Cost Family Treasures - Homeschool Blogger

Snow Day 2009

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:31:00 -0500

Here are pictures from our snow day...enjoy!

Holiday Overview

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:14:00 -0600

It has been so long since I have posted photos. ..well, really anything for that matter!
As you will see below, we had a very busy holiday season. Master's Academy Project Day, Christmas singing at various locations, baking goodies, gifts, and our annual Christmas Day outreach....no wonder I am just getting back into the swing of things! This year we added a new tradition of a special family day on New Year's Eve...which this time was a first go at ice skating and a trip to see 'Bedtime Stories'.
We hope your year has gotten off to a great start. We are excited as God has truly shown Himself faithful..our business sold nothing since Vietnam and things were getting a little scary, but the new year has started off steady and with a renewed interest in seeking His righteousness in our finances.
We are heading to Dallas the first week of February, and are truly excited since we haven't been there since Mother's Day...so you Dallas friends and family..watch out! we are headed your way!
Enjoy the pictures!

Where do I go from here?

Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:25:00 -0600

Sorry it has been SO long since I've written. Since our return from Vietnam my plate has been piled full, and my brain even fuller. The holidays are quickly approaching, maybe with the break from school responsibilities I'll write more...or not...seeing as I always have this 'dream list' of non-school things to accomplish and never quite finish them... you know, things like organizing, cleaning, scrapbooking, researching curriculum for next year, and not to mention hanging with friends.
   Vietnam still weighs heavy on my heart. The societal differences, struggles, and such..but those don't weigh on my mind as much as my daughter Thuy. It is incredible how God has put our hearts together. But just because God put is together doesn't necessarily equal easy. I realized that she is where she needs to be, and to pluck her out of her home would be entirely selfish and traumatic. Our decision to support her and encourage her in higher education later will give us time to get to know her better as we all prepare. Our cultural differences are hard to understand on both ends, and the language barrier makes it more difficult to truly communicate our feelings and intentions and maintain her trust in the midst of learning through mistakes, like using google translate, which evidently doesn't work so well after all. We have her enrolled with an English tutor, and Deerhunter is taking Vietnamese lessons, so slowly but surely it will improve. We communicate at least 3 times a week lately, in her new english phrases, and Deerhunter's choppy Vietnamese.
School has gone pretty well this first semester. M, our oldest, is maturing (9), and his attitude towards school work has improved. H, 6, is reading anything she sees and catching on quickly in math. J,4, is just along for the ride, but making strides in writing letters and his scribbles are turning into pictures. We have enjoyed recently doing more handcrafts then usual, and next week we will be baking. The kids are truly enjoying the Modern Period, learning all about various presidents and events. We have had awesome field trips, Ivy Green (Helen Keller's home), The Alabama Theater, Alabama Music Hall of Fame, the Southern Museum of Flight, and we are planning a trip to the home of Space Camp in Huntsville.
   This week is the one year anniversary of when we moved into the new house. It is feeling more and more like home. There is still quite a bit of decorating I'd like to do, and it is coming slowly. Business has slowed since our trip, so some things aren't as 'finished' as I would have liked by now. That said, I am grateful for where we are and how, despite the troubles in the economy, we have so far been able to pay the bills. We still have the old house, which although making the payments is getting more and more difficult, we have been able to help some family members in tough times by allowing them to stay there.
    I have been spending way too much time on Facebook lately, which seems to give me more of a sense of interaction than this blog, which I enjoy, but the whole idea of developing ideas and truly expressing more complex ideas is really still a blog kinda thing. I have caught up with tons of folks- friends from Texas, from high school, church youth group, and even elementary school. It is intereesting to see where we've all ended up and where life has taken us.
   I hope the holidays find you and yours all well, and that you are able to take a step back and appreciate not only this year, but God's work in your life in the lives of your loved ones.
Hope to show you great pictures of our holiday chaos and fun..until then...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Long Awaited Pictures

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 15:28:00 -0600

I'm saving some for when we share about our Thuy, but other than that, these are it!

My Ministry in Vietnam

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 07:16:00 -0600

So I've spent all this time and cyberspace analyzing the food, culture, and reporting on what ministry took place in my presence. I have neglected to mention what part I had to offer, what God had equipped me for in this strange new place. A place where I couldn't communicate. A place where I had almost no clue of the social cues and body language. A big part of my task was to get to know Thuy the best of my ability and to love on her. Other than that, I only had one other thing to offer- my smile. I brought it everywhere I went- the stinky market, the crazy-busy streets, the grass huts, the boat coasting down the river.

As people stopped in their tracks, stared, and even whispered to others around them, (okay, some did not whisper...some hollered and laughed others pointed or dragged their kids to me), all I had to offer was my smile. That's what Jesus would have done, right? I knew it was better than me being remembered as 'the angry or glum rather large yellow- haired woman who walked through the stinky meat market today'.

With hard financial times for many, and an election that doesn't seem to be offering anything fantastic, how has your 'ministry of the smile' been lately?

Ministry in Vietnam

Sat, 1 Nov 2008 05:59:00 -0500

The entire country of Vietnam is an need of God's hands and feet in so many different ways, I can't even express it all here. The predominant religion of Vietnamese people is Buddhism. There is also poverty on a wide scale. Education is limited, and possibilities for work to provide for your family are slim. When Deerhunter first came to Vietnam about 8 years ago, he had to hide. It was illegal. There was a government sanctioned Baptist church (sermons were submitted ahead of time, government operatives sit in the congregation). So much has changed since then. House churches, in most areas, can meet freely. It does not mean they are without persecution, however.

The area we went to minister in has a strong group of men who oversee one congregation, made up of about 5 house churches. They meet weekly in the homes, then once a month gather in a building together for worship and communion. I know that as brothers and sisters in Christ we have kinship, but I was not prepared for the bond I would feel with these people I have no other thing in common with. They knew no English. Many of them lived in grass huts. Yet, they eagerly awaited our arrival, some even squealing with delight wanting us to jump out of the boat and into our arms. They are very loving and hospitable people. We were immediate family.

We had prepared 50 sets of food stuffs to hand out. 1 kilo of rice, soy sauce, cane sugar, cooking oil, and some other things. We distributed them among the church families and the pastor also pinpointed people in the 'neighborhood' that he knew were in need and that he and others have been witnessing to. So we set out on the water in the boat-full of rice- to take in the sights and meet the people.

We were welcomed in, and in most cases fed. Evidently the pastor's home is where Al enjoyed his meal of rat last year. There were plenty of jokes about that going around the table as we ate. At another home we had the 'homemade sprite' thing I mentioned in my last entry. We were offered something at every home, except one..which I'll get to in a moment. Our last meal was served to us by our squealing greeter and 'grandma'. Fish, eel, snails, veggies, and rice...and rice paper wraps to put it all in. We walked in her house and she astounded me. Their families' home is about 12' by 12', sleeping 5 people. It is their kitchen, bedroom, everything...mud floor. We walk into her home and she announces 'my house is small, but my heart is big'..with her signature big smile and expressive way. It was humbling to say the least.

One stop along the way several church members hopped in the boats and joined us. We were going to deliver food to a family who had recently been saved. As soon as we get there, church members divide up between the man and his wife, talking with them, praying with them, but not so much in a fun, fellowshippy way. I look around inside the hut (it only has 3 sides, and is open to the river) and see all kinds of altars. Someone comes by me and quietly explains that the man has been being bothered by demons. He sees them not just at night, but they torment them during the day as well. They want their home blessed. The church members were trying to explain to them that the altars, to several different gods, needed to be taken down for their blessing to really work. Neighbors came out to hear and see what was going on, since about 20 of us landed upon their residence...which doesn't happen much out there. The babies were scared half to death because there were so many people...and my blond hair served as a distraction for the enemy to maximize upon..for they screamed at the sight of me. I stepped away from their view. It was so good to watch this unfold. The pastor walked the perimeter of their home, praying in the Spirit quietly, and listening to the ministry taking place. His elders really took hold and did their best to explain to the family why. All the while, the neighbors were watching. They could not take down their idols yet. We all prayed for them. We passed out traks to the crowd who had gathered, and went on our way. How we forget in our society about idols. I know we have our idols here..money, power, status...but to forget that so much of the world is still bound by idols, it was a wake up call. It will be exciting to hear testimonies when we return next year...maybe those neighbors will have made a commitment to Christ as they see those idols come down and the peace that will reign in that home.

Cultural Differences

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:31:00 -0500

Remember my 'Do's and Don'ts' entry shortly before we left fro Vietnam? It was a really good thing that I read that book prior to our visit. MANY of the things in that book I got to see and experience first hand, and actually, it took some of the shock away to allow room for other things I didn't expect. I've heard people come back from overseas mission trips before saying it is just too much to process, to comprehend, that your senses are overloaded with information. I do believe that is true. Here are just a few things we encountered that I thought you might enjoy:

Was I able to keep up with my healthier eating? Pretty close. Most meat items were caught, killed the same day, and most produce was grown in small scale farms. Everything was fresh..although you did need to make sure to go to market earlier in the day to avoid meat spoilage. Any sweets we had were different. They use sugar cane in everything, not the crystallized sugar we use.

Did I find any favorite foods/drinks? I loved the steamed rice, all the different rice noodles, and the grilled and fried meats. They have a sugar cane drink that is really good, and one of my favorite drinks was like a homemade sprite...they give you a cold bottle of soda water, afew slices of lemon or lime, and a glass of ice with sugar (that cane sugar) at the bottom. It was fun to make and the citrus and soda wasn't too bad for a queasy tummy. And I love a Veitnamese french bread sandwich...minus the peppers.

The strangest things I ate... By far the strangest was the eel. Just like fish, but a little slimy. Deerhunter and Eric fought over eyeballs at most fish meals. Eric is Vietnamese and will et just about every part of every animal he is served...the fatty fish floating 'bladder' and all. DH also ate a pidgeon, fried head and all..that grossed me out.

The french influence..was something I kind of already knew about, but didn't realized how prominent it is. I knew my Vietnamese friends loved French cake and pastries. Fresh french bread was sold everywhere. All the bakeries had french cake. The men sit around at cafe's and drink 'cafe suda', which is coffee and condensed milk poured over ice. There are many words that the Vietnamese have adopted from the french. I also learned that the French eliminated their 'picture language', like what the Japanese and Korean have, they don't have it because the French ordered it eliminated..pretty sad. But I did notice that they take great pride in neat handwriting.

The influence of technological advances...there is an odd dicotomy here. Depending on where you live, you may be in a hut, a partly brick home, or a 3 story solid home. That does not dictate what kind of access you may have to technology. Most everyone has one cell phone, if not 2. Most homes do not have computers, but there are internet cafes all over the place. In the internet cafes you will find primarily young kids...some teenagers. Most of what they do online is chat and play online games. we went to some intersting cafes. One was about half hut, the other was missing all the letters off of the keys. They are dusty and dirty, and the computers are old. In one visit we had and electrical fire start...that was our adventure for the day. I found it sad that the cafes are being used that way. I saw not a single adult in there using a computer for work, or a single young person using it for research.

The wide array of toileting facilities...I didn't realize how much I appreciated a good potty until this trip. Western toilets are hit and miss around Vietnam. The city gives you the best shot of finding one, but it doesn't guarantee the condition. Potties are not of great importance in Vietnam, because men pretty mauch take care of their business wherever they see fit. Even in the city, though, you may run across a bathroom with the infamous hole and balancing bricks. And a potty doesn't necessarily mean what you think it does. There were times where necessary parts or paper products were missing, or there was no door, or there was a chicken coop full of baby chicks where your feet should be. Hot water is a luxury, and water pressure too.

Driving...Deerhunter has always gone on and on about traffic in Vietnam, so I knew this would be an adventure. Luckily we had Driver Guy on our side. He's a paid driver who is at our beck and call the entire trip. I found out with most clients he sleeps out in his car and eats ramen noodles. Not with us. We've used him over the past few years and we treat him like family, seating him with us at restaurants, letting him sleep where we are staying...don't tell, but we even sent him home one day to spend time with his family. And really, he's more like a personal assistant..you name what you want to get done or what kind of food you want to eat, and he's on it and takes you where you need to go..he even haggled with us while souvenir shopping AND cooked us a meal....he's really close to making a decision for Christ....sorry! BACK TO THE TRAFFIC...horns are for multi purposes...to signal 'get out of my way', 'I'm passing you', 'I'm here', and even "Watch out because I am making a left hand turn from the right hand lane'. Turn signals are used differently too. Lines on the road are just suggestions. Lights..some matter and others don't. If you get into a scrape with someone, you settle up right then and there. The helmet law is new, so almost all adults are wearing them..no kids. Oh yeah, there is no limit to how many people or how much stuff you can put on your motor bike. I saw as many as 4 or five people and many bikes with 100's of pounds of stuff. It was amazing. This trip our team only saw one dead person on the road and a couple of accidents, which is amazing considering how they drive and how many people are on the roads at once. And one connection- the way they drive on the road is very similar to how they walk through the markets...no personal space, they will even nudge you out of the way or poke you to get you to move.

Entrepeneurship is king... everybody and their brother has a business of sorts. Most people don't work for companies. They sell goods at market, or drive around to sell them. If they have a business, it is most likely in the same location as their home. I didn't get a good picture of this, let me try to explain...most shops are open air in the front. In most cases the first thing you would see would be parked motorbikes, then their shop or business, then just past that you would see hammocks or a bed/table and a 'disco buddha'...as home business operators ourselves, this was a totally different take. Oh yeah, and if your business is part of your home, that really proves out in the Vietnamese way of sleeping anywhere thre is a hammock or flat surface. My first night we passed a casket business, on the sidewalk was casket..casket..person sleeping on lawn chair..casket...casket...another person sleeping on lawn chair. And did you know the seat and handlebars of a motorbike make for great REM sleep?

..that's enough for now...there's so much more, but I know you have better things to do right now than sitting at your computer...like sleeping on your dining room table, maybe?

On Our Way Home

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:41:00 -0500

Well, I am in a hotel room by the LA airport. We had a delay earlier, which made us miss our other flight. We leave the middle of the night tonight and will be in Alabama in the morning. Although I really want to be home, a few down hours and a great hot American style shower is really a great trade off. My brain is swirling with ideas in how to share all that we've seen and experienced. The pictures are great, but by no means say enough. It's not just what we saw, but what we felt as we visited with Thuy and her family, toured, and ministered in a remote area of the Mekong Delta...see what I mean?? And then, yesterday during our layover in South Korea we were treated to a tour of Seoul and traditional Korean dining. That scrapbook I bought cannot possibly be big enough. I had all of about 48 hours af stomach trouble on our trip, which was helped by my precautionary CIPRO that I brought. It is good to be back in the states, where I can read the signs and I am not sticking out like a sore thumb all the time, although I do think L.A. must be some sort of alternate dimension.

Pics are coming soon...there are about 200 to sort through, so between the massive number and the jet lag it may take a week or so, but they are on their way!

A Quick Message From Vietnam

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:09:00 -0500

Not too much time to write here. We are in Vietnam. So far we have had no illness. I have had problems with swelling, but it seems to have subsided since the 10 hour rest I got last night..thus still trying to adjust from jetlag. My brain goes into overload quite easily with all there is to see, hear, and think about.

Right this minute we are literally in Thuy's village, around the corner from her house, where she brought us and immediately typed in this blog address...memorized...so it has been her visiting the site over the months. I can't tell you how that encouraged me. We are setting up an email account for her so we can comunicate more directly..with a little help from yahoo translate (thanks to Dan and Beth). We are going to requesst she get off scool next week so she can go with us to Saigon, and so we can look into an english tutor.

It has been overwhelming in so many ways. I have been taken out of everything familiar. I have been giggled at and have stopped traffic. I have survived the crazy traffic. And I am enjoying catching up with our friends the Vo family.

Can't wait to post pictures!!!

How Much I Love My Brothers

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:56:00 -0500

I've been noticing some interesting traffic on my website, so I thought it would be a good time to brag. I've got 2 brothers deployed somewhere in the world, together. I love them so much. We don't get to talk hardly ever, even when they are 'home'. We see each other at family functions, but don't really get to have deep conversations...I've been in baby world, and now it's their turn, so everyone is too busy with kiddos to truly visit. Beware the sappy, silly list below:

* I love that they are doing what God has equipped them to do

* I love that God has given them divine favor in all they set their hands to

* I love to see them as Daddies and Husbands

* I love the fact that they are heroes

* I love that they love God

* I love that in a few days all 3 of us will be zigzagging the planet, following God's lead

* I love that I know their secret weaknesses

* I love that I had a part in helping them become the men they are

* I love that my girlfriends have always thought they are SO handsome

* I love that they survived my bossy naggy self..gave me practice for today

* I love that they appreciate the way we do family, no matter how different is from theirs

Miss you...see you before you know it!

RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!