February (post Valentine's Day)- We did a study with our boy and 2 girls discipleship groups on the life of Joseph. We went through the book of Genesis and used a video series from Bluefish. The kids loved it! In fact, we will be using some of the same materials this summer in camp. Joseph is relevant to all of our lives, but especially our kids. Jack is doing well, growing like a weed! We spend our mornings together as a family or at the office working, and then Jeff and I rotate afternoons at the houses. On the weekends we are usually drivers for the kids, taking them to sports practices and games, extracurricular classes, birthday parties, volleyball, errands, church, etc, etc...but we love that time with them. Jack LOVES going to the houses or having the kids over here. They are his buddies and he misses them so much if we go more than a day away.
March - We had several Americans here, including my parents!! We were so thrilled to have them here and get ot show them around. We took them to Sighisoara (an old fortress town where Vlad the Impaler lived ..aka Dracula). We also took them to Brasov and to see Peles Castle. We had a great time in town seeing where we live, play, eat, run errands, etc, etc. Who knew a trip to the mall or grocery store could be so much fun? We of course spent time with our kids...and it is never enough time! We played cards games, talked and played basketball in the courtyard. It is truly a gift to be able to share your passion and love (our kids) and family whom we love so much. They finally got to meet our kids...I will never forget it! Then they took us to Paris for 5 days...all I can say is AWESOME! We had a wonderful time seeing the sights, seeing them, and Jack LOVED seeing the Eiffel tower. We made some wonderful memories all the way around and were so sad to say "see you later," but it wont be long until we see them again. Once we got home, we spent the rest of March celebrating kids birthdays, recovering from 10 days of time with Yaya and Granddaddy, and catching up on business stuff.
April - At the beginning of April we took spring pictures of our kids. They all turned our wonderfully! I was so proud of them. Sounds silly, but getting 26 young teenagers to smile on cue, many at the same time, is quite a challenge!! I will cherish these pictures. We began a new discipleship with our kids on "Making Jesus Lord." We are using a book and going through a chapter a week. This is the 3rd or 4th study for the kids and the newness has worn off. They are having a harder time doing the HW each week, but are faithful in coming and participating each time. I am thankful for that and praying that at the end of the day, they learn more about making Jesus Lord of their lives! The kids are on vacation this week and we have another team in town from New Jersey. We have a few birthdays this week and are getting ready for Easter. It is busy, busy, but we love it that way!
Prayers and Praises - Jeff's brother Sean's cancer diagnosis came back clear and he will just go back in for regular check-ups - Praise the Lord!! Jeff's mom is going to have surgery on Monday to remove an ovarian tumor. We don't know much, but praying the pathology reports come back clear - please pray with us!! Jeff is still on the job hunt, but we have a few leads. Praying that no matter where he finds a teaching/coaching job, that it is the perfect fit and match for him...praying the Lord will work out all the details and soon;) It is nerve racking, but we trust that He will take care of us, like he always does!! Jack is still growing, which is great news! All of his pants are about 2in too short, but we love it! That's the way it should be. He is learning so much everyday and we are shocked by his comments and expressions that he picks up, both in English and Romanian. He has a great imagination and it is so fun to watch! Please pray he would continue to thrive and grow to love the Lord. Please lift up our kids that they would continue to be touched by the Lord and truly make HIM the most important thing in their life. Please pray that this Easter would be different and that they would see the great sacrifice God made on our behalf...that they would really get it!!!
Off to put the Jackster down for a nap...hopefully pictures will be coming soon. I have no idea I could run out of picture space :) Love you all and thanks for reading this blog, praying for us and our kids, and for praising the Lord with us! Blessings, Jen, Jeff and Jack
