Showing posts with label hospitality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospitality. Show all posts
When It Rains, It Pours
Heylo everyone! :) I am sorry we haven't been posting quite so often as we maybe should. But we have been having an flabbergastingly crazy summer. Essentially, we have had an extra amount of people traveling than usual, (mostly Daniel) which makes a bit more work than usual, (or at least, a bit heavier distribution of the normal work) which makes time a bit more crunched, which for some reason, attracts visitors by the droves! ;) I am not kidding! We have had so much company this summer! (And I love it all!) I think we can, in imitation of the American Indians or something, name our summer: The Summer Of The New-Yorkers. Really. I do believe that we have had.....3 or 4 seperate groups of people from NY come down to stay with us, and then, several other groups of friends! I love company, and it seems that part of the reason the Lord has blessed us with a large house, is to host it all! :) Doubling our family size for 3 months certainly put us in good shape to be able to host 6 or 7 more people without batting an eye! :D It is so funny! Prior to moving out to this house and land, we never hosted anybody for more than a day or two, and that very rarely. Our house was just way to small! But apparently God has plans for us to broaden our "hosting-horizons" and the past two or three years have been absolutely chock-full of ministry in that way! We love it, because we love people! :) So anyway, I hope I have made my excuses in a convincing manner? ;) Sarah, Leah, Anna, and I are off to a 6-hour watercolor class, and then we have company coming this afternoon and staying till Tues. or so. (We cleaned yesterday! Yay!) Well, I must fly! :) -Rachel
A Peek Into WalkHeffitopia! ;)
Hello! I thought that I, Rachel, would give you guys an update on how things are going in a house of 21! The truth is, things are going alot more smoothly than I ever hoped! This is such great blessing and an answer to prayer for us! I guess we are entering into our third week now. This week we'll be getting 40 chicks, and planting our garden. We'll have lots of help, and lots of little hands to squeeze the chicks and lots of feet to step on our rows. ;) Gracie and Abby still have not learned all the way, and neither have some of the youngest Walkers! :) Hope we don't have any casualties! The girls separated the goat kids from the Mama today. Sad to hear them crying out so pitifully!
Today we had a family meeting- the main thing the Mamas decided we need to focus on for this week (especially middle and younger children) is "Please, see the need, meet the need, without being asked." As the oldest daughter in our family, I naturally do this, and so do Sarah, Matthew, and Leah. It was cute to see the reaction of Jeremiah (6) who totally missed the point of the phrase and said excitedly, "Yeah! Like when I didn't ask and I went into the chicken coop!" (as if that was what we were all aiming to do! :)
We have had alot of fun having the Walkers here! So far, in two weeks we have fixed 721 plates of food, and spent 300 and some hours together! :) There are always enough people around to do a dance, take a walk, or play volleyball. Last night, we did all three actually! Matthew and I did an impromptu waltz in the dining room, (always teach your cousin to dance! :) then Sarah with Matthew, and Daniel and I went on a walk down our pitch-black road. We were full of hijinks and abundantly merry spirits, so Daniel and I spent our walk throwing things into the bushes along the road and scaring Sarah! :) When we got home, Uncle David suggested, (Walker blood, that!) that we set up lights and play volley ball. So we took a ladder and a work light, balanced it carefully, and played a silent game of volleyball in the half-light. I provided comic relief! It was so funny how many times I played a "Lady Tippings" as we say, and touched the ball with just the extreme tips of my fingers!
Well, I'm almost off to check the mailbox, (dreadfully deserted these days! :[ )
Here is the verse we posted on our wall this morning, that says perfectly what we must focus on during these weeks: 1 Peter 4:8-11 "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for `love will cover a multitude of sins.' Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."
The part that got me was about speaking as if you were speaking the oracles of God. I am a girl who likes to talk. Believe me. I love words in any way, shape, or form. I have been thinking lately, of the percentage of my speech, what amount of it is speaking as if I was speaking the oracles of God? Not enough, I'm sure. Oh goody! A challenge! This week will be full of them, I have a hunch, because I am also re-reading "So Much More" by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin, which is a very eye-opening book.
What is it that some man said? "A ship at harbor is safe. But that is not what a ship is made for."
So be it. Whoever said being a Christian is dull? Obviously, they haven't tried it! :) -Rachel
Today we had a family meeting- the main thing the Mamas decided we need to focus on for this week (especially middle and younger children) is "Please, see the need, meet the need, without being asked." As the oldest daughter in our family, I naturally do this, and so do Sarah, Matthew, and Leah. It was cute to see the reaction of Jeremiah (6) who totally missed the point of the phrase and said excitedly, "Yeah! Like when I didn't ask and I went into the chicken coop!" (as if that was what we were all aiming to do! :)
We have had alot of fun having the Walkers here! So far, in two weeks we have fixed 721 plates of food, and spent 300 and some hours together! :) There are always enough people around to do a dance, take a walk, or play volleyball. Last night, we did all three actually! Matthew and I did an impromptu waltz in the dining room, (always teach your cousin to dance! :) then Sarah with Matthew, and Daniel and I went on a walk down our pitch-black road. We were full of hijinks and abundantly merry spirits, so Daniel and I spent our walk throwing things into the bushes along the road and scaring Sarah! :) When we got home, Uncle David suggested, (Walker blood, that!) that we set up lights and play volley ball. So we took a ladder and a work light, balanced it carefully, and played a silent game of volleyball in the half-light. I provided comic relief! It was so funny how many times I played a "Lady Tippings" as we say, and touched the ball with just the extreme tips of my fingers!
Well, I'm almost off to check the mailbox, (dreadfully deserted these days! :[ )
Here is the verse we posted on our wall this morning, that says perfectly what we must focus on during these weeks: 1 Peter 4:8-11 "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for `love will cover a multitude of sins.' Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."
The part that got me was about speaking as if you were speaking the oracles of God. I am a girl who likes to talk. Believe me. I love words in any way, shape, or form. I have been thinking lately, of the percentage of my speech, what amount of it is speaking as if I was speaking the oracles of God? Not enough, I'm sure. Oh goody! A challenge! This week will be full of them, I have a hunch, because I am also re-reading "So Much More" by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin, which is a very eye-opening book.
What is it that some man said? "A ship at harbor is safe. But that is not what a ship is made for."
So be it. Whoever said being a Christian is dull? Obviously, they haven't tried it! :) -Rachel
In Which We Open A Boarding House
This spring weather is not good for me! ;) I find myself in a very lackadaisical mood, little prone to turn to anything productive, and perfectly content to sit out in the bright sun or wander on a little walk. Indeed, I'd turn into the "Wandering Jew" (only I'm a Christian) if I wasn't quite so scared of the dogs at the next farm over! :) They are awful beasties! Which leads me to my next rambling thought: Licorice, our blasted dog ate a whole chicken breast off the counter, leaving us with almost-not-enough for dinner! If dogs didn't have such short memories, I would have cuffed her on the head next time she came inside! ;)
We are entering cleaning projects, because starting on the 19 or 20 of this month, our cousins, The Walkers are moving in with us temporarily. We are living together until they get a septic system and well, and can move their new mobile home onto this land, while they build their final house! Exciting forward motion! So, please pray that all the details will fall nicely into place. There will be 16 children and 5 adults, including Grandma June, so rather a full house! (12 kids under the age of 12 by the bye!) But I have, over and over seen God using our big house for exercising hospitality! Since moving in, we have had a family of 6, twice living with us for a week, then in the summer hosted a reunion with 4 different couples staying a week, The Laundry Fairies and 4 nieces and nephews for a few days, (twice) our attic used for 4 different family's storage, and hosting our homechurch of 100 or so all through the winter. (Among various other things) I love all the ministry we've been able to have! But the Walkers and our family would appreciate prayer for working out details and merging two hectic family-schedules into one home for 4-6 weeks! Thanky Kindly! -Rachel
We are entering cleaning projects, because starting on the 19 or 20 of this month, our cousins, The Walkers are moving in with us temporarily. We are living together until they get a septic system and well, and can move their new mobile home onto this land, while they build their final house! Exciting forward motion! So, please pray that all the details will fall nicely into place. There will be 16 children and 5 adults, including Grandma June, so rather a full house! (12 kids under the age of 12 by the bye!) But I have, over and over seen God using our big house for exercising hospitality! Since moving in, we have had a family of 6, twice living with us for a week, then in the summer hosted a reunion with 4 different couples staying a week, The Laundry Fairies and 4 nieces and nephews for a few days, (twice) our attic used for 4 different family's storage, and hosting our homechurch of 100 or so all through the winter. (Among various other things) I love all the ministry we've been able to have! But the Walkers and our family would appreciate prayer for working out details and merging two hectic family-schedules into one home for 4-6 weeks! Thanky Kindly! -Rachel
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