The Prayer that Brought the Holy Spirit Down, by John Piper

This was one of those "I love technology" days. I stayed home from our African church service this morning. After Ladies' Bible study yesterday afternoon, and a very tiring day for me in general... sometimes the African service, while I love it, is hard. I spend the bulk of my time walking around outside the building, trying to find shade for Elsie Mae and I, as she isn't always too inclined at her tender age of almost 14 mos to sit and listen to the sermon.

On those days when I do stay home, I try to find something interesting, something spiritually challenging, to listen to on-line. Often, I listen to sermons that have been uploaded to "SERMON AUDIO" by our church. Other times I listen to streaming Christian radio. Often, it just depends on how cooperative our internet connection is being.

Today, this sermon by John Piper caught my attention. While we don't agree lock, stock and barrel with all that he writes/preaches/advocates - he is always challenging and thought provoking, so I decided to listen. If you are interested in hearing his 31 minute sermon, you can click on the link above. If not, I've outlined his key points below. I'd be very interested to hear your comments/reactions to his message.

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Acts 4:23-31

23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.

24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.(KJV)

Piper contests that this passage, as the early church asks for a 2nd great outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is incredibly relevant to the church today: Why?

1) Because of the answer that came-- If you look carefully, there is a tremendous similarity between the response of the Holy Spirit in this situation and His initial coming at Pentacost?

• they were all praying;
• they were all filled;
• there was shaking/a great sound - tangible evidence of God's power; and
• the result was speaking with boldness the great things of God;

Thus, we can conclude that extraordinary enabling of believers by the Holy Spirit is not unique to Pentacost, and is necessary in even the very best, the very strongest of churches.

2) Because of who was praying-- Peter and John, just released, went to their friends and prayed with their friends. That word "friends" literally means "their own." It is the same word used when the rulers allow Paul while in prison to be ministered to by "his own," and also the same word used in John 1:11 ("He came unto his own, and his own received him not.) Thus, it was normal, everyday church believers who prayed this prayer. To pray this prayer does not require "apostalic authority"

3) Because of the occasion on which it was prayed-- Peter and John had just been threatened. (And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them... )

These men were men just like other men. They loved their wives and children. They wanted to live. Yet continuing to speak the name of Jesus would be dangerous. It would be very tempting to give into those very real threats (James is beheaded in Acts 12, Peter shortly thereafter is in jail escaped what appeared to be sure death only by miraculous intervention).

Essentially, these men were asking God to grant them a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit and a boldness in speaking, to continue as they had started, for they would be"walking right into the face of a loaded muzzle" that the chief priests and leaders had levelled at them.

Now, in our day and age, we may not face such physical threats, but we do face some other, incredible obstacles:

• the anonymnity of our mobile and busy lives;
• entertainment round the clock - we live in a world saturated with entertainment that continually shouts, "Don't think of God... PLAY!";
• we are in a God-ignoring culture; medical technology - Americans don't give much thought to God when they get sick due to medical advances. Elsewhere in the world, poor health is an issue of eternity;
• the church exhibits great weakness in speaking boldly, so we need the extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit.

4) Because of to whom this prayer was prayed-- 5/7ths of this prayer is man telling God who God is. Now, God does not need to know who God is, but we do... especially whn w are aobut to ask God to do something awesome. We need to remind ourselves who He is to give ourselves the courage - and then to know it and believe it completely in our hearts.

What do these believers say about God? In vs 24, they recognize Him as the Creator. In vs. 25-28 (my paraphrase of Piper's paraphrase) they essentially say, "You, God, control everything, even the wickedest deeds of the wickedest men and turn them to be meet for your plan and your purposes to save the world." Read vs. 27 and 28 again carefully to see this truth!

Theology matters - think of the doctrinal truths contained within this prayer: the doctrine of creation, the doctrine of the inspiration of the Word of God (part of Ps. 2 is quoted), the doctrine of the Sovereignty of God, the doctrine of prophesy and its ultimate glorious fulfillment. Yes, accurate theology is important.

5) Because of what was asked for--

1. Look upon their threats! Peter and John were told to never speak the name of Jesus again in that city, EVER! The believers are crying out to God, "Look at how they are insulting Your Son!
2. Then first, they ask to speak with boldness, that His Word go forth in power.
3. Next, they ask Him to heal and do mighty works in the name of Jesus- in other words, to stretch forth His hand and bear divine witness of His Word after and as it was being preached. Why? Because of THE NAME!

In conclusion, we SHOULD continue to pray such a prayer! Why? Because of a love for our God, because of a love for His Son's Holy Name, and because of a love for those around you who need to hear about Him- in the place where God has placed you to minister by the Holy Spirit's power and in His Son's name.

...Not by might,

nor by power,

but by my spirit,

saith the LORD of hosts.

Témoinage de vertu

This week, Anna received and award at school. Each week, students are selected from each class to be recognized for outstanding effort in particular areas of discipline. Anna was chosen from her class. In the collage below, you can see her as she receives her award (she was just a little nervous up in front of everyone.)

Her certificate reads:

"Anna Wright, Classe CE1A, a montré l'autodiscipline quand elle fait ce que l'on attend d'elle sans qu'on ait à le lui rappeler et qu'elle progresse toujours un peu plus dans son travail."

19/10/07

For those of you who don't read French:

"Anna Wright, in the CE1A class, has demonstrated self-discipline when she does what is expected of her without having to be reminded, and because each time, she progresses in the quality of her work."

We are so pleased with Anna's courage - we know French school is not easy (in fact, it is a bit scary) for her! And we are so pleased with her hard work. It truly is a privilege to be her mama and daddy!

Studying through Jeremiah

I participate in an on-line, "Scripture of the Day," Bible reading and accountability group, which has really been a blessing to me for the past - wow - year and 1/2. I didn't realize it had been that long until I stopped and counted it up. We've been reading through Jeremiah - today was Jeremiah 22 - and it really, really spoke to my heart today, so I thought I'd share here what I felt the Lord was saying to me...

As I read this chapter, I looked at the commands given by the Lord to His people, most of whom were either ignoring or deliberately choosing to follow other ways. I found those commands a. very. good. reminder... for those of us comfortable in our churches, or present day walk with the Lord.

-HEAR the Word of the L*rd (the word "hear" refers to hearing intelligently, paying close attention, with the intent to obey)

-DO what is just and right (to do or make, in the very broadest sense possible)

-RESCUE from the hand of the oppressor (snatch away, defend)

-DO NO wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow (maltreat, particularly violently)

-DO NOT shed innocent blood (spill forth, or more abstractly, expend - in other words, to use up or consume someone's energy or force)

-If you are careful TO CARRY OUT these commands, then... (includes the idea of accomplishing or becoming, sacrificing, serving or offering)

-If you DO NOT OBEY... I will surely make you like a desert...

After having lived here for several years, I am beginning to know just a little bit about the desolateness, the forsakeness, the barreness of the desert.

1) There are times it has a beauty and majesty that is unmistakeable, and when God leads through desert times, at the final tally, they will have been difficult but precious... something I'll never want to exchange.

2)On the other hand, when I choose desert times, there is naught but emptiness, thirst, longing and a desire to escape or death, for the Lord promises, "I will send destroyers..." Oh, how this is not God's desire for those He so loves, but He is clear that His justice cannot be escaped:

"People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?' And the answer will be; 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshipped and served other gods.' "

I've been starting to work on our Christmas prayer letter, and there is a theme that God has been impressing in my heart for several months, now - maybe longer. He has given me clear direction - there are really only two things He asks of me as one who carries His name:

1) To love Him above all else; and

2) To serve Him by allowing Him to love others through me.

That was what Jesus did so perfectly:

1) He loved God the Father so totally that even though He could claim equality, He chose submission and obedience and allowed His Father to lead Him into a place that must have been such a desert, I can not begin to imagine...

2) He allowed God to love man, so unutterably unlovely, through Him: through His birth, His life, His words and teaching, His anger, His suffering, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and even now, His intercession on our behalf...

Thus, it is only through Him that I can approach God the Father, only by Him and His Spirit that I can begin to love and obey Him, and only by allowing Him to work through me that I can learn to truly love and serve others.

A bit later, I went back later to read how the Lord had spoken to some of the other ladies in the group, and I'd like to share one of the other gals thoughts. Catherine in Alaska, made a comment that provoked some more reflection:

The Lord says in verse 15:"He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me? declares the Lord."I've been thinking about that verse for several minutes now. I am curious about the words "went well" and am wondering if that has a different meaning for God than it does for us? For instance I might think it means no sickness, job, home... and God may mean it to be well with my soul and have nothing whatsoever to do with material things (and can I [Richelle] add, temporal things?).

As I read her comment, I was thinking, "Right on!"

The last part of that verse: "Is that not what it means to know me?"

When we truly know Him - our view of a day that goes well will correspond with His perfect view of a day that goes well, and our hearts will be continually looking towards an eternity where we can be confident that-

all. will. always. go. well...

There is so much more in this powerful chapter - but the following verse was the last thing that particularly caught my eye: "I warned you when you felt secure, but you said, 'I will not listen!' This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed me." (Jer 22.21) How I do want to feel secure in my confidence and trust in my Savior, but I never do I want to become complacently secure that I've got it all figured out, that my plan and my way are better than what the Lord has in store.

THE DEEP, DEEP LOVE OF JESUS

One of the hardest things about living so far away from family is not being able to be there during difficult times. It is hard to know what to say, hard to know how to best encourage, and for "doers" like us, hard to know that all we can do is pray, even when we know that is so important.

Recently, the kids' Grandma Betty has been in the hospital with some serious health problems. This Wednesday, their great grandfather, Pop-pop, will be having surgery on his back. Brendan decided he wanted to play them a song on his flute, hoping to encourage them and to remind them how very often we think of them and pray for them...

(Brendan is still nervous about playing by himself in front of people, so we recorded this with very little light for his comfort level. Please encourage him with your comments - we feel he is doing great for only having played the flute for a year!

O THE DEEP DEEP

LOVE OF JESUS

S. Trevor Francis, 1834-1924

Thomas J. Williams, 1890

O the deep, deep love of Jesus

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!

Rolling as a mighty ocean

In its fullness over me,

Underneath me, all around me,

Is the current of Thy love;

Leading onward, leading homeward

To my glorious rest above.

O the deep deep love of Jesus,

Spread His praise from shore to shore!

How He loveth, ever loveth,

Changeth never, nevermore;

How He watches o'er His loved ones,

Died to call them all His own;

How for them He intercedeth,

Watcheth o'er them from the throne.

O the deep deep love of Jesus,

Love of every love the best;

'Tis an ocean vast of blessing,

'Tis a haven sweet of rest,

O the deep deep love of Jesus,

'Tis of Heav'n of Heav'ns to me;

And it lifts me up to glory,

For it lifts me up to Thee.

Baby pics from a LOOOOOOONG time ago :-)

For some reason,

when Richelle was just a young'un,

she resisted giving her Pop-pop a kiss.

She would cry and cry

(and everyone else would laugh, so the story goes...)

Until she finally relented ...

All that fuss for nothing!

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We had fun showing the kids the above photos,

as well as some other ones

of Richelle as a baby,

and their general opinion was

that Elsie Mae looks an awful lot like her mama.

Take a moment

and let us know what you think

by leaving a comment -

since we can't set up a poll for this one!

He giveth and giveth and... giveth again....

Some weeks just seem more challenging than other weeks - and it seems the last few weeks have been among the more challenging ones. We've been struggling with some health issues here in Niger, Tim's mother is sick and in the hospital, Richelle's grandfather is awaiting surgery on his back, annoyingly, our refrigerator and freezer aren't working, the air cooler motor that burnt out is taking forever to be rewound, our water heater has once again sprung a leak, the front door doesn't close unless it is locked, in the past 10 days so many friends have come to us with serious and real needs and we feel helpless, not having any resources to offer them other than our love, friendship and prayers...

Yes, the Lord promises that His burden is easy and His yoke is light - but why are there so many days when it doesn't feel that way?

Thankfully, a very dear friend recently reminded me of the words to this song - and it is a song I've sung many, many times over the past several weeks, hearing my favorite arrangement in my mind so oft played by a man who used to be in our home church. His arrangement emphasized the unendingness of His giving as he played that last line of the refrain: "He giveth and giveth and... giveth again..."

There have been days lately where I've sung this song with tears in my eyes, but He, in His grace, keeps me singing, keeps me leaning on Him and keeps me trusting Him to walk (or carry) me through this time.

He Giveth More Grace (Annie Flint Johnson)

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; To added affliction He addeth His mercy; To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father's full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision, Our God ever yearns His resources to share; Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing; The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure. His pow'r has no boundary known unto men; For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

(If you'd like to hear the song, play the video. The song is sung by Larry Ford.)

Ready for some KICKBALL?

These photos are from back in August - it has taken me a bit of time to track them down, as the 2nd one was the only one I took before the recently recharged camera batteries fizzled thanks to the heat. Sahel has intramural sports each year, and home school and otherwise schooled students are invited to participate.

The kindergarten and elementary aged students played kickball. The jr high and high school students had a soccer tournament. So, pretty easy to figure it out - our girls were on the kickball field while Brendan was playing court soccer.

Since I wasn't the one taking the photos, I wasn't able to find any of Anna or Brendan playing. I was disappointed - when you see those two out with their peers, it is easy to see how much they've grown.

It is quite obvious, however, ...that Rebekah was the

camera magnet...

I remember many games of playground kickball as a child. It was always one of my favorites. I liked to play the equivalent of the "shortstop" position 'cause you got lots of action. Trying to steal bases was also fun.

But on this day, it was neat to watch my own children playing a game that I so enjoyed myself as a kid.

*smile*

TRYING out those Squeaky New Birthday Shoes

(After the video of Elsie Mae plays, at least on our browser, a menu pops up that allows you to link directly to other YouTube videos with similar descriptors. We've not yet figured out how to remove that option - if you know how, please inform us - but not having any idea of the content, only watch videos at your own risk!)

The first time wearing new shoes

is always a bit TRYING.

Imagine TRYING to walk,

for the very first time ever,

wearing any kind of shoes...

She actually did pretty well!

So in this video,

we have one of Elsie Mae's

first TRIES

...to walk in her birthday shoes...

...but she is a bit distracted...

'Cause these shoes are "squeaky" shoes!

If you TRY -

you can hear the squeak

with every step she takes!

We celebrated Elsie Mae's first birthday at a favorite family restaurant with friends. We love the brochettes and fries, Elsie Mae loves the fries, and she had a great time playing with this box of tissues. She's a mostly easy to play child - give her a roll of toilet paper or a box of tissues, and she can contentedly entertain herself for quite some time!

She sure is

a cute little squeaker!

Our Exceeding Great Reward

What do you think of when you think of Abraham in the Bible? Many thoughts come to my mind:

• He left so much to follow the call of the Lord - his country, friends and family, his religion - and headed off into the unknown, not sure where the Lord was taking him.
• God made a great promise and covenant with him.
• Abraham became the father of a great nation.
• Abraham was justified by faith.
• Abraham, like God, offered up his son.
• Abraham is called "Friend of God."
• Abraham is a central figure not only for Christians, but also for those of Jewish descent and for Moslems.

There is one particular verse in the 13 or so chapters of the Bible that tell his story that contains such a beautiful offer, such an incredible promise...

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."

I think it was a Beth Moore Bible study in our home church where I first noticed this verse, and as I've spent some time lately reflecting on it.

The first thing the Lord says is "Do not be afraid, Abram." God calls Abram by name. To me, it has a lot of significance when someone is speaking to me and chooses to use my given name, even when it is not necessary to understand that the other person is speaking to me. It somehow makes what they are saying more personal and targets it directly at me. It is both humbling and encouraging to recognize that God knows me and calls me by name.

But the Lord doesn't stop with Abram's name. He also tells him "Do not be afraid." Abraham, a man known for his great faith and his unwavering confidence in God, is being reminded by God to "have not fear," as it is written in French. For one to live and experience a great faith, one must first recognize, live and experience a great fear. And that is encouraging. When those moments of terrible fearfulness come into my life, I can trust the One who is shaping and molding me, that He is directing me to a greater faith and trust in Himself. We are told elsewhere in the Bible that "We march by faith and not by sight," so when we forget and start trying to walk by what we see - to figure things out on our own - it is very natural to become fearful, for faith is beyond comprehension. It is then that I need to hear the voice of my Lord, whether He speaks directly to my heart, through the encouraging words of another, or in His Word, reminding me not to fear.

And Abram need not fear. The next phrase is beautiful promise that God makes to Abram. God says, "I am your shield." (in the French, it reads "I am your protector.") When I taught this part of the study to the women at church, we spent some time looking at different verses in the Bible where God promises to be our shield, learning what is meant by a shield. A shield is a defensive tool used by a soldier to protect himself while in battle. It is an object behind which he can hide and he uses his shield to block or interfere with the lashes, blows, arrows and other weapons of the enemy. The Bible uses this image of a shield as a powerful word picture of the protection He offers to His children.

And we too have this same promise. Nothing can touch us, unless it first passes through our shield and protector. The struggle comes when my meaning of safe doesn't match up with God's meaning of safe - as my viewpoint is almost always initially a temporal one while His is always infinite. One of the startling things that I learned studying through the book of Job is that his story is not so much a story of great suffering, but rather the story of how God grew Job so that he had an immense faith and confidence in the Lord.
The final phrase in this verse is one that, upon reflection, takes my breath away. God says to Abram, "I am... your very great reward." God is not only the rewarder, but He, Himself, is the reward. The same God of the universe, who created everything, who gives to each man every breath and every beat of his heart, said to Abram, "I give you Myself as your reward."

Deut. 33.29a: "Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword..."

2 Sam. 22.2,3a: "David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: 'The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation...' "

Psalm 119.114: "You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word."

Ephesians 6.16: "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Phil. 4.6,7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

It was Abram's response to this last statement that I found surprising and convicting, however: "O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless...?" Essentially, Abram is saying to the Lord, "Lord, what You are offering me is not what I want. I want a child, the son you have promised me. I don't want You; give me a child."

Can you imagine saying something like that to the Lord? As I asked the ladies at church, they were all quick to say, "Oh no! Having God is better than anything else," which is the right response, but I know as I search my heart, I too, am guilty of this very same thing. God has offered me Himself - the only One who can ultimately satisfy the deepest longings of my heart, for He created me to be in relationship with Him. Yet instead of accepting and truly recognizing the enormity of what He has done, I complain and fuss, because although He's already given me the very best, that was not what I had wanted.

What "other" things might people demand? We came up with a list at Bible study:

• a child or children (just like Abram);
• a husband;
• a family;
• food or drink;
• riches (money or material possessions);
• security;
• physical beauty or attractiveness to others;
• good health;
• peaceful and tranquility;
• good health;
• times free from pain and suffering (either physical or emotional);
• good and faithful friends; etc., etc., etc.

This list could most definitely go on, but in closing, I challenged the ladies and myself to spend some time searching our hearts to find if there was some area, where just like Abram, we are saying, "God, I don't want you. I want ____________ instead. Nothing else will satisfy me." Such areas in our lives need to be confessed and forgiveness sought.

Abram had such a promise - God Himself would guard his lives and keep him safe.

An exceeding great reward...

Braids, Braids, Everywhere!

It has become tradition that I braid the girls' hair for the beginning of the school year - and it is a process that takes 4 or 5 days, but they always enjoy it.

This was the first time I'd "tressed" Victoria's hair. We jokingly called her Medusa, which she loved, and we were able to leave her hair in braids like this for over a week. I don't know if I actually save any time in the long run, but as we are getting used to new school routines, it sure does help to not have to fix their hair EVERY morning.

Anna's hair is the thinnest of all the girls, so her hair doesn't take quite as long. It also doesn't last quite as long either, but I was amazed at just how tiny I could actually get those braids to be.

Nadia still has the shortest hair of the gang, but hers is also the thickest. As I type this entry, today, the 24th, her hair has been in braids since September 5th - and still looks neat. I wonder how much longer it will last?

Rebekah has had her hair tressed more frequently than any of the other girls, but that makes sense, since she's been in the French School the longest and has been bugging me about it the longest! We try some different things with her hair each time, now. While we liked how this looked when we did it, it didn't last quite as long, so I don't know that we will do it again. She wants to have her hair braided at the beauty shop before we travel to the States the end of November - with extensions. We'll have to see about that! We just loved this photo, of the entire munchkin crew (minus Elsie, who was eating at that moment) and the braided heads all over the place. Not hard at all to find Brendan and Jonathan, is it?

This is what happens -

- when you let Jonathan choose his OWN clothes.

He most definitely has his very own, but otherwise undefinable sense of style!

Can you find the girls?

Do you remember those kids' magazines with the "Find the hidden pictures" pages?

I always loved them as a child, although I was never patient enough to be really good at them!

Well, there are two girls hidden in the "fairy grass" below. Can you find them?

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Tim was preaching out in one of the bush churches last Sunday; Rebekah Joy and Nadia volunteered to go with him and keep him company. They were quite enthralled with this field of tall and wild grass - they had some other adventures on this particular trip, so check out our other site for an update there! :-)

Déjà Vu...

These two outfits have been two of our favorites - for a quite a long time, now. :-)

We had a blast the other day, trying to get these two to sit still in the garden, keeping their hats on, while I tried to snap a few photos. You ALL know how grandparents are - always asking for photos of the grandkids, so Nadia and I thought we'd take advantage of a beautiful sunshiny day!

Don't you just wonder what Jonathan means by THAT expression?

The above photos reminded me of another "picture day," only this one happened about 9.5 years ago...

See any similarities? Well, once in Niger, we lost the t-shirts... And the one set of pics were most definitely posed in a studio instead of a garden (Olan Mills, most likely)... But it never fails to amaze me, this sibling resemblance; I've noticed it a lot the past few weeks, especially since school started and I'm home alone, with just Jonathan and Elsie Mae these days - -My memories wander back to the days when I was home with just Brendan and Rebekah Joy...

My, how time flies!

Look Who's ONE Year Old!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

ELSIE MAE!

It is really hard to believe that a year has passed - time is "a flyin,' " and way too fast for my likin' !!

Thinking back to her arrival day a year ago, there are a few funny memories:

1) On baby #7, you'd think I'd know what labor felt like - but I wasn't really sure she was truly on her way until less than 1.5 hours before she really got here. Just on a hunch, I decided to ride in with Tim when he dropped the kids off for their afternoon session at school (at 3:00) so we could stop by the clinic and see the midwife. As we left the kids at school, I was finally sure I was in labor.

2) We arrived at the clinic and everything was closed except for emergency - afternoon sieste, you know.... I spoke with the dr. on call and he showed us where we could wait until the midwife would arrive - about 30 minutes or so.

3) I calmly informed him I didn't think we'd be waiting for the midwife... and ended up being promptly admitted and taken to the delivery room.

4) Our midwife arrived, told us she was there and then went to call the dr.

5) I told Tim he needed to find the midwife because Elsie Mae had decided to arrive - rapidly.

6) And it was a good thing he got right back to the delivery room, because he was the one who "caught" her.

7) Funniest thing though, they didn't want to give us a break on the delivery and hospital bill even though we were the ones who did all the work.... wonder why?

8) Our first delivery at this clinic, the midwives were a bit hesitant at the idea of Tim in the delivery room - they sure have come a long way in two short years!

People often ask us where her name, Elsie Mae Brianne, comes from. It is easy - one great grandma is Elsie and another one is Mae, hence the Elsie Mae. Brianne was added just because I liked the way it sounded (and knowing me, it has a meaning that I like, but which is escaping me at this present moment).

We are so thankful for our littlest one - she is a happy, cuddly, mischevious and and all around fun kid. She adores her older siblings and is happiest when she is playing on the terrace of the early morning or singing with her sisters. It is always a fascinating and miraculous process as we watch one of our blessings grow, develop and become the person God has made him or her to be.

Of course the rest of the gang is asking when the next one will be coming along. I just like the look on Tim's face when they do!

Nothing profound or truly significant...

...just some random musings over several things from the past few days -

Carpooling - that is a new experience for us. I mean, I used to be in a carpool when I was a student, but now I'm seeing it from a parent's perspective. I'm so thankful - for many reasons, but in particular - we only have to drive once or twice/day instead of like last year, where sometimes we were running 4-5 times in a day. Another benefit - I think - Tim bought me a cell phone. He says it is so he can keep track of me as I'm running kids all over town. I like one of the games that is programmed into it - and just yesterday, I beat Tim's high score.

It is also fun, interesting and often eye opening to listen to what is going on in the back seats...

I've learned about IPods (I'm still not sure if I love or hate technology), softball strategies, the "good" tv shows - which include 24, Monk, Survivor, Lost... and M.A.S.H. as well as Little House on the Prairie (it is quite the eclectic group), what so and so had in their lunch, who shared what with whom, what constitutes the perfect lunch/snack to take to school, and birthday party themes for the next decade,... I'm still learning the routes to take to avoid the worst potholes so the kids in the back don't get sea sick and thanking the Lord frequently for the blessing of our Land Cruiser.

Tori had my favorite first day of school moment - as I left her at her classroom, she solemnly turned, shook my hand and said, "Bye Mom. Have a good day. See you later." It is easy to forget she's only 4 sometimes. But, reality is also setting in - the fact that she's going to school every day, all morning and a few afternoons a week, too. I was worried about her this morning as she was needing some significant attitude adjusting and struggling with this new reality; but God had already taken care of everything, even before I knew to start praying - one of the older missionary girls is doing a community service project in her classroom, and it is one of the girls that Victoria really likes! So she is all excited about school again and was just beaming as I left her this afternoon.

Hopefully, I'll post some photos of the girls soon - we "tressed" their hair in honor of the beginning of the new school year and they look really cute!

Our freezer is broken, yet again. This is a frustrating annoyance that seems to occur every 3-4 months. Fortunately, the majority of what I had in it was flour and the rest we were able to cram into the little freezer above the fridge. But, we don't know if it is repairable this time or what we will do if it isn't (i.e. buy another one??).

I did find "Millenium Cookies" at the store today, however - that is the occasionally available oreo cookie mimic - something we've not seen for over a year. So I picked up a couple of packages and the kids and Tim promptly devoured them after lunch.

I'm remembering how much I love to be a student myself, as I've started back into "school," taking Zarma language classes. Tim is loving all the extra time at the studio.

Jonathan and I are working on his speech a bit, and I'm also teaching him some signs to help him with his communication frustrations and we are seeing some improvement. He is really missing having his siblings around, but I think he's enjoying the extra time with me and he listens intently for the slam of the gate that announces someone's arrival at home. I'm finding that Tues/Thurs afternoons may be a really nice time to take my two little ones to the pool, ...

but a bit sad as the house is very quiet and lonely since summer vacation is now completely and irrevocably over.

Computers...

...and all such things in that same family of machine...

SOME DAYS, I'm not really sure if

I love them...

...or hate them!

Believe it or Not!

I was recently looking at a friend's blog, and she had posted one of those, "Only in Africa" type pictures. Here's one that we saw late last Spring, in an on-line Nigerien newspaper. They say it was a "for real," undoctored photo - and several Nigerien friends confirmed that they've actually seen this in town.

Photo taken by Mamaki