Twins Get Baptized!

(Posted by Rubia)

Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, Roma and I were baptized! I am glad that we got the opportunity to do what God has told us to do after we are saved, and it is a blessing that we got to do it on Palm Sunday, (because I just thought that was neat) and to have seven other guests come and celebrate with us! We had Grandparents, Great-Aunt, Uncle, Aunt, and Cousins all over! We had a great time the night before, going to Frankenmuth, MI. It’s a very fun place.

And the next day…was the big day! It was very exciting. Before first service, my Great Aunt, who was sitting next to me, asked: “Are you excited, or nervous?” And I said. . . “Both!” I was sort of afraid that I’d get water up my nose, but I guess that’s why you squeeze it shut! J

After first service, I went backstage with Roma, where we would get changed. There were supposed to be two others getting baptized, but only one of them could make it. A young girl was back there with us. We asked her if she wanted to go first, and she shyly nodded. The plan was for her to go first, then me, then Roma wanted to go last. Now they were ready to begin. The other young girl was called up, and she turned and smiled at the crowd. After she went, it was my turn. I was called down, and unexpectedly Roma was called too. The Pastor in the water said that he thought Roma and I could be baptized together. I thought that was a great idea. We proceeded. As I went under the water, I was only under for a few seconds, but I thought of how I would live my life to serve Him. And then I came up, and felt new life.

(Posted by Roma)

I was so excited, but nervous at the same time. J But I really didn’t need to be nervous. I was so thankful to get baptized with Ruby this year. And I was thankful that lots of my relatives got to witness it! I was also surprised to hear that a friend of ours is getting baptized in May! I look forward to that! J

We had a wonderful Palm Sunday! After church, we went to a Mexican restaurant and Ruby and I opened some gifts. I ate a chicken quesadilla with rice and beans. It was good! Some of the gifts I received were journals, lotion, and a small New Testament Bible. We had lots of fun with our relatives too.

Again, I was so happy to get baptized and I look forward to spending the rest of my life following Jesus!

Pioneers and Persecution



Photo taken in 2006.



*Please read this post before proceeding.*

I have always loved pioneer history. Laura Ingalls Wilder was one of my favorite people to read about. I think I loved that era so much because of all the adventure associated with it. She was involved in civilizing the western United States, was able to travel cross country with wagons and horses, had to forage and grow her own food, and much more. My inner adventurer wished I had lived with her family and could have seen all she saw in her long lifetime.

One thing I never thought about as a young girl was the hardships pioneers had to endure. Because Laura tells her stories from a child’s perspective, I never really grasped all that Ma and Pa Ingalls had to go through until just recently. They were doing something they felt was right and necessary when they moved west. They had to stand alone many times. I’m sure they often felt lonely because they were traveling alone. What they did was not easy at all!

I never dreamed that I would be a pioneer in a very different way. My adventure doesn’t involve traveling long distances nor fighting prairie fires. In fact, the battle is much closer to home than I anticipated. I never thought I would have to face persecution for my faith, but that is exactly where I find myself right now.

I can’t go into great detail, but our family has come under painful criticism for choices we have made as a family. The Lord has opened our eyes to the realization that we need to live by Scripture Alone. We have chosen to practice courtship, to dress modestly, to submit to parental authority and supervision, and to build strong family relationships and spend time together before others (outside of our relationship with God of course.)

Unfortunately, there are some—including homeschoolers and fellow Christians—who feel that we are being judgmental for practicing what we believe is clearly laid out in Scripture. We are in no way trying to judge others by our choices, and I don’t think that anyone in my family has the attitude that “we are better than everyone else because we obey Scripture.” That would be very arrogant. Just as every believer desires to share with others the redemption and grace they have found in a relationship with Jesus Christ, so we desire to share things that the Lord is teaching us, and what His word says about current issues.

This past Sunday afternoon, we watched an interesting DVD called “The Culture Wars” by Dr. Voddie Baucham. He said something that really encouraged us. If we are truly living according to the Bible and proclaiming Christ’s salvation and His truth to others, we WILL come under persecution. Jesus’ words in John 15:18-20 are such an encouragement to me: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also.”

Jesus tells us that the world will hate us if we follow Him without compromising! We need to be like Peter and John when they stood before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4. Verses 19 and 20 read, “But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” We cannot fear men; only God.

Is this easy? ABSOLUTELY NOT! There have been tears shed over hurtful things said to and about our family, and it is a constant battle not to allow bitterness and resentment to creep into our hearts. It is especially difficult when criticism comes from fellow believers or friends.

I ask that all of you dear readers would pray for my family and me. It is very challenging to be pioneers in the areas of homeschooling, Biblically patriarchal family relationships, parental authority, and fathers leading their children. It is easy to become discouraged and to give up in our fight for truth. Pray that the Lord would give us strength, and that we would trust Him as a Friend who will always be by our side, as the song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” says. Pray also that the Lord would give us wisdom and discernment, and help us to always “speak the truth in love.” And pray that our faith and our impact as a family will grow and flourish as we serve and honor God.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

When you're weary

Feeling small

When tears are in your eyes

I will dry them all

I'm on your side

When times get rough

And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay Me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay Me down

When you're down and out

When you're on the street

When evening falls so hard

I will comfort you

I'll take your part

When darkness comes

And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay Me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay Me down

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” written by Paul Simon

Pictures taken by Bianca and Mark.

*Please pray for our family. I will continue this post later in the week. ~ Bianca*

Shifting

“The shifting of emphasis from the meaning of the Sabbath to quibbling about regulations for the Sabbath is certainly no honor to the Sabbath.”

--R.J. Rushdoony, “The Institutes of Biblical Law”

(posted by Betsy)

Recipe--Cornbread

We love cornbread around here! We used to buy “Jiffy” cornbread mixes and enjoyed them a lot. But then we found out we could make even better cornbread not-from-a-box! Thank you Sarah for sharing this recipe with us awhile back! We really love it! We have modified it recently to cut down on the sugar, and we have used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. Try it this way and then adjust to your liking!

Golden Sweet Cornbread

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 cup of yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup of sweetener

1 teaspoon of salt

3 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

1 egg

1 cup of milk

1/3 cup of oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine liquid ingredients and mix well. Stir into dry ingredients until well-combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Enjoy!

Favorite Hobbies

Our family has a huge variety of “favorite hobbies!” Hobbies are the wonderful interests God has given us and we in turn should use our hobbies to bring glory to Him in some way. We try to do that as much as possible and hope to do even more!

Mark— I enjoy studying the Bible and topics such as Creation Science and Theology. I find Flying very relaxing and enjoyable. I enjoy running outside (carryover from cross country days). I enjoy woodworking; however, I rarely have time (nor the tools and workshop space). I also enjoy swimming (I prefer warm water, probably because I am getting old!)

Betsy—I love to read the Bible and good books, write creative non-fiction; cross stitch, explore old bookstores; organize things; take early morning prayer walks; listen to CD talks on issues of family, church, and state; and home educate our children. I also love homemaking and being at home, and I love having long, deep theological discussions with friends and family.

Bianca—I have so many favorite hobbies! I ADORE reading. I have stacks and stacks of books that I want to read, and I wish I had more time to read. I also enjoy photography. Blogging is obviously one of my hobbies. J Baking, cooking, gardening, canning, preserving, knitting, collecting “smashed” pennies, running, worship dancing, organizing, flying in Dad’s plane, and playing piano are other hobbies of mine.

Ben—I enjoy playing football, baseball, basketball, running, Boy Scouts, playing the drums, collecting business cards and sports trading cards, reading, cooking, landscaping, and cleaning (Yes! Aren’t we lucky! J)

Rubia—I like to play outside with Mikey, knit, read, write, and dance. And I hope to play the guitar soon.

Roma—I have lots of hobbies! I enjoy drawing, baking, playing outside, playing the piano, knitting, dancing, reading, and entertaining little kids. I hope to start running with Ben and Bianca this year.

Josiah—I like to play chess, draw pictures, play sports, build with Legos, swim, collect rocks, and play with my stuffed animals.

100th Blog Post!

We have now posted 100 times on our blog! On this momentous occasion, we have decided to share 100 things that you probably don’t know about our family. We hope that you enjoy!

100 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Our Family:

1. We have lived in 3 different states and 8 different homes/apartments.

2. We are strangers in a strange land: Ohio State fans in the middle of Michigan!

3. We eat pizza every Friday night, muffins every Saturday morning, and waffles every Sunday morning.

4. The girls have collectively donated 24 inches of hair to Locks of Love.

5. We have all been to Puerto Rico to meet Betsy’s 90+ year old Grandmother.

6. Most of us plan on going on a missions trip to Peru next summer, Lord willing.

7. Our favorite restaurant is Bob Evans. But we could also survive on Italian and Mexican cuisine!

8. From the time the twins were born, we have always had a minivan.

9. By God’s grace, we have all accepted the gift of salvation and have been baptized or plan to be sometime in the near future!

Mark:

10. I did not grow up in a Christian home. I became a Christian in my 20’s after I met Betsy. I was sprinkled, and later on baptized by immersion. I was dunked three times!

11. I have been on business trips to France, Germany, Turkey, China, Japan, Mexico, Italy, Honduras, Spain, Canada, South Korea, England, the Netherlands, and I will soon visit India.

12. I played the saxophone (alto, tenor, bass) and clarinet in high school.

13. I am a private pilot and have hit 6G’s of force in an airplane before.

14. I ran track (high hurdles) and cross country in high school and continue to run today.

15. In general I don’t like seafood but I have eaten sashimi, sushi, squid, octopus, alligator, fish that were staring at me, and other unidentified objects of aquatic nature while in foreign countries.

16. I don’t like coffee.

17. I’m an Eagle Scout.

18. I’ve driven a V12 Engine, at 140 mph.

19. I don’t read fiction.

20. I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon in one day, then white water rafted down the Colorado the next two days.

21. I have been to Siguatepeque, Honduras; Dr. Arroyo, Mexico; and Nassau, Bahamas on missions trips. I almost went to South Africa, and hope to go to Peru next year.

22. I stood 4 feet from a black bear while camping with Boy Scouts in Canada. That’s WAY too close! He was eating food outside of our tent.

Betsy:

23. I went to boarding school for four years in high school.

24. I am Puerto Rican and speak fluent Spanish and Pig Latin. J

25. My favorite time of day is 11:11 a.m. or p.m. It thrills me!

26. I come from a long line of poets, writers, artists, and composers. The pressure is on! J

27. My favorite words in college were “endoplasmic reticulum” and “perpendicular.”

28. I actually adore monotonous, tedious paper work.

29. The sight of really well organized shelves makes me excited and very happy!

30. I have two masters degrees; one in Creative Writing and another in Business Administration.

31. I became a Christian when I was 10 years old, and was baptized at age 12.

32. When the Spirit of the Lord is near to me, I weep.

33. I am completely a morning person, and not at all a night person. I have been known to take a nap in the evening, and then go straight to bed!

34. I believe that coffee is a gift from God.

35. My name means “consecrated to God.”

Bianca:

36. I was born the day before my due date (not induced!)

37. I play the piano and guitar.

38. I have a smashed growth plate in my left pinky. I was in an accident at age 10, and didn’t realize the severity of it until a month later. We can’t do anything about it at this point, but it doesn’t bother me at all.

39. I saved Roma’s life once. She was learning how to walk and toddled into our sump pump well. She grabbed onto the edge and started screaming bloody murder. I ran upstairs to get Mom who was in the middle of changing a diaper. Needless to say, our sump pump has forever been covered since this incident!

40. I have eaten duck breast, mussels, and cactus (but not together of course. J)

41. I am in my fifth year of ballet.

42. I have read through the Bible once, soon-to-be twice in September!

43. I became a Christian when I was 6 years old and was baptized at age 11.

44. I have actually flown an airplane.

45. I only wear ankle socks. But that may change since I’ve started wearing skirts full time. Ankle socks don’t look right nor keep me very warm!

46. I hate coffee. I can’t drink it, and I’m not a big fan of the smell.

47. I am a night owl.

48. I have finished a 10 mile race and a half marathon.

Ben:

49. I hated chocolate as a child. I don’t know what was wrong with me! J

50. I play the drums.

51. I became a Christian when I was 4 years old, and was baptized at age 10.

52. With all the different “OCD’s” there must be an explanation for this: I have to touch everything an even amount of times. My sister says someday I may burn myself, and I’ll have to do it again!

53. I enjoy really rough sports such as football and wrestling.

54. I am currently a Boy Scout and hope to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

55. I’ve been on a missions trip to the Bahamas.

56. I have actually touched George Washington’s coffin. An even amount of times. J

57. I hate sloppy Joe.

58. Although I adore dogs, my all-time favorite animals are cats (lions, tigers, mountain lions, domesticated cats, etc.) I find it very entertaining to watch them in action while hunting prey.

59. Sometimes when I laugh really loud, I sound like I’m plugging my nose. J I also chuckle at the end of every sentence (another OCD J) Ha-Ha!

60. I hope to join the Marines when I am an adult, and afterward, go into full-time ministry.

61. I have been white water rafting before, and the boat flipped. It wasn’t my fault.

Rubia:

62. Reading in the car makes me carsick.

63. I think marshmallows look like hair curlers.

64. I don’t like canned tomatoes.

65. I looove the color blue.

66. I became a Christian when I was 8 and I’m getting baptized on Palm Sunday of this year.

67. I am 7 minutes older than Roma.

68. I like to write books.

69. Sometimes board games make me fall asleep.

70. One time I hid in a toy box and growled, and my siblings thought I was a grizzly bear.

71. I like to go next door and babysit the little girls.

72. Swiss cheese makes me feel sick.

73. I don’t like any canned veggies.

74. I like to swim.

Roma:

75. I saved Josiah from drowning in a lake when I was 7 years old. He fell in head first and I screamed to get someone’s attention.

76. I became a Christian when I was 9 years old, and I will be baptized on April 17^th!

77. I play the piano.

78. I used to be called “Snuffy” as a little kid.

79. When I was a baby, my parents noticed I was having drop seizures. We had several visits with brain surgeons and an MRI, and all of a sudden my seizures stopped and I haven’t had any since.

80. I talk to myself sometimes. J

81. I know how to knit, and have knitted several scarves for dolls and people.

82. I used to think cotton candy was hair and thought it was disgusting until I tried it. Now I eat it every time we go to the fair!

83. Sometimes I hide and scare my brothers and sisters. J

84. At Christmas I purchased a Bible for a friend of mine.

85. I tried to mop the carpet for Mommy when I was little.

86. I used to suck my thumb and carry around a (clean) cloth diaper as a baby.

87. People call me a “cat whisperer” because I am very good with cats.

Josiah:

88. At 19 months, I was bitten in the face by our family dog. I had to get 5 stitches in the ER. We found out that the dog had a tumor that I was pushing on, and he was in great pain, which is why he bit me. Thankfully, he just missed my eye by a fraction of an inch.

89. I LOVE legos and play-mobiles, especially my police headquarters set and airport.

90. I’m called “Bubby,” “Spud,” “Jo-Jo Bean,” and “Joe.”

91. My favorite color is red.

92. My favorite food is cake. J

93. I’ve already lost three baby teeth.

94. I like playing chess with my family. I usually win.

95. I learned how to read in a hotel.

96. I like playing soccer and football. I hope to play on a football team when I’m older.

97. I eat marshmallows and juice every morning.

98. I don’t like tomatoes very much.

99. I like pizza!

100. I became a Christian when I was 4 years old. I hope to be baptized when I am older!

Flood Update: Part 17

~Monday (March 7)~

Over the weekend, Daddy hung all of our new curtains, J re-insulated part of the basement ceiling, and put up our new goose-neck wall lamps in the basement bedroom! I’m so excited! Things are finally starting to “come together.” He’s in Mexico this week, so I doubt he’ll have a chance to talk with Mr. A about the floors. Hopefully he’ll be able to finish putting the surround sound system for the TV in later this weekend.



The finished dining room! Fresh paint, a new chair rail, and even new valences!



The new valence in the basement bedroom.



We installed goose-neck lamps next to our couch in the guest room as well.



New curtains in the rec-room!



~Thursday (March 17)~

Wow, I’ve gone 10 days without updating about the flood! Thankfully, that’s because things are basically done around here. All our little “projects” are finished (except for finishing the surround sound for the TV, but I guess that’s not really flood-related.)

Daddy talked with Mr. A on Tuesday night. He was understandably not excited about having to redo the entire floor again, but it has to be done. I guess we’ll schedule something in the next month or so. I am praying it works this time!



Our new kitchen faucet! No more leaks!



And now we have a soap dispenser instead of a sprayer. Now we won’t ever have a flood of the same sort again (hopefully)!



~Friday (April 1)~

A 8:00 a.m., Mommy and the kids leave to drop the animals off at the kennel. Daddy is home to talk with Mr. A once he gets here. We have breakfast, and Daddy works on moving some of the furniture.

Around 10:30 a.m., Mr. M (our neighbor) comes over and we chat with him for about half an hour. Mr. A calls and says he won’t be here until 11:30 a.m. We go back inside and decide that Mom and us kids will leave for the hotel while Daddy waits for him.

We check into the hotel and get settled in. Around noon, Daddy IM’s and says Mr. A is pulling up. Yippee! We eat our lunch and Daddy finally arrives. Unfortunately, because the work crew started late, the floor won’t be ready to walk on until Sunday evening, which means we will have to stay an extra night in the hotel. We weren’t prepared, but we will do our best to look presentable Sunday morning for church!

Daddy brought a book and a note that Mr. L sent for us. He’s been so sweet to us, and very helpful and hard-working. We will miss seeing him!

We leave to run errands around 2:00 p.m. Afterward, we come back to the hotel and I take an early shower so I can go pick up pizza with Daddy. We take along our Father and Daughter Interview to work on. J On the way, we stop by the house to see how things are going. Mr. L and Mr. A are still there working. Hopefully everything will look ok and we can move back in on schedule.

We enjoy a nice dinner and watch the movie “Hachi” in our room. I am really glad that Daddy let me borrow his sleeping bag for this trip. It’s so much comfier than mine!

~Saturday (April 2)~

Mommy gets me up around 8:00 a.m. so that we can go down to breakfast. It was SO crowded down there! We could just barely find a table where we could all sit together.

After breakfast we returned to our room where I read my devotions. We had a leisurely morning just relaxing in the room. Mommy did some of our laundry so we would have something to wear tomorrow. Then we ate lunch.

Around 1:30 p.m., we went down to the pool for a little swim. Ben challenged me to run outside and then jump in the hot tub (it was only about 40 degrees outside.) I accepted the challenge…and we got locked out in the courtyard! Thankfully, Daddy was there to let us back in. We met a lady who had a house fire in her condo complex and has been out of her house for 12 weeks. I’m really thankful that we are nearing the end of our flood saga!



Getting ready for a swim!



“Oh look, there’s two heads in the hot tub!” J



We went back to the room to shower up for dinner. Daddy and I ran by the house first to make sure that everything looked good. I think it’s going to be ok this time! Then we came back to the hotel and walked next door to a turkey restaurant for the first time. The menu looked good. I ordered a hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn. I was going to order the pot pie, but they were out.

Our food finally arrives about 45 minutes later. It looks good, but my sandwich was cold. Then we were going to order desserts, but they seemed to be out of everything. I don’t know if they were short staffed or what, but I don’t think we’ll be back except maybe to purchase something at the deli.

So instead, we run over to Meijer next door and pick up a half gallon of coconut chocolate crunch ice cream. Then we went back to our room and watched “Mrs. Miracle.”

~Sunday (April 3)~

Mommy gets us up early—around 6:30 a.m.—because we have to be checked out of the hotel before we leave for church. We all get ready and then head down to breakfast. Afterward, we went back to the room and loaded things in the cars before church. We even had a few spare minutes to relax and read before we left.



Roma and Josiah working on Sunday School homework in our studio-sized room.



We finally left the hotel for the last time!!! We made it to church pretty early, which was nice for a change! After church, we decide to go to Bob Evans for lunch. This is our family’s favorite restaurant, and we had a delicious lunch.

Then we went home and spent the afternoon in the basement, because we really didn’t want to drive around in the rainy/snowy weather we were having. We had a nice afternoon relaxing and watching the movie “Divided” that we just bought from Vision Forum. It was awesome!

And finally…we were able to go upstairs and walk on the floors again! This time, they looked right. We enjoyed our evening re-settling into our house.

~Monday (April 5)~"It is Finished!"~

Mr. A came back today to move the island back into the kitchen. So now it’s official: WE’RE DONE!!! HOME FREE!!! It has been a long three months, but a lot of good has come out of this experience, and we’ve gotten many house projects done. I’m very thankful that this chapter of our lives is OVER. But I know the Lord has a reason for everything that happens, and I’m already seeing some of the benefits. Soli Deo Gloria!