Apr. 30, 2008 - TWINS!

We are happy to announce that Mrs Bennet had twins today!!!  Our first twins on the farm!

No names yet.  She won't let us weigh them...so that's all ya get. 

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Apr. 27, 2008 - It's chick season....say...Awe...cute!!

One of the many highlights of spring for me is that we get our incubators fired up and put some eggs in them to hatch.  Usually, with each hatch, I get better and better.  There is a definite science to it.  Exact tempurature, humidity, turning, etc.  I find it a fun challenge to try to get a better and better hatch rate each time.  If you live on some acrage, buy a little incubator and have fun too.  You can get the whole set up for under $100.   Our first batch (not the one I fried at 110 degrees...the real FIRST batch) hatched out about 21 chicks.   16 lived past the first, few, critical days.  We kept our 4 favorites and sold the other 12 on the local swap shop.   The  batch we have in now are mainly duck eggs from our own ducks and some eggs we bought off of ebay.  (Did you know you could do that?  That is so neat to actually SHIP eggs....out of 51 eggs only 3 had cracked...not bad...)

Anywhere, by far, our favorite chick from our first hatch is "HOT FUDGE."  He/she is a brown turken (naked neck chicken).    After he/she hit 2 weeks old, a mohawk started forming on his head too.  We all just love him.

Another naked neck that hatched is a yellow one Josiah named "Sunshine." 

Here are pictures of Josiah and Sunshine.....and Hot Fudge. 

The next batch hatches next weekend!

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Apr. 24, 2008 - Introducing...our new FAINTING GOATS!!

Last week, I received 2 belated birthday presents.  My birthday was last summer, and I was given a coupon for 2 fainting goats. I've wanted fainting goats for a long time!!!   (For Mother's Day I received 6 guinea chicks that are still alive, well and L O U D!!!--I love 'em!!)

A fainting goat is a breed of domestic goat whose muscles freeze for roughly 10 seconds when the goat is startled. Though painless, this generally results in the animal collapsing on its side. The characteristic is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita. When startled, younger goats will stiffen and fall over. Older goats learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle.

Because they are easily startled, and because we have been watching Pride and Prejudice and Little House on the Prairie lately, we have named them:  Mrs Bennet and Harriet.  Both of those characters are easily overwhelmed and overly emotional.  LOL

Mrs Bennet is pregnant and we're not sure when she's due.  Probably around June.  Harriet is supposedly bred too, but doesn't look "with kid" yet...

Here is a picture of our two new farm additions:

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Apr. 22, 2008 - Seeking the Old Paths--encouragement for moms, especially with lots!

I know a good blogger sticks to original stuff.  I mean, they are full of unique, amazing words all the time.   They always have something to read that makes you say WOW.   Well, I've never claimed to be a "good blogger."  I have a bunch of stuff to share, but I haven't yet taken pictures of our new farm additions...so that will have to wait.   

My brain is not at the moment full of anything except "mommy" and chirping of chicks in my guest room.   My 3 yr old at the moment is acting like "Mrs Bennet" from Pride and Prejudice because her blankets aren't tucked in exactly right (whatever exactly right means to a 3yo) and I'd love to go to bed myself, even if the blankets aren't perfect, but I need to eat my token piece of Hershey's Cacao Reserve 65% with Cacao Nibs and read Oswald Chambers for today's devotion and Jeremiah to prepare for school tomorrow. 

My knight in shining scrubs is working an all-nighter in the ER....

All that to say...no original blog today, but I was reading a blog that I found through another blog and was so encouraged by so many things she had to say, so I thought I'd copy them for you to read so I don't have to think of what to type while Mrs Bennet is trying to get to sleep.

This will mainly encourage moms of many, but I venture to say that any mama will like it.  Here are some quotes from the blog Seeking the Old Paths.

To my Family, I am a servant. I don’t bother with all those high-fallutin’ made-up titles like Domestic Engineer or Home Manager…I am simply a servant. The work of my life is loving them in the most humble of ways, sometimes hidden to all but my Father. I like it this way. A quote from G.K. Chesterton speaks to my position at home:

How can it be a large career to tell other people’s children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No. A woman’s function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness.

I cannot speak for everyone who has a large family, but ours… I know. Let the record show that I did think about it before I did it. I counted the cost of pregnancy, labor, birth, breastfeeding, homeschooling, raising these blessings of ours, and every detail involved. What I found is that it is hard. It involves excruciating pain… backbreaking, toilsome labor day in and day out, often giving what I did not know I had to more people than I knew I could love. (I love that part!)

Okay, me talking again.   That was a good reminder.   I have to laugh when someone meets me and hears that I have  6 children and homeschool.  Some of them actually say, "Is it hard?"  That really makes me want to fall on the floor and kick my feet and cry from laughter.  I would -----except I might spill my decaf french vanilla coffee...and that would be sad. 

Of course it's hard.  When I was the mom of ONE child it was hard.  But there aren't many things in life worthwhile that is easy.   I just wanted to encourage you that when you have a hard moment/day/week/month/pregnancy/year....that it is to be expected.   Because It is all worth it!!!   Everything we do as moms/wives when done with the right attitude is a sweet smelling sacrifice to our Heavenly Father.

Our culture tells us,  "What about ME?"  "I need time for myself."  "All I do is give and give, it's not fair."    But Scripture paints an entirely different portait doesn't it?  It tell us to cast our burdens on Him and He will sustain us. (Ps 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7)  It tells us that true joy is not found in being served but in serving. (Gal 5:13)  It says to look not on our own interests but on the interests of others.  (Phil 2:4)

No doubt, many of you reading this are TIRED.   You are WORN OUT.  It's okay to feel that way.  In fact, it goes with the job description.  But please, in the midst of being sometimes overwhelmed,  cast your burden on the Lord.....sing praises to Him...it will change your attitude.      Continually focus and realize that all we do, much of what goes unseen, is seen by our Daddy God who loves us so much.   He wants to meet you in the kitchen, the laundry room, the bathroom, and at the changing table.     Remember my favorite verse?  Zephaniah 3:17."The Lord will rejoice over you with singing, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with gladness."    Yup  YOU...if you are a child of His.   He rejoices when we share our lives with him, when we ask him for wisdom in dealing with an emotional 3 yr old, when we need patience with a crying baby, when we feel like running away if one more person says, "Mommy mommy."     God is pleased when we do school with the children even when we'd rather do anything else sometimes.  He's pleased when we are patient with our children even if we don't feel patient.   He's pleased when we encourage our husbands even when we feel like we don't have much more to give  .Keep the attitude in check and everything else will flow....have a blessed week!

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Apr. 15, 2008 - How my 18 month old and the prophet Zephaniah explained loving correction to my older children.

We had one of those moments in school today that was just so cool!  We are studying the book of  Zephaniah in school right now using Student of the Word.    Today, we discussed the introduction and overview of the book of Zephaniah and listened to the 3 chapters on our audio Bible as we followed along. 

If you're like me before today, you have no clue what Zephaniah is about.  My favorite Bible verse is Zeph. 3:17 and I still didn't really know what the book is about before today.  It is 3 chapters long.  Chapter 1 basically talks about judgment and doom and gloom against Judah because of their complacency and lack of holiness.   Chapter 2 Gives a call to repentance and the beginning of a glimmer of hope when he writes in verse 3, "Seek the Lord all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord."

Now that was a major glimmer of hope after reading chapter 1. 

Finally, chapter 3 and the book, ends with a day of hope for the faithful remnant and finding joy in God's faithfulness.

It is interesting to note that this book was written during the time that King Josiah found the law and began instituting all the reforms of God that had been forgotten.

When the reforms began and they once again started obeying God and having a new relationship with Him...God rejoiced!

A neat analogy followed that discussion.  As anyone with an 18 month old knows, there are training sessions at this age where mama has to win!!!   Their future character depends on it.  What might be a cute temper tantrum at 1 is not so cute at 5 or 12 or 18.

Needless to say, our children go through a kind of "toddler bootcamp" around this age, where when they fail to obey, we have a "training session"  until they obey right away.

We have had a few of those in our house this week....mama vs Praise.  I'm happy to say that I have won 3 for 3 so far.  (and intend to keep my undefeated record)

One happened during our family time this week. I told toddler to sit in her chair --she turns her back to the chair and screams "NO" with her body language.   You mama's know what I mean.   After 20 minutes of me never losing my temper, her adamant that she will win...she finally throws in the towel and I see her begin to lift her knee to get in the kid-sized chair.     Time stood still..the room was silent....yes! She climbed all the way in the chair and there was loud clapping and rejoicing from 7 of her biggest fans!!!  She beamed and learned that it feels much better to obey than to disobey.  We hugged and kissed and danced and it was a beautiful moment that I have been through with all my children  around this age with great fruit of happy obedience.  (eventually--I'm not gullible enough to think we've "arrived" with this sweetie--haha)

Moving on to how this relates to Zephaniah....God had to punish Judah for their pride and self-will.  He was going to  unleash His discipline.  (chapter 1)  (They continued to not want to sit in the toddler chair.  )  God begins judgment...the book of the Law is found and they begin to realize that life would be better if they followed God afterall. (chapter 2) (toddler toys with idea of sitting in chair and begins to lift leg)

Finally, they submit to God, humble themselves and begin to follow His laws and live a life of righteousness!!!  (Toddler sits in chair!!)

God rejoices over them with gladness and singing and quiets them with His love. (Zeph 3:17)  (5 siblings, mom and dad clap and cheer and hug and praise her for her decision to obey and live righteously!! )

Now isn't that a neat analogy?

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Apr. 7, 2008 - New allowance system

Our church is having a 13 week class by Dave Ramsey called Financial Peace University.

He teaches anyone how to get out of debt and stay out of debt.  Even though we are out of debt, it is still a really interesting class.  In the 2nd week, he discussed his view of allowance for kids that makes a lot of sense.   Assign chores(or let them pick) and assign monetary value to them.  These are chores that are not critical for the running of our house.   The critical chores are still done, without pay, as we have been.  (Cleaning bathrooms/dishes/sweeping/laundry/animal care etc)

The ones that we have started doing this system to earn allowance are things like:
Washing the windows,  washing the vans, vacuuming the vans, washing the kitchen floor, ironing, etc.

Every Sat night, daddy sits with the 4 oldest and asks if they did the chores they signed up for, and he checks them off and calculates their allowance.  IF someone didn't do them all, they get to choose last for which chores they want to tackle for the next week.  (and get a cut in pay)

It has been 2 weeks so far and is going well.   If they want extra money for spending then they work for it.  It's kinda like the real world.  They get what they earn.  

The kids get excited when it's allowance time.  Here is a very candid picture I took this last weekend.

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Apr. 7, 2008 - Just an update.....

I wanted to post an update on how we're doing collecting money for the Hingle family.

We have received almost $6,000 towards the Hingle's medical expenses!  PTL   Many of them came from people who have never met the precious family!  It has been so neat to see fellow brothers and sisters in Christ pour out their love through prayers and money for another family.  That is what the Body of Believers is all about!! THANK YOU to anyone who has contributed either financially and/or prayerfully.    Steve is recovering from the pneumonia and is slowly getting stronger day by day.  He still is in need of a miracle for healing for the cancer.

It's not too late to send a check or pay by paypal though.  They have talked to the hospital and were told that if they can pay their bill in full within 30 days of receiving it, they would only have to pay $33,000 instead of the $50,000 they were expecting.  Please pray that they really take their time sending them the bill!!  (Grin)

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Mar. 22, 2008 - PLEASE Help us meet a HUGE NEED!!!

Some of our best friends, not just a family we KNOW, these are truly some of our best friends, are in need of help from lots of their brothers and sisters in Christ.   

We have been close friends with the Hingles for over 5 years now....they are a homeschooling family with 12 of the most incredible children  you will ever meet.   They are ages 4-24, all still at home.

The family also has a family cafe that the older children run called Cafe on the Square, so if you are anywhere near Columbia, KY, please stop in for a sandwich and cup of cappuccino.  They just opened a few months ago and it's awesome!!

Steve, the dad, is a very hard-working man, who has provided well and has been also great at volunteering both himself and his children to bless SO MANY other families over the years with help and expecting nothing in return.  He was diagnosed last spring with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.   He was just released from the hospital yesterday (3/21)  after a 17 day hospital stay for double pneumonia and sepsis (bacteria in the blood.)  The hospital bills will be over $50k and they do not have any insurance.

He is in need of a miracle for healing that only God can provide, but we can be part of another miracle to help them meet their needs of these huge medical bills.    This will be so much appreciated.

Anything you can do to help will add up.  If you are only able to send $5, please do that.  Every dollar is a dollar that the family doesn't have to try to come up with! 

If you would like to send a check, please make it out to ELLEN HINGLE and you can mail it to

me.  (Please email me for an address:   uarelovedbygod@yahoo.com)

We have also set up a paypal account just for these medical bills too.  They do take out a small fee for using their services, but it's fast and easy if you have a paypal account.

Go to www.paypal.com  and "Send Money"  to   giveforsteve@gmail.com   

Thanks so much!!  Here is a picture taken this summer of their beautiful family!

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Mar. 17, 2008 - Great video...woman witnesses to Robber!

This is worth your 2 1/2 minutes of time!!!  It will inspire you!!!

Click here:  YOU TUBE VIDEO OF OLD LADY SHARING JESUS WITH ROBBER

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Mar. 15, 2008 - This and that....

Well, it's been a very busy week, so I thought I'd post on just a hodge podge of what's going on in my life.

Monday,   my 2 oldest boys competed in the 4H Talk Meet for our county.  There weren't a ton of other kids in it, maybe 5 in each of their categories, but they did great.   Noah won Grand Champion (#1) in the 10 yr old division and goes on to area with his talk entitled "Why It's Fun to Live in a Big Family."  He is a very natural speaker and was very funny too.  He would make anyone want to be in our family the way he talks about us.  (grin)

Aslan was Reserve Grand Champion (#2) in the 11 yr old division.  His talk was "My Trip to Ecuador."  He did a great job.  The last 30 seconds or so of this talk, he continued talking despite lots of tears and heart-felt emotion as he talked about an 8 yr old boy in Ecuador who asked him and his dad for $1 to buy food.  Aslan talked about how good we have it here in America and how thankful we should be.  He just kept on talking despite being choked up and tearing.  I was very proud of both of them.

Thursday, our homeschool group had our annual Geography Fair and my 4 oldest presented "Hezekiah's Tunnel."  It was such an interesting topic to us that we had to share it.

We recently read about it in Chronicles and Kings in our school, and found a link of actual picturers of Hezekiah's Tunnel that you can tour through today.  That was just so neat to us to read something in the Old Testament that you can actually still walk through. Check this site out.  Make sure and read all 3 pages and see all the pics. It's so fascinating to see the Pool of Siloam and the Gihon Spring in real life!

This coming Monday, we have our 3rd and final speech within one week.  Pant pant.....it's been a lot of preparation.  This one is for 4-H Demonstration Speeches.  Aslan and Noah are doing a team demonstaration called "Deer Hunting From Start to Finish."   They will discuss how to hunt, safety and hunting tricks, and then Aslan (hunter) will demonstrate how to hunt and shoot a deer (Noah) who will be clad in real deer skin from Aslan's deer this winter.  They are HILARIOUS watching them practice. I definitely need to video this one!    

We are getting ready to incubate some eggs in our incubator (in the living room (grin)  Last night I put 18 eggs in...it was a little too cool at 98 degrees so I turned it up JUST A BIT and went to bed.  When I got up at 5:30am today (not my usual time, Praise was throwing up...sigh)  the temp was 110.   I had done COOKED those little chicken embryos.  Should have waited a day til I had the temp just right. I was too eager.  Anyway, We cleaned them off and ate them for bfast.  We will try again in 3 days once we have another clutch.  (Incubating temp should be 99.5-102 degrees, but never more than 103)  Live and learn....my temp is just right now, we are just waiting on those silly chickens to lay some more...

Today, Josiah and Jubilee cracked the 18 eggs.....these guys are GOOD at cracking eggs at 3 and 5 yrs old.  After we were done and I put some milk in, Jubilee says, "Mama Can I SCRIBBLE them?"   So today, we ate some SCRIBBLED EGGS.   (Grin)   (I love 3 yr olds!!)

I've been frustrated lately with trying to lose my last 10 lbs of baby weight. I lost all of Praise's but I still need to lose 10 more from Jubilee (grin)  I've been "stuck" cause I really feel starving ALLTHE TIME!
Any nursing mama's can relate.  One verse really convicted me though and I need to meditate on it.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

I've been thinking of what it means to "Honor God with your Body."  Of course, it means a LOT of things, but specifically to excess weight, It means to feed and exercise our bodies in a way that is honoring to God.  Not feeding it tons of sugar/white flour and processed foods when we know it thrives on fruits, veggies and other healthy foods.    It's not easy...I love coffee, and dark chocolate...and I think I can honor God while still eating/drinking those in moderation, but am I honoring God overall with my diet and health?  Something to make you say "HMMMMMM."

On to more frivolous topics...I got a new shower curtain and we re-painted one of our bathrooms today.  It looks so much better, it really needed a new coat of fresh paint. It had been 5+ yrs since it was last painted. 

Well, that is what we've been doing this week!!

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Mar. 11, 2008 - Never buy another coloring book

I'm assuming most moms know this, but I figured just in case, I'd share it with ya'll.

There is really no need to buy a coloring book for your children.

Just go to www.google.com     click "Images" at the top...Type in what your are looking for.

Like, Hosanna LOVES to color princesses.    So go to google and click the word "Image" in the upper left hand corner.  Then type in what you are wanting to color and the words "coloring page"  For instance:   Princess coloring page  and voila....a whole mess of princesses to color!!

We use this all the time not only for coloring but for school too.  Like if you're doing a report and want a picture of anyone or anything, just type in the word you are looking for and BAM..there it is.  

Hope someone out there didn't know that...

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Mar. 10, 2008 - What were you saved from??

I just had  a quick thought last week, that really penetrated my soul.   One of those things that occasionally happens when God speaks to you in the shower...before your brain has had it's morning requirement of coffee.

I have a good friend that has adopted a few children from an orphanage.  They look just like their biological kids and are all really sweet.   I recently spent the day with them and the next day was just thinking about the whole subject of adoption and how I'd love to adopt if God showed us it was time or His plan....I was thinking about what it would be like to have adopted from an orphanage.  Would I ever feel like saying in a moment of frustration, "Do you know what I saved you from?"

It wasn't  2 seconds later that God spoke to my heart and said in a very gentle voice, "Do you know what I saved you from?"   It really hit me.  You know, being raised in a Christian home and being a "good girl" all my life, it's easy to believe the lies that I'm not as bad as other people.     It's hard to realize sometimes that cute little girls with ribbons in their hair are just as depraved and evil and bound for hell as Saddam Hussein or Hitler.    We are all sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

We are all on our way to hell, unless we ask Jesus to be our Savior and accept that when He died on the cross 2000 years ago, he took all my sins upon Him and paid the price for them so that I don't have to. ...IF I accept his payment for my sin and trust that HE is all  I need.

No, I wasn't saved from a life of drugs, sex and partying, but yet I WAS saved from all that because I never had to go there!    I'm thankful for my testimony......but at the same time realize, that my prideful self would like to convince me that I'm not "as bad" as some other people, but the fact is, I was just as bound for hell as a "Sweet" little 6yo until I gave my life to Jesus as the next serial killer is right now.

God loves me as much as He loves Billy Graham and also loves me as much as He loves Bill Clinton. (grin)      Amazing concept huh?

"For God so loved THE WORLD, that He gave His only Son that WHOEVER believes in Him should not perish but have EVERLASTING Life.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  John 3:16-17"

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. "

We are studying Isaiah right now in school.  God showed me this week just exactly what Isaiah was talking about in Chapter 6  When he experienced God's glory and the seraphim shouting "Holy holy holy is the Lord God almighty, The whole earth is full of HIs glory."

He said, "Woe is me, I am undone I  am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the  King, The Lord of hosts."   After that the angel touched his lips with a burning coal which represented his cleaning .....as happens when we accept salvation through Jesus...and immediately all of Isaiah's iniquities were taken away.  And God says to Isaiah "Whom shall I send, who will go for Us?"
Isaiah says, "Here am I send me."

I just love that whole story.    The more clearly that Isaiah saw God the more aware Isaiah became of his own inadequacy to do anything of value apart from God.  

Let me encourage you to compare yourselves to nobody except our Lord Jesus.  It will take away all pride and feeling that we somehow deserve anything and make us realize that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ...all who were and are in need of a Savior.

PS...I actually only drink decaf....but somehow that just helps me with my day....Esp with a squirt of whipping cream on top....SHHHHHHH.......It's probably more a sugar addiction than a pseudo caffeine one.  (grin)

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Mar. 5, 2008 - Bibles Unbound

I put a new little box on my blog and wanted to explain what Bibles Unbound is, in case you have never heard of it.

It is a ministry from Voice of the Martyrs

How it works is, you pay $30/month.  You choose an operation to work with.  Ours is Columbia..they also have Egypt and China.  They have located people who want to have a Bible, but it is illegal in their country.   They send all the instructions to us with envelopes and the New Testaments etc and we package it up and mail them to be distributed to these countries.   They have good success with the Bibles getting to their destination without being confiscated, and the Bibles are valued so highly and shared when they get them.
We have our first shipment on it's way, so I can't tell exactly how it works, but we are excited to be a part of this ministry.    So many of Americans have Bibles on their shelves collecting dust, when there are people across the world who risk their lives for just a few pages of the precious Word.   

If you feel led, this is a great ministry opportunity!

(Just click on the links in my blog above  if you want to find out more!)

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Mar. 4, 2008 - How a mission trip I DIDN'T go on changed my thinking.

Well, I hope that you have enjoyed my son's guest blogging for a week.  Time for me to wipe the dust off my blogging fingers and get back to work.  I've been writing lists of things I'd like to blog about...as I find the time.

I wanted to comment on missions, and then will (probably) go on to other topics.  I know that I didn't go to Ecuador...but even having 2 family members go and bringing all the stories back of life after life spiritually lost, of living on $8/day, of lice and worms being a way of life, I can help but be changed.    

We are so blessed in America...I really mean that. We hear it a lot but how often do we actually stop to think about where God has allowed us to be born?  Most of us don't TRULY appreciate what we have. Instead, we spend time surfing ebay for MORE, looking at catalogs for MORE, thinking about what color shirt we "need" to match certain pants.  What book we "have to have."  We are so focused on "getting" and then spend hours trying to clean and organize what we've "gotten."   I can see it so well being a scheme of the enemy to distract us from the purpose that God has designed us for.  Buying, getting, more and more, then organizing and buying more things to organize the stuff.  We're always sorting, dusting, trying to find.  We're so busy wasting our time and money on NOTHING, that our lives slip away second by second, not making one ounce of difference for eternity.

In case you don't feel the conviction in my voice, it's there...in my own life.   Being again reminded of what the Ecuadorians lives are like....I am able to reflect on what we have.  While on the one hand we are "blessed" to live in the US....are we really "blessed" to live chained down and mastered by our own materialism?  Is it really a blessing that I have about 12 big plastic crates of clothes that none of my kids are wearing at the moment...that I sort through and wash and dry and fold....and 8 family members who's drawers are overflowing with so many pants and shirts that they don't even stay neat?

Granted, we do typically shop at thrift stores and sale racks, but what is the purpose of finding a good deal on a nice shirt for a child that is only 50 cents when we don't even need another shirt?  Another thing to take care of.

I've just been musing lately on trying to focus on what truly matters.  There are missionaries across the world, that have many God-given ideas for projects---church buildings to build, water filters to build to prevent sickness from dirty water, people living with malnutrition, worms, protein deficiencies that could be fixed by a gift of some chickens..the list goes on and on.

And it's SO easy to get our money to them if we want to.

Even a $20 bill would be a blessing to a missionary..either to their family or they know who to bless with it.

I've felt God showing me that we are all called to be missionaries.  I've heard the term that we are either "Goers" or "Senders."   We have been open for about 7 yrs now that if God chooses we are willing to be a "Goer."  For some reason, when we made that decision (Chris was willing a few years before I was) God sent us to the 3rd world country of "Burkesville, KY"  If you're laughing, then you haven't been to Burkesville yet...

We are still willing but feel that until God calls us "somewhere" else...that we need to be the best "senders" we can be!!   There are so many areas that we can sacrifice to save money.   I've been praying that God show us more and more the vision that we need to have. To see the lost through His eyes....that even a few dollars saved here and there and given for Him can change a life but more importantly, impact a soul for eternity.

Think about what if every family chose one missionary to "partner with" and sacrificed as much as that missionary did for the Lord to serve those people.  To send every extra dollar to further the ministry of reaching lives for Christ.   You might not live in Ecuador, or Africa or India, but you are just as much a missionary to those places by helping the best you can.    You can be an Ecuadorian  missionary right where you live in Kentucky or Florida or wherever...isn't that a neat thought?

Please pray about how God could use you if you were willing to sacrifice financially.  As our pastor says, "You won't be in heaven 2 minutes before you are thankful for every dollar you gave for missions."  Money spent on "things" don't last....but people will come up to you in heaven and say "Thank You for giving to the Lord!  I am a life, that was changed!"

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Mar. 1, 2008 - Guest Blogger: Ecuador Day 8 (Final day)

Day 8- February 15

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Feb. 29, 2008 - Guest Blogger: Ecuador Day 7

Day 7- February 14

This was our last day in Ecuador. We woke up at 7-7:30, and had the usual breakfast. Then we said good-bye to everyone and got on the bus for Macas, where we would then fly to Quito. We were all sad to leave Sucúa. Mr. Marbut went with us because he was going to the States with us.

Well, we got to Macas and we went to a wildlife preserve for a surprise. I held a Pocket Monkey. They’re very, small monkeys and the native women keep them as pets. They sleep in their hair! The same monkey bit the missionary in the past, but he didn’t get hurt. It bit Pastor Gary, and after that it stayed mostly on Angela and me. We also held a parrot, which tried to eat Angela’s seed bracelet. We took some good pictures, and then we came to the jaguar. It was a baby and about 30-40 lbs. I bent down to get a picture, and he stuck his paw through the fence and scratched my knee! I was the only one of the whole group that touched it. We also saw a spider monkey that climbed onto Mr. Marbut, and dad touched it, and it tried to bite him.

Well, we went to the airport and had lunch. Then we unloaded our luggage. Dad found out he forgot to put his pocketknife in the suitcase, so he gave it to the native pastor’s son. He didn’t want it to go in the big plastic box at the airport. We got on the airplane, and I got a window seat (YES!) right over the wing (oh). We tried to see the volcano, but it was cloudy.

We got all our baggage and brought it to the hotel. Then we went shopping. I got a chess set for $8, and dad bought souvenirs for Mom, Jubilee, and the others. Dad also spent $0.30 on a shoe shine.

After that, we went to the mall and ate at the food court. The menus were in Spanish, so if you weren’t with Mr. Marbut or Dad you didn’t know what you were buying. Ms. Sylvia bought three trays of food for $10 and practically everyone ate something off it, and we had to throw some away! Dad didn’t order for me, because I was "helping" her.

We looked around for a while, then decided we’d go get some ice cream. While we were there, a boy came up to us and offered to sell us gum for $1 a piece. It was sad seeing that maybe 8 year old boy in that state if he was really hungry. Then we went back to the hotel, did devotions, and hit the sack. Mr. Tony wasn’t having as many breathing problems from the altitude because he’d been off cigarettes for 7 days.

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Feb. 28, 2008 - Guest Blogger: Ecuador Day 6

Day 6- February 13

We went to the hardware store and bought cement, which was our mortar, and 15 machetes for you guys back at the states. Sadly, we couldn’t find the special machete that had a serrated back and like a huge saw/machete combo. Then we drove to the church and dropped off the cement and drove to a DIFFERENT church to unload cement for that church’s floor. While we were there we ate some guava, my third exotic thing there. The others was the chicken soup and the Middle-Of-Nowhere-Ice-Cream. I didn’t care for it (guava).

Well, the cement was late, so the others needed some entertainment, so they told me to chase the village Turkey Lurkey. I caught one of his youngsters, and he didn’t like that. Then I tried to catch him, and he didn’t like that more, so he ran after distracting me with a false attack. I got even with him by sounding like another male turkey, and he didn’t like that. They said afterwards he chased EVERYONE, so that’s why they egged me on. He must respect twelve year- old rednecks, or maybe he could see my guardian angel with the butcher knife daring him to peck me.

The cement finally came, we unloaded it and went back to the other church, and I found out my job was to soak bricks and bring them to the "masons" as we called them. My other job was to carry water and dry bricks to the barrel we were soaking bricks in. I rested maybe ten minutes the whole day besides lunch. I also got in a little trouble with Pastor Gary because I drank a Coca- Cola and I’m not usually supposed to have caffeine, but dad said it was okay. I was VERY tired after the end of that day. We finished 1 1/2 walls, though.

We wet to the Italian restaurant that night, and I got lasagna with pepperoni in it! Then the missionaries gave Mr. Peterson a celebration kinda like El Mazatlan does, because it was his birthday.

After that we went to the hostel and had devotions. Mine was the best one of the week! ( Here’s a dollar, Mrs. Stommel) It was about prayer. After mine and Dad’s we went to bed, and I fell asleep very fast.

Notes:  El Mazatlan is a favorite Mexican restaurant here that sings Happy Birthday in Spanish, while putting a sombrero on your head and painting your face w/ whipped cream.

Mrs Stommel is our pastor's wife who was trying to get her husband to stop kidding and said he had to give her $1 every time he did, which eventually extended to the whole group, so, she said, she could pay for her next mission trip. (it was a joke)

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Feb. 27, 2008 - Guest Blogger: Ecuador Day 5

Day 5- February 12

When we were loading back up in the taxi, an ICE CREAM truck comes on alongside, and we all get a cone. MIND YOU we are 30 minutes from the closest civilization that is about half as big as Burkesville! The first ice cream truck I ever remember seeing-- in the middle of the AMAZON RAINFOREST! They had two flavors, pineapple and coconut. We got back to the hostel and told the construction crew what they missed out on and we found out we missed out more! They had diluted CHICHA!! Man we were jealous! ( If you don’t know what THAT is, don’t even bother to ask Pastor Gary. It’s GROSS!!)

We went to the BEST Italian restaurant in the Universe(Besides Heaven) and I got a whole pizza and some Sprite in a glass bottle! Then we went to the hostel, did devotions, and afterwards hit the sack.

NOTES: CHICHA is a fermented drink where they take manioc root (also called yuca or casava root) chew it up and spit it (with a lot of their spit) into a liquid to ferment for a few days. They offer it as a drink to their "special guests" to honor them.  (Now you see why Aslan was glad to be on the medical team that day and not the construction team!)

RaeAnn and Angela were the 2 other young people on the team with Aslan.  They are 15 and 16.  The rest were adults.

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Feb. 26, 2008 - Guest Blogger: Ecuador Day 4

Day 4- February 11

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Feb. 25, 2008 - Guest Blogger: Ecuador Day 3

Day 3: February 10th

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