Family Focused Friday!

For the past several months we have been participants in a program from Voices of the Martyrs called prisoner alert. Voices of the Martyrs works closely with churches and individuals around the world who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. When we get the alerts of either a new person who has been persecuted for their faith...or an update on their sentence...we have the opportunity to write a letter to them in prison.

They have pre-chosen sentences and verses that are able to be translated into their language that you can choose from online. It then composes the message and allows you to print off the letter and the address.

This is our way, as a family with younger children, to "visit those in prison" and to help set the oppressed free. We also send pre-made letters online to their officials asking for the release of those Christians. It is a way we can be involved with the kind of "fasting" God desires and outlines in Isaiah 58.

Here is the link and you can check it out for yourself:
http://www.prisoneralert.com/

If you sign up they will always update you on what the status is on individuals in prison...and also remind you to pray and write. We choose the wording of the letter together (like I said, the sentences are pre-written you just get to choose the ones you want) and then the girls always add stickers and pictures to brighten the day of those in prison.

There are rules to sending these letters on the website...please read those for your own safety and the safety of those who work for this agency and those in prison. I NEVER put my home return address. They tell you that anyone in that prison could take that letter and then have access to your personal info. Other than that...I just use our first names to sign the letters and mail it off...praying over it with our family.

Will every letter that we write get to the person...who knows. But, we can only be faithful to the commands God has given us in His Word about caring for our neighbors all over the world as we care for ourselves and our families. Please check this out...it's a great kid-friendly way to get involved with what is going on in God's church around the world! It will open your kids eyes to the blessings we experience here as Christians compared to what it costs those around the world.

Have a family-focused Friday idea of your own? Leave a comment and let us all know! Let's encourage each other in this journey of obedience to spend our vapor life on what is eternal!

Let's Rock!

This Sunday our girls were in a musical at our church called Let's Rock! We had been working on this musical since the beginning of summer and it all was worth every minute! Each of the girls had a large part in the musical and Anli even had a solo too! She was the dramatic singer Jazz who thinks that coming to help her church choir clean up after a flood is not nearly as exciting as meeting a Christian music star...and trying to be in his new music video.

Virginia played Taylor who is the real "rock star." She is there to truly make a different for the community, make a new friend, and share Jesus with her! Both of the girls did a great job...and remembered that "all the praise goes vertical!"

Jay's entire family came to see it and spend the weekend with us! We had such a great time visiting the American Girl Doll store, consignment shopping, eating out...and just hanging out together! It was so sweet of them to come...and drive 6-7 hours to see them! What a precious family we are blessed with.

All the praise goes vertical! Great job kiddos!

Thanks to Miss Molly who worked so long and hard to give her all to Jesus and the kids. We were so thrilled to have her as our director this time! Thanks Molly!!

This was my 3rd musical to help with...and I just love these kids! It's a LOT of work on every one's part...but seeing those kids give it all for Jesus...made me cry through the entire show. I can't wait for next summer...

A closer look at where we live...

This past week we headed outside to check out the environment where we live...before we study countries, places, and environments around the world. It was fun to head outside and try to look at our complex with new eyes.We had a great time we had looking closely at the grasses, bugs, and trash (nice!) that was in our enviroment. But...the one thing we found in our environment that wasn't quite as nice...

Mosquitoes! Yep...I counted 15 bites on my legs in the 30 minutes we were out there! Then, we went inside and recorded our findings and wrote about what we learned.

Passport around the world...

This year our history curriculum is on Geography! We have already been learning all about countries through the Prayer Points from the IMB each day...and our North American Mission Board map of the United States has helped up to learn where all the states and their capitals are located. But...we are going to go on a wonderful journey all over this amazing world God has created! It has been so fun already! The first week we had fun filling out our passport applications! We had to fill out all the info and the learn how to write a check to pay for our passports.
I love that little signature of Anli's!

They were thrilled to get a chance to see Jay and I's real passport and look at all the places when have been.

Then...the big day came...and I gave them their passports! They were thrilled and now we are ready to visit all kinds of countries, oceans, states, peoples, and animals! I just can't wait...

First Works of Art...

Here are the first works of art that the girls have done in their classes so far! They are loving the art classes they are taking at FBC Woodstock's Timothy ministry for homeschoolers. They have been working on some other projects that are not finished yet...I can't wait to see them! This is Virginia's Mona Lisa...at the pet shop! She used other paper for the face and then they worked on her "smile." I thought this was amazing! Also they spent time learning all about

Da Vinci as an artist.
Here is a copy of Anli's watercolor artwork! I just LOVE this fish. I am going to have a hard time figuring out what all to frame this year. We'll have our very own art gallery!

I am also enjoying some time to work on ministry things while the girls are in class on Tuesdays. We are about 2 weeks into our new curriculum and schedule and we are all in LOVE with it. I am so blessed to have this opportunity and I thank God for it every day.

Classes begin!

For the past year the girls have been able to take their enrichment classes at FBC Woodstock's Timothy Ministry! They have taken lots of amazing classes and have totally enjoyed getting to know new friends, taking awesome classes, and having another teacher besides mom!

This year the girls are taking ballet, Art Explosion (14 different kinds of art mediums and artists!), Chinese Brush Painting, watercolor and acrylics. I am SO jealous! I hope the girls will teach me some techniques when they get home!

Anli is taking the class I would just LOVE to take...Chinese Brush Painting! We went to the open house for all the classes last week and were just in awe. Her teacher is so precious and has a beautiful portfolio of all that Anli will learn this year. Virginia will be taking the multimedia art explosion class at the same time. They are having a blast and loving their new teachers and friends!

I'll post photos of their work! I'm so grateful for these opportunities and for God's gift of homeschooling to our family!

Sweet Breakfast...

On Saturdays, we have a relaxed sleep in kind of morning...unless we have to be somewhere. Last Saturday Jay and I woke up to this precious breakfast! The girls had gotten up early and made a kid kind of meal for us that didn't require more than a toaster! How precious...and the cards were just awesome!
Didn't they do a fantastic job? Drinks and butter and everything! They said that we always fix them breakfast so they wanted to serve us. They are just the most amazing gifts of grace in our lives! Thanks girls!!

Answered Prayer!

Well, my focus for the past few weeks has been on homeschool curriculum! I wanted to share a neat story of how God used money to show us His plan for this year. See, for the past year Jay has been leading Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey at our church. We have learned so much and God has used it to make many mind shifts to the way I see money. It has been very convicting...and VERY encouraging! (*This is a long post! It's for my memory!)

Jay and I had been getting a little restless and concerned about some of the curriculum that our academy was using. It is a Christian school...but we found that we saw some things lacking. I have a minor in Biology and Jay really wants for the girls to have a strong apologetics background that includes an understanding of creation. Also, I had been teaching a Biblical Backgrounds class for women at my church and have seen over and over again a HUGE lack in historical...chronological understanding of history...as God created it!

So, our souls were restless...but about 3 weeks ago...we opted for the comfortable. We just thought we would supplement and add a few things here and there. Well, then...we had to purchase a FULL set of new tires because we had a minor issue on the way to NC. That was not cheap...and with August being our largest financial drain due to tuition, school supplies, Timothy Ministry classes, on and on...we found ourselves in a bit of a bind. What would we do?

Well, since credit is no longer an option in our lives (we have been debt free for about 2-3 years now...including no house) we knew that God was opening the door for an adventure and a miracle! We prayed and knew God would bring or show us His mighty provision.

Then, later that week in my time with the Lord that morning...He gave a stirring to branch out and leave the academy! WHOA THERE GOD! I have found much security in my academy. It's been my safety net for the past 3 years. I wasn't sure I was ready for that.

But, after feeling such a pressing from God...I talked to Jay. Surely, he would not think it was a great idea. Wrong! Before we knew it, we were BOTH settled on what and where God was leading us...out into the great place of faith.

We were supposed to go to my mom's house for her birthday this past weekend, but it was postponed until this weekend...so that left a FREE weekend (which we just don't have in the fall!) to pray, plan, and pull together the curriculum God had chosen for us all along!

We were literally giddy with excitement! It is awesome! And...it cost 1/4 of what we would have paid to the academy...and the money is already there! God used money (without the option of credit) to speak into our lives.

God provides for us. He knows our needs before we ever ask and has the provision to follow and obey Him waiting...if we ask and have faith! It was just awesome to see moment after moment...question after question be led by God.

We have already begun part of our schedule already and the girls LOVE it...me too! We have broached math and English and Bible right now until our other subjects come in. This will let me know how to schedule and how long those will take and how to best stream them into our day.

We are doing a fantastic science curriculum called Apologia (um...can you say amazing answer to Jay's desire for an apologetics background?) which immerses children in science based on the order God used in creation. This year we will be in Astronomy, next year Botany, the final 3 years (If God wills) it will be zoology based on how God created the animals. It is so cool! My friend Brooke (who has been a teacher for 10-12 years uses this at home with her kids...since she homeschools now too!) taught me all about this and I am so excited to get it!

For history...we are using a classical learning approach from My Father's World that begins with creation and follows history the way God made it...chronological. Our girls were supposed to be in American History this year at the academy...what? I just couldn't see the wisdom in that at all. We will begin at the very beginning and trace history all the way until modern times. It is broken into time frames (Creation to Greeks, Rome to the Reformation, Exploration to 1850, and finally 1850-modern times).

This year, though, we will be starting with geography and cultures in order to get an overall view of the earth and its people. We will study a country and while we are there it will show us the animals and biomes, along with the cultures, then bring in the missionaries that were there throughout history! So, for South America we will learn about Ecuador...rainforests...Nate Saint and Jim Elliott (missionaries killed in Ecuador) and all the animals that are found there. Love it!

Math is what we used the first year we homeschooled that is all hands on and interactive. And English is compiled by the help of our former tutor! God is good.

This is a long post...it's for me and my family to remember God's goodness. If you read this whole thing - WOW! But, I want to recount while my memory is fresh the great daily miracles of our God in our lives. It's going to be a great year!

Family Focused Friday

Why am I posting a photo of my dresser in our bedroom? Because only 2 weeks ago a large TV was placed there. Our TV in the den (big screen TV) broke and was had someone come and look at it...and even take the power board in for repairs. The estimate came back...um...way too much for a TV! For a little while since the only TV in the house was in our bedroom, it because the host area of everyone big and small!

It was the landing place for toys drug into there to watch a movie with, play with while watching shows, and before long it seemed that Jay and I had lost our bedroom and it had turned into a family room.

So...about a week ago...we moved our TV from the bedroom to the family room and now we have our bedroom back new and improved! See, we have always thought it was a good idea not to have a TV in the bedroom. But, we just never thought about actually getting it OUT of the bedroom. But, now we have made the switch and we LOVE it!

Now, we are not tempted to use the TV to wind down, fill the time, and waste the precious moments Jay and I have alone at night after the kids are asleep. It has been heavenly and we have had extra time to read, pray, and talk. We now have time each night to focus on our marriage. We have been doing a fantastic marriage series by John Piper called "Marriage, Christ, and the Covenant." We watch one each week and then talk it over together. It's awesome and a great resource for your own marriage and those around you.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/BySeries/78/

Do you have a TV in your bedroom? I would highly recommend you tossing that thing and recreating a retreat where you and your spouse can connect. If you are single...give yourself a place to be quiet with God and read, pray, think, and meditate. Believe me...you won't be sorry!

This life is a vapor...live your life to the fullest...don't just watch someone else's!

Sweet Memories...

More fun in NC!

While we were in NC, we all went to a really good Japanese steakhouse. It was a BLAST and we took up a whole table ourselves so that was really fun!
The girls all loved the soup!

Yummy!

Now, Parker did NOT like the big flames one bit! But, after they died down...he was having fun. He did like the little volcano of flames...just not the HUGE one at the beginning.

Emma was so cute eating her noodles with chopsticks! She would dunk those noodles in her favorite sauce and slurp them up. She had is all over her mouth...it was precious!

Virginia was not far behind either!

Sweetie pie.

Before we knew it...it was time to head back. We had a great time and enjoyed some really yummy food. It's always better when you share it with those you love!