~ The Hartz Family ~

Rollarcoaster

2011-08-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Remember that 4Him song back in the 90's? '.....Its a good thing we are not alone on this big scream machine. Cause it's a rollarcoaster ride of life, spins you up and lets you down.....' Well, that pretty much sums up MY LIFE! The Lord knows I do not do well with the unknown, so therefore the 'unknown' is always in my life.

Many of you know that I am an interpreter to the deaf. I love it but the schedule is wearing on me. During this summer, when no work was coming in I made the decision to start looking at other opportunities. One that came up was a position in my moms company that she works for, Compunet. They were hiring for their phlebotomy department. I got called and met for the informational meeting. Then I got called for 2nd interview. Today I got the rejection email. : ( I was extremely upset. I am tired of not having a regular paycheck... Apparently I was over qualified. So, back to the drawing board... I did have a chat with my mama.. She mentioned maybe I should look into nursing assistant job. So, today I signed up down at Sinclair for their nursing assistants class. The problem I am finding is the money. I need to find $700.00 before Friday.. So please pray with me. I am excited for this new opportunity but there is that unknown out there.

On a wonderful happy note, I did pass the first part of my Interpreting Certification test on August 13th.. So there is that..

We are all still coughing and sneezing. However, we will live to see another day, Lord willing..lol

Exciting News...

2011-07-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

I have some very exciting news, that I cant share just yet. What I can tell you is that I feel like I am jumping off a cliff. Or maybe better yet, have any of you gone on the ride at Kings Island 'Drop Zone'? They slowly bring you up, up, up until you think you cant get up any higher. 264 feet drop at 67mph. That is how my stomach feels right now.

Emma continues to be sick, she has a cold and is miserable. Mia on the other hand is bouncing off the walls. One wants to snuggle and the other wants to wrestle. I need another one of me!

This Hartz is out....

Starting up again.

2011-07-26T07:49:00.001-07:00

With the world of social networking there hasnt been much need for a blog. However a recent encounter with a family member of mine, inspired me to start up again. I want to tell the world how important my family is to me. And if one person reads this or no one reads it. I want to do this for my girls and my husband.

The begining of summer was super hard. I was not used to having the kids home ALL DAY. I struggled to keep up with them. Their constant need for something to do, uncontrollable energy. I was overwhelmed. However, I now have less than a month left with the kids before they go back to school and I am going to miss them. Their witty comebacks, their fresh thinking and common sense. I started a little notebook with little things that they say. Sometimes I just sit and laugh at the things they say.

Emma is starting 1st grade. I can hardly wrap my my around it. She is a fun energetic girl. She loves to watch t.v., play with her friends, color and she most def. loves Jesus. Jesus is always on her mind. I pray that those spiritual eyes continue as she grows. She loves to dance, music, riding her bike. She loves forts that her daddy builds and swimming. Emma has a tender heart but it is much more different than Mias. Emma is a realist, she doesnt put too much thought into a situation. She takes things at face value and doesnt read into a situation, compared to her sister who is a deep thinker.. Emma likes things done for her... She will be my difficult one in the area of learning...She will be 7 in September, Holy Mother!

Mia is my little bundle of energy as well (What was the Lord thinking giving me two balls of energy....) She loves books, coloring, arts and crafts. She loves to learn and makes me teach her letters and numbers. She also see things with spiritual eyes but she also has a super tender heart. The other day we were in a restaraunt and there was an old man eating alone. Mia looked at him and asked 'Mommy, why is that man eating alone?' I could tell it was bothering her.. Things like this also bother me. If she has inherited my tender heart she has inherited both a blessing and a curse. I know first hand.. I tried to lighten her load a little and I said 'Well maybe his wife is at work, or MAYBE his wife was making him crazy so he wanted to eat alone.' That brought a smile to her face. Had the man not finished eating I probably would have asked him to join us, to ease her little mind.

Brian is completely healed. He has been back to work for quite a few months. Lifting and playing with the girls like normal. It has been a huge adjustment, living a normal life. We have been learning to find time for each other again. After James being here almost a year and then Brian being so sick, it kinda felt like we were in survival mode and we didnt know how to enjoy each others company. So we are going back to basics. Making time for conversation without the kids, going on dates frequently, praying togethor as a family, and working towards praying togethor as a couple.

I am still working on my business @heartofhartzphotography. The website will be up and running soon, www.heartofhartzphotography.com . I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for this business venture. Until next time!

'But Wifey!!!! I don't want to go back to work!!!!'

2011-01-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that is is already time for Brian to go back to work! Since his surgery there have been some adjustments to life, for everyone. Brian is still trying to get a handle on some of the changes that seem to be permanent. One of which is how much he is aloud to lift or carry. We are getting mixed reports so it makes it very confusing. Generally if he were to lift something that would be too heavy he would be at a higher risk for a hernia. We don't want that to happen. But he is concerned about going back to work because a big part of his job is doing 'manly man' stuff which includes sometimes very physical tasks. I told him not to worry, Dayton Christian will work with him because without him, the systems at Dayton Christian would go ker plunk. He actually started working from home a couple of weeks ago because no one knew how to handle the systems that kept freezing or shutting off. I keep trying to encourage him and that he needs to not let this stuff bother him. This is his life now and he will learn how to work around this 'disability'. He is also still in the process of finding the right bags to use. His little Stoma is an innie. LOL, So when he sits down his lil' stoma goes inside his belly and when he stands up, lil' stoma pops out. Cute as it may sound it is causing problems. He cant get a good seal around the little bugger. Causing leakage and irritated skin. So we are still trying to find something that works. However, this is the only thing that he has had issues with. Everyone is so amazed he isn't having any pain. He went and saw the G.I. Dr today and he was amazed. So.... He has been fully cleared to go back to work on Tuesday Feb 1st! It is time, he is starting to get stir crazy and since he doesn't have anything else to do I make him do the dishes which is driving him to the edge....lol... A man def. needs to work...Or at least Hartz men. Brian's Grandpa Hartz is STILL working, remodeling houses. He can't stand to sit still for too long.. Lol, I can totally see Brian being that way when he is Grandpas age.
We have made some changes to our lives this year. Mia started preschool this month and in the beginning she was going to go 3 half days and 2 full days. After much thought and talking with the hubby we feel we need to put her in full days, everyday. She is so bored without Emma here, asking me 'when is Emma coming home'. And she is so smart, I want her to be involved in school at an early age to develop that. Plus Emma is literally right across the hall from Mia, they see each other at Lunch and when they go to the after care program to wait for Daddy to get off work. I really feel like she will do great with this change. Both Emma and Mia are still trying to adjust to the schedule change 'Mommy, are you going to work now?' "Nope, mommy is home for the night. Isn't that nice? Our whole family is home together at night? You guys go to school during the day and Mommy and Daddy go to work and then we all come home and we are together!" They are liking this idea very much.
I am trying to balance all of the above! Trying to work as much as I can during the day just because we got so behind during Brian's surgery and I had no work coming in. We have had quite a few blessings bestowed upon us from our church and a few different members. We really are seeing the body work to help in any way they can. Everyone has helped in different areas. Some with prayers, some with financial gifts that we knew about and some we just found in an envelope. Just this week a dear family came forward and asked if we needed tires for our van. They were donating their van and the tires weren't very worn at all. This was a total God moment because my tires have been bald for a long time. The tires also were the right size and make! It was amazing! So, I am still on high about that one. Now I am praying for a new roof! lol..
Seeing my life up until I met Brian and then since Brian and I have been together we have faced alot of heartache and sadness and unbelievable 'How did this happen? Why did this happen' moments.Every time a new trial happens upon me I have a weak couple of days, where I get all of my fear out. I cry and cry and pray and ask why. Then it is like this 'eye of the storm' moment when there is nothing left to do but trust God. I had my few days of getting used to the idea of 'this' happening. Kinda like a child having a temper tantrum and then when they realize they aren't going to get their way they stop and go along with the instructions. Yeah, that's exactly what it's like. Before every trial I dig my feet in and say 'But I DON'T WANNA!' ...... Then God waits patiently for me to see that it is HIS WAY OR THE HIGHWAY! LOL.
So, for right now, we are in a hiatus. Nothing knew has happened. No new drama, just life. We would like it to stay that way for awhile, if at all possible. But we know all to well that a Christians life is full of hills and valleys...I would like to think we are midway down the mountain right now. We would like to camp it here for awhile. Thanks for taking the time to read!!!!!

1 Year Later

2010-12-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

For the last few days I have really been silently thinking about this year. So much has been jam packed into these 365 days. Ever since we had Brians surgery scheduled I have been thinking about how fast this all happenned. He was fine 1 year ago. One year ago we were excited about bringing a little boy named James into our family. To become a part of our family. We were so excited as we got his room ready. Put all of the donated items away, put his clothes in his dresser. We brought him home dec 15th. By december 22nd, we knew we were going to have problems. We begged him to stop behaving badly. We tried everything.....Brians Crohns disease started to get bad while he was in Jamaica in January. As we were battling with James, Brians large intestines were taking a beating. I truley believe had we not taken James in, surgery would have been a few more years in the future. No, he would not have been able to avoid it but it would have been post poned a bit. Once we decided we could not keep James, the end of June, the damage had been done. Brians Crohns disease was no longer responding to medications despite the different meds they tried. We fought the Dr on the surgery. Back in the fall when we started the the Humira injections, we were sure that the injections would work. In only a small percentage of people does it not. Brian was feeling a bit better for a few days then not for a few more. Then he started declining, fast. The Dr. said the Humira should have been working by now, surgery is now back on the table. With no other alternatives we were faced we the reality that this would be OUR life, having this ileostomy...
Surgery was Dec 9th. Prior to surgery we had sent out many requests for prayers. Many 100's of people that we don't even know were praying for Brian this week. The surgery started at 9am. At 12pm I started to worry, we had not gotten an update. At 1pm we got an update that everything was going great and that they were still in the operating room. At close to 2 I was called into the consultation room, and 2 concerned Mommys and a Rae Rae followed me. The Doctor came in and said everything was as best as we could expect. Brian did so good, there were no surprises when they got inside and everything that needed to be done was done. The next step was to get things moving. ****If you have a weak stomach, skip ahead to the next set of stars**** Typically it takes 3-5 days for an ileostomy to start moving poo poo on it's own. Until he has regular BM's he would not be able to eat. Brian new this going in. Later in the recovery room I noticed something in his bag, it looked like poo. I told the nurse and she was like 'No, that is just drainage from the surgery' I said 'No, that is poo!' She looked and she seemed to be a little shocked. She then said ' Well sometimes they will start and stop and in a few days start up again, this is probably what will happen'. Little did she know that we had 100's of people praying for Brian to have a Poo! Needless to say, the stoma (which is the part of the intestine that is sticking out allowing him to have bm's) never stopped producing. He is a pooping machine!
*****Since Brians stoma seemed to be working unusually fast, he was not throwing up, getting dizzy, eating and all the plumbing was working they sent us home! We went from thursday to thursday to thursday to tuesday to finding out this morning that we were going home today!
Brian is so happy! He isn't in pain, he is not embarressed about his stoma or bag. If you ask, he may even show it to you. It is quite amazing! The ostomy nurses were wonderful. They made us see that his stoma is not a wound. It is durable, just like any other part of your body. Having an ostomy will not run your life, you will not be stinky and you can be happy!
If you have any questions or want to know more about his stoma or ostomy please email me. Lack of knowledge in this subject can be scary. We did not have the knowledge so we were a little scared. Having the knowledge now, we can help people understand about this. We want to use this for the glory of God. I want to be clear that, Having the Lord in our life, having a relationship with Jesus is the BIGGEST thing that got us through this. The 2nd was knowing of all the prayers that were going up for us. The last few days before the surgery, I would get emotional. Not about the surgery or life after the surgery but knowing that SO MANY were thinking and praying for us. Everytime my mom or someone would come up to me and say so and so was praying for you I would start bawling.
1 year later......Alot of changes.....Alot of surprises....ALL to the GLORY OF GOD.....
Brian and Monica

'Poo Poo Happens, it's just going to happen in a bag now'.....

2010-12-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

This has been an extremly emotional day. Brian has been feeling super bad, his coloring is awful, he lives in the bathroom. Today we first went to the surgeon, who, in the begining seemed concerned that we were looking at this for Brian when he was so young. Once she read the chart and got some questions answered and looked at the colonoscopy she agreed that surgery whas the only medical option. But we weren't going to take a surgeons word for it. We wanted to hear from someone who had nothing to gain. The 2nd appointment we went to was to Brians old G.I. dr, whom actually diagnosed Brian in 1997. He took a look at his charts and said ' it needs to come out'. He was so very kind and was very clear. He said that the colon is not responding to medications anymore and that we were out of options. He said 'Do it'. He knows the surgeon and likes her, so that was comforting.
So when.....
Dec 9th will be the surgery. We will need to be in the hospital by 630 am.....Oh joy.... I believe the surgery is due to start at 830 am. He will be in the hospital approx. 7 to 10 days. I will need some help but I am still trying to work out the help that I need. I know for a fact I will need someone to keep the girls wednesday night and keep them through thursday. But Emma is still in school, so she will need to be brought to school. Mia has not started school yet so she will need taken care of. My mom has said she will take the girls the rest of the time but she wants to be with me for surgery day. We will also need someone to stay at the house and take care of the animals because I will be staying at the hospital with Brian. Those are the 2 main things we are looking at right now. Brian will be out of work for apprx 6 weeks. This is if nothing goes wrong. Please pray for him to start getting ready for this surgery, gaining strength, eating good, exercising, etc. You can email us at bmhartz@woh.rr.com if you have questions or if you can help us with the kids or animals..Thank you....

Brians GI doctors decision....

2010-11-30T15:26:00.000-08:00

So, most of you know Brian is facing surgery due to Ulcerative Colitis flare up that has been ongoing for 1 year next month. Today (11/30/10) Brian has a colonoscopy to see what the medication Humira has been doing for him the 2 1/2 months he has been taking it. Along with the prednisone he has been on and off for most of the year. The results were not what we had hoped for. For you to understand the results, you need to understand the differences in Crohns disease and Ulcerative Colitis... In CD, the location of the inflammation may occur anywhere along the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. In UC, the large intestine (colon) is typically the only site that is affected. However, in some people with UC the last section of the small intestine, the ileum, may also show inflammation. SymptomsMany symptoms of UC and CD are similar, but there are some subtle differences. UC patients tend to have pain in the lower left part of the abdomen, while CD patients commonly (but not always) experience pain in the lower right abdomen. With UC, bleeding from the rectum during bowel movements is very common, and bleeding is much less common in patients with CD.
Pattern of inflammationThe pattern that each form of IBD takes in the digestive tract is very distinct. UC tends to be continuous throughout the inflamed areas. In many cases, UC begins in the rectum or sigmoid colon, and spreads up through the colon as the disease progresses. In CD, the inflammation may occur in patches in 1 or more organs in the digestive system. For instance, a diseased section of colon may appear between two healthy sections. (http://ibdcrohns.about.com/od/ulcerativecolitis/a/diffuccd.htm)
So with all of this information this is what the dr. found. He found the small intestines are healthy, there are no wounds. The large intestines, there are 3 places where he is raw but it is not continuous ongoing throughout the colon. So it looks like Crohns but some of the symptoms are classic U.C. Brian has the bleeding but the spacing of healthy colon between the diseased colon is Crohns. Brian has pain all over his stomach, not just on the left or right side. But so far it has stayed in the large intestine, which is classic U.C. ((?????????????)) The dr. is saying that the disease is now presenting itself like Crohns disease now, which is disheartening. Because it looks like Crohns disease, just because they remove the large intestines, it is not a gurantee that he wont get sick again in the small intestines. Had it been Ulcerative Colitis they would have removed the large colon and he would have been done with the disease forever (in theory). He would have an ileostomy for 3-6 months then would graduate to a 'jpouch'. The 'jpouch' is his small intestines that would be connected to his rectum and basically go 'poo poo' like a 'normal' person. But because it is Crohns disease, the 'jpouch' is not an option. Therefore, he would keep the ileostomy for life. Now considering the life he has lived for a year of active painful , living in the bathroom this is SO much better. But we were hoping for the jpouch. Now the dr did say it is only 'PRESENTING' like Crohns disease, it doesn't mean it actually is. If the surgeoun gets in there and sees that is def. not Crohns, the jpouch is back on the table. But most likely they will wait to see if he starts to get sick again, if the crohns comes back, that means it was crohns.. If it doesn't come back it was the colitis.. So tmrw we will see the surgeon at 10am and the 2nd opinion at 3pm. We will know something for sure by dinner tmrw...Please be in prayer....

2010-11-30T06:18:00.000-08:00

December 2010
The Hartz Family Christmas Letter
Greetings! It’s that time of year again! I was planning on phasing out the Christmas letter due to Facebook, because let’s face it, everyone knows everything about the Hartz family these days because I tell it like it is. A lot has changed for us this year, some good, a lot not so good but we tried to honor God in all of our decisions that we had to make.

The biggest decision was, of course, letting a little boy named James go. Most of you know the story, we met him, felt a connection. I think most of that had to do with James being deaf. We brought him into our family and immediately his behavior changed. It was a very high stress environment for everyone, including the girls. The decision was made at the end of June that James needed more help than we could give him. We notified the county and he was removed and placed back with his first foster family temporarily 2 months later. The county is currently working on getting him placed into a residential home that specializes in troubled deaf children and it would just be perfect for him. Please continue praying for James. If you would like more detailed updates about James please email us at bmhartz@woh.rr.com .
One of the biggest reasons why we made this tough decision to let James go was because of Brian’s serious health decline over the course of time James was with us. Most of you know Brian has ulcerative colitis. However due to the stress factor James brought to us, Brian’s disease has advanced. He was on steroids for a good part of the year which brought another factor to our family which I have named the ‘hulk’ factor. In the beginning Brian would be Brian. However the doctor kept upping his dosage and he became a different person. He would lose it if there was something on the floor, if there were dishes in the sink or if I was sick. The doctor did not know what to do with him. His previous medicines were not working; the steroids were only working at very high doses, dangerous doses. Recently, as of thanksgiving it has been decided that Brian WILL be having surgery to remove his large intestines, entirely. We are hoping to do this before Christmas. He is in so much pain and watching him be in pain for longer than necessary just because of the holidays would be unbearable. Brian is still working with Dayton Christian Schools. He is a highly valued employee. Honestly I don’t know how they would manage without him. He is the only one that knows how to operate their heating and air conditioning systems. When he does take time off, he gets paged and he has to walk people through what to do for whatever problem arises. This, my friends, is called job security and we are thankful for this.

I turned the big 3-0 this year. Wasn’t quite as bad as I thought it would be. Brian asked me what I wanted and I gave it some thought. I asked if I could go to Tennessee to visit my ‘big’ sister. Jennifer and I are 11 days apart so we both had our 30th birthdays this year. It was a lot of fun amidst the craziness. I have also managed to set up a side business doing family portraits. I have worked with one of my friends for a few years and I finally felt comfortable enough to go out on my own. I am still working on a website but the name I went with is ‘Heart of Hartz Photography’. The business has a fan page on facebook where I post a lot of the sessions I do. I also have started posting to http://heartofhartzphotography.blogspot.com/ . Although I don’t advertise for it, if the right client comes along, I will do weddings. I have done my fair share of them and I really do enjoy them. However, the thing I have learned about doing weddings is that just because they are ready to hand you the check doesn’t mean you are a good match to be their photographer. I do not want to be placed in situations that I was put in this year just because they want to book with me. I have included one of my new business cards that my Graphic Designer designed. ((Jumps up and down and yells… ‘I HAVE A GRAPHIC DESIGNER!!!!’))

Emma is 6 and has started Kindergarten. It was a hard adjustment. She was used to getting naps during the day, eating pretty much whenever she wanted. She has a schedule now, no nap, homework. She got her first report card back just recently and she is doing great in all areas except for recognizing sight words, phonics and rhyming. I work with her but when she gets home, the last thing she wants to do is more homework. I believe she will struggle with school just as both Brian and I did. I still remember being so frustrated that I couldn’t understand something that everyone else could understand so I am able to tell her I do understand. She has been working hard at not sucking her thumb and she doesn’t during the day. During the night while she is asleep she sucks her thumb but I feel that is a great accomplishment. She has been asking us to get her ear pierced, maybe for Christmas.

Amelia is almost 4 and is my little tornado! She is into everything! She loves to keep busy! We are looking into putting her into a preschool program because she is overly ready. I will miss having her at home but I know in my heart that she will just excel and blossom if we get her into some kind of program. She doesn’t just sit and watch tv. She has to be doing something, making ‘tea’ , putting paper and miscellaneous things into bags. We laugh when we find one of her bags because they are the most random things that are packed inside she is going to be my honors student, with no common sense.

This year, I have to admit, I will not be sad to see it gone. It has been full of trying, unbearable, desperate moments. We are still at a loss for the purpose and reasoning that we were walked through this year. However, we weren’t left alone during these most desperate moments and that is the point. Whatever the trial, whatever the unbearable situation, no matter if we feel far from God or not, He is still there. That is HIS promise and it was, is and always will be HIS promise if you are HIS child. This pure fact was the ONLY thing that got us through this year. Next year, I feel will be just as hard. But God never promised that it would be easy. He only promised that we wouldn’t be alone. May HIS Peace that truly passes all understanding find you this holiday season. May your heart be open to his everlasting goodness, even during times of pain.
Much Love,
The Hartz Family

It has been a long time...

2010-11-19T19:15:00.001-08:00

I have decided to start blogging again. So accept this as your invitation to follow our blog! I also wanted to let everyone know that I have set up an ebloh for my photography business, heart of hartz photography, http://heartofhartzphotography.blogspot.com/. Please check it out and keep looking for new portraits. Christmas is coming! Have you had your family picture done in awhile? They make awesome Christmas presents!!!!

Mias 2nd birthday

2009-01-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

How can it be that my baby is 2? It is so hard to believe that accordinding to our plan, the baby days are done. This is a good thing in oour eyes but sometimes also gets me sad. Here are some pics from Mias birthday. She is speaking in full sentences now. She is very verbal, much more verbal than Emma was at this age. She also has some patience to sit and finish a book or color a picture, very unlike Emma at that age.

Another thing you could be in prayer for us about is, a little boy named James. God has brought us into his life. Brian and I believe we are to be his parents. He is Deaf and will be 7 on January 21st. Please be in prayer for us as we are to make some decisions that will effect us until we die! In the pictures below, he is in the blue shirt.

Mia, the birthday Girl!

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-27T09:13:00.001-08:00

Just a few highlights of our Christmas month.....

Catching up....

2008-10-24T22:02:00.000-07:00

I know that I havn't been the best blogger in the world. However there is reason. I am a busy momma! I have two growing girls that as they get older, need me more! I was kinda hoping that it would go the other way but this is life.

Since I have posted last, Emma is now a 4 year old going to preschool. She loves it! She has 2 friends she talks about everyday, Brianna and Maddy, both girls and tons of fun from what I hear. Emma also attends speech class to learn and say her teachers name, Mrs. Milano....Emma is growing up and while some of her behavior is improving in some areas, other areas are lacking and therefore making mom crazy. In some ways she seems to be regressing. For example Mia crys when she goes to bed now and mommy and or daddy come running. Emma has picked up this lovely habit and crys too. However Brian and I have come to the conclusion that spanking is a must. They are trying to pull the wool over us and it ain't happenning!

Mia is an almost 2 year old, I can barley believe it. She will be 2 in January and she is already showing some signs of the terrible 2's. The once sweet natured girl is now pulling hair, biting and hitting to keep up with her big sister. It is an all out war now and sometimes I can't help but not get involved because as my mother once told me 'One day your little sister is going to get bigger and she isn't going to take all the bullying anymore'. There have been a few times I will watch as Emma takes a toy away and then Mia proceeds to hit Emma. While this is wrong on both children Emma is now understanding or starting to understand that Mia is not going to let her bully her anymore. Like I said above Mia's once peaceful bedtime routine has beem disturbed. We don't know why but she has for the last few nights been unwilling to sleep by herself. We will rock her and then go to put her down and she refuses. Today I made sure I brought the pack n play out and put it in her room. When she gave us trouble I put her in it and told her it was bedtime. She cried a little bit and went to sleep. She has been in a big girl bed for 2 months. I don't know where this is coming from!

Brian has been busy working two jobs. It has not been easy on the both of us. We thought we would try Monica not working, well, it's not working. The kids never see him and I see too much of them. Everyone is frustrated. So I have applied for a part time job with the same company he is working for as an interpreter on the video phones. It would be 7pm-12am 2-4 times a week depending on what I can handle. Then Brian can be home and spend time with the kids and I can get out and be less frustrated. Brian is also planning on going to Jamaica again this January. He is very excited! We have sent letters out this week. If you have not recieved one and would like one please email me your address.

I have been busy being a mom, wifey, teacher (to a co-op of homeschool children), photographer/Assistant (with Lisa White Photography http://www.lisawhitephoto.com/) and student! I am going back to school to get my B.S. in Interpreting. I have 2 years left, Unbelievable! So needless to say I am tired but that is not unusual for me. So that is what we have been up to. I will post a few of my pictures from the last few months that are my fav's!

Emmas 4 Pictures!

2008-08-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

WWW.LISAWHITEPHOTO.COM

The Kids Pictures 7/23/08

2008-07-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

These were done at 'The Greene' on 7/23/08 by Lisa White Photography...
www.lisawhitephoto.com

Emmas 4 year pictures

The Girls Being Ham Balls

Mia 18 months...

Gavins 1st Bday!

2008-07-22T06:15:00.001-07:00

Vacation Pics!

2008-07-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

On a merry go round in the park

Mia Too!

Having fun at Aunt Martinas!

Tired girl!

Mom trying to get a picture

Emma and Mia with their 2nd cousin Alex

Mia 18 months old

Emma 3 years 10 months old

Swiming in North Carolina!

On a train in a park in North Carolina

I will post more later..Time for bed!

Favorite Pictures

2008-05-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing new...Just living life..

Took this of Emma the other night.She smiled!

Mia and Emma playing gootogethor. It was a Red Letter Minute!

Mi Mi looking at a fish they caught. She is interested but keeping her distance.

Mommy trying to get a kodak moment

Emma and Mia from the back

2008-05-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Mi Mi

Playing with Dad

Brian receiving his 5 year award with Dayton Christian

Long day

They are both so precious when they sleep...

Emmas Debut singing performance at church

Okay not so much a performance as entertainment

Since we got rid of the goo goo she has picked up this lovely habit...

Mia getting so big!

Emma-Jo

So tired...

2008-05-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

So..Brian got the job with Sorenson Video Relay! He started his training tonight watching videos online.
I have been working so much the last few weeks. Work has been so busy which is soo good for work. But I am getting tired trying to be prof and mommy at the same time. I don't know how mothers who work full time can manage it.
I am going to be posting some pictures. Both the girls are growing up so fast. Mia is walking and signing. She is starting to say some words or trying to. She will wave Brian and me down if she wants to sign something. She makes it known if she wants something. Emma is starting preschool in the fall and she is already talking about riding the school bus. She is still my whiney Emma and she probably always will be.
Life is good, life is busy, life is life...

Life.....Keep on Living It!

2008-04-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

So I havn't been blogging much because there hasn't been much to blog about. I have noticed that once you settle down and have children there is not much to be down with life until you wait for the young ones to grow up a bit. For the first few years you are pretty much home bound. We did attempt to take the girls out to a movie 'Horton Hears a Who'. But that lasted through the commercials. I was up with Mia. Then Emma was upset that I had gotten up. So pretty much a waste of money!
I am working a little more. Which is nice to get out of the house. Brian is waiting to hear back from a place he interviewed at 'Sorenson Video Relay'. He has a good chance of getting some part time work there.
Mia is now walking and she has another tooth that has peaked through. That makes 4 at 16 months. Thats pretty bad! She is signing so many words I don't even think I can list them all! She does sign Jesus Loves Mia.
Emma is my drama queen still. She has started to go to a pre school and she loves it! She comes home and tells me all about it. She has a speech delay problem which we are looking into fixing. She starts preschool in the fall with the school system.
So that is whats been going on! Just Life! Please check out our other site on my space as well!http://www.myspace.com/ourgirlz0407

This is whats up!

2008-04-08T11:07:00.001-07:00

So it has been since Easter that I have written. That is pretty bad. We have been so extremely busy that I am not on the computer as much as I used to be. This is both good and bad.
So Easter weekend Brian and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. Seems so hard to believe that that in 5 years we have bought a house and have managed to have 2 children and we have lived to tell about it! It is possible!
Amelia is starting to walk more and more. She still uses crawling as her main source of mobility but she surprises us some times at how far she can walk before she falls over. She is starting to give us Emma looks, they are so funny! She loves doggies and kitties and will 'woof woof and ow ow' if she sees a dog or cat.
Emma started a short playschool today. Our local highschool has a program that they offer to the community. We offer our children over as guinea pigs and we get a free 3 1/2 hours on tuesdays and thursdays. They use the kids to practice to become teachers or early childhood assistants or whatever. Like a work program. I pay $1.00 a day. Emma had a hard time at first but she did fine when I left. When I came to pick her up she was already asking to go back. So she will do that for 4 weeks. Then after that maybe we will find a play school of some sort for her a few times a week if she enjoys it. Give mom a break!
So I figured out why I have been so sick for the last 5 months... I have not been taking the right amount of synthroid! I was taking 50 mcg instead of 225 mcg. To make a long story short I was just taking 2 25 mcg pills instead of a 25 and a 200. Them being the same color should have tipped me off but I was not paying attention..A very hard lesson learned. Been back on for 1 week and already feel a ton better! That explains my mood swings, my emotional issues, depression, acheyness, un able to sleep, the list could go on and on. I was so excited that I figured it out because I was getting pretty desperate and I didn't know what I was going to do.
Brian had an interview for a 2nd part time job with a company called sorenson video relay. He would set up video phones for the deaf or people that need video phones. This would be so good for him! He wouldn't be around the house as much as I would like but it is only for a season and this could be a bigger thing in the future. We are trying to open as many doors for Brian as possible. If someone is offering him a position of some sort and it is a good one we don't want to burn the bridge.
Well that is all for now!

Our Easter

2008-03-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Our Easter was spent in three different places. We went to church and had a wonderful Easter service. Then we went to Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Jims. We love to go to Grandma Peggys because she always has Cheetos!

Then we went to Grandpa Bob and Grandma Cindys. We always have a lamb cake, which this year Emma and Great Grandpa Ruberg massacred. Pulling the ears off, the nose and finally decapitating it..So sad, Emma was laughing hysterically. Actually they both were. Hard to say who had more fun.

The day after Easter was a sugar detox. Coloring in new book with new crayons. We also learned a new game from Pa who came to visit on Tuesday...

Today we went to go see an OLE College friend of mine. I can't believe it has been 4 years since we graduated.CRAZY! It was really neat how the Lord brought us togethor in school and brought us through alot of the same trials at the same times. Including getting married in the same year and having babies about the same time as well. She has a little boy named Cooper who is adorable and plays well with the girls. He will be 2 in a few weeks. These are some pictures of our day today!

Cooper, so adorable! Coming down the slide with Miss Tricia!

Emma Peaking through the window! Emma and Cooper, Notice Emmas nose!

Mia wanting to get in on some of the action!

So Mom of course must follow! That was a one time slide ride!

Looking like it's nap time! Cooper slowly coming down to go home....

It was a wonderful visit. I am so glad we still keep in touch! I love you Tricia!

Update Jamaica Letter

2008-03-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family!

Greetings from the cold and snowy state of Ohio. As promised I am sending you an UPDATE letter on my trip to warm and sunny Jamaica. I know many of you have been asking about it and wondering where I am, if I am back or still there. The truth is when I got back my whole family got sick and we have been fighting some sort of sickness for the last 4 weeks. Things are just now starting to settle down enough for my wife and I to compose this letter.
The first of many situations arose when we were still enroute to our connecting flight in North Carolina. The Dayton Airport had to melt the ice on our plane and we ended up leaving an hour later than expected. DIA said that our airplane would wait for us in North Carolina which would take us to Jamaica…..It didn’t. We arrived and they told us they had left already. This presented a problem because of the students had to be with the adults, they could not be split up. There were 22 of us. So we took another flight to PA and stayed the night in a hotel and took a flight straight to Jamaica arriving just before lunch time on Friday. I was very proud of our team because no one complained they just accepted it and moved on.
So we ate lunch at Burger King and got back in the van to head to the school C.C.C.D.. The van ride up the mountain was memorable. We took the scenic route and it was so beautiful. I also saw a lot of hurricane damage as well as bars, one right after another. I also saw that a little boy just about Emma’s age going into one of the bars. That really hit close to home. I had never seen so many bars in one place before! There were also so many houses in poor condition. Houses that were not kept up and were falling apart. It made me very sad. It took us about 3 ½ hours to get to the school.
After we arrived and put our things away we had a meeting with the manager of C.C.C.D.. His name was D.J. He began to tell us about a few things that had happened before we got there. A student had just died because of ticks, a teacher’s husband had died from a gun shot wound and the water at the CCCD was having some problems. I believe that the devil was working hard to get us discouraged even before we started to do anything.
Bedtime was hard for me because they did not use any kind of air conditioning system. They didn’t have screens for the windows. Everything was open and the bugs could come and go as they please.
Saturday we started to work and they assigned me to work on some projects that were more in my field of construction. They had an electrical project for me to do. I did find it odd because they don’t really care how it’s done or if it’s done right. Here in America we have codes and inspections, etc. Jamaica has none of that. I found that interesting. Wow.
On Sunday I was to give my testimony at the church where many Deaf go. The churches name was Jamaican Deaf Village (JDV). I stood and gave my testimony about my life here in America. I also talked about my conversion to Christ. As I gave my testimony I noticed that all the Deaf were truly interested in my life. After the church service there were many deaf that came up to me asking me about my life. They were very curious about American and wanted to know what it looked like in comparison to their home, Jamaica. So up until now remember we had water problems, we had none. There were no showers taken, not much drinking water, no flushing toilets. After church we arrived back at our dorms where we slept. I decided to take initiative and take a look at the water problem myself. Having a lot of work experience with many different schools and companies as well as having some knowledge from my dad, who works in leak detection/plumbing, I was able to figure out the problem and fix it! The students and staff were so grateful! There were even a few people saying ‘YOU’RE MY HERO!’ I give all the credit to the Lord. He is the one who put the knowledge and know how in the front of my head. So needless to say there were many showers taken that day.
Sunday evening the maintenance man, Richard arrived back from a family emergency and we began to talk. Richard is Deaf, which was great for me! We talked about what happened with the water systems while he was away as well as all the things we have in common. Richard and I do a lot of the same type of work, we also both work at schools for a living.

Monday through Wednesday in the mornings I worked on all the different electrical problems in the schools kitchen. I was able to successfully finish the project on Wednesday after lunch, Praise the Lord! Also Monday through Wednesday we had devotions with the Deaf children of C.C.C.D. We studied mainly our key verse which was Ephesians 4:32. ‘Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other the same as God forgave you through Christ.’ I would watch them amazed that they were so involved and wanted to learn so badly the good news of Christ. After the devotions I had two students come up to me wanting me to pray with them and help them forgive each other. But the one thing that really tore me up was another student who had a bad leg. I still to this day don’t know what was wrong with it but he came up to me wanting prayer to forgive some people. But he also begged me to tell him how to get to America so he could get his leg fixed. I am so lucky to be an American citizen and I never really realized it until that moment.

On my last night at the school which was Wednesday night I sat down with Richard and his wife. I also got introduced to a few other Deaf. I learned some things about Jamaica that aren’t so pleasant, especially for the Deaf. Here in America we are allowed to drive, we get some assistance from the government we have help in other ways as well. In Jamaica the Deaf have no options. They are not allowed to drive, the government gives them no help in any way, they have no hope. I didn’t realize it was this bad.
Thursday we left C.C.C.D. and we traveled back down to Montego Bay. However we did not take the scenic route this time. We went down the mountain on a very narrow road. Not only were we on a narrow road but I was also on a seat that wasn’t actually a seat. It was like a portable pull down seat if there wasn’t enough seats in the van. As we traveled down the mountain with all of the twists and turns I didn’t think I was going to make it. Some of our group even thought they may see their breakfast again but they didn’t. It was so funny.
Thursday and Friday were our ‘free days’. We went out to eat and did some shopping. I even went snorkeling. I got to see the tropical fish up close! They were not afraid of people because they are used to all the tourists. Friday we were due at the airport at 3pm. So we packed up our bags and headed back to the airport. Little did I know I had a stow a way on me… Yes, I brought home a famous tick! It was in between my toes!
I want to Thank all of you who gave so that I could go on this trip. It really opened my eyes to how blessed I truly am just to live in this country. The people of Jamaica are so poor and so hungry for what I have here in America. It made me feel so humble. I also felt that the Lord wants me to go back in 2009. This is a people group I know about and I can relate with. I know I can make a big difference in their lives; both spiritually as well as helping them to achieve a better way of living in their country. Please continue praying for me this year as God directs me in His will. Pray for the Deaf in Jamaica that they will ‘Press on’ and not become weary or without hope. Again, THANK YOU for being His servants in helping me get to the country of Jamaica.

In Christ Alone,
Brian J. Hartz

2008-03-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

Our 5th Anniversary

2008-03-09T00:03:00.000-08:00

In 14 days Brian and I will have been married 5 years. It is amazing how fast time goes. Especially considering that I have been pregnant or nursing 4 out of those 5 years!
I can honestly say that I love Brian even more than the day that I married him. I believe that is how it is suppossed to go. If you don't, your love isn't growing. It becomes stale and weak. Brian and I have found our niche and we know one another. We both know when the other is upset. It's like reading a book in some ways. When he comes home from work, from the moment he comes in the door I watch him and I know wether it has been a good day, bad day, tiring or lazy. This is quite an accomplishment for a deaf/hearing couple.
In the beginging even before we were married there were quite a few people that were worried that we were making a mistake. 'Deaf/hearing couples just don't workout' they would say or 'Maybe you shoulf postpone the wedding'. Brian and I knew that it would be a mistake not to get married. We are each others other half. Which is interesting that God would pair us togethor due to the nature of him being Deaf and I hearing. Maybe he knew that only a Deaf man could live with me? Or maybe He knew that Brian would be the husband I would need. I know it to be both and many more reasons why He brought us togethor. One of the biggest is to bring Emma Josephine and Amelia Lousie into this world. They are such a joy to everyone who know them and love them. Even if that is all we accomplish as a married couple, I would be fine with that. God knew that we needed these 2 little girls. 'Girls are better' which is a direct quote from Brian in response to if he wanted to try for another child so he could have his boy.
I hope that making it to five years gives other couples in our same situation encouragement that it is possible to have a successful marriage with different cultures. We may have different cultures but our common goal and heart is the same, Jesus Christ. He is the reason we have made it and will continue to make it. I am confident of this. Brian, I love you. Can't wait to see what the next five years brings us!

Our Valentines are sick...

2008-02-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry We have not updated about Jamaicayet. We have been battling ear infections, flu black eyes and pink eye. (Mi Mi fell in the bath tub and hit her eye just right. It did look alot worse than it does. That happenned last Saturday.)We thought we were done and then this morning emma woke up with a 104 fever and pink eye in both her eyes. She also has a double ear infection. Brian has the same... Please keep us in your prayers. We hope you had a blessedValentines Day with those you love!

Watch this video!

2008-02-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

This is the 'World' in which Brian and I live in...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffrq6cUoE5A&feature=related

Brian made it back!

2008-01-28T19:46:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to update and let everyone know Brian made it back on January 25th at 930pm. I literally feel in his arms and started crying due to exhaustion. The last few days have been spent updating me about his trip, catching up on laundry and spending time togethor as a family. Brian will be giving a testimony at our church along with the whole Jamaican group This Sunday at 6pm. If you would like to come and see it let me know and I can get directions to anyone that wants to see it. We will also be mailing a follow up letter to those of you who gave donated for Brian to go on this trip. I can tell you it was a life changing experience for him. I will let him tell the rest...

Wednesday Update

2008-01-24T09:23:00.001-08:00

Wow - it's hard to believe that we leave CCCD today. It always seems that just when the team starts really connecting and feeling comfortable it's time for us to leave. This year is no exception. Last night I had to make them come up to the Great House for our meeting and for packing. Yesterday their free time was spent chatting and getting their hair braided. The CCCD girls were very creative in the braiding and it looks very nice. Amber's birthday was doubly celebrated. Nancy baked her cakes and the Greg's class decorated them. Also, the cooking class baked her cupcakes.

Work - Amos' crew worked on getting the boards up around the top of the walls. The hope is that it will block the wind that would get under the eaves and then rip the roofs off in hurricanes. Greg's crew continuing cleaning, only this time a different room. The girls were excited when they found an jar of old Jamaican coins. Brian Hartz continued working on electrical issues, most of the time in the kitchen.

School - Kim, Linnay, Mark, and Nancy held their last chapels. Mark's group asked good questions for clarification from the previous night's chapel. The teacher's in Nancy's chapel asked to keep the flannelgraph story about Nehemiah so they can continue to review the story with the students. Not sure about Linnay's group. Linnay worked in the clinic yesterday since the nurse is home sick with the flu. Kim & Amy continued in the classroom.

Stuff - We almost have all of the stuff that we brought delivered! Now it's just the leftover items from our clubs.

Fun Time - Last week when I was here for the board meeting, some of the CCCD students performed skits and impersonations of staff members. It was VERY entertaining and I asked the do it for my team. Last night was the night. We laughed alot. It was especially funny for those of us who know the CCCD people well, because the students have many of their mannerisms down. They can even walk the way those folks walk. Fun! Fun!

Good News Club - Interesting! The boys had to do some adjusting in their minds because they automatically think of every Jamaican child as a Deaf child which obviously isn't the case. When we arrived the children came screaming and yelling down to the church. They sat, although not really quietly. We sang some songs. We did the Bag skit. We tried to teach them a verse, the problem was that we had no where to hang the verse. Then Mark spoke about forgiveness. Some of the children performed Mary had a Little Lamb on their recorders. The children come from very poor homes and many are not very well behaved. This is the reason that Mrs. Myers started the club. I'm sure she would appreciate your continued prayer for her in this endeavour.

Chapel - Our last chapel went well. Many students have come forward after the services and prayed with the team. There wer alot yesterday. Here is the list.

Aneika Johson - asked for forgiveness and the ability to resist the devil
Kim Price - ask for forgiveness
A girl - she needs to go to someone who has offended her
Stephann Remeke - Salvation
Roneil - rededicated his life
Ryan - forgiveness
Uan Carroll - trouble understanding forgiveness
Jhovan Salmon - concerned about some mistakes that he's made
Daniel Bartley - felt convicted
Sheldon Thompson
Jessica Craig
Moyah - an older student who needed to ask some of the younger students for forgiveness because of her anger and mean spirit toward them
Andre Toppin - felt convicted. Also, his grandfather is sick.

Emails - Please don't send any more emails.

Travel Plans - Hands in Praise will perform this morning and then we head to MoBay some time after breakfast. We will go to the straw market and try to find someone to take the team snorkeling. We'll go to the store and the beach today. Tonight we'll eat at the Pelican Restaurant. Tomorrow morning will be a time to chill and go back to the store of the beach if they want. The Glorianna Hotel has a pool and the team usually enjoys that. We leave the Glorianna tomorrow at 1:00. Our MoBay flight to Charlotte leaves at 3:20. We are scheduled to arrive in Dayton at 9:10 pm. Please remember our coats.

Our meeting was short last night so I do not have the usual praises and prayer requests. We've had a good week and look forward to seeing all of you.

Nancy for the team
Jer. 29:11

TUESDAY UPDATE

2008-01-23T05:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was another beautiful day - warm and sunny!

Work - Amos headed up the group that finished the boys' dorm fascia and the girls' dorm fascia. Not sure what they will do today. Greg headed up the group that cleaned out a junk room and hauled the stuff away. Amelia accidently bumped him on the head with a pipe and he has a knot on his head. Brian Hartz fixed some electrical problems in the kitchen and the cosmetology room.

School - Again Amy and Kim substitute taught. Kate, Madie, and Lisa helped some teachers. Mark and Nancy were in a couple of Bible classes. Today Amber, Laura, and Jess will be in the school. Kim's teacher training went well.

Clubs - Good responses to clubs. Ashley was pleased that several people came back for the second day. Today will be our last day for clubs since we leave for MoBay tomorrow. We can't believe it's almost over!

Good News Club - Five of us are headed to Frankfield Primary School today. Pray for the salvation of the students there.

Chapel - Last night Cat, Madie, Josh, and Lisa did their song. The skit was the gang skit. Both went well. Tonight Taylor, Amber, Brian, and Ashley will do their song and the skit will be the Hold in Your Heart. Every night we've had students stay after to talk and ask questions about forgiveness. Last night was no exception. We had our first person ask Jesus to be their savior - Chrystal Allison prayed. Uan Carroll talked with Taylor and rededicated his life to Christ. Last night our team talked about how the messages have impacted our lives. Some mentioned that they have been convicted about people to whom they need to go and be reconciled. The promise of scripture is that it never returns empty. It's exciting to see it is working in the hearts of my team.

Memory Verse - More than 70 CCCD students memorized Eph. 4:32.

Cake Decorating - Greg's class has been a huge success. Today we hope to have real cakes to decorate. It's a secret - but they are doing it for Amber's 18th birthday today. Shhh!!!

Tomorrow will be my last email. We leave for MoBay after breakfast on Thursday and then I don't have internet access. Remember to bring winter coats. Later I'll remind you of the flight number for Friday.

Matters of Praise

Brenden and Josh talked to Colin
Catherine has been talking with some of the teen girls
Today some of the boys will learn to play cricket
Teacher training went well
Finished cleaning the junk room
Finished the boys and girls dorm
Brian Tighe had a good club time
Safety from some bees
Ashley - some people came back to her club

Matters of Prayer

Tevon Barrett
Kevon W - that he will open up
Glenn - has learning problems
Sheldon Hall - Wants to go to America for surgery on his legs. He uses a walker.
Amber, Jess, and Laura in the school
Daniel Bartley is having family problems

Thanks again for your prayers.

Nancy for the team
Jer. 29:11

MONDAY REPORT

2008-01-22T06:32:00.001-08:00

Work - Yesterday was a good day. Work-wise they finished painting the dining hall, made good progress is getting the old work shop cleaned out and almost have the fascia finished on the boys' dorm. Tuesday the fascia crew moves to the girls' dorm.

Water - Monday was the first day that we had water all day long. We were very excited about that.

Clubs - The first day of clubs went very well. The cooking girls (Cat, Courtney, and Jess) made no-bake cookies. Every cookie was eaten which is a good sign. Brian and Amy had several girls in self-defense. This club is a very practical club because sexual attacks against the Deaf girls is very common. The Deaf are viewed as very dumb and incapable. Craft club make t-shirts. All the t-shirts were gone. I only had one student in my game club but we still had fun. Ashley had an overwhelming number of students in the drawing club. Erin, a missionary here, was there and helped with the signing which helped Ashley. Kim, Linnay, Amelia, Kate, Madie, and Laura were in the Kids' club. They had at least 50 there. They said is wasn't too wild. I don't know what Bible story was told but they made bead necklaces and of course, had food. Josh, Seth, and Brenden had a few guys for soccer. Greg did a cake decorating class for some of the dorm moms. They loved it. He said some are naturals at it. Today they will learn some more things and then on Wednesday will really decorate a cake that we will eat!

Chapel - Mark's topic last night was about how to handle offenses. He told them the choices they have like trying to forget it, revenge, and stuffing it down but then shared how the Bible says that we should handle it. During our team meeting we talked further about seeking and giving forgiveness. We had a good discussion. Kate, Jess, and Brenden did their song. We made up a new skit yesterday afternoon that illustrated what to do with offenses - my Xenia crew did that one.

Night's Rest - It's early on Tuesday morning so I can't speak for the boys but the girls were tired last night and went to bed before 11:00.

School Plans - Kate, Lisa, and Madie will be in the school today. They will help with bulletin boards and do some tutoring. Kim and Amy continue to be substitute teaching in classrooms. Mark with Nancy interpreting will teach a few Bible classes today.

Health - Most are healthy. A couple of sore throats and yesterday some were sunburned. Several forgot to put sun screen on their ears and did not get all the way to their hairlines.

Morning Chapels - Mark and Kim explained further about forgiveness. Linnay talked about being kind. Nancy told the primary students about Nehemiah. All went well.

Added Opportunity - The wife of the CCCD board chairman is the counselor at a local public school. She's started a Good News club and asked if we could come help on Wednesday. So on Wednesday, Mark, Nancy, Seth, Josh, and Brenden will travel to Frankfield Primary School. We plan to teach a Bible verse, play a review game, do a skit, and Mark will talk about forgiveness. Mrs. Myers said that the students are not well behaved. She said that last week 7 students accepted Christ as their Savior.

Matters of Praise

Clubs went well.
Real showers
Boys' dorm almost finished
Developing relationships with the students
Andre and Roneil helped with the kids club
Linnay's chapel went well
Sabreki is feeling better

Matters of Prayer

DR team travelling - Amber says the travel troubles must be because of her and Roger :-)
Tony, construction supervisor, is sick
Patience with the signing
Brian's knee is bugging him - I have seen him wearing his brace
Andre Toppin - did not behave well in chapel
Sheldon Hall - bad behavior
Shaneka Francis has liver cancer
Miguel Hines has a hard time living right when he goes home
For the memory verse, Eph. 4:32, to impact the students' lives
Ashley has been talking with Ricardo Thompson
Loraine Mitchell, CCCD teacher, her cousin died last week

Thanks so much for praying.

Nancy for the team
Jer. 29:11

Sunday Report

2008-01-21T05:20:00.001-08:00

This will be very brief because I need to get going for the day. I will try to get back on later this evening. Yesterday both the services at CCCD and JDV were good.

Matters of Praise
-We have water and I think it will be permanent this time. Two water trucks have delivered water. Brian Hartz and the CCCD guys got the pumps going. Today was the first day in 3 days that I've been able to take a real shower. We have a new appreciation for running water.
-The team is really trying to communicate with the students.
-Ricardo Thompson and Andre Toppin talked to Kim after the service last night.
-My teens are connecting with the CCCD teens - making friends.
-Our discussion yesterday about I John 2:15-17. The challenge for believers not to love the world.

Matters of Prayer
-Clear understanding for the Deaf of the concept of forgiveness. It's an abstract idea which is hard for Deaf to understand.
-For Ricardo and Andre as they strive to live godly and not be involved in sin.
-Dennis Gordon and Shabreka who are sick.
-Marjorie Blidgen, a teacher whose husband died last Thursday.
-Today we start after school clubs. I've challenged our team to really try to make friends during this time.
-Wisdom for Mark Shaeffer as he addresses the topic of forgiveness.
-One team member has a sore throat and cough.

Thanks so much for your prayers! We are doing well and learning to praise God for even the small things of life.

Nancy Snook for the team
Jer. 29:11

2008-01-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

FRIDAY REPORT

Well, they did arrive safely today. Some issues at Philly with people missing tickets. The good news was that customs was a breeze. They hardly had time to sign their paperwork. After the team arrived we went to Burger King for lunch then the 3 1/2 hour drive up. CCCD sent a big bus because the clutch went out of one of the vans yesterday when they were coming to get the team. We went the long way by the south shore - absolutely beautiful! Arrived at CCCD and the CCCD students were VERY excited to see the team. I'm proud of the team because everyone went right down to the school to hang out. That's not the most comfortable situation for the new signers. We had our orientation meeting after supper of jerk chicken and rice. Tomorrow the team will work in the morning. No cement work this year. They will be painting, running electrical wires, and hanging fascia boards on the boys' dorm. Field Day is in the afternoon and in the evening we'll show "National Treasure."

Matters of praise - Showers last night at the hotel, tickets for everyone on the flight today, breakfast on the Air Jamaica flight, easy time in customs, safe drive to Knockpatrick, the beauty of the ocean

Matters of prayer - No water here at CCCD, spiritual warfare that seems to be happening earlier than usual, spiritual sensitivity of the CCCD students, that our DC team will not be discouraged by the water situation, Mrs. Blidgen, CCCD teacher, her husband died yesterday - she is not yet 30 years old and has 2 children, one is a newborn, Greg Shaeffer as he prepares to speak at the Deaf Village on Sunday morning.

Miss Snook for the team
Jer. 29:11

SATURDAY REPORT
We just finished Field Day and it was good. The older students don't usually come but the younger ones who come emjoy it. The DC team were the leaders who took the groups from place to place. Today is VERY windy more than some team members ever remember. But alas, I guess we can endure the wind since it's 80 degrees :-) Yes, they used sunscreen today.

This morning the team worked. Some painted the dining room, some cleaned out a work area, and some worked on repairing the fascia boards. The female leaders packed all of the gift bags for the staff. Field Day was this afternoon. Tonight we plan to show a movie - if I can find the projector. Today is really a relationship building day. Some of the team are down on the soccer field playing soccer and just hanging out. Tonight the movie will offer added opportunity to hang out. Tomorrow we start our spiritual emphasis part.

Tomorrow Mark will preach here at CCCD and Kim will interpret. The following students (Amber, Taylor, Catherine, Jess, Courtney, Laura, & Seth) will stay and do the team song while Amber and Taylor do their skit. The rest of the team (Kate, Ashley, Amelia, Madie, Brian, Josh, Lisa, Brenden) along with the other leaders will go to the Jamaica Deaf Village and present there. Greg will preach, out of his comfort zone, and Brian Hartz will give his testimony. It's a neat opportunity to be in a Deaf church.

Today the CCCD Jamaica Board chairman's wife came and asked if we could help her with the Good News Club that she started at the public school where she works. I haven't worked out all the details but some of the team will go over there on Wednesday afternoon.

The team continues to be very flexible in response to changes, learning new parts of songs and skits, etc. They are doing a good job of hanging out with the Deaf students. I'm very pleased. You would be proud.

Matters of Praise - The water truck came today - we can flush the toilets and get showers! Making friends, being flexible.

Matters of Prayer - Tomorrow we start the meat of our ministry, pray for those who will share - Mark, Greg, & Brian Hartz, soft and hearing hearts of the CCCD students, we'll be prepared even with the changes that we make in the song and skits, that we will continue to be flexible and willing to do whatever needs to be done.

Remember, if a day goes by and I don't send an email, don't worry. The power goes out often and the internet sometimes goes down for days at a time.

Miss Snook for the team
Jer. 29:11

Sounds like Brian is getting very involved! He is giving his testimony so please pray for him because this is not easy for him! I am very excited for him!

2008-01-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

He finally made it! At 11:18am I received a text message saying they had arrived. As he sends emails I will post them as well. Please keep him in prayer as well as for me. I am sick and both kids are sick. The first 2 days have not been good. No one has been sleeping and everyone has been miserable. Please keep us in your prayers.
Brian and I have been seperated once before in our 5 years of marriage. December 2005 Brian went to Denver to pick up my dad and bring him home and he was gone 5 or 6 days. I don't know why but at the time it wasn't hard for me to have him gone. This times though is different. I miss him so much and I don't know why. Maybe because we have been married longer or maybe we have two kids now. I don't know but be thinking of me because I have to last till next friday.

2008-01-17T17:37:00.000-08:00

What a day. So Brian leaves at 430 am and was so noisey he wakes up both children. They say goodbye to dad and we go back to bed. Then I get updates from brian via text. To make a long story short they got to dayton airport and loaded the plane. Then had to get off because of the ice. 1 hour later they got back on and were off. Once they got to their connecting flight it was gone, they had missed it. So they had to get on another plane to PA where they are staying the night in a hotel and at 5 am will head to the airport for a 730 flight. What a day! I tell you ever since Brian and I decided he should go to Jamaica it has been nothing but distaster after disaster! I thought yesterday Emma running a 103 temp. would be the final heave ho into making him stay. But no, we woke up and got that news as well as had to take Mi Mi to the dr. because she is sick too. Please remind me to not send my husband away on a mission trip when we have young children at home....More updates to follow..

Jamaica MON!

2008-01-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

The day has finally come. On 1/17/08 at 5am my man will be driving with some good friends of ours to the airport. He will be in for a long day of travel. Not only does he have a plane ride but also a long bus ride from what I understand. Up a mountain. A very high and steep mountain.

We have been trying to prepare Emma for daddy not being here. Trying to talk about the trip and the fact that daddy will be going on an airplane. Mi Mi has no idea.

My dad will be staying with us while Brian is away. I am thankful for that. However I don't know how this is going to tork. Last time Brian was away Emma was a little over a year and Mi Mi wasn't even a thought. Brian had gone to Denver to help my dad move back here and he was gone almost a week if I remember correctly. We did okay, I think..

Please keep Brian and the rest of the team in your prayers. I want this to impact Brian in a huge way. In a way that will change our life for the better. Not that we have it bad now but I want both of us to grow from this experience.

I just want to say...

2008-01-08T17:16:00.001-08:00

Raising kids is hard.....

That is all....

2008-01-05T02:11:00.000-08:00

It seems so hard to believe that 1 whole year has gone by and is now gone. I remember being so excited about Amelias birthday because I didn't have to have her natural. I was looking foward to having her by c-section and knowing when I would deliver her. 5 am 1/4/07 Brian and I went to the hospital and checked in and waited. I got my iv's. In walks Dr. Wood, yawning. I told him he better get a cup of coffee before he comes close to me with a knife, he laughed. I remember the spinal they gave me, ouch. Then no more pain. I felt them tugging me and pulling. Then out pops Cheeks..I mean Amelia. She came out and she was screaming the exact opposite of Emma from the very begining. And for 1 year she has been my little sweet heart. She loves her Daddy. When she sees he is home she throws her arms up for him to pick her up. She loves her sissy. Loves dancing and singing in their room. Loves following Emma around and always misses her when she goes to Gi Gi's on Friday nights. Mostly though, she loves her Mommy. Wants to be held and loves to snuggle. I love having two little girls. Emma is my strong willed, habitual child. Amelia is my flexible, whatever happens, happens child. I love that the Lord gave me 2 completly opposite ends of the spectrum. So Happy Birthday to Mi Mi. I love you, Daddy loves you and Emma loves you. We are so happy you joined our family. Thank you Lord for our family...

2007-12-29T13:59:00.000-08:00

Oh What Fun!
Mi Mi is turning ONE!
Please join us on this very special day!

On January 5th 2008
At Gi Gi's House in Bellbrook
Pizza will be served because it's Mi Mi's Favorite

Please arrive at Noon because I like to take a nap!
Then we can eat pizza, cake and ice-cream!

So Mommy can blow her diet!

There will also be my baby book to look through and sign!

And cutie patootie video of yours truly to watch!

Mommy can't believe it has been a whole year since I joined the family!

It's like I am growing up right before your eyes!

So please come and play with me on 1/5/08.

And I will promise to make it a memorable occasion

As I always do

Testing testing one two..Is this thing on?

2007-12-29T10:37:00.001-08:00

Due to being unhappy with the other family website I am looking for a change..