50th Annual Schmekfest

Everyone told me that I would be overwhelmed by Schmekfest, by the way the gym was transformed and the way that so many came together to make it happen. They weren't lying. This Friday (March 27th) was the 50th annual Schmekfest. The gym was decorated in quilts and along the far wall were several displays and silent auction items. Over 800 people came to eat the German food, enjoy each other, and participate in the auctions, bake sales, etc. It was an amazing sight. 

The biggest thing that influenced me wasn't the amount of people who came or how different the gym looked. It was how so many community people all came together, everyone assigned a job, and served together because they love the school and want to invest in this community. It was INCREDIBLE!!! The people of Lustre really, really care about these students and this school and about serving Jesus. It is incredible.

I wish I had pictures from the night. I and the kids were busy with the jobs we had been given. We have good memories of it though. It was a busy, great time.

The next day was the first track meet in Glasgow. Nevin, Mawin, Etien, Alek, and Joyce are participating in track this year. It was great to hear them come back and share their stories! While they were at the meet, most of the rest of us helped clean up from Schmekfest in the morning. The cleaning went quickly as several came to help. The rest of the day was spent relaxing. 

Katie and Chen playing Janga. They were getting into it!

One evening this past week, a few
of us made s'mores by roasting
marshmallows over the stove. :)
Fun memory.

Nevin, Mawin, and Etien just hanging. :) 

A typical sight around here . . .
some wifi loving. 

As for other important news, yesterday was Joyce's 17th birthday! 

Happy, happy birthday, dear Joyce!

Ooh, you are such a treasure! Your laugh and smile bright up a room. You were so quiet when you made your home here at the beginning of the school year, but now, your laugh and funny sense of humor speak so loudly and joyously here. You are hilarious and courageous and smart and so full of life. I love who you are. Your positive attitude speaks volumes to those around you. You are so beautiful!

The verse I gave to you was this one: 

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11ESV

My prayer for you is that you learn more and more the joy offered in the presence of God. You have felt His presence, and you know it. You believe it. Keep following Him, Joyce. He is worth everything. Jesus is worth everything. I am so grateful for you!

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

Happy Twenty-Fifteen!

It's a newly birthed year, and the unknown of it spurs my excitement at the possibilities. Onwards to 2015. Hard to believe we're already 1-1/2 weeks past our two week Christmas vacation. Time again refuses to slow its pace.

Ibrahim and I (danae) arrived back at the dorm on Friday, January 2nd. The next morning, we picked up Alek and Aleyna at the airport. They had spent time with family over the holidays, and it was so good to be with them and spend time catching up. Sunday evening was when most everyone else began to trickle in. How special to be reunited with each one of them and hear about their breaks! None of them were super excited to start up school again, but most didn't seem angry at being back in the dorm. ;) Maya and Nevin came in late on Monday after being away for the break. It was great to see them too!

It took awhile for the kids to readjust to waking up early and getting through a school day, but they made it as they jumped right back in! Many helped with AWANA and a Poplar Ministry on Wednesday night. On Thursday, the kids played a Bible trivia game in chapel, the freshman and sophomores (known as the "Froshmores") versus the juniors and seniors (known as "#dubnation"). The kids knew a lot, and it was fun to see some healthy competition. :)

Another positive part of our week was that Aleyna had her {hopefully} last knee appointment at the doctor's! The doctor affirmed that her knee was healing well and gave her special instructions for physical activity as well as sent her away with a brace to use until her leg continues to strengthen. God is so incredible in the way He heals our bodies! He is the realest and kindest Doctor.

Aleyna showing off a sample of what a knee
looks like in her last doctor's appointment.

On Friday night, the real craziness begun: First Basketball Game of 2015. The Lustre Lions played against the Frazer Bearcats. What incredible games! The JV boys team won! Sadly, the girls and boys Varsity lost, but both teams played AMAZINGLY and lost only by a few points. The girls were scoring into the 70 point range! AMAZING!

I'm HORRIBLE at taking basketball pictures, but this was kind of a fun one.
Coach Randy Reddig speaking directly to Jacques at the Frazer game.

On Saturday, we had a home game against Poplar. Sadly, all three teams lost, but again, we had some really good plays, and the scores ended very closely. We have some super talented athletes.

Saturday also happened to be Mawin's birthday! We didn't get to celebrate much with him being involved in the basketball game, but on Sunday, we all went out to eat Chinese food after church, and then Ibrahim and several of the kids went to watch a movie in the Glasgow theatre. Those who didn't go to the theatre went to MacDonalds to get some things done or just take it easy for a while. It was a great afternoon / evening.

The kids weren't great at giving me a posed picture, but this was
their natural picture of eating and waiting for Chinese food. ;)

Happy Birthday, Mawin!

Happy seventeenth birthday, Mawin! I am so glad you are a part of our world here. You make us smile with your quirky charm and sense of humor. You add so much life and energy to the dorm. You have been so brave to come here, to leave family and familiar and brave the Lustre winters and unfamiliar faces, to pick up a basketball and stay the course several years. You're one talented person.

Here are my birthday verses for you, Mawin. 

1 Thessalonians 5:5: "For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and night."

Ephesians 5:8-10: ". . . for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 

Mawin, my prayer for you is that you would continue to grow into a man of courage and into Light, that as you seek and grow in Jesus, His light in you will expose the darkness and injustice around you. You are so loved!

This Tuesday, we had another string of basketball games. They were home against Frazer. JV guys won, and the girls Varsity team also came out with a win. Sadly, the guys lost. Hard to see them lose, but they sure played hard. They'll have another chance to snag a win on the upcoming Friday game.

Thank you again for following along with us! We are excited to see all that's ahead in this brand new year. :)

Catching Up: Part 3

Homemade Donuts

Even after hearing about Brett Norman's passing, the Sunday (Nov. 9th) continued on as normal, even if we weren't feeling so normal at that point. We went to church and then headed over to Wilbur and Vernelle Unrau's house for Sunday dinner to celebrate Serena's 18th birthday a little early. Even in the midst of the sadness, it was a very
special time, a joyful time to celebrate Serena's life.




Outside the Unrau's windows was snow! We got the first official snowfall of the season. (Official in that it was sticking on the ground. smile.) It was a family tradition for me (danae) growing up to make donuts as a family for the first snowfall of the year that stuck on the ground, so on Thursday, I made some dough, and Etien, Joyce, and Serena helped me cut them out with cups and a Snapple bottle. ;) We fried them up and frosted 'em over. They turned out yummy!

Serena, Joyce, and Etien
Cutting Out Some Donuts.

Lustre Snow in November!

The day before the donut day, Linette came over with bunches of things for Operation Christmas Child. The kids helped her organize the things into boxes that will be sent out to share Jesus' love to several kids around the world. What a great accomplishment, and it definitely looks like they had fun doing it, doesn't it?

Mawin and Silas being dorks. :)
Photo Credits: Linette Uchtman

The crew and their beautiful boxes!
Photo Credits: Linette Uchtman

On Friday, the whole dorm went to Ron Reddig's benefit dinner and auction in Glasgow. It was such a great time! So many came that we knew, and Ron Reddig had coached several of the guys in basketball so being there had special meaning for them. Miraculously, the dinner raised $111,665! This community is so generous. GOD is so generous. And faithful. And good. It was awesome to be a part of seeing that miracle.

That Saturday, Ibrahim and I, along with several of our kids, went back to Glasgow to Brett's funeral. It was so well done but so hard too. So much pain for those left behind. We can't forget to keep praying for that family and those close to Brett.

Thursday was a big day for the dorm! Basketball practice began. People have been waiting for that all year! :)

It was also time for Maya and Chen to give their senior chapels. They ROCKED it! Maya talked about true beauty, bravely sharing the story of her own personal search for beauty and her realization that we are all beautiful in God's eyes and in the eyes of those who love us. Beauty isn't perfection. It's being comfortable with ourselves and being loved.

Chen talked about friendship and the importance of having good friends. He also talked about the importance of trust and reliability in a friendship, that God is the truest friend who will never leave us or fail us.

I was so proud of them!

And last but certainly not least, it was SERENA'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! :) It was so special to celebrate her. :) Her room was decorated with balloons, and there were cupcakes at school for her. Several of her basketball friends joined us for dinner, and she blew out 18 candles on top of her favorite type of cake made by the one and only Jean Toews: Angel Food Ice Cream Cake. Mmm!

Serena's 18th Birthday Cake :)
Photo Credits: Ibrahim

For devotions, we played games, but first I shared a verse for this special lady.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget,

    yet I will not forget you.

16 

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

    your walls are continually before me."

Isaiah 49:15-16

Serena, happy birthday to you, sweet girl. I am so grateful for your life. You are energy, joy, laughter, and loyalty. You are on God's mind, and I picture God's hand covered in Indian henna . . . your name as part of His henna design. Your name always before Him. Your heart always held in His hands. Be strong in the next year. Stay close to Him. My prayer is that You always stay close, that You reject the American dream in order to experience His wide and difficult and worth-it dream for your life. I love you, sweet girl. I am so glad for your birthday. Many more, Serena!

Whew! Thanks for taking blog overload this week. I think I'm all caught up for awhile. ;) 

Catching Up: Part 1

This week may require a three-part series on all the dorm life that has been happening around here lately. It sure seems like it's been a lot. I am so sorry I didn't pull out my camera more often for more pictures. Sometimes, it's sweeter to live life through my own eyes instead of peering through the eyes of an artificial lens. I write to remember. This is such a unique, special season.

On November 2nd, the whole dorm was invited over to Meredith and Dan Reddig's house for Sunday dinner. It was so generous of them, and it does us so much good to be out of the dorm. Thank you, Dan and Meredith, for loving on us and making us feel a part of this community!

Meredith and Joyce make delicious caramel corn for us all.

Chen playing pool in Dan's
special room downstairs.

Ibrahim enjoying one of his favorite pastimes,
watching Sunday football, at the Reddig's. :)

Alek and Dimon playing an intense game in Dan's western-styled room.

Monday, November 3rd was Silas' 19th birthday! What a gift to be able to celebrate him! I am so grateful for his life and presence at the dorm. He adds so much! The morning started out fantastic as Jerry and Susan Fast (along with their kids, Megan, Nathan, and Lauren) surprised Silas by coming to the dorm and making one of his favorite breakfasts for everyone. Wow! We were all spoiled!!!! Waffles with white sauce, eggs, muffins, ETC. Silas was surprised and appreciative. (I was so appreciative too! Such a gift to not have to worry about Monday morning breakfast . . . though I may never be able to trump that breakfast in these kids' minds ever!!!! ;)

Mawin and Silas
Silas may not have been so appreciative of me taking a picture
here. Whoops. ;)

Dimon, Serena, and Joyce used their crazy creative skills to decorate cupcakes for Silas. We surprised him after lunch with them. The girls managed to decorate the cupcakes with basketball symbols, Chinese symbols, etc. They are artists!

Dimon, Joyce, and Serena with Silas' homemade cupcakes.

Later that day, Randy and Becca Reddig, plus their two sweet kids (Cam and Harlow) surprised Silas by joining him for dinner at the school where Jean Toews made the meal he had picked out as his birthday meal. It was DELICIOUS. And Silas was so surprised to see the Reddig's!

We played some games in devotions that night to enjoy each other and enjoy Silas. Before the games though, I gave Silas these verses that had popped in my head for him.

"But now thus says the Lord,

he who created you, O Jacob,

    he who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

    I have called you by name, you are mine.

2 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

    and the flame shall not consume you.

3 

For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

Isaiah 43:1-3a. 

Silas? My prayer for you is that you hold true to Him who called you. He is your Savior, and His love for you is vast and overwhelming. You are a leader, a brother, a friend. Continue to live into all you were created to be. I am so grateful for your part in this dorm. I am so grateful God created you the way He did. You are so loved.

More to come about these past few weeks.

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!!!!!!!!!!

A Quarter Past

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted and a couple months since these kids have made their home in the dorm. It's probably the most overused phrase in the book, but really . . . time flies.

The end of the quarter is this week. These guys are a fourth of the way through their year. Wild.

Here's a few miscellaneous memories from the past few weeks.

On October 5th, our whole crew went to the Lustre MB Church (Mennonite Brethren) for their Harvest Festival. Special speaker Rick Eshbaugh talked about what it means to be devoted to God. He gave some lively examples and challenged us to intentionally follow God's Word.

After his message, there was a feast! Roast beef, salad, dinner rolls, potatoes, pie, etc. We headed out after the meal, and the girls looked a little tired, don't you think?

Katie (Jr.), Dimon (Fr.), Joyce (Jr.) all piled on Serena (Sr.)
Time for a Sunday nap!

The guys ended up going to Wolf Point to help someone move. They and their strong muscles were blessings to those they served.

Here are a few pictures from Monday's devotions. We started out with a crazy Rock Paper Scissors game. I LOVE seeing these kids laugh!

I'm bummed this is a blurry picture. Still love it though.
Their laughter is contagious!

Maya (Sr.) and Katie (Jr.) duking it out.

Dimon (Fr.) and Katie (Jr.) battling for the win.

Here's a video from the wild experience.

That Friday was the Volleyball Team's senior night! It was so exciting to celebrate our three seniors: Maya, Serena, and Chen (videographer for the team). It was UBER exciting that the girls pulled off a WIN! What an incredible way to end the night! That was the last of their home games, but they'll have a couple more away games before completely wrapping the season up.

After the girls finished their game, everyone came back, and we ate some celebration brownies, played games, and just hung out.

From Left to Right: Alek (Fr.), Nevin (Jr.), Maya (Sr.)

Aleyna (So.) on couch and Silas (Jr.), Chen (Sr.) and
Mawin (Sr.) . . . Just chillin'!

Did you know these guys can sing?! That's good these guys don't look at the blog too much otherwise I might be hunted down in the middle of the night for posting it. For your entertainment and pleasure, I think I'm gonna risk it. ;)

This is probably the best version of JB's "Baby" 

you've ever heard, huh? Mine too. Grin. Love these guys!

We have fun around here. :)

That Saturday, the Morazco's invited the girls over for dinner. That was so kind of them, and the food and company were great! It's a special thing to be able to go into homes as a dorm. 

The next day was the EMB (Evangelical Mennonite Brethren) Church Harvest Festival. The speaker was Darrin Clinton, and he spoke of the importance of a Christian's Worldview and how foundational our view of Genesis is. It was a wonderful service. Following the service was another feast! We sure were spoiled those two Sundays. The food was incredible.

That same afternoon, Brant and Lynn Unrau had the youth over to hang out. Ibrahim and I dropped the kids off and came back to stories of them playing some fun games, eating good food, and watching some football. They seemed to have a great time.

Last week was a short week. The kids were in school from Monday to half of Wednesday as it was MEA week when the teachers headed out across the state to various teaching training events. The kids were excited to have time off! They went to various homes in the community or to preplanned events. Some came back to the dorm on Sunday tired, but they seemed to have a nice time taking a break. 

This week ahead should be a full one. There's an away volleyball game tomorrow, the quarter ends on Friday, and the girls are taking a Billings trip from Friday - Sunday. Exciting things ahead! Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate it!

Joke of the Day: How many guys does it take to fix a paper jam?

THREE! ;)