We moved!

 
The past 2 weeks have been a blur; here's the reason why:

Nov. 9th: We received an offer on our house.
Nov. 11th: Our house is under contract!
Nov 13th: Arrange a meeting to discuss an estate sale.
Nov. 14th: Find out we have 4 days to be out of our house if we want to have an estate sale!
Nov. 14th: Present our ministry to a homeschool group in Cleveland, TN
Nov. 15th: Pack like crazy and have dinner with friends
Nov. 16th: Pack like crazy and then enjoyed dinner brought to us by a sweet friend :)
Nov 17th: Church and potluck dinner to celebrate the church's anniversary, more packing, dinner with our missional community group, more packing, and sleep.
Nov. 18th: Final packing and move out day!
Nov. 19th- 22nd: we stayed with 2 different families/ friends.
Nov. 22nd: Packed up the trailer with our things.
Nov. 23rd: Drove to Ohio
Nov. 24th: We made it to Michigan (on my mom's birthday!)
Nov: 25th: Unpack the uhaul
Nov 26th: Begin moving in with the parents!
Nov 27th: Update the blog!

What is our plan?  We will be staying with our family until the rest of our support is raised.  (We are currently at 50%)  If you have a church or group we can share our ministry with, please let us know....raising support is difficult and challenging.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for.  This year I am especially grateful for the freedom from things. We left behind most of our belongings to sell and it feels right. Each day is very full and having few things to care for is a blessing. I could write a list of things I'm thankful for, but ultimately it is the Lord.  He allows us to be part of His plan to share the gospel with the nations!  We aren't in Thailand yet, but until then we'll proclaim Him in Michigan.

Connecting with our Michigan supporters!

In October we drove up to Michigan visit some our supporters and to make a few new contacts.  We enjoyed presenting to Friendship Baptist Church and look forward to coming back to visit again!

We also presented to a Homeschool Group and played a Thailand trivia game with the kids as we shared about our future ministry in Thailand.

Ken met with Riverside Tabernacle and we plan to present to their church early next year.

God painted a beautiful backdrop for our drive through Tennessee! 

 

 

 

What are you looking at?

This evening little man Max and I enjoyed a date night.....well, we went grocery shopping.  He was in his carseat, in the cart, just watching me shop.  A female employee came over, smiled and said, "Don't you just love this age, when you are all they look at?  You are all they want."  I laughed with her and thought, "Love the hand that feeds you!" 

Later at home, with the groceries put away, kids in bed, and a quiet house, that grocery store conversation came to mind.  I realized how much Max looks at me, and looks for me when he hears my voice; it's the way my eyes should be fixed on Christ.  He feeds me, cares for me, loves me, encourages me, forgives me, died and rose for me!  I want my face to light up when He speaks to my heart the way Max responds when his eyes meet mine after waking from a nap.

So this week, when I'm going about my day, I hope I'll pause to ask myself, "What are you looking at?"  God's is ALWAYS with me.  He is with me folding laundry and putting away dishes, in teaching, cooking and disciplining, in marital disagreements, and He's with me as I enjoy these kiddos He's placed in our care.

 I want to be a girl who looks at and for her heavenly Father with joy and anticipation. Max has a special affection for me because of the bond created from the exuberant amount of time we spend together....what a great reminder to spend more time with my Savior and deepen our relationship.

"looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, 

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

                                                                                                 Hebrews 12:2

 

News from Thailand:

Recent Transport Disasters Blamed On Spirits

by Warawita Yaemsuda, Teeranai Charuvastra


(14 September) Supernatural powers are cited as the factors behind recent high-profile accidents in Thailand, namely the botched landing of a Thai Airways plane at Bangkok′s main airport earlier this week.

14 people were injured during the evacuation from the Airbus A330-300 which skid off the runway of Suvarnabhumi Airport on 9 September.

While initial investigation pointed to a malfunctioned landing gear (the officials have not yet finished their inquiry), the Managing Director of Thai Aiways, Mr. Sorajak Kasemsuvan, is not taking chances. He said his company will conduct a major ceremony to appease the malevolent spirits said to be haunting the airport.

He is quoted as saying that the ceremony will also thank the said spirits for assisting with the successful operation to salvage the plane from the runway.

Mr. Sorajak′s comment followed a series of coverage by Thai Rath, the best-selling newspaper in Thailand, which gave extensive attention to the supposed involvement of ghosts and spirits in the accident.

Previously, Thai Rath has reported that a ghost in "traditional costume" (which strangely resembles the outfit Thai Airways flight attendants wear) has helped evacuate the passengers from the aircraft shortly after it slid off the runway.

The newspaper has also quoted Mr. Chotisak Asapaviriya, a former director of Airports Authority of Thailand (AOT), as saying that he had organised a regular prayer session to placate the vengeful spirits which reside in the airport vicinity.

At the ceremony to unveil the airport in 2006, Mr. Chotisak told Thai Rath, an official in charge of searching for explosive materials had broken down into a trance, claiming that he was being possessed by a "grandfather ghost" who demanded a shrine to be built on the airport compound. The shrine was quickly built afterwards.

Thai Rath helpfully points out that 8 major shrines have been built around Suvarnabhumi Airport by the staff in order to ward off evil spirits, such as a shrine dedicated to the Naga (holy big snake in Buddhist myths) which is presumably angered by construction of the airport on what was once a swamp inhabited by snakes.

Other smaller shrines include a strangely named "Italian Shrine".

The newspaper cited the curses of the residing ghosts as the main reason the construction of the airport had been delayed for decades. The more rational Thais, however, would point to mire of corruption that has plagued the project before the government of Thaksin Shinawatra finalised the project in late 2005.

Dr. Smith Thammasaroj, former director of Suvarnnabhumi Airport, told Thai Rath he was convinced of the existence of supernatural entities around the airport even though, he admitted, he had never encountered any particular case personally.

The scientist who once headed Thailand′s Meteorological Department said he had invited so many psychics to conduct ceremonies and constructed so many shrines "that I can′t keep count".

"We even had to build a condominium for the ghosts to reside," Dr. Smith said, "Because the spirits are so many individual spirit houses won′t be enough".

However, there has been few secular responses to the accident at Suvarnabhumi Airport on 9 September, too. Sqn.Ldr. Sitha Tiwaree, Managing Director AOT, said the authority has conducted an Emergency Plan Rehearsal, in which the airport′s fire and rescue departments took part.The accident involving the Airbus was the most severe case at the airport since its opening 7 years ago, he said.

Sqn.Ldr. Sitha stressed that the incident will be analysed for future adjustment of the Emergency Plan, particularly how to transport passengers to the airport building - the procedure that received several complaints on 9 September. The rehearsal also pointed out that the airline crew was not familiar with the runway, causing complications during the latest accident, the director noted.

In long term, he said, the airport plans to build another substitute runway, in order to sustain further service. The AOT board will meet on Tuesday, 17 September to discuss about the construction budget, according to Sqn.Ldr. Sitha.

But it seems the spirits do not only roam the sky.

After a train headed from Malaysia to Bangkok′s Hua Lamphong Station derailed in the capital city yesterday, Daily News, the second best selling newspaper of the kingdom, reported that a certain curse might be involved.
According to Daily News, a painting at Hua Lamphong depicted a small obstacle in the rail track, which perfectly explains the frequent derailments - more than 15 incidents this year alone.

Even Transport Minister Chatchart Sitthipan, best known for his hands-on approach in inspecting problems of public transports, is mulling a paranormal hands-on solution. He has reportedly ordered the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry to consider a plan to organise a merit-making ceremony for the sake of his Ministry.

During the past few months, Mr. Chatchart noted, the country has suffered from many transport accidents such as minivan crashes, train derailments, boat crashes, and the Thai Airways incident.

"There have been more deaths than usual. Many have suggested that the Ministry of Transport needs a large-scale merit-making ceremony" Mr. Chatchart said.

Week 4: Native Americans

Week 4 was really fun for me because I taught about Native Americans while I was a teacher in Texas.  I also had a ton of activities for our study of stars because we went through Apologia's Astronomy book last year. Bonus: My aunt and uncle invited us along to Bryson City, NC. so while we were there we headed over to Cherokee, N.C. for a field trip!

Callie at a display case at a Cherokee museum.  Ticket prices weren't 

in our budget, but the entry had a nice display!

 Across the road from the museum was an artisan's center (free!)

Impressive weaving

The museum in the background...not sure what the boy is doing :)

History: We read "Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving" by Eric Metaxas.

• You can "watch" this book on youtube here (have your child "read along").

• This website had free printables about Squanto.  I used the PDF's for: Information, Bio, and Primary Copywork.
•  We used TEGU blocks (magnetic) to build the various "houses" we learned about.

Bible: Compare and Contrast Squanto's life to that of Joseph (Genesis 45:7).

• Here is a Bible study that addresses these men.

P.E.:  Wampanoag Toss and Catch Game.

• Directions can be found here.
• This website has a game called "Fox and Geese."

Math: Money and Wampum

• Study the Sacajawea coin to see the "3 sisters" (corn, squash, and beans).
• Compare various types of money
• Discuss bartering/trading.

This link has tons of ideas, including: crafts, recipes, missionaries to the Native Americans, and games. 
This link has videos and printables of their housing.

This link has a montessori hands-on unit.

Science: 

 Callie's activity: Spelling boards from Melissa & Doug

 Callies' game: Things that starts with "s" from Kidssoup

 Baby Einstein cards and easy reader book

 Make a constellation with stickers and punch-outs.

 Our book basket: A lot of these books were under $1 from McKay's.

I also chose verses about the sky, day/night, and the stars from previous AWANA books.

 3 part Montessori cards of consellations.

 Fun printables from Kidssoup: copy the constellation

Punch out your own constellation.

 I used a Discovery Toys mosaic set (scored this at a garage sale for 50 cents!!)

 

 Jesus is the light of the world.  (Jack doesn't like to color, but his sister does!)

 These are cards from the Puggles class in AWANA. 

The books were 10 cents each from McKays.

 An activity from Apologia's Astronomy notebook.

These are from kindergarten.  I handed Jack and pile of mixed up 

words and had him solve the sentence.

Overall this as a very fun and full week!  Onto week 5....

A Thai commercial

Many of you have asked about the Thai language.  It's a difficult language to learn because of the various "tones" used.  The video below is really sweet and it will give you a chance to hear the native tongue of our future country: Thailand! 

 

For more information about us and what we'll be doing half-way around the world, 

please visit our website: www.letsopenthewindow.com

The Napping House: teaching adjectives, synonyms, sequence, and context clues

Have you read "The Napping House" by Audrey Wood? The illustrations by Don Wood are beautiful and provide so many context clues to enhance the story. I used it today to teach Language Arts to the kiddos. Here's a video link, in case you don't have the book: The Napping House video
Or this video:  The Napping House with words to follow along with.


Every character is attached to an adjective: a snoring granny, a dozing dog, etc. We read one page of the story without the adjectives and discussed how boring the story is without the descriptive words.

Each of these adjectives is also a synonym for "napping." I didn't go too far into this topic, but it's helpful to show your children how there are many words that replace "sleeping" or "sleepy." It keeps the reader interested.

 Since our daughter is 3, she is able to answer basic questions involving sequence. Example: On every page as one animal joins the pile, another animal is waking up. I asked questions to her like: "Who is on the bed now?" "Who is waking up?" "Who will get on the bed next?"


Using the illustrations as context clues:
 1. Were the characters napping or sleeping? By using the clues in the story, we see that the granny was in her pj's until the end; she wore a dress outside.
 2. The weather: it rained in the beginning, but as morning approached, the room became brighter, until morning.  All of the rain and sun provided a rainbow!

Biblical Implications: This is not a religious story, however, it does point out cause and effect. Our actions cause reactions.

Writing: Writing can overwhelm a first grader like our son, so instead I gave him specifics. Fill in the blank and change the title, characters, adjectives, conflict, and solution/resolution. He chose:
Title: The Cranky House
Characters: Mommy, Daddy, Callie, Jack (our family)
Adjectives: grumpy, angry, mad, grouchy.
Conflict: (a character that changes the house to become the opposite). He chose a skunk that got in the house and chased everyone around and made them cranky.
Solution: The phone rang and scared the skunk out of the house and everyone was happy.

We then re-read the story, using our choices to alter the story. Try it with your kiddos and let me know how it went!

Week 3: Jamestown (My Father's World)

We're continuing Week 3 of My Father's World Adventures. I have one complaint: each week moves to a new historical subject, but they aren't smooth transitions.  Example: last week we learned about Columbus (who never set foot in our country) and this week we're studying Jamestown.

 Blue jell-o Atlantic Ocean.  Jack made a boat from Legos and I carved a canoe from an apple.

Jack made oars for my Native American's canoe!

History Geography:

• Timeline:  We cut out pictures and put them in order and talk our way through the events. 
• Maps: Locate England, discuss the monarchy (similar to Spain).  
• Native Americans: review why they were called "Indians" and why they were aggressive.
• This was my favorite website because it read aloud and provided closed captions AND you got to play along.
• This game was fun for Jack: 
• We did this worksheet together. 
• Pocohontas info and game found here.

Bible:

• Jesus: 
• Fear: trusting the Lord in "scary" circumstances (like the first year of Jamestown, which required perseverance). 
• Faith: belief in something we can't see, although we can see and feel its effects, like our science experiments with air.

Language Arts:

• Writing: "What I would have done differently in Jamestown." 
• Venn Diagram: Compare/Contrast the Native Americans and Colonists.  (weapons, clothing, religion, food, housing, etc).
• Spelling: Game- Help the "gentlemen" get to America from England.  (This is a game I made up.  Lay a ruler out and put your Lego man on 0 inches.  For every word spelled correctly move 1 inch ahead (or 1 inch back for words spelled incorrectly).  He never asked "How many words do I have left to spell?"  He enjoyed spelling today:)
• Grammar: Action Verbs: (we use a Montessori approach; a red circle to symbolize verbs) Make a list of alternatives to the word "went":sailed, traveled, voyaged, explored, discovered, journeyed.  Other action words: hunted, exchanged, traded, survived,  built, defended, fought. 
• Reading: 

Math:

• Math U See
• Using "inches" to play the spelling game above.
• The shape of the "fort" in Jamestown: triangular.  How tall were the walls?  How many trees were cut?  How many days did it take to construct?  (Put all of these numbers in order from least to greatest.) 
• Greater Than, Less Than, Equal to:  Compare data and use symbols (the times a gun could fire compared to a bow and arrow, the amount of settlers in Jamestown after 6 months, the amount of settlers in Jamestown after 3 years, The amount of food the colonists had vs. the Native Americans).

 Science:

•  Air: Play with balloons, empty containers, bubbles, harmonica, recorder, whistles, pinwheels, kites, etc. to see the effect air has even though we can't see it.

Art:

• Colonial lantern: freeze a tin can with water.  Punch a pattern of holes with a hammer and nail.
• Build a small "daub" house.  This website has a local daub house. 
• Build a wigwam.
•  

Games:

• Ball and Cup game.
• Ring and loop game
• Marbles
• Nine Men's Mill: This is a great tutorial on how to play the game.

Food:

•  This is a cute snack idea: build your own edible fort.

Going once, twice, SOLD!

It's AUCTION time and you can help!  Our desire is to be in Thailand as soon as possible and a benefit auction is a way to help us raise some of our support. If you would like to be a part of this, keep reading!  You can help in the following ways:

1. Pray!  Please pray that God is honored in this and that we have opportunities to share the gospel as we meet people.
2. We need hundreds of Brand New items donated!
3. Spread the word!  Help us "advertise" by word of mouth, facebook, blog, etc.
4. Bid/buy the items on Ebay in mid-November.

Even though you may not be from the Chattanooga area, you can help by asking chain businesses to donate gift cards.  Their donation will be tax deductible (we have a letter with all of the information explaining this and will be happy to send you copies of it). Send the gift cards to us and we'll pair them with other donated items to create  "packages" for all of America to bid on through Ebay!

Here's an idea of some of the places that may donate:

• Restaurants (everything from fast food to fine dining).
• Movie theaters
• Hotels
• Fitness centers
• Salons or spas
• Department stores (Target, Walmart, JC Penny, etc.)
• Sporting goods stores (Cabela's, Academy, Bass Pro Shop...)
• Electronics/ Office Supplies (Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples...)
• Furniture stores (Rooms to Go, Bass, Ethan Allen, Lazy Boy...)
• Home Improvement stores
• Jewelry Stores
• Beauty

(remember, if you are not from the Chattanooga area, the gift cards must be from a chain, or in a vacation destination like Nashville, Orlando, or even Atlanta).

If you live in the Chattanooga area, we could use your help to procure items!  These can be gift cards from local restaurants and stores (since many of the bidders will be local). We also need items to list (anything from a flat iron to a Ford Focus). 

 Please contact us and we can give you more details! info@letsopenthewindow.com

Video: Explanation of the 10-40 window.

This video explains the 10-40 window, the part of the world the Lord impressed upon our hearts as He called us to Thailand.  It is the least evangelized region in the world – making it the most spiritually dark place on earth.  Please pray for light to be brought to darkness, and please consider joining us: We still need partners to pray and financially contribute to our ministry so that we can go. 

To make a donation or become a monthly supporter, click here.

 "Let's Open the Window" with the Gospel! 

Week 2: Christopher Columbus MFW

We had homeschooling friends over for our first day this unit which was soooo much fun for Jack.  Here's are the kids making the Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria.  They took their maiden voyage in a big puddle. 

The boys are focused on the boats...Callie notices that she knelt in mud.

             The boys wanted to see how quickly they could sink theirs!  I should have seen that one coming!                               The girls were more concerned with the mud on Callie's knee :)

Geography/History:  Locating Spain, Portugal, India, the Canary Islands, and North America.

• Last week we did a popsicle stick activity about our Pledge of Allegiance.  The difference between our relationship with God is that He is King (we didn't "vote' Him in). 
• This week we learned a little about the Monarchy: King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
• Compare/Contrast Maps during 1492 and now.
• Free printable worksheets/activities found here.
• Short videos about Columbus found here.
• Our country was found by mistake! 

 Language Arts: Names and Proper Nouns

• Writing: Write an advertisement for someone to sponsor your voyage.
• Journaling: "If I were Columbus' son, Diego...."
• Label the parts of a ship (see "Art" fingerpainting).
• Purpose:  What was Columbus' purpose for exploring?  How did this shape his plans?  Writing is similar; when you know the purpose of your writing, you know what details to include to accomplish your plan.
• This website has a Columbus unit of FREE printables for k-2.

Spelling:  I made up a game to practice our spelling words:

• Place a boat (ours was a jar lid) on the coast of Spain.  
• Place "explorers" inside (we used pom poms).  
• For each word they spell correctly, sail "west".  For each incorrect word, they lose 1 explorer.
• When they arrive to the "New Land" pick up some of the natives.
• Spell words and head "east" to get back to Spain.  (If you have people in your boat when you return, you win!)

Science:

• The earth is round, not flat!
• Air takes up space:
  We experimented with air: bubbles, instruments, empty containers, whistles... 
•  Air helped propel Columbus' ships.
• Hot water shrinks wool.  (See "Art" project below).

        We experimented with air: bubbles, instruments, empty containers, whistles...


Bible:

• Read scripture examples of the Earth being round. 
• Jesus: "the Lord saves"
• Queen Isabella wanted Columbus to share the religion with the natives.  Discuss the possible motivations of this.  What is our motivation for sharing Jesus with others?
• object lesson: "spices" are used to enhance the taste of food.  What are some "spices" in our walk with the Lord?  Prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and proclamation of the gospel enhance our walk with God.
• character traits: Flexibility and Perseverance (Columbus didn't end up where he though.  His crew wanted to turn around.)

Art:

• Columbus' father worked with wool (as did Columbus at a young age).
• "Spin" roving into yarn.
• Use the wool to make a yarn ball (to be used as a dryer ball).
• Layer colors and create patterns. 
• Fingerpaint: Paint your hand to "imprint" a boat.  Paint your finger to "stamp" oars, and your fist to "stamp" the masts. 

Reading:

•  Various books about boats and Columbus.

Snacks:

• Jello and Orange slices: boat and ocean  as seen here.
• Pancake Ships: make a mast and sail. (You could also stack little donuts).
• "Spanish" and "Indian" food.
• Spices  (Apples and Cinnamon).

Steve & Barry's t-shirt and God's sovereignty

After months of prepping and sorting and cleaning, our house officially went on the market on Thursday!  We had showings on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but on Monday (to our amazement) we accepted an offer!  An inspection, appraisal, and more await, but we are celebrating what God is doing.  I have about 3 weeks until my due date (and my midwife anticipates I'll go early) so we are grateful that our close date isn't until Sep. 27th.

Thank you for praying for us and the circumstance surrounding selling our home, finding a temporary residence and raising the rest of support so that we can move to Thailand sometime in January.  Please continue to pray.

Here's the next UNBELIEVABLE story that happened about 2 hours ago.  Ken decided to go church to play basketball this evening, only to find out it was cancelled.  So he ran an errand for me, got something to eat, and headed home.  While he was in the driveway, a woman pulled up looking at our house and flagged Ken down to ask a few questions.  She saw his Michigan shirt (go Blue!) and asked if he was from MI.  She shared that she was from Lincoln Park.

 Now, remember in a previous post, we were in Lincoln Park and visited Friendship Baptist Church?  Well, the congregation had a former member who now lives in Ringgold and they gave us their info.

Ken said to the woman, "We just connected with Friendship Baptist Church in Lincoln Park."  She was pretty shocked and told us that FBC was her home church in MI!  This was the woman the people at FBC were telling us about!  Ken brought her in the house and introduced me to her.  We showed her the paper with her name and phone number, etc. and she recognized the handwriting, "My sister wrote that!"  We just couldn't believe it.   We had been planning to contact them, but hadn't, and God brought her to our house!

Today we rejoice in the sovereignty of God.  He used a cancelled b-ball practice, a few errands, and an old Michigan shirt from Steve and Barry's to connect His children.  That is our God!  He shows His love and provision in so many ways.   

Freebie!

I save my dryer lint...not because I'm a hoarder, but because of what a friend told me.  Well, the conversations went like this, "Hey Summer, since we're camping next weekend, bring your dryer lint."  Uh- why?  "Because it makes a great fire starter."  It's so true!  Well, 10 years later and with the help of Pinterest I saw a new way to "package" your lint as fire starters.

This is a FREE activity!  Save your empty toilet paper rolls., Paper towel rolls, and lint. (I keep it all in a bag in the laundry room).  Fill the empty tubes with dryer lint.

Roll them in newspaper and then tuck the ends in!  

This project was so easy that Callie was able to do it (although you can tell which ones were hers :)

I think this project would make a great object lesson for Bible study, don't you? 

There are several directions you could go, but here's what I was thinking:

• What do all of these items (lint, TP tubes, and newspaper) have in common?  (They are leftovers).
• We changed that. These items went through a process of being made into something new for a specific purpose.
• God takes our lives, full of sin and waste, and makes them into something new: what we were really intended to be and do!
• What do we do as new creations?  We are to be a light for all to see!  When we see a fire it catches our attention and makes us ask, "What's going on?"  Our lives should do the same!  The way we act causes people who don't know Christ to ask, "Why?" (Why did you forgive that person? Why are you generous?  Why don't you think about yourself more?)  Then we get to answer: JESUS!
• Go outside and have a campfire using your new, homemade fire-starters!  Notice how some last longer than others. We are each given a specific amount of time here on earth, so don't wait to let your light shine!

Obviously this is just an object lesson.  Unlike the lint, newspaper, and cardboard tubes that were made for one purpose and re-purposed into another, our lives are meant for only 1 thing: To bring God glory.  If we aren't doing that- we're wasting our lives. 

I hope you enjoy this activity with your family, maybe on a rainy day (or week like we've had)!

Afterthoughts: I can't help but think about our future in Thailand.  We won't have a dryer...so we'll enjoy our lint while we have it!

So...what have you been doing?

Ken finished the school year at the end of May and the week after we headed to Michigan. 

While there we stayed with my family.  It was like summer camp for the kiddos; my parents planned a lot of fun activities and outings with them! 

Our time in Michigan gave Ken a chance to work on our information packets to mail out, as well as continuing to develop and design the framework for a benefit event this fall. 

One of the highlights of our trip was meeting with a Homeschool Co-op in Lincoln Park, MI.  It's always fun to sit down with fellow homeschoolers and hear what's working for them, what curriculum they use, etc.  What started off for them as a handful of families gathering together has grown to large group with a waiting list!!

The leader of the co-op introduced us to the pastors of the church and the next hour was spent sharing our ministry with them, answering questions, and ultimately being encouraged by their desire to partner with us in prayer and support in whichever way the Lord enables them to do so.  There is no stronger connection between people than ones established and maintained by God! 

We were invited to join the church on Sunday to worship together.    The pastor had us break up into groups and pray.  We were humbled when our family was specifically prayed for by all of these clusters of brothers and sisters across the sanctuary.  We honestly felt a oneness with the people we met and wished we had more time to spend with them.  We walked away with uplifted and encouraged hearts!

If you live anywhere near Lincoln Park, you need to visit Friendship Baptist Church.  We plan to visit with them again in October.

Our days are quite busy with finishing up renovations to get our house listed for sale.  We had another garage sale and sold several things online; it's freeing to get rid of stuff!    I told Jack that by selling our house it puts us closer to getting to Thailand.  Our practical little man took this literally, "Well that would be good- then it won't take as long to get there when it's time to go because we'll be closer."  Sorry Jack- it will still take us 24 hours to get there!

We're also involved with a summer outreach program for kids and parents.  It's called, "Boredom Busters Bootcamp" and it's a way to share Christ with our neighbors.  Ken is running the games/devotions for the kids and I'm helping by working with the ladies: teaching Bible study part-time and helping with kid's crafts. 

Baby update:  We are feeling the excitement rise with the coming of baby number 3!  The baby is healthy and probably about 4 lbs right not. I have 38 days until my due date, to which many people say, "That's a long time!"  It isn't- there is so much to be done before then, and Ken will resume teaching the week before my due date.

Homeschooling:  We are attempting to homeschool through the month of July so that we can take some time off when the baby comes.

Prayer Requests:

1. We are struggling to know how to prioritize all that we have going on right now.  Please pray that we keep God first, that distractions are removed, and that we glorify Him even in the chaos of everything.
2. My health:  I have a condition called SPD that occurs during pregnancy (it's common) and gets worse with each pregnancy.  It continues and worsens until after delivery when the hormone causing the problem decreases.  This week has been the most difficult...please pray that it ceases quickly after the baby is born. 
3. Financial Support: We need partners to commit to supporting us financially so that we can go to Thailand in just over 6 months.
4. We need to sell our house and find a place to live until we leave.

There are many unknowns, but we trust our Maker to meet every need. 

My Father's World: Week 1 Vikings

This year we are using My Father's World Adventures for History and Science.  I don't think it matters which curriculum we use, I always alter it a bit.  So, here's week 1 in review.

Week 1 focuses on the meaning of your child's name.  We hid their name all over the house: on the mirror, with blocks, pasta, sidewalk chalk, magnets, stickers, and even string.

Language Arts: Since we're studying names, I thought this would be a great time to review "proper nouns" as well.  We pulled out the baby names book and he looked up names of our family and friends.  Some of the meanings cracked us up!

•         Writing an advertisement:  Eric the Red strategically chose the name "Greenland" to convince others to come.  Assign your child an unlikely vacation destination and see if they can come up with an advertisement that would convince others to come.  (This is also a good way to introduce what it means to be "misleading" and how it compares to "deceit.")

Pledge of Allegiance: I came up with this craft when I was teaching third grade in Texas.  On one side are the complicated words of the pledge and on the other side are synonyms/ definitions,

Bible connection: while teaching about the pledge, I realized how many 

connections there are in the language to our relationship with the Lord:
 

• Pledge- promise
• Allegiance- to do good and not harm (plans to prosper you and not to harm you).
• Nation- country (people group)
• Indivisible (what can separate us from the love of God?)
• Liberty- freedom (where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom)
• Justice- fair and right. (For there is no one else like you, a righteous God and Savior).

The only word that didn't connect was "republic."   We don't get to vote for representatives to make decisions for us.  We are under the rule of a King, yet we have immediate access to approach His throne and petition Him with our requests.

We had an important conversation about taking "under God" our of the pledge, and why people would want that...a good reminder to pray for our country!

Maps:  We pulled out our travel brochures and located the compass rose on each of them.

 

We also played a game where I hid a compass in the room while Jack was blindfolded.  After establishing "North" I gave him directions to find the compass.  Go South two steps, etc.  It was not easy to keep his bearing, because although his direction changed, North did not!

Meanwhile, Callie was looking for shapes....

We used this world map ($2 at the Thrift Store) to learn continents, oceans, and directions.  I gave him a pointer and he placed it on our state.  I said, "By following my directions you can find the country I'm thinking of."  It then told him to North, etc.  Then he got to choose a country and give me directions.  This was fun!

Leif Erickson: We learned about the Vikings  I found this online interactive game that proved to be a fun tool. He asked to play this daily!   (Here is another game, although it focuses more around castles.)

Books:

This is a book I wanted to use, but our library didn't have it.

                              "Voyage With the Vikings" is part of the Imagination Station book series from                                         Focus on the Family, but we weren't able to get a hold of that either.

   

                                    So, I found a few DK books about ships, and the others are LEGO books.                                      I printed off the types of ships in the picture from a website called Kidssoup.

Here's a fun link to make yourself look like a viking.  Just download a picture, follow a couple steps, and be prepared to laugh!  I wish I could show you how funny these turned out! 

We used this link from Nova to see what our name would look like using the Runes alphabet.  Jack made a Rune stone by carving into a bar of soap, but you could also use clay to do this. (The main purpose of a runestone was to mark territory, to explain inheritance, to boast about constructions, to bring glory to dead kinsmen and to tell of important events. In some parts of Uppland, the runestones also appear to have functioned as social and economical markers and up to 70% of them had Christian inscriptions.)  Jack used a pencil to "carve" all of our names with "Rune characters" using the website mentioned above.  He also used a paintbrush to clean up the carvings.  I was impressed!

Just for fun, here's a video set to music using Legos to reenact Leif's discovery of "Vineland".  I watched with him and talked him through a summary/ review of Leif Ericson and the situations he encountered.

  "Lyle the Kindly Viking" Veggie Tales movie

Science: 

In his science journal he wrote down his hypothesis to this question:

 "Does air take up space?"  He then conducted an experiment:

 

and then he blew air into the water with a straw...because it's fun ;)

 

 Finally, he went back to his journal to record his observations.

We really enjoyed Week 1!