It has been a historic week in the nation. We have watched as the 44th president of the United States of America was sworn into office during the same week we commemorate the birth of Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King, the man with a dream would have been thrilled to join us as we watched the transfer of power,from Caucasian American to African American, from Republican party to Democratic party,take place Tuesday morning. The transfer of the presidency took place in a peaceful and joyous manner with the entire world watching. Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States is also the first African American to be elected into that office. Although I disagree with most of his politics I am truly thankful to live in a nation where it seems that the color of ones skin has less to do with life than it has in the past.
This week was also the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade legal decision of 1973 that reversed all of the laws at the time that were against the killing of tiny unborn human babies. The legal decision said that it was against a woman's constitutional rights to force her to bear the child she had conceived, completely forgetting about the human and constitutional rights of the babies whose lives the abortions take. Since 1973 aproximately 50 million babies have not been given a chance art life due to this decision.
Imagine the potential that our human race has lost. We have allowed to die so many inventions, ideas, cures and dreams as well. Each of those lives lost is a tragedy and it truly grieves my heart.
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13
President Obama has promised that one of the first things he'll do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), a law that would overturn the few existing state and federal restrictions on abortion. Researchers estimate that FOCA would generate at least 125,000 more abortions a year in a nation already devastated by 4,000 a day.
Ironically, it is the African American race that has been most affected by abortion. Here are the latest sobering statistics.
*Nearly half of black pregnancies end in abortion.
*Three in five black women will abort a child.
*1,500 black Americans are aborted every day.
*America's black population has been reduced by roughly one-third because of abortion.
Abortion has done for the African American race far more than the Ku Klux Klan could have ever dreamed of. I can only pray for the changing of hearts. If the hearts of our nation believe that unborn children truly are children, that those babies have a hope and a future, then maybe, just maybe, it won't matter any longer what the laws of our land say and unborn children will all have a chance to fulfill their potential.
"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
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that
Once again it seems I have taken some time off from posting on the blog for a few weeks...and a couple more weeks of not really writing anything personal. I am back now to reminisce and share things in our lives.
When I first started this blog, it was to be a place to share our thoughts, feelings and happenings in regards to our missions work in Tanzania. Neither Shannon nor I had any idea that the process of getting there would take this amount of time. We thought then, that we would be moving overseas much faster and wondered if we possibly could have enough time to process it all ourselves much less share all of our thoughts about it here. Here we are, 2 1/2 years later, still as positive today as we were then, that God has African missions in our future. So often, when we have agreed upon or decided to do something we just weren't positive we were doing the right thing. This, missions, to the Tanzanian orphans and widows, still remains one of the few things in our lives that Shannon and I are sure about. We know that is what God is preparing us for and we continue to wait on and trust in His most perfect will and timing. With that said, here is the recent family update.
The past four months have been difficult ones for myself and the family as I have worked many hours, many more than we anticipated when I first took the Census Bureau job nearly two years ago. Due to a new survey September through December were very busy. The survey still continues in addition to my previous survey work but will now be mostly by phone. This will cut my running and away from home time dramatically and it is a much anticipated change. When I finished my December work by mid month last month, we all enjoyed the couple of weeks of respite. Time that was spent with immediate and extended family preparing for and celebrating Christ's birth. It was an enjoyable time.
A big decision that was made in that time frame was that we removed Star from her private school setting. Due to some staffing changes at the school as well as the difficulty of the third grade level work for her there she has had a pretty tough fall and we knew it was time for a change for her. So, effective tomorrow, Star joins Molly and Evan in our homeschool. Due to Star's special needs, we have decided at this point that the best thing we can do for her is to bring her home where she can work at the academic level she is at, at a slower pace and with curriculum that best meets her needs. She is excited about it and so is her full-time Personal Care Attendant who will be assisting me with Star's daily care and helping to keep her on task with her schoolwork when I am working with the other children. I just purchased for Star, online, a Math program called Math U See. Collin, Molly and Evan used it several years back and enjoyed it. At the time we switched I felt it would be a better program for younger elementary which is where Star is at. We are backing her up a bit to get her addition and subtraction facts down better and also need to spend some time working on time and money. These are abstract concepts which are something Star struggles with very much. We are hoping that Math U See can help her to process it out. It is a program that has been used with special ed students with great success.
Another upcoming educational decision we are facing is in regards to Collin. Collin is currently a sophomore at the local Christian school. In the stater of Minnesota there is something called PSEO-Post Secondary Enrollment Option. Under this program, any Minnesota high school junior or senior can take college courses paid for by the state of Minnesota. The college credits count as high school credit but they also count as college credits. It is a great way for a student to get partially through college at minimal expense. We are looking at the possibility of bringing Collin home as a homeschooler next year and enrolling him in PSEO courses. The decision then becomes one of wanting to choose the right college now rather than a year or two from now. He could take the course through our local community college but I know too many who have done that and not been able to transfer all of their credits. Currently we are looking at the PSEO distance learning options through Northwestern in St. Paul or North Central in Minneapolis. If you have any personal experience with either school please get in touch with us and share.
So that's the latest with us. Please keep us in your prayers as God continues to grow us all and prepare us for bigger things.
When I first started this blog, it was to be a place to share our thoughts, feelings and happenings in regards to our missions work in Tanzania. Neither Shannon nor I had any idea that the process of getting there would take this amount of time. We thought then, that we would be moving overseas much faster and wondered if we possibly could have enough time to process it all ourselves much less share all of our thoughts about it here. Here we are, 2 1/2 years later, still as positive today as we were then, that God has African missions in our future. So often, when we have agreed upon or decided to do something we just weren't positive we were doing the right thing. This, missions, to the Tanzanian orphans and widows, still remains one of the few things in our lives that Shannon and I are sure about. We know that is what God is preparing us for and we continue to wait on and trust in His most perfect will and timing. With that said, here is the recent family update.
The past four months have been difficult ones for myself and the family as I have worked many hours, many more than we anticipated when I first took the Census Bureau job nearly two years ago. Due to a new survey September through December were very busy. The survey still continues in addition to my previous survey work but will now be mostly by phone. This will cut my running and away from home time dramatically and it is a much anticipated change. When I finished my December work by mid month last month, we all enjoyed the couple of weeks of respite. Time that was spent with immediate and extended family preparing for and celebrating Christ's birth. It was an enjoyable time.
A big decision that was made in that time frame was that we removed Star from her private school setting. Due to some staffing changes at the school as well as the difficulty of the third grade level work for her there she has had a pretty tough fall and we knew it was time for a change for her. So, effective tomorrow, Star joins Molly and Evan in our homeschool. Due to Star's special needs, we have decided at this point that the best thing we can do for her is to bring her home where she can work at the academic level she is at, at a slower pace and with curriculum that best meets her needs. She is excited about it and so is her full-time Personal Care Attendant who will be assisting me with Star's daily care and helping to keep her on task with her schoolwork when I am working with the other children. I just purchased for Star, online, a Math program called Math U See. Collin, Molly and Evan used it several years back and enjoyed it. At the time we switched I felt it would be a better program for younger elementary which is where Star is at. We are backing her up a bit to get her addition and subtraction facts down better and also need to spend some time working on time and money. These are abstract concepts which are something Star struggles with very much. We are hoping that Math U See can help her to process it out. It is a program that has been used with special ed students with great success.
Another upcoming educational decision we are facing is in regards to Collin. Collin is currently a sophomore at the local Christian school. In the stater of Minnesota there is something called PSEO-Post Secondary Enrollment Option. Under this program, any Minnesota high school junior or senior can take college courses paid for by the state of Minnesota. The college credits count as high school credit but they also count as college credits. It is a great way for a student to get partially through college at minimal expense. We are looking at the possibility of bringing Collin home as a homeschooler next year and enrolling him in PSEO courses. The decision then becomes one of wanting to choose the right college now rather than a year or two from now. He could take the course through our local community college but I know too many who have done that and not been able to transfer all of their credits. Currently we are looking at the PSEO distance learning options through Northwestern in St. Paul or North Central in Minneapolis. If you have any personal experience with either school please get in touch with us and share.
So that's the latest with us. Please keep us in your prayers as God continues to grow us all and prepare us for bigger things.
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