A Week of Family Fun

Psalm 34:10 "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

I chose this verse because as we have been driving around having fun this week, we have been listening to our Seeds Family Worship cds. This song is one of many that has been stuck in my head. 

God has been so good to us this week...we have not lacked one good thing, despite our circumstances. Wayne had a good week at work and has felt decent. He is just leaning on Jesus to get him through each day. The girls and I have had a fun filled week. 

Here is a summary of our week:

Tuesday:

Tuesday we went and watched the movie "Inside Out". We all really enjoyed the movie. I am glad that we decided to pre-buy tickets the night before because when we arrived, the next two shows were sold out! It was a great day to go to the movies-it was raining all morning. When we came out of the movies, the sun had come out! When we got home, everyone went outside to play. I'm so thankful for the neighbor girls that live up the street. They keep my girls plenty occupied during the summer months playing outside, swimming, riding bikes, and playing on the trampoline.

Naomi has been "growing" some butterflies. She was excited to see that two of them had emerged from their cocoons. We have to let their wings dry and then she'll get to release them tomorrow. On the sad side, our little cooper hawk died a few days ago. We discovered that the mom had five chicks and kicked the runt out. We didn't realize it until it was too late, but they weren't feeding that baby anymore so he/she died. There were some sad kids around here that day. They've gotten over it now as they have been watching the other ones learn how to fly.

Wednesday: Brookfield Zoo

Grace showing her sisters the animals.

Group shot

The snake was following Micael's finger as she moved it on the glass. She found that fascinating.

Double trouble.

Look what the kangaroo delivered!

Checking out the Przewalski Horses.

Up close

Naomi wanted a picture as well. 

Micaela

Abigail, Emma and the giraffes.

Micaela and the zebra

Naomi and the zebra

Watching the giraffes.

The girls and the Okapi.

Grace, my big helper, pushing Joella.

Sophia

Sisters

Sophia and the grizzly bear...the thing was huge. I wouldn't want to meet that in real life.

Micaela was a little more intimidated by the bear.

The Polar Bear jumped into the water when we got there. It was fun to watch it swim.

Pretending they were Jonah and the fish was eating them.

Penguins

Chasing bubbles!!!

We found another peacock and had to follow it around. They were hoping he would spread his wings to attract the female.

Festival of Flight!! This was an amazing show.

This bird grazed our heads...pretty amazing.

The girls were thrilled to see this Harper Eagle. They learned all about them on Wild Kratts.

The zoo was so much fun that we stayed longer then anticipated, so we made a quick trip to Taco Bell for some nachos for lunch.

Naomi releasing her Painted Butterflies!

We came home for them zoo and I got to work. That morning at the Farmer's Market they had a special on raspberries, Wayne's favorite fruit for jam. Sophia helped me make him 5 pints of raspberry jam!

Yep, crazy woman. I also decided to bake two fresh blueberry pies for company. I bit off a little more then I should have that afternoon. I had to bake the pies after I returned home from Bible Study.

Thursday: Great America

I rode Goliath with Naomi and Grace. It is the tallest, fastest and steepest wooden roller coaster!! That was an intense ride (especially after not being on a roller coaster for over a year). I have to admit that my eyes were closed until after the initial drop. I have a crazy fear of heights and yet I enjoy roller coasters. I do keep my eyes shut until we're done clunking up the big hills and start to drop...once we are dropping I'll open my eyes. I think that I'm almost getting too old for roller coasters...my neck has been sore for almost two days.

Abigail, Joella and Micaela enjoyed the little kids section of Great America. Abigail is a little afraid of roller coasters and enjoys the less "intense" rides that Joella and Micaela enjoy. The great part is that they have someone to ride with them on the rides.

I asked Micaela if she wanted me to ride in the tea cup with her and spin them and she said, "No Mama, I can do it all by myself." Needless to say, they didn't spin very fast. 

Waiting for their sisters on the swings.

Abigail didn't want to be filmed on the "baby ride". 

While I was riding Raging Bull with Naomi and Grace, my friend Toni watched the little ones for me. Joella took a tumble and skinned her knees. To make her feel better, she bought a boot of slurpee for Joella. The boot was meant to share, but Joella drank about 3/4 all by herself. She was very proud of that boot!

3/4 of a boot of slurpie = many bathroom trips. Unfortunately, we had a 2.25 hour drive home (due to wonderful traffic). Thankfully, I had a diaper in the car that the girls were able to put on her. There was no where to stop or take her when the slurpie hit.

Fun day at the park with my girls!!

Friday: Splash Park

Friday we met up with friends at a splash park. It was a nice, warm day and the kids had a blast playing in the water, playing at the park and eating a picnic lunch.

Note to self: always check Joella's shoes. When we got out of the car at the park, this is what Joella was wearing. Cowboy boots and a swimsuit!! Not exactly park friendly shoes or apparel. Thankfully, we still had extra outfits in the car from our trip to Great America for Joella.

We finished the day at the park with slurpees from 7-11 to cool down. That evening, we had our pastor and his wife over for dinner. Paula, our pastor's wife, is also going through chemo for uterine cancer. They wanted to get a picture of their two bald heads together. It was a great evening of fellowship!

Saturday: Free slurpees and a birthday

Saturday morning at 7am, I went for a run with my friend Kathy while the kids watched morning cartoons and Wayne slept. After doing some chores around the house, we took a drive to our local 7-11 and got our free slurpees for 7-11 day. We then took a trip to our library for the girls to turn in their reading logs for the week. Abigail set a goal to read 800 minutes this week and she did it! Later on today, we are going to be celebrating Wayne's birthday. His birthday is actually Monday, but why not make it a weekend of celebration? We went and bought him his requested ice cream and Mrs. Richardson's caramel. Guess what we are having for dessert tonight? Maybe we'll have to go on a sugar detox after this weekend of slurpees and ice cream...nah, we'll just eat more fruit next week. It is summer after all.

After looking through all of these pictures, no wonder I'm tired today. That was a lot of fun and activities!! Please pray for Wayne as he started his second round of chemo last night. So far he is just feeling extra fatigued. We are praying that this month goes smoother for his treatment and side effects.

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."

Band of Rescuers

Psalm 82:3-4 "Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

I have always had a passion for orphans, both foster kids in the United States and international children in orphanages. I contribute part of this passion to the years my parents did foster care. It opened my eyes as a young person to the great need around us and I was able to see how blessed I was to have a loving home with two parents. I believe the biggest part of my passion and compassion for these children comes from the Lord. It is His heart that cares for the orphan and the widow. He uses His church, who are His hands and His feet, to do this work for Him. I was blessed to take two trips to Mexico with my church when I was in college. These trips ministered to me in many ways. I have longed to take another mission trip since that time and have attempted to go, but God closed the doors. This summer was supposed to be my chance to take a mission trip. Wayne had told me that this was the year that I would be able to go. God had other plans in store. Every time I started making plans, God shut them down. Right before Wayne's episode in February, Wayne and I had been praying boldly for God to open a door for me or the whole family to take a mission trip. We had decided that we'd let God bring the opportunity to us. I came home one day and there was a postcard from a friend from Moody. This postcard mentioned us talking and praying about taking a trip. It felt like the answer we had been praying about for months. I started to get excited with the anticipation of possibly taking a trip. I contacted our friend and told him what we had been praying. I told him how amazing God's timing was and how God answered our prayer through his postcard. We decided to take some time and pray about the possible trip and see what God had in store. It was literally one week later that Wayne had his grand mal seizure. I didn't realize at the time why God was closing all of the doors for mission trips, but now I do. I still am uncertain why God allowed that postcard to come after all of our prayers, but I'm resting in knowing that His plans are always best. 

I've mentioned before that Wayne and I were pursuing adoption over a year ago. I know many people will probably think that we are crazy for even considering something like that...I mean we have six kids already right? Isn't that enough kids? When you have a big family, it is amazing the bold and sometimes harsh things complete strangers will say to you. But we ultimately only answer to one person and that is God. We felt His leading in this area. We contacted a Christian adoption agency and told them that we wanted to do foster care and if the door opens, we'd be open to adopt a child/sibling group from foster care. If you want to know how crazy we are, there was actually one particular sibling group that caught our eye and there were five children!! We figured if God wanted us to adopt them, He would provide us exactly what we needed (Phil. 4:19). There were many factors against us with this particular sibling group. The main one was that the children lived in a different state. I prayed fervently for those children that God would bring them to the exact family they needed. I was believing God to show me just how big He was (which God did later with Wayne). God closed that door, but we kept pursuing and asking God to guide us in this area. We looked at many different avenues and to be honest, I was a little bummed with God that He wasn't opening a door. We were willing and able to adopt, so why wouldn't He open the door? Looking back now, I understand why God said no, but it doesn't change the fact that it was a difficult time to trust His perfect plan. 

After God said "no" to adopting, I decided that there were other ways we could be actively involved in orphans and missions. The girls and I made pillow case dresses for kids in Africa (mainly Sudan), we made blankets for orphans in Sudan, the girls did fundraisers to raise money for kids in the Sudan, and I attended a CAFO (Christians Alliance for Orphans) conference in Chicago. We also found local organizations that we could work with in Chicago-Feed My Starving Children and By the Hand were two of them.

I don't say these things to get accolades from man. I want others to see that there are so many ways we can get involved...we just have to think outside of the box. I know there are those who God may call to adopt that may opt for the easier route. Don't ever short change God. If you feel Him calling you to do something, do it! Take that step of faith and you won't regret it one moment.
Too many of us think we are "too busy" to help as we sit comfortably in our homes. We can't "afford" more children, our homes are too small...the excuses mount. Who exactly is your Father? My God holds the entire universe in the span of His hand and created the world and everything in it by speaking. Do you think that money or things are too big for Him to provide?

I was meditating on how God could be using all of this for His glory. My passion for orphans, my passion for foster children, my passion for adoption, and God's provision of a platform through this blog to share that passion with you. I was wondering if there are those of you on the other side of this computer reading this blog that need a prodding of the Holy Spirit in your life to move you to action. We weren't called to be comfortable, safe, wealthy, worldly, own many possessions, etc. We were called as the people of God to do the following:

1. Love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength (Deut. 6:5). Side note: have you ever noticed in John 17:3 what eternal life is? It's this: John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." Wow-eternal life is really about knowing God!!

2. Go into all the world and make disciples, to share the gospel (Matt. 28:18-20)

3. Care for the widow and the orphan (James 1:27) - when we do this, James says that it keeps us from being polluted by the world. We'll be too busy doing God's work to think about ourselves and what we desire. God's desires become our desires, His heart becomes our heart.

I came across this powerful quote from Eric Ludy about this topic. "So who's in? Who's willing to spend their strength for that which burdens God Almighty's heart? Are we willing to listen, to stand up and meet the problem head on? Sure we may die, but couldn't that be why God gave us life in the first place..so that we could spend it for His glory?" Wow! There's some food for thought...why did God give you breath? What is His purpose for your life? Are you fulfilling that purpose?

Maybe the very reason God has given you breath on this earth is to spend your life for Him. Maybe God has given your material blessings to share with others. Maybe God is calling us to get a little uncomfortable in order to bring Him glory by loving on others. Maybe the reason God told me "NO" to so many passions my heart desired was to pass this passion on to YOU and for YOU to respond. I would love God to say YES! If He did, we would jump at the opportunity to serve Him in that manner. Please take a few minutes and watch this clip. Ask yourself if you are willing to be part of a Band of Rescuers.

Are you ready to answer the call? The heart of God is for orphans and widows. Here is one more video on God's heart...and it is super powerful!!

I pray that God draws your heart and that you are open to following His call. We are all called to love and care for the orphans and widows. If you want some more information on where to get plugged in or what organizations are out there, please email me rebeccaharder35@gmail.com. I'll get you any information and put you in contact with the right people. Let's start being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Psalm 68:5 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling."

The Planner

Psalm 143:8 "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life."

Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."

I've always been a planner. When I started college, I had all of my semesters mapped out. I loved having my list of classes and feeling accomplished marking them off the list. When Wayne met me, I was working part-time and taking 21 units (side note: yes, I have always been one to push myself too far. Wayne has been working on that "character flaw" for 16 years. I don't do anyone any good burnt out. Hard work isn't bad, but I tend to push too far). Needless to say, I lived with lots of to-do lists. It was the only way to stay focused on the tasks that needed to be accomplished and do well in school. 

This planning mentality has carried with me for many years. I even married someone who was a planner. He wasn't much different then me in mapping out his college years, he just didn't take an insane 21 units. To help you understand where we are coming from, Wayne and I made a list about 5 years ago on a trip. We wrote down what our plans/goals were for the next month, six months, 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years. We revisited the list a year later and analyzed how we were doing on that list. At one point we were talking about possibly moving and made a list of places we were considering. We made a spreadsheet with a weighted scale of things that were important to us (proximity to family, church, weather, etc). I guess that is the accountants in us, we can't help but be a little nuts with our spreadsheets. If I am completely honest with all of you, I even had a spreadsheet tracking how much breast milk I was pumping after I had Abigail because she wouldn't nurse. I was paranoid that I was failing her as a mother, so I made a spreadsheet. Planning, lists, spreadsheets were an integral part of my life.

Fast forward to the past 5 months and all of my planning capabilities have been tossed out the window. I can hardly plan a day, let alone a week, month or year! (Note: being organized/planner has helped with medicine and Wayne's appointments, but that is all.) This has been one of the hardest things to allow God to pry from my fingers. If I'm honest, my plans and spreadsheets help me feel in control. God wanted me to give all control to Him. I thought I had given all control to Him, but He has shown me over the past few months just how much I really held onto my life and my plans. The most comforting thought in submitting to God's will and plans is found in Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." 

It is amazing that God has had a sovereign plan laid out since the beginning of time, and yet He invites us to call on Him and He will listen to us. We can actually find Him and know Him when we seek Him with ALL of our heart. How amazing is that? God wants, and actually invites us, to have a deep relationship with Him.

So how does a planner like me let go to God? I want to say with full abandon, but that would be lying. It is a daily struggle to let go of my plans, hopes and dreams of the future to God. The "realistic" side of us has kicked in at times when we have had hard discussions about the future (life insurance, income, where I'd move-worse case scenario conversations). The worst conversation we had was when we talked about what kind of funeral/memorial service Wayne would want to have. Now, we know that God is ultimately in control of the timing for Wayne's life, but the "planner" in me had to know what he wanted. I mean, I wouldn't want to mess that up right? God gently reminded me tonight as I was blogging that He is in control of all of that as well. Proverbs 16:9 says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."

Another area God has been working on in me is my plans to make Wayne healthy through things I can do. I don't think there is anything wrong with eating healthier and we have made a few adjustments to our healthy eating habits, but, I know some people put all their hope in food, supplements, etc. The more I research, yes the planner in me loves this aspect, the more I find conflicting information. Some people say no sugar or meat, and others said their spouse/parent followed a strict diet and still had the cancer return, so let them enjoy life without being strict. We have opted for a balanced approach. We aren't going strict, but we have made a few adjustments to things at home. Here are a few things that we have changed or added to Wayne's diet since it can't hurt to try: 
1. We've been limiting our sugar intake. We haven't removed sugar, we are just trying to eat less of it (note: for Wayne's birthday he has requested vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and chocolate chips and he is getting as much as he wants-that's balance); 
2. Limit processed foods; 
3. Buy organic whenever possible; 
4. Wayne takes supplements: omega oils, turmeric, and a probiotic; 
5. We rub frankincense essential oil on Wayne's head every night and diffuse essential oils at random times; 
6. Wayne drinks a smoothie every morning following the Budwig Diet recommendations for eating organic cottage cheese and flax seed oil; 
7. I am working on removing many chemical products from the house-not going extreme, but trying new things like Thieves Cleaning solution. 

I don't put all my weight in these things, but I also don't think it hurts to try. Ultimately, I have to trust God. We could do everything that "man" says will save Wayne and it wouldn't if that isn't God's will. Wayne's life, really all of our lives, are in God's hands. The best thing we can do is strive to live for God so that He gets all the glory. God wants me to depend entirely on Him for Wayne's health. That is an area I daily have to surrender to Him...sometimes with a reluctant hand (or both hands). Envision someone having to pry your hand off of something one finger at a time...that is what I am like at times with God. When I do surrender and give it all to Him, things run so much better. Why do I struggle to let go when ultimately I know it is going in to better hands? Good question, maybe I'll go make a spreadsheet an analyze that for the evening...

Review of the past two days:

Micaela woke up crying on Sunday that her ear hurt. She had a slight fever for two days before that so I took her into CVS. She ended up having both swimmer's ear and an inner ear infection. After some antibiotics, she is already back to her normal self.

Park #1: "Zipline Park"

Abigail and her friend Emma

Waiting their turn for the zipline

Micaela on the zipline

Joella didn't like the zipline at all, even with Grace's help

Sophia, on the other hand, loved it 

Sisters, or as they call each other "best buddy"

Chick'Fil'A: Ice Cream Treat/Break from the heat

Park #2: The "Rocket Ship" Park

Joella in the red slide

Sisters and friends...can you tell it was warm out today?

The planner has another fun day "planned" tomorrow. We are going to see "Inside Out". Just remind me if I start getting to caught up in planning to give it to the Lord, the best planner of all. Remind me to spend my time seeking Him instead of making my own plans.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."