Recently we have had different families over for dinner on a few different nights.  Sean taught the kids a lesson on standing firm in your faith and what the shield of faith is all about.  He passed out shields to each kid, made of foam board and rope handles, and passed out soft foam balls to all the kids. It’s a simple game that ALL KIDS can play, no teams, no big rules or strategies, no big concepts to understand– just guard yourself with your shield and throw the ball at others when able.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN and LET YOUR SHIELD PROTECT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pictures below are from different nights and different families, but the lesson was the same.  (Note: in one picture Sean is under “attack” from ALL the kids!!! THAT was hilarious!!! Thank you little Joshua for helping protect him with your shield!!)

We recently had Robert & Becky Cooley (their link is to the right on our blog).  They are missionaries with AIM in Lima, Peru.  Not too long ago the Cooley family was living here in CT just like everyone else.  When Robert, as an elder and father, went as a chaperone on a church mission trip.  After a few year had passed, they sold all they had and moved to Peru to build the church there.  Close to their arrival God used a huge natural disaster to open doors for their ministry.  A massive earthquake left many without homes.  The Cooley have used this trial in many lives as a wonderful opportunity for service, generosity, and showing the love of Christ to all people.

We had them over for dinner to share their story with our children.  They have come before and shared WHY they went to Peru, so this time they shared about the some of the hard trials they face in their ministry.  The struggles of helping to heal generational patterns that keep people from freedom in Christ.  They also shared about using everyday things (like STRING) to build connections with children and families.  They taught our kids about STRING FIGURES and how they use it in their ministry.  (there are many free downloads online for free tutorials on string figures to share the gospel)

Becky teaching the kids string figures.

Josiah worked hard to figure out the “Apache Door” which can be used to teach about Straight is the gate and narrow is the path principle with the importance of Decisiveness in life.

Sophie learned the “Broom” or “Crows foot” which can be inverted to a Palm Tree to teach  about Flexibility in trials

Robert showed the kids many photos of their ministry in Peru.  What the people are like and their needs. Some pictures of people who are part of THE WORLD RACE with AIM.

What a blessing to learn and grow some more, as well as build lasting friendships with friends around the world!!!

The New Tribes Missions, that Randy and Dianna are a part of, also has a wonderful DVD documentary series written for children in mind.  It follows the everyday life of one missionary family that left the US and all they had, took their four young boys and moved across the world to Papua New Guinea.  The series is called Growing Up Wild

The link to see it is HERE: Growing Up Wild

Each summer we try to pick a theme or something fun and different we might not study during the typical months of the school year.  Last year we did Answers In Genesis apologetics class for kids, plus their Creatures that Defy Evolution series (found by clicking on the Answers in Genesis link above).

This year, we are using Growing Up Wild with our children as a fun, education, adventure for Jesus learning opportunity this summer.  Jungle living, snake battles, crossing gorges, climbing mountains, getting to your home by missionary plane and then helicopter, all while learning a foreign language, creating an alphabet for it, translating the bible and telling people about Jesus…… seriously, WHAT could be better???

An activity that the WHOLE family can participate in.  Everyone got to drip a tap or two, hammer in the taps, and connect the tubes to the bucket.

 Jamie LOVED the power of the drill!! She was amazed to see the sap drip out right away.  Little Joanna wanted to help with everything (note the tongue sticking out for concentration )

Joel liked the drill and really wasn’t interested in the sap– power tools!!  Sarah INSISTED on pulling the cart with all the supplies.

Sophie was the hole inspector, she has a good eye for detail.  Jacob drilled holes once all the little ones had “moved on” to running in the grass

Our Sugaring Team!!!

Josiah found a lower jaw bone of a deer.  With a lot of Coyotes on the property, skull bones are found often.  Last month, while on a walk with Nauna & Nat, Josiah found a raccoon skull.

A roasting oven/crock (18 qt)– a busy mom’s way to cook down sap into maple syrup Works like a charm- holds a lot, cooks slow, no burning issues, no need to hover. Perfect.

 Look at that glassy surface…… a vision of goodness

Tune in soon for the end result

A few weeks ago two of my boys were asking for something.  They really wanted this thing and mentioned it a couple of times.  I said to them, and included Sophie, that I would get it for them if they memorized the book of Titus.  Sophie, being so quick witted, said she didn’t want that thing so she wasn’t going to memorize Titus.  I made a different offer to her, and she said she still wouldn’t do it.  She was intimidated by the task.

Sophie has dyslexia.  It is a challenge for her to read, so memorizing that much is a huge challenge.  Jill and I encouraged her, told her she could use her Kindle, which reads to her.  We told her that we would help her and give her some tips on memorizing.  She began to get excited.  She began to believe  that she could do it.  She was on her way.  She also refused to use her Kindle because no one else was using one.

Today Sophie completed the task!  She not only memorized the book of Titus, but she also beat everyone, including me.  Sophie is beaming, knowing she overcame a huge obstacle to accomplish this task.  She is ready to move on to the next book.  An appetite has been created, and we intend to feed it!

I tell you this story not to brag about my daughter, but to encourage everyone in two things.  First, if you are looking at a seemingly insurmountable task, push on.  Sophie gave up before she even started this task.  After a little encouragement and the promise of a little help, she gave it a shot.  She found some success early and discovered that she was capable of doing something she was sure that she could not.  But she overcame!

Second, I tell you this story so that you too can be encouraged to memorize God’s word.  We don’t do this just for the sake of memorization, we do it to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2)  and so that we hide God’s word in our hear that we might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11).  I hear people all the time tell me that they can’t memorize.  People tell me that their mind just can’t do what it used to do.  I say those are excuses and you are to be an overcomer!

Christmas 1999- That fall God gave us Jacob, our first baby, and that Christmas on of Jill’s Grandfathers died.  That Christmas we were all sitting around the room with thoughts of loosing Tom, yet holding new life. Families were changing. THAT Christmas God began to show us that all life is much more precious than we had ever known.

Christmas 2001- Now with two beautiful children, this year God called us to begin the process of adoption with Project Star in Pittsburgh, PA. THAT Christmas we began to think beyond ourselves and take seriously God’s call to care for orphans.

Christmas 2002- God had just given us twins through adoption in August, but He saw fit to multiply that blessing the very week of Christmas (Dec 20) that we might bring home Joel as well.  THAT Christmas our hearts went beyond caring for orphans, to being BROKEN hearted for those left behind by the world.

Christmas 2003- we received our adoption court date for the finalization of adopting all three boys at once! January 8th we stood before the visiting Juvenile Detention Judge as he spoke on and on and on about what he saw God doing through the lives of our little ones. Oh how grateful he was to see children NOT get left behind and end up knowing him in a different way.  He blessed us greatly by openly sharing his heart. THAT Christmas we began to see that EVERYTHING you do matters to even people you might never think. THAT Christmas we really saw that God’s plans are WAY bigger than ours!

Christmas 2006- On Christmas eve we received a call about a little girl born in Montana who, as our case worker put it, “was a Martin”.  The day after Christmas we scheduled plane tickets, emailed and faxed papers. In March she came home.  We named her “Beautiful Oath to God” because THAT Christmas God reminded us of what He had taught us years before and what He had asked us to do with our family and lives.

Christmas 2008- We went into Christmas anticipating to joyfully celebrate our new daughter, Sarah, which we did do, but God had additional plans. That advent we almost lost Sam to lung failure. On breathing tubes and lots of medications to keep his life going, we struggled weekly, daily. Would we even have him for Christmas? The week before Christmas they tried to remove the breathing tube to see if his lungs could make it, they could not.  We watched face to face as our son fought for life, turning blue and gasping, doctors rushing to open his airways once again.  The tube was back in, and we made plans to learn about having a trach placed in his neck to breath.  MIRACULOUSLY we brought Sam home on Christmas Eve in almost perfect health.  THAT Christmas God showed us that HIS plans are bigger than doctors and the importance of knowing that God is THE Creator and Sustainer of life at all moments. And it would be 3 years later we would see one of the great reasons why Sam needed to be in that place at that time…but that’s 2011.

Christmas 2009- We now had TWO beautiful daughters to celebrate, Sarah AND Joanna. Completely surprised by God that year when our case worker called to say “We have a Martin again!”  We also began homeschooling all of our children that year before.  THAT Christmas God gave us new perspective on family, loving your children for who God made them to be (no matter how hard that is some days), and what it really means to go the second mile and give of yourself to the children God has blessed you with.

Christmas 2010- Heading into Christmas with great joy and anticipation for the soon coming birth of our daughter Jocelyn, we were about to really learn what God had been teaching us all year.  For months God had been challenging our belief in His COMPLETE SOVERIEGNTY over all of life. So much that Sean had planned to study God’s Soveriegnty for the first three months of the year with the whole church.  When Jocelyn went home to glory on her birthday, we knew within moments that THIS was a whole new level of trusting God’s soveriegnty in our lives. THAT Christmas we learned that God’s plans are beyond our feeble minds and plans and are much, much greater than all we could ask or imagine. THAT Christmas we learned that you do not have to be immensely learned to be an amazing missionary. That weighing in at a mighty 5lb 3oz, Jocelyn was quickly becoming the littlest, yet mightiest, missionary we had ever known. How humbling.

Christmas 2011- A full year of “AHHHHHH so that’s one of the reasons God did that” kind of years.  Every time we turned around God was showing us how HE was using past challenges, struggles, hurts, and more ALL for HIS glory that would go much farther beyond our own little lives. Sean was asked by the head brain surgeon at the Children’s hospital to be on the hospital’s Ethics Committee. WOW how humbling. That God would use Sam being in the hospital years before in this way. Added on the many follow up visits for Sam and other regular appointments for our other kids with medical needs, and in God’s mathematical equation that equals “opportunity to teach God’s truth for God’s glory”.  THIS Christmas we got defend the “quality of life” argument that lies with in hospitals every day and influence the top surgeons at the Children’s Hospital. THIS Christmas we had couples come to us for help with past sin in their life, and they were led to us because of the way God used Jocelyn in our life. THIS Christmas we have seen a whole year behind us, proving to us, that God used to show us that the salvation of souls and bringing people to “get right with God” is of UTMOST importance beyond anything else on our calendars.

THIS year and all the other Christmas Seasons before it God gave us an amazing gift.

PERSPECTIVE

We still LOVE cookies, pie, carols, and stockings hung just so……but now our memory floods with different traditions.  The traditions that God set in our lives of using Christmas Season to give us PERSPECTIVE on so much more than we could ever ask or imagine.

Now THAT’S a great Christmas gift.

Thank you God for giving us new memories.

Tradition #1–On the actual day of their birthday they open a special “Double Digits Box” from Uncle C-Dub and Aunt Emi.  It’s loaded with double yummies.  Like double stuff oreos, double mint gum, double sided markers, –you name it, if it is double it is in that box!

Tradition #2– Nauna & Nat take the kids on a special day when they hit the double digits.  Sophie chose to celebrate her special outing when her Aunt Emi and new little cousin, Hudson, were in town.  This made the day DOUBLE great.

Sophie’s new goat (that she got from Dad and Mom for her birthday) went into labor just days before the special outing…..and you know what she had…twins!! Twin girls–of course!!!  Double the delight. Can you guess what she named one of them….Oreo The other- Truffle.  ”Midwife Sophie” helped deliver them at 2:00 AM!!!

The day of her outing, Sophie went to The Butterfly Museum and the Yanke Candle Factory.  If you are EVER near by you MUST MUST MUST visit the Butterfly Museum (Magic Wings Emporeum). It was the most spectacular event- awe inspiring.  The picture tell the story.

Dandelion Jelly

It tastes just like honey, really it does.  Now I know there a just a few “bee lovers” reading this blog entry, so I challenge you to make some and do a taste test for yourself!  Let us know your thoughts.  As for us, non-bee loving folk, we think it tastes like honey!

Directions for fun:

Set children loose in dandelion infested lawn (free from little doggie piles )  Arm them with clean buckets and instruct them to attack all dandelions in sight.  Grabbing only the “head” and pluck with all your might!  Fill buckets.  Return home.

Ok, Now take them inside and cut off the little stems.  We just held on to the pedals and snipped off the stem that holds them together.  Place all the pedals in a large pot, add 5 cups boiling water. Cover and let “steep” (to make dandelion tea) over night.  Overnight is good because then it is stronger. Extra tea can be used as….tea! Just add sugar and serve over ice.

The next day, drain the tea .  We put a large coffee filter in our pasta strainer.  Discard the pedals, keep the tea. You need 3 cups of tea in the end. Proceed to making the jelly by combining tea, with 5 cups sugar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice (don’t skip this or your pectin wont work- pectin needs acid to set up), 1 box powdered pectin.  Now I doubled this recipe.  I made one big pot of tea, but then divided it to make the jelly in two batches.  For some strange reason every time I try to double jelly recipes they don’t set-up as well. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Put into jars, process ten minutes in boiling water canner.  Or stick it in your fridge and pass it out as a fun gift.

Two things.  First, I found the recipe on www.simplycanning.com  they have tons of great ideas for summer fun.  Second, although they are not pictured here, the boys did participate. They ran and ran and ran and ran and ran and collected some dandelions along the way