BleSSings

Our one time donations have reached 100%. PRAISE GOD!!!

We are still in need of monthly support in order to get to 90% of that so we can purchase our plane tickets. God has truly provided us with some amazing people to get behind us in the past few weeks.

Also, Hans has had the opportunity to do a side job for my great uncle who also goes to a church. What a huge blessing to be able to add money to our ministry and to get Hans out and about so he doesn't get cabin fever, like I am. :)

Hans's uncle has also asked him to work for him for the next while which is a HUGE blessing as well. He will be helping them frame a house. God provides!

Kim, our biggest cheerleader, who has been on top of God's leading to help us out with an auction and other fundraisers, has yet again amazed us with her love for our mission and God. She has collected two liter bottles and put holes in the side of them with a picture of us on the front that says, "Donate a dollar a day for the Dominican Republic". Each person/family from church was asked to take one and fill it with change and bring it back at Easter time. We are so blessed to have Kim in our lives and amazed at her faithfulness.

On the FAMILY side of things...we are blessed as well.

We are so blessed to have parents who let us stay in their house and cook for us (both parents). They do so much for us. When I don't have a car, they let me borrow theirs. I use their computer, fax machine, and printer. I invade their houses because I'm not sure how else to spend my day. And what do they do...let me do it and are alright with it. Thank you God for parents who love us.

We have been so encouraged by our family who are so excited for our ministry in the DR.

We are blessed by our grandparents. We were just talking the other day about how well our boys have been able to get to know their grandparents. They have one great grandpa and three great grandmas that they know. Three of those go to our church. This past week Grady had the opportunity to spend the day with my grandma and grandpa Kelley. They built a birdhouse, talked about trapping animals, played cowboys, colored, and had lunch at McDonalds. What an amazing opportunity for Grady that he will NEVER forget. It brings tears to my eyes for a couple reasons. ONE, I never knew my great grandparents like that and to think that they have the opportunity to make memories with them is just awesome. TWO, leaving the country in a couple months means leaving behind family that we may never see again. Our grandparents aren't young and the thought that these may be the last memories to make with them is a little sad. I'm thankful for each one of them and the things they have taught me.

GRADY IS READING! What a fun blessing this has been. I never thought that I would homeschool, but I wasn't sure what else to do while I'm home alone with the boys with NO VEHICLE. :) SO, from 9:00-11:30 we have school, this includes Wyatt. I have a little schedule of things that we do each day.

Grady is learning things like sounding out words and reading short stories with the Hooked on Phonics reading program. He is also reading little stories based on a letter of the day. He has little activities that go along with each, four worksheets that he LOVES. Things like cutting, coloring, matching, circling, answering questions, reading short words, etc are included. He does some writing and drawing in a journal. We are doing adding and writing numbers in Math. A couple days a week we do Science, Grady's favorite. :) It's a little tough for me to come up with things, but he's pretty easily entertained.

Wyatt is learning his shapes and how to draw them. He's learning to count and write his name. He's learning to sort objects into groups (like fruit snacks and then eats them before they all get sorted). He is learning his letters, sounds, and words that start with that letter. Everytime we get to "W", he says the letter, the sound, and his name instead of the picture of the wagon. Love it! He likes the Science projects too, but yesterday when we were talking about characteristics of snow he was basically just eating it and drinking it through his straw, and today we were doing some things with salt and well, more salt ended up on the floor than where it should've. I guess he is only 2 1/2. :)

It has been a blessing to do this with my boys, but I could use your prayers as well. I am not used to the "stay at home mom" role and so it has been tough on me. Pray that I will be patient with them and learn to be more easy going and to just have fun and enjoy the time that I have, because it's tough some days.

I have been really pondering and trying to learn Psalms 1 lately. Here are three verses that I'd like to share with you: Verses 1,2,6

Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the
wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

...

For the Lord watches over the way of the
righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

BE A BLESSING TODAY!