For Memory's Sake

It's March. Those two words have some gravity to them. It's sunny outside, and I think (I hope?) the end of March might offer the possibility of spring. smile. We've almost seen two whole seasons through in this dorm, autumn and winter, along with all those seasons brought with them (the dislocated knee, the broken leg, Brett Norman's tragic death, kids leaving the dorm, along with a lot of really good memories scrunched in between these very difficult ones).

I am feeling that yucky apprehension that this year will end, and it will end much sooner than I'd like.  Some of the seniors are sensing that too. Serena recently pleaded (in trying to convince me to do something like go to town on a Monday or to let the girls sleep in the girls gathering room on a Saturday night or something like that . . . ha!), "Danae! But we got to make some memories!!!!" :) And memories we must make. I know no better way to make the most of a season than to create some fun memories, so we're sure trying over here. I think we're succeeding. :)

My sister Briana came to visit the dorm two weeks ago (oh, it was the best to have her!!!), and she and I taught the kids how to catch whipped cream in their mouths. Memories have to be made somehow. It was HILARIOUS! I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I do!

On Saturday, the girls took a trip to town. Maya wasn't feeling well, so she stayed back. It wasn't the same without her. I missed her!

We did some errands and then spent some time at The Worx coffee shop, sipping something yummy and doing homework. It was so fun!

L-R: Serena, Joyce, Aleyna, and Katie
We may live in the middle of nowhere, but that doesn't mean we
don't like to pretend we're still sorta civilized! ;) ;)
Yay for coffee shops!

We went to Soma Dis Deli too for an early dinner and ended the evening with some Bergie's homemade ice cream. It was a blast!

L-R: Serena, Katie, Danae, Joyce, Aleyna
Photo Credits: Serena

L-R: Joyce, Aleyna, Serena, and Katie

After we got back, the girls spent time hanging together and laughing like goofs. I'm not sure there's much better than a group of people really enjoying each other and enjoying life. They're so much fun. :) I love that we're from all over the globe, but we can still make tight knit friendships. We're all born in God's image, and that image comes plainly through, no matter where we were born or what type of lifestyle we came from. I love seeing it reflected in my kids. It is so stunning. 

Serena, Joyce, Aleyna, Katie
Look at those smiles!!! LOVE!!!
Photo Credit: Serena

The guys ended up going to Wolf Point to watch basketball divisionals and hang out with each other. Maybe Ibrahim will have more on that sometime. :)

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, Jerry and Susan Fast invited the girls over for Sunday dinner. It was such a fun time! We ate some delicious food and played some fun games. We played Spoons and Memory even. :) It really is refreshing to be in community homes and to interact with these incredibly big-hearted people here. We are so blessed. 

The memories are being made, and I'm hoping for many, many more within these quick moving last weeks. Thanks again for following along! Please continue to pray for us as Jesus brings us to mind. Here's a few ways you can pray:

• Pray for the seniors as they think about their futures, that God would lead them and prepare them for what's to come while enabling them to finish strong and invested. 
• Pray for our kids too as it's really tough for them to be so far away from home. They all do pretty well with it, but I can tell many of them miss their families very much, and some of them won't be going home this summer. Please pray for comfort for them. They're so brave!  
• Pray for health within the dorm as it's still cold and flu season.
• Pray for wisdom for the dorm committee and us staff as we try to figure out plans for next year and what that will look like. 
• Pray that we would all come to know Jesus more and more, that we would all accept Him as Leader and Lord in our lives. 

Thank you so much for standing with us. It makes a big difference!

Ordinary Wonder

A few weeks back, the sophomores had to do projects on either a plant or an animal cell. There were a variety of options as to how the project could turn out, but my kids decided they wanted to do edible projects. I had forgotten the agony and creativity and wonder of school projects, but I had a BLAST working with Etien and Aleyna, and we all laughed so hard by the end of the night.

Aleyna's lemon cake example of a plant cell

Not pictured was my flour war with Aleyna. Okay, "war" may be too intense of a term, though we did have flour war paint on our cheeks by the end of her lemon cake making experience. :)

Etien ventured out on making a pizza! He loves cooking and hopes to pursue that further someday. It was so much fun to work with him and try to think of fourteen plus items we could put on a pizza . . . not an easy task.

Etien hard at work on his animal cell pizza

Normally during study hours, the gathering rooms are closed to members of the opposite gender, but with Etien using my kitchen for "homework," we had several guys come wondering through the room, and while they're full fledge turkeys, I have such a blast with them and these girls in ordinary, unplanned moments like those when we laugh so hard and just enjoy figuring life out together.

Aleyna, Mawin, Joyce, Jacques, Nevin,
and Chen being all stalker-ish on the couch.

As for other very important news, Nevin's birthday was last Tuesday! It was special to get to celebrate him and all he is to us!

This was the pre-haircut days. ;)

Nevin, happy, happy birthday to you! I am so grateful Jesus brought you to this dorm and into our lives. I still remember you coming into the kitchen, asking if I was feeling "some type of way." I was confused until I later heard you jamming to the "clean" version of that horrible song! :P I'm pretty sure those four lines were your favorite part of the song anyways. :) Nonetheless, I'll always associate those four lines with your quirky, fun-loving, friendly personality. You are driven, intelligent, and caring, and I can't wait to see where you go in life. 

These verses are for you, Nevin. Praying this over your life, that someday, you will be a declarer of His Light, of His healing, even as you seek to mimic the greatest Healer there is or ever will be. I believe in you! May this year be the best one yet. Jesus is worth everything. I promise.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

    because the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,

    and the day of vengeance of our God;

    to comfort all who mourn;

3 

to grant to those who mourn in Zion—

    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;

that they may be called oaks of righteousness,

    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3

The Last Few Days of the Year

The countdown has most definitely begun. We are now down to 4 more school days, and then it's time for CHRISTMAS BREAK! I think we're all going a little crazy around here. Whether that's from our excitement or all the sugar that sweet people have been bringing our way, we may never know. ;) The past few weeks, kind hearted community members have been bringing us goodies! We've had some delicious fudge, chips and dip, coated pretzels, cookies, ice cream, and much more. I am beyond grateful for the way the community has loved our dorm family. It has made a profound difference for us!

The sugar has probably helped us survive the craziness of these last few weeks. It has definitely been busy around here. Time is flying. Last Thursday was the high school's Christmas program. Dimon played her flute in the band. She was our only band player from the dorm. The band rocked it! 

The high school choir also sang. Most of the high schoolers participate in choir, including all of those who live in the dorm. Together, they made some pretty great Christmas music.

We appreciate Mr. Butler's work in organizing the program and directing the choir and band. He does a stellar job.





On Friday night, there was a Blue White game at the school. The girls and boys basketball teams each split in half, and they played against each other (girls against girls, boys against goys) that night.  Meanwhile, there was a fundraiser Spaghetti Feed in the cafeteria. It was a special time for the community to gather together and watch the teams that they will soon be cheering hard for as the games begin.

Our Fantastic Refs: Ibrahim, Mr. Leland, and Mr. Orr

Boys Team Going Hard

Girls Team Intensity

On Saturday, the girls played their first game against Opheim, and THEY WON!!!! It was so exciting! They rocked it. We are all looking forward to watching them play and excel the rest of the season.

On Sunday, the whole dorm visited Glasgow Evangelical Church to watch their Christmas program. It was so great to watch their kids program and to remember the importance of Jesus being central in Christmas. We need those reminders in such a hectic holiday season. He is the perfect, best reason.

After the service, the kids hung out in the youth room while I went and picked up pizza and some pop. We ate lunch together in the youth room, played around a little bit, headed to a grocery store, and then back to the dorm.

Later that evening, we went to the MB Christmas program. SO.MUCH.FUN. The program was called David's Dynasty, a spoof off of the very famous Duck Dynasty. It was a riot! So much fun. You can watch the program here: http://www.highschoolcube.com/event/426001.







Amongst the extraordinary busy moments, there are precious ordinary moments too. I don't want to forget these. I don't want to forget the BEAUTY of waking up to a sunny, frosty morning in Lustre. Yes, even those early Monday mornings. There's still beauty in those. :)














I don't want to forget the gift it is to all eat together outside the school's kitchen for supper each weekday. Jean Toews is our cook, and my word, we are SPOILED ROTTEN! You should see our menus!













I don't want to forget these kids' smiles or the mornings when everything goes mostly wrong, and we laugh about it anyways. Or they laugh at me, . . . one or the other. ;) I don't want to forget that they're growing, that we're all growing and becoming through this process of together-life. We are always given the choice . . . to become better or bitter.



We definitely have our moments. Lots of moments. Even in the stressful, tense times, we're learning to be family, to connect, to grow. Sure, we all probably need this upcoming Christmas break to spend a little time away from each other, but I'm pretty confident there will be some happy reunions come January. We may be from many different parts of the globe with different thoughts on life and relationship, but we're all human, and we can still come together and grow together and seek Truth together. That's the beauty of this dorm, of this life.

We have made many memories in this past four month stretch. I am expectant to see what will meet us in this brand new upcoming year. :)


Upcoming Events:

• Wednesday
• All School Caroling
• Thursday
• Boys Basketball Game (4:30pm: JV and 6pm: Varsity)
• Friday
• Christmas Party at School
• Girls & Boys Basketball Game (6pm & 7:30pm)
• Christmas Vacation Begins! See you in the New Year!

Here is a small clip from one of the songs the choir sang during the school Christmas program. So sad for the static in the speakers in the beginning and that I cut off the recording early. :/ A good representative of our imperfect life here . . . in the midst of the imperfection, there is still incredible beauty, isn't there? Enjoy!

And the party continues

The guys had the opportunity to slingshot paintball thanks to Jerry Fast who came through with his promise. I thought they were excited for the chance to hit me with paintball but I was equally excited for the opportunity. Jacques wore a winter jacket for protection which I thought he was overreacting but I soon understood why he dressed up the way he did. Nevin the strategic one hung out on the roof looking for preys to devour which he successfully did. Alek got hit the most and I was shooting at anything that moved behind and in front of me. None of us sustained a major injury which is a praise, and after that we enjoyed a delicious meal at Jerry’s home.

Nevin on the roof

The last time I cheered so hard was when my beloved Seahawks whooped the Denver Broncos in the last super bowl. The dorm guys and I cheered and screamed at every good play and points the Lady Lions scored during their Volleyball tournament in Saco. Even though we were disappointed after the game not to get a win because the girls really played well, we had some good plays we reminisced as we left Saco.

Lady Lions in Saco

Lustre cheerleaders 
Jacques, Silas and Chen

After an exciting game of volleyball, I took the students bowling. I actually forgot it was Halloween and some of kids were upset at me for not taking them to track-n-treat in Glasgow; I had to make it up to them by going bowling. I had a blast watching the kids compete against each other. Nevin won the first game by 114 points and he rubbed it in our faces and told us how good he was. I couldn't take it and neither did the other guys so we stepped up our A game. 

I won the next game by 117 point and I rubbed it in their faces as well. As the new king they all went after my record but I had to stay on my toes to make sure that didn't happen. I got a 118 points in the final game to maintain my bowling superiority and then we called it a night.

We compete hard; make fun of each other; goof around a lot; laugh together; discipline when it is required, tease each other; give each other a hard time, but at the end of the day, we are a family.

Danae and I cherish every opportunity to love, admonish and enjoy spending quality time with our dorm kids and what a privilege it has being. We can honestly say that some days don't go the way we want them to be but God gives us the strength to look forward to better days which we have had plenty of.

Things to pray for us are: to love each other as a family; to be united with Christ; to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily, and most importantly to rejoice in the gospel. Our prayers and condolences also goes to the Toavs family for their lost. 

I Peter 1:8-9 says, "Though you have not seen him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." My prayers for you is that you will rejoice in Jesus and be reminded that His grace is sufficient for you EVERYDAY!!!!!!!!!!

Guys weekend in

"We all we got, We all we need"

This is the Seattle Seahawks chant before every game. Yes am a Seahawks fan so deal with it. Before the girls left for their dorm weekend out, these were the same words I was thinking. If you ask me why, I wouldn't have given you an answer, but all I knew was that our ladies were leaving and the guys will have to survive the weekend without them. Nerve wrecking it was, but we made it through. 

The guys and I were happy to have the girls back but we proved to ourselves that we can survive without them - sorry ladies. On Friday we all went to the ladies volleyball game. We planned biking after the game, however we decided to stay at the gym. After some quality time in the gym playing Volleyball and Basket Ball, the guys had a sleep over in the boys gathering room where they watched movies all night (I know, am such a great mentor).

Saturday morning, some of the boys went to work while the rest slept in. After brunch, I rallied the guys who were at the dorm to do some community service. We borrowed some tools and went to put up the Lustre sign on the route to Wolfpoint. It was cold and windy but I managed to cajole and reason with the boys about the blessing that comes from serving. Story short, we had a good time digging holes; putting the sign back up and having fun.

The work crew

Later that night we invited a special guest for dinner who also brought a game we played. The boys love their movies so we watched ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ that night because our guest also wanted to watch the movie.

Sunday morning we went to church; it was also communion service which made the service extra special. After church, we went back to the dorm, ate and got ready for our afternoon trip to Glasgow.

I had a date night with the guys. We did some grocery shopping, ate in the car and watched the ‘Maze Runner’ at the cinema. Oh Yea! we had a great time.

Movie with the guys

For those of you who haven’t met the dorm guys,they are different in unique ways. But even with our differences, we manage to adapt and love on each other in our own little ways. I love my boys but it is more reassuring to know that God loves them more than I do.

Danae is usually the blog guru but I thought once in a while I should write something and make fun of people like Jerry Fast who told us to come to his place for paintball but bailed out on us. Part of it was our fault but it is nice to blame him a little. I love you Jared and I know you might not read this blog.

I love taking pictures so I volunteered to be the photographer for the dorm while Danae chose to be the blogger if I remember correctly. Below are few pictures I have taken so far:

last four standing

you go girl