Greatly encouraged...

Back in November, I was occasionally writing a "Thankful Thursday"...well, since it is Thursday I thought I would update you on five of the many things we are thankful for ...

1. We have been greatly encouraged by everyone's e-mails, cards, phone calls and prayers after the death of Brad's grandmother. The service was a sweet reminder of how much Gamma was loved...and how great our God is...

2. We are SO thankful for our new teammates Jeff and Jodie McMullen... Yes, they have names and faces, (and kids Ewan and Liesl) and you can get introduced to them all at their blog by clicking HERE.

3. Just today we found that Rio Vista Community Church will be partnering with us in a substantial way...

4. We are grateful for the new individual prayer and financial supporters...We now have over 80% of our monthly support pledged! Praise God! And please pray that we'll be at 100% by the end of March, so that we can tie up loose ends, pack, and prepare to head out on May 28.

5. Recently we have had great conversations with a few couples and singles who are inquiring about joining the team...we look forward to seeing what God may be doing as we build relationships with these folks!

Levi turns 3!

Three years ago...

Levi Fredrick Hunter was born January 16, weighing in at a whopping 9 pounds 7 ounces. Yes, he was HUGE...he had the biggest feet and umbilical cord I had ever seen! Of my 3 pregnancies, Levi's was the worst. The first 5 months of pregnancy I was plagued with unrelenting nausea and vomiting, despite numerous suggestions of trying "saltine crackers"! I was at one point even hospitalized for losing 10 pounds in one week... don't feel too sorry for me though, I still managed to gain over 50 pounds. I loved being pregnant through the holiday season and took full advantage of eating for "2". Fast forward to 2007...

Now our sweet "baby" is 3! He gets that it is his birthday and he has made requests for a white cake with white frosting, party hats, balloons and presents. Not too demanding I suppose. He loves to play with his trains, put together his puzzles and get high off the scent of his blankie as he watches a good episode of Dora. Brad and I think that he will be the "comedian" of the family, as he already loves to tell silly jokes and make funny faces when it is not appropriate. We are thankful that he has a healthy dose of fear...and doesn't like to stray too far from us. His favorite foods are cinnamon rolls and pancakes with lots of syrup...if you would let him, he would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner! He can memorize all the lyrics to any catchy song you put on...with some of his favorites being "Victor Vito" and the soundtack to the Broadway version of Lion King.

Unlike all of his friends, he still is not potty trained and really is showing no interest at all now. When asked if he wants to put on his new "Cars" underwear, he answers..."no fanks, I'm just a baby!" So we will set our sights high this upcoming year...hopefully get potty trained, lose the binkie, and learn more German than mommy!

Speaking of Levi's potty trained friends, our dear friends the Cateses and Rosses celebrated all of our boys' third birthdays this past weekend (they were all born within a week of each other). No ordinary show would do for this occasion...so we all went to the Greatest Show on Earth...Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus. We had a great time shelling out $6.00 for a bag of cotton candy...oops! I mean we had a great time watching our little ones have a great time! Levi was a little disappointed that there were no grasshoppers there...he claims Memoo told him to expect them :0) After the circus, we enjoyed some Florida sun, danced the salsa, and enjoyed birthday cookie bars on the bay.

Happy Birthday little Levi! You bring us much joy!

Gamma

Jessie Hunter, 95: Helped oversee funeral homes

BY HANNAH SAMPSON, Miami Herald, Jan. 9, 2007

Jessie Hunter, who at 21 married into a mortuary-owning family and built a life around the business, died Saturday in Plantation. She was 95.
Hunter was the matriarch of the chain of funeral homes in South Florida that bore the name of her husband, who died in 1966, and son, who died in 2003.
Born and raised in Detroit, she married Fred Hunter, the son of a funeral director, in 1932. They opened their own funeral home there and moved to South Florida in 1950.
In a 1991 story in The Miami Herald, Jessie Hunter recalled her first experience styling the hair of a woman who had died. Her husband -- the couple had recently wed -- came upstairs to their apartment above the mortuary and told her it was time to ``do the hair.''
'I said, `What hair?' '' she said in the interview. 'And he said, `My mother always did the hair.' That did it. If she did it, I did it.''
HER LIFE'S WORK
The Hunters opened their first South Florida funeral home in 1960. After Fred Hunter Sr. died in 1966, Jessie kept the business going with her daughter, son Fred Hunter Jr. and his wife Lyn.
Today, though no longer family-owned, Fred Hunter's Memorial Service operates funeral homes in Hollywood, Davie and Fort Lauderdale, a cremation service in Miramar and a cemetery.
Hunter moved into an assisted-living facility in Plantation in 2005. Before that, she lived next door to the Taft Street funeral home that her family founded. ''It was her life,'' her daughter Cheryl Hunter Sullivan said.
The Rev. Harold O. Taylor, a retired Baptist pastor, said he didn't know anything about doing funerals when he moved to Davie in 1960 fresh out of seminary.
His first funeral was with the Hunter family's funeral home; many more followed, and he credits Jessie Hunter for teaching him how to tend to people during those somber occasions. ''I came to Davie out of seminary and she taught me more about working with people at the funeral home than I ever learned at school,'' said Taylor, 76, who still lives in Davie.
OTHER INTERESTS
Sullivan said her mother's greatest strength was taking care of people who were grieving. ''She always knew what to say to make people feel at ease. She was very present for each person that was there. She was very authentic in that she knew exactly what they needed,'' said Sullivan.
Sullivan said her mother's interests stretched beyond the family business as well. She belonged to several organizations, including the Hollywood Woman's Club, Mirwood Pines Business and Professional Women's Club and Miramar-Pembroke Pines Chamber of Commerce.
Besides her daughter, Hunter is survived by grandsons Rick Hunter of Fort Lauderdale and Brad Hunter of Hollywood; granddaughters Janis Ericson of San Rafael, Calif. and Julie Ericson of San Diego; daughter-in-law Lyn of Hollywood; six great-grandchildren and two nieces.
Visitation is scheduled for 3-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at Fred Hunter's Funeral Home, 6301 Taft St. Service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with burial following at Hollywood Memorial Gardens.

Click HERE to read our January 2007 Prayer Update with comments on my Grandma

Our recent journeys...

We're finally home and starting to get settled again after leaving Dec. 15th for our long multi-purpose trip. We started in vacation-mode at Orlando for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas (a surprise Christmas gift for the children). The kids were so excited and we had a GREAT time with Mickey and all of his friends.

The next morning we were off to North Carolina with a quick stop in Columbia, SC to see our friends, Benjie and Laura Ingram. We were greeted with warm hugs, yummy steak and a HUGE basket of all the essentials so we wouldn't have to go to the store once we reached the mountains! How thoughtful is that! Thanks guys!

Once we reached Beech Mountain it was a quick night's sleep and we were off to worship at Banner Elk Christian Fellowship. We had the privilege of sharing what God has been doing in our lives and the vision for Vienna. They were very encouraging and have committed to becoming a partner church with us! We praise God for our relationship with this vibrant church.

Because Beech Mountain is one of the kids' favorite places to go...we had the kids make lists of what they wanted to do. Luke and Abby said skiing, and fortunately there was just enough snow to make that happen. It was Abby's first time skiing. She was such a trooper and really got the hang of it after 3 days in a row. Both Luke and Abby are soon to surpass me in their skiing abilities! We also found time to sled, ice skate, go fishing and swing from the trees...on a rope swing that is! :)

Speaking of trees...there is nothing like chopping down your own 11 foot tall fraser fir with a busted hand saw and a few pushes from your three chidren for only 40 bucks! We managed to find a few leftover Christmas decorations (including an ancient plastic illuminated manger scene that you can see in the picture here), and our friends and teammates Jeff and Jodie sent a few ornaments to add to the bare branches! (They were perfect! Thanks!)

The Couric family then joined us, along with our moms, to celebrate Christmas. We had so much fun EATING, talking, playing and continuing to make lovely Christmas memories together! Did I say EATING?
The 26th we were off to St. Louis for the Urbana conference...here are some fun statistics:

3780--miles put on the old mini-van as we traveled through 8 states
44--different state license plates seen on the highways (Brad became obsessed!)
12--movies watched in the car
23,000--people we worshipped with at Urbana
10--years since the last Urbana that Brad and I attended...when we were just dating!
96--Diet Cokes consumed (rough estimate!, hopefully overinflated) along with eating 3X our body weight in fast food
0--family members sick during the trip (Halleluia!)

Our role at Urbana was to recruit both for the Vienna Team and for World Harvest Mission (WHM) in general. There were 24 other WHMers there, and it was exciting to meet lots of people that we hadn't met before.

While we were in meetings and manning the WHM booth, Kelli and Corey Tolle were laying down their lives to care for our children. (NO KIDS ALLOWED at the conference...so Urbana lovingly told us! Ha!) The Tolles have 3 boys and our kids felt like they were an extended part of their family...they had so much fun that they actually didn't want to leave St. Louis!:) We will forever be grateful to them, as we really could not have done it without them!

On our way home, we passed through Atlanta on Jan. 1st and visited yet another special family, the McCaigs. So fun to see how our families have grown!

Now we are glad to be home and sleep in different rooms from our kids once again, but our hearts are heavy as we arrived to find out that Brad's 95 year old grandmother's health is quickly failing... Please pray for her. Brad has had some sweet words with her since we got back, but pray for him and all of our family in the days that lie ahead.

Also, we know that many of you who read this blog pray for us and we would appreciate some specific prayer for my mom, Mary (aka MeMoo). What started as a cold has now turned into a major ear infection and possibly the flu. She has been to the Dr. twice and has yet to see any improvement. They have started her on yet another antibiotic and some steriods. Please pray for her quick recovery.

ps Thanks to Gordon & Marilyn Woolard for checking on our home while we were away! (Sorry we gave you the wrong code for the alarm...oops!)

Bah Humbug!

The whole family took a jaunt to the mall this evening to see the right jolly ol' Saint Nick. Remember, the one made famous for spreading cheer across the globe, whose little round belly shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly?!?

Yeah, Santa. That's the one. Ho Ho Ho.

We stood in the long line. It's Santa afterall. Worth the wait, right?

10 minutes in--the kids are antsy. Stacey takes Levi on a walk. I make Luke and Abby pose for photos from the back side of the Isle o' Santa, the children positioned right in front of the booty of a 12 foot tall reindeer. One of the elfs, or is it elves? chastises me for taking illegal photos of their display, committing the unpardonable sin of using my flash.

25 minutes in--The people behind us don't understand issues of "personal space". I get rammed a baker's dozen times by their stroller...no apologies.

40 minutes in--Stacey's back. Levi's crying. Abby misbehaves and after a swift correction she's in tears as well.

55 minutes in--We finally make it to the front of the line. All 3 of our kids are making snowballs out of confetti and chucking them at each other. Levi grabs an enormous handful of cotton from the display and enters the fray.

58 minutes in--the kids who were on Santa's lap before us exit, and our kids storm Kris Kringle, and--get this--he says, "Hold it right there. A guy's gotta have some space already. You don't understand. It gets 110 degrees in this suit." The kids are speechless. I'm dumbstruck. After a minute, 45 seconds of oscillating fan up his sleeves, Bad Santa invites the kids onto his lap, smiles dutifully for the camera, asks what they want for Christmas, and doles out coloring books, until we exit and he takes another minute 45 aeration pitstop.

On the ride home, Luke says, "There's no way that guy was Santa. He was mean, and his belly wasn't fat enough." I chime in, "His beard was way too short and scraggly." Abby adds, "Not puffy enough." We all agree the fake Mr. Claus was probably the Grinch dressed up in a Santa suit. In the end, however, at least we got the overpriced studio quality photo out of it.

Friday Funnies

Some of my friends sometimes post "Friday Funnies" and this morning Levi gave me some prime material...

We were sitting at breakfast just eating and talking and I was asking him some questions like his name, how old he is and when I asked what his favorite color is...without missing a beat he says,
"Bob the Builder yellow"...I about choked on my breakfast! He doesn't even watch Bob the Builder.
Usually I can figure out why is says certain things, but this one came out of no where!

He is too funny!

WE HAVE NEW TEAMMATES!

Our hearts are overfilling with joy and thanksgiving tonight...as God has answered our prayers for teammates! The "unnamed couple" :) that we asked you all to pray for, has been officially accepted by World Harvest Mission as missionaries to Vienna. We can hardly wait to tell you more about their family, but first they must announce it officially to their home church. Be patient, we promise to fill you in on all the details after the first of the year!

Thanks for praying for all of us.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

We love this time of the year...and this weekend was filled with all sorts of special memories.
Saturday morning started with dancing in the kitchen (a family tradition) as we waited for warm sausage bread to come out of the oven. After we devoured the bread, Brad and the kids went to SNOWFEST 2006 (click here to see a short video), while mom and I stayed home to make "cracked sugar cookies" and almond bark pretzels.

This morning we went to worship at Uncle Rick's church and then this afternoon we had our Hunter Family gift exchange and dinner.

















The day ended with the St.Andrews Christmas concert...Luke, Abby and Neena were all part of the choir. It was a much different holiday season last year with both of our moms recovering from major surgeries...so it was such a treat watching Neena sing praises to our King. After the concert, we drove around to hear the children say the "oohs and aahs" of seeing Christmas lights and we topped off the night with Farm Stores Egg Nog and more cookies:)
Doesn't get much better than that!

Viennese Dessert

Last night our great friends, Dan and Julie Smith opened their home up and hosted a Viennese Dessert party for us. It was great to see old and new friends...share about what God has been doing in our lives and present our vision for Vienna. We were very encouraged by the turn out, the questions that were asked and the prayers that were lifted up on our behalf! The desserts were really yummy too! :) A special thanks to the Smiths and all who took time out of their busy schedules to be with us!

Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame!

I'm very lucky compared to most wives I suppose, the only sport that my husband is addicted to is Notre Dame football. Tonight the #5 Irish play the #3 ranked USC...big rivalry! This game determines what bowl they play in. OOOH!

So a bunch of fellas are arriving soon and you may be asking...what do you make for a bunch of guys while they watch the big game? Something with Velvetta of course! Nothing satisfies like some Nacho Chip dip with Velvetta cheese "product". What the heck does that mean...cheese product? Anyway, if you didn't consume enough lard at Thanksgiving...here's the recipe:

Nacho Cheese Dip

2-3 lbs. of hamburger
2 lbs. Velvetta cheese
1 (8oz.) tomato sauce
1 (8oz.) taco sauce

Fry hamburger and drain. Add the cubed Velvetta to the warm hamburger. Stir on low heat until melted. Add the sauces. Serve warm with Doritos or plain tortilla chips.

(If this recipe didn't give it away...you now all know that I am still a good ol' Mid-Westerner at heart!)

Go IRISH!

On another note entirely, click HERE to see a video tip for the holidays.

Face the fear, but not feel scared...

Why is it that we usually wait until we want to sell our house to do the projects we've been talking about for years? Last week the house was painted, today Brad and "Uncle" John Couric cleaned out a lot of the garage, a screen repair company was here to fix leftover damage from hurricane Wilma, and Mom and I (along with a little help from the kids) cleaned the windows inside and out. The house is really starting to shape up...just in time to put it on the market!

I recently was playing "Doctor Kiang" with Levi. This is when he pretends he is his pediatrician, and he checks out Elmo and Abby's (usually unclothed) baby dolls. He likes the ones without clothes because he can put bandaids all over them without any difficulty. When you ask him if he wants a bandaid he always says no. I asked him why and he said..."it hurts!" Meaning in Levi language, it hurts when you take it off...

Sometimes that is what this process of getting ready for Vienna has been like...taking a bandaid off really slowly, instead of just ripping it off so it won't hurt so much! Everyday something reminds us that we are preparing to say goodbye to those we know and love. Last Sunday, it was that my name was taken off the nursery list at church because of all of our upcoming travels, this week it has been all of the work on the house, Thursday it will be the "last" Thanksgiving as we know it for awhile, along with the last Hunter Family Christmas card photo. So many reminders that everything will soon change.

I know change can be good. Usually it produces growth...spiritual and emotional growth. We tend to cry out more to our Savior when we have the "unknown" before us. Unfortunately for me, I have a tendency to fear the unknown. Right now we have a lot of unknowns before us... a lot of BIG unknowns (like when will we raise all of our support, when will we move, where will we live in Vienna or even know for certain where the kids will go to school.) I feel like I can relate to some of the lyrics to the song Wild Horses, by Natasha Bedingfield. She sings that she wants to "face the fear, but not feel scared".

I think it is pretty normal to fear the unknown. Still, I want to learn to move beyond the fear, to draw closer to Jesus. I want to really believe that He knows EVERYTHING and He actually has our well-being in mind, even when circumstances challenge that belief. That's my prayer tonight.

Thankful Thursdays

This is what I'm thankful for this week.
Click to see.

Ideas for the Holidays

It is hard to believe that once again the holidays are just around the corner. On Wednesdays, I like to check out this site: www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.com. Lots of people contribute to "Works for me Wednesdays". Today is the Christmas edition. Hope it helps get your creative juices flowing!

"Yes, Jesus Loves Me"

Levi strums and sings his favorite Jesus song. Click HERE.

Thankful Thursday

A friend reminded me that it was Thursday again, so I guess the pressure is on to share some more random things I am thankful for on this particular Thursday, in no particular order...

1. a painter named Willy...(if you drive by our house in a few days, you will understand why)
2. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes...(if you have kids, you understand why:)
3. Girl's Night Out at Chili's
4. the book "Praying the Scriptures for your Children" by Jodie Berndt
5. playing frisbee tag with my kids
6. a little girl named Abby who asked me to put her to bed at 6:45 because she was "so tired"!
7. "Stacy's Chocolate Chip Cake" pg.42 in the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook
8. the health of my children
9. the chance to catch up with old friends that I hadn't talked to in awhile
10. finding last years gift cards that I never used...so I could buy some gifts this year
11. that our almost 8 year old can read to our almost 3 year old at bedtime
12. the priviledge of praying for a good friend who is going through some trying times
13. the humbling experience of raising support to be missionaries in Austria
14. the scripture verse 1 Thes. 5:18..."give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

Pray for Ashley and Mackenzie

Levi's latest obsession is puzzles...the "airplane puzzle", to be exact. It isn't just an airplane...it is a motorcycle, a firetruck, a bus...you get the point, 9 different types of transportation. He loves to complete one and then say "give me five!" I love to hear his sweet voice asking for encouragement in is accomplishment. Over the weekend when he was sick, he didn't do much but lay around and I realized that I often take our children's health for granted.

I have recently been reading, Ashley's Journal, one family's journey as their daughter continues to recover from a transplant operation. I do not even know Ashley, but this family has challenged and encouraged my faith, as I have seen her share how God is giving this family joy and thankful hearts in the midst of extreme trials.

We also have seen how God is answering prayers for our friend, Mackenzie Beatty. She was born with only one lung a few months ago and Drs. are encouraged by her progress as they try to inflate her expander. Please pray for these families with children who are too sick to play, laugh and even be "naughty". And may these children remind us all not to take chips crushed on the carpet or marker on the table too seriously...

Slumber Partaaay!

I awoke to the sound of "sprinting" footsteps down the hall and I rolled over the check the time...it was exactly 6:00 am. One by one, sleepy heads started to emerge from their rooms and by 6:15 all were ready to start the day with powdered sugar donuts. That is, all except Levi-who was in the "isolation" bedroom. His ear infection is getting the best of him. Thankfully his antibiotics have already been started! I just feel bad for him because he missed out on all of the fun with Ethan and Mackenzie, and so he isn't in any of the pictures.

The pictures never do the fun, giggles or mess justice...but here's a few shots of our sweet time with friends...



Ethan says, "I wike donuts!"

Abby & Mackenzie dance to Bella Dancerella (the perfect gift for any 5 year old girl)

Memoo experiments with the kids--a dirt volcano with baking powder+red food colored water MAGMA!

Thankful Thursday...

Because the kids have been sick and it has been raining all day...I had some time to check out blogville a little more than usual. I came across a few people who have "Thursday thanks"...nothing profound from me, but these are a few things I am thankful for on this particular Thursday in no particular order:

1. No barf today
2. Clean carpets
3. Dancing in the kitchen with my sweet Abby
4. Children's Motrin
5. Leftover Villa Rose pizza
6. A mom who calls to ask if she can pick up anything for me at the grocery store
7. Cream cheese frosting
8. A husband who prays for me
9. The "Red Po" stick
10. A 2 1/2 year old who likes to cuddle
11. Luke and Abby's teachers at SHCS
12. A nap while it was raining outside
13. A washer and dryer that works
14. An appointment for Levi with Dr. Kiang tomorrow
15. A Savior who provides me with the strength and patience I need to get through a trying day!

Isn't it ironic...

WARNING: This blog entry contains graphic material and is not suitable for those with weak stomachs.



So our kids have been extra needy since we returned from Austria. Last week they all had a different strain of what seemed to be the same virus...a virus that involves "barfing" (our family's favorite term for emesis), and or/ a fever and a sore throat. Luke first, three days later Abby and two days after that, Levi. Levi seemed to get it the worst and being the littlest, had the hardest time making it to the bathroom. Without going into too many details...Levi left a "trail " in his room. After repeated applications of Carbona 2 in 1 carpet wizard, 1/2 a bottle of Orange Miracle dog waste stench remover, a few squirts of foamy soap, 14 seconds worth of Lysol "Summer Breeze Scent" deodorizer spray, 8 Super Big Gulp cups filled to the brim with warm water, a 7 year old shammy from the Iowa State Fair, and a wet vac that Brad decided to empty 3 times into our bathtub (only to clog it royally), the room still reeked of... you guessed it... barf.

So today the carpet man came...when Abby walked in the house she actually said "Mom, what smells so good?" I proudly answered, "The carpets were cleaned today". I must step back a little and say that the time of this conversation took place at 2:20 pm...not the normal time of 3 pm when the kids usually get out of school. "Why?" you may ask. Because Brad got the call from school, letting him know that Luke had a "tummy ache". We of course attributed it to the 3 Snickers, 4 tootsie rolls, 2 bags of Skittles and a package of pumpkin candy corns that was consumed during the Fall Festival last night. Luke still has not gotten sick yet, but a garbage can is in bed with him tonight. I have threatened to make him pay with his own allowance to get the carpets cleaned again if he gets anything on them...yes, I really did say this. Some compassionate Mom I am.

So we thought everyone was down for the count and we had escaped anything from getting on the carpets...only to hear a whimper from Levi's room...run in and find a horrific site...drum roll please--more BARF! Much to our amazement...he only got it on himself, his blankets and the bed. Nothing on the carpet! I almost let out a cheer when I saw that the carpet was ok! Then the first song that popped into my head was "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette... but I of course changed the lyrics to, "It's like baaarf on the day you cleaned the caaarpets..."

Now we have 2 kids with garbage cans in bed with them. We're praying for a miracle tonight...NOTHING ON THE CARPET!

Fall Festivus

Click HERE to see a quick slide show
of the St. Andrews Fall Festival