When God says "Go".....

.....you have to go.

A few weeks ago God told us to go. So in obedience we will be taking our family to the mission field in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Here is a video I shared a while back.

In many ways this was a complete surprise to us. It wasn't even on our radar before the month of March. Now we are in the process of selling our house and most of our belongings before we leave sometime this summer.

We applied for passports for all the kids.....7 in all. We will get Isaiah's passport as soon as he is born.

We bought a small (5x8) trailer to take a few of our possessions along. It won't hold much, but we are confident the Lord will provide for our needs when we get there. 

God's work in Mexico....

(This video is in English.)

Cheesy Vegetable Potato Soup

I got this recipe many years ago from a pastor's wife. It has become a family favorite. (Well, except for one daughter who has an aversion to cabbage and anything the even thinks might have an onion in it.....)

I am going to share the recipe as written, but I pretty much quit measuring anything in this recipe long ago. You almost can't mess it up.

3 T. butter
1/2 c. sliced celery
1/2 c. sliced onion
1/2 c. sliced carrots
1/2 c. sliced cabbage
3 chicken bouillon cubes (I use powdered bouillon.)
1 quart water
1 c. diced potatoes
8 slices American cheese (or shredded cheddar or a hunk of Velveeta)

Saute onions, celery, carrots, and cabbage in butter until tender.  Add bouillon cubes and water. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off and add cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.

Bro. Bob's Points on Parenting

Note: This is an outline of a sermon preached by a dear pastor friend of our Bro. Bob Jennings. When we visited his home (a few states away from us) several years back, I asked his wife for her granola recipe. She jotted it down and gave it to me. When I looked at it I noticed that she had written it on the back of a paper with this outline printed on it. I keep it in my Bible and read it when I'm feeling insufficient or frustrated as a parent.

1. Christian parents are ultimately cast upon the grace of God.
     A. Samuel, 1 Sam. 8:1f
     B. Hezekiah

2. Parenting is a joy, a great blessing. Psalm 127:5, 128:4

3. But parenting is also a challenge with responsibilities. It can be a grief. 1 Kings 1:6

4. The child's self-will must be broken. Proverbs 29:15

5. Reprove firmly, mean what you say. 1 Sam. 2:23, 3:13

6. Reprove with kindness; nobly, not cheaply. Psalm 141:5

7. Beware of hypocrisy. Luke 12:1, 1 Peter 5:3

8. Don't exasperate the children. Col. 3:21

9. Teach the children to be tough, to endure hardship without complaints and even taking it cheerfully. 2 Tim. 2:3

10. Instill a spirit of disciple 2 Tim. 1:7 NAS

11. Teach them to be hard workers. Gen. 24:20

12. Let the child be needed and feel needed. 2 Tim. 4:11

13. Do all you can together as a family. Acts 2:46

14 Father and mother must show deep unity. Psalm 133:1

15. Overall, you are teaching them that it is God with whom they have to do. Psalm 34:11

You can see a video of Bro. Bob preaching a sermon on parenting here.

An Open Letter to Friends and Family

(Another "catch-up" post....I began this one several weeks back, but never finished it up.)

Dear Friends & Family,

As I sit here writing this letter, I am very much aware that there is a tiny little person being formed inside of me. This is the 8th time I've known the joy of discovering that God is busy knitting someone special in my womb. It is the 8th time I've been able to tell my husband the news of a tiny little body growing secretly within. It is the 8th time I will soon find myself outgrowing my clothing, eating much more than normal, feeling super sleepy, finding that smells are many times a bit too strong for me. It is the 8th time I've told you all that I'm going to be a mom....again.

I know that many of you do not understand our true joy at such news. I know that for many of you, the news that yet another baby is going to join our household is, well, just a bit too much. Too much to imagine. Too much to comprehend. Too much to understand. Too much. Or, as some have even vocalized, "too many". <sigh>

I know I cannot change anyone's mind about anything. And that's okay. I'm not really trying to change your mind. I'm not even trying to be understood. I'm okay with being misunderstood. Really all I want to do is point you to the One Who made all this possible in the first place. The One Who called me to this journey. The One Who placed all 8 of those tiny babies inside my womb to grow into a new member of our family. The One Who is the Giver of Life.

The Bible never, ever talks about bearing children as anything other than a blessing. It is never seen as a burden to be endured or even avoided. Bearing children is what we were created to do. It is one of the primary responsibilities... privileges....of womanhood.

We've heard many things over the years from many people....things like "Don't you know what causes that?" "You sure have your hands full!" and even "You people are crazy!"

It seems that one of the biggest misunderstanding people have about our particular situation is that they think we have all these children because we are "trying for another boy". We have one son, followed by six sisters. And while we've always hoped for another boy, we've NEVER been discontent with our girls. And now, we will probably be misunderstood even more......

While we are *thrilled* to be having another boy, this doesn't necessarily mean we're "done" having children. 

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,

    or who has been his counselor?” 

Romans 11:34 (ESV)

And we will be happy with another one, no matter the gender! 

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A Late Start

(Note: I've been "missing in action" for a few months from this blog....due in part to a little person who will be joining our family around the end of May. :) This is one of my "catch-up" posts. Although it is January when I'm posting, this documents events from September....yes, I'm that far behind....) :)

I've been known to say that the best part of homeschooling is the flexibility. This year has really put that into practice for us. I had grand plans to get started at least "on time" this year, say, around the first of September. But other things happened.....

We decided to finally put down the new flooring in the school room. So instead of pulling out our books for the new school year, I was busy taking everything out of the school room. Of course, with everything out, it was also the perfect time for a new coat of paint. So I painted away before hubby had a chance to get started with the floor.

Furniture removed.

 The girls enjoyed drawing "roads" on the carpet.

 Carpet coming out...

 This is the temporary home of the contents of the school room (aka dining room). 

 Working away....

We had to replace some rotten wood on the door frame. 

 Found our first big snag.....carpenter ants. We had to replace about 8 feet of the beam. Not part of the plan....

 One of the "helpers". :)

This "hole" was a part of our room for about 5 days. We had to turn off the AC during the daytime "working hours" (in 100+ heat!!) and we covered it with a large blanket at night to keep out the mosquitoes. We did turn on the AC at night when the "hole" was covered. Probably not greatly energy efficient, but at least we slept comfortably. :)

Once the "hole" was finished, with the door re-hung (twice actually since it didn't swing properly the first time...), Daddy and helpers started laying the floor.

They worked hard!

And we LOVE the final result!!

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