Summation 2010

Once again, the highlight of our Parent-Youth year was Summation... an evening set aside to recount the many evidences of grace upon our childrens' lives in the past 12 months. I always walk away from these events so grateful for the approach our church takes to youth ministry. The kids have a blast at every meeting throughout the year, but the parents are there experiencing it with them. There's just the right balance of fun and purpose...truth is not watered down and every meeting ends with questions for the parents to address with their children which ultimately point them to their need for a Savior and His amazing grace. In the process, parents and their kids are talking and engaging about significant heart and life issues. Summation this year was amazing... the attention to detail was incredible and everything was done with such excellence...the games, decorations, food, printed program (which featured a paragraph from each youth outlining the spiritual highlight of the year) were all so well thought out. The evening's highlight was when parents presented their children with letters expressing what they believe to be the Lord's gifting/strengths in their lives and encouraging them to continue pressing in to their relationship with God. It was a rich, sweet time for us as a family. There was also a special time honoring a male and female high school Jr/Sr for their godly character with videos of their friends and family commending them. What great role models our kids have to emulate!
Enjoy the bazillion pictures!!

This was the doorway we entered the room through...P and several other youth worked on this set for many hours in the weeks leading up to the event. College age leaders directed the construction.... It was a great experience for him to be apart of that!

"The Banquet Hall"

Can you guess this year's theme?! Mimi made both C and P's costume...mine was borrowed and my hubby's was put together from a few dress up bins!

Robin Hood and friends....Miss Britt was lady Marian, P was Little John, J was Robin Hood and C was Friar Tuck

Yep, great minds think alike...Here's C with Mr. Kach-neither one of them knew that the other was coming as a monk...they both shaved their heads to really play the part of the monks...C grew his hair out for 2 months! Crazy, I know :) The set behind them was a drawbridge that actually opened up when they introduced our youth pastor who was announced as King- complete with a trumpeting fanfare...

C won a prize for the best youth boy costume...the shaved head definitely won over the crowd!!

A closeup...scary huh? M shaved him totally late that night so now C is quite chilly without any hair to block out this cold Arctic air!

I am always stunned by the creativity of our friends!!

Check out these costumes!!

Mrs. V did an outstanding job decorating on a tight budget with such attention to detail~ The food was amazing too... one of the ladies from our church catered it all herself...roasted veggies, salad, bread,turkey drumsticks, chicken drumsticks...all served on overflowing platters. We were encouraged to dine Medieval Style with hands only but some of us less adventuresome folks opted for plastic forks!!

More of the decorations...each shield represents one of the "Color War" teams (see below for explanation)

The games were so creative in keeping with the theme of the evening. Each attendee was given a bag of fake coins to play the games with...each youth is a member of a color team and they were able to win points for their team. This "Color War" contest continues all year.

There was some leftover food and we were able to bring home turkey 'on the bone' for Mercy and Odesco... aren't these things huge?!

The amazing thing was both Mercy and Odesco were too stuffed to eat it all in one sitting...yes, good to the last morsel of meat...she takes this seriously!!

Take a good look...Going, going...

GONE!!!

It's outta' here...Silly boy!

I've said it a million times, but once again I am so aware of God's goodness in planting us in such fertile, well watered soil!! With a grateful heart,

Meet Millie and her family...

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.

Psalm 146:7

My hubby and I are always looking for ways to keep our kiddos other oriented especially around Christmas. The most personally significant gift we gave this year was a bag of rice to a Liberian family desperately in need of sustenance. For only $60.00, 100 pounds of rice were provided to this needy family. I was undone the first time I opened the emails and saw the pictures of this dear struggling family. And again today as I received another update regarding their desperate plight and their sad circumstances. $60 seems like such a token gift and yet it will provide freedom from hunger at least for this month. I wanted to post on this not to draw attention to us but to give others who may feel led, the opportunity to provide food for those still struggling to survive in Liberia. The war may be over but many are continuing to live in abject poverty and hunger. Seeing the pictures and realizing that this is the reality our adopted children lived with before being brought to the orphanage is very sobering. Just this evening, I made a quick run to Aldi to stock up before the weekend. I drove in my heated car and quickly loaded up my cart from well stocked shelves. I pulled out my debit card to pay for the groceries...how much I take for granted every day. How much we have to be grateful for....Lord, forgive me for complaining....
We are currently planning to write a letter to this family to share the motivation behind our giving. We are also praying about how to possibly impact this family in the months to come. The reality is Christmas has now passed and once their rice runs out, they will again have rumbling tummies. We want their bellies to be fed but more importantly we want this precious family to personally know "The Bread of Life".... the One who will satisfy their very souls. If you would like more information about this project please contact Julie Redman at redman611@verizon.net Julie and her family have a heart for Liberia, have adopted a son from Liberia, and have sponsored a young Liberian man for several years. They also have many trusted Christian contacts in Liberia making this "Rice Bowl"project possible.
You can also donate directly through Global Orphan Outreach by clicking on the "Rice Bowl" tab but please email Julie so she can send you pictures of the family who will receive your gift of rice. They will make use of any donation, no matter how 'small' and they will use100% of the proceeds to go toward the gift of rice. They will combine contributions to bless another family as soon as they have enough to do so. I was impressed with the speed in which our donation was processed, how efficiently the rice was delivered to Millie, and thankful for the many pictures which were sent to us via email. Julie has graciously and promptly responded to my many emails requesting details regarding this project so if you have any questions at all, feel free to email her directly. Thanks for stopping by.

This is Millie inside her house with her children: Seydah, Doris, and Jesse. One of the children attends a government sponsored school and her trek to and from school takes 4 hours each day!

This is the view of Millie's home... How convicted I am for complaining about clutter and unfinished projects~

The inside of their home...notice it is not watertight so when the Liberian rainy season comes, they are not protected from the elements.

The surrounding community~

Millie sells charcoal to provide for her family. She makes $1 profit per bag and often has to buy rice a few cups at a time. Most of her extended family perished in the Civil War so she has no one else to assist her at this time.

Counting my blessings and grateful for the opportunity our family has to make a small difference,

A whirlwind week....

I love this time of year for so many reasons. I love our Advent and Christmas traditions which focus us back to the "reason for the season". I especially love a break from our typical school days. Alas, the day opens up to this home school mom when I am not consumed with keeping all those balls in the air simultaneously. My absolute favorite perk of this season is spending time with the friends we do not get to see on a regular basis and opening up our home for hospitality. I save these weeks for scheduling special play dates with these friends and their families... we are rich indeed!

Mercy and G enjoyed a tea party with our new friends, the E family... we met them during the homeschool soccer season. The little boys were off rolling around on the floor wrestling with the brother of these sweet girls. What a fun visit we had and I enjoyed the time I had to get to know my new friend, C better while our kiddos played!

The little boys were busy ALL day planning the 'Mario and Luigi' Show... they chose costumes, made signs and the girls made 'tickets' with seat numbers...too funny:) These 2 are hysterical together and had us rolling with their antics. G is in the background holding up an 'Applause' sign. Another benefit to the break from our school schedule is the kids can really get creative (that is when they are not complaining of being bored)...when I remind them we can whip out the books in a moment's notice, they usually find something to do in a hurry :)

On Wednesday evening, our care group gathered at our home and we went out caroling to a few of the neighbors. We only made it to 3 houses due to the cold...and yes, that is our son, dressed in shorts! After caroling, we headed back to our house for yummy refreshments and fun just being together~

On Friday, we helped the DiF family who had just moved the day before into their new abode. The Kach and Di families also were there and between all of us and the kiddos, we had some significant workers. Here the kiddos are enjoying a snack after a few hours of yardwork, furniture moving, and box unpacking. What a blessing to have the time to serve another friend in this way while making memories in the process~

On Friday evening we had the Kachs over for the 3rd annual celebration of our Liberian children's homecoming...while it was a few weeks late for Mercy, Odesco, and Jenkins, it happened to be 3 years to the day since Felicia's homecoming...perfect timing! I still stand in awe at how the Lord sovereignly led both of our families to adopt from Liberia at the same time. What a gift they are to us!

The Kach and B kiddos....all 10 of them!

Here they are trying to look 'serious' ...celebrating 3 years together!!
Go here to MamaK's blog to see the remarkable change in our children in just 3 years!!


Then came the BIG storm on Saturday!

The first thing I heard Saturday morning were the squeals of our very excited children as they peered outside their windows at the Winter Wonderland.
Odesco has been dubbed 'marshmallow man' in his puffy coat...What fun he had enjoying this white fluffy stuff!

After Daddy and the big guys did some shoveling to try to stay ahead of the storm, we all took a walk to the local hill for some sledding. We were joined by a few neighbors too...

The other sleds were a bit disappointing but this tube which had been gathering dust for many years, finally came in handy!!

L was ready to head home before the others so P decided to join us for the trek back. The snow was so deep it made it difficult for L to plod on...P gave him a much appreciated ride :)

After dropping L off at home, P went back outside and began shoveling out our neighbor's sidewalk without being asked...gotta love a boy who takes initiative :) He certainly has taken on my hubby's heart to serve. What a blessing to see that in action~

It was great to have some slow down snuggle time during the storm too :)

One disappointing aspect of the storm were the plans that had to be canceled due to poor travel conditions. Mimi and Pop-Pop were supposed to visit us for their annual gingerbread house decorating tradition...fortunately, I had all the supplies so the kiddos went to town decorating (and eating!)...(but it wasn't the same without Mimi and Pop-Pop)

When we awakened Sunday, the storm was almost over...now the great digout began! Everyone played a part...after our cars/walkways/driveway were cleared, M and the big boys moved on to the neighbors, then a single mom's in our neighborhood. It took most of the morning and early afternoon for them to do this...

We ended the day with a gathering at the Y's home with a few other families...

Yesterday, our special friends the McD's who we see maybe twice a year, trekked over the bridge for a visit...

We always enjoy our time with them...

What a fun, friend -filled, snowy week!!
How grateful our family is to be so rich with friends!

Remembering His Grace...

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.
Psalm 40:5


Twenty years ago today, my hubby and I were married. I am so grateful for this man and these precious years we have lived together. What a gift the Lord gave me in him; a gift I do not deserve! Cyber Boy(our 2nd born) schemed with me to put together a slide show chronicling the past 20 years in order to surprise my one and only. Of course this project was a "hopeful"on my summer to do list but did not get completed until 5:00PM today!! Last night while M was out of the house, I pulled out every photo album since before our engagement. My heart was undone as I perused the photos which archived our life together and considered the many ways the Lord has shown Himself faithful to us again and again. Through the joys and victories as well as the challenges and sorrows, this theme prevails:
He is faithful, He is good, and we have been continuously lavished with His mercies. We deserve NONE of this yet we are recipients of it all day in and day out...what amazing grace.

Our pastor is taking our church through an excellent series on Nehemiah and on Sunday the theme of the message was "Remembering Grace". His main point was that reviewing our history renews our commitment to God. I'd encourage you to slow down during this busy season and take a moment to consider how He has worked marvelous deeds in your own life over the years...it will do your heart good, I promise!

Truly, the wonders He has done are too many to declare...the slide show below is just a meager attempt to chronicle His hand in our life over the past 20 years...
I'll warn you it's a bit long~ it was hard to cram 20 years of living into a few minutes! The kids really got a kick out of Daddy's humongous glasses and my changing hairstyles -styles sure have changed in 20 years:)

Thanks for celebrating with us!!
With a grateful heart,
MamaB

Going, going, gone....

G decided a few months ago that she would like to donate her hair to "Locks of Love" the day after our homeschool play. Wednesday morning she awoke to wavering feelings about this...then she convinced herself that some little girl would be blessed by her donation, so off we went to the Haircuttery. This is the 2nd time she has done this...We are so proud of her and love her new 'do'!!

Before...

During....

After the chop but before the style...

Voila :)

Celebrating 3 years as a family of 8!

Last evening we had a memorable family night celebrating Mercy and Odesco's 3 year homecoming anniversary (a day late). We ate a variety of appetizer/finger foods in the living room with the tree lit, candles burning, and Christmas music playing. We each shared a favorite memory surrounding their homecoming. It blessed me to hear the older boys share memories of Odesco's first smile and how excited we all were when we finally saw his pearly white teeth. Then we watched the video of the airport footage and their first week at home. It is unbelievable to see how much they have grown and changed physically in just 3 years... I am so grateful to have this footage--it was such fun hearing their voices and their thick indecipherable accents!

Earlier this week, I had told my hubby that I'd like to start a new annual December tradition idea I had read about: a 'Christmas picnic'...just a simple time to slow down as a family to create a memory. It fit perfectly with the anniversary of the kids homecoming, so a new B family tradition was born :) We look forward to gathering with the Kachs later this month to celebrate with Jenkins and Felicia as well.

After we viewed the video and pictures last night,Our Cyber boy, C was inspired to create the slide show below of Mercy and Odesco's homecoming day and initial weeks at home. I love the song he chose...it is so fitting.

Those of you close to us(or those of you who have perceptively read between the lines of my blog posts!) know that there have been many dark and trying days as we continue to transition, yet in spite of this, we believe with all our hearts that God chose these precious children to become a part of our family. It is His perfect wisdom and sovereign goodness that brought us together. Even the darkest day and my unbelieving heart can not compare to the splendor of His amazing grace which sustains and carries us through it all.


In closing, I wanted to share a quote I recently read which resonates in my heart and really summarizes one of the key lessons I have been learning over these past 3 years.

There is a big difference between being insufficient and using our insufficiency as an excuse to give up.We are all insufficient."The ability to acknowledge our insufficiency is what allows us to tap into Christ's all sufficiency and surpa-abundancy." (from page 23 of Homeschool Supermom-Not!)

Thanks for stopping by and for all of your support over these past 3+ years as we anticipated and prepared for Mercy and Odesco's arrival and now as we continue to walk the path that God has set before us.

Good food always makes an impact with this clan :)

Every anniversary we try to find a significant ornament for Mercy and Odesco to add to their collection.

Slowly their collection is growing...we may need a larger tree to fit them all (just kidding)

Goofy boy :)!

I am so aware of my insufficiency and so grateful for His all sufficiency and supra~abundance!!