Frontier House

Most of ya'll probably know that I LOVE history. I didn't know I loved it until I started teaching it. It is a crime to make history boring, but that is what I experienced during my growing up years, with the exception of 4th grade.

We have been studying the Westward Expansion, which included The Oregon Trail.
As part of our unit, I included the PBS series called Frontier House.

The series is not for little kids, and discresion is needed as there are some issues of morality, but there is also much value to the series.

I decided to let the girls watch and use some of the objectionable material to promote discussion. Everything went really well and there were numerous issues that came out of that series, not necessarily having to do with history, but having to do with marriage, roles in families, and what is truly important.

I also had the girls do a paper on the series and write about each family, and if they would like to have lived back in 1883.
Their paper required a Cover, Title page, Map and Drawing along with a report.
They started last Wednesday and finished yesterday and today. I am so proud of them. We did a first draft, then second, then third, and some did a fourth and probably need ed a fifth but mommy is a merciful mommy and decided not to push fate. :)

I think they are really proud of themselves, I know I am proud of them.

Importance of Adoption and Special Needs

This Red Bud Tree is How I feel when I see My Children Succeed. I want to break out into singing, lifting my hands in Praise the to the Lord.

I was not going to blog for at least a week as my hand is sore, but I have to come out of rest and blog about this very important issue. ADOPTION!

Since the woman in California gave birth to Octuplets after having 6 other children under the age of 7,there has been a backlash in the community against large families, and especially against families with Special Needs Children.

I know of nobody who would defend this woman's actions, BUT... her children are here to stay, they are healthy and she is their mom.
SHE has NOTHING to do with typical large families or those who adopt special needs kids. She has simply tried to make a name for herself and seems to wind up in the media a lot.

The backlash I am speaking of has me very concerned. There have been people rudely attacked with vicious words of disdain because they have large families or special needs children.
They have been accused of being addicted to adoption, adopting "throw away kids", and my favorite was the wonderful man who asked me how much my daughter was costing him.
(referring to his taxes)
The answer: NOTHING.

Not every person who has children with special needs applies for benefits for those children even IF it IS their right to do so.
I am really concerned about the attitudes towards families and children in general.
We are scarily on the slippery slope that led to Nazi's gassing the "unwanteds".
We need to remember that all of us are 1 accident away from being an "unwanted".

It is considered unnatural or weird to WANT to be a mom, especially a stay at home mom and especially if you want more than 1 or 2 children.

It is vogue to order a baby and schedule the due date, and even try to have two at
one time, but it isn't ok to just be a mom, especially if you don't have your entire life planned out to the nth degree for mega retirement and the mansion on a hilltop, and don't forget the complete coverage of all your children's college educations.

Just one look at our present economy and you can see that the most responsible of people can lose out in the end. Their barns were full, but now they are empty.

Adopting children is not about us. It is about them. It is about the ability to love another person fully and totally, giving without expecting back in return, and it is a rewarding, HUGE blessing.
It is about molding and shaping a life and giving them a chance where there wasn't a chance before. It is about taking an arrow pointed at destruction and aiming it at success.
It is about unconditionally loving another human being. It is about pouring yourself out in prayer and tears for the sake of another, and much of the work is hidden.

There is concerted effort to make another succeed both emotionally and spiritually. There is no "luck" in the equation. It is hard work, it is the lowest paying job monetarily on the planet (as it is voluntary AND will cost you money. Lots of it!) But it is the most rewarding job you will ever do.
Watching a child who never smiled before break out in a huge grin, watching a child walk for the first time without pain,watching a child love you back unprovoked for the first time, watching a child give from within themselves and do a selfless act,watching a child pray,watching a child BE a child for the very first time! This is what adoption is all about.

It isn't about a selfish addiction, it is about a selfless life.

For those families whom I love and admire for all of your HARD work and selfless giving:
May the Lord Bless You and Keep you and Give you Peace.

Psalm 127:3-5
Behold Children are a heritage from the Lord........
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them.....

Ever Have One Of Those Days? We have ...GOOD AND BAD AND UGLY

Bad and Ugly first:
Yesterday was a mixed day. I'm getting used to getting around on a broken foot and even cooked breakfast....Then, I got really brave and decided to go to the store. This was my second time to the store. The first time didn't go so well. So I figured, more time, less pain....
I went out to the car and it was plugged in. So I tried to unplug it.

That plug was hard for me and then it came out really fast and I lost my balance and fell into these lovely auto shop thingys.


So once again, Mike had to rescue me from my own disaster. I was stuck and could not get up. This time, my right wrist is very sore, and I think I may have broken my finger too. It is very sore and it doesn't bend, which makes it hard to type.
Since they don't do much for fingers, I'm just going to tape it and hope for the best.

My foot hurt more last night along with my wrist, back and finger. My sweet husband got in bed and announced, "You're a mess!" gee thanks dear, I needed that.

So, I think I am going to need a bit of a break from blogging. I'm going to take a week off and see if my finger and wrist feel better. I can't stand typing this way.

I need a new heart attitude. I know. Kids with no legs and loads of issues and I can't handle a little broken foot and finger. BUT....THEY DON'T have to do all that I have to do! Excuses.... I know.
I just need to go pray.

I have the condo on the beach with sun shining through the sheer windblown curtains, while sitting on a chase lounge sipping iced tea with a little umbrella thingy and smelling the ocean breeze, listening to the waves. And everything is white, AND clean...... dreams.

TRUTH..... laundry, goat poop, walls that need painted, porches that need cleaned, and white floors that need scrubbed.

I think we need to play the Cinderella Princess game again. :)

I have one more post for this week and it is about Anna.
I think I'll just do it here to save my fingers: The Good Part of this post:

Anna has learning issues most likely caused by D and A exposure. She has been improving rapidly and I just wanted to share something.

Typically, if she is faced with a problem that she really struggles in, she may react by getting mad, or crying, or staring off into space etc. It is a job to keep her focused. But today, she was working on long division. She is doing remainders. I remember my own days of trying to learn, and there was no help because my mom didn't understand long division. I remember crying every day over it. I shared that with Anna last week.
And I also told her. Mom is here to help get you through this!

Guess what! She said to me, "Mom, I just did the wrong line in my book and got it all wrong.... What do you think my reaction should be?" LOL
I turned around and said, "We'll I'd be frustrated by that too, so your reaction should be to come and get a big hug and mom will help get you to the right line!"
YEA.... I cracked up at her trying to use a tool from her mental tool box.
She chose "self control". I'm so happy for her. It was also just darn cute. :) Here she is doing her math. I think she looks proud of herself!


She also cooked herself this great breakfast!

These eggs came straight from the coop and into the frying pan. :)

Praying For Little Dennis

Dennis is getting ready to have surgery in about 10 minutes. I'm sure he is already being prepped and mom (Christine) is waiting to hand him over to the surgeon. Please keep them in your prayers today. I have no idea how long his surgery will be, but I'm sure it will be lengthy. If you scroll down my side bar, you will see a picture of Dennis. He is from Ukraine and today is a huge day. He is having reconstructive surgery on his face. He has restrictive band syndrome, like Sarah, but the fibrous bands went around his face and caused his deformities. Sarah's were around her legs,arms and fingers. He is a happy little guy, and I'm sure when he wakes up, he is going to be a mad little guy. Please pray for comfort for Dennis and his family as they help him recuperate from surgery, and as he gets used to how he will look. This is one of many surgeries to follow.

Signs of Spring and Sweet Gestures

I can't believe that it "Feels" like Spring already! Our Red Bud Tree is beginning to bloom.

We are seeing little flowers pop out of the ground. Anna brought these flowers in yesterday and put them in her refrigerator sheep. :)

The sun seems to be coming up earlier and Earlier! I heard a rumor that Spring Forward is next weekend. I'm not sure it that is true or not, but it sure seems awfully early!

Some of the things I look forward to in Spring are the rain storms, the sounds of the Thunder and the sight of the Lightening. It is just awesome and spectacular sitting on the front porch and watching the sky light up in the thunderous clouds piled thousands of feet high. I also love working the soil and planting the new garden. This year I am vying for raised beds. I think we need to have a successful garden this year and not just a "want to be a garden". :)

I love going and picking out the seeds to plant and the smell of the tomato plants.
I also love that life starts afresh. We are going to have baby goats any time now and I can't wait to meet them.

Here is a picture of Erika and Mike sitting by the window early this a.m. The sun is already up! Usually it is still dark at this time, but not today! Spring.....


My Daughter in Law Jodie came over last night to visit with our grand daughters Katie and Lillian. They are such cutie pies. They brought me this wonderful bouquet of Spring Tulips!

I love tulips. They are my favorite flower.:)
I thought that was so sweet of them to bring me flowers. Spring Break is coming up for Katie and Lillian and we will be able to spend the week together. How special is that? My grand daughters are so sweet. I'm really looking forward to a week together.
We are planning a spelling bee,math bee, reading "Stepping Heavenward",doing some science experiments and creating lots of great artwork.

Morning Events

One of my favorite parts of the day is watching Sarah and Daddy interact. She loves to get up early so she can spend time with him alone. Today, since I am a bit layed up, they cooked breakfast together. He is so patient. He let her turn the bacon carefully showing her how to keep from getting splattered with grease. When I took this picture from my chair daddy said, "Oh No Mommy! I haven't even combed my hair yet!"LOL


Anna's morning job is to let the goats, chickens and duck out, feed them, get them their water and collect the eggs.
Today she had a creative way of getting the eggs. I think she would have had a problem if there were more than 2!

Can You Believe This One????

I just read this article on CNN.com.
It is about a Children's Show Host who has received criticizm for being on the show. Why? Because she is missing the lower part of her right arm. Parents have called the station complaining of all things,"it is making me have to talk to my child about disabilities!"
I nearly spit my coffee out this a.m. when reading it.
At the same time, I'm not shocked at all.

While much of the time we run into the most amazing people who treat our kids and us as normal.(THEY ARE NORMAL) There are just as many times that we don't. And that includes those in our own family! Life is painful enough without having to add to it, those who lack not just compassion, but common decency.

This brings me to another issue. The issue of adoption in general. The orphanages are full of children with simple disabilities. They are not "less than", they are "differently abled". :) These kids are the hugest blessing, yet they sit in orphanages and rot as "damaged goods". It is not a heroic effort to adopt a child with special needs. They ALL have special needs, just as individual as each child is an individual. Some are just more obvious than others.

I know of folks who will go over the giant pond and get to an appointment, only to turn away a perfectly HEALTHY child, because they have a physical impairment.
We still, as far as we have come in recent years, have an aversion to the handicapped in our society. Many see them as a "burden". I remember when we were in the Embassy in Kiev Ukraine, an obnoxious AMERICAN man standing in line looked at our daughter and said, "Oh great, how much is THAT going to cost me?" I cannot express how angry I was.

Mike was whispering in my ear,"down girl, down girl", because I was fishing in my purse to hand the guy a quarter for what it MIGHT possibly cost him in his lifetime if she were to ever need special assistance. So far, that has not happened, and I don't anticipate it to happen as she is a hard working, wonderful, and smart person. But guess what? IF she were to ever need any help, she is an AMERICAN CITIZEN just like him. Heaven forbid he ever become disabled in an accident!

Any help our children have received up to this point has been completely from private donation. Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, receives ZERO dollars from Tax Dollars paid to the government. Instead they have fund raisers and many, many generous donors. We do what we can to give back too. It will never be enough, for all they do. They not only care for the most disabled of children, but if YOUR child were to break a bone or hurt themselves playing sports, they would care for them too; FREE of Charge, without asking for one penny. They are a tremendous example of what the Church SHOULD be doing world wide, nation wide, and in our communities.

As the mom of more than one child with disabilities, including biological and adopted children, I can testify of the tremendous blessing ALL children are in our lives, no matter what special needs they may come with.

I am thankful that they have been a stepping stone of teaching for our other children in the area of compassion, helpfulness, and tolerance towards those who are different than ourselves.

American's pride themselves that we have curbs and doors for the disabled and we joke about the drive up ATM machines with Braille on the key pads, but truthfully, had LAWS not been passed to make these things happen, we would be no different than many places on this earth. Our curbs are lowered, and there are many wonderful people who do care, but in the general population at large, those who have disabilities are shunned, treated poorly, embarrassed by loud mouthed people, stared at, glared at, and complained about.

Even lately, with some of the talk about money going to those less fortunate, I have seen on blogs and other media the complaint that "we have to care for all these people!"
Well guess what! Scripture COMMANDS that we care for the poor, the elderly, the widow, the orphan, the sick, the hungry AND those who are in prison. That "WE" is we as a country and we as individuals.
I pay taxes and if that is what my taxes go for, then GREAT! I'd much rather they go to help a poor person with an education or to get a wheel chair than to some stupid Bridge to nowhere or somewhere.

Ok, I'm calm now. It's just that a missing arm is not the person. A missing leg is not a person. We are not defined by our "looks", we are defined by who we are as people INSIDE. Who is your PERSON? It is the one who speaks, thinks, feels, is it not? Do you think, speak or feel differently than another person, just because you are missing a leg? NO.

For those going on their appointments soon.... PLEASE consider the child with Cerebral Palsy, missing limbs, spina bifida, cleft palate, arthrogryposis, clubbed feet, restrictive band syndrome,... they may turn out to be the biggest blessing in your entire life. You just don't know it yet. Don't make decisions based upon fear. Educate yourselves BEFORE you go, find out if there are private organizations that would cover medical costs, find out what these conditions ARE, and then make a decision. Don't just say no, because of fear. Some of these conditions are not minor, nor are they correctable, or may be minorly correctable. But there is a little person's life at stake. Please pray and consider ALL those files placed before you in a careful manner.

For Those Headed To Ukraine

There really is a place called the SDA. It isn't a dream. It will happen. YOU WILL walk through these doors to meet those who have the records and hold the keys to get your children home. Best Wishes and Godspeed to ALL of you! And while you are there... Don't forget to take a picture of yourselves in front of these doors so you can encourage those who follow after you! :)

Its Good To Sit Back and Analyze

It has been almost a week since I broke a bone in my foot. I thought it would be a wise idea to try and walk with that boot thing (air cast) and try it without crutches yesterday. Today, I don't think it was such a good idea. I think I set myself back to last week. When I got up this a.m., Mike had already gone to Scottish Rite Hospital to do his volunteer work, and there was nobody to fetch my crutches and I figured I could make it to the bathroom without the boot....duh. As I limped to the bathroom, I felt a crunch again. Dang..... So I'm back to no pressure on my foot and crutches.
Erika's response: "Mom, you are such a mess!" LOL Yes dear, I am. :)

BUT>>>>>> Now for the good news about this week:

I did not realize how much I had been doing for the girls to make sure things got done correctly with their chores. It is second nature to "finish" things for them. I tend to baby them abit due to their special needs, and I don't think that is doing them good. I can see that clearly right now,since I can't help them finish things.
The truth is, sometimes it is easier for me to finish something than to teach them to do it themselves. I have been lazy in that way. So when they did the dishes and didn't clean out the sink, I couldn't do it. And then daddy came in and called them over and asked, "Who didn't clean out the sink?" "Do you think this job is complete?" So he taught them how to "finish" things. Last night, nobody had to teach them! They did the kitchen very well!

I love it that Mike tag teams with me the way he does. I love it that we support each other with the girlies. I had to tell him that them not finishing their job was my fault because I haven't expected it of them. So he taught them.
I think they were really proud this a.m. when I was at the kitchen sink and told them, "Wow, it is really nice to wake up to a totally clean sink!"

This week has really gone smoother than I thought it would. When something is out of the ordinary or "off kilter", typically I can expect that Anna will be a bit off kilter, but instead, she has shown compassion, she has been helpful and overall has remained steadfast and steady including volunteering to make Daddy's lunch along with our employee Therron's, lunch. I am so thankful. I think she is growing up! :)

This was a very good week school wise. We have been studying westward expansion, and since I own PBS's "Frontier House", I have let them watch parts of it.

They have really enjoyed watching it. Even the negative parts of watching the people argue or gossip has been an opportunity to discuss moral issues, including gossip, helping our neighbor, dishonesty, hard work, what is really important, and much more.

Because the girlies have watched how hard the families worked on Frontier House, they aren't seeing that their chores are difficult at all and I even caught Sarah trying to wash her shirt outside. LOL

INTRODUCING: OUR NEW GRANDSON

It is a little early, but this little fellow is so stinkin' cute!


Here he is safe and sound in his mommy's tummy while big brother Will and his mommy and daddy all wait for him to grow and mature so he can come on out and be with us. I am so amazed at these photos. The detail of his little hand and face. I just bet he will be a finger sucker like his daddy Marcus. Aunt Emma thinks he looks like Tim. It is funny, I kind of thought the same thing. He is about 24 or 25 weeks along in his development. It is amazing that Tim, Joe and Marcus were born between 28 and 30 weeks. They did not have definite dates, except for Marcus who was for sure 30 weeks. They suspected Joseph was 28 weeks because his little chest didn't even have nipples yet, and then one day they just appeared. It was so odd, mysterious and wonderful.

I am so awed at these photos. This is a real baby! What will he do in life? What plans does God have in store for his little life? Will he be funny? Will he be shy? I do know one thing: God already knows his steps. He is being knit in his mother's womb and he is being fearfully and wonderfully made.
Thanks Marcus and Ivy for the pictures and for letting gramma put them on the blog. :)

I Just Love Sweet Little Repentant Hearts

Tonight during family worship Daddy thought it best to start to study Proverbs. After our singing and prayer time, we started to read the words that Solomon wrote long ago about Wisdom. Each of the girlies took a verse and explained it the best they could.
There was a lot of discussion and participation and they were quite receptive, especially our little math whiz. :)

I just love that the girls are so open and repentant. They are sensitive to the Lord and that makes a mother's heart sing. :)

Cheating With Dyslexia

Hmmm. How do I explain this to a non dyslexic person....

Anna has been struggling with math for a while. She is doing really well, but sometimes gets overwhelmed. I noticed that today she was on the same lesson that she was on on Friday before we left for camp. (lesson 40) I didn't check yesterday due to a broken foot and so today was getting caught up with grading papers.

So I asked her for her math paper so I could check it. It should have said, lesson 40, but it said lesson 38 and the date had been changed to Today's date!

So I ask, "Ummm, how come you redid your lesson from last week with today's date?"
Her answer:" I couldn't find my paper from today so I took a lesson from last week and put todays date on it."

But why?
So you would know I did math today even though I can't find it.

ARGHHH!!!!!!

Now I'm confused. Non the less, it was cheating.

So, she is having "In School Suspension", which means that she is organizing her notebook so that I can check it with all the papers in the right place (hopefully)
AND she will finish her lesson for today. AND... we will have an honesty talk to finish off our day before family prayer. :)

My Tim

Well, Maybe I should say "Our Tim" since he is married. :)
On the day we left for camp Tim got the call. I have been waiting impatiently
for him to get the call about his certification for special education. He had to take a class and test to get certified.

The first time he took the test, he took too long, didn't finish and just didn't want to ask for extra time. He said it is just such a pain to ask for extra time. It takes paper work and a lot of red tape. So he tried to take it without special accommodations.

So this time, he practiced over and over trying to increase his speed in answering questions. And..... Not only did he pass. He passed really well.

Tim is one of those guys who doesn't give up. No matter what. He doesn't give up.
I don't think he has enough cheer leaders. Much of the time, Tim's accomplishments seem to be overlooked mostly because for many, it isn't that big of a deal. So he's a teacher. So he's a special ed teacher. So he graduated from college..... lots of people do.
Yea.... But not lots of people like Tim.

I cannot express to anybody, even my blog how my heart soars with joy and tears flow over this child. When he accomplishes new heights, my heart goes right back to the NICU and him struggling for every breath. It goes back to those words, "He hasn't given us any reason to believe he will ever: sit up, see, hear, speak.... he is a devastated baby, he needs to be removed from life support, he is brain dead."

OH MY! He is FAR from brain dead! And what I am happiest about is he gives ALL the glory to his Savior, Jesus Christ.

So my Tim, our Tim, is now certified to be a Special Education Teacher. I think he will do an awesome job.
He is after all, very qualified.

Family Camp at Peaceable Kingdom

Did Somebody say CAMP????


We went to Family Camp at Peaceable Kingdom Retreat Center for children, sponsored by Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. We had a great time.(except for my minor mishap)
The kids settled in



and then it was off to the lodge for some game time with old friends.




There were numerous events including the Pirate ship, spider web, movie time, golfing, and the Chili Cook off!

Here are the "Chili Girls" doing their chant and watching the judges taste their creation.

Robert thought it was abit hot! LOL

We had a really fun time. All the kids played hide and seek after dinner, and we had the joy once more of watching Jarroth Play the Piano.

Pride Cometh After A Fall

We had a great time at camp. It was short and full of adventures. I learned a very good lesson over the weekend. Don't try to race an electric golf cart up a hill on a trail with rocks lining it. You will lose your balance, get your foot stuck between rocks, fall on those rocks and then tumble down a little ravine. (for lack of a better word) And all in front of a bunch of people.

So that is what happened. I was so embarrassed that after I was helped up by a very nice man named Dwayne, whom I fell right in front of. I tried to keep running. I wanted to run away. After about 50 more steps that turned to a limp, and then I caught up with Mike. By then it was hurting pretty good. We went to the lodge where I removed my shoe, and haven't been able to get it on since. We went stayed at camp as it was Saturday afternoon and we were leaving in the a.m. anyway, and the kids had a great time. Then we drove home and went to one of those cheesy x ray places.
The verdict was: "There is something on your x ray. It looks like your foot has a fracture, but the radiologist won't be in until tomorrow so don't stand on it at all. I'm thinking, "No problem there. I CAN'T stand on it at all." LOL

So I am getting a lesson that is only going to give me more compassion for my girlies. It is a real pain to not be able to do things. Trying to get up on one foot to crutches is painful. My back, hip, knee and everything else hurt too.

AND.... my "oh so compassionate" Mike says,"You aren't 20 anymore!" Thank you for reminding me of that. I don't know what I would have done without that information. :)

I am so thankful this didn't happen 2 or 3 months ago at our height of limblessness. God is so Good to us.

I'll upload pictures of camp as soon as I can get them organized, but here is one of me in the lodge.

I'm The Mom

If you need a little pick up, if you need to feel empowered! If you need a laugh....
Visit THE MOM SONG.....

And for dads.. Here is a dad song.

Missed Moments of Simple Joy

Today I went to Wal mart, and as I walked up to my car which was parked by the median, there was this little girl about 4. She had blonde hair and thick glasses for an obvious eye problem. But she was observing the tree on the median very carefully. She looked at it very closely and said, "Mommy, this tree has an owie!" Her mommy wasn't paying much attention and said rather droley,"Get in the car." The little girl was fixated on that tree and I heard her say, "Oh poor tree!" Then she kissed it.
I was cracking up while putting my groceries away.

Her mom was doing the same thing. (putting groceries in her car)

The little girl then said, "Oh mommy, isn't this the most beautiful tree! I LOVE this tree!" Her mommy put her cart in the cart holder and called her over again. This time she said, "because you didn't get in the car, when we get home you are going to your room to be punished!" end of story...... The little girl got in the car and they drove away....

Now, It is true that she didn't get into the car when her mother told her to, but my guess is, she didn't even hear her. She was so happily fixated on that exciting tree and having such a moment of joy, she didn't hear her mommy.

Her mommy missed such a wonderful moment to share with her little girl. It is really special to share a child's joy and excitement over the simplest of things.
We all miss out. We are all guilty of being too busy.

I hope this little girl's mommy has a better day tomorrow,enjoys her daughter's delight and shares in it with her while discovering this wonderful, beautiful world God has given us to enjoy. :)

I had the secret delight of watching a little girl admire a tree. :)

Finishing What I Start

I don't know about you, but I have this issue with finishing a project. I get too many going, and then have trouble sticking to a task until it is completed.

I have been doing really well working on a major project, but need to finish it.
It is days like this, when I don't feel that great, and I have loads of "other" things to do, that I get bogged down and frustrated. My mind gets full and then, my wheels just spin.

So why am I writing this? To get my fingers going. :) Sometimes it just helps to state the obvious in writing and move on.....

So here is to a full brain! :) Hopefully I can leak some out on paper today.

How To: According to Anna

Today Anna said, "Mom, I know how Sarah can get over her fear of dancing in public and how I can get over my fear of public speaking!

"How Anna?"

Adopt 14 children! It would be public speaking just to ask for the bread to be passed! And Sarah would be dancing in front of all those people!

She is a smart kid. :)

Loving Our Neighbor

I love our church. It is a church full of imperfect people. But one thing these imperfect people know how to do is to love their neighbor. Who is our neighbor? Everyone you come into contact with.

When we started attending many years ago, the first thing I noticed was "Grandma's Attic". Grandma's Attic is a clothes closet for those within the church and outside the church. There would be a line of people sometimes waiting for the services to end so they could come in and get clothing. At first I thought it was odd, but many of the people in the community didn't speak English and probably weren't comfortable coming into a Christian church. Many were from China and most likely were Buddhist. Others were from Mexico and only spoke Spanish.

Because of that, our church started English Second Language Classes and started holding a Spanish Bible Study. Our friends also moved into the apartments near the church to minister to the people there.

Later on, about 6 years ago, we started a Food Pantry. "Grandma's Pantry" It was suggested at first that there is a food pantry in the community; but after talking it over, it was decided that We should be reaching out and helping those in our body AS a body, not turning helping our neighbor into a social service event for the person in need of help.

The food pantry opened with 1 rule. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.( so that the thing that happened to me in my post below would NEVER happen to anybody within our scope of contact) If you need food, it is there for the taking. If you have food to give, give it. If you use food, when you can, contribute back so others can use it. It has since grown from canned goods, to pampers, formula, baby food, specialized foods, tooth paste, soaps and deoderant. There are even walkers, canes and potty seats in there.
I am so thankful for the loving, giving hearts of those who secretly give. And I am SO THANKFUL that there is a place people can go for food and not be embarrassed.

Grandma's Pantry has exploded to Grandma's kitchen too. You can get refrigerated items;frozen meats and dairy products. Isn't that great!

In the times we are facing as a nation, I am happy to be at a church where people can find comfort and that as a church, we will pull together and take care of each other and those in our community who have need.