This is my life!

Boys will be boys! 

AHHHHHHHH!!!!! 

I told the boys the other day that they could play in the sprinkler, soooooo I look out and the pond that we are GOING to fill in was being used as this....

My first reaction was GET OUT!!!!

I turned around and thought,

"Why not?  This is what being a kid is all about!  Let them do it!"

(I talk to myself often!)

So I did!

And I don't regret it!

(Well, the clean up of the clogged drain and disgusting bathtub AFTER they hosed off outside FIRST, did put a small damper on my "fun" decision!)

They won't remember the filthy tub or the plunging

This is what they will remember!

I'm learning to let go and let boys be boys!

(But once in the mud pond was enough!)

:)

Morning wake up crew...

This is what life is like when your #12 and the last one to wake up in the morning...

Morning smiles for everyone!

For a few more years anyway! :)

I'm gonna miss this someday!

Hang in there!  My daughter's Part II of her Journey to Africa coming soon!

Thoughts of Thanks

This year I look back and we have been through some "stuff"!  I realized there are 2 ways to look at things.  You can sit back and complain about all the things you DON'T have OR look at all the things you DO have and realize how much favor and blessing you have on your life from God.  Everyday I can find many things that I am thankful for!  I am overwhelmed with the thought that my Heavenly Father loves me so much, that He has decided to pour out continual blessings in my life!  Hearing of my children's trip while they were in Africa also placed a contentment in my heart that makes me realize just how much we do have and that we are a blessed people!  I will never look at things the same way!

I am thankful for...

healthy children...a loving husband...loving parents...a place to live...appliances...pillows and blankets...beds...a bible to read whenever I want ...ability to learn ...electricity and water...the ability to feed 12 tummies...grocery stores...soap...an abundance of friends...music...safety...cars...smiles on children's faces...birthday's...dates with my hubby...dates with my children...talks with my daughters...a furnace...an 18 year old who still likes mom to give him hugs...hugs and kisses in general...socks...closet full of clothes ...people giving us clothes...thrift stores..children who love God!

A God who never gives up on me!
HIS...

 Extreme Mercy

Extravagant Grace

Unwavoring Acceptance

Unconditional love

Forgiveness

Hope that He holds my future

When we look at the things that we have, it gives us reason to celebrate and look at things differently!  We can rejoice and know that we are a blessed people.  Even when things around us are going crazy, it is ALWAYS possible to see the good if we choose to do so. 

Write a list, I ensure you, it will brighten your day and it will make your load seem a little lighter!

Make it a habbit to have..

THOUGHTS OF THANKS!

Coming this week...

my daughter will be sharing her journey to Africa!  Stay tuned!

Foto Friday ~ sibling love

Nothing compares to the love of a big sister and little brother!
It is simply a joy to watch!
I always wanted to be a big sister but instead,
I get to take part in raising daughters and sons that are big sisters and little brothers to each other!

Life is good!

Enjoy the weekend!
Give somebody and unexpected hug!
It will bless their day and yours!

One year ago...

Today, is the one year anniversary of my sweet, precious grandma's death.

She is sitting at Jesus feet now.

 It's actually where she always longed to be!

But I am selfish and wish I could be sitting with her in my living room!

I have missed her so much!

I don't quite know how I have done it without her!

She always had so much wisdom to share. 

She had a way of making me know I was not alone when I was not the parent I should have been...

When I failed to love my husband the way God intended, she would share with me the ways she failed as a wife but how forgiving God was with her.

Most importantly, she showed me the power of a relationship with Christ! 

The power of prayer and that the bible is the LIVING word of God and that it will NEVER fail me!

So although I miss her, I realize that the legacy she has left me, will be passed down for generations and she is always with me! 

And that sweet day, when I enter the gates of heaven, she will be there with her arms opened wide and tell me of all the things she has learned again!  Oh that sweet, sweet day!

"Little" FAITH!

In my morning bible study, we were asked what "little" faith might mean.  We all sat there and had a real hard time coming up with an answer.  I think we were all in agreement that the things we could think of that required faith, were all in the end, BIG!  So faith, according to the word of God in Hebrews 11 is: the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  I thought I would share a little story with you that happened a couple weeks ago that was an example to me of "little" faith but turned into something BIG! 

I went to our local pet supply store to get rabbit food with our 6 year old.  We went through the normal routine of looking at the toy trucks, tractors, and trailers.  We also went through the normal routine of the question/answer game that ends with, "no honey, I can't but that today."  There was a specific little truck he REALLY wanted and he wanted a trailer to go with it.   I told him I WOULD buy the truck because he had helped me earlier that day, clean and he had been very diligent at keeping on task.  I continued to tell him, that because daddy still has no job, I cannot possibly get the trailer to go with it and that maybe soon, he could earn some money to buy it and I gave him my word that we would come back when he had earned the money.  He shook his head yes and walked out proudly with his little blue truck.  I will say, I thought there might be a little more of a protest or at least some sort of bargaining that might happen.  I was so proud of him and told him that it made me so happy that he listened and respected my "wait" answer. 

The next stop was our local discount bread store.  We were waiting in line and an elderly gentleman in front of us turned around and looked down at my little boy and said in a weak, scratchy voice, "This is what you call being at the right place at the right time little man!"  He then handed my son a $1 bill.  Then another, and then another.  My sons eyes grew bigger and bigger with each dollar he gave him.  He said, "Thank you so much!"  The gentleman slowly turned around with a smile and walked out.  The cashier had a huge smile on her face and looked at me and winked.  My little boy turned to me and said, "Mommy, he gave me ALL the money he had!"  Such a sweet thing for him to notice that the gentleman made a sacrifice for him. 

We continued outside and I took him by the hands and looked into his big blue eyes and said, "Sweetheart, this is God's reward to you for listening and obeying me earlier.  Do you remember how much that trailer you wanted was?"

"No...do I have enough in my hand mommy?"  He questioned.

"YEP!  The trailer was $2.99 and you now have $3 in your hand!  God knew your heart and He has blessed you for your obedience!"

"Can we go get my trailer mom?"

"That's where I was planning on going!"

About 2 blocks later, God quietly whispered to my heart, "If I care about a 6 year old and finding him a way to get a trailer, don't you think I can take care of you and provide all that YOU need?!

I began to cry!  It has been a year now without a job.  I'm not complaining and my faith is totally in God, but our circumstances from the outside looking in, is BAD!  I have wondered how in the world we are getting out of this one!  What is going to happen!  But through that moment of teaching my sweet child the ability of God and His great love for him, God taught ME that I am His child also and that He sees, He knows, He cares, and He provides! 

So, when it looks like everything around me is caving in and I have no answers and only questions, I can walk in BIG faith knowing that my God CAN and WILL take care of me!  My son's little trailer sitting on his bedroom floor, is a reminder of all that my God can do!  If he can whisper in a man's ear to give a little boy all the money in his hand, then I know that He can take care of our family and it only takes one whisper to turn everything around!  I will continue to look to Him and I am persuaded that He is able!   My hope is that He sees and knows our needs, the evidence is that He is working in our behalf to bring glory to Him through our circumstances.

Just ask my little boy!  He has no doubt!!

Africa update...

I recieved a letter this morning from my daughter, and I think this is the best way to "update" you on my kids experience in Africa!  Enjoy!  I know I did!

---------------------------------------------

It’s me J

 I miss you all like crazy! God has been soo good to me though, and there have only been a couple times where I’ve had that sad, miserable, longing ache to be back at home IMMEDIATELY. When I had malaria it was definitely a very tough four days. I don’t think that I’ll ever forget those days of being so, so, so sick. And not just sick, but sick and laying in a dirty mud hut in the middle of absolutely nowhere!  I wouldn’t trade that time for anything, though. Because during that time God ministered to me, and I literally felt His presence stronger than I ever have in my life. He spoke to me and revealed so much to me... I don’t have enough time to explain it all by e-mail, but once I get home I will be able to tell you more about some things that happened spiritually during those four days.

 This whole trip hasn’t been like a big “spiritual high”. There has been so much testing, so many challenges. There have been some reeaallly difficult days. Days when I would end up in tears at some point.  Pure, raw tears from an overwhelmed heart. I think that before I left I had this expectation that this trip was going to be a little bit challenging, but that it was going to be so full of great emotional high points where God’s presence was always tangible, too. I was wrong. There have been many of those times where the Holy Spirit was so obviously near. But the majority of the time has been a testing, refining process. I have had to keep pressing on so many times when I so desperately want to give up. I have had to go without running water, electricity, a bed, sleep, etc.. I have had to deal with lots and lots of insects, animals where I’m trying to sleep, food that I am not familiar with, a language that I cannot understand. And the transportation…Oh my goodness!!! I have been in the back of a very tiny pickup, along with 25 other people! I have been in countless mini-buses with goats, chickens, plus 22 or 23 sweaty, filthy, smelly people!  Yet, I am so very thankful for this! I have, at least somewhat, began to seek JESUS. Not the blessings He gives, not the fuzzy feelings He gives, not comfort, not ease, not familiarity. I have tasted and found that He alone is enough. It is a glorious freedom not to be bound by anything! I don’t need a shower every day, I don’t need American food, I don’t need a bed to sleep in, I don’t need female company. Jesus is enough, and nobody can take Him away from me! Nothing can separate me from His love and His presence.

   As a white person (well…sort of white!! I have a very dark tan right now because of all the exposure I’ve had to the hot, African sun!) , I am the focus of all attention wherever I go, especially because I am a female!  There aren’t really any female missionaries at all around here. I wake up in a house with three men in it. Then I go to prayer and intercession with anywhere from 10 to 20 men. Then Bible class is taught by different men, and I am the only female there. Then we will go and talk with some of the pastor’s and have lunch with five or six more men. Then we will go home and I will be cooking dinner and find out that a few men are coming over for dinner.  In the villages women are not valued at all. Black women, that is. It’s so ingrained in their culture that at the church services, the men won’t even sit with their wives.  White women are treated like queens. This also has an advantage.  People are curious, and when I speak and teach, they listen.

  Last night we went to the church service at Kalibu. It was spectacular. The worship was just incredible! It’s hard to describe, but to hear over 500 young African students joyfully, loudly, boldly praising God with everything in them...it was great. We sang and worshipped and danced and shouted and praised God for over an hour, but it seemed like less than five minutes. Pastor Mike preached, and boy does he preach with an anointing.

   I sit here and try to cram everything that I’m learning and experiencing into a few paragraphs in an e-mail and it is not easy! I have tried, but I really can’t explain all that is going on, all that God is doing. At least not by e-mail.  

 Make sure that everyone who has supported us and is praying for us knows that we appreciate it! There have been many times where I can literally feel God’s protection and presence  and I just know that it’s the result of someone’s prayer at that moment. I’ve had this happen a few times in the middle of the night when I wake up and I am filled with the assurance that someone, somewhere is praying for me. I can’t tell you how much that means at that time.

 Tell everyone that A---- says hi! I miss you guys!! And I will be home very soon!!

I love you all!!!!!

~A----

Do you?

Do you ever feel like this...

Some days, this is how I feel!

And then I remember who is in charge of my life!

It is not me!

God is the one who I can trust for everything!

That just makes it all okay!

Remember...

Psalm 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  He counts the number of the stars;

He calls them all by name!

A tribute

Today is my birthday

  The hardest birthday I have ever had.  Only 2 days after losing my precious grandma, I find it hard to celebrate or just plain smile.
(The little handmade cards from my little ones do help and God does know I neeed all the extra hugs I can get!)

So, I made the decision to celebrate my birthday by remembering the lady who has left a legacy for me to follow and I will continue to love Jesus with all my heart and trust Him no matter what, just as she did.

Today, I remember all the birthday's SHE shared with me and all the card's and hugs SHE gave me!
I also will continue to share her love with my children and pass down a Godly heritage to them.

I will never forget her unconditional love and I will hopefully have the grace to love others the same as she always did.

I will celebrate today simply because she would want me to!

I love you so much grandma!

You are my inspriration and I will always have you in my heart until I see you again someday!

Jelly-bean love

The love between these two brothers all started with jelly beans.

To mom's annoyance, 

 16 year old started giving jelly beans to the 2 year old when he was 13 months old!

a love based on conditional reason's, is now TOTALLY unconditional!

And the jelly beans just don't matter anymore! 

(And mom has even forgiven the 16 year old for giving candy to a baby!) *grin*

 

When 16 year old walks in the door after work the conversation goes something like this,

2 year old, "You home now?"

16 year old, "Yes, I'm home now."

2 year old, "I glad, I misst you!"

Mom just takes it all in and appreciates the simple, pure love between these two brothers!

Army bound?

Every once in awhile, I feel like there is a chance MAYBE the little things I am trying to teach my children is getting through. Responsibility, independence, and some evidence of order. Well, yesterday I was yelling, I mean gently calling to my child, to get downstairs. He had been up there quite awhile and to my experience, a four year old that is out of view and quiet is usually NEVER a good thing! No answer. So I decided to get my energetic, okay, lazy self up and check on him. And there right before my eyes, my angelic, never in trouble, adorable little boy was...are you ready for this, sitting on his floor with his clothes all in a row, FOLDING them and putting them in his drawer. Now don't get me wrong, this is something I have been teaching him to do for at least 2 years now, but usually with my direction. Nope, not this time! He looked at me with those big electric blues and said to me as I stepped into the doorway, "Mommy, I dust could not ake it aaannnyyymore! My cothes ere evywhere!!" AAAHHHH music to my ears! I will admit, I'm not sure what he meant because a couple hours ago I had just helped him put them away in his drawer but who am I to stop a neatness gene in him! It may be the only child I have that has it! I better enhance it and appreciate it while I can! (This is also the child who makes his bed every morning AND must get dressed the minute he wakes up!) Either he's going to be in the army someday, or he is just getting in practice to be a really good husband! This is what I call a "camel moment". Those days when you wonder if anything is getting through and then one moment something happens, such as my 4 year olds desire to be organized for a minute. I use these times to get me through the times when I want to throw my hands in the air and scream, (I mean quietly whisper), "who are these children and why are they calling me MOM!"

Today, I will gladly acknowledge he is mine! Tomorrow, we will wait and see!:)

 

 

 

In spite of Me!

As a mother I wonder so many times what kind of impact I am making on my children for the sake of Jesus. I see so much my flesh and just wonder if I am being the example God really desires me to be for my children. Well, yesterday I had what I call a camel moment from God. (Those are the moments I use to get through the "dry" days. They carry me through just as a camel stores up fat in his humps to get through the desert.) We were sitting in our usual places for our morning bible time and I was talking to the children about Luke 9:23-26. It is about denying yourself and taking up your cross daily. I was telling the little ones it might mean sharing a toy that you want to play with or giving your last favorite piece of candy to somebody who had none. To the older ones, I said maybe it might be doing something that is right that you may lose friends over or they might laugh at you. You put someone else first instead of only thinking about yourself and what you want. I sometimes wonder how much they all listen. Some mornings it is like we are all on the same page and other times I feel all I really do is talk to myself.

Earlier that morning my mom called and said there was a lady from Bosnia at her church that came up to her and asked if she knew of anyone trying to get rid of a cat. She really wanted one. Immediately we came to my mom's mind. My oldest son has an 8 month old kitten that he took in. He paid for her to be spayed and all of her shots, buys all of her food and anything else she might need. I never said a word to him about giving HIS kitten to her. After bible time I was in the kitchen, and he came in and said, "Mom, when you praying during bible time, God told me I was to give Midnight to the lady in Bosnia and to buy everything she might need to get her started with the cat. " He started crying and I started crying. It was a very special time! My first thought was, I'll find another way! It is so hard to see my son sacrifice something that is so important to him! It was not only something he loved, but something he had spent quite a bit of money on! It was then that I realized the prayers I have prayed for him to have an encounter with God and for my children to hear God's voice was being answered! How could I even think of stopping something so valuable in my son's life? Through my son's tears, I reminded him of the sacrifice that God made for us when He allowed His only son to die on the cross for us! I'm sure He did want to see His son suffer. He could have let the cup pass from Him, but He knew what was best. Now, my son is just sacrificing a cat, but it was such a great moment for us to look and appreciate the cross and all that our Jesus has done for us! It is all about our hearts. Are we willing to deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily? The cross was not just a little thing that he could carry in one of His hands. He had to carry and drag it on His back in the heat, on dirt roads while people were laughing and mocking Him! Sometimes the things He asks us to do are not easy, but if we are looking to Him, He will be there to pick us up and strengthen us. When my son hands that kitten over to the Bosnian lady, it will not be easy, but God will be there and I take comfort in knowing that whatever God asks of my children, no matter how difficult, He is right beside them. This has eternal value! It also reminded me, that no matter how my humanness comes through so often, God is faithful, and He DOES use me to teach my children about Him in spite of me!

The heart is good!

Arik, our 3 year old went to a pediatric cardiologist today because of a significant heart murmur. To make a long story short, the doctor was very concerned by listening to his heart, but after an echo-cardiogram, he told us everything was perfect and he has a "functional" heart murmur. Nothing to watch and nothing to be concerned about! God is good! He still would have been good even if something was wrong, but we are thankful! I am typing this on my parents computer because our computer crashed yesterday, so I may not be blogging for a little while. Please check back soon! Until then, keep believing God is a God of truth and He loves you with an everlasting love!

A Simple Sunday

Another nice weekend day. The weather was so nice and cool! Gets me so ready for fall! My favorite time of the year is upon me! I like the cool weather and the coming holidays. (Except Halloween!) I dread the hype of the weird, creepy stuff in all the stores! It is something I could definitely do without! I am so thankful to be in a place where all the seasons are enjoyed. I like the change! It must be in my personality. I also like to rearrange furniture often. My poor husband never knows what the living room will look like when he gets home from work. I guess I need a little more excitement in my life. May you enjoy the coming month as the leaves begin to change and the beauty of the outdoors with all of it's colors remind you that God's love NEVER changes! It is the same today, tomorrow and forever! I never have to wonder what God is like! He stays the same! (Unlike my living room!)

A nice slow day

Not many things going on today. Well, if you consider 7 boys, 3 girls , a cat, a dog and 5 hamsters, not much! Dad was also home to enjoy a day with all of us. The extra eyes and ears and a living jungle gym around for the boys to climb on, gives us a change of normal weekday activities. IOWA Hawks did win so the moral for the day was a nice pleasant one since dad is a Hawk fan. A couple days of off school for the older ones is welcomed also! I had time to catch up on checking assignments and began to make the plans for next week. I do enjoy weekends. Not really less for me to do, just a change of pace mentally. (Joe did let me sleep in an extra hour, which I am not accustomed to doing!) Little Andru had a rough night. I really don't like sleeping in because it seems like the day goes so fast! Well, it did! I cannot believe it is bedtime for the little ones already! I hope whomever reads this is doing well and like our family heard at bible-time this morning, that you have found something today that you are grateful for that God has done for you!