Never know where to begin......

We haven't updated this for a while so there is so much to tell......

The Christmas party was very chaotic ---- we had approximately 42 kids working at the tables.....making their gift jars and decorating their bag to take all the goodies home in. But we had great help and even though panic struck a couple of times...."oh no! we don't have enough oatmeal.." it all turned out good in the end, and we are pretty sure the kids had a good time. It's possible that some heard the Christmas Story of Christs birth for the first time that day.

Our grandsons are still having a great time. They do admit to being homesick "a little bit at night". They had a blast playing in Dwights big round hay bales. Going in and through where they weren't stacked tight and so on. However, when they came in from the cold they weren't so happy. Those hay bales are full of "cheek grass" and the seed heads stick to everything they come in contact with. So their hunting suits and stocking hats are FULL and it takes hand picking to get them off!!! Not exactly their idea of fun.

We visited the JDC on Sunday and met with 7 kids. One gal, Winter, was hurting inside because her favorite uncle had just passed away from lung cancer and no one in her family told her --- the funeral was over and she didn't get to go. Another gal, Gina, will be moving to Oklahoma and going to an Indian boarding school in January. She said she was glad to go because she would get away from all the trouble on the reservation. Another gal, Jalynn, had been released a week or so ago but was back in. She had sassed ?? a judge (probably more to it than that) and ended up back in the center. We told her about the passage in the Bible that says we are to obey those in authority over us. We tried to do this instruction in a "fun" sort of a way but assured her that it was something she needed to do. Another gal admitted to alcohol abuse...... We also heard that one of the boys was told he "had to leave". (The guards have told us that some kids don't want to leave.) He had been there for 200 days. He was one of the boys who knew the answers on our review time and also one that we had so much fun with.....he also loved our snacks and always asked for more. We are very concerned for him.....where is he now --- are things OK wherever he is...... We can only leave him in God's hands....but we do hope that as we drive through St. Francis that we might spot him and be able to make contact with him.

????? Is there more you should be told about. Time goes by so fast ....what have we forgotten.....

Oh Yes! School in Todd County was canceled for Monday and Tuesday of this week because of the bitter cold (the buses wouldn't start).....so that meant we didn't have Release Time this week. We feel bad because we had a special little gift for the K-4 kids and now they won't get it until after Christmas. Plus our lesson was about the Wise Men.... Those are disappointments that the kids also share because we know they love to come to "Promised Land".

We hope to leave here for Michigan on Friday morning. Gary has been watching the weather reports and it looks like a storm will be going in front of us. So please keep our travels in your prayers.

Thanks!!!!! Gary and Barb & Trenton and Austin