Relaxing...

We made it through the Christian Workers Conference! It was held Saturday, March 3 at Heartland Christian School. God brought about 150 people (including workshop leaders and volunteers) to the conference. Our goal for the conference is to connect rural congregations with resources and training, and I really feel like we accomplished this goal. We've had many positive comments from attendees--that they took back information and technique that they would be able to use right away.

This week our family is relaxing a bit. We've been in to the office to do some work, but we are also spending time with the kids and just trying to catch up. On Monday we'll take a week and a half for vacation--something we're all looking forward to!

Adapting

One of the reasons we homeschool is the flexibility of schedule it allows us. There are times when we travel, either because of work or due to the time we can carve out for family. And there are times where work causes us to be crazy busy, and homeschooling gives us the flexibility to ease back on school work for that period of time, then amp it back up when the busy time is over.

This is one of those busy times. The Christian Workers Conference is two weeks from yesterday, and things are getting a little crazy around here. Honestly, I feel pretty good about the schooling that is getting done. I'm so proud of how much more independent work the kids are doing on their own. Tyson is fourth grade this year, and Jesalynn is second grade. Tyson is able to do math and grammar and spelling entirely on his own, and Jesalynn recently asked to start working more independently on her grammar.

As thrilled as I am to see them growing and changing, I'm still eager to get through this time period and get my routine back! I think the kids handle the change in schedule better than I do.

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Also, don't forget to check out Shepherd's Staff's newly redesigned website: www.shepherdstaff.org. Dave Faltermier did a great job on this project, and we are so very thankful for his help.

Good morning, friends! It's Monday morning--time to start the week! Do you have a song in your heart? Are you sharing your thoughts with God?

We had a snowstorm over the weekend--not quite what was expected but enough that the Gideons cancelled their monthly meeting. They will be back on Saturday to hold their membership drive, so we're praying for good weekend weather.

Tim got to get his snowblower out and clear the streets in front of the Shepherd's Staff buildings and the Rexford Community Church. He enjoys serving the community in that way.

This weekend we'll be serving Teens for Christ (TFC). In previous years they met at Shepherd's Staff almost every month, but the effectiveness of that mode of operation had begun to wear off. This school year they tried something different, trying to reach more kids and find a way to compete with sports and activities schedule. In February, they've chosen to hold their meeting at Shepherd's Staff again, and we're excited to be serving them. We'll fry around 100 hamburgers, make a ton of homemade milkshakes, make a bunch of fries, and generally enjoy them.

Saturday will be a busy day, since before we start to prepare for TFC we have to head to Colby and make almost 1000 pizzas with our 4-H club. Tyson and Jesalynn each sold around 25 pizzas; we were pretty proud of them! This was a first selling experience for them, and they only had about a week to sell. They worked pretty hard at it!

Well, it's time to head out into the day. The song in my heart right now is "This Is the Day" and the thoughts I'm sharing with God have to do with the Christian Workers Conference (less than a month away!) and a prayer for good friends for my children.

Wherever I Am To Be Content

We're in Kansas City this week. Natasha had an appointment to see a new orthopedic surgeon (it's hard to even remember any more the months she spent first in a body cast and then wearing her brace) and we scheduled it to coincide with a trade show that Tim is working through Northwest Kansas Travel Council.

The appointment went well. Natasha's x-rays looked good, and we do not have to return for three years. What a praise--her hip continues to function and develop well.

We are staying with the wonderful Malone family in Kansas City. Robert has come to Shepherd's Staff as a pheasant hunter twice now, and he and Tim have begun to build a relationship. I have to tell you, the Malone home is amazing. We feel like we are staying in a motel. The kids even got to watch a movie in 3-D last night. But I do struggle. When surrounded by a setting that is such a step up from where we are, it is hard to stay content with my own situation. So while I love being here, I have to constantly work on being aware that what God has given to someone else isn't necessarily what He will give to me, that I do not "deserve" to have a huge house (and don't want to clean one!)...that my journey to contentment has a long way to go!

We'll head home tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to being home and staying home for a while. Thanks for your prayers.

We celebrated Natasha's fifth birthday yesterday. It's hard to believe that our youngest is five years old--no longer even preschool age, really. She's learning to read and asking to play the piano and picking up new skills all the time.

Of course, if Natasha is five, then Jesalynn is eight and Tyson is nine, and that seems altogether too old, too. My own approaching 33rd birthday, on the other hand, seems a little surreal. I have a few months to get used to the idea, though--unlike Tim, who celebrates his next milestone at the end of January.

On a ministry note, we picked up the posters and programs for the Christian Workers Conference (to be held March 3 in Colby, KS). It feels good to have the design work for this behind us; but now we have to get the 1300 programs and 300 posters into the hands of churches and people who are interested in attending.

This weekend we'll be hosting a group of college ministry leaders from Celebration Church in Hays and a group of middle schoolers and junior highers who will be wrapping up their Catechism for the year. On Monday we'll serve dinner to members of the Thomas County Community Foundation.

Then next week we'll be off to Kansas City for a check up for Natasha (to make sure her hip is still developing correctly) and for Tim to work a trade show. It's turning out to be a busy month, and we sure appreciate your prayers for us and the ministry.

closing up the year

Can't let the month of December get by without a post!

It's been a good month. We were able to spend a week and a half in Colorado and Nebraska with friends and family--resting and relaxing after a busy November.

One of our favorite parts of December was the Cookie Making Day on December 10. Eight ladies (women, daughters, granddaughters) worked together to bake over 1400 cookies. We had such a good time getting to know each one and delivering extra cookies to Rexford residents.

We enjoyed the Christmas holidays, getting to celebrate with Tim's family in Nebraska, just our family on Christmas Day, and then Gwen's family December 26. Then, on December 28 we drove to Holdrege to spend the day with Tim's sisters--the kids got to meet their month-old cousin, too!

A neat thing this holiday season has been talking to the kids about "needs" versus "wants". After a season of birthdays and gifts and Christmas, it gets hard to distinguish between what we really need and what we just want. The kids spent time poring over the World Vision catalog, looking for ways to help people who were really in need.

We're excited about a New Year of ministry, and so thankful for all of the ways God takes care of us. Happy New Year!

Ten Years of Ministry Collage

This month, we included a photo collage of pictures spanning ten years of ministry in our newsletter. Below are the photo captions:

1. Family Canoe Camp group poses under Smith Falls on the Niobrara River, 2005.

2. Camp Rock helpers celebrate Crazy Sock day.

3. Bailye Geller and Jana Peyton (Gwen's sister) celebrate Jesalynn's birth with us, 2003. We invested much time into the lives of these two girls, and are still involved with them today.

4. We took our Sidney E-Free Bible study group to Fort Collins (Faith E-Free Church) to practice the Evangelism Explosion material they had learned.

5. Ross Ohnesorg and Phil Merlino traveled with Tim on a scouting trip for the Family Canoe Camp, 2001.

6. Sidney E-Free Church brought their youth group for a winter retreat at Table in the Wilderness, 2010. We have worked with this church in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Kansas.

7. The mime troupe from Alliance E-Free church provided entertainment at the first annual Camp Rock Banquet, 2002.

8. Michelle Larington, of McCook Nebraska, teaches a workshop at the first Christian Workers Conference, 2011.

9. Tim and Gwen are happy to have survived three days on the river during a Table in the Wilderness white water rafting trip, 2008.

10. Tim chats with Kevin Shelton, a pheasant hunter from Lawrence, KS, 2010.

If you do not receive our newsletter and would like to, just shoot an email to griffithsgang@gmail.com, telling us how you'd like to receive your letter (email or postal service) and including the address. We look forward to hearing from you!