Chasing the High

A good friend of mine and my son's Youth Pastor once said "There ain't no high like the most high", and that is so true. When I got back from Haiti, I was soaring. I have been chasing that high ever since. I've found it a few times at church, some in the car during my worship time with God, but I can't reach that high I felt back in Haiti during that worship service on base in that little stone chapel where I felt myself leave my body and meet Jesus in the clouds.

I have been struggling ever since. I have been searching for ways to go back to Haiti as a missionary. Which is completely plausible, unless you are a single mother. I have reached out to organizations who instead offer missions trips. I want to stay longer than a week. I desire to work with children. Having a lasting impact and bring my son so he will be impacted.

I've felt the call to serve in Haiti for a very long time. I know that God is not finished with me. He wants me to serve. He will show me the way. There are obviously some things I need to finish before I go back. You can't rush God's process. It's his time not my time.

Day Five in Haiti

Today I was the first to wake up in the girls dorm. Two 5mg Melatonin is the way to go for sleep. After breakfast we headed out to Defouneau, a village past Balalie. It would be our longest truck ride yet. We had some sketchy moments. There is one part of the road that dips down on one side and we almost turned over yesterday. With the rains we also had to go through lots of standing water. We passed Balalie and we were excited because we thought we had made it and all of a sudden there's huge puddle ahead of us (we already almost got stuck in the mud once). 

So Jay got out and asked us what we wanted to do. Did we want to back up and go to another village back the way we came or unpack and go by foot. My vote was for backing up and heading to another village because I did not want to walk. I have huge blisters on my legs and other places so it is painful to walk. We all prayed about it and our group decided to get out and walk. During our prayer I asked God that if we were to go forward that he would make the pain go away. I did not have pain during my walk (now is another story) a little girl who met us at the truck grabbed my hand and helped me the whole way. 

When we got there the children were ready for us in the church. The Pastor had already got 100 kids and had them in their Sunday best, clean, and divided boys on one side and girls on the other. They were singing when I finally arrived behind my team. Someone said to me something about what I had said about wanting to turn back and it hurt. This was just another lesson I needed to learn. That even though it hurts and the road is tough if we persist and move forward he will bless us.

I got to play soccer with the kids, something I had on my list of things to do. All the kids were well behaved. The pastor was amazing and the ladies helping were great. This was the most organized village. Everything went smoothly. I got to take their little pictures for their craft. So I got to see lots of smiles and sassy poses. I like seeing them eat. It makes me feel good to hand a heaping plate of food to a little kid who appreciates it. Back in the states we hand food to kids who won't eat what you give them (including my son). They just don't know how good they have it. We take so many things for granted. I hope that this experience stays with me and I never forget the lessons I've learned. God has spoke to me so much. I've been looking for answers, searching for my it and I think I have found it.

Our last ride back was a little sad. I will miss seeing the little kids waving at us and all the little villages. Going through the city. 

When we got back to base dinner was ready and I was hungry.

Beef, Rice with red sauce, Pikle, and French fries.

After we ate we had some down time before church.

I love the way they do church on the YWAM base. It is very intimate and the Lord is close. Kenny gave the message and it was translated into kreyol for the Haitian staff members. Kenny spoke about worship and ways to worship him. I felt very comfortable expressing myself. It was like I was close in that moment to God and I felt his love wrap around me and that he heard my petitions.

After the message they played another song and we were to go to another person and say an encouraging word and the people who spoke to me said things that I had prayed for during worship. I wish church last longer I just needed everything that was given to me in that room, God's Grace has been so abundant during this trip. 

After worship we headed over to the cafeteria, where there's also a ping pong table and fooseball table. Noah and I decided to play spoons, we had some people join in including YWAM Staffers. After Spoons we had an arm wrestling match. It's a great atmosphere here. 

Day Four in Haiti

Well today started off on a depressing note. We went down to breakfast which was delicious of course and our guide Jay stood up on a chair to make an announcement. He said that the adults in Gervais, the town we were supposed to go to today, broke into the church and stole the food we were going to serve to the children. When asked why they did this, their answer was that they had already had a vbs and they didn't need another one. A Haitian church had come by and did a vbs there. YWAM is going to use this event as a discipleship tool. They are going to explain to the that God will not bless you if you do things like this, etc.

So our hearts are broken. We are sad that we won't be able to feed the children. Isaac broke my heart when he was telling me how disappointed he was that we wouldn't be able to feed them. That child has such a big heart and he and the other boys have done so well on this trip. I've enjoyed seeing them serve and experience Gods hand on Haiti. I can't wait to hear their testimonies when we get back and how their lives are changed.

So because the food was stolen we will not be going to Gervais today. We are going to a closer village and they are excited we are coming. The sad thing is that we will not be feeding them.

UPDATE

We went to Tinonette today. It was a beautiful village. We were able to go to the Market and buy Mangos to take so the kids would have something to eat. I got to go with Jay to buy the mangos. It was a great experience to be able to go into the street market and see the process of haggling. We were able to buy about 150 mangos for 8$ . The Mangos were delicious. I was able to eat one. There were two guys who were fighting over who would get to carry the mangos over to the truck in a wheelbarrow. That was the only time I got a little scared. 

When we got to the village we were able to use the school for VBS. I enjoyed seeing the school. It was very nice. I can't wait to show you all pictures. Vbs was great. After vbs we split into four groups and went into the village with our translator and prayed at each house. We asked them what rrneeds they had and prayed for them. Everywhere we went we had an entourage of children. I went with my cousins Tracia, Noah, and Scott. All the kids were trying to hold Tracia's hands. They would even fight about who got to hold our hands. 

We saw a lot of sickness today. A lot of sick kids. We had one boy who was holding his eye because his dad beat him. There was one little boy with a hermangioma on his ear really bad. The other kids shunned him and wouldn't go around him. We've seen so much in so short of time. There is evidence of Voodoo all around. They have flags sticking out of their house that corresponds to the kind of spirits they deal with and their specialties. Some of the people we spoke to today aren't saved and need prayer for God to guide them. Other prayer requests were for prosperity for their businesses, a lost visa for chile and her husband is going to work in chile. 

We have seen so much kindness here in Haiti and they are so thankful for what we do. We have also seen greed as we experienced today with the village we were supposed to go to. I am in the mind that, Gervais is the village that really needs us. Unfortunately I don't think we would be able to go there after what they did. 

When we got back. We grabbed a coke (my new addiction) I don't even like Coke but there isn't Mountain Dew in Haiti and I have a caffeine addiction and Haitian Coke tastes 100% better than American coke. It is 100% pure cane sugar. We sat down and talked about the day while waiting for Dinner. I could live forever on Haitian food. Delicious!

My family for the week

Fried Chicken, Salad, Pea salad, and a double portion of rice with white bean sauce and red tomato sauce and lots of Franks Red Hot sauce. 

After dinner we had some time to ourselves before we watched YWAM Hait's dance team 'Hope for the Generations'. We got to watch them warm up and then they wanted to see us dance so we did Now Behold The Lamb. We were a dozen members shy but God was still present. I hope that it blessed them a little. Then we got to watch the REAL dancers. They were so anointed! Not only are they dancing for Jesus but they are doing it in another language. In Rejoice we rely on ASL for our dances. Their dance team uses real dance moves and their facial expressions were out of this world. I especially loved their use of huge wooden blocks that they were tethered to. I know God is using them for his glory. You can learn more about them here: http://www.ywamhaiti.org/ministries/dancecamp/ 

Keep praying for us. Tomorrow is our last village and it is far away. We have come to expect the unexpected and to be flexible. Working as a team is key. If we fall apart then our witness falls apart and we are not able to minister as well if we are mad on the inside about petty stuff. (Talking about myself). It's all been a learning experience and by the time we perfect it it's time to go home, but we will be more prepared for next time. 

Ask God to give us Boldness, The gift of Utterance as I am not an eloquent speaker or prayer, calmness, the ability to work together as one unit in accordance to the will of God, not our own. (Again talking about me). That the children will pay attention and retain the message that we are giving them. That God will heal these people and help them to prosper and feed their families, seek medical attention, resist voodoo. God sent us here for a reason and I don't want to leave and not do what we came here for. Thank you all again for being so faithful. We love you all and can't wait to share this experience with you. Justin is going to be preparing an awesome video and has taken some amazing pics!

Day Three in Haiti

I didn't sleep as well last night. It was definitely more hot last night. Megan got to wake me up again and I was confused (again), she was like "time to wake up Candice" and I said Whaaaat? Lol. We had breakfast and left for Balalie at 7 this morning. I was a little apprehensive of the ride there, and for good reason. The truck we took has a metal bar that you hold onto and you stand the entire time, which today was 1 1/2 hours. Which really wouldn't be too bad but these roads were really bumpy and I mean bumpy. Think of a bumpy dirt road and times that by ten. I had to sit on the water coolers to hold them down "wink wink". 

The ride to Balalie was absolutely beautiful. The pictures I have do not do it justice. There were endless rice fields with hard working men and boys in them. I loved going through the little villages and seeing the kids shout Blun, which means White person in Kreyol. They would also shout "Terry" who is the Director of YWAM Haiti. I loved every little smiling face who waved back at me with smiles so big and it didn't matter that some of them were naked as the day they were born. 

I got excited when I saw the village in the distance. I recognized it from the pictures on the YWAM Haiti website. These beautiful homes that YWAM built. And as soon as we came into the village we were greeted by kids yelling for us. We got everything unloaded into the church that they built themselves with the help of people who donated materials. I was part of the gathering team today. I got to go out into the village and invite the children to vbs. I got to see the houses and the adults. I really enjoyed that. Once we had all the children in the church we did our vbs program which I will describe once we get the kinks worked out tomorrow. 

My favorite moment today is when the villagers lead worship. You could feel the joy in their hearts and the Holy Spirit filled the room. I didn't have an idea what they were saying but I knew it was full of love and praise. These people who we pity and think have nothing, have so much more than us. They take care of what they have. They are so well dressed. Some of the kids came to the VBS in their Sunday best. We got to hold and love on babies. There was one in particular I wanted to take home with me, but Jay (Our Guide) said I would be in trouble because she was the village leaders granddaughter.

The villagers were so appreciative and thankful for what we were doing. We paid for the food the kids and us ate today, the village leaders family prepared it, and they pooled together money to buy us fish to go with it just for the team. That was so special. Let me tell you something. I was a tiny bit scared to eat food prepared by someone else, which is true for me back in the states, but this food was the most delicious thing I've had yet. I hope we have it tomorrow too. It was spicy rice and beans with onions and the fish. I did not eat the fish, but only because I don't eat fish anyways. 

We were all so exhausted and when it was time to go we were ready. We loaded up our trusty truck and got ready for a grueling ride back. The kids ran after the truck and waved at us till we couldn't see them anymore. The way back seemed to be a lot more bumpy than going in. But the truck made it through with no problems and I've pledged to take up money to pave the roads ;)

The first thing the women did when we got back was take showers. We were so dirty and dusty. The cold water (there's no hot water) felt like nirvana after being in the heat. I still don't know how the missionaries live without A/C here. We are so spoiled back home. Then we sat around and chit chatted for a while and got to see the St. Marc kids play soccer at the YWAM field on base. They had so many different games going on at once with the rattiest soccer balls you had ever seen, a couple we just small balls, not even soccer balls. They were playing without a care in the world. 

Dinner tonight was something I had been looking forward to. We have goat for the first time and it was DELICIOUS! Tastes like beef and deer mixed together. We also had rice with red sauce and pikle which looks like cole slaw but it's spicy. I love the food here. It is spicy and delicious.

I am so thankful they have hot sauce! We were sitting around chatting and all of a sudden a thunderstorm came with a vengeance. It felt so good. For the first time since we have been in Haiti the temperature was perfect and cool. We moved into plaz pose and relaxed for a bit while we regrouped for vbs. I had one of my new addictions, Haitian Coca-Cola. It is SO good. I don't know how I am going to leave I love it here so much. 

My melatonin is kicking in and I am exhausted so I'm ending it here. Continue your prayers for us in Haiti!

Day Two in Haiti

I slept really well last night thanks to some melatonin Megan brought. I woke up earlier than I had anticipated due to some roosters outside. It was nice to have some quiet time and do my devotional before the day started. 

Breakfast was delicious. I made a happy plate. (Of course). I am telling you, this pineapple has healing properties. It is that good. The coffee was sent from Angels. Put some much needed pep in my step. While we were eating Terry Snow the Director of YWAM Haiti joined us and gave some much needed words of wisdom. He asked us if we would like a tour of St. Marc, and of course we said YES! Some of us have read his book Taking the high places. I highly recommend it. Anyways we were able to see some of the places pivotal moments in the book took place. 

I can not describe in words to make you comprehend what we have seen. I read blog after blog in preparation for this trip and nothing you read or pictures you see prepare you for actually being here. It is a whole new world for me. We visited a prison today. The cells are open to the outside and cram packed with inmates, some minor offenses and the only reason the haven't been released is they can't pay the 15$ jail tax.

We visited a Super market today. Before we got off the bus we were bombarded with women and children holding out their hands for money or food. Women with babies were standing next to the bus holding their hands out. One of the YWAM staffers said its the same women with different babies everytime. They just go get a baby and come and beg. Of course we all gave in to the children. The supermarket was one of the nicer ones in Haiti. I was able to get a few souvenirs and some much needed powerade. It is very easy to get dehydrated fast here. You sweat out more liquid than you put in so we are constantly drinking water. 

After the tour we came back and ate lunch. Then we organized our VBS materials and presented our VBS idea to Jay and Kate. They taught us some key kreyol phrases that I have forgotten, sorry Kate! After we got all our VBS stuff organized we had some down time before we helped with children's church. We had intentions of taking a short nap but most of the women sat around and talked which was very nice. 

Children's ministry was amazing. I am so glad we got to experience it before we did our vbs. the children all just want to be loved, held, and paid attention to.

 The YWAM Staff does children's ministries every Wednesday. They usually have anywhere from 100-200. Tonight the numbers were down because of a party on the beach. These kids memorize a whole bible verse in minutes. YWAM did an awesome job with them. After the church we got to take pictures with the kids. 

After children's church we ate another delicious meal. I love the rice here. 

Then we went to Kate and Jay's house for movie night. I am so excited for tomorrow. I have a feeling it's going to be hard but very rewarding if we just remove ourselves and focus on the reason we are here. It is so easy to get frustrated in this heat. I appreciate all the prayers that are coming in for us. We need them. Tomorrow is our very first VBS!!!!

St. Marc bound! Day one in Haiti.

The plane ride to Haiti was MUCH put than the one to Fort Lauderdale. I didn't have to take any anxiety medicine and the lady beside me traded seats so Megan could sit next to me. The sun was rising and it was a very beautiful view for my first trip over the ocean. 

I don't know what my expectations were going in to Haiti, but just flying over Haiti was an eye opener. You could see the shacks from the air. Haiti itself is a very beautiful island. Gorgeous green rolling mountains. The air port was tiny. We disembarked via outside steps rolled to the plane. The first thing you notice about Haiti is the smell. There is a noticeable stench in the air. The airport itself was an experience I will never forget. The people were very nice until we went to get our baggage. There were men there who were trying to scam us out of money. Grabbing our bags then demanding to be paid for grabbing bags we didn't even ask them to grab. It was a little overwhelming. Thankfully our YWAM Airport representative came to our rescue, and got us out but not without shelling out some money to the scammers. 

When we got settled on our bus (no a/c) our Outreach coordinator Kate called to let us know there were riots and attacks on the route they would normally bring us on so we would have to go the long way around. It took us 4 hours (maybe more) to reach St. Marc. On the way we were treated to beautiful scenery and a tour of some of the towns people live in. Our driver had some impressive skills. From what I could tell there isn't a speed limit and no rules of the road. There are people weaving in and out of traffic speeding around you and a lot of honking. 

Sometimes when we were in traffic people would walk up to our windows and offer water, fruit, fried plantains, and coca cola. We all said no politely. Pretty much everyone we saw was nice and waved, we only had one rude person the whole bus ride. We saw some nudity. Especially around the rivers where people were bathing and washing clothes. Other times it was children. 

Pulling into YWAM St. Marc was awesome. I had been talking to my friend Kate, who lives there, since last fall. We talk a lot over Facebook. So I was excited to meet her for the first time and to see the base I had read so much about. They had lunch ready for us and some much appreciated ice cold water. After we ate we took a tour of the base. Once we finished the tour we went up to our dorms to fix our beds and put our stuff away. 

While my friend Kristy was fixing her bed net she stood up and hit her head on a metal fan that was running at full blast. We all asked her if she was okay and she said "I'm fine", but when she removed her hand you could tell she was clearly not fine. Our outreach coordinator has EMT training and was able to stop the bleeding, but the base director said she needed medical attention so he drove her and Lee to some American doctors where they patched her up and gave her some stitches and medicine. Asking for prayers for her complete healing!

Dinner was delicious. I never knew rice with tomato and bean sauce could be so good. We also had fresh pineapple for dessert and Haitian Coca Cola. I am not a Coke drinker but Haitian Coke is delicious. 

I just ask for your prayers. I feel like Satan is trying to get us down. We had so many hiccups getting down here, then getting to the base, and the minor medical emergency (that we all thought was major at the time). We need prayer because Satan doesn't want us doing what we are here to do and he is trying to stop us. 

Oh my gosh!!! It's almost here!

I've been M.I.A. for a few months. In March I started my new job. Stopped reviewing homeschool products and have been working non stop. We have had so many church activities and I've been busy with other things that it's been hard to find time to do what I love most which is writing. I don't know if anyone reads this, but I'm sorry and I'm back!

Why am I back? A very important event is coming up that I've been praying for for years. The mission trip to Haiti. God spoke to my heart years ago about the mission field. I was in Youth and we were at a conference at Winter Fest in Gatlinburg and they were talking about the need for missionaries. I was one of the kids that stood up and pledged to go into the mission field. High School happened and I fell away from God, but I never forgot.

So one night last year I felt God speak to my heart. I started looking up mission trip information. I knew it had to be Haiti. I've felt the call to go to Haiti since I visited there years ago and then seeing the damage from the earth quake in 2008. I texted my friend from church and she had been talking to her family about doing a mission trip and the rest is history. I found YWAM after reviewing a lot of different missions. God had his hand in it from the beginning. From putting it on my heart to directing us where to go and when. He even picked the people who were meant to go. Everything is in place as he planned. Each person going is going to serve a purpose. God is going to use each of us to be his vessels. To do his work. 

The trip is in FOUR DAYS. I wanna play it off cool and say I am not nervous because God has this, but I have a secret. I am terrified of flying. I have ZERO fear going into a foreign country and serving God. The only fear I have thus far about this trip is all about getting there. I've flown 32 times. I never had an issue flying until after I started having panic attacks. I know it will be fine. BREATHE. 

I have not packed. I am always a last minute packer. I plan on being fully packed Wednesday. I have been buying stuff for my trip each week so I don't have to buy it all at once. I definitely recommend that to anyone traveling. I will be posting some tips for anyone else taking a mission trip. I hope to document this journey through this blog so family and friends can check in to see what all we did. Thanks for your support. good to be back!

Going back to work, homeschooling, and life

I decided to take a part time job to earn a little extra money for my upcoming trip to Haiti and to pay some debt. It's been a rough transition going from homeschooling blogger to working 30+ hours a week.

I have had little time to blog or for the internet at all. I took my son to a sitter, worked, picked up my child, tried to spend time with him and then went to bed with throbbing feet. I have plantar fascitis. I thought my flip flops helped cure it but in actuality it was probably my sedentary lifestyle. My feet are so tender and throb so bad at night that I couldn't sleep and the thought of going back to work the next day brought tears to my eyes. I am back to doing feet exercises and stretches. I've bought two separate inserts for my shoes, but I'm probably going to have to go back to the foot doctor.

Homeschooling while you're working isn't hard if your child is self motivated. Mine is not. He has a laptop that he can take to the sitter and so his work but he had so much fun today at his Nanny's that he didn't do it so I had to be the bad guy and tell him that he was going to do it when he got him, yes I realize it's going to be 6pm but those are consequences of goofing off while I am at work.

I know eventually we will get in a rhythm and be able to balance homeschool, my blog, my social media responsibilities, and work.

I am also looking for a more long term job that has better pay and benefits so prayers are appreciated!

Update on incorporating baked milk and baked cheese

It has been a few weeks since Drama passed the baked cheese oral food challenge. There was some resistance on his part to try new foods with cheese, just like with the baked milk. Would still love to see a paper done on the psychological effects of food allergies. It's very hard to go from life threatening food allergy to growing out of it and learning to eat it again.

He is still learning. Trust is a huge thing. He continually asks me if I'm sure he can have it. It makes my heart skip a beat to tell him yes, I am sure you can have it because what if he was to have a reaction? He would never trust me again.

So far he has had pizza, Mac and cheese, pizza rolls, and taquitos. His allergist suggested he eat baked cheese at least 3 times a week to build up his immunity. Then in September we can do another immunocap test to see if it would be safe to try uncooked milk.

It's been a long and sometimes hard journey but in the end it will be worth it to knock Milk off his food allergy list. I am hoping we can start the baked egg test in September. Then we will have another year of doing the same thing.

Keep Drama in your prayers! Thanks!

Review: Grapevine Studies The Ressurection

I always try to do a bible study for Lent. I was very excited when this review came around from Grapevine Studies. The Resurrection is the perfect Lent or Easter bible study. I received a digital download. The first thing I did was print out our books. I printed the multi-level traceable student workbook. Usually these are for younger kids, but my son has fine motor problems and doesn't like to draw so to make things easier on us I just picked the traceable. The multi-level Resurrection study is good for ages 3 and up. My son is 11 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I really like that it is non denominational. They leave it up to you to use the version of the bible you prefer. They call this teacher-directed doctrine.

If you are not familiar with Grapevine bible studies their tagline is "stick figuring through the bible". Students listen to the scripture and then you use a white board to draw the stick figure scene and they copy it in their notebooks. Older kids can use their imaginations.

The Resurrection is a study of the events from the last supper to the ascension of Jesus Christ. The lessons are: The Last Supper, Gethsemane, The Religious Trials, The Civil Trials, The Crucifixion, The Death and Burial of Jesus, The Resurrection, The Witness and The Ascension. At the end of these lessons there is a final review. I like the reviews because you can see how much the student retained. If you are using this study in a discipleship or Sunday school class you can give out candy for correct answer. I love bible trivia and kids are competitive and they will listen more if they know they are going to get a sweet treat at the end.

I love the Teacher Workbook! It gives you a schedule. You can use the study daily or weekly. We chose to do it weekly. When we do another grapevine bible study we will do it daily because there is a lot of material to go over at once and doing it daily will spread it out. It really just depends on your schedule. They give you so much information and resources that even a beginner teacher will feel comfortable teaching this study. I had a lot of fun teaching it and learning things myself.

The first thing we did was fill out our timeline. I love the stick figures. I am a visual and kinetic learner so drawing the stick figures and seeing the scenes help the lessons stick into my mind and I hope Drama's. I also like the lesson review. It is one thing to read a study it is another thing to have a checkpoint to see how much the student was listening and learning. We also loved the memory verse review. They give you the verse to write and memorize and let you use your favorite translation.

This study comes in two options:

Resurrection: Beginner: Kindergarten students will journey through the last week of the Jesus earthly ministry through 11 weekly lessons or 22 daily lessons.

Resurrection: Multi-Level: 11 weekly lessons(at 40 min once a week) or 40 daily lessons(at 15 min a day).

Even pre-school kids will have fun listening to the resurrection story and tracing the stick figures. My niece will be three next year and I know she will love this study. She loves listening to bible studies and using her big crayons.

I highly recommend this study! You will be surprised at the end how much your student knows about the resurrection.

Review: Zondervan Faith Builders Bible

When I saw the name Zondervan I had to review this product. My son was heavily into Veggie Tales and had a lot of the books published by Zondervan. Drama loves the Lego movies and games so I knew he would like the Faith Builders Bible by Zonderkidz ~ (http://www.zondervan.com/children) . I love that they have incorporated America's favorite building blocks with The Holy Bible.

The first thing I did when I received the Faith Builders Bible was look through it. The first thing that stands out is the colorful building block pages. Each graphic has a picture that you can recreate with your own building blocks, a short commentary, and a building block verse that goes with the picture. Some of the building block pages and topics:

- Noah Builds an Ark
- Animals 2x2
- Building the Tower of Babel
- The Ten Commandments
- Building the Tabernacle
- Solomon Builds God's Temple
- Bringing Down Jericho
- Samson's Demolition
- David Defeats Goliath
- Psalm 23: A Psalm of David
- Jesus is Born
- Feeding a Crowd
- A Change of Heart (Zacchaeus)
- Jesus Walks on Water
- The Last Supper
- Jesus and the Cross
- The Lord's Prayer
- The ABCs of Salvation
- The Fruit of the Spirit
- Building with a Strong Foundation

We had a lot of fun building the scenes after reading the stories. As a home school Mom, I know the importance of kinetic learning. Building a scene from a story they just read helps them retain information. The first graphic page "Building with books of the bible" made me think of an awesome idea I had seen on Pinterest. You take Legos and write or tape the books of the bible on them, using different colors for Law, History, Poetry, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, Gospels, Church History, Letters, and Prophecy. Then the kids memorize the books of the bible and also the different categories. I love this idea and it was great to be reminded of it.

The only thing I did not care for about the bible was the fact that it is only available in NIRV ( New International Readers Version). I really hope that they come out with this bible in other translations like KJV. I go to a KJV church and I prefer the KJV over other versions and have many friends who only read KJV and have kids who are completely nuts about Legos.

More about the NIrV from Wikipedia: The New International Reader's Version (NIrV) is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Translated by the International Bible Society (now Biblica) following a similar philosophy as the New International Version (NIV), but written in a simpler form of English, the NIrV seeks to make the Bible more accessible for children and people who have difficulty reading English, such as non-native English speakers. The authors describe it as a special edition of the NIV written at a third grade reading level.^[2]

All in all I think children will enjoy receiving this bible as a gift. The wording is simple and easy to understand. The graphics will draw anyone in and make them want to pull out their building blocks to recreate the scenes. I recommend reading the story from the bible then talking about it as you're building. Repetitiveness helps kids retain important information. When I am teaching my discipleship class to the Kindergarten and First Grade, I try and read the story twice then ask questions until they can repeat it back to me.

http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/faith-builders-bible-zonderkidz-review/  

REVIEW: HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S.Elections

I am pretty patriotic and I enjoy exercising my right to vote. I took my son to the polls during the last election, and he has been with me while I worked the polls for pro-life issues. So, I was pretty excited to see HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections by  Home School in the Woods ~ (http://homeschoolinthewoods.com). I was so excited about the Elections in the title that I didn't stop and think about how I have never put together a lapbook. I went into this project pretty blind.


I am not a crafty person. I am a procrastinator I often start projects and don't finish them because I get overwhelmed, especially if there are too many parts. If this sounds like you then you too will feel completely overwhelmed when you download everything you  need for this project. It didn't help that the child who is supposed to be doing this project has Aspergers and ADD. I also have ADD so I needed a third person to help keep us on track and to mediate any fighting that ensued. I am not the most patient person so Drama and I doing a project usually ends in tears, from both of us. I didn't realize what a big project this was or I would have rethought volunteering to review it.

Downloading HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections was super easy. I did have to download Adobe Reader to view the files. I recommend making sure you have printer ink and paper on hand when you start this project because you will need to print multiple pages. I am very old school when it comes to things. For example, I like paper books not ebooks. So reading multiple pages of instructions off of a computer screen was not for me. Luckily they give you an option to print these off. Also handy for the list of things you will need for this project.

I printed everything of that we needed. I opted to print the Elections Booklet in full pages and just put it in a report folder that I found at Dollar Tree. One less thing to put together. You will need scissors, double sided sticky tape, clear packing tape, brads, a file folder, card stock, velcro, glue stick, pencil, and colored pencils. I used double sided sticky tape but I should have used glue instead. I also didn't have cardstock but I found that file folders cut in two worked great in a pinch.

Today we went to my sisters apartment to work on the project. I had printed off everything before hand. Assembling the Lapbook was pretty easy for Drama. It was cutting out all the little bits and taping everything in place that was a little hard for him because of his fine motor skills. He began to get frustrated halfway through so I helped with the cutting and my sister guided him through assembling. This project took us almost four hours from start to finish. I think it would take less time for someone who had put together a lap book before and with a student who didn't have fine motor problems. I definitely recommend glue instead of tape. We used tape and I really wished we used glue because the tape started coming off of the little pieces.

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http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/u-s-elections-history-lap-pak-home-school-in-the-woods-review/
 

My New Scripture Journal

I love new writing stuff!!! I love writing utensils, art supplies, notebooks, and I totally geek out when it's time to buy back to school stuff.Today I went to Ross with the intentions of getting a new scripture journal for Lent. Ross has such a great selection of journals. They have Christian journals, secular journals, and sketch journals. They range from plain to intricate designs. My journal matches my personality. With me being a Princess of course I had to have one that was pink and sparkly. 

What I love most about my journal (besides the blinged out cross) is the verse on the front. Matthew 19:26 With God all things are possible. Such a wonderful reminder to have every time I open my journal to spend time with God. 

After Ross I had to go to Office Max to get printer paper. I usually don't go to Office Max because it's more expensive than Wal*Mart , but I really dislike Wal*Mart and just was not in the mood to deal with it today so I paid extra for convenience. While there I found some awesome little color pens for my new journal. I love colored pens and these are small enough to keep in the bag and in my purse. Hopefully I can keep them all together and not lose them like I normally do.

How I journal

I write down the verse I am studying. I write "what is happening in this passage?" Then underneath it I write a summary, I write "what does this passage mean to me?" Then I write how God spoke to me through the passage and what I took away from it. I sometimes doodle if I feel inspired. At the end I write down my prayer requests. 

I also use my journal at church for Sunday School and Sermon notes. It's handy to help remember what the sermon was about and anything I may want to write down that is running through my mind at the moment that may leave me by the time I get home. It's also nice to keep a record of prayer requests because you can go back and update them once the prayers have turned into praises. 

Let me know how you prayer journal or take sermon notes in the comments! God Bless!

Valentine's for the Single Mom

Valentine's can be pretty miserable for anyone who is alone. Widowed, Divorced, and Single people everywhere made it through one of the loneliest holidays. Some would argue being alone on Valentine's isn't too much different than any other day of the year, but it really is. 

All week long people have been declaring their love for their significant other on social media. I absolutely feel happy that my brothers and sisters in Christ are happy and in love. I would want nothing less. I can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy and I know that's wrong. God forgive for that. I wouldn't want anyone to feel lonely. It's a miserable feeling. It helps the soul to have a special someone. 

For Valentines Day we went to church then out to lunch. I let Drama pick where we went. Then we had a Valentine's party at night church where we learned about charity (love). I didn't feel lonely yesterday and I enjoyed my time with my son. I think God spared me some heartache that I usually feel. 

Baked Cheese Test Anxiety

Drama has an appointment Monday for his second food challenge. This time we are doing a baked cheese challenge. For this challenge I was instructed by his allergist to buy an Amy's Cheese Pizza and bake it at 425 for 13 minutes.

 

I am not sure why, but all of the food challenges I have read involve Amy's Cheese Pizza so it must be a preferred brand by allergists.

 

FEARS

 

The last food challenge started out difficult. Elijah was afraid to eat the Milk Muffin. I am scared it is going to be the same thing this time around. He still has anxiety eating things with baked milk in it. Getting him to eat baked cheese is going to be interesting. I wonder if anyone else has done a study on the psychology of introducing foods kids were once allergic to.

 

Drama has been told his whole life he can not have anything with Milk in it or he will have a bad reaction and may end up in the hospital. He even still wears a MedicAlert bracelet due to this. Now we are telling him he can have it and he can not process the fact that it's okay now. He says, "are you sure it's okay?" and he has told me "No, I can't have that it has Milk in it". He still refuses to try some new things, such as Cheez It's.

 

PRAYERS

 

I am praying that he takes one bite of this pizza and falls in love with the melty goodness that is mozzarella cheese. I want to share with him Mac -n- Cheese, Lasagna, Pizza, Quesadillas, Taquito's and everything else I can't think of right now with baked cheese. This is just one more step to being declared Milk Allergy FREE. In a few months he will have the last food challenge where he will drink a glass of milk. When he passes that test he will be able to have ice cream, chocolate, yogurt, milk, pudding, sour cream, cream cheese, cold cheese, dressing, etc.

 

I pray that this works and we can try this with Eggs next year. I know he is unlikely to ever outgrow his Nut allergy but just adding Milk and Eggs to his diet will make life a little easier for him. Having food allergies is really hard on kids. You aren't getting all the nutrition other kids are and other kids notice when you are eating something different so you get singled out and made fun of. Some kids are bullied. It takes a toll on a childs self esteem. I am asking for prayers for Drama that he passes this food challenge. I will update everyone on Monday on how the food challenge went.

 



Celebrating Lent with Fasting, Study, and Prayer.

Even as a Baptist Lent is special for me. I use the Lenten season as a time of reflection and prayer. It's a way to build up Easter. I am excited this year to be doing a study by Grapevine called Resurrection with my son. During Lent I use my YouVersion bible app and find the Lent reading plan. I will write down these verses and scripture journal about them. If you're new to scripture journaling, it's pretty easy. I just write the verse down, what it means to me, and how it applies to my life. You can also find bible journaling templates on Pinterest.

Fasting: Fasting is important during Lent. I really liked the idea my friends had of not using social media until they had their bible studies done. I really want to implement that during this fast. I think it is something I should do every day. Doing it during this fast will help make it a daily habit. I will give up soda doing this time to. I have been trying to eat better and coupling that with prayer will surely help.

Reflection: Letting go. I have a lot of baggage that I need to let go of. I also have major control issues that I need to work on. I am still learning to surrender. I also will spend this time praying for our mission trip to Haiti. I have some friends and family members that desperately need prayer. I will put together a prayer list tonight to prayer over daily through Lent.

Giving: Elijah really enjoyed serving the homeless at Thanksgiving so I hope to do that again this Easter. Hopefully we can find some other ways to give back as well. I hope to start collecting things for the children of Haiti.

What is Lent?

Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer.
Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday, and is cheifly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it too.
Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the priest applies the ashes to a person's forehead, he speaks the words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Alternatively, the priest may speak the words, "Repent and believe in the Gospel."

Ashes also symbolize grief, in this case, grief that we have sinned and caused division from God.
Writings from the Second-century Church refer to the wearing of ashes as a sign of penance.
Priests administer ashes during Mass and all are invited to accept the ashes as a visible symbol of penance. Even non-Christians and the excommunicated are welcome to receive the ashes. The ashes are made from blessed palm branches, taken from the previous year's palm Sunday Mass.
It is important to remember that Ash Wednesday is a day of penitential prayer and fasting. Some faithful take the rest of the day off work and remain home. It is generally inappropriate to dine out, to shop, or to go about in public after receiving the ashes. Feasting is highly inappropriate. Small children, the elderly and sick are exempt from this observance.
It is not required that a person wear the ashes for the rest of the day, and they may be washed off after Mass. However, many people keep the ashes as a reminder until the evening.
Recently, movements have developed that involve pastors distributing ashes to passersby in public places. This isn't considered taboo, but Catholics should know this practice is distinctly Protestant. Catholics should still receive ashes within the context of Mass.
In some cases, ashes may be delivered by a priest or a family member to those who are sick or shut-in.

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Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.

Why we receive the ashes

Following the example of the Nine vites, who did penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and reminds us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told
"Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return."
Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.
The distribution of ashes comes from a ceremony of ages past. Christians who had committed grave faults performed public penance. On Ash Wednesday, the Bishop blessed the hair shirts which they were to wear during the forty days of penance, and sprinkled over them ashes made from the palms from the previous year. Then, while the faithful recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the church because of their sins -- just as Adam, the first man, was turned out of Paradise because of his disobedience. The penitents did not enter the church again until Maundy Thursday after having won reconciliation by the toil of forty days' penance and sacramental absolution. Later, all Christians, whether public or secret penitents, came to receive ashes out of devotion. In earlier times, the distribution of ashes was followed by a penitential procession.

The Ashes

The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts. His Divine mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.
courtesy of http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/ashwed.php

So you're going on a mission trip, now what?

When I first told people I was going to Haiti I got more negative responses than positive ones. Someone even said "I think you all are crazy for going over there".  Mark Batterson puts it best in his book "All In".

Mark Batterson – When did we start believing that God wants to send us to safe places to do easy things? Jesus didn’t die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. The will of God is not an insurance plan; it’s a daring plan. It’s time to quit living as if the purpose of your life is to arrive safely at death. 

What is a Missionary?

 

Wikipedia: A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to proselytizeand/or perform ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development.^[1][2] The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuitssent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem (nom. missio), meaning "act of sending" or mittere, meaning "to send".^[3] The word was used in light of its biblical usage; in the Latin translation of the Bible, Christ uses the word when sending the disciples to preach in his name.

Missionaries in the Bible 

When looking for missionaries you don't need to look much farther than your bible. John the Baptist was the ultimate missionary.

• John preached with boldness (Matthew 3:1, 2; John 1:29-37).
• He knew Christ was the focus and not himself (John 1:20-23; John 3:28-30).
• Sometimes John doubted, but he always trusted Jesus’ direction (Luke 7:19-28).

So now what?

Once you have planned your trip there are a few important items you have to take care of. First you need a passport. The sooner the better, since it takes 4 to 8 weeks to get back. Next you need to find out what type of vaccines are required in the country you will be serving. Talk with your Doctor they will help set up your vaccines. Research the country or city you will be going to. Learn as much as you can about the people, the culture, the history. Talk to people who have gone on mission trips. They will give you insight.

The most important item to take care of is your spiritual health. Make time to do a mission trip related bible study. I was recommended Helping without hurting by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert to prepare for my mission trip. You can buy the book here http://www.cschristian.com/product/659894/Helping_Without_Hurting_in_Short_Term_Missions

It is also a good idea to have regular meetings and a retreat before you go so you can gel with your mission team. We have started having fundraisers. Tomorrow we are having our first dinner after church. We are making chili chips and cheese and serving sweet tea. We have a table set up at the door where people can make donations. Our dinner fundraisers do pretty good and we can have them once a month until our trip. Most of us will also write support letters and send them to family and friends. A support letter is a letter in which you tell your family and friends where you are going and what you will be doing and ask them to prayerfully consider making a donation towards your trip.

Here is a link to the slide show I will be showing the congregation before our benefit dinner: https://youtu.be/aG3DoMSt6Cs

Links I found helpful:

http://www.ywam.org/get-involved/outreach-trips/

http://preparemymission.com/spiritual-prep/

http://www1.cbn.com/missions/what-to-pack-on-your-summer-mission-trip

Missionaries in the bible 

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/missionaries-in-the-bible-10-to-emulate/

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Missions/

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Learning to Surrender

One of the hardest things for me to do as a Christian is to let go and let God. I hold onto everything so tight. It's like I'm telling God, "No, you can't have it, it's mine". I've worried about it for so long and invested all my strength and time getting worked up about it that I don't want to let go of it. I want to be in control of it even though I've not been making any progress coming to a solution. Why do we do this to ourselves? If we would just give it over to God and let him take care of it then we would be at peace, but that's not what we do. We refuse to give it up and we end up making things worse for ourselves.

I've been struggling the past week. Homeschooling a child with ADD and Aspergers is not for the weak of heart. We are both getting burnt out and sick of each other. I know that homeschool is the best thing for my son right now. He is safe, he is getting individual attention, his curriculum is Christ centered, and he can work at his own pace. I went to Revival at my church last night and Bro. Frank Jolly said something that spoke to me. He was talking about waving the white flag and surrendering to God. That really struck a chord with me and after I couldn't stop thinking about that I got out of bed at 1 am and started researching verses about surrendering to God.

 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.   For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalm 9:10
¹⁰ And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
 

Psalm 46:
¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

James 4:8
⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Whenever my heart is troubled, I find solace in the word of God. It has never failed to quieten my heart when I open the bible. It's where all the answers are. If you are feeling overwhelmed hide yourself in his words. Before you open the bible pray and ask him to lead you. Most of the time when we are feeling anxious and overwhelmed its because we have strayed away and not made time for God. He is a jealous God and wants our love and devotion. He wants us to spend time with him without distractions. He craves an intimate relationship with us. We can accomplish this by setting aside time everyday to read the bible, pray, and sit quietly with him letting him speak to us. We are in the age of technology. I had friends who during the 21 day fast set strict rules for technology. They were not allowed to check social media if they hadn't done their bible study that day. Isn't that great? That's how we should be every day.

I know that I am feeling overwhelmed because I have let worry get in the way of my time with God. He has been there all the time waiting for me to come to him, but instead I have pulled the covers over my head and have been paralyzed with everything going on. What I should have done is run to the arms of my Father. That should be the first thing we do. I know I will be studying more and spending more time with him. I truly believe that will fix everything. Just giving my burdens to him and trusting him to take care of everything. He has our best interests at heart.

 

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