Too Cool!

My friend, Mr. Yen, passed some Legos on to me recently. They are bigger than bricks! You will see that in the pictures. They also come with Lego nails to help with building. I have been trying them out and they are great! The last thing I have built is my favorite so far. So, I asked Mama to take pictures to share with you all. Here they are:















My VW Bug with trailer.

















Demonstrating the trailer hitch.

















Could you get a close-up the hitch, Mama?


















Mr. Yen ~

Thank you for giving these to me
now that you don't use them anymore.

Isaiah

A Personal Message

Auntie Darla and Uncle David~

Look!! I learned to wink!



















Gabriel took this picture so I could show you.

Thank you for writing me by my dollie picture again. I thought to put this picture up to send you an answer.

Yes, I liked the snow, but it is gone, it is the very starting of summer.

The doggies have not been behaving - that is not good.

I want it to be summer now. I like that it is warm and we can play outside more.

Happy thoughts - Hadassah

Paths of the Lord

"Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.


"He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.

"All the paths of the LORD are
steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant
and his testimonies.

"For your name's sake, O LORD,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.

"Who is the man who fears the LORD?
Him will he instruct in the way
that he should choose.

"His soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.

"The friendship of the LORD
is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them
his covenant."

Psalm 25:8-14
English Standard Version

We were blessed by this passage this week
and wanted to share it with you all.

Birthday Fun

Isaiah (now 8) and Moriah (now 12) were both recouperating from being sick on their actual birthdays - so we gave them a party this last weekend. When Joe and I went shopping for the treasure hunt prizes, we also found these great visors and decided the celebration just wouldn't be complete without them. As it turns out, there were only five varieties - so Joe and I missed out on owning one of these pieces of classy headgear. No, really, we're fine with it - we had reward enough seeing the children sporting them about all afternoon.















Just in case the images are not vivid enough -
there is an Ape (Josiah), Giraffe (Moriah)
Parrot (Gabriel), Fish (Isaiah) and
Sea Turtle (Hadassah).















Embarrassing? Naaaah . . . fun was had by all!

A Sweet Young Maiden . . . .

. . . . is having her birthday today!

Moriah ~

daughter . .

















sister . . .

















and friend (here sharing secrets).

Moriah is turning 12 and what a treasure she is to us! It is hard to believe she is only 12 as she is relied upon by all of us to help keep the household going with her excellent memory, multi-tasking skills, attention to detail, and heart to serve - not to mention that she keeps the cupboard full of yummy baked goods. The men of the house especially appreciate that!




















We love you sweet maiden ~
God bless you as you continue
to grow into a lady well pleasing
to the Lord.

We Have a Birthday . . .

. . . . . we are celebrating here today!

Isaiah has reached the ripe old age of 8. He is, of course, over-joyed with having reached this milestone. Every step closer to the manly age of 12 is exciting. (My how one's perspective changes with time, eh?) Here he is delving into summer watermelon in true boy fashion - from ear to ear.

















Enjoying big brotherhood, Isaiah takes a stroll with Hadassah.

















Here he is pictured in his all time favorite hat. He wears it, literally, every chance he gets. He is a little more conservative with its use since one of his siblings told him constant use would make his hair fall out.

















Holding down the fort!






















Happy Birthday!

What a blessing you are with your cheerful,
helpful ways and ever-ready smile.
You are an encouragement to us all.

We are so glad God gave you to us!

We love you!!

In Darkness?

"The saint's duty is to be still and listen.

When God gives you a vision
and darkness follows,
wait.
God will bring the vision He has given you
to reality in your life
if you will wait on His timing."

Oswald Chambers

God gave David the vision of being king. David waited in the "dark" while Saul sought his life. David refused to raise his hand against Saul, instead he waited in the darkness for God's timing and God brought the vision of kingship to reality in David's life. May we wait with the same courage and integrity through the dark periods in our lives. May we rest assured that the vision God has given us for our families, our churches, our ministries - He will bring to reality in His time no matter how dark the darkness seems. No darkness is so great that His light is not greater. When there is darkness, human nature seeks escape. Instead, let us wait. Let us trust that we will see the light.

Beautiful Feet

"How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace,
who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."
Isaiah 52:7

Although communists closed his church, Pastor Lap Ma and his wife still go out to evangelize. Here they are traveling under the cover of dark and swamp to evangelize the neighboring villages. Please pray for this dear brother and sister as they live in continual opposition to the law of their land, risking imprisonment and death to share the gospel. Surely they are walking in the footsteps of the faithful who have gone before us.

(Information gathered from VOM - www.persecution.com)

Warm Thoughts

History records show that this is the coldest, snowest winter in Illinois for the past 75 years. With another 11 inches of snow forecast for this weekend, we decided to share some warm thoughts with those of you that are enjoying this winter with us.















Basking in the sunshine . . .
















wading in the pond . . .
















smelling the flowers.


(Photos by Auntie Darla)

Teachable

"We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep,
hidden areas of our own character.
We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves.
The only One who understands us is God.

"When God gets us alone through suffering,
heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness,
or by thwarted desires, a broken friendship,
or a new friendship ~
when He gets us absolutely alone,
and we are totally speechless,
unable to ask even one question,
then He begins to teach us."

~ Oswald Chambers ~

Am I being tried and tested or am I being made teachable?
Perhaps it is all one in the same.

Frozen Paintings

Frosty beauty . . .

















God's artistry displayed in all His works.
















This one reminds us of a rose.
















Josiah noticed the beauty in frost the other day
and captured these pictures for us.

I Only Need Lord Jesus

It is interesting to note that a martyr is not limited to one who has been killed for his or her faith. In the original Greek, the word "martyr" means "witness".

With this in mind we introduce you
to our brother in Indonesia, Solihin.



















When Solihin became a Christian, neighbors surrounded his bamboo house shouting, "Burn this house! Kill him! Bury him alive!" Three times Solihin was brought before the village chief, beaten and threatened with death. Once a devout Muslim, radical Muslims tried many tactics to convert him back to Islam, even offering him a good job and $2,700. Solihin told them, "I don't need money or a good job. I only need Lord Jesus." Furious radical Muslims have expelled him from different villages, tried to burn his house and kill him. Through his witness, many Muslims are turning to Christ. Please join us in praying for Solihin as he continues to faithfully witness in his hostile situation.

(Information gathered from the Jan. 2007 issue of the VOM newsletter - www.persecution.com)

"Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

"Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise.
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
Great God of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

"Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord:
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

"High King of heaven, when vict'ry is won,
May I reach heaven's joys, bright heaven's sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all."

The Kitchen Crew

We had the pleasure of fellowshipping with the Swanson family over the weekend and a lovely time was had by all! One of the highlights of the evening was clean-up after the evening meal. I know . . . I know . . . we really know how to have a good time! We had nine children, ages 3 to 13, all scrunched into our kitchen hard at work and having a wonderful time. As the parents quietly conversed in the next room, we took great delight in all those busy, willing hands and the laughter and singing that issued forth from the kitchen. We tried to capture the moment in photos, tho' we are sure we did not succeed in getting the full impact.


THE CREW ~

















The assembly wash line ~

















Hard at work . . .














I think Hannah (very front) may be overwhelmed.






















It looks like Hannah has recovered . . .
what a relief!

















Hadassah helping Michael learn to fly.

















Rebekah takes a break to share a song.

















Abigail, Moriah and Moriah


Ya'll come back now!

Cozy Evenings

The house we recently moved into has a fireplace and so we are enjoying many a cozy evening 'round the fire this winter. It is a wonderful way to spend an evening relaxing together.
Grab a seat . . .


enjoy the warm glow . . .















the quiet of the evening . . .
















and the ever changing . . .






































. . . dance of the flames.

Trip Pics

Joe had to attend a seminar related to his work recently in Salt Lake City, Utah. While he was there he capture some nice photos - here are a few of the best.






























The mountains surrounding Salt Lake City are beautiful.

















A sky view of the mountains.

















Since none of the rest of us have ever flown,
the photos from the plane were among our favorites.

















Breathtaking!

My Castle

Aunt Darla and Uncle David asked me to make a Lego castle. Well, I had to use Duplo's (which are like toddler Lego's) because I used all my Lego's on things I just couldn't bear to undo. So, here is my best Duplo castle.

Isaiah

Sweet Fragrance

Keeping in step with our last post,
we thought we would begin the introductions ~

Meet Yasmeen:
















Yasmeen lives in Pakistan where the government is less than favorable toward those in our Christian family of faith. In fact, they are categorically opposed to us. In 1994, Yasmeen married a nominal Christian. He got involved with a woman of another faith and would remain absent from home, leaving Yasmeen and their children to struggle, hungry for weeks at a time. Both of her parents had died (leaving her no one to turn to). Yet, she remained faithful to the Lord and to her family.

Her husband became friends with some fanatics belonging to this other woman's faith. He never allowed Yasmeen to attend church or have devotions. She tried to convince her husband to return to Christ and prayed for him faithfully. In 2001 he converted to Islam and married the woman he had been seeing (also Islamic) adding her to their home. He and his new wife tried to force Yasmeen to accept Islam, torturing her terribly and beating her repeatedly.

Yasmeen said, "I am not afraid to die. My children and I will never accept Islam, even if you kill me." When Yasmeen asked if she could attend church, they beat her and locked her in a room, so Yasmeen continued to pray at home. Since she is illiterate, she has never read the Bible, but she told us, "Whenever they tortured me, I remembered the film about Jesus when he was persecuted. I prayed, 'Jesus, you suffered a big pain for us. My pain is nothing. Give me courage. I will never leave you.' One day her husband brought kerosene and poured it on my children and me. I said, 'You pour this kerosene on me, but my Lord is stronger than you. He will save us.' While he was still looking for a match, neighbors came and saved us. They were angels which God sent to protect us."

Her husband turned her and her children out into the street. Alone and vulnerable with her three small children, Yasmeen moved to her home village for protection, but no one helped her in this critical situation. A woman without a husband is a disgrace.

She finally found a family that would let her clean their home and allow them to live in a small part of their barn. It was smelly and dark. Yasmeen remembers, "We carried our clothes into the stable in a plastic bag. The first night I couldn't sleep, watching the animals move around us. It was very dirty, but I still thanked God for providing a place for my children to sleep. There were five cows, eight goats and one donkey.














"I used to wake up at 4 am. I would pray, put grass in the manger and clean the area. After that, I milked the cows. Then I would prepare breakfast for my children. The breakfast was just a chapati (flat bread) with red chili. Sometimes, when we had money, we also made tea. There was no toilet in the barn, so we would go in the open fields. There was a canal outside the village where we took a bath.

"The animals became a blessing and provision at times. The cow was my favorite animal because it gave us some milk for the children. The owner allowed us to have one bowl of milk a day, so we thanked God for that. The donkey was my least favorite animal!"

During the day, Yasmeen would also clean the owner's home. In the evening, she cared for the owner's school by sweeping the floors, earning only 25 cents a day. She said, "I didn't lose hope because I have Jesus, but I still thought of my children, living in a barn with no father, and wondered what their future would be."

Many times they had nothing to eat. Yasmeen had to borrow money from the owner, so she began asking for more and more work. Thus, Yasmeen became like a slave to him. She was not allowed to go to church, yet she would secretly pray twice a day, inside the stalls of her manger-home. Her debt amount was $123 and increasing daily. (When you only make 25 cents a day - that is a lot of debt!)

The lowest day Yasmeen had was when her children were without clothing. "Their clothes had rotted off," she told us. "We were able to eat only once a day, and sometimes twice a day, but we still thanked God for His provision."

Yasmeen and her children remained with the animals for three years. Rubbing her arm, Yasmeen remembered, "The mosquitoes were biting us all the time. I was praying, 'You are God. You give me help! Wherever You put me, I will thank You.' One day, Elder Arif from a Baptist church came to our manger-home. We prayed together. After that Elder Arif came every two months or so for prayers. My children and I prayed with him. He was a good brother. Sometimes he helped me with one or two dollars. My youngest child called him 'Abbu' (daddy)."

Elder Arif brought friends of VOM (Voice of the Martyrs - www.persecution.com) to meet and help them. Yasmeen remembers, "This was the first time my children ever had breakfast with bread and jam. We were very happy. Elder Arif told me, 'Now you will be free from bondage. You will have your own house. Your children can study in the school.' I just fell down before my God after hearing all these blessings. I prayed, 'O God, thank You very much that You released me. You gave me a new family, father, mother, brothers and sisters.' They told us we were moving from the barn into a new home. My children started crying, shouting and dancing."

VOM paid her debt of $123 to the owner. Now Yasmeen is learning to read, write and sew at a VOM sewing school. VOM has set up business schooling and support for her and the children. In September of 2006, her three children, now ages ten, seven and four, began school. She is now in a village area where there are other Christians who have suffered for the cause of Jesus Christ. She has fellowship and teaching which encourages her as she encourages others.

The name Yasmeen in English is Jasmine, a flower which gives out a beautiful fragrance, whether in a nice house or in a barn. She told us "I want to give a message to other women, 'Be a bold woman and keep your faith in God. Don't shake your faith. Look at me. Read my story. I want to encourage you."

Though forgotten by the world in their manger-home, Yasmeen and her children were not alone. The Lord was with them and now, we are too. We see lives across Pakistan powerfully impacted by help from the Body of Christ. Yasmeen told us, "I am proud that I was living in a stable like where my Jesus was born."

(Copied from the Dec. 2006 issue of the VOM newsletter)

The quality that struck us the most about Yasmeen was her utter faith in God's love for her and her thankfulness to God in all circumstances. Her testimony of faith truly is a sweet fragrance.















Please remember to pray for Yasmeen as she builds a life for her family and they reach out to touch the lives of those God puts in their path with the love of God in true thankfulness. Please pray for our other brothers and sisters in Pakistan who are currently suffering torturous treatment similar to what Yasmeen endured for the sake of Christ.

Family Around the World

Over the past year we have had the opportunity to be introduced to and begin getting to know our family around the world. As believers, we are part of an incredible family. We have realized how much we have missed by our lack of interest in the body of Christ as a worldwide family. As believers, we are a nation unto ourselves. We may be Americans by physical definition - but our first allegiance is to our citizenship in the kingdom of God.

We like to think that we are patriotic, taking an interest in the laws and statues of America; joining our voice with other Americans in choosing our leadership and refining the laws suggested by the state and federal employees working for us; working together with other Americans to hold our country to the quality and strength our forefathers established in the beginning. We are even willing to put our necks out, sacrifice personal comfort and do the uncomfortable for the sake of holding America to her glorious beginnings.

This past year we have been challenged to ask ourselves if we are patriotic with our first and foremost citizenship. Sure, others know we are Christians - but that is not the sum of patriotism. Everyone knows we are American too - but that does not have much impact on our fellow American citizens - action does. When we stand with our fellow citizens; when we reach out in a time of disaster; when we pull together as a nation to meet the needs of those suffering in our country; when we work together to lighten one another's load; when we mourn with our fellow Americans because we are touched by their loss; in short, when we act like a family, that is when folks say they see the true American spirit.

We have had to ask ourselves if we have this same spirit for the worldwide church? Are we standing with our brothers and sisters in other nations? Do we reach out to them in a time of need? Are we aware of their suffering as if we ourselves were suffering? Are we touched by their loss simply because they are our true brothers and sisters? Do we carry their burdens close to our hearts even though we have never met them? Why should we? Because our family by the bonds of Christ is our true family.

This past year has been a wonderful journey of learning and we have been blessed beyond words to have the opportunity to be a part of some of the lives of our family in other nations. We have been changed as individuals; become more defined as a family; been challenged in our faith; and encouraged in the Lord through the blessing of their lives. As they have been such an incredible blessing to us, we decided to introduce you to some of them over the coming months. We will be posting introductions from time to time. Be sure to drop by for a visit. You are sure to be blessed just for having met them.


One of the best places to meet up with these courageous and humble siblings of ours is through a ministry called The Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.com). They have a wonderful monthly newsletter/magazine available. Their ministry, while founded in the entire Scripture, purposes to meet the call of Hebrews 13:3 -

"Remember those who are in prison,
as though in prison with them,
and those who are mistreated,
since you also are in the body."

Happy New Year!

From our family to yours . . . .
God's blessings to you in the coming year.

Our Dogs

It is one of my responsibilities to take care of our dogs. I like having that resonsibility. Our dogs are very fun. We have three dogs . . . Willow, Bear and Bubba.

















Willow is a Doberman Pincher and has been our family dog for 4 years now. She is very laid back and gentle. Willow loves to be with us and is always ready to be petted. She is getting old and yet she is still the alpha dog and keeps Bear and Bubba in line.

















Bear is an Akita Inu mix. One of my favorite things about Bear is that he lays at our feet. He is a quiet, more reserved dog.

















Bubba is a Border Collie/Lab mix. He loves to play fetch and I always wanted a dog that would play fetch so I am glad we got him. Bubba is very out-going and fun-loving.

















We recently got Bear and Bubba. They have been together since they were three months old. Now they are three years old. They both like to curl up with each other or one of us. I am glad that they were trained to obey a number of commands before we got them. It made it easier for us to take them in.

Josiah