Apple orchard

Last Saturday we went to a really cool orchard with my parents!! We picked apples, we went on a hay ride, we had apple cider and donuts and they had lots of things for the kids to do.

Heather coming off the slide

My dad went down the slide!!

Here is Nate coming off the slide

They had kittens everywhere and the kids loved playing with them.

Apple picking page 2

Goats

Heather and Hannah

Nik and Katie

Katie going down the slide

Avon Goal made!!!!

Hope you are all having a good day!!

Leaves are starting to fall, weather is turning colder and I heard that we may see our first snowfall this coming weekend. I don't know about you but I am not ready for this!!

Christmas is coming up fast and I know the economy has hit people hard. I want to thank you for your continued orders and for each and everyone of you!!

1 year ago I set a goal for myself that I would become an Advance Unit Leader. This past Campaign I made that goal!!! That means that I will have bigger bonus checks which will help our family so much.

To celebrate this goal I am for C23 (includes books 22 and 21) going to give you 30% off your entire order. That is a huge savings even above what is already on sale!!

If you would please send this email to your friends and families as well they will also get this 30% off. I am really looking at expanding and I know word of mouth is the best way to do it.

They can also order at my website. www.youravon.com/byonker If they want the 30% off they will need to chose Rep delivery. If they want it shipped then they can get free shipping using this code: REPFS If you want the 30% and live out of the area then let me know and I will split the shipping with you.

Here are the avon book links for online viewing:

C23
http://youravon.com/static/catalog/2008/23/en/index.html

C22
http://youravon.com/static/catalog/2008/22/en/index.html

C21
http://youravon.com/static/catalog/2008/21/en/index.html

Update on friend with cancer

I just got this email. She is already in surgery so please pray for her and her family.


Please forgive me for not contacting each of you sooner. The hours are speeding by, and, like Martha, I have been busy. Maybe a bit too busy. I truly ask for your forgiveness. My surgery is tomorrow morning, October 22 @ 8 a.m.

On a very positive note...

I can't begin to tell you how peaceful I feel. I FEEL your prayers. I FEEL the Holy Spirit working within me to accomplish that which your prayers have set it out to do. I SEE my body healing quickly. I KNOW I will be a survivor!

Thank You for your continued prayers

Adoptive family needs help!

Some of you know that at one time we were trying to help families adopt from Irkutsk, Russia (where two of my children were born). in 2005, due to a family killing their little girl that they had adopted from this region, the judge there decided American families would no longer be able to adopt through her court. Since this is illegal for her to do and say this there are families that have been waiting for over 4 years to bring their children home. These families are incredible and are putting all their faith in God.

There is an American family there right now going through the court process. Please read this blog post below and if anyone can help please email my friend Kathy at: kathy@mmprod.com

Kathy has also been waiting a long, long time to bring their daughter home. Prayers are welcome!!


Hello friends,

I have a plea. As many of you know, we’ve been on a fight (with several other families) to bring our DD home from Irkutsk for over 4 years. One of the other families who is fighting with us has been able to get a court date in Russia…this is HUGE because the Judge in that region has not granted an American a court date since 2005.

This family went to court a few weeks ago, and after 8hours, they were told the hearing was postponed. They went back to court this week, and after many more hours and many not-so-common in-court occurances – the case was again postponed. I don’t want to go into great detail here, but know the reason the case was postponed is crazy! And has nothing to do with the child, or this family.

So, this family will need to go back to court for a 3rd time. Of course they have incurred incredible expense in this process…and more than anyone ever anticipated on this trip. They had to change return flights home – to the tune of over $2,000!

The stress this family is under is enormous. The outcome of their case will pave the way for so many other American families who are waiting to bring children home from this region.

The husband will return home to work, but will be required to go back for the 3rd court hearing (that will happen in 4-6 weeks). The wife is staying in the region (too expensive to fly home, and then back again).

We are confident that this family will be successful, and they will be able to bring their DS home…but not until they have suffered and endured more than any of us could imagine.

I want to help them, and this is why I am posting this note.

I am begging any of you who have frequent flyer miles or AmEx (or other) points to spare – please help this family. The thousands and thousands of dollars they have spent – and are going to spend – on airline tickets is overwhelming. If we can help them ease this burden in the slightest – I know it will mean EVERYTHING to this family.

Please email me if you are able to help…

Thank you in advance for your big hearts

I have been tagged

My friend Anita has tagged me.

Now here's where the real crazy fun begins....I have to share 7 random/weird facts about myself.

1. I have been to Russia (3 times), China, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Haiti (will be going on my 4th trip in January)

2. The two that I really, really want to visit again are Russia and Haiti.

3. Nathan and I will be having our 18th anniversary on October 26th. We met when I was a sophmore and He was graduating high school. He was dating one of my best friends at the time! :) Nobody thought we would last!!!

4. I wanted maybe one child when we got married. God had the last laugh!!

5. I used to have friends with Mohawks and at one time I had blue hair. :)

6. I wanted to be an archeologist when I was growing up.

7. Some people think that I am very sarcastic. I have no idea why they would ever think that.

I am supposed to tag 7 people so 7 of you please do this! :)

update from my friend that has cancer

I received an update last night from my friend that has cancer. It is easier to add it here rather than email everyone:

Thank you for thinking about me today . Your positive prayers are soooooo important! I see God working because of it. Please don't stop!

Praise report - Two different oncologists agree that we're at the beginning of this "annoyance". Both doctors agree that I have a great chance of survival! YAY! PRAISE GOD!

Okay - PLEASE continue to pray for my strong body and immune system. Despite this "annoyance", I am very strong.

Please, Please pray for an a VERY positive result of an upcoming surgery. 1/4 of my lung will be removed on Dec 22. It is a serious surgery. I would like a fast, and excellent result from this surgery. I would like you to pray for the doctors doing this surgery. I will be in the hospital for 5 days.

Please pray that my husband will have enormous patience and feel very comforted by the Holy Spirit. My mother in law will be coming in to help around the house (thank God!). I don't want people to forget that my husband is going through this almost as much as I am.

Please pray for a speedy recovery.
Again - thank you for your prayers and positive thoughts! Please Don't Stop!

After pictures of girls bedroom! (before Painting)

We have a little bit to do yet but this is what we have bee working on all week. Here is their closet. We got rid of the mirror and put their big dresser in their closet. This has worked out so well.

This is Katie and Hannah's beds. We got rid f the toddler bed. We just need to get a new mattress for her big bed.
This is Hannah's dresser.
This is Heather's bed. This is where the big dresser used to be. There is so much more room now for all the beds to fit. I love having the bunk beds apart.
This is where that huge mess used to be! :) Ah no more!! Feels so good to have it organized!! Now just cannot wait to paint!!

Before pictures of the girls bedroom

Here are the before pictures of my girls bedroom. Ugh how awful can you get. Very embarrassing. This bedroom was the former master bedroom and the 3 girls share it.
I will work on taking a picture of the cleaned up version today. We think we have the colors for their room narrowed down just not sure yet when it will be done. Those pictures will have to wait for awhile.

Quote!

How can we preach the Gospel to a man with an empty stomach?

A man’s stomach has nothing to do with his heart’s condition of being a rebel against the holy God. A rich American on Fifth Avenue in New York City or a poor beggar on the streets of Bombay are both rebels against God Almighty, according to the Bible. The result of this lie is the fact that, during the past 100 years, the majority of mission money has been invested in social work. I am not saying we should not care for the poor and needy. The issue I am taking to task is losing our primary focus of preaching the Gospel.

- K.P. Yohannan

School pictures!!

With 5 kids school pictures from school are just not affordable in this day and age. So we stopped at a part and took some of our own.

Typical!!

Make sure you scroll down to the very first post to start at the beginning.

This is typical of how we look. Always lost!!!
This was taken inside the corn maze.

Train ride

The top pictures are of the train ride where you can go through a little area and they have some cute scarecrow set ups. We did not take the ride but just walked along some of the path and took some pictures.

The boys were just acting crazy so I had to get a picture!!!

More pictures

I know I am doing this backwards but keep reading!

They have a HUGE pumpkin farm where you can pick your own pumpkins.
They have bakery, cafe, snack barn,wine tasting, gift shop, apple orchard. They have a fruit fling. They had a bounce area for kids. They have a big play area for kids. They have a train ride where you can go through an area where they have all kinds of cute scarecrows.

More pictures

The cider mill has all kinds of things for the kids to do. Most of it does cost money but they still have a blast.

Uncle John's Cider Mill

On Saturday we spent the day at a place called Uncle John's cider mill. We had so much fun. We got a dozen donuts, a gallon of Cider and polished it off right there on the spot!! :) What a day.
Its about a two hour drive from where we live but we have so much fun there.

The kids love to watch them make cider. They can spend hours just watching this. Maybe I should get one for my house!! LOL

My Brother's business!!

My Brother owns his own heating and cooling company. If you live in West Michigan or in the surrounding area check out his new webpage www.highpointheatingandcooling.com

He does a great job and is very reasonable!!

Caleb's song

Caleb, my 7 year old, has been working on a song for a long time. He did not want me to see it until he was finished with it. He was so excited when I typed it up for him.

The Vapors by Caleb Yonker

We got the soul
And we got the light
He is the Lord your God
He is the Lord oh yea
I love the Lord Jesus
For my God is the Lord.
You don’t need to do this
You save, I go with you,
I am a Christian man with faith,
You’re my Savior. I got a Lord
That saved our sins, and my life.
I won’t go away. I promise I won’t
Be bad. I want to be the best kid.
Thank you, Jesus!!

Prayer for a friend

Could you all keep a friend of mine and her family in your prayers. Because of certain things I told her that I would not use her name publicly but God knows who she is! She was just diagnosed with Lung cancer a few days ago. She has an awesome faith in her Lord and one of the best things she sent to me in an email yesterday was this:

"I have cancer, but cancer does not have me!! God is in control" Awesome!! She has the best attitude!!

Thank you so much!!!

Haiti church in Grand Rapids

God has us meet the coolest people in the some of the oddest places!LOL

Twice now he has brought us together with some good friends now that we have met in restaurants.

He led us to an awesome friend named Kaitlyn at an applebees over a year ago now and she is such a dear friend!!

Recently he led us to another young lady named Lynda. Actually I should say my in-laws met her first at an old country buffet and the we joined them one evening and the rest is history.

Lynda was born in Haiti - yes you can already see the connection! :)

Lynda told us about a church in Grand Rapids that was Haitian. Imagine our excitement!!

Yesterday a few of us went to this church. Diane and her family and my friend Tiffany joined Nate and I and the kids for their 11:00am service. It was incredible. It was just like being in Haiti!! They were soooooooooooo friendly and just truly welcomed us with open arms. Talk about being the body. They get it and shared it with us!

The Pastor had Nate come up 3 times to pray or talk (Nate just cannot seem to ever sit still in a Haitian church!!) The music was incredible. It definitely had that Island feel. It was hard to believe that after the service we were getting in our cars and not on a airplane.

After the service was was done in English and Creole they invited us to have refreshments with them. The refreshments turned out to be Creole chicken and rice and beans!!!!!!!!! Yum!!! Two of my favorite foods.

By the way on a side note, Cheri, the rice and beans you bought us was AWESOME!!!! Very good!! Thank you so much!!!!!

It truly was a blessed day and we have made some good new friends. We plan on going back with a bigger group so if you are interested let us know!!! We also found out they would love to join us on our mission trips so that will be great as well!!!

We also have decided that we will be flying to Haiti in late January/early February. This trip will be just Nate and I. It will be a discerning trip and a time to figure out what our next team trips will look like. Please pray for us as we discern our future!!!!