In Review

It is official...the fall ministry season has come to an end. As we look back we have much to be thankful for especially in regards to "Reset" and the opportunities that has given us to reach and serve our community. The final session of English classes will conclude tonight for 2009. We hosted a Christmas party for the students this past Sunday at our home and had 8 students come, with some bringing members of their family to bring the total to 13 people. It was especially nice for me to meet some of those whom Jonathan has contact with on a weekly basis. They seemed to enjoy themselves and the more informal setting to get to know each other better. We enjoyed lots of holiday treats and had food in abundance! It is customary when invited to someone's house to bring a gift, typically a food item. I did not factor that point in to the planning and had about 8 additional items to place on the table in addition to my already over the top display of goodies. Needless to say I did not bother to make myself a birthday cake this week!

On Wednesday, we gifted each student with a desk calendar with a verse written on it for each month. They were thrilled to receive the gift and we pray that the Scriptures written will penetrate their hearts. The students also are greatly anticipating the next Film Night and continuing on in their English studies after the New Year. Jonathan has been able to develop a deeper relationship with one of his students and we have even invited him over for Christmas since his family relations are not good. We'll see if he ends up joining us for a Christmas meal.

This fall I have also been able to begin a ladies group that meets on a weekly basis. It has been good to fellowship with other ladies who are unable to attend our evening Bible studies. We have used our 2 hours of time to fellowship, have a time of prayer and study the same lesson that was taught the previous week to those who attended the evening Bible study. Our desire is to bring unity and focused direction as a group even if we have to meet in two separate venues to reach the majority of the group. We will resume this ministry after the New Year and hopefully by changing the day we'll be able to add to our group size and then begin plans for our quarterly women's outreach.

The kids' last day of school is today. We are so pleased and proud with all that they have accomplished and learned this fall. Both are doing really well, and we are so thankful for them and for the growth we have seen inside and out. They are ready for their much deserved break (18 December - 7 January). I guess I should not be surprised by the amount of homework Samuel has over break, as they always have holiday homework, even in the summers. He is motivated to finish it, so at least that is not an issue!

We are currently awaiting the arrival of Munga, Gramma and Uncle Ben. They should be landing as I conclude these final lines. We are all super excited to have them here for Christmas. Three Christmases in a row we have been able to share with part of our family and we could not be more blessed as the holidays are always the hardest time of year to be separated from family. Well, I will have some weary travelers coming through the door soon so I best get going.

Thanks again for all of your prayers for our ministry this fall!!

Very Merry to All

Holiday Weekend

We have been enjoying our 4-day holiday weekend. It's been nice to have lots of time with the kids, even if it has meant a louder house with less accomplished throughout my days. Samuel was so excited for the weekend that he woke up at 4:50am on Saturday and didn't go back to sleep!! He has adjusted a bit since then and didn't get up to 7:45 this morning, so that was nice but will make it hard to get up early again for school tomorrow.

On Sunday, Emma spent the afternoon at Catherine's house. It was her birthday present to get to hang out with her and she had lots of fun with her decorating her tree and getting treated to McDonald's for lunch. Emma was so cute because she had her little backpack all packed and ready to go three days prior.

The rest of us took the opportunity to enjoy the Christmas street fair in Caselle on the way home from church. Lots and lots of stands from food to textiles to handcrafted items. It was a tad chilly but fun to just walk around for a couple of hours. We are thinking that maybe next year "Reset" can have a stand to sell things and get our name out there in the community while raising monies for a charitable/social cause (PLC maybe?) as we saw other groups doing. Always needing to think and plan ahead, so we'll tuck that thought into our list of future projects.

There was some sort of cow exhibition there as well. Not sure if they were selling them or there for competition, but there were a ton of them. The boys enjoyed getting up close to them and listening to their enormous bells clanging around their necks. Some of the bells were so big there is no way the cow could have bent it's head down to eat.

As soon as Jonathan snapped this picture the cows all started pulling on the makeshift fence at once. Luca was the only one not phased.

Monday we had a craft day with the Farina boys here at our house. We had invited two other families but they were unable to come. Maybe it was a good thing because trying to do crafts with 6 kids, 8 and under was quite enough for two moms to handle. Not to mention working with 5 boys. My kids and I made sugar cookies in the morning and then the kids decorated them in the afternoon. Sprinkles and frosting everywhere but that is part of the whole fun of cookie decorating.



From there we went on to stamp some cards. It was a semi-success. I had prepared 50 cards with a simple design for them to stamp and assemble, but in the end they preferred the blank white cards to make their own creations. It has been a super long time since I have stamped so it was fun to bring out that stuff again and to see the kids really having fun with it too.

Diego and Luca did some dot art--definitely more appropriate for their ages. Luca was doing a great job, taking his time in painting his picture and being very precise. Great job buddy!




After those two projects the kids were burnt out and so we didn't even attempt the more messy stuff like decoupage that Barbara had brought to do. Our afternoon soon turned in to evening so we concluded with snacks for the kids and a cup of coffee for the tired moms--that was our snack at 6:30, with dinner following about an hour later.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving and the 4th of July are the only American holidays that we continue to celebrate and recognize even on foreign soil without exception. Even if some of the traditional items are impossible to find, like cranberries, canned pumpkin and pecans, we have made our adjustments for the occasion. For some that means bringing the canned goods from the States and hanging on to them for this annual celebration. For me that means cooking down a pumpkin earlier in the season to make my pumpkin puree for pies and breads. We were super excited this year to see orange yams for the first time at a couple of select stores, as usually we have to use what the Italians call "American potatoes" which are white sweet potatoes. All in all, we did well this year and truly succeeded in stuffing ourselves with some amazing food!

Our colleagues came over to our house for an afternoon feast on Thanksgiving day. It was a good time of fellowship. We are so thankful for our team and the faithfulness they continue to exhibit even in a difficult field of ministry and the love for the Italians that we share together. It is a privilege for us to be turning the soil with these precious servants of God.

Here are a few snapshots of our day:

Jim carving the turkey, before then cleaning the bones off of the whole carcass. A first for us to witness!

Field Council = 3 families, 2 singles

The kids

The food

We kept Emma home from school that day which she was most thankful for. She helped me set the tables, hang up decorations and then dress up like an Indian. She saw a picture of an Indian girl with braids and headdress and wanted the same. However, after closer examination she noticed that the girl's hair was straight and not curly. So guess, what she wanted? Here are some face shots of her with straight hair. She went to bed with straight hair and woke up with a mop of curls in the morning.

Luca came down with a fever on Tuesday night and was still fevered on Thanksgiving day. He ate his feast of yeast rolls and jell-o.

I think we need to start our braces fund now for our kids ;0)

Final Phase Complete

Just a quick post to tell you that we received all of our Permessi di Soggiorno (permits to stay) this morning. It was a quick retrieval from the Questura, thanks again to our inside man. A huge sigh of relief was breathed when all the information was printed correctly too. We praise the Lord that we don't have to begin the renewal process for 2 more years!!

Kids Say the Funniest Things

I've been trying my best this fall to keep a journal of the funny things the kids do or say. Here is a collection of some of the things I've journaled. Enjoy!

• I was in my bedroom ironing curtains for the center. Luca was on the bed looking at books. In an instant as I had my back away from the ironing board to fold something he walked right in to the blazing hot iron. I thought pretty sure he burned himself as I only saw him out of the corner of my eye, but he didn’t really react as such. He just kind of swatted at his ear like a fly was bothering him. I immediately asked if he burned himself and looked to see for myself and sure enough a huge burn line was across the entire length of his ear. There was an indentation where he was seared but he didn’t shed one tear or complain one bit. He only lasted for about 3 minutes under the cool water from the bade before wanting to go off and play. He never once complained about it even though my stomach would churn each time I looked at it for the following 2 weeks as it healed.

• While giving Emma a bath, Jonathan was asking Emma why she liked frogs so much. She kept saying “because I do.” When pushed to give a reason she turned the question on Jonathan and asked “why do you like wedding pillows so much?” “What do you mean, wedding pillows?” She said, “you know the pillows with the earrings on it.” (I think we recently watched the wedding video of Uncle Cody and Aunt Michelle's wedding)

• After watching “Eight Below” Samuel asked "why does leprosy growl?" I came to understand that he was referring to the “Leopard Seal” that was in the movie.

• During Bible story time we were reading and discussing the story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah and Jonathan started to talk about the complications of marrying two women. He asked the kids “what if Dada married 2, 3 or 4 women?” Samuel replied “Then you would go to jail!” Jonathan then told the kids how Solomon in the Bible had 1,000 wives. Samuel replied “Ohhh, that’s kinda too many!”

• On our walk home from school Samuel seemed confused about what he learned in his English class that day. They were learning colors and he kept saying he learned the color “white blue” I tried to explain that he probably misheard the teacher as it is supposed to be “light blue.” I had to go through the explanation of the contrast between dark and light and finally got him to say “light” instead of “white.” Then he came out and said, “Mamma, I am not a dark person.” I was thinking did he mean evil or his skin tone? I did not understand what he meant so had to do some digging. He said, “You know, like you are not a creepy crawly bug person. I am not a dark person.” Oh, like you are scared of the dark? “Yes, I am not a dark person."

• After Luca finished watching a Pluto short and the closing credits came up, he said “A-MEN!” I think that’s what he thinks you say instead of “The End.” Since then I have noticed him say "A-MEN!" at the end of all movies.

• After Luca had a morning of being a big pest to his sick siblings, he finally was sitting nicely on the couch next to Samuel watching a movie. Samuel told him “You are my friend now, Luca . I don’t like it when you are a little sinner.”

• Bible story time: Jonathan was reading and discussing the story of Nicodemus and what it means to be born again. Samuel asked “when you are born again, do you stay the same size?” Jonathan explained that it was not a physical rebirth but a spiritual one in which God gives us a new mind. Samuel’s response was “so when you are born again you’re out of your mind?”

• Luca is enamored with technology. He knows how to navigate around on the computer, download stuff and getting around without creating unfixable problems—like he really knows what he is doing. He loves to have control of the TV and DVD remotes. Every button he pushes is referred to as the “play” or “menu” button. He’ll say “Mamma, I push menu” when turning off my kitchen timer. “Mamma, I push play” to start the dishwasher. When Jonathan is on his cell phone, Luca will dictate to him “Dadda, push menu!”

One Year Ago

Today marks one year since Samuel had his ablation. Read here if you want to remember along with us (you'll have to then peruse through all the November 2008 postings to catch the full story). That one week in ICU seems so very long ago. Samuel still remembers his experience well and it is a good time of year to help him remember to give thanks to God for His perfect timing, protection, provision and healing of his heart.

When I reflect on the heart problem Samuel had and the health care available to us, I can't help but think of the countless children in Iraq who are living with a heart condition that threatens their young lives and to be without hope of receiving a life-saving surgery like Samuel was so able to receive. My brother Cody and his wife, Michelle are laboring to help save the lives of these children through the work of the Preemptive Love Coalition. Check out the following video of Mohammad's surgery just a couple of weeks ago. I encourage you to pray, give and spread the word about PLC. We have so much to be thankful for!

A PEAK BEHIND THE SCENES INTO MOHAMMAD STAR’S SURGERY from Preemptive Love on Vimeo.

Wearin' it all

Luca has been in this kick for a couple of weeks now where he dresses himself in multiple layers. We are not just talking layering two shirts, but up to 8 shirts at one time and as many as 5 pairs of pants, then wearing them all day. As mentioned before Luca is very quiet during his nap and bedtimes, however, sometimes I have to wonder how much time he actually spends playing before dozing off. He will raid his closet and drawers and put on the most outrageous number of clothes. I don't even try to de-layer him before bedtime because he will re-layer himself regardless. I just don't see how he can think it is enjoyable being so stiff bodied and hot as usually he is also wearing his superman slippers when sleeping. The only reason we can figure for this phase is that he just likes all his clothes and wants to wear them all at one time. I guess I won't have to pack a suitcase for him anymore--I'll just let him wear his whole wardrobe!



I feel like just putting a pair of hockey skates on him and letting him go at it with all his padding.

Who is this girl?

The other day I was curling my hair and Emma came in and asked what I was doing.  I told her I was curling my hair so I could look like her.  She gazed at me for a few seconds and then said "Mamma, I don't like you with curly hair!"  I asked her why not and she said, "Because God made you with straight hair!"

So this morning, I was a little surprised when she asked if I could make her hair straight.  I asked her why she would want to do that when God made it curly and she just said, "Because I want straight hair today."  And she wanted two pig tails like another girl in her class, but I didn't have any more time to spend on her hair this morning.  So this is the end result and let me tell you it SO does not look like our little Emma.  Her hair is crazy long, huh?!

She was growing self conscious when I took this picture and was hiding her face from the camera when I tried to get a face shot.  I don't think she knew quite what to do with it as she had to keep flipping it behind her shoulders.  Her hair has yet to be flipped back over the shoulders when it is curly.  She is so funny.  Sundays are the only days she wants a braid in her hair.  I don't know why, maybe for the same reason she doesn't like to wear a dress apart from Sundays.  Here is another shot of her running away from the camera after she asked for two braids a few weeks back.  She is so not an attention seeker with her shy personality.

Celebration Pt. 2

Emma had the joy of celebrating her birthday all over again this past Sunday.  She was super excited for her party and we are always thankful we can share special times like these with dear friends.  Celebrating birthdays are exhausting for me (maybe one day I'll choose a cake that doesn't take 2 days to make!) However, I would take my aching back any day just to see the smiles on the kids' faces!

Emma's Princess Frog Cake

 

 

 

Tanti Auguri Emma!

 

Danilo's birthday was on the 7th so we added him to the celebration as well.

 

 

Diego and Luca playing in the toy box

Celebration Pt. 1

What would make a 5 year old melancholy about her birthday??  A FEVER!!  We got a call from Emma's teacher yesterday afternoon around 3pm that she had a fever and needed to be picked up.  Well, no wonder she was out of sorts yesterday morning being on the verge of illness!  Poor thing!  She did at least eat her cake earlier that morning and said she really liked it, sprinkles included.  I thought maybe there might be some left over for Samuel and Luca to enjoy but there was nothing but a clean tray returned.  I guess they will have to wait for cake #2 for the second half of Emma's birthday festivities on Sunday.

Here are some pictures of Emma opening her gifts.  Sorry, if there are a lot but I know everyone wants to see her opening their gifts that they sent.

Emma's teacher, Patrizia, gave her a little stuffed tiger.  They also gave her a card/certificate along with her #5 necklace she is wearing.  She has great teachers!

 

Thank you Papa & Nano for my Loop 'n Loom!  I already made 1 potholder.

 

Froggy stuff...oh yeah! Thank you Munga & Gramma!

 

It's Frogalina!

 

My Little Pony dress up from Great Grandpa & Grandma

 

Family fun at Old McDonalds

 

Everyone with new PJs from Munga & Gramma and Triceratops from Dada, Mamma & boys

 

So not in the mood for anymore pictures, but I just love her curls after a bath.