Lunch

Yesterday was our oldest son's first day back to school. Pretty low key...he shopped for his own clothes, bought his own school supplies and went in to register and get his books....all on his own. (nice, but gone are the days of mom helping him pack his back pack...here are the days of him picking his parking space in the High School parking lot :O(

Where do the years go?

So....Lunch!
The private High school has the students bring a lunch from home and eat in a "home-room" together with other kids the same grade. (ie...all Juniors)

Brock's home-room teacher is an AMAZING woman who teaches Biology. Brock enjoyed her class last year A LOT!

He got into home-room, took out his "hot-pocket" pizza pocket and popped it into the microwave. Before he could turn, he heard the teacher say

"you might want to get that OUT fast"

Brock popped open the door, took out the hotpocket and turned to look at the teacher.
she says
"that is the microwave I use to heat up the dead frozen rats that I feed to the snake"

OKAY! Brock laughed, she laughed and lunch was heated up in a different way!
When Brock got home from his first day and shared his "lunch" story...we all LAUGHED...thought you might too:O)

Husband!

I guess this post is being written through some tears because today (Saturday) the last day of the Fair outreach, I woke up at 8:00 thinking it was 6:30.....ready to get out the door and set up the booth...ONLY to find that Dave was already UP and OUT to the Fair and he had let me SLEEP!
*also when i got down stairs to really see a CLOCK....it was not 8:00 but 9:00!!! OHHH my...I guess this mommy was tired! *Babe....thanks for BLESSING me and supporting me in ways I do not even know I need it !

The last few posts have been done by Dave!
There are alot of things to update and post about our "week" of amazing outreach....but getting to posting it seemed out of reach to me. To open the blog and see that my best friend had not only taken the time to post, but to capture a bit of the JOY via Pictures...made me cry! (okay maybe I am a bit to teary normally....but this week with the NEED of "At Risk Children" in your day to day face morning to night has put a bit more tears into my heart in new ways)

So here is a SHOUT out to the man who COVERS me spiritually, Parents with strength love and mercy, is broken in the core of his heart for the orphan, and LOVES me DEEPLY!

God knew you completed me....even before we were created!
I am blessed to be able to walk this part of eternity with YOU DAVE!!!!!

Old Friends Renewed, New Friends Continued, Techno and a Well??

Warning this post is a bit long but worth it...have your praises ready and your tissue!

We started the day with a wonderful reunion of Victoria and Lydia. The pictures say it all. They hadn't seen each other since March when Victoria came to America. They have spoken on the phone from Washington to Virginia a few times and this week Lydia moved with her family back to Anacortes Washington which is only 1 and half hours away! WOW God Loves these girls!! From the village in the northern tip of Ghana to Beacon House in ACCRA, GHANA to WASHINGTON STATE, their lives are different but they both Love God and have seen Him faithful in their lives that is for sure!!! Today they reunited and spent the day with each other riding rides and enjoying each other tremendously. It was a very joy filled day.





We also got to meet several families in Anacortes that are in the process of adopting more precious children from Beacon House....YES WOW AGAIN! We met some of Lydia's siblings and several families we believe we will have the privaledge of getting to know better in the days, months and years ahead.





Yes JOHN got to enjoy some Cotton Candy too! He had been waiting all week :-)



Finally after many of us returned from the Newsboys concert we met up with Ashlie and Victoria only to find out Victoria had been dancing and having a great time with her friends from next door dancing to tecno music...on stage, off the stage it didn't matter. Victoria was celebrating a great day for sure.



To top it off we continued to make connections with families involved in adoption and / or foster care in our community and raise funds for the orphanages in Ghana, India and Haiti....toward the end of the night a man and his wife told the man who is organizing and supporting an orphanage in Haiti that he would cover the cost for helping him dig and set up a well for this orphanage in Haiti...(approx cost $2500) WOW AGAIN! God is AWESOME!

This was a long post but it was a LONG but Glorious Day from beginning to end!

Or as the Newsboys and the crowd sang tonite...and ALL GOD's Children singing Glory, Glory, Hallelujah HE REIGNS! From the African plains to the Fair in Lynden HE REIGNS!!!

Spiderman - Another sighting?!

Yesterday on a friends blog (click "Land of Lohrer" on our blog to see for your self) they had pictures of spiderman and people wondered could it be true...spiderman lives in Lynden WA?

Some said I thought he was bigger....well today there appears to have been another sighting and he seems to have gotten bigger. Hmmm Whose house does the real spiderman live at?

Hey the date on this picture indicates he was actually photographed before yesterday?!?! Are we being tricked?

Hmm I wonder what would happen if the "two?" "spiderman" ever met?

Fair Firsts!

Wow! What a couple of days of firsts!
Animals, Rides, Demolition Derby and lots of fun!

The pictures say it all much better than my words!

















Looking forward to Friday when Victoria's best friend from her village and orphanage in Ghana will come to the fair as her family just moved to Anacortes Washingtion a town about 1 and a half hours from Lynden! Yippee!!

Its Almost Fair Time!!!! (What is that?!?!)

Every year in August we go to the Northwest Washington Fair. This year it will be special in many brand new ways. First it will all be new to John and Victoria, carnival rides (what are those?), pigs, goats and lots of animals on show and penned up (what is this?) not to mention the FOOD, demolition derby, monster truck show, did I mention the FOOD, and lots and lots of people!

Another special memory for this year is that the ministry God has born in our hearts, "His Kids Our Homes", is going to have a booth at the fair to raise awareness and support for orphans and foster children. God has provided us with an incredible location to be His megaphone about the orphan and foster child right in the mainstream of people. He has raised the funds and many many volunteers to help. He are a couple set up photos for our booth. Watch for more this week. We will be raising funds for Beacon House in Ghana as well as orphanages in Haiti and India that we have begun to network with as well. God is orchestrating amazing things for sure to take care of His Kids!

The Bogarts our great friends and partners helping out as always!!!


































WOW....it is beginning to take shape!!



















It all begins tomorrow and will be a great time for sure. We look forward to planting more seeds with new people and carrying God's torch for the Orphan and Foster Child to our community!!

Corn and Growth

Here are some pictures of our kiddos in the back field where the neighbor grows corn for his cattle. We thought it would be fun to take a picture of them as the corn grows and them too....we measured and they are all growing inside and out!


















Has anyone seen JOHN!?!?!?

















FOUND HIM!! :-) WHEW :-)

Tummy

In the world of "John" a lot of things are getting sorted out...one small thing at a time. This week he realized that babies come out of peoples tummy!
Story:
We were at the store shopping for food and as we wound around the frozen food section, we came around the corner and had to stop to let a lady pass....this woman looked to be about 8 months pregnant and her tummy was EYE level with John.

We had to do the pause and side step to pass eachother....but not with out the wondering mind of John being able to ask some questions. It went like this.

Pointing about an inch away from her tummy....he says
"you have a baby in there?"
Very gracious lady: " Yes"
John, puts his hands up by his eyes like he is walking up to a window to look inside says: "Can I see the baby"
VGL says: "honey, you can not see the baby because she is inside"
John looks at her face and with out a pause tilts his head up....opens his mouth and with an eating motion with his hand to his mouth says
"YOU EAT THE BABY"
Boy do I love this little man...in his mind...the baby is inside, you can not see it, the ladies tummy is BIG and in his mind....your tummy gets full when you eat!

VGL giggles, says no, smiles at me as if to say "you are on your own with this one"
and as she walks away...John shouts after her:
"will the Doctor take the baby OUT?"

She turns and says "Yes"

The love of God has covered our kids....and each day they are able to piece small pieces of who they are and how they were created by God...together.

No more conversation was needed at that time....you could almost hear John's little mind THINKING and THINKING!

Two days later, after a very busy day, I took him by the hand and went outside to play frisbee, just the two of us. As we played catch...the questions come:
"mom...do cows have cows or people come out of their tummy?"
"do people always have baby people come out of their tummy?"
"mom....who's tummy did I come out of"
Frisbee = fun = thinking = attachment = bonding = ONE AMAZING little boy being able to be safe and loved!