VisionaryDaughters.com Presents...

How Exciting!!

Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin are hosting a webinar

(that's an online seminar ;)

on their website

www.visionarydaughters.com 

starting September 25th!

Please check out the link and participate. Anna Sophia and Elizabeth are wonderful women of God who have encouraged me so much over the years. Our family has been so blessed by their ministry!

I also strongly recommend their other products...

  

This film The Return of the Daughters has been so pivotal in my life! I can't count how many times I've watched it! In this documentary, Anna Sophia and Elizabeth travel the country, interviewing daughters who are living happily under their father's (or, in some cases, husband's) roof, living godly, productive lives and blessing their families. This is a must have for all girls!

     I'm in the middle of reading So Much More. In this book, the Botkin sisters address issues of biblical father/daughter relationships. There's also a chapter in the back of the book by their father, Geoff Botkin for fathers. I am thoroughly enjoying it!

I have not yet read It's (not that) Complicated, but I don't hesitate to recommend anything by these girls. It's the next thing on my reading list (oh, so long and ever expanding!) 

I urge you to join Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin this Fall for their webinar. I shall be there, sitting at their feet (on my computer) with my pink felt-tip pen and a fat notebook to fill!

The Early Worm Gets the Bird?...

Surprise this morning! I got up before eight! That's not the surprise, though...just a nice little tidbit that moves you into the surprise :) 

My sweet, precious Mama went outside on the front porch to water our hanging plants and after dousing the first one, decided to peek at the pile of twigs inside. She had seen a mother bird fly in and out before and was curious as to what the nest looked like. She lifted the plant off its hook to investigate and discovered:

Three Baby Birds!

Here's the plant at first glance

My sister Marley took this one!

We're not sure yet what kind of birds they are. The current general consensus is Robin. Thus, I've named them, Allan, John and Will. After Allan a Dale, Little John, and Will Stutely. The mother bird, we shall simply call Robin, since she is their leader! 

Let me mention, that "Robin Hood" by Howard Pyle is by far, in my opinion, the very best and only version worth reading (and I've read quite a few). It is written much in the style of Old-English complete with "Thee"s and "Thou"s. Yet it flows so well, you never would have guessed that it was written by an American. Our edition is from Vision Forum. I highly recommend it! 

 Please pray for them (the birds). We are concerned because of the unexpected shower they received this morning...wait! I just checked up on them and saw the mother bird there among the flowers. Then she flew away and I saw that she was brown...I couldn't see her belly...she is smaller than a normal robin, so we think she's actually a Sparrow

All this makes me ponder verses like,
"Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young," Psalm 84:3

And, "As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place." Proverbs 27:8 

I looked up on biblegateway.com the words "sparrow" and "birds" . I was shocked at how many verses there are on birds!

Above is a quick sketch I drew of a robin. My Mom had some really helpful tips on technique, etc. She's an amazing artist...especially painting. I do more sketching, but she paints beautiful things like scripture and flowers all over our house! She's so talented! Now that my brother helped me figure out how to scan in my drawings, I'll be posting those more often, I think.

Ye shall have no idols...

"Wow!" you might think upon seeing this strange picture, "Someone is grilling a meteor..." Actually, it's the product of my not thinking ahead and getting pictures before we were half way done. This meteor-looking object is a salmon-colored scarf someone gave us as a present. "What does it have to do with burning idols?" Well, I'll tell you. Upon taking the scarf off it's hanger and opening it up (a thing our friend had, understandably, not thought to do) we saw strange images and symbols on it. I won't burden this post with pictures, but, come to find out, they were images of a false goddess. What a shock! After pondering for a few days what to do about it, my mom gathered us together on the back patio with the scarf in her hand. She explained to us what the scarf was and meant and gathered us around the grill to see it burned. She lit it and we began to sing "Amazing Grace". I felt like, aside from the fact that some of us were still in PJ's, it was a scene straight out of the Bible...1 Kings 15:11-13 ¹¹ And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, as did David his father. ¹² And he put away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³ And also Maacah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

And..."Ye shall make you no idols, neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or a pillar, neither shall ye place any figured stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am Jehovah your God." Leviticus 26:1

It felt very sacred and solemn

Then, whilst it was burning steadily, Mama had us get paper and crayons. We sat around the picnic table and wrote (or drew a picture of) one (or a few) of our faults.

Some of us writing our weaknesses, some of us burning them.

                     Then, we burned them in with the scarf and sang "Our God". It was a beautiful time!

This is all that was left...

It made me think...what other kinds of idols do we have in our homes? Maybe not literal idols like false gods made of minerals, but things that take the place of God in our hearts...things like television, internet and even...I must say it...BOOKS. I have a tendency to worship books. I can't just read a few pages...I must read a few chapters to be satisfied! I have to constantly check my reading habits because it cuts into time with my family, chores and most importantly, my time with God. I might breeze through a few verses in the morning as an excuse for Bible time, then devour several chapters of Emma. Last night I read Proverbs 10. I think it was written specifically for me! It addressed all of my faults and gave practical wisdom. Praise the Lord! It filled my cup of joy in those few carefully read verses much more than chapters of even Elsie Dinsmore could have done for me.

Be encouraged today. The Lord triumphs over ALL and makes us victors! Burn your idols and give back to the Lord what belongs to Him...our affections and worship and honor. What freedom comes in the end to those who obey when He calls!

Blessed Femina Blog Lamplighter Giveaway!

I encourage you to visit this website. Just found out about it tonight. I love the Lamplighter series of books. They're great Christian books and I haven't read the ones that are in the giveaway!

Laundry Detergent and Baby Wipes Recipes!

Finally! I've been pondering over this post way too long...you know, "wow, that would be a nice post on my blog...I'll do it later...tomorrow...this week..." So, here we are two months later!

A few years ago, our family became fully aware of the harmful chemicals and dyes and perfumes that companies put in their products...especially laundry detergents and baby wipes. So, we started using these recipes and love them! They take very little time to make and they save crazy amounts of money!

 The Recipe

Homemade Laundry Detergent:

1 c. Borax

1 c. Washing Soda (although it's Arm and Hammer it's NOT Baking Soda)

1c. Liquid Castile Soap

A few squirts of Rose-scented Castile Soap

Mix together in a 5-gallon bucket of warm water, stirring while you fill the bucket. Be sure to give it a little mix before using. Pour about a cup per large load of laundry. In place of  Fabric Softener, we use about 1/2 C. White Vinegar. It makes really nice-smelling clothes. The vinegar (which NEVER makes a smell) helps prevent static cling and keeps the clothes soft.

Homemade Baby Wipes:

1 1/2 C. Warm Water

1 T. Baby Mild Castile Soap

1 T. Aloe Vera Water

1 T. Olive Oil

2 T. Hydrogen Peroxide 

Mix above ingredients. The wipes themselves are made of a package of Bounty napkins (the most absorbent and soft kind). Pour the mixture over one half of the napkins. Make another batch for the other half. Store in plastic zip-top bags or glad-type lidded containers. NOTE: These wipes don't keep forever. If they mold or smell musty, don't use them! ANOTHER NOTE: These wipes are great for cleaning "boo-boos" and cuts. The soap cleans, the peroxide disinfects and the olive oil moisturizes :)

We've been using and perfecting these recipes for a few years now and they're wonderful!!! I hope you find them useful. Feel free to post this elsewhere, pin to Pinterest and share with your friends. It would be terrible to keep this usefulness to ourselves! 

Sibling Relationships...Important!!!

Recently, the Lord convicted my heart that I wasn't spending enough time with my siblings. Don't get me wrong, I'm with them all the time, especially since we're homeschooled. However, I find that often, I spend too much time catering to them and less time considering them. Take Matthew for example: he's four years old and so tough on the outside. He loves guns and swords and his inside voice is louder than an average adult's football game voice. But, on the inside, he craves love, attention and direction. If he doesn't have something useful or instructive to do, he tends to act wild and get very loud. But, sit him down with a book; devote your time to him and he becomes as docile and loving as a sleepy puppy.

Next, let's consider Mirial. She's six years old and is the spitting image of myself. She is usually quite calm and lady-like (unless she's romping around with the boys) and acts mother to all younger (and occasionally older) than herself. Yet, she can get lonely sometimes and longs to be like the big girls (she loves to help clean and especially wash dishes). She deeply covets time with me, but I'm often too busy to do much but glance at her or get her a drink of water. Lately though, as I've taken the time every night to sit and read Elsie Dinsmore to her. This has been such a precious bonding time for us and I feel her heart growing closer to me every day.

The only reason I'm writing this is to encourage you to spend quality time and go out of your way to bless your siblings or your children. It pleases them and it gives glory to God because you naturally wouldn't want to do anything that doesn't involve personal gain. 

Two more things important to your relationship with siblings (or children) are to praise them, then pray for them. Find their good qualities; if they do something exceptionally well, praise them, give them a smile and a hug or (even better) a special reward. You, especially as an older sibling can never understand what it does to a brother or a sister when you praise them. Don't tear them down with your words or actions, intentional or not. Go out of your way to encourage them. Try to praise them 10 times more than you correct them. It will make a world of difference! Believe me!

Pray for them, too. Praise them outwardly for their good qualities, pray inwardly for strength to conquer bad qualities. Never underestimate the power of prayer! Ask them what you can pray for them, if they need accountability as the Lord conquers their faults and shortcomings or for strength in times of temptation. This will change your life. It's always easy to see the bad in people and judge them as that, but it's hard to see them for who the Lord is making them to be. Applying praise and prayer will help tremendously in these areas and will give you the power to see others as not many people can.

Finally, ask God to open your eyes to see what He can do through you to bless your siblings and strengthen their relationship with you and Him. You'll be amazed at what He can accomplish in and through you as you seek to do His Will.

Ecuador Post Part 3

PART 3

Next morning, we awoke to seagulls screaming and the sound of the tide lapping up on the beach. After breakfast, we met in a conference room where Wess Stafford shared with us about his passion for the Compassion ministry and his love for the poor! He told us about his childhood growing up in the tribal villages of Africa and speaking eight languages every day! He told stories about being a spy, an ambulance assistance and a disc jockey. There is so much passion in him and so much love for the people around him that it radiates from him! He makes everyone feel special and accepted, no matter how long he's known you; for five minutes or fifty years. I can't say enough about Wess Stafford and the work that God is doing in with and through him. I learned so much!

There it is! The beach!!! My first ever glimpse of the Pacific Ocean!

After that meeting, we loaded up in the shuttle and took a scenic drive to a very small town in one of the driest parts of Ecuador called Las Lagoonas (many lakes :). The church was, appropriately, built at the top of a hill that overlooked the city and I was touched with the love and acceptance of all the people there, not just the children! The excitedly welcomed us into their church family. We laughed, chased each other and gave many, many hugs and kisses.

The children gave us these foam faces that they made! I think I counted 21 in all between me and my dad! :)

There's Becca surrounded by beautiful little girls!

The hat was still a favorite!

Here's one of our trip leaders Justin and some new friends.

Once again, my big straw hat proves to be a great ice-breaker!

Tim holding another baby! Not a surprise at all!

Silly Mr. Tim!

Daddy was adored by the kids

This is Chloe. She too tried my hat, but it had those foam faces in it!

Once again! Smiles all around!

This is Ellie, her dad and their sponsored child, Evelyn! How sweet!

Lunch was tuna salad and chips with fresh fruit and a desert called “flan”. A mixture of sugar and eggs who's consistency is similar to nothing I've ever eaten. The closest thing would be custardy fish because of the way it comes apart in clusters.

Our home visit was eye opening. The mother Maribelle had two children and they lived in a sturdy brick house which was built by her husband who was out in the field that day. The main occupations in Las Lagoonas are brick-making and farming. Our translator, Roberto asked Maribelle what she would say if God asked her what she would want. She replied that all she wanted was for her children to be healthy! It made me think of how much we can take general health for granted here in America. There are lots of diseases that people can get from drinking water, eating poisoned food and so on. The people in Las Lagoonas get their water once a week from a rusty water truck that comes and fills their buckets. That's the water for the whole week. Talk about needing conservation skills!

Looking around Maribelle's home, I was touched at how evident it was, that she had done her very best to make it less of a shell and more of a home. She said she hoped that someday, they could add another room because she didn't like that it was all one big room. She had rugs and blankets up on ropes to simulate walls that separated the bedroom area of the house from the living room/kitchen. It reminded me very much of a modern-day "By the Banks of Plum Creek" (a Little House book by Laura Ingalls Wilder) scenario.

These are Maribelle's chicks. They're in an old gas tank with the top cut off

Here's Maribelle, her sons and I outside their house.

When our visit was over, we loaded back on the shuttle to visit another plant several miles away. I'm afraid I can't remember the name of that town either...We had a fun time playing with the kids and the family who had planted the church, talked to us about what they were doing there.

There was a rope-jumping competition. Boys vs. Girls :)

Next Day, after a meeting in the conference room, we boarded our flight back to Quito and drove straight to the market place from there. I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of it! My dad and I sort of kept one translator named Liseth to ourselves as we shopped around. We got so many great deals!!! I found matching blouses for my mom, my sister Marley and then little dresses to match those for Mandee and Mirial. Dad found hats for Max and Moses, scarves were really cheap and there were an abundance of trinkets and such for prices that were both cheap and overpriced :)

That evening over dinner, we met two of Compassion's LDP (Leadership Development Program) students. For $300 a month, a sponsor can support a young man or woman to go through college and help support their family. The young lady sitting at our table, I think her name was Naomi, was going through the most prestigious electric engineering college in the country. She was designing prosthetics for children who have lost limbs because of illness and wars. You could see how passionate she was!

This was my meal on our last night. The stuff in the bowl is ceviche. It was delicious! I tasted tomato juice and cilantro mainly. There was shrimp in it. So rich, I couldn't even finish it!

This is Naomi! She was very gracious to talk to us while her food got cold!

We had to leave early that evening to make our midnight flight. Everyone else was leaving the next morning, but Daddy said that we saved over $1,000 on our tickets by booking them at midnight. Our flight to me seemed endless especially because I don't like sleeping on planes. I barely caught a wink and was falling asleep on the escalator and trying to keep up with daddy as he moved us fast enough to get us through customs and security before we would be caught up in a long, long line.

After a quick breakfast a Chili's (not bad at all), we boarded our next plane back home. I slept the whole way :) As soon as we touched down, Daddy called the house and within half and hour, we were in the minivan on our way home! I had jet lag pretty bad for the next couple of days, but now I'm better (in case you were wondering :)

To sum up: I can't wait to go back!