Reformation Day 2017

I wanted to take a little time to talk about Reformation Day, which is celebrated on October 31st.  This was one of the neatest things we did this month.  I honestly haven't read much about Martin Luther, but after studying about him, I am so thankful he was willing to step out, take persecution, and stand up for truth.  I'm certainly no expert, but I will share a little about what we learned this year.

As I've written about before, we've decided not to participate in any Halloween related activities.  We have prayed about this and studied, and we are at peace about the decision we have made with God!  

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son," Colossians 1:3

This verse, for us, is a reminder that He delivered us from the domain of darkness.  We don't want to choose to participate in anything that is part of that darkness.  We decorate with pumpkins and enjoy the change of seasons, cooler weather, and beauty of God's creation.  It is certainly not always easy to go against the grain of culture, but it is often what we are called to do.  It brings blessings in unthinkable ways, even amidst persecution, judgment, or rejection.

Our neighborhood decided to host trick-or-treaters this year.  They haven't in the past because there were so few children.  We prayed about it and decided to pick up dinner and go spend the evening at the Cherians house.  We left all of our lights on and left Proverbs devotional books for people to take with a note from us.

The girls dancing in the Cherians kitchen!

After dinner, Sheeba shared about Martin Luther and why many Christians celebrate Reformation Day on October 31.  This year is actually the 500th anniversary of the day he took a stand against the leaders in the Catholic church at the time.  As he read the Bible for himself, he learned that our salvation is a gift of God, not given because of our works, but by grace (Ephesians 2:8). The just shall live by faith, as we read in Romans 1:17.  In 1517, he posted a document on his church in Germany with 95 items he wanted to discuss regarding discrepancies he saw between the Bible and the way the church was being run.  He was sentenced to death and had to run away and change his name.  He then translated the New Testament from Latin into German in 11 weeks!   This made it possible for common people to read God's Word...to read the TRUTH!!  We are eternally grateful for his willingness to stand up for truth, which changed the course of history!  If you're interested in learning more, this little video was helpful to us: https://youtu.be/kKQWNgjdS9Q

The kids made "hammers" (because Luther hammered his 95 theses on the church) out of pretzel sticks and marshmallows, in addition to making little Bibles out of Hershey chocolate nuggets, paper, ribbon, and a portion of Romans 1:17.  You'll see them working on the crafts below.

The craft supplies!

Sheeba teaching them how to glue their little Bibles together

Making their little hammers

Showing the finished product!

One of the little Bibles

Next, Sheeba talked to the children about Colossians 2:14...

We talked about how He took our sin on His body.  He, having never sinned, suffered unimaginable pain so that we, through faith in Him, can be free.  It's almost unbelievable, yet, those who follow Jesus know that it's truth!  Each of us wrote our names on a little piece of paper over the word "sin," and hammered it to a cross.  It was very powerful.

Lastly, we talked about Matthew 17:20 and what it means to have faith like a mustard seed.  Sheeba gave each of us little tiny mustard seeds.  We were encouraged to think of someone who doesn't know Jesus yet and hold our mustard seed and pray for them.  We spent time praying and brought our seeds home as a reminder to continue praying for those God brought to our minds and hearts.

All of us (except Nikita)

All of our hands holding our mustard seeds

We came home filled up with the love of Christ, having learned more about His Word, while spending time with dear friends in fellowship and in prayer. We didn't want to sit at home, turn off our lights, and wait for November 1st.  We know that is not our calling.  We are called to be light in the dark times because we have the light of Jesus in us!  I encourage you to meditate on these verses and let me know if God reveals anything to you.  We (the Halls) don't always get it right or have all of the answers, but our heart is to honor God in all that we do! 

October 2017

October is coming to a close.  I am writing on October 29th and the high temperature in Americus was 56!  It has been a welcomed change after a long stretch of very hot days.  It was nice to dress up for church today and find that jackets were necessary!

We had a fun time this month.  The kids have decided this is their favorite month so far because they continue to participate in exciting activities and adventures such as the pumpkin patch, birthday parties, Sunday school get togethers, etc!

Before church one Sunday

They all wore grey and white to our CC community day.  It wasn't planned!

Having fun with Zachary on the trails in his backyard.

The cute dress GeeGee bought Adalynn for her birthday this year!

 Pumpkin Patch

We were able to go to the pumpkin patch with Zeke and Adalynn's homeschool friends.  It was a pretty day.  We enjoyed a picnic and exploring the pumpkin patch!

The kids with Hannah and Mary

Out and about

Zeke got to go to the Cowpoke Carnival in Americus with Zachary!

He won a fish (Bob) and Zachary won a fish too (Larry)!  Bob lives at Zachary's house! 

Playing at Chick-fil-a

He solved it again!!

Mommy and Lily Faith go to Houston

Lily Faith and I flew to Houston to visit family.  We met my mom in Atlanta and flew the rest of the way together.  Grandma/GeeGee flew down from Amarillo.  We had such a nice time meeting  my cousins' new baby boys.  Reed and Lauren had baby Colton this summer and 4 weeks later, Ross and Allison had baby Roy. We also got to see my sweet friend, Erin, and her precious son, Grayson (our godson). It was an adventure and a special time for us all!

Preparing for the flight...these were given to passengers around us!

My helper helping me pack the baggies!

Selfie before we left for the airport

At the Albany, GA airport

Getting ready to say good-bye

She finally fell asleep on the flight from Atlanta to Houston

We met up with Wynna for the flight from Atlanta to Houston.  It was so nice to be together!

On the plane

At the hotel in Houston in GeeGee's room!

My friend, Erin, and her son, Grayson, came to visit us at Ross and Alli's house

Erin's husband is a secret service agent in Houston on the Bush detail

Saying good-bye to Grayson!

At lunch after church on Sunday

Four generations (missing Zeke, Adalynn, Jared, and the girls) 

I cherish time with Grandma!

Back at the airport ready to head home, but sad to say good-bye.

Our caravan!

Thankful to be able to nurse her to sleep!

Checking out the view

Such a big girl!

Back to Normal (well, sort of!)

My mom drove us back down to Americus when we flew home as opposed to flying back into Albany.  We jumped back into homeschooling, but the kids had to put a little twist on it by wearing the costumes Wynna bought them!

Wonder Woman, Super Girl, and The Flash

Delivering a gift to our neighbors while Adalynn was on  a special date with Sheeba and Nikita!

Adalynn and Nikita (love this!)

Lily Faith's new skill...climbing onto Mommy and Daddy's bed!!

She's so pleased with her accomplishment!

I had to capture this.  He gives her the bottle of milk I've pumped for her almost every morning!

 Treats on the Trails

Our friends, and Zeke's Sunday school teachers, had everyone over for "Treats on the Trails."  The kids played games, ran around, explored, and we all ate dinner.  It was a fun fall night of fellowship!

Working on the treasure hunt clues

Hayride

Sunday morning after Treats on the Trails

Ready for bed after a fun weekend!

More school pictures

Our CC director wanted to take class pictures.  She captured Zeke and Adalynn's class, in addition to some of the whole group.  She also took some of the little ones!

Zeke and Adalynn's class with their teacher, Ms. Danielle

All of the students in our group

All of the students and parents

Lily Faith still wasn't interested in having her picture taken!

The little ones with Ms. Brittney

They found a VERY large pumpkin at Publix

She loves her baby doll!

Dany's birthday party

The kids were invited to their friend, Dany's, 6th birthday party at the Fun Park in Albany, GA.  It was their first time at a place like this, and they had a blast.  Zeke was a natural at mini golf and Adalynn had her own style, as always!!

Riding the dinosaur

Having fun playing mini gold!

Pretending to play a game!

Actually playing a game!

Look at him reaching down for the pedal!

She really enjoyed the merry go round!

Mini golf is fun!

Watching Dany open his firefighter Legos from us

Exploring at the birthday party!

Artwork from the Fun Park!

Thomas the Train 2017

Gregg decided to take Adalynn along this year for Thomas the train in Cordele, GA.  He took Zeke for the first time right after we moved here (see pic below).  Adalynn enjoyed it so much that she tried to get back on the train after they got off!  They had a blast and Gregg was such a trouper to take them after having worked a midnight shift (he did sleep for a while before they went!).

October 2013

October 2017

The girls matching (as usual!) for church after Thomas

Sweet big kids

This is how she felt about having her picture taken!

I want to write a little about what we did on October 31st, but I'll save that for another post.  Thanks for reading, as always!