Party in the house!

A is going to be 9 soon!

S will be 13 soon!

Today we celebrated A's 9th birthday and S's 13th birthday. We combined the two parties into one and had a very large turnout (40+). We purposely planned to celebrate S's bday a month and a half early in hopes that the weather would be decent. Indeed it was a beautiful, sunshiny day! Thank you, Jesus, because there would have been no room for people to sit while eating. Most of the girls ate their dinner outside.

B-eing silly?

B made a wooden frame on which we hung the piñata. The kids had a great time hitting it or attempting to hit it. AW manned the rope by which he raised and lowered the piñata. I was inside, helping to clean, but could hear the cheers from the crowd outdoors. The sound was like that of a football game, we had so many people! AW made the final hit that broke the piñata wide open. Thankfully, we had no injuries, no calls to 9-1-1.

K taking one of the first swings

"Listen to my voice. It's over here."

Nice shot! (both the swing and the photograph!)

S wanted spaghetti and meatballs so that is what we made. We had to cook spaghetti three times! (We made approximately two six-quarts worth of spaghetti; it's time for me to get a stock pot.) In order to feed such a large crowd, we requested that everyone bring finger food to share. That worked really well and I am so, so glad we did it that way! We also had two homemade quarter sheet cakes, six two-liters of soda (which wasn't nearly enough), and Texas Toast, which rounded out what we provided.

My mom and the other adults present really helped me by cleaning up, and to them I am grateful. I had one of the guests take photos with my camera, or else there'd be nothing to show here. Baby V slept in the Ergo that I wore, so carrying her was my part in helping out.

Upcoming opportunities to hear B preach

I want to invite you to come hear B as he teaches: "Blessed are the Peacemakers," part of the series on the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). He will be preaching on Sunday, October 25th, at 3 p.m. here in Battle Ground. Please then join us for dinner onsite, about 15 minutes after the church service. (Please bring a salad, dessert, or main dish to share.)

He will likely be giving this same message the following month in Newberg.

We'd be delighted to have you as our guests on either of these occasions.

I am eager to be a part of what the Lord teaches B. The Lord knows we need lots of help at peacemaking, and peacekeeping, in this family! Please pray for B as he prepares his sermon. Thanks.

After a week and a half of school and public transport

Here's an update on the first week and a half of G's school experience:

Monday all the kids and I rode the bus with her. I tried to get a small bus to our neighborhood but when I called at 5:50 a.m., 20 minutes after they began to take calls, I was too late to get us a ride to the transit center. I had to drive our white van, which was not running very smoothly. We were late to the transit center due to road construction, so caught the second bus, the one that was supposed to get G to school minutes before her class started. Instead, we were 10 minutes late.

We rode on the next bus to the transit center and I took the kids home. J, A and V accompanied me an hour later on another bus back to the college. G was waiting for us in the lobby. We ran down the hall and caught the bus that was loading in front of the school.

Her class was okay, but she didn't really like it. Most of her classmates are from Mexico. She has no other Amharic speakers in her class. However, there is another gal in a higher level class that attends at the same time. She and G have been friends for a while, so it was a nice surprise to see her and her dad on Monday. G did not meet with her until Wednesday, but I am pretty sure they meet up daily now.

On Tuesday, B rode with G. He did not return home until he came back with her. He sat in on a little of her class and thought it was too easy for her. That afternoon, I took G to the main campus to purchase and ID card and bus pass that is good for the entire quarter.

On Wednesday, B took G again, but on this day, she said she could ride alone. B made arrangements for her to meet us at the transit center. I was proud of her!

S, V and I arrived at the transit center in plenty of time to meet G. But when the first bus pulled in, G did not get off. We waited 20 minutes for the next bus to come. G did not get off that one either. I clarified with B that he had definitely, for sure, said we'd pick her up at the transit center. He said that he had definitely, for sure, said to meet there.

I drove home along the side streets to pick up E and AW. I figured I could take them back to the transit center to wait for/stay with G, should she get off the bus while I drove toward the college. At least I knew where they were. G had no cell phone, so I had no way of contacting her. S and I grabbed some food and the boys and left, going by way of the side roads. As we were about half way to the transit center, AW saw a person walking and said that it looked like G. Sure enough, he was right!

I crossed the intersection and stopped and picked her up. She had walked nearly two miles. She had seen me drive by earlier. (I had been looking for her on the wrong side of the road.)

Thankfully, we found her. I wondered if she had done that on purpose, though? I later found out that B had dropped her further up the bus line because they were running late. She had disembarked from that stop on her way home, and since I wasn't there to pick her up, she began to walk. How comical!

The next day, and from then on, our pick up has been going well. And, I am getting her to the transit center on time in the mornings. Her classes are going okay. The reading and writing seem to be a good fit for her (they aren't too easy). Thanks for your prayers and for checking in on her!

A new purpose for our lives

I'd like to direct your attention to a dear young lady named Mekdes. She is the sister of the boy, Yonas, we sponsor through Mission of Mercy in Ethiopia.

I met her when I traveled to visit G and AW a year ago. I was able to visit the Mercy Center where the sponsored children go to school. When B returned to Ethiopia in January, he also met Mekdes and the family and even dined in their home.

Mekdes made an impression on my heart. She is a very sweet girl, and I know that if she were ever available for adoption, heaven forbid, I would adopt her in a heartbeat! I just love this 13 year old girl! (Wait, she must be 14 now.) Anyway, Mekdes has a limp. Her left leg is three inches shorter than her right. She cannot bend over all the way and has mild to moderate pain. She has had two surgeries in the past but her hip has not been repaired. There is now bone degeneration.

B and I have been in communication with Mission of Mercy to determine if Mekdes could come to the USA to have reparative surgery. A doctor traveled and met her recently, and upon looking at the MRI, has determined that she is eligible for surgery. She would need an entirely new hip. This is major surgery and is also costly, but there is good news!

The physician has been in contact with a children's hospital in the US that is considering doing the surgery at no cost. The company that makes the titanium joint for her new hip are considering donating the joint at no cost. The orthopedics, anesthesia and critical care have been confirmed covered already. The only cost will be the transportation for Mekdes and her mom to get to and from the US! Isn't that awesome?

Please be in prayer that God would work out all the details, that those companies would find Mekdes' case one that is valuable and worthy of their services at no cost, and that the surgery would be successful! B and I will be contributing to the costs of the airfare and I'd like to invite you to join us in that. The cost will be between $1,500 and $2,000 for each round-trip ticket.

I am so excited about this opportunity for Mekdes! I will do my *best* to keep you informed on this new thread in the life of the Friesen family.

Me, Mekdes, Yonas, their mom and brother

"Super Mom" of 29 kids

This video was forwarded to me from my mom. It was played this weekend. There is so much more to this family's story than can be adequately captured in a three-minute interview.

And you all thought I was busy!

Off to college

Tomorrow G starts college! Not exactly college...but ESL classes being taught at the local community college.

Two weeks ago I took her for a placement test. Last week we registered for her classes. The classes will cover reading, writing, speaking and listening to English. We believe it will be good for G to have some independence, some time away from us, and an opportunity to be with others who are trying to learn English. Granted, she won't be able to communicate with any/many of her fellow students except in English, since most of them are from Asia, Eastern Europe, or Central America.

As part of gaining some independence, and as a way to learn the public transportation system, we are going to have G ride the city bus to school and home. We've talked about it before, and she said she would rather walk than take the bus. (It is over 10 miles from home to the college.) I reminded her of that today, and again she balked, stating that we have two vans; there is no way she is going to be riding the bus. I am not sure what her motivations are, but perhaps she doesn't understand that her dad and I cannot give her a ride every day, as her classes are right in the middle of our homeschool day.

Would you please pray for G? I am sure she must be intimidated, and perhaps she is scared about, riding the bus. I know that if I were to take the bus or taxi in Ethiopia I would be very intimidated. The system is quite different than it is here in the USA. For one, the buses and taxis are totally jam-packed with people. Second, there are no bus stop signs installed along the roads (not to mention that most roads aren't even named). There are designated places along those roads to catch the taxis or buses that are going to various destinations. I wouldn't know where to begin!

That is why we have decided to give the kids a day off of school. We are taking a field trip and going to ride public transportation. We'll take G from home all the way to school, then we'll go pick her up (or at least V and I will on the ride home).

So pray that G will be at ease, that she will ride the bus with the rest of us and begin to get the feel of it. Pray that her nerves will be settled as she acclimates to another chapter of her life in America, with two major events occuring in one day (bus and school). Pray that she will make friends with some of her classmates. Pray that the ESL classes and the new skill of bus-riding will be beneficial, not detrimental, to our relationship. I think that is what counts the most right now!

Our family has had a couple rounds of something that included vomiting (last week). It only lasted two days per person. Right after that, we came down with colds. Only four have not caught that so far. I had my teeth pulled with it, and I took Baby V to the doctor yesterday to make sure she was okay. (There was no need to worry! Her lungs were clear, her ears looked normal, and her temperature was normal.)

Today we took precautions anyway. Three of us got a flu shot, and four of the kids got flu mist (a nasal spray). Two kids had already had their flu vaccinations.

One child, whom I will leave unnamed, received a tetanus shot today. He was casting for fish when the hook got caught in his ear last Saturday. He was just fine, and in fact, pushed the hook all the way through his ear and left the line hanging there for a couple of hours. I am thankful that this accident-prone young man only gets injuries that he inflicts upon himself. There is no one else to blame!

I personally am hoping to get an H1N1 shot when those become available in ~mid-October. I gave the kids a heads-up that we may be getting shots in a month, but this time all of us would get a shot, not the mist. I don't think they quite understand. In fact, E said that ten days of being sick wouldn't bother him too much. Hah! He'd rather be playing with his friends than going to get a shot. What he doesn't realize is that going to get the shot only takes a few hours, versus being sick for a few days....

May God bless you all, and your families, with good health this fall and winter.

Bumpersticker I saw yesterday

HUMANKIND
Be Both