Hey, do you know?

"Hey, do you know?  Do you know...Luca turned SEVEN?!"

March 29, 2013

Yes, our littlest guy is not so little anymore.  And do you know?  Luca practically begins every phrase that comes out of his mouth these days with, "hey, do you know...?"  It is so darn adorable and a phase of speaking that just makes us smile every time he opens his mouth.  It is very repetitive, but much better and easier on the ears than every sentence starting with 5 mamma's.

Luca loves to run everywhere!  And he always has to lead the pack and be first.  He is a very determined kid and if he chooses to put his mind to doing something, very little will stop him.  At this age, that can be a positive or negative depending on the objective.  Trusting that God will mold and develop that determination into a strength used for His glory.  Luca is also an unabashed mamma's boy.   Maybe that is due to the fact that he was born in Italy. J  I certainly will take all the cuddles he still gives me and treasure his longing to always be near his mamma.

A few nights before turning seven, Luca prayed and told God that when he turns seven he will try new foods.  Praying each day for progress in this area, 'cause honestly, how long can a child live off of PB&J, yogurt, fruit and chicken nuggets?  He begs to differ that meat gives you strong muscles, as his strength is something to be reckoned with for sure.  For his birthday dinner, we had coconut flour waffles (super high in protein and the only way to get lots of eggs in him!) and strawberries.  He was happy and maybe tomorrow he'll try some new foods. Ha!

We love you so much, Luca!  We are honored and blessed to be your parents and to have you as a special part of our family.  May Jesus draw you to himself as you grow more and more in your knowledge of him and his love for you.  Happy 7th Birthday, buddy!

 Lego toys are still the coolest toys for this boy

 I found a pin the tail on the donkey game in storage, and the kids had fun with that.  The birthday boy won and Samuel nailed the radiator.

 Emma was a very willing assistant in making the cake this year.  She wanted to do it all, and one day she will!  She made sure I made Sonic the Hedgehog correctly.  I tried a new technic in making a frozen buttercream transfer, and was pleased with the result.

Chicken Day

Yesterday, we had the privilege and joy of distributing 46 fresh chickens to families in need (plus another 4 to the volunteer staff).  We worked collaboratively with the Caritas group in which Melissa has been helping since the fall.  She has been offering cookies, tea and a warm smile on a weekly basis as these families come and wait to be heard and assisted with paying bills, receiving food bags, or whatever.  I have joined Melissa once before on a Tuesday afternoon to serve alongside her.  I cannot imagine what a depressing experience it was for the people prior to her arrival.  She has brought a warmth to the experience and much organization that really helps rid the frustrations that disorder can create.      

As a team yesterday, our desire was to provide the families with a gift in which they could use to prepare a special meal for Easter.  To most of these families, fresh meat is a luxury, so you can understand the smiles and expressions of gratitude we received.  We purchased the chickens as a team and gave them out in the name of our church, Solae.  We also created a booklet with an Easter message that we pray will be read (that alone would be an answer to prayer) and that hearts will be touched by the hope we have in Jesus because of his resurrection.

We are praying that this simple gesture and gift would open up doors to further communicate the gospel.  The economic situation in Italy is going from bad to worse, very rapidly.  Could this be a means in which God chooses to draw people to himself?  We pray so.  We pray also for great wisdom and compassion to reach into the lives of so many hurting people around us.

 Our display and chickens in the crate on the table

 Booklet "Jesus touched the coffin"

(Sorry, I can't seem to rotate the image)

Luca stayed home from school for the afternoon since he was not feeling well, and although he covered the flash with his hand, at least we have a picture to show of us right before opening the doors at 3:00.  

This is after the initial rush of people came through for their Easter gift.  I hesitate to take any closer or better people pictures in order to protect their privacy and be sensitive to what can be very a humiliating thing for so many in asking for help.  You can however, see the table through the people in which Melissa serves tea and cookies.

On Monday, Melissa and I spent the entire morning together making 150+ cookies.  We had to double the normal amounts needed only because we had asked all the families to come yesterday to receive a special gift.  There are basically two groups that rotate being seen every other week.

Recent Reads

Here are some recent books that I have finished reading, and thought I would share them with you.  Raising a Daughter After God's Own Heart, by Elizabeth George took me a long time to read, as I would read a chapter or two every month. (That is what happens when I try to read multiply books at one time)  It was a good book with many good biblical reminders about servant leadership, importance of prayer and influencing your daughter by being who God wants you to be first.  Taking care of your own heart and communing with God daily, being that example to your daughter of living and loving Jesus with your whole heart above all else.  

The Church Planting Wife by Christine Hoover was the first book that I have come across written specifically to the church planting wife and her role.  There are some amazing books out there on the dynamics of church planting, but nothing that would really prepare a wife for the reality of the hardships (and joys) of being the church planting wife.  I felt an immediate connection with Cristine because we are around the same age and similar life experience, and it really made me feel like I am not alone in this role that is so hard to explain to anyone else who has not been there.  She writes honestly  from her American church planting experience and I agreed with what she said, but would just magnify it by 10x for a cross cultural context.  I appreciated that in each chapter she included an interview with other ministry wives that served as another voice to create a sort of community of encouragement.  The book was biblically solid and indeed lived up to being a "help and hope for her heart" as I fulfill God's calling on my life to stand beside my man in ministry as a church planting wife.  An excellent read for any wife in ministry, anyone wanting to see into the life and heart of a church planting wife to better serve as an encouragement to her and well, any wife.  I flew threw this book, it was so good!  I have also been challenged and encouraged as well through Christine's blog.

This past summer during the one Sunday morning service where Jonathan did not have to preach or speak, we heard a song that brought us to tears.  We had just learned of some heart breaking news that would drastically impact the future of our church plant ministry in Italy.  Later the work and investment of the past five years would come crumbling down.  As we sat there in the service with our empty hearts, in our weary bodies and burntout souls, the Lord ministered to our hurting hearts and filled us.  The song Blessings by Laura Story was what I needed to hear that morning.  Later that fall I began to read her 30-day devotional and it was very encouraging to me as we worked through many trials this past fall.  The word "blessing" has been redefined, not just as those good things in our lives, but sometimes God actually blesses His children through the absence of the very things they pray for.  Her CD is also wonderful and I would recommend that as well.

Gifts from Germany

Take a look at what Jonathan brought home for us from Germany.  Thanks to an intern attending the conference who also works on the US base in Ramstein, all the men were able to bring a little piece of home with them.  My awesome husband requested sweet potatoes from the comesary if they had them and figured 10 would be a pleasant surprise for me.  Well, the guy did indeed get 10...that equaled 16.5lbs!!!  It's a good thing Jonathan packed lightly.  I have never seen potatoes so big in my entire life!  Look they are nearly as big as Jonathan's head.

Some special treats that we will all be enjoying for a while.  Oh, and the conference was really good too. :)

Preparing for Easter

As a family we are enjoying daily Lent readings to prepare our hearts for celebrating Easter in a more meaningful way this year.  Here is a wonderfully written, Jesus centered resource that is FREE and one in which we all have been blessed by:  Journey to the Cross.

I also like to do some Easter crafts with the kids each year.  Soon we will be putting together our resurrection tomb to enjoy as a table center piece.  I have one enthusiastic crafter in the family, but it is good for the boys to be stretched a bit now and again.  With Jonathan being gone in Germany all week, I figured this might be a good time for a project.  The kids ended up having 3 days off of school, which was nice I did not have to walk to and from school so much during this snowy/rainy week.  However, keeping the kids entertained and busy was a bit exhausting and challenging at times.

This week we made egg ornaments out of real eggs.  It was a project I remember doing as a child and thought the kids might like it too.  We can only get brown eggs here in Italy, so dying eggs has never really turned out in our past attempts.  I like the fact that these egg ornaments can endure like Christmas tree ornaments, just as long as you don't smash them.  I think it will be fun to create new eggs and add them to our Easter tree each year.

Luca actually was quite successful in poking holes in the eggs without breaking a single one!

The boys really enjoyed blowing the inside of the eggs out.

Emma didn't care so much about handling the yucky eggs.  She definitely preferred decorating more.

We had an enjoyable time together and it certainly helped pass some time this week.  We have the whole month ahead of us before Easter--what traditions does your family do?  I am always looking for new ideas and would be delighted if you wanted to pass along any suggestions.