2009 Year in Review

(After you finish this, you will

see why we didn’t mail it!!)

As I looked back over the calendar at what took place during the past year, I couldn’t believe how much we squeezed into it.

In early January, John got baptized. This was a very proud moment for

Dave and I. It was even more emotional for Dave as he got to baptize

his firstborn child.

The boys enjoyed playing basketball during the winter season.

February was busy as we prepared for both the Broad Street Talent Shown and for our 3^rd missions trip to the Josiah and Bethany Children’s Home in Mexico. Dave runs the sound for the talent show

and I assist him so it turns out to be a family affair. With all of our focus on the mission’s trip this past year, we didn’t spend much time coming up with a clown routine for the boys. John wanted to twist balloons to a magical type song. Josiah

wanted to rap to a TobyMac song. In the end, we combined their ideas. John began by twisting balloon dogs. Then Josiah entered the stage wearing his hat backwards, his bling around his neck and carrying a microphone. He changed the music to TobyMac and began rapping. The boys went back and forth fighting over the music and changing it back and forth to suit their own needs. After this went

on for a while, they whispered a new plan to each other. They changed the music once again. The song, “Who let the dogs out?” came on and the boys worked together to throw lots of balloon dogs all over the stage. It is fun to see the elementary kids laugh at the antics of Chuckles and Bobo.

Three short days later, we got on a plane to begin our journey. While it was a wonderful trip, it

was different for our family because many of the kids we had become attached to in previous

years were no longer at the home. Josiah’s special friend Maggie was no longer there. We really

missed her. It was great to spend time with the home’s new director though. Dave and I felt as if we got to encourage her and spend some good discussion time with her. (For a full recap of our trip, see my blog post dated 2/19/09).

As we headed into the Spring, Josiah played baseball again. He enjoyed his season and his team ended up winning the tournament for their level. It’s always rewarding to win a trophy…especially one they

had to work for.

In April, my dad had emergency surgery and I ended up traveling back and forth to West Chester to stay with my mom while my dad was in the hospital, and then helping once he came home. It was a rough road for a while, but thankfully, he is doing great now, walking a couple of miles a day and working out at the gym regularly. He inspires me.

The beginning of May found Dave traveling to Atlanta once again for

the Orange Conference put on by the Rethink Group, whose curriculum

we use in Children’s Ministry. This is always a fun and challenging time for Dave. He learns new ideas and is challenged spiritually by the speakers there and the worship sessions he participates in. Red represents families and Yellow represents God’s light and love and His message to us. Orange is when we connect families to God’s Message.

Also in the spring, we decided to surprise John by submitting a video of

him twisting balloons (actually their clown routine video) to the WJTL

Talent Challenge for consideration. He ended up being selected and in May had the chance to twist a giant balloon Road Runner for their

Talent Challenge at the World’s Largest Chicken BBQ at Long’s Park in Lancaster. He did great!

In June, John began saxophone lessons and turned 11.

And we spent our first week visiting Dave’s family and going to Ocean

City, MD.

July took us to the beach once again. Dave re-injured his knee during

this trip and had surgery shortly thereafter. It was a bit of a rough

recovery as he contracted walking pneumonia. Can you believe that this very same month we found out John needed leg surgery? It was

not great timing to have to digest this news. The month was rounded out by a week of Creative Arts Camp. Dave was a trooper and taught balloons with his knee on ice. I taught the dance track and we learned Miley Cyrus’s “Hoedown Throwdown” in addition to other songs.

At the beginning of August, the boys participated in a Circus Camp

where they got to add to their repertoire of clowning skills. The day the

camp was finished, the boys and I headed to Canaan Valley, WV for a family reunion and vacation with my side of the family. John and I got to go horseback riding with my brother and niece. Lots of fun and

gorgeous scenery. When we returned from that trip, I attended the Beautiful Ones conference that Global Awakening put on. It was an amazing experience of seeing God’s power heal, transform and change lives. It was a very sweet encounter and I didn’t really want it to end.

We couldn’t end the summer without going to the beach one last time. So the week of Josiah’s 8^th birthday, we went for one final summer trip to DE.

After our crazy summer, I was quite ready to get back into the school routine so that we could stay in one place for a while!! HA!

John began 5^th grade and Josiah 2^nd grade. John joined the Green Team, Chorus, Band (saxophone) and the Jump Team at church. 5^th

grade brings lots of new opportunities.

In October, Dave and I both taught at a Children’s Ministry Workers Conference held in Mechanicsburg. Dave taught 3 workshops and I taught 1. It was a new challenge for me (Dave loves to challenge me and stretch my comfort zone). This is sometimes appreciated and sometimes not. HA HA Dave also designed the website for the

conference so he had many hours invested in this venture. And I can't forget to add that the boys helped

us in teaching balloon twisting to interested conference-goers in the resource area.

October was also our first night to take Kidstuf (our Family Service at church) to a local elementary school…called KidJam. We have now done this 3 times (1x/month). It has been a great opportunity to connect with the community.

November 10 came way too fast. After much praying and pleading with God for healing, I realized that John’s surgery was going to be a reality. John has had a ½ inch leg length difference since birth. Over time, his body

compensated for this difference. His left foot rolled inward and the bones in that foot began growing improperly as a result. Also, his right heel would never hit the ground so his right calf muscle was not developed at all. It is about half the size of his left calf muscle. So John’s surgery was done on both legs at the same time. They placed an implant in his left foot to keep his foot from rolling inward. They also cut his right tendon and lengthened it.

Currently, John has two casts on his legs and is temporarily in a wheelchair. The wheelchair is a power chair that my cousin so graciously provided for us from the company that he works for. (Golden Technologies rocks!!) The chair has given John so much freedom and has been a bright spot in an otherwise difficult time. John should be getting his left cast off and a walking boot put on very soon. Then he will begin physical therapy on the left foot. In about 5 weeks, John will be able to put weight on the right leg and will begin 2-3 months of physical

therapy on that leg.

This is a long process but one in which we pray will make him stronger and correct the problems that he had with his legs.

It has been interesting rearranging our home to make it handicap accessible. I am thankful that God led us to this home 6 years ago that has very wide doorways and a downstairs bathroom. It also has a room that had been our playroom downstairs. We converted that room into John’s bedroom. John has been living downstairs for the past 3 weeks now. This whole experience is making us much more compassionate toward those who live like this on a daily basis throughout life. It is also giving us a new empathy and new eyes to see those who sometimes get overlooked in our society. And we are grateful for legs that work. I am praying that God will help us to gain all that He wants to teach us during this experience. Who knows how this will shape our children’s future job choices? How is it changing their hearts? I pray that this experience will change us and not be in vain.

Ahhhh….December. We pray that your holiday will be filled with looking up and seeing God’s power. When I stop and look up, He shows me His glory and I sit in awe and wonder. This world has heartache and disappointments, stress and financial worries, physical decline. When we stop and see God, those things fall away. Some day, they will all fall away. He will return for His people and we will be with Him forevermore. There will be no more tears, sorrow or longing. We will be fully filled. How I long for that day.

May God bless you with eyes to see Him more clearly this holiday.

A Promise

A few months ago we were told that John needs surgery on his legs. History: he was born 12 weeks premature, weighing only 2 lbs. 1 oz. From the start, he has been our miracle baby. People across the nation prayed for him. He fought and grew and beat many odds. After three years of intense therapies, we were told that he had progressed enough to be released from therapy--physical, speech and occupational. John's main struggles that he moved on with were a tight right heel cord and the potential for eye surgeries due to his exposure to oxygen for many months when he was first born. He's had 3 eye surgeries now. The third one seemed to correct his muscles to align his eyes. We've been doing annual check-ups on John's legs and feet. He has worn orthotics for a number of years and has had his shoes built up within the last year. The new foot doctors we have begun seeing are incredible and have shown a real concern for getting John's feet and legs to a place of proper bone and muscle alignment and development. Thus, the decision to have surgery was laid before us. The surgeon will put an insert in John's left foot so that his foot cannot roll inward. This will allow the bones in that foot to grow properly. The surgeon will also cut and lengthen his right calf muscle so that his right heel can hit the ground and then his right calf should be able to be used and further develop. Right now, his right calf is about half the size of his left calf.

Ever since finding out about the surgery, I have had a hard time accepting it. The idea of our child being in a wheelchair for one to two months is not one that is appealing, to say the least. We are moving ahead with surgery plans, but praying for supernatural healing at the same time. My father was healed of a 1/2" leg length difference as a young adult. I know of one other person who was healed of the same, and another person was healed right before my eyes at a recent women's conference. God is powerful and able. Sometimes He heals supernaturally, sometimes through doctors and surgeries. We have seen some change in John's legs as we have prayed, but not enough at this point to cancel the surgery. I must say that I don't completely understand the idea of incremental healing. My faith is definitely growing as I have seen these things happen. Trusting God with the overall outcome is still a challenge for me. It doesn't make sense to my human analytical brain. I am being reminded of the scripture in Isaiah 5, verses 8 & 9 that say,

⁸ "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,"

declares the LORD.

⁹ "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This is something that I know, but don't always live out. I know that the Creator of the Universe has a plan that is so much greater than mine. If I could figure Him out, wouldn't I then be His equal? Do I really want a God who is as limited as I am? Why do I foolishly think that I will understand all of His ways? This humbling reminder is reassuring as I lay my precious first-born son at his feet and say, "Not my will, but Yours be done, oh powerful God."

Even though I don't understand it, today I feel as if we were given a promise. It is International Walk to School Day. The kids who participated in the school's walk-a-thon program were put in for a drawing for a new bike. Guess whose name was chosen to receive the new bike? That's right, our John. I do sense that there is something so much more significant to him winning this bike than chance and coincidence. God has spoken a promise to me. I pray that God will reveal His promise to John also. God loves John so much and knows what is on our schedule for him to endure over the next few months. The bike is the hope, the reward, the incentive, the promise. Again, I don't fully understand it. But I pray that John will know the great love our heavenly Father has for him.

Hello blog!

Wow, it has been two months since I have blogged. Much has happened in the last two months. Lots of vacationing and spending family time together. The short of it is two more trips to my in-laws(in DE near Ocean City, MD) and one trip to Canaan Valley, WV with my side of the family for a family reunion and vacation in the mountains. I also attended the "Beautiful Ones" conference put on by Global Awakenings. The first word that comes to mind about the conference is power. God moved in amazingly powerful ways (why would he not, He's God, right?) I joined women in worshiping all out and in total freedom--some dancing, some on their faces on the floor, some crying, some laughing. It is amazing to be in the presence of Almighty God like that. I also saw many people get healed of different physical, emotional and spiritual affirmities. So cool!!!!!!!!! We are all very loved by the creator of the universe.

Psalm 63: 2-5 says,

"I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you."

And I say Amen, I agree. His love is better than life and He is worthy of my praise.

An anecdote from today: I went to the grocery store and was hoping as I entered that I didn't run into someone I know who works there. It is not because I don't care for this person--quite the opposite really-- but just because I haven't seen them in a long time and I really don't enjoy running into people and having to make conversation. What to say does not come easily to me. It tends to stress me. After a couple minutes of thinking like this, I asked God to give me His perspective and to be open to blessing other people. Like maybe if I would stop thinking of myself and how uncomfortable I would feel, I could see beyond that and realize that God may want to bless someone else through me. Maybe someone who has a need. So my new prayer became, "Lord, use me to bless someone on this trip if You want me to. And if you want me to bless this person I haven't seen for a while, use me in their life today." After that, I continued shopping and got everything that I needed. I prayed the prayer a couple of more times as I was shopping. Well, I made it out to the van and put my groceries in and was getting ready to return my cart. At that point, a man began walking by me and going into his nearby car. He passed me and as he was getting into his car, he sneezed. I remained silent. Then I thought, "I could've said, 'Bless you' to him" At that moment, I just started laughing as I realized that God had given me an opportunity to literally "bless" someone verbally. HA HA

Well, I missed that opporunity, but I hope that as I go about the rest of my week (and beyond) that I will be more in tune to what God wants to do through me in everyday situations. I know He's got so much to say. I am trying to learn how to slow down and expectantly listen.

Well, day 3 of the new school year has flown by once again. It is already time to go get the kids and to hear about their adventures from today. See ya!

Creativity and Jello Salad

John has been in creative mode lately. It does his mama good to see him creating balloon creations and creations in the kitchen. Last evening, he made a jello salad. Now this may not seem like much, but it is not something I ever make. Dave actually makes fun of me because of how easy jello is, but yet I never make it. My mom makes yummy jello salads with fruit in them. So...John and I thought we'd try one last night. He did all the work. Yeah! It turned out and is yummy! Extra good with fresh strawberries that we picked.

His other project has been a unique "report" on Abraham Lincoln, one of his favorite people in history. He twisted balloons of various stages of Abe Lincoln's life. The first is Abraham as a baby:

The second phase is Abraham as a young boy with an ax in his hand:

And finally, John himself is dressed as a much older Abraham Lincoln with a wild black beard and a cane:

His own unique version of history.

Beach Time

What a nice week! We spent the last week at Dave's mom and step-dad's in Delaware. Five out of the seven days we were there we went to Ocean City, MD. The boys are old enough now to both go in the ocean by themselves and body surf and dive through the waves. They loved it. Dave and John could spend hours out in the ocean. Josiah likes it too, but also likes to spend a lot of time digging and building creations in the sand. In addition to swimming, laying in the sun, reading and just plain relaxing, we enjoyed walking the boardwalk and continuing our yearly skee-ball tournament. Josiah and I were the champs last year. This year, our title was taken away. Dave and John beat us 6 out of 7 games. Ouch! Think Josiah and I will sneak away to Chuck E's or the Coliseum to get some extra practice in before our trip back to DE next month. Hee hee hee...

Overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's

The boys and I just returned from an overnight visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was amazing to see the difference in my dad. Last time I saw him was the end of April. Now it is June, just two short months later. When I left, he was shuffling around, with his shoulders bent over. He was recovering from major abdominal surgery and was going to begin physical therapy. He has since finished his physical therapy and the change is drastic. He is now walking again--up to 1.5 miles/day at this point. My mom says she cannot keep up with him. He looks great and is joking around once again. It really makes me smile to think of how far he has come. Thanks for all of the prayers.

Long Time No Post

A brand new day...what a blessing to be able to begin again and experience God's mercies anew each day. The kids are finishing school in 2 short days. Wowza! Today Dave and I go into the 4th grade classes to do some ballooning. I will read the story while Dave twists balloons. Then we might teach them something simple to do on their own. The teachers and kids really seem to love this. And it is fun because we can take a book or story that the teachers want the kids to hear and make our own animation out of balloons. Today the kids will be seeing a chicken, a duck and a pig. We are reading "Chicks and Salsa". We also might read "Dogzilla". Cute book, but less creations that can be made from the story.

Last night was amazing. A very powerful storm went through our area at about 1:30 AM. I don't remember a storm hitting so close in a long time. The sky continued to flash repeatedly. The booms were loud. I expected the ground to shake and trees to begin falling around us. It made me stop and ask God if Jesus was returning right then. It was that kind of sobering storm. It reminded me of how powerful God is. It made me bow to Him and ask Him for forgiveness for forgetting how majestic He is. How can I get so caught up in life that I forget these things? We can be wiped off the face of this earth in an instant. I actually love to be reminded of that so that I am sent to my knees. And there I am reminded that through anything...anything at all...God is with me still. Even through death.

This morning I read Isaiah chapter 6. The storm last night allowed me to relate on a small scale to what Isaiah witnessed when he "saw the Lord". It says, "In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, ""Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!"" The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke." (Just like the thunder rumbled the ground and lightning lit up the sky)

Verse 5 shows Isaiah's response to this power. "Then I said, ""My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!""
Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ""See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed and your sins are forgiven."
"Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?"
"And I said, ""Lord, I'll go! Send me."

What a blessing to see God in all His power. It is so easy to lose sight of how powerful He truly is. What an insult to our mighty Creator. What a gift when we are reminded of who He truly is and when we get to see more of Him. He is love...and He is power. I will bow to Him because He is God.

A prayer for my children's health

One of the most challenging and frustrating things for me as a parent is helping my children when they are sick. It is so difficult to know which medicines to give to them and to best know how to help them. I pray that God gives me the wisdom and guides my hand when it comes to making decisions for these little people that trust me to make the best choices for them. It is hard to wait, learn, and realize that I may be making a bad choice or a mistake. I don't want to make mistakes when it comes to their health. I don't want to give them things that may affect their health in the long run, say even years from now. I try to weigh what traditional medicine says is best. I also try to research what natural medicine says will work. It seems to be a process of trial and error. Right now, John is complaining of ear pain. Pretty much any time he complains of ear pain, he has an ear infection. Hmmm...to antibiotic or not to antibiotic? How many antibiotics have my sweet children had in their short lifetimes? Is their resistance to these growing? Am I harming the bacteria in their gut when I give these? Will the probiotics sufficiently replace the good bacteria in their system to ward of future illness and provide a strong immune system? My other child is struggling with a cold and some asthma/bronchospasms. We are doing breathing treatments with albuterol. We are contemplating allergy medicines. We have not had much success with these in the past. Should we try bee pollen? grape seed extract? God...you know my children. You know their bodies. You know what you have provided in nature. You know what you have allowed us as humans to learn and create. Dear All-Powerful God, lead me to the best path to take for the precious ones You have put into my care. I know You love them more than I am capable of loving. Your love is perfect. Your power is perfect. Your knowledge is unlimited. I trust in You. Amen.

Friends and Family

The past few days have been visiting days. It kind of goes in waves. We will have times where we are just rolling along with our regular schedule and then all within a few days, we have visits with friends and family that we haven't seen for a while. This past Friday, the boys and I packed up and headed west...two whole hours west! We drove to New Enterprise, PA, near Woodbury, PA where we used to live. We went to see our friend Sara in the musical "Cinderella" that her high school was performing. Sara was the Queen. She did wonderfully. She impressed me with how dramatic she was and with how comfortable she seemed to be on stage.

We stayed with our friends Joyce, Larry and "Big John". Their family were our boys' regular babysitters when we lived in Woodbury. They were actually more like surrogate aunt, uncle and grandparents. Helen was "Big John's" wife. She passed away the very same week that we moved away from Woodbury, to Mechanicsburg. And "Big John" was not "Big John" until little John came around. As a matter of fact, "Big John" is not really all that tall. But he has always been "Big John" to our boys.

This family really is precious to us. This past weekend, we were their first EVER overnight guests. Pretty cool. The day following the musical, Sara and her family came over for breakfast. It was fun to spend time with old friends. Ethan was John's first best friend. Those boys used to sit and gab nonstop with each other...more of what you would expect from little girls, or maybe adolescent girls. It is great to see them pick up right where they left off last time.

For some reason, going back and visiting people I haven't seen for a while takes me out of my comfort zone. This is especially true when going back to Woodbury. When we lived there, the population was 239. With Dave being a pastor at a church there, we got to know so many people. It was amazing the amount of people in that high school auditorium that I knew. I have always been uncomfortable with things like that and I don't really know why. Maybe because of the unexpected, things I cannot anticipate. Or maybe it is because I don't know how to answer questions like, "How are you?" "How have you been?" "What have you been up to?" I'm not so good at small talk and not very good about summarizing in 5 minutes what life has been like the past 5 years. Having the boys makes me do things that I wouldn't normally do. I will leave my comfort zone because I think that it is something that will be good for them. In the process, it challenges me and stretches me as well.

Well, we got on our way early because Gram and Pop-pop were coming to visit on Saturday. So when we got home, they were here already with Dave. It was great to spend the afternoon with them. They live in DE and will drive 4 hours to spend an afternoon with us and then turn around and drive 4 hours back. When the boys were younger (and she would probably still do it now if we asked), Peggy would drive 4 hours just to babysit them when we had something major going on.

Then on Monday, one of my college roommates came for a visit. She lives in Hershey and it is always wonderful to spend time with her. This time, baby Abigail didn't get to come. She is so precious.

So, all in all, it was a weekend of spending time with special people that we are blessed to have in our lives.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wow, I lost a week. Now it's time to catch up. Last week, I tried making Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies for the first time. I was a little uncertain as to how they would turn out. I only have the before pictures with my ingredients. My mom had purchased some Rice Flour (EnerG brand) when we were visiting my parents two weeks ago. We didn't use it then so she sent it home with me. I used the recipe off the box. The dough tasted good so that was a good start. I made the cookies about a tablespoon size and did my normal 12 on a pan. To my surprise, they all ran together and became very flat. I was still able to tell where they ended and the others began so I just cut them apart. They are a different texture than "regular" chocolate chip cookies. These are more cake-like. But they are certainly still good. And when you cannot have the traditional cookies, these are just wonderful! Funny how your perspective changes when your options are limited.

Some excerpts from Psalm 104:

"O Lord my God, how great you are!...You cause plants to grow for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth--wine to make them glad, olive oil as lotion for their skin (love that one!).... You made the moon to mark the seasons.... Then the young lions roar for their food, but they are dependent on God.... O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.... Every one of these depends on you to give them their food as they need it.... You open your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied.... I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him, for I rejoice in the Lord"

Oh yeah...I think David and I could've hung out and wrote songs together and praised together. Maybe someday...

When I think of standing in awe of God's creation, I think of photographs of animals that my brother has taken. I'll have to see if he'll send me one to post on this entry. They are incredible. They show such detail of the uniqueness of each creature. They make me aware of the incredible creativity of God. They make me sit back and say, "Wow!" One of my plans is to get a few of these pictures and frame them and hang them around our home. Not only will they make me stop in awe and wonder, they will make me think of my brother, and that will make me smile.

Happy Monday

I love days alone at home. I think that I am a homebody. I'm also an introvert. I get recharged by creative and productive time alone. For a very large part of my life, I fought this part of my nature. I have tried to force myself to be an extrovert and spend lots of time with others. Just recently, I have begun embracing the precious gift of quiet. One of my favorite quotes is hanging on my living room wall. It is hanging for the purpose of reminding me to take time to be quiet and turn off all the noise that comes into our home through various means. I think Ralph Waldo Emerson and I would have gotten along just fine. One of my other favorite places to get quiet is out in nature where I can look up at the trees and the vast expanse of the sky above.

Today has been about catching up on a few things. Scrubbing the kitchen floor was long overdue. I think of the movies where they are looking for a nanny to hire. Almost inevitably, you hear, "I don't do floors and I don't do windows!" Me either! But it was time.

I also mixed up some stir-fry sauce and put it in the fridge. Later today, I will stir fry sugar-snap peas, broccoli, carrots and chicken. Then I will add my stir-fry sauce and serve it over rice. It's been a while since we have had this. Not sure if Dave will eat it...maybe the chicken and rice part. The sauce is so easy to make! It is:

2-3 T cornstarch

1/4 C brown sugar

1/4 t ginger

1/2 C soy sauce

1/4 C cider or white vinegar

1/2 C water

1 1/2 C broth (beef, chicken, or veggie)

Combine ingredients in glass jar with lid. Shake well and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Stir fry veggies and meat and then add sauce. So easy!

Today I am making a meal for Josiah's 1st grade teacher. His teacher was diagnosed with cancer and has been getting chemo treatments throughout the school year. Even though he has been struggling with this, he has continued teaching, just missing every other week for his treatments. Kudos to the teachers and parents who decided to organize meals for him and his family. I didn't realize this was happening until a couple of weeks ago when I was called.

I am making one of our favorite family recipes--stromboli. My friend Julie gave me the recipe and Dave and I have been enjoying it for years. (It is not gluten free or dairy free though!)

Stromboli

2 frozen bread loaves, thawed.

Spread these out on greased cookie sheets.

2 egg yolks

1 T parmesan cheese

1 T dried parsley

1/2 t dried oregano

1/4 t black pepper

2 T oil (I use olive oil)

Mix the above and spread it over bread dough with a spatula.

1-1/2 lb. ham (or ham and pepperoni combined). I use cooked ham from the deli.

Place ham down the center of the bread dough (1/2-3/4 lb. meat per stromboli).

Top with 1/2 lb (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese.

Pull sides of stromboli to meet in the middle and fold over snugly. Fold the ends in also. Roll up and brush with egg whites.

Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. We use red sauce for dipping. Mmmm.....

I am also waiting for apples to cook down into applesauce at the moment and I made some brownies. I'm praying that Josiah's teacher and family will be blessed and that his teacher's body will continue to heal and be strengthened.

Our experiences in life surely affect us and our future decision-making. There is a drive at school

called "pennies for patients". This is to raise money for kids with leukemia and lymphoma. We've been doing Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace Jr." with our kids. Part of that program is teaching them to save. They pick an item that they would like and you find a picture of it (or make one) and post it somewhere. The kids have jobs that they do and get paid for them, job by job. If they do the job, they get paid. If they do not, they do not get paid. When they get their weekly "commissions", they place some of the money into giving, some into saving and some into spending. Josiah has been saving for the Wii Lego Star Wars game. The game costs about $50.00. He was up to $45.00 when this program at school came about. He blessed me by asking if he could give all of his savings for "pennies for patients". Dave and I, of course, said "Wonderful, go for it!"

I wonder how much of Josiah's desire to help those with cancer is related to his own teacher going through the same thing this year.

We learn so much from our kids! Once again, Little Man has challenged me to be more giving.

"All along, I was looking for something else. You're something else.
All along, I was looking for something more. You're SO MUCH more!"

These lyrics by Remedy Drive spoke to my heart this morning. How long did I go through life looking for so much more than I had? How long did I long for so much more? Never did I dream that I could meet God and know His presence in such a way that I am taken beyond this world into His holy presence. All else in this world falls away as I worship Him.

Hillsong sings, "When I sing, I speak to Jesus. When I sing, He speaks to me."

Yes, He speaks to my heart, and there is nothing else on this earth that compares. How sweet. How undeserved. How grateful am I.

Random Thoughts

Well, this blogging thing needs to become a habit, whether I have something in particular to say or not! After 10 days of sickness, the boys were finally well enough for a trip to West Chester. Since they had Friday and Monday off from school, we made the trip to my parents' house. It was a great visit. The boys had some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa, and they had play time with their cousins, Nicholas and Lauren. It is so fun to see the kids play together. They play nonstop.

Josiah and Grandpa played basketball for hours. John helped Grandma fix her bird feeder that had been destroyed by the squirrels. They also made homemade suet to put out for the birds. Ingredients are: lard, peanut butter, raisins, sunflower seeds, flour, cornmeal and birdseed. John thinks that Grandma should sell this. It is fun to stand at Grandma's window with her binoculars and watch the different birds that come to their feeders. The weather was so nice--40's, but with a spring-like feel in the air. The kids even left their coats behind and ran around without them.

OK, so this picture is 3 years old, but too cute to pass up. John and Nicholas are both 10 now. Josiah is 7 and Lauren will be 7 in 2 more months. Sometimes Lauren feels left out being the only girl, but she keeps up for the most part. She adores her big cousin John. Lauren loves fashion and likes to spend time on girlsgogames.com. She likes to put different outfits together. I decided that I am going to start going to that site so I can figure out what matches and what to put together to wear each day! Nicholas loves animals and animal facts and he spends lots of time creating and designing a zoo with the computer game "Zoo Tycoon 2". He has the other computer games that go along with it so he has a huge selection of animals to add to his zoo. It is quite the cool game, and very educational too. I am thinking it will make a nice birthday gift for our guys this year.

Random Mexico Pictures

Here are some random Mexico Pictures.

Mexico 2009

(More pix coming soon!!!! Check out www.mcbicfamilymissions.blogspot.com for more pix and a video collage of our experiences)

OK...I've been to Mexico and back. So much has happened in the last week. And I have yet to write about any of it. Well, I did write a blog post for the church missions site, but then had an error and it didn't post. Sorry to those of you who were looking for a post from me. But I feel that I have yet to process all that took place on the trip. So...I am going to attempt to sift through the thoughts and experiences and emotions of it all. It may take a few days to get it all down. For now...I will begin from day 1. I have no idea where this will take me, so hold on for the ride!


On Tuesday, February 10, our alarm clocks went off at 4 AM. After not really getting into a deep sleep throughout the night, I was up and ready to go rather quickly. (moreso than usual!) We met up with other team members (the Kneppers, Lebos and Hopkins) at the church. We then began our trek to BWI airport. We had a fairly uneventful day of flying and arrived at our hotel to check in. The wind was crazy. When our team had all arrived and assembled (we met up with the Armstrongs at the airport and the Selkirks at the hotel), we headed off to dinner and to buy some last minute supplies to drive across the border. We no longer had to worry too much about weight of luggage or available space so we were able to buy those extras that didn't make our packing list. Some of us bought pillows to use and then leave at the home. We also bought some sporting equipment to give to the home. And we bought snacks to sustain us in between mealtimes (7 AM, 2 PM, and 7 PM or so...8 PM?...9 PM?)


On Wednesday AM, we woke and met as a team. We prayed and read scripture together and shared thoughts with one another about the scripture. We all were anticipating what this new experience would hold for us. We prayed that God would use our team to bless the kids at the children's home. We also prayed that God would change us and help us to hear what He wanted to say to us and teach us. We wanted to make sure that we were emptying ourselves of ourselves and letting Him shine and work through us. Our ride to the home called and ended up being 2 hours later than we first had planned on. This was our first exposure to the Mexican timeline on this trip. 10 AM becomes 11 AM becomes 12 PM...and so on and so on.


We met the new Children's Home Director. Her name is Madelyn. She is a single woman from New Jersey. She was born in Cuba. Her family moved to New Jersey when she was 4. She knew from the time she was 17 that God was calling her to be the director of a Spanish speaking children's home. How cool is that?!?

We crossed the border without much incident. The kids thought the guards, drug sniffing dog and mini tank were so cool. I have to admit that I did also.

We also loved seeing all the palm trees (or pom pom trees as Josiah called them :)

When we arrived at the Children's Home, we got settled into our room and had a little tour. Then we heard about the priorities that Madelyn had for us. She wanted us to clean out a building that would house the elementary school that the home has on-site. She also wanted us to paint a classroom that was not currently in use. There is a little kiosk type building that they plan to convert into a vending site where the kids at the home can purchase drinks and snacks. They figure that way the kids wouldn't need to leave the home as much to get snacks and the home could profit from their spending on snacks also. The kids will routinely walk to 7-Eleven or somewhere similar to purchase snacks if they have extra money to do so. So another job was cleaning out and painting that building. Also, the trees around the courtyard at the home needed repainted. They paint the bottom half of their trees white to discourage ants from climbing them and destroying the leaves. Supposedly the ants get disoriented in the vast area of whiteness and turn around and head back down. A sliding board at the play area needed to be re-attached also.

Dave had already been in contact with the Reynosa Brethren in Christ Church. The team that went to Mexico 2 years ago had the wonderful opportunity of painting the exterior of that church shortly after it was built. This time our team was heading back to complete some more projects there. The bars/grates hanging on the windows needed painted. Also, the pews in the church needed to have the legs attached to them. These pews had been donated. The pews were sitting on cinder blocks and were a bit unsteady that way.

So...we knew that there was much to do and only a few days to get it done. On Wednesday afternoon, our team got to work on projects at the children's home. It is so cool to see how much a team of people can accomplish. It was also so cool to see how varied the gifts we bring to the table are. I really enjoyed watching everyone on our team and seeing how their uniqueness added to our projects.

Thursday, 13 of us went to the church. There was some initial cleaning that could take place, but the supplies that were needed to accomplish the projects still needed to be purchased. They needed the guy with the checkbook. So Dave left with the Mexican men who were working at the church, including Pastor Francisco. I absolutely love that guy. He is the most gracious man I know. He always has a smile on his face. And he is such an encourager. Thankfully for Dave, the men stopped at Francisco's nephew's house and picked up Edgar who went to school in the states and was able to play the role of interpreter while we were working at the church.

It seemed like a LONG, LONG, VERY LONG time that Dave and the men were gone. We had to laugh when we looked around the church and realized that we Americans were in charge. There were kids from the neighborhood coming in and asking us for things. We did our best to communicate with them. Sherry pulled out her cheat sheet of Spanish phrases that my friend Angelica had given to us to use. That was immensely helpful. It was funny though because Chris, Sherry and I were having a conversation with a couple of Mexican boys. We were trying to find out why they weren't in school and what their life was like. We were able to ascertain that they were not in school because their family could not afford it. They lived with their mother and their siblings. Their mother didn't work. We were asking them how they eat--in other words, where do you get the money to put food on your table? It appeared to us that the boys must've thought we were inviting ourselves over to their house for lunch! OOPS! The one boy got on his bike, excitedly I might add, and said, "Vaminos!" Now there's a lot of Spanish that I don't understand, but Dora the Explorer taught me that "Vaminos" means "let's go!" HA HA All we did was laugh and try to express to the young boy that we must've miscommunicated. I'm not sure he ever got it. He just looked at us like we were crazy!
One of the highlights of the trip for me happened shortly afterward. Sherry got her words to "Every Move I Make" out and began to sing it. Lindsey and I did the motions and the Mexican neighbor girls did the motions with us and sang what they knew. We were all able to sing, "Na na na na na na na" together. Very cool. Those motions to songs are part of the international language. I look forward to doing them in heaven!

A pizza lunch was brought in for us and the Mexican workers. This was a relief to those who had not been enjoying the few meals we had experienced at the Children's Home so far. I think I can safely say that most of us really enjoyed the meals at the home. But it can be stretching for those with a more particular palate. Actually, I absolutely loved the meals we had! I wish I had the recipe for a couple of them. One was a spicy lasagna type meal. The "pasta" was cooked corn tortillas. Ever accidentally get the corn tortillas at the grocery store and deeply regret it because they are horrible? This dish was awesome. It was a red sauce, with cottage or ricotta type cheese (which I picked out because of my lactose intolerance) mixed with the soft tortillas that really tasted similar to pasta. But this dish had a bite to it. The spices were just enough to give it lots of flavor without being over the top. Yum!
OK...back to the work! We worked hard and returned to the home. It was amazing to see how much work was accomplished by those who had stayed behind. It made our long day doubly rewarding.
The following day, 11 of us went to the church and completed the jobs we had begun the day before. This time, we baked in the sun. It was 93 degrees and sunny. I'm not complaining though! :) We had the essentials with us in our supplies that we brought along. They included bottles of water, sunscreen, a roll of toilet paper for the outhouse and antibacterial hand cleaner. John was near panic mode when he needed to use the outhouse. The door to the outhouse would latch by wrapping a wire attached to the inside of the door around a nail on the inside wall. The nail had fallen out so you would have to have someone outside the door holding it for you (or pound the nail back in each time and hope that it would stay.) On John's way out earlier, he had spotted a big spider in the outhouse. This time he really had to go (sorry if this is TMI!) and faced a major fear. After all, what better way to put things in perspective? An outhouse with a wood board to sit on doesn't seem too bad when compared to an outhouse with a wood board where a large spider would hide and remain just out of site, but you knew it was still there! Oh my! The trials of life... Sometimes you just have to face these things because there is no other option. We all survived.
This day, on the way home, we stopped to buy gas. We bought gas for Francisco's truck and also for the Home's van. We had been kind of concerned about the very bald tire we had been riding on over the large potholes on the dirt roads to the church. Again, things were put in perspective when we had our gas tank filled up. The gas began leaking out onto the ground beneath us. There were a few moments of panic once again and talk about getting us to a mechanic ASAP. The concern of our Mexican friends is that they would have majorly ripped us off because we are Americans. In the end, it was decided that this was just a leak from the overflow and was not a valid concern. On the drive home, we were no longer focusing on that bald tire! We were praying for protection with the gasoline situation. In the end, the tire held out and the gasoline situation proved to be nothing serious.

Situations like that reminded me that many people were praying for us. I truly felt their prayers throughtout the week. It was awesome to know that we were not taking this trip alone--that many other warriors were fighting spiritual battles with us and praying for our protection.

One thing I haven't mentioned is that any spare time we had at the home, our kids were playing hard and playing nonstop. They played soccer, knock out (basketball game), played on the play equipment and chased, chased, chased. It seems like the boys and girls never get too old to chase each other around. This is especially a highlight for John and it seemed like it was for Jordan also.

Saturday began with a later breakfast time. We got to sleep in a little bit. We met as a team before breakfast and poured beans and rice into baggies that we could give away at the colonia (or neighborhood) that we would visit later in the day. We also packed up clothing, toys, stuffed animals, Bibles and tracts to take along to give away. The colonia we went to on this trip was very different than the one we visited on our previous two trips. The homes in this colonia were more spread out, and they were mostly made of cinder blocks. We split into three groups, took supplies and went from house to house. Our group had Ricardo, an employee of the home, as our translator. At our first stop, Ricardo was able to tell the family the difference that Jesus has made in his life. He told them that now that he knows Jesus, he has hope for his future. He also has hope for his son's future. It was a powerful testimony in light of the lack of hope and future that was seen all around us. We ended by praying for this family. Josiah took his Mechanicsburg baseball hat off and gave it to the little boy who lived there. It touched our heart to see one small child giving to another. It especially blessed me that Josiah took his baseball hat and gave it when that was not one of the items we had brought for the purpose of giving. He taught me about generosity and love and selflessness that day. He made us very proud. How fun to see a little Mexican boy with a Mechanicsburg hat on his head.

We had some conflicting emotions about the colonia we visited--particularly those of us who had been on the trip two years ago. Ricardo and his wife own a plot of land in this colonia. While it looked like a desolate area in comparison to the neighborhoods we know in the US, Ricardo and his wife are looking forward to building a home on that very land someday. They want to have a home of their own. This was somewhat confusing for us to see our friend planning and hoping to move to this neighborhood when we were feeling sad for those who were living there and wishing we could do more to help them. I think I understood that Ricardo and his wife were hoping to have a ministry there, a church there, in the future. Either way, this colonia was more developed than the colonias that are built on top of old city dumps. At those colonias, the people come out of the woodwork and line up to receive supplies. They seem desperately in need and it is a gift to be able to help them and share with them. When processing the disappointment of not being taken to that colonia, we found out more information. The director of the home told us that the colonias at the old city dump had gotten more dangerous in the past couple of years. She told us that there are gangs there and that Americans have gotten fire crackers thrown at them in the past. She was concerned with our safety, particularly since we had our children with us. Once we heard this new information, I felt much more peaceful about what had taken place. Again, I felt that God had led us where He wanted us to go, and protected us along the way.

On Sunday, our group went to the church that is on site at the home. The church and home both fall under the Calvary Commission ministry, but many people from outside the home come to attend the church there. We joined with the people in singing praise songs. For some songs, I could pick out enough words I knew--like God, heart, sing, dance, to join my heart in praise even when I couldn't understand everything. Then for 3 songs--the best thing happened. They were songs that we know and sing in English. While the Mexican churchgoers were raising their hands and crying out to God in Spanish, we Americans were able to cry out to God in English. It was such a beautiful thing to hear both languages being sung at once and to see all of us worshiping the same God in our own tongue. It was very powerful. In my mind, I could picture worshipers from all nations bowing together before God's throne and singing out to Him in our native tongue.

After church, we surprised the kids with a Burger King lunch and "surprised" them with inflatables that we had rented. Kids of all ages and sizes bounced together. It got pretty wild! I have some video of Pastor Layne in the mix, bouncing, playing and getting climbed on. I think I have a suggestion for Greta, his wife, for his next birthday celebration :)

The kids bounced for hours. We pulled our kids away and went into town to do a little shopping. We went to a couple of markets. A few of the home's teens went along with us. We appreciated having them as our tourguides and interpreters and the teens enjoyed getting out and shopping with us. We made sure to get them some soda--one of their favorite treats.

After returning from our shopping expedition, Dale Reed--an American who lives behind the home and volunteers much of his free time there--was there giving away popsicles to us all. Then the rain began. So the inflatables were turned off. It was dark anyway and some of us parents were thankful that the kids didn't have major injuries by that hour.

Shortly thereafter, Dale drove the Armstrong's and Selkirks into Texas to stay overnight before early AM flights. It was tough to believe that our time at the home was almost over!

Monday brought cleaning and packing and laundry. We left our rooms in great condition for the next group to come in. The home is very short staffed right now, so we helped out with various tasks throughout the week. This also eased some of the kids and teens of their chores that they normally do. I think they enjoyed the extended playtimes that they had with our kids throughout the week. I know that our kids loved it!

Another highlight of the week for me was getting to know the home's director Madelyn. She has a beautiful heart and is very giving. She could use lots of prayers for her health and for stamina to tackle all that she faces from day to day. She could also use prayer in raising the financial support that she needs to remain there. I was so happy to spend time with her, to hear her stories and to encourage her.

Dave spent lots of time throughout the week being Saint Nicholas. Because of the funds that the kids in Upstreet and Kidstuf have given in their offering, and because of project funds we as a group had raised, we were able to give and bless in many ways. Dave made almost daily trips to purchase supplies for the home, the church or the colonia. In the end, we were able to complete the bulk of the projects that both Madelyn wanted done at the home and Francisco wanted done at the church. In addition to the work that was accomplished at the church, we purchased tile for them that the Mexican men laid while we did our projects. In both cases, we were also able to give a financial gift to bless Madelyn and Francisco.

For the 4 families that flew out of Texas together, we had an eventful time. Our first flight was on time and without major turbulance. I didn't feel like I was going to lose my lunch this time around! We landed in Dallas and had about 45 minutes until we were supposed to take the very same plane and fly out to Baltimore. Roger, Jordan, Brandan, Bronte, Josiah and myself remained on the plane during this time. For those of you who don't know, that is 2 adults and four children. We were the only ones who remained on the plane. We felt like we had our own private jet. The boys were checking out first class seats and we had free reign of all the seats. The captain was great. He invited the kids to check out the cockpit. They had a great time looking around at all the buttons and knobs that the pilot controls. After this tour was done, the kids returned to their seats. Shortly thereafter, we found out that the plane is broken. This is the very same plane that we had just flown in on. See, again, God protected us and brought us safely to Dallas. His timing is perfect. We had to laugh and wonder if our kids did anything to "break" the plane when they were in the cockpit. We were reassured that no, our children were not the cause of this problem. This plane had the same problem three weeks in a row... Hmm...makes you wonder. An hour and a half later, we flew out on a different plane and arrived at Baltimore around 1:something. Then we drove back to Mechanicsburg and arrived at the church at 3:45 AM. It was a long day!

What a wonderful trip! All in all, we pray that God will take our relatively small efforts from our short time away and multiply them to bring encouragement to those who are commiting their lives to serving Him. We are also praying that His name will be glorified, both here in Mechanicsburg, PA and in Reynosa, Mexico and throughout all the earth.