Caleb's Castle Stories

Back in October, Caleb was really into the movie Shrek. He also enjoys writing stories, so he had a couple to write about castles. Here they are...oh, and they are best read aloud and with a British accent.

THE CASTLE
Nobody's allowed to get out of the castle. They are locked in there forever. Nobody is gonna come and rescue them. Everyone is locked in their homes. I love them to be locked in there forever. The Prince Truth is to give a kiss to Princess Fiona. I love them to be a prince - Princess Fiona. The dragon will blow fire and smoke out of his mouth and nose and ears. He would think that he would kill everybody. If it was true love, they would give a kiss to the castle birds. To think that they won't have anything to eat or drink, or to go outside and ride their bikes and strollers. I love them to be out of there now - to give a kiss to everybody, and a hug!

THE END

THE CASTLE (#2)
This is a river and the castle is on top of it. Nobody is allowed to get out. The thing is, that if somebody would kiss somebody else, or a hug, it would be true love. By then a big rainstorm bug came in and something new came out of his ears, and it was a frog. If true love would kiss a Cheerio, it would give a hug to the true love. If they kiss a dragon, they would kiss a frog. This is a really silly story. If they kiss paper, they would kiss a cup of water. If true love would kiss a paper, then true love would kiss a wallet ticket. True love would kiss a Cheerio box, and a sock. It's a really...silly...story.

THE END

Things Are Looking Good

Well, it's been a long time - too long, I think. The last 5 weeks have been pretty miserable for me. This pregnancy has brought on some nasty sickness lasting all day, every day. UGH! Tomorrow will bring me to the 11 week mark, and I've noticed over the last few days that the sickness is beginning to subside. Phew! Now it's pretty good during the day, and gets bad again in the evenings - that's bearable. BUT, before being able to feel the baby kick and move, this is the best indicator that everything is okay inside, so I'll take it! Also, I can feel my little uterus growing down low in my belly. That seems to make this all seem more real. It's still hard to believe we're having another baby! Can't wait to meet our under 9 pound little girl...that's what you guys concluded for us, anyway. Whatever we have, and however much he or she weighs (I can say that because I'm having a c-section!), the baby will be a wonderful blessing!

Today Jon started his long awaited kitchen job. I mentioned before how tense life has been for Jon due to his unemployment since August. He's had jobs here and there, and while this is another of those "here and there" jobs, he's still happy to be working. He's also a bit nervous because he's never installed a kitchen by himself before, but he's such a great worker and I'm confident in his abilities! So, this will be about three weeks of work for him...and three weeks of sanity, too! (That's the best part!) Also, things may be working out for him to do another kitchen, finish a basement and do some other jobs around people's houses. So, things are looking up for him getting some work.

Another new part of today is that Caleb started at a new school. The school that he's been attending since June is a fabulous school, but we came to find out that it is THE MOST expensive school in the area, by far! Oops! We went into it with Massachusetts prices in mind, so at the time of enrollment it sounded reasonable. Boy were we wrong! It was not the place for an unemployed family on WIC...haha! So, he started at a great new school where his Children's Pastor from church is his teacher, and one of his best friends is in the other 4 year old class. Makes for a great transition. He was very excited about it!

About the time Jon's job finishes and after Caleb's first month of school, we will be heading off to Scotland for a month to be with Jon's family. (You may wonder, where is this unemployed family on WIC getting the money to go to Scotland? Jon's extended family has been SO kind to gift us with some finances to help with our airfare, because no, it's not cheap to fly a family of five across the ocean!) The last time we were together was when Hannah was just 6 weeks old, so it will be great to spend some quality time with his parents and sisters and their families. We really miss them! Plus, they have never been around for any of the kids' birthdays. Hannah will turn 1 while we are there, so we're excited to be able to celebrate that special occasion with Jon's family! (And...it's the coast of Scotland, so no matter what we do, it will be beautiful!) We're hoping to leave the kids for a couple days and get away, maybe to Ireland, as a couple. We don't often get to have this opportunity, and what better place to have a few days together?!

So, there are changes happening in our lives, and they are great changes! Thanks to those who have prayed for Jon's job, and for this baby. So far, so good! Oh yeah, and HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!

Below are a couple pictures from Christmas...

The Journey Continues

It's been a little while since I've posted. I've wanted to put this one together for awhile now, but just haven't - for many reasons. But, here it is - nothing great, nothing controversial, nothing powerful, just more about life's journey.

Hindsight is an amazing thing, I think. I often ask God "why?" Why is that one option which looked so perfect for us, just felt so wrong in the end, or why is it that a particular door was opened which we never expected? What is HIS plan for us? Jon and I try very hard to remain in God's will for us - going where He leads, and doing what He asks. We've kept ourselves open to moves and changes as we see Him leading, and so far He's been so faithful. I look back on all the decisions we've made in the past in our following after God, and while they didn't always make sense at the time, it is almost always completely clear why we were there, doing what we were doing.

Our journey has taken us down many unexpected roads recently. Since August, Jon has been unemployed - kind of looking for a new job, but also holding out in case the one he's been with works out in the spring. We've wondered when enough is enough and we should start looking outside of this area. But, for the moment, we do not feel like God is releasing us from this area. We haven't been here very long, and we feel like God has really put us to work here. So, we wait. Trust and obey. Each day is a challenge - especially for Jon who feels the natural need to be providing for his family. But, despite the challenge of his unemployment, we've truly seen God's faithfulness in so many ways - people helping out financially, gifts for the kids, free groceries through WIC, free insurance...

The free insurance is a huge one - especially now that we've found out that we will be having another baby. Yup, that's right, folks. In the midst of the insanity, life threw us a curve ball. Day one of knowing about this was particularly difficult. But, one of God's many provisions through all these changes has been an overwhelming sense of optimism...especially for Jon who often has a more difficult time seeing the good through the "storms". We might have called this pregnancy a storm at first, but truly our hearts have changed. We've already had the privilege of seeing this little 7 1/2 week old embryo twice by ultrasound, with it's little beating heart and tiny limbs forming. It is so miraculous. For about a week there was concern that everything was not okay. When we found out this past Wednesday that the baby was fine, Jon and I were incredibly relieved. It's amazing how quickly something can become a blessing - something can become a love in your life.

So, today as our journey changes in one way and stays the same in another, we celebrate this journey. You can all say, "I told ya so!" and you guys did call it! While we weren't expecting this new addition to life, it seems you were, and now we rejoice in it with you. It does feel crazy, and maybe it is, but I KNOW God will continue to use us, and I KNOW God has a plan for this baby!

(Baby will be born at the end of July by c-section...and I WILL be having my tubes tied the same day! Please pray with us that everything goes smoothly for the baby.)

How the Big Day Went...

Our Thanksgiving Celebration with our Kingdom Meal friends was awesome! Here are a few things to remember from the day:

1. Caleb is my favorite four year old ever! When the caravan of KMM people arrived, Caleb asked who all they were. When I told him they were our Kingdom Meal friends, he literally jumped up from his toys, ran over to a table where he grabbed some small plates, went and found a basket of rolls, plated them all, and hand delivered a roll to each person. We were not planning to even do that, and no one asked him to do a thing. When I asked him what he was doing, he simply answered, "I'm serving." God is doing amazing things in that boy's heart!

2. Our KMM friends really needed to know they are loved - even outside of KMM. When we arrived at the Salvation Army - our pick-up site - people asked if they could hug us. They knew we were there just for them, because we wanted to spend our holiday with them. It was a beautiful and very touching thing.

3. There is such sadness in the lives of many of these people. One friend asked for prayer for her nephew Jeffrey who had been shot three days before - once in the chest and twice in the back, and no one was sure if he was ever going to walk again. Another woman told me of how some years back her husband tried to snap her spine by dropping her on her back over an ottoman. Because of this abuse, not only has her life been scarred, but she can't even hold a job because of her back injuries (along with some mental illnesses, she added). My heart really does break for these people.

4. With love comes freedom. Four friends were just crazy about the instruments and microphones. I don't even know how to describe the picture of them singing and playing other than just 'free'. No one was judging them, or looking down on them, or expecting anything of them. They were free to do what they wanted and be who they really were. It was fun to watch. And, I was so proud of my mom for being right up there with them, singing into her fake mic, and dancing around the stage. Another guy from KMM, who is normally quite the tough guy, with aggression and attitude, showed his softer side when he was playing ring-around-the-rosie with my kids and my mom. It was the same deal for him - no one judging him, or expecting him to be tough. He felt comfortable and he felt loved...so he played! It was very cool!

5. One of the girls who came to help out was such an amazing young person. By the way she talked, I would have guessed that she'd been a Christian her whole life. She's 17 and she just 'gets it'. She went on with passion about how she's seen how many Christians in this world just really screw things up - judging, hating, condemning, discriminating, isolating themselves, and representing Christ in such an un-Christ-like way. I came to find out that she's been a Christian for just a year. Perhaps that's why she gets it. She hasn't been brought up in the tradition of rules and judgments. She was such a breath of fresh air.

6. I was blown away by how the New Hope community really grabbed hold of this as an opportunity to love and serve our neighbors. SO MUCH food was donated, and prepared by people who weren't even able to be there for the actual event. There was so much extra food that every single person went home with enough food to last them a week. We were planning for 75, had about 40 people show up, and had enough food for about 120. Everyone was thrilled to be able to fill their bellies while they were there, but also to know that they would have food for the next week (including dessert!).

Thursday was an amazing time, and I believe God was with us, from beginning to end. I'm excited to see how people respond on Sunday when we see them again at Kingdom Meal. I'm also excited to make this an annual event. Why shouldn't every Thanksgiving be spent like this? I can't think of a single thing I'd rather have done that day.

Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, encouragement, donations, time and energy!

Thanksgiving With Family

Here I am requesting prayer...

For those who aren't New Hopers, and don't know what we're doing for Thanksgiving, I'd like to fill you in for just a minute. A couple of weeks ago, Jon and I were talking about our plans for Thanksgiving, which were to go to my parents house and hang out with the fam. for the day. I had been having this feeling for awhile like maybe we should invite a family that we had met at Kingdom Meal to share the day with our family. The more we talked about it, the harder it became to narrow down who the invitation would go to. So, we decided we would run it by our family - who all gave the idea two thumbs up - and just hand out a general invitation to the guests who come each week to Kingdom Meal. We did just that, and it turns out that 59 people have signed up to come!! WOW!

That means a couple of different things for me. First, it means that 59 people we know and love don't have anything else to do on that day. Maybe they have no family. Maybe they have no money. Maybe they've lost loved ones. Maybe they are lonely. Maybe they don't have a home. Maybe, maybe, maybe so many things. It breaks my heart. But, second, it means that 59 people that I have spent the last 6 months getting to know and love, trust and love Jon and I enough to get in our car, drive out of Youngstown, and spend their holiday with us. That is a very humbling idea to me.

We sent the word out to our church (where this now quite large get-together will be held) and people have really stepped up to participate through their attendance, through donations, and through their amazing cooking abilities. Even though all of New Hope won't be directly involved, it feels like it is a great bonding experience (for lack of a better term), and I'm excited to see the fire lit under others in the community.

I'm so glad that God laid this idea on our hearts, and that we were obedient (as often I am not). PLEASE pray with us that He will be seen and that through us, His love will shine. I believe He wanted to us to do this for a reason - for His Kingdom.

We'll take some pictures, and let you all know later how it goes. This is exciting!

"Food For Thought"

A guy Jon and I went to school with recently posted a blog that really got us thinking. You can read it here. He asks, in so many words, if we are to sort of drop everything and do what we feel God is asking us to do, or if we are to use common sense and think our way through it - making sure our family is provided for, our retirement funds are substantial enough to sustain us later, etc.

It really got Jon and I thinking. Certainly, if we feel God is calling us to do something, we should ideally trust Him and go...knowing that He will provide for our needs. But, what are our needs? Food? Water? Shelter? Electricity? A Microwave? A vehicle? An Ipod?

Last February when Jon and I were packing up our two babes to move to Kenya for four months, many people thought we were crazy. This isn't speculation, people actually told us this. Maybe we were, but in that moment, we knew we were going where God was calling, and doing what He was asking us to do. We had an apartment with two bedrooms (separated by pieces of plywood, mind you, but two rooms none the less!) and we were grateful! We had food to eat (it was different, but we adjusted and really enjoyed it). We did not have electricity, clean water to drink, a nice shower to use, a fridge, microwave and all the other conveniences. Life was very different for us - we'd made sacrifices, yet we still lived far above the poverty level in Kenya. So again, we are asking what our needs really are. Do we "need" the best food and technology to survive, or can we live on, say, rice and beans for dinner every night?

So many people around the world can only afford beans and rice as a meal for the day...if they can afford anything at all. So, we have decided to challenge ourselves to eat this meal for dinner each night for one month. We hope this will help us to remember those around the world who God has laid on our hearts to love and to help. Also, each night at dinner, we will plan to put at least $1 into a pot at the center of the table to represent what we are not spending on a normal, more lavish feast, and at the end of the 30 days will put that money towards a program to feed those in need...or towards a future mission trip.

For the season of Lent, we plan to put together a packet for others who may be interested in participating in this. Along with other tools and ideas, we will have "Food For Thought" cards for each of the 40 days, with stories of a family or individual around the world who are in such a situation. These can be read at dinner, as we eat our beans and rice and think and pray for those in need. Perhaps at the end of the 40 days, any New Hopers involved can put their $40 or $80 or whatever they have decided to give, towards an upcoming mission trip. (Hopefully by Lent we will be much further into the planning of this trip.) Those of you from other churches may want to do something similar with your community, and we are excited about getting information to you, too. This could be a very big, very cool thing to help make people aware of what others go through all around the world.

With Caleb's curiosity being so peaked about friends and others in need, we think this is such a great time to introduce something like this challenge into our family. I'm excited to see how it all plays out, and I'm excited to really focus on the needs in our world, and be more inspired to do something about it.

We know that God has given us a passion for those in need, and we are willing to go and do what He asks of us. We're pretty pumped about doing what we can to be God's hands and feet to His people. What a privilege that we don't deserve!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CALEB!!

My oldest turned four on Sunday...where has the time gone?



Caleb is having a little party on Thursday, so we didn't do any "birthday" stuff on Sunday. I debated with myself about whether or not to go to Kingdom Meal this week or not, since it was Caleb's birthday. Then, I thought, "why not bring Caleb?!" So, I did, and it was just about the most precious thing I've ever seen. He knows that Mommy goes each week to serve food to people who don't have enough, and he knows that's where I met our friend May-May, but he'd never come with me before. I was hesitant to bring such a young helper for fear that he'd be more hassle than help, but he proved me wrong! He got right to work helping me set out cups and pour people's drinks. After all the set up and drink service, we sat down with a little boy named Damarje and his mom way at the back of the gym. Damarje is four, like Caleb, and they were instant friends. When it was time to serve food, Caleb came with me to the window to get plates. He took one all by himself, and went off without me, turning his head while he was walking to tell me that he wanted to make sure Damarje got some dinner. He walked past everyone to go feed his friend. He never asked any questions of his new friend, he just gave him what he knew he needed. Then, Caleb went back to the window for another plate, and brought to the next child he saw...he was making sure all the kids were fed first. Duh...why don't we always do it like that?! It was just the sweetest thing ever watching my little four year old put his own wants and needs aside and doing what Jesus would have done. At the end, Caleb got to eat a hotdog and then had a cookie. While he was eating his cookie, I told him I would just go clean up a little. He told me he'd come clean too, and that he would eat his cookie later. Seriously, is this the Caleb I know? Leaving his cookie to clean? WOW!

I've often wondered if I do a good enough job as a mommy for my kids, and if Jon does a good job as a Daddy. I know that we make mistakes, of course, but this experience was an answer to prayer for me. Only by the grace of God are we doing an alright job raising these kids. I know I don't have the patience to do it on my own!

I started going to a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group last month, and the girl giving the devotional read the following poem. It really made me wonder what my kids see when I don't realize they're watching me. It was powerful. Enjoy...

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."

At the very end of the night, after Caleb finished his cookie, he excused himself past our friend Lizzie who was with us, and he said he had to go tell his Mommy something. He ran over to me, so I knelt down to hear what he had to say. He said, "I just wanted to tell you that I really, really love you." I gave him a super huge squeeze, and felt like I had never loved him more than in that very moment. I am so proud of this little servant that God has blessed our family with.

Happy Birthday, Caleb! I love you!