It's not really been a hard week with my husband gone, but I sure have missed him. I've kept myself and my two little ones busy enough to keep our minds off the fact that he and my two oldest sons are away. Night time is the hardest. We went away for one night and it seemed easier because we weren't at home without him, but were away ourselves.

      Yesterday was the hardest day of all because when we got home from having lunch with his mom there was a message on the answering machine from him and I realized I'd missed his call. I sat down and cried.  The rest of the day whenever the phone rang I said "please let it be him, please let it be him." But let me back up a little.

      The hardest part of the whole week has been not hearing from him and not knowing if they were doing well, if they were staying healthy etc. All I could do was pray God's protection over them and trust Him to take care of them. But still, I wanted to know for sure.

      Wednesday, in response to prayer. I got a beautiful homemade card from my secret sister and in it she said " I know that the Lord is watching over your husband and sons on their journey. Filling their hearts with joy and strength." Thank you God for this wonderful reassurance.

      God didn't stop with just that reassurance. On Thursday I got another card from my secret sister. On the front it said " May God Bless You."  It has some cute pictures of baby animals on it. I love it. Inside she wrote out Isaiah 41:9-10 "I took you from the ends of the earth., from it's furthest corners I called you. I said 'you are my servant'; I have chosen you and not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will hold you with my righteous right hand."

      Again, thank you God. I know you are in control. I know you will take care of my family, sometimes I just need a little reminding.

      Thursday, I also got an email from the wife of the leader of our group saying that she heard from her husband and the team was doing well. No one had gotten sick and they had about 80 kids and teens everyday for their VBS program.

      Okay, God, that's really all I wanted to know. That my family was not getting sick and that they would return to me healthy. Thank you again so much. You've answered my prayers, may I ask just one more. Please let him have a chance to call me back so I can talk to him.

      He did call back. I was so happy. I got a very short amount of time to talk to him, but he sounded good. Usually I can hear stress and such in his voice and there was no evidence that anything was wrong. The last and final reassurance from my very amazing and loving God.

      But you know what, it was harder to talk to him for only a few short minutes, than it was if I hadn't talked to him at all. I cried some more and thanked God again for his amazing love and assurances that he sent through three different sources.

        Thanks secret sister for your part in all this. You sent me three rainbows this week. I love the notebook, index cards and pens, though I will probably have to buy a bigger purse to accomodate them. They are just what I needed. But the notes reminding me of God's love and care for us, were the best rainbows you sent me this week and also very well-timed. Thanks for being so thoughtful.

      Passports for some of the team members arrived the very morning they were to leave. Spanish Bibles ordered for the team arrived two hours before departure. An anonymous donor made up the deficit that the team was unable to raise. And at 7:30 p.m the team left Portland International jetport not even knowing if there would be someone who could meet them at the airport when they arrived at 1:55 a.m. They did not know what would be expected of them when they arrived, or if there would be places for them to sleep.

      All they knew was that the last time a team went to El Limon, they held a Vacation Bible School and 345 kids showed up. They went prepared to teach Bible school to 350 children. They took all the craft supplies needed, costumes for role playing and guitars for music. As well as 84 rolls of toilet paper. I know, I know, but they were each requested to bring four rolls a piece. So they did.

      I am so proud of my husband for going on this trip. It is not a decision I would have ever expected him to make. He is a very precise, detail oriented person, and I can imagine his faith is being stretched to its' very limit.

      I miss him so much already and that is why it was so good to get a card in the mail today from my secret sister.  It has a picture of a cat and dog sitting together on the beach with a rainbow in the sky. My husband and I are probably as different as cats and dogs and especially love to sit together on the beach. Inside the card was a very nice poem.

     The greatest gift a person could give me is their time and their prayers. Thanks Sis! for giving me both.

     I have not had a minute to sit down and look at the computer let alone blog an entry. The last few weeks have been very busy. Last week was our Bible School program. We had 86 kids the first day and the numbers went up everyday from there. I was leader of the 1st and 2nd grade group which went from 14 the first day to 21 on day five. The whole week was very hot and we had game time outside. The game leader included water games for the kids everyday, which made it more fun and bearable for them. It was a great week right up until the last 15 minutes when one of the kids slipped and hit his head on the floor of the fellowhsip hall and knocked out one of his front teeth. I was glad to find out later that it was a bay tooth and not a permanent one.

     Friday dh and ds19 picked 130 quarts of strawberries to raise money for their upcoming mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Ds11 and dd8 sat on a street corner to sell them. We raised $250.00 for the trip. It was our last fundraising event as we had an anonymous donor offer to give what was still needed to make the trip possible for all 14 from our church who will be attending. My husband and two of my sons will be attending together and I am so excited for them. They are leaving July 13th and will be back on the 23rd.

     Saturday, Monday and Today we picked and sold a total of 187 quarts. Saturday and Monday ds11, dd8 and I went picking. Today ds19 took ds11 picking and I got to sleep in. I was so grateful. We sold 64 quarts in less than three hours and the kids wanted to immediately go shopping with their newfound wealth. ds11 added a few coins to his coin collection but dd8 couldn't find anyting that interested her. We will be off to another store later in the week I'm sure. I was proud of her because usually she'll ask to buy anything just because she has a little money. Today she showed great restraing.

     The real reason for this post is that my secret sister asked me to post more about my family. So here goes.

     We are a family of collectors. We collect everything from Wish Rocks to books, to fisher price toys to dalmatians. I love anything with a rainbow on it. Rainbows remind me that God keeps his promises. Have you ever picked up a wish rock and tossed it in the ocean. A wish rock is a rock with a ring that goes the whole way around the rock with no breaks in it. Some rocks have several "wishes" on them. I also love horses. I have many little miniature horse figurines as well as a full size papier mache wallhanging of a horse. My absolute favorite is the carousel horse; brightly colored, filled with childhood dreams and wishes. I love Max  Lucado's books. The one I just finished reading is Facing Your Giants. It was amazing. My husband, he's the book collector. He's especially fond of old school books, but anything antique is sure to catch his eye. My oldest, no longer lives with us. He's out in the world living and appreciating God's wonderful creation and having just finished his first year of college. But, he also loves to collect records. Ds16 biggest interest right now is Ultimate Frisbee. DS11 has just taken up coin collecting as a hobby. He loves any coin U.S or foreign that is unique or in some way linked to history. dd8, like any girl should, collects, clothes, shoes, hair adornments. She also loves Winnie the Pooh Strawberry Shortcake, and like her mother, horses. She loves to color and draw.Our younest is only 4 years old, right now he collects hugs and Dinosaurs. He even knows the names of probably 20 - 30 different dinosaurs, I praise God every day for our unique collection of wonderful children and pray that he will guide and guard them every step of their life.

     As far as our house is concerned. We love anything that is country oriented. I've discovered that I really like roosters and have added some to our decor.  We are in the middle of a remodelling project that will allow the children to have their own bedrooms, and Mommy and Daddy as well. Therefore, it remains to be seen what we will end up with for color schemes.  We are a family with young children and our home looks lived in all of the time, and like a tornado just swept through. If I could have anything I wanted it would just be more time. Time to keep the house clean, but mostly more time with my husband and kids.

     I was regularly encouraged with cards and notes that seemed to come just when I needed them. Plus, it was encouraging to know that someone was praying for me as well.

     I have been remiss in posting this but have been trying to get my thoughts together on the subject matter. Training Hearts is the hostess of blogger friend school and also started something called secret sisters. I was reluctant to sign up because I didn't know if I could keep up my end of the assignment, which is to send something once a week for eight weeks to a secret sister that she would assign to me. However, I did sign up because I love getting mail and also love to be an encouragement to others if I can.

     My secret sister sent me a card that encouraged me to read Psalm 1 because it is one of her favorite passages of scripture. I memorized this Psalm a few years back but had forgotten what it was about so I went back and read it. It is an encouraging Psalm that promises that we are blessed if we delight in God's law and meditate on it day and night. We will become like a lush tree planted by the rivers that bear fruit in season and whose leaf never withers. In contrast the ungodly will be like chaff that the wind blows away. Staying connected to our lifeline ~ Jesus ~ will keep us strong in times of trouble and give us the ability to be an encouragement to others who may need a friendly word from us.

     Then, the following week I got a really nice book mark that says "Teach Like Jesus." It is a small stuffed apple with a tape measure attached that acts as the marking place for your book. It was this gift that gave me the most cause for thought this past week. What does it mean to teach like Jesus? How did He teach? What was His method of training His disciples and how can I apply this to my own teaching.

     First of all he taught through parables ~ a simple story illustrating a moral or religious lesson. He used examples of everyday life that the people could relate to in order to teach them about Godliness. Can I teach parables to my children? If I was very creative I'm sure I could. But since I'm not, I can share wonderful stories that others have written and discuss the moral values that are taught, thus sharing with my children the importance of upright character.

     Secondly, Jesus taught by example. When he went to be by himself, He was teaching about the importance of maintaining a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. When He healed the blind, the lame the brokenhearted, he was teaching compassion. When He said "Whoever among you who has not sinned, let him cast the first stone," he was teaching about forgiveness. When he took the little child on His knee he was teaching about faith. When he died on the cross He was teaching us about love, sacrifice and giving of ourselves to others. Our children watch our every move and will learn to imitate what they see much more quickly than they will learn from what we say. I love the song "I want to be just like you" by Phillips, Craig and Dean. It really speaks the essence of what teaching by example means to me so I've posted the words below.

He climbs in my lap for a goodnight hug
He calls me Dad and I call him Bub
With his faded old pillow and a bear named Pooh
He snuggles up close and says, "I want to be like you"
I tuck him in bed and I kiss him goodnight
Trippin' over the toys as I turn out the light
And I whisper a prayer that someday he'll see
He's got a father in God 'cause he's seen Jesus in me

Lord, I want to be just like You
'Cause he wants to be just like me
I want to be a holy example
For his innocent eyes to see
Help me be a living Bible, Lord
That my little boy can read
I want to be just like You
'Cause he wants to be like me

Got to admit I've got so far to go
Make so many mistakes and I'm sure that You know
Sometimes it seems no matter how hard I try
With all the pressures in life I just can't get it all right
But I'm trying so hard to learn from the best
Being patient and kind, filled with Your tenderness
'Cause I know that he'll learn from the things that he sees
And the Jesus he finds will be the Jesus in me
Right now from where he stands I may seem mighty tall
But it's only 'cause I'm learning from the best Father of them all