Little Bits

Tim is in LaGrange this week, speaking to students at Frontier School of the Bible about ministry and ministry opportunities at Shepherd's Staff.  One unexpected blessing for him was the number of students there that we have worked with in past ministries.  Last night he talked with a young man we knew during our time in Laramie; today he chatted with students that had attended Camp Rock and encouraged a young lady that we know because of our time at Shepherd's Staff.  It is always neat to see how God connects different parts of our lives.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wanted to share a couple of snippets from our lives...things that have been running through my head but haven't made it to paper or screen.  The kids are finishing their Awana year next week and we are so proud of each of them.  Nattie completed her Cubbies book, Jesalynn finished her last Sparks book and did the review, and Tyson is working on the last section of his T&T book.  His assignment was to choose one of the question and answer sets he studied throughout the year, find "backup" verses, and tell how this applied to his life.  I want to share some of his words with you:

"The answer I chose is "I need to know that God wants me to honor Him.  To honor God means to love and adore Him.  If you honor God, you do the things that He tells you to do...Some things you could do to honor God are you can honor your parents.  You could do what He says every day.  Or you could clean your church every week.  Anything you do with love for God is honoring God...One way this answer goes to work in my life is that when I honor Him I feel good.  As you honor God more you get closer with God, making your relationship with Him stronger."

It is so rewarding to see one of our children expressing his growing relationship with Christ!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the past few years we have prayed with the kids every night before bed, and on Sundays we specifically pray for their "someday husband" or "someday wife".  As I pray with the girls, I ask God to be drawing that special person to Himself, to develop him into someone that can lead, protect, and provide for each girl.  Tim prays with Tyson for his future wife, and I often hear Tyson close with "...and help me to be the man of God that You want me to be."

It has struck me that they may not understand everything that we are praying for them, but I hope that they will internalize these characteristics that they will be to search for or incorporate as adults.  Parenting is such a process--so many things we do today won't truly come to fruition until years from now.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lastly, we're coming up on the end of our second full year of ministry with Shepherd's Staff.  The last two years have been rewarding, challenging, difficult, encouraging, and so much more!  Thank you for being a part of our ministry through your prayers, support, and friendship.  We couldn't do it without you!

Did I mention that we went on vacation?  It was lovely.  Lots of sleeping in and lazing about, too much eating out, and random forays into education:  museums, a salt mine, etc.  Oh--and 3 or 4 days spent with Gwen's sister.

Of course, we had to come home eventually.  And then we promptly left again, this time for a Fine Arts Festival for homeschoolers, held in Garden City.  Tyson and Jesalynn each did well with their piano solos, bible recitations and poetry recitations.

We learned Friday that Tim's Grandpa Pulver had passed away, so we found ourselves in the car again, headed for Minnesota.  We're back home, and while I plan not to leave again any time soon, Tim will be heading to Fremont on Sunday to be with his dad during a prostate surgery on Monday.

On another note, I love how the family of God looks out for its members.  A friend from Laramie sent me a "heads up" email a while back, asking me to be on the lookout for a new family in Colby.  Two of the kids ended up on my AWANA team last night, and I got to meet the mom.  I'm excited to be able to get to know a family with kids our age, who probably share our values.  It's something we've been praying about for a while.  Hopefully we can be an encouragement to this family as they adjust to small-town life.

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.

-------------------------------------------------

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.