Monday, August 22, 2011
Seesaw Fun
We have a little playground in our back yard that has a slide, 2 swings, and a seesaw. Until today, I just let the twins knock the seesaw around with their hands because they weren't big enough to be on it. Well today Eden went over the the seesaw, started playing with it and figured out that she could sit on it, although she was backwards. So I went over to her and turned her around the correct way. I stood at the other end of the seesaw and gently pressed my foot on the seat to make her go up and down. At the sight of this, Gabe came running over and I helped him sit down on the seat. With Gabe sitting down I look over at Eden who is hanging on for dear life, legs dangling in the air, and as high in the sky as the seat will go. I quickly realize that in order for this to work Eden is going to need a little help. So I stand behind Eden to give her some extra weight help in order to come down and boost Gabe up. We had a blast and added the word "seesaw" to their vocabulary.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Where did the summer go?
These past 8 weeks have flown by. I can't believe it's already time for me to go back to work. I can't help but think of what I did this summer. So here it is . . .
In the past 8 weeks I managed to read 2 books. The first of which was "Reclaiming Out Prodigal Sons and Daughters" by Larson and Brendtro. This book was a reading requirement from our mission board but it surprisingly had several implications to teaching. The second book I read was "Heaven is For Real" by Burpo. This was an easy read but I'm not sure what I believe on this topic. I've began a third book called "Radical" by David Platt. This book is really good because it exposes the flaws in the American ideal of reiligon and shows how to have a true personal relationship with God.
This summer, I have completed 3 more Bible classes. These are the Patriarchal Stage, the Exodus and Conquest Stages, and the Judges and United Kingdom Stages. My original summer goal was to complete 5 classes but I soon learned that this was not a fair goal. I now have 7 of the 15 credits required to begin the application process with World Venture.
The other things I've done this summer are a 5 day vacation to the lake with my family and a week of Vacation Bible School at my church. Gabe had tubes put in his ears at the beginning of the summer and I don't regret that decision one bit!
Of course, we can't forget about the 2 week trip to Ecuador. This was an amazing time to learn about another country and truly focus on God's will for our lives.
Although it seems as though I've done a lot some of the most important things I've done have been in the comforts of my own home and that's been spending time with Gabe and Eden. We have had so much fun this summer playing outside and visiting friends and family. While outside we played in the sand box, rode cars, played in the sprinkler or pool, swang in the swings, rode the golf cart around the farm, chased bubbles, and bounced on the trampoline. We've also spent time at my grandmother's house, at the Children's Museum, and playing at the mall. I have had a blast watching these two grow as they are learning new things everyday.
I am blessed to be a mom to 2 wonderful children. I'm going to miss seeing the twins everyday but I am confident in the capable hands that will be watching them during the day. I can't wait to see what God has in store for their lives.
In the past 8 weeks I managed to read 2 books. The first of which was "Reclaiming Out Prodigal Sons and Daughters" by Larson and Brendtro. This book was a reading requirement from our mission board but it surprisingly had several implications to teaching. The second book I read was "Heaven is For Real" by Burpo. This was an easy read but I'm not sure what I believe on this topic. I've began a third book called "Radical" by David Platt. This book is really good because it exposes the flaws in the American ideal of reiligon and shows how to have a true personal relationship with God.
This summer, I have completed 3 more Bible classes. These are the Patriarchal Stage, the Exodus and Conquest Stages, and the Judges and United Kingdom Stages. My original summer goal was to complete 5 classes but I soon learned that this was not a fair goal. I now have 7 of the 15 credits required to begin the application process with World Venture.
The other things I've done this summer are a 5 day vacation to the lake with my family and a week of Vacation Bible School at my church. Gabe had tubes put in his ears at the beginning of the summer and I don't regret that decision one bit!
Of course, we can't forget about the 2 week trip to Ecuador. This was an amazing time to learn about another country and truly focus on God's will for our lives.
Although it seems as though I've done a lot some of the most important things I've done have been in the comforts of my own home and that's been spending time with Gabe and Eden. We have had so much fun this summer playing outside and visiting friends and family. While outside we played in the sand box, rode cars, played in the sprinkler or pool, swang in the swings, rode the golf cart around the farm, chased bubbles, and bounced on the trampoline. We've also spent time at my grandmother's house, at the Children's Museum, and playing at the mall. I have had a blast watching these two grow as they are learning new things everyday.
I am blessed to be a mom to 2 wonderful children. I'm going to miss seeing the twins everyday but I am confident in the capable hands that will be watching them during the day. I can't wait to see what God has in store for their lives.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Ecuador In a Snapshot
It's almost impossible to tell you all about our trip to Ecuador so I'll just give the highlights.
The main city we visited was Guayaquil. It is a port city, home to 3.5 million people, and where the Foldens live. This picture was taken from the top of a light house and it gives you a good idea of just how crowded this huge city is.
There are two main places of ministry we focused on during our trip. The one pictured above is an evangelical Christian boys home. The boys in this home range from 4-17 and can come and go as they please. Most, if not all, of these boys have been through some type of abuse. The boys that are academically on grade level can go to school. The other boys stay at the home and receive education from a volunteer. Daryl spent time with some of these boys in their weekly Jujitsu class. I helped one of the mid-term missionaries complete her daily activities with the boys and I had fun playing with them as well.
The second place we focused on is a Catholic girls home. The girls in this home are about the same age and have a lot of the same abuse problems as the boys in the previous home. In both homes we did a whole group craft. We brought foam visors for each kid and Noah's Ark foam stickers to stick on the visor. It was really interesting to watch the kids with this craft. Some of them didn't want to put the stickers on the visor and a lot of them wanted to keep the plastic baggie their stickers came in. We also made chocolate fudge. The kids aren't use to having something so sweet but most seemed to enjoy it.
This is another picture of the girls in the girls home. We did two separate activities with them. The first activity was a trip to McDonalds to play in their play-place and eat dinner. Most of these girls had never been to McDonalds so this was a real treat. We did learn that mayonnaise in Ecuador is a favorite condiment. The second activity was a trip to a local park. The girls home does not have a lot of space for the girls to play so it was a special trip to the park to explore all its features. After playing in the park, we took them to get ice cream.
The main city we visited was Guayaquil. It is a port city, home to 3.5 million people, and where the Foldens live. This picture was taken from the top of a light house and it gives you a good idea of just how crowded this huge city is.
There are two main places of ministry we focused on during our trip. The one pictured above is an evangelical Christian boys home. The boys in this home range from 4-17 and can come and go as they please. Most, if not all, of these boys have been through some type of abuse. The boys that are academically on grade level can go to school. The other boys stay at the home and receive education from a volunteer. Daryl spent time with some of these boys in their weekly Jujitsu class. I helped one of the mid-term missionaries complete her daily activities with the boys and I had fun playing with them as well.
The second place we focused on is a Catholic girls home. The girls in this home are about the same age and have a lot of the same abuse problems as the boys in the previous home. In both homes we did a whole group craft. We brought foam visors for each kid and Noah's Ark foam stickers to stick on the visor. It was really interesting to watch the kids with this craft. Some of them didn't want to put the stickers on the visor and a lot of them wanted to keep the plastic baggie their stickers came in. We also made chocolate fudge. The kids aren't use to having something so sweet but most seemed to enjoy it.
This is another picture of the girls in the girls home. We did two separate activities with them. The first activity was a trip to McDonalds to play in their play-place and eat dinner. Most of these girls had never been to McDonalds so this was a real treat. We did learn that mayonnaise in Ecuador is a favorite condiment. The second activity was a trip to a local park. The girls home does not have a lot of space for the girls to play so it was a special trip to the park to explore all its features. After playing in the park, we took them to get ice cream.
While in Ecuador we also visited the city of Loja. Loja has about 200,000 residents, it is a mountainous city, but most importantly it is home to the Calvas who are World Venture missionaries. Loja is much different than Guayaquil in its population, its elevation, and its climate. We had a great time exploring the city and getting to know more people.
So what's next for us? We aren't sure yet. We still feel called to full time missions but we want to take some time to pray about where God wants us to serve. I will still continue to take Bible classes and we will both continue to seek God's will.
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