Happy Birthday Liam!!! As of Sunday 22 of August our little kerplunkter is now 4 years old!!! Yippee! He has been blessed with some great cards and awesome packages... yes the deliver guy knows where we are now... and some great friends and family! Thanks guys!
He is really getting into toys that toss things and things that fly through the air. Hmmmmm sounds like a boy! He is enjoying his new found time with mom or dad all by himself (when Kayleigh is at school) and he seems to be enjoying that! .... Although I will say that the 2 of them are playing soooo nicely together when they are together. I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder in some cases! Did you ever notice that I like to write inserting loads of ... well.... pauses... like this.....?! Does it drive you batty? I don't know why, but it just flows from my finger tips. Anyway... enough about .... that.... Happy 4th Birthday Liam Reed Hamer!
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Greetings once again from IWT headquarters here in Scotland. Just in case you are wondering what the weather is doing here, um..........it's raining. What a shock.
So are you all enjoying the Olympics? The reporting here is somewhat different than in the States. Pray that the UK wins something before the whole place slips into serious depression. Even the tv comentators sound desperate. I never thought I would say this but, I miss John Tesh and his sappy stories. Well, I don't miss him that much but I wouldn't mind a few tear jerking stories about the athletes from time to time. Bye the way, the kids have us all chanting USA USA USA.
The latest on IWT
At present we are continuing to make contacts and trying to bring churches, buisness leaders and individuals on board to make this thing happen. It looks like we will be giving a presentation to a group of church and buisness leaders from Stirling in the next couple of weeks. We've met many people from our home church here now, http://www.stirlingbaptist.org that are very excited about what God can do through IWT here in Scotland. Great to be a part of a healthy church that has vision for outreach! We are also working on our new promotional video that we will use for presentations, church kickoffs, and fundraisers. (Big, urgent project) The video will retain some of the meat of the New Zealand video but we will give it a distinctly Scottish flair. Needless to say we've been listening to a lot of bagpipe music lately and not all of it good. There is some great stuff out there though so it should end up being a stirring video.
We are currently still looking for office space that we can afford. Since we are very much in the infancy faze of this campaign, we don't have very much funding as yet so we would prefer free office space. I'm sure God will provide at just the right time and I must add, we haven't given up on the Sword Hotel. One of these days we might just see a for sale sign up there. Overall things tend to move somewhat slow here especially in working with the government. We have attained non-profit status which is great and we are currently going after charity statis as well. Pray that all these things will come together. We are expecting big things to happen here in Scotland.
On a more personal note, Kayleigh seems to be doing pretty good in her first two days of her educational carreer outside of home. We couldn't be more proud of her. Liam seems to be adjusting pretty well also, though he does miss playing with his big sister during the day. He's also looking forward to his big 4th birthday this Sunday. Julie is feeling a bit better little by little and we are all really excited about the new addition due to make his or her debut in early March.
Well that's about all for now, more in the not too distant future.
See ya.
So are you all enjoying the Olympics? The reporting here is somewhat different than in the States. Pray that the UK wins something before the whole place slips into serious depression. Even the tv comentators sound desperate. I never thought I would say this but, I miss John Tesh and his sappy stories. Well, I don't miss him that much but I wouldn't mind a few tear jerking stories about the athletes from time to time. Bye the way, the kids have us all chanting USA USA USA.
The latest on IWT
At present we are continuing to make contacts and trying to bring churches, buisness leaders and individuals on board to make this thing happen. It looks like we will be giving a presentation to a group of church and buisness leaders from Stirling in the next couple of weeks. We've met many people from our home church here now, http://www.stirlingbaptist.org that are very excited about what God can do through IWT here in Scotland. Great to be a part of a healthy church that has vision for outreach! We are also working on our new promotional video that we will use for presentations, church kickoffs, and fundraisers. (Big, urgent project) The video will retain some of the meat of the New Zealand video but we will give it a distinctly Scottish flair. Needless to say we've been listening to a lot of bagpipe music lately and not all of it good. There is some great stuff out there though so it should end up being a stirring video.
We are currently still looking for office space that we can afford. Since we are very much in the infancy faze of this campaign, we don't have very much funding as yet so we would prefer free office space. I'm sure God will provide at just the right time and I must add, we haven't given up on the Sword Hotel. One of these days we might just see a for sale sign up there. Overall things tend to move somewhat slow here especially in working with the government. We have attained non-profit status which is great and we are currently going after charity statis as well. Pray that all these things will come together. We are expecting big things to happen here in Scotland.
On a more personal note, Kayleigh seems to be doing pretty good in her first two days of her educational carreer outside of home. We couldn't be more proud of her. Liam seems to be adjusting pretty well also, though he does miss playing with his big sister during the day. He's also looking forward to his big 4th birthday this Sunday. Julie is feeling a bit better little by little and we are all really excited about the new addition due to make his or her debut in early March.
Well that's about all for now, more in the not too distant future.
See ya.
Monday, August 16, 2004
FOUND ...after 11 long weeks of search...
Something similar to saltine crackers!!! My prayers are answered! In a gourmet deli under the name "Italian Wafer" and in a black and gold box looking very posh. Guess the Saltine got all dressed up for the Scotts!
Tomorrow is the big day... please pray for confidence and peace for Kayleigh as she goes to school. I found out I can take her out for the lunch hour and I believe we will do lunch at the park or something to make the long first few days a little shorter. Cool! Gotta run.
Something similar to saltine crackers!!! My prayers are answered! In a gourmet deli under the name "Italian Wafer" and in a black and gold box looking very posh. Guess the Saltine got all dressed up for the Scotts!
Tomorrow is the big day... please pray for confidence and peace for Kayleigh as she goes to school. I found out I can take her out for the lunch hour and I believe we will do lunch at the park or something to make the long first few days a little shorter. Cool! Gotta run.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
OH, Yeah... thanks Emily for reminding me... YES!!!! Praise the Lord our container arrived and God answered the kids prayers that it would not fall out of the boat! Yippee! It was wonderful of Frank (on his birthday, I might add) and Becky come to help us unload! Huge thanks once again to all our amazing friends who helped pack up!!!
Having our guests come and living in this cute polly pocket house, as Marc calls it encouraged us to quickly unpack our boxes so it feels like home, (minus the family within a drive away). It is a wonderful thing to own a sofa and have dressers to put things into. We will not soon forget the suitcase and floor days! It was almost like Christmas for the kids unpacking all their toys and familiar things. Insert smile here!
Having our guests come and living in this cute polly pocket house, as Marc calls it encouraged us to quickly unpack our boxes so it feels like home, (minus the family within a drive away). It is a wonderful thing to own a sofa and have dressers to put things into. We will not soon forget the suitcase and floor days! It was almost like Christmas for the kids unpacking all their toys and familiar things. Insert smile here!
Heh! It was a B-E-autiful day today, we even saw blue skies and took a drive to Loch Lommond since it was a saturday and we could get away! Fabulous!
Wow, it has been another what seems like years since I wrote! ALOT has gone on in our lives so I guess thats our excuse! God is good all the time! Sometimes I get so stinken mad at the enemy for trying to give us speed bumps or, what seem like dead ends (I wont go into details), but then I remember that we are to expect it... keep the faith... exercise it when we dont "feel" and then miraculously God comes through and gives that peace that goes beyond our human minds comprehension! Its the scriptures that are sooooo comforting and prayers of friends and family and supporters! Thanks!
One exciting thing is that I have been soooo sick lately and struggeling with migraines and nausia, but for a good reason... WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!! Ok, so not only will we have to find out how to get absentee ballets for voting in Nov., but to find out how to get dual citizenship for this little one! Its a riot to think how this will all play out. The kids dance and sing about every day with glee about another baby, which lifts my spirit especially when Im about to lose my stomach... they make us laugh. Just wish we would have packed the crib, bassinett, highchair, and all the other favorite goodies for a baby. Ahh well, Im sure our packers were thinking... that was enough! :) I think we will try to find out if its a boy or girl so we can have some clothes sent over if possible. Im hoping I wont pop out too fast so I can get some maternity stuff sent over with some visitors... hmmmm.... we will see! Its amazing to see that life starts and God already knows what our life goals will be, what our challenges will be, how our decisions will affect us etc. Its amazing and humbling to be a parent, what a privilege!
Funny, I just got an email from Rita, a friend that we met on our DTS in '96 here in Scotland, and she is due on the exact same day as me! She also suffers with amazing nausia and migraines so Im sure we will share whooahs and joys. Anyone else pregnant that Im unaware of??? Ill pray for you too! This one seems to be bringing out the best in me! Heh-heh! Marc is so patient and helpful!
We had some VISITORS lately from Pa and DC and that was AWESOME! I think they actually brought relief and sunshine to our home! It was wonderful to have Bonnie and Kristi Walls from Zion for 2 days, which was not long enough, but they really knew how to encourage and bless us with their presence! My 2nd cousin Deby Stoltzfus was here for a week and that was wonderful because she's so sweet and because I got to play tourist with her a bit and see some local attractions. Back to reality, ehh Deb?! :) THANKS guys for coming!!!!! I hope it was a blessing for you too!
OK... THIS ONES A BIG ONE... Kayleigh is starting school on Tuesday! We finally decided to send her to the local little town school of Bridge of Allen. (Which, I must say was not decided without sweat, tears and alot of prayer!!!) We feel confident that this is the best for her right now and if God leads us to homeschool or do something else at any time, we will be sensitive and act on that.
I mentioned to a friend in an email that I dont know if its the hormones or just the moment, but Its hitting me. She is going to be gone from me for 6 hours each day!!! I dont know if I can handle that! We went uniform shopping today and she couldnt be more thrilled! Im wondering how much this will change her. Thats the part that gets me. You know them sooooooo well and know practically their thoughts because you can anticipate most of their moves as you spend so much time with them. She will now come home with new ideas, new thoughts, new words that I was not there to experience her go through. I guess Im a bit protective too because they want to start her in Primary 2 (because of her age) and she has never even gone to school yet, this would be her year to start kindergarden, so I really dont want her thrill and desire for learning to be discouraged or frustrated in any way. I am assured that she will be fine and that this, of all the local schools, would be the best to work with her because the local University often sends children from other cultures there and they have staff to help and aid the children within the classroom. Wheew! As you think about it, please pray that she will have a wonderful experience, for Gods protection and rapid learning and setteling into this new adventure for her. Please pray also for good friends there for her. This will be important for her adjustment too! Im sure Im being an overprotective mom and she will be fine, but Ive learned that its never too much to request extra prayer. THANKS!
I guess I better go for now. I really do have more to write and just realized that I did not blog anything about IWT and whats going on here. I think I will leave this one personal and let Marc fill you in on IWT stuff in the next blog. I just got him to committ to blog in the next 2 days, so there you go.... something to look forward to... dont loose any sleep though! Love ya all! Love, Peace, Joy, and Send Saltines. Subliminal message sent to someone by one sick prego. :)
Wow, it has been another what seems like years since I wrote! ALOT has gone on in our lives so I guess thats our excuse! God is good all the time! Sometimes I get so stinken mad at the enemy for trying to give us speed bumps or, what seem like dead ends (I wont go into details), but then I remember that we are to expect it... keep the faith... exercise it when we dont "feel" and then miraculously God comes through and gives that peace that goes beyond our human minds comprehension! Its the scriptures that are sooooo comforting and prayers of friends and family and supporters! Thanks!
One exciting thing is that I have been soooo sick lately and struggeling with migraines and nausia, but for a good reason... WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!! Ok, so not only will we have to find out how to get absentee ballets for voting in Nov., but to find out how to get dual citizenship for this little one! Its a riot to think how this will all play out. The kids dance and sing about every day with glee about another baby, which lifts my spirit especially when Im about to lose my stomach... they make us laugh. Just wish we would have packed the crib, bassinett, highchair, and all the other favorite goodies for a baby. Ahh well, Im sure our packers were thinking... that was enough! :) I think we will try to find out if its a boy or girl so we can have some clothes sent over if possible. Im hoping I wont pop out too fast so I can get some maternity stuff sent over with some visitors... hmmmm.... we will see! Its amazing to see that life starts and God already knows what our life goals will be, what our challenges will be, how our decisions will affect us etc. Its amazing and humbling to be a parent, what a privilege!
Funny, I just got an email from Rita, a friend that we met on our DTS in '96 here in Scotland, and she is due on the exact same day as me! She also suffers with amazing nausia and migraines so Im sure we will share whooahs and joys. Anyone else pregnant that Im unaware of??? Ill pray for you too! This one seems to be bringing out the best in me! Heh-heh! Marc is so patient and helpful!
We had some VISITORS lately from Pa and DC and that was AWESOME! I think they actually brought relief and sunshine to our home! It was wonderful to have Bonnie and Kristi Walls from Zion for 2 days, which was not long enough, but they really knew how to encourage and bless us with their presence! My 2nd cousin Deby Stoltzfus was here for a week and that was wonderful because she's so sweet and because I got to play tourist with her a bit and see some local attractions. Back to reality, ehh Deb?! :) THANKS guys for coming!!!!! I hope it was a blessing for you too!
OK... THIS ONES A BIG ONE... Kayleigh is starting school on Tuesday! We finally decided to send her to the local little town school of Bridge of Allen. (Which, I must say was not decided without sweat, tears and alot of prayer!!!) We feel confident that this is the best for her right now and if God leads us to homeschool or do something else at any time, we will be sensitive and act on that.
I mentioned to a friend in an email that I dont know if its the hormones or just the moment, but Its hitting me. She is going to be gone from me for 6 hours each day!!! I dont know if I can handle that! We went uniform shopping today and she couldnt be more thrilled! Im wondering how much this will change her. Thats the part that gets me. You know them sooooooo well and know practically their thoughts because you can anticipate most of their moves as you spend so much time with them. She will now come home with new ideas, new thoughts, new words that I was not there to experience her go through. I guess Im a bit protective too because they want to start her in Primary 2 (because of her age) and she has never even gone to school yet, this would be her year to start kindergarden, so I really dont want her thrill and desire for learning to be discouraged or frustrated in any way. I am assured that she will be fine and that this, of all the local schools, would be the best to work with her because the local University often sends children from other cultures there and they have staff to help and aid the children within the classroom. Wheew! As you think about it, please pray that she will have a wonderful experience, for Gods protection and rapid learning and setteling into this new adventure for her. Please pray also for good friends there for her. This will be important for her adjustment too! Im sure Im being an overprotective mom and she will be fine, but Ive learned that its never too much to request extra prayer. THANKS!
I guess I better go for now. I really do have more to write and just realized that I did not blog anything about IWT and whats going on here. I think I will leave this one personal and let Marc fill you in on IWT stuff in the next blog. I just got him to committ to blog in the next 2 days, so there you go.... something to look forward to... dont loose any sleep though! Love ya all! Love, Peace, Joy, and Send Saltines. Subliminal message sent to someone by one sick prego. :)
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