Sweep Dreams

Okay, where and how does that boy sleep? I know that those are some of his most prized possessions...his kite, his Battleship game, his Bible, his backpack, his brooms...yes, he owns his own brooms as he and his brother have been doing yard jobs around town in their free time . What concerns me is that they are saving up to buy some more tools to further their business...and I am not sure how he'll fare sleeping with a rake, clippers, and a hoe.

Saturdays use to be our big cleaning day. My big children were especially helpful with the many chores we need to get done each weekend as we are so busy with school and other responsibilities during the week.

But my big children are not only big helps at home, they are also very useful in the work of the ministry here. Saturday has become for the older ones a day of bus routes, visitation, soul winning, church projects, etc... So we had a few things that were not getting done as I need to sit down and rework some of the chores.

So Saturday, I told the younger ones that they were my big helpers for the day. I started with just 2 of them...Eliseo and Nehemiah...as all the others were at the church. Samuel was here, but he doesn't do much yet being in his cast and all. :-)

I thought we'd start in the boys room as I knew their sheets and bedding needed to be washed and I am excited each time I get to use my new clothes line. And it was then I decided to make a new rule...no sleeping with brooms!

The boys were actually quite helpful in helping me strip the beds! We had fun! And while Nehemiah looks like he's crying, that's just his "camera" face...whenever I take a picture, he tries to imitate me :)



The middle boys got home a couple hours later and I had Isaiah pull down all my plants and give them a bath.

They look so nice and green now!

Our home church made us this quilt a few years back. Each time I see it, I remember their love, support and prayers as I know they put in so much time and love in making it for us. It has all of our names on it...I think Josiah was the baby at the time, so with 5 more children born since then, it would really be big!!!

And since this is just such a random post just (I'm waiting for Daniel to get home from teaching :) ), I thought I'd share these pictures. Our oldest 8 had to get passports last month as their old ones had expired. They wouldn't let them smile for the pictures and I just think they look so funny! I don't think I've ever seen them all this serious!

So, back to cleaning...I had made a big lunch for when Daniel, some of the youth from church and our older children got home, so I put Eliseo on dishes :) Beka had gotten home by then, so she helped. By the time they were done, they'd had a bath themselves!

I had the boys start organizing their desks while I cleaned the dining room and returned the now washed plants to their proper spots.

And by the early evening, we had clean beds with no brooms! The older boys came home for lunch and afterwards I had them do a bit of organizing/cleaning in their room :)

Well, that was Saturday. Sunday was wonderful! Every 6 weeks or so, I have a "store" for the children in my class. They earn coupons each class (attendance, bringing their Bibles, doing their homework sheet, saying their verse, answering questions, listening well and behaving, bringing a friend etc...) and they get to spend them at the "store". A couple of dear sisters have sent us some boxes in the mail with little treats, prizes, toys, games etc... and the children are so excited each time they come to class and see it's the week for the store to be set up.

Each time I teach them, no matter what Bible passage I'm sharing about, I always give them the gospel and let them know how they can accept Jesus as their Saviour. Many of them have told me that they have done just that and while I have several children who struggle a bit to sit still :), I have several others who listen so intently each week. It is so exciting to see them learning and growing!

And to end, a couple pictures from today...I was doing afternoon reading on the couch with Josiah. I told Abi and Beka that when I was through it would be time to help straighten up the house a bit before they played. Shortly after I said that, Abi and Isaiah came in with a robot who they said would take care of everything...cooking, cleaning, washing. The only problem was that he couldn't reach the stove or the sink.
And after supper, I was washing the dishes, looked out the window and thought once again how very happy I am! :)