the challenge of immigration reform

"Take up the challenge! Become a maker of peace! Work and pray for reconciliation wherever misunderstanding, suspicion, and enmity prevail. Engage others in your church and community in study, dialogue, and action to prevent a resort to arms. Put yourself to the hard task of making up your mind about specific issues of "immigration" (my substitute)policy. Then use your influence to change public opinion and to influence governmental decisions. Dare to set your course toward the wholeness of the human family at peace and be bold enough to chart that course with faithful witness to Christ's way of love, justice and peace. For that way is shalom."
- From Seeking God's Peace in a Nuclear Age: A Call to Disciples of Christ

My friend Tia pointed this quote out to me in our Guide to Prayer Book. It is another encouragement to me to talk about and act on the call for immigration reform in the US. Last week I shared a devotion with my MOPS group about thinking about immigration from a Biblical perspective of hospitality. So as people who follow Jesus we would enter dialogue and take action from an understanding of God's call to be kind to the stranger and love our neighbor. There are so many stories in scripture about migration, refugees, sojourners, strangers in the land... I know this is a complex subject and I don't have all the answers to solutions but I do know God asks us to do justice, to loose the chains of oppression and love. So with that in mind I hope to learn more, to dialogue, and to take action for immigration reform.

I will write more - that is just my thought for today. There is so much more to understand: myths about undocumented immigrants, the fact that there is no "line" to wait in, that immigration law hasn't been changed in over 20 years, that the system is broken ,that families are being torn apart...

So I know this subject evokes all types of feelings in people's hearts - so I will write more...

hair cuts

malachi enjoying the blue frosting from my birthday cupcake

abram looking like such a big boy

ezekiel is 3 months old

the baby is growing - he is long and getting chubby little legs. today he started giggling as abram clapped and smiled at him. it was so cute to see these brothers enjoy one another and abram loved that ezekiel was so engaged with him. ezekiel is a calm little guy and pretty flexible. now that he has traveled to michigan, iowa and ohio in his short life. he is a great traveler on the airplane and has switched timezones really well.
he has started grabbing at the toys swinging above him and he loves to have his hand or blankie in his mouth. he likes to suck on something - hence my first pacifier baby. it great to hear him find his voice and begin to squeal with delight.

quote of the day

malachi and i were talking about his friend ely's mom having two babies in her tummy...
malachi: why are there 2 babies in her tummy?
me: because God put 2 babies in there.
malachi: God is playing a joke on her.
i try not to laugh and ask him what kind of joke God is playing on her
malachi: a baby joke because God is a joker

so there you have it nespers - the answer to why you are pregnant with twins

love our cousins

the boys had a lot of fun with their cousins this summer. the older ones even had a sleepover with grandpa and grandma. we are glad to have summer vacations so these kids can hang out. we love each one of them!


stephanie - 6 years old

carter - 9 months

cortney -3 1/2 years old

Addisyn - 1 years old

abram is 2

our little man is 2! it kind of creeped up on us, although we knew it was coming right?! abram is such a sweet kid and we love so much about him and his personality. he has shown us since ezekiel's birth what a gentle spirit he has. he always wants to know where his baby brother is and he gives him a lot of kisses throughout the day. he also gets a little upset when other people hold ezekiel - he is always looking out for the baby. he is also a tease - so on one hand he is senstive about life and changing things up - for instance yesterday ryan was helping taking down a popup shade and he stared crying because the shade was being taken down...but he also totally teases his brother with a glint in his eye. malachi will be playing and abram will jump on his back over and over again. it has been fun to see malachi and abram develop a friendship this past year. this morning they woke up and went into the living room together and were just sitting on the couch under a blanket talking. abram is just starting to develop words so the other thing we love is how he uses his hands to communicate - he does a fairly good job - at least i know what he "saying" often through his gestures, which maybe explains why he gets away with just a few words. anyway we are thankful for abram and all he is and look forward to what will be ahead in his life.








Birthday Party

too long...

so i guess life with 3 little boys has finally caught up with me and i haven't blogged in a long time... a lot has happened since my last entry. sarah and ryan's wedding, our vacation in mi, abram turning 2, malachi starting preschool, computer problems, a trip to iowa and life. so i will attempt to catch up...i said attempt


this is new picture though of ezekiel smiling... he is growing big fast!

sarah the beautiful bride

us

abram communicating

malachi flying

ezekiel 6 weeks old

abram flying

the dock



the five of us