A Couple of Christmas Music videos

These guys are incredible. They sing everything acapella.
First up...Silent Night, acapella style

Next up, a comedic performance of the 12 Days of Christmas. This is one of my least favorite Christmas songs but I like it when these guys do it.

You can find more by these guys on You Tube and they also have a website

Since laughter is good medicine...

After some wintry weather over the weekend I am home with the kids today. School has been canceled and most of my daytime census bureau work is done for the month we have been doing some cleaning and sat down to browse the internet. I have spent the past couple of days with a horrible cold or maybe the flu but this video made me feel a bit better. I laughed until I cried and so did the kids.

The comedian at the Comedy Barn pulled some guests up on stage for part of the show and got a bit more than he bargained for. Take a look.

A long overdue update

I've known for a couple of weeks now that I really must get on here and post some form of an update so here I am. I've been incredibly busy with my jobs which has made it hard to get on here. My work load has nearly doubled with my census bureau job and I just returned from a couple of days in Minneapolis for yet another training. The workload there should decrease just a bit in January. I've also been working a lot at the post office while the regular carrier harvested his crops and then took some time off. I really enjoy doing the mail route but lately have been very thankful that it is only a 4 hour route. There have been many days where I've gotten off the route only to go out for an 8 hour day with the Census Bureau.

Everyone else in the house is doing well. The kids are all busy with schoolwork, thankfully some of Molly and Evan's homeschooling is done with a computer program removing some of the teaching from my "to do" list. Our hens have been happily laying and we have lights on them to keep them laying through the winter. For awhile we were getting 20-21 eggs per day out of our 23 laying birds but this past week, as it has gotten colder and our girls spend less time outside, the laying has slowed down to about 15 per day. Either way, it is more than e can eat. WE have been eating eggs for breakfast, lunch and supper. We've had fried eggs, scrambled eggs, egg bakes, omelets, french toast, popovers and more. Send your egg recipes here. We need them!

We are preparing for the holiday season. The decorating is in process and we still need to get a few things done with that. The shopping is nearly done and I am trying to get my work done early this month so I have more time at home later in the month. The church's Nights of Music are half over. We still have 4 performances this weekend. The stories and testimonies that come out of the event are always so wonderful to hear and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Collin turns 16 today. We had his family/grandparent birthday party about a week and a half ago to beat the mad rush in December. I'll bake him a cake today so it doesn't seem like too much of a non-event. He doesn't seem in a hurry to get his drivers license, at least not as much as I would like him to have one. He's got his permit but doesn't drive very often. Hopefully we will get him to take the test in the next couple of months which will save me some tips to town getting him to his praise and worship rehearsal and other appointments. I've got to admit I never was very crazy about him getting his license in the winter anyway.

A friend sent this to me yesterday and I want to share it here at the risk of sounding hypocritical. This 3 minute video is a great reminder to all of us in this busy time of the year.

Check this out-Christmas LIght Display Extraordinare!

This guy named Richard Holdman, from Utah does a huge Christmas Light display each year and then sets it to music. I love it!

This is video of last years display where he had 45,000 lights. THis year he plans to have 150,000 lights!

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

Unfortunately, this year he needed to change the location due o his gated community not wanting the traffic there again. I guess I can understand but it is kind of sad for Richard. It looks like he has a found a good location and I will try to keep you updated once he gets that display up and going in the next few days.

A Chronic Disease

A journalist was invited by friends to travel to Africa. He accepted the invitation, but as the departure date drew nearer, he became more and more apprehensive about the trip. When the day arrived, he went to the airport with every intention of canceling his plane ticket. Though his friends did their best to reason with him, the journalist seemed resolute in his decision. Then a shadow fell across their discussion, and standing tall above them was a holy man with an ancient, pointed beard and long black robes. The holy man addressed the journalist, saying, "I have a word for you from God." The journalist, noticeably shaken by the man's presence, nevertheless asked him to continue. The holy man said, "You will go to Africa-and you will come back with a terrible disease." Hearing this confirmed the journalists worst fears. The holy man went on to say, "The disease IS Africa. It will be in your blood for the rest of your life. And you will not be able to stay away." With trepidation, the journalist boarded the plane and went to Africa. And went, and went, and went-again, and again, and again.
Copyright Ward Brehm, White Man Walking, Kirk House Publishers

Thank You to all current and former military members

I'm not much of a country music fan but this video and song seem appropriate for today. Thank you veterans and current soldiers, marines and airmen.

Top Ten Predictions No matter Who Wins the Elections

No matter what your political affiliation or beliefs are regarding the different candidates for the many different races going on all over the country, the following ten statements ring true.

#1-The Bible will still have all of the answers.
#2-Prayer will still work.
#3-The Holy Spirit will still move.
#4-God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
#5-There will still be God anointed preaching.
#6-There will still be singing of praises to God.
#7-God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
#8-There will still be room at the cross.
#9-Jesus will still love you.
#10-Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

Thank you God for who you are, for what you have done and for all you still will do.

Good Bye and God Bless You, Kallevig Family

Last Thursday evening our family went to say hello and good bye to a family in our area. About 8-10 years ago I served on the steering team for our local Mothers of Preschoolers(MOPS) group. It was there that I met Kelly Jo. Even though Kelly Jo and her family live in the area, about 8 miles from us, we never saw each other again after I left the steering team. Life gets in the way and we just never connected in person. We had spoken on the phone a few times over the years. I remember one time was when she and he husband were in the process of adopting from overseas at about the same time we adopted our daughter. Another time we spoke was when I found out, about 6 months after Shannon and I knew we were eventually moving to Tanzania, that Kelly Jo and her husband were going to moving to the mission field of Zambia. Zambia is located on Tanzania's south border so we will, even 8,000 miles from "home", be virtual neighbors once again.

So, anyway, last Thursday we picked up pizza and stopped to see the Kallevig's in their sparsely furnished home. Nearly everything they own had either been shipped over to Zambia many months ago or sold on recent garage sales. It was fun for me to see Kelly Jo again and for the Shannon and Brian to get a chance to meet. I know Shannon and I enjoyed spending some time with people who truly understand our feelings about our upcoming work in Africa. We felt a definite connection with Brian and Kelly Jo and we talked about many things-international medical insurance, raising financial and prayer support and what to ship and when to ship and how to ship. We talked about prep such as MTI-missionary Training International, ECHO-Educational Concerns for Hunger Organizationand other things. Our 5 children and their 6 played well together while their 7th, a new baby, took turns sleeping in people's arms. After several hours together, knowing we could have easily visited all night long, we prayed together and said good bye joking that maybe in a few years we will vacation at each others African homes.

Please visit Brian and Kelly Jo's blog and say a prayer for them. This will be a tough week of good byes and last minute packing leading up to 30 hours in the air or in airports with their 7 children beginning on Friday.

Brian and Kelly Jo, thanks for taking the time to meet with us before you leave. We wish your family safe travel and true joy in serving God over in Zambia.

Hearing the Voice of God

For those of you unfamiliar with Beth Moore, she is an incredible bible teacher. She has written many bible studies, mainly for women, although Shannon loves her teachings as well. Anyway, I have been facilitating her bible studies at our church for several years now. Her studies are great ones to "lead" because leading basically consists of keeping the women on track during discussion time and then pushing the play button on the VCR. In a recent study, she shared the following story on video. It was great to see her tell the story. Just yesterday my aunt sent me the email of the story and I thought it would be a great one to share here. It's a long one but well worth the read.

April 20, 2005, at the airport in Knoxville , waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the
Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is
your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over
in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously
fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his
trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his
shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As
I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering
if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then I remembered that he was
dead. So this man in the airport..an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us
somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being
concerned about a thin slice of humanity served up on a wheelchair only a
few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more
overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap
more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching
emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.

I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall.
I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so
contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen.
And it may be embarrassing.

I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit
and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane." Then I heard it..."I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair."

The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainier. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man ." Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. " That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."

I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works.'" (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I
retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?"

"May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?

To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear
you, you're going to have to talk louder than that."

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?" At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Long Locks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush."

"I have one in my bag," he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull. A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I, for that few minutes, felt a portion of the very love of God; that He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.

I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?"

He said, "Yes, I do.'"

Well, that figures, I thought. He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it.

Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft. I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"

I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!"

And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that oldman. He sent that old man to me.

Slow Fade

I have fallen in love with this song. It's kind of sad but it is so true that people don't usually fall off of a cliff but they just slowly fade into negative choices. I was thrilled to hear the song was in the soundtrack for Fireproof. Check it out.

Slow Fade by Casting Crowns

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Copyright Casting Crowns

Look what we found!

On Saturday Shannon went to check on the chickens and he found a cute little brown, farm-fresh egg in one of the nest boxes. Here is a photo of it next to a store bought size large egg.

So, for lunch on Sunday, when we made scrambled eggs for brunch, our one little egg got added to the others bought from the store. Here is a photo of it on the right, next to a store bought on the left. You can see it is quite a bit smaller as they are when the chickens first start laying. You may also notice that the yolk is darker. That is because our chickens eat much better than caged chickens. They eat greenery from our yard as well as lots of leftover fruits and veggies from our kitchen.

Since the first one was found we have found three more so our girls are finally starting to figure it out. As far as we can tell, all the eggs have been laid by different chickens. All 4 eggs are different sizes and colors-the first was brown with dark brown specks, the second was a light tan, the next was a pure dark brown and the next was a lighter tan than the second. We aren't sure who's laying but are excited to see some results from our efforts.

I recently ordered a book called "The $64 Tomato." It is about a man who starts a garden and figures his tomato cost him about that much to grow. WE have been joking about the cost of our eggs and are excited that with each egg that appears our cost per egg goes down. Right now with all expenses including set up, the building and fence and feed and other supplies I'm thinking each of our 4 eggs(so far) cost about $100 each! Keep laying ladies!

End Time Glory Ministries now owns land in Tanzania!

Rev Debra and her team just returned from Tanzania and Burundi last week. Yesterday Shannon had a phone conversation with Debra about the trip and the land. The team was able to travel from Mwanza, by ferry and Land Rover, to the property. It is located across the channel from Mwanza. The land is about 15 minutes from where the ferry dropped them off via a fairly bad road(ahh, Africa...). Rev Debra thinks that with a little work on the road it could be turned into a 5 minute trip. The land is 30 acres of mostly tillable land that was being farmed. There is no one currently living on the property so those that were paid for the property were farming it. There are some mango trees and the exciting part is that there is a small mountain on the property. There are several reasons we want a large hill or mountain. It will be a great place to put a radio tower to broadcast God's word to the nation. Also, it will be a great place to locate a wind turbine to generate electricity which is not currently in the area. It sounds like there are plans for electricity to be in that area in the next few years but we are well aware of few years may be closer to many years, especially in Africa. A city council member is very excited about the ministry coming to the area and was involved in obtaining many signatures from area residents encouraging the farmers to sell us the property. The entire community is looking forward to the ministry's arrival which excites us greatly. Here is what Rev Debra had to say in her recent prayer chain email newsletter:
We were AMAZED to see the beautiful 25 + acre piece of property that now belongs to ETG Ministries! It has 'million dollar' views of Lake Victoria, mango trees, good farm land and even a small mountain - Glory Mountain - which we climbed, anointed, and had communion on! Pray for the remaining acreage ETG is expecting. None of what we saw is actual lake frontage, BUT the official who showed us the property lines was approached that very morning by a "squatter" who had adjoining lake frontage and wanted help in "selling" it! God is so AWESOME! Also, pray for favor with Engineering Ministries International - that they will approve the ETG application for their services for the Tanzania property.
This is good news and we are excited, and just a bit nervous, to see what God does next.

Fireproof-Movie Review

About a year ago we saw the movie Facing the Giants. It's a football themed movie that was put out by a church- yep, a church- in Albany, Georgia. The church had a budget of $100,000 and with that money they were able to put together a great film that included Christianity without it being the "in your face Christianity" that offends so many. It was a movie they had produced for their area as an outreach tool that ended up going nationwide and was pretty popular. We were so impressed with the movie and the church's efforts, we bought a copy of our own.

Two nights ago, we rented the movie, Flywheel. Flywheel was the first efforts of the same church to put together a movie several years prior to Facing the Giants. Though filmed with a $20,0000 budget which limited them in sound quality somewhat it was still a great story with a saving message.

Last night, Fireproof was released. Sherwood Baptists Church third film was a hit for our entire family. We do not go to see films in the theaters very often but this one was a must for us. It was important to us that we be a part of the opening weekend crowd, to show Hollywood that these are the types of movies we want to see.

The movie was all we expected it to be. A story of a heroic firefighter and his wife and their struggling marriage. Lest you think this was a "chick flick" that would be of no interest to the guys can I just say that there were fire and explosions, firehouse humor(clean) and relationships. We watch as this adorable couple decides it is time to end their marriage. The father of the firefighter requests that he give it 40 days before filing for a divorce and sends him a book called The Love Dare. The book has 40 ideas, one per day, of ways for him to show love to his wife and as he follows its suggestions he finds it to not be working. It isn't until he finally comes to the realization that he can't give something to his wife that he doesn't have to give that there is a turning point in the story. Without giving any further info and possibly spoiling the movie for you I think it is fair to say that the movie gets 6 thumbs up from the 6 of us that went. Get to it if you can.

FIREPROOF!-Coming Soon!

This new movie, by the creators of Facing the Giants is going to be one of the few films we won't wait to see on video.

Show your local theaters you want to see more movies like this by being there during opening week.

Refreshing

As my children have gotten older it has been difficult to find them modest clothing, good television(is that an oxymoron?) and wholesome music. In a world of clothing that shows belly buttons and cleavage on girls barely out of diapers it has been a struggle for sure. In a world of music and video that has swear words I hadn't even heard yet, words that would make a sailor, or in my case, a Marine Corps veteran, blush, it has also been a struggle to find good music. In a world that has young girls literally worshiping Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, we have tried hard to steer our girls away from that.

Recently we discovered a couple of musical groups that have us wanting to tell the world about them.

PureNRG is a trio of tweens that can sing and dance to the delight of any tween girl. A group of two gals and a guy, they sing a lot of older, clean but fun songs like "Footloose" and have a few of their own as well. They have some Christian music and are moving into more worship songs as well. Jordan, the guy of the trio has this to say about their newest album, "“Here We Go Again” opens with the buoyant title track, a high-energy tune with a catchy chorus that is an instant sing along. “Any Which Way” continues the good time vibe, and Jordan cites it among his favorites on the album. “It’s saying to give yourself to God and to let Him take you wherever He wants you to go, and that’s what we do.” As a mom, I find myself excited about these energetic kids.


The Rubyz is made up of three young ladies aged 13-17 whose name comes straight from the book of Proverbs-"A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies." -Proverbs 31:10. Their first album came out this past April and their goal is to fill a void in the mainstream media. to tell young ladies that they are valuable and that it is ok to be young and there is no hurry to grow up faster than God desires, that it is good to act and dress your age.

I hope if you have any young children, and even if you don't, you can get your hands on one or more of the albums put out by these adorable kids.

Stay at Home Mom?

When I first started having children, being a stay-at-home Mom wasn't a really big priority in my life. As more children came along, out of necessity I stayed home and left my job with the post office. At the time I was a rural carrier sub in a small town we lived in at the time but childcare was just too expensive. That was when I was actually paying childcare for 3, sometimes 4 and it didn't pay to work. As the children got older, I started working again at my current post office, again as a rural carrier sub. It's a job I really enjoy-being out in nature, seeing animals and the peace and quiet...well most of the time. The bad days are when it is raining or a windy winter day and I get a flat tire.

The spring of 2007 brought a letter to my mailbox from the Census Bureau. I had worked for them during the 2000 population count. The letter was inviting me to a testing and interview session in the area for "part-time intermittent" work. I decided to check it out. When I was offered the job, Shannon and I both thought it was a great idea. We had recently stopped doing foster care so didn't have young children in and out as much. Our own children were getting older and able to be along once in awhile and paying private school tuition for two of the children was really stretching us financially. We also saw an opportunity to bring in some extra income to help pay off debt. We both knew that we couldn't move to Tanzania with a debt load here. I took the job, happily plugging away on survey work about 20-30 hours per month. I found the work itself to be a challenge but also fun to travel over a 5 county area near our home meeting people and seeing the countyside.

Recently another survey was added to my position and it has increased my workload dramatically. Dramatically as in, I have worked about 90 hours so far this month with another 15 or so to go. This particular survey will have a very heavy workload through the rest of the year but in January will have me doing most of my work at home by phone.

For the first time in a long time though I find myself feeling very divided. I feel that my first God-given responsibility is to my husband and children-to being a helpmeet to Shannon, to raising our children together and being available for them, cleaning our home and cooking-you know, the stay-at-home Mom kind of stuff. The Census Bureau loves my work and are trying to move me into more full-time work. They think they are doing me a favor. They are, I appreciate the hours and pay and the benefits that will be starting soon but it is so hard. I feel like I am letting down my family and myself but I also know that for this time, earning this income to pay down debt and tuition is what I need to be doing.

I hate being gone on the weekends and in the evenings, being unable to make plans with extended family for the times when most people are off work. It's frustrating to me but a necessity as well.

Please keep our family in your prayers through these next several months as we adjust to me being away even more than I had been. We are hopeful that once January comes and the work turns into mostly phone calling I'll be able to keep up the pace without so much struggle.

Oh and by the way, that's why I haven't been posting as much. When I am home, being on the computer is pretty low priority, at least for the time being.

Still Missing in Action...

After returning from our 8 days in the Black Hills, I was home for a literal 22 hours before leaving again. I hurriedly unpacked bags and did laundry, spent a few hours at church Sunday morning, then packed my bags again to leave for a training for my job with the Census Bureau. The Bureau has added an additional survey to my assignment, effectively doubling my workload. I spent 5 days there before returning home to prepare everyone, including myself, for a new school year.

We did spend Labor Day at Christine's parent's lake home where we visited with my parents, my sister, and several aunts and uncles and a cousin. It was nice to see my Aunt Karen from Hawaii who I hadn't seen for many years. My cousin and Evan, in their adventurous mood, took the boat over to the old railroad bridge across the lake. They were hoping to jump off of it as they had seen others do in the past. Before jumping we told them they had to measure the depth of the water. Using a rock and a rope they discovered the water to be only 7 feet deep this late in the year, so to my mother's relief they put that activity aside for another year, maybe in the spring when the water is deepest.

We are still trying to find a routine that works for us this year. With my post office and Census Bureau jobs, homeschooling two of the children and other activities and scheduled appointments, life is pretty crazy busy. I am working a lot more evenings and weekends than I did in the summer which I hate but find necessary. It has made our Sunday's all the more precious a we try hard to keep them completely unplanned except for church services. Funny thing is, those are busy too as Molly serves on the praise and worship team in Kid's church during the first service and Collin has his High School praise and worship team rehearsal during the second. I don't mind too much as I like to be there for both services to be in the choir loft anyway.

At church last evening, I was reminded of the importance of taking time each day to listen for God. So often we complain that God is speaking to us but I think the question is usually, "Are we listening?" I start a bible study this Wednesday that will force me to get in the word more. I say "force" although once I get there I very much enjoy it.

As stated in an earlier post, Rev. Debra and a team are in Tanzania right now. We know they were planning to visit the property while they are there and also attending a wedding. Along with ministry in several cities in Tanzania as well as the country of Burundi, they have a full schedule too. Please keep them and the ministry they are doing in your prayers.

Black Hills Family Vacation

Hopefully my readers will forgive my absence over the past few weeks when I explain that our family went on an 8 day vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota. A vacation to the the Black Hills is something we had wanted to do for several years now but with our missions trips to Tanzania, the finances just weren't available. This year, as the team leaves for Tanzania tomorrow, we are both very sad that neither of us is going but we were both unable to leave our jobs for three weeks straight this year. Shannon will travel with Rev. Debra and Wayne next year when the engineering team is there.

Anyway, this summer our trip happened. We spent the entire summer planning and anticipating. We gathered info from the state dept of tourism and I spent hours online researching hotels, cabins, and activities to keep us busy. We found there was no lack of family activities in the area and scheduled one extra day in...just in case. We were so glad we had the extra day, otherwise our previously planned activities wouldn't have all gotten done. I had planned out each day perfectly, or so we thought. I think it was on day three that the schedule was thrown aside as a reference only to remind us of all we wanted to get done.

First stop, DeSmet, to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead. We spent several hours exploring the dug out home and shanty, animals in a barn, and riding in a covered wagon to an old schoolhouse. The children each made a rope the old fashioned way, saw how soap was made, wheat was ground in a coffee grinder during the "Long Winter" and laundry was done on a washboard. The girls each made their very own corncob doll like Laura had.


Wall Drug...where there are plenty of photo ops and more junky treasures than one can imagine seeing in one place. And yes, we each had a free glass of water or two.





Feeding the prairie dogs at a small gift shop near the entrance to the Badlands.



A drive through Badlands National Park. What a wondrous area. We were all awestruck.



The South Dakota Air and Space Museum located at the Air Force Base. Shannon and Collin enjoyed this more than the rest of us and but was fun to see airplanes similar to those we guarded while in the Marine Corps.


Reptile Gardens. The tortoises were a favorite. This one seemed to love when Evan rubbed its neck.


Dinosaur Park in Rapid City is just a bunch of concrete dinosaurs high up on a hill. I visited it as a child but the dinosaurs have shrunk since then.


The Cosmos, an area where people stand sideways and gravity doesn't seem quite right. We laughed hysterically as our minds and bodies were thrown for a loop. The one picture is not crooked, it just looks like it because the people are. The other picture shows Evan standing on the wall.


Bear Country USA where we drove through to see bears and much more.


The 1880 Train that runs between Hill City and Keystone. The three guys rode the train while us gals drove to Keystone to pick them up. Our van goes faster so we had a few minutes to shop before they arrived.


Big Thunder Gold Mine. Two men dug the mine using hand tools and dynamite. At the end of their 32 years they had each earned a grand total of $50 in gold. The mine turned out to be unprofitable for mining but Shannon and I joked of how profitable it has been since then. At $8 per person for tours as well as charging visitors to pan for gold it seems to be a true gold mine now. We didn't pan but did see people finding tiny specks in thier pans that they were allowed to put in a tiny bottle to keep.

Feeding the burros in Custer State Park was a riot. We knew we would be doing this and planning ahead, had bought several bags of over date donuts at our local bakery. The car in front of us was feeding them carrots and another was feeding them wheat thins. I bet you can guess which car they followed most closely.

Wind Cave, a 1 1/2 tour of a cave formed mainly by wind. It had a lot of what is called boxwork inside.

The Mammoth Dig Site is an old sinkhole where animals, including mammoths used to go to drink. The theory is that they would fall in the sinkhole which had very steep sides and end up drowning when they were unable to get out. So far they have found the fossilized remains of over 55 mammoths, as well as a short-faced bear, mountain lion and multiple smaller mammals. We were amazed at the tremendous size of these creatures as you can see by the picture of Shannon and the kids next to a cut out model of one.


A quick stop at a park in Rapid City where a couple of pieces of the former Berlin Wall are was an interesting spot.



Rushmore Cave, a 45 minute tour of a water formed cave that still has many stalagmites and stalactites. Unfortunately this one was broken off by visitors many years ago.

Mt Rushmore, a must see, of course. Our children were finally able to put to rest the joke we have had going with them that there are backsides carved into the back of the mountain. We learned more about those 4 particular presidents and why they were chosen for the monument.

Crazy Horse Monument, a truly amazing work in progress. This thing is huge! Shannon and I doubt it will ever be finished, it has already taken them 60 years and they are really not very far when you think about the big picture.


The infamous Needles Highway with it's rock tunnels and the needle formation at the top.


And Sylvan Lake. This is a beautiful, relaxing location in the midst of the craziness. It was a nice place to sit for a few minutes after our hike while Star and Evan took a dip.


Another fun location, a can't miss in our opinion, was Evan's Plunge in Hot Springs. This is a naturally, hot spring fed swimming pool with waterslides and hanging rings. It was originally used by the Native Americans then the wagon train participants. It was commercialized in 1890 and has been in operation now for over 100 years. I don't have any pics as we were all having to much fun to bring the camera in and risk it getting wet.

We also visited the city of Keystone and their famous taffy shop where you can watch the taffy being made. We spent quite a bit of money buying taffy for family, friends and ourselves.

Here is a photo of a sign that I found incredibly humorous. We saw it in several places out there during the week. Uh, no kidding? If they weren't "at large" they wouldn't be "wildlife" would they?

On the way home we stopped in Mitchell South Dakota to visit the corn palace. In a day reminiscent of National Lampoon's Vacation where the family arrives at their destination to find the theme park closed, we arrived at the Corn Palace to find it closed for the afternoon. It was corn capital days and there were many activities going on, one of which required a sound check it seems. Hey had locked the doors of it for a couple of hours, of course, just a couple of minutes before we arrived.

In our efforts to save the stop by visiting the local Bonanza restaurant for lunch, we arrived at the restaurant to find a sign hanging on the door stating that they had closed for the day as well.

We finally arrived home, after 8 extremely filled days of fun and learning to our own beds and two dogs, a cat and a parrot missing their owners very much. We are already hoping for another trip next summer. Next time we want to go further west to see Yellowstone National Park, Custer's battlefield, Devil's Tower and more.

The Grass Isn't Always Greener

A couple of months ago, after we first allowed our young chickens outside, we discovered that one was missing. We searched our 6 acres and the fields around the property but could find no signs of it. We did discover a small hole at the corner of the fence that it may have gotten out through but we never did find the chicken. We fixed the hole and also added on an n larger 100x100 foot fenced in area for the birds.

About two weeks ago we discovered our black lab in the back yard eating a freshly killed(by her)chicken that must have flown over the 4 foot high fence. We bought a bunch of chicken wire and proceeded to make the fence about three foot higher in an effort to keep them in.

Last Sunday evening I heard a squawking coming from the back yard and saw our black lab near the gate of the fence. I took off running and yelling at the dog. When I arrived at the scene I again found a dead chicken, this one our favorite, her name was Lucy. When we had added to the fence we had forgotten the gate and she must have gone over that to get to the "greener grass." The kids and I were horrified, especially after the most recent killing of our favorite chicken. We have since heightened the fencing over the gate and hope we have the problem solved.

I've been thinking a lot about how so many unsaved people are afraid to come to Christ because they aren't willing to give up the things that they think are against the rules and they think make life fun. Even we Christians often wonder if we are missing something by following God's commandments. God has put His commands into place not because He is trying to limit us but because He is trying to protect us. I hope that my family and I will be unlike our chickens and always remember that the fence is there for our protection.

"God still has big plans for you, Mom!"

Sometimes children say the silliest things and at other times they spout great wisdom. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Collin and I were in a pretty serious car accident a couple of weeks ago. It was after church. Our family had driven two cars to church that day due to ministry commitments we had a different services. Some of us needed to be there for both services but others didn't. After church was over, Collin and I took the van to the local feed store to get some chicken wire while Shannon took his car with the other children to go pick up Brandon from his group home. When Collin and I were finished at the feed store we were going to go directly across the four lane highway to the local Menards.

As I sat at the stop sign waiting to cross there was quite a bit of traffic on the highway. There were also three, I think, cars across the highway in the Menards driveway waiting to turn left onto the highway in front of me. I felt a bit of pressure to go as soon as possible, knowing that if they were following traffic laws, they were waiting for me to cross before they could go. I waited for a couple of cars going one direction, then a couple going the other. The road looked clear as I looked both ways and I kept my eyes on the car in front of me to be sure they wouldn't try to turn out in front of me. All of a sudden, seemingly from out of nowhere, I saw the front of a car hitting my front wheel and engine compartment from the left.

Although the picture of the van may not show it, the impact was incredible. The car that hit us was just coming into town on a main highway and was probably going between 50 and 60MPH when she hit. Fortunately she had an airbag and she was cushioned by that as her car hit us then flew across the highway and into the Menards driveway facing the opposite direction she had been going. Our van spun to the right and ended up against the curb facing nearly the opposite direction as well. I hit my head and eye on the left side of the van and Collin and I think I may have been knocked out for a few seconds based on my slow response to him telling me to turn off the van.

It ended up that both our van and her car were totaled out. We had just put $2800 in the van in the previous two weeks fixing the transmission and putting on new tires in preparation for our vacation. The other driver had a small cut on her hand, probably from when the airbags deployed from out of the steering wheel, but was otherwise fine. Collin had a sore lower back for a couple of days and I have been fighting a sore back, neck and shoulder. My entire left side was bruised and I had a black left eye. We discovered a surprising thing after the accident. We knew the van had both front and side impact airbags and were baffled as to why the side airbags didn't deploy. I sure would be feeling a lot better physically if they had. Anyway, after we found out that the van was totaled out, Shannon took the panel of the side of the seat where the airbags belong. Lo and behold, there wasn't one! We believe at some point in the vans journey to reach us via used car markets and auctions, someone removed them to sell them. Nightline has done stories on this and it looks like we experienced it personally.

We spent the next 5 days car shopping, not fun when on a deadline. First we were looking for the same style of van(it was a Pontiac Montana), then we switched to looking at Toyota Siennas. After a couple of days of looking at them we quickly realized they just weren't big enough for our family. Although Toyota's have great safety ratings and reliability, they are the smallest of all minivans and we were concerned about the lack of cargo space. WE ended up getting a Chrysler Town and Country. The children are ecstatic with the fact that the new van has a DVD player, it wasn't however, a huge selling point for me. We will maybe let them watch a video on the way out to the Black Hills on our vacation but it is one feature we are very unlikely to wear out.

As I've thought about how this all played out and how I honestly don't know how I couldn't have seen the other car it has frustrated me to no end. Just this morning I read an article about a driver's ed instructor who was killed when someone ran a red light and hit his side of the car at a similar speed as my accident. As I talked with the children about that this morning and how, if it had happened a split second later, it would have been my door rather than the front wheel area being hit I realize how very fortunate the three of us involved in the accident are to walk away in as good of condition as we did. During this conversation it was Molly who said, "Mom, God still has big plans for your life!" What could I say to that other than what I did, "I know God still has big plans for my life!"

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

By Whose Authority?

A couple of weeks ago at church, Pastor Keith announced that he would be fasting and praying in the sanctuary every lunch hour for the next 10 days. He invited anyone in the congregation who wished to join him to do so. I wasn't able to be there all 10 days but I made an appearance for quite a few of the days. Each day we prayed as a group for different needs within the church. One day we were praying about evangelism. We prayed that we, as a church, would be more bold about speaking to others about our faith-whether it be as we are shopping, out for a walk, or visiting over the fence with neighbors.

Isn't is sad how intimidated and fearful we get about speaking about our faith? We have something to share with people that can literally change their lives but we often want to use "lifestyle evangelism" to reach others with it. I am so glad that the people who shared Christ with me weren't just using lifestyle evangelism or I'd still be doomed to an eternity in hell. I'm not saying that how we live our lives isn't tremendously important in reaching others, but it's a rare person who finds Christ simply from watching. They still need to hear.

One of my part-time jobs involves knocking on doors and asking strangers personal questions about themselves for the Census Bureau. Yes, we do work all of the time, not just during the 10 year population count. Anyway, I drive into people's farms or driveways, knock on their doors, explain what I am doing, and then do it with minimal fear. A lot of the reason is because I am there under government authority. I wear a badge that basically identifies me as someone who can be at your door, as long as your address is on my computer screen. I have authority to be there doing what I am doing.

I need to remind myself that when I am out telling others about Jesus Christ and what He has done for me and what He can do for them, I also have authority. I have a God-given authority to be doing it. That authority, dear reader, is the best kind of authority I can get!

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31b

Life's been busy

Sorry I haven't been around for a bit. Life's been busy. Right after my last blog post we went into a 3 day glory conference with End Time Glory Ministries. It was a great weekend with a lot of praise and worship and teaching. We were able to see many friends from the ministry including Pastor Pierre from Haiti and Pastor James from Uganda, both of whom Shannon knew from former missions trips.

Then last Sunday I had a pretty bad car accident. Collin and I were in the van and a young girl was in the car we had the collision with. We won't talk about whose fault it was(mine) but let's just say I am driving more carefully now. Our van ended up being T-boned by her car which was moving around 55MPH at the time. Fortunately her car hit our front driver's side wheel and engine compartment rather than my door. I came out with a swollen black eye and some left side bruising, shoulder, back and neck pain. Collin seems to be ok after a couple of sore days and the girl went face first into her air bag...a very good thing. Both her car and our van were totaled out by insurance so Shannon and I have spent the last week car shopping. We have spent several days and many miles traveling from here to St. Cloud, Princeton(sorry we didn't stop by Lisa, we were in a huge hurry), the Twin Cities and the suburbs plus more. In the end, we bought a car locally. I'll share more on that story maybe later.

Then we can add in Molly's 12th birthday, Happy Birthday Molly!, and party and work, well, it's been crazy.

I've had a couple of blog posts swimming through my head for awhile now and hope to get them written soon. Bear with me, this is my busy week for one of my jobs and next week is crazy with both jobs but I'll try to get them done soon.