Hope For the Hurting

Last week we went on a field trip to a place called Refuge Ranch. Refuge Ranch is just what its name implies. It is a ranch, and it is a refuge for the broken, a place where the broken-hearted and the hurting can find healing, a place where they can find the love of Jesus within the love of a family.

Billy and Bonnie Walker are the owners of Refuge Ranch. They raise cattle on their ranch. And they are the parents of 26 children, 23 of whom they have adopted. Their story is amazing!

Bonnie says the Lord gave her a vision when she was a young girl that she would one day be the mother of many. She didn't know that in fulfilling that promise to her, God would use her and her husband to rescue broken and hurting children from foster care. They have an amazing testimony and you can read their story here.

Just Some Things

Just some things I wanted to share... in no particular order

 

I found this gemstone mining kit and thought it would go along great with our geography unit right now. We are using Ann Voskamp's A Child's Geography Vol. 1, and we are loving it!

Will enjoyed digging for stones and he found 10. We haven't finished cleaning them up and determining what type of stone each one is just yet. In the picture below he is pointing out a stone he has found.

Basketball Season and a State Championship

We finished basketball season last month, and I have to admit... I am always glad when this sport's season comes to an end :). It's not that I don't like basketball, and of course I love watching my children play whatever sport they are currently into. It's just that basketball season is extremely time-consuming. Two and sometimes three games a week, and practice on every weekday that we don't have a game (except Wednesdays) makes for a mighty long and busy week. Add to that the fact that I was in charge of the concession stand this season, and you can easily see why I can now breathe a sigh of relief.

I came up with a catchy little slogan to sum up this year's basketball season...

Sweet Sixteen

We recently celebrated a birthday around here. I can't believe my Kate is 16.

her flowers that her daddy hand-delivered to her at school



 Why, it seems like just yesterday...

Savannah, GA

Kate's 10th grade American history class went on a field trip to Savannah recently. Since I was asked to be a chaperon, Will had to tag along too. We toured the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, learning the history of this major repair facility of the Central of Georgia Railway, and why it was built in the port city of Savannah.

I don't think the kids appreciated the efforts of our tour guide as much as I did. But then again, I am quite the history buff.  My boys are somewhat interested in learning history, as it applies to certain things they are interested in at the time. My daughter, however, is one of those people who stores historical information in her short term memory bank just long enough to pass the test and then promptly forgets what she has learned. Sometimes I feel sad that my children don't appreciate history as much as I do, but I realize that God gives us all different interests.

March Happenings

Wow! Here it is March and the last time I posted anything was in January! We have had a taste of spring here in the deep south, and it has left me wanting more! Of course we do experience early spring weather here.

My oldest son is home on Spring Break and I'm looking forward to having him here for a whole week (9 days really). He called me on the phone as he was leaving his apartment, headed home. Our conversation went a little something like this:

Ryan: "Mom, I'm leaving now. I should be home around 3:15 or 3:30."