A MGCC Party

Getting together with the Mennonite Girls has become one of my favorite Christmas parties.

This year Kathy invited us all, with our husbands, to their new home.

Judging by the pictures we take, it may look like it's all about the food.

It isn't. But it sure was good!

Kathy's table was exquisite! 

I don't  use that word much. 

She told us what was old and what was new.

She had taken time to borrow and polish silverware 

and also made the beautiful napkin rings.

We all brought something,

but the main meal was prepared by Scot and Kathy

and was so delicious!

You can see the beautiful table here.

After dinner we ladies had a small gift exchange game.

We each brought a tea towel and went home with one.

A number of these are Ellen's photos and that is why she is missing in them.

Dessert was yummy ... but sad to say I was too full.

By then it really was more about hanging around the table 

and enjoying a friendship we never
would have guessed possible when we started blogging. 

Tis the Season

The doorbell rang as I was making dinner.

When I opened the door the delivery person was back in his truck

and the first brown boxed parcel was laying on the mat.

I felt a mix of wonder and excitement . . .

even if I did order it . . . whose gift arrived?

The lights on the timer go on outside . . .

While inside I'm enjoying the greenery.

I love wreaths hung on picture frames, knobs and doors.

The nativity scene on the mantle is another favorite  . . .

as are all of my sheep

and angels.

This year, in Indiana, we purchased this battery operated canvas picture.

The candles light up and flicker. 

While this centerpiece, with some sprucing up,  has been part of most of our married life.

This year, I set it inside a black metal tray that I brought  up from the basement 

and left it as it was.

Candles, berries, pine cones 

And birds perched on the window sill garland . . .

are just some of the simple joys of the season!

Paper Bag Stars

I saw the idea for these paper bag stars at an Amish Farm tour shop

and it was fun to see how my American Thanksgiving Day visitors got into them!

I bought a few packages of lunch bags and we were set.

For each star we used about eight or nine bags -

gluing the shape of a T on each bag -

the top of the T on the closed end -
stacking them and letting them dry for a bit.
Well, that was the goal. It seemed to work not to let them dry.

The open end got marked off to make a tip.
Stars will vary in size and shape, depending on angles and  how much is cut off.

 and cut - using sharp kitchen scissors.
Some supervision was needed for the younger ones.

 It was fun to see how they fanned out!

Koen imagined himself being a helicopter. (Of course!)

We clipped them with paper clips 

so that way they could be closed and stored.

Natalie found out that the cut off parts made fun chains

or crowns.

Just another easy and fun way to 

hang out in Mimi's kitchen!

After School Peppernut Baking Party

I went to sleep last night with an old song by Steve and Annie Chapman
(changing the words to fit my sentiments . . . )
I count it as a privilege, I count it cause for praise.
To pick these girls up from school
and be greeted by their smiles!
For I know too soon  the time flies by
and older they will be.
Making memories is for today
to be part of us for life.

 When a Grammy gets reminded and asked . . .
you know it's important and it's time.

Peppernuts . . . Pfeffernuese . . . Paepanaet . . .

whatever you call them . . .

I did not grow up with these tiny German Mennonite spice cookies -
maybe because we lived far from extended family -
but they are becoming an adopted tradition now.
It's never too late.

The name reflects the size and the fact that you tend
to eat them by the handful, like nuts . . .

strangely addictive.

Depending on the amount of time they are baked,
they can be a little chewy or crunchy
and they keep for weeks at room temperature.

When I've made them before, I rolled snakes, about the thickness of my ring finger,

but we found it a lot easier to simply cut thick strips and slice them,

skipping the rolling. 

So, as in any good party, there was a goody bag for each girl to take home

and I have a feeling they were guarded like candy.

I wanted to try something new with the same dough, since it keeps so well.

Before baking them I punched a little hole in them, using a plain piping tip.

(the hole tends to close while baking, but is easily repunched with a toothpick while still warm)

These were done up in a hurry, but  they could make 

fun gift tags or rustic tree ornaments.

Natalie, Lacey and Teddy . . .

Thank you for such a great time around the baking peninsula . . .

where the seating order is important and special

where flour is liberally sprinkled, getting on sleeves and laps,

where cookie dough gets sampled again and again

and where stories and giggles abound.

I count it as a privilege. 

Still Pretty

A lot of leaves fell while we were away.
 However, as I walked the rainy trail this week, 

I could not help but pull out my phone. 

I know . . . every fall I take the same pictures!
It's a season that calls for us to notice.

I passed the ducks on the overflowing pond . . .
(looks like they just wanted to go back to bed)

and then caught sight again of my favorite part of the walk.
Could streets of gold be more beautiful than this?

And then there's home sweet home!

The patio furniture is stored away.

The swings taken down.

Soon it's time for twinkle lights.

This simple rotation of the seasons brings with it a certain calm and assurance that all is well.
Rains may fall, storms may threaten, but He's there.
The Captain of what we see . . . and also of what we do not see.
He will take us safe to shore.

Emma Grace's Song

My daughter shared this modern day miracle story in a letter and I've asked her permission to condense and share it. It's a small peek into what inspires MAF families to live in proximity of remote villages that can be reached by air.

In the town they live, our grandchildren attend a school along with nationals, expats and other missionary kids. One of their friends has spent years in an interior village among the Moi people, but the family is now living in town to be closer to school.

While this family was living in the village, a young Moi girl got married and conceived. For most of the pregnancy her husband was away.  When he returned, he was furious to find that his wife had given birth to a healthy baby. The Moi tribal people of Papua believe that when a woman gets pregnant, the baby will not grow unless the mother continues to be sexually active. How then could their baby have grown unless she had been unfaithful? The husband ordered his wife to kill their newborn. Broken-hearted, but resigned to tradition, she took her wee baby girl and wrapped jungle vines tightly around her neck and body, leaving her in a net bag outside their hut to die.

When the missionary heard what was happening he rescued the baby in the bag, and ran with her to get help. They worked quickly to free the newborn from the strangling vines and she survived! Going back to the parents’ hut, they tried to explain that babies are precious gifts from God, but they refused to receive her back.

So the missionaries bathed and cared for the infant, naming her Emma Grace. Eventually, God used the story in Exodus 1, which had recently been translated into the Moi language, to speak to Emma Grace’s father. (This is the passage which tells of the Hebrew midwives who were blessed because they spared the lives of the Israelite baby boys, even though Pharaoh had ordered the babies killed.) This father became a believer in Christ and accepted his daughter back into their family.

In the meantime, missionaries have opened schools in several villages for children who have no opportunity to receive an education. The video I'm sharing shows Emma Grace leading the group of children at the opening ceremony of a brand new school in her village. Hope School (Sekolah Harapan) is just finished, built with supplies and teachers flown in by MAF.




What first intrigued me about this story is that age-old tribal customs are slow to die off and we easily wonder, how can this be? But the second thing that I had to think about is that many in our modern, educated society also have no regard for the sanctity of life. Here it is expressed in other ways, but is it any different? With all that we know, what excuse do we have?

May this story inspire us to live out truth, no matter where we live.