Giving thanks...

Since Thanksgiving is this Thursday we are going to tell you about some things we are thankful for.

One thing I am thankful for is my friends. It has been hard to move away from my old friends but it has been a little bit easier since I made new friends. I still wish we were in California though. Another thing I am thankful for is my nana and papa. They let us move in with them when we didn't have a place to stay. One other thing I am thankful for is family. Since we are still together we can go anywhere. Thanksgiving in the dictionary means "a holiday for giving thanks for divine goodness." I think it means not only giving thanks but also giving to others.  People in America ask for video games, toys, and other non-necessities. People in other countries wouldn't even think about things like that. They just want food, water, and clothes. We should give to people not just give thanks this Thanksgiving.
~Micah~

Thanks means an expression of gratitude.  Now I will tell you some of the things I am thankful for.....I am very thankful that I can live in a country where I have the freedom to talk freely about my beliefs, and that I can tell others about Christ.  I am also very, very thankful for the opportunity to dedicate my life to Christ, and have eternal life in Heaven.  One other thing I am thankful for is my family, and friends, because they are kind, supportive, and understanding through everything I do.  I am very glad that Thanksgiving is coming up because it gives me a chance to connect with the family, and to show God how thankful I really am!
~Morgan~
P.S. I agree with Micah when he says we should not only give thanks this Thanksgiving, but also to people!

A couple things I'm thankful for is my family, my friends and having Jesus at my side.  I'm thankful for my family because there loving,kind and understanding.  Why  I'm thankful for my friends is because there always there for me when I need them.  I love thanksgiving because you get to tell everyone what your thankful for.  (And for thanksgiving break and of course for the food).  I love thanksgiving food, the turkey, the mashed potato's, and of course my moms famous sweet potato casserole.(Well it's famous to me).
~Macie~

Could convenience be evil?!

Last night everyone in the house was asleep before 10 PM, except me.  I took the opportunity to use the time wisely by…watching TV, there I said it, you can be disappointed in me, but that’s what I did.  Alaska: The Final Frontier.  The show is about a family that for generations has been living a purely subsistence lifestyle, which basically means living off the land.

I wonder how long our family could stay alive in that harsh of an environment?  Our success would depend on our ability to adapt and change.  Sitting in the comfort of a heated home with running water, electricity and stocked cupboards, it’s easy to think that they are crazy.  But when you consider what they do on a daily basis for life, you find that their idea of convenience is drastically different than ours.

Our concept of convenience is pushing a button to close the door of the mini-van (yes, we have a mini-van, but it’s a cool minivan and we are a family of 5!).  Their concept of convenience is the sun drying their fields of hay and getting it baled before it rains.  It would be nice for all of us to have a chance to live, even if briefly, in a situation such as that.

At this time of year we are reminded to be thankful, but too often we are thankful for our “convenient” lives.  I think convenience may be a detriment to us all.  What do you think?

Mitch

Change

Hi! This is Micah. 

Since we moved to Texas I have been pretty busy. I have been playing flag football, homeschooling, and adjusting to our new changes. Some of the changes are a new church and making new friends. In flag football I play quarterback about half the time and the other half I play everything. On Saturday our team is going to play the first place team for the championship game. 

On a totally different subject, homeschooling is going really well. I started with some gap paces but now I am all caught up. I am even ahead on all my subjects! Something I have learned in this experience is it is hard to leave your friends but you make new friends pretty quickly. I still wish we could move back to California. 

I am super excited because in December I get to go to D.C. and New York with my friend Duncan.  We are going to ride in a passenger train from D.C. to New York. I also get to celebrate his birthday with him. I can't wait to see Duncan, only three more weeks!