he comes to visit in the states.

I have been learning more and more about the orphan situation that my friend is a part of. She has two acres of land and they have build three rooms on that land. The rooms have no floor. She has chalk boards on the walls to teach the children, remember, they can’t afford to go to school so she teaches them. They have a place to cook when there is food. Her vision would be to have a home for them so they have a place to sleep at night, clean clothes, food to eat and school supplies to learn. My heart has such a burden to join this cause and see it happen. They need a house big enough for bedrooms and school rooms. They need a water well and a windmill for fresh water and to grow crops. They need some fruit trees and some animals for food. They need clothes and school supplies. They need love, people who will care for them and show them the love of Christ through their actions. I am sure you can tell that this is heavy on my heart and I feel very passionate about it. Please pray that God will show me His plan for my life where this is involved, if any. It is a huge ministry that needs people and funds in order to work.

The drilling has been at a standstill for four days. The drill stem is stuck and so far they haven’t been able to retrieve it. They are still trying. They decided to use the first spot that they started to drill where they lost the bit in the hole to show everyone how to finish out a well so they have that knowledge. They did part of that today and will do the rest on Friday. They are still working on getting that drill stem out of the hole so they can figure out a way to continue on with this well and others using it. They are below 50 feet and might have even hit water but got stuck. We are still praying they will be able to finish that well and move on to the next test well. We won’t be here for that so we are praying they will carry on and keep going strong. You can already tell that some are not that interested in taking it somewhere else. But some are. Then there are some that want to look at it as a money making venture. That isn’t what was intended so I pray they do not follow through. They can use the water to grow things to sell but to sell the water seems like a bad idea. I believe John and I both are praying we can return soon and help continue on in this ministry so that it will be a success and many will have running water as well as living water. The goal is to use the water well ministry to plant churches. We want to be a part of that.

There must be a storm out there tonight because the ocean is very loud. I think the boys are sleeping up on the roof of the third floor again like last night. I hope they aren’t getting wet. I don’t want them to be sick. They didn’t get to swim today but will get to one last time tomorrow. They jump off the second floor into the pool. I have taken pictures and it is quite funny. John jumped off once. I didn’t get a picture so I will try to get him to do it one more time tomorrow.

I want to sleep so badly. I have to get up in an hour but I know if I try to sleep I will just get more bites so what is the point in trying? It’s this house, not Kenya. If the rooms had screens or closed windows it would be better and we could kill the bugs. Next time we will not stay in this house if I can help it. We are praying we don’t get Malaria from all the bites or an infection from the bites. The kids have a hard time not scratching.

I can’t wait to see Sami on Sunday. She will be at work but we will see her when she gets home. She has started her Mary Kay business back up and we are so excited for her. We haven’t heard from Nick much. He is still in Missouri. He is making some very teenage choices so we are praying he grows out of it soon. I am going to try to get one hour of sleep. I will post when we get home. Please keep your prayers coming.

Asante (Thank You) for your prayers. Please keep them coming.

Bwana Asifiwe (Praise Be The Lord)

Some Happenings In Kenya (long)

2011-06-25T15:08:00.003-05:00

Monday June 20, 2011

I have written many things about our trip so far in a notebook. I have been transfering it to the computer when I have some extra time to devote to that. I would be putting all of this on my blog daily if I had access to it, but I do not. (I didn't have Interent until a week ago. Trying to catch up.)

I have fallen in love with Kenya. I can’t really explain it but I feel warmth inside myself for these people. They have been so loving and kind and welcoming. Last week was so full of activity. This week will have some. Today we are supposed to go into town and pick up a dress that I ordered (funny story about the dress, will tell you about it later) and have the girls fitted for dresses for an ordination ceremony for Joe and Tammy that is next Saturday.

I am sitting in the villa watching the rain poor down. I have learned that it rains often but doesn’t last for very long. The kids and I stayed at the villa this morning but will head up to the church for lunch. The kids are playing a game in the girls room. They have their moments of getting along and I suppose this is one of them.

The food has been different but still good. We have tasted some traditional Kenyan foods and just some regular recipes that taste a bit differently than what we are used to. The kids are adjusting very well to it. They know they can eat it or not but they will have to wait until the next meal to get something else.

I am enjoying the villa except for the mosquitoes. They are eating us alive. The kitchen help says it is because the owners won’t cut down the bushes next to the pool. I wish they would because then you could see the ocean from downstairs. You have to be on the second or third floors to see the ocean because of the bushes. The ocean is beautiful and I have taken many pictures of it at different times of the day. During the day you can have all of the windows open and enjoy the cool breeze. But around 5 they put down the mosquito nets and shut the windows in the bedrooms. It doesn’t always help. The windows also have shutters on them that do not fully close so you can’t spray your rooms and expect that to kill everything. More can get it. I am not sure why they don’t do anything about it when they rent out the home to people. Do they want their guests covered in bite marks? JC’s right side of his face is covered. Jennifer got her first bits last night, on her face. John and I have our foreheads covered in bites and my right arm looks terrible. People cringe when they see it. I also got bit by some kind of bug on my arm in the crease. It has been there for a couple of days now and kind of feels like a burn. One of the ladies at church said it will just go away in time. We are keeping an eye on it. (It's healing slowly but surely). Next time we come I want to stay in a room that the windows close all the way so we can spray and kill the bugs in the room and not let more in.

Yesterday we were talking about roller coasters and other things that are scary. I said I didn’t do roller coasters because I have never been one to do things that are scary. I don’t like being scared like some people. For them it is a rush of excitement. Someone said that I was brave for coming to Africa. I said “No, there isn’t anything brave about that except maybe the plane ride. I’m not scared to be in Africa. I love it.” And I meant that with all of my heart. I was never scared to come here, only of the airplane. After being on five of them in two days I think I might be over that part. We traveled so many places just on the plane and went through different airports. Because of our cancelled flights we were rerouted to Dubai. That is an airport that is filled with people from all over the world. I wasn’t scared in any of the places we stopped. I just put on my smile and kept it there for all I passed by. Most of the time I got a return smile that was just as genuine.

Someone told me before I left that I need people too much. In a way I think I do need people but I don’t think that is a bad thing. It draws me to others in a way that builds relationships in a short amount of time. I have made many friends during this conference. I have only been here for a week (as of tomorrow) and I have made so many new friends. They can see that I care about them and want to be their friend.

John has just jumped in there and become a part of things. The people are so eager and happy to work. Even the women have gotten out there and worked at the water well drilling. And when there has been down time where they are waiting on something John will sit down and teach them out of the Word. One of the ladies told me about that last night. She said he really got them to thinking about how they need to use that well to reach out to others.

John and I were talking last night about the “next step” that God might have for us. We both feel that it will be even bigger than this trip and that there will be many challenges but it will be something big and exciting. We both feel if God truly wants us in a country outside the US He will make it happen. We also have said to each other we don’t see why we couldn’t do it. We know God is the ultimate provider and He will supply all of our needs.

We attended the church service yesterday. They have an English service at 9:30 followed by a Swahili service. That service ended at 1:30. The kids (including our girls) got up and sang and danced during the service for a couple of songs. Their songs usually last about 7 minutes or so. They aren’t as short as ours in the states. And when they worship, they worship with everything inside of them. I got some really good pictures. I can’t wait to get Internet so I can upload them and share all of this with you.

I got to listen to some wonderful Kenyan music the other day and when I get back to the states I want to get on Pandora and find a Kenyan station. I am learning some of the language already. One of my new friends told me yesterday she was going to teach me some and I told her GREAT, I want to learn. I think this is a language we could learn pretty easily, especially to read. The vowel system is so much easier than English. It would just be a matter of learning the words and remembering them. We would have to spend days just speaking Swahili and nothing else to make ourselves learn it.

Our Kenyan friends on the team left yesterday. They were only here for one week of the three. I will miss them greatly. I did my best to pick their brains about everything I could think of. I learned a lot from both of them. The kids are sad to see them go because they have grown so close to their kids. They helped me to understand a lot about the people and the culture. I know there is much more to learn but I feel blessed to have learned the things that I did over the last week. And I gained a great friend. I want to cry when I think about her not being here. We had great times. She took me to the market in Kilifi on Saturday and it was great fun watching her haggle with the merchants over their produce. It is something I would have to learn how to do if we ever live in a place like this. I am not sure I could do as well as her but maybe in time.

The rain has stopped after about 20 minutes. The sun was always bright in the sky but now the clouds have passed and it is shining brighter than ever. I am unable to sit where I can see the ocean because I am charging the battery in my computer. When it is fully charged I am going to unplug it and move over. I don’t like sand very much but I love looking and listening to the ocean. We hear the ocean at night and throughout the day. That is how close we are to it.

Everything is very different from American and what we are used to. The supermarket is kind of the same and the only shop that you don’t seem to have to barter at. The ones on the street you barter for everything. Ruth even got my dressed cheaper than they had them priced. I am glad I had her with me. I think that if I lived here I would just order material and make my own dresses. They are very simple to make.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

I find it so hard to believe that next week at this time I will be on a plane back to the states. It has gone by so fast. Last week we had the conferences that took up most of the time each day. This week we have done lots of running to the market for different things. There was an ordination ceremony for Joe and Tammie Friberg. Dresses and pants were made. Shoes and shirts were purchased. Hair was done on Friday (That took a LONG time!) This morning we got to the church at 8 a.m. The service didn’t start until 11:30 so it ended at 3:30 instead of 1:30. Lunch was served after that. It was a long service but very interesting. They take ordinations very seriously here. It is like a wedding. So many people came and it was great to visit with them when the service part was over.

There are children here that are “on their own”. A co-team member told me that they are street kids and they don’t really have a home. During the day they fend for themselves and then at night they sleep where ever they can find a place. And even sadder is the fact that some of these kids are raising other kids. These young girls, who are 9 and under, carry around babies on their backs. One of the younger ones who is always on her own has been coming up there with a infant that looks to be under 3 months old. She looks about 6, if that. A new friend, Joyce, has a program for orphans. They don’t have the money to pay to go to school. One hundred and fifty of them come each day. She feeds them and teaches them. She gets donations from other parents to help buy food. She told me she doesn’t have much help and sometimes the help she has doesn’t do things the way they need to be done. Her vision is to get a well on that property so she can grow fresh vegetables to help feed the kids. When I wave at the children that stand around the gate to the church they get big smiles on their faces. And they come closer to talk to me or just smile. As I walk through crowds of these kids or even drive by kids they are so ready for me to notice them and say hello and wave. They especially want our kids to notice them and say hi. They also love for you to take their picture and show it to them afterwards.

I am not sure what this next week will hold other than well drilling and more discipleship training of the pastors. We are very close to water. We are almost 50 feet down and water should be between 50 and 60 feet. We only have until Friday to get the well finished to completion. We know God can do a mighty work and get it done. It has been filled with many challenges this past two weeks. But they have managed to hit each one head on. There is hard coral that they have to go through. It is good for those here to see that there are things that will come up but there is always a way to work through them. There are some of the pastors that are really excited to take this water well drilling back to their church and use it to further the Gospel. We are praying that they can carry on once we go back to the states or that we can somehow come back and help them. It’s in God’s hands and He knows the plans He has for these pastors and us.

It is late. Time to rest for a bit. We have church in the morning and there are two services that we go to. John is speaking in the English one. Thanks for taking the time to read this long post. I know most of people don't have time to read things this long. Blessings to you!

Our Five Flights to Kenya (Long)

2011-06-22T01:30:00.000-05:00

June 10, 2011

We got a ride from a friend to the airport and got there at 2 p.m. When we got to the counter we found out the flight was cancelled and they didn’t have another one going to Washington anywhere else that we could make in time. The connecting flight out of Washington to Accra was only an hour and a half after this flight was to land. We spent a little time trying to get United to get us there somehow but they just said we had to go through our travel agent. We sat on the phone for two hours trying to get through to the travel agent and trying to get them to understand what we needed. John finally went back up to the United counter to get them to fix it since they had cancelled the flight. The main problem was our third flight, the one from Accra to Nairobi. It was all booked for the following two days. We told them to please find a way to get us to Nairobi anyway they could. So they came up with a flight from Accra to Dubai and then from Dubai to Nairobi. Yes, that is so crazy. It was WAY out of the way. Accra is in Africa and Dubai is NOT. So we were to fly to Africa, fly out of Africa and then fly BACK to Africa. Jennifer was upset the whole ride to the airport and for two hours after we got there. I am not sure if she was just going to miss her big sister or if the fear of flying got to her or both.

Since we had gotten a ride from a friend with a large truck to bring all of our luggage and ourselves to the airport we really didn’t want to have to go all the way back home and find another ride the next day. United gave us a discount coupon to call a local hotel at a lower rate. They had a shuttle to take us to the hotel and one to bring us back again the next day. We loaded up our stuff on the shuttle and were on our way. As soon as we got there we walked to the Whataburger next door. We had no eaten lunch yet because we were going to eat at the airport as soon as we got checked in, which we never did. Dinner was good. We went swimming for the next three hours and just relaxed for a bit. Sleep didn’t come easy but we all finally did sleep.

June 11, 2011 (Flight from DFW to Dulles. Flight time 6:15 p.m. to 10:05 p.m. Total hours 3, time zone change)

A good breakfast was served downstairs. The kids and John went swimming for an hour while I repacked our bags and made sure we had everything we needed together. We had to check out at noon. We headed back to the airport and checked in only to find out our flight was delayed. Later we found out it was delayed even longer. We ate lunch at Burger King and tried not to be concerned about the delayed flight. When we found out it was delayed an hour and twenty minutes we began to worry we would not make our flight in DC. John tried to talk to the people at the ticket counter but no one would even speak to him. Finally we decided we would get on the plane and deal with it in DC if we missed the flight. We were just so tired to dealing with United at DFW.

The kids were excited to get on the plane and find their seats. Jennifer cried for just a bit at take off. But was soon doing ok. She didn’t like the landing either. At the landing her ears began to hurt very badly (her dad has that same problem) and popping them and chewing gum did not work for her. Jonathan loved taking pictures out the window.

We arrived at Dulles with only about 30 minutes to spare for the flight to Accra. We grabbed our carry-on bags and took off running. John was leading the way and Jonathan was next. Jennifer stayed pretty close to me. I was able to run half of the way but I just couldn’t make it any further running so I urged JC to catch up with his dad as we walked and sometimes ran as fast as we could. The terminals were on opposite sides of the airport, complete opposites. We got there just in time. Since it was an International flight they wanted to know if we had our Visas and we told them no because we were just doing a plane change there. They asked about the Visa for Kenya and we told them we would get it on arrival. So they let us board.

June 11-12, 2011 (Flight from Dulles to Accra. Flight time: Total Hours: )

The flight to Accra was really long but the kids slept a little bit. I was able to catch a couple of small cat naps. When we arrived at the airport in Accra it was raining. We unloaded on the tarmac and got on a bus and were taken to the airport. We knew when we got there we would have to get our luggage and recheck it in. We talked to a very nice lady and man at the counter and they helped us sign in and go find our luggage. When we got our luggage we could not find my suitcase. It wasn’t there. I suppose it didn’t make the fast switch at Dulles. We went to the counter to report lost luggage and they told us we needed to make a report when we got to our final destination because the baggage was checked all the way to there. We headed back around to the flight check in counter by way of the outside of the building; we had to walk all the way around. While we were checking in some ladies that worked there took the bag tags off our luggage (they weren’t supposed to because we had them checked all the way) so when the man that was checking us in saw that we had no tags he asked about them. We told him what happened and he went through the process of making new tags for our three bags we had left. We found a restroom and then headed to our flight area. The man there told us we had to fill out some forms so we stopped and did that. When we go to the spot to turn those forms in they man there said we should not have filled them out and not to do it next time. Too funny! We waited in the terminal for a little while and tried to keep busy. We were so tired at this point that the kids were a little grumpy having to wait. We had used up a lot of time with all the running around that our wait was only about 20 minutes or so.

June 12-13, 2011 (Flight from Accra to Dubai. Flight time: Total Hours: time zone change)

I’m so squashed. This is the nicest air plane we have been on but I am so cramped. I would rather have had less fancy and more room. The young man sitting next to me doesn’t seem to have a concept of personal space. He is all in mine. But I have not said anything when he bumps into me and says nothing. I have said noting to him about him putting his legs in front of my seat where my legs are supposed to go. It is hard to put up with for eight hours but I will manage. I’m so proud of Jennifer. She is a real trooper. She has not had any more issues except her ears hurting. She is not scared anymore and loves the fact that she gets to watch movies or play games on the flight. We flew over the Nile River and the Red Sea. I pointed out to Jennifer on the map that we are flying over places we have read about in the Bible. The kids didn’t sleep at all on this flight. They have been too busy playing with video games and movies. I have dozed off here and there but it has been too uncomfortable to really sleep. We were served two meals and what they call a snack but it was more like lunch. It seems like they spend so much time feeding you. Some was good, some not so good. The same movies over and over get old, too.

We landed in the Dubai airport at about 6 a.m. This is a busy place. People from all over the world are here right now. The bathrooms are “holes in the ground” type potties. I was surprised that Jennifer didn’t pitch a big fit. But she just did what she had to do without a fuss. Inside this airport is a lot of shops. They have video games and other electronics and then the more traditional type souvenir shops. We walked through the places and checked things out but didn’t buy anything. I didn’t want to have to exchange our money just to buy something small. Our next flight wasn’t leaving until about 10:45 so we spent time playing Uno after walking around. JC was the champ; he won 3 of the 5 games we played. We girls each won one game. John slept as best he could while we waited.

June 13, 2011 (Flight from Dubai to Nairobi. Flight time: 11:?? a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Total Hours: time zone change)

The plane boarded at the correct time but it had some issues plus they had to reroute us a bit because of some bad weather on the route they usually took. That got our plane in an hour later than it was scheduled to arrive. The flight was a little less cramped even though we were on the same type of airlines. I made sure I got an aisle seat this time. This is the first and only flight we sat right next to each other without an aisle between some of us. On the flight before John and Jonathan were two rows ahead of Jennifer and I. That was odd but we were fine. John and the kids slept this whole flight and ate nothing even though they served a meal and some drinks. I tried to sleep but it did not happen. It was odd being awake and plane hopping for that long and changing time zones so many times. On this flight we actually go back over a time zone we crossed before and gain and hour.

When we got to the airport we did found a restroom and we so glad it wasn’t a hole in the ground. We got our luggage, got our Visa’s and then went to the baggage counter to report my lost luggage. It wasn’t in the system at all. I told them what happened with the tags in Accra and that when he redid the tags he must have erased my bag. I had the part of the tag from the other bag so I was able to give that to him. Plus we had our name on the luggage tag. We gave him our team member’s phone number and left the airport to head over across the street to the local airport for our next flight.

June 13, 2011 (Flight from Nairobi to Mombasa. Flight time: 4:40 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. Total hours: 45 minutes)

This flight was a very small plane. It took a very short time to get where we were going. But Jennifer slept the whole way. I fell asleep for a short time while we were waiting on the runway to take off. I am not sure that Jonathan slept on this one. He loved the fact that he got a small can of Fanta. It didn’t take long to get off this plane and find our luggage. As we walked out of the airport we were praying our team members would be there to meet us…they were! YAY! Almost there.

We got in a safari vehicle that they had rented for their time here and drove for about an hour and a half to Kilifi. And not just to Kilifi but way in the bush near the coast. We are staying at a villa that is on a plantation where they raise milk cows. The roads through there are so rough and bumby, it's terrible. The villa is beautiful, especially in the daytime when the mosquitoes aren't out. We had dinner and then went to bed. We were so glad to be in a real bed!

A Countdown

2011-05-28T08:17:00.000-05:00

In 6 days we will be going to children's camp.

In 13 days we will be going to East Africa.

So much to do, so much....

Blog update on our mission blog. I just can't do major posts on both. Our lives are so full of mission stuff right now that it is about all that I have to post about. Soon I will put more just personal stuff from summer. Like camp! I will try to put some pictures of camp before we get on the plane.

Love you all!

Mission Update

2011-05-22T22:03:00.000-05:00

I want to let you all know that I have posted a wonderful update on our mission blog. I would love for you to check it out and share it with anyone you might think would be interested.

Please keep praying for us as we continue on this journey of faith. We need your prayers especially during this time. Satan is going to be trying to upset our plans to minister to those in East Africa.

We leave in 19 days and counting...

Lessons We Learn From Movies

2011-03-22T14:37:00.002-05:00

My husband and I, along with our two youngest children are spending the week in Paint Rock, Texas to learn water well drilling from Water for All International. I began getting things together for our trip and cleaning last week. When we were at Targ*t the kids asked for a movie for the trip.

We are one of those rare families who does NOT have our TV hooked up to cable or even to an antennae. Instead of that, we buy movies and old TV series on DVD. We have a large collection of movies. This time they wanted to get the new Karate Kid.

Its a cute movie. Different and yet the same as the first one. This one takes place in China. This young boy loses his dad and his moms only option to make a living is to take this job in China. Dre is a 12 year old boy who is very upset about leaving the home he grew up in, the friends he has made in those years and everything he is familiar with. He has to learn a new language and make all new friends. On the first day he arrives he meets the mean kids that torment him throughout the movie. Getting a black eye on the day you get to your new home isn't exactly the way to a good attitude. After a week in China Dre and his mom have a confrontation. She has been trying to stay positive and find good in things. He finally explodes after holding it in and being bullied all week.

With our family going through mission training and planning on living cross-culturally long term very soon, this movie hit home to me. As I sat there looking at the moms face as her son blew up and told her how much he hated it there, I totally understood how she felt. As a mom, she had been trying to help him find his way and see the good. But he hated it. And there was nothing she could do to change it. It was her only way to make a living to support them. She didn't choose for her husband to die and leave her with that responsibility. But she made the choices she felt she needed to make that were best for her family.

Our son has been struggling with moving overseas. He doesn't want to do it. He wants to do the stuff we are training for, just not long term. He understands the need to go and help people have clean water. But leaving the home he has grow up the last 12 years and all of his friends isn't something he is happy about. We have been praying about ways to help the kids understand and deal with this move into full time service. We don't just want to throw them into a new world without preparation. We are preparing ourselves, after all.

While we watched the confrontation I was just moved to talk to him about it. I told him how I could understand how the mom felt in that scene. As a parent you want what is best for your children and you want to set a good example for them and help them through the hard times. I was led to ask a few questions. "When you grow up do you want your children to tell you where you are going to live or where you are going to work or do you think that is something you and your wife should decide?" "Do you trust us to follow only where God would have us go?" He thought about those questions and answered "yes" to them. That gives us a foundation to build on with him and our daughter. Some more questions they need to think about.

As parents it is our responsibility to decide what is best for our family. We don't sit around thinking "What can we do today to make our kids miserable" despite the fact that many think it's true. One of the best things a parent can do is seek God's will for their lives and the lives of their children. When we are inline with God's will we have a peace that isn't there at other times. Seeking His guidance is never a mistake.

Happenings

2011-02-11T18:58:00.000-06:00

While so much has been going on, I can honestly say that we are still taking baby steps most of the time. God is showing us only small bits at a time. He has been opening some doors for us and we are being faithful to walk through those open doors. So much is also still unclear. I believe God is doing that so we can show Him we trust Him and believe that He will bring about the purpose and direction in our lives in due time.

Our personal lives and those of our children seem to go from good to bad and back again on a minute by minute basis. While so many things seem to be falling apart we can't help but look on it as a possible "fresh start" and a time to begin again with a clean slate. John called a "family meeting" two weeks ago so we could sit down and share with each other where we were in life. It was mostly for the four adults in the family (did I say 4? Wow, when did that happen? In a blink of an eye, we have two grown children in our family. Time passes so quickly. Enjoy each precious moment of your children's childhood. Then have a blast with them as adults.) because the two younger kids just kind of listened and Star Princess feel asleep in my lap. "Dad" shared the things going on in our life with the mission stuff and with his work. Our older two are going through some hard times, major growing pains. But we took each one and tried to find some positive things that could be done and to look at it as an adventure. Also, some things we needed to pray about as a family for each other. He wanted them to know that we are a family, always will be a family AND will always be there for each other, no matter where we live. It is my hope that we will continue these and even when we are overseas, maybe we can S*kype our family meetings.

While we wait upon the Lord to open more doors and make more things clear on the mission side of our life, there are things that I know I must get done. We are always working on school for the kids. Plus, I have many things around the house that must be done. Part of my downsizing is to get the extra scrapbook supplies and fabric cleared out. But not in the way you might think. I am not just getting rid of it. I am using it. I have many pictures that need in books to prepare for storage. I have much fabric that needs to be made into things instead of stored. I have promised quilts to each of my children. Those MUST be made before we go overseas. I have set that as a goal. I can't wait to work on them and post pictures of each.

My writing has been non-existent with the exception of my blogs. That is my own fault. I just have not taken the time to sit down and work. It is work. Anyone who believes writing is easy is in for a shock. But it is still something that is inside me trying to get out. I must obey that command at some point and let the voice inside me speak. I pray I can overcome the barriers that hold me back and that the voice will be free to venture forth to share with all of us what messages God has given it.

Our "next step" is a training class coming up in March for a week. It is for water well drilling. I may or may not get to go. I have to find "childcare" for the two younger kids and so far, I haven't. Then I need to raise money somehow (be it donations, garage sales, etc...) for a mission trip for all four of us, which can be pretty pricey. We would need about $1,500, which would include the trip, passports, visas, shots, etc... That is something we are required to do before we are commissioned by our church to go out. If you have any fund raising ideas for me, feel free to email me the details. We need all the help we can get. Of course, once we do that, it will be time to start raising the money for long term. God is good and will provide, I have no doubt.

That is all for now...

If Ever You Worshiped

2011-01-16T21:48:00.001-06:00

I saw this on a friends blog and it really spoke to me. Some days I just feel like there isn't enough time in my day and/or I don't use it the way I am supposed to. I feel I don't spend enough time in worship or with Him. But at the same time, I feel I don't do enough for my family. This song helps put things into a little better perspective about a moms day. I hope you enjoy it.

If Ever You Worshipped

By Danny Oertli

It wasn’t that long ago

You were a girl all alone

There was no way to know

How soon you’d have kids of your own

Now you’re the first one awake

The last one asleep

Cleaning and making your plans

And there are days when it feels

Like there’s no time to pray

You wonder if God understands

But if ever you worshiped, it’s now

If ever you kept your vow

You may not understand how

But if ever you worshiped, it’s now

The memory of leaves in the fall

Walking through the canyons so tall

God was so close in it all

Now your chance to worship seems small

Now you’re the first one to taste

But the last one to eat

When everyone goes their own way

And its your name that’s called

In the deep of the night

One more hour of sleep floats away

But if ever you worshiped it’s now

If ever you kept your vow

You may not understand how

But if ever you worshiped it’s now

Cross-Cultural Ministry Blog Updates

2011-01-09T23:11:00.002-06:00

I hope you will check out our mission blog. I have done some work on a few of the pages and added a page and a blog post. It is our desire that God will work through us to build some prayer teams in the next few weeks and beyond that will support our work for the Lord and will help us meet some prayer needs for those who will be praying for us. We want it to be a circle of prayer and not just one sided. So please, take a few minutes to look over the whole blog and then pray about how you can join us. And WHO you can pass the information on to that can be a part of this. I would love to see several groups started in each state and even some over seas. I would hope there would be even more here in Texas since we know more people here but you never know. Another state might "win".

Also, please "follow" our cross-cultural ministry blog. That would be a great way to stay up to date. Right now I haven't figured out how to set up the "sign up for newsletter" thing. I will be working on a newsletter to put on the blog that people can open and print in PDF form this week. Make sure you let me know what you think! I am looking forward to hearing back.

http://theharrblog.blogspot.com/

Goals of Transformation in 2011

2011-01-06T23:55:00.000-06:00

Our churches theme for 2011 is: Transformed Along The Way. As followers of The Jesus Way, we are in a process of being spiritually formed, or more accurately described as transformation. Throughout the year Dr. Wiles will teach on six areas in our lives. Trust, Learn, Share, Love, Obey and Worship. I am so looking forward to seeing God move me closer to Him in these areas and how He does it.

My husband and I have been talking about this and personal goals for our family. We have discussed how we feel God calling us to be better stewards of our money and our possessions. I mentioned that we should take it a step further and include our time. This past year has been filled with many things that have shaped our desires for the coming year and beyond. While we haven't made huge strides in all directions, we have made some and at the same time seen where we need to make others.

We have learned to live on half the income we were making when the year started. It was a long hard struggle. But we came to realize possessions didn't make us happy or give us fulfillment in our lives. We had learned to live within the means we were accustomed to by the amount of money brought in. It seems like the more money a person makes the more they spend. We were not the exception to that rule. Soon we will have to get used to making even less when he changes positions at work to a lower paying one. He will have more time to live his life instead of it being all about work. So we are gaining more even though we will be making less. Today's world may find that hard to believe. We would rather him be a part of our lives and have less money than have more money and never see him.

The main thing that God is speaking to me about is my personal walk with Him. I want to grow closer to Him each day by making sure I start my day with Him. That I earnestly seek Him throughout my day. That I am sensitive to the Spirit's leading to pray, for my family and others that He lays on my heart at any given moment. I want to hear that still small voice ever so clearly and have Him stir my heart to action. I want to mirror that for my children and give them that example early in their lives so that they might have that closer walk with Him now and not wait till they are 45 years old.

We are beginning a new phase in our mission training. We will be starting the Advanced Panorama in February. We are so excited. This month we will meet with the Direct Mission Sending Council to talk about our next steps of being qualified to be sent. My hubby will be going on a week long water drilling training in March with Water for All International. The process of training is still very involved and we have no way of knowing how long it will take to get to the point God would have us be before we are sent. But God knows and we will be faithful to keep moving forward in whatever training He places before us. We feel one of the things we must focus on is gathering Prayer Teams across the globe to pray for our ministry. We will be focusing on that on our mission blog in the very near future. We feel that above all, prayer is key.

Another goal I have is my writing. I want to set aside time each day to do some kind of writing, be it on here or in a journal or working on a novel. I also want to set aside time to do writing exercises and read some of the great books on the craft of writing. I know God didn't give me the desire to write without a purpose. He has a purpose for my writing even if it isn't to be published. I am also getting more into doing reviews for some wonderful writers. God is speaking to me through those novels. It gives me an opportunity to recommend some great works to others so that His message through them can be heard.

I take my responsibility as wife and mother seriously. Not as seriously as I should, at times. I have let life drag me down and that is no excuss whatsoever. I am ashamed of how I have failed my family. But God gives us second chances and I am so grateful for that. Since it seems that I am not supposed to work outside the home at this time (when he goes back to days) then HE must want me to put more focus on the things in my home. I want to do a better job with my household responsibilites, with homeschooling, with teaching my children how to live The Jesus Way and being a better example of the fruit of the Spirit in my everyday life. Those are some challenging things but I know He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world. The one that wants me to stumble cannot have victory over me because I have victory in Christ Jesus.

My weight is a huge issue, no pun intended. OK. Maybe it was. I am very upset with myself right now because I have let myself gain 35 pounds in almost 3 years. I had lost 26 pounds 3 years ago. And now I weigh even more than before. My highest non-pregnant weight. As we look towards and train for overseas cross-cultural work we have talked about "getting in shape". And I just keep getting more OUT OF SHAPE! I know part of the problem is my thyroid but mostly it is my eating habits. So that is another way I want to be transformed this year, eating smaller portions, eating healthier, excercising, and dropping this weight once and for all. I know I will be happier. I just have to do it.

I am sorry this was so long. I have so much on my mind that it just pours out when I finally get on here. So...I am going to do my best to write at least once a week. I will be doing book reviews at least that often. I have many writers asking me to do book reviews on their up coming novels. I am so excited about that! I hope you will follow my writer's blog and check out some of the wonderful books I will be reviewing on there.

I hope that you will seek His transformations in your life in 2011. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek that in our lives. Blessings to all of you in 2011.

New Book Reviews

2011-01-04T12:19:00.002-06:00

Check out my new book reviews on my writer's blog! I have read some really great books and have more that I am working on reading and reviewing. Check back often or follow that blog, too! http://terriharr.blogspot.com/

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-28T21:51:00.006-06:00

There is so much we can say about a year that has just past. Not all will be good, but not all will be bad. It's a good thing to look back and see the good and bad. Would you put the ordinary in the good or bad category? I suppose it would depend on your outlook on life. For some, the ordinary would be good because it would certainly be better than the bad things they have had to deal with. But some might look on the ordinary things in their lives as bad simply because they held no excitement or adventure. As you look back on your 2010, think about it.

In 2010 we have had our ups and downs.

Some of the ups weren't so good! I have gained back my weight that I lost for my 25th wedding anniversary vow renewal two years before PLUS about 10 pounds more. That is depressing in and of itself. Maybe in 2011 I can lose it again. I feel like a yo-yo!

January-March:

I began closing my very successful home daycare. That cut our yearly income in half. Our monthly bills began to get behind while I tried to find ways to make extra money to pay the bills. I went through the house and sold as much as I could, including many of my daycare things. The money went towards car repairs for hubby's car instead of paying off bills. But at least we had it. I tried to do a weekly parents night out that would bring in enough to pay the bills but people are just too busy to take that time to go out these days.
Pirate Lad did FBCA basketball and Bible Drill during those months so we spend many hours going back and forth to the church for those activities plus the regular ones.

January-May:

Hubby and I began a wonderful mission study called Perspectives. It opened up a whole new world for us and literally changed many of our perspectives on how missions are and should be done. At the end of that time we publicly announced God's call on our lives to do full time missions overseas. We began talking with our missions minister about what our next steps would be. We started a mission blog to keep people updated. We are working on starting some prayer teams. If you are interested in being a part of that, let us know.
In May I joined two writer's groups, the national one, American Christian Fiction Writers and a wonderful local one, DFW Ready Writers. I have learned so much from the local group because of the wonderful guest speakers we have each month at our meetings. I also started a writer's blog. I am doing book reviews on there and someday hope to have things that I have published on there, as well. If you are a published writer and would like me to review your book, just let me know. I love to read!

Our kids:

Baby Girl turned 23, She started working for Lifetouch again through JCPenney's taking wonderful pictures.
Pirate Lad turned 11, is in the 6th grade and has this one last year in the children's department.
Game Champ turned 18, got his GED and has met a wonderful girl named Sarah.
Star Princess turned 9, is in the 4th grade. They are all growing up so quickly. We now have two grown children and two that are pre-teens. Life is full of adventures.

Summer:

The two younger kids and I spent the summer doing all the wonderful FBCA children's activities. We went to summer camp (that was a blast!) at Riverbend. We did VBS and VBSX (the after care program), Summer Fest (the musical), and WOW Camp. I had one of the best summers ever.
All the while I was putting in applications for jobs. I applied everywhere. In August I finally got a job but it was short lived.

Fall:

My van got repossessed and I could no longer get to work. The kids and I walked many places, including church on Wednesday nights. As the weather got colder we stopped walking and started asking for rides.
I started subbing at the local schools that I could walk to. That was a lot of fun. I love working with the kids especially the younger ones. Fourth graders are a bit wild though. Hubby worked days for five weeks in November so I had to stop subbing.
We started our new homeschool year with new curriculum. It is amazing! We are having so much fun with it. You can check out our homeschool blog for their school pictures and a few updates. I don't have time to post a lot but we have a great time. We are a part of a wonderful homeschool group that meets at our church every other Thursday. We also go on field trips together. As I said to them at our Christmas party, it is like these kids are all a huge group of cousins! They have become so close it is wonderful!
We started some NEW mission training called Panorama. That has been awesome! The kids have been doing a children's version of that program. Until now they hadn't done one for kids but it was something we felt so strongly about. We want them to be prepared and not just us for the adventures God has for us in the future.
We have also gotten involved with a mission ministry called Water for Christ. Pirate Lad has actually gone out with his dad and worked on site to help drill practice wells. We hold monthly prayer meetings in our home for this group. We feel God is going to use us in this ministry to reach the unreached people groups of the world with the gospel of Christ. What an adventure!

December

Hubby went back on nights but still working seven days a week. The stress of that made our home life a bit difficult. He has put in for a day position that isn't management but we haven't heard anything yet. It would mean less hours for him working but it would also mean less money, a lot less money. But we know God will provide if that happens. We would rather him be home.
My 14 year old niece was killed in a car accident. It really makes you appreciate what you have and who you have. You need to make sure you tell those you love that you love them. Never let the sun go down on your anger. Go a step farther, never get into a big enough fight with someone that you would regret it if there was never a time to right things with them. It is ok to disagree with someone, just not to the point of anger. You also need to make a difference in others lives that you come in contact with because you just never know how much time you have on this earth to make a difference.

While I am sure there are other things that have happened during the year, I have been working on this post for too long. There are things I wish I could undo in 2010 but I am hoping that I can use what I have learned from the good and the bad to make 2011 a better year. My next post will be my goals, short term and long term for 2011. As I prayerfully take on the task of planning that out, I look forward to hearing about others goals for the new year. Let me know if you post on your blog and I will check it out!

Calling All Prayer Warriors

2010-10-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

Hey Friends!

I am asking all of my prayer warrior friends and their friends to spread the word. We have had 35 acres in Westcliffe, CO for the past 6 years. We put it up for last earlier this year. We have had very little interest showed in it. Our bills are getting harder to pay. I have lost my van to the bank and they auctioned it off. I now owe almost $5,000 on that debt and have no car to drive. The kids and I have been walking many places. And that is ok. We are making it.

This past weekend someone looked at the land. He also looked at another property. I am asking that you pray harder than ever before. Please pray that God will allow this man to purchase our land and do it quickly. If we can't sell it, we will lose it like the van because we are unable to pay for it.

We are trying very hard to get debt free so we can serve the Lord full time, here and overseas. We want to do it the right way, by paying our debts. We have sold many things and will be selling many more. But when something this big won't sell what can you do? PRAY!!!! So please pray hard and ask your friends and family to pray hard as well. Prayer is so powerful. I was on my knees last night praying that God would do a mighty thing.

If we can sell the land that will help us pay off the rest of the van debt, some student loans and small medical bills. We have lowered the price to as low as we can. We have to get these few debts paid off, if we can. Selling the land would help in so many ways. We would only have the house left to pay off or sell.

So please, join us as we pray that God would do a mighty work and sell our land quickly, this month. Also, that He would open the doors for us to be debt free here and work full time as His servants through Mission Arlington.

We are also working on raising money for a mission trip to Niger in January. Please pray for God's guidance and provision in that! We trust Him to fulfill His purpose in our lives!

God Bless!

Changes Abound...As Always

2010-09-17T19:51:00.000-05:00

Seems like things are changing almost daily. My last post was about a new job. I no longer have that job. Many things went into that happening. I had been working with the bank because we were behind on the van payments. I was excited to get a job to help catch it up. I have been working 3 hours a week at the church and then got the process of substitute teaching started. So technically, I had three part time jobs. Last Friday night at midnight my van was repossessed. I was very shocked. But in a sense, I am kind of relieved because we tried to sell it but couldn't and couldn't afford the payments. They will sell it and then set up payments to pay the difference. I cannot drive my husbands car for two reasons...it is a standard and I don't know how...and...it has too many miles on it already and he needs it for work. He is worried it will fall apart faster if we are both driving it. So...

The bad thing is...I have no car to drive. So I told Panera not to put me on the schedule. The sub jobs started coming in last week and I was able to work two days this week at school. I have gotten my name out there to several teachers and feel good about it. I have two jobs for next week so far. It is my hope that the school behind us will call often because I can walk there. That makes it easy to get to and from work when you have no car. We know God will provide for our needs and our desire to get debt paid off and bills caught up is a big need. The land in Colorado is still for sale and we need that sold quickly so it doesn't get repossessed by the bank as well.

Our missions studies are going great! We enjoy our Panorama classes. The kids are also going through mission training to help prepare them for this adventure. We are also working on a new ministry of water well drilling. Water for Christ is planning a trip to Niger in January and we are trying to raise the money to pay for that trip. We have a mission blog and are working on a newsletter to post on there. It is our hope that we will know by the middle of next year where God will have us go long term. We will keep those who link to our mission blog and/or request to be on our email newsletter list updated on what we are doing and how God is working in our lives.

The kids are doing great with school, even when I am at work. Their dad is here during the day so he helps them with some of it. We catch up on my days off or after I get home. We are all trying to get used to having less money and making due with the things we already have. We are still working on downsizing our "stuff". Also, we are working on turning our front room into a mission preparation room (pictures to follow when that happens). We are moving our workout stuff into the front room so we can get in shape physically for the mission field. Should be interesting. Half of the room will still be the school room.

Our oldest daughter is back in the photography business. She is once again taking pictures at JCP photo studio. She took some awesome pics of both younger kids. I can't wait to post them! Our oldest son turns 18 this month and is trying to find a place to live and a job to provide for himself. He must make this transition for many reasons. One is it is time for him to learn to be a grown up and the other is because he must be self sufficiant and on his own before we leave the country. That is a huge prayer request that we ask you all to lift up. And if you know of anyone who can help with those two things, please let us know! Thanks!

I will try to update more often but life is busy and I rarely have the time and mental energy left over to blog. Thanks for stopping by....

New Job

2010-08-26T17:40:00.001-05:00

Last week I got a job! At Panera Bread. I know that it was sent from God because I had put in the online application over two months ago. I got a call for an interview to come in on Wednesday. Second interview on Thursday. I started work on Friday at 5 a.m. Talk about early hours. But despite that, I feel so good about the job and have learned so much so quickly. I would rather be at home with my kids but for now, I am happy with the job and my opportunity to shine Christ's Light where I am.

We are starting our new mission training and have started a missions blog. So excited about what God has instore for our future. We will be putting out a quarterly (to start with, might be monthly or more often later) newsletter to keep people up to date on what we are learning and doing. We hope many will want to be a part of our mission adventures!

We are also praying for MANY fellow cross-cultural workers across the globe at this time and always. Many have been sent by our church and others have been sent by other organizations. It is not easy and/or safe for most of these people but they know they are following Christ's mandate in what they are doing. Please lift up their safety and their health. Also, lift up their spirit. Spiritual warfare is very real and is very strong with someone is working for the Lord as they are.

Thanks so much for letting me share. If you want to be a part of our work and/or get our newsletters, visit our mission blog and sign up! Your prayers are welcome always!

I've Come to Realize....

2010-08-12T11:34:00.002-05:00

I've come to realize that my body is...the temple of the Lord. I have not treated it like such in the past couple of years. I lost 26 pounds over two years ago but gained it back over the last two years from not eating what I should have. I had been eating healthy and starting to exercise. But that has fallen by the wayside. I need to get back on track and take care of my body. We are working on becoming cross cultural workers long term and we feel our bodies and health should be in better shape.

I've come to realize that my job is...being the best wife and mom I can be. I don’t have a J O B right now outside the home or inside the home anymore. I am teaching my children daily as we homeschool. I am doing my best to instill in them God’s Word and other things they need to become responsible adults who love the Lord. I am trying to be a huge support system for my darling husband who works so hard each and every day to provide for our family. I fail so often in these things but I keep trying each day to make a better effort.

I've come to realize that I need nothing more in life than...to follow the Jesus way. He is my guide. He shows me the way and promises to carry me through when I am unable to walk through them on my own.

I've come to realize that I've lost my mind...when I try to live each day without putting God first and when I try to handle things on my own and in my own way. I know that I can do nothing without Christ who gives me strength for each hurdle I must jump.

I've come to realize I hate...the feeling of depression that washes over me when I let Satan distract me from God’s purpose in my life with the things I can’t control. I seem to always wonder how I am going to get through them. When I have no answer I tend to get depressed because I can’t fix it. But it isn’t my job to fix it. I am to turn it over to Him and leave it there. I am working on that daily.

I've come to realize that money is...not supposed to be the number one priority in our lives. If our main goal in life is to make more money to buy more things then we have missed the blessings God intends for us. The world today is so about getting more stuff. Adults have as many “toys” as kids do these days. God has changed the way I think about stuff. We are trying to clear things out and stop accumulating things.

I've come to realize that certain people...just don’t get it. They don’t understand how much God loves them. They spend their lives living the lie Satan fills their hearts with. Sad day.

I've come to realize that I'll always remember...going to Burger Chef with my grandpa on Fridays when I was a child, helping my grandmother make sweet pickles, eating peanut brittle with my cousins, riding around the small city of Alice with my sweetheart in his jeep, spending summers at my aunt’s house in her pool, riding around on a golf cart every day with my grandparents, spending hours in the tree in my front yard pretending I was anywhere else in the world my mind could imagine, picking oranges and grapefruit off the trees in our yard, playing Charlies Angels in 5th grade (I was Jill, of course), the day I met fourstringpop, the day we got married (27 years ago), the day we got married again (2 years ago for our 25th anniversary), the day Babygirl was born and I held her for the first time, my first miscarriage and the second and the third, the day I found out I was expecting Game Champ, the day Pirate Lad wrapped his arms around me for the first time when he saw that I was sad and made my heart melt, the day Star Princess was born and Babygirl was there to share it with us, the day each of my children accepted Jesus as their Lord and were baptized, the lessons that God has taught me through the good times and bad, the wonderful friends I have met along the path of this life, the wonderful friendship I had with my precious grandmother (I will see you again someday!), the daycare families that were a part of MTCKC for those five years, the tiny church I grew up in (West Main Baptist Church Alice, TX), the church we found when we moved to the Metroplex (MRBC, Arlington, TX), the church we are now a member of that has made us just as welcome and we have so many wonderful new brothers and sisters in Christ to add to our other two families of faith (FBC Arlington), the good times and bad that Fourstringpop and I have been through and grown stronger because of, and that Jesus Christ died for me and because of that I live for Him.

I've come to realize that my siblings...are still a part of me even though I didn’t grow up with any of them. I missed having them in my life but pray for them daily.

I've come to realize my (adopted) mom...was one of the strongest Christian women I will ever meet. She wasn’t perfect but she loved the Lord with all of her heart. She passed that along to me and I pray I am doing the same with my children. I love you, Grandmama!

I've come to realize my (adopted) dad...was a strong silent man. He loved greatly even though he didn’t do a lot of talking about it. He was brilliant when it came to fixing cars and playing golf. I love you, Grandpa!

I've come to realize my cell phone...is GREAT! I love my iphone for many reasons. I have Kindle on it and can read anywhere. The kids can play games in the backseat while I drive and that makes it easier! I didn’t have a cell phone until I was in my 30’s. I see all these kids with phones and think, really?

I've come to realize when I woke up this morning...I have another chance to make this day great and live it for the Lord.

I've come to realize last night...was the last night of the summer Bible study on Revelation. I am sad that it is over but enjoyed it greatly! The last two chapters were encouraging and glorious! Praise God!

I've come to realize right now I'm thinking about...my husband at a job interview for hours we really don’t want. It would get in the way of our commitment to mission training. Praying that something else might come from this interview like a job with different hours and great pay.

I've come to realize today...can be great or terrible, depending on how I react to things. I am praying God will help me stay positive and happy as well as get many things done around the house.

I've come to realize tonight...I won’t be going to church like I have the last four nights.

I've come to realize tomorrow...is family night. We will spent time together as a family, possibly go to the homeschool ice cream business meeting and then come home and watch a movie together.

I've come to realize I really want to...change my eating and exercise habits so I can be healthy again. I need to get this weight off and keep it off this time.

I've come to realize my children...are gifts from God, each and every one of them. And I know that He is in control and will watch over them when I can’t. They belong to Him and He loves them even more than I do. He has wonderful plans for their lives and I can’t wait to see how He works in and through them.

I've come to realize this weekend...we aren’t going to be able to find places for the kids to be so we can have alone time. But we will do our best to talk about the things we need to anyway.

I've come to realize the best music to listen to when I'm upset...is praise and worship music. When I am singing to the Lord it fills me with strength and hope.

I've come to realize that my friends...are the best! I have met many wonderful friends throughout my almost 45 years and God has placed them in my life at just the right time. I continue to make more friends and that is one of my favorite things to do.

I've come to realize that this year...is half over. We filled the first part with Perspectives, the summer with fun kid’s church activities and this fall will be filled with even more mission training. Time does indeed fly!

I've come to realize my husband...is my best friend and the one who was created just to complete me. We were meant to go through this life on earth in ministry alongside each other and when we are the world seems right. He desires to be the godly leader of our home and leads us with a loving heart. He loves the Lord with a mighty love. He desires to reach the lost and I can’t wait to work alongside him long term full time in whatever country God sends us to.

I've come to realize maybe I should...get off my behind and workout each day. That might actually help the weight come off, do ya think? lol.

I've come to realize I really don't understand...why I have to struggle with so many things. I don’t understand why some people have illnesses and mental issues that make their lives harder to live. I don’t understand how some people turn their backs on the God who created them and loves them so much.

I've come to realize my past...is not perfect but it is the past. I have made so many mistakes and continue to mess up. I have to stop beating myself up for everything that I wish I hadn’t done or that I wish I had done a different way. I am forgiven and Christ has covered my wrongs with His blood. It is wrong of me to keep digging up the past. I need to leave it in the past and look forward to the bright future God has for me, here and in Heaven.

I've come to realize parties...are fun! I love being with people and talking to my friends and making new ones.

I've come to realize my life...is a precious gift from God. And that I am to live for Him in all I do. I have been commissioned to reach those who have not heard in places people do not want to go. My love for Him is greater than my love for even my own life. My life is eternally in Heaven with Him.

One of Those Days

2010-08-07T15:13:00.004-05:00

Did you ever have one of those days where you wanted to get so much done but had no energy to do it? Well, that is me today. I have a ton of stuff to get done. We start school on Monday and tomorrow is a full day. So today is really all I have to get things ready. I need to prioritize a bit. I can do the house work a little here and there this week. But I have to have the "school room" and everything for school ready by Monday morning. I have been working on things for the past couple of weeks, so I think it will just be a matter of getting the work table cleaned off and everything back in it's place. I am still working on a reading list for the kids and I. There are so many wonderful books I want us to read. I also have to do book reviews for many of the ones I have read. I just have to find some time. I vow to do that this week, even if it is in the wee hours of the night.

We start a new cross cultural workers training on the 30th through Global Connections Partnership Network and our church. We are super excited about that. It is called Panorama. It is an extensive training to help prepare you for all aspects of your cross cultural work. We will do our lessons online and then meet each week with a group that is also going through the program. One of the couples has two kids the same ages as our two younger kids. So a program is being worked on so that at the time the adults meet to go over our weekly lesson and talk through what we learned the kids will be talking to someone about that subject and how it relates to them. We suggested that be something that needed to be done to prepare the kids and the director of GCPN said that was a wonderful idea and came up with this plan. We feel that if more young families are to go and serve then we need something like this in place to prepare them as well.

We will have a GCPN blog up soon detailing our progress and with an ability to donate money towards our mission work if people want to do that. We hope they will. We will need supporters for our work there. We are praying that God will lead us to the people HE would have us work with soon so we can get a better idea of where we are going and what specifics we need to learn for that people group. We are going to do our best to take some short term mission trips with our church to get a better feel of what overseas work is like and for the different people groups. We feel He will reveal what people group we are to work with through this. But, again, money is an issue for us. If you would like to donate money towards these short term trips, please let us know and we can tell you where to send the money. The next trip coming up is to Sierra Leone West Africa on September 27 through October 9 of this year. We would really like to be able to go. We will do our best to get our passports this month to be ready if God opens those doors.

We have had no offers on the land in Colorado. We need to sell it soon or it will go back to the bank that we owe the money to and we will lose all we have paid on it. But if that is what happens, then so be it. We cannot afford the payments right now so unless it sells, we lose it all together. We have had two people look at the van but no offers to buy it.

Our summer was super busy but super fun. I worked with the kids summer activities and had a blast with all the kids and the young adults that were working along side me. Ministry is the best "job" in the world. Working alongside fellow Christians helping children learn more about Him and having fun is wonderful. I got to know a lot more of the kids this summer and I hope showed God's love to them through my actions. I love them so.

I better get back to the laundry and other things I have to do for the week. I am going to try to post on our home school blog regularly this year, pictures and all. Have a blessed week!

New Writer's Blog

2010-06-20T21:13:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I have a new blog that I am going to use for my writing and for doing book reviews! I am so excited to start this new writing journey! Please keep me in your prayers!

http://terriharr.blogspot.com/

I am still looking for a job (since I can't become a full time published writer overnight, bummer!) and have had no success YET! But I am trusting that God will open the right door when the time is right.

Summer is busy for the kids. They have been to two camps so far. They have VBS and music day camps left. The heat is getting out of control, but it is Texas, after all.

You can check out pictures on my facebook of the summer stuff the kids are doing. www.facebook.com/angelmom1165 Would love to stay connected with you over this busy time of the year!

So Much On My Heart and Mind

2010-05-18T12:25:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe this is the third week of May! Where is 2010 going? And what am I accomplishing in that time? Sometimes I don't feel I am doing enough that is "important". And other times I know that we are making great strides towards the things that really matter.

This morning I went in my room to wake up Star Princess. (Yes, she was in my bed. Pirate Lad and her have poison ivy-hers is a mild case, just a few dots here and there. PL has it EVERYWHERE! So he has been sleeping on my floor so I can try to keep him from scratching more) Instead of my usual "Get up" from the doorway I went around the bed and curled up beside her and gave her a big hug and kissed the top of her head. She turned and cuddled up with me and smiled. Then she started talking and giving me butterfly kisses. It was a sweet moment that I wouldn't trade for all the "important" things I think I need to get done during the day. She has been in a much happier morning mood today because of that. There's an idea! I think I will make it a point to wake her up that way each morning so we can both be in a happy mood.

Pirate Lad gets two cavities filled today. He isn't looking forward to it. He thought he was going to be put under like his surgery and I told him that he would get shots in his mouth and be awake. I think he isn't too sure about it. I know he will do fine. This Wednesday evening he is going to be in a "commercial" for a summer program called Summer Fest, it is a one week program that is awesome. He will play a contestant on "Jeopardy". He is so excited! That is why we are working so HARD to get this stuff off his face. He looks much better today so I feel good about it.

The kids have a full summer planned and I am doing most of it with them. I love that!!! I have missed doing children's ministry full time like I used to. The daycare really stopped me from doing so much. But it was a blessing and I am grateful for it. The kids and I go to Children's Camp on June 3-7. Then we have VBS at a sister church (which we used to be members at for 22 years and dearly love!) from the 7-10. The following week both younger kids are going to Preteen Camp with that sister church! I so wish I was going! Three of my kids will be going to the YEC on the 25-26th. PL is going with his two older siblings even though he isn't a youth yet. That's cool with me. On June 28th we start a week of VBS with FBCA. Theirs is a morning VBS. July 12-16 is Summer Fest. GA Camp is the 20-24 and SP is going. We will be going with our sister church for that. WOW Camp starts August 2-6. We will be doing some Free Summer Movie days here and there on those weeks that we don't have daytime activities. Might get lucky and have some friends who have a pool that we can swim with here and there. I would LOVE to have a trip to Colorado in there somewhere. We haven't been camping in two summers! Be are past due.

We have put our land on the market with a wonderful lady who is our neighbor there. She has an interested party already. We are praying that God will allow this to go through quickly so that we can get that debt off our shoulders and we can pay down on my van to sell it and get something smaller for me plus pay off student loans and medical bills. Please lift this up. He goes back to look at it a second time this weekend. It is in God's hands and we know He will bless our desire to be debt free and serve Him more.

We have been going through our house trying to clear out things we don't need and also things we feel shouldn't be in our home. (like movies and such) We just finished with a 15 week Perspectives class. It was awesome! We are meeting with the Minister of Missions for our church on Thursday to discuss the "next step" on our journey to reach all nations so "the end will come". Oh what a day of rejoicing there will be when His face at last we see! That is our goal. And that many, many will be there with us on that day.

It feels like our family and home is under a great deal of warfare right now. I ask that you lift us up during this time. I know God must have some great plans for our lives and that is why we are under so much from all directions. Our oldest son is still going through some very difficult times. He seemed to be getting better but some dark forces have entered his life and are pulling him away from the things he should be drawn to. We just keep lifting him up and trust that God is in control and will bring him back to Him. The bad thing being that our younger children are being exposes to things that are making it hard for them.

I got a call for a job at the WIC office but I don't think it is for me. You have to be willing to work at any and all of the 21 locations on any given day. The drive would make it a possible 11 hour day 5 days a week. I am not willing to do that and miss our on my family. IF it was the WIC office across the street, then it would be OK. But they don't hire that way. So I think it would not be for me at this time. I think someone who doesn't have kids should have that job. They wouldn't need to be home to take care of their family or spend time with them. They could devote their lives to their job. That is just my opinion.

Going to get ready to take PL to the dentist. Oh what fun!

HUGE YARD SALE-UPDATED

2010-05-14T07:31:00.005-05:00

Having a huge yard sale to get this stuff out of the house! More info later....

Did GREAT today even though we only were "open" for three hours! Too much stuff!!! Still have lots to drag out for a second sale...maybe next weekend. We are letting go of so much!

We are putting our land on the market! God lead us to a wonderful Christian lady who is our neighbor on the Dilley (where the land is). She is confident she can get it sold and we are trusting the Lord to see it through!

We are still working on getting rid of debt, part of that is selling the land. Then with that we will pay down on the van so we can sell it (since we are upside down on it) and pay off student loans and medical bills. Then we will owe on the house as our only debt. Praying about what we need to do with it. We are going to use the money from the yard sale to get supplies to fix up the house so it will sell for a good price.

Praying about an unreached people group that we are to "reach". Excited! We covet your prayers. If it doesn't rain tomorrow we will be dragging it all back out and see how the second round goes. If it rains, we will continue the sale next weekend.

We feel so good cleaning things out! I still have to clean our Star Princess' room this week. Too much B B dolls clothes and accessories! Time to downsize!

More later!

Changes...

2010-05-05T16:51:00.002-05:00

I will be posting somewhat of an update soon!

Too Much On My Mind....

2010-03-30T23:44:00.009-05:00

His Is Alive!

That fact is the one that I am trying to keep first and foremost in my mind. We had a wonderful Palm Sunday a few days ago. The choir put on a GREAT program. They did a wonderful job of getting the message to everyone in the room, which was full! This Friday will be Good Friday and we will attend a service that evening. Saturday we will pick up kids at the apartments where we teach and take them to the worlds largest egg hunt with Mission Arlington. Then early Sunday morning we will attend the Easter service with our children. We are so grateful for what Jesus did for us. We want to always remember what a great sacrifice it was.

On Friday, April 2, John and I will celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary. Two years ago we renewed our vows and went on a honeymoon! What a grand time that was. This year our celebration will just be spending a wonderful Easter weekend with our kids and church family.

We have been taking a cross-cultural missions preparations class called Perspectives. It is really a great class. We have learned so much! And we are finding out there are so many avenues of service that we can pursue. We are praying that God will show us the next step soon in our process to full time ministry.

We are going through the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University program to get our financial life in order. I have been trying to get rid of everything in the house that we don't need. I just ask myself if I want to put it in storage or take it with me on a mission adventure. If the answer is no, then I am trying to sell it to pay off debt. I may end up doing a HUGE garage sale to see what I can sell and then see other avenues to sell the rest. It is just time to change that part of our lives as well. On another financial note, I am trying to find a part time or full time job to help get things paid off quicker. I am leaving it in the Lord's hands and will seek the jobs but know that He will be the one to provide it if that is His will. We are still praying that John can find something else that will work better for us. He is miserable because of the lack of time with us and is just so tired.

Our oldest daughter is staying here for a short time. That has been interesting. She hasn't lived here four years. We are all adjusting to each other all over again. It is hard for a person who is used to not living with her parents and much younger siblings to come home again without some changes. Our oldest son was in a treatment center for five weeks and is home now. We are still working through some things but we are making positive changes. He is getting ready to take his GED. He has been told he is ready and is going to do great on it. Our younger son will be 11 in just a couple of weeks! Where did that time go? Our younger daughter is almost as tall as her brother. They are both working so hard on getting their school work finished for the year. They have a full summer planned.

I think I have been stress eating and didn't realize it. Or maybe I did and just didn't care like I should have. I have gained so much that I am miserable. I know I need to get busy and make some changes. One of the things I had worked on before was doing some running with my walking. So I have looked up beginner running tips so I can work on that. I know running is a great way to lose weight and get into shape. And from what I have found, it won't take that long a day, maybe 25 minutes on the average. I can do that! I have to keep changing my eating habits. I have plenty of healthy snacks that would be better than some of the things I have been eating. I need to save one day a week to eat one thing I stay away from the rest of the time so that I don't get it in my head that I am putting limits on myself. That always works against me. I need to be back in a size 8 by summer because otherwise I will have no clothes to wear! I can't afford to buy more and don't want to buy bigger clothes! I CAN DO THIS!!

I am also wanting to find time to write. I have always had a passion for that and maybe someday I will actually do it. I am gathering information on the best books and looking into seminars and workshops to attend. Someday...

I wanted to put my goals on here to have some accountability. If I put it out there for the world to see then I have a better chance of doing it. I pray I can stay strong and work hard. We have been talking about how our bodies belong to God so we should be good stewards of our body. I haven't been very good at that lately. I am going to change that, one day at a time.

Have a blessed Easter. I hope you know in your heart the true reason for Easter. May He bring you to that saving knowledge if you don't.

Snow Day

2010-02-11T20:42:00.004-06:00

Today it snowed for more than 12 hours straight! The flakes were huge! Texas got more snow fall today than it has since 1978. I think it may have beat that record, but I am not sure. The kids had a great time but it took some thawing out afterwards! It was so beautiful, all the trees covered in white fluffy snow!

We enjoyed the snow but are praying for safe driving for "dad" as he drives to work tonight and home tomorrow morning. Sometimes snow and wet and cold are NOT good things. But we trust God to watch over him. Hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful day!

It isn't that I have nothing to say...

2010-01-09T19:52:00.009-06:00

It really isn't. You all know I have plenty to say, anytime, anywhere. But I lack the time I feel I have to put into it in order to do a blog post. I have friends that have such style in their blog posts that I feel lacking when I do have time to put into it, let alone when I feel rushed and overwhelmed by my life.

November was filled with lots to be thankful for, including a wonderful Thanksgiving day with all of my kids here, even if it was only half the day. That is such a blessing, to have us together for the holidays. I intended to make a list of what I was thankful for, but time got away from me. The kids did do some nice things for a few of our neighbors as a "Thanksgiving" gift. They raked and bagged their leaves for free. The ladies were so grateful and tried to pay them but they told them it was a gift to them. I am a proud mom!

December was filled with lots of "Christmas" happenings. It snowed three times and stuck twice!!!! YES, in Texas! Hard to believe, I know. But God blessed us with a white Christmas in Texas! We spent December baking goodies for others instead of buying things. We also had a "small" material Christmas. I had told the kids last year that this Christmas would be much smaller in that sense than all the other ones they had ever known. I am a huge over spender when it comes to gifts because I just want my kids to have it all! They DON'T NEED it all! After being a mom for almost 23 years I finally get it! Each child (plus each parent, yes it included us) got one gift around $50. They also got one gift from their older sister and then one from the two siblings they live with. So three gifts per person. (Plus, we put some small stuff in the stockings. My kids know the stockings are from my husband and me but we still like to pretend). I also got several movies sets for very low price to put in a box for everyone to open. We don't have cable or even TV without the use of a DVD or the Wii hooked up. And believe it or not, it was one of the very best Christmas' that we have ever had. I am so glad that I allowed the Spirit to guide me in this direction. We focused more on giving and more on Christ than ourselves, as it should be.

I also intended to write a long list of the blessings of 2009. I never got around to that but maybe I can work on it this week. It isn't that I couldn't come up with them, I just never did it. The year was filled with so many blessings that I am not sure I could even count them. God has been so good to us. Even through all the little things that didn't seem so good He brought good out of them.

I have many changes going on for 2010. I will go into that in another post. But just know they are major changes and it is quite a shock to a certain extent. But I am hanging on tight to HIM and waiting to see where He takes me on this journey in 2010! What an adventure life is with Him.

May you all have a wonderful 2010. May you grow closer to Christ daily. Blessings!

Our Family Happenings

2009-10-09T13:43:00.012-05:00

Sometimes I forget to post on here and upload pictures because I upload them to my Facebook page. So many things have been going since school started. The children started school in August and have been doing really well. They are off today and Monday because public school is taking the days off. We are seeing how we like going with the local school schedule. Except we will end in early May instead of early June.

We made a wonderful family trip to Colorado in September. When I say family trip, this time I am happy to say that Baby Girl went with us!!!! We were so happy words can't even tell how much! We left on Wednesday. That just happened to be Star Princess' 8th birthday, September 16! So we were in the car the whole day! She got to open some gifts before we set off on our journey, movies and a new game for her DS. She was ok with spending the day in the car because we were driving to her favorite place to be and going to spend a few days with one of her favorite people in the world, Caroline Hillman! The girls didn't know we had special plans for them for their birthdays. Caroline turned 7 a few days after we left. They got to celebrate together! Plus, I got to see one of my favorite people! Michelle! But we all have become very good friends over the years with every member of this family! They are like family to us!

On Friday we took the girls to have manicures and pedicures (real ones where they sit in a massage chair and soak your feet in the water, etc.). I think they had more fun playing with the controls on the chairs than anything! It was so fun. Us "big girls" (Baby Girl included) had pedicures while they got their feet and hands done. Then we took the girls to Chili's for a birthday lunch! Fun! We stopped and got the girls a big cake to share for their birthday party that night. Then she slept over that night. We were staying at the hotel right next door to their restaurant, Wildfire. (It is the most amazing place to eat! WE LOVE IT!!!) We love that because we just walk over there at all hours of the day or night. The hotel isn't the greatest but we don't spend a lot of time in the room.

We went to Red Rocks with them on Saturday and then left for Westcliffe from there. We got to do a little shopping in Westcliffe and bought Baby Girl a black hoodie that has Westcliffe, Colorado on it. I have one that is like it but blue. Then we ate at our favorite pizza place, Pizza Madness! It was delicious! Of course, our trip would not be complete without a trip to the bowling alley. We bowled two games and then went back to the room for the night. The next day we took Baby Girl to the land for a short one hour hike. We took her to the top and took some pics up there. We showed her the pit and the cave. Then we headed home, way long drive! Got home about 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. But it was so good to see friends and get away for just a little while.

Game Champ turned 17 on the 29th. We got him a wonderful left handed electric acoustic guitar. He loves it! He took it with him on the trip. He plays in the band at church. He has actually started writing some songs and I think they are pretty good. I would like to see him get published. Not sure how to do that, but maybe some doors will open there, too!

Since we have been back so many things have gone through my mind and heart. The urgency has returned to knock on doors to see what will open for us. We love it there and it is where we are happiest. Baby Girl loved the weather and the beauty. We enjoyed having her with us so much. We have been putting out resumes and checking the job sites for jobs for Fourstringpop. I have checked on some things for me. I found out I can sub in Westcliffe, possibly in Colorado period. He said because of the college credits I could qualify for a 3 year license. That would be good part time income to help pay for clothes for the kids or something like that.

I found out that certain fruit trees will grow in that area and I am so excited to plant them on our land. Green apples are one of the trees that will grow, as well as Jonathan apples! Way fun! We love apples. I am thinking of all the things I can make ourselves and possibly have some left over to sell. Also found that I can grow berries and such. That sounds so wonderful. I would also like to try my hand at some other gardening. I don't know if I would be very good at it but I want to try. I think I could grow tomatoes and possibly some simple veggies. I am going to work on my baking. Baking bread and other things to help stretch our food dollar and our health.

We are in the process of getting the land financed with a bank in Colorado. As far as I know, that is going to go through. They haven't said no, so I am assuming it is yes. We have been working with them for about a month. That will at least give us some time to get it paid off. But the really neat thing is I believe we have found a way to build on the land! I found Homestead Homes! It is really neat because it is very little down, instead of the 30% most places want down to build a house. The way it works is you act as the contractor. You set up who does the work on the house. The more you can do yourself the less it costs you and the more equity that is built up at the time of completion. So my thoughts: see if I can get the people that care about us, our friends and family, to help us out a few days here or there with getting it done. The more people willing to help out the faster it will get done and the more affordable it will be for us to do it. So that is one of my missions, to find those willing to help with certain parts of the building process, like wiring, putting up windows, cabinets, flooring, bathroom fixtures, etc... I don't know when we will do this yet. I would think it would be easier to work on it for ourselves if we lived near there. So possibly, we will wait until the Lord moves us that direction. Please be praying about this and also, praying about how you might be able to donate a little time to help. All of the supplies are included in the cost of the home, but the labor is what we would save money on. Any amount of help would be so greatly appreciated! We would be thrilled if this took place next summer, as always, it is in God's hands, not ours.

So the saga continues...we do not know what the Lord has in store for us but we are open to whatever that may be. We are interested in getting back to a simpler way of living and away from the hustle and bustle of big city life. God knows our hearts and desires. We will keep you posted. It has been a long six years already. We don't know how many more years God will have us wait.

Blessings!

New Homeschool Post

2009-08-24T21:25:00.006-05:00

New homeschool blog post on my other blog...check it out!

Star Princess' Room: before and after

2009-08-06T12:49:00.007-05:00

I finally got around to working on Star Princess' room! Here are the before pictures! They are terrible. For one thing, she had too much furniture in one room. Plus, she had stuff all shoved in every corner and piled on every surface. We only use the porta-crib once a month, if that, so it needed to be put away. The closet had stuff just shoved into the cubbies. And the top shelf was not used to it's full potential.

There was a large 9 drawer dresser that didn't go with the bedroom set in there that was full of toys and other things, like winter clothes. Pirate Lad was using the tall chest of drawers in the corner for his clothes. That didn't work too well since he had to go into his sisters room to get his stuff. I put the 9 drawer chest under his bunk bed and he uses that now. There were extra car seats stored in her room and the night stand was under the desk. The TV was being used in the other room when this picture was taken but it was on top of the desk.

I moved the tall chest of drawers by the door and instead of putting tons of stuffed animals on it I put her Hannah*Montana night light and her princess b.dolls. Right now that chest of drawers is empty. I think I will leave it that way for now.

I moved all of our games from the hall cabinet (so I could use it for stockpiling bathroom items) and put them in the top of her closet. I took everything out of the closet and off the floor. She doesn't have a lot of hanging clothes so they took up little room. The cubbies in the middle hold her books, her Bitty*Baby box of clothes, some boxes of small toys and her shoes. The large white and clear containers have only a few of the drawers with things in them. The bottom drawer has all b.doll clothes and shoes. The second one has a long plastic container full of tiny (and I do mean tiny!) b.doll accessories! It is ridiculous if you ask me. That was ALL over the room! Under the dresser, bed, in the closet and all over the floor! This is her last chance to keep those things put up. If she can't then I will get rid of them. On top of that container are all her blankets. She has some that were hers when she was little that she still loves to use. Plus some others that it is just too hot for right now. There is a stack of empty containers under her hanging clothes. The porta-crib is in the corner of the closet next to her doll stroller.

She cleaned up the doll house. Each room got a "make over". She has her mini Pony stuff on the top shelf, her HSM dolls and b.doll furniture in three of them, her Holly Hobbie big and little stuff in a couple of them, her kelly dolls in one and some horses in one. I decided to put her stuffed animals on the top of her doll house. It wasn't easy considering it is slanted! I stuck her big Pony behind her headboard to stop things from sliding off towards her bed and the wall stopped it on the other end. We will see how long that lasts. I just didn't know what else to do at the time.

I left her BuildaBear animals on her bed plus the ones she got from Sea World (3 of them!) from our last trip in March. I put her Holly Hobbie blanket on her bed because it is thin. She doesn't sleep under the covers so the bed stays made up most of the time. I got her ceramic crafts hung up on the wall finally, from four birthday parties from Creative Hands, three butterflies and a horse head. The butterfly in the top corner of the room is a blow up from GA camp that I used to tell a camper each day that their bed was the neatest. The two shelves on each side of her mirror came from Target when I worked there. I found them on clearance for $3 a piece and just never put them up. They are great for holding her small snow globes and little nick-knacks. Her Nicki American Girl doll (she is from Colorado!) is standing on her dresser next to her jewelery box and picture frames. She has a small pink plastic three drawer container beside the dresser that holds her brush and comb and book light. The rest is empty for now. The dresser holds all of her clothes plus the top drawer is what we put the DS games in that belong to both of them. It helps to have a place to keep them so they don't get lost, if they put things up! I found lots of the games under the bed and scattered all over the room!

Her desk can now be used for a desk! We don't have a chair in there but have one we can move when she needs it. It has her CD/radio and her lamp on it. Next to it is a three drawer container. The top drawer has crayons, pencils and such. The second drawer is full of her spirals, notebooks and other note pads because she loves to write and draw. The bottom has some drawing things in it, as well. On top of it is an American Girl doll bed, belongs to the doll Samantha. She has her Bitty Baby, and her Samantha and Molly dolls sitting on it. I moved her TV to the night stand that was once under the desk. The top drawer has her CD's, CD player and headphones in it. The bottom drawer is full of her purses (yes, she has that many!)

I got rid of a lot of things. I had large kitchen trash bags full of things. One overflowing bag of trash and two bags for Mission Arlington (one with clothes and one with toys and backpacks). I am sure that even though I got rid of so much, I should and could have gotten rid of a lot of those small things and she would never have missed them. But like I said, I will get rid of them if she can't keep the room looking this way and the small stuff put away. I am happy with the way it turned out.

I did the rest of the house including the garage but don't have pics to post yet. I will get them taken and post them as soon as I find the time.

Star Princess's Profession of Faith

2009-07-31T10:36:00.006-05:00

Of all the things that have happened this summer, this is by far the most important thing that has happened in our family. It was something that we knew was close because we have been there for her the last 7 + years (she will be 8 in mid September) teaching her and guiding her in her closeness and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The thing that worried her was having to walk up there in front of everyone and getting baptized. She knew and understood the other things that were important to know in your heart. She knew that Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died for our sins, was raised again on the third day and was seen by many before He ascended into Heaven to one day return for us. But for a young shy girl like her, it was going to take a lot. I told her often as we would talk about it that one day Jesus would give her the strength and courage to walk that "road" to the front and to be baptized.

During our second week of VBS for the summer, the one at MRBC, it was the second night of invitation. The teachers were asked to go up front in case any of our group wanted to talk or make a decision. As soon as I stepped out to go she grabbed my arm and said "Can I come with you?" I asked her what she meant to make sure I understood. She wanted to come up front to ask Jesus into her heart. I told her "of course!". So as we stood there and the pastor led a prayer tears rolled down my face. Because I knew in my heart I didn't have to wonder if it was real or just a child wanting to do it because everyone else did. This was a huge step of faith for her and even though I would spend time before bedtime talking to her about it, I knew it was genuine.

The next night during the family night of VBS she went up to the pastor to ask him if he would baptize her. I wanted her to ask because it was another step of courage that I needed to see she could make. They set the date for the Sunday after that one, July 12! What a glorious Sunday morning that was, I have to tell you! As I stood there watching her my heart was so full of joy. She will be with us in Heaven forever! (She tried to find her daddy in the worship center as she looked out but he was in the back of the room ready to leave afterwards. We went right to the apartments to lead Bible study afterwards).

Star Princess: "raised to walk in newness of life!"

The Reason I Am Here

2009-06-05T12:11:00.008-05:00

As I sit here looking at the beautiful day the Lord has provided a smile crosses my face. God's creations are so beautiful. The cool breeze that blows across my face...so soothing. I wish I could find a spot to sit outside where I could only see God’s creations instead of so many things man has put together. Of course, those who know me understand what I am talking about. I would love to be sitting in the cool Colorado breeze looking out at some of God’s wonderful mountain peaks. I am missing my Colorado trip for 2009. There won’t be one this year. That is the reason I am here, to enjoy all that God created and appreciate the love He has for me.

My body is so used to waking up in the middle of the night from kids coming and going all night long that I no longer sleep straight through the night. Often times I don't fall asleep at all. I no longer have kids, at the moment, that come and go during those early morning hours but my body doesn’t know the difference any more. Something that I have always done for as long as I can remember is pray in those hours that I lay in bed unable to sleep. There are so many needs right now of others that keep me praying for many hours. I have dear friends battling cancer. Some victorious through God’s healing. Some who are close to Heaven’s door getting ready to meet our Lord face to face. The teens in today’s world are under tremendous pressure from peers to do drugs, have sex outside of marriage and many other things that may seem small in comparison. Many marriages that have been strong for years are breaking up and torn apart. That is the reason I am here, to lift those up that need prayer.

I believe Satan is running ramped trying to destroy as much as he can before God removes him from this earth. Prayer is a powerful thing and we all need to join together and lift these needs up to combat Satan’s plans to destroy our children and our families. That is the reason I am here, to join with other believers and fight against all Satan wishes to destroy!

Those things are so heavy on my heart but something closer to home is even heavier. I have so much to be thankful for, so much! God has been so good. My husband and I celebrated 26 years of marriage this past April. Praise God! We have four healthy, happy children. He is so good! And those who know some things that have been going on since March know that I have been weighted down with some struggles that I believe Satan has masterminded in the hearts of some of the people in our midst. But God has reigned supreme in that matter! He has led us to a wonderful church with a heart for missions and open arms for all of our family. What a blessing! Now that isn't to say that there aren't those that I love dearly and honestly love and care about us at the other one. There are many, many that I will make sure I stay in contact with for I know their hearts have that genuine love for us. That is the reason I am here, to be the wife and mom to the family God has given me and serve with a body of believers who has a passion to reach others for Christ.

We have felt the call to missions for some time. The Lord has made that call even stronger in my heart than He has in the past. My husband has had that strong desire for the past 10 years. As we made that commitment to Him we have sought to do His will in those areas to make the path clear. His job is taking all the energy and life out of him to do anything else, with family or otherwise. My income has dropped greatly. I am enjoying the break for a time and trying to get the things done around the house that I have neglected to do in the past because I was watching children all hours of the day and night every day and night of the week.

As much as we don’t want to sell the land in CO, we don’t know what else to do. We have NO WAY of paying for it. And it is due by November 3. We pay a lot each month on interest alone. We have tried to sell the land for the last few months with no offers. We are willing to accept any reasonable offer. But there have been none. What is God doing? I am not sure. The money I was making was paying off the extra debt we had and would have almost been paid off by now had it not dropped in the last couple of months and keeps dropping. The issue that really consumes my thoughts is the look on my husbands face when he comes home from work and gets ready to leave for work. He is so tired and so drained. He is going to work at 9:45 each night and doesn’t get home until after 9 in the morning. He tries to sleep during the day but it is very hard. On the weekends he gets up while we are still asleep (because he is used to being awake at night) and then by 2 in the afternoon he is ready to go to bed. So our time with him is so short. His life is just made up of going to work and trying to sleep. He desires to have a life lived for Christ reaching those that are lost. But until we sell this land or somehow find a way to pay for it, this is the life he must live. It breaks my heart! But I feel so helpless to do anything. I am trying to get the word out about the land to all I can in hopes that God will bring it to the attention of the one who is to buy it. But….

I see him looking at the local paper online of the small town that our land is in. He still longs for that little town, as we all do. But where would the money come from to pay for it? It would be nice to be able to go there between mission trips (or on the sabbaticals) . But I have sought answers to these questions and I really don’t have any answers. We honestly can’t go on this way. John has never been this unhappy in a job, ever. If he finds another job, which he is looking, then the pay will be a LOT less. Which that is fine, but we still have so much to pay on. My heart breaks to see how worn out and miserable he is right now. I would do anything I could to “fix” it. But I don’t see anything that I can do. I have thought about selling everything including the house, only that would not get us much and we wouldn’t have a place to live while we still need one here.

I have been working on our food bill and doing really good. I am trying to make our house a nicer place to be in. I am trying to get the bills paid off as quickly as possible, but the land isn’t something I can pay off. Please lift these things up and if God lays it on your heart to share an idea with me, please do. We have less than 5 months to pay off the land or sell it. We have one year to get other things in order so that at the end of that 42 week training we are ready to go if God is ready to send us. We need this done so we can get out there and share the Gospel to those who do not know Him. Time is short and we must reach as many as we can. Please help us do that by praying that answers will come.

Thanks everyone! You know my heart, please pray for direction and answers. And funds to either pay it off or from selling it. Because the reason I am here are many but the most important is to serve a wonderful, powerful God. To do His will in and through my life, thoughts and actions. My reason for living is to reach others for Christ while there is still time. Christ will return like a thief in the night, in a blink of an eye. I want to be ready when I face my Lord and know that I gave it my all and didn't just go through the motions. Please help us move forward so that our desire to serve the Lord in a powerful way will be realized.

What is the reason you are here? I hope it is the same. May God bless you all in your quest to do that.

Spring Cleaning For Those Who Stack & Pile

2009-05-28T14:30:00.018-05:00

I have been looking at blogs and websites for good ideas on how to spring clean, de-clutter and organize all at the same time. I thought I had found the "right" one for me. But on the very first day of this supposed to be 10 day journey, I knew it was not going to happen the way they had said it would. What makes it impossible for it to work for someone like me? Very simple...I stack and pile everything everywhere! Terrible, I know! I can't seem to follow that very simple rule of "only touch it once". Where you put something in its place when you put it down instead of having to go back later and move it to where it belongs, be it a drawer or trash can. I just haven't gotten that habit drummed into my thick head yet. Not sure I ever will. But it is worth a try. I had to come up with my own plan that would not make me feel like a failure from the starting point. So I took the basic principles and rearranged them a bit.

There are four basis steps you must do in each room and in this order.

CLEAN SWEEP
DE-CLUTTER
CLEAN
ORGANIZE

FIRST THINGS FIRST: There are a few guidelines that you must know before you begin. You will need several items no matter what room you are doing.

A BASKET FOR THINGS THAT DON'T BELONG IN THAT ROOM (to be put away later)
A BOX FOR THINGS TO GET RID OF (either in a sale or send to the mission)
A BAG FOR TRASH

Those thing need to be with you throughout the process. The basket for things to be put away in other rooms is to be done AFTER you finish in that room. Don't stop and go put things away in the middle. That is a good way to get distracted from your mission. You can even get your kids to help with the basket of goodies when the job is done. Set the timer and say to your family "Let's see if we can get everything in this basket put up in 5 minutes." Adjust it according to how many are in your family and how much is in the basket! The box is for things you know you don't want or need anymore. If you know you are going to have a garage sale you can put prices on the items after you finish each room. That way it doesn't become a huge pile of things to go through. Take it one room at a time. If you are going to donate whatever items you find then make sure you box them up neatly so you can put them right in your car to take over there when you are done. That will get them out of the house. Remember, you can always donate whatever doesn't sell if you have a garage sale first. The bag for trash is just that, a trash bag. I don't think you need any explanations on that.

STEP ONE: CLEAN SWEEP

Clean Sweep is very simple. You pick your room. You can clean in any order you want. Some suggest doing the Clean Sweep for the whole house in one day. Nice idea! I tired it. Too many piles to go through. So, here is my suggestion for those of you like me, with too much stuff where it shouldn't be. Take a few days and clean sweep your home. Get the kids to clean sweep their rooms. Give them a list if you need to of what that means...take the things off the floor and put them away...take the things off the bed and dresser and put them away...and so on. They can also help you in other rooms of the house. We have collections of DVD's that get piled near our TV's since we don't have cable or local TV stations. While I would love to say we always put them away after we watch them, that is not the case. So putting up movies is one of my kids jobs in the clean sweep.

Another idea for Clean Sweep would be to do that step on the day you plan to complete the rest of the steps for a specific room. If you are going to start with the Living Room then on that day do a Clean Sweep on the Living Room and then follow the next steps for our spring cleaning. Whatever works best for you.

I am personally taking the time to Clean Sweep each room before I start the rest of my spring cleaning. I have enlisted the aid of my children for the task. I have not set a day to have it done. I don't want to stress out again like I did yesterday and feel as if I have no chance of getting it done "on time". So throughout the day I tackle another pile one at a time. I gave my kids a list of things to do in their rooms when they got up this morning. So far about half is done. Pretty good considering how messy their rooms actually are. They have too much stuff. The "fun" part will be when we do the de-cluttering. That is when we will make choices of what is going and what is staying! We might have a few battles but we will get past them. I am determined to win this war against clutter and mess! It is my goal that we finish the Clean Sweep by this weekend and I can start on the other three steps on Monday morning. If I should get it done sooner, great! I will take the rest of the weekend to catch up on the laundry!

In case you are wondering what order I plan on cleaning my house and how many days I plan on spending for each room here is a list. It could change or it could take me a longer or shorter amount of time to complete each one. Determine your list by how big your house is and how much work you feel you have to do.

LIVING ROOM (Den & Dinning Room) 1-2 days
KITCHEN 1-2 days
BATHROOMS (two bathrooms, linen closet and hall) 1 day
KIDS ROOMS (Girls room, Boys room, Playroom) 1-3 days (1 day for each)
MASTER BEDROOM 1 day
GARAGE (Laundry Room, Exercise Room, Library) 1-3 days (1 day for each)
HALL CRAFT CLOSET 1-3 days (it is a huge mess of stuff!)

Now remember, it isn't just cleaning or organizing. This is a major cleaning where we are getting rid of things, doing a major cleaning of each room and organizing the things we keep. If there are pictures you have needed to hang on the walls for years, now is the time. If there are towel racks that need to be replace and fixed, do it now. This is the perfect time to get it done. At the end of this SPRING CLEANING you will not only have a clean house but will have a lot less things to keep up with and you will have a home that you can feel good about. Sit down and make out a plan for yourself based on what I put down but work it to fit your home and your family.

Happy cleaning!

My Grocery Adventure!

2009-05-25T19:18:00.006-05:00

I don't know how many of you know about GroceryGame.com but it is really something when you do it right. If you decide to join it, please tell them that terri@mtckc.com is the one that referred you. Thanks!

I had to do something to cut my grocery bill but also have food at home so I would not go out to eat out of convenience. That is where so much of our money goes. But my income has gone down and we still have to get our bills paid off so we can be free to go when God calls us to go. So I decided to try the Game again. I did it several years ago but there were some key things that I didn't do right. And I think I didn't stick with it long enough to see it work properly.

She has a book out now with all sorts of little hints and suggestions. It is called Shop Smart, Save More. It is great! I am about half way through it. But I have learned some important things. Like don't meal plan and then shop. Shop and then pick from what you have on hand to meal plan. It works great! With the stockpiling method you have such a variety of things to choose from especially when you have been doing it for awhile. I am STILL looking for an upright freezer! But maybe somehow I will get one. I need it badly!

I actually come away from the stores paying nothing for some items and very little for others. I got three bottles of BBQ sauce and two bottle of salad dressing for free today! I won't open any of them until what I already have is gone. I won't have to buy it later for full price because I have it on hand in my "store" at home. It is a 12 week cycle that at the end of that 12 weeks you should have a stockpile of all major things. I can't wait to see how it is working in another 9 weeks. This is the first week that I really felt like I saved a lot and got a lot for my money. It is getting easier to look for those deals and make wise choices as I do it more.

Another thing I will be doing is No Spend Months. We will take $500 a month and put it in envelopes for each week. I will use it for gas, groceries and any other expense like that. It will not count the bills that I have to pay. We will be on a cash basis for a while, maybe permanently. We are hoping to get the bills paid off quicker and really learn how to manage our money the right way. Then maybe we will be able to teach our younger children how to do the same as they grow up. That would be an awesome thing!

So this is our adventure with grocery shopping! If you have any money saving tips, share them! I would love to hear what you do to save money!

Homeschool Post

2009-05-11T14:11:00.003-05:00

I posted a new blog on my homeschool blog. I found some really neat things at the book fair and the Lord is really working on some things in my life concerning my responsibilities as a mom. Not that I didn't take them seriously before but God has just laid it on my heart that above all other things I need to put my children's focus on HIM above all else. That is a huge task but with His help, I know I can do it. It is going to take some work to change some habits around here but we are going to take it step by step, one day at a time.

One of the things I have to get back on track on is our eating habits. I need to get back to cooking wholesome foods for every meal and stop the eating out just because I am too lazy to cook and clean up after myself. I don't want to be that kind of wife. I want to strive towards the Proverbs 31 woman, even though I know I can't attain it 100%. I want to be the wife and mother that I am supposed to be. I love my husband and kids too much to give them less than what they deserve.

Mother's Day was good. We went to church and then met our oldest for lunch at Blackeyed Pea. She brought me flowers! I had a wonderful salmon and the chocolate cake! YUMMMMY! Then I went home and took a nap. It was a good day!

Are You Just Going Through The Motions? or Are You Giving It Your All?

2009-04-17T11:37:00.004-05:00

Please turn off my player on the side and listen carefully to the words of this song. It is easy to get caught up in life and just go through the motions. But we are called to give it ALL to the Lord! So are you? I am trying to make that my focus in all I do and in all I say. I still fall but I get back up and try again. I hope you will too!

Land for Sale: Laying it all down

2009-04-06T15:07:00.002-05:00

If you read the post below you will understand this post. If you haven't gotten a chance to read it, when you have time I hope you will.

As difficult as this is for us, we do it in obedience and with total faith that God’s Will, not ours, will be done. We are placing the land we purchased in Westcliffe, CO up for sale. We owe most of what we purchased it for. The main reason we are putting it up for sale is our call to full time service through Mission Arlington and where ever the Lord may lead us to go after that. John cannot quit his job with debt hanging over our heads. We want to surrender it all to Him. There is a link I at the bottom of this that has two web pages full of wonderful photo’s of the land. You will see in those photos how much we love it there. The children were a bit upset when we told them what we were doing. But they would rather their dad be home and healthy instead of at work all the time with failing health. And they have grown up with us serving a wonderful and faithful God and understand that He knows what is best for us. The money we are asking will go towards paying off the debt on the land, paying off the rest of our debt with the exception of the house and any extra will go towards any needs we might have that we won’t be able to afford to pay for once John turns in his resignation. Please keep us in your prayers as we step out in faith and trust that God is going to take care of our needs, including medical needs since we will not have insurance after that point. The sooner we sell the land the sooner he can resign. Our goal is mid summer but if it was now that would be even better! He is so tired and ill from his stressful night position. And he has so many wonderful visions of the service that he will lead us in once his time is freed to do so. It is exciting to hear him talk about it. And at the same time he wonders how quickly it will actually happen.

If you will please pass on this information about the land for sale to anyone you might know and even church groups. This is being done out of a willingness to lay it all down for the Lord and His work. Not for selfish gain. As full time missionaries we ask for your support and prayers.

In His Love and Service,
John and Terri Harr

http://www.mtckc.com/ColoradoLand.html
35 acres for sale in Westcliffe, CO
Many building sites to choose from
Westcliffe is a beautiful little town with lots of charm
Less than 2 hours from Colorado Springs
Price negotiable
email John at fourstringpop@yahoo.com
put Westcliffe Land in the subject line

I'm Letting Go and Taking a Giant Leap of Faith

2009-03-30T22:49:00.011-05:00

As a Christian we should be as close to a mirror image as these mountains are in the water. That is what we are to strive for. It takes work and time. It is not an easy task and it does not come without some pain and sorrow. But it also comes with great joy and blessings.

I find it hard sometimes to not place importance on the things that “I want”. As a follower of Christ that should not be of any importance at all…unless what “I want” is to please Him and serve Him fully with and through my life. If our wants are not to please and serve Him then we have built up idols that we must tear down in order to be in His will.

I find it hard to learn the lessons I must learn and not fall back into my human nature way of doing it. Some lessons I have had to be corrected many times for. When that happens I “look at myself” and think “Why did you have to do this again? I thought you learned the last time you messed up in this area?” And I really did but….. Down I fall again into the same traps of self desires and wants. That is basically all sin is. Doing what “I” want instead of what God is directing you to do because He knows what is the very best for you and wants to see you happy. As Paul says “I want to do the things I should do but I find myself doing the things I shouldn’t.” I suppose if a man like Paul can fall into those traps then I shouldn’t be as hard on myself as I am. I just have to get back on track when I see myself going off course even a little. I have learned over the years to accept the past as just that, the past. I cannot change it but I can learn from it and move forward from that point. I spent way too many years beating myself up over every mistake and downfall. God didn’t condemn me for the mistakes. He forgave me and picked me up to try again. That is something that I am trying hard to teach my children. It is ok that we made a mistake if we will learn from it and move forward. Don’t keep making it.

God has been talking to me lately through songs. I know He does that for many people. I have a post below that has one of the songs that spoke to me greatly: While I’m Waiting. It is a very powerful song and very fitting for the powerful movie that it was in. I learned from that song that while I am waiting on the Lord to show me what He needs me to do or where to go next I am to be serving Him and praising Him. No matter what, that is to be a major part of our lives.

A new artist, Francesca Battistelli has a song called “I’m Letting Go”. God has spoken to me through that song “after” my darling husband and I came to the same realization of some things the Lord has been trying to show us.

That is what I am doing, finally, letting go of the dreams I planned for me and REALLY seeking HIS plan for my life. Catching hold of HIS dreams and trusting that He will bless me more than I could ever imagine. It is bitter sweet and those who know me understand exactly what this means to me and what I am giving up.

For the last five years my family has had the desire and thought “call” to move to Colorado. Before that we felt the call to ministry. We answered that call but not really as fully as we were supposed to and we know it. It became clear almost three years ago that my husband was to surrender to full time ministry. That meant no insurance and very little income. He was to serve in our city at a local mission that reaches many for Christ. We started working with them ten years ago. But instead of surrendering to that ministry we allowed ourselves to believe that God was going to give us Colorado. Now, I am not saying that somewhere down the line in our lives God isn’t going to allow our dream of Colorado to come true. But it HAS to be in HIS timing! So I have to let it go. I have been going back and forth over that for months now. I just wasn’t sure what God was trying to show me through those words going around in my head over and over.

We found land in Colorado that captured our heart, along with a sweet little town. We tried every way to come up with money to buy it. Finally, someone loaned us the money at a very high interest only-three year loan. We wanted to believe it was the right thing so badly. And that we could pay it off in that three years time. But when you are paying such a high payment each month and it is only interest, you don’t get very far. Many things have come up over those two and a half years. We started feeling that call even stronger to surrender to full time ministry in November of last year so the question of debt and the land have come up. We started praying about what we needed to do. I contacted several banks and tried to get refinancing. No one wants to loan money on land only. Plus things just aren’t good in the economy right now.

In order for my husband to quit his corporate job we have to get rid of all debt. The land, as it is right now, is holding us back from that. We have until November of this year to pay it off. We have paid very little on the principle. Even though we know God is able to do great things we do not know He will provide for this land to be ours. We want to lay down all wants and desires, other than the one to serve Him. And we have to have that land either sold or paid off before he can quit his job. Our goal for him to quit his corporate job is mid July, if not sooner.

We are placing our land up for sale this week. Yes, you read that correctly. We will trust Him to sell it if that is His will and trust Him with a provision if He wants us to keep it. Either way, we are letting go of the dreams we have for ourselves and grabbing on to the dreams He has for us serving here in Arlington, Texas and where ever else in the world He would have us go. We will try to make back the money we put into it to pay off the other debts we need to get rid of, like the van, my student loans and furniture payments. We need to only have our basic bills to survive.

In this process of letting go there are many things we have to do to get ready for this new adventure. The debt has to go. Most of the debt we have is small compared to the land. We will need to get some things fixed in the house, like a new hot water heater, which I was informed this weekend “might be going out”. Great! We will not have insurance so check ups are in order again. And our son is on some expensive meds and we must figure out the best thing to do for that area of his life. We are continuing to clean out the house of things we don't need to have less clutter in our lives. Emotional clutter is something most of us don’t think about, but it’s there at every turn. I have to clean that out before I can embark on this journey. This is probably an area that we all sometimes forget about.

Will this be hard? You bet. Those who know me know just how much we desired that dream in Colorado. And as much as we love the Lord we were not really waiting on His timing and weren’t stepping out on faith as we should have to follow Him. When there are children to provide for things become a little more complicated. My husband takes providing for his family very seriously. So before quitting his job he needs to know that everything will be ok. I have tried to tell him so many times that God will provide I have no doubt, for our needs. I really do not doubt it. And it isn’t that I have more faith than my husband. It is that as the head of our household he knows God has placed this responsibility to provide on him. He will do nothing until he is sure that our family will be provided for. I am proud of him and love him dearly because of that. Some men couldn’t care less about their families when making decisions. I was blessed with a godly man who takes his responsibilities seriously.

So how do we know NOW that God is calling us to do this if we got the other stuff wrong? Good question. It lines up with His Word. When we bought the land we went into serious debt. That is not what His Word tells us to do. What we are doing now is getting out of debt and surrendering our lives to follow Him. That does line up with His Word. My husband is so tired and ill from this high stress night job. It is time for him to come home. Our older son needs his attention with school and learning how to be a godly man for Christ as he nears adulthood. Our younger children need him around because they adore him! Our older daughter is always complaining that she never gets to see her dad. She needs him to be there for her. Yes, I need him home, too. But I have spent so many of our married years (26 this coming Thursday!) with him working nights that you would think I would be used to it. Not really. I want him home!

I am letting go of my dreams for Colorado and grabbing on to the dreams He has for me to work alongside my husband and children with Mission Arlington. I am open to whatever mission field He chooses to send us to where ever in the world. If God sends us to Colorado someday, wonderful! If He never does, ok. I will love the Lord, My God with all I am and serve Him all the days of my life.

The love for my Lord is my motivation in life. If I lose that then I lose all the blessings He has for me in this life and the next. Plus my children will not have that example to follow in their own lives. The world today is a hard place to live in and it makes it very hard to know right from wrong. The world tells us a different story. (Another one of my favorite songs right now! Voice of Truth!) I have to keep my eyes on Him so that my children and others around me can hear the Voice of Truth through my example. Wow! What a heavy responsibility. But that is parenthood, a job I take very seriously. A few weeks ago I was really struggling with something that concerned my son and others. I had some faulty information so many things went through my head. God spoke to me through that song. I had to sift through all the things the world tried to tell me and find what the truth was. God’s truth is forgiveness. It changed how I looked at a lot of things. It has helped me to forgive where it has been hard for me to forgive. Sometimes we have a hard time forgiving when the pain is so deep. But Christ forgives us all sin if we ask. So in turn, we should forgive those. We have to let the past go and move forward. Giving others a second chance is the right thing to do, as many second chances as they need.

Please keep us in your prayers and put us on your churches prayer list as missionaries in Arlington, Texas. We covet your support in any way. We know that God will provide for all of our needs. What we need most is your prayers. Specifics, pray for our ability to sell the land and pay off debt. If it is God’s will, then a way to keep the land. I almost feel as if I can’t pray that for us. If He chooses to do something else, then so be it. Also pray for provision with what insurance normally covers. Pray for our desire to reach the lost in our area and any area God leads us to. Pray for our children who will not like little-to-no eating out or will be upset because they won’t get the latest “great” movie out on video or a new video game. (Mom might have a problem with that, too, so pray for me! I love old movies and new ones.) Pray that they will appreciate the fact that God will provide the clothes, food, and shelter we need to survive. Pray that they will see what a gift they will have in their dad being home to serve the Lord full time and be there for them daily. Money will be very tight but God’s blessings will abound. That I know!

The three songs I have mentioned are in the playlist on the sidebar. They are really powerful to me. When you listen to them the next time listen carefully for what God told me through them.

Thank you all so much for your love and support. I know God placed you all in my life to give us that which we need so much. I know I can count on each of you to lift us up in prayer to the Mighty God we serve. As you do that, I pray that HE will send showers of blessings upon your lives! We love you all so much!

Wait for it.....

2009-03-30T10:13:00.005-05:00

I have a post coming up. Wait for it.... It is long and I want to make sure I have things the way I want them. I will post pics of spring break vacation later if I have time. My time is short lately. So much going on. Will explain that later, too.

Prayers are needed for my daughter, Samantha. She is going to have to have another surgery on her eys sometime during the summer.

Fireproof

2009-02-16T11:45:00.009-06:00

I cannot tell you how powerful this movie is. You will have to watch it yourself to know. This is an awesome song! I would love to be a part of helping more movies like this one and the others that these people have made. Spread the word.

It's Been Too Long....

2009-02-13T00:17:00.004-06:00

My days are filled with many things. Just like most moms, I have my hands full with my children. But unlike most moms, I have my hands full with other peoples children, too. I also have my responsibilities to my husband, at our church, in our mission work and the list goes on. I find it hard at times to just fill a page with interesting reading but miss posting at the same time. So many things have been going on and I will try to share some with you.

As my last post stated, I am in search of my purpose in this life. A great deal has changed in the way I live each day since the reality of what my purpose should be is. I no longer sit around day dreaming about when we can move to Colorado. I still would love for that dream to come true but if the Lord never moves us there I will be able to say that I made the most of each day here and now, where He has planted us. And I know we will visit that place we love so much. We are working hard to find a way to pay off the land and build something small on it to enjoy from time to time.

I have a new excitement for my daycare. I am in the process of getting licensed instead of registered so I can be more of a preschool. I am not watching very young children on a regular basis because I am trying to gear my program towards preschoolers. I purchased a very simple but nice computer for the kid care room. I was able to borrow a computer desk for it and I love it! I worked today on redoing my setup page on my business website with new pictures. I am very pleased at how it turned out. I am looking into ordering new t-shirts for our preschool so that when we go on field trips we will all be in the same shirt. I am also going to order some shirts for me to wear during the day when I am open. I am trying to get my preschool hours to only be on the weekdays and normal hours as much as possible. I do have a few that aren't but not the majority. I think that will help a great deal.

A friend of ours knows a friend who is redoing her kitchen so she is giving away counter tops! If you go to my link for the set up it has a picture of our LOVELY YELLOW counter tops that we have now. YULK! So we feel so blessed to have this happen. We just need to go pick them up...and...figure out when we will put them on! But what a blessing! Thank You, Lord, for the provision that we so needed to fix up our kitchen.

I finally got my bedroom furniture rearranged and LOVE it even more than I did before! We got it in August. But I didn't realize it was such HUGE furniture. I had only seen it online and when I found out it was being discontinued I called to find out if I could still somehow get it. So I went to the store and bought it early in the summer but had them wait until the end of August to deliver it. I got everything it came with! This is the first bedroom set we have ever purchased and it is awesome! (I am on the wrong computer to upload a picture so I will do that later! I have them posted on my Facebook if you want to check that out.)

Our oldest daughter, Samantha, just became a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and we are so proud of her. She will be 22 this month. I was a consultant for 14 years but my calling has always been with children. But I also love to do office work. So I am her "official" secretary and am loving it! When she becomes a director she can pay me! For now, free make up here and there is awesome! She is tired of the retail world and is ready to make it happen. I got her lots of cute and helpful office stuff to get her excited about her new career. I used the excuse of her birthday coming up but I have always gone over board where my girls are concerned! I just can't seem to help it.

I got a new color laser printer! I have wanted one of those forever because the ink jet goes through ink so fast and because my daycare paperwork is in color and I need to make new copies for things a lot. Also, I use lots of things with the daycare that need printing. This one is an all in one! I was so excited. It came in on Tuesday. We got it out of the box (which was almost as tall as me!), set it up, turned it on....and it didn't work! We tried a few things and decided that we would have to wait until morning to call them to see what was wrong. On Wednesday morning after a few short minutes on the phone with the support person, he tells me it was dead on arrival and they were shipping me out a new one! It arrived today, Thursday. So I now have two boxes in my house that are almost as tall as me and two large printers. We will pack up the "old" new one and ship it back tomorrow. I am thrilled to say that the newest new one is working great!

That is about all I can think of that we have been doing. Just working around the house to clean it out and make it better. I will try to post more as we get more done. I hope to have some new pictures to post of our "new" kitchen soon!

Purpose In This Life

2009-01-11T20:11:00.003-06:00

Do you know your purpose in this life? Do you know why I say this life? It isn't because I believe we have other lives, like some who think we have many other lives and are different people and/or animals. I am talking about life here on earth and the afterlife. You either spend that eternally in Heaven with Christ or in eternal damnation. Since I know my future is secure in Christ I don't have to wonder about that part of my life. But we all have some huge choices to make about this life here on Earth. My husband and I have been doing some major seeking of His will for our lives in the desire to live for His glory while here. That is easier said that done sometimes. For one, life on a sinful earth can really get to you and Satan can use everyday life to drag you down. He works very hard to distract you from your purpose.

We have felt drawn to Colorado for the last five years (as if by the name of my blog isn't a dead giveaway to that). And while we still feel that it is drawing closer to becoming a reality, we still have time to wait upon the Lord. It felt like it was going to be sooner than later for a little while but the Lord was silent so it is not time. I am afraid I felt like a disgruntled teenager over it. I wanted to know everything right now and wanted it to happen NOW!

My sweet husband has been telling me that we have to be faithful in the ministries He has given us before He will in trust us with more. While I understood that to be true and wanted to put that belief into action, my focus was not on the here and now and all that He has in trusted in me. It was on what I saw as a future in Colorado. On what ministries He could have for us there. And deep down I knew that for a long time and fought it. I missed out of the full measure of His joy as I served Him by not doing it with all of my heart.

As I spent time with the Lord last night, He brought me to the realization of what I had been doing. He has been trying to tell me for some time and I would push it aside. Last night, I fell down before Him and cried for forgiveness of that great sin in my heart. I went to bed last night with renewed joy of service for Him! As we went to the apartments this afternoon I saw it with new eyes and a joy filled my heart that only He can give.

Do I still long for Colorado? Yes and no. Yes, I love going there and I would love to move there. But if God never moves us there will I still love and serve the Lord where ever He calls me? I sure will! No, I am not dwelling on moving anymore. I am not going to live my life for tomorrow. I am going to live each day serving the Lord to the best of my ability and planning great things for the ministries He has given me here. Will I still make ready for a call from the Lord? Yes! I will continue to clean out our home of clutter and things we do not need. I will continue to prepare my heart to hear the Lord's call to go and serve, either here, there or where ever God calls us to go. Yes, anywhere! Where He leads, I will go.

God has blessed our family so much. He gave us a relationship that is strong in Him. Yes, we have our ups and downs. But our love for the Lord binds us together. He has blessed us with four wonderful kids who are unique in their own ways. Yes, we have problems like other families and some issues that other families probably don't have. But God sees us through those, as well. He has blessed us with a nice house and nice things. All of our needs are met and many of our wants are, too. We are trying to remind our teenager to be grateful for the things we have instead of wanting more all the time. It is a lesson that the Lord has taught me through that. I was wanting more by being focused on Colorado and when we would move. I am now focused on what God has given me here and now....so much, He has given me so much. Thank You, Lord!

December Happenings

2008-12-23T07:43:00.011-06:00

I am amazed at how this month has flown by. I did most of my Christmas shopping, the bulk of it anyway, before Thanksgiving. So that isn't what has consumed my time and thoughts between now and then. I know a few of my blogging friends have been wondering where I am and what I am doing. Let me see if I can shed some light on that subject.

We have taken a break from formal school for the month of December. That means no workbooks this month. We are still doing lots of reading, cooking and talking about different things. And we have been making some neat crafts and drawing. We take a break this month each year so that December becomes a little less stressful and a little more fun in many ways. We take the focus off of school and put it on Christ and His coming as a baby and why He did.

We are reading "A Christmas Carol" together. We take turns reading. I found this wonderful copy of the book and the younger kids and I read out of it. Game Champ has his own copy because he read it at school last year. He follows along in his copy when it isn't his turn to read. They all do very well reading out loud. We are on Stave 4 now and are hoping to get it finished before Christmas day. We may be doing some reading on that day, but I think that would be hard to get them to do. So we are trying hard to finish up. We have a version of the movie we are going to watch when we are done. Of course, we have watched a couple of animated versions already. The book is full of big words and strange word combinations so we do a lot of talking about what he means by it. This is something that we will be doing all the time from now on...reading a larger book out loud...one of great literary importance. I think it is fun and wonderful family time.

Since we do not have TV in the "normal" sense anymore, I have become even more movie crazy. I have purchased some of the "old" children's classics from my younger years and have loved watching my children enjoy them as I did. I have also purchased a few of my favorites as an adult. Star Princess has found that "Miracle On 34th Street" is a great movie! Fourstringpop has found that "White Christmas" and "Holiday Inn" are musicals, which he is not all that fond of. But all of the children's classics are musicals, too! And something you might not know...most of the Christmas classics from those children's collections mention Jesus' birth. I think that is awesome! Long ago it wasn't separated, Christ was always a part of Christmas. It is fun to watch the movies about Santa but if we only talk about Santa then we have missed what Christmas is supposed to be about!

My new favorite song, at the moment, is by Casting Crowns, called "While You Were Sleeping". Fourstringpop had mentioned that he had heard a few new songs on the radio this year so I began to listen for them. On my way to Target to get a few last minute gifts this song came on. I sat in my car while it finished. I cried as I walked into Target! It was that powerful to me. The next morning I got up and tried to find out who sang it and found a video on GodTube. I sat here and listened as the tears ran down my face. It just touched my soul as it sang how we, as Americans, save the trees and kill the children. Yes, there are so many activist for animals, trees, the earth, but so many against children, unborn children. "We" fight to have the right to kill the unborn, whom God says He knows and knits together in their mother's womb. Will we be a nation who sleeps through His next coming? I pray not. Wake up!

We have been doing lots of praying for the Lord to show us where He wants us. We have felt a leading into full time ministry as a couple. We have also felt a leading to a certain place. We are just waiting on the Lord to show us when. We are preparing to go....cleaning things out, giving things away, packing things up, fixing things up...etc. We are preparing for "rain" and "building our ark" so that when the time comes we are ready to go! His timing is perfect! We are ready, all of us, to go. Please join us in prayer that we will hear His call and be prepared to go!

I have been cleaning the last two days so that I won't have to do it during my break. I am off Wednesday and Thursday and I want to enjoy it. I am almost off Friday through Sunday but not quite. But I don't want to spend it cleaning or feeling badly because I am not cleaning. Foustringpop is working days this week, all two days that he has to work. So I have gotten so much done without worrying about waking him up during the day. I love feeling like I am accomplishing things that need to be done. It is a good feeling.

I know I will have much to share after Christmas. I pray that all of you will remember that Jesus was born a baby so He could grow up and die on a cross because of His great love for US! All of US! Remember Him on Thursday, and every day! He is really the ONLY reason for the season!

Merry Christmas! We love you all!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2008-11-26T21:41:00.008-06:00

The blessings around me are many,

I'm not sure I can even count that high,

As I make my list in my mind,

It gives me wings and I feel like I can fly.

~~~~

First and always,

I am thankful to the Lord above,

Who came down to Earth,

To show us His Love.

~~~~

My husband works hard each night,

To put food on the table,

A roof over our heads,

And keep our home stable.

~~~~

He loves the Lord,

And serves Him gladly,

As we work to share Jesus,

With those who need Him so badly.

~~~~

We have been married for years,

25's the number we just hit,

We renewed our vows in April,

And then we split.

~~~~

A dream trip we took,

To a far away state,

On the other side of the country,

Where we had steak on our plate.

~~~~

Our first born is my Sunshine,

On a cloudy day,

She has grown up so quickly,

Her childhood days gone away.

~~~~

She is over 21, all grown up,

And making her way,

I love that she calls,

Or texts me most every day.

~~~~

We both like movies with songs and love stories,

Baking and shopping for clothes,

Although we have had our ups and downs,

We are so proud of her, I hope she knows.

~~~~

Our next is a son, 16 this year,

Who is quite gifted at many things,

He plays the piano, bass,

Electric guitar, drums and sings.

~~~~

He will be a star one day,

In front of a crowd,

Doing what he loves,

Singing and playing so loud.

~~~~

Another son born 9 years ago,

He is a high spirited child,

Who loves sports, music,

And loves to run wild.

~~~~

He has the ability,

To make me smile,

Even when I am sad,

Or have been mad for awhile.

~~~~

Our fourth child,

Is a sweet little girl,

Whom God sent seven years ago,

To complete our world.

~~~~

She loves all the things,

Other little girls do,

Dolls, barbies and stuffed animals,

Her bed is covered like a zoo.

~~~~

She is like my shadow,

A clone at times,

I have to try and be careful,

That only my best side shines.

~~~~

She is easy to correct,

And quick to listen,

Her smile brightens a room,

And her eyes just glisten.

~~~~

As the years go by,

I cherish the moments we share,

I try to capture things on film,

And tell them how much we care.

~~~~

Our families are spread out,

All over the place,

But the memories we've made,

Withstand time and space.

~~~~

The same holds true for our dear sweet friends,

Those here with us now or gone from our days,

In one way or another they have touched our hearts,

Made us smile and showed us love in so many ways.

~~~~

The mission and church family,

We serve along side,

Has been there for us in so many things,

Good and bad, even the bumpiest ride.

~~~~

The home we live in,

Was a gift from above,

It meets our needs,

We try to fill it with love.

~~~~

Our land in Westcliffe,

Is another such treasure,

We so long to live there,

The amount you can't measure.

~~~~

The day care we have,

Is filled to the brim,

With wonderful families,

That feel just like kin.

~~~~

My blogger friends,

Are a new joy to me,

They share a window into their world,

A glimpse of God in their lives for us to see.

~~~~

If I sat here all night,

While I think and I ponder,

About the blessings God has given me,

The list could grow longer.

~~~~

But that will have to wait,

For another new day,

For I have to get some sleep,

There just is no other way.

~~~~

Thanksgiving has dawned,

Though the sun is still down,

Soon everyone will be awake,

And running around.

~~~~

Turkey and stuffing to cook,

Pies and cookies to bake,

Smiles, laughter and hugs,

They leave in their wake.

~~~~

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving,

To YOU who stopped here,

May your day be filled with love,

And warm holiday cheer!

Random Goings On

2008-11-25T13:51:00.014-06:00

There are a bunch of random things going on here and I thought I would just make one big post about them instead of trying to find the time to post about each one. I am sorry this is so long. Feel free to read it in spurts, lol!

*A dear friend awarded me a blog award! She is such a sweetheart and I so love to read her blog because of the love for the Lord I see there. I don't have a whole lot of blog friends but most of them were on her list that she awarded! And how nice that it is a butterfly award, since most of you know how much I love butterflies, lol! There are a few blogs that aren't on her list that I do love, like Calitexans, The Lamberts, Where My Treasures Are to name a few. The ones she had on hers were Funderstorm, Glorious Grace, Kaleidoscope. Don't forget that even though Absolutely His gave me the award, I am giving it right back to her! You all touch my lives in so many ways! I am thankful for you!

*I have started flying again! I had tried it before several years ago and it worked pretty well then. But then life happened and I got so busy and bogged down with things that I let it go. I decided that I needed to "fly" again so I started checking into it. They have so many new things on there now. Even fly lessons for the kids! We haven't started that yet, I am working on some other things with them though and will add that later. I have been doing pretty well about keeping my sink clean and shinny! Most nights I actually go to bed with a clean sink. I am taking babysteps and I know I will get there. They have this great holiday flying list, but it started the first of November and I didn't get back into Flylady until after that. So I am trying to make my own short version. The point is to have everything done by December first so that you have the month of December to actually enjoy your holiday! Wow! Imagine that. What I have always wanted to do it enjoy my Thanksgiving because my birthday is usually right around the corner. This year it is the Friday after Thanksgiving. I always tell my family I want a clean house for my birthday. Most people don't understand why. But the reason is so that I don't have to feel guilty for sitting around and enjoying my family and some quiet time doing nothing. If I have a messy house, I feel guilty because I am not up cleaning. This year, thanks to Flylady, I might just get my birthday wish. Today we spent the morning doing room rescues. I set the timer for 15 minutes three times. You do 15 minutes in one room, then 15 minutes in another room and then go back to the first room for another 15 minutes if you didn't finish. Since I did finish that room we went to another room. Then you sit down and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee for 15 minutes. You can start over or be finished for the day. I started over and did it for another round. The boys hit their room while I did the kitchen! We got three rooms plus the hall done and have most of two more rooms done. I am going to do it again this afternoon and finish up the dinning room and kitchen. We will hit the other bathroom and two of the bedrooms tomorrow! I am also doing laundry today and get it out of the way! It feels great to know that the house is getting more than just a quick cleaning. We are getting all the dust and hidden things out of the rooms! I just can't believe how much dust there actually is hiding. YUCK! No wonder we are all sneezing! I am looking forward to cooking and having family time of Thursday and Friday without feeling guilty for the first time in many years. I am so thankful for my kids and their help!!!

*I found Joyful Momma through an e-book that I read of hers. It was called "Momma's Guide To Thriving on One Income". I read it in one day between doing all the other things I had to do. There were so many good things in that little e-book! I then searched her website for more precious gems. One of the things I found there was a menu guide. I am so bad about eating out for the simple reason that I am not organized when it comes to planning my meals and cleaning up. I found a wonderful menu planning on her site plus some tips on how to plan your meals. I made a basic chart for breakfast and lunch and then came up with four weeks of dinner meals. Then I took her chart and gave the kids assignments. Each meal one of my children has to help me cook the meal. Not just watch me cook but actually learn how to cook and does the work along side me. (They LOVE it!) The one that cooks has to help me do the dishes after that meal. The other two either have the job of setting the table or clearing it after our meal. This is the second week we are doing this and we have only eaten out for two meals! That is saying a lot when before we eat out for at least one a day! I am so proud of myself and my family! I am going to have to work on the grocery bill though. While it is a great deal LESS than the eating out bill, it is still a pretty high amount. But as with other things, babysteps!

*In my quest to lower our bills so that we can live on one income and get out of debt completely and move (Lord willing) to Colorado sooner than later, I have cut back on a few things. Eating out is one of them. Cutting back on bills that we can live without is another. For several years now we have had the "joy" of having many TV channels that include the kid stations and the Hallmark stations that I love. I have known for many years that too much TV is not good for anyone. So we do limit it and they can only watch a certain amount a day. The same goes for video games and computer time. With the new programing that the TV stations will be using soon our TV's will be out of date unless we have "cable" or buy a box to have the correct signal or buy new TV's (no way!). Instead, I have opted to forgo the $79 a month that I have been paying. Yes, I realize that is a huge amount of money and I should never have paid it to begin with. And I am not going to get the boxes to "fix" the signal and I am not even hooking up the rabbit ears from now till the signal changes. Last Friday I canceled our TV service! We have four TV's! One in each bedroom and one in the family room. But we also have DVD players in each room. And we love buying movies that we like and we also enjoy investing in the TV shows that we love. So, with a small portion of the money we will save each month we will put it towards some of our favorite TV series and old movies. We will still limit our time in front of the TV but it will be much easier to monitor what they watch now. I keep up with the news and weather on the computer by watching my favorite TV channel, channel 11. I go to bed much earlier, although when I put on a movie for myself I sometimes stay awake and watch the whole thing. We tend to watch things more as a family than just randomly watching whatever is on at the time. And we are saving money!

*I have a goal to go through my entire house (attic, too) and get rid of everything I don't want to take to Colorado with me. I want to downsize the amount of things that are cluttering our home so that we can be free to enjoy life in a way that it is impossible to do when you are surrounded by too much stuff. I want to first have a garage sale and make back a little of what I paid, I know it won't be much. But that will go towards some home repairs or towards paying off some of the debt we still have. Then the rest will be sent to Mission Arlington. I would love to be able to do the garage sale before the end of the year so that we start the new year off with some of that weight off our shoulders. But that is asking a lot of everyone considering I know I can't get it done by myself. The attic is a huge job all by itself and I am not going up there with the squirrels! We will see how it goes.

*Our plans for Colorado are still there but we don't know the timing. Our land in Colorado has to be paid off before we can make the move. We owe so much on it that it is going to be a miracle that we get it paid off by the deadline of November 3, 2009. But God is in control and we trust that He gave it to us and will see us through. We long to move now, but that is not God's timing. And Fourstringpop longs to quit his night job and find something he will enjoy. But he is waiting until something comes along and is even looking in Colorado. So far, nothing has opened up. God will open the doors when He is ready. The kids talk about Colorado all the time. Even the teen is ready to go. Some days I wonder what the Lord has planned and if Colorado is really a part of it. But that is just me not wanting to wait on Him. I am very impatient!

I know this has been long. Forgive the amount of posts that I have combined into one. My life is so full of activity that sometimes I can't find the time to sit down and post all that I want to share. My daycare is still going strong. I thank God for that provision. He is so good! I will do a Thanksgiving post on Thursday with the long list of things I am thankful for. I know I will forget some but will try to post as many as I can think of at that time. Have a blessed week!

The Hairbrush

2008-11-19T18:16:00.007-06:00

A friend posted this story written by Beth Moore on her blog and I felt the need to share it with all of those who read mine. For those of you who have heard Beth speak, you know she has that wonderful Texas accent and when I read this I could hear her as if I was watching her on TV or listening to one of her radio shows. It really touched me, as I am sure it will you. Feel free to share it as well.

For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters.
This is one of her experiences:

April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville, waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you.

You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones.

The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport... An impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served up on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him.

Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.
I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing.

I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. 'Oh, no, God, please, no.' I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, 'Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!'

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, 'Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane.' Then I heard it....'I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair.'

The words were so clear, my heart leap into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainier. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, 'God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man.'

Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. 'That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair.'

I looked up at God and quipped, 'I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?' God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: 'I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works.' (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, 'Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?'

He looked back at me and said, 'What did you say?'

'May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?'

To which he responded in volume ten, 'Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that'

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, 'SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?' At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Long Locks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, 'If you really want to.'

Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, 'Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush.'

'I have one in my bag,' he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while.

The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's. I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knee and said, 'Sir, do you know my Jesus?'

He said, 'Yes, I do'

Well, that figures, I thought.

He explained, 'I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior.' He said, 'You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride.'

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it.

Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, 'That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?'

I said, 'Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!' And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way .. all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.

John 1:14 'The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth'

Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, 'Wow! What a ride! Thank You, Lord!'

Please share this wonderful story.

Fall Fun Festival 2008

2008-11-12T13:58:00.006-06:00

Ever late, but that than never, right? One can only hope.... So this post is twelve days late. One of the things we love to do is make out costumes out of something or take part of a costume and create the rest of it. Sometimes we are really good at that and other times, not so much.

Game Champs costume this year was the Joker (the one from the original Batman, played by Jack Nicholson). We got the top of the costume (a mask came with it but we tossed it in the trash, it was terrible!), got some green hair spray, some face paint and he had black pants and white gloves at the house. It turned out pretty cool! All the kids at church loved the Joker and wanted to go to his booth and play the games.

Star Princess was Sleeping Beauty. We were lucky enough to find the costume and shoes at the Disney Store way early this year. It is a size too big but it was what they had so we got it. I spent tons of time trying to curl her hair, knowing that it would only stay curled for the first pictures and then it would fall out. But she looked beautiful for the pictures anyway! Can you believe we forgot the lip gloss!!! I don't know how SP would have forgotten but she did.

Pirate Lad was Anikin Skywalker this year. We found the costume on sale and he had the light saber already, we just put fresh batteries in it. His is a size too big, as well. But he can wear it longer! There were so many Star Wars Characters at the FFF this year you would have thought they landed on Earth! PL spent most of the night in saber wars with the other JR Star Wars characters running around. There were two families that were Star Wars (the Blevins-all 5 of them and Steve and Ella Smith and sons). Jake Blevins was Yoda and he kept doing some kind of move from the animated movie that was so cute!

This pose was her idea. She loves her brother very much! They have so many pictures together in front of these bushes! One day I will have to gather them up and put them on a page together...if I ever get time to scrapbook again. I barely have time to write on here!

Baby Girl and her sweetheart came, with their two dogs! One of her dogs was dressed up like a lady bug! Too cute Harley! All the kids at the FFF wanted to come see the dogs! They said next year they ought to set up a booth and call it pet the dogs and give out candy! They might should!

My two girls together! SP is holding on to the lady bug Harley's leash. These two have such a sweet relationship! Funny how 14 years age difference in sisters will do that.

This is one of my favorites because of the look on her face! It was as if she was thinking, "I am standing next to the Joker?! O....K......" She loved his costume!

I hope you enjoyed a small peek of what we did on October 31. We don't really do Halloween but enjoy dressing up in fun costumes and going to church for fun, food, and fellowship with our church family.

I Must Be Doing Something Right!

2008-11-03T09:46:00.008-06:00

I must be doing something right, or else I would not have had this thrown into my face, so to speak, in hopes that it would upset me and make me feel anything but pure joy! I got an email from an old "friend" and I replied to her email. I told her how I hoped she was doing well and that I had some updated pictures on my blogs of the kids and she could check them out to see what we had been up to. Much to my surprise, she wrote me back stating that she would NOT be looking at my blogs because she tried that before and I "shoved god in her face too much". WOW!!! At first I was upset. How dare she talk to me that way! But then.....

I realized that this wasn't a bad thing! While I am saddened that she seems to have never and will never grasp what I have prayed for years for her to understand: That Christ IS LORD!!! I have to praise the Lord that I am showing HIS LIGHT through my blog. I hope that I am showing His Light through all aspects of my life. I know I am human and make big mistakes but I am covered by the blood of Christ. I can regret and repent of my sins and try again. I can't be perfect but I can do the very best I can to follow His example.

The time is drawing near for the Lord to come. Are there those near you that need to hear about Him? Are there those far from you that you can go and tell? We need to urgently reach those that do not know the truth so they have a chance to not be left behind when Christ comes. Because what will be left here with them is not something we should wish on our worst enemies. Pray hard! Love much! Spread His Good News to all!

UPDATE:

A dear blogger friend of mine, who is so wise for her young years, gave me some great verses that back up what God was leading me to feel in this situation! (Thank you so much! I love you dearly and am thrilled that God shows Himself to me through you!) I wanted to share them with you!

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endruance. And let endurance have it's perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Acts 5:41-42

September Birthdays (late I know)

2008-10-24T18:33:00.008-05:00

I have been so busy with so much that I have yet to post our September birthday's on here. I know that is terrible but that is just how it is. I had intended to post two seperate posts but I am going to go ahead and post both of them here.

Star Princess is 7!!!

She had a High School Musical party, of course! She was so excited! We her a shirt to wear and a lady at church made the cake. (Thanks Linda!) We got Disney Channel Scene It game and they kids played it. Then we had cake and opened presents!

Mom had to get a picture with the birthday girl!! I can't believe she is already 7 years old. Where did the time go? She is getting so tall and still a beautiful little girl. We love to hang out together and she still likes to snuggle with her mom (for now!).

She is a total daddy's girl! Every chance she gets she snuggles up with her dad or gets hugs! I know that he is wondering how she can be so big so quickly, as well. Time does fly....

She got some wonderful gifts, four of them Barbies! So it was a good thing we had this wonderful Barbie Doll house made for her! She loves it! It is totaly awesome! It takes up a lot of room but that is ok. It is 5'x5'. We had Steve Hughes make it for her. I got the plans off of ebay and asked him if he could do it. It turned out fantastic! She is in the second grade and is doing wonderful!! She almost always has a great attitude when it comes to doing her school work and finishes by 11 in the morning so she has the rest of the day to do other things.

Game Champ is 16!!!!!!

He had a Family Force Five disco type party. We had a disco ball and party lights. We had a Wii and Playstation 2 there.

We were able to use the fellowship hall at our church so Fourstringpop and his band set and played a short set. It was fun but loud, lol.

His friend brought Guitar Hero to play. Thanks bunches!!! They really had a lot of fun playing that game.

I thought I would get in the picture since I am usually taking them! (yes, that is an earring! ugh! Not my choice or his dads. We are hoping he out grows it soon!) It is hard to believe that he is 16. That is such a weird age. They are so close to what the world calls adult and yet so far from really understanding what it means to be grown up. He is in 11th grade so we have 2 years of high school left to get him through. Then, only God knows what is in store next.

So that is what we did for our two September kids birthday's. They both had a great time and we are so blessed to have them in our lives! Thanks for letting me share!

What's Happening

2008-09-02T16:26:00.004-05:00

I updated my homeschool blog if you want to check out that post. As far as me, I finished up school on Sunday. No, I am not getting my degree at this point. I got what I needed to get licenced through the state for childcare. At this time, that is all I need. I am going to turn 43 in two months and I just can't see spending $10,000 and another 6 months of school every day. I am trying to make some new changes to help our furture in Colorado come sooner! More details on that to come!

I am sorry I don't have much to update at this point. God is working in my life in some hard but good ways and changes are on the horizon. I will share more later. I am hoping I have time to do that very soon!

Our Summer

2008-08-07T23:17:00.014-05:00

I don't know about anyone elses summer but mine has gone by rather quickly. Pirate Lad asked me the other day "Mom, how can it almost be Christmas already?" I had to tell him that time passes so quickly and that is why we have to make sure that every day is spent doing the things that are truly important. Now as the world grows darker we have to shine Christs' light even brighter so those who are lost will see.

Now, we did get to do some fun things this summer. I don't have pictures yet of all of them but if I wait for that I may never post! I love to post and share things on here but life gets so busy sometimes. I will try to give brief descriptions of our summer activities!

One of the things we have done a lot this summer is go to Hawaiian Falls in Mansfield. It is newly built and really great for families with younger children. We got passes and went every weekend in June and part of July. We have not had a chance to go in the last few weeks due to our many activities. But that has been a major source of fun in our summer. Both the younger kids have turned a beautiful golden brown as their skin tanned in the summer sun. Mine on the other hand, has not! My darling Fourstringpop questioned me one day as to why I wasn't as dark as them since I was out there the same amount of time. I just DON'T tan, that is it, cut and dry. I did get a little bit darker but still look very fair next to them.

Pirate Lad went to Preteen Camp for the very first time this year! He loved it, as I knew he would. He enjoyed every aspect of it. He enjoyed the camp pastor, which was also a comedian/storyteller of sorts. He had a wonderful wolf puppet that he used to tell stories and get the kids drawn into it with. PL came home with the CD of it and we listened to it all the way home from the church, with a couple of stops in between. I don't have his film developed yet, I know bad! What can I say? I am so busy! And... I forget!

Star Princess also had her first experience with camp this year. She went to GA camp. Her big sister went in my place since I had no more vacation time to spare since we used up five days for our honeymoon in April. The girls had a wonderful time, all of them. It was one of the best years the girls had at camp. She really grew up during that trip. I talked to her on the phone a few times but she didn't want to come home. She wanted to stay there and have fun with her friends and her sister. Last weekend she got invited over to a sleepover and I could tell she really had grown up a little from camp when I told her I would miss her. Her reply was "Mom, it's not that long." Too true, it was only one night, not 5 days like camp was. My sweet baby is growing up! That is a very good thing!

In between church camps we went on our vacation to, you guessed it, Colorado! We sure miss it when we are not there. We spent the 4th of July with our dear friends in Idaho Springs.

We watched the fireworks from the same spot we did last year.

The next day us girls had our day, as you can read about in the post below.

We headed for Montrose to camp the following day. The views along the way were wonderful. We hadn't traveled that way before so it was nice to see some of Colorado that we hadn't seen. We camped there for two days. The weather was nice. We drove up to Ouray and that was a lovely little mountain town. There were shops there and I found a collection of Angels that I adore! I want to collect them but can't find anyone who sells them. So I guess I will have to make trips to Ouray periodically. We may camp there someday.

We headed to Westcliffe, our town, after that. We spent two days there. We put markers on our land where we want our house built. We also went bowling (our favorite thing to do there) and played pool one night. We also got to eat at our favorite pizza place. It was like being home for just a bit.

Then we went to Durango to camp a couple of days. This is a view we saw while driving from Westcliffe to Durango. It was fun.

We got to make smores at the camp ground in Durango since we could have somewhat of an open fire. We didn't get to do that in Montrose. Then we drove home in one day! LONG DRIVE!!!

The day we got home from Colorado we slept for half a day then got up for Vacation Bible School. We had a wonderful week doing that! The songs were so fun this year. I had been working in the preschool area the last 9 years so I really missed the music time that the older kids got to do. It was so fun!

I helped out in the first grade class. We had a lot of fun doing pretend water activities in the classroom!

We have done the summer movie day several times this summer. The kids have been great at that. We have gone to Chuck E. Cheese one morning to visit with some dear friends from the school the kids went to the last two years. We have gone to get Slurpees many, many times this summer to try to withstand the heat that comes with Texas during the months of July and August.

We have gone to see full price movies a few times. We enjoyed Dark Knight and Kung Fu Panda. It is so hard to take the kids to the movies when it is new because it costs so much now. I would rather wait till the movies gets to the dollar show to pay less but it is hard to make them wait for something they want to see so badly and others they are close to have seen it. Of course, Baby Girl saw Dark Knight the day it opened! She does that a lot.

I have been doing school all summer. I have done very well at keeping my grades up, even through vacation! Yes, my laptop and text book went with us! I am in the process of getting licensed instead of registered with the state so that I can watch more kids and carry more kids on my food program. I am very excited about what that can mean towards our goals to pay off things and build our house so that we are debt free and have a place to live when we get to Colorado. We have sat down and made our lists of things we need to do in the next few months and it is so exciting!

We could no longer afford our old school so we had to make some hard choices. But with prayer they have not been hard at all. Much to the contrary. Game Champ is going to the local school next to our house. And the younger two, of course, will be homeschooled. We are all excited about our school plans and look forward to an exciting year. Game Champ is also working on starting his own Christian rock band. He is so talented. He taught himself how to play the piano and bass guitar and sings very well. He is now learning to play the drums for certain songs. He is gifted with music in a way I have never seen before. I am amazed and excited to see how he lets God use him through it.

My daycare, as I said above, is doing very well and we are making some big changes. The Lord is already laying the foundations of it as the time draws near to turn in the paperwork. I am trusting Him to bring who He wants here as always. He has been so faithful to do so all these years.

I know I said I would be short, but I had to write about 2 whole months! We are doing well and staying busy as we take each day and do at least one thing to work towards our goals to move. It takes time but we will get there.

Mother/Daughter Day In Colorado

2008-07-14T16:12:00.008-05:00

We had a wonderful Mother/Daughter day with our friends, Michelle and Caroline. We had been planning it for months since I told her we were coming for the fourth of July weekend. We watched the fireworks with our friends, the Hillman's, like we did last year. Then on Saturday, July 5th we went on a Mother/Daughter picture and fun day. (We ended up taking Michael with us but that ended up OK) The guys went fishing and had a good time.

We wanted to take some mother and daughter pictures since we are both nuts about pictures. I think we both got some really great ones. I love this one of Star Princess and me. She is such a special little girl and I am glad we were able to capture this moment in time. I am going to put some of them in a special frame when I get the time and find the right frame.

Michelle and Caroline got some really good ones, too. It was so much fun spending the day together in the mountains. She took us to a small mountain town and we looked in the shops and ate pizza and ice cream. Then we went to the mall and shopped a little and ate dinner. Then we rode the carousel.

Of course, the girls had to get their pictures done together. They were always right next to each other so it wasn't hard to snap quite a few pictures of them. They had such a great time the whole while we were there.

Us "big" girls had to have some fun, too! Star Princess did a great job of taking pictures of us! I got both of us a neat frame that says friends and holds two pictures. So we are putting these two pictures in those frames. That worked out pretty neat!

Our day was a blast and I am so grateful that God sent this precious friend into my life. He is so good and knows who and what we need all the time. I love you, Michelle! You are the best ever! Thanks for always being there for me!

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-01T09:14:00.005-05:00

I am going on vacation on July 3-13 and will not be doing any blogging (not that I have been doing much lately!). I found a wonderful poem on a friends blog and thought I would share it with my visitors, too. We will be in Colorado for 9 days and enjoying the great outdoors and the company of our friends that live there. We need a vacation so badly! Please pray for our safety and protection while we are on the road. We will have lots to post about when we return!!! Happy 4th!

We gather 'round to celebrate

On Indenpence Day

Pay homage to our country

As the children run and play.

With barbecues and picnics

And fireworks in the air

The flag we own is proudly flown

To show how much we care.

The stars and stripes spell freedom

She waves upon the breeze

While bursts of colors can be seen

Above the towering trees.

This is all quite wonderful

We revel in delight

But God above in divine love

Has brought this day to light.

With just a stroke of liberty

A touch of His great hand

He gave democracy to us

And helped this country stand.

The stripes upon our stately flag

Were touched by His sweet grace

Each star of white that shines so bright

Reflects His loving face.

So as you turn to face the flag

For battles that were fought

Be filled with pride for those who died

And freedoms that were bought.

But don’t forget to thank the One

That gives the bright display

The reason why we paint the sky

On Independence Day

That You May Have Peace-In Him

2008-06-17T08:58:00.005-05:00

Jesus said in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Isn't that a wonderful promise from Jesus? In Him we can have peace even though we are in the world and going through tribulation because he already overcame the world. He beat death and we are victors with Him!

So no matter what you are going through in this world, take heart because He is there for you and has sent His Holy Spirit to be with you. No matter what mistakes we make or what comes against us. He loves us. We are chosen by Him.

I am on lesson 4 of the Ephesians study and enjoying it very much. God is speaking to me about so many things that I have gone through, am going through and will go through, for I am still on this earth for a time and the trubulations and trials will not end until He either comes again or I go home to be with Him. Since I know neither date, I just have to walk in faith and trust God to be there for me.

There are so many temptations out there and one of them is to get wrapped up in the worlds ways of doing things. And having bad attitudes towards others that may not agree with us. But I desire to be different and to fight those temptations. I only want to feel towards others the way Jesus does. The only way I can do that is to allow the Holy Spirit to move in me and show me the way. He has been doing that in an amazing way this last week. I could be feeling very upset about some things but I'm not. I am just praying for peace in other peoples lives because I have peace in my heart about things. I know that although I make mistakes God is there for me and He knows I am trying to do His will and trying so hard not to mess up. (but I do anyway) And He knows that my desire to change comes from Him. I have been seeking Him more and more to be close to Him and have a more personal relationship with Him and through that I have grown in many ways.

Does that mean I am saying I am perfect and become all I can be? Not by a long shot. I will not be made perfect until I see Christ again. So I will keep struggling along desiring to be more like Him in all I do. I will faulter because I am human and make mistakes. But Christ knows my heart and loves me no matter what.

We, as humans, have a hard time with that concept. We expect people to be perfect. That is an unrealistic expectation. And we judge and condem those we say we care about in the process because they don't live up to our expectations of them. How sad to put that heavy weight on others. It may be that this happens when we have a heavy weight on our own shoulders that we really don't want to look at and take care of. Like the Bible tells us to remove the plank out of our own eye before we try to remove the speck from a brothers. We see the other peoples faults as unbearable when the plank in our own eye becomes too large to bear. Even if it is something that is hard to deal with, God is there and will see us through it. We must address every issue He brings to our attention so that we can have that peace He desires for us to have. I have been trying my best to allow God to remove the planks from my eyes so that I see others from His loving point of view.

I pray for peace in all of your lives and in my own. Life on this earth is hard. No question there. And each day we have a choice to make. What will we do today that has eternal value? Will we make a difference in someone elses life? If you have children or children in your life, what will you give them that day to point them toward the Father above? Towards Jesus who showed us how to live and be light to others? That is something I try to ask myself each morning. I am not always successful in starting my day the right way, but it is my desire to do so. I desire a closer walk with the Lord, daily. I desire to spread His love to others and to point the way to Christ in doing so.

What will your day hold that is eternal? When you are doing your normal everyday activities what can you put in the middle of it that will contain eternal value? Think about it, and share it with me, if you want.

Life In The Spirit: The Spirit and It's Fruit

2008-06-10T10:10:00.005-05:00

I just finished up a 15 lesson study on Life in the Spirit with Kay Arthur online. We looked at many verses in the Bible where we see the Spirit and marked them. Today's lesson was on the Spirit and the fruit that is produced when you live in the Spirit instead of the flesh.

Kay stated: Life in the Spirit is to have Christ in you by the power of the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you until you see Him face to face.

2 Corinthians 5:9 says: Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

That should be what our lives are like, pleasing to Him. As a human being that is a hard thing to accomplish. But if we live in the Spirit is becomes easier. If we are listening to the Spirit tell us how to act and react to things, then we are on the right path. Yes, we will slip up but it should not be the habit of our lives to follow that other path.

But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Gal 5:22-26

How are we to do that if we are weak? The Bible tells us that Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

That should give us hope because it tells us that we can't do it by our might or our power but by the Spirit of the Lord! Wow!

Well, what about peace? How can we have peace in all things? That is a hard one, right? Nope, same as the rest. Romans 5:1 tells us that Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace through Jesus. He came and gave us so much and much of the time we leave it "on the table" and say "oh, I don't need that, thanks anyway. I am doing just fine on my own." How much we miss out on in our lives when we do not take ALL that Christ offers us. It is a packaged deal, we get it all, not just some of His wonderful gifts.

If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ does that mean life will always be easy and we will never have trials and hard times? I am afraid not. Life will not be perfect because we are human and we still have that sinful nature that we have to suppress each and every day that we walk this earth. But the power of the Spirit will give us the ability to overcome the flesh and live in the Spirit and produce those Fruit in our lives.

If you are lost and don't know what Christ did for you, I would be happy to share it with you. How Christ came to earth taking on human form to die for our sins. He died on the cross a sinless man. He rose on the third day and was seen by many. Then he ascended into Heaven and will return one day for all those who choose to believe in Him. He wants all to come to Him. If you know Christ but are still confused as to how you are to live in the Spirit I can give you my notes from the Bible study and we can talk about it. I, like minded with Christ, want none to perish and be lost. The world is getting darker and darker, we need to be that light in the world for others to find so that they, too, can be with Christ in Heaven when He comes again.

Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:5

Summer Fun

2008-06-09T21:40:00.005-05:00

Blogging may be less than usual, I know you find that hard to believe since I don't blog that often anyway! We have some fun things planned for the summer and I hope to blog about them and share wonderful pictures of them, too. Here is a list of some of the fun things, not in any particular order, that we are doing this summer.

Weekend fun a Hawaiian Falls water park
Vacation in Colorado (Camping & Fishing, too)
Visit to our friends the Hillman's in Colorado
Free movie days-Wednesdays
Vacation Bible School
Music Day Camp
Preteen Camp (yes, he is old enough, yikes!)
GA Camp
Summer Reading

That is what I have come up with so far. I am sure there will be some other fun stuff filtered in there somewhere. I am just going to enjoy being with my family as much as possible. Time is short. Too short to be wasted.

More later!

The Story Behind The Song

2008-05-23T10:31:00.006-05:00

By now everyone has heard that Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year old daughter, Maria, was killed on Wednesday. And everyone has been listening to that wonderful song "Cinderella". But do you know the details behind the song? If not, here is the story....

My New Homeschool Blog

2008-05-13T10:30:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share with you that I have a new homeschool blog. I will be posting our homeschool news on there. Field Trips, Projects, curriculum, etc...... We are very excited to start! Only 10 more school days left of their time at Flint Academy. They are happy in once sense and not happy in another. Pirate Lad is ready to be done. Star Princess has some wonderful teachers so she will miss them terribly! So will I. It has been a pleasure to know them and watch the love they have given my daughter. Thank you ladies so much!!! We love you!

God Spoke to Me

2008-05-06T09:15:00.005-05:00

A blogger friend had a link on her blog and it has been there for some time. She has failed to post anything new for a couple of weeks. I started thinking I should take the time to go and find out what it was for her to want it on there for so long on the top. So I went to the link. I watched the video. Then I went to the personal blog Bring The Rain. I could not pass up this chance to share it with those of you that might not visit the same blogs as I do.

In one of the recent Karen Kingsbury books something so very similar happened that rocked me to the core and it was only in a book. But God is the One that gives her the words to write so I believe that He did that to bring awareness to us that need to know HIS power in a mighty way. This family is such a testimony for us all. Make sure you have a box of tissue when you watch it!

http://www.vimeo.com/951902

He Speaks to Me

2008-05-04T19:09:00.007-05:00

"I'm your servant, ready to listen."

1 Samuel 3:10

On Saturday, May 3 at my church we had a ladies spring luncheon. The theme was "He Speaks to Me". As you can see from above the verse is out of the book of 1 Samuel. We had a lovely morning of fellowship with one another and good food, salads from Sweet Tomatoes. I had never eaten there so it was nice to get to try it. One of the ladies sang a song and then we had our wonderful guest speaker, a very dear friend of mine. She had many wonderful things to say about how God speaks to her. And advice on how to listen to God speaking to us straight from His Word.

The focus to her talk was John 14:15-26.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever, Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. Judas said unto Him, not Iscriot, Lord, How is it that thou wilt manifest theyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father's which sent Me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

She taughts us a really neat trick to help us remember verse 20. She gave us three different size envelopes and one small bright colored square. She told us to take the largest envelope and write God on it. The second one we wrote Jesus on it. The smallest one we wrote our name on it and then we took the small square and wrote Jesus on that one, too. We put them all inside of one another smallest to largest. So It reminded us that Jesus is in God. We are in Jesus. And Jesus is in us. Isn't that a neat little trick to remember it? She had really cute decorated envelopes and told us that we could take ours and decorate them when we got home if we wanted to. She is such a crafty person! I think I will decorate it and put it in my scrapbook with my program and picture. That will make a cute page!

She also talked about the words in red in the Bible. We know they are Jesus' words. The whole Word of God is very special, no arguing that. But it really peaked my attention when she would refer over and over to the Words in Red being Christs' Words. The Words He spoke to His followers and to us, all of us from then to the day of His return. Wow! We are so fortunate to have His Word. Some do not have a Bible. I find that so sad. I try to make sure that all the children who ask for one, and any adults for that matter, have one if I know they do not.

Some of you may know and some may not know the struggles my family has been going through. You can check out my other blog for details. But as we have been seeking His will and guidance through it I have had to listen very carefully to what He was saying and the timing on that. When the doors were opened so quickly that I could hear God speaking through that. God is using this to bring our family closer and to work through so many things. I am excited to see what God is going to do through all of it.

So how do you hear God speaking to you? How do you speak to God? Prayer? Song? Through service? Through friends? If there is a certain way that God has spoken to you lately, please share it with me.

Pirate Lad turned 9 on April 14

2008-04-21T10:47:00.006-05:00

Although I am late posting this, it is really not a complete post because we have yet to do the annual birthday dinner (where the birthday person gets to pick the place to eat) and he hasn't had his party (he will do that in May). But I wanted to post some things now before it got too far away from his actual birthday.

It is hard to believe that 9 years have gone by since he was born. There is an almost 7 year difference in him and his older brother. We had two miscarriages between them. So as you can imagine, we were thrilled to finally have this little guy in our arms. Funny thing is when we were first pregnant with him we found out that there were two sacks. But after two weeks we were able to see that one of them was empty and that little one didn't make it. So Pirate Lad knows that he has someone in Heaven waiting to meet him someday. We have taught him that God knows us before we are born and that He makes us in our mother's womb so he knows that his sibling is with the Lord.

His older sister had just turned 12 when he was born so she was and always will be like a second mom to him. He was a big baby. He weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces. He came after only 3 hours of labor. Not too bad! His older siblings too MUCH longer.

From the beginning he was a very special baby. He was able to brighten everyone's day with his smile. He is still very good at that! He is one of the most active kids I have ever seen. He loves to climb trees and do most sports. He loves music, too. His dad got him something very special for his birthday this year!

Fourstringpop took him to Guitar Center so he could pick out what he wanted. He was allowed to pick a regular guitar or the bass and he had his choice of colors. He was so proud when he came home carrying that box that held his new pride and joy. It is a beautiful blue bass with a lightning strap. His dad has already started teaching him things and he goes out to the music room and works on it several times a day. So now, all three of my guys play the bass guitar! How funny! Of course, there is one difference between Pirate Lad and the other two, he is RIGHT handed instead of left like them.

I will post more when we have our dinner out and pictures from his party. He is planning somethng special for that time. I can't wait to do that for him and post about it. Thanks for letting me share my sweet boys birthday with you!