The trip begins - Wisconsin

We are safe and sound in Silverlake, Washington, the doormat of Mount St Helens.  Today is one of several relatively clear days, on which you can see the peak from the property of the 7Wonders Museum.  We are still settling in, with occasional aftershocks from the main shake of last Saturday.  Seismologists have noted that this end of Washington has slightly sank.

Our Wisconsin trip was wonderful.  It was about a week full of fellowship, fun, the occasional tick and the occasional severe storm warning.  Actually, we arrived on the heels of severe storms in the Madison area, and storms were forecast our first night camping.  

Actually, our original departure time was Sunday, and, unlike most of our trips, we went to bed at a decent hour Saturday, with everything packed but the toothbrushes.  I mean, that is not our norm.  But we were ready.  However, we knew the weather for Madison was looking kind of colorful, radar-wise.  We decided to see what the forecast was for Sunday night.  

So we rose early Sunday morning, all ready for our last meeting with the saints at Emmaus.  Like I said, we were ready.  But the weather looked pretty firmly unpredictable, leaning towards bad.  This was kind of a weird situation, because we had no groceries, no paper products, all clothes packed, you get the picture.  The one consolation was we decided to have friends over for lunch afterwards, and the Lord gave us a wonderful going away visit with extended goodbye time.  

Monday was still looking iffy, weather-wise, but we figured it was now or never.

So, once we were on the road, we made arrangements with dear friends to use the building our Madison fellowship met in, just in case the weather deteriorated suddenly.... 

....which it did NOT.  

It would have been beautiful out!  But, we had a great time in doors anyway...

We were blessed by friends far and near who gathered to chow and chat.

A last-minute surprise pre-birthday for Sarah was quickly converged with much assistance....

The Schaefers family contributed a deluxe dessert they had up their sleeve!

Yum!

Here she is, mustering up her best surprised look!

Before our departure from St Louis, a neighbor blessed us with a whole case of take out food boxes and bundles of plastic ware and napkins!

Catching up... with ketchup.

Pen pals in person.

Our dear friends in Wisconsin, the Canos, came several hours for the camping trip and were up to weather the storm.  They arrived the stormy night before we did, but some special friends of ours in Madison opened their home to their little family at the last minute, praise the Lord!  They had a great visit.

Daniel warmed up to all the "strangers" right away.

Game time.

Our fellowship lasted into the late evening, and as we cleaned up and said goodbye, many people commented on the ominous forecast, and suggested back up plans if a storm descended on our campground.  The sky was clear, but the Canos noticed some rain passing them as they drove to the campground.  We arrived several hours later, still no rain, but we checked weather frequently.

Even though we were in a severe storm watch, we never got a drop!  At about 2 am, we saw this on the  weather radar.

(We were in the dry, green dot!)

Morning Bible time after a peaceful night.

That day, we had the opposite of rain -- sunshine!  So we devised a shade system for our unshaded campsite.

The temperature was nice, though the breeze began to tweak our tarps.

The Kohrts popped in and brought pizza!


The playground was nearly empty.

As is the custom, we had a bit of drizzle the day we packed up to head to the Wisconsin homeschool conference.  We had intended to camp until the morning of, but decided it would be less hectic to arrive the day before.  And it was!

With a propensity for Ps, the sPeaker imPressed us with Practical Principles.  Israel Wayne stated:  "If one christian has one dollar, and another has a million dollars, who has more?  Answer:  Neither -- it  all belongs to God!"

Cutie!

Lots of good convos at our table.

The Klein ladies did a session on modesty, aka, looking weird in the eyes of the world.

Closing song:

I don't want to be, I don't want to be a casual Christian
I don't want to live a lukewarm life
I want to light up the night with an everlasting light
I don't want to live a casual christian life.

Dave met a lot of dads this year... it was a good turnout of dads!

Volleyball -- without all the normal broccoli!  : )  Miss you Mayos!!

Keeping Kayln in shape for a new little brother or sister!  Praise the Lord!

Discussions.

Friends -  a happy time of year!

Some of the guys.

Some of the girls.

Please keep off the grass.

Coming up in due time:  our sojourn west!

The plan for tonight!

Hello Wisconsin friends!

We have a more or less finalized plan now. :)

We are looking at arriving in Madison this afternoon. The saints at Madison Grace Fellowship have graciously allowed us to use their building this evening, so we will be meeting there starting around 4. If you can’t make it till later that is fine. We are thinking potluck dinner would be at 5:30 or 6. Please bring your own place settings.

The church’s address is 5201 Turner Ave.

Part of this meeting is a surprise birthday party for Sarah, who is turning 20 on June 2. If anyone would be inkleined to bring cupcakes, that would be great for Sarah’s birthday. Please don’t worry about bringing gifts — your presence will be a wonderful gift! She is expecting to have her birthday out west and in the midst of unpacking and settling into our summer post, so celebrating early with you all will be very special. :)

We really look forward to seeing you tonight!

Getting the boot(s)

We are in the midst of preparing for our big summer trip!  Sunday, Lord willing, we leave for the land of beef and cheese (Wisconsin), for a week of camping and our favorite homeschool conference.  

From there, we will bop west across North America until we get to Silverlake, Washington, the veritable doormat of Mount St Helens, and home to the 7Wonders Creation Museum.  We will be helping our dear friends, Lloyd and Doris Anderson, and learning how they do what they do.

What do they do?  They educate folks on the many geologic features which were almost instantaneously created during Mount St Helens' eruptions and their aftermath.  (That's why they call it the "7Wonders"!)   They also mow the lawn, clean the toilets, vacuum the floors, welcome groups to their visitor center, give lectures, feed birds, sell books and videos, and lead the occasional tour and hike.

So we have finished procuring enough boots to shod all the Klein feet.

And we are breaking them in, to boot!

And we have found a great way to stow them when not in use!

We are counting down the hours with no little amount of excitement.  We are also getting ready to start seriously missing our St Louis friends...waaaaaahh!!!

Working as a family

We are in the middle of a busy year with CocoaConf, our family business of 2 years.  It is a traveling programming conference, and it specializes serving those who program for Apple devices (iPad, iPhone, Mac computers).   The Lord puts just the right people in our path to provide the content, and we work on all the logistics and marketing.

We began by offering event after event, spread out through the year.  However, this year, we tried a "spring tour," having four events.  We have finished that, and though we are a bit worn out, it seems like the change was an improvement.  We are getting good reviews from many attendees and there seems to be an interest in future events.

Starting a new business has a great deal of uncertainty, and we have been trying to depend on the Lord for wisdom along the way.  An important priority for us is family involvement.  This could not just be something more that Dave has to do.  We needed something that we could do together.  After ten events, we have seen that become much more of a reality, as the kids take on more and more responsibilities with Dave managing things.  There is still a need for parental (and business) direction, but since it is a family business, that is mostly built-in.

Besides just the working aspect, we also have a desire for our children to have opportunities to interact with people, but with us there to help in guiding them.  Sending them to the mall with their age-mates is not our idea of teaching them how to interact with people.  But learning to serve and interact with people of various ages and backgrounds from around the world is something we consider a great opportunity for all of us.  And if people notice our massive tribe and want to know what makes our family, um, special, they will have the opportunity.

We had years full of just little ones, feeling like we were always on the receiving end, wishing we could be of help to others.  We now see those years as an investment, and realize that the various bumps in the road (broken doorknobs, toilet seats, dresser drawers) not only gave us opportunities to learn patience, but also the resourcefulness to teach our children (in baby steps) to learn to help and work and figure things out.  These opportunities were not in a sterile classroom, but in real life.  So, CocoaConf is just another real life opportunity.

-------

Another family project we are excited about is our upcoming summer in the state of Washington, working alongside our friends, Lloyd and Doris Anderson, of the 7 Wonders Creation Museum at Mount St Helens.  We posted previously about their work, and we received an invitation to come learn the ropes, and pray about how we might help in the future.  They feel there is more that could be done with this ministry if there was more hands on deck.  So, we are making plans for making yet another cross-country trek, bookended by a couple of west coast CocoaConfs.  We will miss our dear friends in St Louis, but trust God has a great summer planned for each one, and we anticipate the Lord will teach us lots as we seek his will for how we can serve Him!

Schedule change

We have been notified by the organizers of the Missouri Christian Homeschool Fellowship (CHEF) that we will not be permitted to have exhibitor space at their upcoming conference next week. We received a brief email in March, followed by a refund of our exhibitor fees.

The organizers told us that it is because of differences with our theology and direction.

We attempted to communicate with them over the past weeks via three emails, but we had no response. Finally, we called, but it is a done deal. That is why we are just posting this now.

While we do have differences in theology and direction, we share similar theology and direction with many of their past speakers and exhibitors. But we trust that the Lord will use this situation for good.

So, we will miss those of you whom we expected to see at the conference. May the Lord guide you as you seek first His kingdom.

Lord willing, we will share more in future posts about how theology and direction affects our goals as homeschoolers. It is a very important topic.

Welcome to our Open Bus!

It took some explaining the concept to some people.  

Open Bus?   

But we had a wonderful Open Bus, 

and we wanted to share some wonderful pictures with you!  

Most were taken by our friends, the Kellums and the Drestes!  Thanks guys!!!

This is Daniel Amos Klein, welcoming you to his Open Bus.

This is Obadiah, with his big sister Allison.  He doesn't have a bus.  Yet.  

His family came from farthest away to view the spectacle.  

 

These are some of our friends who came to check out Daniel's bus.

We had lots of friends from our fellowship who came, and several neighbors.  

We just didn't take enough pictures!

We are new at the Open Bus hosting thing.

Daniel is sitting with Annah.  Daniel is holding a cool twistie baloon inflated by Mrs. Dreste.  

Shaped like a alligator or something.  She is pretty good, huh?

Mrs. Dreste quickly volunteered to be the twistie baloon inflator and did a wonderful job!

The dads had a good time of chatting about extra-bus topics.  

They did talk a bit about the bus, too.  I think they are getting the vision.

It poured down rain on our Open Bus, so we only had like 60 visitors.

It really poured down rain the entire time.  But it was plenty warm.

Oh, what is funny is the bus was almost not even working in time for the Open Bus!  

Seriously!  

We ran it out of diesel and it would have been stuck in our steep driveway, 

and any guests would have just slid all the way out the back door!  

But we thank the Lord we got it running, 

so we moved it to our sweet neighbors' level driveway across the street.

It looks like they are thinking about all these yummy cookies.  

They were yummy, 

but I don't remember them being as yummy as they look in this picture.  

Probably because we munched on some many broken ones, 

we were a little sick of them at the time.

Here is Daniel on Samantha's lap.  

Know what he's thinking about?  

Yummy cookies.

This Samantha's sister, Lilly.  

Her mom is a twistie balloon expert!  

She blew up so many balloons!

We tried to doll up the bunk beds and seats to make things look cozy.  

The curtains were made years ago by Grandma Jemelie, 

and we have brought them from house to house through the years.  

I think they are ten years old!

They fit the bus windows perfectly!  

Just need a more Klein-proof curtain rod for them.

We had lots of snacks at our Open Bus.  Cheese balls were the favorite.

We ordered a special bus cookie cutter, 

because we couldn't find one at Walmart.  Seriously. 

 

We had a covered table outside in the rain, 

so people could get drinking water.  Seriously!

We cleaned up the bus so nicely, we couldn't recognize it!  

We hung posters on the wall of the kids working on the bus (painting and stuff).  

The kids did it all.

Oh, another funny thing was that on the day of the Open Bus -- 

the roof leaked! 

 We noticed a big, unsightly puddle in our nice new bathroom!  

So we got an ice cream bucket 

and that helped until we could re-do the caulk on the roof.  

Keeps us humble.

This is Suby drinking water in the rain.

This is baby Olive and her mommy.  Olive is 5 days older than Daniel.

Our photographers were really thinking about the cookies.  What do you think?

I mean to tell you, it did nothing but rain the whole time!

Our hostesses.

This is our wonderful neighbor, Mr. Poenicke.  

He knows all about buses and is a big help to us.  

He let us park our bus in his driveway, because ours is too steep.  

He was badly hurt in an accident last summer, and nearly died! 

He was ready to go to be with the Lord,  

but the Lord had more plans for him and he is home with his family!

He was our first Open Bus guest, 

and I think he enjoyed his visit.  

Pre-CHEA Family Camp!

We are looking forward to the 2013 Wisconsin CHEA conference next month and hope to see some or all of you there!

In advance of the conference, we are camping for a few days at Lake Farm Park in Madison.  You are welcome to camp out with us, by reserving a campsite, or meeting up with us for the day(s) or evening(s) as you are able.  The office said visitors are welcome at the campground until 10 PM.  

So, we are reserving spaces 41, 50, and 44 (we have to get a bunch for our family since we are a bunch of people!).  If you are willing and able to camp, you can scope out the available sites here.

That will tell you where we are, and you can choose a campsite accordingly.  Campsites are about $26 a night with electricity, $17 without.   Here is a list of campsites.  (You may have to click on Lake Farm Park.)

We are thinking of doing pot luck style dinners and campfires on Monday and Tuesday evenings.  During the day, we would have time for fellowship and hiking and things.  We don't have anything really planned. 

Please let us know if you can make it!

How to draw "the fear of the Lord"

We received a really great question from a parent of an 8 and 5 year old:  How do you draw "the fear of the Lord"?  It appears so often, I feel I need to include it.

Here are some ideas:

The "fear of the Lord" is kind of abstract, isn't it.  You can't draw it all by itself.  It reminds me of another abstract that we have had to teach our children:  the word "no".

With our oldest children, we didn't really consult God's Word too much; we were christians, but we relied on popular "wisdom" and we got the vibe that you don't teach "no" before age 2 or something like that.  I don't know, we just felt like it was frowned upon to expect little ones to understand that.  

The way it played out was that one day, we finally realized "This is ridiculous," and started telling our toddler "no".  So one day, they woke up, and there was this new expectation on them.  That went over less than stellar.  It made for a challenging and stressful transition to say the least.

With our last two babies, we taught "no" very early.  We started at around 5 or 6 months old!   It was easy!  Well, actually it was fun.  They would innocently grab an object, and we would say "no" (no spanking or yelling) and remove their hand.  Maybe we would do that 14 times in a row.  "No" doesn't mean much of anything without context.  So, we never just said "no" to them; we always said it in context with what he was doing.  No pictures! 

It was really teaching more than discipline.  That is what made it fun.  It was kind of an experiment.  (Like, we have experimented with at what age they would become ticklish as babies.)  When they started understanding "no", were just amazed.

A side benefit is that at this age, children have have very short attention spans.  So we didn't have to deal with the dedication and perseverance of a 2 or 3 year old wanting to jump off a table... and always getting there after impact.  When working with a little one, you have the benefit of their almost total immobility.  So all of our "no's" are successful; we can control their environment!  There is so much less stress just patiently repeating things to a 6 month old versus chasing down a 22 month-er who is RUNNING to the bathroom with the can opener.

Our youngest is a year now, and he understands "no" across many contexts.  If he crawls towards something and we say "no", he understands!  We haven't attained perfect obedience, BUT we do get some, plus we are seeing a child who is more content with not getting what they want all the time!  (Contentment is a lesson for LIFE!  We need it as much as he does!)  He understands "no" is a dead end, and, with his short attention span, he will then interest himself in something within his palette of choice, such as his toes or the corner of a table.

Well, that was kind of an aside, but the point is:  while "no" is very abstract, in context, it is completely understandable even to a very young child.  That transfers to the teaching of many concepts in the Bible.

An excellent article is "Teaching Our Children to Understand the Bible".  It gives concrete examples of defining such abstract concepts through studying the Bible as a whole.

Another booklet we have found helpful is "How to Teach Your Children a Verse a Day" on our website.  It gives many ideas for illustrating verses when you are not just talking about an ark or great fish.  

But there was more

I looked at the grass beneath my feet,
And thought of the way it grew so fair.
I looked at the trees, the grave mesquite,
And felt with all them the blowing air.
Exquisite design shining softly
In each branch, each leaf, each tender sprout.
Detailed craftsmanship was plain to see;
No clear thinking mind had room to doubt.
  And I wondered: but there was more.


I looked at the sea, the sun, the sky,
And watched as the waves lapped at the shore.
I looked at the moon, rising on high
Enshrouded with clouds of flurrying hoar.
The order of time, as days tick past;
Moonlit attraction, pulling the tides;
The path of the sun, o'er ocean vast;
They point to a Hand that all this guides.
  And I wondered, but there was more.


I looked at the stars, with vast command,

Almost without bounds, without confine.
I looked at the path, galactic strand,
And thought of its size, the sparkling shine.
The grandeur immense, the power displayed
Overpowers all this world below:
So many the sum of gems arrayed,
How can one take in this cosmic show?
  And I wondered, but there was more.


I looked up to Him who spoke the word,
And there sprung to life all that now is;
I looked up to Him, whose voice is heard
Through His creation, which sings His praise.
Omnipotent One, it can be no less;
Transcendent One, above this sphere;
The All-Knowing One, nature attests;
All this He must be, it is too clear.
  And I wondered, but there was more.


I looked on His names, exalted high,
Proclaiming His truth, His righteousness;
I looked harder still, with fearful eye,
Each one sounding forth His holiness.
I said, Who am I to lift my face?
Unworthy vile wretch, deserving death!
How can I now stand up in this place;
Not worthy of life, yet blessed with breath?
  And I wondered, but there was more.


I looked down again: my eyes were drawn
To a sloping hill; I traced its brow.
I looked on the cross against the dawn;
And then I could see, see clearly now.
His infinite love! that saw my sin
That paid such a price, to set me free;
The Maker of all still loved me when
I was deep in sin: He died for me!
  And I wondered, but there was more.


I looked down the slope, and in the vale
And looked in the tomb left open wide.
I looked, and I knew all it entailed:
He's risen! and I am justified!
Such love and such grace I can't repay,
Forgiveness and joy so deep, so wide:
And now on His throne, He hastes the day
When He shall fetch me to be His bride!
  And I wondered, but there was more.


  And more there shall be.


--  Hannah 

Copying the Bible in Botswana!

We recently happened an exciting testimony about a missionary in Botswana who was encouraging people to copy the Bible.

 Our family has been copying the Bible for several years, but we heard about it from others who had been copying the Bible.  However, Kelly Carruthers actually got it from the Bible!

Kelly just realized that his time was limited, he was spread pretty thin among many places, so to encourage the believers to press on in their growth in the Lord, he just gave them notebooks and told them to copy the Bible. He believes that the Word of God is living and active, and that the Holy Spirit uses it to help us grow. Where did Kelly come up with this idea? He had seen God's instructions for the kings of Israel in Deuteronomy 17:18-20

And it shall be, 
when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, 

that he shall write him 

a copy of this law in a book 

out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 

And it shall be with him, 

and he shall read therein all the days of his life: 

that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, 

to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 

That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, 

and that he turn not aside from the commandment, 

to the right hand, or to the left:

 to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, 

he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Of course, the results of the believers copying the Bible was amazing.  No wonder, huh?

We recently wrote to Kelly, and he gave us permission to share his response with our readers.

Dear Dave & Debbie 

Here is my story and I think you will identify with many things. 

Seven years ago, many of the missionaries in Southern Africa underwent training on creating dependency among our African Christian brothers. We even considered the idea that giving a Bible to someone might be dependency. I contemplated this aloud with some volunteer Americans and they were deeply offended. In my prayer time the next day the Lord spoke loudly, "You don't know what you are talking about it, you should get a notebook and try it." So I did. Not believing it was really possible I started in Philippians and was amazed at how the Bible was actually programmed to teach itself. Then I began to discover more inner clues to the amazing power of the Word of God as it stands on his own. 

After copying for myself for about 1 and 1/2 years, I started to hand out notebooks to my African brothers and sisters. They began to see what I had been seeing and even more things. I was so amazed at their insights and discoveries. I have been using this method without knowing there was actually anything in print like what you have as resources. I have finished the Bible 3 times and have given copies to my children. I am walking through it for the fourth time and believe it conditions my heart to stay in tune with the one who called me here...

The other thing I have noticed is the maturity of those who are writing.  Their theology is well-balanced because they treat all the verses equally.  They also stay focused on Matthew 6:33.  

Just two weeks ago one of the main guys in Zimbabwe was contemplating going back to school and or attending a trade school.  I believe in helping people better themselves so I was willing to help if he wanted.  He went back home to Zim and prayed about it.  Changed his mind and told me why.  Matt 6:33.  He wants to seek the kingdom first and then Matthew 28, he wants to make disciples and doing the schooling thing would only take him away from that focus.  He believed God will provide for his needs if he does these two things.  

I noticed on your web site that you thought it a shame that the television was advancing certain ideologies ahead of the gospel.  I couldn't agree more.  Capitalism is not Christianity, but obedience to the word of God is what we are after...

May the word of God continue to bless you and show you his amazing promises.  He will not share his glory with anyone else, not even the church, if it doesn't put him first.  "No one can receive anything unless it is given to him from heaven."  John the Baptist has impressed me most recently, he delighted in hearing the voice of the bridegroom.  I love to hear it second handed from other disciples who also hear his voice.  

Be blessed, Kelly 

Isn't that such a wonderful testimony?

Kelly also gave us permission to share this article he has written on Bible copy for believers back in the States.

Copying the Bible! 

I bring you greetings from Botswana, Africa. Many of you have heard my wife and I speaking about a new/very old discipleship method. This method involves a notebook, pen and your favorite translation of the Bible. We recommend you start in Matthew and begin writing down every word and every verse. Why? The end goal of this method is prayer. As we compare ourselves to the words we are writing and whether or not they truly describe us, it will give us something to talk about with God. It may end up in praise to him concerning the changes we have seen, or a need which He has pointed out, or a word to share with someone else. Jesus saved us to be in a relationship with him, not just learn about him. It is the voice of Christ which brings healing, faith, strength, and conviction.
Some people have asked some questions and I thought it would be good to write them down. Maybe you have had the same question and did not have a chance to ask us personally. 

1. Can I summarize what I have read? 

No! Summarizing will only include what you remember from reading. We want to allow the Spirit of Christ to use any phrase in the verses we are copying he chooses. Summaries leave out too many things. 

2. How much a day should I copy?

 As much as you want. To keep us from becoming Pharisees we do not want to set any type of limit. I do recommend “daily”. Yesterday’s spiritual meal will not suffice for today’s spiritual battle. Try to write out complete sections, whether that is a chapter or an individual story.

3. What version may I use? 

Any. Just be sure it is a translation and not a paraphrase. 

4. What am I looking for? 

Surprises. Repetitions. Yourself. Copying the scriptures will help you to know how “Christ-like” you are in your daily living. Oh, I almost forgot. You are also looking for God’s heart. Nothing he did nor what Jesus did was by accident and the way the writer of the gospel presents it is not by accident. 

5. What should I do after I finish Matthew? 

Keep right on going. It is very important to finish all of the gospels before proceeding to the rest of the New Testament. Then on to Genesis. Even if it takes you years, the journey will be worth it. 

6. What if I don’t understand something I am writing? 

No problem. Write it out, reread it aloud when you finish that section, but whatever you do, don’t stop. We are only responsible for what we do understand. Sometimes God might even hinder us momentarily until later when we can handle that particular section of scripture. 

Please feel free to email me any question you may have. My email is kaknnc@gmail.com But most important, email your testimonies. We remember 10% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 70% of what we write down, and 90% of what we talk about with others. Share what you have discovered, and continue to walk by child-like faith.

When your grandpa owns a t-shirt shop...

Happy birthday, Grandpa Edd! And thanks for the t-shirts!!

A new face

Ben worked hard to update our family website.  The new site is better organized, slightly expanded, and much greener, literally.  It took a bit of time, and not a little ice cream, but we are thankful for the great job Ben did.  We hope it will be a blessing.

Ben will now be beginning a larger project, Lord willing.  More later...

UPDATE -- Open Bus - March 10

====

Ready, Fire, Aim!

(Had to revise the date!)

====

You know you want to.

We are inviting friends and neighbors to check out our latest school bus/RV conversion, Sunday, March 10, 2013, from 1:30 PM to 5 PM, near our home in Ferguson.

Since our driveway is not very level, a beloved neighbor is actually hosting our Open Bus.  When you get to our house, just take a look, and you will probably find it pretty easily.

Hors d'oeuvres will be served.

RSVP not required.  Casual dress.  Email for directions:  daveanddebklein@yahoo.com

Hope to see you there!!