Bulletin Board Creativity

That's right, there is a small glimmer of hope in the creativity department. Not much more than a speck or two, but it's there nevertheless. I think my mom stole all the creative/imaginative genes for the entire family and forgot to pass them on to me. However, I try to make up for my insufficiency with extra effort! So, here's a few "Glimpses of Creativity" in bulletin board form. (Praise the Lord for many online resources to give me inspiration, too!)

Oh, and just to make it more challenging, I have to make/translate them into Spanish, too! Don't worry, I will give you the English equivalent here. :)
 

Easter 2009--He is not here, for He has risen, Matthew 28:6

(Pretty sure this was my first bulletin board in Spanish, 

I remember how nervous and self-conscious I felt about it)

Missions--Acts 1:8, Our Jerusalem, Our Judea, Our Samaria, Our Uttermost part of the Earth

The Word of God is Sweeter than Honey,  based on Psalms 19:10

If we confess our sins, Christ will cleanse and forgive us. based on I John 1:9

(Black = Sin, Red = Blood of Jesus, White = Clean Heart, 

Green = Christian Growth, Gold = Heavenly Home)

The Clothes Line is my latest, and in my opinion, greatest {so far}. As you can see, I LOVE to have an attention grabber by making things 3-D or using "real" items instead of pictures. It's a lot of fun, once you have an idea to run with. That's usually the hardest part for me. If you have any creative brilliance at your house or with your bulletin boards, please share them with me here. I love to "steal" a good idea and tweak it to make it my own. I am willing to share my glimpses of creativity, hope you are, too. :) 

P.S. I have another one "in the works" right now, and it is my own original idea, too {surprised gasp}. I will have to let you know how/if it turns out. ;)

Blue Lions & Red Zebras

Who knew that you could have blue lions and red zebras?? Did you?? I certainly did not. However, my clever 3 year old knew. You see, I have the amazing privilege of co-teaching the 0-3 year old Sunday School class at our church. Our class of Estrellitas (er..little stars) is the BEST!!! I love our class, and {added bonus} I have both of my kids in there with me. :)

Now, back to blue lions and red zebras. Last Sunday, I taught the kids about Noah and the ark. It was so neat to watch the kids' faces light-up as we dove into the story. I am sure some of them were hearing this incredible story for the first time! I had so much fun teaching and even more fun helping them with their craft. I did a little searching online, and found this adorable Noah's Ark plate craft. Then, with a bit more digging, found the animals and Noah (too bad I can't seem to find it back) to go with it. Too cute and easy to make, just had to share it with you!

Where One Life Ends....Another Begins

This week I have been reminded of the brevity of life. On Sunday, a friend of mine gave birth to a healthy, bouncing baby boy!

Also, I heard of a young man in his early 20s that passed away from cancer that very same day. The loss of one life on this earth and the beginning of another. Tragic, yet amazing...both miracles. Now hold on, I know what you are thinking, "I totally get how birthing a baby into this world is a miracle, but death?!?" Yes, even some aspects of death can be considered a miracle. Look at it this way--this young man who met with death on Sunday, did not leave this world with a mind and heart full of worries, anxious, nervous, hoping against hope that he would come out alright on the "other side". He did not struggle with doubts and fears, but rather was surrounded by the sweet peace that only Christ can give. You see, this young man knew the Lord as his Saviour, and clung to the promise of a prepared place in Heaven awaiting him. Was it due to his own merit? Not in the slightest! He entered the pearly gates and walked down a street of gold to his new heavenly mansion all because of the precious blood of Jesus that was shed on Calvary. It was shed for him and he accepted that wondrous, miraculous gift of eternal life. So yes, even in death there can be miracles, the miracle of a soul sweetly delivered from the grief and pain of this world, spared from the eternal torments of Hell, and graciously welcomed into God's Perfect Home.

It reminds me of this wonderful song that speaks of:

"A Prepared Place"

In my fathers house are many mansions

 if that weren't true I would have told you so. 

I'm preparing for you now a place in heaven 

that where i am, you too can go.

chorus: A prepared place built by God's grace,

 a prepared place in heaven for me.

 I have joy in knowing that one day i'm going

 to a place he's preparing for me.

Jesus said to us let not your heart be troubled.

 Why live in fear of what tomorrow might hold. 

Trust in Jesus Christ alone to save and keep you,

 that where i am you too can go.

In actuality, Sunday does not represent only the beginning of life on this planet for my friend's little guy, but also marks not so much the death of this godly man, but more the start to a whole new life at his Heavenly Father's side. His earthly body may have come to an end and much sooner than we like to think about, but his soul lives on and eternity has really just begun for him. What an incredible thought!

The 4th of July from a Far Country

How my heart thrills to see those sacred Stars and Stripes!!!

As I think of Independence Day, my mind is filled with great memories of celebrations and holidays past. In recent years, the Gansemer family tradition of parking the truck down by the river the day before, filled with coolers bulging with all the wonderful things that we could possibly need to have a cookout and enjoy the fireworks to the fullest on July 3rd. I remember taking Clara to enjoy this special time when she was just over 1 month old along with the terrential down pour to end the show! How tiny she was and how things have changed since then!!

Friday night, July 2, our family along with some of the other missionaries in our area gathered at our friends' house to take some time to fellowship and observe this special holiday.There was so much food, fun, laughter, noise, etc. etc. between the men crowded around the dining room table hashing out the world's problems and finding ways to save the day, the babies' cries and squeals, kids running here and there, and us ladies, we had a great time just "catching up". Clara was in her element with some many buddies to play with and cartoons to watch. Ethan had company, too, 2 baby girls, one just a petite little 2 month old, and the other a smiley 8 month old. 

Such a blessing to be able to have this time to remember our country and the freedoms that we have, and Lord willing, hold dear. Obviously, to the Argentines, as in every other country, July 4th is just another day on the calendar. We know differently though, don't we?!? A time to be thankful to the Lord for all that He has given us. A time to be thankful to be a part of the U.S. of A. and grateful to all that have come before us to make our homeland what it is today. Is it perfect--far from it. Is it still a Christian nation--I have many reasons to doubt. BUT, it is still a blessed nation and I am proud to say that I am one of its citizens. 

Do I live between its shores? No, I don't. But I think in many ways, that makes me even more thankful for being raised there and the times that I am there. Why? Because I see that the rest of the world cannot compare to its beauty and bounty. It's easy to take for granted all the comforts, big and small, that come with living in America. It is another thing entirely to live in a far away land and see first hand that the rest of the world does NOT live in the same way. Sometimes we are not truly thankful for what we have until we don't have it anymore. Let me tell you, living in Argentina, which thankfully is fairly modern and not nearly as different as other countries, still reminds me how very good things are back home. Definitely makes me more appreciative for the upbringing that I had in the wonderful "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave"!  With all its flaws and imperfections, with its economic "instabilities" and environmental "challenges", praise the Lord, I can still and will forever call it HOME! :) I am proud to be an American and pledge my allegiance to the beautiful Red, White, and Blue of Old Glory, aren't you?!?

My "Superwoman" Moment

Oh how I chuckle as I am writing the title and thinking on the events that occurred just last night. It all started with an attempt at exploring and enjoying our new found independence. After a couple days of delay, hubby finally came home with our car yesterday morning. That's ok, what's a few more days after 1 1/2 years car-less, right?! {Cringe, shrug, keep the smile in place} So....in light of this fact, we decided to make a much needed run to the "big" supermarket and mall in our area. Yippeee! After nap times for the kids, feeding Ethan, and bathroom run for Clara, we pulled ourselves together and were ready to leave--or so we thought. How strange it felt to fasten the kids in the back and climb into the front seat of our own car!!?!! We have not traveled by car, BY OURSELVES, in such a very long time! We set out with great hopes of a nice, relaxing family time of shopping and eating at McDonald's (that's the big time when you have a toddler, ya know!). After almost hitting a pedestrian that walked right out in front of us, we made it onto the interstate--Wheew, we were on our way! But not for long, within a few moments, we heard a noise that every car owner cringes to hear, "POP!" followed by the bumpety-thumpety of the back left tire to confirm our fears. Our very first excursion and we blew a tire!!! Ugh! Oh well, we have a spare, and thankfully for me, hubby is here to save the day! We pull off on an On-Ramp, and attempting to be a sweet and helpful wife, I asked hubby if there was anything I could do for him. As if I know anything about changing a tire! Ha! However, he was quick to reply that it would really help if I could stand by the car and wave the traffic over. Alrighty, no problem! Believe it or not this is where my "Superwoman" moment comes in (yet modestly dressed, of course!!!).

I get out of the car and hurriedly button up my little jean jacket against the stiff wind. (Remember--it's winter down here!) Hubby gets out everything he needs and prepares to change the tire, which of course, happens to be on the traffic side. I step out from behind the car just a bit, thinking surely the traffic that can see the car behind me, complete with flashers blinking, and with my presence there, too, will steer clear of us. Not So! Remember, Toto, your'e not in Kansas anymore!!! A few cars did seem to have some compassion and scoot over as they passed, but others did not hesitate to go whizzing right by me and my poor hubby, who was working hard on the tire.  In fact, one man had the audacity to try and wave me over, good grief, like I was really standing out there just for fun! Fortunately, there was not a constant stream of traffic coming off the On-Ramp, so we evaded mishap. It really surprised me how inconsiderate the other drivers seemed to be, especially when break downs are so much more frequent down here. Other than the fact of standing there in my long jean skirt, wishing for long johns, my winter coat, gloves, earmuffs, etc, the whole situation struck me as rather comical. I really felt as if I were "Superwoman" standing in the way of danger to protect my hubby from the perils of oncoming traffic. Too bad the superpowers weren't included! To my relief, after about 10 minutes or so, we were back on the road again without injury. Matt decided that it wouldn't be wise to continue on to our original destination, as it was still aways a way. So we settled for plan B (you always have to have a plan B, or C, D, E, etc. esp. when living in a foreign country ;) the small mall nearer to our house. Too bad that we then got stuck in traffic and waited for 45 minutes!! FINALLY, we arrived and got to eat our McDonald's and get a few groceries! Was it worth all the hassle and "unexpected" events that happened along the way? I don't know, but it sure made it into an adventure!!! :)

On a spiritual note, this whole episode reminded me of how Christ acts as my Protector from the evils of this world. He has more "superpowers" than Superman (or woman) could ever dream of, too! I am so thankful that my Saviour stands, first and foremost, between me and the dark, deep pit of Hell. Also, He  keeps me and my family safe from robbers, perverts, accidents, diseases, etc., many times without me having the slightest inkling that these perils are lurking nearby. The Bible says that the devil is as a roaring lion seeking to devour me and my entire family as we strive to serve the Lord together. What a blessing to know that I have my Lord and Saviour, the One & Only, True & Faithful, "SUPERMAN" Son of God as my Guide and Shield.
Secondly, I realized that although our trip-turned-adventure was not at all what we had planned or hoped for, that God knew exactly what was going to happen and allowed it to take place. My Heavenly Father was not surprised by our blow-out, 45 min. wait, or "change" of plans. We may hit bumps in the road of life and feel like we are on a detour, more often than the main highway, but God knows no detours, as "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." I am glad that I know the One that is in control, and without  knowing all the reasons why, I can rest in the fact that He knows! He truly is My Hero! :)

Our very own, "new to us" 15 yr. old CAR!!!!!

Yes, you read right, C-A-R! The Gansemer family has its own wheels once again!!! After almost 1 1/2 years of waiting, saving, hoping, praying, searching, etc. etc. I am sitting at the computer right now, anxiously and I will admit nervously, awaiting the return of my hubby with our new found treasure. How fitting that just a day after INDEPENDENCE DAY, we will be able to gain more independence of our very own!!! I feel like running outside, jumping up and down, and with all my might shouting, "FREEEEEEEEDOM!!!!!!" (Hey, I could, no one would understand me anyway! Oh, other than the other missionaries around the block, and I am sure that they would be happy to join in my celebration! They have been our primary means of transportation for all this time so I am sure they will be overjoyed to have their freedom back, too ;)

Our car won't be new, or luxurious, or fancy, or perfect--but it will be OURS and it will be all those things to US!!!!! Of course, it makes me choke to think of all the money that we saved up being spent on a car; especially as it costs 2x as much as it would in the States! After all, we are not exactly buying the top of the line, latest model, decked-out car. Did I mention it is 15 years old?! BUT, God knows the desires of our hearts, and is giving me back the Honda Accord that I had to part with when we began deputation. I loved that car, and am so excited to now have its "younger sister" to drive around. No matter what anyone says or thinks, we will be cruising around in style, in our "new" car, and the bonus, working AC, won't that feel heavenly when the temps. begin to skyrocket in just a few more months?!!! Let me tell you, YES, it sure will!!! I will probably be begging Matt just to take us for a ride so that we can cool off!

I have a couple more posts in the works that I will be sharing with you soon, but there is nothing more exciting than the thought of having a car again after all this time!! Just had to stop and share it with you!
Watch out, Argentina! The Gansemers are hitting the open road! :)))