A Little Taste of Japan

Last month we studied 16th and 17th century Japan, particularly the Samaurai.  As a conclusion to our unit, we had a Japanese Tea Ceremony.  We also set up a sumo wrestling arena and did some wrestling.  We learned that after one powerful leader took over in Japan, he didn't want the Samaurai to fight each other any longer.  He instituted the idea of sumo wrestling instead.  We had a great night.  Rachel and Abby were the hosts of the Tea Ceremony, so David and I and the boys sat and enjoyed good service through all 6 or 7 courses.  Here are some pictures from our evening.

Keenan and Abby wrestling, notice the "stands" for viewing

David and Rachel doing the initial stare off

Rachel squatting before the match begins (this is required, right after drinking the purifying water)

Micah and Keenan

TEA!!  the perfect conclusion to our ceremonial dinner.  Don't forget to slurp to show you are thankful.

waiting for the first course

Salad and rice course

our hosts, who served us well.

soup

boy fun!

Oh What fun these boys of mine can cook up! Here are some pictures from the previous few weeks of some of their adventures. They have built backyard forts with various things from around the yard, pirate boats, animal traps (not pictured), done a scooter show- with stunts and clown antics- and more. I love their creativity and the way the work together. Of course it is not always rosy and we have to talk about being a team and working together almost daily, but they do love to be together and they do know how to use their imaginations! I've also included some pics of one of Silas's new things... he likes to put things in lines. Always similar things, like books, balls, swords, etc... It makes quite a mess, but this sometimes keeps him occupied while I am schooling the older ones.

believing prayer

We have been reading about George Mueller as a family this summer. He was a man who started out life as a thief and liar, but he met God in a powerful way and became a preacher and eventually an orphanage manager in England. The biggest quality of this man and his wife that has been such a challenge to us is his faith that God will supply ALL our needs if we will ask. From early in his walk with the Lord, beginning when his wealthy father refused to pay for his schooling because he wanted to be a missionary, Mueller began simply bringing his needs to his heavenly Father. And over and over, God answered and provided all that was needed. This continued all through his life as he intentionally sought God for all the necessary things he needed for life. George Mueller was a big dreamer, and through his prayers and trust in God He created positive changes in the church and for the thousands of orphans he came to care for through the years in Bristol, England.
I am writing all of this to give you a context for our family's prayer challenge and experiment. We decided that if God would answer George Mueller in such a tangible and specific way, that he would answer us, too. All it takes is a heart that wants to know God and live for His purposes in this brief time on the earth. So we decided to pray for two things in particular. The first was more urgent in nature. We needed to pay our rent for the month and funds were low for us. So we prayed for the remaining $300 that we needed to pay our rent. We started praying specifically on Tuesday for the money to come by Friday. On Friday, David called the bank to check our account and found that $322 had been deposited that we were not expecting! Is not our God so good! He heard our simple requests and answered in the perfect timing with just what was needed! Our faith and our children's confidence in our faithful God has been strengthened in a neat way!
Our second need we are praying about is a new van. With the baby coming in October, we will outgrow our current van. David has been diligently looking for a bigger vehicle but as this point we are not even sure what would be best. So we started praying specifically as a family each night that God would lead us to the right vehicle and provide the money needed to buy it. We are excited to see how God answers this prayer! What a great God we serve! We are so thrilled to be called to this journey of faith! Won't you join us?

p.s.We will keep you informed of God's answer about the vehicle so you can rejoice with us in His care!

Joy in the Unseen

Top 10 blessings from this week (in no particular order):
10. All 5 kids sitting around the table at snack time, their snack mix poured out in a heap, talking and laughing together.
9. Hearing the 2 year old learning to say new words.
8. Praying with friends from out of town about a big decision in their lives.
7. The oldest daughter's thankfulness at being set free to go with a friend to a much desired destination.
6. Snuggling with the cutest 4 year old ever!
5. Quiet moments with Jesus in the morning before anyone wakes, where Jesus in his gentle way draws me back to what is really important in life!
4. Hugs and the familiar scent of my man.
3. Dinners with friends
2. Laughter with the kids, which happens all too infrequently.
1. The teasings of cool, refreshing fall weather and the excitement this brings to my soul.

As God draws me to the unseen, to communion with him and the enjoyment of the life he has blessed me with, I wanted to record these memories that echo in my mind this morning.

"They shall utter (literally translated 'bubble forth') the memory of your great goodness, and shall sing of your righteousness" Psalm 145:7


EDIT: one more... watching my nine year old worship the Lord! Wow, does she bless me and I know Jesus too.

Swim, bike, run

August 1st as a big day for Rachel. She participated in her first triathlon. It was post-poned a couple of times and then finally moved to a different facility, but the day did come! We were very proud of her effort and commit- ment to prepare for the race. And she did great! Here are some pictures to tell the story.

Happy Birthday, Silas??!!

In late July we celebrated Silas' birthday. He is such a fun, good tempered boy! We are so glad to have him in our family. All of his siblings love him so much. We had a low key celebration with another family. I decorated the dining room with balloons and streamers and Silas really liked them. We (mostly the other kids) thought it would be fun to fill and use the pinata that someone had given us. So we filled it and hung it up. Silas thought it was great fun to swing at it with a stick. But when it started bursting open and candy flying out, he did NOT think that was fun. He cried and cried! I think he was scared by the flying pieces and violence of it. Anyway, we quickly came in to find something more fun for the traumatized birthday boy. We opened presents and he enjoyed that. Next we got out the cake and lit the candle. He likes to sing so he liked the birthday song. But when I told him to blow out the candle, he just wrinkled up his nose and looked at me and the cake like he was not so sure he liked this idea. Why was I putting fire on his cake and then telling him to blow? Finally, I blew out the candle for him and he happily dug in to his treat! After all of that I am not sure what impression he has of birthday parties. He may just prefer a regular day with a little extras, like friends and dessert. We'll try again next year!

Beach Bums

After the Summit, we headed south to the beach! I have such fond memories of the little camper in the campground by the ocean. It is always such a treat to take my family down to that same little place for a few days of beach fun! My grandparents own this little place and supply almost of all our necessities, so we are so thankful for their generosity. One of the best parts of this year's vacation was watching each of the kids enjoy the beach in their own way. Rachel liked riding the wave boards or swimming. Abby swam some, but preferred to look for pretty shells. Keenan was really getting more comfortable in the water and played with daddy or jumped waves closer to the shore. Micah liked to look for shells and play in the waves as they hit the beach. Silas didn't want anything to do with the water and so spent most of his time playing in the sand or throwing a ball or frisbee. We also enjoyed the pool. Silas didn't like the ocean, but he really liked the pool! He thought he could swim on his own and fearlessly jumped time and time again from the side of the pool. He would have preferred to jump without David and I and often tried to wiggle out of our arms. Fun times. Here are a few pictures from our fun time.