Birthdays, Blessings and Blahs

Our second child, Chandler, turned 12 years old on Sunday. It’s hard to believe that 12 years flew by so quickly! Chandler is lively, energetic, an entrepreneur, hard working, and we are so thankful for him! Of course, he has flaws too, but since it’s his birthday, we won’t mention those!

Last week was a busy week for Roger as he had a school board meeting, a missions board meeting, and he went to a men’s retreat on Friday- Saturday. While it was a busy week for Roger, and he was a bit overwhelmed with also preparing for ground school on Sunday, we are so thankful that Roger had the opportunity to go to the men’s retreat. We all need encouragement and good fellowship from time to time, and this retreat provided that for Roger. He came home greatly encouraged, and it was such a delight to my heart to know that his walk with God was encouraged. There was a group of five men that went to the retreat from our church, and I think they all came away encouraged and blessed.

Chandler’s birthday was on Sunday, which is kinda a rough day to have a birthday as it’s hard to plan a party around church services. However, our church had our annual meeting after church with a potluck lunch and then we took our youth and teens ice skating. We had a good turnout of about 25 kids and teens at the ice skating event, and a good time was had by all! Chandler asked if he could have over the boys in his class for a small birthday party, so we are planning that for a few weeks down the road.

It’s been a rough last couple of weeks in our community and school, as we’ve had several tragic events that have affected families in our school and community. One of our community families had a tragic death occur and another family lost a small child to a drowning incident. Our hearts have been heavy as we’ve prayed fervently for different outcomes, I’m thankful that we serve a God who is timeless, and He sees our hurts. He outpours grace on us, and loves us more than we could fathom. Twenty years ago, on January 27, 2000, my family experienced our own heartache, as my mom gave birth to a beautiful baby girl...stillborn. Oh, how our hearts hurt and the grief was so strong. I’ll never understand why God in His infinite wisdom choose to take home my baby sister before we even got to know her, but I do know that I can trust God. Twenty years flew by, but my heart does hurt sometimes for the sister that I never got to know and the aunt our children have never known. We have two choices when our lives are shaken by tragic events. We can either become bitter, angry and withdrawn from God or we can choose to lean into His everlasting mercy, grace and comfort. Choosing the latter doesn’t make the pain magically erase, but we can have peace in the midst of heartache. We don’t know what the future looks like and certainly none of us would choose pain and suffering, but peace, oh sweet peace can be found when we cling to the promises of God.

I’ve been reading though a book about raising boys this week “Strong Mothers, Strong Boys”. It’s been a good read, but ever read books on parenting or raising kids and think, “Well, I hope I’ve done something right?!” I’ve made so many parenting mistakes that it would be easy to be bogged down by the failures, but I know that my strength is not in my own but in Jesus. One thing that I’ve really been trying to do more of is just listen to my boys. I’m good at formulating responses before they’re even done talking! These teen years are hard! And I love my boys (and Emma) but sometimes I wonder if we are going to get through these years and come out loving each other and loving Jesus! Any prayers would be appreciated!

These months from January to spring (whenever that comes) sometimes tend to feel a bit long and slow. Chandler made the comment to me that “there’s not much fun stuff happening right now.” Ha! I know the feeling...sometimes we just have to ask God to help us be content regardless of the circumstances or “fun”. The boys have been trouble getting the ice skating rink to stay in working order so I know that has them a bit frustrated and discouraged. The weather hasn’t stayed cold, so that’s been a struggle. Lord willing, they’ll be able to use it again soon. This is the time of year that sometimes the monotony seems long...school, packing lunches, chauffeuring, making meals, laundry, etc...again, we are to be content regardless of our circumstances! “For I have learned in whatsoever state I am, there with to be content.” I’m still a work in progress for sure!

Also, Emma started off in kindergarten strong and knowing a lot of the material. However, she has been really struggling as of late in her phonics and reading. We just need wisdom in how to help her understand and retain the material. She seems to enjoy going to school, but she comes home tired and worn out.

A few smiles and praises:
* the kids are taking tennis lessons once a week through the school. Travis comes into the preschool classroom last week on the morning of tennis, and says, “Mom, I have a problem.” I ask him what the problem is and he points to his feet. He has on matching shoes, but two different sizes!! How on earth did he mange to get all the way to school before realizing that he had on one of his shoes and one of Chandler’s shoes?! I asked him what he was going to do about his problem. He didn’t have any suggestions, so I told him to think about it. He thought a few minutes and then said he would wear the shoes to tennis and then wear his snow boots the rest of the day. Well, that seems like a solution son! He survived the day, but Roger and I had a good laugh about it in the evening.

* Emma lost one of her front teeth on a baseball bat this past week. It was a plastic one, and she was swinging it around and managed to knock her tooth out...yes, it was already loose! The boys were in complete awe of how she managed to do that!

*Wyatt has figured out how to solve the Rubik cube! He has patiently read directions on how to solve it, and has asked a friend for help, and has now practiced it to perfection! I have no clue where to even begin on solving a Rubik cube, so I’m impressed!

* I shop for Christmas presents and birthday presents year round, and I have several boxes of gifts that I’ve accumulated for when the need for a present arises. While at Walmart last week, I found many markdowns on toys, clothes, and shoes. I bought some things for our preschool class, gave some things to Emma’s teacher, and stocked our present box. We spent $90.00 on items that the retail value is over $400.00! The boys are stocked up on flannel shirts ($1.00 each) and shoes ($3.00 a pair!). Emma was thrilled to get pink tennis shoes! She’s been wanting some pink shoes for a while, and I was happy to be able to get her a pair for $3.00! God is so good at providing us with so many blessings!




God is good and faithful even in the midst of discouragement or disappointments. We’d appreciate your prayers as we continue to parent our children and work to point them to Jesus.

Love, Sarah

Snow Days, Candy Canes & Prayers

Our landscape here in Maine was once again coated white with snow this past week. It gave us a snow day from school, much to the delight of all of our family. Roger had off from work on Thursday, which was our snow day.

                                                    Ice skating rink is almost ready again

Other than our snow day, it was a normal week. Okay, what does that even mean?! Routines we have, normalcy...well, that’s another matter entirely! Each week brings new challenges, joys and trials which result in every day being different and unique.

I taught music classes on Monday, and I’ve decided that this year for the spring Patriotic program we will focus on our flag. In a time in our history when our flag seems to be so dishonored and disrespected, it seems like a good time to sing songs about our flag and have poems and speeches that honor our flag. The Patriotic program is one of my favorite events of the year. It’s still a ton of work, but being an American is something that I hail as a privilege  and responsibility. And we need to pass that on to the generations behind us.

On Wednesday we had an early release day which allows for a staff meeting and some time in our classrooms. Roger had off on Wednesday and Thursday this week, which was so nice for me! He was able to pick the kids up from school so that it was a bit easier for me to stay at the school. I spent the afternoon working on various projects with Renee, and talking with some of the teachers. I had quite a lengthy discussion with one of the teachers, in which we both shared burdens and concerns. We have a wonderful school, but wonderful does not mean without problems or struggles. I am privileged to work alongside of these wonderful teachers, and I am learning so much from them.  Being on the staff side is a completely different story than being on the board side, and I am quickly learning that! I’m thankful that God works in every detail in our lives.

Thursday we welcomed a snow day! It was a wet sloppy snow which means lots of wet, sloppy clothes! The boys and Emma were in and out all day long. Roger drove me to my eye appointment in the afternoon, which I was very thankful for. I haven’t been to the eye doctor in four years, but surprisingly enough, my eyes have improved slightly! I’m practically as blind as a bat without my contacts or glasses, but at least my eyes did not get any worse! Emma made a tea party for Roger in the afternoon. It was quite funny to see Roger sit beside this little table that Emma had decorated. Emma dressed up in her fancy dress up clothes, and they ate blueberries and sipped water together. The boys were all outside, which was for the best, because they probably would’ve wanted to eat all the tea party food!

Friday afternoon found me on a short and quick date with Allison! I’ve missed our times together since I’ve taken on the role as the preschool aide. However, a local store was offering up free chicken while it lasted. Free food?! Yes, please! We took a quick “field trip” to the store and even got coffee together (thru the drive thru). It was so nice to spend a few minutes visiting together. We had a parents group meeting in the afternoon. The purpose of the parents group is to come alongside the teachers and students of our school. One of the ways I think we can focus on the goal a bit better is to be more fervent in prayer. So, I made a list of everyone that teaches, works or oversees the school, and we spent time in prayer for our school. If we really want to see God change our world, we have to start by allowing Him to change us. I’m excited to see what God does as we continue to pray for our school. I also wish I knew how to better motivate other parents to  want to be involved in the parent group, but maybe that will come along to as we pray together more. I know that I want God to be alive and real in my own life, and that comes through being in His Word and spending time with Him.

Guess what?! I went grocery shopping on Saturday (no surprise there!) but when I was at the grocery store, they were giving away free boxes of candy canes. I know you’re thinking, “why on earth is this lady so excited about free candy canes?!” Well, because of Haiti!! I told the grocery store manager that I would be going to Haiti in the spring and could I have more than one box of candy canes. She gave me two paper bags and said, “Help yourself”. I was given 26 boxes of free candy canes!! Don’t you just love how God is in the little details?! My eyes welled up with tears as I pulled out of the grocery store parking lot. God is just so good. I know that there will be many delighted children in Haiti to get a candy cane. I’ll let my sister hand out the nasty medicine, and I’ll just be over there handing out candy canes! Every time I get the opportunity to go to Haiti, I always pray that God will help me to pack just the right things. Last year, I packed carefully, and I ended up in Haiti without my luggage! But even through that God was glorified, as He showed Himself strong and the provided of our needs.

The wet, sloppy snow on Thursday did not help the ice skating rink, but the boys and Roger went down to talk to our local fire chief. On Saturday afternoon, he was able to dump some water on the ice skating rink. That certainly helped the ice. Chandler has been working diligently on getting it back to smooth for ice skating again. Hopefully, they’ll have some smooth skating for a while. This has  certainly   been a learning curve of a year for us with this ice skating rink!

To God be the Glory!
Sarah

26 boxes of free candy canes! 

                                                             Tea Party!

Snow covered rink

Haiti, “Operation Auca” and Heart Musings

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's back to school we go! Here we are in our second full school week of the new year. Here’s a prayer to praying that it will be a bit smoother than last week! Last week felt like a long week...I think for both the teachers and the students!

Emma spent Tuesday afternoon (Tuesday is her 1/2 day at school) with her friend, Lucy. Claire is such a good friend to invite Emma to come along with Lucy to the library with them sometimes. I was able to get some grocery shopping done for a baby shower I was helping to host on Wednesday.

The staff hosted a baby shower for one of our dear volunteers who does many, many things for the school! Claire is expecting a baby on January 31, so it was nice to host a small baby shower for her. I made some desserts, decorated a bit, and made some food items for the party. On Wednesday morning, I was so sure I had remembered everything. By the time, we arrived at school, I realized that I had remembered most everything...except the baby gift! Oh well...and guess what?! That gift is still sitting in my living room today! Ahh! Claire is a good friend, and by now she knows that my head isn’t attached sometimes!

It was actually a rather low-key week that felt like a week on steroids! I managed several emails that I wasn’t real excited about; Roger and I planned and prayed over the teen group ministry; and I taught, chauffeured, refereed, and life went on! Roger and I have really been enjoying working with the teen ministry the last few weeks. Roger has been very intentional about games, ice breakers, music and preparing. One thing that Roger is very good at (he’s good at a lot of things) is not making hasty decisions. Now, his wife...I’ll jump in with both feet and start drowning if I see a need! Thankfully, I’ve learned to ask Roger about a lot of decisions first, otherwise, I’d totally be crazy! God gave me a gift when He gave me my spouse, and I am thankful!

I’ve been working on many of the details for the Patriotic Program in the spring. One of the things that I’m working on is teaching one of the classes to sing and sign to “America, the Beautiful.” Obviously, I can read a book on the signs, and I can even watch a YouTube video, but the best lessons are often learned in person. And God provided one! One of the ladies who works at Roger’s work place grew up signing in American Sign Language. It’s her first language, so to speak. On Tuesday afternoon, (while Emma was with Lucy), I went over to Roger’s work for a lesson. Marie was so patient and thorough, and I am fairly confident that the students can grasp and master what I want them to do. It’s so nice to have someone to teach the song to me personally. I’m excited about our students having the opportunity to present a Patriotic Program. In a country where Patriotism seems to be fading and dying off quickly, we have the awesome privilege and opportunity to endeavor to raise the next generation to love their country as well as the Lord. In our school, we stand for the flag, we pledge daily to the flag, we stand with our hands over our hearts, and we remove our hats. It’s becoming a lost art to know proper flag etiquette. Often times in chapel, my eyes will swell with tears as I hear the voices of children pledging to the American flag, the Christian flag and the Bible. Oh, how privileged we are, and we should not take that for granted! To all that have served or are serving our country...thank you!

Did you know that last week marked the 64th anniversary of the “Operation Auca”? Garett did his school report on Nate Saint two years ago, and we studied about Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and three other men who gave their lives for the Gospel. To the world, this seemed like a tragedy, but yet God used it for His honor and glory. Perhaps you aren’t familiar with the story? Here is a link Operation Auca. I had the opportunity to present some of the highlights from this story to our children’s Sunday school classes. The older I become, the dearer the Gospel becomes to me. As I looked into the faces of the children staring back at me, I reminded them that these men didn’t get out of bed one day and decided that today they would serve Jesus and off they marched to the jungle. They made day-to-day decisions to love Jesus and to serve Him. That’s the same thing that we still need to do. Sometimes the Christian life might seem a bit nitty and gritty...and not fun! That’s okay! We are called to be faithful...and oh, how that is my hearts desire! “Oh, to be like Thee!”

We are putting the plans in motion to go to Haiti in the spring. I’m so excited and thankful for the opportunity to return to Haiti again. Going in the spring will be completely different than going in January, but I am excited. If you don’t already follow the Parakaleo Facebook page, I’d encourage you to do so. They often post updates about particular needs or opportunities, pictures and more. If you’d like to donate, you can do that also! Parakaleo International  God has already provided $300.00 for my trip in May! I’m excited to see how God continues to prepare us for this trip in the spring.

I hope you don’t feel like I rambled on too much in the post. I feel like I had a lot on my heart and mind, and I had the opportunity to unravel some of that on paper. God is good, and He is so faithful.

Love, Sarah

Chandler made this “bridge” out of toothpicks for a school project...he used a LOT of toothpicks!

Baby shower desserts...homemade lemon curd tarts and brownies with ganache = delicious!

Back to School....Haiti Update!

Back to school! We actually went back last week for Thursday and Friday, and then had the weekend off again. It was a bit of a rough start back to school, no doubt!

Last Wednesday we went to Portland to drop my sister, Jen, off at the bus station. She took the bus to Boston, and flew back to South Dakota early on Thursday morning. My children certainly enjoyed their visit with her, and I am so thankful for the time that she invests in their lives. I wanted to stop at Sam’s Club while we were in Portland, but they were closed on New Years Day. Travis told me that he was a bit bummed that Sam’s Club wasn’t open. I asked him why, and he replied, “I like their snacks, and I wanted to smell the new tires!” Yes, that’s Travis! He really likes the smell of new tires, and he and Emma always want to smell the tires on our way out of the store! Travis hates the smell of gum and mints, but he likes the smell of new tires....gotta love that kid!

Even though our kids were in bed fairly early on Wednesday, Thursday was still a bit of a rough morning! The kids were up in plenty of time, but getting out the door was another matter entirely! We survived the day...thank you, Jesus!

On Friday evening, we hosted several families over to our house for supper. I made two pans of regular lasagna and one of a spinach lasagna. I had made the pans of lasagna on Thursday night, and I am so glad that I did! Most people enjoy lasagna, but it is a meal that takes a few steps, and many pans. I’ve never pre-boiled  my lasagna noodles in my life, and the noodles always turn out just fine. I just use regular lasagna noodles, and with enough sauce, it all turns out delicious! It was a wonderful night of fellowship, planning for the future, laughing, talking and praying. Our house isn’t huge by any means, but it was a great night. Roger and I both said how encouraged we were by the night of fellowship and prayer. I’m thankful for good friends to enjoy fellowship and meals with in our home.

Saturday was a low key day....those are always nice! I did grocery shopping, and we did jobs around the house. Roger took the boys ice skating with some friends as our ice was too soft and mushy on Saturday. Emma and I stayed at home. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to make some music lesson plans and begin the details of preparing for the Patriotic program in May. While our backyard rink was a bit too soft and mushy on Saturday, on the days that the ice is hard, it sees PLENTY of use! The boys have drastically improved on their ice skating skills, and it’s been a delight to see them enjoy being outside even if we don’t have a lot of snow.

Sunday was a full day of church services and children’s and teen ministries in the evening. Through a series of events over the last few weeks, Roger was asked to help out with the teen ministry. He certainly seemed to enjoy the opportunity, and he put thought into the games, ice breaker game, music, and the schedule of the evening. Another man in our church did the lesson, and I was able to help out for a bit too. Roger and I love serving where our kids are, and it’s hard to believe but we now have kids in teen group! We had a good turnout of teens, and I’m excited to see what God continues to do. We serve an amazing God!

Haiti update! Many of you have asked when or if I’ll be returning to Haiti this year. I’m not sure how many of you have read up on the news about Haiti, but they’ve had a tough time in the last long months. Inflation has been high, jobs not sufficient, hurting and hungry people, and an unstable political situation had prevented the medical team from returning in January of 2020. However, we have tentative plans to return to Haiti in the late spring. Please pray that the situations in Haiti will stay safe so that we can go in the spring. I have every desire to go to Haiti in on this missions trip, but I also have a strong desire to return home to my family. Roger would also like that! :)


We have some dear Haitian friends, and the desire to check on them personally and see how they are doing is a desire of my heart. It’s like checking in on old friends or neighbors that you haven’t seen in a while! I am tentatively planning and preparing to go on this trip, Lord willing. It means missing some school, and re-arranging schedules and routines, and preparing and prepping for Roger as much as possible, and asking friends for help, but God has always been so faithful to provide all the right details to fall into place. Please be in prayer about this missions trip. Pray for wisdom, discernment, unity, and grace as we prepare and plan. Pray for hearts to be open to the Gospel, and that we will be able to point people to Jesus. If you would like to know more about the mission group that I go with or to donate to this trip, you can  go to https://www.parakaleointernational.com/ If you want to make a specific donation to the cost of the trip for me, you can just mark your donation for Sarah Robertson’s Haiti trip.


God is so good, isn’t He? So many friends are posting about their New Years goals or resolutions, but I’m over here thinking that I just need to focus on drinking more water and eating a bit cleaner! :) Actually, for a teacher, I think New Years goals are made in August not January! For the teacher, a new year begins in August, so that is when I tend to think about big long-term goals. I’m certainly not poking fun of those that make goals or pick out a word for the year! More power to you! I’m just saying that for me, I find it easier to set goals in August rather than in January...weird, right?!

Welcome to 2020! My prayer is that we will use the remaining 360 days to give honor and glory to God. My heart’s desire is to love God and serve Him passionately all the days of my life.

Love, Sarah