SIDE BAR CHANGE
Just a quick note to let you know that for now I'm removing the prayers from my side bar. If you read those regularly, or used them for your own personal use, please let me know about it. If anyone at all benefits from them, then in the future, I'll start up again. For now, I'm having a difficult time keeping up with them due to the busyness of summer.
Friday, June 30, 2006
APPLES OF GOLD
Betty Huizenga developed the Apples of Gold program as a way of sharing what she had learned over time with younger women. It actually began in my home town of Holland, MI and now is a nation-wide program. The two passages of Scripture the mentoring class is based on are:
Proverbs 25:11 "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."
Titus 2:3-5 "Bid the older women likewise to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husbands, that the word of God may not be discredited (RSV).
Apples of Gold is a 6 week study that I personally took in February of 2002. Each week, a different mentor teaches the lesson. The 6 lessons that come from the Titus 2 passage are:
1) Kindness
2) Loving your husband
3) Loving your children
4) Submission
5) Purity
6) Hospitality
A secondary purpose of the program, is to teach practical application of these principles through the following:
1) Cooking skills
2) Relational skills
3) Homemaking skills
4) Sharing hospitality with others
The 6 weeks of teaching include an hour of a cooking demonstration, a 50 minute Bible study and then 50 minutes of enjoying the delicious food prepared in the first hour. At the end of the 6 weeks is a celebration dinner with the husbands. We also received a free gift, whether it be a book, a candle or whatever each week that we attended. It truly was a time of being pampered and loved on by older women in the church. They deeply cared about us and their desire was to teach us to be the women God called us to be.
My personal testimony is that this class changed my life when it came to being a home-maker. A love for cooking and entertaining came out of this class as well as a new way to look at my marriage and being a mom. My dream is to someday host a class like this one for women in my community. By sharing this, I hope to inspire someone out there to check out this program and possibly do one in your community. The whole thing is laid out step by step in the Apples of Gold book. It's a great way for anyone who loves cooking and being a home-maker to fulfill the command in Titus 2. Check it out for yourselves!
Betty Huizenga developed the Apples of Gold program as a way of sharing what she had learned over time with younger women. It actually began in my home town of Holland, MI and now is a nation-wide program. The two passages of Scripture the mentoring class is based on are:
Proverbs 25:11 "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."
Titus 2:3-5 "Bid the older women likewise to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husbands, that the word of God may not be discredited (RSV).
Apples of Gold is a 6 week study that I personally took in February of 2002. Each week, a different mentor teaches the lesson. The 6 lessons that come from the Titus 2 passage are:
1) Kindness
2) Loving your husband
3) Loving your children
4) Submission
5) Purity
6) Hospitality
A secondary purpose of the program, is to teach practical application of these principles through the following:
1) Cooking skills
2) Relational skills
3) Homemaking skills
4) Sharing hospitality with others
The 6 weeks of teaching include an hour of a cooking demonstration, a 50 minute Bible study and then 50 minutes of enjoying the delicious food prepared in the first hour. At the end of the 6 weeks is a celebration dinner with the husbands. We also received a free gift, whether it be a book, a candle or whatever each week that we attended. It truly was a time of being pampered and loved on by older women in the church. They deeply cared about us and their desire was to teach us to be the women God called us to be.
My personal testimony is that this class changed my life when it came to being a home-maker. A love for cooking and entertaining came out of this class as well as a new way to look at my marriage and being a mom. My dream is to someday host a class like this one for women in my community. By sharing this, I hope to inspire someone out there to check out this program and possibly do one in your community. The whole thing is laid out step by step in the Apples of Gold book. It's a great way for anyone who loves cooking and being a home-maker to fulfill the command in Titus 2. Check it out for yourselves!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
GARDENING IN HEAVEN
As I was just outside pulling the millions of weeds in my garden and batting at mosquitos, I was thanking the Lord for the beautiful gardens we get to enjoy in heaven someday...weed free and mosquito free!
We have this horrible weed out here called field bind weed (also called morning glory), and it just wraps around everything and chokes things off. The weeds go for miles (yes, I think literally...it seems so at least...) underground, so it's impossible to ever kill the stuff. I was so intent on pulling it all up that I accidentally grabbed my newly blooming clematis plant and ripped off most of the plant! :( It was the first year it actually came up and I had one good strand going, which is no longer.
As I was pulling all the bind weed from around my plants, I was thinking about how it's similar to sin in our lives. If we have unconfessed sin that we keep hiding and don't deal with, it ultimately affects our whole life. It can choke us off from producing fruit, and we can even become ugly and straggly. (I love John 15!) Bind weed also has this little tiny white flower on it which from a distance can be sort of "pretty". Sin can be the same way. Satan can tempt us with something that might seem appealing on the surface, but actually is very dangerous to our lives.
Just some random thoughts as I was weeding tonight....
As I was just outside pulling the millions of weeds in my garden and batting at mosquitos, I was thanking the Lord for the beautiful gardens we get to enjoy in heaven someday...weed free and mosquito free!
We have this horrible weed out here called field bind weed (also called morning glory), and it just wraps around everything and chokes things off. The weeds go for miles (yes, I think literally...it seems so at least...) underground, so it's impossible to ever kill the stuff. I was so intent on pulling it all up that I accidentally grabbed my newly blooming clematis plant and ripped off most of the plant! :( It was the first year it actually came up and I had one good strand going, which is no longer.
As I was pulling all the bind weed from around my plants, I was thinking about how it's similar to sin in our lives. If we have unconfessed sin that we keep hiding and don't deal with, it ultimately affects our whole life. It can choke us off from producing fruit, and we can even become ugly and straggly. (I love John 15!) Bind weed also has this little tiny white flower on it which from a distance can be sort of "pretty". Sin can be the same way. Satan can tempt us with something that might seem appealing on the surface, but actually is very dangerous to our lives.
Just some random thoughts as I was weeding tonight....
4th OF JULY TRADITIONS
Before we moved to MT, and ever since Evan and I have been together, we got together every July 4th at his grandma's cottage for a large family reunion. There would be more food than all of us could eat, swimming, riding the wave-runners, and lots of conversation and catching up.
Now that we live 23 hours away, we can no longer participate in that reunion, but have started some new traditions of our own. Here in Montana, we've been attending the local rodeo for several years now. I absolutely love going. It's kind of a big thing for a small town, and it seems that everyone around here attends. They have events for every age group. Myah signed up for the pig scramble this year. It's where a bunch of little kids run around chasing baby pigs, and if you catch one, you get to keep it. There is always lots of squealing and smiles. It's a fun time. Not sure what we'll do if Myah actually did get one, but we'll worry about that if it happens. We couldn't talk her into riding a sheep this year, though. We tried, but no luck..
We entered Kiana into the baby race. The babies start with one parent and see who gets to the other parent the quickest on a dirt track. Kind of cute. Joel wasn't interested in anything they had to offer his age group this year. He's our more reserved one who doesn't like to be the center of attention as much. We'll be sure to take pictures and try to post some.
After the rodeo we head home, but always drive back to the fairgrounds for the fireworks display at night with some friends. For a small town, I'm usually surprised at the show they give.
So, what are some of your 4th of July traditions?? I think it's a great holiday to make some good memories that everyone can share for a lifetime! I would love to hear some of the traditions your families have every year. Please share them! I was reminiscing through my albums and found these two pictures of Myah and Joel that looked very patriotic. Myah was 2-1/2 and Joel was 9 months when these pictures were taken.
Before we moved to MT, and ever since Evan and I have been together, we got together every July 4th at his grandma's cottage for a large family reunion. There would be more food than all of us could eat, swimming, riding the wave-runners, and lots of conversation and catching up.
Now that we live 23 hours away, we can no longer participate in that reunion, but have started some new traditions of our own. Here in Montana, we've been attending the local rodeo for several years now. I absolutely love going. It's kind of a big thing for a small town, and it seems that everyone around here attends. They have events for every age group. Myah signed up for the pig scramble this year. It's where a bunch of little kids run around chasing baby pigs, and if you catch one, you get to keep it. There is always lots of squealing and smiles. It's a fun time. Not sure what we'll do if Myah actually did get one, but we'll worry about that if it happens. We couldn't talk her into riding a sheep this year, though. We tried, but no luck..
We entered Kiana into the baby race. The babies start with one parent and see who gets to the other parent the quickest on a dirt track. Kind of cute. Joel wasn't interested in anything they had to offer his age group this year. He's our more reserved one who doesn't like to be the center of attention as much. We'll be sure to take pictures and try to post some.
After the rodeo we head home, but always drive back to the fairgrounds for the fireworks display at night with some friends. For a small town, I'm usually surprised at the show they give.
So, what are some of your 4th of July traditions?? I think it's a great holiday to make some good memories that everyone can share for a lifetime! I would love to hear some of the traditions your families have every year. Please share them! I was reminiscing through my albums and found these two pictures of Myah and Joel that looked very patriotic. Myah was 2-1/2 and Joel was 9 months when these pictures were taken.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
SIX KINDS OF STORIES TO TELL YOUR CHILDREN
(taken from "Blessing Your Children" by Jack W. Hayford)
1) Tell your children how the Lord saved you.
2) Tell your children about the Lord's miraculous provision for you.
3) Tell your children how you've failed, but the Lord forgave you.
4) Tell your children how God has guided you.
5) Tell your children about how God has delivered you.
6) Tell your children about God's judgment and mercy.
(taken from "Blessing Your Children" by Jack W. Hayford)
1) Tell your children how the Lord saved you.
2) Tell your children about the Lord's miraculous provision for you.
3) Tell your children how you've failed, but the Lord forgave you.
4) Tell your children how God has guided you.
5) Tell your children about how God has delivered you.
6) Tell your children about God's judgment and mercy.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
ONE MORE PICTURE...
I realized after posting all those pictures that I didn't have any of Gramma Peggy on there. She was the one behind the camera most of the time, but I did manage to find one, and I wanted to make sure it got on there! Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad! We enjoyed every minute that you were here! :)
Gramma and Joel watching the bubbling mud in YNP.
I realized after posting all those pictures that I didn't have any of Gramma Peggy on there. She was the one behind the camera most of the time, but I did manage to find one, and I wanted to make sure it got on there! Thanks for everything, Mom and Dad! We enjoyed every minute that you were here! :)
Gramma and Joel watching the bubbling mud in YNP.
TIME WITH GRAMMA & PAPA IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
While Evan's parents were here, we spent 2 nights visiting Yellowstone. We live about 3-1/2 hours from there, and the drive is beautiful, so the time goes by quickly. We got a hotel in Gardener, just outside of Mammoth Hot Springs. We spent the first day doing the major loop. We saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, including Lower Falls. We drove through Hayden Valley, and visited the boiling mud pots. We then finished the day at Old Faithful before heading back to the hotel. We saw 4 bears, many elk and bison and a moose cow with a baby. On day 2 we drove through Lamar Valley, stopped for lunch in Cook City and took the Beartooth Pass home through Red Lodge. I love that drive!
While we were there, a lady stepped over a fence boundary to get a better picture and fell to her death in front of her husband and children. Being on the inside of some of those fences makes me nervous (especially with children!!), I can't imagine stepping outside the boundaries. This lady was from MI, near where Evan's parents live. We did not see this incident, but heard about it later when we returned home.
We almost did see a major incident, however. A gentleman backed himself up to a very large bison for his friend to take a picture. He was within arms reach of the animal, and if you know anything about bison, you know that is NOT something you should do. They are very dangerous animals and kill more people in Yellowstone every year than anything else. I really thought we were going to witness a horrible event, but God protected this man. The bison was not happy, and it was only by God's grace that he left the man alone.
Anyway, we had beautiful weather and a wonderful time. Here are some pictures of our mini-vacation.
Entrance to Yellowstone
This is the bison that the man got a bit too close to. As you can see, he wasn't the only one getting too close!
Old Faithful was as faithful as ever and really beautiful on a clear day with blue skies!
Myah and Joel enjoying the view of Lower Falls
Bull elk in velvet
Bear
Beartooth Pass
Kiana enjoying lunch in Cook City
While Evan's parents were here, we spent 2 nights visiting Yellowstone. We live about 3-1/2 hours from there, and the drive is beautiful, so the time goes by quickly. We got a hotel in Gardener, just outside of Mammoth Hot Springs. We spent the first day doing the major loop. We saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, including Lower Falls. We drove through Hayden Valley, and visited the boiling mud pots. We then finished the day at Old Faithful before heading back to the hotel. We saw 4 bears, many elk and bison and a moose cow with a baby. On day 2 we drove through Lamar Valley, stopped for lunch in Cook City and took the Beartooth Pass home through Red Lodge. I love that drive!
While we were there, a lady stepped over a fence boundary to get a better picture and fell to her death in front of her husband and children. Being on the inside of some of those fences makes me nervous (especially with children!!), I can't imagine stepping outside the boundaries. This lady was from MI, near where Evan's parents live. We did not see this incident, but heard about it later when we returned home.
We almost did see a major incident, however. A gentleman backed himself up to a very large bison for his friend to take a picture. He was within arms reach of the animal, and if you know anything about bison, you know that is NOT something you should do. They are very dangerous animals and kill more people in Yellowstone every year than anything else. I really thought we were going to witness a horrible event, but God protected this man. The bison was not happy, and it was only by God's grace that he left the man alone.
Anyway, we had beautiful weather and a wonderful time. Here are some pictures of our mini-vacation.
Entrance to Yellowstone
This is the bison that the man got a bit too close to. As you can see, he wasn't the only one getting too close!
Old Faithful was as faithful as ever and really beautiful on a clear day with blue skies!
Myah and Joel enjoying the view of Lower Falls
Bull elk in velvet
Bear
Beartooth Pass
Kiana enjoying lunch in Cook City
TIME WITH GRAMMA AND PAPA!
One day after Erika left, we had Gramma and Papa Van Order come for a visit. They also brought along a 14 year old they have living with them named Justin. We had a wonderful time with them as well. The guys all went fishing on the Big Horn while Mom took us girls (& Joel!) shopping for a full day up in Billings. It was my birthday gift from her to me, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's not very often that I get to spend a day shopping with someone along to help with the kids. We also spent 2 days in Yellowstone National Park. My next post will be all pictures from there, but here are just a few random shots taken while they were visiting.
Papa and Myah lounging in the backyard
Kiana loving her ice cream cone!
Myah at her riding lessons. She's riding J-Runner.
Justin also got a turn to ride J-Runner. This was his first time on a horse, and he was a natural. He even got to help herd some cattle for a team-roping practice that was going on. There was a lot to watch. It was a fun day!
Evan took Justin and Dad to the local shooting range where they all got some practice at shooting some clay pigeons.
Kiana is our sprouting cowgirl. She loves to be around the horses. She even had her first little ride up on a saddle last week, and loved it. I'm thinking we may have TWO cowgirls on our hands instead of just one! Joel is more interested in playing with the trucks in the dirt piles than the horses at this point. :)
One day after Erika left, we had Gramma and Papa Van Order come for a visit. They also brought along a 14 year old they have living with them named Justin. We had a wonderful time with them as well. The guys all went fishing on the Big Horn while Mom took us girls (& Joel!) shopping for a full day up in Billings. It was my birthday gift from her to me, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's not very often that I get to spend a day shopping with someone along to help with the kids. We also spent 2 days in Yellowstone National Park. My next post will be all pictures from there, but here are just a few random shots taken while they were visiting.
Papa and Myah lounging in the backyard
Kiana loving her ice cream cone!
Myah at her riding lessons. She's riding J-Runner.Justin also got a turn to ride J-Runner. This was his first time on a horse, and he was a natural. He even got to help herd some cattle for a team-roping practice that was going on. There was a lot to watch. It was a fun day!
Evan took Justin and Dad to the local shooting range where they all got some practice at shooting some clay pigeons.
Kiana is our sprouting cowgirl. She loves to be around the horses. She even had her first little ride up on a saddle last week, and loved it. I'm thinking we may have TWO cowgirls on our hands instead of just one! Joel is more interested in playing with the trucks in the dirt piles than the horses at this point. :)
TIME WITH ERIKA!
Erika was our first guest this month. She's Evan's older sister and spent 8 days here with her little foster son, Derrell. We had such a nice time with them. Did some fishing, spent time in Red Lodge and lots of time playing in our backyard with all the kids. Just thought I'd post some pictures taken during her stay with us.
Derrell and Myah enjoying a watermelon treat!
Erika and Derrell taking a fishing break!
Myah's fish! Yes, she actually did reel this one in!
Evan doing what he loves -- fly fishing small streams in the Beartooth Mts. He caught two small brooke trout in the little time he had to fish!
Me 'n my girls!
Joel fishing in the "cheese" lake!
Erika was our first guest this month. She's Evan's older sister and spent 8 days here with her little foster son, Derrell. We had such a nice time with them. Did some fishing, spent time in Red Lodge and lots of time playing in our backyard with all the kids. Just thought I'd post some pictures taken during her stay with us.
Derrell and Myah enjoying a watermelon treat!
Erika and Derrell taking a fishing break!Myah's fish! Yes, she actually did reel this one in!
Evan doing what he loves -- fly fishing small streams in the Beartooth Mts. He caught two small brooke trout in the little time he had to fish!Me 'n my girls!
Joel fishing in the "cheese" lake!Monday, June 05, 2006
A LONG STORY -- PART 4
THE LAND
There are 80 acres total. We would own 20 acres, but help to manage all 80 of it. The existing home is on the northern most point. There are existing corrals, some worn down out-buildings and a guest house, that needs to be torn down. (Yes, it's that bad!) The land is all irrigated. Some fields need a lot of help, while others are in nice shape. The southern-most point has a row of mature trees, which is where we plan to place our home sometime in the next year or two, if that's God's will. Some future dreams the families involved have may include some organic farming. If it happens, it would be down the road, but it's exciting to think about! Here are some pictures we took last night when walking through the fields.
THE LAND
There are 80 acres total. We would own 20 acres, but help to manage all 80 of it. The existing home is on the northern most point. There are existing corrals, some worn down out-buildings and a guest house, that needs to be torn down. (Yes, it's that bad!) The land is all irrigated. Some fields need a lot of help, while others are in nice shape. The southern-most point has a row of mature trees, which is where we plan to place our home sometime in the next year or two, if that's God's will. Some future dreams the families involved have may include some organic farming. If it happens, it would be down the road, but it's exciting to think about! Here are some pictures we took last night when walking through the fields.
A LONG STORY -- PART 3
ANSWERED PRAYERS
-- We have really been praying for our finances for about a year now. Evan's prayer this year has been, "Lord, help us to get debt free this year. I have no idea how you're going to do it, but I believe that you can!"
-- A second prayer has been for us to be able to raise our family out of town. Since we plan to homeschool, we would love an environment that would fit our family well.
-- Myah's prayer for years has been, "God, someday, can I please have a horse?"
-- My good friend and I have been meeting once a week for a play date with our kids for who knows how long. Our conversations have often times turned into prayer times, "Lord, use us to help this community! Help us know what our part is to be a blessing to those around us!"
I believe God may be answering all these requests in this one situation we are currently facing. We can be debt free, with the exception of a mortgage. Lord willing, we can build a house suitable for our family to be raised in and schooled in. Myah will be able to have a horse...maybe not right away, but at least we'll have the property to put it on! Finally, and most importantly, I believe God has big plans for this property. We (our friends and us) want it to be a place where other kids can come and have a safe-haven, and also learn about Jesus. Bon-fires, horse-riding, etc. My dream is to teach an "Apples of Gold" class to young moms in this community. (If you haven't heard of Apples of Gold, I'll try to explain that in a later post.) Many of the moms in this town are single and don't know how to prepare low-cost, healthy meals for their families. Since I enjoy cooking, and have a tight budget, I would love to offer some of the tips I've learned over the years. The biggest thing for me is that whatever does happen out there will not be ours. Whether we do end up building or not, that land will be God's -- to use for HIS glory as He wants to use it.
My prayer is that in the excitment of all this, I want to be okay if this whole thing fell through. God is in control, and knows what would best suit us for our eternal purposes. Knowing He is in control, I'm trying to hold this whole deal loosly in my hands and trust Him for all of our future! He knows how to best answer our prayers and if the best answer is "no" or "not now", I want my heart to be okay with that, too.
ANSWERED PRAYERS
-- We have really been praying for our finances for about a year now. Evan's prayer this year has been, "Lord, help us to get debt free this year. I have no idea how you're going to do it, but I believe that you can!"
-- A second prayer has been for us to be able to raise our family out of town. Since we plan to homeschool, we would love an environment that would fit our family well.
-- Myah's prayer for years has been, "God, someday, can I please have a horse?"
-- My good friend and I have been meeting once a week for a play date with our kids for who knows how long. Our conversations have often times turned into prayer times, "Lord, use us to help this community! Help us know what our part is to be a blessing to those around us!"
I believe God may be answering all these requests in this one situation we are currently facing. We can be debt free, with the exception of a mortgage. Lord willing, we can build a house suitable for our family to be raised in and schooled in. Myah will be able to have a horse...maybe not right away, but at least we'll have the property to put it on! Finally, and most importantly, I believe God has big plans for this property. We (our friends and us) want it to be a place where other kids can come and have a safe-haven, and also learn about Jesus. Bon-fires, horse-riding, etc. My dream is to teach an "Apples of Gold" class to young moms in this community. (If you haven't heard of Apples of Gold, I'll try to explain that in a later post.) Many of the moms in this town are single and don't know how to prepare low-cost, healthy meals for their families. Since I enjoy cooking, and have a tight budget, I would love to offer some of the tips I've learned over the years. The biggest thing for me is that whatever does happen out there will not be ours. Whether we do end up building or not, that land will be God's -- to use for HIS glory as He wants to use it.
My prayer is that in the excitment of all this, I want to be okay if this whole thing fell through. God is in control, and knows what would best suit us for our eternal purposes. Knowing He is in control, I'm trying to hold this whole deal loosly in my hands and trust Him for all of our future! He knows how to best answer our prayers and if the best answer is "no" or "not now", I want my heart to be okay with that, too.
A LONG STORY -- PART 2
Two Options
OPTION 1: Remember the guy at Evan's Bible study? He talked to Evan about being business partners in this land deal. He needed someone who could do physical labor and fix about anything. That would be Evan. He could offer the funds. That would NOT be Evan. :)
His proposal to Evan was to have Evan (& our family) stay in the existing home and fix everything up. We could live there for the two year process, which after 2 years, he would sell it, and we could share in the profit. Looking at it from this perspective, it doesn't sound like such a bad deal. There were pros and cons to this option.
Pros:
* Free living expense for 2 years, out of town, on some beautiful land.
* Able to get completely debt free and actually come out ahead from the sale of our home.
* Possible money in our pocket after 2 years
Cons:
* Lots of Evan's time working to do a pretty detailed job on this house -- time away from family
* Pretty high risk involved after looking through all the numbers to actually make enough money to make it worth our time
* No place to live after 2 years
* Live in a messy home that is constantly being remodeled
OPTION 2: Remember the friends who wanted this land in the first place? They were still interested. AND, the current owner said he would consider selling, but only if they would include our family in the deal somehow (which they already planned to do). How we were "blessed" to be in the middle of this is beyond me, except that God had His hand in this whole thing. You see, both parties involved wanted to help our family get out of town and had very generous motives. The first option would have been short-term, but hopefully blessing us financially. It did include some risk on our part.
The second option is this. Our friends want to "sell" us 20 acres of this property in exchange to have Evan do minor repairs on the existing home as well as manage, lease, and irrigate the remaining property. (There are 80 acres total.) This couple's opinion is, why waste 2 years of your life when you can have what would fit your family best now? Their hopes are to build out there someday as well. We have even talked of having a "community garden" where we could share in the labors and the profit -- maybe even share a milk cow together! (Though I haven't quite convinced Evan that a cow is a good idea....yet!) We all have different gifts to bring to the table. Evan's gifts are physical labor and know-how as well as a bit more spare time than they have. Our friends' gifts are financial. It reminds me of the body of Christ. When people work together using our different gifts, a really good thing can result.
One thing we all have in common is to better reach this hurting community for Jesus. God has a plan for this property that goes way beyond what any of us could imagine, I think. We all just need to be open vessels to hear His voice and use the blessings He gives to reach the lost for Him -- not just to benefit ourselves. Our prayer is that God will show us exactly how He wants us to do that.
Since these two options were laid out before us, option 1 has been removed, and option 2 is in the works. Our friends are in the process of purchasing the land. Our first step? To begin working on fixing up the existing home, so we have a place to live once our home sells, while we begin the building process. That home will eventually be sold with about 10 of the acres.
I told you this was confusing...and a LONG story!
To be continued...
Two Options
OPTION 1: Remember the guy at Evan's Bible study? He talked to Evan about being business partners in this land deal. He needed someone who could do physical labor and fix about anything. That would be Evan. He could offer the funds. That would NOT be Evan. :)
His proposal to Evan was to have Evan (& our family) stay in the existing home and fix everything up. We could live there for the two year process, which after 2 years, he would sell it, and we could share in the profit. Looking at it from this perspective, it doesn't sound like such a bad deal. There were pros and cons to this option.
Pros:
* Free living expense for 2 years, out of town, on some beautiful land.
* Able to get completely debt free and actually come out ahead from the sale of our home.
* Possible money in our pocket after 2 years
Cons:
* Lots of Evan's time working to do a pretty detailed job on this house -- time away from family
* Pretty high risk involved after looking through all the numbers to actually make enough money to make it worth our time
* No place to live after 2 years
* Live in a messy home that is constantly being remodeled
OPTION 2: Remember the friends who wanted this land in the first place? They were still interested. AND, the current owner said he would consider selling, but only if they would include our family in the deal somehow (which they already planned to do). How we were "blessed" to be in the middle of this is beyond me, except that God had His hand in this whole thing. You see, both parties involved wanted to help our family get out of town and had very generous motives. The first option would have been short-term, but hopefully blessing us financially. It did include some risk on our part.
The second option is this. Our friends want to "sell" us 20 acres of this property in exchange to have Evan do minor repairs on the existing home as well as manage, lease, and irrigate the remaining property. (There are 80 acres total.) This couple's opinion is, why waste 2 years of your life when you can have what would fit your family best now? Their hopes are to build out there someday as well. We have even talked of having a "community garden" where we could share in the labors and the profit -- maybe even share a milk cow together! (Though I haven't quite convinced Evan that a cow is a good idea....yet!) We all have different gifts to bring to the table. Evan's gifts are physical labor and know-how as well as a bit more spare time than they have. Our friends' gifts are financial. It reminds me of the body of Christ. When people work together using our different gifts, a really good thing can result.
One thing we all have in common is to better reach this hurting community for Jesus. God has a plan for this property that goes way beyond what any of us could imagine, I think. We all just need to be open vessels to hear His voice and use the blessings He gives to reach the lost for Him -- not just to benefit ourselves. Our prayer is that God will show us exactly how He wants us to do that.
Since these two options were laid out before us, option 1 has been removed, and option 2 is in the works. Our friends are in the process of purchasing the land. Our first step? To begin working on fixing up the existing home, so we have a place to live once our home sells, while we begin the building process. That home will eventually be sold with about 10 of the acres.
I told you this was confusing...and a LONG story!
To be continued...
Sunday, June 04, 2006
A LONG STORY -- PART 1
Guess I better start at the beginning. Evan and I have been talking/dreaming about building a "homestead" for our family out of town. We've been praying about different land options for some time now. My main prayer focus has been that no matter what, God will lead, and we will be in His will. With the desire to homeschool our children, we would love to raise them out in the country with room to roam, animals to care for, and a place where they won't get bored too easily.
One of my main fears is that I will get sucked back into my old mindset of materialism. God took me through a tough season to teach me that wood, hay and stubble are not what is important -- it's people's lives, salvation and all things eternal. Because of this, we are taking this one prayerful step at a time and asking the Lord to show Himself each step of the way.
We currently live in a two bedroom ranch. (Yes, it IS possible to have 3 children share one small bedroom!) :) We had big plans of finishing off the basement when we first moved in here, but due to several different occassions of water seeping in and being unable to "fix" it without some MAJOR overhauls that just aren't worth the little bit of extra space we'd get, we decided we need to pursue something else. Waiting on God can be tough, but patience is one thing I ask Him to give me, and I know learning to be patient is a process.
I started chatting with a good friend of mine about our needs and desires and crazy enough, she started chatting with her husband as well. They also decided to start pursuing some different options as they have a house back East that they are planning to sell and needed a place to invest. They had checked out some property just out of town here, only to find that it had sold the day prior. Well, the SAME DAY that this friend had called on this property, Evan went to his men's Bible study. He walked in and one of the gentlemen there said to him the minute he walked in the door, "Hey Evan, you know that land south of town, I bought it!" Yep, it was the SAME property. Evan came home and said, "Ya know, I think God is up to something, but I have no idea what!"
To be continued....
Guess I better start at the beginning. Evan and I have been talking/dreaming about building a "homestead" for our family out of town. We've been praying about different land options for some time now. My main prayer focus has been that no matter what, God will lead, and we will be in His will. With the desire to homeschool our children, we would love to raise them out in the country with room to roam, animals to care for, and a place where they won't get bored too easily.
One of my main fears is that I will get sucked back into my old mindset of materialism. God took me through a tough season to teach me that wood, hay and stubble are not what is important -- it's people's lives, salvation and all things eternal. Because of this, we are taking this one prayerful step at a time and asking the Lord to show Himself each step of the way.
We currently live in a two bedroom ranch. (Yes, it IS possible to have 3 children share one small bedroom!) :) We had big plans of finishing off the basement when we first moved in here, but due to several different occassions of water seeping in and being unable to "fix" it without some MAJOR overhauls that just aren't worth the little bit of extra space we'd get, we decided we need to pursue something else. Waiting on God can be tough, but patience is one thing I ask Him to give me, and I know learning to be patient is a process.
I started chatting with a good friend of mine about our needs and desires and crazy enough, she started chatting with her husband as well. They also decided to start pursuing some different options as they have a house back East that they are planning to sell and needed a place to invest. They had checked out some property just out of town here, only to find that it had sold the day prior. Well, the SAME DAY that this friend had called on this property, Evan went to his men's Bible study. He walked in and one of the gentlemen there said to him the minute he walked in the door, "Hey Evan, you know that land south of town, I bought it!" Yep, it was the SAME property. Evan came home and said, "Ya know, I think God is up to something, but I have no idea what!"
To be continued....
Saturday, June 03, 2006
A BUSY, BUSY MONTH!
Just to warn you in advance, although I have good intentions of keeping up with my blog, it may be put on the back burner now and then this month. We have company for 8 days, then more company for another 8 days with one day in between. We try to enjoy every minute of having visitors, and spending time with family while they're here comes before my blog -- sorry! :)
Myah and Joel are also starting swimming lessons 3 days per week this month, and Myah's riding lessons have started once a week. Add that to a trip to Billings for speech therapy on Tuesdays and Bible study on Thursday nights, we are hopping this month. For a mom who normally can spend 4 days a week in my home, this is a lot going on!
I will keep you posted on the possible life-altering event that may be occuring in our lives as more information comes along. Right now, we still just don't have any answers.
Just to warn you in advance, although I have good intentions of keeping up with my blog, it may be put on the back burner now and then this month. We have company for 8 days, then more company for another 8 days with one day in between. We try to enjoy every minute of having visitors, and spending time with family while they're here comes before my blog -- sorry! :)
Myah and Joel are also starting swimming lessons 3 days per week this month, and Myah's riding lessons have started once a week. Add that to a trip to Billings for speech therapy on Tuesdays and Bible study on Thursday nights, we are hopping this month. For a mom who normally can spend 4 days a week in my home, this is a lot going on!
I will keep you posted on the possible life-altering event that may be occuring in our lives as more information comes along. Right now, we still just don't have any answers.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
WHY I ENJOY BLOGGING...
Often I feel like I'm writing more for my own sake than yours. I've really grown to love freely writing my thoughts down, and because I really have no idea who actually reads them, I feel even more free to write. (Does that make any sense?) I've never been much of a person who keeps a journal of life's happenings, so I think someday, looking back on all the experiences we faced as a family, and what God was teaching me in the process will be a treasure I'll cherish forever. In the meantime, it is my prayer that you will be blessed or challenged by something God laid on my heart to write about, and that you will enjoy reading about the many adventures we face on a daily basis! Thanks for reading...whoever you are! :)
Often I feel like I'm writing more for my own sake than yours. I've really grown to love freely writing my thoughts down, and because I really have no idea who actually reads them, I feel even more free to write. (Does that make any sense?) I've never been much of a person who keeps a journal of life's happenings, so I think someday, looking back on all the experiences we faced as a family, and what God was teaching me in the process will be a treasure I'll cherish forever. In the meantime, it is my prayer that you will be blessed or challenged by something God laid on my heart to write about, and that you will enjoy reading about the many adventures we face on a daily basis! Thanks for reading...whoever you are! :)
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