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.

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).

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.

How are you Educating and Why? (by Jessica)

I am often asked why I am educated at home. It has nothing to do with local school quality. The 'why' question is mostly asked because homeschooling is not mainstream and is therefore a little different. Most people are not really asking for our philosophy of education. We should ask "why", but not because it is or isn't mainstream, but because we are intentionally keeping before us our purpose for doing something.

One reason to ask that question is because our children are part of the next generation and how we train them will determine whether they will be the ones who will turn their generation back to God and the Bible. Are the people whom they look up to people who are, or were, used greatly in turning people back to God and the Bible, or are our children modeling their lives after people who have little or no concern for the kingdom of God? We must constantly ask why we are doing what we do, whether attending homeschool, public school, or private school.

Regardless of the educational method we chose, as followers of Christ, our first priority must be God's Word. If God's Word is inspired and without error, then it must be sufficient for ALL of faith and practice. What does God's Word say about education? First, it commands parents to train their children, not just when it is convenient, but diligently, in everything that we do(Duet.6:4-9). Therefore, God's Word should guide in every activity we undertake, rather than be subservient and conform to our activities. Training in God's Word should be second to none on our activity list because our first priority is to love God with all of our heart. What is the greatest passion of my heart? What place does God's Word have in my education? Do I naturally default to it to guide my decisions, to instruct my path, to give counsel to others? If God's Word is important then the method of education should honor it, teach it, promote it, be guided by it.

Second, we cannot seperate knowledge and the fear(respect, awe) of God (See Prov.1:7). Another way to say this is that education is never neutral, it either honors God as creator and the source of true wisdom, or it dishonors God and exalts man. Psalm 1 says,"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night..." If we sit under wicked counsel do we expect to be godly? In Luke 6:40 Jesus says, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." We will become like our teacher(s). Parents(especially fathers) have the responsibility to protect and provide, but as children we have the responsibility to honor our parents. We should not give our hearts and loyalties to those outside our homes, but to our parents. This can be difficult. It will require wisdom and a strong faith, but God uses it in a mighty way in our lives, our family, our churches, and in our community and world. can make a tremendous impact on the parents and other children in the home. Another verse is Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...". Again, education is not neutral to this command as it either renews our mind, causing us to present ourselves to God, or it causes our mind to not believe God and conform to the world. Is my heart being transformed into a picture of Christ or conformed to the fleeting values and standards of the world?

We should educate to train disciple-makers and prepare citizens for the kingdom of God. Phil. 3:20 says that our "citizenship is in heaven". This world is not our home and should not be our focus. Compared to eternity, our time on earth is not measurable. How then should we educate and why? We would be wise to consider this often. 2 Tim. 2:2-4 says, "...the things you have heard from me...commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier." While parents do have an important responsibility to protect their children, sheltering should not be the primary reason for homeschooling or private school. Paul is telling Timothy to make disciples of men with proven spiritual character able to teach others. Instead of sheltering, we need to be training soldiers. When a soldier is in training they are preparing for the day they will enter the battle, how to fight the enemy, and all about the enemy. If they didn't know about the enemy, how the enemy thinks and what the enemy knows how can they successfully fight against them. It is the same with children. They need to know how our world thinks and how our "world" has been trained in order to know how to fight against it. The battle will not be easy(Eph.6:12) but it is a battle we are equipped to fight(Eph.6:14-17). Are we educating with the purpose to raise up soldiers and establish citizens of heaven or is our reason based upon some other foundation?

Our decision should be guided by what is most effective in spreading the gospel

This is one of the primary reasons why our family has chosen to homeschool. We think it is the most effective way to fulfill the great commission given in Matt.28:18-20. There are many ways that families can minister through their churches and in their communities. Some of the ministry "tools" in the New Testament were: church planting, discipleship, ministry to widows and the fatherless, hospitality and many more. Homeschooling should and does give us time to do the things mentioned. Also, living our normal lives can have an impact' if love for God in our hearts expresses itself through loving our families and neighbors. We can have an impact on people by the testimony of our lives and not even know it. Our actions really do speak louder than our words. Many think that spreading the gospel would be most effective attending public school, but our family believes differently.

Posted by~ Jessica

A Christian Home

From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:15

O give us homes built firm upon the Savior,

where Christ is Head and Counselor and Guide;

Where every child is taught His love and favor

And gives his heart to Christ, the Crucified:

How sweet to know that, tho' his foot-steps waver,

His faithful Lord is walking by his side!

O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,

Who always place their hope and trust in Him;

Whose tender patience, turmoil never bothers,

Whose calm and courage, trouble cannot dim;

A home where each finds joy in serving others,

And love still shines, tho' days be dark and grim.

O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master,

The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung;

Where prayer comes first in peace or in disaster,

And praise is natural speech to every tongue;

Where mountains move before a faith that's vaster,

And Christ sufficient is for old and young.

O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever!

We trust to Thee their problems, toil and care;

Their bonds of love no enemy can sever,

If Thou art always Lord and Master there:

Be Thou the center of our least endeavor,

Be Thou our guest, our hearts and homes to share.

Written by: Barbara Hart(1916)

Pictures of the family

Katrina & Grace making doll dresses on their sewing machines.

The finished product

Daniel (isn't he cute)

Daniel-1 1/2 months

Everything below is from the month of November

Grace, Micah and "cat"

Joseph, Amos and Micah playing with play-dough

Jessica, Amos & Dolly

~Behold, children are a heritage from the lord~ Psalms 127:3

Christmas 2009 Newsletter (written by Jessica)

To all our family and friends: Greetings.

In January we started meeting together as a family once a week to pray for people in our church and community. In March we started inviting other families to join us. We meet for supper at six and prayer meeting at seven on Wednesday nights. Also, January was mom's birthday.

In February we packed up the camper and went to the warm, sunny, state of Georgia. We spent 3 days there at a family conference where we made many new friends and learned so much. On the way back we stopped at the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, Ohio , a very worthwhile stop. We also got started on sewing. Grace and Katrina have made several doll dresses (with Mom’s help) while Rebecca and I made skirts.

March- Rebecca and I helped out with meals more since mom had morning sickness. We have learned a lot about making meals and planning ahead. Dad started preaching once a month at church. We also took a trip to SD to attend the funeral of a close friend, Grandma Martha.

In April Joseph, Amos and Micah had their birthdays. The twins turned 3 and Joe turned 10.

May - Rebecca had the opportunity to take flute lessons once a week for most of the summer. Starting in May we fed bottle calves every day twice a day for 4 months.

In June our friend Elena came for a 3-week visit, which was very fun. Rebecca, Elena and I played music several times for church, rode horse and stayed up late talking. Elena became an expert at feeding bottle calves.

July was hot, but bearable, because we often went swimming in the neighbor’s pool. For the 4th we had some friends over and shot fireworks. Grandpa and Grandma came for a visit in July bringing with them a very nice 4-wheeler. The 4-wheeler is everyone’s, but Joseph is the one who takes care of it and uses it the most. His sisters are sticking to horses for the time being, although a 4-wheeler is much easier to catch.

In August we took a trip to Paradise Valley to visit our good friends, the Riglers. We had a great time. While we were there we took a short trip through Yellowstone. We didn’t see Old Faithful because of road construction but we stopped and saw the waterfall, which was very beautiful. The scenery was also very beautiful.

In September was Dad’s birthday, which wouldn’t be complete without a chocolate cake with banana filling and peanut butter frosting.

October was spent being sick. We all got colds and the flu. That month was also spent getting ready for Daniel’s birth. We baked lots of hotdishes, banana bread, muffins and buns and put all of it in the freezer. It was nice not having to worry about what we were going to have for supper and breakfast after Daniel was born.

November - Daniel was born on the 12th weighing 11 ½ pounds. He is very chubby and is very loved by his brothers and sisters. The Grandparents came around Thanksgiving time. Grandma Polly brought her famous Graham Cracker Pie and we made a big Thanksgiving meal. Rebecca and Grace's birthdays were also during November.

In December, we have been making lots of Christmas cookies and other goodies. Last Sunday was the Christmas program at church. Joseph played his harmonica, Rebecca played the flute and Katrina, Grace and I played the piano. Also, Katrina and I had our birthdays.

We are very thankful to God for all that he has done for our family this year. A special thank you to all who pray for us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Vander Vorsts