Hello there! I (Renée) am sitting here enjoying a peaceful Easter Sunday afternoon. I hope that your Easter holiday is filled with reflection on what Christ has done for us, both on the cross and beyond the tomb.
This morning was definitely a highlight of the weekend for me. Easter Sunday is the happy day after the solemnity of Good Friday and the reflection of grief on Silent Saturday. I look forward to the Resurrection Day when we can reflect on the joy of the disciples and of the Marys. So this morning we initiated a little sunrise service here at the base. The sun rises quite early but our kids were good sports and were excited to watch the sunrise, so at 6:30 we were rumbling along on the trailer behind the tractor out to the field where we could watch the beautiful sun. The morning was beautiful, mostly clear and quite cool (33F). I could hear the call of the ruffed grouse followed with the beat of his wings. (Which I remember the first time I ever heard that sound I thought I was being attacked by wild horses!!) The geese and the ducks saying their good mornings and I loved the fact that there were no bugs!
Four YWAM staff joined our little family to welcome in the Resurrection Sunday! Hallelujah!
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| Coffee, cinnamon buns, hymns and the refreshing early morning light: His mercies are new every morning! Happy Easter! |
So let me back up a bit. I'm assuming you have read our February Newsletter and are familiar with our English Cross Cultural Orientation (ECCO) School. Well, these beautiful souls have graduated and most of them have left. They will be missed by all of us.
It was a joy to work with them, though I (Renée) had minimal involvement in the school (only two hours a week helping Joel teach the Bible class) but I got to know a few of them, and it was easy to see Christ shine through them as they worked, studied, and played each day as the school progressed. Graduation night (Thursday April 2) was a night to remember. All of them were dressed to the 9's and they all looked so proud of themselves! And they have reason to be! They all worked so hard and have come so far in their English skills and also their faith in God. The glow around each of them was contagious.
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| ECCO 2015! Give them a round of applause! |
Joel and the other YWAM staff worked more closely with the students. Here I have a few pictures to share from the last few months:
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| Joel teaching some students how to make homemade pizza. |
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| Joel leads worship regularly at the base here. It was a joy to see him involving the students each week. |
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| One of our weekly local outreaches: Hudson (right) assists in Bingo at an elderly care center with a student from Columbia. |
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| Working on pronunciation was a big thing for our ECCO students. This specific picture is showing J. D. giving his testimony of how God has worked in his life over the last three months. All the students had this assignment: These testimonies were powerful, encouraging and worth all the hard work our staff put into these students' lives! |
ECCO 2015 was a blast to be a part of. I thoroughly enjoyed each week and am already excited about next year!
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In our personal lives:
The kids are doing great. Joshua (10) and Rachel (8) are doing well in public school. They are making friends, which has been an answer to prayer. We have had a few of these fun friends over to our house and I enjoy getting to know them.
Madelynn (5) and Hudson (4) are still enjoying homeschool. Their favorite activity is the science experiment for each week.
First some fun pictures and then following that I will update you on some important news:
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| Early Spring: My fun puddle flowers! |
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| Sisters |
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| Joshua turned 10 in March! |
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| No this isn't Grampa, it's Joel out for an early morning hike. |
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| Hudson surrendering to nap time. |
Aren't those pictures fun? That was the second time Hudson has fallen asleep under the laundry basket. The first time I wasn't sure where he was because he was completely enclosed curled up like a little bug.
Ok, onto News-ey stuff:
In our last newsletter we mentioned a possibility of going to a large Asian country this summer as a family missions trip. This opportunity has closed due to the danger of radical religious groups in that country, both to us and to the mission there. So we thank God for His direction and continue to wait patiently for whatever God has for us next. Meanwhile we will bloom where we are planted and embrace YWAM Minneapolis with all that we have and are.
Our second bit of News-ey stuff involves myself. Our God has strongly directed me to apply and be involved in the upcoming School of Ministry Development (SOMD). This school begins Sunday April 12 and will be for three months ending in June. Please click on the link and read about this school on YWAM Minneapolis' website. I will be learning much about ministry and what it means to start one, be involved in one, the finance part of it, world religions and world views, how to evangelize, and etc. This will provide education and time for me as Joel and I seek God together as to where He wants us and to be better ministers of the faith. Whether here at YWAM Mpls or ministering overseas.
Joel will be part time staff- working 10 hours a week heading up the worship department, and the rest of his time will be fulfilling his role as stay-at-home Dad, which also involves homeschooling M and H.
Thank you for reading and for your prayers and support!
With much love, Joel and Renée (and Joshua, Rachel, Madelynn and Hudson)
I will close with a poem that seems fitting in our season of Easter celebration, which to me is also like a gateway into Spring, the season of Hope.
Song
The winds, as at their hour of birth,
Leaning upon the ridged sea,
Breathed low around the rolling earth
With mellow preludes, "We are free."
The streams through many a lilied row
Down-carolling to the crisped sea,
Low-tinkled with a bell-like flow
Atween the blossoms, "We are free."
-Tennyson, Lord Alfred
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