New Ventures

So this week brought some new things to our house. Hope had her first job! She worked for a young mother from church. I wasn't real sure about the reactions of the rest of the people in the house, but they did handle it well.  When you send your daughter out to work for the first time you wonder, "Did I teach her right? Does she actually know how to help, or will the other mother feel like she just gained a teen student?"
I was pleased when Hope came home and said, "We did baking, picked beans, and then she said I could take a break while she puts the girls to bed, but there were so many dishes in the sink, I decided to wash them."
WOW!  sorry just had to brag.

Today we get to add another child to the house, a thirteen-year-old girl.....from China.....for only two weeks. I have very mixed feelings about this. Part of me is resentful.
Why do people think I have any extra nurturing left in me to parent ANOTHER child for two weeks?
Just because we already have Chinese children living in our house does that make us more qualified?
What if she is a really spoiled rich kid?   (after all who has the money to send their THIRTEEN year old child across the world? Or the naivete to send them to live with a family they know NOTHING about?)
Maybe I have the word "sucker" written across my forehead...I get the privilege of figuring out meals, sleeping arrangements, transportation, and crowd control because I "have such a kind heart"?
What about her clothes will I need to be a strict mama and get her "something decent"?
What if she looks down her nose at MY children? OUR lifestyle?

Then I know what I SHOULD be feeling, thinking...
We will give this child the privilege to see a family in action (poor thing)....after all she is probably an "only child".
We will hopefully give her a glimpse of the Gospel or the Jesus that showed us by His example what we should be doing.
I really do have enough room in my heart to care for another child....but what if I like her too much?
After the sermon this morning on hospitality I should be looking for ways to serve.
We spent a total of 4 days with teens from NZ and they changed our outlook on life forever.
She is probably as worried about spending time in our family. If they gave her the same brief outline about us, that we got about her...
All we know is "My English name is Catherine. I am a 13 year old girl. I like listening to music and watching movies."

Being Thankful

Ben has been helping at "Thursday Church" for a little over a year. "Thursday Church" is a program that one of the urban Mennonite churches runs for the children of the community. He has been learning about the tough side of life. Things he takes for granted are foreign to some of these children. The other night he was watching me comb the girls' hair and he told them "Girls just be thankful for a mom that combs your hair for you."
This past week they had VBS for this community and afterward one of the boys was singing "On Top of Old Smokey"...(the kids version about spaghetti)...
The kid ended his version with "and then my poor meatball rolled out of the door."

So Ben finished with the last verse:

"It rolled in the garden and under a bush
and then my poor meatball was nothing
but mush!
And then the next summer it grew to a tree
Now there's a meatball for you and for me."

The little boy looked at him "Is that really the last verse?"

Ben said, "Well that's my dad's version."

Little boy, looks at Ben," Did you like it when you had a dad?... Did he hit you and stuff?"

Ben said he was in keep-things-under-control mode and didn't get hit by the question on later.

I wanted to send dad with Ben the next time and let Ben use him for show and tell.

So Can You?

This was a conversation I had the other day with one of my boys. Probably controversial...

"So mom, can you be a Christian and play soccer professionally...." this after the goalie on the US team was featured in news articles proclaiming his Christianity.
I turned the question back on him...."so can you?"
He decided that he could have been this year cause the US team didn't play any games in the World Cup on Sunday.   (not exactly what I was looking for)
Next question:
"So if I play in the NBA can I be a Christian?"  (he would be able to play on the team of his choice...if he tried hard enough, and had enough money.)

So can you glorify Christ and play a game as your job?    I don't know....maybe?

We get into these discussions at our house when I notice that my son's think winning a tournament at school is all-important.  I contend that there is plenty of energy going into those games. "Mom pray for us to win" doesn't happen at our house.   I tell them I will pray that they are good losers, and humble winners.
I ask them what God must think when the moms from the opposing high school pray for their child to win and I'm praying the same prayer??!!

"But mom," they say, " this is good, we get to know the other schools."

I counter "you'd get to know them better if I'd count off 1,2   1, 2  and mix you up."

I'd be a REAL popular phys-ed teacher.

Oh and you can pray for me...we have a new driver in the house...didn't get a picture yet, he's off on work week with the youth group.

Quote of the day:  Shekinah sitting at the supper table, looks to the left and right. "So why are you all looking at me? You think I'm CUTE!?"

New Fad

                                 

                                    Let's just sit down on the rip-sticks, not so far to fall.

                     Some of us need to work on the core muscle thing....not naming names.

Newest Members

Before my niece got married the other week she decided to get rid of her "dart frog", she somehow thought we could handle a pet.  We learned that he is actually a Fire Belly Toad. He eats crickets and small worms. Even though he is a toad he likes to hang out in his water dish.

           

              The other day this one had a birthday! She is now 9! We ate dessert at McD's and then I made a cake when the cousins were here and she didn't want candles, soooo that is why we don't have pictures of your cake this year.  She chose to do the same thing as her sister a few weeks ago. We went out for lunch and then went shopping. One of the things she found is a head lamp so she can read in bed. We thought she looked more like a minion without the yellow shirt.

         Parker continues to get more like his daddy....he just didn't learn the word "on"...yet.

           Hope decided it is time to hit the books again....she actually had attentive students for a few hours.