~~Well, we have completed 2 days of homeschooling....and we're all alive..... and not twitching...:)

I was super overwhelmed by this new curriculum, but after successfully completing a couple days, I am feeling better.  The real test will be tomorrow when we have our weekly meeting with another homeschool family who we are working with....hopefully my children will represent us well and answer at least a few of the questions correctly!  We shall see! 
(knowing me, it probably went so well because I forgot to do half of the work or something!)

We will meet with our homeschooling friends twice a week....once on Wednesdays for history and then again on Fridays for Literature and Science.  We will do discussions, projects and experiments on these days.  I'm looking forward to sharing the work load and my kids are looking forward to having "classmates".  Hopefully this was a good decision..... :) 

~~The rain has kept me from running a couple days in the past week, but we need the rain so desperately, I will not complain.  I just know I will have to work harder on the days I can run....I love a challenge. 

~~I am reading through the book of Jeremiah right now.....amazing how clearly the Lord spoke to His people back then.  And amazing how openly they rejected those words that were spoken......

I feel like I should be getting more done, since my family is not home this week....yet the progress is slow.  I'm working lots every day but the list grows longer each day.....feel like I'm just spending my day on a stationary bike.....going nowhere...

Speaking of stationary bike....I spent some time on one today.....rode 5 miles, ran 8.3 total, did weights, and played rball.......hoping to see results on the scale.  Trying to "shock" my body since I pretty much plateaued this summer.....it's getting harder to lose weight....having to push it harder. 

Getting school ready is making me a little crazy......Tapestry of Grace is very detailed and pretty overwhelming....hard to find the books my kids need to read (I don't want to buy them because there are so many and sometimes they only need to read a few chapters)......if you have any ideas, I'm listening. 

here are the books I need:
The Struggle for Sea Power
This country of Ours
Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier
The New Nation
The Story of Napoleon
Diary of an Early American Boy

I'm back....maybe......

I've been able to get some rest.....

but i'm still not really up for being social.....yet I am feeling a little better. 

I am going to post a few things when I can....nothing deep or personal....


WEIGHT LOSS:
Before the summer I had lost about 40 pounds.....during the summer and since I have lost almost another 10 pounds.  It's been quite the journey.....ups and downs.  But I am still moving forward, regardless of the critics or weirdos. 

It's nice to not be under the tight schedule and scrutiny of the summer.....I am stepping up my running schedule....running 6 miles at a time lately.  I remember when 3 miles was a nice long run....now I feel like it's more of a warm up.  I've also gone back to strength training....crunches, push ups, weights.  I am wanting to lose another 10 pounds at least, by the time we leave for our deputation trip....although there is a part of me that is not even wanting to visit anyone.....

SCHOOL:
We are starting a new curriculum for our humanities this year....Tapestry of Grace.  I am working with another home school mom in this area....hoping it will help in keeping me accountable with my schooling and hoping the kids will enjoy having "classmates".  Our load will be heavy this year....my kids are involved in several activities outside the regular school load.  Praying the Lord will use these activities to grow my children into happy, well rounded kiddos......and that the time we spend in the car will be a time of growing closer together.  I'm trying to have a 'positive' outlook on the upcoming crazy busy year.

MINISTRY:
My ministry load will be kinda heavy also.  I will be doing a lot at Ft Wingate this year (taking a ot of the teaching load), and possibly doing some tutoring there.  I have committed to staying in touch with several of our staff, which will require quite a bit of traveling, as they are spread all over the reservation and surrounding areas.  I am looking forward to this part of my ministry....I like the one on one time. 
I've also been informed that I'm not carrying my weight around here at the camp, so I will be stepping that up, as well. 
Not sure where all the hours in the day will come from...but I'm going to be everything I'm supposed to be to everyone that has expectations of me.  This year I am striving to please everyone and do the work that is set before me. 

So, it has been a really long time since I've posted......I know.
And I doubt anyone still comes here....which is ok.

We are halfway through our summer.....God has done amazing things in the lives of campers....it's always so awesome to see first hand.  Sometimes I can't believe I get to work here....what a privilege!!!

But on a personal level, it's been a not so good summer.  I am amazed in a different way.  I am amazed at people......and their carelessness with their words.  I have no desire to go into detail....and I don't think I am one to really care what people think....but this past year, I have managed to become the subject of many conversations (ones that I am not a part of).  And if you know me at all, I am an extremely private person and the thought of just ONE person discussing me or anything about me almost makes me sick to my stomach.  The thought of others joining in has made it almost unbearable.

Because this has never really happened, I had no idea how I would re-act. 
Now I know....and it's not good.

I am almost a hermit.
I socialize with almost no one.
I desire to be around no one.
I hardly eat and exercise all the time (funny how that one worked out....I didn't do that until people were SURE I was already doing it.  At least now that rumor is developing some truth).
I'm exhausted.
I trust no one.
 

This will be my last blog.  I have no desire to communicate with anyone.  I wasn't very good at it anyway.

Life on the rez....

There are many things that have changed in my life since moving out here to the reservation.....what I wear, what I eat, how I speak, etc. My personality has even changed (I shudder when I think of how loud and obnoxious I was when I first started working out here, 19 years ago).

As I sat in our prayer meeting yesterday morning, I realized something else has changed since I moved here.....my prayer requests. Twenty years ago I would have never thought I would be praying about things like sheep who are sick, a safe day branding cattle, for medicine men and for rain.
I was reminded of this change as we sat around as a staff and shared prayer requests.....
*safety while out cutting wood for the elderly and for Navajo churches
*yet another drunk driving accident
*elderly mom, that she will be safe this winter (still hauls her own wood and uses an out house)
*same elderly mom having visions/dreams of a medicine man that keeps visiting her at night
*missionaries who are struggling to be away from family members who are sick
*the struggle of teaching the concept of "sin" to Native people (they don't understand it because they are taught they are born with a 'neutral' spirit)...the concept of sin is not in their tradition.
*Shalako season in Zuni (google it)....and the persecution the youth experience because of this festival. Some of the kids are being groomed to be leaders in this festival....they are persecuted for NOT wanting to participate, and are often forced to perform and be involved.

These are just a few of the things that are on the hearts of the missionaries here and a few things that are going on to hinder the Word of God coming to the Native people.

If you think about it, please pray for one or two of these this week.....

Starting a fresh week of school this week.....and staying at home to do it (instead of going to the craft shop, where we usually go) because we are expecting a few inches of snow today....a good day to just stay inside.

Still not having great success in the area of school, but almost getting too tired to care. Just going to move through it and get what we can done each day.

On the agenda this week is the usual math, English (which Abigail is WAY behind in), reading, phonics and handwriting (for Marissa), history and science. We have a couple science experiments coming up....we finally grew some bread mold and are working on some algae and will study them under the microscope. The kids also have a paper due on how we see Christ throughout the Old Testament due this Thursday. That will take up a good chunk of time. They also have to come up with science experiments for Co-op (Peter's is due this Thursday, the girls are due next week).

I will be out of town next week so I am leaving a skeleton schedule for Dad to do with the kiddos. Not going to worry about what gets done and what doesn't.....I'll fix it all when I get back. We are supposed to take that following week off because of Thanksgiving, but not sure if that will happen....may just work all the way through it.

Going to try and not focus on all that is not getting done, but on all the opportunities the Lord gives me. I work full-time outside of schooling and I need to give that some focus, too. I am slowly distancing myself from ministry because of schooling....I need to re-evaluate and follow the Lord and the work He has given me.

I'm a little bit of a funk these days.....schooling still goes on, but my heart is not in it. We still review spelling words, grow mold for science experiments, and take apart and put fractions back together again.....but I know I'm just going through the motions. I can't get it all done each day, so I live in a constant state of failure and discouragement in this area of my life. That can wear you down.

But In know this is what the Lord wants me to do, so I am going to continue on....trusting that I am walking down the path He has led me on.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm, we are getting some school done.

I won't highlight everything since I have not been here for about a month....but we are moving through it and everyone is doing fairly well, although each child has their own specific struggles. But I have stepped back some (and I use that word loosely) and let them kinda figure out some of their school on their own. I don't feel settled in my mind about it, but at least it is relieving some of the pressure off of me for a few days.....room to breathe. My niece, who seems to struggle the most, has not cried in 2 days....that's a record for the past month or so. Therefore, "I" haven't cried in the past 2 days.

I head up the local Home School Co-op and I think it has been a success....the kids have really seemed to enjoy it. Three of mine have to write a paper for next week and I'm a little worried for them....it's a 2 page paper on how we see God move through the Old Testament....kinda reminds me of my college days! But I'm sure they will do fine and hopefully they will learn something from it.

We have been busy outside of home schooling so that has put a little strain on us, but hopefully things will start to settle down some. The camp schedule is lighter the next couple of weeks so that will help a little.....although the list of things to do outside of serving groups that come is long and continually growing....it will never get done.....but we must do the tasks laid before us and not grow weary in doing good.

Although it's only Friday pm, I am sitting here preparing for next week....and as I write out each child's schedule and plan their lessons, I am saying a prayer for them (and myself) that we will honor the Lord with our efforts and strive to serve Him and others with each task given to us.

Well, my goal was to blog here every week about my home school accomplishments....but I haven't really had any in the past 2 weeks so I've avoided it. Both weeks have pretty much been epic failures.....guess that's life.

So, if I only hit the highlights (far and few between) they would be:
the butterflies (from our science experiment) finally came out of their cocoons...and of course they did it while we were in town all week so we technically missed it....but they are out and fluttering around their 'house'

our home school co-op officially started and it seemed to go well....all the kids left smiling so that is a good sign

That's about it.....hoping next week will be better.
Heard from some other home school moms that I'm doing it all wrong, so I'm going to try to find some free time this weekend and re-evaluate everything....should be fun.

It's been a hard couple of weeks.....
couple of tragedies, some personal failures, and lots of 'pondering'.....

I'm sure next week will be better

Home School Weekly

This week we were on a 1/2 day schedule.....I needed it....lots of outside stress along with the stress of homeschooling led to that decision. It was really nice and I would LOVE to keep that schedule, but just not possible. But I did get some rest and got lots of stuff on my huge "to do" list done, therefore my stress level is lower....praise the Lord! Even though we only schooled 3 hours a day, we still got quite a bit done. We took no breaks during those 3 hours and worked hard. So hopefully I am not too far behind because of it.

MATH:
Peter and Hannah took a test and did well.....YEAH!!!! There are starting a new unit more measures and how to add and subtract them. And I'm pretty sure you hardly EVER use a bushel and a peck in daily life! Abby is reviewing prime numbers and factors....she still struggles on word problems, but so did I so I can have sympathy. Marissa is still working on adding and subtracting, but we've moved to 3 digit numbers. I have not worked enough with flash card with her so that is on the schedule for this coming week. She is doing well with counting money :)

ENGLISH: We did not do much with English this week....lack of time and just got pushed aside. But we will get back on it this week.

READING: Marissa is doing a "little" better....it still takes us almost an hour to do 1 lesson, but I don't feel like poking my eyes out half way through now. I have to sit with her while she reads to help her with words and to ask her questions to make sure she knows what she is reading. But overall, there is a little improvement in the reading area. Abby did much better this week in reading....I went over the questions with her and she did better....made a 100 on her workbook section!

SPELLING: Marissa had a review so she had 60 words to study....she only missed 4 which was really good. Peter actually did really well, too (he struggles with spelling)....I find that the more 'study' time I give him and more review time, he does much better. Hannah did well....and Abby has to take hers on Monday.

PHONICS and HANDWRITING: This is mostly Marissa's subject, although the others do handwriting a couple times a week. Peter SHOULD do it more because his is terrible! Marissa still struggles with phonics but I am going to focus more on "teaching" it and doing every step in the teacher's manual. I do see a little improvement in this area, too. I"m not 'counting to 10" as often :)

SCIENCE: Abby is still studying the structure of a cell.....she did a great drawing of one....she is definitely my artistic one! She is taking her time with the study questions now and doing much better. Marissa did no history or science this week, but I have much planned for her this coming week so hopefully she will have fun with it. She really struggles with remembering what she read...therefore answering the questions at the end of each chapter is rough. The twins are still on arthropods....and loving it! Our caterpillars are starting to form their cocoons which is exciting. They just studied the section on caterpillars, moths, and butterflies. I find it all pretty fascinating :0 The exciting part of the week was our trip to the zoo, aquarium and botanical gardens. I was need to see them remember some of the things they had learned, even from years past. They remembered that a giraffe has 7 bones in their neck, just like us.....that a rhinos horn is made out of hair, and all 4 stages of the butterflies life.....it was a great field trip and we a new homeschool family joined us so they made new friends. It was a long day, but well worth it!

HISTORY: Abby is still taking a tour of Asia...interesting stuff. ANd she will start working on her speech this week. The twins will be doing the same, except their speeches are on First Americans. In Peter's book on Squanto, he found a recipe for cornbread...something that they possibly had on the first 'thanksgiving'....he loved making it and loved eating it even more!

And then there are all the "extra" stuff the kids do....soccer still takes up quite a bit of time....although they cant' attend awana right now because of soccer, they are still working on their books......they take a class at the library every week (they just finished up a 3 week course on how to use the library, and now they will start on a science experiment series).....the girls are still taking knitting lessons and Abby is almost done with her scarf and they both just finished up their heart-shaped wash cloths; next they will be starting on their hats.....and our Bible Quiz season is just starting up so we are studying for that. They are studying I Peter this time.

Overall, I guess we got quite a bit done this week....so hopefully, since we will be back to a full schedule this coming week, we should get TWICE as much done! RIIIIIIIGHT!!! :)

You can check out the other field trip pics on my facebook.....:)

I"m late posting my Home School Weekly....but at least I"m here.....so overwhelmed, it almost didn't happen :)
Better late than never....

Math:
Abby is finishing up her chapter on Units of Measure...got a test coming up :) We'll see how much 'sunk in'!
Peter and Hannah are starting a unit on measures also...they are reviewing the "ruler"....measuring lines down to the 1/16th...my eyes struggle to see that!
Marissa is still moving through addition and subtraction....trying to help her NOT use her hands when subtracting....not sure how to even do that....

English:
Abby...we are still at a little bit of a stand still as we work on diagramming....the lessons coming up all have diagramming with them so we are just backing up and getting it right.
Twins....more diagramming here, too....along with sentence "math" (figuring out if a sentence is compound or simple). Peter is struggling,but we are going slow.
Marissa....working more with "answering" questions in the form of sentences....and doing some word order things. She is getting it all, but struggles to remember to begin and end a sentence properly...ugh!!!!

Spelling:
Abby and the twins just finished a "review" lesson where they had 100 words to study....everyone passed the test :)
Marissa is just starting her review lesson, but she does pretty well with spelling so it should be ok.

Phonics/Reading:
Marissa is the only one doing phonics and it's still the biggest struggle (this and the reading lessons)....but I had a former home school mom work with her on Thursday and she agreed that Marissa does not know her short and long vowels...but then told me that public schools aren't all teaching that as much any more...more word recognition type reading....so we are pretty much starting from scratch with blends and vowels....but we are moving slow through that and she is catching on to some of it.
Abby is still doing poorly in reading, despite the fact she is a great reader....but after grading her last few lessons, I'm realizing it IS her just being lazy. I had her go back and re-do a couple lessons and she did perfect....so we made a deal that from now on she will take her time and do it right....or else fail and do it over again next year (she does NOT want to repeat it)...so hopefully from here on out things will be better.
Peter still struggles with the reading comp, but I am trying to just sit close to him and help him work it out....today went better :)

History:
Abby is still studying Asia, with emphasis on China (her favorite). She will slowly start working on a 'research' type paper on China or some aspect of it.
The twins are still working on First Americans...they both read 2 books on ones in particular (Peter, Squanto....Hannah Pocahontas)....Hannah is LOVING it!!! And surprisingly, Peter is really enjoying reading about Squanto. They will start working on their speeches next week.
Marissa hasn't read a new chapter this past week....we just keep reviewing what we have learned....need to make progress in this area.

Science:
Abby is working on the "cell"....she will be drawing and labeling one this week.
The twins are still on arthropods.....they love it! They have gone through crustaceans, arachnids, and insects so far. We are now the proud owners of 3 crayfish....I wanted to give them an up close and personal look at crustaceans....I still can't really touch them! Too close to the spider family!! We did do a science experiment from the previous unit....had to do with water pressure...the kids loved it!! It basically taught about the scientific method and how to perform an experiment....they got it :)
Marissa worked more on seeds, wildflowers and weeds.....she continues to add to her seed collection and really enjoys that.

This week, due to some stress I'm having, we are on a 'half day' schedule. We are doing school from 10am - 1pm....taking the mornings to work on some cleaning projects and the 'extras' in our schedule (piano, knitting, awana, etc)....and I'm not allowing for much homework. I am doing school for about 8 hours a day and it's wearing me out. I'm taking this week to 'revamp' my schedule and seeing what works best.
Praying that I can figure this out.....

I JUST posted that I didn't want to waste any school days...and what did I do today? yep...wasted a perfectly good day.

I let the kids sleep in late because they have been so tired, cranky and whiny....but the day never really got started. Part of it is having hubby home all the time...he doesn't always SEE the big picture of schooling...so in his attempt to help out, he started all the kids on a cleaning project this am that lasted at least an hour. So I worked while he supervised their cleaning efforts, but by the time they were done, I was waist deep in my project. By the time I was done, the kids were scattered...but I did manage to reign them in and get a couple hours of school done....but not without some struggling. Then hubby, again in attempts to help, decided today was a good day to do the science project I'd asked him to help with last week. I truly am grateful for him to do these type of things and the kids had a blast....that's all that should really matter, right :) Just bad timing....

My list of things 'to do' is taller than me.....(well, if I typed it out in really large font)....but you get the idea!

But as I look around my living room....2 kids are playing with Littlest Pet Shop, one is making thank you cards, and the other is practicing magic tricks, I have to remember that I am blessed....my home is filled with noise, laughter, singing (although slightly off key)....my living room is covered with scrap paper (the card making one) but I have a home that's safe and warm.....I have soccer stuff piled in the laundry room, but I also have 4 healthy, happy, athletic kids.....God is good, even when I have to look a little harder and a little deeper to see it....the fact remains, that He is good...all the time.

It cracks me up that my last post here was the first week of camp.....that says a lot about how the summer went....BUSY! But really, I did start another blog for the camp season

www.brokenarrowbibleranch.blogspot.com

I updated there all summer :)

So I am going to 'attempt' to start blogging here again....
to be honest, I don't have much to say these days except to let you know how schooling is going, since that is pretty much all I do with my days right now. All day, every day......
I am not even really able to do much ministry right now because of it (and soccer)....a busy time in my life, but one that will hopefully pay off one day....*key word, hopefully

So I am going to try to start doing the weekly homeschool updates again....it helps to see it all written out....makes me feel like I actually accomplished something, especially those weeks when I feel like the exact opposite!

We actually started the 3rd week of August, but we had done a few things before that. Since a lot of the math was review, we started that beforehand...so we are officially in our 5th week of school and for the most part, we are on schedule to be halfway done by Christmas. Trying to not take too many unscheduled days off this year. Sometimes I can't help it with the camp schedule being so 'unplanned' but it is my PLAN to stay focused and aggressive about the school schedule.

ABBY:
Math....For the most part we are still in a review: we did all the basics and now we have moved into reviewing units of measure and working with them mentally. She does not love math, but is pushing through it...grades aren't that great.
English....Again, some review, but some new stuff added. She is not grasping a lot of the concepts: predicate nominatives, predicate adjectives, noun of direct address, adverb clauses, etc....and on top of that, the diagramming is killing her. I love to diagram but she does not, so it makes it hard. I am looking up extra work for her online to help.
Spelling....She has very challenging words, but is doing fairly well with it....it's not so much a struggle for her.
Reading....I'm surprised that she is not doing as well in this area....she LOVES to read and spends hours a week doing it, but she just does not do that well with doing the work that goes along with it....just not putting the thought in that's needed to do it right. The grades she is making in this subject is not reflective of her true level of reading, which is disappointing.
History....one of my favorites...not sure how much she enjoys it! Again, she understands it,but does not do well on the study questions at the end of the chapter so therefore her grade is not all that great. She covered maps/globes in the first chapter (I had no idea how expensive globes were! wow!), she studied Europe in the second chapter and now she is studying Asia...THAT has her attention because she LOVES China. I checked out extra books at the library so she could do more research on it....I will have her write a report on some aspect of it in the next couple of weeks. I read all the chapters each kid does so I feel like all I do is read history and science...I have more homework than they do!
Science....She studied the "orderliness" of God's world in the first chapter...she loved doing the project where she had to go outside and find examples of "order" in nature....she found many plants and then cut out pictures of animals that exemplify God's order in the world. She also did a project where she had to make a pendulum...Dad helped her with that one. She is now beginning to study cells (I like this part!) so we bought a microscope and are ready to study the tiny details of God's world.

PETER AND HANNAH:
Math....Like Abby, they are beginning with reviewing a lot of last year's work. Right now they are just finishing up studying fractions....they both did well, but most of the problems Peter missed was because he didn't reduce all the way correctly....just in a hurry, I think.
English.....mostly review...they too are doing some diagramming but it's pretty basic. There seems to be more work on paragraphs which is a struggle for both of them, esp Peter. His spelling is pretty weak and he still does not grasp sentence structure. Hannah struggles with thought flow....guess it will click, one day...
Spelling....They both are doing ok in this area...Peter struggles a little more than Hannah though. They work together a lot, quizzing each other and working on the assignments together.
Reading....HELP!!!! Again, Hannah does a little better, but they both are not very strong in reading comprehension. Reading outloud helps,but I still have to work through the questions with them. But this is the first time with this curriculum and it's a little intense....I am hoping to slowly get them doing it on their own...
History....they seem to really enjoy this subject. Their first Unit was on the US and Canada...they enjoyed tracing and labeling the maps....both did well on their tests. Now they are beginning their study on First Americans and in addition to their assigned school work, I have books for them from the library. Peter will study Squanto and Hannah will study Pocahantas....I am reading all the books first (3 each) so hopefully I will be knowledgeable on each figure, too. They will probably have to do a speech on their character.
Science...their first Unit was on science as an overview.....different branches of science, the scientific method, etc. Now they are starting their study of anthropods...they LOVE that kind of stuff! We are still doing some experiments from the last unit, too.

MARISSA:
She is my niece who is living with us for the year... I am still figuring out what she knows and doesn't know, since I didn't actually school her last year (she was public school).
Math....she seems to be doing ok with this. She is using her fingers less and less and improving on her speed drills. She did not know how to count any money when she started but now she is doing pretty well with dimes, nickles and pennies. She is doing 3 digit addition (not carrying though).
English....she seems to have a good idea on what a sentence is and the different kinds. That is pretty much all the lessons have covered so far.
Handwriting....she has been taught to write some letters/numbers incorrectly but is working to correct that. Otherwise she does pretty well with her penmenship.
Phonics and Reading.....this is where a lot of the crying happens. The curriculum is too hard for her, I'm pretty sure. She does not read very well and didn't know the difference between a long and short vowel...and for some reason, can't grasp it. So it doesn't matter how many times I explain the 'rules' to her, she just can't get it....but we are praying that it will just "click" soon. The daily reading lesson takes over an hour if I sit down and help her...if I don't, it can take well over 2 hours. I"m kinda at a loss here....
History and Science....She cannot read the lessons in these subjects so I do most of that for her, although I do have her read parts of it....but the comprehension (no matter which way we do it) is very low. The questions are too hard for her to do alone. In History she is studying different types of "land" (hill country, plains, mountains, etc) and mostly covering the land of Canada. In Science she has already studied the seasons (brand new concept to her) and now we are looking at seeds, weeds and wildflowers. We have collected several types of seeds and will be working on finding some of the wildflowers she is studying. She enjoys the hands on type stuff!
Spelling....she does really well in this subject, but she just can't read and understand the directions in the lessons on her own. Good speller :)

I know that was a lot...I'm sure most of you didn't even make it to this paragraph! But that is the last MONTH in a nutshell...from now on, it will just be a 'week' in review!
Both Abby and Hannah are still taking piano lessons and knitting lessons. They are finishing up scarves from last year and they have both already done a heart shaped potholder. They will be starting their hat and mittens in the next couple of weeks.
All the kids are involved in soccer and it consumes a lot of our time...but they love it and we want to try and give them a few of the opportunities in town.
Abby is also taking art lessons...she is working with water colors now and will be entering a piece in the upcoming art show...she is excited.

We are starting up our home school group for the year.....we have a lot planned. I am on the leadership committee, along with 2 other women and we are working well together to offer many different activities for our local home schoolers.

Pray as we move through this week....one day at a time!

Well, the first week of camp is officially over....and we all survived!
Most of us were running on pure adrenaline, excitement, or nervousness (for the new ones!). Either way, the staff started strong and finished the same way. I know there were MANY campers that made decisions for Christ.....it was a fruitful week!

The week started off with our Monday afternoon carnival.....it keeps the campers busy their first few hours after arriving. The activities ranged from jump rope, darts, bb guns, and their favorite....the dunk tank! Then, after a brief orientation and a yummy spaghetti dinner, we all played Red Light, Green Light and then a massive game of hide and go seek!!! It was a great start to the week.
Tuesday was our first 'full' day of camp....and with that came the first of our morning chapels, activity classes and afternoon free times. We also enjoyed a 50 person pillow fight and then a water fight that included the whole camp....over 150 people!!! The water wasn't that cold but the wind made it MUCH colder to stand around soaking wet!
Wednesday and Thursday had more of the same and also included a picnic out in the woods, a HUGE tug of war contest (which the girls won both times), a 100 person game of Simon Says, Mission Impossible, Skit Night and a late night campfire.
Friday came and we wrapped up things with a rocket launch, a fun Awards Chapel, a flash mob and root beer floats. And more importantly, every child left with the knowledge of who God is, what He has done for us and how very much He loves us. Many made decisions to accept this beautiful gift of love this week.....what a wonderful sight to see!

But even with all the tears of joy shed over watching these little ones give their life to Christ, there were some tears of sorrow mixed in.
On Thursday night, after we finished off our skit night with some powerful presentations of the Gospel, many, MANY campers stayed afterwards to talk with their counselors about how to receive Christ. As usual, I was standing in the back, available if anyone needed help, and getting slightly choked up with the scene unfolding in front of me. It's always a wonderful thing to witness and makes it all worth it.
But as I was standing there, Steve came up and shared some terrible news....one of our staff member's sister had just committed suicide. She lived in CA, had struggled with depression for quite some time and the saddest part of all.....she did not know the Lord. My heart was instantly broken and I was overcome with a great sadness.....sadness for my dear friend who had just lost a loved one, but also sadness for the fact that she had just entered an eternity without accepting this free gift of salvation we had just seen presented in skits and given in detail by these hard working counselors sitting in front of me.
This sadness followed me the rest of the evening and all the way to campfire.....that's when it hit me especially hard. As I heard camper after camper stand up and announce they had given their life to Christ that week....some just hours before....about the same time this other person had taken their life.....I could not get the feeling of loss and sadness out of my head. Here I should be rejoicing with each and every camper that stood and announced their profession, but all I could think about was the one that had rejected it and now faces an eternity full of fire, burning and torment. It all reminded me for the small little parable, tucked away in the gospels about the shepherd who went looking for that one lost sheep.....leaving the others, knowing they were safe, to go and look for the one that had strayed. That sheep consumed His thoughts.....
I think I finally understood it....the burden for the lost.....the consuming grief that comes with the reality that some will walk away from the Truth. Even if 99 campers came to know the Lord and now have assurance of their eternity with Jesus, the one that got away will always be in the back of my mind.

Now don't get me wrong, I definitely rejoice that we had such a fruitful and productive week....that kids are now going home to their difficult situations with a new measure of hope and confidence.....it is an amazing thing to be a part of. But help us never to be satisfied with a "profitable" number....help us always to feel that heavy burden for the lost....and to never 'relax' in our position as ministers of the Gospel. Although I am sure I will feel that heavy grief of loss again someday, I pray that I will work tirelessly to NOT experience it! Lord, give me strength, endurance and perseverance in this ministry you have place me in.....and continue to burden my heart for the lost....have mercy on us all.....

Well, summer is officially here!
I know this because camp has officially begun....for me at least!
Although there are no campers here yet, the camp is slowly filling up with staff and our week of training has started. Several of the "new" staff came in yesterday...making the long trip across the country by plane. It is so neat to see their enthusiasm and excitement. They are excited about everything....from picking out their rooms, to meeting the other staff, to exploring the camp. And it's contagious....I love it.
But I've been working here long enough to know that often, that excitement and energy is short lived. Although the we all love the work and the ministry, eventually, exhaustion and fatigue set in...and excitement is replaced with tiredness. It's inevitable....it's part of the ministry.
As I look around at all the smiling faces, I wonder....which ones will still be smiling at the end of the summer....which ones will walk away more fulfulled and more mature in their faith....which ones will struggle and find themselves in a place of disappointment. I wish I could see ahead and help them....I wish I could prevent any moments of struggle or heartache. Yet I know that it's all part of the plan. God's plan for this summer is bigger than just the campers....than just the camp schedule. It's so much more detailed than that. He has each of our lives, our emotions, our hearts in His hands. And He knows exactly what each of us need.....that's over 1000 lives He is intricately handling all summer. With that in mind, the upcoming struggles and the hard times that some of these kids (and maybe even myself) will walk through are for the best. Although I wish we could all walk away from this summer encouraged, enlightened and closer to God, I know that He has our best interest in mind and knows us more intimately than anyone else.

So, with that said, I am just as excited for this summer....and I'm going to enjoy all these smiling faces for now! And I'm going to embark on the journey with the rest of those who have giveb their summer to the Lord.....
....let it begin!

PS...If you want to follow all that the Lord si doing this summer, you can follow on www.brokenarrowbibleranch.blogspot.com

Back to reality

For the past week I have been pretty much disconnected from the real world. My family and I spent a great week away from "work", just relaxing and spending time with each other. We were blessed to be able to stay with a dear missionary friend who has build a house so that people like us (tired missionaries) can come and stay for free. We had plenty of room, she cooked breakfast for us every morning and and encouraged us daily. It was great and I loved having no tv and little to no access to the internet (I had to check every other day because of work...blah!).

It was BEAUTIFUL in Phoenix and we spent a lot of time at pools, waterparks, etc. The kids had a blast! We spent some time with my dear bestest camp friend, Lois and her family and that is always an encouragement....she just "gets" me and I can just relax around her. And her generosity towards me and my family is such a blessing. I can't wait for camp to start and I'll be able to be 'encouraged' by her friendship every day!

As we made our way back to Vanderwagen, NM, we noticed the weather changing.....it got colder and colder the further east we drove. When we woke up this morning (our first morning back), we were greeted with 4 inches of snow covering our desert land.....what a drastic change! Not only was the weather a shock and a change, my "relaxed" attitude quickly changed to overwhelmed because of the stack of mail that awaited me, the phone messages, the emails and my messy house that all cried for my attention. It makes me almost forget my time away, surrounded by my relaxed family, laughing and vegging. BUT, I am determined to remember those days fondly and rejoice in them, AND do the same with the days that surround me now....although they look MUCH different, they are still worthy of rejoicing in....'for THIS is the day that the Lord has made....". I am trying to retrain my brain into finding the joy in the busy days too....in the middle of the "loudness".....when I'm surrounded by people and projects that demand my attention.....when I'm tired. Each day is a gift from God and I am trying to cultivate a better attitude of thankfulness.....starting today :)

So as I have a few minutes alone in my house, I am going to turn on some praise music, roll up my sleeves and get busy on my "to do" list.....rejoicing all the way...... :)

My Last Home School Weekly

Well, we are winding up with school....finally!

I am not going to post anymore weekly wrap-ups because basically we are only doing math and english at this point. I hope to be done with both of those in the next couple of weeks. We will for sure be done by the 18th, no matter what. At that point I have to give my full attention to getting the last minute projects done here at camp.

It has been a pretty productive past 2 weeks though....
We are flying through math, averaging about 2 lessons at least a day. Most of it is review or just really easy stuff. We are doing about the same in english.....Abby will not finish her book but I'm ok with that. We are starting a new curriculum for her in that subject next year so I'm good with where we are. We will be doing review in both subjects and then final exams. YAY!!!!

Last week we did do one last field trip....
My kids studied bees in co-op and so we took a trip to a local bee farm. The kids LOVED it! It was so neat to see them put what they had learned together with the real thing. I learned lots too.
It's been a pretty good year for our home school group, tiny as it is. We have had several field trips, 2 successful co-ops and quite a few "fun" days (swimming, bowling, hiking, etc). We are looking forward to just as much fun next year.

We have a light summer curriculum. I can do almost next to nothing school-wise in the summer, but we are going to just do a couple things a week....a math sheet every now and then, along with a few grammar work sheets...nothing heavy. But they will read quite a bit this summer. I have already ordered my curriculum for next year so I will go through that and have them go ahead and start some of the 'extra' reading. And I have a whole list of literature I want them to start on. They have a 'reading/rest' time every day so that will be a definite.

It's been a long year. The second half was much more difficult than the first. My camp schedule keeps me so busy...I really struggle to keep up with school on top of it. But I keep reminding myself that for us, this is the choice we have made and I am praying that in the end, it will all be worth it.

I couldn't sleep last night......
I have so much on my heart and mind that I just could not find the 'peace' to fall asleep. It made for a very long, hard night.....and by morning, I was struggling to be the cheerful "everybody wake up, it's a brand new day" kind of mom that I usually try to be. So my hubby graciously offered to take the kids to gymnastics and the library for me (our usual Wed schedule). He told me to get some sleep, if I needed it. But as I have the house to myself and some soft Jim Brickman playing through the speakers in the house, I feel like if I get things accomplished, it will actually make me feel more rested (mentally, at least).....the sleep will come later...I'll get caught up.

So my first task this morning was not a pleasant one....but it had to be done.

Last night, I was driving home and saw 2 ladies on the side of the road, trying to get a ride. Now don't get me wrong....I hardly ever give rides to people, but since it was 2 older ladies and I didn't have my kids with me, I decided to do it. As I stopped, a man came out of the store and joined them. Turns out it was one of their sons and he needed a ride too. They were all VERY drunk (not unusual out here) but I decided to go ahead....they were too drunk to do anything anyways. They were very grateful for the ride and kept going on and on about how appreciative they were....in their very slurred speech.
One thing that really stuck out to me was the terrible odor that was coming from them. Apparently, one of them had gone to the bathroom in their pants and the stench almost made me gag. It was the longest 5 miles I've ever driven.
When I dropped them off and started heading home, I realized the smell was still there. I rode home with my windows down the last mile home, in hopes it would help. It didn't. I got home and immediately sprayed some lysol on the seats to try and at least cover it up. When I went out an hour later to get something out of the van, the smell was still there.....on closer inspection, all THREE of them must have messed their pants because there were 3 stains where they had once sat....I was not happy.
So I set about trying to clean it....I used some laundry stain remover....used some carpet cleaner....and LOTS of lysol. When I went out this morning, it was still over powering! So now, with a quiet house to enjoy for a couple of hours, I have spent a great deal of it out there scrubbing (using laundry detergent this time and a scrub brush....and febreeze!!). I noticed as I scrubbed, my bowl of water with the detergent in it was getting nasty.....I changed it several times....this was a gross job. And it reminded me.....

...sin is not pretty. Sin is gross. And it always leaves traces of itself on everything it touches. And sometimes we will be able to remove those traces of it....of course in God's eyes, when we confess our sins, He faithfully forgives and makes us clean. But in our lives, we still may have those traces, the slight scent of sin that lingers....for days....months....even years. Sin is not pretty......it's gross.

This 'clean up' job is a reminder that my sin affects not just me, but other people.....it can leave behind a foul smell. When I get angry at my children, that bitter taste of the words linger.....when I allow discouragement to run rampant, the unpleasant smell can just cling to me and follow me around for days.....when I forsake my time with the Lord, then everything I set my hands and mind to do that day can be tainted with pride, judgemental attitudes, selfishness, etc. My sin affects those around me.

As I have spent time in my van this morning, scrubbing out the stains and the smell, I have been trying to pray for those 3 'smelly' people that rode in my van for just a short time. They shared their hearts with me, they shared their pain, they shared their loss.....they begged me to remember them in my prayers.....I promised I would do that. And I am, as I try and restore my van to it's original condition....I pray that they will not leave the 'stench' of sin in anyone else's life....that someday, their lives will turn into a beautiful offering to God....a fragrant offering to the Savior. I pray the same for my life....that today, in all its peace and quiet (except for good ole Jim Brickman in the background) that my life will be a sweet smelling offering to the Lord.

Pray for Judy, Joanne, and Ernest today.....
and for all the other hurting Native people who live within just a couple miles of me.....the hurt is great, the pain is deep and the loss is unmeasurable.

It's another weary Friday for me.

We have had 2 weeks of work teams (praise the Lord for the HUGE amount of work they did!!!), but I am tired after having non-stop work going on during that time. AND trying to get some school done. This last team was over 70 people so that was a lot of mouths to feed....it was many, many hours in the kitchen.
But the camp is once again quiet, 2 houses have new roofs (mine included), lots of things have been painted and cleaned, hobart got a makeover, and the beginning stages of completely priming and repainting the lodge has begun. Those teams come in like whirlwinds and do so much work....then leave as quickly as they came. I have seen many things accomplished this week.....some people worked on the big, noticable projects, like the roofs or the painting....while it was encouraging to see those who worked quietly, on less noticeable projects, like cleaning out our pantry and walk in...or wiping out ALL the shelves in the kitchen (and there are alot of shelves!).....some people even cut out THOUSANDS of snack shop certificates for us to use this summer! What a blessing to have these groups come in and give up their vacations and spring breaks just to help us out. Some were professionals and many were just high schoolers....but all did their best to be a support and encouragement to not only the staff that live here all year, but to the summer staff and campers that will be flooding our gates in the next few weeks. We really could not do it without their willingness to come and serve in this way.

Thank you!!!

HOME SCHOOL WEEKLY

A pretty decent week....despite the broken thumb (Abby), the work team, and home school outings.

MATH:
Again, we made up time in this subject....several days we did 2 lessons....even got one done on Wednesday (crazy busy day in town). Almost got a whole chapter done with the twins (10 lessons).....so we'll start this coming week with a test and then keep plowing through. Abby is almost done with percents (yay!). And we have added speed drills back to hers as well.

ENGLISH/GRAMMAR:
Alamo paper DONE!!!! Moving back into more 'grammar' type stuff (Abby). Didn't quite hit my goal with this subject but we'll just keep pushing along. Now that we are done with "paper writing" it should move faster. She also is working on the "tan book" with is more grammar and literature. We may continue with that book through the summer. I like it as a supplement to her other english/grammar. The twins also made up good time in English....again, didn't hit my goal with them but this past week we did double up almost every day. The upcoming few lessons are mostly repeat stuff so hopefully we will move quickly. I really want to finish up this subject for the year...I mean really finish the book. English and Math are the 2 subjects I really try to finish each year...not sure why.....

SPELLING:
Abby finished her words for the week and made a 96 on the test. The twins got everything done except the test.....we'll get that done first thing Monday morning then start a new week. It was just a review week for them (a review of several weeks worth of words)....i anticipate they will do ok on it.

VOCAB and HANDWRITING:
Abby is the only one doing vocabulary right now and doing about 2 chapters a week. I'm not testing her on that, just allowing her to work through the lessons. The twins are doing the handwriting and they really enjoy it. I think they are probably behind in their cursive writing....I need to start making them write more in cursive. Peter struggles with just print....not sure if I should push the issue.

SCIENCE:
Not even really sure if I'm going to start a new subject in science.....we only have about 1 month less. We have been watching some "Life" episodes. Sometimes I have them write papers on what they watch, but I haven't this time.
HISTORY:
I really had intentions of continuing in our study (from before co-op) of US geography. We are doing a study called "Man in the Map". We will definitely pick it up this week. We should be able to get it done in a month.

EXTRA STUFF:
Abby still can't take part in piano lessons, but she is able to play somewhat (just can't use her left thumb!). Hannah is going above and beyond what her teacher asks of her. She said that Hannah could possibly catch up with Abby even pretty soon.
In the area of knitting, Abby finished her first official wash cloth (the previous ones were just practice, no trim, etc)....this one is nice. And although she didn't officially finish it because her teacher had to do the last 2 rows (broken thumb, remember?), she did a great job and is ready to give it away as a gift. Hannah should finish hers this week. Not sure what their next project will be. They will continue to work on their scarves.
They have written several letters this week....I like them to try and work on that every now and then. They enjoy it, so that is a good thing!
We havent' done much baking this week because of Abby's injury, but we should be able to get a couple things done this week.

We did get together with our home school group and went bowling. It was a great afternoon....except for Abby :( Even Wes was able to get away and join in the fun. We also all got together at the library again this week. The kids are still going through the book Bridge to Tarebithia. We'll be getting together again this week for a field trip.

We have another work team in this week (about 70...so the cooking and cleaning is alot more intense) so please pray that I can still focus here at home AND still try and minister to the team and get to know them....along with the other ministries going on. Pray for my kids too....we are doing lots of extra work (longer hours)...just pray I can encourage them and love on them while being an efficient teacher.

I hope all you other home school moms are getting lots done in these last couple of months...press on!!!