10 years ago...

This week marks 10 years since my friend Angel went to heaven. I miss him still. And over the last 10 years, God has been so good to me! I have often been able to see the purpose of walking through that sorrow, and the many ways it has changed me, changed my course, changed my heart, helped me let go of this life. The love of God, through a good friend named Angel touched me a decade ago, and still reaches out to more people than I can imagine. Angel and his dad were both good men, the type you'd want to hang out with. They were honest and they loved God and talked very openly about the truth written in scripture. But the only really good one is God himself, who made Angel and Lucho something different than they would have been by nature. Praise Him!

Part of me really wants to see Angel, to hug him one more time, to say the words I never got to say, to respond to every letter he wrote. But ALL of me is glad that Jesus is preparing a place for me and every believer. This old earth isn't a suitable long-term dwelling place for any of us, anyway. "Yo estoy seguro que tu vas a regresar y por eso yo te voy a esperar" "I'm sure that you're going to return, and that's why I'm waiting for you". Jesus is coming, people get ready! When he returns he will be accompanied by the dead in Christ! Wow. I'm glad that soon, around the throne, day and night we'll all be worshipping the Lamb, and our focus will be him -- no more sorrow, no more pain! Thank you God for your awesome promises, for the undeserved gift of salvation, and for believers who are the light of the world for you!

"Fue lindo el corto tiempo que pasamos juntos y te agradesco por hacerme entender que no es lo que uno se piensa si no lo que dios dispone." "It was so nice the short time we were together and I thank you for making me understand that it's not what we think, but whatever God wills."

We are back at home after being gone for most of August! It is nice to settle into our little house, and our own routine. We began homeschool after Labor Day, and I am having so much fun with it! I know the girls are too! Here’s a picture of them on the first day of school: I get so much done on school days; I guess it’s because we have so much to pack in, I have to be organized! We are having a blast exploring the Bible, geography, math, reading, art, Spanish, cooking, and taking breaks to turn up the music, dance or do a little yoga stretch. We get our morning chores, breakfast, and ready for the day done before 10 a.m., at which time school begins. (We have been a few minutes tardy before, but it’s always because mom’s not ready; not Ella or Tessa!) We homeschool for about an hour before everyone needs a snack. We sit down to learn some more, then break for lunch and naptime.

Other than school and kids, we are also involved in church activities, and hope to begin participation in 4H next month. We also plan a field trip for local homeschoolers once per month until the end of the year. Weekends have been filled with canning peaches, more peaches, applesauce, and apple pie filling. We harvested the apples from our own back yard and put up over 5 gallons of canned goods to enjoy all winter. Here's how we used every square inch of surface area in our little kitchen:

Last week, we demolished the house next door which will be a vacant lot until we save money to build a garage there. On the first day of demolition, we had a bunch of homeschool friends over to watch the process, and then we did worksheets related. Here's one last picture of the house:

It is a busy, busy time in our lives, but with every prayer I am thankful that I couldn’t be happier—I love my family, and I love spending time with them!! MORE photos to be posted at http://www.happyinmontana.myphotoalbum.com/ !