"Little Women" Family: I Stand All Amazed...

Thursday, January 03, 2008

I Stand All Amazed...

As you probably already know, many parts of Western Washington were hit really hard, in the storms last month. I heard a rumor that we broke rainfall records from clear back during World War II. Also, I know it rained a ton including 9 inches of rain in 12 hours in Bremerton, plus the snow that melted (3-12 inches in areas), and it kept raining. This caused many sinkholes throughout Kitsap County. Highway 101 was closed for a long time because of so many landslides, they lost count. A 20 mile stretch of I-5 through Centralia and Chehalis was closed for almost a week, due to 10 feet of water on the roadway. And I know the coast was hit really hard as well, because many schools were closed and people were without power there, for over a week. It is so sad to see what these people have gone through and what they have lost. However, I am in awe over the relief effort that the church has organized in the Centralia and Chehalis areas. (These are the only ones I know about personally). I received many phone calls and emails that our stake, and many other Stakes, were organizing a relief effort (I'm pretty sure the effort began with a call from the Welfare Dept. in Salt Lake). A bunch of people from my ward went down Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, right after Sacrament Meeting, for two weekends in a row. (The yellow T-shirts, plus many more, are members of the church.) One radio station reported that 2100 Mormon volunteers were there. Here is part of an article from the Olympian. How amazing, huh?!?!

Volunteers gather in Lewis County to aid flood victims- December 9, 2007
Rolf Boone
The Olympian

CHEHALIS — Lewis County got a little sunshine and a lot of help Saturday. More than 3,000 volunteers gathered in Chehalis and Centralia to help flood victims in the west part of the county, one of the areas hit hardest by last week's flooding, according to estimates. The volunteer effort, organized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, brought church members from as far away as Seattle and Vancouver, Wash., to the twin cities, Bishop John Henricksen said. From a church in Chehalis and another in Centralia, volunteers fanned out into flood-battered communities such as Adna, Doty, Pe Ell and Boistfort Valley.

Here is a connection to the Olympian. The first site has a couple pictures of LDS men including some from Lacey and Olympia Stakes.
http://www.theolympian.com/101/story/294606.html

The second is the home page and the top stories. Scroll down and click on videos. Select News and scroll across until you find the story entitled "Volunteers in Lewis County." Then click on it. (All of the stories start with a commercial. When it is over, the screen will tell you which story you are on, on the top right.) It has President Turner, and a few others from Lacey and Olympia Stakes, and other Stakes, speaking.
http://www.theolympian.com/

My husband was able to take a few pictures. The first is of everyone unloading the buckets of free supplies, sent from Salt Lake Welfare Dept. The second is Grant and a friend, Dan, covered in mud (and worse). The third is a mailbox full of mud, along with someone's belonging out on the front lawn. The fourth is part of a road. The fifth is a road closed by the floods.

The next three are the volunteers gutting a house and burning what can't be saved. The next one, I'm not sure if you can see, but Grant said the flood line was at the top of the windows. The next picture was pretty amazing to me because of the cracks in the ground. And lastly, one more picture of the flooding.

My Favorite Part of The Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 17:21-24

"21 And when (Jesus) had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

22 And when he had done this he wept again;

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.

24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them."

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/17

To learn more about The Book of Mormon or to get a free copy: http://www.mormon.org/book-of-mormon/

Our homeschool program!!

My style of homeschooling is "public school at home." We began homeschooling on our own, the 1st year. Then we were enrolled in the Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA) for 3 years. Now we are enrolled in ORLA. Our girls are taking several classes at an Elementary School that is no longer used for a typical Elementary School. Instead 450 homeschooling students (K-12) take classes there with certified teachers (you choose which ones and how many) but you do have to be at the school with them until they are 12 (in another room with toys for the younger kids) or sign them out to a friend. Then you fill in the rest at home. For example, my girls take Music, Art, P.E., and Science at the school 2 days a week and then I teach them Math, Language, and History at home, on the other 3 days. The school also pays for an additional $300 a year of curriculum (like the Math, Lang, Hist.) We do have to keep up with a certain number of hours per week. We also have a "home room teacher" that helps us with everything, like deciding what extra things to do at home and making sure we don't miss anything. We are really enjoying this program-- it truly is the best of both worlds! If you have any questions, email me. :)