Family Seminar

It's been a full and rich weekend in Bemidji -- and now that we've said our goodbyes and have headed down the road again, we're enjoying the many pictures Bethany captured. Such fellowship and encouragement!

We're so grateful for the kind hospitality of the Schoenfelder family -- I only wish we had a picture of all 7 of them! [smile] From many delicious meals to late night chats (and giggles), to the adventures of macro-photography and wacky skiing, they made the days incredibly special! Thank you, dear friends!

Another highlight was getting together with the Berge Family. They graciously invited us into their home for a meal and lots of visiting and laughter. We were excited to hear of their plans for the 2008 Family Bluegrass Festival they host in August. If you are looking for a special family get-away, please check out their site. It was certainly well worth the trip for us last year!

Playtime with the sweet Berge grandchildren -- and Charissa.

Learning a new game -- which is fast becoming a favorite!!!

Thanks guys! [smile]

The ever-smiling Elijah

Daddy sharing the family seminar sessions.

Ruth and I have the privilage of working together on the children's part of the seminar. What a great group of young people!


"Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ,
if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit,
if any affection and mercy,
fulfill my joy by being like-minded,
having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."
Phillipians 2:1

Final Taste of Winter

As we've missed out on some of our Nebraska winters due to travels in the south, we have been enjoying the beauty and fun of our Bemidji, Minnesota snowstorm. As the snow quickly melts, we're saying our final goodbyes to Winter 2008 -- in celebratory style!

Oh, such fun the snow brings.....

...smiles...

...excitement...

...teamwork...

...photos...

...surprises...

...a tad bit of wackiness...

...creativity...

...laughter...

...and with just the right ingredients, you just may end up with one giant of a snowman!!

"In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever."

Psalm 44:8

Snow!

We drove to Bemidji, Minnesota yesterday afternoon -- and only hours after we arrived and unloaded we noticed signs of winter falling from the sky.

Yes, SNOW! And lots of it! By this afternoon we measured over 15 inches, with flurries still thick in the air. For us, this is undoubtably the 'blizzard of the year'. Which is laughable when you consider it was 78 degrees when we left home and our wardrobes consist mostly of short-sleeves!

But, in spite of the weather, several families braved the blizzard conditions and we had a special first evening of the family seminar last night. The cold blowing of the wind and snow was a stark contrast to the warm buzz of conversation and fellowship clustered in the sanctuary. What a joy to be with God's people in the 'north country'! [smile]

Braving the cold wind

And yes, the van we're using did get stuck.
Again. And yet again!
Hurray for strong, young guys

"O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness

and Your mighty hand,

for what god is there in heaven or on earth

who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?"

Deut. 3:24

Odds and Ends...

With the excuse of having my photographer gone for the week, these past days have flown by without a blog update! It's late here in the small town of Gackle, North Dakota, but here is a quick glimpse of our household 'happenings'....

Charissa is adding multiple words to her vocabulary almost every day. She loves to 'mimick' sounds and is learning all 14 of our names....no small task! We love her dearly!!!

It was great having Josiah home for the first part of this week. He has been working for Portablast Sandblasting and staying over near DesMoines, Iowa for the past couple weeks. He continues to fly as he is able, and is hoping to complete his instructor's license very soon.

Can you guess what Bethany has been doing this week? We tried our best to keep caught up while she was gone, but somehow, she still ended up with a mountain after the weekend!

Stephen had a delightful package arrive this week! His new mandolin! He has been saving for quite awhile for a higher quality instrument -- and now we are greatly enjoying his renewed vigor and enthusiasm for practice!

Daddy has been keeping busy with several new developments to the Portablast Sandblasting Company he owns and manages. He has been blessed with many great employees that keep things running smoothly even when we're on the road.

And the ever-diligent Elizabeth on the dishes crew. [smile]

Singing together.

And with plans to be around home this summer, our younger girls have started diligently practicing their new instruments. We'll have a whole orchestra before long!

And that's all for tonight. We just left last night for a 10 day trip through ND, MN, WI and IA. A couple highlights for us will be sharing a family seminar this coming weekend...and then on Friday we are scheduled to share in a WI prison.

We'd appreciate your prayers and will do our best to keep you up-to-date!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."

Eph. 1:3-4

Schedule

It's up and going! Yes, after too long a delay, our Spring schedule is now posted on our website. We are greatly treasuring these final weeks of ministering together before the summer arrives -- and with it, a season of ministry at home and abroad.

For those of you who are local, we will be sharing an evening concert at Bethany Lutheran Church, Crete on this upcoming Sunday. We'd love to see you there!

"But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You."

Psalm 5:11

Graduation

Another highlight of this past weekend was Elizabeth's graduation recognition as part of Lincoln's home school convention. It was a special evening with our grandparents in attendance.

Grandma Wissmann

Grandpa and Grandma Hager

And my personal favorite -- Andrew and his girl!

We love you, Elizabeth!


"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom... And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
Colossians 3:16-17

Picture Recap

Well, as I sat down this evening to post the promised pictorial view of the NCHEA weekend, I realized that my sister, Bethany, has already blogged a huge assortment of captured moments for you to enjoy! Instead of composing an identical post, I'll just welcome you over to her site. [smile]


Check it out here and here!

Kid's Conference 2008

With rejoicing and praises we drove home from Lincoln on Saturday night. It had been a huge couple weeks in preparations for our annual Nebraska Christian Home Education Association's Kid's Conference. As Josiah was the Program Director this year and each of we older eight had various roles of responsibility ranging from drama to team leaders.

A huge thank you to many of you for your prayers. I hope to post an update soon sharing pictures and specific answers to prayer. But for now -- Ruth has put together another one of her beautiful slide shows to recap the weekend.




"All Your works shall praise You, O LORD,
And Your saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men

His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom."

Psalm 145:11-13