Raw Talents

Drama crew

A few weeks ago, LCHS drama class presented a play "Trial by Error", a play so captivating that left the audience in awe of the talents LCHS students possess. The costumes and the actual presentation was aesthetically coordinated which kept the audience entertained throughout the night. Several of our dorm students were in the play and I thought their individual roles represented some of their persona. 

Jacques is an individual of few words so his character was Romoni Brown, a grumpy gypsy who never said much but groan and moan at others. Alek's was sheriff Tex Masterson, the law man who kept the town in order. His character was sometimes funny, serious, talkative and had a rather peculiar accent. Serena played Slick Parker,  a dumb potbelly man -  so maybe not all the  characters personified the students who played them. The other dorm students in the play were Silas, Maya, and Aleyna and they acted their roles exceptionally well.

Ramoni Brown (Jacques), and Sheriff (Alek)

A few students from LCHS attended the REACH program, an event organized for students who are interested in careers in the medical field. They students met different people who work in the medical field like Nurses, Radiologist, Lab Technicians, Therapist and so forth. The students also got hands on experience like  strep throat testing.

Serena, Geneva and Nevin

Serena pretending to be a doctor

Nevin checking the heart rate of his patient

Learning how to check strep throats

Her first time in an Ambulance.

Future Surgeon Nevin

A Lab Technician teaching the students how to... (oops! I forgot)

Aleyna aka. Shorty # II celebrated her birthday last week. Aleyna is a Sophomore at LCHS and she has being a blessing in the dorm. She is short, a Colotexan, (a word I created to mean from Colorado and Texas), and funny especially when she does abs workout. The dorm wishes you a happy birthday and God's blessing in your life.

Birthday girl - Aleyna

Fiona, Silas's sister was able to visit for a short while during her Spring break. Fiona graduated LCHS last year and now attends the University of Iowa where she studies nursing. Good luck with your feature endeavors and come visit again.

Silas excited he is taller than his big sister

Upcoming events

• Mar 21 - Senior Class Pizza Dinner at LCHS 5 - 7:30 pm
• Mar 27 - Schmeckfest and no school
• Mar 30 - Happy birthday Joyce
• April (2-6) - Easter Break

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