Pakistani Action Packs - Family Service Project

I have been waiting to write about this until I had an action pack here and could take a picture...but ....I can't wait.

God has been confirming that this is our family project for a season. First, the PWOC International outreach for our last conference was Voice of the Martyrs. It was touching to visit with the staff from VOM. We have been receiving their magazine. Earlier in the month we got the magazine and this month it's on Pakistan. Most military families I know have taken a keen interest in this area of the world. Spending too much time thinking about persecution can be a "downer," but it seems God expects us to pray for those who are on the front lines and being persecuted for their faith. It is also good for our children to be aware that not all Christians are able to worship freely. I'll be age appropriate. I hestiated to say much because I knew some would think our focus on persecuted Christians was too morbid of a topic of kids.

VOM has a program where Christians can send Action Packs to Pakistan. These will be delivered to Christians who are struggling. Kids of Courage (division of Voice of the Martyrs) has an activity book on Pakistan that you can download for free. It's on my computer and ready to print.

Mike and I talked about this and it's the project we want to tackle. I have been contemplating HOW to go about it. I thought of collecting money until Resurrection Sunday/ Passover and sending the money to Voice of the Martyrs. I considered saving money, going shopping and filling the action pack ourselves, then mailing it back to Voice of the Martyrs. I believe we'll do the second route.

We are brainstorming how to raise the money to fill our packs. We don't want this to simply be a case where Mom and Dad write a check and donate. I think Michelle had a list last year where the kids give certain amounts of $ for various things....I remember "give x amount for each pair of shoes you own". ::snort:: I'm still searching around for the list. I was sure I saved it to use later. LOL I am coming up with a list of jobs the kids can do to earn money to put towards our shopping trip for Pakistan. Maybe we'll make up a flyer or something. Maybe we'll buy cheap Easter candy and sell it door to door. We shall see.

Meanwhile, Emma, Arielle's friend, is having a birthday. I LOVE how Deja and her family do birthdays. I plan to do the same - except we never have birthday parties. ::snort:: Deja's kids invite friends to their party but ask that they bring a donation for the group they have chosen to donate to. One year it was a Children's Cancer Clinic, Toys for Tots.....etc. THIS year they are doing Action Packs for Pakistan. How cool is THAT? If we're morbid, at least we're not alone. ::snort:: (Lest you worry that Doug and Deja deprive their children, the children do get family gifts.)

Our kids are VERY excited to begin working for this project. That is confirmation....this reminds me of the excitement around here when we are collecting for shoe boxes.

I forgot I'd put the William Tyndale movie in our Netflix queue. We opened the envelope to see what we'd be watching tonight and it was about another man who was persecuted for his beliefs.

I can't remember all the other confirmations at the moment....but it is clear to us that this is OUR project for the time being.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

A New Prayer

Simply put: Stacia has been a pill this week.

I shared earlier about Stacia's prayers.

In our family circle times this week she's been quite insistent that SHE will pray and it's always the one above. Tonight Nolan wanted to pray and she was ugly about it. I told her that it doesn't make Jesus happy for her to be nasty about whose turn it is to pray.

Nolan prayed.

Then...Stacia prayed.

"God, My Daddy is gone. I know that he loves me and I love him. He said goodbye to me at the airport. He loves me. Bless the cook."

I teared up. No wonder she's been a pill this week. I told her on the 17th that he was only going to be gone for a short time...but she's not getting it. The others are old enough to understand but goodbyes to loved ones (Grandparents, Older Siblings, Daddy) have often been long in her 3 years of life. This makes her obsessive parting, "Goodbye. Promise I'll see you again. I love you.", all the more poignant.

I tried to reach Mike and Mom Mary said he'd call me when he came inside...but he's not called and she's in bed....so we'll catch him tomorrow. There's a time difference. I'll also be sure to show her again and again on the calendar WHEN he's coming home, but I don't think she'll fully get it until he walk in the door.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

TGIF

Yes, THIS is the way the day started. WHEN am I going to remember to turn the blender OFF before I take the lid off to throw in the flax seeds??????? ::snort::

I started yogurt in the Crock Pot.

We did a bit of school.

I ran to pick up produce. Love ya Deja. I was "away from home longer than expected," therefore, the yogurt cooked an hour too long. We shall see if it works. Deja's yogurt is MUCH thicker than mine - same recipe. We are wondering if the difference is that she uses Yoplait for a starter and I use Brown Cow (non-homogenized).

We did more school.

Jared (15) and I had a GREAT history discussion. I can tell that he is going to be fun to learn alongside. He'll soon be our only high school student as Jamin has raced ahead and is finishing early.



Yes - it's WHITE - but it smells WONDERFUL! Does that count as bonus points to make up for the white?

Stacia doesn't care if the colors are boring.

We're using the devotionals from, "Family Celebrations at Easter" by Ann Hibbard for our evening family times. I love having a PLAN.





Pizza and a Torchlighters movie from Netflix...William Tyndale... finished off the night. We are currently studying the Reformation; this DVD was timely. I put the rest of the series in our Netlfix queue. The animation was a bit hokey but the story was well done. This is the sort of hero figure I need to bring into our home. I have also dug out the old missionary biographies we used to read to the older kids.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

95* in February????

It's been a long day. Here are some highlights:

• Gym
• School
• Sam's Club
• School
• House of Faith
• Lasagna for dinner and Cy was able to come over
• Quick phone call with Mike to see if he'd heard where we are moving and had neglected to notify us. ::snort::
• Assured various young adults who no longer live with us, that we'll send out a text as soon as we hear where our next state of residence will be...THEN I'll blog, Facebook and such.
• Internet searches for Passover Lapbooks, Science Lapbooks, and timeline figures

Did I mention it was 95* today? I'm not even sure if that is the high. I'm telling you I miss SPRING around here....we go from fairly cold to HOT. LOL

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Lenten Wreath

This is another concept that I originally heard of from Michelle...I think on MHO (Military Homeschoolers Online). Each item on this wreath represents a part of the Resurrection/Passover/Easter story. {You know this is cumbersome to say Lent/Passover/Easter......}.

I was excited to have this ready to hang this year. Click here for instructions and such.

{I plan to make a Lent/Passover index eventually and corral all the posts from last year and this year. BUT my bedtime is here and I'm determined to retrieve a semblance of discipline before Mike returns next week. See how quickly I slide into that "burn the candle at both ends" sydrome?}

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

Lenten Cross

I saw this idea on Michelle's blog last year. I did NOT find one anywhere in town...and forgot to be looking online. ::snort:: I also forgot to be working on my Jesus Tree - but that's another post.

Debbie, sent me a link to the Lenten Cross Project. This is a great little handout. There are devotionals for each Sunday in Lent, along with ideas for making a Lenten Cross (none of which I followed).

The idea behind the cross with candles is the same as an Advent Wreath. We light one candle the first week, two the second etc. BUT I needed a cross. I wanted to make a cross from the branches Mike and Jared cut from our tree a few weeks ago. I wanted it done tonight. We headed to Hobby Lobby and found an unfinished cross and some wooden candle holders.

I thought it funny when we were working on the cross to look up and see the creche on the work table.

These young men are so handy.

Due to the cut out on the cross, we could attach that candle holder. I had a plan that will work until Mike is home.....

Hey - it's even the right color for the season.

We lit a candle, read from Matthew and prayed. The center candle is too heavy for the duct tape...ah well.

We remembered tonight that Jamin and Mike were going to write us a Jotham's Journey type devotional. It's not here. ::grin::

Thanks, Debbie and Michelle. You enrich my life by walking along beside me.

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.

What day IS this?

The day went.

We spent a significant amount of the day doing school. We rethought our plan of attack for the rest of the school year. I've noticed that Arielle has been hanging out watching us work on lapbooks, listening to our Children's Shakespeare readings, listening to our read alouds....and I wondered. This is Arielle's first year working independently. She was bored with Upper Grammar last year...so we moved her to Dialectic. Nolan had ALWAYS sat in with Arielle since he was young. I welcomed the chance this year to combine him with a younger sibling - Zander. This forces Nolan to engage. BUT Nolan has seemed to need a bit more than I've been doing....do you see where this is going? Today Arielle admitted she'd like to join us for school again. YES.... I love having all the kids lounging on the couch as I read. She will still do her own literature and some of the history in depth picks...but she'll listen to our history and lit, do fine arts with us, and the fun hands on things. She's had her run at schooling on her own and is ready to have the best of both worlds. I will allow Zander to skip the Upper Grammar read alouds...and won't feel bad that Nolan is all alone listening to the books.....

I got my hair cut. This photo doesn't really show it - but she cut a shorter layer on top and it was puffy...and the bottom flips up. I warned Nolan it will not look like it does now tomorrow....but Nolan took this photo and wants it posted. Ah, he loves me. He told me about 5x that he liked my hair. Arielle finally said, "Did you get something done to your hair?"

I'm trying to research the safety of the mission trip to Mexico that the boys are planning on taking in March. I keep hearing warnings NOT to travel down there for spring break.

The girls and I went in search of something we could turn into a Lent Cross. We also found this for Stacia...a PINK DIAMOND. This child talked to EVERY person she met in Hobby Lobby - and there were a few times I didn't much appreciate her observations - though the clerks were delighted.

Jared fixed up the cross for me.

We had dinner and I talked with Mike on the phone.

I'm now going to post a few things and head to bed. I'm still trying to read Desperate Pastor's Wives....I figure I'll finish it before Mike gets home. ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2009 D.R.G.