Babysitting Fun!!

I like to be a fun babysitter....but, if you asked my siblings, I haven't been a very fun babysitter for the last couple years, due to school and projects....This time, however, I decided to change that... Putting aside my long To-Do List and study schedule, I decided we needed to have some fun...

Sunday to Wednesday, my parents were on a business trip, and I was mommy for the time being (along with my trusty 'conscPublish Postience'-Rachel....since my 'fun' sometimes needs some balance ;p)

On Sunday, I took my 7 siblings to church (kinda sounds weird-me writing that) and then we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening at some dear friends' house--eating, walking a couple miles, playing with the horses and ropes, trampolining, talking, choring, and...playing in the mud. :)

Samuel--Roping the Dummy

On Monday, I took the kids to their Co-op type School-Classical Conversations, and then we had a fun evening - watching the Financial Freedom Seminar (high school requirement) and Facing the Giants.

On Tuesday, the kids studiously worked on & finished their Writing project, so that we could go hiking on Wednesday. After a long, hard day of working, we ate spent the evening with our ranch hand's family--eating Cinnamon Rolls, Milkshakes, and Popcorn & watching Young Mr. Lincoln, before Rachel and I headed off to the Cinema to watch Kirk Cameron's documentary-Monumental. (Inspirational!!)

On Wednesday, the kids finished their studies early, so we could all go hiking by our house before preparing for Bible Study....we had SO much fun!!!! It had just rained, and so there were a few swampy areas...talk about fun!!! I brought along some snacks (just raisins, starbursts, and Organic Ginger Ale...so as not to ruin their appetites for dinner! ;p)

Josiah, David, Rachel, Rebekah, James, Sarah, Esther, Samuel, and Samson

Sammy Pine Seed???

Brotherly Love

I love preparing for Bible Study...we usually have around 40+ people, and right now are going through the Sermon on the Mount.....how training horses correlates to our Christian walk with God, and God's relationship with us...

Wednesday night, my dad got home, and what a joyous reunion it was!!! Mama went on to Chicago--to see Daniel, and then went to Springfield for a Women's Retreat with Anne Hogan. She'll get back Sunday, so I get to be 'mommy' for a little while longer...which I love.

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example fo the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

~ 1 Timothy 4:12 ~

OctoberBaby

Saturday, a bunch of girls from our church and I went to the Cinema to watch newly released OctoberBaby--an inspirational film on a college-age, homeschooled, abortion survivor-Hannah, who after struggling for years with epilepsy, asthma, and inward depression, finds out about her birth and adoption, and decides to find her birth mother with her best friend Jason, though her father disapproved.

What I found striking about this film, is the tact they used in talking about the abortion-though they described it in gentle depth, and how they didn't compromise on standards in making the film, or for the actors...Though Hannah and Jason were in many awkward situations, they kept their purity; though Hannah and her dad didn't have a very close relationship to start with, she honored her dad (after a short struggle) and then it became strong in the end; when her dad told Jason not to communicate with Hannah, he honored that deeply; Hannah's mom honored her husband as well, even though she didn't agree with the way he was handling everything.

Some of the reviews said: "The movie sends strong messages about the beauty of life, the importance of each life--but it's not preachy." World Magazine observed that the film is "polished" and "a more-than-worthy viewing experience" (of which I would agree). The highlight of the film was portraying "how liberating and joyous forgiveness is--both giving it and receiving it--without putting implausible, sermonizing dialogue into their character's mouths".

Afterwards, we all went to Texas Roadhouse...one of my favorite restaurants (I think that would be unanimous. ;p).

I LOVE Chili!!! (with onions of course) :)

For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

~ Psalms 139:13-14 ~

Up Before Dawn

Yesterday, David, Samuel, Rebekah and I all got up before dawn, got dressed, did chores, had breakfast, and took the sleds out...or snow machines as we Alaskans say, before everyone went Skiing the rest of the day.

Our Men (Josiah, Samuel, Papa, James & David)..a couple months ago. :)

You know, there is nothing like being out there, with the sun coming up, and the wind in your face on these monstrous machines (except doing the same on a horse)....Just takes your breath away, and shows you a glimpse of God's magnificent Glory!!!

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.

~ Psalms 90:2 ~

Each Day with Grace..

Yesterday marked the day my filly - Ruhamah...my dream, my passion, my 'future'....as I thought would have turned 1 year old...

I re-read my journal last night during that time, and I am still shocked by the grace God bestowed on me, and the time He allowed it to happen, that literally every single moment for the next 2 weeks were filled with HUGE things to do... (Work is my getaway)
Ruhamah means "Obtained Mercy", and that is what God gave me...I obtained Mercy, throughout it all, and God's grace proved to be sufficient.

One of my favorite songs, which this blog is actually titled after is Day By Day...what solace it has brought me!!! Praise God for His everlasting mercy and grace.

Day by day, and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,

Gives unto each day what He deems best,

Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,

WIth a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,

He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,

Offered me within Thy hol Word.

Help me Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E'er to take, as from a father's hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

But though He cause grief, yet will He have COMPASSION (ruhamah) according to the multitude of His mercies.

~ Lamentations 3:23 ~

Studying at Jordan's

First of all, this marks my 3rd week exactly since my Multiple Oral/Naso surgeries....Praise God for allowing my recovery to go well!!! I got my stint out last week (so I can talk straight ;p), and now just have elastic ligatures to continue movement, with the hopes of being finished with braces in 4-8 months!!!

Sometimes I have the chance to study my EMT Course (or Midwifery) at Jordan's house...the girl I went with to the Philippines, remember?? Today was such a day, as the kids were all at their Classical Conversations (like a co-op), and I was supposed to bring them home, so my parents could have a date night... (Well, that didn't happen, since Rebekah came down with the Stomach Flu mid-morning).

Anyway, I got a LOT of studying in, as well as some fellowship, ;p and finished up my Chapter on Cardiological Emergencies...deep stuff!!
Then Jordan and I went out to feed her brand new Nubian kids....

Boy, did that tear my heart!!! I want my Nubians back!!!!

I SO love their long, floppy ears....and their sweet, rich milk... All in God's good time... :) He had me sell them for a purpose, and there is a time for every season...including one for buying goats...and horses...

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

~ Philippians 4:11 ~

One of my favorite verses that correlates with goats is:

The lamvs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.

~ Proverbs 27:26-27 ~

(Kinda looks like milk is REALLY good for girls!! ;p)

A Glimpse at the Heart of God

Today, we had a guest speaker at our church-Phil Altmeyer from the Union Gospel Mission, one of which is being built here in Kootenai County. He spoke on a subject that is near, dear, and very close to my heart... What God's Heart is for the Poor.

I would encourage you to get your Bibles out and join me for a little Bible Study, by looking up these following verses.

Did you know that in the Old Testament, God made Provision for the Poor??
IN FOOD AND HEALTH:
Leviticus 23:22 - And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Exodus 23:11 -But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
Leviticus 19:10 - And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

FINANCIALLY:
Exodus 22:25 -If thou lend money to any of My people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.

IN SACRIFICE AND WORSHIP:
Leviticus 14:21 - And if he be poor, and cannot get so much; then he shall take one lamb for a trespass offering to be waved, to make an atonement for him, and one tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering, and a log of oil.

AND BY HIS PROTECTION:
Isaiah 25:4 - For Thou hast been a Strength to the poor, a Strength to the needy in his distress, a Refuge from the storm, a Shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is a storm against the wall.

Did you know that:
God COMMANDS for us to care for the Poor?
Deuteronomy 15:10-11 - Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.
Isaiah 58:7 - Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

God casts JUDGEMENT/A CURSE for NOT caring for the Poor?
Proverbs 22:22-23 - Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them. 
Proverbs 28:27 - He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.


Here's an example of God fulfilling His promise/curse:
Ezekiel 16:49-50 - Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.  And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

God gave us PROMISES/WILL BLESS us for caring for the Poor?
Proverbs 19:17 - He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.
Proverbs 22:9 - He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
Proverbs 28:27 - He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.


THOSE WHO KNOW GOD WILL REFLECT HIS HEART:
Jeremiah 22:16 - He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD.

Have you ever wondered why teaching on this subject is mostly absent in the New Testament?? It is because the Israelites obeyed God, and did as He said (as is evident in Book of Ruth).
Luke 4:18 - Beginning of Jesus' Ministry
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
John 12:3-5 - Mary
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. The saith one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray Him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
Luke 19:8 - Zacchaeus
And Zaccaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
Acts 10:2 - Cornelius
A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
Romans 15:26 - Early Church
For it hath please them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
John 13:29 - Judas
For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or that he should give something to the poor.
Galations 2:10 - Paul and Church Leaders
Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

Why is it is important to God??
Proverbs 14:31 - He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth Him hath mercy on the poor.
Proverbs 17:5 - Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.

~ Matthew 25:40 ~

Regional Spelling Bee

After hours upon hours of studying and coaching by Papa, Rebekah (age 12) and Esther (11) competed in the Regional Spelling Bee today, along with 45 other 4th-8th grade spellers from North Idaho. It's neat to watch the bee, because every year, there is more competition, and more spellers who have really been studying, as was VERY evident this year...

Esther did a fantastic job, and made it to the 3rd round, missing the word 'ambivalent' with an 'o'.

After 4 hours and 40 grueling rounds (making a record by 15 rounds), Rebekah took 2nd place (runner up) on the word "prosciutto", spelling it "proschuitto", which is an "Italian ham cured by drying and typically served in very thin slices" The winner, an 8th grader-Sarah-Jessica Sedy won on the word "keeshond" which is "a dog of a Dutch breed with long thick gray hair resembling a large Pomeranian".

Sarah and Rebekah were the only 2 contestants left after the 26th round, which shows how tough the competition was and how much studying both girls put into the studying, spelling words like "asthmogenic", "balalaika", "rejoneador", "bobbejaan", "verboten", "trepak", "embarcadero", "kielbasa", "ingenue", "comandante", "tanha", "fantoccini", and "tchotchke".

In a way, it is a bit of relief for us that Kiekah didn't go to Nationals this year, because of our already busy Spring schedule, and all the even more intense studying she'd be doing in the next two months. Also, this is Sarah's last year, and Rebekah has 2 more years, so all in all, it was a blessing in disguise. Praise God for His infinite Wisdom!!!

And, as Rebekah said: "I hope to make it (to Nationals) next year, and (not going) gives me more time to study the National Spelling Bee material, so I can hopefully make it past the Written Test next year!"

We just happened to be down town when the St Patrick's Day parade came by, and so we were able to watch it all pass. We have never experienced it before, and so it was a lot of fun. Leading the Parade was of course the regular Police escort, then a Firefighter Band (in kilts to boot!! ;p), and then a large assortment of dogs (and their owners), Equine 4H'ers all decked out in Green, different campaigning items, trucks, BMX Racers, a Fire Engine, and a collie herding sheep, etc!!! What fun!

Many people don't really know what the real origins of St. Patrick's Day is, but it was made in celebration of a man who loved and served the Lord, helped others, and was a missionary to Ireland, defying the Catholic church back home....to read more about Patrick, click here.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

~ Second Timothy 4:7 ~

Post-Op Life

Today

I write this post, from my spacious new room (our guest room), which is my room for the next few weeks, until company kicks me out, ;p as I sip on a cup of Tomato Soup (yes, I'm actually sipping it, which is a big change from receiving all my nutrition from a 60 ml syringe...which I am still being fed from as well.) :)

Life is good...I am enjoying it with a great big smile (inwardly if not always outwardly), and am growing even closer to my Lord and Saviour....we have had amazing 2 am talks these last few days, and though I like my sleep, it has well been worth it.

For the last 5 days, I have been spoiled rotten by everybody...so many people...a little overwhelming for a girl who is almost NEVER sick!!!  On one hand, it has been kinda humbling to be at the mercy of other people, but on the other (in a maybe partially selfish sort of way??), I am REALLY enjoying it too....  On one hand, I love all the attention, but on the other, something deep down inside of me says: "YOU should be taking care of them!!"  And so I try....at least with good humor.

Post-Op  -   Just home

As I said in my last post, surgery went well.  The only complication I experienced was that my body really likes to bleed (which was not really expected), and so I lost over 1/3 of my blood during surgery, before they were able to get my blood pressure low enough that it eventually stopped. Thus, my primary focus of healing, is getting my energy levels back up. :)

Pre-Op with my Anesthetist 

I woke up from surgery pretty fast, and loved my hospital experience (which I didn't have to leave!!)....and my IV... :O  I had the best nurses... One of the first thing I noticed is that I could actually breathe through my nose without any problems!!

With my Primary Post-Op Nurse-Dayna

Supposedly, the 3rd day is the hardest day, because your body is waking up from surgery. Also, a lot of people experience depression and start second-guessing surgery (which was not a problem for me, because I can breathe!!! That should kick anybody out of 2nd guesses! ;p).  Anyhow, I actually found my 4th day-Thursday to be the hardest. That was the day I was most dizzy, and my brain figured out that the funny sensations (not sharp, aggravating pain, but dull, numbing,  and pins-&-needly like) I was feeling should now be classified as 'pain'.

Home Sweet Home

It's so neat to see how God makes our bodies, because at least with mine, He created this little function that, once it identifies something as "painful", it starts minimizing it as fast as possible... So Friday, I got 'used' to the 'pain' that was identified on Thursday, and so today has been a breeze...

Post-Op Check (Day 2) with my Dr.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed this adventure so far...yes, there have been may ups and downs, and my energy level is still very low, which can be frustrating, but God is King over everything, and He is continuing to teach me to be still and know He is God.  Life is a continual refining process, and again, God has proven Himself faithful.

Again, I thank you all for your prayers. This adventure I'm on is not over yet, but it's a start..and a good one at that!! I leave you with these words which have been on my mind a lot lately:

I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger

Just traveling through this world of woe

Yet there's no sickness, toil, nor danger

In that bright land to which I go

I'm goin' there to see my Father

I'm going there no more to roam

I'm just a goin' over Jordan

I'm just a goin' over home

I know dark clouds will gather 'round me

I know my way is rough and steep

Yet golden fields lie just before me

Where God's redeemed their vigil keep

I'm goin' there to meet my siblings

They said they'd meet me when I come

I'm only goin' over Jordan

I'm only goin' over home

I want to wear a crown of glory

When I get home to that good land

I want to shout salvation's story

In concert with the blood-washed band

I'm goin' there to meet my Saviour

To sing His praise forever more

I'm just a goin' over Jordan

I'm just a goin' over home

And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.  Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people His doings.

 ~ Psalms 9:10-11 ~