Chesapeake Cove

Strawberries

2010-06-11T13:59:00.002-05:00

Find your Menomonie Strawberries. I have worked at Red Cedar Valley Farms for many years and always have enjoyed and appreciated the farm and the great strawberries they produce in Menomonie. We also have two sales sites right in Menomonie for your convenience. The season starts this Saturday, so make sure you stock up for the winter!

If you are from the Eau Claire area, Eau Claire strawberries can be found at three different sales locations around Eau Claire. The Eau Claire strawberries are picked fresh every morning, at our field in Menomonie, and sold the same day by our cheerful sellers!

For those of you who live in or nearer to Hudson, Wisconsin, we also provide Hudson strawberries. We provide the same juicy, sweet berries in Hudson, picked fresh every day, at two different sales sites. You can be sure that our Hudson strawberries are the best you will find!

I hope to see you soon!

Ecuador Update, por fin

2010-04-16T10:28:00.001-05:00

Greetings to one and all,

Thank you to each and every one of you who sent me an email in response to my last update. For those of you who are still procrastinating, as I did this email, I would still love to hear from you. Late is better than never! (Right?)

Lets start with some questions that are probably ringing in your head:

"Peter, How's life?"

Well, for the most part life has been pretty normal, well, at least as normal as life can get down here.

"Well, normal, that doesn't help me out much. What are some "normal" things that wouldn't seem normal to me?"

Well, for starters, everyone doesn't have a car around here, in fact, buses and taxis sometimes seem to outnumber the cars on the road, and definitely carry more passengers each day. Thus, my life revolves greatly around learning the different bus routes, and figuring out which routes are the best for taking me from where I live to each different activity. The family I live with has one car, and most mornings I can catch a ride to the Bilingue School, and from there most of my classes are walking distance. (within 8 large blocks) However, every evening, and whenever I have a change of schedule (or the car gets in an accident) I get to use the bus.

"Buses? What are they like in a third-world country?"

The bus system here is pretty amazing. True, you can't always count on the buses to use the same route every day, and sometimes you have to wait 30 minutes for the next bus, and sometimes the drivers are rather impatient, but generally the buses pass by quite regularly, and you can ride the bus as long as you want for 25 cents. That being said, that doesn't always mean that when you get on a bus you can count on having a comfortable ride. First off, the seats are built for 10-12 year-olds. Yeah, my knees are always squished against the seat in front of me, but that isn't the biggest problem. Finding a seat is most often out of the question.

I have gotten accustomed to riding buses with 30 seats, crammed with 60 or more people. In fact the other night riding back I counted 100 people that I could see riding in the same bus with me. (probably there were some kids or shorter people that I couldn't see in the back of the bus). When I got on, I was just standing in the door way, and we still added another 20 people before anyone got off at their stop. Its called squish a little tighter. I later found out that actually things have gotten better recently. In times past, at times they would have the inside FULL (evidently with a capacity of more than 100 people) and would have people hanging on with one hand to the doors, riding on the bumper, or anywhere else they could find a foothold before they would consider the bus full!

Thankfully the buses aren't always so full, so I sometimes get the privilege of sitting crammed in a seat for my 30-40 minute rides in the bus. (Yes, sitting crammed is preferable to trying to stand and hang on, especially when the driver is in a hurry)

"Well, what is travel in a car like?"

When I have the chance to ride in the car, life is also different. First off, many of the streets are so pot-holed you can't even attempt to avoid the pot-holes, you just try to avoid the worst ones. Secondly, traffic laws are very laxly adhered to. Turn signals are used at random, totally at random, sometimes the left signal is used to turn right, but more often no signal is used at all. Unfortunately I didn't make the effort to get an international driver's license before I came down here, so I haven't been able to try my hand at driving. It sure looks fun, though.

Ok, so traffic is a bit different around here. Whoever is bigger gets the right-of-way. That goes for pedestrians and bikes too. You have to watch out for your own safety when crossing a street.

"How about food? Is that different to?"

I have grown up accustomed to a wide variety of food, so I have been able to fully enjoy the food. The staples of the diet are rice, mote (a type of starchy large-kerneled, white-kerneled, and boiled maize), bread, and brothy soup (often with some type of meat broth for a base), with milk and natural juices for a beverage. Proteins are expensive, and used sparingly, but whatever food is prepared is superbly seasoned. The family I live with ends up eating more meat than is typical, (normally some sort of meat for supper) as they have the means to purchase the meat, and prefer meat to the more typical beans. Vegetables are more scarce than I am used to, but fruit is abundant.

"What are other cultural things that a Westerner would find strange or uncomfortable?"

Well, for starters, the traditional greeting for women is a kiss on the cheek, (women-to-women and men-to-women both) and it is very important that you greet everyone in a room when you arrive with the proper salutation (handshake men-to-men, and kiss for the women). Thankfully, I was fully aware of the tradition, and adjustment has been no issue for me. (Let's just hope I remember to readjust back to the cold western tradition of a simple handshake, or distant wave when I get back) ;-)

Hot water is a luxury. In the house I live in, there is not running hot water. For showers we use an electric shower head, which only provides minimal heating for the water. I have also gotten used to washing dishes in cold water. (much more difficult than in hot).

Perhaps that gives you a little idea of "normal" life down here. In general, life is a lot more simple with more emphasis placed on people, especially in times past. However, more and more technology is creeping in and taking time away from friendships and relationships. There is a lot less "surplus" income to use on luxuries and vacations, however, that does not prevent warm hospitality, and I have been blessed by many a gracious host insisting on feeding me a meal, or welcoming me into their home for a celebration.

"Ok, so maybe that's normal for you, but haven't you had anything out of the normal in the past weeks?!"

I have had the privilege to join the church on a Holy Week retreat to the coastal jungle. The climate was hot and humid, but the animal and plant life was magnificent. If you haven't already see the pictures on my brother's blog, I would suggest you to stop by and see some of God's beautiful creation. However, much more memorable and special to me was the fellowship, and the biblical teachings at the retreat. Pastor Santiago, Gerardo (on of the elders of the church) and Darwin Paccha (a young leader in the church) all taught different sessions on subjects varying from "The glory of Christ's death," to "the culture of noise." Did you know that the average American teen-ager spends just shy of 8 hours every day listening to mp3s, tv, radio, and playing video games? Can you imagine what influence this "noise" has on them? What a difference it would make if we were to turn off the "noise" to spend more time to listen to Christ!

I also had the opportunity to visit Nabon with Justo. Nabon is a small town a couple of hours away from Cuenca. My family lived in Nabon for 3 of their years in Ecuador. We visited many of my family's old friends, and I had the chance to see the house where the lived, and the school where Justo and Jessica attended Kindergarten. Justo is still well known in the town as not many "Gringos" (whites) visit the town, so he has to frequently stop to visit with some person or another.

"So, Peter, how would you rate your trip so far?"

Well, the Lord has really blessed me and my endeavors so far. I have been generally blessed with good health, and classes in general have been going very well. I teach about 22 hours of class each week solely in Spanish, with another 13 hours teaching English. (most of those hours I also use a lot of spanish) I also take part in 3 different cell groups, and take 4 hours of spanish classes each week to fill up my other free hours. Considering that I have to count on 30 minutes of travel for each class, I keep pretty busy.

As far as language goes, well, each day is better, but I still struggle a lot with the verbs. In Spanish, the verbs are conjugated differently for every person of pronoun, (I, you, he/she/it, we, you plural, and they) in past, present, future, subjunctive, and perfect tenses! Basically for each tense there are 6 conjugations of each verb to learn. Most of the verbs are regular and follow one of three set patterns, but there are just enough irregular verbs that are used a lot to keep a person confused. In general I am able to communicate what I need to, and I can do pretty well understanding most conversations, but I still have to concentrate to keep from getting "left behind" in a conversation. However, learning Spanish has gone fully as well as I ever expected. Considering that this was one of my main purposes for coming down here, I'd have to give my time so far an A+.

"So how has your time in a third-world-country, or specifically in Ecuador, changed you?"

Well, that is a really hard question. (why did I have to put this one in here anyways?!) Perhaps this is a question that would be best answered by you when we meet next. Quite honestly the culture, food, and people really didn't create the big of a culture shock for me. Perhaps I was expecting it to be far more different than it really is. The difficulties of language, and the challenges of teaching my first structured classes aside, it really has been more of a fun and exciting experience than a shock. Whatever the case, I would say that my time here has helped me to again rethink priorities. As I see the hospitality and generosity of these people, in American eyes generous and hospitable beyond their means, it makes me think again, what is really important, necessary for life? (Just to give an idea, a normal entry level salary here in Ecuador is $55-$75 a week. Often the work weeks are over 40 hours.)

Paul says in ITim. 6:8, that we should be content with food and clothing. (and no, he didn't leave out the ipod and cell phone because they weren't invented yet, I believe God inspire him to write it exactly how he did). If food and clothing (yes, shelter as well in a northern climate) are sufficient for contentment, shouldn't that be a reminder for us to take our eyes off of temporal things "where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal"? Instead, where does God say to lay up our treasure? in heaven.

I have been challenged recently by the example of the apostle Paul. Here he was, a trained, intelligent, man. One who most likely could have lived a comfortable, if not affluent life, but he chose the life of service and danger. (I Cor. 9:19-22, II Cor 11:22-33, ,IITim. 1:8-11; 2:9-10; 4:6-8, and numerous places in Acts.) He rejected the comforts of this temporal life to strive for the eternal souls of men. "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul?"

So how does this apply to me today? Does this mean I should live a life of poverty, rejecting all the comforts of life? Nay. Rather, this is a reminder where my focus should be. We have the responsibility to preach the Gospel to all nations. In whatever we do, to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. To cleanse ourselves from profane and idle babblings, strivings, youthful lusts, disputes, or whatever else may hinder our witness or impede our race of faith, and finally to prepare ourselves for every good work. (Mat. 6:33a, Acts 1:9, Col. 3:17, II Tim. 2, Phil 3:12-16) We need to give the more earnest heed to God's Word, to prepare ourselves for the work God has called us to. (Eph. 2:10) In this day and age of affluence and prosperity, it is often to easy to get caught up looking for the bigger paycheck, working those 5 hours overtime for some spending cash, or taking that second part-time job to allow for that vacation to Hawaii. What does that profit for eternity? (for more thoughts along this line, I encourage you to read about William Borden)

Yesterday I read of a man, Leonard Dober, who actually sold himself as a slave in the Virgin Islands to be a missionary to the slaves. Here a respectable, free man, sold himself to work as a slave, to be able to effectively minister to the slaves. However, it wasn't his sacrifice that shocked me the most, nor his willingness to ask for a lower position of servitude to better relate with the slaves he felt called to serve, it was the ridicule and shame he received from other Christians! Here was a man who sacrificially went to the extreme to serve God, and yet his "friends" ridiculed and mocked his service. However, the Lord blessed his ministry, and in 3 short years his ministry had grown to, not 100, not 1,000, but 13,000 new converts!

How often have I looked down on those who have sacrificially given up luxuries of life, perhaps a good job, perhaps a comfortable parish, to serve God, in their entirety?

So how can I pray for you in your last few weeks in Ecuador?

A heart of service: that the Lord can create in me a heart fulling willing to serve Him in any way he sees fit!

Safety: This is not just for me, but for everyone down here. Crime is a big issue, just over a week ago the church was robbed, and I know of at least one other person in the church who was robbed this week.

Mateo and Pablo: That I can be a good example for them, and that the Lord can continue to put the desire in their hearts to grow spiritually.

My Time: That the Lord can guide me in how to best balance my time, especially in these final two weeks, as there are sure to be many people wanting to "send me off" in these last weeks.

Do you have any praises to share?

Do I ever!

Parra family: When I arrived down here, the dad was not in the picture, and their children were really struggling in their studies. In the past months, I have seen the father come back, start digging in the Word, and start faithfully attending cell groups in the church. The change in the family has been absolutely dramatic. The Parras have been by far my best homeschool students, and their joy in having their father back is fully evident. What a change intact parents has on the children, and what a change our risen Lord can have on a marriage!

Homeschoolers: Along with the continued struggles, there have been some definite improvements. A couple of the families have been really difficult, but in the last couple of weeks they have started to be more responsive and more attentive in class. PTL!

Marriages: The struggles continue, but this last Sunday the sermon was on marriage, and afterwards the was a sharing time, followed by a prayer time for the 4 people who came forward to share their struggles. What a joy it is to see the public commitment to rebuild the relationships!

Once again I would like to offer my sincere gratitude for your support in communication and prayer! I look forward every morning to my chance to check my email inbox for new emails from all of you. God bless!

In Christ,

Peter

A non-update

2010-03-18T16:33:00.000-05:00

Greetings everyone,

My life continues to be very busy. This week seems to be birthday week. My brother Justo has his birthday today. Claudia, he secretary of the Bilingue school (and one of the more active families in the church), had a birthday on Monday, and Pedro Domingues, an English teacher at the Bilingue School who I have gotten to know, also has a birthday tomorrow.

Besides birthday parties, a trip to the mall with and English class from the Bilingue, and sending off the Elizabeth and Rebecca Lackey, this has been a pretty normal week. I continue to see the Lord's work here in Ecuador, and of course there are still the areas that are lacking, but I'm not here to talk about my life this email, I am asking you: What has the Lord been teaching you in your life? What has been going on in your life? What was your most memorable even in the last 2 days, week, or month?

God's Blessings from Ecuador, and I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you!

Peter

Phil. 3:13-15

PS Don't feel like you have to compete with my updates. One or two paragraphs is fine!

Long overdue update!

2010-03-05T09:40:00.001-06:00

Greetings to each and every one of you!

I wish that time permitted me to compose a personal note to every single one of you, but alas, I have been blessed with many different responsibilities and activities which pretty well fill up my weeks. I hope you will permit this hastily "penned" note to fulfill your curiosities, and provide you with some insight to the many marvelous things I have had opportunity to experience.

The two (plus) weeks that have passed since I last filled you in on my life have been filled to the full with many exciting activities, as well as my regular schedule of teaching. I know many of you follow my brother Justo's blog. To those of you who don't, I would recommend that you drop in to get a pictorial account of my recent activities. If a picture is worth a thousand words, as they say, then he has hundreds of thousands of word waiting for you to view. Besides, pictures can explain my recent activities far better than my faltering pen, or rather fingers, ever could.

First off, what does the weekly "grind," as many call it, consist of for me.Well, first off, "grind" is about as far from the truth as it gets. Rather each and every moment is another opportunity to see the hand of God working in the lives of myself and others. Quibbles aside, my weekly schedule goes something like this:

Monday-Friday: 11-1 WWII history Classes in the homes of each of the different home-school families. (with lunch afterwards with the family, normally not leaving until about 2:00)

Monday 2:30-4 Teaching Piano

Monday 4:30-6:00 Youth Cell Group

Tuesday 8-11 assisting with English Classes in the Bilingue school.

Tuesday 2:30-5 Biblical History class with all of the home-schoolers together in the Paz de Dios Church.

Tuesday 7-9 Men's Cell Group

Wed. 8:30-10 WWII History classes with another of the home-school kids.

Wed. 3-3:45 Teaching Piano

Thursday 8:15-10:45 Classes with the McKweeny family (a missionary family living here in Cuenca)

Thursdays and Fridays 2-4 Spanish Classes with Mateo, the 18-year-old son of the family I am staying with.

Friday 7:30-9:30 Basket Ball with the youth from in the church.

Saturday 3-5 (every other week) Youth Group Activity

Saturday 5-6:30 College Cell Group.

Considering transportation also consumes a good bit of my time each day, I generally am not bored. Most people use the bus system, which is quite inexpensive, but takes time. Generally you have to count on 30 minutes to travel any distance on the bus, counting waiting for the bus at the bus stop, and walking to your final destination. Thankfully, every morning I am able to catch a ride with Pablo (another son of the family I'm staying with) to the area of the Bilingue School (where most of my activity centers around) each morning.

Ok, life actually hasn't been focused on this schedule to much in the past two weeks. In fact, this week is the first week that I have actually strictly followed this schedule. Last week was spiritual emphasis week in the Bilingue School. Justo and I were asked to help out with the activities for the week. Each morning we had 4-5 classes with the kids, where we sang some choruses, and Justo, or Giovani (the Chaplain of the Bilingue School) taught the "Pot Story." I assisted leading the kids in the songs, taking pictures, and acting in the "Pot Story."

On Friday, after our last class with the Bilingue, Justo, German, and I went with another family to the Jungle. We went on a three hour hike in the Jungle on Saturday, spending a good portion of time swimming in the river, playing in some waterfalls. In the afternoon we went to small zoo with a nice selection of native birds and mammals. Sunday morning we had a church service with the Shuar Indian kids that live in the camp we stayed at. After which we went to a nearby river to swim and eat lunch by the river.

The river was amazing. The water was crystalline clear and very deep. We could dive off the rocks, and never touched bottom. However, this was only the beginning of the adventure. We left the Jungle about 1:00 hoping to get home around 8:00 in the evening, but that was not to be. Only about 1.5 hours into the trip, one of the cars broke down. We tried a few things to fix it, but ended up having to leave it at a person's house along the road. The other family took a bus to get home, and German, Justo, and I continued home in German's car.

By this time it was dark, and the road we were driving is nothing like roads in the states. 3 places the road goes right through a river, (yup, no bridge) and for most of the way, you are dodging potholes and large rocks in the road. We didn't end up arriving back at German's house until midnight. That made for a bit of a tiring Monday, but it was all worth it. See God's amazing creativity in Creation, the vast variety of different plants and geological formations was truly awe-inspiring.

This week has been pretty normal, but this weekend, I plan on going on a hike in the mountains (In Cajas national park) with some of the youth from the church. That should be fun.

So what has the Lord been teaching me in these past weeks? Last week, I read 2 Cor. 12 in my devotions. Verses 7-10 really stuck out to me. Sometimes I feel like my language impediment in the Spanish is such a hindrance in my work. I sometimes feel like language is my "thorn in the flesh." Just the day before I came across this verse, I had a really tough day communicating what I wanted to teach in my classes. However, the Lord really spoke to me with these verses. "...And He [the Lord] said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will most gladly boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me... For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2Cor. 12:9, 10) We do not know what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was, but almost certainly it was much more difficult than my current lack of Spanish. If Paul, with his "infirmity" could trust fully in the Lord, so how much more with my little impediment, can I put my trust in the Lord. He can give me the words He wishes for me to speak, when He wishes for me to speak them.

What was really special for me, however, was the confirmation the Lord gave on this past Tuesday. In the Tuesday night cell group which Justo leads, we studied Mark 8:5, and the concept: what can I give to Jesus? Not only can we give Jesus our time, our talents, our strengths, but He also yearns for our burdens, our struggles, our cares. He yearns for us to "cast all our cares upon Him." He pleads with us to repent and give Him our deepest "secrets." God's Word promises in I Jn. 1:9 that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness!"

What do you have to give to Jesus?

Once again, I would like to thank each and every one of you for the prayer support you have been giving. You have no clue how much impact your prayers have been having. Teaching, in general, has been going quite well, better than I expected with my limited Spanish, and the kids have in general been pretty good. However, I still need your prayers:

Safety: Yes crime is present. Just this past week someone in the church was the victim of some petty theft.

Language: I have really felt the Lord's help in language, but I continue to struggle. I am now having Spanish classes with Mateo twice a week, so that is very positive, and a great help.

Marriages: There are a few broken families in the church right now, pray for the F. family and P. family specifically, and a continued strengthening of the marriages. Satan loves to destroy the family!

My Testimony: That I can be a good testimony in action where I fail in word. That I can not hamper my testimony with social faux pas.

"Many, O Lord my god, are Your wonderful works which you have done; and your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." Ps. 40:8

Relying on Christ's Strength

Peter

PS A big Thank You to each and every one of you who replied to my last update. Even the quick notes are very encouraging! I love to receive emails. If you have the time, I'd love to hear what has been going on in your life! I will try to respond as I have time.

Once again if you know of anyone else who would like to be added to my email update list, feel free to put them in contact with me! Also, if you wish to be taken off my update list, let me know, and I will gladly take you off my list. If you are recently added and would like to receive my previous updates, let me know and I can forward them onto you as well.

Ecuador Life

2010-02-19T15:04:00.001-06:00

Greeting to one and all!

It has been an exciting and busy 13 days since my last update. With far more happening than I can possibly recount with my faltering "pen" I will simply try to expound on a few highlights.

The first part of my first week I spent trying to organize my "horario" (schedule). On Tuesday I met with Pastor Saintiago Gomezcoello and Justo to get everything nailed down. Well, we really didn't get everything nailed down, but we got a good outline at least figured out. Plenty for me right now. :-) As I get into the swing of my schedule I hope to add a few more classes and activities to my week.

Wednesday through Friday were "regular" days following my schedule, but the rest of the weekend was anything but normal. Carnival celebrations started in earnest. For those of you who do not know what Carnival is, you definitely need to visit someplace in Latin America the week leading up to Lent. I can guarantee that you will enjoy more than one unexpected bath. Carnival is the last wild "fling" before the penitence of lent sets in. In Ecuador it is celebrated with LOTS of water. The more unsuspecting the person the better! You have to watch what you are doing all the time, or you will become the next victim of some "Carnivalero." On Saturday Justo, German, and I went on a road trip. In every little settlement, every little cluster of houses, you could expect to have at least two groups of people standing by ready to douse anyone who didn't get their window rolled up fast enough. Justo only got caught once, although we had a bunch of other close calls.

Sunday was Carnival at the church. The church service in the morning was pretty normal, although a bit low in attendance. (Many people take vacations over Carnival as Monday and Tuesday are bank holidays in Ecuador). After the service, everyone changed into more casual clothes, and we had a church picnic, followed by water, water balloons, corn-starch, and foam getting spread liberally around. Almost everyone got wet, and I mean drenched! We also played about 3 hours of soccer, but even soccer isn't immune from Carnival. In one corner of the field were a good group of non-soccer players, and every time someone venture close enough, they would be sure help "cool them off". In between all of the fun and water, one of the leaders in the church organized a time of group games, and also some Bible skits. It was really special to see the way the church can balance the fun, and fellowship so well.

Monday, we played more carnival. A family from the church invited the church up to their place in the country, and after a delicious lunch, a time of singing and a short Bible teaching, and a walk up the mountain, out came the water and cornstarch, and everyone, or at least almost everyone, in sight became a target for water. Again, it was so special to see how Biblical teaching is woven in, even on the "fun days."

Tuesday was pretty quiet, (we stayed home most of the day, even though it was technically the last day of Carnival) but Wednesday was busy once again. Justo and Perdo Soto organized a fishing trip high in the mountains (up at between 12,000 and 13,000 feet). In the end there were 6 of us who went on the trip, including German (the guy who hosts Justo in his house), Chris and Timothy McWeeny (a missionary family living in Cuenca right now), and myself. In total we caught 9 trout. More important than the fish, however, was the time of fellowship that we had traveling in the car, and hiking to the lakes.

Wednesday night I moved from German's house, where I lived with Justo and German for the first week+, and moved to live with Flores family. (Mom Lupe, and sons Pablo and Mateo) The plan is for me to stay with them for the rest of my time here. Lupe is a sister of Santiago Gomezcoello, the pastor of the Paz de Dios church. They are very welcoming and hospitable! The plan is that Mateo will also be tutoring me a bit in Spanish during my time here.

Now Thursday and today I have resumed my "regular" schedule. With all my talk about my "regular" schedule, what does my schedule look like? Basically I class with home-schoolers every day 11-1 with lunch following at their house. On various other days I have a morning class (8:15-10:45) as well, and most afternoons I have other various activities, Bible Studies, cell groups, and other gatherings. Lord willing I will also be filling in my schedule with possibly some piano lessons, and teaching at the Bilingue.

So what has the Lord been teaching me throughout this time? Well, quite honestly, even though I had a good grounding in Spanish, I have still found it overwhelming being immersed in it. I often times find myself not really following the conversation, or when asked a pointed question, getting a blank look when I try to answer (incorrectly). It has been quite humbling for me to make so many mistakes. However, it has caused me to depend all the more on the Lord. Ps. 61:2 has really been a special verse to me during this time. Dad shared it with me in one of the first days I was down here, and it has meant a lot to me. Along that same line, yesterday in my devotions Prov. 18:10 really stuck out to me. "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe." I find that the weaker I feel, the more powerful the Lord shows Himself.

Prayer requests:

Language: I continue to make mistakes by the dozen, and simple comprehension of instructions is sometimes difficult. (Especially now that I am with an entirely spanish speaking family)

Teaching: That the Lord can give me wisdom and guidance in knowing how to teach the classes that I am supposed to be teaching, and that I can know how to motivate and encourage the kids.

Protection: I don't really feel in danger, but the reality of crime is always before me. Almost every house is gated and the windows barred.

Praise: For the really bright spots that there are in the church, the maturity in some of the members, and the real vision to continue to disciple the youth!

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly!" (Ps. 84:11)

Peter

PS I'd love to hear from you! Drop me an email when you have a chance!

Ecuador Update: Arrival!

2010-02-06T13:25:00.001-06:00

Greetings everyone,

First off, I need to thank the Lord for a generally uneventful trip. Planes were delayed so I ended up over an hour and a half late at Guayaquil, but my luggage arrived with me, and Justo and German (the guy Justo has been staying with in Ecuador) were there to pick me up. We got immediately onto a bus headed for Cuenca, and enjoyed a foggy, dark, though uneventful ride to Cuenca, arriving at our destination, Cuenca at 6:30 AM. Thankfully, I was able to get some sleep both in the plane, and much of the way in the bus. Overall, I am very glad how the trip went. I´d rather have less excitement than more stress on a long trip like this.

I am already getting into the middle of things here. This afternoon we are going with the youth from the church, Paz de Dios, to help paint a needy congregants home.

So far the language has been only mildly overwhelming. I can understand the gist of most conversations, using context to explain the words I do not understand, but answering pointed questions is more difficult. Like others have said before, almost no one knows any English down here, and those that do aren´t hankering to try it out on you.

Some of my highlights so far have been, some nice turbulence as we appraoched Atlanta, safe and uneventful travel, easy customs, seeing old friends from Ecuador, and meeting new ones, and getting to put pictures to the places that I have heard so much about.

Right now my most pressing prayer requests are:

Language: Quick comprehension of the language
Culture: Limiting social faux pas´.
Attentiveness: to not only grasp the layout of the city and figure out how to get to the places I need to go, but also to see the ways I can best help those who I am called to serve.

So long for now

In Christ,
Peter
Ex. 18:8-11 (this was a verse that German shared with us this morning)

Ecuador Update

2010-02-04T11:31:00.001-06:00

Greetings Friends and Family,

As I have prepared for leaving for Ecuador, I thought it would be only proper to give you a little idea of what I will be doing in Ecuador.

Hunh? Isn't the Equator the imaginary line equidistant from the North and South poles? Where is that god-forsaken place anyways? Why would you care to go to that place? Isn't Mexico closer? Whatever are you going to be doing there? Is it safe? How are you going to protect yourself from the half-naked savages that might try to spear you? Probably some of these represent the thoughts that ran through your head when you first heard I was going to Ecuador.

Now, you may not be brash enough to ask me all those questions, but just to assuage your fears and calm your curiosity, I will try to answer them all anyways.

To give you a little geography lesson, Ecuador is located on the West Coast of South America, below Columbia and above Peru, right on the Equator. Although it is on the west coast of South America, longitudinally it is directly below Florida, on US's East Coast. It's area, approximately 99,000 square miles is equivalent to Oregon, 9^th largest in the US.

Ecuador's Geography is divided up into three distinct areas. From West to East, they are as follows:

La Costa, the coastal lowlands;
La Sierra, the mountainous highlands (Cuenca, where I will be living is in this region);
La Amazonia or El Oriente, a slice of the Amazon rainforest, accounting for about half of Ecuador's land mass, although only containing about 5% of Ecuador's population.

Ecuador's fauna is some of the most diverse in the world. Its 16,000 species of plants, 1,600 species of birds (15% of the world's known bird species), and 6,000 species of butterflies, and nearly 300 endemic species of birds, reptiles, and amphibians combined, make it a biologist's treasure-chest!

However, Ecuador is not just a place, it is also a home to 4 major ethnic groups, including many indigenous tribes. Its population of 13 million is equivalent to Illinois, 5^th greatest in the US. Its density of 139/sq. mi, would place it 22^nd in a list of US States (between South Carolina and Kentucky).

Also, Ecuador is not "god-forsaken." In fact, 95% of the population would consider themselves Catholic. However, this Catholicism is closer to pago-Catholicism syncretized with the traditional pagan tribal rituals. However, there is a small Protestant movement in Ecuador as well, about 4%, and it is with one of these churches that I will be primarily working.

Is Ecuador safe? Although your perceptions of the country may be diluted by thoughts of savage jungle head-hunters, those tribes never made up more than a small percentage of Ecuador's population, and today, many of those tribes have been touched by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Seeing it is still a poor country, theft and other petty crime is high. However, as I feel God's guiding hand in bringing me to Ecuador, it is within his power to protect me or subject me to danger and trials as He sees fit. As Corrie Ten Boom has said, "The safest place to be is within the center of God's will!"

To be perfectly honest my main purpose for traveling to Ecuador is three-fold: 1. To learn Spanish, 2. To experience the country, culture, and people where my family lived for 8 years as missionaries, 3. To assist the church and my brother in their ministries. I think the first two reasons are pretty self- explanatory, so I will expound further on the last reason.

My brother, Justo, for the last year-and-a-half, has been working with the Paz de Dios Church in Cuenca, Ecuador, discipling the youth in the church, and helping a few families as they pioneer homeschooling in Ecuador. I will be assisting him in this mission, helping teach/tutor some of the homeschoolers, primarily in History and English. Also attempting to encourage them and give them the vision for learning that my parents instilled in me from a young age. I will also be taking some Spanish tutoring and connecting with the youth in the church.

In closing I would like to share with you a message that a godly leader once gave to another young man serving as a missionary. This godly leader, Paul, gave this young man, Timothy, this charge in I Tim. 4:12-16.

"Let no one despise your youth but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith , in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in your, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to the, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you."

I have taken this section of scripture as my challenge, as my calling, and as a description of my mission in Ecuador.

For those of you who are willing to remember me in prayer, here are a few specific prayer requests.

Travel: That connections can go smoothly, paperwork can be without a hitch, and that customs may be no problem.
Language: That I may pick up the language, Spanish, speedily, and that my falterings may not be a hindrance to the Gospel.
Culture: That I may be able to embrace the culture, and enjoy the differences!
Ministry: That the Lord can give me wisdom in knowing what to teach, and how to best teach the students I am working with.
Testimony: That my life can be a good testimony, not only to those within the church, but also to those who are "outside"
That I may be teachable: That the Lord may let me see His will and purpose in each situation He places me in, and that I may be willing to learn the lessons He has for me.

I have taken the liberty to add a few of you without your express permission. For those of you who wish to be taken off my newsletters, or if you know of someone else who would like to receive my updates, contact me by email: ppillman@gmail.com

If you have any questions, or just would like to send a word of encouragement, feel free to jot off a line or two to me!

If you wish to keep up on my life in pictures check out my blog http://chesapeakecove.blogspot.com and my brother's bloghttp://justopillman.blogspot.com

In Christ,

Peter

Ecuador Bound!

2010-02-03T22:56:00.001-06:00

So, yes my blog has suffered from gross neglect recently, and really don't expect it to be suddenly revitalized now. (If you haven't noticed, I do keep my "News I Note" sidebar updated, though)

However, despite the quite on the blog, the Lord has been working in exciting ways in my life, guiding and directing me in ways I sure didn't expect. Yes, I am Ecuador bound. In fact I have tickets bought to leave this coming Friday, the 5th of February! Lord willing I will be in Ecuador about 3 months, learning the language and encouraging and helping out the home-schoolers there. I will be joining my brother Justo, who has already spent the majority of his last year-and-a-half in Ecuador. (Check out his blog) His focus has been helping to establish a few families as they brave the home-school frontier in Ecuador, as well as encouraging and working with the youth in the Paz de Dios (Peace of God) Church.

I hope to be able to give you some updates during my time in Ecuador. However, be sure to follow my bro's blog for pictures of my activities! I really appreciate the verbal and prayer support that so many of you have given me over the years, and now all the more as I head down into Ecuador! Feel free to contact me personally for specifics on my ministry.

Strawberry Season!

2009-06-16T10:14:00.004-05:00

Yes, it is that time of year again. It is not as if I generally keep up on blogging to well anyways, but I can almost guarantee that I won't be around for the next three weeks. Strawberry season is starting up come Thursday, June 18th. We work at a strawberry patch just outside of Menomonie, Wisconsin. Red Cedar Valley Farms produces some of the best berries in the midwest, and we are glad to be a part of helping get them out to people.

Basically, if you want to see me in the next three weeks, your best bet will be to visit the farm and see me there. The picking is great, the berries are fantastic, the rows are clean and the personel, well, you get me. Best of all, did I mention that you can eat all you like while you pick your pail? Hey, and perhaps if you come during a quiet spell, you may even get me to pick a handful or two for you!

We are open from 6:30AM until 6:00PM every day (weather permitting), Monday-Saturday until the end of the season. Of course if you are driving a distance you can always call ahead just to make sure we're open, (715) 235-94111, and talk to my friendly sister. The season is short, so you'd better be ready to catch it! Come pick your strawberries in Menomonie, visit Red Cedar Valley Farms for the juciest, sweetest, finest berries in the Mid-west!

Does gun control work?

2009-06-09T11:39:00.003-05:00

The old maxim goes, "If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have them." And this is so true. Take a look at his worthwhile video. It gives a well documented approach to this volatile issue. Notice the concern of the criminals, no it isn't a concern for the gun laws, it is a concern for the citizens carrying their own guns!

I have over 50 hours of riding with law enforcement officers, and the consensus is almost unanimous, they would prefer the average law-abiding citizen to carry a gun. They realize that they often only arrive on the scene of a crime to document it, to late to prevent it.

How many of you have heard of the shooting at the Appalachian School of Law? Can you see the media bias?

Best family dog

2009-03-13T13:40:00.006-05:00

As most of you know, I am a dog enthusiast. If you haven't already guessed it by the title of my blog, I do have a slight predjudice for a certain breed as well. I had originally intended this as a comment on another blog post, but due to the ammount of info involved, I thought it better to write a full post. Feel free to comment about your experience as well!

I would rate the Chesapeake Bay Retriever as the best family dog. It is superb with kids, and very loyal. (this is speaking of a large dog, not of miniature breeds. I don't have much experience with miniatures)

I have seen some Labs that are ok, but generally they are far to hyper, and tend to be unaware of their size, knocking over children with their exuberance. Chessie's, on the other hand, have an uncanny knack for noticing kids, and though thoroughly enjoying their company, will refrain from even wagging their tail when a small person is around. They are extremely easy going, and will allow a child to do virtually anything to them. This is an accepted character trait of the breed, but as with any dog, the most important determining factor on whether they are a good family dog, depends on their socialization when they are young. Even the best breed, if unsocialized, I could not recommend.

Golden Retrievers, I would consider better still, than a Lab. They have some of the same drawbacks of over-exuberance, but generally aren't as bad. Realize with the more popular breeds (Labs, Golden's, German Shepherds, Cocker Spaniels, etc.), there are really two strains to the breed (sometimes more), the original hunting dog (or guard dog) and the companion dog. They will both be registered the same way with the AKC, but their temperaments are vastly different. This is due to over-breeding. Golden's have really degraded from the over-breeding, so try and get a "hunting" dog, with true hunting bloodlines. They are often the better dog, even if you aren't using them for hunting. Labs on the other hand, have generally gotten more friendly, and laid back, from the breeding, although some strains have gotten a bit hyper as well. Try and meet both parents any time you are choosing a dog.

American Pit Bulls, in spite of their reputation, are also generally a good family dog. Although careful breeding has made them a pretty friendly dog, they also can be unaware of their size at times.

Old English Mastiff, a huge dog, is a good breed with children. Again, though, this massive dog doesn't recognize its own size all the time. St. Bernard's are also in this same category, although they are often more prone to being hyper than a Mastiff, making them an even less suitable dog.

Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are also a very large dog, but tend to be aware of their size. They like children, and are very careful around them. They are another breed that will abuse from a child. Their greatest downfall is sometimes they are overly protective. There have even been rare instances when they will "protect" the child from the parents when discipline is needed! In spite of their protective nature, they are generally quite accepting of new children, though adults they are quite wary of. Of course, unless you know the dog very well, it is never advised to leave a child unattended with a large breed. In spite of all good intentions, their play may sometimes get a little rough. Be carefully with the Burmese Mountain Dog, a Greater Swiss look-alike. They are overly rambunctious, and not very good with kids. Border Collie's are normally not bad with kids, but don't have the time of day for them either. They are not very gentle, but rarely have a desire to cause injury either. They are less intimidating to a child, but do not have the general disposition to be a great family dog. They are far to timid, and have a tendency to nip, if you don't train it out of them.

German Shepherds, I haven't had a lot of experience with. From any reasearch I have done, and from my small experiences, they can be an ok family dog, but don't normally take to it naturally. I would consider them too much of a guard dog to place them in any position as a good family dog.

I am sure I may have forgotten a breed or two, and there are always aberrations to any breed standard, but this is my experience from personal encounters and research. Of course, many mutts are better than any breed, but this is all on an individual basis. There is no way to standardize a mutt. Generally look for one that is a mix of two "good" breeds, or one that is primarily a "good" breed.

I don't feel I have enough experience with small breeds to give any opinions there. Strange as it sounds, I trust many large breeds more with children than small breeds. Small breeds tend to have more of a tendency to nip, which may be "cute" to an adult, but with children can cause injury. Pomeranians, Cocker Spaniels, and most any Toy Breed, are considered good, but I can't give a personal opinion.

Again, I would love you hear your input! Feel free to agree or disagree.

More government waste!

2009-03-10T19:50:00.004-05:00

So far we have seen billions of dollars wasted this year, with no results. Obama is trying hard to use publicity and politics to waste some more money! He is dumping money on to more failed science, namely Embryonic Stem Cell Reasearch (ESCR). Here is Citizen Link's take on the story:

If embryonic stem-cell research — which always requires the destruction of young human embryos — is so promising, where are the private investors? Overall, private-sector investors steer clear of ESCR because it's financially risky and scientifically unproven. Obama is demanding taxpayers pour their hard-earned dollars into risky investments and go where most venture capitalists and drug companies fear to tread.
Despite millions and millions of dollars spent on embryonic stem-cell research, it has failed to provide a single cure, anywhere in the world. Without significant advances, it looks like this is just the latest government bailout of a morally bankrupt and financially failing industry.
The fact is that embryonic stem cells are economically deprived because they are scientifically bankrupt. Over the last 10 years, we've heard many claims about the potential for cures. But with each passing year we've heard the grandiose promise of cures grow fainter — and patients' hope fade even more.
The real promise for treating disease has been in the unsung heroes: non-embryonic stem cells. Otherwise known as adult stem cells, these ethical cells are providing treatments and cures for more than 70 diseases and conditions. Heart disease, spinal-cord injuries, cancer, genetic disorders, diabetes, Parkinson's, and many other diseases are being treated with adult stem cells. Around the world, scientists and patients are energized not only by the promise, but the real-life results they see from adult stem cells.
Does the list of diseases that adult stem cells are treating look familiar? It should. It includes the same diseases the president said embryonic stem cells might some day cure. If Obama was really concerned, as he said, about making "decisions based on facts, not ideology," we would have seen a different decision this week — one that directed Congress to continue funding research that's helping patients.
A little-known detail of Obama's executive order is that he overturned a second Bush policy that directed the National Institutes of Health to encourage the pursuit of ethical alternatives to embryonic stem cells. This 2007 order provided the incentive for scientists to pursue new forms of stem-cell research — research like iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells, which are ordinary body cells that can be reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. Many scientists have moved away from embryonic stem cells and started investing their time and money into iPS cells.
The Obama policy will use our tax dollars to fund life-destroying, archaic research that's been left in the dust in favor of ethical treatments that have already provided hope and successful treatments for patients.

Read the whole article here.

Remember to check out my "News I Note" on the sidebar. I haven't been posting much on my blog recently, but I have been keeping my news feed up. I use the feed to post news articles that catch my attention, sometimes adding my own comments.

True Christian Spirit!

2009-01-08T21:37:00.002-06:00

I have to take my hat off to Coach Hogan at Grapefine Faith Christian School.

Speaking of football, as a kid growing up in a small town, I remember the excitement that preceded our high school’s home football games. I recall the sense of “oneness” within our community as all the store owners would display “spirit” banners and posters that said “Go Broncos” or “Beat Bonneville” in their windows urging support for “our team” on Friday night. It seemed the whole town would turn out for the game. I dreamed of what it would be like to be one of the players on the field with the whole town cheering you on. And, I experienced it.
High school football is big in America.
But I suppose there is no place where it is bigger than in Texas. Friday nights there are legend.
The fans scream; the stands are packed; cheerleaders with pom-poms jump and sway to the beat of the school band; parents yell encouragement (mostly); mom’s turn their eyes away when their little boys are crunched by the “bullies on the other team who didn’t really have to hit him that hard, did he?” and everybody joins in the chants and stomps their feet on the metal stands until you are sure they will collapse.
This is the frenzy of Texas high school football.
However, there is a football team in Texas that is a little different. When they play on Friday night, their stands are pretty much empty, no band, no cheerleaders, no mass of parents or townsfolk wearing the school colors and waving banners and flags. They take the field without anyone cheering them on. When they get a first down, there is no deafening surge from the stands. When they score a touchdown, which rarely happens, there is no wild celebration behind them…only the individual shouts of satisfaction that come from the 14 players and their coach and the 20 or so people that are sitting on their side of the field. All of it seems hollow and muffled in contrast to the tidal wave of roars and drums and chants that come from the opposing side.
They are the Tornadoes of the Gainesville State School, a fenced, maximum-security facility of the Texas Youth Commission. The young men who go to Gainesville State are there because they have made some major mistakes in their lives. But the players who are on the team are there because they have worked hard and have disciplined themselves to meet the “criteria” that gives them the privilege to leave the facility and play football on Friday nights—always an away game for them—always a home game for their opponents—and almost always a loss. They don’t have a weight program or training equipment or high-paid coaches and assistants. They don’t have a large pool of players to draw from. The school has 275 boys, but many are too old or too young or can’t or don’t meet the “criteria” to play. And they don’t have the support of a town and a mass of parents and family and reporters and bands and cheerleaders.
That is, until November 7th. Something changed. They played Grapevine Faith Christian School.
The way the Gainesville coach, Mark Williams, recounted it for me, it went something like this: Earlier in the week, he had received a call from Faith Christian coach, Kris Hogan, asking him if it would be okay if Faith formed a “spirit” line for his team when they ran on the field. Mark said, “Sure, that would be a real encouragement to the kids.” He thought that the line would consist of a couple of the JV cheerleaders, but when they took the field, there were a hundred people in it and it stretched to the 40-yard line, filled with Faith parents, fans and varsity cheerleaders, complete with a banner at the end for them to burst through that read “Go Tornadoes!”. And then, those parents and fans sat in the stands behind the Gainesville players and when the Tornadoes broke the huddle and went up to the line they could hear people cheering for them, by name. When they got a first down, “their” fans erupted...

Isn't this exemplary! Read the whole article from Del Tacket and also ESPN's story on this. Can you imagine the impact this had on not only the lives of all these young men, but also on the lives of their guards, their parents, and the rest of the world, as they look on!

HT: Dr. Dell Tackett: Truth Observed.

Mr. Obama, open your eyes!

2008-11-01T08:47:00.004-05:00

In a recent debate Obama said that "[The Medical society's] Hippocratic Oath would have required them to provide care, and there was already a law in the books." (Read the full transcript dealing with life issues from the debate here) There is a good article on that statement here. If effect, though, Obama is trying to say it was an unneeded bill. I think this video produced by Students for Life pretty well dispels that myth.

For those of you who wish to research the facts on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) Check out this site. Also read this article by Douglas Johnson, which was also published in the National Review Online.

The most disturbing fact about his whole issue, is that the news media accepts Obama's repeated denials of his votes on this bill. Obama is able to get away with calling the NRLC "liars!"

We need to get these facts out!

Evangelism... to our families: What the Church has done wrong

2008-10-19T22:03:00.002-05:00

How has the church failed us and our children?

First off, lets look at the church’s responsibility regarding families. The church is to be a place where believers meet together to edify one another, and to stir up one another to good works. It is also a time to review the doctrines of God’s Word(preaching and teaching), to praise God together, and the people are called as a whole to complete the great commission. (See Acts 1:8; 2:40-47) How do these roles apply to the family?

First off, I never see anywhere in the Bible that the church is given a special command to take over the teaching of the children from the family. Thus it remains the role of the church to encourage the families in completing their God-given role.

At the same time, it is also the church’s role to encourage the youth and the children to submit to their parents, and to desire to learn from their parents. The pastor can do this by his sermons and members in the congregation by being supportive of the parent’s roles in their life. The church can also assist the parents by being a good example and reinforcing, by their example, the parent’s teaching.

The church’s biggest downfall is its neglect of its God-given responsibilities (caring for the orphans, widows, and needy, which it has now bestowed upon the government) and usurping the role of the family. The church has extended its ministries to the youth and children within the church, and left the orphans and widows behind. It has turned its ministries into church “baby-sitting programs.”

The church desperately tries to separate the family. They have a “program” for everyone from infants to college kids, instead it should be trying to unite the family, strengthen the families, and encourage the children to be under their parent’s authority.

I have to say I really appreciate the “Family Integrated Church" ministry. Their attempt to keep the families together is excellent. The key is to get the parents teaching their own children the things of the Lord. The church is there to support them in that role.

Some parents may consider themselves unprepared, and rather scared by this daunting task set before them. They should! This is an awesome responsibility that the Lord bestows on every parent. The church, though, can be there to encourage the parents. It is also within the boundaries of the church for the members (and/or leadership) to provide advice and council to the parents, as they train their children.

I also believe the church can also contribute through discipleship. This is done on a one-on-one basis. The focus of discipleship is not to teach and train, rather to encourage and exhort. (See 1Tim. 5:1,2) One way to do this would be for the men in the church (lets say 20+) to chose a young man (one 10+ years younger than him) to just befriend, pray for, give those little words of encouragement, and to encourage to submit to his parents. At the same time, you can do this amongst the women in the church as well. This is not to supplant the parent, only to reinforce what the parent has taught.

Turning in another direction, has the church overlooked “Jerusalem”? Isn’t our closest mission field our children? World missions is a great thing, and an important thing. Witnessing to our own city, state, and country is as well, but aren’t our children our first mission field? Think back to the last time you heard a sermon on missions, was the family mentioned at all? Now, don’t go off the deep end here either. A good balance is necessary. Too much focus on your family without also including ministry is just as dangerous. Remember, the key is to maintain that balance!

Evangelism... to our families: Diagnosing the problem in the family; Part 2

2008-10-19T21:03:00.001-05:00

Now before you go out and work to destroy any Sunday school program at your church, let me make this clear. There is nothing wrong with Sunday school; it is the mindset of the parents that too often accompanies it. Sunday School can be a great outreach tool, but when Christian parents in the church use it to “get the kids off their hands” or to “have a break from all their questions,” it is being used wrongly. Every church should have a Sunday school program, but its emphasis should be outreach to the unbelievers, not a babysitting program for the believers.

My parents always had us kids in the adult Bible studies and in with them in the church services. Let me tell you, this really meant a lot to me. They had such a desire to teach me themselves, that they would take me with them, and be there to answer my questions as they came up.

Another thing that has been left by the wayside is prayer for our children. How often do you lift these young souls up to the Lord? How often have you prayed to the Lord to keep these little ones from the many spiritual dangers?

Now remember this is not to point fingers, or to accuse anyone. So often we do not even think about why we do these things, and we never even stop to consider our motives.

Again, the focus is not on the outward things, the focus is on the heart motive. Is it wrong for a Christian to send their children to Sunday school? No, but if it is only out of tradition, or to cop out of your parental responsibilities, then it is wrong.

Even in saying this, I still believe that it is far better to teach your children yourself. In saying this, am I advocating doing home church? That is a discussion for another day, but I think the fellowship of meeting with other believers is crucial and should not be overlooked. (See Heb. 10:24-25, and the example of the church in Acts 2:42)

In I Timothy, Paul often advised Timothy to follow his example. How can you follow the example of one you do not spend much time with? Paul tells how Timothy shared in his suffering, and in his joys. Timothy was with Paul, he shadowed Paul, Paul longed to be with Timothy, and when they were separated, out of necessity, Paul still desired to continue teaching and exhorting Timothy (I Tim. 3:14,15; II Tim. 1:3-12). Paul talks about Timothy as “my dear son in the faith.” I think this is an excellent example of how a father/child relationship should be.

Finally, although I think that home schooling is the best way to teach your children, I want to make it clear that even when home schooling you can still be lethargic about teaching your children. You still need to daily consider your motives, and refine your focus. If your only purpose is to keep your kids out of the influences of the public school, you have still missed half of your calling!

How do you view your calling as a parent?

Evangelism... to our families: Diagnosing the problem in the family part 1

2008-10-19T18:24:00.003-05:00

Disclaimer: I am not trying to point fingers, blame others, or bad name anyone. Many of the things I will talk about were started for a good purpose, but have been expanded to cover areas they are not meant to. My main desire is to encourage a “gut check.” How do you view your family? As a burden, or as a wonderful opportunity to teach, instruct and train these special souls entrusted to you in the ways of the Lord! Keep in mind the instruction given to parents in Deut. 6 as you read this article.

First, we need to diagnose the problem. Lets start with the family.

I believe the family, not the church, is more at fault here. I think this is a problem with far deeper roots than just one or two generations. This problem has stemmed from a mindset that has grown from the days of the first schools. The issue: a lack of interest to teach their children.

Originally, there was still a general desire to seriously invest in the lives of the children. Historically children were taught at home the skills they would need in life by their parents. When schools were first used in this country, parents were still very involved. The parents were the school board, and they chose, paid, and hired the teachers themselves. Soon apathy set in, and parents weren’t so much concerned about the teaching their children were getting, more they were concerned about the convenience of the teaching. This created a downward spiral.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is still a serious desire in any parent for their child to “get knowledge,” but parents have lost the desire to teach their children themselves. This is by far the most effective teaching. When parents teach their own children, the children will also see what they are taught lived out in the lives of their parents. Remember actions speak louder than words!

This lethargy isn’t just confined to unbelievers. I hear it all to often in the church today, “I can’t wait until little *Jane* goes off to school;” or “Won’t it be so nice when you kids all head off the school so you can have that time to spend by yourself (or …so you will be able to go back to work)?” What does that tell the child?

This mindset quickly transferred over to the spiritual training of the children as well. Sunday schools were started. Churches started taking over the teaching of the Catechism (which was meant by Martin Luther to be a help for fathers in teaching their children, by the way, not to be taught by the church.), and churches started organizing youth groups.

Where were the parents in all of this? Some were involved in these developments, while others stayed home (what does that tell a young person, “you only need to go to church until you are…”). Some dropped the kids off for Sunday school, but they didn’t attend until time for the church service, while others attended a separate study for their age group. How often do you think the parents made a point to teach and train their children at home when they were being so “ably” taught at church?

Next came children’s church. Somehow, it was decided that sitting through a 45 minute sermon was too hard for children. Maybe it was thought that they wouldn’t learn anything, it was too “boring”, or maybe they make too much noise.

Let me set the record straight. I know of a two year-old child who would sit quietly through 2-hour services, even though they were being preached in another language! Was he always perfect? Of course not, but normally he was quiet and well behaved. Did it take some teaching on the parent’s part? Yes many hours of work. The dad would spend time each week at home to “practice” sitting in church. (Now don’t think this child was normally a calm or subdued child, in fact he was very active, almost hyper) Don’t think this comes easily. It takes much work, some children are easier to train than others, but it can be done.

Do children learn in church? As soon as us kids were learning how to draw pictures, and learning how to draw stick men, my dad encouraged us to draw pictures of the message, of some point that really stuck out to us. As I have seen the pictures of my younger brother, I have been amazed at what a young age he was able to pull special messages out of the sermon. I often learned so much from my younger brother’s little “sermon notes.”

Evangelism... to our families: Interjection

2008-10-15T16:50:00.004-05:00

As you wait for my next post, I urge you to read this great comment left by Mrs. Tonning ("Julie"). May I say that she speaks with far more authority on this matter than I. For the last 19+ years, Mrs Tonning and her husband have been training up their own quiver-full of children to serve the Lord. I was truly blessed to be able to spend a few short hours with the family this last February. It is a real blessing for me to see families like theirs where the children are walking in the truth!

And yes, despite a couple days of being unable to post my second part to this series, (due to a 1000+ word assignment I need to complete) I am still planning on posting it as soon as I can.

Evangelism... to our families: Intro

2008-10-13T13:18:00.006-05:00

How many of you know a pastor who was a seemingly great leader, solid in his teaching, and uncompromising in his faith, but he lost some or all of his children? For those of you who can't think of any right away, what about Billy Sunday, the great evangelist? I do not want to discredit the great work this man did, but he lost his children in the process.

This is a serious issue, even to this day. I think this is the most underestimated and least talked about field of missions, and this comes as a detriment to the Christian church. In a 2006 New Your Times article, a statistic was mentioned that current trends show that perhaps 95% of Christian teens will loose their faith by adulthood! That means only 5 % will even be Christians by the time they are raising their own families! Now perhaps this may be a little extreme, but this definitely shows there is a problem.

Gene Edward Veith makes a good observation on his blog. He notes that Amish still somehow maintain an 85% "conversion" rate among their children.

So why is this happening? Why are we loosing our children? How can the Amish, with their simple lifestyle and legalistic restrictions far outdo the Christian church? What is the church doing wrong? Do we need to invent better youth programs? Do we need to cater more to where the youth are going, and try and fit God into more of what the youth are doing?

I want each of you to think about this issue, especially those of you who have your own children you are raising right now. I also want these thoughts I jot down, to cause each of you who are teens yourselves, to take time to consider the direction you are going, and to consider how the things you do now will affect your life latter on.

I would love to hear your input on this issue as well. Feel free to comment!

NOTE: (I will disallow comments on each of the following post until I have reached my conclusion, as I will be dealing with different aspects individually, and I do not want one issue to be blown to far out of proportion without considering the problem and solution as a whole)

Mom's heart

2008-10-07T19:28:00.003-05:00

Just a quick little request. My Mom has been diagnosed with Chronic atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy. I would appreciate your prayers for us as we deal with the decisions involved, and learn to cope with the new developments! (You can keep up-to-date here)

Technically Shopping

2008-09-16T13:50:00.005-05:00

Yesterday morning, I was passing by my sister's room, and I noticed that she was thoroughly enjoying herself. I thought that was awfully strange, seeing I knew she was supposed to be looking for sandals to buy. (I'd never seen her find browsing the web for good deals to be so much fun.) Well, I just had to check and see what the fun was about (you know, maybe she had found some funny you-tube video or something). Well, here I came in, and all she was doing was shopping for these high priced sandals. ($75 for a pair of flip-flops??!! no that wasn't what she bought, but that was the pricing on some of these items!) Well, soon I realized it was a technical shopping trip!

Here she was ~~talking on the phone with~~ g-talking with her friend, and shopping the same sites, sending links back and forth, with one of her friends, while both were looking for the good deals, and the preferred styles! No wonder they were having a blast.*

As you can guess the conversation wasn't only about the flimsy little rubber and canvas cut-outs to protect the soles of their feet, it also included talk about hair cuts and other stuff. Here are a couple excerpts from their chat:

(identities masked, spelling original, some punctuation and capitals added for readability)

Girl 1: I like yours for ease of putting on, I think I might get two, a hiking kind and a Zong
Girl 2: oh but for hiking get one with a back strap
Girl 1: right
Girl 2: are you getting them from Endless?
Girl 1: I think so
Girl 2: I am thinking of getting another one too... someday
Girl 1: I was up a Sheels and they didn't have any
Girl 2: yeah, well then don't give them your business :-P
So are you getting the around the toe sandal for hiking?

And later in the conversation:

Girl 1: I kind of like the wide strap, they have black and the "finish line" in my size
Girl 2: I mean, if you're going to pay $70+ for shoes, make them look like $70 shoes :P
Girl 1: LOL
Girl 2: I can wear pink and tan shoes with practically everything
Girl 1: do you think the narrow bands will be harder to put on?

Ok, you get the idea. All this got me to thinking up a new phrase, "technically shopping together." Not only are they using technological advances to shop at the same "place" though miles apart, but "technically" they are shopping together since they are also simultaneously chit-chatting together and showing the other which things they are looking at. (hey, maybe a firefox addon could be invented to help them out) Not that I plan on trying out this novel mode of shopping, but I did think they were pretty ingenious figuring out a way to shop though about 400 miles apart! (you know necessity is the mother of invention!)

*Now shopping is not my cup-of-tea, but I suppose it makes it a bit more palatable when it is done with someone else, especially if the other person is footing the bill! :-P, and no, don't use the Green Eggs and Ham logic on me, I've tried it here and there, in a house, and with a mouse etc... and I still only do it only out of necessity!

Disclaimer: I do not endorse nor recommend any activities listed here, and thus cannot be held responsible for all hours wasted doing the afore mentioned activities! Also, due to limited sample size, I do not pretend to know if the above mentioned activities will be as enjoyable to shopping lovers as other types of shopping. Try at your own risk!
Not recommended for those who do not enjoy other forms of shopping!

Sara Palin

2008-09-06T17:29:00.001-05:00

I think it is time to clear things up now. In spite of my articles that I have posted to encourage thought about whether we should even vote for a ticket with a female included, I still believe that we have no choice but to vote for John McCain.

First off, the impact that Sarah Palin brings, is not only what she believes in, stands on, and fights for, but it also shows what McCain thinks is important. Secondly, no I do not think that Palin is as good example by running for public office with young children, but the way that she spends time with them, in spite of her schedule, and the way she tries, in spite of her position to be a help-meet for her husband is admirable. (she home-schools, yes even as governor, she brings the kids to the office with her, and even on the campaign trail, and yes she even still cooks the food for her family)

Thirdly, in spite of being a lame argument, one must also consider whom else to vote for, if not voting for McCain. Obama is not an option, period! One can vote third party, but that is only a protest vote, and yes, as a dear friend has brought to my attention, John Quincy Adams has said, "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." Yes, I can agree with him, your vote is never lost (even if it is only in protest). I must also agree with him that one must always vote his principles, but, I must also say that the only time you can totally agree with the person you vote for is if you vote for yourself. Am I to always vote for myself? No! Are there always going to be things I have to ignore to vote for a candidate, CERTAINLY!

Maybe you don't agree with a woman being the VP, but is that reason enough to not vote for McCain? Maybe you don't agree with a woman in public office, is that enough reason to not vote for Bush? (Condoleezza Rice was his Secretary of State, no less!) Reagan had many women in his cabinet (Secretary of Labor, Health and Human services for two of the more prominent persons), does that prevent you from voting for Reagan? Yes I realize that Palin would be only 1 death away from the Presidency, but Condi is only 3 deaths, and Pelosi is only two!

As a conservatives, we must pick our battles. I have chosen my main issues: Life and Marriage, and accordingly, I must support McCain. Palin only strengthens his stands on these issues. Obama's pick of Biden only puts him further away from these issues.

Let's face it; Barring an unforsceen event (such as health issue, or assasination) we will have either McCain or Obama as President come January. Which do you prefer?

Sarah Palin: VP material?

2008-09-05T10:35:00.001-05:00

Check out these articles. I only post them here for thought. I don't endorse, or say I agree with any. Notice, I could not find any article strongly recommending Sarah in spite of her being a woman, as generally it is not even an issue to debate with those who are fine with it.

Is Palin a Pro-family pick? by: Voddie Baucham

Palin a Super-mom! by: Gene Edward Veith

Sarah Palin: Homeschooler by: Rod Dreher

McCain's Choice of Palin 'Outstanding'; "If I went to the polling booth today, I would pull the lever for John McCain." Doctor James Dobson

Election 2008

2008-05-30T09:56:00.005-05:00

The politics in our country have gone from bad to worse over the last 4 years. Bush hasn't been a shining example of a solid Republican. His spending is embarrassing, but he continues to do a great job on the life and marriage issues. The Senate has been far worse; partisan bickering, political wrangling, and unprecedented lethargy on matters that count, while pressing forward on idiotic agendas (such as global warming, and big pork bills for their pet projects).

Although I wish I could put all the blame on the democratic majority, I cannot. It isn't only the democrats doing this, but many so called Republicans have been guilty of this as well. Because of this poor judgment and lack of guts, the Republicans are being called on the carpet, and hence the poor results we saw in the last election. (You may wonder why the Democrats aren't hurting, well, they are a bit, but not near as much as the Republicans. The Dem's base doesn't expect them to have guts, and the news media covers all the mistakes they can.) The Republicans have also been showing an ineptitude with the immigration issue, and have taken a weak stand on economics, while not even standing up to the Democrats at all on the big Global Warming farce.

I think Tom Coburn has said it well in a recent editorial:

too many in our party are not yet ready to return to the path of limited government. ...being a Republican isn't good enough anymore. Voters are tired of buying a GOP package and finding a big-government liberal agenda inside. What we need is not new advertising, but truth in advertising.
Becoming Republicans again will require us to come to grips with what has ailed our party – namely, the triumph of big-government Republicanism and failed experiments like the K Street Project and "compassionate conservatism." If the goal of the K Street Project was to earmark and fund raise our way to a filibuster-proof "governing" majority, the goal of "compassionate conservatism" was to spend our way to a governing majority.

The fruit of these efforts is not the hoped-for Republican governing majority, but the real prospect of a filibuster-proof Democrat majority in 2009. While the K Street Project decimated our brand as the party of reform and limited government, compassionate conservatism convinced the American people to elect the party that was truly skilled at activist government: the Democrats.

(By the way, the whole article is worth a read!)

Now in the Presidential Primaries, the conservatives couldn't get their act together. Some went after a democrat convert, who still showed some hope and loads of money, mixed with questionable social views, and some downright bad statements, others went with a promising candidate socially and economically who had absolutely no charisma. Many went with the charismatic, savvy, cash-strapped, underdog, who surprised everyone, held to his beliefs, and stuck it out the longest. Still others went with one of two single issue guys: fix immigration or bust! Of course we can't forget the libertarians who flocked like blackbirds on a corn field to one of their own, an isolationist without a world view, with some good ideas, but unable to cope with international affairs. All these have come and gone, all were considered, each in his own time, by each his own followers, to be prospects to latch on too, bright stars on the face of the party, and the one who could best take the reigns of the Presidency.

Finally, there were those few who followed the man behind "campaign finance deform," the forever hopeful, the ever maverick, the army veteran, the moderate senator, John McCain. He is against abortion, but will not stand up to Embryonic Stem Cell Research. He is for traditional marriage, but desires to do nothing about it. He wants to "reform" elections, but utterly failed, and made them worse, yet this is the man we have to compare with Obama. (yes, I think he has nearly sealed the nomination, but I don't want to totally count Clinton out yet!)

When we compare these two the choice is obvious. We need not ask a second question. McCain: Mostly Pro-life, Pro-marriage, Pro-gun, some grasp on foreign policy and immigration. Obama: (and Clinton as well, btw) Wants to increase abortions, wants to undermine traditional marriage, wants to restrict guns, and nearly clueless on foreign policy and immigration.

Now here is the big question, do we stick with the Republican Party Candidate, or do we now go "third party". Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin are the two names that have been tossed out so far for "third party" presidential presidential candidates. I am not a party person. I think it is a shame that our country is so much "run" by two parties. I will not support any person no matter the party they are a part of, if they do not support life, and traditional marriage. With that said, do we stick with McCain, or go "third party"?

This is a question that each will have to decide for himself, but I would like to give you my opinion. I will not support in any way a third party candidate for President this election. I do not consider McCain liberal enough to merit throwing away the privilege of voting, only to make a point. There is not a viable presidential candidate outside of the Democrats and the Republicans. These two guys will only hurt their own cause by stripping away votes from the only conservative that has a chance.

I think in local races and even state races if a third party is truly more conservative, and actually is running a competitive race, and as long as it isn’t going to split the vote between two conservatives. (I should add, that I think liberal “third parties” are good, at least for the conservatives :-P) I do not think it is ever good to vote for a third party, just to vote for a third party, neither is it proper to cast away your voting privilege by voting for a candidate who can’t make it, unless the other options are liberal.

I like how Tom Coburn expressed what we should hope for in McCain:

Regaining our brand is not about "messaging." It's about action. It's about courage. It's about priorities. Most of all, it's about being willing to give up our political careers so our grandkids don't have to grow up in a debtor's prison, or a world in which other nations can tell a weakened and bankrupt America where we can and can't defend liberty, pursue terrorists, or show compassion.

John McCain, for all his faults, is the one Republican candidate who can lead us through our wilderness. Mr. McCain is not running on a messianic platform or as a great healer of dysfunctional Republicans who refuse to help themselves. His humility is one of his great strengths. In his heart, he's a soldier who sees one more hill to charge, one more mission to complete.

Thus, although I can't get overly excited about this election, I do plan on supporting McCain in his bid for the White House.

Spring? maybe not

2008-05-29T11:16:00.002-05:00

So what is this? I look at my thermometer every morning as I get up, and most mornings the first number greeting my eye is a 3 or a 4, followed by another digit. As the morning takes its leave, and day comes in to take its place, I glance at my thermometer again, now a 5 is the first digit to grace the face of my thermometer. (well, ok, better than a 3 or 4, but still not what I would expect in the last days of May!) Then as the sun lowers in the western sky, sometimes I have seen a 6, and a few times a 7, and once, ok maybe twice this year, an 8.

It is good we are experiencing global warming, otherwise we'd be still getting snow! We need to try hard to get some more global warming, so pollute, pollute, pollute! Well, ok, maybe I shouldn't go that far, perhaps, we aren't experiencing global warming at all. Maybe this is all just a part of God's weather cycles.

Although there is nothing wrong with wanting to prevent pollution, I think that most people have gone far overboard. God commands us to take care of the earth, but when we start killing people to "save the earth," or hurting people, maybe we have gone to far!

Math

2008-05-12T22:06:00.002-05:00

So what does a²=b²+c²-2bcCosA have in common with a daisy? They are both beautiful creations of God. While you may debate me on one or both previous mentioned items being beautiful, I can find many people to support me on both. God as the creator of the universe, also created the laws to make it function smoothly. These laws include all mathematical concepts that scientist have discovered. Did you know that flowers also follow mathematical order? The spiral pattern the sees of a sunflower line up in, the number of petals on most flowers, and many other patterns in nature all line up with the Fibonacci numbers. (See this article for more info) Isn’t our God of order wonderful?

So, the next time you use math— whether it is to figure out change at a store, the proportions on a recipe, the number of bales on a hay wagon, or in your school (or to try and depict a relationship?)— and the next time you draw that blossom to your nose, just remember the one who created them, and thank Him for His wonderful design, his wonderful order, and his wonderful Creation!

Lance Corporal

2008-05-08T11:07:00.004-05:00

Yes, that is the rank of David now. He got meritoriously promoted in School of Infantry. School of Infantry went very well, although, he did not score as well on his PFT as he would have liked.

The run was 3.5 miles and very hilly instead of the 3 miles it is supposed to be, and the times were still the same. He managed just over 18 minutes, so not quite perfect there. His chin-ups went the worst. Three days before doing his PFT he gave blood, and in the process the technician hit the nerve in his arm causing his arm to swell up, and giving him pain for about a week, so it was difficult to do his chin-ups. Also they were a lot stricter on the chin-ups. They didn't allow ANY movement of legs during the time, and were very sticky on locking the arms. He was a little short on his crunches too. He only ended up with a 265 PFT, which was disappointing.

David traveled out to Chesapeake Virgina to MCSFS (Marine Corps Security Forces School), but due to a backlog on the classes, they gave him 12 days of recruiter's assistance. He didn't tell us this was happening, so he got to surprise us by showing up at our door. It was fun having him here for those days. His Recruiter's assistance ended up being over his birthday, so that was nice, especially after he missed almost all the rest of our birthdays, and Christmas as well.

Right now he is back in Virginia starting the 6 week MCSFS course on the 12th. He has weekends and evenings off, so we can be in phone contact with him.

1. Pray that David can excel in the studying part of the Marines as he has in the Physical Part.

2. Pray that he can find a good church fellowship.

3. Pray that he can make it to Lucas' graduation. It would be the first time our whole family has been together since Christmas 2006. It is very unlikely, as David only has a week to request it, and normally a graduation is not considered a good reason to go outside the 100-mile radius they are required to stay within.

Prayer Request- Coates Twins

2008-05-05T11:50:00.001-05:00

The twins are doing well. They doctors determined that they were actually 26 weeks along instead of 22. They have a very good chance of survival. They are both doing very well, but are still very delicate. Both have pneumonia, but that is considered not out-of-the-ordinary for children born so young.

Elyssa had to have surgery to close the hole in her heart. She is doing well recovering. They tried to take her off her ventilator, but her one lung started collapsing, so they had to put her back on.

Austin is doing very well. He has been able to eat some, and the hole in his heart closed on its own.

The parents are keeping up a journal as well. You can keep more up-to-date here. Thanks for being in prayer!

Caving

2008-05-04T21:31:00.003-05:00

What do you call squiggling like a worm, through narrow, low corridors on muddy, rocky floors? You got it, caving or spelunking, depending on your experience. Do you always have to slither on your stomach in caves, not necessarily, but ours normally you do! Yesterday caving, I found a new cave that was pretty good. Some places it was quite big, maybe 12ft high at the highest, but still very narrow. We went in only about 100 ft, I'd guess, but hey, not bad for a hole in the rock! Here are some pics from our adventure. (Notice, David has been home for about 10 days, and just left actually today. It was great to have him home on this surprise visit!)

Prayer Request!

2008-04-14T18:21:00.003-05:00

We have friends who just had their first children, twins, at 22 weeks along. They are at the Children's Hospital in Minneapolis right now. They were born emergency c-section in Eau Claire, and airlifted to the cities. The chance of survival is about 10% for children of that age, and there is a high possibility of disabilities. These first few weeks are very important! You can be in prayer for them. Their names are Austin and Ellyssa, and the parents names are Jesse and Ashlee Coates.

With God all things are possible!

Huckabee vs. McCain

2008-02-07T21:40:00.000-06:00

Alright, so right now McCain is the front runner. Romney has virtually dropped out, but done in a way that hurts Huckabee the most, by retaining his delegates. I wish I could be excited about how this is turning out, but at this point I can't. I am deeply saddened that the conservatives have not been able to position themselves behind a candidate. While Huckabee just received the endorsement of a solidly conservative leader, Dr. Dobson, McCain just received the support of an organization on the other end of the spectrum, Republicans for Choice! Ouch, McCain!

Again, I see again why I have supported Huckabee through good times, and rough. We need to give him the momentum he needs to finish this primary as the man of the hour. I realize he has a severe uphill battle to fight, but we need a candidate for President of the United States who can stand up for the life of the unborn! We need Mike Huckabee for President!

Another issue Huckabee stands out on!

2007-12-31T10:32:00.001-06:00

People have pressed the point that Romney has had a change of heart. Now, at least on gay marriage, we find out different.

On December 16, ~~1997~~ 2007, that's just this year folks, less than a year from the Presidential elections, Romney gave a wonderful Christmas present to Homosexuals. While talking about ENDA, Romney said, "At the state level. I think it makes sense at the state level for states to put in provision of this." What?! This is a man who is trying to frame himself as for traditional marriage??!!! Given to his credit he does go on to say, "I would not support at the federal level, and I changed in that regard because I think that policy makes more sense to be evaluated or to be implemented at the state level." Here he uses a federalist guise to try and appear fully "anti-gay" but when the Federalist facade is taken off, what you are left with is a gay supporter quaking in his boots at what Christian concervatives would do to him if he doesn't try to act "pro-marriage." Peter LaBarbera, a long time Christian conservative leader, and founder of Republicans for Family Values said this:

"Laws that treat homosexuality as a civil rights are being used to promote homosexual ‘marriage,’ same-sex adoption and pro-homosexuality indoctrination of schoolchildren. These same laws pose a direct threat to the freedom of faith-minded citizens and organizations to act on their religious belief that homosexual behavior is wrong."

He also warned,

"Given Romney’s extensive pro-homosexual record and willingness now to depart from principle on this crucial issue, should we trust a ‘President Romney’ not to reverse course again on federal pro-homosexual laws such as ‘Hate Crimes’ and ENDA?"

Can we expect someone like this who will not stand up for Christian conservatives, even on a popular issue, to stand up on an unpopular issue such as abortion? Can I support a man who will undermine our Christian conservative values? This is why I have place my support behind Mike Huckabee! Check out his stand on marriage.

Hat tip: I Heart Huckabee
Quotes from: Christian Post and Free Republic

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia

2007-12-29T12:49:00.001-06:00

Alright all you ~~English~~ Latin Majors, can you deduce what that means? (Now, doing a web search doesn't count!) Now since you all could just as well do a web search, and find out, I'd might as well tell you:

Hexa = six
Kosioi= hundred
Konta = ten
Phobia = fear of

so hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia means the "the fear of the number six hundred and sixty-six." Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia comes from Revelations and the mark of the beast. This phobia transfers even to people's phone numbers as shown by this BBC News article. Look out all you Louisiana Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobiacs for that 666 prefix on your phone number!

Christmas Guests

2007-12-28T09:00:00.001-06:00

Isn't that what the whole Christmas season is about? A wonderful time to get together as a family, with other families, to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ? I am so thankful for the many friends and neighbors who privileged us with their presence over this Christmas Holiday season: Olsons, Smiths, Browns, Whites, Ottersons, Kluvers, Landees, and Finders. (If I have missed anyone, it is not by design, but due to my forgetful mind!) I am also so glad to have 4/5ths of my siblings here for Christmas. It is so special, as I see the day approaching when God's direction will separate us in miles, though not in heart. As you look back on your Christmas Season, remember Jesus, the Reason for the season.

Season's Greetings, and Happy Holidays!

2007-12-28T08:47:00.001-06:00

Ok, so who am I, one of those people who won't say those two dreaded words? You know, the ones that stores like K-mart and Sears tried to restrict their employees from saying. You know that "phrase" that starts with "Merry" and who's last syllable is "mas." That terrible phrase that may try to remind us that there may be a "higher being!" Is that why I am trying to suggest by my post title? Was my blogging drought due to the fact that I didn't want to defend my omission of those dangerous words?!

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

At this point, just to prove my innocence I would like to personally wish each and every one of my readers a belated Merry Christmas. My blogging drought was more perhaps because I was to busy celebrating my Saviors birth in carol and song (and oh yes, don't forget the cookies) to find the time to inform you of the approaching celebration! Now I probably have you wondering why I even have such ominous phrases in my title! Well, to tell you the truth, I have absolutely no problem with "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays," so long as their use isn't required at Christmas. They are a wonderful New Years or winter greetings! (Or for that matter, they are just great for the 4th of July too!) If there wasn't the whole blowup about "CHRISTmas" I wouldn't mind even an occasional greeting of such over this time of year. It is only when secularists try to use them to remove Christ from CHRISTmas, that I take offense.

So to all of you, I would like to wish once again, Merry Christmas, and have a blessed Winter Season, and wonderful Christmas and New Year's holidays!

Phone call from Pendleton!

2007-12-07T17:03:00.000-06:00

Well, you guessed it, today we got a surprise call from David from Cali. He was given the privilege of a 10 minute call, as his platoon was the best platoon in the PE test. He is doing very well, and seems to be enjoying himself yet. He says everyone thinks he is crazy because he has too much energy and is too happy. He says he really appreciates any letters he gets, and to keep sending letters. You can continue to pray that he remains healthy, that the Lord would continue to give safety, and that he can continue to be able to fit in time for personal devotions.

Huckabee vs. Romney on taxes

2007-12-04T20:09:00.000-06:00

So many people have questioned Huckabee on his fiscal policies. As I have said before, this is probably one area where I agree with him the least. With that said, the more I look at the other candidates, the rosier his position and record seem to be. I found this in an article by Michael Medved, and thought it was very concise and simply said.

"... Meanwhile, it’s also worth a few lines here to defend the Arkansan from the claim that he’s a secret “big government liberal” or, in the phrase of the Club for Growth, “Tax Hike Mike.”
According to figures from the non-partisan Tax Foundation (based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce), Huckabee’s term as governor (1996-2007) led to a modest increase in the overall State-Local tax burden for Arkansas: from 10.1% in the year he became governor to 11.1% the last year he served. In terms of overall tax burden (state-local-federal) Arkansas remained virtually unchanged--- from 30.3% (39^th among the 50 states) to 30.5% (32^nd place).

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, saw sharper increases in taxes during his single gubernatorial term (2003 to 2007) in Massachusetts. The state-local burden rose from 9.8% the year of his election to 10.5% his last year as governor. Meanwhile, the total tax burden went up from 31.2% to 33.9% -- vaulting Massachusetts from 9^th place to 7^th place in the nation.
These numbers don’t prove that Huckabee was a great governor, or that Romney was a poor governor: actually, both men count as exemplary public servants and authentic conservatives (and both of them have taken Grover Norquist’s “No New Taxes” Pledge—in contrast to their rivals Giuliani, Thompson and McCain, who have refused to do so). Both candidates deserve respect for doing a solid job in handling state legislatures with overwhelming Democratic majorities and scoring some notable achievements as governor (though both states flipped to Democratic control in 2006).

For those who are interested in the truth, however, the growth of the tax burden in Arkansas under 11 years of Huckabee looks no worse (and actually a tad better) than the growth of taxes in Massachusetts under 4 years of Romney."

David's Letters

2007-12-01T14:10:00.000-06:00

David has been very faithful at letter writing, and my Mom has been very faithful in posting them to our family blog. You can read his first, second, third, forth/fifth. He continues to be upbeat and not at all regretting his decision. You can keep in prayer that he can be healthy for the complete duration. He has pink-eye and a cold, so that those two afflictions can heal up!

YOU can make a difference!

2007-11-29T22:00:00.000-06:00

Although you may think you are so insignificant, and you can't do a thing, here is proof that even you can make a difference.Twins from Oregon, whom I know of, and with whom I have mutual friends, sent an email to Chuck Norris, and influenced his decision as to whom he is supporting for President.

David's Address

2007-11-16T11:25:00.001-06:00

We got a form letter today from David with his address. Once again I would like to emphasize: absolutely no packages of any sort, no pictures, and no money; only letters. His address is:

PILLMAN, DAVID, P
3rd RTBN M CO Plt. 3271
39003 Midway Ave.
San Diego, CA 92140-3274

Please make sure you copy the address exactly as written. Realize he is very pressed for time, so his reply correspondence will be limited, but he will certainly enjoy letters of encouragement. The letter was not a personal one, he only signed his name, so we don't know any more than this. Thanks again to all who have shown their support!

Update: You can see his general schedule here.

Why Giuliani is a no-go

2007-11-07T12:26:00.001-06:00

I think the recent pole by CNN says it all. It shows that the pro-life movement is still alive and well. It also show why Giuliani will never make the presidency, and why we must oppose him in the primary.

CNN Pole of 1,024 voters reached by phone call:

Now suppose you could choose between Hillary Clinton as the Democratic Party's candidate,
Rudy Giuliani as the Republican Party's candidate, and a third-party candidate who believes that
abortion should be illegal in all circumstances. Who would you be more likely to vote for? (IF
UNSURE:) As of today, who do you lean more toward? (RANDOM ORDER)
Nov. 2-4
2007
Clinton 48%
Giuliani 32%
Third party candidate 18%
Neither (vol.) 1%
Other (vol.) *
No opinion 1%

(my emphasis added)

Need I say more? You can see the full pole results here.

Verse of encouragement

2007-11-06T08:47:00.000-06:00

But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution . . . But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:10-17 (my own italics added for emphasis)

I thought of this verse with David leaving to the Marines. It is not only a good verse for him, but a good reminder for us all!

Raccoon anyone?

2007-11-03T19:25:00.000-05:00

We are always game to try any new food as a family. Sometimes we come up with a delicious cuisine, and this just happens to be one of those occasions. We were out Raccoon hunting with our neighbors last night, and ended up with 9 coon. We figured we wouldn't let all the good meat go to waste, and brought home some legs to eat. We used this recipe, and it turned out great. Everyone greatly enjoyed it. They did not taste at all "gamey," and were very tender. My mom called the meat like a mixture between pork and beef. For all of you to have the opportunity to try it, I figured I post the recipe here.

You first start by acquiring your coon. You skin and take off the quarters. (the rest of the coon is edible as well, but most of the meat is on the quarters, so it is simplest to just eat the quarters) Bring them home, and remove all the fat you can (you can actually do this anytime before you start cooking them), and let them soak in salt/soda brine for about 6 hours (longer is fine). Take them out of the salt brine, and put them in a pot to boil. Boil them with salt (and onion if desired) until thoroughly done.

mix together:

1-cup ketchup

½ cup cooking oil or butter

¼ cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. garlic powder (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. onion powder (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. salt

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tsp. pepper

pour over coon, and let sit until ready to grill.

Place on grill and apply sauce to meat as it is cooking.

Grill until browned as desired.

Eat with relish, forgetting the species it came from. (which is not hard considering the exquisite taste)

One-linner

2007-11-02T16:57:00.000-05:00

If at first you don't succeed, don't try skydiving!

David's Send-off

2007-10-29T00:15:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for coming to David's send-off. Your support is a real encouragement. We had plenty of treats for everyone, thanks to the many people who were so generous and brought a variety of cookies, bars, and even milk! We estimated we had about 150-160 people present for the program, and there were a few more that either left before the program, or came after it was over.

We would especially like to thank those who shared, including Cpt. John Mueller (Navy), Pastor Les Johnson, and Bob Ebersprocher, who also presented David with a Gideon New Testament on behalf of the Gideons. A big thanks also goes to the Brown Family, Kurt, Sophia, Daniel, Sarah, Hannah, Bailey, as well as Brandon Marschner, Naomi Finney, Julia Osthus, Anna Alme, and Angela Lackey, who stayed around and helped us clean up.

We would also like to thank each and everyone who is praying for David as he prepares to embark on this new stage in his life. We pray that the Lord can bless him in this endeavor, and that David may be a bright, shinning example of Christ's love to all around him!

Just to lighten your day

2007-10-24T21:25:00.000-05:00

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time!

Saying of the day

2007-10-22T21:43:00.001-05:00

A little bit of powder, a little bit of paint, makes a girl seem what she aint!

"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ " 08

2007-10-19T12:44:00.000-05:00

I know this is only 07, but they way everyone is talking about it these days, one would imagine it were October 08! The small difference being there 6 people being talked about instead of 2. I have to say I still have not seen a candidate stand out yet on either side. The democrats are totally out. There is not a single democrat who has even the life issue correct. That said I don't need to go further to discuss their stands.

On the Republican side, there are quite a few who will claim to be pro-life, in fact all of the leading candidates claim to be against abortion, at least in some way. Giuliani and Romney, both, have very week anti-abortion stands. Both want to leave rape, incest and "health" of the mother loopholes for abortions to happen, which is really not outlawing it at all, as the "health" of the mother loophole is what brought us to the infanticide we are daily committing. (See their respective Issues pages: Giuliani Romney)

John McCain is a mystical subject. Presently he is touting his "pro-life" stands, (see his Issues page on abortion) but he also has long held to the rape, incest, and "life" of the mother clauses. I see him as another bomb-out for the pro-life cause. (See this interesting article by the ultra-liberal blog Think Process trying to say he is "right-winged" they bring out his flimsy anti-abortion stands) Also McCain has shown by his infamous "McCain-Feingold" bill that he has a loose interpretation of the Constitution, and with such would not appoint strict constitutionalist judges, which is crucial for the pro-life cause.

So what does all this leave us? One, nay two top tier candidates. You may know Fred Thompson, and I will next address his stands, but let me first introduce you to the newest candidate who in every way except funding is proving himself a "top-tier" candidate, Mike Huckabee.

For now I will address Fred Thompson's life stands. One thing that concerns me is his seeming lack of care for the issue. He never directly states his opinion on his issues or principles page, unlike every other Republican Presidential candidate, including Giuliani who all directly address the issue. Fred's site does briefly mention "the sanctity of life" and not appointing judges who promote a "culture of abortion." Other than this strange neglect, Thompson seems to be pretty solid on the abortion issue, and the marriage issue. Some concerns have come up more recently, including "not recalling" Terri Schiavo. A little disconcerting, especially seeing the publicity that case received. With that said, I still think I could support Thompson if he received the Republican nomination.

Now concerning Mike Huckabee, His stand on life is solid, he would support a federal gay marriage amendment, and has solid 2nd amendment stands, including holding a conceal and carry permit! Although I am not sure if marriage is a federal issue, I do appreciate his willingness to be that strong on Marriage. I greatly appreciate his boldness to support a Constitutional amendment to outlaw all abortions. I believe that abortions are prohibited by the Constitution in the first place, but because of activist judges, it is now necessary to directly state it.

With all this said, my support goes toward Mike Huckabee. I believe he has the executive experience and the proper stands on issues to lead our country in a righteous way. His leadership is phenomenal considering the strong marriage amendment and tax cuts he passed in his state while governor, even with a democratic legislature! As far as funding goes, I believe the only reason he is lacking funding is because number 1: he doesn't have excessive personal wealth, and number 2: he has not received a universal "top-tier" designation yet. I believe that he is the best man to win the election.

Go Mike Huckabee!

Update: Mike Huckabee has now passed Mitt Romney in the last two polls by Rasmussen Reports.

Who likes gun control?

2007-10-08T13:36:00.000-05:00

I found this very humorous video clip, that I must say places the issue in a good perspective!

Rain!

2007-10-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

"For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth..." (Is. 55:10) Sometimes I like to question God's timing of his wonderful provision of rain. Throughout the summer we had a shortage of rain, and were quite dry. Although we didn't suffer significant harm to our garden, it still was inconvenient, and many farmers did suffer crop damage. Now the Farmers are all ready to harvest their corn and soybeans, but the fields are so muddy they can't even think of driving in them. Between last night and this morning we got close to 3 inches of rain, and putting that on top of over 4 inches this last week, we are starting to wonder when the soil will get dry enough to drive on. You know, this reminds me of a Proverb, "As snow in summer and rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool." (Prov. 26:1) As it says in this verse, rain is not fitting in harvest, or so we finite humans think. For now, we just have to accept God's wonderful provision of rain, and trust His perfect timing through it all. But that still doesn't mean we can't pray for dry weather!

Send-off for David!

2007-09-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

As I before mentioned, my brother has enlisted in the Marines. We are wanting to have a commissioning service of a sort, and you are invited to take part. It will be from 14.00.00-16.00.00 hours (ok, 2pm-4pm for those of you not used to military time) at our church, just south of Wilson. You can get directions and more information, at my family's blog, here. We would love to see you there!

Prayer Request - Update 4

2007-09-28T14:08:00.000-05:00

John is on his way home today. It is amazing how fast his little body has recovered! We can thank the Lord for His healing touch. Continue to pray for John as his healing is not over, but be sure to thank God for his gracious healing touch as well!

Prayer Request - Update 3

2007-09-26T11:44:00.000-05:00

Praise the Lord, John is doing much better today! Last night he even ate his first meal since the surgery. He has been doing some walking, and has spent some time playing in the playroom. The road of recovery is still long, but significant progress has been made. He is still in pain, and is still on pretty strong pain medications. You can continue to pray for healing!

2007-09-26T11:37:00.000-05:00

Beautiful contrast!

Prayer Request - Update 2

2007-09-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

Recovery from the surgery is still pretty slow. He has done a little walking, but still has been unable to keep food down. Be in prayer especially for motivation to keep trying to get his strength back, and pray for patience for the family. After such a major brain surgery, the road to recovery seems long, especially at the beginning with seemingly slow progress, and so far to go.

Prayer Request - Update

2007-09-22T09:03:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for your prayers. The surgery was completed successfully, even though there were some significant complications. You can read more about the surgery here. You can continue to pray as he recovers. They say the second day is more difficult than the first.

Again you can read all the updates on John here.

Hunting is come again!

2007-09-18T11:07:00.000-05:00

O the wonderful season of fall is about upon us, but the wonderful events of fall are already arriving. Saturday was for me the official opening of hunting-- Squirrel and cottontail rabbit hunting opener. Even though there were leaves on the trees, I still had to go out. I ended up seeing a rabbit, and two squirrels, but didn't have a chance to shoot at any of them. On the ground my dog was between me and them, and the leaves hid the squirrels too well in the trees. I hope to go on many more hunts this fall, hopefully with more success!

Prayer Request

2007-09-18T11:03:00.000-05:00

We just found out that the son of friends of ours has a serious disorder called Chairi Malformation of the brain. In layman's terms his cerebellum is too big for his skull, so it is pushing the spinal chord down. You can view their updates on him here. Be in prayer as they are going in for surgery on the 21st of this month!

Enlisted

2007-09-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

I am honored now to be able to say my brother has just enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He leaves for basic training the beginning of November. You can join both myself and my whole family as we support him with prayers and letters. I have always respected those men who are willing to commit a minimum of 4 years to serving their country, and now am most glad to have a sibling enlisted. Due to his MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) he will be in training for about 1 year, and will not see overseas duty for about 3. When his first 3 years are done he hopes to train as a scout and serve in the front lines his last 2 years. As I mentioned before, your prayers are always welcome!

Semper Fidelis!

Wow, We Are Fearfully And Wonderfully Made!

2007-09-04T19:40:00.001-05:00

Scientists have just discovered that DNA is much more complicated than they thought. They still can't even identify what color a person's eyes will be! I have to say, that if scientists can't with intelligence unravel over multiple millennium the mystery of genes, how could have those baffling genes come into being from a big pot of microbial soup? This is just more evidence for a master designer!

The glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

Puppy Pics!

2007-04-20T10:53:00.000-05:00

Take me, Please!

Rolly-Polly, tumble-bumble

I'm gonna get you...

These puppies can be yours! They are lovable, playful,
with a variety of temperaments, from laid back, to energetic and concentrated.
Feel free to to email me if their lovable attitude, and cute faces,
grip your heart with a desire to incorporate one (or more) of them into your home!

HE IS RISEN!

2007-04-08T17:16:00.000-05:00

"I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today,
I know that he is living whatever men may say!
I know that he will lead me through all the stormy blast,
The day of his appearing will come at last!

He Lives! He Lives!
Christ Jesus Lives today!
He walks with me, and talks with me,
Along life's narrow way!
He Lives! He Lives!
Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives,
He LIVES within MY heart!"

A Blessed Easter to all! As I played this song in church today, the words really stuck out to me. What a blessing it is, that not only does my Saviour live, but 'He lives within my heart.'

Does He live within your heart?

Puppies 4 SALE!!!

2007-04-04T16:27:00.000-05:00

How fitting that I end my blogging drought with a post on my puppies! Yes I have puppies, in fact 8 of them. Their mother is my Chessie, and the father is our Border Collie. They are every color combination from black to light brown. They are ready to go. If you are interested, jut email me!

Deer hunting

2006-11-21T22:18:00.000-06:00

Well, that is what I'm up to these days. I got one on Saturday-- a 100+lb nubbin buck. Although my Bro also got a deer on Monday, we still need a few more in the freezer to last us the year! I'm going out again Wednesday, with a few brothers and neighbors. Hopefully we can get something.

I heard a joke today relating to deer hunting. It was told by an Irish, so take it in context.

"I was driving through Wisconsin on the weekend before Thanksgiving. As I was driving, I was seeing all these men out in the fields wearing orange. With my ancestry in the back of my head, I remarked to myself, 'My this sure is a protestant area!'"

OK, you have to be Irish or Swedish to get this one. Instead of wearing green on St Patrick's Day, it is traditional for the Protestant Swedes (in protest to the Irish, and also to remember the Prince of Orange) to wear orange.

Well, for all the rest of you going hunting, have fun!

Vote!

2006-11-07T12:26:00.000-06:00

Just a reminder to vote. If you want a good overview of the candidates in my area, you can look at my brother's post here. Oh yes, By the way, I endorse the same candidates.

Paul R Nelson-You've got the issues straight!

2006-08-26T21:11:00.000-05:00

I have to say that I am proud of your emphasis! He has put out only two radio adds, and the first was on defending life, and the second was on defending marriage. See them here.

I will support Paul R Nelson for Congress!

Thanks to Lucas for giving you reading!

2006-08-26T21:01:00.000-05:00

I have to thank Lucas for posting on my blog. For me my summer has been hectic. I have had summer jobs, and also been helping our neighbors milking. I'm not sure how school will go this fall, but I do hope to post a little.

Days Door Ditty

2006-08-07T22:27:00.000-05:00

A collection of random front door messages....

Please ring the door bell and run...
The dog need exercise!

If you ever want to visit again, please bring a paper bag with five pounds of fresh tuna.

-The Cat

Those are smudges on my windows. They're Angle finger prints.

Liberal enough to keep slavery

2006-08-04T23:54:00.000-05:00

The popular thought has been that liberal godless force of reason was the diving influence. Not so. As Barone's post points out, it was not past history or new liberal reason that got the balls rolling for the end of the slave trade, but Christianity and the likes of William Wilberforce that deserve the recognition.

Good to remember.

Sweet, Sweet Corn Deal

2006-08-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

I have sweet corn again although the drought and coons have taken their own fair share. If you want some tho, stop by and I would be happy to sell you some. And the WW discount still applies.

A better ad...

2006-08-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

Well Paul R. Nelson launches his first radio ad of the season. Good one too on the partial-birth abortion.

Willingness like that to confront Kind on his lack of kindness for kids really takes guts. The real question tho is if Kind will get a heart.

Watch that nose grow!

2006-08-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

I just listened to Doyles ad on this home page and was thoroughly amazed to see how blatent a lie he could give. He stated in the ad that Green "wants to outlaw stem cell research."

First off no one objects to using adult stem cells for research. There are no lives taken.

Second, Green has never said he wants to even outlaw embryonic stem cell research: he just wants to limit funding it. Even good libertarians can support that on fiscal grounds alone let alone moral.

At least Doyle has the priviledge to lie. The embryos he is killing never will.

Check out Mark Green's site too btw. He has a new get to know you spot.

Strawberries!

2006-06-30T09:26:00.000-05:00

Sorry all for my neglected blog. My last 3 weeks have been crazy. First we went on a surprise trip to Canada to visit my granny and cousins. Then the last two were filled with strawberry season. Both weeks I put in 80 plus hours of work, starting at 5:30 AM and going to 5:30-6:30 PM, Monday through Saturday. Yes a crazy two weeks for our whole family. Strawberry season is now over. To find out more about the field I work at, check out their web site www.redcedarvalleyfarms.com. Today is the last day of the season, but you are welcome to come next year! Hope to see you then!

Work!

2006-05-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

Summer schedule has officially started for me! I have been busy working all week. Between the strawberry fields, and a roofing project, I have almost put in 30 hrs this week. Ecc. 3:13 reminds me of my position right now. "And also that every man should ... enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God." I thank God for his gift of labor!

2006-05-20T18:50:00.000-05:00

This is the bigger choir at the Bible school. This choir did a tour in Europe this year.

2006-05-20T18:07:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Jessica and David and some of the choir they are a part of. We went to hear them last night. They did a very good job. Jessica is in the second row third from the right, and David is in the back row second from the right. The school year is over for them (as it is for me officially, although I have a little bit to finish off) and they are getting home today.

2006-05-16T14:45:00.000-05:00

Puppy Profile:
Name: Firestone
Gender: Male
Mother: Coffee (Pure bred Chesapeake Bay Retriever)
Father: Border (3/4 Border Collie)
Date of Birth: April 19th, 2006
Temperament: Laid Back, relaxed, and gentle

2006-05-16T14:41:00.000-05:00

Puppy Profile:
Name: Good Year
Gender: Female
Mother: Coffee (Pure bred Chesapeake Bay Retriever)
Father: Border (3/4 Border Collie)
Date of Birth: April 19th, 2006
Temperament: mischievous, gentle, and active

Canada, Straightening out your gun laws, eh?

2006-05-16T14:33:00.000-05:00

Today, Stockwell Day, Canada's Public Safety Minister, is expected to announce an amnesty of gun registration for rifles and shotguns! This is at least a step to straighten out. Since 1997 there has been a mandatory registration of all guns. This has had much opposition from the ranchers and farmers in western Canada, and now finally with the Conservatives running a minority Government, there will finally be a try to start changing it. If it manages to make it through, it will not require any long guns to be registered. Handguns will still need to be registered, but this is still moving in the right direction.

(CTV Canada's report on this)

Go Oilers!

2006-05-16T14:14:00.000-05:00

I'm not much into sports, but seeing my Mom grew up near Edmonton, I kinda have to cheer them on. The Edmonton Oilers (hockey) are expected to proceed into the semifinals. Right now they are playing the San Jose Sharks, and have won the last three games against them (giving the Oilers a 3-2 lead), the last being a 6-3 win. With Edmonton's defenseman Chris Pronger, and goalie Dwayne Roloson, the Sharks Joe Thornton has been completely neutralized. It'll be interesting to see how things progress. Things really started looking up for the Oilers when they cleaned out the Red Wings, and now they are still pushing on strong. It'll be interesting to see, if, as some have projected, the Oilers will pull off another Stanley Cup!

Update: The Oilers did not pull off another Stanley Cup, they lost the 7th game of the Stanley Cup to the Hurricanes. It was a close series even though the Oilers lost their main goalie (a mainstay on their team) to an injury in the first game.

2006-05-15T20:07:00.000-05:00

Here are the puppies together. I will send individual pictures later. If you are interested in buying one, just email me.

UPDATE: Both puppies are sold now.

Puppies!

2006-05-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

As of April 19th our animal menagerie has also included 2 mutt puppies. Their mother is my dog (a purebred Chessie named Coffee) and their father is our 3/4 Border Collie. She has proved to be an excelent Mother. As of next week, I plan on starting selling them. If you are interested, just send me an email. I hope to get pics up soon.

It's me again!

2006-05-15T12:22:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm back. School is starting to wind down, but the summer is starting to gain momentum too! I hope to be able to post some as I find or make the time.

I'll give you a quick update on my life.

Other than school, I haven't been up to much. Over the Easter break, I went caving with my siblings, and couple of friends. The weekends have been the highlight of my life, recently, with my oldest brother (Justo) off work, and my sister and brother back from the Bible School they are studying at. The recent return of my brother (Lucas, of Wild Wisconsin) from Ecuador has also been a blessing. Over the early spring we got our house re-sided. It is now a blue color. The winter passed without incident, and I am here safe and sound to welcome in the spring.

Thanks again for bearing with me, through my long inactivity!

Sorry no blogging!

2005-12-02T19:50:00.000-06:00

I apologize for not blogging. I have been so busy with school, I have completely forgotten about blogging. I am afraid I won't be able to blog much until Christmas break now. Make sure you check out my brother's blog Wild Wisconsin!

2005-12-02T19:49:00.000-06:00

Here is my deer I got on Thanksgiving Day: a nice 9-point. It is a 4-5 year old with a 16.5" spread, and 6.5" tines. It came to within 7ft before I shot! I was leaning against a tree, and I was upwind of it, with a 30 mph wind, so it did not see or smell me. It is a deer I am proud of!

Brother in Madison

2005-08-01T07:11:00.000-05:00

My Bro is in Madison, right now. He has been interning there for a state senator, Tom Reynolds (senate page). Look at his blog here for updates on things happening down there.

Sorry no blogging!

2005-06-13T08:07:00.000-05:00

I apologize for not blogging, but my i-net has been down. I will give you a quick update on things around here. Coffee is doing well. She knows how to sit, stay, and I am working on down. My long gourd is planted in the garden, and I am going to try direct seeding one outside today. I'll try to blog later.

Apple now has "Intel inside!"

2005-06-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

Apple is planing to switch its processors in its laptops to Intel processors. This is in an effort to make more affordable laptops. I wonder what Mac fanatics will think of this!

Source

2005-06-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

Here is an updated piucture of Coffee reading. Actually she was sitting on my knee, while I was reading, when my brother snapped this shot.

2005-06-02T20:28:00.000-05:00

Here is my long gourd seedling.

2nd Lt. Ilario Pantano Acquitted

2005-05-26T21:48:00.000-05:00

I consider this a good thing. I think it is only right that we back up our servicemen. I know it has been said that is was our of spite, but from what I have read, it seems to have been out of self defense. I definitely would like to commend him for reenlisting after 9/11. I also have to say that his record shows he was generally VERY kind to Iraqis. I believe the decision to acquit him was the right decision!

Source News 14 Carolina. Here is their article.

2005-05-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

Me and my brother going over the first pitch of May ledges, a three foot drop off. I am the front paddler. It was a fun trip! I never tipped, but all of the rest did.

Gone Canoing!

2005-05-23T07:26:00.000-05:00

I am going canoing with four of my siblings, and two friends today. We are going up to the Bois Brule River, in Northern Wisconsin. No we are not taking Coffee, even though she might enjoy it! We will be back Tuesday. I hope to be able to tell you how it goes!

2005-05-21T12:15:00.000-05:00

Here are the kittens, free to anyone who will take one! They will be ready on the 30th of this month.

Kittens for sale ready for a good home, Free!

2005-05-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

We have kittens to give away! Want one? They are to give away to anyone! You just need to come by our house to pick them up! I'll try posting a picture!

2005-05-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Coffee by our creek. Shortly after she got right on in.

Name of dog!

2005-05-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

I have decided to name my dog Coffee (actually Cafe con Leche which is means coffee with milk in Spanish), but I will call her Coffee. I hope to get some pictures posted, if I can figure out how to do it!

New puppy!

2005-05-20T17:49:00.000-05:00

I got a new puppy yesterday. No name yet It is a female Chessie! I will keep you posted. If you have any good ideas for names feel free to post them as comments!

Its spring--garden time!

2005-04-25T20:36:00.000-05:00

We are now starting to plant our garden! I need to plant carrots soon, and will also be planting my long gourds soon. We have beets, onions, lettuce, radishes, and a few herbs. Spring for me is a fun, but VERY busy time, especially while I am still doing school! Also, for all of you here in western Wisconsin waiting for strawberries, the plants are up, looking pretty good! I have also been out at the strawberry fields a lot too. Here is the web site where you should be able to get info on when picking begins, and I will also keep you posted!

Pope John Paul II dies

2005-04-02T19:20:00.000-06:00

Pope John Paul II died today, at age 84 after 26 years of being pope. He was considered the most traveled pope. He was also considered the 3rd biggest factor contributing to the collapse of communism (President Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher considered the two biggest). He has greatly affected the world, for many years.