Chicks!

The chicks are here! A few weeks ago we ordered twenty-five chicks from an online hatchery. Late last night I was still awake setting up their brooder (heat lamp and cardboard box in the bathtub) I know kind of last minute, but my entire weekend was very busy, well not really but Saturday we spent all morning and afternoon moving things out of the shed because it’s in the way of our future garage and needed to be moved, I was so tired after that, I didn’t feel like doing anything constructive. Sunday we had company all day but afterward I managed to slap 3 cardboard boxes together, hang the lamp from a spare curtain rod and dog chain (cheap but effective), and wash out the borrowed feeder and waterer before collapsing into bed after 11:00. At 6:50 this morning the phone call from the post office woke me up, very soon after that we were on the road. The lady at the post office handed us two peeping boxes, we had already gotten in the car when we realized the 2^nd box did not belong to us. Triumphantly we marched our noisy little box into the 3^rd bathroom, I mean brooder facility, and released the chicks into their new home. The hatchery had sent us two little freebies, one of which we have since found out to be a White Crested Black Polish a comical little fellow with a yellow cottonball on top of his head. At first he didn’t look so good laying around and not eating, but he soon perked up after feeding him some mash-- just their food dissolved in warm water with a spoonful of yogurt. It’s been very difficult to do any school today because we often go “check” on the chicks instead of slaving over geometry. --- Anna

Mailboxes, spray paint, and the police

One of our more interesting experiences happened just a few days after we moved into our new house. Since our new mailbox had the name of the old owner painted on it, mom sent my brother and I with a can of black spray paint to paint over it. After enjoying the half mile hike we arrived at the row of ten mailboxes. While we stood in front of the long line of mailboxes shaking a can of black spray paint, a police car turned in. I was afraid of how this looked, but Philip and I both mustered up a smile and waved cheerfully, trying hard not to look like a pair of vandals. After all we had nothing to hide, right? Luckily he completely ignored us driving by a little faster than the 20 mph speed limit. My brother and I looked at each other and laughed, not the “wow that was cool” laugh, but “wow that was close” laugh. To keep from spraying over the house number while we sprayed over the previous owners' name we made do with 2 large leaves and a hunk of cement we found beside the road. After finishing our appointed task, we had begun our trek home when the policeman passed again this time he too smiled and waved. We had an interesting story to tell mom when we reached home. ---Anna

New house

We just moved to our new house in Beaverdam, Virginia in December 2008. It has fifteen acres of mostly woods and we just cleared 1.5 acres. A creek runs through it and into a pond that is on the edge of our property. One of our neighbors across the street has chickens and ducks who free range in their yard. Another neighbor to our right has chickens and sheep. Sometimes the sheep escape and wander into our yard. Did you know sheep can run? The sheep wandered into our front yard one day and my mom walked out to get a better look at them. She must have spooked them because they took off, I mean they were flying. I seriously didn't know that sheep could run that fast. In our last house it was my job to get the mail every day which was not that hard you just walk down the driveway and the mailbox was right there. Now it is .5 miles away :( But it is really not bad; it's a nice pleasant walk or bike ride. ---Philip

Exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask...

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20

We have wanted more land for some time and over the last year the Lord led us to prepare our house to sell though the market wasn’t promising. In September we put our house on the market and it sold in 40 days almost to the day.

Needing to move quickly, our buyers asked for an end of October closing. A friend from church rented us his dad’s house till we could find a house of our own. His father had recently passed away and they planned to sell it. Over the next two months we made an offer on a house that was turned down (the counter was we want the same price but we’ll move when you want us to) and an offer on a second house where the wife signed but the husband refused at the very last minute. A bizarre situation but one that was totally God. According to Anna “the Lord was herding us to the right place”. Cautiously moving ahead, the Lord faithfully prodded us along and gave us the boot when the time was right.

We saw many “nice” houses but as one of the kids said “they weren't exceedingly abundantly above what God could do”. When the house we were renting sold suddenly we knew that the Lord’s plan for us was to make a decision on a house we had already seen. The house we finally bought was one we had liked immediately but weren’t sure about the longer drives to work for John (from 20 to 40min) and church (from 6 to 35min). Since we have been here though we have adjusted to the drive and we think country living makes it worthwhile. We are grateful for God’s leading and care and for the many prayers made on our behalf. --- Jean