The first week of school

Categories: parenting

School has started! We tye-dyed shirts to wear on the first day and the kids had new Disney school supplies and a candy bar that they could eat right then ( "Before lunch, Mom? Really? Cool!". Note that I had fed them baked oatmeal with blueberries so that the sugar wouldn't send them into a downward spiral. I presented them with their goals that Scott and I had set for them and they chose two to begin working on immediately. We did our annual height chart (Connor is now officially over 5 feet) and pictures to hang in the classroom and started the year with much giggles and excitement.

The start of the school year was a little odd this year as Scott was in India. I didn't realize how much we would miss Daddy's annual prayer over the school year and each child individually but his excitement and support was sorely missed.

I was very glad that I has started Math and Language Arts early in August along with the school schedule so that the first week wasn't quite as much of a shock to all of us. We will continue to add in the rest of the subjects for the next couple of weeks until we have everything in place. I find adding subjects in gradually helps us to enjoy the first of the school year without too much tears and stress. The twins also started soccer (on separate teams) this last week so it was a busy one!

I continue to be amazed at how MFW teaches us so much with so little time but we had a lot of fun with memorizing the Northern and Southern border states and reading Patricia St John's, "A Young Person's Guide to Knowing God". If you haven't read any of her children's stories, please check them out. They have amazing Godly stories set in exciting places. We also made homemade bread and a colonial recipe for Corn Chowder. They were great!

Scott gets home on Monday and we are so excited to show him all we've done in one short week. Ipray that the rest of the school year goes as smoothly as the last week has, although I am reeling at the thought of Connor being in 7th grade and the twins in 4th. I'm not sure where the time has gone. They are such delights to be with though that I find I appreciate all the time I have with them.

Thoughts on Parenting Deliberately

When I was eight months pregnant with Connor, a colleague of Scott's and his family came to our new home for dinner. We had moved from Colorado Springs only a few months before and were trying to get to know people in this area. We (and our families) had worked really hard on our new home to prepare for Connor's arrival. Connor's room had a blue sky ceiling and blue and yellow walls with a classic Winnie the Pooh border. Grammy had made curtains and a wonderful quilt for his bed and the room was perfect. Clothes had been washed and hung, bed made, stuffed animals carefully placed, glider in the corner with a delightful Pooh bear lamp and a table to hold water and books while nursing, in short all that was missing was a baby. (okay, I admit it was a little obsessive but that's just how I am!) We invited this family to see the baby's room. Promptly their 3 yr old daughter scaled the crib and began throwing everything out of the crib. She grabbed one of the Winnie the Pooh's and declared she was taking it home. The parents said, "Now, honey, you can't that's not yours". The girl starting throwing a fit, IN CONNOR'S CRIB. The parents said to us, "We'll just leave her there for awhile". In disbelief, I said, "No, I don't think so." I grabbed the girl out of the crib and took the bear out of her hands. The parents stood by and did nothing. I was not a happy pregnant woman (not that I was ever a really happy pregnant woman, but still). They reluctantly grabbed their still screaming daughter and made their exit. I fumed and fretted over this for hours as I put Connor's room back into pristine condition. I finally came to the realization that I had been bad mouthing this little girl and in reality it was the parent's fault. They had allowed this behavior to continue and had done nothing to stop it. That little girl was only doing what all of us in our sin nature do, namely put ourselves and our needs first. It was the parents responsibility to train this child out of this behavior. I came to decision that day that I would do everything in my power to NEVER have my children thought and spoken of in those negative terms by anyone. It was probably one of the most pivotal parenting moments of my early Mom days. It started me on a path of watching good parenting moments of others and trying to copy them (and find out what books they read) and watching bad parenting moments and deciding not to do that! It made me realize that I had to be deliberate in parenting. I had to have a plan and had to put that plan into proctive. It was our job and responsibility for this beloved child.

With that in mind, I am going to encourage all of you to make goals for your children and then do whatever you can to help them to accomplish them.

Here's one of my earlier posts on goals and family purpose:

Recently, we were challenged to make sure we have a working family purpose. I thought I would share what we've learned and how to make a family purpose. Oh, and goals for each of the kids too! The examples are our family purpose and objectives and the kids goals. My poor kids don't know how often I've used them as the example of good and bad behavior! I'll have to raise their allowance.


Family Purpose

I.Purpose
Write an overall purpose statement for your family, making sure it reflects the morals and values of your family. Start with “Our purpose as a family is....” Make your statement as precise and simple as possible.
Example : “Our purpose as a family is to bring glory to God through the love and choices we make as individuals and corporately as a family.”

II.Objective
State in a phrase or sentence an objective in fulfilling your purpose statement. Begin your statement with “to...” and complete your statement in such a way that you would see your purpose statement fulfilled.
Example : “To raise our children to be Godly young men and women filled with integrity and joy, who will be leaders for Christ in their homes, churches and country.”
III.Goals
Carefully consider individual goals for each family member. We make goals in three areas, spiritual, personal and academic (for our children) each year and have three goals per area..
Example : For our oldest son, here are the goals he is currently working on
Spiritual – self control over his emotions and tongue Gal 5:22-23
Personal – maintain responsibility over belongings (coats, piano bags, sports equipment) Eph 6:1-2
Academic – have multiplication and division tables memorized through 12


Carefully consider these goals and make sure they meet these criteria:
1.Are they biblical?
2.Do I have a verse or moral reason why to support these?
3.Do they fit out purpose as a family?
4.Do they bring glory to God or glory to us?

Post these in a spot where you can see them regularly and pick a goal to work on weekly or monthly, include your children and them pick the goal they want to work on.

I hope you can sit down with your spouse and make a family plan. The beginning of school is a great time to do that. We just finished ours and looked over last years and it was really encouraging to note the personal and spiritual growth of the kids. Praise God!

Categories: parenting

Worldview Training

I have been looking for resources to help aid us in training our kids in worldview and have a few I wanted to share.

For those that have done "The Truth Project" or maybe even in conjunction with, "The Truth Chronicles:Adventures in Odyssey" is great. So very fun to listen to but has a great message about learning to evaluate what we hear and what we learn in light of what God says.

Connor and I are also beginning an introductory logic course that is enjoyable and fun while still training in hearing fallacies and being able to think clearly. I think it's great for middle school kids and above. The First book is "The Fallacy Detective" and is from a Christian worldview. We'll begin formal logic training later but this is a great starter.

Categories: parenting

Priorities

 

This summer has not gone as I had planned. It has gone how God planned but not as I planned. You'll remember my blog early in the summer on planning more time to play, however we have not been up to the mountains since. God had some different plans for our family this summer which helped to me to really define who I am and what my priorities truly are.

I received a call in June from a friend asking if I would be willing to work several weeks this summer to help them out. Scott and I prayed about it and felt like this was something I could do as well as helping a company I firmly believe in. So Scott bravely agreed to hold down the home front while working at home (isn't he amazing) while I flew out on a great adventure. I really enjoyed working, it was different, I felt valued and that I was giving my time to a very worthwhile cause. I also loved working with the people I did (you know who you are). They were friendly, Godly, and kept an amazing amount of grace in the face of an incredible amount of change, oh and maintained a sense of humor. I could imagine myself working in this environment full-time but something continually nagged at me. I felt like I was doing what I was supposed to be doing at the moment but that this was not what I was supposed to be doing all the time. I realized that I really want to be with my children. I want to be the one who disciples them. I want to know what they are doing and what they are feeling. I want to be the one who takes them to their soccer camps and the pool. I want to teach them. I want to be there when they figure out a new concept in math or write a good sentence. I want to teach Bible to them every day and watch them grow in their faith. It is what God has called me to do at this time.

So often we as Moms think we are not doing something of value in wiping noses, changing diapers, doing laundry, making dinner, reading stories, cleaning toilets and the myriad of things that we do each day but we are we are training the next generation and no one can do it as well as we can. I loved the opportunity and I would willing go again but I am so grateful that God showed me where my heart truly is, with my husband and kids at home. I hope God shows you today where your heart is.

The pictures are of Caileigh's newly decorated room. I finally was able to spend the time and re-paint her room for her birthday - only a month late but it's done! All three kids helped, Caileigh helped me stencil the vine and the boys helped me stencil the stars. They were great!

Categories: parenting

The twins turn 8!

Over 8 years ago , we found out we were having twins. We were so shocked about this unexpected turn of events that we didn't talk about it for two days, not even to each other. We just couldn't get our heads around it. We just couldn't believe that we were going to have two babies, other people had twins, not us. God had a beautiful plan that we were just not tuned into yet. So, 8 years ago today, Caileigh Noelle and Collin Robertson, were born. Caileigh entered life dramatically as she has lived life since and Collin entered life in a textbook manner, also how he lives his life.

They are both growing into wonderful children but so very different. They are a testament to the verse, "Raise up a child in the way that he should go." I am so glad to be their Mom and that God has allowed me to have this immense privilege and blessing. I consider being the mom of my kids the greatest gift, the best job and my biggest accomplishment. I love being their Mom!

Happy Birthday Caileigh and Collin! I love you forever and a day!

Categories: parenting

More Colorado Field Trips

Life is happening at the speed of light but I wanted to post some pictures of our trip to Bent's Fort and the Sand Dunes which was the last trip of the Colorado field trips.

On a side note, remember that summer is a great time to train your kids in new habits for the school year. Train them now while you have the time and reap the benefits in the fall.

 

 

 

 

Categories: parenting

Getting Outdoors

We are almost done with school and are just finishing up with our projects for the state of Colorado (stay tuned, I'm writing a travel through Colorado history curriculum)so we drove up to Estes Park to take some pictures of Colorado's wildflowers for Caileigh.

While we were there we had time to play in the water, climb rocks and just play. I was sitting watching them and was reminded that kids need time to just play. We keep them in so many things and have so many toys that they rarely have time to just play. All three of mine played for 3 hours with just water, rocks, sticks and dirt and were perfectly happy and content. They were sad to go and when we got home Collin said, "Mommy, when can we go to the mountains and play again?." I told him soon because I so enjoyed the three of them enjoying each other and the creation that God made for us to enjoy.

I'm looking forward to summer and I think I will schedule some old-fashioned play time. I think I will slow our schedule down and just enjoy the time as family because the time is coming when I won't have that privilege.

Categories: parenting

Field Trip Photos - Southwestern Colorado

Categories: parenting

Here's some pictures from our trip to Southwestern Colorado. We went with our adopted grandparents, Mr. Vic and Miss Mo and had a wonderful time and learned tons! We spent a night in Glenwood Springs and did the hot springs and then headed to Durango where we spent two days at Mesa Verde and Four Corners and then rode the Durango - Silverton train (thanks Todd). We also spent a couple of days in Ouray, which was stunningly beautiful. More pictures later...

My Son is 11!

I'm not quite sure when this happened and where I was but my oldest son is 11 today. I still remember quite clearly the moment they placed him on my chest (after 36 hours of labor I might add) and I knew life had changed forever. I remember feeling like I needed to introduce myself, "Hi, I'm your mom. I'm going to do my best to try not to mess up the rest of your life, God willing.". I remember holding him all night long the second night he came home because he had gas (nobody told me that eating green vegetables when nursing causes gas in babies)and then it was my first Mother's Day.

I remember him saying "yight" for light at 11 months and "lellow" for yellow until he was 3. I remember him asking if we could take Caileigh back to the hospital because she screamed too much and it hurt his head. He liked Collin, he was quiet. I remember that Scott was Connor's favorite person and toy and still might be (oh and Alex).

I remember teaching him how to walk, okay I don't remember that too well as I was on pain killers for my wisdom teeth. I remember teaching him to read, to count to 10 in English and Spanish and so much more.

What I don't remember teaching him is how to love so sweetly, or how to play with babies or to make friends with every one he comes in contact with. I am amazed at the blossoming young man I see before me today and I am so glad that I can be his mom. I don't deserve him but God blessed me anyway.

Thanks to all of you who have loved him and trained him and taught him along side of Scott and I. You know who you are. Oh and thanks to Grammy who prayed for Connor to be born on the National Day of Prayer. I didn't appreciate it then as I had contractions for 5 days and just wanted to be done but I appreciate it now.

Happy Birthday Connorman, I know God has plans for good and not for evil for the rest of your life. The best is yet to come. I love you.

Categories: parenting

Consistency

I wanted to just write a quick note before making dinner about consistency. Since we went to the parenting conference a month or so ago with Joey and Carla Link we have been pretty consistent on attitudes and first time obedience and just wanted to say that it has worked beautifully. We've been getting, "Yes, Mom or Yes, Dad" the majority of the time and I haven't had to tell them what they are doing wrong, they tell me after they have had a reflective time. There has been much less drama and all Scott and I have to do is point them to the corner or their room and respond when they are ready to tell us what they did wrong and then hand out the discipline.

I love it when a plan comes together.

You can go to Mom Notes at www.momsnotes.com and look under Volume 5 for "It's All About Attitude". All of them have been great but this has really worked well in the stage that we are in.

Categories: parenting

Connor and I

Scott and Connor have been taking a "Squires and Scrolls" class through church which teaches boys to start taking those first steps into manhood and purity. They also have a moms/daughters track which Caileigh and I will start in the fall. The members of the class progress to the next level of class and books each year until they graduate from high school. It's one of the main reasons we switched churches this year.

This week Connor was learning about treating women with respect and honor so he had to take Mom on a date. I got a call on Tuesday night from my sweet oldest son asking me to go to dinner with him on Wednesday. After I accepted he asked me when he could meet me and that he was looking forward to our time together. I haven't had such an offer in over 13 years (hint, hint, honey).

We went on our date last night and I have to tell it was one of the highlights of my year. Connor opened doors for me, paid for dinner and a movie (with his own money from his dog sitting job) and we had a wonderful time. We've gone on dates before but it's always been at my planning and it was extra sweet to have my son plan and pay. We talked girls, and futures, about our favorites books and movies and about life in general.

I have to say that who ever God has planned for my son, is a very blessed girl. If he can treat his Mom with such care I know that he will treat the girl he's to marry with love and respect.

Oh and a special thanks to Scott for taking the time to train and learn with our sons. It is a joy to behold!

Our church's program is called Path to Purity and if you have a chance to go through something like it, run don't walk! You can buy the "Squire and the Scroll" and the "Life Lessons from the Squire and the Scroll" as well the "Princess Kiss" and the "Life Lessons from the Princess Kiss". The next book in the series at church is "Raising a Modern Day Night", check them out!

Categories: parenting

New Glasses

My sweet little Collin got glasses today. He has some misalignment in his eyes so we are trying to see if glasses will fix it, if it doesn't then we may have to look into surgery. We are praying hard that 2 or 3 months of glasses will fix the problem, please pray with us! We are trying not to worry knowing that , "All things work together for the good of those who love Him." (We're learning about HOPE in church)In the meantime though, he's in glasses and so very cute!

Categories: parenting

New and Different Challenges

It seems lately that we've passed some sort of stage mark. The kids have begun to compete and perform in so many different venues from Bible Bowl to classical Piano competitions to sports. I love it and love to watch my kids learn to handle pressure, nerves and keep self-control. They don't always win but it seems like they put up a good hard fight and most of all, are considerate and good sports. ( You would NOT believe how many kids don't say good job, nice try or know how to shake a competitors hand. Shocking! Parents - teach your kids to be good sports! It's important and it makes them and you look bad!) The funny thing is that I have a hard time not shouting out the right answer, it's different not being the competitor.

Anyway here's a few pictures of the kids events. Isn't Connor handsome in his dress-up clothes for the Classical Piano Competition? He didn't win but he got to the second round and made a good showing for himself.


Okay, I wasn't going to say anymore about teaching your kids to be good sports but I feel the need (you wouldn't believe how bad the sportsmanship is - even among Christian kids). Remember Luke 6:46 tells that what comes out of our mouths is an overflow of our hearts? Competition is included in that. When we allow our children to be bad sports it's showing that winning is more important than the people we are competing against and that can't be allowed. Matthew 22:39 says to, "Love your neighbor as yourself." At a young age, children may throw a tantrum or throw down a game piece or burst into tears when they lose. We must train them to get self-control, shake hands and say "good job' whether they win or lose. Collin was the worst at this so I once told him I would make sure he would lose every game we played until he could get control of himself. ( Aren't you glad that you are not my child?) We have continually worked with him on this (also on not over-gloating when he does win) and he has learned to be a good sport and is a joy to play a game with. He will try to beat you, don't get me wrong, but he'll shake your hand and tell you "good game" and look you in the eye as he does so. We must teach sportsmanship because it is a moral issue. God does care if we love winning more than we love our fellow man.

Categories: parenting

Called by God

These faces are my calling, what's yours?






"Your career is something you do to get paid, your calling is how you were made." our pastor said this last Sunday. He then referred us to Romans 1:1, "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus , called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God."

I was listening but I wasn't really thinking hard on it until Scott elbowed me and said, "He talking about you, honey". I sat and thought about that for awhile. "Am I called? What am I called to?" Instantly, the answer came to me. I am called to be my kids Mom and their teacher. It may not be others calling but it is mine. I think that's what Scott was me elbowing for ( I could just ask him but ....). I think I feel so passionate about what I do and so confident that this is what I am to do that it's a good indication of calling.

All of my devotions this week have been on calling and I started each day with the thought that God has called me to being a Mom and home schooler. It's made me think of what I do in a different way, if God has called me to this then I better work at it with all of my heart. Col 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." It also gives me an extra incentive to be an excellent Mom and home schooler if I am working for the Lord. It gives me confidence and a real sense of purpose to be called and to be doing the will of God.

I hope that you know what you are called to do and that it gives you confidence.

parenting classes

I mentioned in an earlier post that we were going to a parenting weekend. I have to admit that I went into the weekend thinking that we were doing pretty well and didn't have much catch up to do. I was wrong. I hate that. I mean I hate being wrong, well I hate having catch up to do as well.

Anyway, this is one of the reasons why we make sure to go to a parenting class or seminar at least once a year, because we forget or have become lazy. This time we were really convicted of letting our kids attitudes slide. Not that our kids have horrible attitudes but things like when we ask them to do something instead of saying, "Yes Mom or Dad" they sigh and slowly move towards us or slight rolling of their eyes. Little things I know but I was reminded that little attitudes can become BIG attitudes if not put in check.

We hit the re-training hard early this week and I was impressed at how quickly they fell into line. The house is always so much more peaceful and enjoyable when we all do what we're supposed to do.

So if you haven't been to a parenting class or seminar lately let me encourage you to get to a class! We all need reminding now and again.

Oh and the class on personalities was great, but we really needed the talk on atiitudes. For more information you can go to www.momsnotes.com

Categories: parenting

Jesus Loves Me This I Know

I've been reading a book that my friend gave me for my birthday (thanks Kimb) and it talked about how we as adults forget or never truly know that Jesus truly loves us and that we are valuable to Him merely because he love us. The author of the book said that he made a breakthrough with this thought when his Mom gave him his ratty, old, worn out teddy from childhood and he realized that he was valuable to God because he was God's and God loved him. We are valuable to God because we are His and He loves us and that's what makes us valuable - not what we've accomplished, not because we are smart and attractive but merely because we are His and he loves us.

I really wanted the kids to get this message to so I had them bring down their must beloved possession - not their most valuable - their most beloved. Caileigh brought her purple teddy named "Dolly Bear" which we had picked out together on a trip to Build a Bear when she was 3. Collin brought a small, square, miniature blankie named "silky" which has been recovered countless times and was given to him at birth by Mr Vic, Miss Mo and Alex. Connor brought down a life sized Mickey Mouse which he sleeps on instead of a pillow, also given by Mr. Vic, Miss Mo and Alex. I started asking how valuable these items were. "Could we sell these things for a lot of money?" "Are they in good shape?" "would someone else buy them on e-bay for what they are worth?" After comforting the kids that I was not going to sell them, I asked them why they are valuable to them? What makes them valuable to them? Was the material, now worn? Was it the music that no longer plays? Finally, Caileigh said, "Mommy, it's worth lots because I love it." Ahhhhh, now we come to the point. It's valuable because you love it. Connor, having been in these kind of object lessons before, said, "It's just like how God loves us!" Exactly, God loves us and therefore we are valuable not the other way around. Collin, no slouch on catching on said, " Mom, that's what Jesus Loves Us says. We should sing it!" So we did.

I really wanted the kids to understand that Jesus Loves Them! He loves them no matter what and they can't earn or do anything to change that. He loves them and that's what makes them valuable, they are His.

It was a good reminder to me too. I forget that it's not how I raise my kids, how clean my house is, how much I accomplish but the point is that Jesus Loves Me and that makes me valuable.

Categories: parenting

Pictures

Here's some pictures from Christmas. We had another scavenger hunt for their main gift which was a Wii. You'll see that Connor can't stand up from the sheer joy of the thought of having one. We messed with the kids heads all fall long about NOT getting a Wii so we really had them going. The Wii is fun but what I enjoyed the most is Grammy and Papa playing for hours with the kids and just loving it. Papa can roll a mean bowling ball and Grammy really gets into her baseball.

Christmas was lovely and Mr. Vic makes a great Christmas Dinner. I love not having to cook on Christmas so I just sat around and read and took pictures on my new, pink, camera.

Categories: parenting

Personalities and Kids

We had a great Christmas but the break showed us that we have some parenting issues to work on. While I was doing some after Christmas re-arranging I came across an article I had gotten a while ago on kids personalities and their strengths, weaknesses and their besetting sins. It was an amazing read as I realized that the exact issues we were dealing with were the common sins for each of the kids personalities.

It reminded me that I have to be a student of my children and really understand where they are coming from before I can discipline and train properly.

So for a very quick overview here's a bit of the info for each personality type. They are split into 4 categories:
Sanguine (I in the DISC, Otter)is a total extrovert- high energy and very talkative

Choleric (the D or Lion)is very strong-willed and a "can-do" child

Melancholy ( C or Beaver)is very accurate and detailed

Phlegmatic (the S or Golden Retriever)is very easy going and sensitive

I realize that there can be variations on these types, as in Meyers Briggs and others, but this is a very high overview. What your child is MOST like.

Each of these personalities have their strengths and their weaknesses and knowing what your child is and what they struggle with is a huge parenting help. We can't okay their weaknesses because they are a certain personality but we have to help to strengthen their strengths and weaknesses. Knowing is half the battle.

A great resource for that is "Understanding Your Child's Temperament" by Beverly Lahaye.

I started working on this already and the kids showed a difference in attitude almost immediately.

Categories: parenting

2008 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas from the Hudson Family!

From 2008 in Review

From 2008 in Review

We have had a great year! We spent a week in Washington DC in May learning more about our country. It was great to see all the things that we had been reading about in school. We went back to Juarez, Mexico for the week of Thanksgiving serving, playing, feeding and witnessing to the people there. God showed up in amazing ways providing just enough food for the amount of people we had and protecting our team in a very violent area.

From 2008 in Review

Collin - 2008 was good because I have love, joy, peace, and kindness. I like going to karate with Connor. I liked going on the Subway in Washington DC. It was really fun playing soccer in Mexico with all the kids who were really, really, good! I like memorizing the book of James in school.

From 2008 in Review

Caileigh - I had a good year. The best was having a sleep over with Carli and Didi Bulow. The boys were gone so I had a whole week alone with Mom doing girl things. I have been taking Irish Dance which I really like. In school we learned about Fungi, which was really interesting. We went to Mexico and I was able to see a girl open my shoebox present. I liked going to Jenny's Feeding Center in Juarez and serving food. Merry Christmas!

From 2008 in Review

Connor - My favorite things this year was being on a First Lego League team and having my 10th Birthday at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. I enjoy doing Karate and am going to test for my yellow belt soon. I am enjoying Singapore Math in school.

From 2008 in Review

Dawn - I continue to homeschool the kids, Connor is in 6th grade and the twins are in 3rd grade. They are a joy to teach and we so enjoy being together. This year marked a difference with the amount of activities (karate, Irish Dance, soccer, piano etc) that the kids were in so it seemed like I spent a majority of my late afternoons playing chauffeur. I am very grateful that we got a new car in April so the car time was much more pleasant ( I love my Subaru Tribeca - it makes me smile). I spent Nov and Dec directing the Christmas play at church which turned out well - other than the fact that I completely forgot the last song. Oh well, no one's perfect ( I am almost perfect- like Mary Poppins).

From 2008 in Review

Scott - I'm still an XML consultant and active in several OASIS technical committees. This year, I expanded my horizons and decided to coach a First Lego League team. We set our expectations to having fun and learning. At Regionals, we tied for 5th place and won the FLL Rising Stars award! I have a new call sign this year, too: W0XML (yeah, pretty geeky). I also can't forget my new ride! I got a Honda Shadow Aero in January and have been commuting almost daily to work. At 55mpg, it's quite an improvement over the truck!

From 2008 in Review

As this year ends and the new year begins, we pray that God will bless you and yours. With all our love,

Scott, Dawn, Connor, Caileigh and Collin

Categories: parenting

Be strong and courageous!

We're back and although I don't have time to go into everything (the Christmas play looms...), I wanted to give a brief update.

The trip was amazing. God showed up in amazing ways - ways that I haven't ever seen before.

A few highlights:

There were over 50 murders in Juarez the week we were there, some close to where we were, but we were safe the entire week. It was a little disconcerting to take my kids into a military zone, complete with machine gun stationed on either side of several roads we were on and full military convoys with men in full swat gear but God kept us safe and in good spirits all week.

We fed over 1000 people through out the week. One meal, God provided food until the very last person in line was fed with the very last of the food. We didn't count food or people but God knew.

Being the first customers of ladies that have been taught by missionaries to sew and emboider dish towels, aprons, and purses to help provide food for their families. I have never seen "hope" and "pride" in a more tangible way.

We had 100 bags of food and various items and God provided us with exactly 100 women. Again, we didn't count, God did.

Seeing Connor read a pamphlet of salvation to a little girl - in Spanish. Caileigh knocking on doors to invite people to church with as much Spanish as she could remember. Collin escorting an older lady who was a translator with us around the colonia so that she would be safe.

Scott was amazing as always, never quitting and helping all the rest of us translate. He makes me so proud.

I loved being able to teach children whether in English or Spanish and it was one of my favorite things to do along with playing with legos with the children in the orphange. You should have seen me trying to understand their directions as to what piece they needed. My Spanish was stretched to the limit.

So much for a little update. I get so excited by what God did in their lives and in our own. Thanks for all of you who prayed and helped us to get there. We could tell that our loved ones were praying and God answered your prayers in absolutely amazing ways.

Here's a link to some pictures...
http://picasaweb.google.com/shudson310/Mexico2008#

Categories: parenting