Hello Again from the Mother of Many Teens

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, there was a blogger named Jen who at least attempted to post something regularly.

and then she had six teenagers. and then seven. and then eight.
and she didn't blog for those 3 years...
and then she got back down to 7 again and this blog is being reborn.  

For real, people!  When did this happen?  Just yesterday I had 10 children ages 12 and under!  OK, it was actually 5 years ago, but the time has just slipped away so quickly.

 Not saying' that the little kid stage was a walk in the park or anything, but the whole "I have a junior high youth group living in my house, riding in my van, constantly talking to me every. single. minute. of. the. day. thing" has been a parenting world I was slightly unprepared for and honestly, didn't super love.

Please don't hate me if you love the junior high years.  Here are my very sincere kudos to you!  But, for serious... I'd rather parent a passel of toddlers before having FOUR junior high boys again at the same time.   Oh yes, and our oldest daughters were jr. high and early high school age at that time as well.

Much to my delight and surprise, it seems that after they survive this madness known as "11-14 year olds," it is possible for them to emerge from this brain hibernation time as quite pleasant and fun teenagers!

One totally awesome thing about having 10 children is that by the time the fifth or sixth child hits a certain stage or age, our parenting skills (or lack thereof, ahem...) have been seriously rocked and refined, our responses slowed and softened, our ability to be shocked, awed, or offended is pretty much non-existent.  Well, maybe we're still working on that whole"not being offended" thing, but we are learning!

learning that nothing is so bad you can't survive it,
learning to breathe and rest in Christ,
learning to give grace to both them and us,
learning how to live with Truth, trust, and thanksgiving.

So here we are today:

For our 17, 15, and two 14 1/2 year olds, praying they will forgive and forget all of our great parenting fails and be able to remember the love and commitment and "re-overs" we had together.

Hoping my two 13 year old boys and two 11 year old girls - Yep you heard that right:  we still have four junior higher's in the house, in the van, constantly talking and talking and talking - where was I? Oh yes...  hoping that we can give them more grace, listen more, stress out less about things that will pass, and maybe even enjoy these years a bit (even IF their brains are hibernating for a while).

Thinking that by the time our 7 and 8 year olds hit this stage, I'll feel like it just like I do about the toddler stage:  bring it on!

And, beginning to believe that I might, quite possibly, be able to find the emotional and mental space to begin writing again.

Stay tuned and subscribe so you don't miss some fun stuff (like my first radio interview and a review and giveaway of my friend's new adoption book) later this week!

Things I'm thinking about today

I KNOW this is true.  How good it is to hear another Christian wife and mother articulate these things.  What encouragement to continue on in ways that are, for the most part, extremely counter-cultural today. Join me in reading here today.  I'd love if you'd click back over here and comment on your thoughts, experiences, or questions in these two areas!  Let's talk!

Homeschooling too much produces too little.

Preparing our children for what?

Rice and Beans They'll Love to Eat!

You know me, no actual measurements, but here's the basic plan:

long grain brown rice

(assuming you know how to cook this)

black beans

soak and cook

OR

pressure can your own so they're ready to go anytime

add garlic, onion, cumin, cayenne, sea salt to taste

serve with taco toppings:

lettuce, salsa, sourcream, red onion

Seriously, it is THAT easy!

want a little something more?

How about this salad:

spinach leaves, mandarin oranges, sesame stix,

feta cheese w/ oil & balsamic vinegar dressing

Hint: make enough rice and beans for leftovers

DAY 2 (lunch)

you can make these the night before or easily whip it up at lunch time

Mix rice and beans together and spoon mixture into tortillas,

top with shredded mexican cheese blend.

roll up put on cookie sheet and bake at 350

till cheese melted and all is heated through.

Serve with salsa and sourcream and seasonal fruit

This is a REALLY cheap way to feed a crowd of hungry kiddos

TWO meals that they will love!

Don't forget to vote today at Circle of Moms

Lazy Mom's Lasagna

(sorry about the first post, the recipe is actually here in more than pictures this time!)

My kids LOVE lasagna.

Do you know how long it takes to make enough lasagna for my family of 12?

I guess it goes without saying that we don't have lasagna that often.

UNTIL NOW

because I have finally invented

The Lazy Mom's Lasagna!

As you know, I don't follow recipes and I don't measure anything (very few measuring cups would be big enough. LOL!)

So, once again I will give you my non-recipe-recipe and hope you can follow along. I promise, it will be worth it!

Little noodles (like rotini or gemelli), boil, pour into roasting pan

(yes, that is a TURKEY size roasting pan - adjust to the size of your family. . .

mine actually can eat all of this!)

ground beef - cook w/ a little salt, pepper, basil, garlic, onion (optional)

drain off grease, pour on top of pasta

(add olives in there too if you want)

Use your Bosch or kitchen aid to blend up the following:

1 lg. tub cottage cheese, 1/2 tub cream cheese,

Weird, I know, just trust me!

some creme fraiche (or not - I had some homemade so I used it),

chopped up spinach leaves, salt, and basil.

pour this cheesy mixture on top of meat

now get a big spoon and mix it all together (noodles, meat, cheese blend)

pour on top 1 lg. tub of speghetti sauce (costco or homemade)

top w/ mozzarella cheese

bake 350 till heated through and mozz. melted nicely on top

serve in a bowl w/ a slice of garlic bread and a salad.

YUM!

apparently my children ate it all before I took a picture of it cooked.

If you try this, please let me know what you think!

Answer: Misunderstood

Question: What do you call a large, multi-racial, foster, adoptive, homeschooling family?

Yes, it is true.

We have been misunderstood.

Many times.

Over many years.

BUT, I love that God is showing me that it is O.K. to be misunderstood.

Many times it gives me a unique opportunity to share the Hope that lies within me!

In fact, if I am living in such a way that no one ever questions my sanity, then maybe I'm not really living for Him.

I hope you enjoy this "guest post" today (from my husband):

-----------------------------------------

Misunderstood

When they looked at Jesus' life, what did the religious leaders most complain about?

That He ate with sinners and tax collectors.

What was Jesus most accused of by the religious leaders of the day?

Being a drunk and a glutton!

As we read the narratives of the gospels, we see the heart of Jesus and we understand why he was so intentional about spending time with people of questionable character and status - but those around Him missed it completely.

He even told the religious leaders, "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)

Jesus willingly accepted the fact that most people (and mostly religious people) would misunderstand Him as he pursued that which the Father had before Him.

I like the fact that Jesus was misunderstood.

It is freeing!

One of the biggest struggles I have had has been living to please others. This naturally made me afraid of what people thought about me and the decisions I made.

God has been pressing on these fears of man and has been burning them away, directing me to be most concerned about

what He thinks about me

and what He has before me. . .

even if others don't get it,

even if my friends totally miss the point,

even if it brings criticism.

CT Studd once said,

"Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell. I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell."

I think Studd really understood the life of a follower of Jesus and how it might impact the way others see you.

What is so ironic is that when we are living out the

radical,

gospel-focused,

grace filled,

God-centered life

that smells of a rescue worker,

those who see themselves as "very religious" are the very ones who will misunderstand

while those of the world will (quite likely) be intrigued, fascinated and interested in why we live this way.

This gives us the opportunity to give an answer for the Hope that lies within us.

May we fear no man when we pursue God

and His direction for us.

May we run headlong into the God-fearing,

gospel-focused, grace-filled life.

May we ignore the critics

and pay attention only to the audience of One

for whom we live.

On the journey,

Pastor Jeff

Clothing the Masses

I know that many people wonder just how it is possible to provide for 10 children.

You know. . . HOW, exactly, do we feed and clothe them all.

I get it. I know that it seems illogical and somewhat impossible.

But, do you know that the Lord has this AMAZING way of providing for all of our needs?

He is good. He is Sovereign.

Why would we EVER doubt

that he will provide for our needs?

He will.

He will provide.

He always does.

He always has.

and, He commands us to REMEMBER his faithfulness!

so. . .

Just so I don't forget, here is how we have been blessed in the clothing department:

• We have boxes of clothing in our closets and garage that are sorted by gender, size, and season. Most of these are hand-me downs from neighbors and friends. They are all in great condition. Whenever I need a new pair of jeans for one of the kids (usually the boys wear their's out first), I can run out and find a pair that fits. Awesome!

• We also have shoes, sandals, boots, etc. . . same story, basically.

• Late in the summer I sorted through all of the clothes the kids have for winter (took 2 days!) and then went thrift-storing with a good friend. I managed to purchase almost everything that 10 children needed for fall/winter for about $250. That is about $25 per child!

• Growing feet, and wet, cold winters meant that we really did need new snow boots for 7 of the children this year. UGH. Not cheap! We HAVE tried the thrift-store, hand me down boot thing and usually end up regretting it every day the children come in with soaking wet red little toes. . . but, I happened upon a GREAT sale at a well-known children's catalog store and ended up getting an INCREDIBLE deal:

7 Pairs of $30.00 snow boots and a pair of $30.00 snow gloves

for a grand total of:

(drumroll please)

$109.84 (INCLUDING shipping!)

WOW!

Thank you Lord for your provision.

Always.

Help me to remember!

Other mamas of large families: How do you clothe your children without bankrupting your account? Let's share some ideas.

Cilantro Lime Chicken in a Crockpot

YUM!

I love figuring out how to use what we have on hand to whip up a new recipe. A few weeks ago, Cilantro Lime Chicken was born after eating at Chipotle Grill when we were at T4A (and loving it).

We're having it again tomorrow night. It is so good and my family loved it. I love it because I can throw it together quickly AND cheaply!

Don't forget, we have 12 people (and many boys who eat a bunch), so modify the amounts as needed!

Also, if you remember from previous recipes, I never really measure, so this is my best guess on what I throw in!

CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN IN A POT (crockpot, that is)

Place into a crockpot:

4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts *

about 3-4 cups of salsa (I love to use our home-canned salsa from the summer)

about 1 cup of lime juice

about 2 cups of chopped fresh cilantro

water or chicken broth to just cover

(sauteed garlic would also be a great addition - just thought of that)

Cook on Low all day or High for half of the day

An hour before dinner,

take two forks and shred the chicken

add a bag of frozen corn

and give it a stir.

Salt and Pepper to taste

Serve with or over black beans and brown rice and the following salad:

Lettuce, red onion, and red bell pepper.

Dress with salsa and or sour cream as wanted.

If your kids like a little homemade chipotle-ranch dressing, that is good too.

My kids end up mixing it all up together or wrapping it all up in a tortilla.

mmm. . . even my husband who doesn't love chicken actually loves this dish!

*(I throw in the frozen chicken that I keep in my freezer for quick meals. . . you could also use home-de-boned chicken, or fresh ones. . . you could use chicken w/ the bone still in, but the end result would be harder to serve)

Of Birthdays and Backyards

Today was Speedy Mo's 9th birthday.

Have you ever heard about children from "hard places" sabotaging their own birthdays?

Did you know that, for boys (at least for mine), "9" is a hard year?

Well, let's just put those two things together and then mix in it being a Sunday (my husband is a pastor) and throw in a few (well, 5) sick children and you pretty much have

a recipe for disaster.

well. . . I guess not exactly disaster, but it most definitely did not make for a great day for little Speedy.

Ah, well, we are going to try actually having a celebration later this week and Speedy Mo seemed content tonight when we talked about it.

Our normal birthday routine (pretty much) goes something like this:

Drive-thru the coffee stop with Dad early in the morning for a special birthday drink

Breakfast of choice

(Speedy will probably pick sausage, eggs, and pancakes) w/ our family

Presents from Grandmas and Grandpas and maybe from a family friend or two

and either

a small party with family & friends or a day out with mom and dad to do something special

(Speedy Mo chose going to a "race car track" with mom and dad this year)

and the child's dinner of choice

(Speedy wants "meat and noodles" - translation: beef of some kind and noodles with garlic, basil, and butter, and a cesaer salad).

ha ha - typing that out makes it seem like SO much!

Of course, we try to make birthdays extra special as one way to make each of our children know we value them as individuals. . . but our birthdays are far from the themed plates, pony rides, and gift bags craze that seems to dominate our current American child culture.

Anyways. . .

on a completely different note:

We have outgrown our backyard!

Yep. It's true.

The suburban lot on .25 (or less) of an acre with a backyard smaller than your average swimming pool just doesn't cut it for a family with 10 kids.

We had NO idea when we moved in to our WONDERFUL home that we would ever have 10 children. We certainly didn't expect them to arrive 6 at a time!

And now, with 8 of our children between the ages of 7 and 13, we are seeing the need for a little more space out of doors to play AND to work.

We actually have plenty of house space. Less would be fine. It is that outside area that we are finding to be so crucial - and not available in our current residence.

While it isn't the greatest time to be selling a house, we are really praying that the Lord would move mightily on our behalf and send someone to whom this house and great neighborhood will truly be a blessing and then, that He would place us somewhere that will be helpful to the continued healing our our children "from hard places" and any other children he may someday bring our way.

Would you please pray with us?

Large Family Sarcasm

From another GREAT blogger I don't really know but do really love (Tamra):

Bedtime Blues

USUALLY, bedtime is a non-issue around here. . . usually.

The normal routine goes something like this:

Finish up dinner, "bigs" start dishes and clean up while mommy bathes the "littles" and gets them ready for bed.

"Littles" say goodnight to everyone and then go to read, rock, and sing a few songs in their room (with Mom).

"Middles" and "bigs" get ready for bed and listen to Dad read a chapter or two from the latest "Daddy Read-Aloud."

They are currently starting book 3 of "The Mysterious Benedict Society." It is a fun series!

Mom tucks in "littles" and then both Mom and Dad make the rounds (3 bedrooms worth - LOL!) and tuck in and pray with the "middles and bigs."

Sometimes the oldest few read for a while before going to sleep.

No problem.

Usually.

Here was tonight:

Mom asks a certain child (whose job it is anyways) to please begin washing up the dishes.

Certain child begins to whine, argue, and complain about how no one ever helps her.

Mom says something like, "Probably so. I'll have someone else do it tonight. Please go up and brush your teeth and get in bed."

"But (WHINE) I don't want to go to bed. . . I'll do the dishes (WHINE)."

"I know. Please go up and brush your teeth and get in bed."

"But (WHINE) I don't want to go to bed. . . I'll do the dishes (WHINE)."

"I know. Please go up and brush your teeth and get in bed."

this repeats another, oh, I don't know. . . 14 times (she's persistent!).

Certain child finally heads to bed (still whining).

Meanwhile, dear husband doesn't feel well and so goes to lie down for a few minutes and falls asleep.

Other big children do (thankfully) clean up the kitchen while mom goes to help "middles" and "littles" get ready for bed.

Mom instructs them to brush their teeth and quietly look at books while mom goes to talk to that certain child who is still whining and crying loudly from their bedroom. . .

While they are getting ready, one "little" decides to ignore mom completely and go off to do her own thing.

She also ends up going to bed (instead of reading stories) and decides to holler as loudly as possible. Mom says goodnight.

Hollering of both children wakes up dad (he's grumpy and goes in to tell them to be quiet but doesn't know what was going on). Mom tells Dad that they are o.k. and to please not give them any more attention. . . now Dad is grumpy at Mom.

(sigh.)

Mom goes back in with other middles and littles and reads and sings and is trying to tuck them in but they insist on continuing to chatter/talk/cajole.

Certain child is still crying loudly but MIRACULOUSLY stops when her sister suddenly enters the room to go to bed (almost 1 hour later).

All children, except the 3 oldest (who are working on a project), are now in bed.

One of the "littles" starts to cry (seriously. this NEVER happens.)

He has to go "peep."

So, out of bed he comes so he can go "peep" and then back to bed for him.

"Bigs" are now done with their project and are chatting in the LR and hoping mom won't send them to bed too soon.

Mom graciously allows a few minutes of goofy chatter at which time she realizes that certain child AND her roommate are out of bed and messing around in the bathroom!

(irritated sigh.)

Back to bed they go.

Off to bed "bigs" go.

Mom says goodnight to "bigs"

and goes to blog about this chaos

and eat chocolate.

A "little" cries. . . the dog starts barking loudly. Dad wakes up again.

(sigh.)

does anyone have some more chocolate?

View from a Treehouse

Last month we were blessed to be able to spend some time with new friends who just happen to have five children including one sweet boy they adopted from Uganda about a year ago.

How wonderful it was to pray and eat and chat and watch our 15 children enjoy the summer sun in their incredible backyard - complete with a blow up water slide AND a great treehouse!

Dad had to try out the treehouse too. . .

He snapped this INCREDIBLE picture of all of the children.

Aren't they precious?

Maybe it's just the view from the treehouse, but everytime I look at this picture I think,

"hmm. . . 15 children doesn't really seem like much more than 10. . . "

Crazy Cousin Camp (part 1)

Last week was a WHIRLWIND of excitement around here! I'm one tired mama!

This was the crazy, fun, exhausting week of our first annual "Cousin Camp."

For years I have been hoping to host "cousin camp" for my 4 nephews (ages 6-12) and my younger half-siblings (ages 8 and 12) to come and spend time with our family. This year I was finally able to convince both my dad AND my sister to send almost all of their children up for a week. . . but only because there were two sports camps for their kids to take part in. LOL!

So, crazy cousin camp started late Sunday evening when my younger sister and brother and two of my nephews joined us for dinner and a movie and settled in.

That brought us to a total of 14 children for the week - ages 2,4,6,6,7,8,8,8,10,10,10,12,12,12!

The week was FULL of activity and adventures.

Our first big activity of the week was Basketball Camp for 8 of the 14 children. It was M-F from 8-12. Here is Speedy Mo showing off his skills and below is a picture of my little brother and my nephew. All of the actual "cousins" loved saying that this little guy (on the left) was their uncle!

One morning, my dear husband took 3 of the remaining children with him to set up Soccer Camp (more on that later) which left me with ONLY a 6, 4, and 2 year old! Now, I know for most mamas, the years of a 6, 4, and 2 year old at home can be rough, but that morning I was thinking,

"Wow, this is CAKE! I can't believe how much I'm getting done, how happy the kids are, how quiet it is. . . "

They do say it is all about perspective!

Thoughts on Feeding a Large Family

Serve up some nourishment today and every day!

"You ARE done now, right?"

Check this out: Storing Up Treasures: Me and My Vasectomy

The Rockstar is hilarious! Courtney and her kids must laugh a LOT around their house!

My husband has this same sarcastic sense of humor (and, so do I) so this gets us ROTFL!

Since 9 of our 10 are quite obviously adopted, we don't get the vasectomy or tube tying questions very often, but we are often asked if we are done yet. As in: "You ARE done now, right?!"

Just the other day I was holding a friend's sweet 3 month old baby at church when a lady (also in the 35-55 year old age range that the Rockstar talked about) came up to me and said, "Don't even think about it!"

What? Excuse me? What kind of comment is that? Here, I'll give you a few other more appropriate things you could have said:

"Oh, what a sweet, precious baby!"

"Do I get a turn to hold him?"

or, if you are really wondering if we are planning to have more (not that it is really your business, but. . . ):

"Are you missing the baby stage?"

"Do you want another one?" (of course, depending on tone, this could go either way! LOL!)

In response to the Rockstar's question about how he should reply to ladies who comment on his plans for a vasectomy, I guess you could say something like:

"What! You mean I could snip myself and avoid all of these blessings! Well, why hasn't anyone ever told me this before? Tell me, when and where did you have your tubes tied and for what purpose?"

See, I told you I could be sarcastic. It really is terrible!

Actually, though, I don't think that people are THINKING before they say things or ask questions that are so rude or intrusive. Replying snarkily is probably not usually the best course of action. I'm sure a response of grace and truth is better.

Didn't someone once say to speak the truth in love?

I guess I'll need to work on that!

Ruffling Feathers. Are you?

" it's interesting..that when we PROFESS likeness with Christ, nobody's feathers are ruffled, but when we begin to be identified with Him by how our lives are lived out, it becomes a bit offensive, mostly to other Christians. Shouldn't we be cheering one another on in the fight for faith, the battle for souls, seeing the captives set free? No matter where it takes us or how "radical" it may look..we only get one chance."

from my wonderful friend D'Lynn, with whom we first began our journey of adoption almost 3 years ago when we went to "carry home" our children from Liberia together.

A Few Good Toys

that's all you need -

a few (as in, not very many)

good (as in, high quality, long lasting, well loved)

toys (as in, things children can actually PLAY with)

as in,

not

cheap,

plastic,

noisemaking

junk

dedicated to a single use

usually coming from a fast food restaurant

or large chain superstore.

I'm talking about having just

A Few Good Toys (and where to store them)

• Legos (large shallow plastic tub with wheels and a lid)

Seriously, if we could only have one toy, this would be it! Of course, maybe "one" is sort of a misnomer; it's more like 14,678 toys! But, just stick them all in a large, shallow tub and roll it under a bed. Easy access, easy clean up, easy storage. HOURS of fun!

• Building Blocks (Large basket or bin)

If you have Legos, you don't really need more building blocks, but we have found that a good set of wooden building blocks are quite useful for many days of creative play. "Jenga" blocks work great if you can't find or afford to purchase another good set.

• Dollhouse with people and vehicles (Large basket or bin)

and/or a farmhouse with animals and vehicles. Boys and girls will both love these sets with very high play value. We like the wooden sets, but there are some o.k. plastic ones too.

• Play food and dishes (medium basket or bin)

If you have preschoolers, you've got to have this. Again, we prefer wood (like the Melissa and Doug brand). There are some sets that have fruits and veggies that kids can "cut" in half

• A good assortment of dress up clothes (an old hope chest or extra dresser)

Some princess dresses and accessories, of course! Also include historical period pieces if you can and don't forget the boys. My 2 and 3 year old boys love hats and masks. My older boys love Dad's old sports uniforms, funny jackets, hats, and wigs.

• Baby doll and/or stuffed animal (on the child's bed)

I'm pretty sure most families have WAY too many of these things! One baby doll that is well-loved is worth much more than 10 random stuffed animals gathering dust! One or two of these can live on each child's bed, but any more than that is like a zoo.

As far as inside toys go, that's about it. Of course we have art supplies and outside items (maybe I'll post about that tomorrow).

Just take the 3 or 4 baskets and bins and put them on a bookshelf, in a low closet, or along a wall. Even the little ones can clean up and sort toys when it is this basic.

So, what do you do with all of the rest of your toys?

Just throw it all out.

Really,

you'll feel much better and your kids won't even be able to remember it after a few weeks.

In fact, they might not even notice the junk is gone. They will appreciate how much easier it is to keep their rooms clean!

As if I wasn't already a little crazy,

today I brought 8 (yes, 8) of my 10 children to the doctor's office all at once for their check-ups! Everyone except for Mr. Z and Little Missy were "due" (that's another post altogether) and so we decided to just spend a morning getting it done!

Did I mention we have an incredible doctor/nurse team who were willing to come in on their morning off to see all of our children? Yes, they are GREAT!

My husband is also quite wonderful: He came along for the first hour or so and then took Happy, Mama's Angel, and Big Joe home when they were finished - which only left me with five!

As we knew, all of the children are just fine. I think we may be having a further eye exam for Chatty. Otherwise, everyone is healthy and doing well.

It was SO FUNNY when we were leaving (the 5 and I) and the patients in the waiting room were looking in obvious wonder at this multi-racial "large" family. The kids and I laughed that our "large" family was only HALF of what it normally is! Hee Hee

The Mission of Motherhood

If this post title seems familiar to you, it might be because it is also the title of a fantastic book by Sally Clarkson. I highly recommend ANY book by Sally Clarkson, and this one is no exception.

Today our whole family (yep, everyone!) attended our church's mini missions conference. It was a really great day! We heard from some different missionaries that our church supports and learned more about missions. I REALLY wanted my children to attend because I know that many of the missionary stories I heard as a child had a profound influence on my spiritual growth and opened my heart toward God's leading in my life in many ways. The older children were definitely listening and engaged and even "the babies" were able to sit, listen, and quietly play for the 4 hour conference (with a short lunch break thrown in!).

BUT, the real reason for this post is that as we were sitting there, I was once again reminded that my home is really my mission field (at least for right now)! Just two short months ago, "Mr. Chatty" had NEVER heard about Jesus! That's right - NEVER! And just to be clear: this is an 8 year old boy who was born and raised in the United States. The only thing he remembers ever hearing is one girl in his public school classroom saying that "we are all brothers and sisters with God - but we're not allowed to talk about it here." He thought she was talking about a pretend god.

Two months later, this same little boy (the one who the foster agencies said was angry, defiant, aggressive, etc.) LOVES Jesus! He can't wait for the next day's Bible story: and after he hears it he can't wait to tell someone else about these amazing things (like Dorcas being raised from the dead)! He thoroughly enjoys our Family Sunday School lessons in the Westminster Shorter Chatechism and totally applies himself to memorizing every Bible verse we give him. He recently was telling me that before he was in our family he "didn't know nothing about Jesus or God and was mean and rude and mad," but now he "knows Jesus and He's changing my life and I'm not like that any more!" It is the truth, too! This is one changed (and changing) boy.

The same is true for his sisters who had one great foster family before us who introduced them to Christ. They are really growing in their love and knowledge of Him. It is being reflected in their attitudes and actions. It is really an amazing thing to watch, to be a part of, to enjoy! We are so truly blessed that God granted us the faith and courage to say "yes" to this crazy adventure. I am so blessed to be able to focus my time and attention on these precious children right here in my own "home missions" field!

On a similar note, did you know that if a family has 8 children and they raise them all to love and follow Christ, and then they each do the same, then in 5 generations there would be 32,000 Christ followers? Isn't that amazing?

I don't believe in my whole life (so far) I have personally led even 5 people to Christ but, Lord willing, hopefully all 10 of our children will choose to follow and serve Christ and do the same with their children which will result in a small army of believers ready to serve their Lord and Savior; ready for the fields.

the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray, therefore, that the Lord would send out workers unto the fields.