Sunday, October 28, 2007
Home Study
We finished our home study on Friday!!! I'm very excited! It feels so good to have it done. The social worker came to our home and briefly walked through it and then talked to us for a few hours. So with the home study done, we're now on the list for Korea. We'll get the instructions for the dossier (paperwork the country requires for adoption) for Ethiopia this week. When we finish that, we'll be on the list for Ethiopia. So things are moving forward. So now, as far as timing, it depends on how long it takes us to get and accept a referral for a child. Then once we accept a referral (where this will be the child we'll move to adopt) we'll have to wait to travel to go pick them up - for Ethiopia it'll be 3 months after we accept the referral and for Korea it'll be 3 1/2 to 4 months after we accept the referral. We're getting really excited and continue to pray for this little one the Lord has for us. So as far as we can tell, a little more paperwork and then we wait (but of course, there'll be more paperwork when we have the baby...). I've ordered a couple books to start reading in the meantime. We'll continue to keep you posted :).
Halloween Party
The students hosted the Halloween party last Friday, and I wanted to post my 3 favorites. I thought they were pretty creative.
The first is pretty obvious... The Bible
These 2 wore a square piece of cardboard that said "bread" on the back and then the intials on the front give it away: "PB and J".
These four are the good luck trolls - you can't see very well, but they all have their hair sprayed up with colored spray and the shiny coin on their belly.
The first is pretty obvious... The Bible
These 2 wore a square piece of cardboard that said "bread" on the back and then the intials on the front give it away: "PB and J".
These four are the good luck trolls - you can't see very well, but they all have their hair sprayed up with colored spray and the shiny coin on their belly.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Duluth and Other news
After the first 6 weeks of the s
emester, we get a 4 day weekend. It was much needed. So Aaron and I went to Duluth for a night to stay at a bed and breakfast. I've driven through Duluth but never actually been it the city. I really enjoyed it. It's right on Lake Superior, and the city rises from the shore, and many of the streets are quite steep. Our bed and breakfast was in a neighborhood with a lot of old homes and mansions around it, and because the neighborhood steeply rises from the shoreline, you could see the lake even 7-10 blocks inland. It was really pretty. And there's a fun area down by the canal with shops and restaurants that is fun to walk around. We want to go back because it was cooler and rainy and really windy, and that hindered us from going to some of the great parks north of the city. And apparently there's a park that has a lot of hawks and eagles (we did see 3 bald eagles pretty close on the drive home, though and that was fun). So I can now recommend Duluth if you've never been there.
Pictured is a lighthouse (one of 2 to enter the canal) and the bed and breakfast we stayed at - it was really nice.
There's been some really cool stuff happening on campus lately. I'll try to post some of that soon too. It's really been incredible; the Lord is working in the hearts and lives of students. It's so fun to watch and be apart of!
emester, we get a 4 day weekend. It was much needed. So Aaron and I went to Duluth for a night to stay at a bed and breakfast. I've driven through Duluth but never actually been it the city. I really enjoyed it. It's right on Lake Superior, and the city rises from the shore, and many of the streets are quite steep. Our bed and breakfast was in a neighborhood with a lot of old homes and mansions around it, and because the neighborhood steeply rises from the shoreline, you could see the lake even 7-10 blocks inland. It was really pretty. And there's a fun area down by the canal with shops and restaurants that is fun to walk around. We want to go back because it was cooler and rainy and really windy, and that hindered us from going to some of the great parks north of the city. And apparently there's a park that has a lot of hawks and eagles (we did see 3 bald eagles pretty close on the drive home, though and that was fun). So I can now recommend Duluth if you've never been there.Pictured is a lighthouse (one of 2 to enter the canal) and the bed and breakfast we stayed at - it was really nice.
When we got home we began working on the house and getting some of the things we needed. We're finally getting some of our pictures hung and have a few more things to get ready for our home study on Friday. So it's been really good to start catching up on "life stuff" the last 2 days. We still have some paperwork to fill out by Friday...need to get going on that! :)
Also, we had some of the students over for dinner tonight, and one of them told me you could take a normal brownie mix and instead of adding the eggs, oil, and water, you puree a can of black beans (liquid and all) and add that and bake as usual. I know, I was a doubter too, but she brought the brownies tonight and I have officially taste-tested them - pretty good! The texture is less "greasy" and more chewy than normal brownies but still really good. So I HAD to pass on that tip. I mean, it's not going to make brownies a health food, but every little bit helps :). And please post if you try this - I'm curious how many people will give it a try :).
There's been some really cool stuff happening on campus lately. I'll try to post some of that soon too. It's really been incredible; the Lord is working in the hearts and lives of students. It's so fun to watch and be apart of!So I think that's about it for now. Hope you made it through the random topics... enjoy the brownies! :)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Updates
I have been wanting to post for awhile but just haven't had time. The last few weeks have been very full. I had some involvement in getting Fall Retreat together, and we've been trying to get some adoption stuff together along with the busyness of fall semester. So here's a few posts of what's been going on lately.
AND Go Bears for beating the Packers...
And Go Bears for choking and losing to the Vikings... We went to the super bowl last year, really...
AND Go Bears for beating the Packers...
And Go Bears for choking and losing to the Vikings... We went to the super bowl last year, really...
Home study
We had the first meeting with our social worker for our adoption home study this past Monday. We drove to St. Paul and met for 3 hours. It went really well. We primarily talked about our lives, family, marriage, personalities, and parenting philosophy. We were excited to meet as it feels like a tangible step in moving forward. And of course we left the meeting with some more paperwork to get done by next week when we have our second meeting. Our social worker will come to our home next Friday for our second and final meeting. THEN, we'll be able to go on the list for Korea, and after getting our dossier together for Ethiopia, we'll be able to be listed for that country as well. We'll dual list for both countries and just see what surfaces. We're really excited as it feels like we're finally getting there. So we pray for our child to be ready for our family and for us to be ready for this child...can't wait to see who he/she is! We'll continue to keep you posted!
Fall Retreat 07!
This past weekend was our Fall Retreat. We had 100 students and an awesome weekend.
Here's our staff team with our speaker, Gary, and his wife Cristen and their 3 children. Gary and Cristen are great friends of our whole staff team, and we really enjoyed having them for the weekend.
Here's the whole group!
It was a great weekend!
Here's our staff team with our speaker, Gary, and his wife Cristen and their 3 children. Gary and Cristen are great friends of our whole staff team, and we really enjoyed having them for the weekend. 
Here's the whole group! 
It was a great weekend!Little House in the Big Woods
This is the replica of the log cabin where the Ingalls family lived in the book, Little House in the Big Woods. I think it's built in the place where the original cabin was located. Obviously now it would be little house in a big field...
Here's the inside of the cabin. In the book it talks about Laura and Mary sleeping in the loft.
Just thought you might want to see this :).
Here's the inside of the cabin. In the book it talks about Laura and Mary sleeping in the loft.Just thought you might want to see this :).Monday, October 08, 2007
Good Day
Overall, I feel like Saturday was a good day. Most of you probably experienced the same 85 degree weather that we did (in October!). Aaron and I drove over to Pepin, WI which is about an hour away. It was a beautiful day to go, to look at the trees changing along the rolling farm landscape, and to be together. We went to Pepin because that's where the first Laura Ingalls book takes place, Little House in the Big Woods. They have a little museum in the town and a few miles outside of town you can see a reconstructed log cabin where the original was. So it was fun to see those things and be in one of the places from all the books I read to Payton. We also sat by Lake Pepin for a little bit and watched the sail boats and the fishermen. (I'll try to post some pictures, but I'm just too tired to upload them at the moment.)
Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers. In some ways it feels like it's been a year; in some ways it feels like it's gone really fast (and at times slow); and in other ways it's hard to believe it's been a year already. In the last weeks I've been reading the blog posts and comments from a year ago just retracing the steps we took. This has reminded me, overwhelmingly, of 2 things. 1. It was the Lord that sustained her and protected her for so long. He really just kept her and watched over her. 2. Wow did we have so many people praying alongside us and loving our girl. It's overwhelming just to reread things and remember. I still can't believe how he used Payton. The Lord endeared her to the hearts of so many.
I haven't posted much on grief here because it's been something that's so deeply personal to me, and a blog just doesn't feel very personal. There's been a few that have continued to love me and walk with me and pray with me on the journey, and I'm incredibly grateful for them... and grateful that they're still with me on the journey as it's not done. The best way I can describe the loss of a child (and this may or may not sound really dramatic, I just can't think of any other way to explain it) is it's like an amputation. A part of yourself is permanently gone, and now life is full of continued adjustments and reminders that that part of you is gone. And so you adjust and life begins to take on a new normal. And sometimes the adjustment is normal, and sometimes it just hits you in the face. But the Lord has been with us every step of the way. I truly don't know how someone walks through a significant loss without the Lord; He's been so faithful. So that's maybe a brief overview of the last year. I'll stop there for now. There's a few more things I'll update on later... Much love, the Joneses
Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers. In some ways it feels like it's been a year; in some ways it feels like it's gone really fast (and at times slow); and in other ways it's hard to believe it's been a year already. In the last weeks I've been reading the blog posts and comments from a year ago just retracing the steps we took. This has reminded me, overwhelmingly, of 2 things. 1. It was the Lord that sustained her and protected her for so long. He really just kept her and watched over her. 2. Wow did we have so many people praying alongside us and loving our girl. It's overwhelming just to reread things and remember. I still can't believe how he used Payton. The Lord endeared her to the hearts of so many.
I haven't posted much on grief here because it's been something that's so deeply personal to me, and a blog just doesn't feel very personal. There's been a few that have continued to love me and walk with me and pray with me on the journey, and I'm incredibly grateful for them... and grateful that they're still with me on the journey as it's not done. The best way I can describe the loss of a child (and this may or may not sound really dramatic, I just can't think of any other way to explain it) is it's like an amputation. A part of yourself is permanently gone, and now life is full of continued adjustments and reminders that that part of you is gone. And so you adjust and life begins to take on a new normal. And sometimes the adjustment is normal, and sometimes it just hits you in the face. But the Lord has been with us every step of the way. I truly don't know how someone walks through a significant loss without the Lord; He's been so faithful. So that's maybe a brief overview of the last year. I'll stop there for now. There's a few more things I'll update on later... Much love, the Joneses
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Getting There
With the absolutely beautiful weather this weekend, I knew that this would probably be our last good weekend to fix our windows. They're crank windows, and the bottoms were a little moldy and just needed to be scraped and sanded and re-stained. So that's what we did. We did most of it yesterday and finished with the 2nd coat of stain/poly today. The weather was key because they're supposed to dry for 6 hours - therefore needing to leave the windows open. So it just feels really good to get that done, not that it took a super long time, but it's just nice to get those kinds of tasks out of the way.
Also, after a few crazy weeks starting the semester, we're finally working on adoption stuff again. We worked on it some last Sunday, and we did some more today. So I've finished all 3 pages of questions except 3 of them which I need to get other info. to finish, and Aaron is finishing up page 2. We also finished our medical checklist tonight. It's a 2-sided document in small font with lists of conditions, and you have to check yes/no/maybe on what you'd consider taking in your adopted child. It's a little heavy to fill out because you know you're either saying yes or no to a child. So, with prayer, we're moving forward.
Also, after a few crazy weeks starting the semester, we're finally working on adoption stuff again. We worked on it some last Sunday, and we did some more today. So I've finished all 3 pages of questions except 3 of them which I need to get other info. to finish, and Aaron is finishing up page 2. We also finished our medical checklist tonight. It's a 2-sided document in small font with lists of conditions, and you have to check yes/no/maybe on what you'd consider taking in your adopted child. It's a little heavy to fill out because you know you're either saying yes or no to a child. So, with prayer, we're moving forward.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
GREAT children's book
I've been wanting to tell you all about a great children's Bible they recommended to us this summer. Aaron ordered it, and we love it. We're reading it ourselves! Here's the title: "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I wanted to post the intro because I think she just hits the nail on the head. It'll be a few paragraphs so bear with me:
"God wrote, 'I love you'... and [he] wrote it in a book called 'the Bible.' Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.
Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes as all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.
No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
You see, the best think about this Story is - it's true.
There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.
It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture."
I love this introduction; because if someone isn't familiar with the Bible, she paints a beautiful picture of what a treasure the Bible is. Our communication class this summer taught us a lot about communicating God's story - probably why Aaron and I like this book so much. So I just wanted to recommend it. Another great children's Bible is "The Big Picture Story Bible" by David Helm. We read this one to Payton in the hospital and really like it as well. And the illustrations in both of these books are amazing. They did a great job with them. So I'll just leave you with that for now. Thanks!
"God wrote, 'I love you'... and [he] wrote it in a book called 'the Bible.' Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.
Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes as all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.
No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
You see, the best think about this Story is - it's true.
There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.
It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture."
I love this introduction; because if someone isn't familiar with the Bible, she paints a beautiful picture of what a treasure the Bible is. Our communication class this summer taught us a lot about communicating God's story - probably why Aaron and I like this book so much. So I just wanted to recommend it. Another great children's Bible is "The Big Picture Story Bible" by David Helm. We read this one to Payton in the hospital and really like it as well. And the illustrations in both of these books are amazing. They did a great job with them. So I'll just leave you with that for now. Thanks!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
9 Class Days
We've just finished week 2 on campus. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Things have been really busy but SO GOOD! So we've had 9 class days and in that time we've seen 12 students pray to receive Christ! (If you're wondering exactly what this means, I'd encourage you to read an online version of what we share with students here: www.campuscrusade.com/four_laws_online.htm ). I have never experienced a fall like this. Ministry has been incredible. As staff, we've been energetic to continue to go and initiate conversations with students. Our students have had such a passion to reach their campus for the Lord and have also been out initiating conversations. I don't remember having so many opportunities to share about the Lord, and I've also been able to connect with some really fun freshmen. It's been incredibly encouraging, and I'm just so proud of our students.
We kicked off AIA (Athletes in Action) this past Tuesday night and had 27 students there! We were really excited to see that. Also, at our large group weekly meeting on Thursday nights that we have for the main movement, we've had 214 and then 190 students attend. This usually drops as the semester goes on, but we'll see what happens! So I wanted to let you know what God has been doing on campus in just 2 short weeks. We'll keep you posted as the semester goes on. Much love, the Joneses
We kicked off AIA (Athletes in Action) this past Tuesday night and had 27 students there! We were really excited to see that. Also, at our large group weekly meeting on Thursday nights that we have for the main movement, we've had 214 and then 190 students attend. This usually drops as the semester goes on, but we'll see what happens! So I wanted to let you know what God has been doing on campus in just 2 short weeks. We'll keep you posted as the semester goes on. Much love, the Joneses
Twins
As I was walking through the dorm to leave campus on Friday afternoon, I ran into my teammate, Heather, and started laughing. We were both wearing tan cords and black zip-up hoodies under our jean jackets. I couldn't believe we'd dressed so alike. Here's proof.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
GOOD weekend
I've been wanting to post about this past weekend and am now taking the opportunity to do so. With the 1000 contacts from Friday, the staff team and some students went to talk to some of those students on Saturday. We had some great conversations and even saw 3 women begin a relationship with Jesus! That was a pretty exciting way to start! Then that evening we had our annual Rootbeer Kegger at a local park and saw about 150 students come for that! Just rootbeer floats and hanging out - nothing special - but what a blast to see so many there - And so many Freshman! It was great. I talked to quite a few and remembered only a few names :). It happens to me every fall. Then yesterday we had our Leader's Retreat where we gather with the student leaders to solify all the plans we had made the previous spring as well as pray for the upcoming year. We had 55 (?) leaders out of 58 total there! Honestly, I can't believe how the Lord has grown this ministry. My first fall here, the fall of '04, we had half that many leaders; so it's just so encouraging. Today was the first day of school for the students, and we all just went out and tried to have more conversations. So the year is starting out well.
As far as adoption stuff, that's going more slowly now since we're in our "busy" season for work. We're slowly working on answering our questions... we're getting there. We'll continue to keep you posted!
As far as adoption stuff, that's going more slowly now since we're in our "busy" season for work. We're slowly working on answering our questions... we're getting there. We'll continue to keep you posted!
Friday, August 31, 2007
I love Students
Today was our first official event with students. We set up 2 tables on lower campus and passed out 1000 "cup-n-cokes"! The students planned it and did a fantastic job! We, as staff, just showed up to participate! It just went so well. I'm so pleased. It was great to see a bunch of the students after the "long" summer. So tomorrow we're going back on campus to try to follow-up with some of those students. Then tomorrow night is our big party - the Rootbeer Kegger. We're having it at a park this year. The park is right next to campus; so we're hoping we'll even just have people wander into the event as well. Right now we're just wanting to meet new students, especially freshman. So it was a great kickoff to the year!
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