BUSY, BUSY TIMES here at the Alexanders...most days it feels like there is too much to do and not enough time to do it...thus, the delay in the postings! But here is a full family update:
**MIKAELA**
~She only has $200 left to meet her $8200 goal!! We are confident that this will be met by Friday...last minute donations are still coming in and Mikaela is for sure going! This has been an amazing adventure (more like a whirlwind) and a huge faith builder for not only Mikaela, but the whole family. Thank you to everyone who contributed financially, supported her in prayer and gave her just what she needed in encouraging words and notes!
~She will board the train this Sunday afternoon and travel down to San Diego with 5 other students from Portland. They will connect with the other 7 students and the 7 staff members on Sept 1st and then the real adventure begins!!
~Mikaela will create a blog soon (Ventana Ministries requirement) and I will post all the information here so you can follow her every move!
~All the students were sent a duffel bag and a packing list...whatever fits is what they get to bring. Earlier this week, Mikaela was so excited to find out that she did NOT have to pack her sleeping bag and pillow in the duffel bag!! "More room for clothes", was her quick and cheerful response!
**SPENCER**
~He is packing up and moving into his dorm apartment this Saturday and will start school on Monday, Sept 1st....a true Labor Day for him!
~He had a great time at Mt Hermon this summer, but was very ready to come home. He worked hard, learned a lot, met some great friends that he will keep in touch with, was asked to come back next year (I guess they liked him and his work) and is looking forward to his sophomore year at George Fox!
~Spencer continues to grow more handsome in appearance and kinder in spirit everyday. It has been a delight having him home and he will be missed as he heads off to school....but Isaac sure is excited to move into Spencer's room and claim it as his own!
**ISAAC**
~He has stayed very busy with football conditioning this summer and officially started team practice last week. He is very excited for the football season, misses his dad as his coach, but is carrying on and living out the legacy of 'BAND OF BROTHERS, WILL OF IRON and HEART OF FIRE' ! He has a jamboree this Friday to kick off the season and we will all go to watch him play!
~Isaac is all set to start his freshman year at Corvallis High School on Wed, Sept 3rd. This is his first school experience and is equally excited and nervous. He got the classes he wanted, has great teachers and is ready to learn and work hard.....I think the classroom is where he will get his hardest workout!
**PEARCE**
~He just finished the last of his antibiotic and is feeling stronger every day. He missed the first week of football but was able to go and observe this week's practice. He is so ready to go full force into everything, but he needs to pace himself and regain his strength slowly....a very challenging thing for Pearce to do!
~He is going into 7th grade and will be schooled here at home. Things will be very different this year with just Pearce at home during the day, but we are looking forward to a great year academically and spending quality time together....I'm sure that will involve lots of physical education and time at the gym!!
**MBA**
~Keeping it brief, this has been a crazy, busy difficult month for me in many ways...mostly just keeping up with the children's activities and meeting all their necessary needs and deadlines all at the same time....all by myself....very challenging physically, emotionally and mentally.
~I am looking forward to Sept, finding a routine that works for our new family situation and slowing down a bit....hopefully, that is possible.
~I want to get back to teaching at the club, but for many reasons, the time just hasn't been right. Hopefully, as we settle into a functional fall schedule, everything will be "just right" for teaching...and other things!
Please pray for our family, but especially for me, as we are entering into major family changes in the next few days and the weeks ahead. "Major changes" has been our family story the last year or so, and it appears to be the continuing theme for us. We are up for anything and ready for whatever lies ahead.....not only because we have a God who is FAITHFUL, CONSTANT AND NEVER CHANGES....but because we have such an amazing network of family and friends surrounding us. THANK YOU!
Love,
MBA
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
AUGUST 17TH
Today is Bruce's birthday. He would be 51 years young today! We are celebrating everything that Bruce loved...
~Had apple pie for breakfast
~Enjoyed a home matinee: Nacho Libre
~Snacking on bbq chips and dip while watching the Olympics
~Having a dinner of barbecued bratwursts and burgers, fruit salad and corn on the cob
~Will get a game of Risk and/or Scrabble in as we digest dinner
~Top the day off with rootbeer floats, fig newtons and strawberry ice cream
~Tomorrow we will go to the gym and burn off all the extra calories...and have fun while doing it!
This is yet another "first" that we are walking through....emotions are all over the place but we are focusing on love and the good memories and creating new ones!
**Other Alexander News**
~Mikaela is close to her support goal. Life has been too busy to post her progress, but she will update a bit later.
~Pearce has pneumonia. He was not feeling well and having a variety of different symptoms, was put through a number of tests this week, including a difficult CT yesterday to determine the suspicious shadings in his left lung ......let's just say we are thrilled for this "just pneumonia" diagnosis!
~Spencer comes home on Thursday..YEAH! We will all be together for a about 10 days before Mikaela leaves on Aug 31st and Spencer on Sept 1st.
More later....dinner is ready!
Love,
MBA
~Had apple pie for breakfast
~Enjoyed a home matinee: Nacho Libre
~Snacking on bbq chips and dip while watching the Olympics
~Having a dinner of barbecued bratwursts and burgers, fruit salad and corn on the cob
~Will get a game of Risk and/or Scrabble in as we digest dinner
~Top the day off with rootbeer floats, fig newtons and strawberry ice cream
~Tomorrow we will go to the gym and burn off all the extra calories...and have fun while doing it!
This is yet another "first" that we are walking through....emotions are all over the place but we are focusing on love and the good memories and creating new ones!
**Other Alexander News**
~Mikaela is close to her support goal. Life has been too busy to post her progress, but she will update a bit later.
~Pearce has pneumonia. He was not feeling well and having a variety of different symptoms, was put through a number of tests this week, including a difficult CT yesterday to determine the suspicious shadings in his left lung ......let's just say we are thrilled for this "just pneumonia" diagnosis!
~Spencer comes home on Thursday..YEAH! We will all be together for a about 10 days before Mikaela leaves on Aug 31st and Spencer on Sept 1st.
More later....dinner is ready!
Love,
MBA
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
A MIKAELA UPDATE
ONLY THREE MORE DAYS ...........
.......WILL SHE MAKE IT?
OK, so here it is:
**We had a garage sale on Fri and Sat and raised a whopping $1100! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who made donations, helped us prepare, set up, take down, brought me coffee and prayed us through this overwhelming task! Mikaela was thrilled with the outcome and I am thrilled to once again have a clean garage!!
**Mikaela has been working very hard to raise her own money to help with the cost. She is currently nannying for a week up in Washington for some very dear friends. It has been a great opportunity for her to be a blessing to others as she is being blessed...this is exactly what Ventana Ministries is all about...this is exactly what Mikaela is all about!!
**As of this morning, Mikaela has received $2550 in donations from friends and family. Add in the $1100 from the garage sale and the $1500 from Mikaela and that brings her total to $5150....leaving only $3050 to raise by Friday, August 15th. SHE IS ALMOST THERE! THIS IS SO EXCITING!!
**IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP MIKAELA MEET HER GOAL OF $8200, please contact me at mb.alexander@comcast.net and I will email you Mikaela's letter and the tax deductible donation form. (it would be too much to post on the blog and I don't have the technical know how to create a link....)
Well, that's it for now. I will keep everyone updated so we can all share in the excitement of how things are progressing....kinda like watching the Olympics....WE ARE GOING FOR THE GOLD...HELPING MIKAELA'S DREAM COME TRUE!
Love,
MBA for the "A TEAM"!
NOT BY MIGHT, NOT BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT SAYS THE LORD!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
SOON, VERY SOON....
Okay, I was just looking at the last post and couldn't believe it was way back on July 17th. Time is going by waaaaay fast....and we have waaaaaay lots going on! I know I promised that Mikaela would post something "soon....very soon"....OOPPSS! Mikaela thought I shared specific details on the blog of what was happening with her and I guess I forgot to tell her that was her job....OOPPSS!
So, quickly, for those of you who have wondered and waited patiently, here is the condensed version. Mikaela, of course, will share more details and specifics in an email and letter that she will personally be sending out soon...very soon! (Yes, it will happen soon!)
While at Mount Hermon, we met Doug and Carrie Vomsteeg, the founders of Ventana Ministries, a 9 month program for high school graduates who want to find the heart of service and solidify their faith, vision and purpose before they go to college. This includes 3 months of intense life skill training, Spanish classes, Bible classes, and various mission work in CA, OR and WA and then 6 months of the same in Baja, Mexico. Mikaela was immediately intrigued by what she heard and saw and she could not stop thinking and hoping this could be a possibility for her. (For those of you who know Mikaela, she has always had a heart for missions and serving others.) So, we immediately started praying. When we got home, we investigated further, prayed, got input and feedback from others, prayed some more, asked lots of questions, prayed even more, sent in her application on July 25th and prayed, prayed, prayed! Well........
MIKAELA WAS ACCEPTED ON JULY 29TH AND WILL BE JOINING THE VENTANA TEAM OF 12 OTHER STUDENTS AND 7 STAFF ON AUGUST 31ST!!
Because of Mikaela's late enrollment (official enrollment deadline was June), everything is now in hyper fast forward speed mode....lots to do in very little time. There is much excitement and anticipation of how this is all going to come together....okay, and much panic!!! Mikaela is planning, preparing and working very hard to make money and raise all her support by August 15th. This is a big task that lies ahead for her but she has a big God and she knows that all things are possible with Him!
Again, this is a quick update with more details to follow. If you would like to know more about Ventana, you can visit their website at http://www.ventanaministries.com/ and view their promo video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=305VzcIJJlk.
Please contact us if you want more information on how you can support Mikaela and to make sure you are on her mailing list!
Thank you for your prayers.....we greatly appreciate them and need them greatly!
Good Night and God Bless,
MBA and Mikaela
So, quickly, for those of you who have wondered and waited patiently, here is the condensed version. Mikaela, of course, will share more details and specifics in an email and letter that she will personally be sending out soon...very soon! (Yes, it will happen soon!)
While at Mount Hermon, we met Doug and Carrie Vomsteeg, the founders of Ventana Ministries, a 9 month program for high school graduates who want to find the heart of service and solidify their faith, vision and purpose before they go to college. This includes 3 months of intense life skill training, Spanish classes, Bible classes, and various mission work in CA, OR and WA and then 6 months of the same in Baja, Mexico. Mikaela was immediately intrigued by what she heard and saw and she could not stop thinking and hoping this could be a possibility for her. (For those of you who know Mikaela, she has always had a heart for missions and serving others.) So, we immediately started praying. When we got home, we investigated further, prayed, got input and feedback from others, prayed some more, asked lots of questions, prayed even more, sent in her application on July 25th and prayed, prayed, prayed! Well........
MIKAELA WAS ACCEPTED ON JULY 29TH AND WILL BE JOINING THE VENTANA TEAM OF 12 OTHER STUDENTS AND 7 STAFF ON AUGUST 31ST!!
Because of Mikaela's late enrollment (official enrollment deadline was June), everything is now in hyper fast forward speed mode....lots to do in very little time. There is much excitement and anticipation of how this is all going to come together....okay, and much panic!!! Mikaela is planning, preparing and working very hard to make money and raise all her support by August 15th. This is a big task that lies ahead for her but she has a big God and she knows that all things are possible with Him!
Again, this is a quick update with more details to follow. If you would like to know more about Ventana, you can visit their website at http://www.ventanaministries.com/ and view their promo video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=305VzcIJJlk.
Please contact us if you want more information on how you can support Mikaela and to make sure you are on her mailing list!
Thank you for your prayers.....we greatly appreciate them and need them greatly!
Good Night and God Bless,
MBA and Mikaela
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