Provider Farms

We will be posting at our Provider Farms blog the address is www.providerfarms.com.

An Overview of Lessons on Beauty (posted by Jessica)




    This fall my sisters and I were very blessed to be able to participate in a webinar by the Botkin sisters about beauty www.westernconservatory.com. I appreciated how they started with the beginning, guiding girls to find a biblical identity based on the focus and standards of their families. They also encouraged girls to identify the women they look up to and to see if these women are communicating a biblical perspective through their actions and looks. There was  more said about this subject of identity, as well as examples of beauty used in the Bible for good and evil, the history of beauty and the state of beauty in our culture and others. The Botkin sisters advised girls throughout the study to be asking their fathers and brothers about the opinions they have on the subject of beauty. Men sometimes see things very differently than women do and their opinions are not to be taken lightly.

Hygiene, exercise, healthy eating, hair and nail care were some of the topics that they covered. The Botkin girls did not tell girls what to do, because everyone is different and what works for one girl will not work for the next. What they did is give what we should be doing in general (eat salad, drink lots of water etc.), share some of the things that work for them and give some options and suggestions on what might work well for others. Some of these things, such as healthy eating and exercise, are not just about making us look or feel good but for the health of the children we may have. Exercise is often the first item on the list of  "least favorite things to do" and yet it is one of the training courses in preparing for the " Marathon of Motherhood". They shared many ways to go about this (aerobics, running, walking, sports, work etc.) as everyone will have different preferences.

Then they got down to the nitty-gritty of the actual appearance. There were many things that us girls had to relearn about how we dress.   One area was how to use our clothes to bring the eyes of people up to our faces. Many pieces of clothing through decorations or lines will emphasize areas that are not what we would want to be the focal point. With appearance, the Botkin girls talked about different styles for different figures, accessories, shopping with a plan, using dyes, alterations, improvising, mixing and matching, hair care and styling, using good stewardship in purchases, and many others.

They talked about colors, finding our season (summer, winter, spring, fall) and how one color may look good on one person but not necessarily on the next because of different skin and hair coloring. Using a color wheel to see what colors work well together was mentioned several times. Also, if we know our colors then shopping will be a lot easier because we know what colors for which to look.
In regards to the different styles of clothes, they mentioned that everyone has a different body type and therefore will need a different style and cut of clothing. In our family, some of us girls look better in a long full skirt and can wear more bulky sweaters or extravagant shirts. Others need a shorter skirt with some poof to it and a more fitted shirt, usually a solid color. Of course, there is no one size fits all, even in our family,  because everyone is a little different. Then there is the frosting and cake analogy. This one really made us girls laugh because it described us perfectly. The frosting is all of those really cute pieces in our closet that cannot be worn with anything. A really cute patterned skirt cannot be worn with a really cute patterned shirt. The cake is solid colors that can be worn with most anything, such as black, grey, brown and so on. Their point was that if we have more cake (basic solid colors) and less frosting (frills, lines, patterns) then the battle to find something to wear will be more easily won. Also, we need to remember that some clothes are going to look nicer on the hanger at the store than they will on our bodies.

On the subject of makeup, the emphasis was that the point of makeup should not be to show people that we are wearing it. Rather it should blend into our face and enhance the coloring or skin type that we have; people should notice blue eyes as the focal point, not blue eyelids. Staying with more natural colors will give a more natural appearance. Again, every family is going to have a different opinion or position on the subject of cosmetics. Like many things, makeup is a tool that has been abused in many cultures, and used for making the face look unnatural or seductive. But it can also be used rightly and in a God honoring manner. The Botkin sisters covered the history of makeup, the different arguments of  "to wear and to not wear makeup", suggestions on choosing the colors that will suit the different complexions, and options for buying or making cosmetics.

I hope that I have properly encouraged and excited you into looking for yourself into the study of beauty. Even if you know much about personal appearance this study will stretch you to think about why we make the decisions we are making. I have only scratched the surface in this overview. There was much more covered, many important things said.  There are multiple things that I have changed, not only in my wardrobe but in my thinking.  This study was not just about how to make girls look more presentable, find their identity or learn the history on a relevant topic; the Botkin girls began and finished with the emphasis on the heart. The heart will show through by the expression on our face, the content of our words and the works of our actions and though we may get our colors right, though our makeup be perfectly applied and our hair done to perfection, if our heart is in the wrong place it will show through;  nothing can cover it up. But if our heart is right, if all that we do is to glorify God then it will show through our countenance, words and actions and that is where true beauty starts, with a gentle and quiet spirit.

 1 Peter 3:3-4 ~ Do not let your adornment be merely outward- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

                                           

~

With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God?

Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?

Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

Ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God

~

Micah 6:6-8

In Loving Memory of Jeremiah John (by Cathy)

God gave you to us, my sweet little boy.  We are so thankful to have had you with us, even if it was for so short a time.

It was in August that I suspected I might be carrying you in my womb.  Your dad and I were humbly over-joyed to get a positive test result since it had been so long since I had been pregnant. It was comforting to know that God had looked upon us with favor and blessed us with you.  Every week that we had you, we counted it a blessing, being thankful for the time God gave you to us.

When you were 14 weeks old, we tried to find your heartbeat.  I suspect that your soul had departed at this point, since there was no heartbeat to be found.  After the ultrasound confirmed our worst fears, at 15 weeks, we knew that our time with you was over.  Seeing your perfectly formed body on the ultrasound was such a precious gift to your dad and me.  You were so cute, with your arms tucked in and your legs tucked up.  We cried hard for you that day.

Our prayer was that you would be born whole.  We wanted to witness God's handiwork.  God answered our prayers, over 3 weeks later.  It was a difficult wait, in which we sometimes questioned the direction we were to take, but kept resting in God's direction for us.  On November 11, 2012, your body was born, sleeping.  We studied every part of you.  You were perfectly formed.  We took pictures.  We worshiped your creator.  Psalm 139 "I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."

Your days were short, but they were all fashioned by God.  Although it hurts so much to let you go, we're so glad you came.

I love you, my sweet baby.

Mom

Two Years Too Long (An Update, by Rebecca)

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. 
The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:8~9

We would like to give thanks to God for His guidance and grace to our family through these past two years of much learning and growing.

In February of 2011 our family moved to Idaho. The Lord provided a 20 acre piece of land in  the country with a house and a few out buildings on it. It has a good well and a pretty view and a lot of privacy.

The house is 1,084 sq feet with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and had a tiny kitchen, living room, and entry/laundry room.  It took a lot of creativity to figure out how to put a family of 10 in this house.

This was the 2 man kitchen we remodeled.

 The bedroom floors had a few waves. The little boys thought it was pretty fun driving their cars over the "hills".

We spent the next 6 months in our camper while fixing up the house. We had to learn a lot about plumbing, electrical work, drywall, love, and were delighted to learn how many mistakes could be fixed with caulk and trim boards.

A layout of our yard before we got the office on it.

The demolition and transportation crew.

After pictures of the kitchen.

The living room before and after (or I guess it turned out after and before:))

 

We moved Dad's log office to Idaho with us. 

Last year, Grandma moved to Florida and mom wanted to visit her so in October Jessica, Mom, and Daniel flew to FL for a week. 

Daniel thought the planes were "so loud".

The three buckaroos- we were having our own fun at home!

  By April 2012 things were greening up and soon we had 20 acres of weeds to deal with. Cows don't like poky weeds so we got goats. We knew almost nothing about goats and hence we have been learning about (and from) them ever since. Right now we have around 30 goats. We have pens 16 ft x 16 ft made out of ranch panels with a hutch and water bucket inside. We put 2-4 goats in each pen and move each pen daily to fresh feed. We have a rotating schedule so that everyone gets to do one week of  either milking, moving pens, watering, or making breakfast and supper. 

Our Idaho Quarter Horse?

Daniel and the twins bottle fed 3 baby goats this summer.

Grace was cleaning off the milking stand and got stuck!

Katrina milking a goat. We now milk in a trailer out in the pasture.

 Our family also sold at the Farmers Market this year, something we've never done before. The Market started in May and we just finished up here in October. A family from church gave us a canopy and, although it takes effort to put up, it was a wonderful blessing to us. We sold whole wheat bread, rolls, buns, milk, yogurt, cheese, different kinds of quick breads, soap, kitchen towels, and small farm animals. It was a good way to get involved in the community and it helped us with our math,communication, and serving our customers.

Grandma came to visit us for 2 weeks in June and we had a great time together.

We went out to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. 

Daniel got potty trained this summer. He drank a lot of juice and water and had some man to man conversations with his daddy.

Hope y'all had a blessed 2 years!  We hope to be more regular in our blogging.

Thanking God for His abundant grace,

The Vander Vorst Family

Posted by: Rebecca

   

But He Gives More Grace (by Jessica)

We have been learning about temptation, sin, and confession. These were rudimentary issues to the first family (Adam and Eve's family) and they continue to be fundamental to family life today. Temptation comes first. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines temptation as: enticement by argument, by flattery, or by the offer of some real or apparent good.
Whenever we are faced with temptation we usually know what to do and what not to do. Take the example of Eve when Satan tempted her.

Genesis 3:2-3 ~ And the woman said to the serpent," We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said,` You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "

If we know the right thing to do then why do we sin?
James 1:14~ "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed".
We often find that our flesh is continually warring with our spirit/mind. While self control and restraint of our fleshly desires is helpful and necessary, and it is wise not to put oneself in the way of temptation, it is easy to fall into the trap of focusing entirely on "denying the flesh", that is, eliminating sin in our bodies by self-effort through the keeping of a list of do's and dont's. If it is the body that wants to sin and not the mind are we excused from accountability?
James 4:17~"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."
We must always remember that the devil is seeking to destroy us. Many times he does that through temptation.
1 Peter 5:8~ "Be sober (self-controlled), be vigilant (watchful), for your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour".
We must never let our guard down. When we think we are safe that is when we are in the most danger. A soldier must always be on guard. If he would stop watching it could cost him his life. We are soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must always be on guard because the devil doesn't give us a warning; he wants our life.

Is there any way to overcome the temptations of the devil?
James 4:7~ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
1 John 2:14... I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
To be able to overcome the devil we must continually be reading and studying God's Word. His word is sharper than a two edged sword, discerning the intents and thoughts of the heart and is profitable for teaching, reproof and training in righteousness.

Is sinning against another person the same as sinning against God?

Take the example of David. We would say that David sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba. But didn't God say "You shall not commit adultery"?( Exodus 20:14). A more practical example might be me taking my brother's candy. In doing that I would not only sin against him, I would sin against God, the One who said, "thou shall not steal", Exodus 20:15. But what if I only thought about taking his candy. Would that also be a sin? Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor's". We can never escape sin and we can never escape God, the One who we sin against.
Psalm 51:4~ Against You , You only have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight...

What about when we fall to temptation?
Psalm 32:1&5~ Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, " I will confess my transgressions to the Lord", and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

When we sin we must confess to God our sin, ask for forgiveness and He will graciously forgive us. It is truly a privilege to serve a God who is... gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:8-9
This doesn't mean that there are not consequences. Take the example of David. He repented of his sin toward Bathsheba and Uriah and God forgave him. The immediate consequence was that his child died. Whenever we sin there are consequences. When faced with the consequences from our actions we can be thankful that; 1. We were caught. 2. Those whom the Lord loves He corrects. 3. We probably won't do it again and we hopefully know why we won't repeat that sin.

God desires repentance.
Psalm 51:16-17~ For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken and a contrite heart- these, O God, You will not despise.
If we go through the actions of repentance but our heart isn't in it, repentance is useless. Yes, there must be outward actions of repentance, but it must be done with a heart that is broken and contrite and more desirable to God than burnt offerings. Only then are our outward actions pleasing to God.

Whenever we are tempted we have the privilege of being able to ...come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need(Hebrews 4:16). We are weak, He is strong. It is truly only in Christ that there is strength and hope in the face of temptation. We hate sin in proportion to how much we love God and find our delight in Him.
He gives us the strength to resist temptation when it comes, He gives us mercy and grace when we fall and He has saved us from eternal destruction and from eternal separation for God.

Oh that we would not take that lightly, that we would not serve our own lusts and desires, but strive to bring glory to His name with everything that we do.

Isaiah 53: 3-6~..."He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all".

Are we truly grateful for what He has done for us and are we striving to bring honor and glory to His name by our thoughts and actions?

Harvest at the Vander Vorsts

This afternoon the combiners pulled in.

Daniel(9months) decided that he wanted to get in on it as well. He loves riding on the 4-wheeler and being with the "big" boys.

We trust everyone is having a good summer. We hope to get back to blogging soon.

Pictures of Spring at the Vander Vorsts

We have been enjoying the nice spring weather and the baby animals that come with it. It is fun to see the "first" signs of spring.

This week we had an unexpected baby show up. We all think she is pretty cute and are trying to come up with a name for her.


Daniel was in awe of the whatever his older siblings were doing.



We have 11 bottle calves (so far) and even Amos and Micah help to feed them. The hardest part about feeding the calves is keeping track of who is fed and who isn't. We seem to have gotten a system down now.

Joe inqubated 40 eggs and last week 34 of them hatched. It was very interesting watching them come out of their shells. Joe will be getting 25 more chicks next week.

Katrina is the primary caretaker of the kittens. She has each of them named and plays with them almost every day.
Amos and Micah really enoyed being able to get quite a few tractor rides when the men came to plant.

Monday Evenings with Victoria Botkin

Victoria Botkin is the wife of Geoffry Botkin and the mother of seven children. Her husband has been doing an online mentoring series for men, which ends this week. Mrs. Botkin is now going to do one for the ladies. She will be talking to mothers of young children, but we think that other woman who listen to Mrs. Botkin will benefit greatly because we have received much encouragement and help from their family. The titles of the sessions are:

All about Eve

All about Sarah

The Proverbs 31 wife

About love

How to help your husband love you

How to become a wise woman

The sessions will last from 8-9pm central time Monday evenings.

The sessions will start March 1 and go till April 26. To sign up for the sessions click the title.

The Blessing of Family Eccentricities (by Rebecca)

The Blessing of Family Eccentricities

Chapter four from the book The Little Boy Down the Road written by Mr. Doug Phillips inspired me to write this post.

The word eccentricity means irregularity, departing from the norm, special, something out of the ordinary (that only you can do). Large families tend to be eccentric (a lot of variety and different personalities). That is great. It means having a home that is filled with life. The larger the family, the more potential for special gifts and work. Welcoming variation in an environment of unity is key to family prosperity. We cannot prosper unless we can love one another.

The more children distance themselves from the unique look and feel of their family, the more they hinder their potential as multigenerational visionaries because they are exchanging the blessing of family eccentricities for the curse of peer conformity. Scripture says that were your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Time is the greatest treasure a child has. Therefore we must spend that time wisely. How we spend the majority of our day, such as on the internet or with friends, shows where our treasure is. If we spend time with family, that is were our heart will be. Eccentricities reflect both strengths and weaknesses, both add life and color to the church. From the strengths we learn character, and from the weakness we learn to have compassion on others.

Sounds of life

Sounds of a household are windows into the souls of the family. Many homes today are filled with the sounds of the polluting television and shouts of family despair. Homes can also be like a dead tomb because there are no children, which means there is no noise. The Christian household is supposed to be different. It is to be a place alive with love and joyful sounds, filled with people of all ages who are sinners, thankful to God for life, forgivness, and for each other. Sometimes a Christian household could be described as gloriously organized chaos, it is the noise of everyday life. We should love the sounds and eccentricities of our homes and families. It is a gift from God (1 Chronicles 16:28-29).

Where Moth and Rust Destroy (by Jessica)

We all have different interests and treasures. Amos and Micah love trucks (or tractors). I enjoy shopping. Joseph really likes 4-wheelers. But the more we let our interests and earthly treasures consume us, the easier it is for us to get distracted from things eternal, such as God and His word, loving our brothers and sisters, seeing others as more important than ourselves etc. We must remember what our real treasures are and that we are just passing through this earth. This earth is not our home and the only thing from this earth that will be in heaven is people. Our short time on earth should not be consumed with the things of this earth. People are much more important than things. So what is our real treasure?

Isaiah 33:6~Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.

Proverbs 3:13&15~ Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

Throughout the whole Bible, especially in the book of Proverbs, we see how godly wisdom and the fear of the Lord should be our highest treasure.

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. Phil. 3:8


Matthew 6:19-21~ Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Is Christ our greatest treasure? Do we see view our earthly treasures as undesireable(a loss) compared to knowing Christ, the greatest treasure? The things on this earth will not last forever, but God and His word will. His word is the only infallible rule of faith and practice and will never perish.


1Peter 1:24-25 "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever".


Do people know us by our earthly treasures and our earthly knowledge or do they know us by our heavenly knowledge and our relationship with a God who is; infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.

Posted by: Jessica

photocredit

Being Humble (by Katrina)

Are your relationships with your siblings based upon your own selfish interests? Being humble is the number one key to all relationships. When we have conflicts with our siblings they will only stop when we cloth ourselves with humility. A readiness to admitting we are wrong and asking for forgiveness is one way humility is expressed in our relationships. This is what I have been learning from "Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends".

What if we are right? We still need the attitude of Jesus, who although a king, humbled himself even to the point of death on the cross. Jesus expressed His authority by serving others, by considering the interests of others, not only His own interests (Philippians 2:1-10). When we think only of our own interests it causes arguments and strife. Our pride can hurt our relationships.

The problem is that we can't 'make' ourselves humble for very long. It is an attitude, a condition of our hearts, rather than a feeling. It is an attitude created by seeing ourselves correctly and understanding God correctly. We must always be gratefully humble, remembering what God has done for us in Christ Jesus. We should not take praise for ourselves when praise belongs to someone else, and if we do it by ourselves, we must remember that we are nothing apart from God.

Posted by Katrina

Pictures of This and That (by Jessica)

Daniel was having a Ruff Day. The outfit that he's wearing is size 6-12 months and he is only 2 1/2 months. He is a very chubby baby.

We got 8-10 inches of snow Saturday night.


WWe girls baking. We have been making cookies and selling them in town.

Dad and the boys eating breakfast at 5:30 a.m. before they left Monday morning. They went to Texas to look at vans.

Our view of the Wolf mountains.

We have been doing "fun stuff" while Dad and the boys are gone. Making cards, reading, playing games and spoiling Daniel.