8/29/2007 - Wednesday

• 8/29/2007 3:39:36 PMHoly GrailBelow is an image of the legendary holy grail of documentation for adopting internationally.  It is the I-171-H. This is what you get from the INS when they have completed the processing of your I-600A form (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition).
  
  The top line of the document reads:
  NOTICE OF FAVORABLE DETERMINATION CONCERNING ADOPTION FOR ADVANCE PROCESSING OF ORPHAN PETITION.
  
  Our's came in the mail today.   YEAH !!!
  
  

8/27/2007 - Monday

• 8/27/2007 9:41:21 PMDomaLast night I spent some time setting up a photo gallery on the adoption project web site.  I was able to extract images of Yuri's orphanage from a video clip.  I know this is where he lives because when I had showed him the video, he pointed to these buildings and said, "Doma".  Look carefully at them.
  
• 8/27/2007 5:07:41 PMSpare ChangeA friend of mine (Patrick) forwarded this photo to me.  This picture was taken yesterday and it shows his daughter Olivia and her friend Jordy out on the street trying to get people to stop and asking them if they would like to donate for the adoption.  No strings are attached.  It is a simple question, "would you like to donate?".
  
  There is no emotional blackmail going on here.  People are brought to a point in which they must evaluate whether or not this is a legitimate cause followed by a decision to help out or keep going.  
  
  When you see where God is working around you, what will you do?  Perhaps it is not adoption but something else.  What ever it is, make your decision and be prepared to defend it.

8/26/2007 - Sunday

• 8/26/2007 10:57:37 PMMike and Nicole do it againI spoke with Nicole today and she gave me an update on the sales from the lemonade stand that she and Mike are operating.  Things look good.  The have pulled in around $100 from various locations over the last few weeks.  Then she said, "Mike and I are walking along the road and picking up aluminum cans.  They're worth 75 cents a pound now you know!", she said.  "Mike and I walked 2.4 miles yesterday and we have one and a half trash bags full".
  
  "What!!!???", I thought.  What kind of a person walks for miles along the road picking up cans to raise funds?  I'll tell you what kind of person does that - an unselfish one.
  
  I don't care if this sounds like a broken record or not, but people like Nicole and Mike, just like  Alyssa, just like Aaron, just like...  There are so many people who have taken it upon themselves to work towards this adoption... Only the God of the universe could orchistrate something like this.  I am convinced now, more than ever, that after looking at the faces and hearts of the people who see where God is working and join in - there is great blessing.
  
  Do you want to be blessed?  Find out where God is working around you and join in.
  
  
• 8/26/2007 10:56:26 PMAnother person takes matters into their own handsA neighbor of ours and fellow church goer - Alyssa, has made the decision to help out with the adopion.  She had already helped previously by selling lemonade and cookies at the fireworks tent over the 4th of July.  Apparently she felt like there was more she could do.  While we were running our rummage sale, she was at her family's rummage sale operating a lemonade stand.  
  
  I just cannot say enough good things about Alyssa and people like her.  They see where God is working and they join in with out asking any questions.  They don't stand around, they just start working.  Seeing people like that has a similar effect on me as cutting up 20 pounds of onions - it makes me weep.
  

8/25/2007 - Saturday

• 8/25/2007 10:54:30 PMBooyah Fundraiser WrapupWhat is booyah?  Some call it liquid gold, while others say it is nothing more than glorified chicken soup.  I think it is somewhere in between.  Our preparation journey had started earlier in the week with Peggy and Mary shopping for supplies.  They purchased precut canned vegetables from one of the restaruant supply stores.  Jon and Mary supplied the beef and we supplied the chicken (which we butchered last fall).  On Friday during the rummage sale, we began to cook down the meat.
  When I got home from work, Peggy asked me to go right over to Grandma's house and help debone the chicken - all 30 pounds of it.  Me, Grandma, Megan and James all pulling bones and separating out undesireable pieces from the meat.  When we were done, we had a very large bowl of meat and 20 quarts of "liquid gold" - the greasy chicken broth that would act as the base for the booyah.
  
  We got home late and wanted to go to bed when we saw the 2 bags of onions on the counter.  "Those need to be cut up", Peggy said.  "Would you do it?" she asked.  I said "sure... all of them?"  "Yes", she replied.  "All 20 pounds of them".
  
  I'll tell you what, cutting up 20 pounds of onions does something to a man...  Even with a food processor, it was unbearable.  I knew better than to touch my face or rub my eyes, but that didn't help any.  There was so much onion vapor in the kitchen, no one else could even stand to be in the room.  Have you ever been around a bond fire and when you got home you realized you smelled like smoke?  My cloths, my hair, my skin.  Everything!  I reeked of onion.
  
  The next day, we got up early and headed right for Grandma's to get the rummage sale going.  Then we went directly to Memorial field to setup under the pavillion.  We were told that we may be getting a 50 gallon booyah kettle so we did a little rough calculating on our potential earnings:
  
  50 gallons x 4 quarts per gallon = 200 quarts
  200 quarts at $4.00 = $800
  subtract $62 in supplies
  Maximum profit (if we sold out) = $738
  
  I felt pretty good about the numbers and so I began to hope for good soup eating weather.  Not too hot of a day, but perhaps a little cool with a nice breeze to carry the smell of the soup.
  
  When Jon arrived at Grandma's, I learned that we could only get a 20 gallon kettle and that we would have to use Nesco roasters for the other 30 gallons.  This was not really a setback, but it did complicate things a little.  There was nothing we could do about it now, we had to keep moving forward.
  
  We arrived at the park at 9:00 and by 10:00 we had the fire going and water heating up in the cast iron caldron.  I had never seen a wood fired booyah kettle before.  It is an aparatus that looks like it came right out of the dark ages.  This one had a stainless steel barrel that supported the iron bowl.  Both of them take 2 strong men to move around.
  
  By 11:00, the soup was boiling and ready to go.  I honestly could not smell anything.  Between the heat coming off of the caldron and the smoke, I could not smell the booyah.  The parade from the Fun Fest starts over by Grandma's house and ends at the park.  As visitors come into the park, the pavillion where we were located is one of the first things they see.  Apparently our booyah was the first thing they smelled too.  One customer commented to me, "I didn't know I wanted booyah until I smelled it".
  
  We flew through the booyah.  Jon kept filling bowls and quarts and the customers came at a steady pace.  Jon said, "I don't know where all this soup is going!  I keep filling the containers but where are they?"  Jon filled and filled and filled.  By 2:30, we had run out of solid pieces in the caldron and only broth remained.  Our goal was to sell until 3:00 or until we sold out.  We didn't sell out but there was nothing more we could do.  Final total: $538.  Wow!
  
  I had a bowl of it and I can definately say, it was very good.  We even had some visitors from the Lions club come and get some.  They said it was good too.  I found out later that we had beaten them in sales for the day.  That is kind of surprising since I could definately smell the burgers and brats they were cooking.
  
  When we got home, we picked up the mail and discovered an envelope that contained a check from TNT Fireworks to help with our adoption.  It was $200 which - when added to our booyah sales brought our income to $738.  This as you will recall, was our estimated maximum income.
  
  Thank you Roger - May God bless you and your family!
  
• 8/25/2007 10:53:39 PMRummage Sale WrapupSince Grandma has moved up to our area, we have had a rummage sale every August during the days of the Falls Fun Fest.  Each year it is a multi-family sale and since Grandma is in town, we usually get good traffic.  This years participants have decided to donate their earnings towards the adoption.  This unselfish act is such a huge blessing.
  
  Last year, we personally earned $200.  Peggy had hoped that we could get double that so she set her sights on $400.  On the first day (Thursday), we pulled in $203.  On the second day, we pulled in an additional $507.  As we counted the earnings Friday night we were stunned at the total.  Who pulls in $710 at a rummage sale?  I'm not a rummage-sale-ologist but I think this is unusual.  Peggy sat there and looked at me with her jaw hanging open.  "I can't believe it Dan", she said.  "We are about $90 from doubling my highest expectations".
  
  We had only planned to be open for a short time in the morning on Saturday because we have to prepare the booyah and be ready to serve at 11:00 AM in the park.  When Saturday came, Grandma with the help of Megan and James stayed at the sale while we went off to make soup.  By the time the garage door came down, we had indeed earned the $90.  God had doubled our expectations.  Peggy commented later, "It is as if God is saying, 'don't put a limit on me'."  Final total: $800.16.
  
  I think I've said this before, and I'll say it again - we don't pray big enough.
  

8/22/2007 - Wednesday

• 8/22/2007 11:41:07 PMWhat does James 1:27 Really Say?In recent weeks, it has come to my attention that some people who know my family and I are in critical disagreement with us regarding the adoption as it pertains to the church.  I have been told that this is a personal and private matter for my family and it was wrong for me to involve my home church or for them to be involved in this.  In particular, I am being accused of:
  1. misinterpreting scripture (James 1:27) and
  2. by making a presentation to the church, showing a video featuring Yuri and other orphans and praying at the pulpit I have used emotional black mail, coercion and guilt to motivate people into giving their time and resources.  
  
  Both of these have caused a communication wall to be developed and some distance created.  Although I don't know who these people are, I would like to take this opportunity to state very clearly my position regarding James 1:27 and what I believe the church's responsibility is towards orphans and widows is.
  
  It is not my goal to ram my agenda down the throat of anyone but rather as I become more aware of what God's will is - both for my life and the church body, it is my responsibility as a church elder to identify and state very clearly and bring to light what scriptures are saying on a particular issue.  In short, it is my duty to hold fast to God's word not with "the grip of death" but rather a grip of life.
  
  Before we take a closer look at this passage of scripture, it is important to take a look at the surrounding scripture and the context in which it was given. James is fairly aggressive and very upfront of with the point he is trying to make. This particular passage of scripture comes wrapped in a section entitled "Listening and Doing". Some of the controversy comes from the wording the various versions available today. In particular the NIV and King James.
  
  [NIV] Listening and Doing
  My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
  
  22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
  
  26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to [look after] orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
  
  So the NIV is saying we are to "look after" orphans and widows.  Let's examine the King James version of the last verse:
  
  [KJV 1:27]
  Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to [visit] orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
  
  The question then arises, "what are we to do?  Visit or look after?"  The implication is that these words have different meanings and that translates into a different response.  Are we going to visit grandma in the nursing home or are we going to look after her in our own home?  This is the controversial question of our time.
  
  Another Passage
  The term that is used here (whether "visit" or "look after") is also referenced in Matthew 25:31-46 in a section entitled, "The Sheep and the Goats".  Again, let's look at the passage in context:
  
  [NIV Matthew 25:31-46]
  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
  
  34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you [looked after] me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
  
  37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
  
  42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not [look after] me.'
  
  44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
  
  
  Let's compare this with the King James Version
  
  [KJV Matthew 25:31-46]
  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
  
  34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye [visited] me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
  
  37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
  
  42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye [visited] me not.
  
  44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
  
  Yet Another Passage
  Before we address the meaning behind "visited" or "look after", lets consider another passage of scripture :
  
  [NIV Luke 10:25-37]  The Parable of the Good Samaritan
  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"   26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
  
  27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
  
  28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
  
  29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
  
  30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
  
  36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
  
  37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
        Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
  
  A Closer Look
  Jesus is asking the law student some fundamental questions.  Namely
  - "What do you think the law means?"
  - "Who is your neighbor?"
  - "What are your responsibilities to your neighbor?"
  And also a command:
  - "Go and do likewise."
  
  Also notice in the story, the Good Samaritan did not say to the injured man, "I'm on my way to work right now.  Stay here and when I get to work, I will contact the property authorities and have them send some assistance for you."  
  
  No - rather, the Good Samaritan took initiative and did something about the situation.  This implies that there is a responsibility on our behalf to do something, to show mercy and take action.  Not stand on the sidelines and be an observer.
  
  Back to the original question
  Let's get back to James and the definition of "visit" and "look after".  Does anything in the above passages imply that my only responsibility is to swing by the orphanage on my way home from work, stop in and ask, "how is it going?"  I don't believe so.
  
  Matthew says:
  - I was a stranger, and you took me in
  - I was naked, and you gave me clothes
  - I was sick, and you cared for me
  - I was in prison, and you came to me - in the prison
  
  You would never call yourself hospitable, if you saw someone new and did not say "hello".  You would never call yourself compassionate and yet refuse to provide cloths to someone who had none.  You would never go to a sick friend and say, "It looks like you collapsed on the floor and puked all over yourself..  Gotta run - bye!"  You would never say to a friend, "I'd like to visit with you but I don't do prisons".  Doing these things is the exact opposite of Christ like behavior.
  
  Commentary
  Intervarsity Press says in regards to James 1:
  In this first chapter of the biblical text we have found the thrust of James's entire letter: calling upon Christians to live with moral urgency, serious holiness and unconditional obedience to the word of God. By putting the two halves of the chapter together we also establish the context for the moral earnestness of the entire letter: complete confidence in and reliance upon the grace of God. James is so earnest for moral purity in 1:19-27 because of the theology he has taught in 1:1-18.
  
  The instruction to look after orphans and widows in their distress can be examined in three parts.
  
  First, the verb "to look after" (episkeptomai) is a compound verb in which the prepositional prefix epi- places an emphasis on the act of looking. The basic act "to look" becomes intensified for a possible meaning of "looking at observantly" or "examining," though this meaning would not fit the present context. It is used elsewhere to express the awe with which one describes a visitation from God himself (Lk 1:68, 78; 7:16). In the context of James's instruction, the verb would carry the connotation of giving active care or help.
  
  Here, then, it is proper to translate this verb not merely as "visit" (KJV, RSV, NASB) but as "look after" (NIV). It is the same verb used by Matthew in Jesus' warning about the future separation of people for blessing and cursing. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, some will be welcomed into blessing because "I was sick and you looked after me," while others will be sent into the eternal fire because "I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me" (Mt 25:36, 43).
  
  Second, in specifying "orphans and widows" James is prescribing nothing new or innovative for the church. He is recalling an explicit theme in God's Old Testament revelation of his will, so that there should be no disputing that this is indeed what God accepts as pure and faultless religion. Psalm 146:7-9 describes God's commitment to care for the needy such as the fatherless and widows. Jeremiah 7:1-8 warns against placing trust in the presence of the temple while oppressing the fatherless and widows--an example of religion that is "deceptive" and "worthless."
  
  Third, "in their distress" refers literally to a pressing or a pressure, or figuratively to an affliction or oppression. In keeping with the Jeremiah passage, James has regard for the powerlessness of these people, their inability to protect or care for themselves.
  
  Altogether this is a biblical view, not just James's own thinking. Scripture says that God is committed to caring for the powerless and defenseless, including the poor, the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Since the needs of such people are on God's heart, he expects that same heart to be in us. Further, Jesus himself so identified himself with needy, oppressed people that when we care for one of his people in need, we do it unto him. Any practice of Christianity that does not exhibit this concern in action is deceptive (it misrepresents the truth about God's own heart) and worthless (it is of no value before God). We have to conclude, then, that this first example of pure and faultless religion is a matter of serious obedience required of the church.
  
  Read the full summary here.
  
  
  Conclusion
  I could have made this entry much shorter by asking the following questions:
  What do you think the scripture is saying?
  What do you think the church should be doing?
  More specifically, what do you feel your responsibilities in the church are?  
  And more critically, Are you doing them?
  
  Do you feel it is your responsibility to comment on the way others serve while you only take?  Is there some evidence about you that says otherwise?
  
  James 2:14-17 says:
  What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
  
  This is what James is saying:  Your faith and your works go hand in hand and the presence of each is evidence of the other.
  
  But perhaps your still saying something like, "I still think this is a private matter and not a church matter."
  How would you respond if James himself came to you and said, "don't just stand there - do something!"  How would you respond if the Lord himself were standing over you watching you reason out whether or not to respond to a person in need?  Well my friend, the Lord is watching and your actions will be duely noted.
  
  The Jews thought of themselves as holy people, entitled to their privileges by right while they were unthankful, rebellious and unrighteous.  All of us who act like this regardless of our age or position must be reminded that God judges according to your real character, your own thoughts.  In every sin, there is contempt for the goodness of God.  All of our sin, though there are many branches, share the same root.  Are your motives for opposing the church's involvement in this adoption pure?  Have you thoroughly examined the scriptures and sought God's will on the issue?  Consider these questions very carefully and prayerfully.

8/21/2007 - Tuesday

• 8/21/2007 10:04:52 PMAll Shapes and SizesBlessings come in all different shapes and sizes.  Currently we are preparing for a booyah sale at the Oconto Falls Fun Fest.  Some friends of Mary's have donated the use of a 50 gallon wood fired kettle along with their proven world-famous recipe.  That will make a lot of soup!  
  
  We were struggling a little with the way that we would sell the booyah.  Some people will purchase it by the bowl and others by the quart.  If they like it, there are even people who bring their own ice cream pails to fill up.  Either way, we couldn't rely on people bringing their own containers so Peggy and Mary set out to gather up all of the ingredients and search for a solution to our distribution issue.
  
  The answer came from a company in Oconto.  Mary called there to check out their prices and selection and when she was asked what this was in regards to, she went on to explain that we are in the process of adopting and we are doing the booyah stand as a fund raiser.  The owner of the company said, "you have come to the right place".  He has offered to donate all of the 16 oz bowls and quart containers - and lids!  That is a great deal of savings for us.  What a blessing!
  
  Once again, you know who you are...  May the Lord bless you for what you have done!

8/19/2007 - Sunday

• 8/19/2007 3:22:31 PMAwesome SundayWe arrived early to church this morning.  It is my month to run the sound booth so we came in around 8:30 to make sure everything was working correctly.  We had some musical guests today so I didn't have any prep work to do as they are taking care of their own sound.  I decided to go out and visit with other members of our church family.  No sooner had I stepped out when I was met by a young boy named Aaron.  Aaron handed me an envelope.
  
  
  
  It seems Aaron and his family had been saving and collecting cans to recycle and turned them in for cash so they could donate towards the adoption.  Even when I am not thinking about the adoption, it is on the hearts and minds of many other people.  They are stirred to action by the Holy Spirit.  
  James 1:22 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
  
  It was around this time that I began to feel the blood rush into my face and my eyes began to water.  This is yet another example of how people are willing to put their hands to the plow and commit to doing God's work.  
  
  Another family has taken it upon themselves to run a lemonade stand.  They have been open for business at several locations including the public beach across the street from church.  Just like the story above, We have had no intervention with this plan.  It was conceived entirely by them and they have taken it upon themselves to make this happen.  I hope to have pictures of their stand very soon.  (Jean, if you're reading this, please know that I am working hard on practicing patience and the Lord is working on my pride).
  
  
  I will not mention the name of either family but they know who they are and so does the Lord.  Thank you very much for your all of your efforts and kind donations.  These kinds of things do not go unnoticed and you are building up treasurers in heaven.  I can't wait to introduce you to my new son.

8/18/2007 - Saturday

• 8/18/2007 10:28:16 PMAuction Fundraiser Wrap-upWe wrapped up the auction food stand fund raiser today around 2:00 PM.  Most of us had never been to an auction before so it was quite a treat to see the activity.  
  
  
  There was a great deal of stuff for sale and whether or not it was of value depended on the eyes of the beholder.  My eyes were drawn to the 1939 Farmall "M" series tractor.  They had an "H" series too as well as some other make I am not familiar with.
  
  
  Whenever I see the Farmall "M" it makes me think of my grandfathers farm.  He also had an "M" but not nearly as rusty and definately in working condition.  I think this one went for $500 and the "H" went for $400.  Many years ago, my grand parents moved to Northern Wisconsin and purchased a farm for $16,000.  They didn't know anything about farming when they came but I imagine they learned quick enough.  For my grandmother, this was just the latest step in a long journey from Poland.  She came to this country when she was 16 years old.  She didn't speak any english and her marriage was pre-arranged when she arrived.  I wonder what kinds of things she must have been thinking when she got here.  What will Yuri be thinking when he comes?  He already had 10 days with us but things were limited.  It was cold outside, the ground was soggy from spring, none of the plants were sprouting yet.  He only had a small taste of Wisconsin culture.  What will he think when he goes to his first auction?  I'm looking forward to finding out.
  
  Getting back to the auction...  We arrived at the auction site at 8:00 and were fully set up by 9:00.  I got the grill going right away.  Our first customer was a guy who was watching us eat some doughnuts that grandma brought for us.
  
  
  We purchased 140 beef patties and I think we fried up around 120.  We also had cheddar polish sausage.  There were lots of hungry customers and for a while there we were having trouble keeping up.  Thankfully, grandma's grill pulled through and there was no waiting.  We were busy though.
  
  
  
  I ran the grill, Peggy, Emily and Megan assembled burgers and wrapped them, James and Ellie brought food to the customers, Grandma ran the cash register and Mary and Vern helped fill orders of soda, chips, cookies and candy bars.  By the end of the day, we had either sold or eaten every burger we cooked.  We still have some polish sausage that we'll be eating off of for the next few days plus lots of soda and chips for our next event (God willing there will be another event).  I'm not sure what the final total was but I think we grossed around $579 for the 6 hours we were there.  Mr. Bahrke was terrific.  He gave us a few plugs from the auction stand and sent hungry customers our way.  I hope we get the opportunity to do this again.  It was a lot more enjoyable than the fireworks stand.
  
  
  Grill Master
  
  
  Smoking Hot Sandwich Babe

8/16/2007 - Thursday

• 8/16/2007 2:29:57 PMTrip to MilwaukeeWe traveled down to Milwaukee to have our biometrics taken today.  Our appointment was for 10:00 AM and the drive is approximately 150 miles.  We left home at 7:00 and headed south.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  All I knew was that I was not looking forward to the drive into the city, finding a parking spot and waiting.
  
  The trip was uneventful and I think we hit Milwaukee around 9:20 - just after the morning rush hour.  With Peggy's superior navigational skills, we easily found the Department of Homeland Security office.  I only had to circle the block twice before I found a parking spot on the street.
  
  It was a short walk to the building.  The front door was guarded by an officer with a pistol.  When we entered the building, we were greeted by another armed officer who was manning the metal detector.  My wife and daughter passed through with out any issue.  They were told to put their purses in the x-ray tray and hand over their photo id.  No issues, no fuss.
  
  When I stepped up I was told, "Sir, empty your pockets off all change, keys, wallet, your watch and if you are wearing a belt - remove it".  In a nut shell, my experience was a little different.  I did as I was told and held up my pants as I walked through the detector.  "DING".   Hmmm????  "Sir, would you please step off to the side", said the officer.  "Hold out your hands like this... turn around...".  Up and down he went with his little magic wand...  nothing.  It makes me wonder if this was because I am a man and it is normal procedure.  I'm thinking it might be.  You never see any photo's of female terrorists on TV.
  
  I picked up my things and was escorted to another room where I was given a short questionnaire.  It only asked for basic information.  By the time I had my belt back on and the questions answered, I was called back into the fingerprint room to get in line behind my daughter.  There were 2 women taking prints and one man.  When one of the women became free, she did not take my prints but called for the other man instead.  Perhaps it was nothing, but then again, perhaps it is a procedural thing to have a male take the prints when the customer is male.  
  
  Either way, I was called over to one of the computer stations where my prints were taken.  Their fingerprint machine is pretty cool.  They had me rub some very greasy lotion on my hands before they would let me touch the computer screen.  Bodda boom - Bodda bing!  Done.  Our appointment was for 10:00 and I think we finished up around 9:55.  You can't beat that.  Aside from having to take my belt off, the people there were very friendly and extremely efficient.  It's just too bad we had to go all the way to Milwaukee to do this.  But that wasn't all that bad either.
  
  Now, the next time I watch CSI I'll see if my prints come up...

8/15/2007 - Wednesday

• 8/15/2007 10:02:20 AMSetting The Auction MenuAs previously mentioned, we will be operating a food stand at an auction.  We are now working out the menu and prices for what we're going to sell.  Thankfully, much of this has taken care of itself.
  
  For example, we will be purchasing the pre-formed hamburger patties from Bahrke's Auction service.  Since they have done many auctions before, the price that we will charge has already been established.  We are free to change it if we want, but they already have determined an acceptable price - $2.50 for hamburger and $2.75 for a cheese burger.  Mr. Bahrke suggested that based on the estimated size of this auction, we should purchase 3 or 4 boxes of patties, unless we will be offering another kind of food item (such as a brat) in which case we can cut back on the number of burgers.  Soda and water will be $1.00 each.  Peggy and Grandma Carol are thinking of having some small bags of chips or cookies too.
  
  As it turns out, a friend of ours - (Vern) was able to acquire more polish sausage from Old Wisconsin for an awesome price.  So we will be selling those at the food stand as well.  It gets even better...
  
  So Vern stopped by our house last night to drop off 10 lbs of sausage and begins to tell us his secret proven recipe for the burger bath to keep the cooked burgers hot and tasty.  He described how they handle all of their food and how to lay everything out for the customer to minimize complaints.  Vern has over 25 years of experience in running food stands with the Lions club as well as many other organizations.  He is a wealth of knowledge and we are thankful that God as brought him into our lives.
  
  You may recall from previous posts that Vern was a key individual at the fireworks tent.  He brought sausages for lunch - twice.  They are good.  I know first hand.
  
  Lord, thank you for people like Vern.  He and his wife have been an incredible blessing in our lives.  And not just our lives, but many in Oconto County.  I pray that you would continue to give them strength and health as they show Your love and compassion to everyone they meet.

8/12/2007 - Sunday

• 8/12/2007 7:00:00 AMAuction FundraiserI received a phone call from Pastor Kuhn this morning.  Bahrke Auction and Real Estate is doing an auction in our area and needs someone to run a food stand to sell burgers and drinks.  In the past, Pastor Kuhn has been able to organize some of the kids from our youth group to do this.  In many cases, he, his wife and his children have manned the food stand to raise money for the church.
  
  The city of Oconto Falls allows our church to perform 3 non-church related fund raisers per year.  Since the church's primary mission is to spread the Word of the Lord, any fund raising event where the gospel is presented does not count as one of the 3 provided for by the city.  The youth group has already worked 2 such auction events this year and so we are going to hold onto the last "free" opportunity we have until we need it.
  
  Meanwhile, Bahrke's needs someone to work the food stand so Pastor called me early Sunday morning and asked if I was interested.  I called Mr. Bahrke Sunday afternoon and worked out some of the details.  Bottom line - we have another fund raiser this Saturday.  We'll be cooking burgers and selling soda and water.
  
  I'm excited!  Thank you Pastor!  Thank you Bahrke's!
  
  Thank you LORD!

8/7/2007 - Tuesday

• 8/7/2007 10:15:12 AMBiometricsWe have received our appointment date from the Department of Homeland Security to have our "biometrics" taken.  Biometrics is a secret code for getting our finger prints taken.  We will have to travel down to Milwaukee to have this done.  So I asked my wife, "why do you suppose we have to go all the way down there for that?  Isn't this something they could do at the police department?"
  
  Apparently not.  From what I understand, there is some additional equipment that will be used.  There are only a certain number of locations around the nation that the Department of Homeland Security has outfitted with this equipment.  I guess that is the difference between "biometrics" and "fingerprints".  Whatever...
  
  On a side note, did you know that your fingerprints have an expiration date?  I didn't.  Once they are taken, they are good for 1 year.  After that, if the adoption is not complete, we will have to have them taken again.  That seems weird - one of the only things that doesn't change about you and that the authorities rely on to identify you, can expire...  Hmmmm????  I'll have to give that one some more thought.  At this point it sounds a little like a racket.
  
  Either way, I'm thankful that we got the appointment.  I'd like to say that it's all downhill from here but that is not the case either.  We still have quite a lot of money to raise and paperwork to fill out.  All of it is in God's time.  Not knowing exactly what that is and waiting for it is proving to be an exercise in patience.

8/6/2007 - Monday

• 8/6/2007 2:14:22 PMQuilt RaffleThanks to the Women with heart, we now have a beautiful hand sewn quilt that we are looking to raffle off.  I've never operated a raffle before but it looks like we are required to have a raffle number issued by the state of Wisconsin.  This number would be associated with a 501c3 non-profit organization and would get printed on the back of each raffle ticket.  We don't have either.
  
  If you have any information about raffles, or have things you would like to donate that could be put in a raffle, please contact us.
  

8/5/2007 - Sunday

• 8/5/2007 11:58:39 AMFalls Fest FundraiserFalls Fun Fest is a local celebration that takes place in Oconto Falls at Memorial Field.  The festival begins with a parade down main street that concludes at the field where a small carnival will be setup along with rows of vendors selling all kinds of things.
  
  We have secured a spot under the pavilion where we will be raising money by selling chicken booyah.  People of North East Wisconsin have strong feelings about booyah.  Family recipes are held in high regard, "my mom makes the best booyah" or "if you want to taste some good booyah, have some of so and so' civic group"...
  
  We will be using a family recipe that apparently causes people to fall in love merely by smelling it.  This will be something to see.
  
  So if you're in the area the weekend of August 25th, stop by Memorial Field in Oconto Falls.  Bring someone special to share a bowl of soup with.

8/2/2007 - Thursday

• 8/2/2007 10:09:55 PMDocumentationWe have received two critical pieces of documentation recently.  The first is our home study.  This is a multi-page assessment of our family.  From a high level, it details the personal history of my wife and I and our home life together.  
  
  The second document is our psychological evaluation and the results of the MMPI-2 personal inventory questionnaire.  Getting the evaluation and inventory done was quite an adventure.  At this point, that is all I'm going to say about it other than this:  ...
  
  Nope.  I'm not even going to say that.
  
  Enough said.