Ancient Egypt

This last month we have been kept busy by working on our project of ancient Egypt, with my usual plan of two weeks spreading over into 4.  But thats ok, it meant that we could take our time and enjoy the different activities we were working on. Rather than explain it all the photos do a better job showing all that we did and some of the fun we had along the way.

Our Map of ancient Egypt

Building a pyramid

Mummified children

Our first science experiment

Mummified Apples

How did the Egyptians grow such abundant crops when it only rained maybe once or twice a year!!!

Excavating a pyramid

The sacred cat

Making papyrus paper

Dress like an Egyptian

and share your story.

A friendly visitor from the river Nile

So now we move away from Egypt as we study the story of Moses.  When asked how she wanted to put together her work about Moses her reply was to make a movie, so that should be fun.  Watch this space.

Moulding Chronicles July 2013

Dear Friends,

Change is never easy, I (Ed) really don’t like change. I like to have a routine and know what I am up to. I can, however, get distracted very easily, so at times it is a challenge to keep focused particularly if I know that nobody is checking up on me and what I am doing.  My ability to remain focused becomes more of a challenge when I know that what I need to do will result in change and the unknown for me.  

Last week I felt challenged as I read a daily devotional on 2 Timothy which talked about how God planned works for us to do before the creation of the world!  As I take the small, slow steps towards the trial of the farming project, this comment got me thinking, God planned for me to do this, therefore I need to stop worrying about it and step out and get on with it, and then see what God will do through it. If it never actually goes any further than the proposal I know that God has been and will be teaching me more through just the process.

So with that in mind, the budget has been submitted along with a suggestion of location. We now have to wait for approval before moving onto preparing the training materials. At this phase it is entirely in Gods hands as we have just discovered that there are major financial issues from a global level which will impact all existing and proposed projects.

Aside from the farming project my role within work has changed (again). l am now be the assistant to the programs director instead of the country director as it was felt that his work load was heavier and thus in need of more help and support.  On the positive side this will hopefully help me to understand more of the operations side of FH, however it also means adjusting to a new boss. It has had a bit of a bumpy start but is now improving and challenging me again on my work attitudes and motivating myself to get on with what needs to be done.

Our church families groups met together for a BBQ last month, during which many expressed a desire to join back together as 1 group. Upon reflection we decided that this would be a positive move as the smaller groups lacked core families meeting consistently together. So this month we were all back together with a few changes, the biggest change being that the pastors took care of the children in one location whilst the parents met in another, enabling the adults to enter in the discussion without the distraction of the children.

These last two months have been very waring for us as a family with the boys suffering from repeated bouts of sickness and diarrhoea, and thus a trip to the Drs, whilst trying to support the boss and his wife who both had emergency operations within a week of each other.  All are doing  better now, though Ali the Bosses wife is still in a lot of pain. It has left us feeling pretty wiped out and in need of somehow recharging our own batteries, ready to face whatever challenges come up next.

We have really appreciated all of your prayers and words of encouragement during this time, they have helped to keep us going. 

Thank God for: 

• Financial provision as we are now only £60 short of our monthly target 
• Sustaining and protecting us during these last 2 months which have been very challenging on many levels
• God’s grace as we serve him in the way He wants.

Ask God for:

• Gods continuing encouragement and our obedience to follow him
• Health and full recovery for the boys
• Wisdom as we serve God through the relationships we have

Blessings

Ed, Sarah, Alana, Isaiah & Lucas

Moulding Chronicles May 2013

Dear Friends,

Since our last letter much of what we wrote about has now moved forward which is much to thank God for.

The new format for the families groups  have taken off well and people have been positive about the new approach.  The groups are now much smaller having been divided into 3, but provide an opportunity where by everybody can contribute in some way or other and now enables us to involve more families. As we become more focused upon the families we find ourselves challenged as we hear of the many difficulties and problems that so many of these families and couples face. And yet encouraged as we see how new relationships are forming between families and how these are beginning to encourage and support one another.

The discipleship groups within the office  have also gotten off to a positive start.  For the first time staff are really beginning to grasp and understand what lies behind the values of FH and what they then mean in practice.  

Foundations for farming has taken a step forward in this last month.  The completed proposal has aroused sufficient interest so that now it is being moved forward with an initial trial planned for July this year.  This is both exciting and a little daunting at the same time as to where it might lead. 

For Sarah, Homeschool has moved into a more predictable rhythm with realistic expectations of what can be achieved. It has caused us to think a lot about how and why we do things. When you send a child off to school you don’t really have to think much about their education, you just assume they will learn, and hope for good reports on parents evenings (or at least thats what I assume) where as with home education we are constantly reviewing and assessing how things are going, what’s working, what isn’t. It causes us to question how we can encourage an enjoyment of learning and a desire to learn.  Why we are teaching such and such, is it a pointless exercise or does it serve a greater purpose?  

It is also a journey in learning about our children and their characters, and the things they enjoy, as well as aspects of our own characters, both good and bad!   Providing an education is a big responsibility, but its so much more than just letters and numbers on a page, its about learning about life in every shape and form.

This month FH published its 2012 annual report take a look at this link to see what FH has been doing globally over the last year. 

Thank God for: 

• Growth in the families groups
• The learning and growing taking place in the discipleship groups
• Interest in the Farming project

Ask God for:

• Guidance, wisdom and courage with the Farming project
• Continuing provision of financial support we still have a shortfall in regular monthly support
• Patience and insight for homeschooling

Blessings

Ed, Sarah, Alana, Isaiah & Lucas

Easter

For Easter this year we wanted to do something a little different, to work on creating some happy family memories together. In these parts we are a little limited in going out and doing random things particularly at night, so instead we decided that we would have and indoor bonfire night.

We set up the school room with fairy lights for the stars and put mattress and sleeping bags so that we can have some fun spending the night together in the same room.  

We started off with hot dogs for tea, then changed into our PJs for stories.  We then had some fun playing with sparklers, which Alana and Isaiah were a bit unsure of at first but after the first couple got to grips with them, then it was time for toasted marshmallows, yummy.

By this time it was quite dark so we had some fun with torches before the last stories and settling down to sleep.  Despite all the excitement and the boys bouncing about in their cots and torches going off and on all was quiet and calm by 9pm, or at least it was until the boys took it in turns to start throwing up from 3am.  Not such a fun ending, but it didn’t overshadow the fun of the evening.

Fortunately by Easter Sunday they were all well again to have a go at decorating some easter eggs with some friends.

Creation

Our first attempt of Lapbooking

Our planned study of creation was originally going to be done in one week, just like the original!!  However, once we started it I very quickly realised that it was going to take much longer, 12 weeks in fact, and why not. It meant that we were able to take our time and get the most out of it enjoying it along the way. Together we read about what God did on each day then gradually put together our own model of creation.  I think that Alana was a little over confident when she said that our creation was going to be much better than Gods, however she did do a pretty good job of putting it together.

Creating the sea

Making the dry land

Adding a few plants and trees

Making the fish of the sea

and the animals

Creation finished, complete with sun moon and stars, now time for a rest :o)

Our lapbook on the inside