2 Peter 3 - What God is reminding me...

After the election on November 4th I was reading my Bible and studying passages on progressive sanctification.  One of my passages was 2 Peter 3:18 - the passage began with a "but" so I went back to read it in its context.  Here is the part that struck me:

"And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of Scriptures, to their own destruction.  You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

1)  I could relate to Paul as my brother in Christ

2)  It is okay that I don't understand all of what Paul wrote in his letters!

3)  the untaught and unstable distort the scriptures (reminder)

4) Be on my guard and make sure I am not carried away by unprincipled men

5)  To be steadfast in God's Word

So, I know it is basic, but it was a great reminder to me that God is in control and my job is to remain steadfast and grow in Christ.  My job as a mom is to make sure my children remain steadfast and grow in Christ or come to a saving knowledge of Him - depending on the child.  We will honor our Lord, remain steadfast and "be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yield its fruit in its season, its leaf does not wither and whatever he does he prospers." Psalm 1:3

Thanks to my big helpers!!!

Maddie and Lawson, thanks for picking up where Jillian and daddy needed you most!  You are great examples of the ability to put Christ first!

This picture of Jillian captures her quiet joy.  The joy I have the privilege of seeing as she serves in our home tirelessly.  Jillian you are a blessing beyond measure and I thank you for all of your help during this time!  

You all remind me of 2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity, Amen. 

Sleeping at the Mansell's

Hello to all again!  I am back up a running just a little after a long, hard surgery.  No sign of cancer is present and for this we praise our Lord Jesus Christ!  

I am awake while all are sleeping trying to catch up on some business that is long over due, but I couldn't help but marvel and thank God for the blessings I found fast asleep.  

Mark and I had to head into town this evening so the older ones were in charge.  We arrived home to find everyone asleep except for Lawson.  Lawson rarely sleeps before everyone is home.  I was headed to bed and looked at the sleeping bodies.  There must be something about having so many brothers and sisters that causes you to give up that personal space.  Each night I find the kids in different places asleep.  Sometimes there are five on a single bed and one on a double bed.  Some nights there are 5 on the floor, three on a bed etc.  Each child has there own bed and bedroom, but they all like being together to fall asleep.  I used to worry and try to make sure that every child slept in their own bed, but once you bring home children from Ethiopia and you learn they spent their nights sleeping in a home with a barred door, lights on and a gun waiting for someone to brake in, your perspective changes.  In one year we have accomplished 1)falling asleep without tears of fear, 2) sleeping without a light on each night, 3) no one wakes with night terrors 4) Maddie still sleeps with her Bible clutched in her hands, but not out of fear anymore.  Our nights are peaceful as each child grows and learns his/her relationship to Christ.  I wish I could locate a camera as I wanted to add a picture of everyone sleeping...I guess it will have to be added later : )

All of you who have spent a night or visited here can probably laugh when reading this post!

Update! Update!

Hello all!

It has been a whirlwind the past week! Mom and I just returned home from our lovely stay in Charleston for her surgery. She left last Monday, so we were all grateful to have her home. 

The surgery itself went very very well. The doctor said it was the most boring one he has done. :) And, equally, the recovery process has gone swimmingly! Our one matter of concern is her back. The culmination of the surgery itself, laying down in the hospital bed, stress of being away from home and everything else has really messed up Mom's lower back. While we were in the hospital, it was so bad she couldn't stand and walking was so painful it made her want to drop to her knees. The good news is she is a lot better and can handle standing and walking longer distances before her back tightens up. But, that is our major request at the moment. 

Yesterday, mom and I had quite the adventure. After our last doctors appointment we took (what I was hoping would be a short trip) to the Citadel Mall. We entered Target where she hopped into one of those powered wheelchairs. Well.... Let's just say it was God's grace that the drugged Sharon Mansell did not injure any unfortunate shoppers. :) It only took a few moments to discover that that was not the best choice of action. I, rather rapidly went to find a push wheelchair. :)

She says I almost killed her, but you must remember which one of us was not medicated. :) I bumped into a few things, but I am determined a few little bumps was much better than knocking over rows of clothing or running over a poor child. :)

We have so many people to thank: 

All the nurses at East Cooper! Y'all were wonderful! We hope that God used us in your life's as much as He touched us through yours. :)

The Whole Bratz family, especailly Ms. Pam

Nathan, Conner, and Jack... thanks for your hospitality :) 

Denise Qualls

The Halseth's 

Michelle Norman

Collen Brant

Diane Burnett

Sheldon Baptist Church

Donna Winne

Gay McNair

Rhonda Thorton

Tammy Waldron

Kathy Qualls

Brenda Harmon

Sharon Strever

The Hodgin's

Stew and Audrey Butler

Gram Butler

The McMillian's :)

John and Ruth Ann Mansell

Beth Kephart 

Chris Butler

...and I am sure a thousand other people. We appreciate all your continued prayers. We have been blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people, near and far. To see all the willing support has been so encouraging. Thank y'all!

Hope to update you more soon! Till then,

~jillian

a little tired?

Quotes from Today

A sample of things you might have heard in the Mansell home today:

"No Eska. Game means game. Practice means practice." -the ever so descriptive Maddie

Background.... Maddie and Lawson are looking at a sports magazine together. Maddie exclaims:

"Michael Phelps!"

To which Lawson clarifys,

"No, thats a Canadian Woman."

:)

Garden Over Haul

Last minute we decided to plant a fall garden. With the economic situation, we thought it was a wise investment. There was only one problem- our garden was a forest! So, we spent a whole day out there working to get it all prepared. Drum roll please.....

Economy and God

Many of us are struggling with the cost of food and gas being so high right now.  I know for us, the increase has just recently impacted our daily life in a mighty way.  Someone sent this video to me and it was a reminder of how self focused we become during times such as now.  Did God fall off His throne recently?  Is God not God just because life is tough?  Does a bad economy change the promises God gave us in His word?  No, no and no - God is...

Many people will be forced to make changes in their daily lives.  Well, the good news is, if anyone needs to sell a home and relocate due to finances, we can all pray that we could impact a new community like the couple in the video! (click on the word "video" to go to the link)

What Makes a Mansell a Mansell

So another tale from the South Carolina Mansell home:

We were cleaning up the house when Bethlehem and Haddie Hope complained,

"You make us work hard"

To which I quickly replied, 

"Mansell's work hard."

Sassy Haddie Hope then reported,  

"I'm not a mansell."

"Really?" I asked.

"No," she simply replied. And brace yourself for her reasoning. No, its not her skin, or blood. Her mother or Father and anything by which you might say determines family relations. No... it is much more important. Her reasons:

"Because I like the Packers not the Steelers."

Simple as that. :)

~jillian

Autumn Princesses

This morning, Mom and I were graciously bestowed with Autumn Ivy and flower wreaths by our lovely girls. We just had to show you our lovely outer adornments. :p

a

Shots

Yordy and Haddie Hope got plenty of shots Tuesday. They were both extremely pitiful when they woke up Wednesday morning. My little Bud held up his arm and said, in the most whimpering voice you have ever heard, "I can't move it." No worries, they milked that as long as possible. :)

{Bud showcasing his wounds when they first got home}

A Day at the Soccer Field

Hope you enjoy this little video I made of our HOT Saturday! Enjoy!



~jillian

Double Trouble

Jillian has been posting and so I thought I better chime in with a "mom" report. We are settling into a routine which simply means everyone will get sick soon or something else will happen to keep us on our toes! The Mansell Mini Farm survived the summer and we are into the fall breeding season of our milk goats. Milk production is coming to a halt and a new pen was built for our star stud "Mr. Crosby". He is now around the does so we know when they are in heat. One problem we have is our pygmy goat "Oreo" aka "Double-stuff". He is ready to be the man and continually breaks into the girls (does) pen. I will post his picture soon just so you can appreciate the full story! There is NEVER a dull moment with so many children and animals.

Learning Geography Can be FUN!!!

The school year has begun and everyone is learning some geography. I thought I would post a video of the kids singing their favorite continent song to the tune of Yankee Doodle! The credit for this song goes to My Father's World and not myself! Each child gets a turn to lead the group - Elaina has a great penguin waddle and made the blog!

Yes, we allow the kids to stand on their chairs during school!

Adam and Eve

I put on a bible CD for the kids to listen today. It was on creation and Adam and Eve. It was so cute. As i was passing by I heard Tamu exclaim shockingly, "Adam and Eve are boy-friend and girl-friend!!"

oh Tamu....

Learning to Walk a Goat and Other Practical Lessons from the Mansell's

The love bugs swarmed me. Maddie was feeling sick and was on the couch. Mom had just dropped a latter on her foot and was inside doctoring it up. Eska and the girls were milking and our little buck Bingley needed to come in for his medicine. You wanna guess who had to bring him in? :)

So, those of you who have any experience with goats most likely know one thing about them. The one thing that sums up the whole species of them. They are stubborn. Boy... are they stubborn. 

And walking them to the destination you want is always a challenge. 

I walked up to the stall and opened the door. He came out very willingly. But when I wanted him to stop and wait for me to close the stall, he yelled in protest. (yes.. our goats yell) I tried dragging him, put that proved fully ineffective. Then I remembered the tad bit of advice Maddie gave me "They don't like if you are in front of them." So I stopped (at this point he was so determined not to go with me he was on his knees) and stood beside him. Realizing I was waiting for him to lead he stood up (and I can't help but think he did so rather arrogantly) and strolled along as if it were the Forth of July. I walked beside him, my hand gripped tightly to his collar (or as Maddie calls it, "necklace") and gently guided which direction. He wanted to be the one in charge. 

Once inside, we were examining his condition. It wasn't great. Mom assessed what he needed and went to work preparing it. It was the best thing for him, but did he want it? Of course not! He wanted the grain. Mom said, "why do you always do that? You never want what you need."

As i observed this all, i saw a striking resemblance of our relationship with God to goats. God wants to give us the best. Wants to lead us to the best place for us, but we say "I don't understand what You are doing." Like the goat had no idea why I wanted to lead him or where I did, but, if he weren't so stubborn, he would be a lot healthier now, and I can't help but wonder where I would be if I simply, easily, joyfully, and willingly followed my Heavenly Father wherever He wanted to lead me.

How often God must think, "You never want what you need."

"Man finds it hard to get what he wants, because he does not want the best; God finds it hard to give, because He would give the best, and man will not take it." -George MacDonald

Vegetables

Dinner tonight was classic spaghetti. Mattie has had a rough time with tomato base stuff because of the bacteria in her stomach. It always makes her sick. So tonight she asked,
"Are tomatoes good for your body?"
Mom and Dad replied in unison, "Yes. Very!"
Maddie, obviously confused retorted,
"Then why does my body no like tomatoes?"
"Because of your bacteria" Mom answered.

All continued back to their important task of eating when Tamu spoke up and asked,
"Momma, why does my body not like vegetables?"

We all got a good laugh, and I hope you did to.

Much love,
jillian

"No Food, PLEASE!"

In our house, one of my chores is to make breakfast each morning.  Mom chose this chore for me because I love mornings and love to make breakfast food!

So, a tale from this morning.

I woke up, fed the dogs, and came into the kitchen to start the task of breakfast. "What should I make?" I reviewed the contents of the pantry, thumbed through a cookbook, and was about the make chocolate-chip waffles (healthy I know...) when Yordy and Tamu file in. Yordy, the designated spokesman articulates:
"Jillian, we want cereal. No more food, PLEASE. No more food that makes us full."
"Yeah," Tamu pipped in. "All little kids like cereal."
I listened to their concerns in the most considering manner. :) But, I had to leave the kitchen to tell mom and laugh. "Please don't make us a nice hot breakfast and make us full. Please don't give us the best."
I suppose nothing is a treat if you have it all the time. Even if it is a hot breakfast.
:)

too long, eh?

Hello all! Well, as I am sure you have guessed, our lack of posting is the product of a busy schedule! I am sorry to keep you out of the loop for so long.  We have all wanted to post, but as our wise Youth Pastor says ever so often, "Direction not intention determines destination" So, no posts, but know we wanted to! :)

Can you believe it's September!! Tis unbelievable! It seems like summer had just begun, and now we are heading into the fall and winter months. wow....

WELL, Nathan has headed back to CofC (College of Charleston). He has an amazing apartment and is suffering from a cough he hasn't been able to get rid of since Africa (please pray for that!) While the rest of us have begun school! The kids LOVE it, which makes the process hardly painful. Our first graders are plowing through letters and sounds. They sound out everything! Today, I was making play dough for a special school project. Those who know me well, know I love surprises, so I didn't tell them what I was doing. Poor naive Eska thought it was some sort of bread dough and ate it! Needless to say, she was spitting into the trash can a few moments later. ;) But, they were very persistent in determining what I was doing. Finally they realized it had something to do with the school book I kept looking at and decided they would sound it out. :) They almost did, before I took it away. :) They are learning so quickly!

The weather here has been, funny, to say the least. (It always is during hurricane season) One afternoon we thought we were on a little house on the prairie episode.  It had been a rainy day, so i hibernated in my room, doing my favorite rainy day activities: reading and writing, when lo and behold, a heard a knock on my door. The rain had stopped and standing there looking a little confused was little miss Haddie Hope. She was talking so fast i could hardly understand her. I was able to make out something to do with Mom, the goats, and they needed my help. I ventured outside to see that Whoosha (our goat guard dog) had dug out of one of the fences, and that a tree had fallen on another fence.  We needed to move all the goats to another area (which did not exist in that moment... yet) then build them a new shelter for when the rain started again. Well, we set to work, and of course, dad was in a meeting and we couldn't get a hold of him. :) Mom built a very suitable gate for the new dwelling and the rest of us started on the shelter. Our heros the Bratz's showed up and helped us out. As a few of us were carrying some plywood across the yard it started to pour. The kids (And I ) loved it! :) Working in the rian is just so much more enjoyable. We continued on, building a shelter, getting plywood and climbing over fences with it, getting cut, and eaten by ants. The operation was quite a ordeal because we have a little buck sick with pneumonia, so we needed a dry spot for him as soon as possible. But anyway, we got it finished by the time Dad got home. We all were rather proud, not to mention soaked! :)

Also, recently staring in a phenomenal film was Sharon Mansell!! To check out this Ethel look a like, click here: I LOVE CHOCOLATE 

We love you all!

And secretly I am hoping we have to evacuate, because then, maybe we can visit some of you! :) Although, that is not a good thing to wish for. :)

Adios!

~jillian

Jillian's in China

Jillian is in China for nine days - well she left on July 24th, so she still has about 5 days in China!  If you want to be updated on the team you can check out their blog @ 

http://blog.a-1roomschoolhouseproduction.com