Summer Memories, Florida Adventures, and Family Life!

 I’m getting old, y’all! The days fly by faster and faster! I thought that I had already written one post in the month of June, but that was already back at the end of the month of May!

Garett came home from the missions trip to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday evening, June 2nd. Jen and Garett arrived home about 1:00am, and Garett left for the youth missions trip to Chicago at 8:45am on Wednesday! He was tired, but he was tired in a good way. Garett spoke highly of the missions trip to the Dominican Republic and how much he enjoyed the trip. He helped on a medical missions trip, but he didn’t do the medical aspects. He did crowd management, moving heavy stuff, running errands, playing with kids, and whatever else needed doing. He took over 600 pictures from his time in the D.R., and it was really neat to see the trip through his eyes. Garett is not great a public speaking, but he can see the world in pictures. I know I’m biased, but I do think he’s pretty good at taking pictures. They saw over 800 people in the medical clinics as well as several people came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, which really is the most important thing. I am thankful that God provided this last minute opportunity, and that Garett was able to go on this trip. On the Chicago missions trip, Garett was able to help with a community car wash, preparing for Vacation Bible School, handing out drinks and snacks at the train station, and attending the special Sunday service at the church there. Garett said his favorite part of the Chicago missions trip was probably the opportunity to interact with the people at the church service during “International Sunday”. Again, we are thankful that he had the opportunity to go, and now it’s back to reality for Garett! 

Chandler had really wanted to go to the D.R. Also, but we said no to that. Why? Well, Chandler has been trying to get his drivers license, and we finally got him an appointment for a road test. However, it was the week of the trip to the D.R. Appointments with the DMV are very hard to come by right now in NC, and we’ve had this appointment booked since March 1st! The appointment was also almost 2 hours away from our house, and Roger and I decided that Chandler really shouldn’t miss this appointment! Chandler and I got up early on Monday, June 1, to head out to the appointment. I’d never been to Williamston, NC, and there really isn’t much there. His appointment was at 9:45am, and when we arrived there was one lady working in the DMV office. There were probably about 20 people in line, and she looked up and said, “Do you have an appointment? I’m not taking any walk-ins.” Thankfully, we had an appointment! Several people in line said that they had been in line before the DMV opened that morning. The lady was finally able to do Chandler’s appointment about 10:15am, and she had to close up and lock the office before she could take Chandler on his road test! Chandler was literally gone less than 10 minutes, and he came back into the DMV. The lady announced that Chandler had passed, and I let out a sigh of relief! Chandler left the DMV office with his new license in hand, and told me, “Mom, that DMV lady had so much on her mind that I probably could’ve run a red light and still passed!” I felt badly for her as the office was full of people needing to renew licenses, paperwork, real IDs, etc. However, I am really thankful that Chandler now has his drivers license. Thank the Lord!

Also this month, everyone has been busy working at a variety of jobs. We watched two dogs for our friends earlier this month. Garett is back to working for the Gutter company for the summer, and then we are praying about what his next steps should be in the fall. Chandler has been working for a little farm stand, and he has shucked a lot of corn this summer! Wyatt, Travis and I have been working at the farmer’s market in Raleigh. Emma has come a couple of times to the farmers market, and she has both enjoyed the days and come home tired! We are thankful for work for everyone, and we are trying to plan some special activities as a family this summer. The older the kids get and the busier with jobs and everything else, the harder it is to protect our family time and do things together. Everyone is growing up so quickly, and some times I just want to hit the “pause” button and soak up the memories a bit more. 

I also played in a softball game this past month, which is something I haven’t done in a good long while. The boys play on the church team, which is co-ed, and they need two girls to play in each game. A few weeks ago, I showed up at the game with Emma, and Roger said that they needed another player. I didn’t have any shoes, so I wore Travis’s soccer cleats (which were too big). I haven’t played in YEARS. The boys told me that I did “Ok on hitting the ball and getting on base. But Mom, you really need to work on throwing the ball better!” Haha! Well, I helped them out, and I would do it again. It was fun, and while I wouldn’t want to commit to playing in every game, I was happy to help out. 

We left on Sunday afternoon (6/22) to take seven boys to Teen Extreme Camp at Pensacola Christian College. A friend of ours, Mr. Kennedy, offered to let us borrow his Excursion vehicle to take the kids to camp, and the Hardison’s also drove their vehicle. Emma and Jace (Hardison’s youngest son) are too young for camp, so they get to hang out with the moms and Aunt Jen this week. Stephen is the sponsor at camp, and I’m sure that the boys are enjoying making memories at camp. We came to Teen Extreme two years ago, and it was a wonderful experience for the boys. Garett didn’t go to camp this year as he is busy working, and he also bought a car this past week. He is quickly realizing that life is expensive! We arrived at Teen Extreme on Monday afternoon, and dropped off all the boys except Jace at camp. Then we found our AirBnb for the week. Some good friends of ours, the Falde family, has a few Airbnb’s down in this area, so we try to stay there when we come to the area. Jen flew in from South Dakota on Monday evening, and we’ve been enjoying some time at the beach, checking out a few thrift stores and coffee shops, and soaking up the sunshine. I’m praying that God will do a mighty work in the lives of the boys at camp, and we are so thankful that this option of camp is available to them. 

In the beginning of the month, Roger and I also went on a double date to go golfing with our friends, the Hardison’s. Tamela and I have never officially golfed on a golf course, so we had no idea what we were doing. Thankfully, Stephen and Roger had a lot of patience with us, and we made it through nine holes of golf. It was actually a lot of fun, and I’m glad we did it. I did enjoy golfing, and Emma has been practicing also, so I guess we will need to make golfing a family outing. 

Earlier this month, we also took a short day trip to Conway, SC, to visit with Roger’s uncle and aunt. While it was a short trip, we were able to fellowship over lunch together, enjoy some time together, and I think both Roger and I left feeling encouraged and revitalized. 

These past couple of days have been good days for Emma and I. It’s good to be able to spend some one-on-one time with her, and I am thankful for the opportunities. Time continues to go by faster and faster, and it’s overwhelming sometimes to keep up with everything. But I was recently reminded that we are all given the same number of hours in a day, and God expects us to work, but rest is actually a part of God’s plan too. Sometimes it’s easier to stay busy than to stop and pause. I’m thankful for these past few days to just stop and pause. Soak up some time and memories with Emma, and spend time with Jen and Tamela also. It’s been a good few days, but we are also ready to go home! 

I’ve been reminded of this song the past few days. It’s a favorite of mine.  I’m thankful that the Lord does hold me fast. I am His child, and He loves me. 

Christmas Break! (December Events and Life)

 “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices…” I am so thankful for hope in Jesus Christ. These days in December have been flying by so quickly, and it’s hard to believe that Christmas break is here! 

We started off December with a “Night in Bethlehem”. A local church puts together an evening of activities and re-creates what a night in Bethlehem might be like. There’s the opportunity to visit the potter’s house, the spice shop, the jewelry, and the bakery and host of other spots. At each place, you can do a small activity or craft. It’s a fun event that we went to last year, and I planned for us to do it again this year. Emma is still of the age that she enjoys these types of things, and the boys usually do, but whew- the night was an epic failure! I did not set us up well for success as I planned this for an evening after basketball practice. Wyatt and Chandler were very hungry, and it was quite a chilly evening for North Carolina. Everyone was in a rather sour mood by the time we left, and I was mad because no one appreciated Christmas events (in my opinion). After a rather lengthy discussion, I apologized for planning an event on top of an already busy day, and the boys apologized for not having as much patience and grace as they should’ve had. While the evening did not go as I envisioned it in my mind, it was a reminder that we are still in the trenches of parenting these teens, and we have lots of things to work through! 

We have had some fun events that did work out more smoothly! On one Sunday evening, we invited several families over to our house to make cookies and have supper together. Jen made a big pot of chili, and we created lots of sweet desserts and treats! I made caramelized pecans as teacher gifts this year, and while it’s the simplest recipe, these pecans are so delicious! You can see the recipe Here. I double the amount of pecans to the sugar part, and I add some real vanilla extract. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again. 

We also had several basketball games that we attended to watch the boys play this month. Chandler has become quite a good defensive basketball player, and it’s easy to tell that Wyatt enjoys the game. Travis plays on the middle school team, and while they are not that good, it’s fun to watch them play. I’ve been happy to support the cheerleading coach in whatever ways that I can, but I’m also relieved that I’m not responsible for practices, routines, uniforms, and hours of being away from our family. The one thing that I don’t really like about basketball is that the season is very, very long. But ya know, we’re already at Christmas break! Garett and Travis both were chosen to represent their classes on the Homecoming Court in January, so I’ll be going to consignment stores over Christmas break to find them a sport coat. This is an event that takes place in January in which each class from 7th-12th grade picks their classes representatives. In the senior class, several representatives are chosen and Garett was one of them. Travis is the class representative for his class again, and while he’s not exactly excited about dressing up, I’m happy for him. It’s usually a really quick ceremony done at the end of the basketball games. It’s a lot of work and effort for a very short ceremony, and it’s not the way that I would do it, but ya know…no one asked my opinion. Ha! However, it is an honor to be chosen to represent your class, and I’m thankful that Travis and Garett were chosen. We will do our best to have Travis not looking like he’d rather be at the dentist than wearing a suit coat! 

We went to Virginia the last two weekends. The first weekend up there, we helped our friends, the Everett’s move onto the Air Force Base. Garett was helping with a teen event, so he stayed home, but the rest of us went. We worked hard to load the U-haul, drive to the base, unload the U-haul, and we got a lot done in a day! The Everett’s surely could’ve managed without us, but that’s what friends are for, to come along and share in burdens and praises. We came home tired but with full hearts. This past weekend, we all went up on Friday night and on Saturday to enjoy Christmas together. Laura made lots of delicious food, we played racquetball at the gym, decorated gingerbread houses, and shared in laughter and fun. It was a good way to start our Christmas break. 

On the art side of things, we managed to help each student create at least one ornament to give away at Christmas. My middle school class created two ornaments each, and the middle school participated in an art show on the last day of school. Garett is my Teachers Aide in the mornings, and he has sealed and sprayed  a lot of ornaments for me! I am so, so thankful for my art assistant, Kaycee, as she has helped me be organized with all these ornaments and trying to help keep the art room picked up. I am very thankful for all of her help, and the fact that she doesn’t complain about all my crazy ideas! 

On the Library side of things, we focused on library books about Christmas and this season. We played a scavenger hunt in the library by hiding all the pieces of the Nativity for each of our classes. They enjoy looking for the pieces, and placing the character back in the scene. One character did get dropped, and Joseph’s head fell off, but we glued it back together! If you’re familiar with the Mercy Watson  books, there is a Christmas book about Mercy the pig. We also read Christmas in the Big Woods, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and a bunch of other books. I feel like library has had to take a little bit of a back seat this year as I balance out Middle school art and Elementary art, but again, I have a great assistant in library too. Jennifer Wade has helped keep the library organized and running smoothly, and she keeps up with books that need to be returned, and she has managed to extend the shelf life on some of our most popular books with lots of book tape and glue! I am very thankful for her too. 

We have plans to go to Maine for part of Christmas break to see my sister, husband and their kids. My parents are also planning on coming to Maine, so all of my families side will be together for the first time in probably almost ten years. I’m excited about all having all of us together, and the boys are hoping for snow and ice. 

Continued (12/25) 

I had plans to finish this blog post before Christmas, but here we are and I’m still writing! We are currently in the van traveling north towards Maine. We’ve savored and treasured our first few days of Christmas break, and created memories with our family. 

On Sunday evening, we were invited over to our friend’s house, the Kennedys. We enjoyed delicious food, fun games, and even a time of singing Christmas carols. It was a really great way to start Christmas break. Jen ended up with three of our boys going home with her, and Chandler asked me if his friends, Nicholas and Eli, could spend the night at our house. I was thankful that I was able to say “Yes” on a whim. Sometimes I feel like these three boys struggle to fit in with the youth group, and while they all have different and unique personalities, I’m glad that they were able to play video games, eat more food, and share laughter together. 

Jen and I did some Christmas shopping with Emma on Monday also. We pick names in our family, so each family member has to pick gifts for someone else in our family. I usually end up finding out who everyone has just by the process of helping finding gifts or getting a bargain for someone. Emma had Chandler’s name, and while she had a few little things for him, she wanted to get him something else. We used to put a monetary limit on the gifts, but now that all the boys have their own jobs and money, we kinda just let them pick out the gifts that they think they’re person would like. I was pleasantly surprised to find that several of our children really did go above and beyond as they really thought through what their person might like. One day last week, Garett took Chandler to Dick’s Sporting Goods as Chandler needed to find something for Travis. Garett does not like shopping so he did all of his shopping online. Chandler wandered around Dick’s for about thirty minutes, and then bought a sweatshirt for Travis. However, by the time, he got back to school, he asked me to return it. Chandler said that he thought that Travis would like the sweatshirt, but since he couldn’t wear it to school, Chandler wanted to look for somethings else. I told Chandler that I would return the sweatshirt, and we could look for something else. Travis had hinted around that he would like like a basketball backpack that he could put his shoes in. So Chandler and I went online on Thursday evening to try to find a backpack that would be perfect. At first the only color that was available was in white, and if you know anything about Travis…white is not the color for him! However, we were able to find a backpack in navy blue. I told Chandler that I didn’t think that the backpack would arrive in time for Christmas, but much to our surprise the backpack did arrive in time!

 Travis had my name for a gift, and he kept telling me that he and dad were going to do shopping together. My sister, Jen, offered to help him, but Travis wanted to go with Roger. Finally on Tuesday mooring, Travis and Roger had the opportunity to go Christmas shopping. Travis already knew what he wanted to get for me, and he brought his money and his ideas along. Roger said that he pretty much was just the driver, as the first place they went to did not have exactly what Travis was looking for. Travis bought me AirPods with his own money. It really was one of the sweetest gifts I’ve ever received as he really thought about what I might like, and he was willing to spend a good chunk of his own money to get me AirPods. He could’ve bought me the off brand, and that would’ve been fine, but he told Roger that he wanted to get mom something nice. I really do love that sweet boy! (He can drive me crazy faster than lightening, but I love him so much!) 

We also had some “not so Christmasy” moments on Tuesday, and we ended up having a bit of a loud family discussion. I didn’t think the kids were being helpful around the house, and I told them they were acting “entitled”, which led to a whole conversation! After much discussion, I finally had all the kids sit at the table and write down their blessings and praises from 2024 and their goals for 2025. It was a much needed reset for all of us, and I was blessed by reading over their lists. One son said that one of his goals for 2025 was to “not be such a grinch”. One son said that he wanted to not eat so many sweets. They had lots of praises in family, teachers, food, etc. It’s just so easy to develop an ungrateful heart, and we needed to reset our hearts and attitudes on what really matters…loving Jesus and loving others. 

Christmas Eve found us at Aunt Jen’s for delicious food, fellowship, playing on the Wii, and opening gifts together. Having Aunt Jen live close to us has been a gift in and of itself. She pours into our kids, feeds them often, and we are so thankful for her. We are very much looking forward to spending time with my other sister and her family in the next few days as well as my sister, Jen, and my parents. 

We woke up this morning, and savored some family time together over coffee and conversation. I’m reminded so often of how quickly these years are fleeting by, and I just want to stop and treasure these moments. God was so good to provide a Redeemer for us in sending His Son to earth. While I love the story of Jesus’s birth, the story is incomplete if we fail to recognize that this is the Saviour of the World. Without Jesus, I would have no hope for today, tomorrow or eternity. But I know that Jesus provides hope, peace, security, redemption, forgiveness, grace, mercy, sanctification and so much more. I am confident that my eternal salvation rests in Jesus, and that I have a home in Heaven. I serve a great God! 

I had big plans to write a Christmas letter, create cards, and send them out. But here we are, and not one of those things has happened! We are planning on taking family photos in Maine, so at this point in time, I’ll be sending a letter, family photo, and Garett’s graduation announcement all in one envelope! But, we love and appreciate each one that has invested in our lives and the lives of our children. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

This is one of my favorite songs this season. 

Haiti Journal Day #1- $32.00 Carryon!

 We’ve been back from Haiti for just over a week now, and I’m pretty sure my mind is still whirling from all the events, sights,  and activities that we put into the days we were there. I am so thankful for all that God has done and will continue to do. Roger said the hardest thing about me being gone this time was the amount of food that Chandler and Wyatt can eat these days! Roger didn’t plan to work all the days we were gone, but he ended up working almost every day. I’m so thankful that God orchestrated it for Chandler to stay home this year as he was able to keep the laundry caught up, the dogs taken care of (my sisters dogs) and everyone fed (a lot of eggs, ramen noodles, and bread!). We are also deeply thankful for so many of our friends that either helped to transport our children, kept them overnight, loved on them, and encouraged them. Wow! We are so very blessed! My friend, Renee, told me that one of the days that I was away Emma looked rather sad at lunchtime. Renee went over to talk to Emma and asked her if she missed her mom. Emma replied, “yes, I miss my mom.” Renee asked if there was anything she could do to help Emma. Emma looked at her for a moment and then answered hopefully, “Maybe some ice cream?” Oh goodness! That girl! Renee did have a doughnut hole so that seemed to help Emma not miss mom so much! I got a good chuckle out of hearing about that! 

I journaled every day that we were in Haiti, but the days were long and tiring. I know that I left out more details that I normally have in years past, but between getting up between four and five am, working hard all day, coming back from clinic and resorting and counting meds, and then going to bed around 10pm, I was tired! However, I do want to write about the journal entries that I did make and share some photos from the trip. We are currently working on a slideshow for church and it’s been a challenge! I took over 1000 photos and now we are trying to make a four minute slideshow! But, by the grace of God, we will figure it out.  

When we came back from Haiti, Garett had a slight stomach bug so he stayed home on Thursday, but I went right back to teaching kindergarten! I was so happy to see my students again, and I was reminded of how thankful I am that I get to teach them. Chandler also stayed home from school that Thursday as he was tired too. Roger said that he had done a lot of the helping to pack lunches, meals, laundry, vacuuming...I’m always amazed at how everyone steps up when mom is away! 

Anyways...I’m ready to write. Day #1 - January 11, 2021

We can probably all relate to the fact that God works in mysterious ways. Sometimes we can see those works clearly evident and today was one of those days! 

Garett, Ashley and myself left firm school around 10:30am. I had wanted to teach this morning as I want to be away from my class as little as possible. Needless to say, that decision made for a crazy Sunday of packing and preparing! It was a late night, but we arrived at the school by 6:50am. on Monday morning with all our bags in tow! Travis ended up forgetting his backpack and lunch box in the flurry of the excitement, but he will survive on some snacks from the school snack box today. 

We arrived early at the Bangor airport -around noon. I figured we would have about an hour wait before anyone else showed up, but just as we were unloading our bags, Hannah and Josh showed up. Then it was a mad dash to weigh all the bags, redistribute weight, and make sure all the bags were at the right weight....50 lbs! Most of the bags were already at 48.5-50lbs. So there was not a lot of extra weight space! We still had some vitamins that needed to go somewhere and some hygiene kits and some odds and ends. I had kinda poked fun at Ashley earlier for not having a backpack AND a carryon, so I was giving her grief about not having a carryon for us to put all this miscellaneous stuff into! But then Hannah said, “Well, we have a lot of time before the flight. If Ashley wants to drive over to Marshalls, maybe they’ll have a carryon there.” So Ashley and I hopped in her van and drove over to Marshalls. In less than ten minutes we had found a carryon (and on the clearance rack for $32.00) and had checked out. While driving back to the airport, Hannah called to say she didn’t think we would need the carryon after all because the two other ladies coming from Maine had arrived.   Gina and Jodi both had space and weight in their bags. But since we had already checked out, Ashley decided to just keep the carryon. And when we arrived back at the airport, we stuck a few random things in the carryon anyways. 

We went to check in with all our bags, and between the seven of us coming from Maine we only had about seven pounds to spare! Yes, we packed with a scale and we squeezed out our 50lbs each!  We had thirteen  checked bags each weighing about 50lbs. After going through security, we headed for our gate. The flight attendant asked if anyone would like to gate check their carryon. Hannah’s husband, Josh, said “Yes, please!” His carryon was full of prenatal vitamins and weighed about 65 pounds! The flight attendant took it down the ramp, but then returned to tell Josh that the carryon was too heavy, and the bag would have to go as a checked bag and not a carryon. And we couldn’t just redistribute the weight among our other carryons because the flight attendant had sent the bag to the ticket counter! Now what?! We had about twenty minutes until the flight left and one of our bags was at the ticket counter and overweight! And it was a very important bag to boot! 

Hannah and Josh took the carryon that Ashley had just bought and headed to the ticket counter. After about five minutes, Hannah called me to tell me that she had left her passport in her backpack at the flight gate! So I took my passport and boarding pass, and Hannah’s passport and headed to the ticket counter. Thankfully the ticket agent was very helpful! He was willing to check the carryon at no additional fee if we could get the bag to weigh at or under fifty pounds. So Hannah took out fifteen pounds of vitamins and put them into the carryon that Ashley had just bought! Now to hurry back through security dragging Ashley’s carryon along. We made it through security and back to the gate. We were the last ones to board that plane. Without that carryon we would’ve been struggling to figure out what to do as Josh’s carryon was too heavy to go as a checked bag, and none of us had a lot of extra space in any of our carryons. 

I’m so thankful that God worked out all those details so that we would have exactly what we needed, and right on time! 

We flew from Bangor to Charlotte and then Charlotte to Miami. We had an overnight layover in Miami, and then an early morning flight to Port-au-Prince tomorrow. We arrived in Miami around 9:00pm, and we figured out how to Uber to our hotel. The hotel shuttle isn’t running due to Covid, but thankfully all our checked bags are checked through to Port-Au-Prince. All we had to worry about was getting ourselves and our carryons to the hotel. 

We are thankful to be at our hotel. It was nice to spend some time praying with Ashley before falling asleep. I am very much looking forward to seeing all that God is going to do in the next week. To God be the glory! 

Fall Beauty in Maine (and falling in Maine!)

If you’ve ever tried to plan a quick getaway as a family, and you have a large family, you know the struggle! It’s a struggle to find something for a large family to do on a shoe-string budget! Our boys are getting bigger, and it’s nearly impossible to fit us all into one small hotel room. Then there is the food cost factor on top of the lodging factor that makes planning a family getaway seem a bit daunting!

However, God is so good to us! He gives us unexpected blessings and surprises at every turn just because He loves us. Roger has a friend that has a small cabin up in Northern  Maine. When I was lamenting to Roger about struggling to find a place that we could get away as a family for a night, he thought of his friend. This friend had offered up their cabin to our family if we would like to use it for a day or two. This fit into our budget quite nicely, so we decided to do it! We planned a spur of the moment trip to Millinocket, Maine. We left on Friday afternoon and we came back on Saturday evening. It was a quick trip, but a beautiful one! The cabin was quite lovely, and it was right on the lake. Chandler was up at 4:50 am. On Saturday morning to go fishing! All the other kids slept in...until 5:20am! We enjoyed the lake sunrise, and the boys did catch some fish. Most of them were too small to keep, so we put them all back.

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you have two left feet?! That was definitely me on Saturday morning! First of all, I went to try out my own magnet fishing experience. Roger had tied my magnet to some paracord (50 feet), and I was anxious to see if I could snag anything magnetic. Well, on my very first attempt, I forgot to hang on to the string, and promptly threw the magnet and the rope into the lake! My boys were just in awe of how I managed to do that! Chandler managed to snag the rope with his fishing rod, and we rescued my magnet. I then decided to tie my rope to the tree so that I couldn’t do that again! The boys were fishing off the dock, so I decided to climb down on some rocks to use my magnet. All was well for a few moments until I leaned over too far, and fell into the lake! I was soaked from head to toe! My boys gaped at me with open mouths for a few seconds, and then they all burst out laughing! I must have looked a sight with water dripping off everywhere...it was so cold!!! I managed to haul myself out of the lake with Roger’s help. (He wisely refrained from asking me how that happened!) I waddled back to the house, any thankfully my clothes from the day before weren’t too dirty! I managed to hit my shin bone pretty hard on a rock, and it’s been a bit painful for a few days! It was just that kind of a morning!

We enjoyed God’s beautiful creation, hiked on some great trails, went down into an ice cave, and made some wonderful memories together. Garett and Chandler did miss out on an opportunity to go on a teen active, but sometimes you just can’t do it all! We chose to do this as a family, and I am so glad that we did.

 Roger has had some rough days at work as he prepares a plane for paint. He is missing being in the  plane, and he is ready to get back to that.  My friend, Allison, and I were able to have lunch together last week, and I certainly enjoyed that! Since she has a daughter in high school, and I’ve been working, we just do not have very much time to spend together! I’ve been missing our deep conversations and laughter together. Hopefully, we will be able to find our routine, and we can get back to sharing a bit more time together.

I had a meeting with Garett’s teacher, speech teacher, and several others today to discuss Garett’s education process. Garett is a slow learner, but he is progressing. His teacher reports that he is a hard worker, and his speech teacher gave him high praise also. Out of all the speech teachers that Garett could have gotten, God gave Garett a wonderful Christian lady to give him lessons! She has been such a blessing to us, and we are so very thankful for her work with Garett. I’m thankful that Garett
will be able to continue to receive speech lessons twice a week, and we are looking at getting him    
  some additional help in reading. Garett is a hard worker, and a great kid. We will continue to pray for God to work in his heart and life.



And now for pictures...lots of them!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haiti Journal (Day 7 & 8) Rest day? And Home!

I’m going to finish up our journal about our Haiti trip. It's taken me longer than I would have liked, but getting back into the swing of things at home as also been taking up my time!

 

Friday, January 25, 2019
Rest day consisted of a lot of walking, which I don’t mind at all. It als consisted of being away from the hotel a large part of the day, but such is life. Haitian time is it’s own special time and nothing is rushed or hurried.

We started off the day with breakfast around 8:30 am. Then we decided to take the dump truck to the hospital to check on our patients that had come down the mountian to be seen for additional help. 

All seven girls (myself, Tara, Moriah, Beca, Lauren, Lydia and Krissy) are sharing a room with 2 queen beds. Marcus and Kacie both brought along sleeping mats, so we’ve been able to use those too. We could’ve gotten an additional room, but this way we can save money, and its only for two nights. However the air conditioner doesn’t work in our room and its a bit like a sauna. We decided to change rooms, but then discovered that the air conditioner wasn’t working in the room we were going to move to either! Oh well! 

When we arrived at the hospital we discovered that a few more patients had come down the mountain. Yesterday we had brought down a little boy who’s foreskin won’t retract and he needs to be circumcised. We also brought down a lady that had broken a bone and the bone had not healed properly. The old man with congestive heart failure is here, and he looks worse than he did before. He did tell Pastor Kevin that he was ready to see Jesus. Perhaps the hospital can at least give him something to manage the pain. Two of the pregnant ladies with very, very hig blood pressure were at the hospital as well as the lady who thinks she is five months pregnant. Remember the one that we couldn’t get a positive pregnancy test on? Hannah, Tara, Kacie and Pastor Kevin talked with the doctor for a bit, but since nothing is done quickly, we decided to go see the progress on the Faulde’s house.They are building a house in Cay Jocmel that will be there home as well as a place to provide lodging for the mission teams that come through. 

It was certainly a warm walk from the hospital to the Fauldes house, but I enjoyed the opportunity to walk with Moriah, Garett and Josiah. Their house project has made tremendous strides in a year, but it still has a ways to go. Its going to be a beautiful home when it is finished. 

I was ready to head back to the hotel after seeing the house, but remember we are on Haitian time. I had not expected to have lunch today since the hotel gave us a big breakfast. Pastor Kevin had arranged for us to go to someone’s house for lunch. She was making spaghetti, which is a fast meal-if you are in the States. She bought the spaghetti, stopped to pick up chicken and came home to cook lunch. It was over an hour and one-half before lunch was ready. Garett played soccer with some Haitian kids for most of the time. I actually think she was able to get lunch together fairly quickly considering that she had to boil the water in a pot over the stove, cut up and cook the chicken , and make the juice by juicing the oranges-and not with a powered juicer! The Haitians eat their spaghetti with hot dogs and chicken in it. Its an interesting way to eat it, but Nadine is a great cook. Her food is always yummy. Each plate was piled high with food...way more than I would have chosen to eat! Eating all those carbs and sugar without a lot of protein can make you tired in a hurry. As we finished up our huge lunch, Pastor Kevin announced that one of the staff at the hospital had made us coffee and rolls to eat before heading to the hotel! So back to the hospital we walked to eat more food and drink coffee! I don’t really care for Haitian coffee too much, and I knew if I drank that I would probably lose all my lunch. Instead I sat quietly at a table with Tara and Grandpa. Pastor Kevin told Hannah that he thought the hospital was getting ready to close down for the weekend (yes, that happens)and that she should go check on some of the patients to make sure they were getting their medicine. Hannah, Kacie and Pastor Kevin went to go check on them, but a few minutes later Tara and I decided that we wanted to go too. I told Tara that the hospital isn’t that big, and that we could probably find Hannah. Sure enough I heard Hannah laughing, and we found them! 2 of the pregnant ladies were waiting for some kind of shot and then they would be sent home with high blood pressure medication. They would need to come back in two weeks for a follow up visit. The one mama is at least eight months pregnant,so she could be having the baby any day, especially after a bumpy ride back up the mountain to home. The other lady (the one who told us that she was five months pregnant) is not pregnant. What she has instead is a belly full of worms! She isn’t feeling her baby move, but she is feeling worms in there! Ugh! I cant even imagine! So she will be sent home with worm medication and blood pressure medication. She did not look at all sad to not be having a baby, and she will probably be feeling much better soon! 

We arrived back at the hotel around 5pm. Since we had such a late and big lunch we decided that we didn’t need supper. Garett, Josiah Beca and Krissy got in the pool even though its not full of water. I sat on the edge of the pool with Moriah, Lydia, and Lauren. We had some good conversations about some of the deeper things in life. I sure have come to love and appreciate these girls this week. I will miss them when I go home. It’s good to know how to pray a bit more specifically for them. 

Since we are leaving for the airport tomorrow at 3am, I am going to bed soon even though its only like 8pm. 

It was a busy and full rest day. I’m thankful for deep conversations, friends to love and pray with, and that God is at work in each of our lives. 

Tonight Garett gave the extra money we was given for this trip to Pastor Kevin. It will either go towards the cost of the meals for the clinics that we held, or for hospital bills or whatever the needs may be. Garett also had been given some money that he was told that he could spend however he liked. He decided to give $20.00 to each of the Faulde kids for whatever their needs might be. I’m so thankful for his generous spirit and his desire to help others. I’m praying that he will continue to grow and mature into the man that God wants him to be. 


 January  26, 2019 Saturday Day 8

Today we are heading home! We woke up at 3:00am as the driver was supposed to be here at 3:30am.  To take us to the airport. Well, by 4:00am there was still no sign of the driver! Pastor Kevin called him and the driver said that the van was currently stuck on a sand pile! Apparently the wheels were spinning,  and the van was not moving. Since there is nothing we can do about that, we decided to go back to bed, or at least lie down on the bed. At about 4:45, the driver called to say that he was on his way. He came racing down the road at 5;00am and all the bags were quickly thrown in. Krissy had a flight leaving at 9:45am so we needed to get going! As the bags were being thrown on, one of the ropes to tie them down breaks completely! However, those bungee cords were still in the truck so we were able to solve the problem quickly. Finally, we were on the road for the airport. Our driver drove like a crazy person! He was determined to get us to the airport on time. 

By the time we arrived at the airport, I think we were all feeling a big car sick. However, Krissy did mange to make her flight! Garett and I manage to pack all of our stuff to come home into 2 carryons, so we didn’t have to pay for any checked bags. Josh asked at the Delta counter about our missing bags. The ticket agent said that the bags had made it to Port-au- Prince. We would need to walk to the cargo office to get our missing bags. We knew that if we left Haiti without our bags there was a good possibility that we would never see them again. It was a bit of a hike down to the cargo office, and we never would have found it except that God brought along someone to led us there. When we finally found the cargo office, there sat our missing bags! Who knows how longs they’ve been here, but I do plan to have a talk with Delta about our missing bags. I’m hoping that Delta will work with us on the inconvenience of missing our bags all week. We did survive without them that is for sure! Howeve, the majority of the stuff in my suitcase was to leave with the Haitian people! I don’t really want to take all that stuff back home again! And I definitely don’t want to pay to take it home! Thankfully the ticket agent was kind to us. He waived the baggage fee for our bags. We might’ve walked a mile to get our bags, but now we have them back. 

Since our flight didn’t leave until 1:45pm, we had enough time to chase down our bags. Maybe Ill be able to save the stuff for next year if the Lord allows me to return to Haiti again. 

Another year is wrapped up! God is so, so good to us! Garett smiled the whole week. He told me that he loved playing with the kids, and working on the roof with the guys. I’m thankful for those who helped take care of our kids, gave to us financially, and prayed for us. We are so blessed by the generosity and love others have bestowed upon us. Roger is a good, good man to hold down the fort, encourage me to go, and work his job this week. 

I’m thankful for a home to return to, and a bed to sleep in, a warm shower, and toilet paper by the toliet! I’m thankful for a variety of foods we are blessed to have in the States. I’m thankful for the grace of God that sustains us every step of the way. 

Haiti Journal Day #6 (Down the Mountain)

January 24, Thursday

A day to come down the mountain! We didn’t have a medical clinic today, which was probably for the best as some of our med supply is running low. We’ve seen well over 1000 people in the clinics in the past three days-God is good!

It was actually a bit of a restful morning as we didn’t have to race to get ready for a clinic. The Haitian boys woke up around 5am and started talking loudly. Even though they are down the hall, and our door is shut, we could still hear them! Apparently it’s never to early to speak loudly to someone or to bring out a battery-operated boombox! Its a different culture here and there is no shame in speaking loudly when everyone else is clearly sleeping. 

We were all up fairly early , and our cook made us a big meal of cabbage, goat, potatoes and some type of dumpling. My stomach hasn’t been feeling all that great, and I couldn’t bring myself to eat breakfast. I think I hurt our cooks feelings though, and I certainly didn’t mean to do that! I guess if I was the cook in a land full of starving people, I would want these white Americans to eat and be happy too! 

After breakfast we started packing up and cleaning to head down the mountain. I helped Hannah for a while with the counting and resorting of medical supplies until Hannah was called away to look at a boys arm. Yesterday Hannah had seen a bod that had fallen out of a tree and fractured his wrist. Hannah told the mom that she should bring the boy to the mission house so that Hannah could wrap his arm. Hannah and Kacie worked on that while the rest of us pretty much watched. Hannah is very creative at coming up with alternative solutions for medical problems.

Later in the morning, Moriah and I cleaned the bathrooms in the mission house. That is no small feat in a land that doesn’t have much for cleaning supplies and hot water! The boys bathroom was positively disgusting, and Moriah says that she is pretty sure that she earned an extra crown in Heaven over that job! The Garett and Josiah tell us that someone peed in the shower since someone was using the toilet! I don’t think the bathrooms are extremely clean, but they are way cleaner than before!

We started down the mountain after a lunch of white rice and sauce. We were all pretty excited about white rice! We got on the road at about 1:30pm. Af first it seemed like it would be a fairly comfortable ride down the mountain, but then we picked up two Haitian ladies and a toddler headed to the hospital. So we ended up with 17 people on the back of the dump truck and all the luggage. The bungee cords that had been in Garetts bag came in handy to help secure the luggage. Grandpa had the idea to use the laundry clothesline to help secure the sides of the dump truck. I’m not sure how secure we were, but God kept us safe. I’m pretty sure that most of us have quite a few bruises from banging against the sides of the dump truck. I certainly would not want Pastor Kevins job of trying to safely get the truck down the mountains-how stressful! 

We arrived down the mountain about 4:30pm, and we were all very thankful to get off of the truck! Garett, Josiah and Grandpa are sharing a room, and the seven of us girls are in a room. We had the option to get another hotel room, but hey, we can save money this way. I certainly don’t mind. The hotel that we stay at when we come off the mountain is clean, and its very warm. The air conditioner is not working in our room, so it is very, very warm! The hotel has a pool, but it is currently dirty and doesn’t have water in it. Garett and Josiah are working on getting it filled up. 

We did go get pizza tonight at the pizzeria in Jocmel. It was a very tasty dinner, but wow, does my stomach hurt! I’m not sure why, but it does!

Tomorrow will be a bit of a rest and repack day, as we prepare to head home on Saturday. Its been a good trip, but I’m ready to see the rest of my family. Garett has been a really, really good trooper. He never complained coming down the mouantin, and he’s found things to do. And he’s kept smiling! 

I’m thankful for the safety coming down the mountain today. I’m thankful for tiredness and the rest that the LORD gives. I’m thankful for a bed to sleep in and clothes to wear. I am so blessed! 

Haiti: Day #1 (Missing Bags!)

Garett and I arrived home from Haiti around 1:00 am on Sunday morning, January 27. We’ve spent a few days trying to re-coup and catch up on rest. Garett is catching up faster than I am...am I getting old?! I’m thankful for all that Roger and our friends as well as our church family did to assist and help our family while Garett and I were away. It was a great missions trip, and I have much to share. As I have done in the past, I journaled while in Haiti. I’m going to write the days events in one post at time. This was a different trip for me as Garett was able to come along with me. I did an interview with him that I will be sharing at some point in time as well. It’s good to come home tired and exhausted, and we’ve enjoyed reflecting on all that God did while we were in Haiti. We so appreciate all your love, prayers, and financial support for our family. To God be the glory!

 

 

DAY #1
Saturday, January 19, 2019

It was an early morning as our flight departed from Portland at 6:00 am. Since the weather forecast is predicting about 2 feet of snow starting on Saturday night, we decided to come down to Portland on Friday evening. The kids were excited about the opportunity to stay in a hotel, and it makes it way easier on Roger if we don’t have to wake everyone up at 2:00am in the morning to get to the airport! Garett is excited about going, but he isn’t a hugely expressive child! He did tell me that he is so  thankful that God provided the money that he needed to have in order to go to Haiti. I’m excited to see what God has in store for Garett’s young mind and heart this week. 

Garett and I were able to get on the free airport to the shuttle, so that worked out even better than expected. Josh and Hannah met us at the airport around 4:15am., and we proceeded to check five bags between us-none of which were free!(Its frustrating to me that we have to pay for even the first bag!) My bag weighed in at exactly 49lbs, but I’m pretty sure that my backpack and carryon are even heavier! Josh and Hannah’s bags were right at 50 lbs. each, so we definitely made the use of every single pound we could bring! 

Garett and I both have carry-ons that are full of food because food is heavier than clothes! Both of our carryons were snagged at the security checkpoint. The lady who checked over my bag made a huge mess and wiped down about every granola bar, fruit snack, and animal cracker I brought. It was  also a challenge to get it all back into the carryon! The security personnel that checked Garett’s carryon opened up the bag, looked at all the snacks, and said, “This looks like an important bag for you!”, and zipped it back up! Garett was happy to have his carryon of snacks back!

We were in the very, very back of the plane on the flight to JFK. We had just enough time to grab a snack and pick up something sustainable for lunch. We need to be ready to hit the ground running once we get to Port-au-Prince as we would like to make it all the way up the mountain to Seguin today. And unlike the U.S. there are no fast food stops along the way!

We are on the plane for our flight to Haiti. It’s about a four-hour flight. I’m excited to see what the week will bring and what God is going to do. 

Evening entry:
We hopped off the plane, filled out our customs forms, and paid our $10.00 per person to enter the country. It is a bit crazy to me every year that everyone has to pay $10.00 (U.S. money and cash) to enter the country. The vast majority of people coming into the country are bringing humanitarian aid, and the rest are probably visting family still in Haiti. But on we went to the baggage claim,  joining the long line of others headed that way. 

One bag, two bags, three bags...but not bags four and five! The attendant kept asking us if we were “finny” (finished) as he probably wanted to push the baggage cart and get a tip! Finally the baggage carousel stopped turning, and we knew that we had a problem-missing bags! Hannah was missing the bag that had a bunch of stuff for the clinics as well as her clothes. I was missing my suitcase full of  small gifts for the cooks, extra clothes for those in need, and my clothes! My stuff isn’t as important as Hannahs bag, but this is Haiti! We can’t stop at a Walmart or Target on the way to get what we need! And we both would kinda like clothes to wear this week! (A lot!) We managed to head to the service desk to fill out a missing bag report. The attendant said that possibly our bags would get to the airport tomorrow on a different Delta flight. Well that was better than the first report we had received as they had said our bags would come on Saturday-next Saturday! 

Well, that wasn’t how we had prepared or planned, but God choose to allow this to happen. A bad attitude and a grumpy heart won’t solve a cotton-picking thing! We left Port-au-Prince around 2:00pm with 8 Americans and 2 Haitians in a nine passenger van. In Port-au-Prince  we met up with four other Americans that had come from South Carolina. Josh’s sister, Kasey, and her husband, Marcus, as ell as Grandpa Faulde (Pastor Kevin’s  Dad), and Tara, also a family member in the Faulde family. Tara and Kasey are Physicians Assistants, and they will also be working in the medical clinics. Luggage  was loaded unto the roof, and some under the seats or on our laps. 20 minutes later we pulled up to the side of the road, and the driver says that these people here on the road need a ride up the mountain with us. “ These people” consisted of five more Haitians and all their luggage! It was a packed vehicle! I don’t know where the seat belt even would be in that van, and we were packed in like sardines. I was glad that Garett was able to sit next to the window (with me practically on his lap). He was soaking in all the sights and sounds and smells of this new experience. I’m so thankful that he will be able to have a part in this week. 

 Traffic seemed to be terrible this year as we tried to get out of the city. It took us almost four hours to get to Cay Jocmel, and we still needed to get up the mountain (in the dark) to Seguin. In Cay Jocmel, we switched vehicles as there was no way that van would make it on the roads to Seguin. Instead we loaded into a pick up type Land cruiser. By the time we left, we had 18 people on the small truck with all the luggage..and it was dark! The driver was a competent one, and we made good time. I mean, we still hung on for dear life on the back of the truck, but we all survived. It did sprinkle a bit, but it wasn’t a pouring rain. We were all thankful to arrive at the mission house! The mission house was so full of people! The dedication for the mission house had been earlier today, and there was a great turnout of people...albeit a bit overwhelming! Garett and I hung back a bit as we don’t really know most of these people. I see uncertainty and insecurity written on Garetts face, and oh, how I’m praying! I know he’s tired too! 

Hannah and I took inventory of what we have between us. I had put my sleeping bag into Garett’s bag, so that was a blessing! We both had pajamas in our carryons. I had a small ziplock baggie with extra socks and underwear. I also had put my running shoes in my carryon and I had a summer skort. Krissy (from North Dakota) had brought a small travel towel, so she gave that to me too. I see lots of washing out of our clothes in the next few days, but oh well! I’m praying that at least Hannahs bag will arrive at the airport tomorrow as we will need it for the clinics. But God already knows what He is going to do. Personally, while Hannah and I both like clean clothes and the others things that we packed, we can both laugh our way through this. We will rejoice in the memories we are creating, and praise God for what He’s going to do! 

Prayer Requests on day 1:
-Our bags
-Garett
-The medical clinics and the Gospel message that will be presented
-Unity and Harmony on our team 

Blessings!

 9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9 

Weariness...it’s a real thing, isn’t it?! However, joy and contentment are also ours for the claiming! I’m thankful for the blessings that God provided for our family in the past week.

As many of you know, Roger took a quick trip out to California to celebrate the life of his grandpa. While our hearts will miss him, I know that Grandpa is estatic to be HOME in heaven! I’m thankful that God worked out all details for Roger to be able to go, and as much as I would’ve loved to go along too, I’m thankful that Roger was able to go. He was able to enjoy time with his brothers that I would I have interrupted, and I know he was thankful to spend time with three of his four brothers.

Roger gone to California left mom on single parenting duty! Definitely not my favorite thing, but it’s life! Roger left for California early Friday morning, and I just really did not want to face the day! But God gives grace for every moment, and He certainly heaped blessings upon me on Friday! After playing the piano for chapel services which included many Christmas carols, I got ready for hot lunch. Hot lunch was delicious, but breakfast for lunch is a lot of work! That’s why we only do it when there is s fifth Friday in the month! The students really enjoy it when we have breakfast, so it was fun to see their delighted faces over French toast, sausage, hash browns, and smoothies!

After hot lunch on Friday, my friend, Claire, suggested that Emma come home with her for the afternoon. This was a great blessing to both myself and Emma! I had Christmas costumes to dig out  of the attic and to organize, and that probably wouldn’t have been Emma’s cup of tea! Allison helped  me get all the costumes out of the church attic, and get most of them organized for the Christmas   program. It’s hard to believe but on Friday, December 7, the program will be behind us! After school,
 I brought Claire’s son home and picked up Emma. Claire asked if we would want to take a walk to the lighthouse. That was actually a really good idea, because the kids had asked to go to the parade and the Walk Through Bethlehem that evening. A walk to the lighthouse would use up much of the time between school and the parade events. We took the seven kids we had between us and enjoyed a great walk at the lighthouse. It provided a distraction for my kids, and it helped use our time wisely. After the walk, Claire suggested Pizza Hut for supper. I asked the boys, and I received a very enthusiastic YES! Chandler was suffering from a bad headache, and he actually fell asleep at Pizza Hut, while Claire and I visited. Thanks to the cartoon channel, our kids were all happily entertained! I was a wonderful evening and such an unexpected and delightful blessing. Chandler felt bettter after a short nap and eating, so we headed to the parade. We’ve done the parade and walk through Bethlehem with Roger and several other friends the last two years, so it was not my favorite to be  doing it by myself. The kids did have a great time, but they all commented on how much they missed  having Dad to go with them. Yes, we do miss Dad!

Saturday was a morning spent mostly at home, except going to Rogers work to get another seat put in the van! Rogers boss has graciously allowed us to use one of the company’s vans until we can figure out what to do about the suburban and getting a different vehicle. But this afternoon a group from our church is headed to see the Coastal Botanical Gardens, and I knew we would need another seat in the van. I’m thankful that there were workers available to put in that seat because I would’ve been there a very, very long time! The kids were very excited about going to see all the lights at Gardens Aglow at the coastal botanical gardens, but again, we missed Dad! Since Roger was gone, that meant that I needed to drive the van. I don’t mind driving the big van, but I don’t parellel park and I will park a mile away if I can avoid backing up!

It was a great evening! Allison had set up all the arrangements for the group of 22 of us that went. I  
 drove the van with all the kids, Allison, and one other mom. God provided a great opportunity as   Allison asked the other mom to sit in the front. I was able to hear about her salvation testimony, and I hope encourage her a bit as some of her situations aren’t ideal. It was a good opportunity to pray, share the Love of Jesus, and hopefully, encourage her. The gardens were beautiful...but oh, so crowded! Wow! I’d love to go again, but not on a weekend! The kids enjoyed themselves to, and it was a beautiful night!

Roger had originally planned on coming back on Sunday, but it was Monday when he arrived home. We were all very glad to see him, but especially this mama! Roger is the main man for setting up the backdrops for the Christmas program, and it’s only a few days away! I married a good man. He puts up with an overflowing of ideas and suggestions, and then he brings in all together in a way that I neither suggested or gave as in idea! But it looks way better than anything I could ever attempt to do!  We were at the school setting up after work on Tuesday for several hours. I don’t know of very many men that would get off of their physical job, and come and help get ready for a school program and not even complain! However, by the time we were done at the church on Tuesday night everyone was a bit tired and grouchy! Since we didn’t leave the church until after eight pm, and our kids are usually in bed by 7:30, it was a bit crazy! Everyone was hungry, so that was the first problem to fix! It was after nine before all the kids were in bed, but my heart breathed a sigh of relief at having another very important part done! Thank you, Roger!

Today we had our first official dress rehearsal for our Christmas program! Whew! The kids have done a great job with pulling it all together, but we will all rejoice when Friday night is behind us! I’m thankful for the teachers that have given sacrificially in allowing me to have a bit of extra time with our students. I’m thankful for Emma, Allison’s daughter, who has helped me so sweetly through all our technical difficulties! She is the tech/sound producer and she has done a great job! I’m sad  she’s in eighth grade as that means she will be leaving our school! I’m praying for receptive hearts to the Gospel message on Friday, and please pray with me on that!  

We’ve had several blessings this week....want to hear them?
1) My parents are very sacrificial in their giving towards our children’s education. We are so thankful for their support, and I am blessed.

2) I found out that someone has been putting some money on our school account every month! Say want?! I don’t know who, but I am thankful!

3) Roger was able to go to California. While we missed him, I am thankful that he was able to spend time with family.

4) Roger and I were blessed by the generosity of one of the families out on the islands. This couple has become good friends with Roger and I and our family. This past week when Roger was out on the island, the gentleman pulled Roger aside and gave him a gift of money. He told Roger that he and his wife remember having Christmas with lots of young children, and he wanted to bless us. He gave us a gift of money to put towards our Christmas with out family! It was a complete and total surprise, and a blessing that we will remember for years to come!

I am so blessed with so many that love and pray for our family. You encourage our hearts, and I am thankful!

 

 

 

 

Wrapping up of October

Can you believe that the month of October is almost over?! The leaves are in the final stages before falling completely off the trees. We can see our neighbor’s house again, so it’s another reminder that the seasons are changing. We did see a few flurries of snow last week but no accumulation. The boys and Emma are anxious for the snow to fall. Emma told me that she can’t wait for the snow because “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to eat clean, white snow, Mommy!” So we have five kids that will be delighted when the snow does start falling!

Roger and Chandler left on Friday afternoon for their trip to Ohio. They flew from our area airport to Boston. From Boston they had a direct flight to Cleveland. Roger has a good friend that lives in the Cleveland area, so Chandler and Roger were able to stay the night at his place. Kyle has been a friend of Rogers for years and years, and Roger said it was so refreshing and encouraging to be able to  reconnect with that friendship. Chandler had a great weekend with Roger, and the other boys are anxiously waiting for whenever Roger might need to go on another trip! On Saturday, they spent time with Kyle, picked up the u haul, picked up the airplane part, and got ready to head back to Maine. Roger and Chandler were on the road by 4:00 am., and God provided good weather and clear roads. They were home by 8:00 pm. On Sunday night! I’m so glad that Roger was able to take one of our children with him. I’m not going to lie...it was a bit of a long weekend for me! The other boys and  Emma did really well together, but I definitely missed Chandler and Roger. We stayed busy with  various projects around the house. Travis and Emma helped make a few pumpkin rolls, and I started  on a crochet project for the auction...provided I can finish it in time!

 

On Sunday we had a church dinner following the service as well as a church business meeting. That can make for a bit of a long afternoon. I made crockpot lasagna and we brought along a pumpkin roll. When we arrived at church, the church had no electricity! I guess the wind from the night before had caused the power to go out. That meant that all the crockpots wouldn’t work! Thankfully our church  sanctuary has lots of windows, so we moved on with the Sunday school hour. Interestingly enough, we are discussing thanksgiving with the kids in our Sunday school class. It was a good time of discussion as they popped up with so many things that they are thankful for which included electricity! I’ve enjoyed these past few weeks with the children on discussing prayer. I feel like I’ve learned so much, and I certainly enjoy hearing what the kids have learned. Our time to shape, mold, and direct them is such a short window of time. We have no time to waste. I want to be intentional in teaching an opening Sunday school exercise as I am about teaching music class every week. Thankfully the power did come back one before the Sunday school hour was over, so there was enough time for the crockpot food to cook.

By the time the meeting and lunch was over, it was about two pm. That makes for a very short afternoon when the children’s program starts at five in the evening! It felt like we had very little time at home, but it was enough time to get laundry going and to pack lunches for school. It definitely   wasn’t an ideal afternoon, but we all survived!


Monday morning started another week of school, as well as our Parents Group meeting. Our auction is now just two weeks away, so we are on the home stretch. I will be so thankful to have this massive undertaking behind us, as the Christmas program is only three short weeks after that! It was a small group of moms that met together on Monday morning, but the willingness to work together  and in harmony was present. I am very much praying that God will give each of these moms a special blessing as we work on this event. It’s our schools’ 19th annual auction, however, that doesn’t mean that it comes together of its own accord! It’s a lot of hard, hard work. I wish I knew how to better encourage families to want to participate or help out, but I don’t. So instead I’ll move forward with a happy heart to serve the school in this capacity. I know we serve an amazing God!


 Monday evening, the kids had an opportunity to go to an event. Travis didn’t want to go as he was
 suffering from a head ache. He was sleeping by 6:45 pm., so I know he was tired! He seemed to   bounce back the next day, so off to school he went.  

Emma and I spent much of Tuesday working on contacting various businesses for donations to our auction. Emma and Travis had appointments at the doctors office after school to have some  vaccinations. The nurse asked the kids what they were going to be for Halloween. We certainly don’t
 celebrate Halloween, but we do participate in our church’s trunk or treat event. Travis looked at the nurse and replied, “I’ll be myself, of course!” I had to laugh as Travis does not like to dress up for anything so clearly he would want to be himself. Emma loves to dress up, and she always likes to try on my clothes also!



Wednesday was another full day, and I knew it would be. Since Wednesday is my music class teaching day, as well as our annual Trunk or Treat, it was a full to bursting day! After music class, I did lunch duty. Then we dropped by at the airport for a little bit to see Daddy. We had enough time to need to find something to do, but not enough time to go home. So Emma and I went to visit an older
couple in our church. Our kids enjoy older folks for the most part, and I want to encourage our children to make sure they interact with older people. We have so much we can learn from them. It was an enjoyable visit, and I believe it was a God -honoring way to fill up our afternoon. We picked  up the boys from school, and then we got ready for our trunk or treat. I’m not a fan of Halloween, and I do believe that people do wicked things on Halloween. But guess what? People do wicked and evil things every day! The Bible says, “This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” I would rather raise our children to not be fearful of a day, but rather to rejoice in how  great our God is! The Trunk or Treat event is one that the community is coming to the church. I  firmly believe that we, as Christians, have a wonderful to point families to Jesus! We decorated our
trunk like on of our church ministries. Since I teach the little ones on Sunday night, we decorated it
along that theme. Garett handed out the treats, and Emma handed out flyers to our children’s program on Sunday nights. Chandler and Wyatt hosted the table with hot choclate and Gospel tracts. I’m not
sure how many cups of hot chocolate they drank while hosting, but oh well! We saw a lot of kids and families on Wednesday night. I don’t know how many, but it was quite a few. I’m praying that seeds  were planted or watered, and that  God will be glorified through this event. It was a long and tiring
day, but we came home with happy hearts and sugared up kids!


 I have more to write about the events of this week, but I think I’ll save it for another post. I will say that I would definitely appreciate your prayers. The ending part of this week was exhausting,  troubling, and disheartening. I know that ultimately God will refine me as I face struggles, but sometimes spiritual growth is painful. However, we will continue to serve our Heavenly Father until He calls us home.

 

 Travis studying his spelling words 

I’ve been thinking about this statement by A. W. Tozer  a lot in recent days...a whole lot. It’s led to several discussions with my dearest friends. My heart’s desire is that my children will love God so passionately and fervently that they will be set apart and different simply because they love God so deeply. However, if my children grow up to love Jesus, serve Him, and live for Him, it will be In spite of me, not because of me. Being a parent is the hardest job...ever. I fail every day to point my kids to Jesus. Yet I know that as much as I love them, their Heavenly Father loves them even more. Oh, I want to be a vessel used by the Master to ever point them to Jesus.