Homeschool Hero

Earlier this month, I went to two memorials for a wonderful Christian homeschool Mom.  But she was much more than a homeschool Mom.  She was a mentor, encourager, tutor, friend and teacher to the homeschooling community in our area.  I only had the priviledge of meeting with her  a couple times for help with teaching my kids.  After hearing how much influence and a blessing she was to so many others, I was saddened that I didn't know her better.  She was a true Titus 2 woman, continuing to help younger mothers train and teach their own children long after hers were grown and graduated from college.  She truly left a legacy: all four of her children gave the gospel message at her memorial service and are living proof that she loved her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to her fullest, teaching them to do the same.  She was truly an extraordinary woman, but as her daughter said, she was also ordinary, that it was Christ who did the work in her and through her, for her to do all that she did.  Her daughter encouraged us homeschool moms and dads that we, too, can do extraordinary things for Jesus.  We just have to be willing.  For me, I want my kids to be Movers and Shakers, but first I have to be an example.  And the first place to start is by praying.  (But that is another post.)

Snow!

It seems way past winter now, but I really  need to post pics of my kids.  For Grandma :)  We went to the snow in mid March, on a Friday.  Very few people were there.  The kids tried the slope, but it was too lumpy. So they went to the white meadow and made hideouts and layed and crawled around in the snow for a good hour.  Then  another family with 5 kids came along and the Dad had his shovel and was making another slope sleighable, even with a jump!  So the kids went up and down that for another couple of hours til Little Sister got too cold.

 She got some air!

 Notice the snow balls over B's eyes!

Flowers

Spring is here! I hope it stays awhile.  The only thing I don't like about spring is that summer comes right after.  Some of my flowers are blooming and they are so pretty!  I just need more of them.  In the next couple of weeks, I hope to weed my garden and plant more flowers.  Not sure what, yet, but I hope to find golden poppies, at least.  And in the fall, I WILL plant more daffodil bulbs!
Daffodils:

Lavendar:

Lavendar:

 Nectarine Tree:

 Plum Tree:

He's 13 today!!

Happy Birthday, my son!

Book: Imprisoned in Iran

"Imprisoned in Iran" by Dan Baumann is another amazing testimony of what happens to regular people when they give everything to serve God.  What is especially amazing to me is that I actually knew Dan while I was in Thailand.  He was serving in Afghanistan at the time, and had stopped in Bangkok, Thailand a couple of times in his travels.  And his younger sister, Tina, was one of my leaders in my first YWAM Dicsipleship Training School (DTS). I hadn't heard about his imprisonment until very recently when a friend posted his interview with The 700 Club in Facebook.  Then I found his book.  Just like in the movies, Dan was pressured to "tell the truth" of why he was in Iran.  But the truth wasn't what his captors wanted to hear.  But he did tell the real truth and boldly told the entire gospel story in front of the chief guard, as well as everyone in the room at the time! 

Book: Walking Miracle

I have recently been going through my old pictures of my time in Thailand.  It made me want to read a book about missionaries in Thailand. Even better, missionaries with YWAM, in Thailand.  It didn't take me long to find Walking Miracle by Art Sanborn, on the  YWAM Publishing website.  This book starts out by Art telling the story of when he broke his neck in Hawaii, and instantly becoming a quadraplegic.  In the second chapter, it starts the story of how he and his wife, Ellen, and their three children began the journey of becoming a missionary family.  To read about the miracles that God did in their lives and in the lives of others as they preached the gospel in Thailand and other Asian countries was amazing.  I loved relating to the stories of familiarity of life in Thailand.  It was especially meaninful when I saw the names of people in the book that I actually knew, some quite well, during my time in Thailand.  I could not put this book down! 

I bought several other books in their International Adventure series.  I will write about these as I read them.  Most of these are exciting accounts of modern day missionaries that remind us that God is still working amazing wonders in this world.

Funny Girl

I found these pictures from Chuck E Cheese as I was cleaning out drawers near my desk.  What a funny girl, such a ham.   It is one of those rides that has the camera built in and takes the kid's picture whether they are looking or not.  She was 6 years old.