Day 3: Flexibility

Jordan and Malachi...adorable little boy that loved "J"

Our first full day on the reservation was met with many challenges. First of all, as I mentioned yesterday the teen center where we are staying is in much worse shape than last year. The grass is several feet tall and completely overgrown with weeds. Aaron spent all morning and worked through lunch trying to get the grass under control. Did I mention that most of the time it was pouring down rain? He was such a trooper and completely covered in grass when he was finished. Flexibility.

My big project this year is coordinating the carnival on Wednesday. The reservation has 1000 people and last year we had 600 at the carnival!And so, needless to say, this is a very big job. Once we arrived at the teen center we (Amy and I...carnival co-chairs:) organized the thousands of prizes packed in banana boxes in a secure room. We were so proud of our organization. Well, it didn't last. This morning we were informed that our "secure room" had to be cleared out...ugh! And so we spent most of the day moving and organizing the bazillion boxes that we had just done yesterday. Flexibility.

Every evening we feed all of the kids at the youth center. We have two separate kitchens...one in a building with the little kids and the other for the teens. To feed all of these children is quite a chore. Not to mention that they are all starving and have A.D.D...:) Tonight was our first dinner with the kids and the menu was chicken strips, french fries, corn, salad and fruit. When we pulled out our chicken strips they were frozen into a giant mound. We had to basically hacksaw through them to get them on a cookie sheet. And then to top it off we have an oven that only cooks on a quarter of the oven so the food has to be rotated constantly. The kids didn't mind and ate every bite. Flexibility.

All in all we had a very full, busy, amazing day. This was our first day with the kids and it was such a joy to see the kids that we fell in love with last year come through those doors. As you can see from the pictures everyone found their special child. I can't wait to see what relationships develop this week.

Last night we had an incredible experience that I wanted to share just so that I will not forget. After 9pm all of the children go home and we lock all of the doors. Last night at around 10pm we got a knock on the door. For some reason someone opened the door and there stood a man named David asking to speak to a counselor. Aaron just happened to be walking by when this was going on. He took some chairs and he and Donn went out to speak to the man. This man stated that he was down on his luck and needed someone to talk to. He has four children and his wife just left him and moved out of state. Aaron instantly felt a connection to the man and realized after a few minutes of speaking to him that he was adopted as a child and grew up in a town just south of Kansas City called Grandview...this is where Aaron is from! We are in the middle of an Indian reservation in South Dakota...really? How insane is this? At the end of their conversation the man asked for a favor which was to pray with him. This is even more amazing since the liklihood of finding a Christian on the reservation is next to impossible. God works in some crazy ways.

Here are some pics from today:

Aaron weed wacking the jungle...for 7 hours straight!!

Donn and Aaron after their 7 hours of yardwork.

Rachel and Keisha doing airplane.

Aaron was outside mowing in the rain when he saw Keisha standing in a field nearby by herself. Aaron recognized her since she was wearing the Mizzou sweatshirt that Rachel gave her yesterday. He turned off the mower and went over to her and asked if she would like to see Rachel...she smiled very big as he scooped her up and brought her inside. It is so unbelievable that these kids just wander outside and walk around in the rain without an adult having any idea where they are.

Rachel and DeJuan...he is a very sweet, high energy special needs child. He loved Ray!

Madi painting some nails... Madi giving some DS lessons Madi getting some math tutoring from Malachi. :)

Sam with K.Lnn

Sarah with Sunrose and Jordan with K.Lnn

Mizzou pom poms...M-I-Z-Z-O-U

Olivia doing some DS teaching with Cassy

Livi and Cassy doing some gymnastics.

Look at the hair color difference...not many blonds here.

And so, first full day was not one that we anticipated but we rolled with the punches and got through it. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little more smooth. Keep us in your prayers.

1. Pray for the rain to STOP! We need good weather for so many reasons I can't even explain them all.

2. Pray for the health of our team. We have colds, coughs, broken toes, migraines, stomach aches, etc.

3. Pray for the pastor that we met last year when our team rehabbed his church. His wife Ann has had some cardiac issues and her condition is getting worse by the day. She is hospitalized several hours away and they have 5 young children that need their mom.

Thanks for checking on us...

The Adventure Begins

Yesterday at 6am we departed for an adventure. The Crowell family along with 10 other families left for South Dakota. This is our 2nd mission trip to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation where we serve the Lakota Indians of the Sioux Tribe. When we asked our girls if they would rather go to the beach or to South Dakota this summer, without a second of hesitation they yelled "South Dakota". And so we packed up and headed 900 miles to a magnificent but yet incredibly deprived part of our country to once again spend a wonderful week with the people that we so fell in love with last year.

As I write this, it is approximately 2am and I have just had my first shower since Friday...ewww I know. :) We have already had an incredible experience that I will write about tomorrow...an amazing story of how God works in absolutely incredible ways. We will be challenged this week like no other. The conditions on the reservation are much worse than last year...not sure why but sadly it is the case. But, we are with an incredible group of people that share in this mission and will be with us every step of the way.

Kids can have fun anywhere! This is like one gigantic sleepover....good times!

Tee Pees...does it get more Indian than this?

The beautiful land of South Dakota...breathtaking!

Unpacking the truck...all hands on deck!

These are the banana boxes that we packed for the carnival...we have over 6,000 carnival prizes, a dunking booth, a bounce house, a cotton candy machine and 10 other games. Woo Hoo!

Our luxurious sleeping quarters. This is the woman, young girl and tween room...most crowded room by far. There is a man room and a teen girl room...good times. A week sleeping with Olivia...ugh! She is a violent sleeper.

We are heading to bed now after a VERY long day. Tomorrow the kids arrive and the party begins. We are so grateful for our safe travels and the hard work of our team and can't wait to see what the week will bring. Keep us in your prayers.

Prayer requests:

1. Good weather..more rain is in the forecast. They have had record rainfall amounts in the last few weeks.

2. Kids that show up tomorrow at the Youth Center (rumor has it that the numbers have been low lately due to kids getting beaten up...yikes!

3. We can figure out a way to get the grass mowed (the playground that was fairly nice last year is a complete disaster with grass several feet high...this will be the location of the carnival on Wednesday where we will entertain approximately 600 people! Pray hard for this one!

A Christmas to Remember

As I alluded to in my previous post I had the rug pulled out from under me right before Christmas. We returned from our Christmas party at the shelter and I went to take a relaxing bath. I remember soaking in the tub basking in the glow of the families we had just spent time with and looking forward to the next few days and the wonderful magic of Christmas. Aaron walked into the bathroom and I happened to ask a question about work (not sure why!) and he basically in a nutshell stated that he had a conversation with his partner who told him that his salary was going to be 100% commission in 30 days. So basically, 48 hours before Christmas our world greatly changed! I have heard before that it is when faced with adversity that you see the true man emerge and this was definitely the case. I would love to talk about my husband's character and his steadfastness in caring for his family. Aaron constantly reassured me during this turmoil that the only thing that mattered was our family and that we were going to be ok. He would say over and over, who cares about our "lifestyle" and our "possessions"...these are earthly things that will be gone in an instant. We discussed the possibility of selling our house and putting the girls in public school. I hate to admit it but the idea of these things made me sick. I was happy and comfortable and never imagined this could happen. Usually when you own your own business you get through the ups and downs...we had done this for over a decade. But we were suddenly faced with a new reality. I immediately looked for a job. I hadn't worked in years and thought that I seriously might kill someone if I went back to nursing. But I didn't know what else to do and started sending out my resume. By the complete grace of God I was offered 2 positions very quickly. One that I knew I was clearly not qualified for (not sure what they were thinking) and another one that seemed a better fit. I debated for a few hours and decided to accept a job at Nurses for Newborns. It seemed to be more flexible and would allow me to be a mom of 4 children a little easier. Aaron was completely petrified of the job since my territory was North City and North County. The day that I sent a text to him from a crack house giving him the location of where I was in case I didn't come home was the straw that broke the camel's back. He decided right then and there that he would need to start looking for a job to hopefully get us out of this dreadful situation. The lowest time for me was Christmas Eve when I unwrapped gifts for the girls and returned them. As I walked into those stores with the holiday buzz and excitement of joyful people looking forward to the big day, I was incredibly tearful. I had shopped for months and had carefully selected each and every present I bought for the girls so the thought of returning them made me sick! People in the stores probably thought we had had a tragedy in our family when they looked at my red and swollen eyes. I will also never forget our Christmas Eve church service when I literally held my breath for fear that I would break down in front of everyone (which I eventually did!). I couldn't sing one single word to any of my most loved Christmas songs. And if you know me, you know I LOVE to sing in church. The lowest of the lows was when I looked over to Jordan who was sitting on my right and saw that she had tears pouring down her cheeks. We had reached rock bottom. Over the next several weeks the support of our family and friends was absolutely amazing. Our parents on both sides completely stepped up and rallied behind us. I am sure they were petrified at the thought of the 6 of us moving in with them! They were absolutely fantastic and gave us many pep talks as well as unconditional love. I would also like to mention those that were our "rocks" so that I never forget...Shannon, Chuck, Trey, Brian, Dondra, Kathie, Angie, Kim M, Kim C., Tim, Mandy, Lance, Heather, Phil, Chris, Chuck R., Shelley, and Chuck S....just to name a few! It is a shame to have to go through a trial to realize how incredibly loved you are but we all felt it! I will never forget those that prayed for us and know that I could never thank you enough. We now realize that those prayers completely took our pain and anger away. It was such a surreal moment when I realized that my sadness was gone but our situation was getting more and more bleak. Funny how God can take the pain away! So the last few months have been a roller coaster to say the least. I am still working at Nurses for Newborns and honestly LOVE my job. Aaron is getting used to the idea knowing that I am learning some much needed "street smarts". I don't get a panic attack anymore when I cross the bridge! The miracle beyond miracles was that Aaron found an incredible job while not even really looking for one. He is the VP of Sales at a company that did a little over 80 million dollars last year. He is transitioning well and LOVES his new job. I am getting used to a husband that travels and have recently found out that a mom and 4 daughters can fit in a bed with a dog at our feet! There are many things that I have learned during this trial in our life that I pray I never forget: 1. The only things in this world that we can truly control are our attitude and how we respond to life's ups and downs. 2. The love of our family and friends will always persevere no matter what! We have been immensely blessed by those that we call our family and friends. 3. Peace and happiness doesn't come from this world but only through the love of Christ. 4. Crying on Christmas sucks! I would not wish sadness on this amazing day on my worst enemy. When your children are opening presents Mom and Dad should be joyfully watching not taking turns breaking down in the other room. 5. Life is full of disappointments but God never disappoints. 6. My husband has the most amazing character of any human being I know. He is truly incredible and handles adversity like no other! 7. We "need" very little in this world. 8. I have a new understanding of what it truly means to trust God. Sometimes that means not getting what we want or what we think is fair but simply growing closer to Him is the only thing that matters. 9. Coupon clipping becomes an addictive game that takes up a ton of time. 10. God gives us wake up calls every now and then...be ready!

Christmas Joy!

The GIRLS I teach... all of them have delivered except for NaNa who is to my right. LOVE HER! Madi and Baby Trenton Laurie, Madi and Andrea

Aaron and I with Laurie and Tony. Tony LOVES when Aaron plays with him...he is ROUGH!

Baby Trenton...how cute is HE?

Rachel and Trenton (can you tell we LOVE Trenton!)

Madi and Crazy Tony...he LOVES her!

Jordan and Baby Genevieve...J loves the babies!

Livi and Tony Dancing Away

Wow, it has been a LONG time since I have blogged and I have so missed it! And so, I am catching up from Christmas and will start with the party on December 23, 2009 at a woman's shelter where our family volunteers. This party happened a few hours before the rug was pulled out from under our family...more to follow but I just want to keep the events in order.

This evening was by far the BEST part of my Christmas. I absolutely love the girls that reside at this shelter and learn more from them than they learn from me. I have taught them childbirth class on Tuesday nights for over a year and cherish each and every one of them. I have been asked to be in the delivery room with some of them and literally almost caught a baby a few months ago...past blog, check it out!

And so with the help from our church family we had a Christmas party. Each of the moms and children were "adopted" and many presents were bought. It was so much fun to play Santa and to see the faces of these beautiful children light up! We ate pizza (their choice!), decorated cupcakes and opened tons of presents. It was an absolute blast and a memory that my family will treasure FOREVER.

We have TEENAGERS!

Rachel and Madi are 13 today...WOW, how time flies. I feel like it was yesterday when these beautiful babies came into the world. They were everything we could have ever wanted and more. They were absolutely gorgeous with their black hair and beautiful skin...and there were 2 of them! Aaron and I had no idea what to do...we would just stare at them and wonder what we did to deserve such an amazing blessing. When I was little I was fascinated by twins and even had twin cabbage patch dolls with brown hair...now I had the real thing. The cabbage patch dolls were much easier to take care of but they didn't smile at me and light up the room with their presence. :)

These last 13 years have been amazing. We have learned how to be parents (still learning!!) and have felt the love of two amazing little girls. They are blossoming into incredible women with true hearts for others. They are very good friends to many and good sisters too. Just last night I took them all to the store and as we were walking in, I turned to look for Livi and Rachel said "I have her"...she held her hand the entire time until she was safely back in the car. What a good sister! And then Jordan wanted to buy her friend something at the store and Madi bought it for her with her own b-day money...very generous! I love these glimmers of hope when they actually act human! :)

Happy Birthday Rachel and Madison. I have many wishes for your b-day as you enter into those crazy teenage years:

1. I hope you find happiness in every situation, every day.

2. I hope you are always close with each other and Jordan and Olivia.

3. I hope you always treasure your family. You have so many grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins that LOVE you. Spend time with them.

4. I hope you have life-long friendships that stand the test of time...they will feel like family when you are my age.

5. I hope you make school a priority. This will allow many doors and opportunities to open up for you...and make your life MUCH easier!

6. I hope you always do your best and go after what you love in life. Don't take no for an answer.

7. I hope you never compare yourself to others...you have no idea what their life is really like.

8. I hope you learn how to forgive everyone for everything...you will have a peace filled life if you do!

9. I hope you continually grow in your relationship with God. Always know that He loves you for who He is not because of something you did or didn't do.

10. I hope you always know how much I LOVE you. You girls are my life and my reason for every day. You can tell me anything, do anything, say anything and I will ALWAYS love you. (within reason of course :)

And so Happy Birthday Rachel Marie and Madison Elizabeth...the best is yet to come!!

Love,

MOM

xoxxo

PS Listen to the words to this song...there could never be a more beautiful you!

If you don't believe...you don't receive!

A few days ago I took Livi to see Santa. I wasn't sure where she was on the "belief" scale and quite honestly I think this is the last year. She has had a few kids in her class tell her that Santa isn't real (muzzle your kids people!) and she has had some pretty interesting questions about the logistics of present delivering and how that all works...many of the questions I was not able to answer and simply gave the "Santa is magic" speech. The bottom line is this...I am not ready for the year when no one believes! I am so sad that this could be the end. We have so many awesome memories of "Santa".

Every year we get more and more elaborate with our Christmas morning reindeer "ritual". The first couple of years it was a few pieces of straw on the deck and a note from Santa, then we went to straw throughout the entire first floor. Then Aaron decided that the reindeers would want to check on the girls while they were sleeping and the straw suddenly was throughout the entire house leading to each of their bedrooms. Now, we all know how quickly the house gets destroyed when kids are opening presents...the last thing you want to do is also clean up straw which inevitably clogs the vacuum. The straw became old news so Aaron decided that the reindeers needed to have some bowel problems on the deck. And so yes, Aaron gathered dog excrement and placed it in strategic piles leaving a note apologizing for the mess to the girls. (trust me, the girls were not the ones to clean it up!)...he even gave an explanation for the accident as the reindeers having too much fudge in Idaho. :) I am not sure what this year will bring...actually I am a little frightened!

We have had so much fun with the magic of Christmas that it will break my heart to have that chapter of our lives complete. We continue to tell the girls "If you don't believe...you don't receive!" This seems to be working so far. I look at these pics of my screaming baby and now, a blink of an eye later, my 8 year old climbing on Santa's lap shyly telling him she wants a Barbie. Where does the time go?