Room at the inn.

When we moved to our current home a little over a year ago, we were excited about having an extra room for guest.  This guest room has definitely been used.  There has not been a month gone by that we have not had either family or friends come visit.  

This past weekend was no exception.  PopO. and Gramma Leesa came to visit us from SoCal, Uncle Paul was in town from Michigan, Uncle Kirk was out for the weekend helping a church in the hood of Chi town, and the Fujino family were visiting from Japan.  No they did not all stay in our guest room but we did have them all for breakfast Saturday morning.  It was a great time of fellowship!

Selah trying to figure out this hoodlum of an uncle.

Sofia has already figured him and out and knows he is one cool dude.

The Fujinos are an amazing family serving in Tokyo, Japan as missionaries.

Sofia thinks daddy and Uncle Paul look more alike now that daddy has shaved.

Sofia and Gramma Leesa making music together.

Gramma Leesa and Selah just hanging out.

PopO. and daddy already have the girls rootin' for the Cubs!

Next time you're in the Chicagoland area be sure to come visit.  There is always room at the Sheckler Inn.

Mimi's Cafe and Mi!

Just recently I discoverd that there are now two Mimi's in Illinois.  The closest one is 31.4 miles away (an hour drive on our country roads).  So last Thursday when Kevin's brother called to say he was in the area attending a conference and wanted to meet us half way somewhere, well, I figured, Mimi's was half way.  Mmmmmm...I loved it.  Mimi's is one of my favourite places for a few reasons.

1.  French Onion soup.  Need I say more.

2.  My senior year of college I worked there for 5 weeks.   This was significant because during the interview process I was assured that I would not need to work Sundays.  After four Sundays in a row of being scheduled I quit.  

3.  Apt. 101 dinner dates.  Years as roommates and for many years after, Wendy, Julie and I would meet at Mimi's Cafe.   Those were special times of sweet encouragement, sharpening, and accountability between three sisters in Christ.  

I'll be making that again....soon.

No way! $3.92.

Yes, I was in shock.  I mean, really, how long has it been since I paid less than $4/gal. for gas?  A long, long time.  No surprise, around July 4 gas was $4.39/gal.  Two weeks ago we were paying $4.24.  So today, when I saw $3.92 I was elated.  That means, three dollars and twenty more cents to spend at the grocery store (where prices have not dropped).

You call me what?

One of the most important decisions a parent makes is in naming their child.  Do you name your child after a family member?  What does the name mean?  And, of course, you go through the rhyming of the name making sure..or just getting prepared for the playground name calling. 

  

Personally, my middle name wasn't one that I embraced too fondly as a child/teenager.  I simply went by Keri L. Overstreet.   As an adult, however, I so love my name because I am named after my father and I appreciate its uniqueness.

When our eldest child was about 2 yrs. old she went through the phase of calling us by our given names (Kevin, Keri) and at times she still will call us by our nicknames given to each other (babe, sweets).   A couple of months ago, her daddy and she came up with a nickname for me which has kind of stuck.  And she calls me...Mama LaDon.  Who would've ever thought?

Unknown Destination, Here We Come!

This past Friday morning I packed bags with bathing suits, diapers, baby food, and changes of clothes for warm and cool weather. I did so not knowing exactly where we as a family would be spending the weekend. The only hint Kevin gave me was that we would be driving 203 miles north. We headed out at 10 a.m. and around 2 p.m. we pulled into Spurgeon Bay, in Door County, WI.

To say that we enjoyed our time up north would be an understatement. Most of our time was spent driving around the peninsula touring the various bay villages, as well as the state parks. We took time to enjoy a traditional fish boil, play in the hotel swimming pool, and watch the sunset at Potawatomie Park.

Kevin and the girls at Spurgeon Bay.

Daddy and Selah playing in the hotel swimming pool.

Sofia waiting for the fish to boil.

And boy, did it boil!

The church where "The Old Rugged Cross" was introduced by its author. It was first sung as a duet during revival services.

Door County is a place we hope to return. We were surrounded by the beauty of farmland, trees, coastline, and a sky streaked with purple and orange thunder clouds as the sun set. But the most beautiful part of the weekend was simply being together as a family. Thank you, Lord.

You still can develop film.

Ash forgot to bring the battery pack to her really nice camera so we dug out the old 35mm camera and used film I found in my junk drawer (which expired in 10/2007).  I thought she was still able to capture some great photos.  Taking the film to the drugstore for developing made me nostalgic.

Keri's (little) sister.

My sister Ashley came to visit us this past week.  Ashley and I didn't grow up together (she is 18 years younger than me) but that doesn't mean we aren't close.  Our shared heart for Jesus and our shared heart for travel is what allows for us to have sweet fellowship whenever we are together.   

Last month Ashley graduated from photography school in Massachusetts and has now moved to the Big Apple to pursue a career in her area of study.  As her big sister I am so proud of her.  She is not only seeking to do something she loves but she daily seeks Christ.  Thanks for visiting us Ash.  

Big sis, little sis.

Selah, Aunt Ashley and Sofia.

Sofia and Aunt Ashley.

Selah and Aunt Ashley.

10 on the 10th

Our baby is 10 months old.  She is such a sweetie.  She loves to crawl after her big sister as fast as she can and pulls up on anything she can to gain a better view of what is going on around her.  Words that begin with "b" seem to be the extent of her vocabulary (bye-bye, ball, bear, bite) but of course, she does know who to call mama.

Summer Reading

I have really enjoyed my summer reading material (see my recent reads on the right pane). What have you been reading?

Ahhh....vacation!

Being on vacation simply meant...

...not answering the phone or being connected to the computer.

...playtime was spent outdoors fishing and playing whiffle ball.

...eating and laughing with family around a bonfire.

...getting bit by mosquitos.

...watching the sun set at 10:30 p.m.

...enjoying God as the creator of the beauty surrounding us.

My mom and Bill's lake cottage in Manistee, MI.  We head here every summer.

Between Two Worlds: Essential Reading for Church Youth and Parents

Here is a link to a suggested reading list for 1st thru 12th graders, and their parents. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Between Two Worlds: Essential Reading for Church Youth and Parents

How to pray

A couple of weeks ago, our evening's Bible story was "How to pray".  We read from The Jesus Storybook Bible (we highly recommend this Bible to parents), a paraphrase of The Lord's Prayer, from Matthew 6.  We as a family learned and were reminded that God just can't wait to give us all that we need.  We don't need to use long words or special words.  We don't have to use a special voice.  We just have to talk.

Over this past month we really have seen a growth in Sofia's prayer life.  It's so beautiful to listen to her pray words of praise and thankfulness to God for his creation (everything from the birds in the sky to the boogers in her nose) as well as pray for friends and family who are sick.

This past Sunday evening Sofia sat on the trunk of the car inside the garage to watch the rain fall.  She asked me, "Mommy, why isn't there any thunder?"   I explained to her that it doesn't always thunder when it rains.

A few minutes later while I was getting some things out of a box, I heard her child's voice pray very simply,  "Dear God, please make it thunder."

About 30 minutes later while we were sitting at the dinner table, God answered her prayer.  It thundered!!!  What a blessing we had as parents to share with our child that God does hear her prayers and God does answer.

The good and the bad.

Here are some random pics from this past week.  I didn't quite get them in order but you get the point.

Selah sported quite the "do" for Crazy Hair Day at VBS.  
Sofia had a couple of her gymnastic friends over for a beach playdate.
She did not want to go to sleep.  
But she does know how to put her hands together when you say "Let's pray".  (The closed eyes were a bonus for the picture.)
And Sofia's "do".

Nine months is so fine.

Here is our beautiful nine month old daughter!  She loves the freedom of movement that crawling has given her.  Freedom to explore, freedom to chase after her big sis, and freedom to get into "trouble".    
Selah developed her own crawl...one knee and one foot.
Her poor foot has developed calluses from where she pushes off.
Enjoying the outdoors.  This is her first time in grass.  We'll see if she has any allergies.
Big sis loves hanging out with her lil' sis.

The Sirens Sounded.

We love thunderstorms!  There just something about a summer storm when the temps are warm enough so you can open the windows and listen to the sound of falling rain accompanied by rumbling thunder.  That is until they become tornadic.

Yesterday afternoon and early evening our local news stations began reporting about tornadoes touching down in the south suburbs of Chicago.  It was interesting to watch because we have driven through many of the towns on our way to Michigan.  At the same time, our county was under a tornado watch.  Then all of sudden around 7:50 p.m. Kevin saw a warning come up on our computer that a tornado was spotted in Wauconda (10 mi. sw of us) and was expected to be in Grayslake (our town) by 8:10 p.m.  The emergency broadcast on t.v. cut in (it really does work) stating we were to take shelter immediately and town sirens surrounding us began to sound off.

Not having a basement, the safest place in our home is the downstairs bathtub.  Kevin piled it with our sleeping bags and pillows, then the girls and I climbed into our "storm fort".  I outfitted Sofia with her bicycle helmet (saw this on The Weather Channel), and secured Selah in my arms.   Kevin never joined us but had us stay put while he tracked the storm by computer and going outdoors(he's a wannabe storm chaser).

Thankfully the tornadic storm stayed south of us.  After touching down in Mundelein (just a couple miles south of us) without doing major damage the storm continued on east instead of the predicted northeast pattern to where we live.

Japan trip

The above picture was taken at a combination Buddhist Temple and Shinto Shrine in Tokyo, Japan.  This image represents millions of people in Japan.  Just as this idol is bound ritually by the Japanese using ropes, so too the people of Tokyo are bound in the traditional religions of Buddhism and Shintoism, along with such spiritual strongholds as materialism and secularism.  May God grant grace to many Japanese so that they might become bound only to the Lord Jesus. 

If you read the previous post you now know that I (Kevin) have returned from Tokyo, Japan.  Although I still have remnants of jet-lag, I'm doing much better.  Well, going to Tokyo, Japan was incredible!  For those of you who prayed, thank-you.  God was gracious to me and the others in our group.  As in all of my other short-term trips overseas, God revealed to me that He is sovereign over all.  Three other things stand out from my trip.

1. Japan needs prayer and workers in the field.  Many Japanese live without hope.  Every day I read about at least one suicide in or around Tokyo.  In Japan, over 30,000 people a year take their lives.

2. God is displaying His grace to many Japanese.  Out of the blue, we met a handful of Christians in Tokyo.  It seemed that wherever we went God had us run into Christians.  We met Japanese Christians in parks, restaurants, and at one of the busiest street corners in the world.  This was cool, considering that only a 1/2 percent of the Japanese population is Christian. 

3.  It pleases God when brothers and sisters in Christ dwell together in unity.  Our short-term team was a real blessing.  We experienced the fullness of God's Spirit, boldness in witnessing, oneness in purpose, and the "surroundness" of God's presence. 

To the King of Glory! (Ps 24:7-10)   

   

You know you're jetlagged when...

the Admin Pastor comes up to you around 8:45 a.m. and says, "Kevin, uh, when did you get to church this morning?"

"About 7:45 a.m.  Why?"

"Well, that means your car has been running for about an hour in front of the church.  Don't worry, I moved it for you and turned off the engine."

The final hours.

With just a few more than 24 hours left on our own, well, things got a bit wild.

Around 10:30 a.m. the wind became fierce.  So fierce that I saw a couple of the neighbour's flowerpots fly by our sliding door, the bbq grill toppled over and a tree came down onto my driveway.  Needless to say this wind also knocked out our power around 11:15 a.m.

The first few hours were fine.  Quiet play and reading occupied our time.  But then I started to wonder about the goods in the fridge (I can't afford to lose the $75 worth of groceries I just bought last night).  I called up a church friend who lives no more than a mile away.  She said they had power and I could bring some groceries over and put in her extra fridge (Thanks, Tracey).  

The tree in the driveway?  No problem, the neighbour had sawed up the tree and removed it for me.  But wait!  With no electricity how was I to get the car out of the garage?  Thankfully the other neighbour came over and showed me how to un-lock the door.

Power was restored around 5 p.m.  So back home we went with our groceries.  Electricity allowed me to vacuum, do some laundry, and watch the National Spelling Bee on television.  And, yes, blog.

Now I will crawl into bed and have sweet dreams for alas, tomorrow, my hubby and their daddy comes home.  

  

The Girls Update

We've kept you updated as to what Kevin has been doing in Japan.  But what about Sofia, Selah, and mommy?  Here is a recap of our 10 days without daddy.

Sofia attended her  gymnastics classes

Mommy took out the trash for the first time in 4 1/2 years

Made breakfast for dinner

Day with the Goshert Gang and Mills family

Worshipped with church family

Drove to Michigan (3 1/2 hour drive)

Hung out with Aunt Kelli, Uncle David, Caleb and Hannah

Sofia participated in the Hudsonville, MI Memorial Day parade with Hannah

Visited Grandpa Sheck, Aunt Sunde, Aunt Kerri, Uncle Bruce, Uncle Paul, Uncle Glen, Aunt Darlene

Watched cousin Ben play baseball

Drove back home

Did laundry, cleaned house

Went to gymnastics class again (Sofia hurt her knee)

Mommy took out the trash for the second time in 4 1/2 years

Looked forward to daddy coming home

Here are some random pics from our week.

Malia reading a story to Sofia, Titus, Isaac, Josiah, and Keziah
Selah enjoying her first parade
Sofia (sitting down) on the float with Hannah (in the hat)
Sofia with the Hudsonville firemen
Selah hanging out with Caleb and Aunt Kelli

Kevin update #7

Today (Thursday) we prayer walked in pouring rain in the location of the house church that we visited on Sunday. In the afternoon, due to the rain, we were not able to do 5min. English. Gary told us to try and get some shopping done. However, the place that we intended to go to (the Oriental Bazaar) was closed. In the evening, we had our Friendship Party. Thankfully, Sakura, a female college student that we had met on Tuesday came. A few of us had a really nice conversation with her. She seemed to listen well during the times we shared with her about the gospel. She has now made connections with Melissa Garcia (IMB journeyman) and she agreed to meet with Melissa for a Bible study. Praise God!

Tomorrow is an off day for us. We hope to visit a couple of places and then do some shopping. Japan is expensive! So, I hope we find some good bargains.

Kevin update #6

This morning (Wednesday) we visited the largest Buddhist Temple in Tokyo. The area of the temple has a long walkway filled with vendors. It reminded us of the money changers outside the temple in the Bible. These people are bound to this religion spiritually and economically. Only the power of God can change this. In the afternoon, we went back to the park we were at on Monday. It is a very large park and we covered the area in prayer. Very few contacts today, but we were able to hand out literature that God could use as a link in the chain. Tonight, Gary, Mark, Joni and I went to follow up with someone I had contact with on Monday, but it turned out that the person either gave me false information or I totally misunderstood him. He wrote down in Japanese an address for a restaurant that was far away, but he said that he worked there. When we arrived and inquired about him the people who worked at the restaurant did not know him. Strange, but as Gary said, that is the life of a missionary!

We plan to go to another area tomorrow to do more friendship evangelism and prayer walking. Then, in the evening, we will be holding a friendship party. Please pray that God would bring many to this party so that we can share more about Christ with them.

Kevin update #5

Today (Tuesday) was another good day. We spent most of the day at another park in Tokyo. We had several encounters with people. We did a combination of sharing tracts, sharing our testimonies, and sharing our smiles with the people today. Amazingly, even though there is often times a language barrier, God has given us plenty to talk about with people. We met a gal named Sakura today. She is a Japanese college student. She rode her bike up to Dale (a summer intern) and me, and asked why we were visiting the park. Talk about fishing and having the fish jump in the boat! We shared our reasons for being in the park, and had an opportunity to share with her about the Lord. We invited her to lunch with the whole group where everyone seemed to have a turn at sharing their story and/or witnessing to her. She stayed with us for a long, long time! To make a long story short, she is coming to our Friendship Party on Thursday night, and she has said that she would like to study the Bible with a IMB journeyman here. Please pray that Sakura, which means Cherry Blossom in Japanese, will bloom magnificently in the Lord by God`s saving grace.

Kevin Update #4

Today (Monday) we did a lot of walking (thus, prayer-walking), but before we did that we had a long train ride. We were in the northeast portion of Tokyo for most of the day. We bought our lunch at a nice grocery store and then walked to a park several blocks away. There, at the park, we ate our lunch, practiced sharing our testimonies, and prayed over the area. We then went to a combination Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine. It was really sad to see the ignorance and blindness that the enemy has caused in peoples lives. We then went to another shrine type place and prayed over it.

Incidentally, our focus passages this week are Psalm 24 and Psalm 25. In Psalm 24, there is a portion that says, "Lift up your heads, O gates. And be lifted up, O ancient doors. That the King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates. And be lifted up, O ancient doors. That the King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of hosts. He is the King of Glory."

I prayed over those verses several times today, to the point of tears at one point. I was reminded that there is not one dot on this whole planet that the Lord Jesus Christ does not say, Mine! Even in a Buddhist temple and in a Shinto shrine. May the King of Glory, and his wonderful kingdom rule soon in those dark places.

After visiting the temple and shrine we went to another park. This park was enormous! We divided up and went out to our divine appointments. All of us handed out tracts and most of us had at least one significant conversation. The Lord was at work today, and our prayer is that he will continue to be at work through us as we continue with park evangelism and prayer-walking in another park in the city.

Thanks for the prayers. The team continues to pray for boldness in sharing the gospel, oneness in purpose, fullness of the Spirit, and the surroundness of God`s presence and power

Kevin update #3

The Japan team had two house church experiences this Lords Day. The house church experience this morning was very American as we spent the morning with a lot of full-time missionaries, short-term missionaries, and summer volunteers. We were grateful to worship all together. The afternnoon house church experience was in the home of Japanese woman and her husband. Due to illness and who knows what she was the only Japanese believer in attendance at the house church. However, her testimony to the Lord`s grace in her life was very evident.

We have had the wonderful privilege of spending a lot of time with the Fujinos the last two days. They are tremendous hosts! It is evident that they love the work that God has called them to here, and while they are hopeful that many Japanese are going to come to the Lord, they do not sit back. This family is very active and purposeful in reaching out to the Japanese witht the gospel.

Tomorrow the team will be involved in park evangelism in the area of Tokyo that Gary Fujino oversees. We continue to ask God that he will give us divine appointments and that we will boldly share the gospel with those that we meet.

Kevin update #2

We had a good day of orientation. The IMB team really has their act together! We prayer walked a lot today. We also did a little bit of evangelism, but it rained when we were to begin 5-minute English, so we did more prayer walking. During one of our transition points Ling got separated from the group in the middle of a very busy and crowded train station. It was a stressful time for about an hour trying to find her. But, Ling was wise to stay near where she was separated. The Lord was gracious. It was a good learning experience. We did have the confidence that Ling knew how to get to the Hostel, but we had called and she had not gone there as yet.

We had a great dinner at the Fujinos. We are now enjoying hanging out with our dear friends.

I miss you guys and do appreciate your prayers. Please pray that God would give us good appointments!

A walk down memory lane.

On May 27, 1968 a little boy entered into this world...

Happy 40th birthday, babe. Because you're not here, I thought I could get away with embarrassing you with a few pics. You were a cutie and you still are today. I love you.

You are an amazing husband, father, spiritual head of the household, and my bestfriend. Here's to another forty!

Kevin at 18 mos. old...
1st grade...
5th grade...
a highschool junior...
and a Marine.

Kevin Update #1

I received an e-mail from Kevin this morning.  He says:

"We got in just fine!  The plane trip and train rides were on time.  The plane trip was a little bumpy but other than that uneventful.  The team is tired and ready for a good night sleep.  We ate at a Japanese restaurant tonight.  I forgot what it was like to eat with chop sticks.  Jeepers, I am going to have to learn how to eat with those or you will not recognize me when I get home.  By the way, I also forgot what it was like to type on a keyboard in a foreign country.  Anyway, tomorrow is orientation, prayer walking, and friendship building.  Thanks for the prayers."

Left on a jet plane.

This morning Kevin took off on a jet plane to Tokyo, Japan. Thankfully we know when he will be back...May 31.

Kevin and 5 others from our church have gone with a purpose.  To glorify the Lord while engaging in friendship evangelism and prayerwalking.  

The Sheckler girls,  we'll hang around home for a few days then head off to Michigan to see family. 

Join us as we pray for daddy each night.

We pray for...

Boldness to share the gospel

Fulness of the Holy Spirit

Oneness in team purpose

Surroundness of God's presence, providence, and protection.  

 

Family Time

It was a gorgeous day.  We needed the sunglasses.
Daddy and Sofia enjoyed birdwatching.  A favourite hobby of theirs.
Selah is learning to love the outdoors after 6 of her 8 months of life being cold and snowy.

More than anything we just really enjoyed being together as a family, enjoying God's creation, and relaxing.

A gift for each other.

We have given a gift to each other (for mom's day and dad's day) that arrived this past week. If you've ever been to our home you've noticed our bare wall in the entry way. The wall now displays a map of the world. Different coloured pushpins represent places we've either been, like to visit, the next trip or favourite spots. This map also represents one of our prayers.

Psalm 67

God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us --- Selah.

That Thy way may be known on the earth, Thy salvation among all nations.

Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; Let all the peoples praise Thee.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For thou wilt judge the peoples with uprightness, and guide the nations on the earth. Selah.

Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; Let all the peoples praise Thee.

The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us.

God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear him.

Made it to 8.

This past month Selah and mommy didn't get much sleep.  Pain, nasal congestion, and coughing made for a couple weeks of restless nights.  But we made it through and Selah has two bottom teeth to show for it.   

Selah is such a sweet baby.  She loves to clap her hands, dance or "bobble" to music, and chase after toys.  You can't call it crawling but she definitely can make it across the room by scooting on her bottom or rolling.  And boy does she love to eat.  Any vegetable will do and a snack of cheerios is such a wonderful treat.  We have to keep those chubby cheeks chubby.:)

Don't forget to...

...stop and smell the flowers.  Oh, how glorious it is to be able to get out and enjoy God's creation.  Our Spring weather continues to be like a roller coaster.  One day it's 75 degrees, the next day 55 degrees.  We have sunny days and we have rainy days.  So when the sun is shining we go out and enjoy it.  Are you enjoying your day?