Homeschool lessons from home improvement projects

You can learn and teach in virtually any setting.  But from all this DIY construction we are doing, our kids have gotten to learn some very important lessons.
1. What is Tetanus.
2. What colorful language not to repeat.
3. That the Chinese consider the cricket good luck so mom does not need to chase down and remove every single one from the house.
4. What is cartilage and why Mom's knees creak so much.
5. There is a fast way to do things (Mom's) and a "right" way to do things (Dad's)
6. What is that weird thing we dug up? Cicadas, earth worms, coal...

And the lessons are just continuing!

Things I am going to miss- ONE Community Church

I've been thinking more and more about the way it used to be.  We used to worship with our small group of villagers/ family members/ tribespeople/ whatever  and we had to see these people all the time.  If someone made you angry, you just simply had to face them.  If they did something you disagreed with you couldn't just un-friend them.  You would still see them everyday. 

Two Sundays have past since we've moved here and we haven't visited a single church in Goodland.

Not that Goodland has none.  In fact I think they have 8 or 9.  3 are on the same intersection all staring each other down.   

But we've been visiting and out of town, so haven't been around to go.  And I guess I feel a little nervous about it.  

It is crazy how many denominations there are!  The fact that Jesus died for everyone seems pretty all inclusive.  He wasn't up there on the cross saying "Father, forgive them... but not that guy, he drinks a little much... and that lady gets too wild in worship... oh yeah and not her either, she believes in evolution...and that guy handles snakes, definitively not him..."

Isn't that kinda what we do though?  We all have reasons and arguments for choosing who we will and who we won't worship the creator of the universe with.  We aren't talking big questions here like, um, is Christ your personal saviour.  We are more worried about the song choice and how often they discuss tithing.

Bushmen community at Gope, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana

And worship was a natural part of that.  I think if you took a bushman of the Kalahari today and told him about how we have created hundreds of slightly different ways to worship God, he would laugh.  

Worshiping together doesn't mean you agree on everything, heck it doesn't even mean you like each other.  It just means you both acknowledge the Creator; you want to praise Him, and you know there is something special about worshiping with others.

ONE Community Church, 5th birthday

All that being said, ONE community church was the church where my husband came to God, it was the first church our children went to, and I loved it.  The worship was great, the messages pushed you to go out and be God's hands and feet.  How do you find another church "home?"

Really, any suggestions?

We're Here!

We made it to Kansas!
Actually we made it 2 days ago, but as you can imagine, we've been busy.

Our current "living room," chilling & watching a movie

We set up different areas upstairs where the store will be.  Since we won't be doing any renovations up here, all our stuff can stay like this for a while.

Now it feels okay, but there have been some hard moments.  Like when we looked at the 20 foot moving van and said "We can not fit everything in that!!"

Then, after we drove for two days and opened up said truck and said "We can not get all that out!"

When we finally got it all out, and piled in a lump in the middle of our new home, my thought was "We are crazy.  What made me think we could do this?  We should have just gotten a house and been normal!  How do we get ourselves into these things?"

But...  then there were other moments.  Walking to the park with the kids and playing.  Watching Evelyn look around the things the church left like an explorer to a new world.

And my exploring an old book I found with all the church business beginning with its founding meeting in 1920.  There are records of the church board meetings, tithing records (through the Great Depression), membership records and even a baptism list.

Sticky-noted was a page where the board decided to build a new church because their old one was burned down.  They got the land by trading their lot for 4 lots one of their member's owned.

 I intend to scan all the pages, and then see if the local genealogical society wants the book.  For me, the best part is that my grandfather's father was the same denomination this church was back in the day.

My grandpa would always say he was so glad when his dad became Christian because then he got Sundays off.  I miss his humor these days, and his strong back and broad shoulders.

This adventure is crazy so far.  Moments may be crazy or overwhelming.  But I am glad we are here.

Strangely, I keep thinking of a quote "Called to fight, asked to yield. Like any true warrior, under his general's orders."  (T. L. Higley).  I can not and am not supposed to do this under my own steam.  I have to step out in faith, but then fall back on God.  So my first lesson I get to really internalize from this is I CAN"T DO THIS,  AND THAT'S OK.

Of termites and time lines

So... the building inspection was this week.

Basement floor

Jordan, my husband, drove all the way up to Goodland, Kansas for it.  The termite inspection was first, and it came back positive.  Positive, as in positive for termites, not positive as in good news.
But all is not lost!  Since this is before the property has changed hands, Four Square Church as agreed to pay for the repairs and termite barrier (?) around the building.

Nice lighting

Our big expenditure will be for egress windows in the basement.  We want to put our bedrooms down there, so all the windows have to open at least 5.7 square feet to allow firefighters to crawl in and save us.  Ours are not.  And they have to be closer to the floor.
This is just the first of many things we will have to pay for.

Typical a communal fridge!

The problem is I don't really like paying for things.  I often have the problem where I make my mind up to buy something to make my life substantially easier, and then see the price tag and say "Eh, I've been doing it the hard way all these years, what's the big deal?" and never buy it!!  Sometimes I am talking crazy stupid things I don't buy.  You know I make 4 loaves of bread every week for my family because they raised the price from $1 to $1.25.  That is a 25% increase!  Overnight!!  I looked at that and said "I am putting my foot down.  I'll just spend 3 hours in the kitchen every week and not pay that quarter!  You take that grocery store!"
I guess I am going to have to get over this and actually start paying money for things (ugg).  I take such pride from my stingy-ness.  Now I have to grow, and take risks, and put money on the line (ugg).
In other news, we've got our moving date!  So if you want to see us in sunny Arizona, I suggest you call in May.
And we are still asking for any book donations y'all have!  Thanks for the donations we've already got!

Things I am going to miss- The Hope Women's Center

Hope Women’s Center serves women and 

teen girls facing any difficult life situation. 

Whether faced with drug/alcohol 

addiction, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, 

unplanned pregnancy, unemployment, 

prostitution, homelessness or family 

conflict, trained mentors and teachers are 

available to provide assistance, 

encouragement and support.

... or so says their website.  But for me, it has helped me meet women, make friends and grow my faith.  

I started volunteering at the center in January of 2011, and my first day was daunting.  

After going through the training I was asked if I would like to work in the store, at the desk, teach classes or mentor women with their problems.  Teaching and mentoring seemed so scary.  

The women who already worked there had this amazing biblical knowledge.  Client A comes in and says "I have a problem with this random issue"  then the mentor says "Let's look in the Bible, here is the exact passage that deals with your random issue."  I know I don't have close to that level of knowledge.

Teaching says to me lesson plans, homework, classroom management,  and out of my league.  I was kinda interested in doing it, but I wouldn't have admitted it.

But after just a short time, Terry and Glenda were asking me what else I would like to do.  Soon I was teaching and loving it.  Normally, after High School, you don't get the chance to really discuss things with people.  You talk about day to day stuff, but discussions on morals, life principles, even hearing someone's story.

Think of your friends you've made as an adult. In how many cases do you know their history?  What were their turning points?  Why were they saved?  What brought them to the point where they knew, KNEW, they needed God?

At Hope Women's Center, I got the chance to hear stories and even to affect the way they would end sometimes.  I got to hear people's problems with Christianity.  Those church experiences that made them decide they would never go back.  That person who called themselves a Christian who victimized them so much.

These aren't the things you get going to Meetup events or on Facebook.

Would you like to get involved with this dynamic group of women?  To spend a bit of you week serving and getting filled?  

On June 1 at 6pm is the Women with Hope Gathering.

They'll show you around and even give you a light dinner! (The one I went to was delicious) You can see if you want to get behind this mission and see if it's where God is bringing you.

Click here to contact them and sign up!

The adventure begins...

So we've done it.  We got word that we are now under contract.  We are moving.
We are buying an old church in Goodland, Kansas.

 We are planning on converting it to some living space, and space for a used book store/art gallery.

Right now, we are at the start of the zoning process.  And seeing how zoning works here in San Tan Valley, Arizona, we hope it is faster in a small town.
We have never lived in a small town, but we are excited.  If everything goes smoothly, we should be moving at the beginning of June.