Happy Birthday Grandma!

I was reflecting on you today because of your special day. So I wanted to post a thank you blog! You are such a blessing to me and I am sure you don't even know it. When I was 16, my grandma passed away. She was my mom's mom and I was very close to her. I am not really close to my other grandparents. Although many don't know it, losing her left a hole in my life. The role a grandparent plays in a person's life is so special. There have been times where you have just walked up and rubbed my back or encouraged me in my parenting or just gave me a hug. It touched me in a way I can not explain. You have such a sweet spirit and I am so thankful for you. So just know that there are so many that you have touched just by being you. Thank you for your years of service for the Lord and the legacy you have left! We all love you very much!

Love, Jen V.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!!

We love you and are glad you are our grandma!

Have a great day!

Sick of Being Selfish

Hello Amazing Family-
Its Lisa Vander Veen here! Sometime's known as Liser-Bageser! (pronounced Lee-ser-Bah-gee-ser) And for those of you that don't know that is just one of the names Kurt has given me...he even wrote a song to go along with it!! Ask him to sing it for you sometime :) Let me tell you...we have a very fun, interesting, and silly house. But we have so much fun together!
I absolutly LOVE being married to Kurt! He is such an amazing Godly man and he has taught me so much! And for that I have to thank God, G & G TerBeek, and of course Mom and Dad! Kurt truly is my other half! He is such a warrior, and at the same time he has such a sensative and peacful spirit! I love that I can laugh and cry with him! Sorry to carry on...I am just so proud of my husband and I want everyone in this family to know what an amazing man he is!
So a little bit about me...I am still working as an RN at St. Mary's in Labor and Delivery but I have also started working at an OBGYN office a couple of days a week. It is good to have a little variety because I was getting burnt out before waking up at 5 am everyday! I have recently joined the choir at our church, Res Life (in grandville) and I absolutly love it! It is a spiritual gift of mine that has been sitting on the shelf and collecting dust...so I thought that is was time to use it again! I can't explain the closeness I feel to God when Im singing on that stage...it gives me chills everytime! And another excited bonus is that we are singing with Point of Grace for a Christmas concert on Dec. 14 at our church...You should all come! Other than that I enjoy spending time Kurt, working out, organzing (I know Im wierd), and my new found hobby, is reading!! I used to hate it but I am loving it and learning so much!
Sorry to carry on but I thought I should explain my title to this blog. I feel like I have been blessed by reading everyone else's blogs and I kept saying "I should really post something sometime" and then procrastinated. Well, after I read Kim's last entry, God told me to stop being selfish. So I just wanted to tell you all how much you mean to me!
I just feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing family! I feel like this blog is a "safezone" and you could share anything and not be judged but rather have the loving support and prayers from this family. Thank you again Stac for setting this up! This family is an army and many of you have proved that nothing will stop us! At times I feel like an infant in my spirital walk with God...only begining to crawl and take those first steps. But there are so many people in this family that I respect and that I am learning from and I know I am growing everyday! THANK YOU!! So My Dream...(this is kinda scary because now I will be held accountable for what I say) I strive to be a Godly woman that will make a difference in this world. I want people see me and say "wow...there is something positivly different about her." I want to be a Proverbs 31 woman! I want Freedom for Kurt and I so that we can in turn give hope and freedom to others. I want to hear God and have the faith and strength to follow through with what He tells me. I want to be a strong women and yet I always want to be in submission with my husband. I want Kurt to be as proud of me as I am of him! Whatever I do, I want to do it for the Glory of God!
I am so sorry that I rambled on so long....I hope that I didn't bore you to much. I just felt like it was my time to share a little of my heart! I love you all and I am so thankful for you!
Many Blessings,
Lis

A time to reflect....

Hello precious family! I'm having what I'd like to call a "thankful" day today. Every day is a thankful day but these days are different. I'm finding myself more and more - opening the door to all the emotional things I went through when battling my leukemia. It's one of those things that people tell you will happen and you just sortof brush it off. Well....it's been hitting me a little harder and honestly, I'm grateful. I guess it makes sense, when you're going through the treatments you need all your energy to focus on making in through one day at a time. You sortof "brush off" the emotional stuff because you don't have the energy to think about it. That all comes later on..so.....I'd like to just share with you a little bit of my heart, sit tight it may be a little lengthy. =)
When you have an experience that turns your secure world inside out it does something to you on the inside. Almost as if a little part of you has died and a new piece has replaced it with something even better. My experience first and foremost has taught me what a MIGHTY God we serve. I have an attitude of praise every time I'm reminded of all he's done. Not only for me, but for my whole family as well. I can't begin to tell you how often Dan and I reflect on the the love that Jesus has shown in such a powerful way. And he's shown it through my precious family....so thank you again for being obdient and showing His love in everyday ways. You truely are an amazing group of people!
I do sometimes have feelings of "why did this happen" - but mostly those thoughts come when I get the feeling once again, that God has called me to help others through my experience. I always have said that I'm grateful for my journey, as strange as that sounds, because without it Jesus couldn't have shown Himself to me the way He did. That verse Psalm 91:14-16 is so very special to me because it PROMISES that when we call on Him, He will rescue us. Period. I think of how He's taught to trust Him like I never have before. There's "I trust Jesus" and then there's "With my LIFE I trust my saviour"!!! Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross so my life would be saved, so my sickness would be healed, so my faith would be restored!

I admit I get angry sometimes when I think of all I had to "give up" while being the hospital or recouping from all the treatments. I remember thinking things were never going to the same. And they're not - and I'm so glad. I have scars on my arms from the PIC line - and ya know what? I hope they stay forever because they remind me of where I was and where I am now and that's a powerful thing.
I remember people saying they would pray that I'd "forget" but the truth is there are certain things I want to remain because they've made who I am today. And who I'll be tomorrow.
I want to encourage each of you today - don't wait until tomorrow or next week when you're not so busy - to give your TIME to the ones who really matter. The family you have right beside you. Those are the things that are important...everything else is just "stuff". Treasure those special times, even if they are a little hectic, when you're with the ones you love. It's the little things in life that mean the most - take that to heart. Be who God wants you to be TODAY - don't wait!!!
You are all so very very precious and I'm thankful for each and every one of you!
Much Love, Kim

Hi All,

Aunt Sally here :) That wasn't so hard. I have been reading all the postings regularly but this is the first time I tried to actually post something myself.
I did figure out how to leave a few comments too. This is great!
Don't have any significant news really, just wanted to see if I could get on. I am sure Ben will post the baby news as soon as there is some :)
Should be soon. Anytime between now and Christmas.
Paul and Anne and Hunter are taking a cruise Dec 9-15, Hunter's first family vacation. Should be fun. He is in the young fives program at school so he won't miss too much.
Michael and I are going to Costa Rica for the company trip this year :)
Should be fun also.
Feb 5-9, Ruth and I are going to go down to Venice, Florida to visit Dad and Mom and bunk out with them at the condo.
February will be a traveling month for me this year :)
Okay, I didn't plan to go on this long. Have to go pick up Hunter at school. Signing off. love you all Aunt Sally

happy thanksgiving

To everyone out there. I hope all have a blessed Thanksgiving whether those of us get to be with family or without. I love you all and am so thankful for our family.

love katie

Our Little Miracle... Elaina Grace (or Elli)

As I was posting the other picture of our girls, the Lord told me that it was time to tell little Elli's miraculous story. To be honest, it has been hard for me to look back at pictures. Most of all, I have struggled with feeling unbelievably vain but the truth is that it is always hard for any mommy to have anything be wrong with their baby. OK - let me catch up anyone who doesn't know about Elli. When she was born, she had a small area that had a lack of pigmentation. We didn't really think a whole lot about it. To be honest, I could barely see it. Then when she was about two months old, red dots started to appear on both cheeks just in front of her ears. I took her into the doctor who had no idea what it was. She did nothing. Finally after her four month check up, the right side starting growing puffy. That was when I took charge. I made my doctor refer us to a dermatologist. He then referred us to a specialist. She ended up having hemangiomas. They are simply extra blood vessels that grow for 2-3 years then regress and reabsorb into the body. They can last from anywhere to 4 to 15 years, but usually go away completely on their own. The complication with hers was that she had them in front of her ear and on her lip. It was possible that she also had them on her voice box. That could be dangerous if it began growing puffy. It could block off her breathing. She then had to go under two different times, one to have a scope which was not very clear. The second time she had to have an MRI. She did have one on her voice box but it was only a red staining, not any puffiness. Thank you Lord. When she was about nine months, the Lord told me she would be healed without a blemish remaining. The six months was a kind of rough to walk through. I knew that Jesus could heal her. I had many people lay hands on her, but really didn't see a whole lot of improvement. Satan kept trying to tell me it was because "I didn't have enough faith". But we knew that was a lie. During those months, God really gave me a revelation of His power and my faith really did grow strong. He showed me that sometimes a mommy needs to be like a momma bear. I knew that once I asked for healing, it was done. But I felt God wanted me to battle the lies Satan was trying to plant. So evey day I would lay hands on her and thank Jesus that she was healed. There were times that I literally felt it shrink under my fingers. What an awesome miracle. Now, it is almost completely gone. The really cool thing is that "normally" the reabsorbing would just be starting. So God is amazing. I think through it all the biggest thing I learned is to just be honest with God. Elli was really not in any physical danger. So I felt "melodramatic" and vain struggling so much when others have much worse situations. But once I could open up to the Lord and tell him that I was hurting for her, he then could come in and heal my heart. Besides, it is not vain to want our little girls to feel lovely. After all, that is what he created them to feel. The pictures are in order. The green PJs in when she is almost a year old. The blue shirt is at a year and a half. The next one is at her two year birthday party. The most recent one with Kayla and Tori was a few weeks ago at the capital. That one really shows that the lumpiness is basically gone. She has some marks still but the doctor told us that would go away last. Thank you Jesus!

Pictures from Mark & Jen

I know some of you don't really get to see our kids very much. So I thought I would post some pictures. (Thanks to Katie for the adorable pictures of Kendall and Hunter.) This is from this summer. Elli is on the left and she will be three in December. Tori is on the right and she turned five in July. They are the best of buddies. As you can see, they LOVE to be matching. (Thanks Auntie Kim for finding the adorable suits!) It is a blessing to mommy because I love it. Hope everyone is doing great!

Grampa & Gramma TerBeek

Well How ya all doin?
I'm Just fine all done with surgery on my hands, I am looking out at a
BEAUTIFUL DAY , Just to let you all know Sandy My Niece is looking for a roommate, a Christian Lady to help with the home expenses, so if you know someone or know someone who knows someone, please let us or her
know. Thanks. also on the blog from Mark I entered a comment about all
the grandkids that went to summit , and I would like your input about that
experience in your life. Can you think of anything to be thankful for this
year? We are thankful for all of you wonderful kids, Grandkids and Great--
Grandkids. and SOOOOOOO MUCH MORE.
We are really enjoying our new Pastor he is A Nut and so He makes Church fun . Rachael wowed the doc last week when she went for her
first check up and walked in with a cane, the Doc. said almost everyone
who has two knees done comes in , in a wheelchair, and her flexability
in her knees (of course) was GREAT!!! So only a few more ???? of thearapy and she will be. Dancing maybe? We I think are ready for winter
that is as ready as two old people can get. Well I guess that is about it for
now we love you and pray for you all .
O.G.I.G. Gramps

Driving in Honduras

Hey family! SO...tomorrow Tracy (close friend from home) and I are going to be traveling by car to Copan, Honduras which is close to the Guatemalan border....PLEASE PRAY :). I have never driven in Honduras and driving in Latin America is VERY different than back home. I have also never been to Copan so this will be an adventure on ALL levels :). But I'm up for it and I'm just asking you to pray for safety, good weather, direction (i don't want to get lost ;)) and FUN! Thanks you guys, what a blessing it is to know I can call out the prayer warriors for something as small and simple as vacation safety! Anyway, have a wonderful Thanksgiving...I won't be around to post, but please know I am thinking about home, family, and turkey ;). I am THANKFUL for you!

Love Tash

Bueniis Dias FROM THE STICKNEY'S

Greetings YALL,

WE THOUGHT WE HAD BETTER POST A BLOG FOR THE FIRST TIME EVEN THOUGH WE HAVEN'T GOT TOO MUCH NEW AND EXCITING TO SAY. WE HAVE SETTLED INTO OUR NEW HOME IN WEST OLIVE AND ARE LOVING IT. AVA IS GROWING LIKE CRAZY AND MAKES US LAUGH EVERYDAY, SHE'S THE NEW STICKNEY HOUSEHOLD COMEDIAN. HARLEY(our dog) ENJOYS COUNTRY LIFE AS WELL AS JUMPING INTO THE POND AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WILL STAND THERE THROWING A BALL FOR HER.

TINA IS WORKING PART TIME DOING BOOK KEEPING AND CORY HAS BEEN WORKING TWO FULL TIME JOBS, BY DAY A SALESMAN, BY NIGHT A CAMO DRESSED BUCKLESS HUNTER AT LEAST UNTIL LAST WEEK.

WE WON'T BE BLOGGING TOO MUCH, WE DO NOT HAVE A HOME PHONE OR THE INTERNET. CORY HAS BEEN SEARCHING FOR GRUBS IN THE BACKYARD TO COOK OVER AN OPEN FIRE. : ) WE HAVEN'T DECIDED WHETHER OR NOT TO SELL OUR VEHICLES AND GO BACK TO HORSE AND BUGGY. JUST THINK OF ALL THE FUEL WE COULD SAVE.

WITH ALL THE COMEDIANS IN THE HOUSE TINA HAS DECIDED TO KEEP HER FEET ON THE GROUND SO THAT THE HOME IS WELL ANCHORED. :)

FOR YAALS INFORMATION THE FOLLING LIST IS SHORT LIST OF GOODIES FOR SALE
1. 9 SNOWBLOWERS--100--225
2. 1 45 FOOT GREAT DANE SEMI TRAILER--1000
3. 10 ACRES OF LAND IN ALLENDALE---56TH AND M-45
4. 1987 BUICK REGAL WITH 10 SWITCH HYDROLICS--Yes you can drive it on 3 wheels!!!
5. 7.65 bolt action hunting riffle with weaver scope and case-200
6. ford 8n tractor-2800
7. 1979 pontaic trans am-white w/blue bird
8. jeep libery 3.7 engine--500
9. 2 rusty wagon wheels-free
10. designer chandalier --56'' x 18'' hand hammered copper--robert kuo-baker furniture-600
11. horse saddle--outback style-200 (i don't think crocadile dundee used it either fyi)
12. ......

I thought I would quickly interrupt Cory's...UHHHMMM.. listing so you can get on to reading the rest of the Blog! : ) Love you all and hope everything is going well in your world!

Signing off,

The Sticks!
Cory, Tina, Ava & Harley

This is hunter and I, we put paint on our noses and we were touching them together. It was really fun and cute. Precious moment with the kiddos. It's hard being on the other side of the country from family. But pictures like this help keep you close to home. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Katie

this is kendall polavin, Paul and anne's little girl I thought it would be good for you all to get an updated pic of her. Isn't she adorable? It looks like she is posing here for a picture shoot, but really she is just cute. So here you go enjoy. Love you all

Katie

Stelly Jelly Bellies Here

Dear Family,
Well, with Kristina's help I have finally made it to post a comment on our faboulous Family Gathering Bolg Thank-you Stacey, what a great way to keep in touch. Weston had his tonsils out this afternoon so say a little prayer for a speedy and uneventful recovery. We wish all of you a blessed Thanksgiving. If anyone has any great game ideas I would appreciate them. We have the company Christmas party @ our house this year. I sure am thankful for all of you. Family is what life is really all about. Family and leaving a legacy such as O.G.I.G and Reformation Day Stories. Don't you all just love the logical flow of my thoughts...... it's a joke. I am..... can you all say it together RANDOM Spontaneous........Bye for now Auntie D.. for Darling Donna

Howdy! Jen here!

Hey everyone! I thought I would just say hi. I loved reading all the blogs from you guys. I especially loved the ones who were answering Mark's question. It is so cool to see the differences and similarities with everyone. I have something I really wanted to throw out to everyone. For all the married couples out there, I have an unbelievable book for you. It is called Love and Respect. Probably most of you don't know about the journey that Mark and I have taken on our almost ten years together. (WOW!) However, if you would describe it in one word, volitale would be accurate. If you know anything about personality types, we are as opposite as can be. But God knew what he was doing. Now as we are learning to work together smoothly, we make one powerful team. But the process of learning has been a little more than difficult. (By the way, he would tell you the same thing.) But we have both earnestly sought out the Lord and have grown and changed, along with some supernatural counseling! Anyways, I said all of that to tell you that I have read a lot of marriage books. But I have never read anything as powerful as this Love and Respect book. I think that every couple and especially anyone who mentors young married couples should read it. Anyways, that's all for today.

PS: Thanks Lisa for the recommendation!! It great how little sisters can help their big sisters!!

** Also, I love to read. So if have any book recommendations, let me know.

Whoa

So, It´s sort of been a while. And, I have a TON of work that I should be doing. Therefore, settle in and get comfotable, because this will probably be long. :) So, the last you´ve heard, I went camping. It was so much fun. Imagine a smallish island, then add a few craters, a TON of Moai, a couple Rapa Nui Romeos (the male islanders who happen to appreciate the gringas), amazing beaches, and 16 gringos. That would be a pretty good description of our week. On my favorite day, we rented a ¨family van¨ and drove to all of the famous Moai platforms and visited a pink sand beach. Then we made up the rest of the food that we had left and had a big dinner, family style. So here we are in our family van:

And a group shot of us reading about the Moai. See, we even made the vacation educational! :) Apparently the Japanese helped fund the restoration of one of the platforms.

So that was Easter Island in a nutshell. The next big event, aside from school and studying and tests of course...was Halloween. It´s not really celebrated here, but we had a gringo costume party. I was an angel, ¡claropo! Nothing super exciting. I followed it up with some more studying, homework, tests, and papers.

We left for a city called Pucón on Thursday night. It´s about a 12 hour bus rideto the south, so we arrived early morning Friday. There were a bunch of activites planned for us to learn about the Mapuche culture. It´s the largest surviving native culture here in Chile and was exciting to learn about live...they gave us food... On Saturday I went whitewater rafting in the morning. Class 3 - 3.5 rapids, nothing too thrilling, just enough to get you a little damp. Then I went horseback riding through the lower parts of a volcano, beautiful scenery. And...they let me gallop...I´ve never been before. I ended my day at the hospital. One of my friends here had gotten sick, and she couldn´t keep anything down. The problem is, she´s allergic to sugar, so if we let her get too dehydrated, we couldn´t give her any of the normal juices and mixtures and such. So we went to hospital thinking it would just be a quick visit. It turned out that she had a gastrointestinal infection and needed to spend the night. So we did. She´s much better and home resting now, but it turned out to be a little bit of drama. And I´m fine, we think it was from a virus she caught earlier and then the stress of this month brought it out. So, Sunday I was exhausted all day but we went on a tour of the region followed by a long stay at the hot springs. Lovely! Not so lovely was teh bus ride back. Another 12 hours to arrive at 7:30am on a Monday morning followed by a full day of classes. Asi es la vida.

Let´s see, other goings on in my life...I´ve been spending a lot more time with my youth group here. We recently had some people from Texas here and they had some Michigan connections, and anyway, the talk turned to football, and it came out that one of the guys is an Ohio State fan. And so I will be receiving a humbled e-mail after the game. Which I unfotunatly am not able to watch.

Ok, I think I can head out now. I´ve spent enough time not doing what I should be doing. It is late for me, and I need to catch up on my sleep. Oh, and prayer request. So it´s taked me probably about two and a half hours to write this because I was mostly chatting with a friend of mine here, Lizzie, who will be returning with me next semester. She is very liberal, and very open about her beliefs with me, and they do not include Christianity. She knows that I´m a Christian though, and we´ve actually been able to talk about it some. Her experience with Christians hasn´t been great, so we were talking mostly about forgivness. Anyway, just pray that I can be the witness that she needs to see right now the next time you get a chance. And now...I will be going to bed!

Paula

Gracias!

Thanks Aunt Renee for the package! It was so great to get a surprise...I received it last week during one of our cold spells and the socks where SO cozy! Thankyou...I feel loved.

Just a quick Tashina update...School is going very well, one of my students was expelled last week...and he was quite a problem! We have parent-teacher conferences today...which is always a busy, long day!

I have a friend coming to visit Nov. 20-Nov. 27 over Thanksgiving and Paula is coming to spend a month or two with over Christmas...I won't be coming home over Christmas break, so this is the next best thing! By the way, if any of you EVER want to head south for a warm vacation...let me know! Talk to you soon!
Tashina

Freedom!

Hey Everyone. Jen here. At the risk of sounds almost sappy, I wanted to tell you about an amazing woman that Mark and I got to listen to about a month ago. Her name is Anka and she just recently became a US citizen. She was born and raised in Romania. Then she met her husband online and move to the US after getting married. For about an hour she told us about her experiences growing up in a socialistic government. She told us horrific stories about waiting in lines for 3 hours to get a liter of milk. That milk was to last her family a month. She told us how her father was taken to prison because he refused to serve as uncover spy to rat out anyone who was not loyal the current government. (I forgot the name of the man who was in charge.) And in her words, "Prisons in Romania are not like prison here. Prisons here are resorts." She told us about how amazing it is to have stores full of items to buy. If they somehow were lucky enough to save up money, they would go into stores that had empty shelves. She also told us that it was everyone's dream to be able to live in America. Why do I share this? Because today I was so blessed to be able to go in and vote. She told us that they did have elections in Romania. Unfortunately there was only one name on the ballot. What a blessing it is to live in a free country. For those of us who have never experience a world that is not richly blessed and free, it is so easy to take our country for granted. So today when you go into vote, think of all the people in this world who would give just about anything, including their lives to be able to do what we are doing today. I also couldn't help but think about all the men and women who have fought and given up their lives and portions of their lives so that we can be free. Thanks to all you military men and women!! Have a blessed day!

PS: By the way, Anka also lived through the revolution of Romania. Her father fought to overtake the leader (name?) and Romania is now free. (I am not up on all my history.) I can't remember the year that occurred but it was awhile ago. She told us that there is still A LOT to rebuild the country. It really gave me amazing insight to what it will take to rebuild Iraq.

HEY! It worked!

This try got a "Please Lord, let it work this time" and here it is! The other one is the view so you can see we really were quite a ways up!
Kim

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!