Many Descendants

I have often wondered how many desendants Mark and I will have. I hope our story is like this one that I came across on Visionary Womanhood's blog awhile back! My only fear would be, HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO REMEMBER ALL OF THEIR NAMES?!?!?

Here's part of her story. "One of Jerusalemite Rachel Krishevsky's grandchildren says with pride, 'Grandma knew all of her descendents' The commandment to "be fruitful and multiply" the Krishevsky family follows quite closely. Last Saturday, the great grandmother, Rachel Krishevsky passed away at the age of 99, leaving behind no less than 1,400 children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren. Krishevsky got married to her cousin, Yitzhak, just before turning 19. The couple brought seven sons and four daughters into the world. In accordance with haredi custom, Krishevsky brought up her children to see children as a great joy. Her children subsequently adopted her outlook and produced 150 children of their own. These 150 children continued the commitment to be fruitful and multiply and themselves had no less than 1,000 children. From here, the lineage continued even further, and Rachel Krishevsky was blessed with a few hundred great-great-grandchildren. Rachel Krishevsky died on Saturday surrounded by loving descendents. Due to their great numbers, the family is not quite clear on precisely how many descendents there are. "The estimate in the family is that we are about 1,400 people since almost all of those from the family line were blessed with many children," said one of the grandchildren Wednesday. Though she lived a full and long life, the family is saddened by Rachel's passing. Krishevsky lived nearly her whole live next to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda open-air market. "Grandma was a God-fearing woman her whole life, and her door was always open to the homeless and poor near the market who were looking for a place to eat," added the grandchild. "She knew the entire book of Psalms by heart, and participated in all the family events, happy and sad, up until two years ago. She knew all of her descendents. We are sad about her death, but proud of what she achieved in her life and her righteousness and compassion." "

Hard to Believe

Last week Friday we had 2 birthdays to celebrate.

My wonderful hubby's and Josiah who turned 1.

It's hard to believe our baby is already 1.

I think the more children we have, the faster time flies.

Josiah has been such a blessing in our lives.

It really is hard to imagine how our family lived without him.

Here is a year in review of Josiah's life so far.

Just minutes old

Couple of days old

Sweet 1 month old chubby cheeks

Bright eyed at 2 months

3 Month Photo Shoot

Enjoying some time outside

First taste of solids

What the youngest of 11 doesn't go through!

Enjoying the horses. Seeing the animals is his favorite thing to do outside.

And he sure does know how to melt our hearts :(

Playing Peek-a-Boo is a favorite

And he never has a shortage of lovin'!

We love you Joey and look forward to many more fun times with you!

Happy Birthday :)

Happy Birthday to My Favorite Man

Yesterday, my favorite man celebrated another birthday. I can't even begin to explain what a blessing Mark is to me. I knew he was amazing the day I met him but I have only begun to realize how amazing since we have been able to spend these many wonderful years together.

CARING

,

Loving

Handsome

,

Funny OK... VERY Funny,

Wise

,

Provider

Great Friend

Wonderful Daddy

,

Amazing Leader

......really words are not adequate.... I LOVE YOU MARK! I am so thankful to God for you. Praying you will have a great year! Love Rosalie

What we have been up to....

 Once upon a time there was a house......

This house had a garage with a  workshop.....

This garage with a  workshop got a makeover....

And was turned into a family room....

Here are some pictures of the renos.

Enjoy! :)

Here are some BEFORE pics...

During....

We were VERY thankful for Arthur Munck to come down for a week to help us out!

And AFTER...We are not quite done yet...But seeing the end :)

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA (Jan. 1)

The day you were born started many firsts for us.
Our first time being a parent.
Our first time for being solely responsible for a little life.
Our first time being blessed with such amazing gift from God.

As the years went by God added other gifts to our family.
But our firsts with you still continued

We were grateful that we had God's Word to guide us along the way.
Not that we did everything perfectly, because we didn't, but when we look
back we realize that it was only His grace and wisdom that got us through those "firsts."

And this year the firsts kept coming. You were our first child to get married.
And now the tradition continues as Andrew joined our family and became ouir first grandchild.

I look at some of your younger brother and sisters now and can't believe that as quickly as you grew up, they will too. How time flies. I remember dreaming of the day that you, Lord willing, would have your first child.  I thought is was a long time away. People told us to enjoy you while you were young, because before we knew it, you would be all grown up. And you were.

But I am happy to say that I can enjoy you just as much now as I did then. Even though the situation has greatly changed, you are still our son, and it still is a joy to be around you.

I am so proud of you and the husband and father that you have become. And I pray that as your little family grows, and you go through many firsts with Andy, that you too will cherish the days, because we know they are so short. And we pray that as he grows up, that you will be able to enjoy watching him grow into a Godly young man as we have been able to watch you.

We love you Josh. Happy Birthday and may God bless you this year as you continue to serve Him.

Love Mom

Just Taking Notes

The other day while Jennifer was cutting Kerri's hair I looked at Mikaya and said, "Mikaya, you better take notes so that when you are older you will know how to cut hair."

She immediately went to get her pen and paper and did this :)

Life In Our Quiver 2009

This is the newsletter we sent out to our family and friends this Christmas.

Since we know we didn't get one to everybody who might be interested, we thought we would post it here. Seasons Greetings to all our blog readers.

How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?

Psalm 116:12

It's hard to believe another year has gone by. This was a year of changes, trials, blessings and joys.When I reflect on this year I am overwhelmed by the goodness of our great God! Here`s a brief overview.

January came and so did our expectations of adding the newest blessing to our family. But he was a little slower in coming than we were thinking and we were made aware that God`s timing is perfect. He also came in a little different manner than we were thinking but as always God knew exactly what was best. Josiah James Daniel joined our family on January 8th via an emergency C-section. To make a long story short, after being 10 days overdue I had an ultrasound which showed the amniotic fluid to be very low, so I went to the hospital to be induced. While I was on the fetal monitor they lost Josiah`s heartbeat and after turning me every position to try to find it, they were unsuccessful. I was immediately prepped for surgery and a few minutes later our son was born. We were so thankful that he was safely in our arms and totally healthy. Children are a gift from God and we feel honoured that God chose to bless us, once again, with a precious son. And this was a double blessing, as Josiah was born on Mark`s birthday.

February was a busy month. Besides adjusting to a beautiful new baby it was time to plan our son, Joshua`s and his wife, Rebecca`s wedding. It was such a joy to plan this special day with Joshua, Rebecca and Rebecca`s family . On Feb. 28th Joshua and Rebecca made a commitment to spend the rest of their lives together. This was the first wedding on both sides, so everything was new to all of us, but after all was celebrated we agreed that it was the perfect day. After a honeymoon to Israel, Josh and Rebecca have settled on the home farm. Being on the same yard has given us the special privelage of getting to know Rebecca better. We feel very blessed that she has joined our family. She has been an amazing wife to our son, and a special daughter and sister-in-law.
 
March started out with a visit from the Muncks, a family of 12, from Tennessee. Up until this point we had only visited by email so it was great fun to finally meet face to face. And after a couple of days it was plain to see that this would be a friendship that would continue on. Even though they were only here for a few days it felt like we had known them forever. It made it easier to say goodbye when we decided, Lord willing, we would make a trip to Tennessee to visit them in summer.


April was a month busy with calving and getting ready for seeding. After a few years of early seeding it was evident, come the end of the month, that this year would be different. And we patiently waited for the weather to warm up and the fields to dry. But we were going to have to wait until May to scratch the soil this year. Once again, we knew God`s timing was perfect.

On May 8th we were happy to be able to get out on the fields and start planting the crops. But our patience was tested as the rains kept coming and it seemed like we would never get seeding done. Thankfully on May 30th we were able to finish up. We were very thankful that God was merciful and gave us a window of suitable weather to seed. Also on Mother`s day we were told the exciting news that we would be welcoming a new member to our family. But this time it would be a grandchild, due in January. We were overjoyed!

Late June and early July included a trip down south with our destination being the Muncks home in Tennessee. Some of the sights we took in along the way were the Mall of America in Minnesota, the Creation Museum near Petersburg, Kentucky, an Amish village in Arcola, Illinois and then it was on to Cleveland, Tennessee to see our dear friends. And after a visit that went way to fast, we slowly made our way home again. In total we were gone 18 days. It was great time together as a family and we will forever cherish the dear memories from it.

August was another month of resting in the Lord`s timing as cool weather and rains stalled both the crops and the gardens growth. As the days went by and the temperatures stayed cool we petitioned to our Heavenly Father to help things ripen so we could get our crops in the bins. On Aug. 26th we finally brought the combines in the fields and harvest began. But it was not without its struggles as the weather continued to be cool and wet.


Once again patience was needed as we waited for favourable combining weather. We ended up having to dry a lot of grain which made the harvest season a little more hectic. But on September 25th we parked the combines for another year and rejoiced that God had answered our prayers, another crop was safely in the bins. The neatest thing was, a year that looked so bleak to our human eyes, ended up being one of the best crops we have ever had. So all the struggles were worth it and we were, and still are, humbled by God`s loving provision.

October was a very busy month finishing off the field work and starting some fix-up and building projects around the yard. We are always thankful for the many willing hands that we have in our family that make the
projects a little quicker and lighter. What a sense of accomplishment, ownership and closeness when we work hard together as a family to get things done. Sometimes in the midst of it, it is hard to perservere, but when we see our finished project, it is all worth it!

November started in a very unexpected way when Rebecca went into premature labour and God chose to bring Andrew Joshua into the world and our hearts. Once again we rested in the fact that God`s timing is perfect. Andrew was born at a tiny 3lbs. 2 ½ oz. Being 10 weeks early, he had many hurdles to overcome. But we were so thankful that God chose to preserve his little life and even though this meant a long hospital stay we felt blessed beyond measure that we had another precious little one to love on. Andrew is the first grandchild on both sides of the family and also the first nephew to 17 aunts and uncles. He will be very loved :D To read more about Andrew's preemie journey you can visit Josh and Rebecca's Blog,


And that brings us to December. This month has brought many trips to Winnipeg to see our sweet little grandson. We are happy to report that Andrew is doing great and is showing improvement everyday. It is truly a miracle to be able to watch this little man mature and grow. We are all hoping that he will continue to improve so that he can go home soon with his daddy and mommy. The 17 aunts and uncles have never met him in person, so they are quite excited about his homecoming too. With siblings that have such a close relationship, it has been very hard for the brothers and sisters not to be able to see or hold little Andrew and share in person the joy of his life here on earth. They too have been able to instill in their hearts the truth that God's timing is perfect and He knows what's best. And maybe, Lord willing, our Christmas gift this year will be to have Andrew join our celebrations.

So as you can see this indeed was a very eventful year, a year of ups and downs, a year of triumphs and trials, but no matter what the outcome we are still able to say that it was a year where God was God and God was good. Every year there seems to be a theme of what God is teaching us and this year was no exception. As I`m sure you gathered, it was a year where God confirmed in our hearts the truth that His timing is perfect. So many times we see things from our human perspective and think we know what is best for us and those around us, while God is saying, “ Actually, no, this is My best for you.” We can make a choice to reject His ways and try to get things happening in our own timing, or we can choose to rest in Him and know in our hearts that He is God, He is in control and He knows best. We have found that when we choose to rest in Him, we can find true peace, deep inner peace, peace that passes all understanding, peace that lasts!


Our prayer for you is that you will experience the peace of God this Christmas season and throughout the coming year. And that whatever comes your way this year, you will be able to trust in God and know that “His Timing Is Perfect” and "He Knows What is Best For YOU!"

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Love in Christ,

Mark and Rosalie

Jennifer, Megan, Kerri

Caleb, Zachary, Jesse, Nathan,

Brooke, Mikaya

and Josiah.

Peace

As I look out the window and see the snowflakes gently falling I am reminded of the reason God sent His son to the earth. I am reminded of peace.

The peace that Christ brought into our lives.

The peace that passes all understanding.

It is only because of this peace that we can rest in Him.

It is only because of this peace that no matter what our circumstances, we can trust in Him.

It is only because of this peace that we can look forward to the certainty of  eternal life.

It is only because of this peace that we can count it all joy in our trials and tribuations

It is only because of his peace that we can live each day with assurance that God is good all the time.

Our family prays that you will experience the peace of God this Christmas. The peace that came when He sent His Son for us.