prairie princess

I was able to do a photoshoot for some friends this past weekend, and the little girls looked so darling in their little white dresses. The weather was perfect - sunny and warm - and we met at a nature reserve, so the sounds of the birds and the wind in the trees were so peaceful. Some of the photos looked like they walked right out of Victorian England and the freshness of the gardens within. Of course it makes it fun when your subjects are so adorable. Here are a few of my favorites of the little girls.

hands for the soil

In this month's mission focus I am excited to share about my very special friends Pat and Cheryl serving in Haiti. Pat ran a successful, and award-winning, nursery and landscaping company here in the States. He is very gifted at working the soil, and plants seems to thrive under his care. Cheryl is a nurse with such a loving heart, and is the type of lady you want to run and hug every time you see her. When God called them to Haiti, they were not certain exactly for what purpose, but they knew to simply be obedient.

Pat and Cheryl moved to their home in Haiti and started being themselves: Cheryl caring for the needs of the people around them, and Pat started working the land. Everytime I read an email from them or a blog post, I see how much the Lord is using them on their mountain in Haiti. When God calls someone to a new area of ministry, he doesn't change their gifts: He uses the ones He has already given them.

Pat working the ground soon after they arrived in Haiti.

When they first moved to Haiti, Pat was working the ground where black beans has been planted all over near their home. Now, he has his own garden and puts his hands to do what the Lord has naturally gifted him to do: work the soil and make things grow. Just as a note, to get water to the garden, it has to be put in a bucket lower on the mountain and carried by hand up to their garden. It truly is a lot of work! Following is a bit from his latest post:

This "jarden" just keeps growing, both in size and the plants are growing too.  The onions especially get everyone's attention. They can't believe they are filling out.  They think the soil here is not good enough to grow onions.  I always thought you could grow onions in the driveway!  All I've done different is water them. Today I added another row of carrots.  Seems we can eat them faster than we can grow them.  A local farmer showed me the banana leaf trick.  Plant your seeds and the banana leaves serve as a temporary shade structure until they are big enough to mulch.  The sun is so intense here everything needs some protection until it is established.  And a thick layer of mulch helps keep the soil cooler and moist.  The little nursery is ready for the rain to come too!  I got lots of little trees to plant in the erosion control ridges I've dug across the field behind the house.  Trees for food, animal forage, nitrogen fixers, shade, firewood, leaf mulch and eventually a start on reforesting this barren place.  I have my plans for growing things here, and really believe that this is part of what we've been called here to do.  But the bigger part is just doing it and letting people notice that it can be done and it's not really that hard or expensive. We are starting to get  opportunities to teach how others can grow their own produce plus some for sale without investing a lot more than time and energy. 

The "jarden" with banana leaves.

Another view of the garden.

I just love these people dearly. They truly have a heart to follow the Lord and reach the people around them. Pat and Cheryl are not only teaching their people in Haiti about Jesus, but they are teaching them a better, more sustainable way of life.

newport aquarium

A group of us from church went to the Newport Aquarium this past Saturday for the faith day. It was such fun and the kids didn't seem to mind the other 10,000 people there.

Tiger fish - I loved the way this fish looked.

jellyfish

the boys watching the shark demonstration

alligator

Miss O and her dad

Miss A and her mommy

The kids had great fun trying to weigh as much as a great white.

Claire and the penguins

half the gang on the way out

little kiddos having fun

more of the kids playing on the penguins

laura: worldrace 11n11

This month I would like to introduce you to my friend Laura who is now preparing herself for a mission called the WorldRace. She will be leaving everyone and everything she has known, to go with a group of people on mission for eleven months, touching the lives of people all over the world. It was a big move and I have seen so much excitement as she prepares for this journey. She will be traveling to Ireland, Romania, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan.

Laura with a little friend

I was first introduced to Laura's desire to go on mission last summer when she told me she was accepted to be a part of the WorldRace. She informed me she was selling most of her possessions, moving back in with her parents until she left (she has been on her own for awhile now), and dedicating herself to the mission to which she has been called. So what will she be doing on this mission? Holding babies, building homes and churches, fighting human trafficking, living in real communities and sharing Jesus with people the world over.

You can help! Really. Laura needs to raise $15,000 to fully participate in this mission. Essentially, she is living off of that amount for one year, while traveling to several communities around the world, eating what they eat and living like they live. If 150 people give $100 she will be covered. So what is the next step? You can be a prayer partner, you can financially support, you can help raise funds, you can create opportunities for Laura to share what Jesus is doing in her life.

1. Visit her blog, get acquainted, and click "Support". 
2. Follow her blog while she is on mission: http://lauraschaefer.theworldrace.org 
3. Print her support card (below) and share with friends
4. Allow her to share about her upcoming journey at your church or school
5. Fill a jar with spare change and let kids join in the fun of supporting a missionary
6. Send tax deductible support via mail to:  Adventures In Missions P.O. Box 534470 Atlanta, GA 30353-4470

Caring for others in Jesus' name truly is the adventure of a lifetime, whether they are in your community or across the ocean. For the least of these we share all we have been given, because Christ gave all for us!

crazy bowl

Our dear friend Foster invited us to come watch him and some friends play "crazy bowl" at the bowling alley. It really was quite fun to watch. The rules are unconventional and the scoring is as crazy as the gimmicks required during the game. We had some family friends spending the night with our kids, so we were out on the town with five kids who thought it was great fun to eat at Skyline Chili and watch "old people" bowl. (Sorry Foster, you're not old).  The best bowl was when Foster was supposed to knock down only the 10 pin. Up in the air he went, landed flat on his back and never saw that he made a strike. Thankfully, he was OK! That was surely an impressive way to bowl.

Foster bowling backwards under the legs

the gang at the bowling alley

Foster and his fan club

with friend A

noel: czech republic

I am super excited this year to be featuring at least two ministries per month as an opportunity to share what God is doing is these friends lives. Jeremy and I are directly involved with most, and so many are a very special part of our lives. We hope their testimonies and ministries show the many ways the gospel is being shared worldwide.

I start the year with my very special friend, Noel, who has been serving in the Czech Republic since 2005. Our journey started together in 2004, when we both travelled to the Czech to help with the summer English camp hosted by the Common Grounds Ministry. Both Noel and I felt the Lord talking to us and asking us to trust his guidance for our future.

There was this one beautiful summer day when we had a break from the teaching and we rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain in this ski town we were staying in, Janske Lanze, near the Polish border. (Note: ski town in summer is prime for hiking - no snow). We had lunch at this local bistro/pub with our friends and decided to hike down the mountain the remainder of the afternoon. It is one of those adventures that is ingrained in my memory so clearly. It was this hike down the mountain that the fog cleared from our vision and we knew for certain the direction the Lord was taking each of us. The hard part was that as close as we hard grown, he was calling us to opposite sides of the world.

Here I am on the hike.

Noel was certain God had called her to work with the poor, and though the Czech people were not monetarily poor, they were destitute in spirit. They did not know God, nor had they been taught about God with years of atheism in their country. She heeded God's call and moved to the Czech Republic the fall of 2005 and has been in full time ministry there since. She worked in Renice with Common Grounds teaching English through Bible study, working with children and young ladies....many of whom are serving in ministry themselves now. She also helped introduce mission work to the Czech people - a concept very foreign to them. She was key in starting a ministry in Ethiopia where she has been visiting on short-term mission. The lady is crazy (in a wonderfully-good way); she does mission within mission and truly loves her work for Jesus. She is a true friend and I am so fortunate to know her!!

You can read more about Noel on her profile with TEAM minstries. {click here} She is now embarking on a new phase of her ministry in the Czech, as she and friend Petra are starting a business focusing on health and fitness in Prague, creating opportunites to share Christ and offer counseling in safe environments.

party like a princess

My daughters were invited to a princess party recently celebrating the birthday of their friend "A." Elauna was so excited to go; she tried on her princess dress 3 or 4 times that week just in anticipation of spending the day with her friend. When we arrived to "A"s house, we were welcomed by her mother "Miss L" who had decorated the house so nicely for the party. She had planned the most lovely party for all the girls invited, and the moms sure enjoyed watching their daughters play. Little girls in cute dresses with their hair done up.

 

 "Miss L" had set up a photoshoot area with a pink linen backdrop and a white lace overlay, and balloons dangling around - very cute. There were tubs of dress-up clothes and a full length mirror. There were so many fun things for the girls, but I want to share why I was so impressed with this party.  "Miss L" gave her daughter something much nicer than just a princess party, and she let her sweet spirit shine through. She gathered the girls around to share a princess story, and she told them they are true princesses, because God in Heaven is their father. She told them he loves each little princess there very much.

 

When it was time to eat, she asked the little princesses to join her in the kitchen to help serve the meal to the mothers and grandmothers. Each girl was given a task, and each did it with a smile. It really was a delight. After the meal, the girls gathered round to watch "A" open her gifts and were delighted with her joy. "Miss L" then had them sit around the table to decorate cookies. They could decorate one cookie for themself and at least one to give to someone else. Through their creativity, they were learning to share and make something beautiful for another person. Elauna made her cookies to give away for her Papa and Mimi.

The love of the Father, a servants heart, sharing with others.
These are the things every true princess should know! Thank you "Miss L" and happy birthday "A"!

zoo party

Family friends invited us to a zoo party at their house today with a few animals from the Columbus Zoo. It was great fun. The handlers allowed the children to touch most of the animals if they wanted, though my kids would rather watch the Boa instead of touch it. (I touched it). The animals were beautiful - I especially liked the Snow Leopard. Thank you, Neil, Kristen, Marlen, Virgil and Toni! Love to you all!