Continuing the Work

Well, here Jon and Jeffrey are still working. The guys bantered Jeffrey about his head covering which he wore to keep mud out of his hair.
The two Dave's taping drywall. We have hardly any photos of Jonathan because he was the one taking pictures on our camera. Sorry!

Jason Sturtevant planing a board. It was because of Jason's generosity that this project was able to be paid for. Jason and Joanna are being used of God in many ways. Pray for this wonderful young family.

Jarrod is sawing an opening into the basement ceiling so that the staircase can be used. Now that the basement is usable, the stairs are needed!

Yeah!! Light streams into the dungeon!

Starting the Work

Dave Weaver and Dave Holderbaum and another guy working on the wall, banging out a ledge to put electrical wiring in.
"Bishop" Weaver doesn't seem to mind the camera. In fact, someone taking a photo is a great time to make the picture worth taking! "Bishop" Weaver keeps these mission trips and projects jovial and fun!

This is Roman's son helping hold the ladder with Dave Holderbaum. One of the guys is on it, I'm not sure who. This boy, Valik, was born soon after Crystal was. I have photos of them together as one or two-year-olds. Now they are teenagers!

Jon McVey surveying the job ahead. Despite crutches and a stiff leg, he got the plastering done, with Jeffrey Albertson's help.

Here they are plastering. Jeffrey mixed and hauled mud. Mixing mud doesn't sound like all that great a job to do (something like staying home and minding Jonathan's seven children). But God needs mudders--and mothers-- too.

We've been having trouble with my computer going on the blink several times a day, so we just have to keep trying again and again. Just getting photos on as we have time and the computer works. We've been keeping the computers hot just keeping ads for our goldendoodle puppies up to date and answering emails about them, to say nothing of other things. Thanks to my marvelous son Sam for helping me with the work of downloading and uploading photos and typing in the information for ads, etc. I don't know what I would do without my children's help. They are wonderful! Please do pray that we will be able to sell the five puppies we have left. We've sold three, but I am getting very tired of cleaning up behind five very messy puppies on top of everything else that needs to be done!!

Mission Helps Project

On October 22nd, Jonathan left for Kiev, Ukraine, with a Mission Helps crew to finish the basement of the church pictured above. Jason Sturtevant had called a few months ago and asked if a crew could come over to finish the basement so there could be usable rooms for Sunday School and Kids Club. Just a week earlier, we had found out that some funds had come in for Jonathan's mission trips from the sale of the Bible College where he used to attend as a young person. Funds from the same sale had been sent to Ukraine, and Jason wanted to use part of it to help this church. We know the pastor well, Roman Organyuk and his wife Nadia. They have four children. Roman used to be the translator for Bro. Glenn Pelfrey when he was pastor of this little congregation in Ukraine. Now Roman has been pastor for about 12 years or more.
Here is the beautiful inside of the church. Jonathan had helped build the first church of logs, but it was burnt to the ground by a lightning strike. After we left Ukraine, the church was rebuilt of block.

Here are some "before" pictures of that dark, dingy basement.

Jonathan gets such a kick out of the way this drywall was put in patches on the walls. Imagine how much time it would have taken to tape all those cracks! But when there is no money, this is what has to be done. Thankfully, now God had provided funds, and the guys tore off this stuff and put up whole pieces of drywall.

On our way to get hay for our heifer one evening, we stopped at Paint Mine Interpretive park, a place half mile from Calhan. It has formations made out of clay, which the Indians used for paint years ago. Here are the girls among the formations in this fascinating place.

Sam and Timmy explore another intriguing spot.

Oops! We got mixed up and these pictures got in the wrong place!

Carrie plays the piano while high and mighty Hannah sits on top of the world.

Kitty and Hannah.

On the trail before we got into the clay formations. It just looked like prairie at first, but then we started into the clay formations. Of all things, we forgot to bring a coat for Baby Hannah, so we ended up wrapping her in two blankets and Mom carried her most of the time. She fell asleep on the walk.

More of those interesting formations behind us.

Rose checks out a cozy corner.

There were so many colors such as these pink stripes. We children wanted to climb the formations, but signs asked people not to , so we tried to respect that. As we walked, the moon came up over the prairie. It was so pretty.

Hayride

On Saturday, Oct. 3, we had a hayride at our place. Here we are the afternoon of the hayride arranging hay on the trailer and lining the driveway with hay bales.

Jonathan, Anna, and Danny with Mr. Scarecrow that Naomi French set up.

Getting loaded onto the trailer.

Almost ready to go. We had almost 50 people on the trailer. Most were young folks (or young at heart) fromour church, but also a Ukrainian family came, and a young man that has been working for Jonathan, named David. It was crowded and cold, but we had a lot of fun anyway. We saw quite a few deer as we rode around for almost an hour on backroads through Rattlesnake Bluffs. Afterward, everyone gathered around the fire that Jonathan had built in the driveway to roast weiners and marshmallows. Hay bales were stacked around as a windbreak and and to sit on. Some people of course, didn't care to stay out in the cold and ate in the house instead. Like me, for example. Thanks so much to Grandpa Lucas for keeping the fire watched while we rode on the hayride, and to Grandma Lucas for staying home to watch Baby Hannah so I could ride along on the hayride, too. It was the first hayride like that that the children and I had ever been on.

Before going home, Naomi French and Anna did a little skit that Naomi came up with. In the skit, Naomi was going on a trip and, being in a hurry, left the packing list with Anna, who decided to put anything into the suitcase but what was really needed. So poor Naomi found only crazy things when she arrived at her hotel room for overnight. Instead of toothpaste there was glue, and a fork instead of toothbrush. Instead of a nice set of matching clothes, there was a set of clothes that was --well--anything but nice or matched. And so on. How the children howled! The lesson was: God's Word is our list of what we need to make it to heaven. We can't just look at the Guide and decide to do our own thing. Then we won't make it through the gates of heaven. We won't be ready. We can't decide we don't need to do this or that, or that something God's Word says doesn't really mean what it says. It was a good lesson and a fun time.

Our goldendoodle puppies "kissing." They were actually licking the milk off each other.

In the Mountains

Some of the beautiful yellow aspen up in the mountains.

A few chilly, windy, but joyous moments spent together in God's beauty.

We found one of the most amazing trails we've ever been on, Limber Grove Trail, near Horseshoe Mountain. Starting at a bridge made of beams downstream from several beaver dams, we climbed a ways and then started into this incredibly rocky part of the trail. This is looking somewhat down the mountainside. From this direction there are towering cliffs from which these millions of rocks have fallen over thousands of years. Jonathan called us this rocky slope and its rocks are called talus rock. We picked our way for hundreds of yards across it. Mom carried the baby and managed to only stumble once, getting a nice cut on her hand. A chilly drizzle soon started after we took these pictures. We hurried down the rest of the woodsy trail, unable to beat the rain. Sam hadn't brought a coat along, so had to wear Crystal's sweater. Rose wore a baby blanket for a scarf, and Carrie had a little blanket along to take shelter under as well.

Another amazing spot. Near this tree was a little wooden sign that said, "God saved trees from floods and fires, but He can not save them from fools. " Hopefully it was not too foolish to climb this incredibly gnarled and twisted tree for a photo.

Well, this picture came on sideways again. Can you find Sammy? Talk about camouflage! This was the last of our film, and it's a good thing, because we had to hurry along. Rain was drizzling down. The trail ended at Horseshoe Campground where I stayed with the three littlest children while Jonathan and the others hurried back to the road to go back and get the van. That was quite the half hour. I found a sheltered spot under some evergreen trees by a rushing stream, wrapped the little boys with a blanket, held the sleeping baby under another blanket in my arms, and waited. I felt very sorry for the others, as we could see the wall of cold, sleety rain that was coming down the mountain road. The girls, I found out later, took shelter under another tree while Jonathan and Sammy pushed on the rest of the 1.3 miles for the van. They were very cold and quite soaked by the time they got the van. The girls said their hands were almost numb with cold. The little boys, baby and I fared the best, but even we were awfully thankful to see the van coming! How grateful we were for warm shelter again! But we wouldn't have missed that hike for anything. We'd recommend Limber Grove Trail to anyone wanting an awe-inspiring trek.

Weekend in the Mountains

Our irresistible, darling little Baby Hannah in the yellow aspen. (Sorry if I sound like a doting Mommy. I am!)
Checking out those aspen leaves...Do they taste a little like lettuce? (Carrie is holding her from behind to keep her on the log!)

Sorry, I spent quite a while trying to figure out how to turn these pictures around, and I got them turned on the computer but they wouldn't stay turned when they got on the blog. I have already wasted too much time trying to fix it. So just turn your head or page down!

This is the three boys on a log in the aspen near the cabin where we were a week ago.

Sorry again. I'm just not going to try for a fourth time. Here are our four girls. How they loved getting their pictures here! I could put on a picture of each child, but they would all be sideways, and I won't bother you with too many more sideways pictures.

Thankfully some of these photos came out all right. Walmart put a lot of my photos onto the disc sideways, and that is why I am having problems. Here my dear husband and I are, on the same log as the children were, under blue sky and yellow aspen. It was a beautiful weekend which we enjoyed despite not getting nearly enough sleep. But the beauty we enjoyed made up for it. Hopefully more photos soon.

We missed getting this picture of the girl cousins at the reunion playing wedding in one of the dorm rooms. They had found some white curtains to dress up in. Carrie was the bride, and the groom was--Well, they said he was Mr. Nobody. After all, this was an all-girls game. You should have seen the frantic frenzy to get everyone ready for the picture. Natasha (center back) was just like the regular, harried wedding coordinator getting everyone and everyone's "clothes" or flowers in just the right place! Back row around Carrie are Gabriel's Andrea, Joella's Susanna, Fain's Natasha, our Rose, and Gabriel's Bethany. The front left girl is Gabriel's Carrie, and the girl on the right is Joella's Charity.

GRINNING GARDENERS!

Proud of the vegetables we grew in our tiny gardens, the children line up for a photo.

Rose has turnips, Carrie has a cucumber and lettuce, Sam more turnips, Timmy turnips, and the baby is trying to get a bite of lettuce. Danny has a shovel, of course.

Final pictures of the reunion

Oops, the above picture is what happened AFTER the reunion! The day after we arrived home, our second batch of golden doodle puppies arrived! We were thankful they waited till we got home. We were delighted to have eight living puppies! Lots of work ahead!

Back to the reunion--Here is a picture of the food line. Craig insisted that the boys let the girls go first--thanks, Craig, for teaching a bit of chivalry! Craig and Joella headed up the cooking and organizing all the help to make meals. They did a wonderful job! Sunday noon's slow-cooked roast beef that Chris and Kezia donated was tops to me.

Saturday evening we celebrated Charity's and Gabriel's Danny's birthdays. Cake and icecream were eaten around the campfire.

Up we go, into the wild blue yonder!

I think this is my favorite photo! Just before we were getting ready to leave on Labor Day, Monday, I suggested getting a picture of us three sisters. Then we decided to have the husbands in on it, too. And then Kezia suggested that the husbands HOLD us! And, can you even more imgine, the husbands CONSENTED!!

What I like about this picture is how happy everyone looks--especially the husbands! Whether it is because they are thrilled to have us for wives or whether they are just tickled that they can still pick up those wives is a matter of debate, I suppose.

Tire Shop in Salina, Kansas

Story follows

We stayed so much later than we expected to Monday that we didn't get to visit the St. Louis Arch as we'd hoped, but that saved us money anyhow. Jonathan's dad on the phone helped us get a hotel room on Priceline, in Salina, Kansas, which ended up being a bit of a fiasco. The air conditioning didn't work, and Jonathan ended up opening the window and the inside door both, to get a cross breeze. But then he couldn't sleep because every little noise made him think someone might be coming in! Plus Timmy had been sick and his breathing sounded awful, and his heart was racing. Jonathan wondered if we'd end up taking him to the ER. Finally that awful night was over, and we started off early in the morning for home.

That wasn't the end of the adventure. Twenty-five miles down the road, we came upon a stranded vehicle with a tire off and two guys by it, one waving us down. We stopped, and ended up trying to make room for one big colored guy and his flat donut tire. We thought we'd just take him on to the next station, but Jonathan soon realized it would be many miles on our way to find help. So we turned around at the next median turn-around--right in front of THREE policemen! Thankfully, they didn't even stop, but we were pretty cautious driving behind them. Unfortunately, the donut spare tire turned out to have a hole in it as well, and the guy was pretty upset and frustrated. We spent a couple hours going from one shop to another trying to find another tire--the problem aggravated because the guy didn't know the make or model of the car he'd been riding in. It belonged to his friend, and his friend back at the car 25 miles away had a cell phone that was dead. We finally had prayer together with Paul, the guy we'd picked up, to ask the Lord to undertake for us and help us find a tire. To make a long story short, after stopping seven different places, we finally found a shop that appeared to belong to Christians. The guy there looked in his vehicle book, and made a couple calls, and figured out the make, model and size of tire needed, and outfitted the donut with a new tire. The above picture was taken in this cute tire office. It had this harvest display in the middle of the show room, and the whole room was decorated with antiques. Very unique, and very good service! If you ever have tire problems near Salina, check out Bengston's Tire Shop for good service.
We weren't sure why the Lord let this happen. We sure didn't expect to be held up two and a half hours when we first stopped to help. We could have been almost half way home. There didn't seem to be much reward for it, in earthly terms. It was a really miserable time some of the time, but at the same time, God's mercies were evident. We just committed this little situation to Him and prayed that something about it would count for eternity. If nothing else, it was a chance to show our children that sometimes you just help for nothing in return. You cannot always expect a reward or think that everything you do will shine with a great purpose. Sometimes your only payment will be more misery. But even when you don't understand why you got stuck in a situation that you feel helpless about, you can trust God to bring good out of it--even if it only shows up in eternity!

Visiting at Grandma and pa Morley's house

On Saturday, Dorcas and Ben's family and our family went to see Grandma and pa Morley's home, as we'd never seen it yet. Then our family also went to see the house Chris has so beautifully remodeled for Kezia as well. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures. I would have loved to at least have taken a picture of the outside of their home, with all the pretty wooden barrels overflowing with flowers. That's what impressed me the most. You don't have to have a large or gorgeous house to make it beautiful outside with flowers, and beautiful inside with love. The main thing is for a home to have love, and that sometimes does show through the beauty of the way it is built and the work put into making it beautiful with flowers. May God bless all such homes, whether humble and lowly or large and beautiful, where Christ is first, and love abides.
Jonathan and Grandpa are visiting above, while Samuel Morley is up a tree by the house. The children had fun climbing up into the old haymow as well.

I had to get this photo of the little boy inside of Chris! He accompanied the two Samuels up that tree.

The three sisters there at the time--Anna, Kezia, and Dorcas--with our mom and dad--and babies, of course. I always did think my sisters were beautiful. But you don't have to have a lot of beauty to get married--I proved that! And you don't have to be gorgeous to have cute babies. I also proved that! Ha ha! You just have to have a handsome hubby! Ha ha! In all seriousness we are very blessed and have so much to be thankful for...

like for your handsome hubbies! And ones, who, on top of looking half decent, also treat us nicely. We are very happy and blessed wives. We don't look a bit unhappy, do we? Not even after having seven or nine children--except Kezia, who hasn't started yet.

Jonathan and I were both very grateful to my brother Gabriel's wife Elizabeth for giving some of her time to give us some foot treatments. She has taken training in foot reflexology and has been licensed to be able to help a lot of people with various ailments from MS to epilepsy. Jonathan was having a terrible problem with his eye burning, as he's had in the past sometimes when he's under a lot of stress. Driving in bright sunlight really aggravates it. Elizabeth worked on the nerve endings on his feet, and he felt it really helped his eye problem. She also worked on my feet, and for someone who doesn't understand the nerve endings and blood vessel systems, it might sound funny, but my sore throat had disappeared by the time she was done working on my feet. I felt the two treatments also helped my hurting shoulders. She said she can stop a seizure by working on the pinpoint area for the pituitary gland on the big toe. A young Amish woman has been coming to her for treatments because she was having 10 to 20 seizures a month, and they were ruining her life. Now, after Elizabeth has been working with her, she only has one or two seizures a month, has a boyfriend, and is so happy that she can live again. I wish I could learn more about this simple method of helping a person.