India Update

This is a letter we recently sent out to friends and family who are teaming with us to pray for the kids upcoming trip to India. I thought I would share it here too..........

Hello Friends!!!

Our spring has evaporated right before our eyes and although we have had so much fun - we are weary of busy-ness and ready to soak in some family time before sending Gabe and Audrey off for the summer. In less than a month they will leave for training camp in Florida and two weeks later depart for India.  I hope to send a more detailed description of that experience in the near future as well as detailed itinerary for their travel. 

Our calendar has been full this last month  finishing all sorts of activities and preparing supplies and saving money for this trip. God is so faithful to send us help and provision. Our family and friends pitched in with a huge team effort to pull off a yard sale of gigantic proportions. I think we'd made several hundred dollars in the first thirty minutes just trying to get the stuff unloaded and onto the driveway. It was one of those moments that reminded me of the 5 loaves and the two fish - except we started out with much more than that. We sold for a day and a half and still had a trailer and SUV full to give away to another yard sale in progress to benefit an elderly grandmother who was ill and needed expensive treatment. 

The blessing of the Lord is abundant, full, pressed down, shaken together and running over. We stand amazed to know His hand is always at work and occasionally we get to SEE it and participate in it. 

The financial goal for these two began at just under $10,000.00 plus visa fees and other deposits. I am humbled and amazed to say we are 90% there. WOW! And Thank you!!!! We knew from the beginning this was a God-sized goal and mission. When we first began, I must be honest to say I was looking at the price for the mission trip first while my son - was looking at the people group and the work needed. More than once, I heard him say "the money is just not an issue - don't even think about it".

Easy for a kid to say - who has very little bills or financial responsibility right? He's accustomed to not thinking about the money.  But then again, childlike faith is exactly what God would want from us. 

So after we prayed and thought and talked and prayed more - the two kids agreed that India was their first choice. Over 47 million orphans in that one country alone. We would trust God to provide and make a way for His work to be done. We can be assured those are the type prayers He delights to answer. And He has done just that. And brought delight to our hearts in the meantime. 

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Another sweet encouragement came to our family in the form of a new friend. A mutual friend introduced us to a wonderful couple nearby. The husband is from southern India, a few hours from the location where the kids will be. We spent several hours in their home asking questions, taking notes on weather and food and culture. He was most helpful to encourage the kids and prepare them for what to expect as it pertains to spiritual concerns in India, deep rooted traditions and perceptions of God, Christianity, culture.... etc. 

What a divine meeting this was! We are so grateful.

In the meantime, we received a little more detail about the area where they will work (average temp. 110), living conditions, and the names and pictures of their teammates. This has been very exciting to pray for them by name and the 5 adult leaders who will give their guidance and supervision. God bless those dear ones. How I wish I could be there!!!

It has been difficult to multi-task during these busy days but preparations of sorts are underway. We are beginning to work on the packing list and necessary immunizations and medications to travel to this part of the world. Have I mentioned how far away South Asia really is? Oh my. 

We are humbled to know that you will pray with us for India, for our children, for God's name to go forth to this nation. We are learning that while the Hindu religion has been influenced for years by western pop culture, they are beginning again to "circle their wagons", as our new friend termed it, and dig their heels in to long held traditions. Their poly-theistic form of belief practices worship and reverence of many deities. They are likely to accept Jesus into their "group" of gods and religious leaders. This presents a complex type of challenge in presenting Jesus Christ as THE Way THE TRUTH and THE Life. 

For those of us who know Him, we rejoice and rest in the assurance that unlike any other god, idol, or leader, He is not dead or buried but gave His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, and then rose again, unlike any one before or since, to reign forever as  living and active Lord of Lords, and desires a real relationship with all those who will come, offering full forgiveness of sins, and the free gift of salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven. 

THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS!!! 

PRAYER: 

No doubt there will be skeptics and questions asked that are hard to answer or have never been pondered before. We are trusting the Lord for answers to these questions. He desires for all people to know Him fully. He does not come to us in mystery but in the Light. He is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. Please pray that the team would not be intimidated or fearful of the people of India many of whom are highly intelligent, skilled, and protective of their religious traditions.  

Please pray that God's word will take root in the hearts of these dear kids, many of whom may be young in their own faith. Please pray that they will rely on the Word of God that has stood the test of time for generations. Mostly, pray that the love of Jesus would enrapture their very person - from the time their eyes open in the morning through every hour of sleep at night - that their faces would show love and their hands and feet would be swift to good works. Pray that their relationships with teammates would be sweet and transparent, forming into a common bond ignited by shared passion for the glory of God. 

Of course, as a mom, I'm praying all these things and  "please let the pilots be alert, please  don't let my kids get malaria, please remind my son to not pet animals running around in the street with rabies.....help their spending money to stretch and for them to make wise purchases so they don't run out of hand sanitizer, please help them to lean on each other and for my sweet girl not to be homesick.... even though she rolls her eyes and assures me she will not, please help the other kids to be nice and not weird or creepy (just keeping it real) Please help those leaders to be alert - thoughtful, understanding and someone to be like a mom and love like a mom would. and watch..... please help someone to watch.... please..Jesus help them to call out to you"

I had my first cry about it all. But it was selfish really. Isn't this what it's all for? Isn't this what God desires for us to do with our gifts?

Give them back. Especially our most treasured gifts....like children. 

Hubs and I were reminded just the other evening - that all we do for our kids, all we hope to instill in them, train them to be, encourage and challenge their hearts and make attitude adjustments and slip in some comfort denials.... all of it.... SHOULD  be for usefulness to Christ's kingdom. That's it.  Not as complicated as we make it. Not easy. But simple. 

So, God is pleased to move on their behalf - to complete that work in them - for His sake and their good. Let it be so. We pray it will be so. 

Here are a few pictures of our recent yard sale and the sweet team effort provided by the Lord and our family!

Isaiah 58:10 

"and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,  and your night will become like the noonday."

Celebrating Teenager #2

 

click on image for an enlarged view


"She knew that she was formed by God's hands, dreamed up in His heart, and placed in this world for a purpose."

I have so much to celebrate in this Sweet Girl but will have to come back another time and fill in the blanks. She will be 13 on Friday and we are celebrating her every chance we get. The pictures alone have reduced me to a mess - so I must move on to my other responsibilities.

She is a treasure. God has done this and we are blessed because of her. 

Good for the Soul ~ Choose Carefully

"Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world’s goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all." 

Julie Beck

Yard Sale for MiSSiONS

We would be so grateful for your help 
in spreading the word.  This is a huge event ! 
Bring a truck! Thank you and God Bless.

Baseball and Life

 

Good For the Soul ~ Treasure Today

" Normal Day let me be aware of the treasure you are."

 ~ Mary Jean Irion

I'm enjoying a few throw back pictures this morning - partly because they've all been stored safely away in Carbonite due to our last computer crash and I've only recently been able to re-discover them all again. 

Where does the time go?

In days?

In life?

Just this morning - before 9:30 a.m. we'd been to a hairdresser to correct a bangs disaster that  this well-meaning mom attempted on the 12 year old's lovely locks, all to save time...... and in the end cost us way more time......  AND to the grocery to pick up the  last of things that were missed during last night's run.

School started late for the Big Guy who had to go by way of the doctor and get an antibiotic for a lingering infection. And school started late here - for the rest of us - because of the above mentioned activities.


And there are chickens to feed and cars to clean out and chili to make for tonight. And girls Bible study here at 4. And two groups headed their separate ways after that, one to a violin concert and the other to a ballgame. And yes..... both of those would be out of town.

And some way, some how, I must find  a way to get my son from  high school after he runs for who knows how long......" and will just call when he's done."  okaaaaaaaayyyyyy.

And in this moment just wishing a tiny bit, he could drive.

And while - most of it is really fun stuff - I'm tired today.

But also, it's occurring to me that while our busy-ness takes on different faces from month to month, season to season- it may very well be the new normal for this time of life and with these kids!

So, instead of waiting on a nice, easy, long day in the sunshine to reflect and treasure - I'm praying today that I steal moments of time to look long into little eyes and scoop up babies who aren't babies anymore for a hug, read a story, even if it's in the car, and remember to take coloring books and markers in our to-go bag, and give praise as often as possible and be the smiling face in the crowd behind that baseball backstop. And pray before and after and during and especially at bedtime when everyone is still and safe at home. 

Because we wake up at 6 on a Saturday morning to be at the track by 8 and do it all over again. 

And because just yesterday - Baby Girl was our baby.
And now, well..... she can make scrambled eggs...... all. by. herself.

Which we all know is a definitive sign of mature aging.

Having these two at home at the same time is become a rarity. This part does make me so sad.  I think Big Guy was teaching Little Man how to trust his stick throwing skills, as he attempted to knock the hat off his head without a minor injury

That I got a picture and did not avert the throw - is something I shouldn't be proud of.

Don't be like me.

And I can totally tell by the way my Little Mans chubby cheek is all scrunched up high, that he is smiling like a champ while he waits on the stick to the head. ........ His chubby cheeks are long gone - but that sweet grin..... melts my heart.

We're learning as we go here. On the fly so to speak. Sometimes I find myself thinking - I'll be glad when things get back to normal.

But maybe my memories of normal are just that. I really don't know. This new normal is pushing me to cry out to God in different ways and certainly at different times of the day. It's presenting new and different opportunities to pray and creating all kinds of experiences in which we can learn new things and
find joy!!!

This is all good right?

But in the meantime and the driving time and in as many in between times as I can muster, I'm determined to try hard to make moments meaningful.

Recently Edith Shaeffer went home to be with the Lord. Her words about family and homemaking are beautiful and challenging:

“We foolish mortals sometimes live through years not realizing how short life is, and that TODAY is your life.” 
― Edith Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking

******Update: This little happy moment just in ~ I was frantically putting together the kids' enormous packet for VISA application this morning to try to beat the mail. All the notorized forms, copies of birth certificates, drivers licenses, passports, more photos, checks, etc....... only to realize at the last moment we were out of stamps. (pretty sure MJ has stuck them in a coloring book somewhere ..........arghhhh -  to scream or to laugh???)  Do you know the mail man had to come to the door today and deliver a package and agreed to let me purchase postage right then and there to get my applications on their way?

My God sees. He works in small insignificant ways to establish His purposes. ......And small towns rock. 

Happy Friday.

Easter in the Mountains

We were so excited to be w Hubs parents, sisters and this fun bunch of cousins for Easter!. Give these kids some sunshine, dirt, worms, rocks to climb and plenty of food and they do not complain. 

One of the kids' favorite things to do is explore new hiking territory. Hubs sister and family have a mountain and hiking trails right in their back yard. Is that the coolest thing or what?



It also helps to work off all the breakfast biscuits and Easter dessert we'd been consuming without pause.




Even the littles got in on the action. I loved all that beautiful moss - wish I could get that to grow around here.

MJ wasn't quite sure about all the slippery mud  but she hung in there with us and Hubs is a champ for carrying her around on his shoulders. Up. Hill. 

When it rained - we decided to take over the local bowling alley. We hadn't been bowling in a long time -  which was sort of obvious in several ways....... but, I'd forgotten just how much fun it can be!!! I think Hubs was checking his final four bracket. Sorry babe - Marquette just couldn't pull it out this year.


This team had their own lane and let me tell you, the competition was fierce!

One or two of the members may have had the advantage of a private coach. 

By Easter morning, you'd never know it was the same group. Ears cleaned and fingernails trimmed - they sure do clean up well. Except baby Grant wasn't quite jazzed up about the photo op. I love seeing all the little groups within the big group. God customized our big family to give everyone some good friends and we are so grateful. Never a dull moment, plenty of smiles to go around!

 

Nana spoiled us with a super fancy lunch complete with not one but TWO types of Jello salad. Yumm. My favorite.






This is my best attempt to show how we all crammed into Nana's kitchen for prayer.
18 grandkids, 6 parents, and two very special grandparents.




Hubs little girl is growing up. She's the lone ranger of the group with no girl cousins her age but boy does she ever do a fantastic job loving on all the littles and the "mediums".



The official egg hunt coordinator had to make double triple sure that the event was explained and carried out with careful precision to make sure the littles got plenty of candy and the bigs............ didn't  had fun too.
(to hear them tell it).

Hey - Jack! Racking up candy at the egg hunt is a well-known perk of being little. Sorry guys. You get your drivers permit - they get more cadbury eggs. Seems like a fair trade off to me.

On your mark.................................

and the rest is history........... like the cadbury eggs.



 What a great time! The days go by way too fast when we're all together.
Happy Easter. He is Risen indeed!!!!

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”