Huckabee Happenings

Winter in Colorado 2011

2011-09-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Crested Butte after a fresh snowfall. . .

One of the highlights of this past winter were a couple of trips to Gunnison/Crested Butte in January-February. Todd learned to "backcountry" ski this year, which included wearing an avalanche beacon, and having a poking stick and ice axe with you at all times in case someone needed to be dug out .. yikes! . .a little too adventurous for me, but he really enjoyed skiing in the really high country off the beaten path, in deep, deep powder. . with our friend Chris, who has taken Todd on as his "project". . .Chris knows the mountains like the back of his hand, so I don't worry when they are together. . Chris is very athletic, and a good teacher. . and a wonderful Christian friend for Todd, so I am thankful that God has let their lives intertwine. . .

For me, these trips meant days of cross country skiing at Crested Butte, and sometimes in Gunnison. . .I really love to cross country ski. . .it's like gliding on the snow, and it's a form of exercise that is really good for you. . .I am always inspired when I meet folks on the trails that are in their 70s and 80s and still going strong. . I really want to grow up and be active just like that. . .One weekend while we were in the Gunnison Valley, it snowed 36 inches in 2 days. . the scenery was so beautiful that words can't really describe it. . A fresh covering of snow that literally sparkles in the sunlight can't really be captured on film. . you have to see it for yourself. :) . . We are really thankful for these short trips to the mountains to mentally rest, see some different scenery, and to connect with our friends there. .

Todd at "Neversink" Trail

2011- January - Fun House Guests!

2011-05-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

We started this year by keeping the three Salas children (Alexis, Dominic & Francisco) for two weeks in January while their little brother had heart surgery in San Antonio. . .We became became acquainted with this family through House of Faith ministries. We enjoyed having 3 elementary school-aged children in the house again, but we quickly remembered how much work this phase of life is. . .getting everyone up for breakfast and off to school, home work each night, and constant instruction and discipline, plus lots of laundry and housekeeping chores. . .I told Todd that I don't ever want to forget how busy this stage of life is. . .so that we can identify and empathize with the young families that God puts in our path. . .It's busy but it's so worth it. . .investing in the next generation. . .so to all you young families out there. . .Hang in there. . .you are caring for the next generation of Jesus followers. . . and creating a legacy for generations to come!

Todd caught an armadillo for the children to play with. . .Nothing like West Texas fun!

Finishing up 2010. . .

2011-03-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

Well, now that it is March 2011, and I have still not finished up the 2010 review, it's time to close out last year and jump into the new year, for sure!

I will simply say that the Fall of 2010 was filled with House of Faith activities about 3 times per week, and the weekends were spent traveling to Killeen, where Austin, Brittany, Georgia and Jordan ALL lived within 5 minutes of each other. . .Austin and Jordan were both in the same brigade at Ft. Hood, which is really unusual. . .AND of all the places in the USA that our Army family members could be stationed, we were sooooo thankful that both couples were together in Killeen, only 3 hours away from San Angelo. We knew that this year would be the only time they would all be living in the same town, so we took advantage of it. . .heading down there every chance we could get and stopping through to sharing a meal on business trips! Ft. Hood is one of the largest Army bases in the country, and has a really different feel to the city. . As you drive around the town, you see license plates from all over the US, and an overwhelming majority of short haircuts on the guys. . . It truly is a military town. . it's a little sad, in that the town really does not have a distinct Texas charm of its own. . It's a conglomerate of every fast food and chain restaurant in the nation, as well as many businesses catering to the military lifestyle. . .and the motels are always full of military people coming and going from trainings on the base. . .it is a mission field all it's own. . and you can even feel the loneliness of some of the folks there, far away from their families and just ready to move on to the next place. . .When you think of it, pray for the city of Killeen, and for those who minister to the military families who are passing through. .

We enjoyed an Aggie football game this fall, taking Chelsey Kelly and Marci Menchaca with us. The Aggies enjoyed a 8-3 season so it was a good year to be an TAMU Aggie fan!

The Fall always brings Deer Hunting Season, which consumes a big chunk of time taking our family, friends, and business associates on hunting adventures on the deer lease about 12 miles from our house! Fall is our favorite time of year, and especially this past fall, as we had a record-breaking heat wave in August and September with 30+ days of 100 degree heat. . We were so ready for a break! No, we don't get the beautiful color changes in nature like other parts of the world, but we DO get a most welcomed break from the heat! October is always the best!

Because everyone's schedule is so full, we combined Thanksgiving with Christmas this year. . by having a big Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends on Thursday, and a Christmas dinner with our family and grandparents on both sides on the next day. . .It means we all have to do our Christmas gift shopping early and decorate the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving Day, but it really frees everyone's schedule up to go to the other side of the family's Christmas gatherings without juggling time off, traveling arrangements and special Christmas events. . .so the 2010 Christmas season was very relaxing for us, as we had had our family time together, and we could simply enjoy the Christmas season without the stress. . .Georgia and Jordan had a wonderful trip to CA to spend time with Jordan's family, Austin and Brittany spent time with her family in New Waverly and August headed to Denver to help with a WorldView Academy conference with all his buddies. Who knows what the Christmas season will look like next year, with our family being scattered to the four winds. . . but we have learned to take each year at a time and not to be regimented in our holiday planning. . .Todd and I really want to be flexible for our children as we grow older. . .fitting into their schedules instead being bound up by a certain pattern of expectations during the Holiday season. .I always feel so badly for young families who are completely worn out from traveling during the holiday season. It's easy to forget the real meaning of Christmas when you are stressed out by family obligations. . .

Without a doubt, 2010 was one of the most monumental years for us. . .but it was a good year with many many blessings to recount! We are most thankful for God's guidance and protection as we participated in our busy schedules. . .and made big changes in our lives. . Romans 12:12 became my life verse . ."Be joyful in hope, patient in afflictions, and faithful in prayer.". .

We have lots of changes on the horizon for 2011. . Austin and Brittany leave in May for a year in Kenya at Mattaw Children's Village as staff missionaries, Jordan leaves in May also for a year in Iraq and Georgia will move home to live with us in San Angelo while he is gone, and August will spend the summer traveling again with WorldView Academy Ministries. . . Hang on to your hat . . .HERE WE GO!!

2010 in review- Part II - May-August

2011-01-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

2010 review continues. . .
May
Lindsay Wright's wedding was a big event in early May, as Lindsay had lived with us for 9 months and had become like part of our family. It was definitely wedding season at our house, as we prepared for Georgia and Lindsay's wedding in the same year. . Lots of wedding magazines laying around. . .We loved getting to help her with her wedding plans and we are thankful that God let us be a part of her and Brandon's life as they prepared to unite as a couple. . .both of them had been a part of our college Bible study group for a couple of years and we were especially close to them. .almost like second parents. . .I offered to be her florist for the event, which has always been a secret ambition of mine, and I learned alot . . especially that nothing is as easy as it seems, even when it comes to preparing and arranging flowers! Lindsay was beautiful on her wedding day and we loved celebrating this event before the Lord, their friends and family. It will be such fun watching to see what the Lord does with their lives.

May 15th was Georgia's college graduation and pinning as a RN. . .a huge accomplishment! I wish I could say that the weeks before her graduation were easy sailing, but as I said in an earlier post, we all prayed and sweated with each exam she took, even up to finals week. . . and after visiting with some of the other nursing students' family at graduation, Georgia was not the only one walking the graduation tightrope. It's just a very difficult program, so there was much to celebrate once the grades were in. The pinning ceremony was beautiful as all the graduates were in their white lab coats. And graduation was great fun, as we knew many of the students graduating from the college Bible study that met at our home for 3 years and many of Georgia's friends.

June
Georgia immediately started studying for her state nursing board exams, which included attending a review course in Austin to help her prepare. . . On about the end of the 2nd week of June, I rode with her to Abilene as she took her state board exam. . . Well, it was a long, very stress test- about 4 hours, and when she came to the car, the look on her face was tense. . .she really felt like she had failed it. . .so we rode home in a somber mood and talked about options if she had failed it. . . .For a little extra money, she could find out in a couple of days if she had passed the test instead of waiting two weeks by regular mail.. . .so she paid the extra money and looked up the results on the computer. . I'll never forget it. . she said in a solemn voice. ."Mom, it says I passed.". . Really unsure whether to believe it or not, she did not get excited or celebrate. . .until a couple of days later, when she double checked with other past nursing students to see if the computer results were really accurate. . .THEN the celebrating started!! Not only celebrating, but a HUGE relief from the pressure that had been on Georgia all semester. . .really all through nursing school! NOW she could relax and soon it was time for Georgia and Robyn to drive to California for the long awaited wedding week!

June 23rd- Six of us flew to Corona, CA on Wednesday before the wedding--Todd, myself, August, Sara Warren, Adam Skelton and Jordan. . .Austin and Brittany joined us later that evening, and the grandparents arrived to Corona a bit later. . .We enjoyed Wednesday night dinner with the Monroe Family, Thursday was Bachelor and Bachelorette Party day--with the guys going Paint Balling and the girls for a nice Dinner and time on the beach, Friday was "Zip Line" day with the Texas folks and Friday night was a very fun Rehearsal Dinner with different members of the family and wedding party providing the "entertainment." Wedding Day , June 26th, was perfect, with 80 degrees, a cool breeze and lots on sunshine on Saturday afternoon. . .Lots of great memories that day. . . for all of us.

July
We flew home from CA on Sunday following the wedding and were home a week, then headed to CO for the July 4th holiday. . .Georgia and Jordan joined us for the last half of their honeymoon, which included the July 4th festivities and hiking, biking at Paradise Divide, north of Crested Butte and a quick trip to Lake City. We really enjoyed spending the holiday with the newlyweds! :)

August
We returned back to CO to host 6 of August's friends from his Teenpact internship for a week in the mountains. . .these students were from all over the US, and several had never been in the mountains before . . .we were "tour guides" all week. . mainly hiking, kayaking, and a little rock climbing in the Hartman Rocks area. We are still thanking Jesus for protecting August when a rock gave away and he fell about 30 ft. off a cliff and tumbled like he was cartwheeling down the mountain. . I have never felt so helpless to be standing a good 300 yards away when I saw him fall. . .and Todd was completely scratched up from scurrying over sharp rocks to try to get to him. . .We really thought he was dead. . .He was pale, pretty shaken up and had skinned up his hands badly. . but otherwise he had no broken bones. . .it was a miracle. . .We spent 5 hours in the ER waiting for a doc to look at his hands because they looked pretty bad, and I think the whole experience was a lesson to the whole group that all college students are not invincible.

August returned back to A&M at the end of the month, and for the first time in 4 years. . .our house was empty. .all the children were gone and the girls who had lived in the extra bedrooms had moved out. . . I think it was a good break for us. . .because communal living always has drawbacks. . but for the most part, it had been a blessing for all of us. . .but the house didn't stay empty for long. .

to be continued. . . .

2010 in review- Part I . .January- April

2010-12-29T06:57:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy event-filled year. . . .I thought the high school years with the children were busy. . .and they were. .but the past 12-18 months have been so filled with significant events in our family, that I wanted to recap them so I will remember the time line when I am in the nursing home. . .you know how we get our years mixed up and we argue about who is right and when things happened? Well, I'm going to chronologically go through the year, so that when the arguments occur years from now.. .I will be right! :)
January-
Brittany moves back to Killeen after spending 8 months living with us while Austin was deployed in Iraq. We had 4 college-age girls living with us during most of 2009, so our house seemed like a college dorm. . .It was communal living at it's finest. .someone was always coming and going, but for the most part. . .it was great fun. . .We all learned to be flexible and considerate of each other and to operate out of our comfort zones. . . you have to do that to get along . .Georgia, Brittany, Lindsay and Myranda used all the extra bedrooms and poor August was a little homeless when he would come home from college and from traveling. . .but that wasn't often and we all managed.

August leaves for a semester of travel with Teen Pact as a student intern. August had been offered a internship with this ministry (http://www.teenpact.org/ ) but had already paid an apartment lease and a meal plan for the Spring '10 semester at Texas A&M. . .He tried all fall semester to sub-lease his apartment with no success, so he thought he would have to decline the internship. . However, on Dec 1st, some of his friends from Teen Pact offered to raise the money for him to replace the funds in his college savings that had already been spent on housing and meals. If they could raise $3,000 to cover what had already been spent, then we told him he could take the internship. . .His friends did all this fundraising strictly through email and Facebook. . It looked like it was not going to happen, but on Christmas Day 2009, he got a phone call that all the funds had been raised. . .so God definitely opened the door for this opportunity and when January 2010 began, he was off to travel through 10-15 different states to lead Teen Pact conferences till May. . . .Only God could orchestrate that series of events. . .

February-
I took a 2-week trip to Ghana with Cindi Dauphin to visit Joel and Hollie Dickens, medical missionaries and long-time friends. . .Joel had asked Cindi to stay with Hollie while he attended a medical conference in Kenya, and Cindi asked me to join her since I had traveled there with Brittany and Georgia in 2009. . .There is nothing like traveling to the other side of the world to a 3rd-world country with only one other person. . it really cements the friendship! We definitely shared an adventure of a lifetime, spending time with Joel and Hollie and the children, visiting with the other missionary doctors who were filling in for Joel, seeing the clinic, the Ghanaian culture, and the incredible need of the people. . while also doing a lot of spiritual evaluation on ourselves. . .lots of memories. . .

March-
My dad, Bill Helwig (age 80) passes away on March 3th, 2010. Dad had fallen while trying to pen some cattle in Nov. 2009, broke his hip and spend 40 days in the hospital. He lost over 40 lbs and his health did take a definite turn for the worse. .He was strong enough, however, to come home for Christmas and Mom did her best to care for him at home as he struggled to recover. . . His circulation in his legs was very bad and he had congestive heart failure, and when he woke on March 2th with a huge blood clog on his foot, Mom immediately took him to the hospital for treatment. . .The doctors seemed to think it could be dissolved with drugs easily, but early on March 5th, his health started failing fast, his organs began to shut down and he went into cardiac arrest. . .he was revived, but Mom made the decision not to do any other lifesaving measures with him, which was his wish. . .and he slipped into a coma and died that evening. With the serious heart condition that my dad had since he was 52, he lived alot longer than anyone ever expected. But life does change when you lose a parent. . . . The rest of the month is pretty much a blur. . . cleaning out and giving away Dad's things, making repairs on the house and helping Mom get adjusted to being alone.

April-
Austin returns home from Iraq about April 10th after a year-long deployment. It was a much-anticipated return and one of my very favorite memories from 2010. . .It was joyous and patriotic and you could feel the sense of relief from everyone- the families and the soldiers. . .My heart went out to the soldiers who had no one there to greet them when they returned, as their families were too far away and it was too expensive to make the trip to Ft. Hood. . .I learned that if I ever attend one of these homecomings again, I will be giving away lots of the hugs and trinkets to the guys standing alone. I think everyone, especially government officials need to attend at least one send-off and a return of a brigade of troops from these long deployments to see for themselves the emotional and physical sacrifices of these troops and family members. . There is a cost. . .freedom does not come for free.

On April 15th, Georgia and I traveled to California to make final wedding plans and attend a bridal shower given by Jordan's family. . .We also spent an evening with Aunt Kay and Mal Bruce, my mom's youngest sister who coincidentally lives 25 or so miles from Jordan's family. Thanks to Jordan's mom, Cyndi Monroe, the wedding plans were finalized with wonderful friends who helped out and great vendors. . .and it could not have gone more smoothly. The bridal shower was my first chance to meet Jordan's extended family and friends and also see the location where the wedding was going to be held. It was an afternoon of great fun and wonderful memories. The Monroe family showed us off-the-charts hospitality and I loved getting to know them all.

The last weekend of April found us at HEB camp in Leakey, TX for House of Faith Family Camp. . .The location was outstanding, and it was total fun to watch over 300+ folks- parents, grandparents and children enjoying the Texas Hill Country and the Frio River- - canoeing, hiking, fishing, swimming and doing crafts. . .and the Video and Bible teaching , skits and worship were great! Todd and Scott Cotton helped at the canoeing station and were pros at it. . .It was a great chance for us to get to know the House of Faith staff and meet more of the families. We loved it! Can't wait till next year. . .

to be continued. . . .

2010 recap - House of Faith- "GO and make disciples. . ."

2010-12-22T19:59:00.000-08:00

Todd helping with crafts during House of Faith Family Camp this past spring.

I guess the biggest spiritual philosophy change that Todd and I have had during the past 12-18 months has to do with Matthew 28:19, where Jesus issues that command "GO and make disciples. . .", which is a change for us. . .For all the years prior, we felt called to minister to folks that God brought through our church, PaulAnn Baptist, where we have been members for 22 years. . .I remember specifically praying for God to bring people to our church property so that we could minister to them. . We had been active in almost every facet of that church's ministries. . .youth, children's ministry, college, Bible studies, small groups, . . .you name it. . .and this has been a good thing. . absolutely no regrets. . .we are thankful for our church family. . .

But after our last child left for college and our day-to-day parenting was over. . .we began to pray that God would show us what was next for us. . .and we could sense a change or restlessness in our spirits. . .Our friends could tell we were restless. . . Now, we believe he has showed us through His Word, and through Bible teachers such as David Platt, Francis Chan and others to journey down a different path. . . .

In the next phase of our lives. . .we believe we are to "GO". . .go to the streets, go to the unchurched, get out of our comfortable surroundings, . . go and help the poor, the needy, the widowed and the orphans. . .and we began to do that through a local ministry already in place here in San Angelo called "House of Faith". . HOF ministers to approximately 950 at-risk children by taking Backyard Bible Clubs to neighborhoods and elementary school campuses, as well as 200+ high school and middle students. . .( http://www.hofministries.org/ )We had taught weekly at a Backyard Bible Club that was actually held on the PaulAnn property for 3 years. .we would show up each week, teach a lesson, take kids home. . .responsibilities done. . . no regrets. . . glad we did that. .

This year has been different. . . sensing that God wanted more from us and desired for us to dive in with House of Faith, we approached the staff at HOF and asked to be put to work . . . .and that has happened. We assist with the Goliad Elementary club on Wednesdays, which is the largest club in the ministry, averaging around 130+ students per week. . .and we lead the Fannin/Blackshear club on Thursdays, which averages around 60 students. . .The Fannin/Blackshear students are now like our family. . .we get to be surrogate parents, teachers, mentors and friends to children who absolutely love having another adult in their life who cares about them. . . and we are getting to know their families and become involved in their lives, praying that all we say and do points them toward Jesus. . . We see these new friends more often than our own family. . .We now do something involving HOF families almost every day.

It has been a convicting year. . .this fall, I have been on many streets in San Angelo that I have never been on before. . .and I have lived here all my life. . . it's like a scene out of the movie "Blind Side" and I am ashamed of that. . .and I have asked God to take away my fear and hesitation and to get me out of my comfort zone. . .He has done that. . .and I have learned that love, a smile, sincerity, and respect goes a long way in building trust with new families. . .and God is also shaping and molding us more into his image each day on this journey. . .

It has not been easy. . .I would be lying if I told that it has been all fun, cheerful and uplifting. . .No, it's very tiring and the Enemy will battle you for every relationship you make with a lost person- adult or child. . so there are days of tears, frustration, and physical and mental exhaustion. . . . but really. . .what are we entitled to? The Bible says Death. (Romans 3:23). .so anything else we get to experience through knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior is a gift. . .even the hard stuff. . .

God may want you to "GO" and minister in a different context this year. . .in your own city and neighborhood . . .or on the other side of the world to a people group who have never heard of Jesus as Savior. We are thankfully not all called to do the same thing. . .but we ARE called to do something!

This is where we are in 2010. . .doing ministry in a different way than we have ever done it before. . .and loving it. . . can't wait to see what God is going to do in 2011. . .

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Some of our House of Faith students after a hike in the state park and making feather headbands. .

Fransico and Dominic ready to go hunting. . .

2010 recap - Georgia & Jordan's Wedding- -A look back. . . .

2010-12-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

Aside from Austin's return home from Iraq in April, the biggest family event of 2010 was Jordan and Georgia's wedding in Corona, CA on June 26th 2010. We are blessed to have a ton of excellent pictures, thanks to Colin and Andrea' Feldhaus, who traveled with us from San Angelo to Corona to be the "official" photographers (http://matchlessphotography.com/blog/sample-wedding-photography/. The beautiful wedding video was another unexpected blessing, and will be a great reminder of all the family memories. As we recap 2010, I want to remember some of the special people and events surrounding the wedding.

Lemonia Grove - - the location of the wedding was an old lemon grove that had been established over 110 years ago, and some of the trees had been planted in 1893, and stood about 3-4 stories high. . .One tree alone provided enough shade for 150 people around tables at the reception. The Jim Anderson family bought the estate in foreclosure over 10 years ago, and have gently restored and added to the beautiful landscape. When I saw the location in mid-April, I was impressed with the layout, but when we returned in June for the wedding. . .it was breathtaking. . .The grass had manicured, the roses were in full bloom and it truly looked like something out of a landscaping magazine. . .We really don't have anything in West Texas that compared to it. . . I will always appreciate Jim and Patti Anderson, and all they did for us that weekend. . .they literally gave up their home to us, and worked like the ultimate team players in taking care of every detail. . including loaning an iron to me, gathering up trash, washing windows, and moving tables and chairs around in a well- orchestrated chain of events on wedding weekend. . .Seriously, I really can't say thank you enough to them. . .The kindness and hospitality they showed to our family will never be forgotten and will serve as an example to us as we love on people who God puts in our path. . .

This was the gigantic tree that provided the shade for the wedding.

The John Pervorse family and the Brett Ladd family - These two families are good friends of the Monroe's and Karen Pervorse made the wedding cake and headed up the catering duties for the reception. I guess of all the people at the wedding, these folks worked the hardest. . .The food was great, the presentation was beautiful, every detail was covered. . . .and I know they were exhausted. . . I have been in those shoes, and they too will never really know how much we appreciated all they did for us that weekend, and all the time before in preparation and planning. I know how hard it is to prepare everything, transport all the food and the serving pieces, keep the trays replenished and. . . in the end. . .clean everything up. . . I just hope that I can keep a smile on my face and show the same type of unselfish servant's hearts as they did to us. Thank you to both families. . .again.

Georgia's bachelorette dinner- - -Cyndi Monroe, Jordan's mom took us to a wonderful restaurant overlooking the ocean for a great meal, and following dinner, we took a stroll on the beach and on a fishing pier as the sun was going down. . . .it was beautiful. . . .I loved watching the surfers line up (I counted 20+) and wait for the waves to roll in . . .most of the surfers were high school age, and the waves were not huge. . but enough that it was a challenge for them and it looked like great fun. It was the first time in my life I had seen real live surfers up close. . . There is a reason why all those folks live in Southern California. . . The climate is perfect most of the time, and the ocean is, well . .gorgeous. It really is supernaturally beautiful. . .the vastness of the sea, the power of the waves, the tiniest perfect seashells on the beach. . .You cannot deny God's creative powers and the truth of Romans 1:20 when you take it all in. . yes, it's true. ."no man is without excuse."

Special friends and family time. . . .As our children enter adulthood and have lives of their own, the amount of time we spend all together becomes less and less . . .and is indeed more precious. Because Austin had been in Iraq, and August had been traveling with internships for most of 2010, it was the first time we had all been together in over 7 months. . .I truly relished the time we shared. For us to have 3 1/2 days together with all our children, the grandparents, and special friends like the Dauphins, Kali Daniel, the extended Monroe family and all the bridal party was historic and definitely a timeless memory. . . I know it was stressful that weekend, but somehow. . now. . .I don't remember any stress. . .I just remember the smiles, the laughter, the beautiful location and the great relationships we shared in. . .and watching Georgia and Jordan be united as a couple with special friends and family as witnesses.

Yes, to the CAT students who were servers, the musicians, the sound guys, Erin Monroe and her friend who acted as the wedding coordinators, keeping us on task and to everyone who had a part in this event . . . especially to the entire Monroe family. . .a most sincere thanks for making a wonderful memory for all of us . . . .it was perfect. :)

Nothing like a wet willy from the big brother . .

2010 recap -August- the Travelin' Man

2010-12-09T07:04:00.000-08:00

For our youngest child, August, 2010 was a truly unique year. . Most 20 year olds don't get the opportunity to travel literally 7 months straight, living out of a suitcase and sharing the Gospel to hundreds of high school students across the United States. August had internships with two different ministries this year, Teenpact Leadership Schools (http://www.teenpact.org/) and Worldview Academy (http://www.worldview.org/ ) He took a semester off from college and traveled with Teenpact from January till May, and then traveled with Worldview May-July. In the past couple of years, he has been in at least 22 states, and has traveled 12,000+ miles in a van. I really can't imagine what God is going to do with this type of experience, but I know one thing, all things happen for a reason and God will use it somehow (Romans 8:28).

With Teenpact, August would lead or assist with conferences for high school students that focused on the Christian perspective on state governments, discussing the mechanics of passing bills through state legislatures, as well as discussion the role of Christian citizenship. This ministry is geared to mainly home schooled students, who could attend this camp as a part of their government requirements for their high school transcripts. August made friends from literally all over the United States. His friends were not only the students, but also their families, as many of the home school families take a very active part in the Teenpact ministry. We are thankful to this group of people for hosting him and loving him as he traveled, and especially to those who financially made it happen. . .and that is another whole story in itself.

On the Worldview Academy staff, August traveled to a different college campus each week of the summer, hosting conferences for high school students on Christian Apologetics. These conferences centered on discussions about different worldviews in our culture, as found in literature, entertainment and all types of media. August led small group discussion with high school-aged boys and really enjoyed getting to invest in them, even if it was for just one week. He traveled all summer in a van, seeing more country than you and I will probably ever see, and made deep friendships with the other college students serving on staff as well. We are very thankful for this opportunity for him, as he has been exposed to very sound Christian theology, great speakers/presenters and quality Christian people who are mentors to him. He plans to travel again with Worldview for the summer of 2011.

August returned back to Texas A & M in September for his sophomore year, and the adjustment back to college was good with minor difficulties, mainly in the form of Calculus! He has enjoyed getting back in to the Aggie Spirit, and having a winning football season this fall helped tremendously! The Aggies have never beat Oklahoma and Nebraska in the same season in recent history. . .and he got to witness them both!

I write all this down to remember what all God has done in his life, in such a short period of time. He has been on an unusual journey, and I know we will look back years from now and see how God orchestrated his path. It's an amazing thing to watch as a parent.

Whewwww. . .what a year!

2010 recap -Georgia's college graduation

2010-11-21T04:26:00.000-08:00

Another highlight of 2010 was Georgia's graduation from Angelo State University as a nurse. To see her walk across the stage to receive her degree as well as attending her pinning ceremony was the perfect ending to four long hard years of studying and worrying. . . .I don't know that I have ever watched someone work as hard as she did to reach her educational goal. As she poured herself in to classes like anatomy, physiology, and all her nursing classes, we all held our breath and prayed as she took each test and final exam. . .her hard work paid off, and she graduated in May and passed her state board exams in June a week before her wedding this summer . . Talk about a tight schedule!

Georgia has always been the nurse in our family. From elementary school on, anytime anyone got hurt or scratched up, she was the cleaner-uper and band-aide queen. . .she thought she wanted to be a veterinarian for a while, but after attending a vet school camp for high school students, her focus quickly changed from animals to humans. . .nursing has been the perfect fit.

Nursing is hard work, dealing with bodily functions that are not pleasant, and requires a huge amount of patience and compassion as nurses interact with sick people. . .I can't tell you how much I admire what she is doing. . .Both of her great-grandmothers were nurses, as well as her great aunt. . .so she is keeping the family tradition going.

We are so proud of her and of what she has become. . . .and God is continuing to shape and mold her as she enters the adult world. We are also thankful that she lived with us most of her college career, as it added a wonderful dimension of having college students around the house all the time and made for some great memories for all of us.

Georiga, we love you and you will always be our favorite nurse and daughter! and we pray Jeremiah 29:11 over you. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. . Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. . plans to give you a future and a hope."

2010 recap- Austin's Homecoming from Iraq-

2010-10-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

When I look back over 2010, probably one of the favorite and most emotional events of the year was Austin's return from Iraq in April 2010. His year-long deployment with the Army was something our family had never experienced, as we don't have any former military men in our immediate family.

His departure had been delayed for 4 months, and the anxiety of him leaving and being away from his new bride for a year was mounting. The day we told him goodbye was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced, because not only was our family being emotionally and physically separated, but we watched as 300 more families were experiencing the same thing that day.

Austin's new wife, Brittany moved in with us for eight months (which was a wonderful blessing for all of us), and we were able to talked to him fairly often on the phone. We sent care packages each week. The year moved quickly for us here at home, but I think it was probably the longest year Austin has ever experienced. Some days we could really hear the homesickness in his voice. Austin flew home for his two-week break on Dec 5th, eight months into his deployment, so we were thrilled for him to be home during the Christmas season. He returned back to Iraq a few days before Christmas, and his spirits remained good as he began the countdown to his return home date.

As April approached, we kept our schedules as free as possible as the Army does not give out definite dates when troops will be arriving home. When we finally got a fairly firm date, we headed towards Killeen to wait. . We began our vigil at 9 pm and the buses with the troops aboard finally arrived about midnight on April 10th..

It was a sight to see.

Surrounding that lit-up parade ground were hundreds of family members holding welcome home signs, flags and flashlights. It was a carnival atmosphere. . .The anticipation was growing as the announcer declared that the soldiers were almost there. My favorite memory was of a pair of 18-month old twin girls in a double stroller near us who were fussy and tired as midnight approached. When the buses arrived carrying the soldiers, their mom leaned over to them and whispered to them "Daddy is here now". . .They straightened up in that stroller, stopped crying and they reminded me of hunting dogs "on point", leaning forward in their seats as they strained to see him in the sea of soldiers marching towards us. It was amazing to me to see that even at 18 months old, those little girls understood the meaning of the phrase "Daddy's home."

We saw young soldier dads being handed their own new babies that they had never seen before. We saw teenage children almost tackle their dads and moms as they ran full force across the parade ground to hug them. We saw young girlfriends and wives dressed up in glittery dresses and heels who were passionately kissing their soldier boyfriends and husbands. They didn't care who was watching. We watched as parents greeted their sons and daughters with both patriotic pride and thankfulness that the deployment was over. And we also saw soldiers standing there alone, with no one to welcome them home, as their families were too far away to come for the ceremony. My heart ached for them.

I still can't think about that night without getting a bit teary. . .Never before have I realized the huge sacrifices that our military troops undertake by leaving their families numerous times during their careers to defend our country and to carry out orders given by our government leaders.Since that night, I have often said that every elected government official need to attend one of those gut-wrenching send-offs and joyful homecomings to fully understand the effects those deployments have on military families. And I also have become fully aware of the need for those of us here at home in the US to support and care for the military families who are left behind. Life is more difficult for them than most of us can imagine.

Below is my favorite picture from that night. It was the moment that Austin and Brittany were reunited. That picture symbolized that the long year was over, that they could move forward as a young married couple again, and that Austin was home safe and sound. Again, let us never forget the emotional and physical "cost" of our freedoms.

My Dad- Bill Helwig (1927-2010)

2010-07-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

We knew the day was coming. . .

Todd and I were returning home from an out-of-town trip when my mom called on March 2, 2010 to say that she was taking my dad to the emergency room for a possible blood clot in his leg. Dad's health had been rapidly deteriorating since last fall, after he fell and broke his hip and had a hospital stay of 38 days. However, he had rallied enough to go home by Christmas Eve, and was making a little progress in his walking and overall recovery day by day.

Dad, 81, was admitted to the hospital that day, and seemed to be doing fine until I got a phone call the next morning from my mom saying that Dad's health was failing fast and that I needed to come to the hospital immediately. When I arrived, he has been revived by a "code" team and was very unstable, yet he was alert enough to say "Hey Bonnie, How was your trip?". Mom had to make some big decisions that day about his future health care, and because she and Dad had already discussed not doing any life extending measures, the medical staff let him slip into a coma and die peacefully that evening.

You get pretty reflective about life when you watch someone die, and lots of memories also come flooding back about your relationship with that person. Here are a few of my favorite childhood memories with Dad:

-Playing "Edelweiss" on the piano over and over for Dad. I took years of piano lessons, and my dad enjoyed hearing me play probably more than anyone in our family. He was extremely proud of his German heritage and this song was his favorite. . It's from the movie "Sound of Music".

-Going to the big livestock shows in Texas. . Dad was very competitive. During our 4-H years, we showed Hereford heifers and steers, and he took great pride in us (my brother and I) showing prize winning animals. He loved going to the livestock shows- -Abilene, Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Houston and San Angelo to compete and also visit with rural families from all over the state. These families were some of our closest family friends while growing up. Doing 4-H and going to livestock shows are probably my best memories involving our family being together.

- Going to the Mereta Co-op Gin office. Dad worked at this same cotton gin and grain elevator for about 40 years. During cotton harvest, I would often go to the gin office to see my dad, as he would often have very late nights and I would not see for several days in a row. The gin office was often full of coffee-drinking farmers who gathered once and sometimes twice a day for a break and to catch up on the community news. These guys were solid rock kind of men- usually weathered, tough looking guys who often had good sense of humors and were great story tellers. These were some of my dad's closest friends.

-Studying maps at the dining room table. Dad loved to travel, both outside and inside the state of Texas. Sometimes at night, he would drag out a Texas or United States map and name a city for me to look up, and then have me plot the best route to get there. It was a great exercise in geography and it caused us to dream about places where we wanted to visit someday.

- Long wild car rides to Montana for vacations. During my years at home, I think we made 3 trips to Whitefish, Montana to visit my mom's aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived there. Dad would sometimes drive 800+ miles in a day to get there and he NEVER drove slow. I remember driving up to Aunt Annie's house in July and she was standing at the door, waving at us to hurry and come watch the TV. . .she said "They are landing on the moon right now. " Going to Montana gave me my first taste of what it's like to experience a cool summer. I didn't know cool weather in the summer time existed till we visited there. And I fell in love with the Rocky Mountains on those trips.

-Working on the farm together. When my brother left for college, I became Dad's farm hand, and in the summer, almost every evening when I was home, we would go and move 40 ft. irrigation joints by hand down on the river bottom where cotton and milo were growing. It was often at least 95 degrees in the evenings while we were doing this. . .no wonder he had a heart attack when he was 52. I was teased at school often in the fall about having the strongest biceps in the school, but working on the farm really shaped my work ethic for the rest of my life. Doing farm work taught me that there is great value in manual labor, and you will always survive if you are willing to work. . .work hard. . .and do a job right.

As with most children, there are many things I wish I could have changed about our relationship through the years. It was not perfect, and all of us have faults. . . .but he did all that he knew how to do to raise my brother and I to be high achievers and good citizens in our communities. I am thankful that Dad's mind was sharp until the day he died, and that he was always reading and studying.

The Bible says in James 4:14 "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." Watching my dad pass from this life into another really made me think about the purpose and value of each day of our lives. I have learned that one's health is really a gift, that we have one shot to use our time for something of worth and purpose , and that life is not about us, it's about Jesus. . .if we really are sincere about calling ourselves Christians. Treasure this day . . .there is no promise of another one.

Tommy. . .

2010-07-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

Someday I went to grow up and be like Tommy.

When I met Tommy during our first trip to Ghana, I felt like I was talking to an old family friend. He was just like the men I had grown up with . . Tommy is from a rural community in Alabama, was a part-time farmer and had owned a auto mechanic shop . He is a salt-of-the-earth, blue-collar kind of guy. Kind of weathered and tough looking, he loves Jesus as much as anyone I know, . . .and it shows. . .

Now in his mid-seventies, he has lived full-time in Ghana for around 10 years as a missionary in the village of Nalerigu and the surrounding communities. He had done short-term missions with his wife to Ghana, and following her death from cancer, he moved to Ghana to live with and love the people there. He is amazing. He is completely fluent in the native local language, and as I watched him interact with the local folks, he is truly loved and respected by the people. And he has a toughness and sparkle in his eye that keeps him young way beyond his years. . .I loved watching him zip around the compound on his little motorcycle. He has the same grin while he is riding it as my 20-year old son.

Tommy has built a home in the village and has a farm outside of town. He has a preaching and teaching ministry to the nearby communities, and he works with the farmers on improving their farming techniques. Tommy had a small tractor shipped to Ghana, so he could help the local farmers plow their fields, which are typically worked by hand. Our culture so exalts book knowledge and brains, but Tommy’s giftedness with his hands was beyond compare. He can fix anything.

As Todd and I enter the “empty nest” and approach the retirement stage of life, the discussion of what to do with the rest of our lives comes up often. . .I am asking the Lord that I just want to be like Tommy, living and loving people with a Gospel kind of love for the rest of my life. And if the Lord sends us to another part of the world to serve, so be it. . .but there are also tons of folks right here in our community who are crying out for someone to love them in Jesus’ name.

In our culture, retirement has been so exalted and lifted up as one of the ultimate goals as we grow older, that we often think we are “entitled” to years of hobbies, trips and social outings. . .but retirement is mentioned nowhere in the Bible. We may “retire” from our daily jobs, but where do we get the idea that we can rotate hunting, fishing, golfing, crafting and other time-consuming hobbies for the rest of our days here on earth? A majority of Moses’ ministry didn’t get started till he was 40 years old. . .and he led the people daily till he simply went up on a mountain and “was gathered to his fathers”. . .

When we chose to serve Jesus all of our days as Tommy has done, there is often a cost. . . he has given up years of living near his grown children and their families, and he struggles with not being near his grandchildren and being part of their daily lives. . ..Tommy goes home about once a year, but his love for the people of Ghana keeps drawing him back. He knows there will be a day when he will need to go home for good, and that day may be sooner than later. . .but in the mean time, he is serving and showing Jesus to folks who need all the hope they can get.

I wanted to write about Tommy because I don't ever want to forget him and the impression he made on me during my two visits to Ghana this past year. . He reminded me so much of Dorothy Mazuk (for those of you who knew her) . .. They both have taught me that life is all about serving Jesus by loving people . . .and there's really nothing else that compares.

Yup, I want to grow up and be like Tommy. . . .

Second Trip to Ghana- Feb. 2010

2010-07-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Shortly before Christmas 2009, Cindi Dauphin, our pastor’s wife and good friend for over 10 years now, asked if I wanted to go to Ghana in February to help Hollie Dickens with the children while her husband Joel (physician/ medical missionary) attended a physician’s conference in Kenya for two weeks. Never in a million years could I have imagined returning to Ghana for another visit in the same year. Only God could orchestrate that. So I returned to Ghana with Cindi and while the location was familiar, the experiences were different.

Favorite memories:

-Long walks in the cool of the mornings with Abigail (2yrs) and AnnaLeigh (6 mo.) in their stroller. Each morning, we would go and feed the pet monkey on the Compound, say hello to the head cook in the guest lodge, and greet all the workers, visiting doctors and missionaries who were finishing breakfast and beginning to start their day. It was a wonderful social time for all three of us. The Ghana natives even have greeting they use each day, loosely translated “Cool of the morning to you.” The mornings were my favorite time of day there.

-Helping Colt (age8) with his homeschooling each morning. As much as I would love to be a nurse, or artist, I know that God has given me a gift and love to teach, no matter what age the person is. Helping Colt was a blessing and fun for me, and he and I formed a special friendship from spending that much time together.

- Interacting with the visiting physicians. Because both of the resident doctors were gone to the conference in Kenya, a group of physicians came to fill in, mainly retired guys and a few still practicing. . .It was the retired guys that so impressed me. . One of the 80-year old surgeons would perform 8-9 surgeries a day, and by end of the day, he could hardly stand up from being on his feet all day. . .but he didn’t complain and had a wonderful countenance about him. . Another doctor had Cindi and I help him take notes while he examined patients. . .He was constantly teaching us about the diseases and ailments he was seeing. He prayed with each patient, no matter if the patient was a believer or not, and led a couple of people to the Lord in his examining room. . .he too understood that he was being Jesus’ hands and feet to a group of people who so desperately needed his skill and expertise.

-The fragility of Life. Since I spent more time at the clinic this visit, I was more aware of the devastating effects of preventable disease on families, especially the children. . One of the retired visiting pediatricians said during a devotion time one night,” I have signed more death certificates this week than I have my entire career.” Death is such a part of daily life there, that it made me realize that each day is truly a gift from the Lord.

-Visits with Hollie, of course. I came to realize the importance of face-to-face visits with foreign missionaries. It’s important to pray for them and support them financially, but to go and spend time with them is incredibly valuable. The foreign mission field can be lonely and isolating, and a familiar face from home can be spiritually and mentally rejuvenating. I have learned to never underestimate that.

-Sharing an adventure with my friend Cindi. . .There is nothing quite like traveling to the other side of the world with someone to deepen a friendship. The long plane rides, the hours of waiting at airports, traveling to and from the remote village of Nalerigu, shopping in Accra, the capital of Ghana, and discussions about books, our children, life and the Lord are very special memories to me. All I can do is thank Jesus for the opportunity to share this journey with her.

I never want to forget what I learned in Ghana, the 9th poorest country in the world. I still struggle with what I saw, and I pray that the Lord will continue to convict my soul with caring for the hungry and needy in our world, as described in Isaiah 58.

2010 has flown by. . . .

2010-07-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe that nearly 6 months have flown by since I have sat down to write a few words on the blog. I can safely say that this has been one of the busiest years of our lives. . .with lots of big memorable events that have shaped our winter, spring and now summer . I am going to go back in time and write about some of these events not only to share with you, but to help me remember what God has let me experience and taught me through these events. If I believe Romans 8:28, then all things that have happened this year “will work together for good for those who are called in Christ Jesus.”

Hospitality from Poverty- Part 1

2010-01-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here is an excerpt from a book I recently read concerning hospitality- -

"After returning to Zambia from a visit in the United States, we were delighted by the visits of Zambian friends who came to welcome us back and welcome our new baby.

As we played with each other's babies, I noticed with pain how tiny their little Linda was. At a year, she was only a little heavier than our three-month old Frieda. I thought of their other children. They once had four, but two had died from diarrhea.
After a while our friend Lenty signaled to his wife and with a smile she handed us a basket. Looking in, I saw a heap of small Irish potatoes and what looked some plastic trash. I exclaimed with real gratitude about the potatoes, knowing the sacrifice they must have made to find this special treat for their potato-loving white friends.

Lenty leaned forward and picked up the plastic. Holding it out to me with pleasure and dignity, he said, "This is for your baby." My eyes refocused and I saw with a jolt what he was giving her: two little clear plastic glasses and two lovely flat plastic dishes. I thanked him with all the grace I could muster, hoping he had not noticed my lack of composure.

Later, I fought tears as I sat holding those little disposable dishes with "Zambia Airways" inscribed on the bottoms. Why is our world so ordered that people with several sets of dishes constantly discard mountains of containers after a single use? And those who would be pleased to carefully wash and reuse the disposables come upon them so rarely that they treat them as treasures?

- Lynda Meiser, former missionary to Zambia

From the book "Extending the Table"

"Lord, to those who hunger, give bread.

And to those who have bread, give the hunger for justice."- Central American Prayer

Whirlwind Christmas Season

2009-12-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

August, Austin, Brittany, Bonnie, Todd, Georgia & Jordan

It has been an interesting and reflective Christmas season this year. . . the biggest lesson I have learned is that the Christmas season is not about the busy festivities, the gifts or the decorations, but it's about who you spend it with and what God teaches you through it. . .

We celebrated Christmas early this year on Dec. 4 & 5, when Austin arrived home from Iraq for his two weeks of R & R. . .we had a wonderul time with him and the entire family and the many friends who dropped by to see him that weekend. . To see him reunited with his beautiful wife and to see our children want to spend time together as siblings was such a blessing. .it's every parents' dream, really. . .I have been truly overwhelmed with thankfulness this Christmas season through our friends, extended family, our children and their soulmates.

I have also spent a lot of time with my parents this holiday season, especially my dad. I have sat at the hospital almost every day with him as he struggles to recover from a broken hip and balance the numerous other health issues he has. My dad (age 82) fell a week before Thanksgiving in the pasture while trying to pen cows. . .Old farmer/rancher types do not fade into the sunset easily. . .They think they are invincible and don't go down without a fight, even if it's against their own aging bodies. . . .Although we have not seen "eye to eye" through the years, it has been a blessing to reconnect with him and talk about such things as meaningless football to old stories of the past that reach far back into his childhood. It's amazing what you talk about when you are stuck in a hospital room for hours at a time. My time at the hospital has also made me very grateful for my own health and how fragile it really is. . . every healthy day we have is a blessing.

Finally, this Christmas season has been one of reflection for us spiritually as well. We are in such a different place in life this year, having finished our day-to-day parenting.(August, the last child, went off to college this fall.) We have been asking the Lord "How do you want us to live? What do you have next for us?" . . and daily, in little chunks, he has been giving us answers. . .We have begun to practice more day-to-day, minute-by-minute Christianity, instead of the usual organized Christian programming. . .We have had extra young people in our home 24/7 this fall, almost to the point of overcrowding. . but we wouldn't trade a minute of it. . We have learned that when you live life together, you can't just say you are a Christian. . you really have to practice it. . even to the point of personal inconvenience and discomfort. . .much like the Scripture Deuteronomy 11:19 tell us to do. . . It hasn't all been perfect or pretty, but it really has been about "loving the one in front of you" on a daily basis. . . And God has given us some amazing opportunities this year to share life and resources with believers literally around the world. The "Body" of Christ and how God allows our lives to intertwine is truly amazing.

So as I reflect on this Christmas season, I have learned that you can take away all the gifts and decorations and parties. . . .but you can't take away the love and blessings of family, friends and of knowing who Jesus really is and the gift He was to us from God. . .John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. . no man comes to the Father except through me." Merry Christmas everyone!

A new meaning to Veterans Day

2009-11-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

I became pretty choked up today just watching some guys put out American flags in front of a business here in San Angelo this morning. . .Veterans Day has a whole new meaning for me today. .

I guesss I have always understood the sacrifices that our military has made for our freedom in a sterile, distant kind of way, as we have had no military folks in our immediate family for years. . . but this year is different. . .

As our oldest son Austin spends this year in Iraq away from his precious wife, we all feel the struggles that come with long distance communication and relationships. Our future son-in-law is serving at Ft. Hood in the Army and will also possibly be deployed in the future, and we are praying daily for a young man (who is a close friend of a former ASU student) who had both legs blown off in Afganistan. . . For really the first time, the huge sacrifices are being directly felt by our family. . .

These guys didn't ask for this war, but they are proudly defending a cause that our leaders felt was crucial to our long term freedoms. Celebrating Veterans Day is a good thing. . .just to pause for a moment in our busy schedules to think about the cost.. . in lives lost, in time away from families, in facing terrifying situations for the sake of our nation's freedom. .

Is it worth it?. . .. I think so. . .

Football Game Gives Hope. . .

2009-11-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm going to try and post my favorite video thus far. . .I played all kinds of athletics in school, my children played athletics in school and I believe in the many positive lessons a person can learn from the discipline and hard work that athletics require. Now I know that sports can quickly get "out of balance" in the life of a child and/or family. . . .and I realize there are also many excesses and negative aspects about team athletics.

BUT every once in a while, a story or situation comes around that really positively demonstrates the place that athletics can play in a person's life and becomes the vehicle for loving someone in a way that is counter cultural in our view of competitive athletics.

Again, I am posting this on my blog so that I can watch it every once in a while and remember to always love in a way that gives Jesus glory. . .so that others can see Jesus in us. .

That's what this video is all about. . .. please take a look at it and let us all remember why we participate in athletics and allow our children to participate. . .it CAN truly become the vehicle to give God glory. . .which is our sole purpose anyway:

Copy and Paste:

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=b6c7b995da9705f7695b

Canning Jar Bread

2009-10-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

* I found this recipe in a cook book a couple of weeks ago and tried it out. . . It worked great! I shipped a couple of jars of pumpkin bread to our son in Iraq and to our son in college and gave a couple of jars to our future son-in-law stationed at Ft. Hood. . .All gave rave reviews, so I wanted to pass it on. I haven't used this method with other quick bread recipes but it should work. . .. hope you enjoy it!

Canning Jar Bread
2/3 c. shortening
2 ½ cup sugar

4 eggs

2/3 cup water

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. ground cloves

1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups pumpkin

3 ½ cups flour

1 cup pecans (optional)

Wash and dry 8 pint size (wide mouth) canning jars. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and water. Beat well and add pumpkin. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Fill jars ½ full. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Test with toothpick. When done, remove one jar at a time from the oven. Leave oven on to keep jars hot or they may not seal. Put scalded lid on the jar and seal. If bread rises above the rim of the jar, press it down with the lid and seal. It shrinks a little when cooling. When jars have cooled, the lids should be depressed slightly, indicating properly sealed jars. If you vary the ingredients or use a different recipe, you may not get 8 pints of bread. Bread will keep up to one year.

Variations on this recipe: instead of pumpkin, substitute 2 cups of one of the following: apple sauce, whole cranberry sauce, shredded apples, bananas, shredded zucchini, or shredded carrots.

Great idea for gifts for friends, family or teachers. The best thing is that they can be made in advance. . .Add a small jar of homemade jelly or a little bottle of honey in a gift bag or basket for a special gift with a homemade touch!

Goodness Precedes Greatness: A Call for Heroes

2009-10-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

The following blog article was written by Jon Foreman, lead singer for the Christian band, Switchfoot.(10/16/09) It is so well written that I wanted to add it to my blog just so I would read it every so often as a reminder about how to live the Christian life and why we do it. . . Let this writing be food for your soul!

I write songs for a living, which is to say that writing songs helps me to live. The song becomes a place where melody and tempo can cover some truly volatile topics. God, women, politics, sex, hatred, disillusionment- a song or a story can be a deeper vessel and more forgiving than most conversations. Poetry can get under the skin without your permission, and music can offer perspective or hope that might have been hidden before. And so the song becomes a vehicle to cover some serious ground.

These days I have a hard time writing a song that feels bright or hopeful. The unemployment rate is edging up even further and spending is down. Foreclosures are way up and stocks are down. Our headlines are full of war, natural disaster, and corruption. So I go looking for songs of hope and stories that remind me of the incredible privilege of living another day. I suppose I'm looking for a hero of sorts. Someone who rises above the situation and does something incredible.
Remember the guy who threw himself on top of the passenger who had suffered a seizure in the New York Subway? As the train was approaching he jumps down onto the tracks and risks his life to save the life of a complete stranger whose convulsions had thrown him into the path of an oncoming train. Incredible. Have you seen Team Hoyt, the dad who pushes his disabled son through all the marathons? They've even done the Iron Man competitions together as father and son, which makes me tear up. Or the story of Mother Teresa, a woman who gave her life to the less fortunate day after day after day. These are the stories that I want to sing about. These are stories of hope.

Such sacrifice, such patience and such goodness is rare and rightly called heroic. But these are not the heroes of our times. Wesley Autrey is not a household name and neither is Team Hoyt. If you want to know the heroes of our society, follow the money, look at the posters on the wall. We pay them seven digit salaries, we put their songs on our playlists, and follow them on Twitter. These are the heroes we emulate.

Let's face it. Mother Teresa doesn't look that good in a negligee. And Team Hoyt won't sell beer commercials to the networks. But when the ball players and the supermodels end up in rehab, we end up asking esoteric questions about what makes a hero. In the movies the good looking actor who gets the girl is easy to point to. But after he gets the girl, then the house, and then a few kids and then a divorce and then another girl. Then what? After all of the special effects are gone, we're left with an aging mortal who looks a bit awkward on the talk shows. Perhaps we've set our goals too low. Or perhaps we've got it backwards.

I would like to suggest that the best parts of our human nature can be seen in sacrifice or surrender. A mother sacrificing her time for her child, a teacher devoting her afternoons to help students off-the-clock. These are truly our most incredible moments as a species: moments of unmerited kindness. Goodness. Virtue. Nobility. Grace. Morality. These are the truly remarkable moments. Perhaps our current economic climate of debt needs a fresh perspective on worth and value. Maybe our monetary crisis indicates a broader loss of perspective.
We live in the land of plenty, the land of milk and honey, where the lottery of birth has given us the advantage of education, of wealth, and of opportunity. Ammon Hennessy puts it this way, "You came into the world armed to the teeth with... the weapons of privilege." A trip south of the border can be an incredible reminder. We are living in the land of entitlement, one of the wealthiest nations in the history of mankind. And yet, money cannot buy us the true wealth of happiness, or peace, or of a deeper form of a meaningful life.

Perhaps the current climate of uncertainty would be the appropriate time to ask the question: what are we aiming for? Our technological achievements as a species are impressive. Our cities, our advancements in flight and our iPhones are all fairly remarkable. But there is nothing heroic about my cell phone. There is nothing sacrificial about it. Where is the song that's worth singing? What is our measure of success? Renown psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl says that "success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as a byproduct of one's surrender to a person other than oneself."

Maybe the fix is not the money. Maybe two and a half hours in a theatre isn't enough time for a hero to be born. Maybe it takes a lifetime- a lifetime like John M. Perkins. John Perkins is a man who devoted his life to those around him in simple and profound ways. He was quick to forgive, quick to utilize resources to help those in need. He has been a tireless civil rights worker who has endured beatings, harassments, and even prison for what he believes. With the help of his wife, Vera Mae, and a few others, he founded a health center, leadership development program, thrift store, low-income housing development and training center in his hometown of Mendenhall, Mississippi. His is a story of reconciliation, of forgiveness, of patience. He endured the suffering, holding on to a cause greater than himself.

John Perkins has is a song I want to sing. A song of a great man, the story of a legend. How do you replicate this goodness? Do you monetize it? Do you subsidize it? No. It's bigger than Washington, it's bigger than Wall Street. And it looks better than Hollywood. His is the story of a hero, a song of hope. His is a story that reminds me of a goodness beneath the system. Though Perkins was a devout Christian, he was quick to point out that this goodness is bigger than stale religion. Mr. Perkins once said that "many congregations do nothing but outsource justice." John Perkins said it right- you can't outsource justice. You can't farm out goodness to someone else. Your life is yours alone. Those decisions are yours to make.

I am the system. You are the system. We, the system of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, choose goodness. Yes, the system is flawed. Yes, the church is flawed. Yes, Wall Street and Hollywood Boulevard are all fatally flawed. Yes, there will always be those who take the easy way out. But that ain't your game. Your choice is yours alone. Goodness precedes greatness. Maybe the mother will always have more power than the atomic bomb. Maybe under the skin there is a song of hope and meaning waiting to break free. Or maybe not. It's our story. You and I decide with our actions. It can be as small as simple courtesy. Or get involved in your hometown. Find out what the local food bank looks like. Look up the local Habitat for Humanity. What is the world you want? You choose it with every breath.

In our current climate of fear and debt I am reminded of what I hold most valuable in this life: the human souls closest to me. We need each other. Human beings will always be the most valuable natural resource on the planet. The human story is still unfolding. We are telling it as we speak. The human song is still weaving its way towards a chorus, through the suffering, through the fear. We need each other. We need heroes. Let your life be a beautiful song. We need hope. Tell a good story with the way you live. What is the world you want?

A visit to Aggieland. . .

2009-10-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, we ventured back to Texas A&M on Sept. 18-19 to see a Big 12 football game for the first time in about 4-5 years. . .we haven't been back for a game since August has been playing high school football as he always had films to watch on Saturdays, so it was fun to be back. . . Todd, Georgia, Jordan (Georgia's fiancee)and I joined August and Jayton Lindley ( a senior engineering major from Mertzon) for all the weekend festivities. Since Jordan had never been to Texas A&M or to a Big 12 football game, we took him to all the famous sites.and sounds . .the campus, the George Bush Presidential Library, Free Birds (eating place), the bookstore and the ROTC "march in" and "fly by" before the game. . . The guys even squeezed in a Sat morning bike ride before it became too hot and humid.

The Texas A&M Aggies barely won the game against Utah State, but we had great seats and it was great fun just to be there again. . .It has been 28 years since Todd and I both graduated from there. . . no wonder those students all looked like they belong in Jr. High :). Special thanks to Randy and Susan Brooks for sharing their season tickets with us!

Hammin it up on the second deck of Kyle Field. . . Everyone is sporting their maroon and white!

Aggie Buddies. . .

August showed us how to make a giant burrito at "Free Birds". . our first trip there.

The famous Georgia Huckabee pose at the Bush Library. . .Notice that she had to stand on a post just to make it into the photo. . .

The studs. . . President George would be proud . . .

Waiting for 1 1/2 hours at "On the Border" for a table on Friday night before the game. . There's nothing like the crowds in College Station on a football weekend. .

Redeeming the Time. . .

2009-09-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

This past week, I was studying Ephesians- Chapter 5, and although there are many powerful verses in that chapter, one verse jumped off the page for me. . . "Be very careful, then how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. . ."(Eph 5:16) . .and it's as if the Lord made me very conscience of how I was spending every second. . so much that I was thinking as I watched the microwave tick off time, I thought "there goes 30 seconds of my life that I can never get back. . . I know, sounds a little obsessive, but I can't deny that it happened . .

Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors have made it very easy to write letters of encouragement to persecuted and imprisoned Christians throughout the world via their websites. .

Open Doors asks you to write simple letters in English and mail them to the US headquarter where the letters are translated. . .You simply write them, put them in a bigger envelope and pay the cost of the postage to the Open Door headquarters in California. . .and if your children like to draw pictures and write simple letters also, Open Doors has a list of orphan children in Columbia who love to receive drawings and letters from other other children.

Voice of the Martyrs, on the other hand, has an incredible web program so that you can write letters and they are immediately translated into the appropriate language. These letters cost about $1.25 to mail overseas, about the same price as a medium coke at a convenience store. . And I have never taken letters into the post office without a conversation being started about who are receiving these letters around the world by interested postal workers. You can also send emails to the governments who are holding these Christians captive . . .all the instructions are there and it's easy to do. . .

Why do I mention this? Because this weekend, as we sit and watch College Football, the NFL and MLB. . .let's redeem the time and use our laptops to write letters to our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. . It's as simple as that. Here are the websites:

Open Doors: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/1049/14/

Voice of the Martyrs: http://www.prisoneralert.com/

I've had people scoff at this and say "How do you know that those letters even get there. .well, I don't know. But I know that God has called me to DO SOMETHING, so why not pray AND write! As I sit and watch football this weekend, I'll be writing. . .hope you and your children will be too. . .

blessings,

bonnie

Happy Birthday Austin!

2009-09-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

Austin and his wife Brittany- 2008

Austin, this one's for you - -

The weather turned cooler this week and it feels like Fall is in the air. . . .It's almost like flipping a light switch and the long hot summer is over. . Nature has done this at almost the same week every year for the past 25 years .

How do I know? Because 25 years ago on Sept. 15, 1984 , we brought home our newborn son, Austin, home from the hospital on the day the first cool Fall breeze of the season rolled in.

I'll never forget it. . .

You see, we lived in a small 2 bedroom, 1 bath home in Ballinger, TX that had one swamp cooler in the whole house to keep us cool during the long hot West Texas summer months. I had actually been worrying and praying about how I was going to keep a newborn cool and comfortable in our tiny hot house. . .and then, like a little gift from the Lord, the first cool front blew in on the day we went home from the hospital. . . and "poof". . the summer was over.

And it has been this way almost every September 15th since then. . .When Austin was in preschool and elementary school, he always wanted a swimming party for his birthday celebration. . . and every year, as we were sweating in the months of August and early September, we would plan one. . .and every year, when Sept. 15 arrived, we would be scrambling to change birthday plans from a swimming party to a pizza party or something indoors because the seasons had changed. . .literally overnight.

So I couldn't help but smile when the cool weather rolled in this past week and triggered the wonderful slow rains. . .Nature was right on time. . .Austin's birthday is almost here.

So, now I want to wish my 25-year old son a very special Happy Birthday, and pray somehow, someway you can feel how proud I am of you. . .how proud of who you are and what you are becoming as a husband and a man. . .and how much we love you and miss you as you spend this birthday in far-off Iraq. . .for our sake and the sake of others.

God has taken you on this journey for a reason and although we don't see how all these puzzle pieces of life fit together right now, I take great comfort in knowing that God does. . . . Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight". . . .I am praying for straight paths" for you today. . .

The 25 years we've had to share with you as your parents are truly a gift from the Lord. . .We love you more than you will ever know. . .

Happy Birthday to my precious son,

Love,

MOM

Are you rich? Am I rich?

2009-09-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Photo taken by Georgia Huckabee, Summer 2009, Ghana

Are you rich? Am I rich?

The following is an excerpt from Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" ( pp.89-90) and gives us something to chew on. . ."If 100 people represented the world's population, 53 of those would live on less than $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4,000 a month, you automatically make 100 times more than the average person on this planet? Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a week's time.Which is more messed up - - that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves "broke" or "poor"? We are neither of those things. We are rich. Filthy rich."

Robert Murray M'Cheyne was a Scottish pastor who died at the age of 29. Although he lived in the early part of the 1900s, his words are astoundingly appropriate for today:

'I am concerned for the poor but more for you. I know not what Christ will say to you in the great day. . .I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudgingly at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh my friends! Enjoy your money; make the most of it; give none away; enjoy it quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.'

The reality is that, whether we acknowledge our wealth or not, being rich is a serious disadvantage spiritually. As William Wilberforce once said." Prosperity hardens the heart."

Through our friendship with Hollie and Joel Dickens, medical missionaries to Northern Ghana, we have been made aware of the dire poverty in that region. . .Here is a recent statement from a young pastor from that area as he shares his ministry plan to reach his community. .

"Finally, we all agreed that Northern Region is regarded to the highest poverty zone in Ghana, I will therefore propose to have an intervention policy which will support the vulnerable, widows and orphans especially around the farming season where it becomes very difficult for most of the people to afford even one square meal in a day.To be able to do this I will need to engage in farming of maize so that during the hard season we can at least support the starving members and the vulnerable with some food to save them from starving to death."

This is a young pastor who must grow food for his members so that they will not starve. . That, dear friends, is the reality of 50% of the world's population. . .What can we do? . . .We can share. . .We must share. .

-Todd and Bonnie

August left for college today. . .

2009-08-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

August- age 2, 1992

"We can't be everywhere. But God can. We can't see everything. But God can. We can't know everything, but God can. No matter what age our children are, releasing them into God's hands is a sign of our faith and trust in Him and is the first step toward making a difference in their lives. Prayer for our children begins there."-Stormie Omartian

Well, yesterday was another one of those "release" days. . .August, our youngest child, left for college . . .

Everyone else was gone from the house and it got really, really quiet. . really really quick. . . After seeing him off, I stood in the kitchen for a while and keep repeating to myself "Okay God, this is what we have raised them to do, isn't it?". . . .I think I saw God smiling. . .For the first time in 18 years, public school started without a Huckabee child starting with it. . . .although we do not have an "empty nest" yet, ( Brittany and Georgia are still living with us), I have not had to get a child up and going at 6:30am and out the door by 7:15 for the first time in a long, long time. . . .the routine has changed. . . and I know that deep down if I look inside myself, I know that that is a good thing. . .yes, I have had some long sighs, and I have been a little nostalgic lately. . .but I know this is what God intends for us to do with our children. . .love them, nurture them, train them in the way they should go, and then turn them loose to follow God's plan. . .and not ours. . .

It has been a wonderful long chapter in life. . .and I know that it is not completely over. . .we will still be needed to solve a crisis or two, and there will be lots of phone calls with all our children in the days ahead. . .but the day-to-day coaching phase of life with the kids is over. . . and all I can do is thank God for the wonderful years and boat load of memories we have to recall. . .

So my advice to all young moms out there. . .hug your children today, tell them about Jesus, live like Jesus. . .and know that when the day comes, and the last child walks out the door. . .you will survive. . .If I can, you can too! . .

August's Senior Night at the last Home football game- Fall 2008

Getting ready to walk out the door and drive off to Texas A&M University. . August 2009.

Engagement weekend. . .

2009-08-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

"A magnificent marriage begins with not knowing one another but with knowing God." - -Gary and Betsy Ricucci

On August 6th, Georgia and her boyfriend, Jordan Monroe announced their engagement to us. . .it has been somewhat of a whirlwind courtship this summer, but all of us have had a peace in watching this relationship grow. . Jordan was stationed at Goodfellow Airforce Base and began attending a Bible study for college students and young adults in our home. . .he and Georgia began dating in May and it was such a joy to watch the two of them grow into one. . .

We have prayed for years and years that our children would fall in love with Godly mates. . knowing that a Christian foundation in a marriage is essential to go the distance in life together and we are so thankful that that has happened with Austin and his beautiful wife Brittany and now for Georgia and Jordan. . .Jordan has a strong relationship with the Lord and it is easy for us to release Georgia to him. . .

Their first gift from the Monroe Family. . .

What a great gift from Jordan's parents. . .

Opening cards and gifts from his brothers in California. . .

We hosted an engagement party for them on August 8th.

Jordan and Georgia with Jim and Kim Day and Jordan's dad Mark Monroe.

Cindi Dauphin with Kim, Emmit and Sam Spooner. ..

Dan and Linda Wilson with Todd. . .Dan and Linda have invested much love into Georgia's life. .

Esther Gibson with Jordan's mom, Cyndi. . .

The wedding is set for June 26th, 2010. .

Georgia's and Keli's trip to China. .

2009-08-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

On July 19-29th, Georgia and Keli Criner left for Tokyo and China for a 10 day trip. . Dr. Dan and Linda Wilson were not able to go with the girls as planned, due to a family emergency, so Georgia and Keli went by themselves. . . which was a step of Faith for all of us. . . The girls saw many of the sights of Beijing, walked on the Great Wall, and played with children in an orphanage for a couple of days. . .it was a great experience in being "flexible" and adjusting when your agenda doesn't always turn out as planned. . . Quite the Adventure. . .here are a few pics: Georgia and Keli inside the "Bird's Nest" site of the 2008 Olympic track and field events.

Enjoying a Popsicle on Tianeman (sp?) Square. . where Chairman Mao's body lays in state. .

The famous Huckabee pose on the Great Wall of China.

One of the cuties at the orphanage. . .

Painting fingernails with all the girls. . .

Lots of Hugs and smiles!

Keli making bracelets with the girls. . .

Georgia has many, many more pics but this is just a little glimpse into her trip. . .memories for a lifetime. . .

Georgia and Jordan's trip to CA

2009-08-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Georgia and Jordan (Georgia's boyfriend) flew to CA during the second week of July so that she could meet his family and see the sights of Californa. . .specifically San Diego and Corona- Jordan's hometown. Jordan is deploying to Iraq in mid August, so he wanted her to visit his folks before he leaves for 5-7 months.
Taking in an Angels baseball game on Sunday afternoon.. .

Georgia and Jordan with his parents, Mark and Cyndi Monroe . .

The whole family for Sunday brunch... Jordan has 3 brothers- Daniel (26) who is married to Erin, Andrew (22) with his girlfriend Ashley, and Isaac (17), with Mark and Cyndi .

Georgia and Cyndi, Jordan's mom...

Georgia, Jordan and Cyndi drove to San Diego to spend the day at Jordan's grandparents beach house. . .here is one of the views from their back yard. .

Strolling on the beach. .

The view from his grandparents' house. .

Enjoying the Pacific ocean. .

Jordan's famly had Thanksgiving dinner for him, since he will be deployed during that holiday..

They were also able to visit Georgia's Great-Aunt Kay Bruce, who lives in Anaheim Hills CA. . .all in all, they had a great trip and made lots of memories. . .

July 4th weekend in CO

2009-08-05T05:01:00.001-07:00

We possibly had one of the most fun filled 4th of July weekends in Colorado this year ever. . .because we had a couple of folks with us who had never been to the mountains of CO, we did some extra things to give them a fun memory. . With us this year in Gunnison were Georgia, (our daughter), Jordan Monroe (Georgia's boyfriend), Brittany (Austin's wife) and Breanna Irvin (August's friend who has lived with us this summer while working for Dr. Dale Rollins, the A&M Research Center's wildlife biologist). . .Jordan and Breanna had not had the CO mountains experience, so we crammed alot of activity into the 3 days they were with us. . .hiking, biking, kayaking, 4th of July parades, hot air balloon lift off and fireworks.

Here are a few pics from the weekend. . .

This is Brittany kayaking on Blue Mesa Lake near Gunnison. . .

Here is Georgia climbing up Mt. Crested Butte. . it was a hard scramble the last few hundred yards. .The rest of the crew is above her. . .

On the morning of the 4th of July, we got up early to see 18 hot air balloons lift off from the park in Gunnison. . .it was beautiful. . .

It was a perfect morning. . . I've never seen the balloons hang so long in the air like that. .

The little town of Crested Butte swells to about 4-5 times its normal size for it's 4th of July parade. . .it has a lot of "flavor" to it and is pretty entertaining. . .it's a small town celebration at its finest!

Todd, Jordan and a friend from Gunnison, Chase Davis did a 20 mile bike ride down Taylor Canyon near Almont. .

Georgia and Jordan heading down the Gunnison River for a kayaking adventure. . .

Todd and Breanna launching off for a ride down the Gunnison River. . .

We had such a great weekend with all the guests and loved being together. . .the only thing that would have made this weekend perfect was if Austin and August could have been with us. . .but maybe next year! :)

Forever Changed. . . .

2009-08-03T04:54:00.000-07:00

Below is a statement from a woman who recently returned from the same area of Ghana that Georgia, Brittany and I visited in May. . . .her words express exactly how I felt after returning from that part of the world. . . After our visit there, I am and forever will be. .. changed. .

"As I soaked in a warm bath last night and took another nice hot shower this morning I could not help but remember the thousands of women in Ghana who will never know what it is like to soak in a warm bath or take a shower. I still have the pictures in my mind of seeing them carry large heavy pots to their village's only water source, filling them with water, and then placing the heavy pots on their heads to carry back to their hut to use for cooking and drinking.

As I turned on my washing machine this morning to do laundry the picture came to mind of the people we saw washing clothes in a muddy water hole.

As I cooked breakfast in my beautiful kitchen with every appliance necessary, I could not help but remember the women of Wynamba as they cooked over an open fire in the center of their hut's compound and how much more heat the fire added to their already scorching homes.

As I sit here in my nice air conditioned home, I remember sitting in the center of a compound of huts as the woman said to us, "I never thought you would want to come and sit in my home and talk to me."

Yes, God has blessed us beyond measure. If not for His grace you and I would not have what we do. Now that I have seen people living in circumstances most of us don't even want to acknowledge existing, I understand that God has blessed us so that we can share. We must share. . . ."

-written by Beverly

Trip to Ghana- the Dickens & Baptist Medical Centre

2009-06-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

Our purpose in going to Ghana was the visit Hollie and Joel Dickens and their children Colt and Abigail. Hollie is expecting their 3rd baby in August. We promised the Dickens we would come and see them when they left San Angelo, so Georgia (our 21 year old daugther) and Brittany (our 21 year old daughter-in-law) ventured across the ocean for the first time. . .it was definately an experience. .Joel works with 2 other full time doctors at the Baptist Medical Centre, which is a compound of about 500 acres with 20+ buildings and a large staff of local nurses, business office workers, pharmacy workers and grounds workers. . . Doctors and medical school students come from all over the world to gain experience in medicine that is so radically different that anything they might experience at home. . .We met doctors from Holland and Belgium, as well as med students from the US who were doing 10-12 week rotations as a part of their schooling.

While Joel is busy at the hospital, Hollie is homeschooling Colt at the school house each day with children from another missionary family and caring for Abigail. . .It was a joy to be with them. . .even if it was for just one short week. . . We made a boat load of memories!

Colt had made a welcome sign for us in our cabin when we arrived!

Georgia with Hollie, Joel and Abigail and one of the local nurses who also serves as an interpreter.

This is a clinic day -- Patients begin lining up before dawn and wait to see a doctor. . Brittany helped check in patients on clinic days. . .

Georgia was able to follow Joel around the entire week and she helped with surgeries as well . She was able to see more and do more in one week there than in an entire semester in the US. .

Trip to Ghana- FuFu and Ground Nut Soup

2009-06-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

One of the local menu items that we enjoyed was FuFu, which is raw yams ( looked similiar to large potatoes) that have been pounded into a soft elastic paste and shaped into a ball, served in a bowl with ground nut soup poured over it. . .delicious! It was a work of art to watch the locals make it. . .they always worked in rhythm. . .Because yams are plentiful in this area, the locals said they have FuFu at least twice a week. . .

These three ladies making FuFu at a small outdoor restaurant in the village.

Here is Esa and his helper making FuFu for us for dinner one night at the Medical Centre. .Watch her hands. . . .yikes! She said she has never had her hands smashed. . .

Trip to Ghana-Local Funeral Celebration. . .

2009-05-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

We were invited to attend a local funeral celebration with Elisabeth Faile, one the doctor's wives who has lived at the compound close to 25 years. . . .One of the hospital worker's mother had died in October, and the family was holding a traditional funeral celebration to honor her. . .the body is usually buried immediately, but the celebrations occur several months later when the family has saved up money to pay for the costs of the celebration. .

This man was playing a gourd with a stick attached to the end of it, with strings added to make a guitar. . .resourceful and good!

Traditional funeral celebrations are the most elaborate of all family gatherings, much bigger than weddings. . .the funeral celebration last 3 days, around the clock, with dancing, eating and drumming. . and a few small explosives thrown in as well! There were about 500 people at this celebration, and most of the families had brought food to donate to the celebration. . everything from cows to cases of cokes!

To add to the adventure, the locals men brought 3 cows, a chicken and a goat to the area right in front of where we were sitting and slaughtered them for the dinner that evening. . I was really glad we had hunters and livestock farmers in the family as Georgia and I had seen this before, but the others in our group were a little shocked. . Each family had its own drummers and entered village by family klans with singing and dancing. . it was amazing. . Elisabeth said this particular celebration was one of the largest she had ever seen. It was a huge treat to get to experience it. . . .

This was the beginning of the family klans coming in to the celebration area. . . Some of the men are wearing traditional dancing smocks which expand as they twirl around. . .

This was a professional dance group from one of the neighboring villages that had been hired by the family to perform. . .

This was a family klan arriving from outside the village. . .we saw about 5 of these groups enter the village from all different directions. .if you listen, you will hear explosives going off. . like really loud firecrackers. . .

The celebration was a huge dose of local culture and we enjoyed it immensely. . we gained a new appreciation for the local people just seeing them celebrate. .

Trip to Ghana-The market. . .

2009-05-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was Market Day in Nalergiu. . .locals came from all the surrounding villages to sell everything imaginable. . .produce, breads, dried fish, grains, seasonings, clothes, bicycle parts, fabric, and much much more. . . Hollie can buy some supplies there, but most of her supplies come from Tamale (3 hours away) or Accra, the capitol city (13 hours away). . .

This is hand made lye soap for sale at the market. .

This lady was selling dried ginger root and dried peppers. . .

Hollie is buying some of the fresh produce here at the market. . .

I have never seen so much beautiful fabric for sale. . .the women's clothes are handmade and beautifully designed. . .I was definately envious . . .
Hollie is buying dried corn to take home and grind for conrmeal. . .

The Escarpment trip. . . .

2009-05-30T08:53:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, Joel and Colt took us to "The Escarpment" which is a land formation similar to the Texas Cap rock. . it's a huge rocky cliff drop off which gives you a beautiful of the land . .. you can see for miles. . .It was about an hour's drive for us and we were able to see several villages and great views of the countryside as we travelled. .. Colt was the leader of the hike, as he had been to these formations several times and did a great job leading us in rock climbing to the top. We also visited with John and Denise who live nearby. . .John has been in Ghana for 48 years and Denise for 40 years. . .She was with the Peace Corp in the 70s and he had been a Dutch Catholic Priest. . they met and married, and have lived in Ghana ever since. . .Both of them have a reforestation project going with the local villages, where they teach the locals about replanting the trees that have been cut down for firewood. . .and Denise also works with about 500 local handicapped folks and she works to get them wheelchairs and transportation devices that they need. . .they have had a very interesting life. . .

John and Denise. . . .both have lived in Ghana 40+ years. . . .

Trip to Ghana - Public Health Clinic in a remote village. . .

2009-05-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Georgia and Brittany went with the public health nurses from the Baptist Medical Centre to a remote village about 1.5 hours away from the compound. The nurses visit these villages periodically to give immunizations to the babies, weigh them and also check on the other children in the village. Georgia helped give immunizations and Brittany played with the tons of children. . . .both really enjoyed the experience.

Trip to Ghana- Lasting Impressions. . .

2009-05-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the lasting impressions that we will always have from our visit to Northern Ghana :

The People: very gentle and friendly, the strong distinctive facial features, the perfect posture and lean stature of both men and women and beautiful colorful clothes of the women. Most of the people were so lean that many looked like professional athletes, just from the nature of working hard to provide "daily bread" for their families. . Joel said at supper one night, "I was riding my bike one day and thought I was in good shape until I saw a woman walking uphill, with a baby tied to her back and balancing a door on her head.". . . incredible.

We saw everything being carried on a person's head. . .from huge loads of wet laundry, to dozens of neatly stacked eggs!. . The Ghanaian's posture is perfect and their ab muscles are incredibly strong. . I wished I had used this technique when we lived on the farm!

The transportation: I think we saw it all. . . trucks, cars, buses, horses, motorcycles, donkey carts, bicycles, and walking. . .

The Landscape: relatively flat, open, very similar to West Texas and the beginnings of the Texas hill country. Huge Mahogany trees, some over 100 years old. Fields being cleared, plowed and planted, mostly by hand. The rainy season was just starting, so all the families were busy with farm work as this is the growing season. We saw large groups of people in the fields, usually family groups working together.

Here is a group of donkeys roaming the fields outside the Clinic Compound. . Donkey carts are a main source of transportation for carrying water and moving heavy loads.

The Worship-- We went to church on Sunday at Second Baptist in Nalerigu. . .it was a treat to see service done in native tribal language and singing. . .

The fragile balance of life. . . I was most concerned about the fragile balance of life that I observed. . yes, life is simple there. . many people live providing meals one day at a time on camp fires in simple huts, but having grown up on a farm, I know how venerable they are to the weather. . a drought would be totally devastating. . .But I have to trust that God is aware of this also. . and as it says in the book of Isaiah, his ways and thoughts are higher than our ways and thoughts. . .

It was a wonderful trip for the girls and I. . . .and it was so good to see the Dickens family. . please pray for them daily!

Trip to Ghana- We arrived!

2009-05-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

We are here!. . After 2 full days of travel, we arrived here at the Baptist Medical Centre at Nalerigu right around noon. . .to coin an phrase from The Wizard of Oz, "Toto, we're not in Kansas any more!". . . .We have a smooth but adventure filled trip. .starting with our 1st flight out of San Angelo being cancelled, jumping in a car and driving to Dallas to make another flight with 15 minutes to spare, somewhat sleeping on a 10 hour red-eye flight to London, sitting on the runway 2 hours before departing for Accra, and getting 3 hours of sleep the next night, and a 3 hour drive to the clinic on Saturday. . .

But we are here and we are to thankful for that. . .

Pictures will come later. . .

Crazy Senior Year. . .

2009-05-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

August with his small group leader and good buddy Paul Burke. These two have been on several mission trips together and have made lots of memories!

We celebrated August's 19th birthday and high school graduation this past weekend with a party for his friends and their families. If I look back to this time a year ago, I would have never predicted in a million years how August's senior year would have turned out. . .It all started last August, at a discussion during dinner one night about Austin's upcoming deployment and Brittany's plans for the coming year. . Brittany (our daughter-in-law) was considering living with some of Austin's missionary friends in Guatemala for a portion of the time while he was gone. August spoke up and said, " Man, I wish I could do that." and Austin said "Go ask the principal if you can graduate early and go with her." So, 2 weeks before school started, August asked Mr. Brandon, the high school principal, if this was possible, and Mr. Brandon rearranged August's entire academic schedule to get it done. . We couldn't believe it. So right as school started, August made the decision to graduate in December. God was moving. . .

Football season began and August had a big cheering section as many of the college students from our Sunday Night College Bible study would come to his games at Miles. Many of them were from small schools and were old football players themselves, but a few hadn't been to a small town West Texas football game before, so it was always fun and festive, even on the nights when the Bulldogs came up short on the final score. August played linebacker and running back, so he was on the field every play all night long and played his heart out every down. My 2 favorite memories were the Christoval game, where everything went right for the Bulldogs, and August was all over the field --a touchdown, an interception, tons of tackles and Miles beat Christoval for the first time in years.

The other favorite was the last play of the game against Bronte. . Austin and Brittany had come from Ft. Hood to watch. . . Miles was not going to win the game, and on the last play the coaches had called something just to run the clock out. . so August told the guy in the backfield who was supposed to get the ball to trade places with him (so that August would be the ball carrier--not what the coaches had planned). August broke loose and ran for a 60-yard touchdown as the clock ran out, with his brother running down the sidelines with him, cheering him on in his army uniform. . it was priceless. . August was named to the Class 1A All-West Texas Team as a 1st team utility player. It was a great way to finish off his football career.

Another big highlight in the Fall was the Robotics Contest which August participated in with guys from his physics class. . .the guys built a robot and programmed it to do several tasks and spent hours and hours perfecting the programming. August's team swept the competition against several schools, most of which were larger than Miles ISD. His team gave a presentation to the entire school about what they had done and it was a fine day for the math geeks!

In January, August left for 5 weeks in Guatemala to help Charlie and Pat Reynolds, missionaries who have a Christian school for 150 students about 2 hours from Guatemala City. Brittany went with him and stayed for 2 weeks, and they helped at the school in the mornings and did construction in the afternoons. August perfected his welding skills and got to spend lots of quality time with Pat and Charlie, as well as Bob and Georgette Kornegay. One of the highlights for him was to go to Rio Bravo, a ministry up in the mountains where August and the other missionaries took food to some very destitute children. How far our American dollars went to feed those children made a huge impression on him. . .

He returned home in March to begin another adventure. . this time with TeenPact (http://www.teenpact.com/) Teenpact is a Christian group that helps educate high schoolers about the governmental process--the structure of state and national governments and how legislation is made and passed- - -all with a Christian perspective. He had participated in Teenpact for the first time during his junior year, . . and because he had graduated early, he had the opportunity help staff these conferences this spring and to travel to VA, CA, MT, ME, LA, TN and spend two weeks at our state capitol in Austin. . . it was a door that only God could open for him. We didn't plan any of this and we didn't see it coming. . .

And so we come to the end of August's Senior Year. This summer he will be gone again, traveling with Worldview Academy (http://www.worldview.org/) to 7 college campuses across the western US, helping staff conferences for high schoolers on Christian Apologetics. Again, another opportunity that only God could ordain.

What have we as parents learned from this year? We have learned to be flexible, to let go of traditions, to be sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is shaping and molding each child, and to be open to giving them a wide variety of experiences-spiritual, academic, athletic, etc. - so that God can direct their paths in way we could never dream of. . One thing we have prayed against is to have "cookie-cutter" children. . .children who WE molded and shaped and made decisions for. . We have always asked God direct them and for us to be acutely aware of that. . .

Each of our children have had such different life experiences to this point that the only way to explain it is recognizing God's hand on their lives. . Proverbs 19:21 says " Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

Part of August's cheering section at the home football games. It was a ton of fun to have them all there for the games. . .

The Robotics team: Coach and Mrs. Graves, Will Chaney, Eric Schwertner, August, Doni Sewell and Clayton Alley.

August leading a PE class in Guatemala .

August at a Teenpact Conference in Austin, TX

Off to Iraq. . .

2009-04-30T02:27:00.000-07:00

Above: Austin and Brittany at Ft. Hood, TX before his deployment to Iraq. . .

In her book, the Power of a Praying Parent, Stormie Omartian has a chapter entitled "Releasing My Child into God's Hands". . Omartian said that mentally releasing your child is one of the first and most difficult things parents must do. Yesterday was one of those days.

As Austin, our oldest son, deployed to Iraq for a year, my mind was flooded with memories of having to do just that. . . releasing him to the Lord time after time as he has grown to manhood.

My first memory of releasing him was the day when I took him to Kindergarten for the first day of school. We had visited the school the day before to make sure he knew where his classroom , the bathrooms, cafeteria, and school office were located. The next day, when I pulled into the school parking lot, he jumped out of the car, waved at me and said "See you later Mom, "and ran to his classroom. I was stunned . I thought, "You can't do that. .I need to walk you to your classroom, I need to hold your hand. . you need to cling to me and cry. . This is supposed to be emotional." Instead, I sat in the car laughing and crying at the same time. "Okay God, you obviously have prepared him for this day. I need to get out of the way." Little did I know that this incident would be a snapshot of Austin's life for the next 20 years.

The next big "release" came when he got his driver's license. . .I remember standing in the driveway, watching him drive off to school for the first time in an old red/white dodge truck with his little brother and sister in tow. I remember thinking "God, there go all my chickens in one basket. I don't have any choice but to trust that you'll take care of them." Everything in me wanted to jump in a car and follow him to school. . .but with the strong urging from the Lord, I turned and walked back into the house, and spared Austin from total embarrassment.

Another time, I can still remember where I was standing in church when Austin came running up to me at age 17 and said "Mom, can I go with Wes James on a mission trip to South Africa?" I said "No, of course not. . .you are too young." Dad said "Sure." I was overruled and that was a good thing. No one in our family had ever gone overseas on a mission trip and I just knew Austin was not ready. But I was wrong and again, I had to release him to what God had opened doors for him to do. And this happened several times during the next few years as he traveled to Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda and China. .

The next big "release" was when he approached us about doing ROTC in college and signing a military commitment. No one in our family has a military background, so the idea was pretty foreign to us. But there comes a time when a parent realizes that he is not the "quarterback" of his child's life any more. . .the parent is simply up in the balcony, cheering him on. And the other concept we had to understand that none of this was a surprise to God. If we really believed that God orders our steps, then we had to "release' and let God be God in each child's life.

Yesterday was another step in that journey. Watching him prepare to leave with 300 other soldiers was further confirmation that God has a plan for everyone and we may not understand it or like it; nevertheless, it is God's plan being carried out. Yesterday was probably more difficult on Austin than the other events of his life, because this time he leaves behind his precious new wife for a year. . .and that is the harsh reality of military life.

I guess the biggest thing I have learned from this journey is that Fear can be paralyzing in a parent's life. Satan will use fear to try and thwart God's plan for our lives and in the lives of these children that he has given us charge over for just a few short years. But prayer and studying the Scriptures goes a long way in helping us defeat the fear that whispers in our ears. If we truly believe Psalms 139, where God tells us how intimately he knows us and loves us, then Trust becomes the invisible rock we lean on for the difficult days. . . .

Thank you all for your support for our family and please say a prayer for Austin and Brittany when you think about it. . . it will be much appreciated.

60th Wedding Anniverdary

2009-04-25T04:42:00.000-07:00

On Easter Weekend, April 12 2009, the entire Helwig family gathered to celebrate Bill and June's (bonnie's parents) 60th wedding anniversary on the Huckabee farm and various other places. . . It's actually kinda amazing. My parents have lived on that farm all of their married lives (except for 18 months in the 1950's--had to leave and find work because of the drought) and my dad has lived on the same place all his life. . .81 years. . .and the farm has been in our family since 1901. . .Here are some pics from the family- filled weekend. .

My Parents-- Bill and June Helwig, otherwise know as " Mimi and Pawpaw" .

The Entire Helwig Clan-- can't even remember the last time we were all together.

This is my brother Bill's family--kids, spouses, grandkids. . . everyone. .

Our family-- this is about 3 weeks before Austin leaves for Iraq for a year. Austin (24), his wife Brittany (21), August (18), and Georgia (21) .

West Texas Entertainment--shooting guns at metal targets. Jodee in action !

Georgia with Brandon and Erin's kids-- Faith and Ben. . . Easter was a lot more fun with them around!

Austin and Brittany just relaxing. . .

August and PawPaw

Chad and Heather's little boy Caleb. . .

It was a great weekend and we made lots of memories. . .

Having those kinds of roots can have advantages and disadvantages. . Yes, it's great to have a family and place to call home, but sometimes it can be turned into something that it shouldn't . . .One time, when I was struggling about selling our place on Helwig Road (where we lived for 12 years), I talked to Shawn Stoever, a Christian Psychologist and friend about selling my great-grandparent's house to an outsider (someone outside the family). . .and Shawn said "Anything that keeps you from making a wise financial decision is an idol". . ouch! So although I have enjoyed having "roots", I know that this world is not my home. . I am only passing through. . and as Jesus said "Who is my family? Those who do the will of my father. . . ."

Maiden Voyage. . .

2009-04-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

I am creating a blog so that our friends and family, both immediate and extended can keep up with the latest events of our lives easily. . . .We are entering into a new season of life. . .Our oldest son- Austin leaves for a year of military service in Iraq on April 26th and his wife of one year, Brittany will be living with us. . .August, our youngest son has graduated from high school and is traveling all summer as a staffer with WorldView Academy. He will be traveling to 7 different college campuses in the Western USA from June 1 till August 12. . .and Georgia is completing her first year of nursing school, and has trips planned to Ghana (with Mom and Brittany) in May and a trip to China (with Dr. Dan and Linda Wilson and Kelli Criner). . .so with all of us being scattered in so many different directions, maybe blogging can bridge the gap. . .

We are definately NOT empty nesters right now, as we have 4 college age girls planning to live with us this summer - -Georgia, Brittany, Jenna Jones (one of Georgia's friends) and Breanna Irvin (one of August's friends), so the house will be busy and Todd is thankful that he has his motorcycle now so that he can ride off into the sunset when the female influences get too strong!

I guess the thing that God is teaching us the most right now is about "loving my neighbor" and "loving the one in front of you.". . .both concepts sound so simple, but yet how do we literally do it on a daily basis in our own neighborhoods and with people God puts in our path. . . .We've been listening to a lot of Frances Chan sermons lately (cornerstonesimi.com-- listen to the recent sermon -- "Gospel Conference #5" for starters, or any of the "Living a life That Matters" series or on youtube.com "Lukewarm and Loving it"sermon) and I don't have any answers yet, but I do know that I was so convicted about reaching out to my neighbors that I made muffins for all of them. . and the responses were varied. . some were excited and interacted for a while and some took the muffins and quickly shut the door. . but really, how can we do ministry in every other area of the the city, nation, world and not reach out to the people living closest to us. . .I have to confess that we have lived in this neighborhood for almost 2 years and we have had very few interactions with our neighbors. . .so here we go. . ."Loving our neighbors" literally, "Loving the one in front of you" as Jesus puts people in our path. . .and "Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your mind.". . . .

Blessings to you and see you next time. . .

bonnie and todd