Little Friends

     We are enjoying our time in Indiana with friends and family.  We have been very busy fellowshiping and eating (of course)...I'm afraid I added a couple pounds:).  Ashley was over here yesterday for a few hours with Emily and we enjoyed talking and catching up!  When Nehemiah and Emily saw each other they screamed with excitement...it was pretty funny! They became fast friends, and  sat together contentedly for quite a while "talking" to each other and playing. A couple of times a problem arose when they wanted the same toy, but we tried to quickly resolve the problem. I snapped several pictures, and wanted to post of one of my favorites.  Later I will do a post with more pictures.

O Christmas Tree!!

     We finally got the time on Saturday to go up into the beautiful Black Hills and pick out our very own Christmas Tree!  It is quite wonderful to pay just 10 dollars and have miles and miles of hills to choose a tree from.  There are thousands of trees, and you have your choice of any one of them, as long as it is not taller than 20 feet!  We decided to leave Nehemiah with our friend Rachel, since we did not think he would really appreciate being carted around the forest in the very cold weather.  It was kind of funny because the very first tree I saw when I stepped out of the truck was "the perfect tree" in my mind!  It was tall, and full.  Since the trees in the hills are obviously not cultivated in special tree farms, etc. it is sometimes hard to find a tree that is nice and full.  Just for good measure, we walked around the forest for about 20 minutes, to make sure that there was not another good tree out there.  No matter how many trees I saw, though, I kept going back to that first tree, so finally we cut it down and took it home with us!!  It is all decorated now, and I think Nehemiah is still not quite sure what to do with it!

 

A self-portrait...I look like an Eskimo!!

 

 

Tyler carrying our beautiful tree!

 

 

Tyler's Dad was kind enough to take our picture...by this point we were VERY COLD!!

 



 

The finished product...not the best picture, but it will have to do!!

 

     Since Nehemiah is REALLY what everyone that reads this blog cares about:), I will put a couple pictures of him...

 

 

His favorite toys right now are plastic kitchen utensils

 

 

 

They often end up in his mouth...he likes to try out his two little, VERY SHARP teeth!



Daddy's Favorite Picture

Sleeping Like a Baby

This picture helps you understand what people mean when they say..."He is sleeping like a baby!"

Loss, But NOT DEFEAT!

      Of course, it is old news that Barack Obama was re-elected for another 4 years. As many of you, I am very, very, very disappointed in the results of the election, but I am not the least bit surprised!
      First & foremost, do you believe that God still reigns & is in control? If your answer is yes, then do you believe that everything that happens God allows? If your answer is yes, then God knew that Obama was going to be re-elected before the foundations of the world! Throughout the Bible, there are numerous passage that talk about the fact that God is in control of judges, rulers, etc. It is an indisputable fact that God is still in control & that it was His Will to allow Obama to be re-elected. To believe otherwise, would be to believe that God is weak & not in control of everything!
      Second, I believe the reason that Obama was re-elected is due to the many people that have rejected God & anything to do with God. Christian, the Great Commission has not changed, prayer has not changed & God still reigns! I am sure you have asked yourself this question: "What are we to do with Obama back in office? Our country is doomed!" Yes, our country is doomed, BECAUSE IT HAS REJECTED GOD! The reason that Obama was re-elected is because America has rejected God & His principle! Is there still hope for America? THERE IS CERTAINLY HOPE & MERCY FOR AMERICA!
      The first thing that we must do as Christians is continue to witness & tell others about Christ. The more people that are converted to Christ & truly saved will vote differently in the next election (if the Lord tarries)! The second thing we must do is PRAY, PRAY & PRAY SO MORE! Not just a quick prayer in morning to check off your list of things to do, but fervent, persistent prayer for God's mercy & power! And the third thing we must do is to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! Fight against ungodliness, wickedness, laws that undermine God's Word, false doctrine! There are many, many verses in the Bible that talk about fighting against false doctrine & wickedness!
      Below, I have posted an article from Mike Huckabee, who was the one of the presidential candidates for the 2008 Presidential Election. While I do not agree with everything that Mike Huckabee supports & believes, I believe that he "hit it on the nail" concerning the election in his "Statement on the Election".

      "There is a lot to be disappointed by in the election results this evening and I am disappointed, but not despondent. Tonight's results only remind me that our country has slipped into a deeper state of dependence on government than I wanted to believe. Where the Goliath of government has grown so too has our dependency.
     It's also increasingly apparent to me that our real problems are not political, but spiritual. Both parties have failed to acknowledge that. Democrats have not wanted to even acknowledge the need for God in our public institutions, but sadly, many of the Republican leadership will acknowledge God, but not because they believe we should be humble before Him, but to use God in our speeches and platforms. We wear our love of Israel like a badge of courage but on the issues of life and marriage too many of our leaders are more like lambs than Lions of Judah.
     Well now maybe our Republican Party will look at itself in the mirror. I feel that we shouldn't pack up and quit, but gear up and get ready for the next battle. That's what we do as people of faith and a party of principle. We don't stop believing what we believe. We do a better job of doing what we're supposed to do. That’s how you attract voters and win elections. And that is how you save America from herself. "  

 (http://www.mikehuckabee.com/2012/11/statement-on-the-election)

   One more thing I would like to post concerning the Elections is the lyrics to a song from a patriot cantata by Bible Truth Music-"This is My America". The song is entitled, "Turn the Tide". The lyrics are perfect for these thoughts concerning elections.

When America was founded she was strong & pure & good, 

and her leaders on their knees were not ashamed to call on God;

but our nation in her pride has turned her back upon the right,

and the clouds of evil threaten to turn glory into night.

Strong wickedness has crept in, like a cold & bloodly thief, 

those who know the Lord and do His will stand by in disbelief.

For the love of God and country, we must not cease for a day,

for the future of our children, we must life our hearts and pray.

Turn the tide, Lord, turn the tide! Open wide the flood gates of Your Power,

Stem the flood of wickedness; restore, revive & bless, turn the tide!

God's enemy is hard at work, undermining everywhere,

breaking down foundations, twisting laws & setting snares.

He would take away our freedom, and replace it with despair,

and he laughs at those opposing him as if they were not there.

God's children cannot sit by, we must stand up and defend,

for the battle is not over 'til our King declares the end.

We must work & fight & meet him, not as those who beat the air,

for the greatest weapon in our hands in strong & fervent prayer.

      

Turn the tide, Lord, turn the tide! Open wide the flood gates of Your Power,

Stem the flood of wickedness; restore, revive & bless, turn the tide!

Though the waves of immorality may beat upon the shore,

and it seems that all ungodliness is knocking at your door,

We must never give up hope, we must not let them win the war.

We must plead with Him who has the power to cleanse & restore.

Turn the tide, Lord, turn the tide! Open wide the flood gates of Your Power,

Stem the flood of wickedness; restore, revive & bless, turn the tide!  

      Christian, there is a work to do! "Let us not become weary in well doing..." We must fight, pray & witness until the Lord returns! To the work, to the work!

______________________________________

 A little update on our family! We are doing very good! Nehemiah is growing very, very quickly and showing his sinful personality! (We have our work cut out--that's for sure!) But we are so thankful to the Lord for Him! This next week, our church is having its 33rd Anniversary & annual Missions Conference! So please pray for the Lord blessing & conviction!

A Note from my Student

     Yesterday my little first grade boy brought this note up to me.  I especially appreciated it because he is not one to really show his feelings very much.

       For those of you who need a translation it says: "I like Mrs. Brock.  She is the best teacher.  I like God too.  God loves us too."  It is little things like this that help me continue on and remind me that being a teacher is worth it!

The things children say!

       I had something funny happen in my classroom a couple of days ago that I thought I would share with everyone...hopefully it will bring a smile to your face like it did to mine!  I actually wanted to laugh, but had to hold it in since I was in front of my students.
       During our morning Bible/devotion time we were talking about helping at home, doing our chores, being neat & clean, etc.  Some of the girls were complaining about having to do the dishes, clean their room, and other such chores.  I told them that now was a good time to learn how to work hard and do a good job with their chores because one day they would grow up and get married.  I then proceeded to say, "When you are a wife it will be up to you to make sure that your house is clean, dinner is cooked, the dishes are washed, and the laundry is done."  As soon as I finished, one of my little 2nd grade girls looked at me with a very puzzled face and said, "So what does the husband do?"   :)
       I made sure to explain to her that the husband did his own share of hard work all day long so that he could bring home money to pay for things!

----------------------

 

       As for a little update on our family, we are all doing great!  Nehemiah had his 4 month doctor visit today, and he was in the 95th percentile!  He weighs 17lbs. 9oz. and is 26 1/2in. long!  It is no wonder that mommy's back is always hurting!  He now loves to grab whatever he can and chew on it. He also loves his feet and hands!  Yesterday he was reclining at about a 45 degree angle and pulled himself to a completely upright position!  I could not believe it! We think he is teething....oh yay!  Well I guess this was really an update on Nehemiah, but who really cares about Tyler and I, right?:) 



Ready for Church

In this picture I think he fits the nickname that my friend Rachel has for him...

"Mr. Pickles"

In Full Swing

     Well, school is in full swing, which means that we do not have much left-over time to write on our blog!  Our lives are busy, busy, busy but we love it!  From the time we wake up at 5:00 am until we go to bed at 10:30 pm we have things to thank the Lord for!  We can even thank the Lord for Fall, although it means that the blizzards of winter will soon be here!
     School is going well so far.  My students definitely keep me hopping!!  I am normally very worn out by the end of the day, but I guess that is how all teachers are!  They also keep me laughing with the interesting things they do and say!  A few days ago, my little 1st grade girl drew me a picture of her and me.  She had already given me several such pictures, and I always like to ask her what we are doing in the picture.  Normally we are hugging each other, picking flowers, or just standing there.  Not this time though!! When I asked her what we were doing in her picture she said, "We are both aliens with no arms!"  Well that was a bit of a shocker!  It did make me smile to myself though!  Its ok that she made me an alien, since she is the same one that likes to write me notes and tell me I am the best teacher ever and she loves me!:)  I think there is nothing more entertaining than teaching elementary age children.  I wouldn't give up my job for anything! 
     Nehemiah is also another source of amusement.  Babies are so fun to watch!  He is getting to be more and more fun as he gets older.  He smiles, laughs, and coos so much now!  When he wakes up in the morning sometimes we will hear him just "talking" away to himself in his crib!  He also has a colorful elephant that he loves to talk to.  Last night he finally slept through the night, which was a great accomplishment for him!  8 hours of sleep!  That made me happy too, since I did not have to stumble out of bed at 3 o'clock in the morning and try to find my way to his room without running into a wall, door, or other dangerous object in my way!
     This past Saturday we had a Carnival-themed party for our van kids and church kids ages 3-12.  We had a grand time!  We were able to rent some big inflatable "bouncy houses" ( I guess that is what they are called).  At one point the bouncy house that I was watching got detached from its air source and began to deflate with kids in it!!  I tried to hold it up while frantically calling for Tyler's help!  Thankfully at that point the three kids that had been in there came sliding out the bottom!  Tyler and a few other men remedied the problem and we did not have any more issues for the rest of the day!
     The van ministry has been doing well these last few weeks.  Now that school has started, kids that were gone during the summer are being faithful again!  We are needing to do two runs with the vans on some Sundays which is wonderful since it means that too many kids are coming for just one van load!  We are also picking up two of our most faithful little girls for Wednesday night Patch the Pirate Club.  It is a blessing to see them ready and excited to come every Wednesday!
   Other than these things, our life is moving on as normal!  We will try to keep you updated as best as we can!

**My students and I are in the process of making a paper chain to count down to Christmas Break--only 87 days!!!

Goodbye Forever!

      

         We would like to take a moment of silence in the departing of our well-respected car. While it was my second car, it was the first car that my wife & I had together! It has been a great car & has given many years of trusted support in our many ventures!
         It will be very missed in the Brock Household, especially evidenced by my wife on two occasions saying, "I really miss our white car. I can't believe it was sold so fast!" "We will truly miss you, Betsy!"
       Praise the Lord, we sold it yesterday to a lady & her family, who were very excited to get a car! I was able to sell the car for $1,000, which was what I wanted to get out of the car! Praise the Lord!
       If you would like to pay tribute to the old white bomb, please leave a detailed comment. (HAHA LOL!)

Labor Day Weekend

     As usual, our church's Family Camp took place from the Thursday through Saturday before Labor Day.  We have such a great, relaxing time there!  We were a little worried about how Nehemiah would do with sleeping in a cabin, and being in a different place, but he did really well for the most part!  The only problem we had was that he did not want to go to sleep at night...he would lay in his bed and kick around and smile really big at us!
     Pastor Neil Hannahs from Aberdeen, SD came to preach.  He had great messages on the family and other things, and the Lord worked on our hearts.  We were also able to do a few fun things during those three days.  There was almost always a game of volleyball going on, and we were able to take part in many of those.  We also took a hike with my good friend Rachel, her sister, and another lady in our church.  The hike we took was around Sylvan Lake, which is a very beautiful lake in Custer State Park.  Another fun part of camp was the late night game times!!  There was always a lot of laughing going on!  It was a great weekend, and we are looking forward to Family Camp next year!
     Since we had to buy a one week pass to go into Custer State Park for our hike, Tyler and I decided to use it and do another hike by ourselves on Labor Day morning.  We got up early, dropped off Nehemiah with his favorite babysitter Madison, and off we went.  We hiked up to Harney Peak, which is the highest point in the Black Hills at 7,242 ft.  It took us about 3 1/2 hours to hike...I WAS NOT IN SHAPE FOR IT!!  I have been trying to get myself back in the swing of things, as far as working out goes, since I had Nehemiah, but I don't think I was quite ready for that hike.  I did finish it, though, and am still pretty sore!  I am very glad I did it, because there was some beautiful views as we hiked.  From the top, you can see four different states!  Part of my hiking adventure was getting stung by a bee at the top!  We spent the evening of Labor Day with a family in our church, and then went home early so that we could iron our uniforms, give Nehemiah a bath, and get ready for our first day of School!!
     It is now the third day of school, and I am already tired!:)  I am enjoying it, though, and am glad to be back on a schedule. My little kiddos have already made me laugh several times by the funny things they have said to me.  I know that time will go by so quickly that before I know it the year will be over!  Next week we get 2 1/2 days off to go to the ACE Christian Educators' Convention in Colorado.  The kids are definitely excited about that!:)  We will try to keep you posted as the school year progresses!

 

At the top of Harney Peak

 

 

If you can see the tiny little tower in the distance, that is where we were hiking to!  It was very discouraging to see that!

 

 A very narrow tunnel that we drove through in Custer State Park.

 

On our Sylvan Lake Hike

 



 

 

Sylvan Lake Hike

 

 

Tyler acting very grown-up

 

Since Nehemiah would not sleep, he got to stay up and play games with me!

 



 

Nehemiah's bed at camp

 

 

The Betz brothers doing a skit...they did a great job!

 

 

Taking a break from volleyball

 

 

Staying with Madison so that Daddy and Mommy can play volleyball

 

 

One of the many volleyball games

 

Nehemiah with his buddy, Bobo the Monkey

Family Pictures

While we were in Indiana on vacation my friend Nicole took family pictures for us. She did an amazing job and I thought I would put up a few of my favorites.  Nehemiah was very sleepy at first and by the end he was pretty crabby!  We had a really good time doing it...well, at least I think most of us did!:)

Family Vacation 2012

 I had to put a picture of Nehemiah in his car seat.  The poor little fella' spent many hours in this position.  We traveled from South Dakota to Indiana, which took 16 hours, and from Indiana to Pennsylvania, which took 11 hours.  He really started to like that little "jitterbug" toy that was always in front of his face! (By the way...the little white thing behind his head is not Dumbo ears, as my brother called it, but a nice little pillow to keep his head straight, which my chiropractor gave me.)

 Once we got to my grandparents' house in Pennsylvania, Grandma pulled out this old baby seat that she had.  Nehemiah loved it and spent a lot of time in it, bouncing up and down.

 He loved talking to Great-grandma!

 I am sure Lorena will be so excited that I put this picture on here!

 I think Nehemiah felt like a king in this bed:)

 One of the places we visited was the Gettysburg Battlefield

 Here we are at the Johnson Family Cabin.  It is a beautiful place, and I have memories there that go back to when I was about 3 years old.  My parents have pictures that go back even further. I think the first time I was there was when I was about 6 months old.  It was fun to be able to go with my son now!

It's always fun to have my goofy brother and his wife along!

 30 years ago my parents spent their honeymoon here!

 Family picture outside the cabin

 A day at the cabin would not be complete without a stop at "Twirly Tops"-- a wonderful ice cream place that was always a wonderful treat for us kids when we were little.

 Another day was spent at Hershey Park.  Thankfully Nehemiah slept most of the day in his stroller!

 I used to be a roller coaster person, but after a back injury I have had to stop riding them.  Lorena has never liked them, so here and I spent most of the day together on the nice little swings, the pirate ship, and other such rides! 

 Inside "Chocolate World" (mmmmmm...smells like yummy chocolate!)

 My cousin had her baby boy about a week before Nehemiah was born.  It was fun to get to see her, her husband, and the little guy!

 We were also able to spend some time with Dustin and Andrea, who are old friends from college, and there son Allen.

Just Relaxin' at Grandma's

We had such a wonderful time, and it was nice to get a break from work!  We took so many pictures, and it would take several posts to show them all, so I thought I would just choose a few.  Nehemiah did a great job on the trip, but now he seems to have flashbacks, because almost every time we get in the car he just screams and screams.  It was quite a trip for such a little guy! Now we are gearing up for school, which starts on September 4th.  We will try to post a little more often than we have been.  Goodbye for now!!