Busy Week

This upcoming week is going to be very busy for us. We'd appreciate your prayers!

Dano & I will be attending a "Partnership Development" workshop M-F at JAARS. PD is where we learn more about writing newsletters, keeping you informed of our prayer requests & needs, learn how to better take care of you, learn new ideas about sharing with you in person, etc.

Our kids will be in childcare all week during the mornings at the JAARS center. I think they'll all have a great time! However, those of you who may remember me writing about VBS may recall Emma has a bit of a separation anxiety thing going on again these days. Please pray that Emma will separate joyfully & have a great time (for her sake, the teachers', and ours)! Please pray that they will stay well. They've all had a little battle with a summer cold this past week (after me posting about how healthy they are!)!!

During our lunch break, we'll bring them home & a sitter will be keeping them til we get home around 5 or 5:30 p.m. M-W. Between the mornings & afternoons, this will be the most our children have ever been babysat in one week, I think! Please pray for their safety.

The Thursday & Friday afternoon sessions are optional, so I think Dano & I will take turns staying home on those afternoons... or Dano may stay home both. His father (and possibly step-mother) are coming on Thursday afternoon to stay for a long weekend visit for JAARS Day this Saturday (are you coming?) and also for Olivia's 7th birthday! (Yikes, how did that happen?) Dano may stay home all day Friday to visit with his family.

SO, please keep us in your prayers this week. We will be leaving every day around 7:30 a.m. in order to arrive, drop off the kids, and get to our class! That is unusually early for all 6 of us to leave together! Wesley is most often still in bed around that time!

I hope you have a blessed week focused on the Lord!

Love,
Melinda =0)

PS The Lord has been waking me up at 5:30 in the mornings, but I have been ignoring Him. I'm trying to get some more sleep. Finally this morning I obeyed, I got up, had some hot tea, and enjoyed my Bible study in a nice, VERY quiet house. I'm still doing the Beth Moore Bible study on the Psalms of Ascent. This morning I was studying Psalm 130. I thought maybe you'd like to read it! It is just wonderful to remember that we are forgiven... (you know, if you've asked to be!) We are FULLY redeemed! Praise the Lord! Are you waiting for the Lord? Not just for the second coming... but to encounter Him EVERY day? Having that HOPE is such a wonderful gift! Thank you, Lord, for your Word! Thank you for your forgiveness & your hope!

Psalm 130
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Blueberry Picking

Well, this is literally the FRUIT of our labor... blueberries to be exact! YUM!! The top left green is Olivia's bucket, the lavendar one at the top is Emma's, the red is Dano's, Wesley's, & mine combined, and the lower green one is Derek's. Now don't be deceived. Derek worked just as hard as the others... he just ATE a lot more of his labor!! At one point his bucket was as full as Olivia's or Emma's! Yikes! Thankfully, he didn't have a tummy ache! (These are those big Easter buckets from Wal-Mart.)

We are BLESSED beyond measure with great friends here in South Carolina. Two of these dear friends invited us over to pick blueberries (well, first they gave us some, then I asked if they'd be open to having us come for the experience... and they graciously allowed us!) So, on Monday evening after supper, we headed on over (they live about 2 miles from us) to pick some blueberries! Mr. Kent & Mrs. Jean are some of the nicest folks we've ever met. They are hard workers, too. Right now they are constantly picking blueberries. They also harvest their own honey (which is some of the yummiest I've ever tasted!), and they do lots of other things to. Not to mention, they go overseas on mission trips quite often! I think they understand God's version of retirement!

We all had a great time. Mr. Kent gave us some picking tips (basically what color to pick), and we were off! I was impressed with the kids' stamina & focus. I thought they'd be done in about 15 minutes, but they were still going strong when it was time to go... maybe 45 minutes later??? I could be wrong about the time. Wesley, of course, didn't pick for too long. He was more interested in mashing the berries between his fingers or eating them. In one picture you can see that the cat got his attention. Emma enjoyed the cat, too. This is a "stray" cat that lives outside. Her name is Sarah! =0) Tonight when Emma saw the pix on the computer, she said, "There's my cat!" Sorry... no pets for us right now!

After a little while, Wesley & I went for a walk over to the pond. Meanwhile the others kept picking!

We've been enjoying the blueberries that our friends gave us. I even made a yummy (and very bad for you) blueberry cobber!! YUM!!! The rest of those we ate for snacks and on cereal. The ones we picked we are slowly (or quickly) eating away. Hopefully we'll have a few left on Saturday so we can make some blueberry pancakes!

Love,

Melinda =0)

Healthy Kids!

Over the last week, all the kids have been for their yearly well-child check up. Well, Wesley's was his 18 month check-up (the day before he turned 19 months)! I'm thankful to say they were all found to be healthy! We already knew that, but it is always great to have a doctor agree with you! =0)

Thankfully, we are able to take them to the JAARS clinic for these check-ups! We still have to pay, but it is MUCH cheaper than seeing a doctor "in town." Since our medical coverage is not insurance, we would have to pay 100% out of pocket! Ouch! The doctors at the JAARS clinic are Wycliffe members just like the other missionaries serving. What a sacrifice to serve missionaries! Thank you!

Here are the stats:
(You know how percentiles work right? Olivia is at the 81st percentile for height which means out of 100 girls, she is taller than 81 girls her age and 19 are taller than her. Also, if the percentile for height & weight are pretty close to each other, then they are the right weight for their height. Ideally, you want their height percentile to be a little higher than their weight percentile.)

Olivia 7 years old in a couple of weeks
57# (78th percentile)
4 feet 1 3/4 inches (81st percentile) (I didn't think she was tall, but maybe she is.)

Derek 5 years old (he's 20 months younger than Olivia... look how close they are!)
52# (92nd percentile)
3 feet 11 1/2 inches (above the 97th percentile aka off the charts) He's only 2 1/4 inches shorter than Olivia.

Emma 3 years old (24 months younger than Derek)
33.2# (64th percentile)
3 feet 4 inches (91st percentile) (See the gap between the percentiles in height & weight... that's why she looks so skinny!)

Wesley 19 months old (20 months younger than Emma)
27.6# 66th percentile (we thought this would be higher... he looks chubby... I guess most other American kids his age are just chubbier!)
35" (2 feet 11 inches) (95th percentile... another tall boy) (It seems like he'd look skinny with his gap. I guess since he's still a toddler it is different!)


Now they also do the BMI (Body Mass Index) of kids to see if they are the right weight for their height. The doctor said this tells more about how healthy they are. He said our kids (well Wesley is too young to have it done yet) are all in the healthy range. Emma is on the low end but still in the healthy range! Shew!

Olivia: BMI 16
Derek: BMI 16.6
Emma: BMI 14.5

Alright, now that you're asleep... I'll let you go!

Have a great night/day/week!

Love,
Melinda & gang =0)

Help Make a Difference

I didn't want to e-mail this to everyone, but I thought for those of you who read our blog might want to go visit this site (by Focus on the Family) and consider signing this petition if you hold family values as a priority. http://www.focuspetitions.com/145/petition.asp?CID=145&RID=17060661

Our Luna Moth Caterpillar

Okay, it isn't "our" caterpillar, but he was on "our" tree! =0) Kelly & I saw him when we got back last Sunday from Wal-Mart. Thankfully Dano hadn't put the kids down for nap yet, so they all got to come out & look at him, too! He was so cool! As you can see, he was at least 3 1/4 inches long. You know how caterpillars are... they squish up then stretch out. In the picture with the ruler, he is almost all stretched out, but he could have stretched a little more.

I don't remember ever seeing one of these caterpillars in person before. They are really beautiful. I'm not sure if you can tell in the picture, but they are kind of transparent green. Also, near his tummy he has bright orange dots. And his feet are such great little suckers... such strength! At the end of his body, there is a bright purple stripe. If you click on the first picture, it should enlarge the picture & you can see some of these things.

I keep hoping we'll get to see him as a moth, too, or at least one of his buddies! Then today I was thinking that is kind of how life is... we meet people in all stages of life... and people have met me in many different stages. Hopefully, like a caterpillar, we're all moving forward in our growth... egg, caterpillar, cocoon, moth, then reproducing continuing the cycle. Hopefully, we're not stuck in the egg stage or any other. Hopefully we're all reproducing spiritually as we lead others into a relationship with Christ and help mentor those & others along in their path.

Also, I want to remember when I meet new people that I do not know which stage they are in. I do not need to be quick to judge... that's not my job (thankfully). I hope people will remember that when meeting me... I may not be in the final stage yet... but hopefully I'm progressing!

Finally, I may meet people in the caterpillar stage & never see them again... like we may never see our caterpillar turn into a beautiful Luna moth. However, I need to embrace the person where they are, appreciate their present beauty, and just encourage them in their growth. To always be longing for something that is not present can lead to many disappointments. Changing people is God's job... not mine; know what I mean!?

Enjoy the little movie, too!

Love,

Melinda =0)

Pampered Chef Party

Do you want to buy some Pampered Chef??

I was going to have a “real” party, but I decided to have a catalog show instead! (or you might call it an “internet” show)

Some people think all the PC stuff is really expensive, but it isn’t! They’ve got stuff for a little over a $1!! I love it! This is why I have parties… so I can earn more free stuff! The stuff that does seem kind of pricey is soooooooooooooo worth it because of the quality & guarantees! Since I can’t afford those, I earn them with the party!! I’ve gotten TONS free or half-priced or discounted over the years!

So, if you’d like to get something, please visit the website: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/adam

Be sure and enter me (Melinda Whited) as your hostess so that I can earn some points. If you live nearby, it can just be shipped to my house, and I’ll get it to you. If you don’t, you can pay just a little more & have it shipped directly to you. If you & a friend live close by, put your orders together & split the shipping. =0)

I’m closing my party at the end of July… but don’t delay… go ahead and place your order now so you don’t forget!

If you want to have a party of your own, please let me know. You can get free stuff, and you can help out Adam & Lisa Johnson in their PC business. The only benefit I get is that I have the option of buying the hostess special for the month you book your party… “real” or “catalog.”

EVEN IF YOU “DON’T COOK,” there is stuff you can use! If you’d prefer to see a REAL catalog instead of looking on the internet, just let me know!

I’ll send out another reminder near the end of July!!

Please let me know if you have any Qs. I’ve used or own a lot of their products!! =0)

Blessings,
Melinda Whited =0)

PS This time I am trying to earn a free 10” skillet for making scrambled eggs in the morning! =0) Their pans are great and LIFETIME guaranteed! If it messes up, you send it back & they send you another one… brand new!! I’ve done this before. I was so impressed! So worth it!

What's Happening at the JAARS Hangar?

Well I tell you the JAARS hangar is a Happening and HOT place to be right now. “Happening” in that JAARS was able to acquire a new asset for Cameroon, Africa branch. The sale of this new asset was finalized quickly, and the barely 100HR old Robinson R44 Helicopter was delivered to Waxhaw via Arizona. Acquiring a helicopter this new and from a place as arid as Arizona turned out to be a blessing from God. Why is a helicopter needed for Cameroon? Because recently the helicopter that was being used was contracted to JAARS from Samaritan's Purse. Samaritan's Purse has given notice that they need their helicopter back. The translators and literacy workers scattered throughout the region depend on the support that only a helicopter can provide. It has been determined that the Robinson R44 is a suitable replacement. All that to say that a new replacement helicopter has just this week been partially disassembled and carefully crated for a long boat ride to Cameroon, Africa, Praise the Lord.

My duties in the hangar have recently shifted to line troubleshooting. The planes used here in Waxhaw for training and recurrency are run through the ringer, and I get to deal with pilot squawks. These are small and sometimes big problems with the aircraft. My supervisors have given me a lot of leeway and left it all up to me at times, but then this is the kind of experience an up and coming mechanic in this mission aviation arena needs, Praise the Lord. Thank you for your prayers, sorry I haven't had time to take a few pictures of the new helicopter, but Melinda found a picture from the JAARS website while it was still in Arizona. (Here’s a link to more info: http://www.jaars.org/projects/detail.shtml?ID=S41923 )

...and “HOT” because we’re working in the summer heat! Line maintenance usually takes place out on the line not in the shade.

Serving Him,
Dano