Just a fun 17 seconds... ^-~

There is only a slight bit of competitive spirit in our children.



You can barely hear me saying over the gorgeous Gulf Coast breezes...
"To think they are racing to sit in the car for 21 hours straight... it's a shock to me!"
btw for the record- Si won :)

Is Radiator Fluid Really Necessary?

** Note: to skip all the Blah Blah, scroll down for pictures :) **

Just a random question really, but as we found out - not once but three times over the course of this weekend -it really IS kind of necessary... especially if one plans to get back home!

Christmas Day we headed to Wiggins, MS, for the wedding of the year! Well, maybe just the last wedding this year, but never the less it was fabulous! KP is now K&SP! It was a beautiful ceremony and a gorgeous 70 degree Winter Day! I love the south!

We had an uneventful trip down... which for a 1300+ mile trip one way is a good thing!

Our white Chevy Conversion van is now affectionately dubbed "The Electric Cloud". It was tricked out with 4 cell phones, 5 IPods, 1 DVD player and a 13" TV, 1 game cube, two 2-plug power inverters, 1 laptop, 1 PSP, and 1 leapster! I may actually be missing something, but needless to say the Jalowiec Clan was Plugged In!!!!! It was fun to watch as the hours clicked away they settled in and one by one detached from their respective techy gadget, and had some serious knock down drag out fights real fun and conversation with their siblings. After a few hours of that, they each made their "nest" and went to sleep. There were pillows and blankets covering every square inch of the interior of the van! Dan and I are So Thankful for technology. What difference driving is with your favorite preachers along! Hours of David Gibbs, Dan Proctor, Ravi Zacharias, Alistair Begg, and of coarse our own Pastor Grace. The time clicked away and we enjoyed the trip. Our brains were engaged and it made the 43 hours on the road beneficial in more ways than just getting from point A to point B and back again!

After we got to Gulf Port and had a few hour rest, the slight smell of radiator fluid didn't send any red flags up until we started to drive the 40 minute trip to the wedding rehearsal. The "Check Gauges" light shone like a beacon of doom, and the engine temp was nearing the danger zone... QUICKLY! We stopped at a little gas station and were pleasantly introduced to good 'ol southern hospitality. After a few gallons of water, we decided to continue the trip and limped it along for the next day... only Sunday morning to discover the small leak in a coolant line had become a bit of a rushing stream. Limp again the few miles to Red Creek Baptist Church for service, and pray for a mechanic in the congregation! This vehicle was going no where in this state- especially 1300+ miles back home! Praise God for Brother Greg! He pulled our van over a gully, expertly removed the broken part, and repaired it with a modified piece! We had a relaxing afternoon in the sanctuary while the repair was being completed, and were on our way! The engine had no water at least three separate times- and who knows how many of the miles getting there we were precariously close to blowing the engine! God is so GOOD and the repair was a success. We were able to drive home safely and without event.

This was a very good "pre deputation" trial run with the kids, the van, and M.A.N.Y. hours on the road... and I am still looking forward to our future "happy trails" and "on the road again" days ahead of us!

We decided to lollygag out of MS, and took a drive along the Gulf Coast. After Katrina, the landscape has still yet to recover. The children loved getting their feet wet in the Gulf, and looking for shells. What a great time! The weather was gorgeous, the sun was bright, and water was cool. Enjoy the pictures!

I am beginning to like feet pictures!

Little Savannah in her Wedding Finery :)

On the coast, a local artist carved many of the devastated Oak Trees
into gorgeous works of art along the highway.

These dolphins were stunning. Almost like they were swimming in the sky :)

Karate Kids!

We acquired two new family members.
We shall see how long they last. Poor babies :(

How about this for the prayer card pic?!
I love camera timers... and even more, older children that know how to use them!

They loved it! Warm and Sunny. Quite a contrast from NY at this time of year.
Definitely a nice break!

"EE TAOW"

It is good to be reminded of things.

It was over 17 years ago when as teen counselors at FBBC that my husband and I sat in a Sunday morning service and first saw this video. (It is 20 minutes... PLEASE take the time to view it! It will be more than worth your time!)

This past Sunday, our present teen pastor showed the same video to another generation of students. I can only pray it had the same impact on some of them as it once again had on us.

When we first saw this, we were in the first year of our marriage. It promted us to be fully on board of prayerfully and financially supporting missionaries . It was one of the most impactful and beneficial things that happened to us a newly married couple. It was a catalyst to engage our hearts about missions. We both saw the world as a big place that is desperate for the truth of the Gospel. We both felt compelled to obey God by getting involved in the Great Commission. Little did we realize what those first steps of obedience was preparing us for!

Dan is in his F.I.N.A.L. semester at NSBI. WOW!! It really has been an exciting time. Preparation is service, and we understand that so much now. There has been growth in our marriage, in our lives individually, as well as in our walk with the Lord. We are learning more and more what it means to trust God in all things... well most things! (To say all is presumptuous... as I am sure they would be words to be eaten at a future date!) We are still in awe at the desire of God to use us - we feel so inadequate! Nothing compares to the thrill of seeing God work in our lives.

While there will not be an official roll out date, :) our prayer card is almost ready to be printed! We received the initial project via email yesterday, and our hearts were pounding as we waited for the file to load! When we clicked it to open... we held our breath! I told Dan it was like he was asking me to marry him all over again! We hope to have the final changes done soon, and have them printed by the hundreds! So Exciting!!! Until then, I am going to share with you a few of the pictures that were taken to finally get "The One" to be used. By the way, we aren't using any of them! Not one if the 157 pictures. So sad!

More of a police line up than a prayer card pic!

My Gangsta Family- oh my!

This one was a contender- but we all look a little pale against the orange...
sorry Orange Girl!

Si playing Peek-a-boo... They never really grow to old for that game! :)

A Picture for our Christmas cards

Love the Socks!
So Precious!

"Oh this is such hard work!"

"I am Done!"

Hello? Is anyone out there still?

I have been very up to date on everyone's blog... except my own! I love google reader, but now that I don't have to go to my blog to reach all of the other one's, I feel less compelled to add to it...!

Well, there are some updates on the Jalowiec front here! We are meeting with a graphic design friend who is going to help us get our prayer cards and our letter ready to start out deputation plans. We have three different lists of churches that have been given to us. We are not excited about the leg work involved with regard to cold calling and trying to speak to a pastor. I pray we don't often have a name wrong on our lists! Having worked for a major retail chain for many years that has involved "cold calling" patients to let them know their order is ready will hopefully help! At least I know how to accurately dial a phone. I will definitely be glad for that skill that I learned in the secular world! Ha! Getting a calendar to put meeting dates onto seems a bit presumptuous, but little happens without belief! I think a nice appointment book is a great gift idea for a certain man in my life!

Speaking of... I am so thankful for my husband.

Many men have no clue nor desire to be handy in the least. It may stem from inability or a lack of motivation, I have no idea. What I do know is, Dan is professionally trained as an optician. Not a mechanic or an electrician, not a plumber or a small appliance repair man. BUT... he attempts and succeeds time and time again in these areas! I cannot add up the THOUSANDS of dollars he has saved us in repairs on the vehicles and in the home. And not because he had all of this macho-man gusto and confidence going into it. But because he figured he would "take a look and see". Yesterday, he repaired a gas leak on our van. It turned out to be something straight forward, but I would have driven it to the first repair shop I could find! He has repaired struts, shocks, brakes, clutch parts, windows, wiper motors... the list is endless! Another bonus, he often has one or two of our boys out there with him- training them to be men that will wow their wives one day! Just the other day my bread machine stopped working. I was thinking to toss it out and get another one somehow. No need! Josiah asked if he could "take a look and see"... (I have heard that phrase before!) and with in 20 minutes he returned it working like new. Bagels anyone?! :)

What is in a name?

So I ran across this blog from a friend of a friends... Who knows what my grandchildren's names might be if this idea catches on!

America, America, God Shed His Grace on Thee...

In browsing the cover page on iGoogle this article caught my eye. The title "Be good not godly" certainly is catchy. But I might ask, why are they even saying "Be good"? Why not say what they really think and just write "Go ahead and do whatever you want to do. Who cares what another thinks." We would not want them to stifle their proclivities now, would we?

This comes on the heels of a conversation I had with a co worker the other day. Her statement was along the lines of what is the big deal if the gays and lesbians want to get married? Who cares? What is it going to hurt if they have the right to get married? All I can say is, God Help Us!

The generally polled statistic is 92% of Americans believe in God. I might amend that to say they believe in a god. But lets give the benefit of the doubt, and if the do believe in God, what good is it if they do not fear him? And what good is it if they don't know him? And what good is it if, after all is said and done, he does not know them?

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.


I struggle with being "in [their] face" at these times and coming across less than gracious, but with mamby pamby being the order of the day, people are lulled to sleep and don't even know it. They are like the man I saw on my way into work the other day. He was nearly laying down on a bench outside of the mall precariously close to falling off of it, with a lit cigarette barely in his hands, and falling asleep. I made my way passed him just as sleep overtook him. The cigarette finally dropped out of his hands, his head hit the hard metal bench, and he was jolted awake. He looked up at me like I had pushed him!

People everywhere are falling asleep. We need to be a hard surface for them to wake up on! And we need to extinguish the ember from their verbal cancer before it hits the ground and ignites the unsuspecting and unguarded minds of those around them. OK- weird analogy, but it was so visual to me! What if that man was in a home and that happened? Certainly the bench would have been a very unjolting cushy couch, and the concrete ground would have been a nice soft petroleum-based synthetic carpet ready to ignite from the fallen cigarette! Many have died in real house fires from this exact scenario. How many are dying and we don't see it. Fires of destruction in their minds. Plumes of smoke that choke out the truth of the Word of God.

Isaiah 9:18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

There is another smoke that needs to billow. It is from incense that comes with our prayers.

Revelation 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

This is powerful stuff. This gets mixed with Fire from the throne of God, and is thrown down to Earth to overcome all kinds of wickedness. I know this is in Revelation, but if God wants to throw down Holy Fire that is mixed with prayers of the saints in this day to combat the evil of this world, I want mine to be included! This is not a battle to be fought on Main Street or Wall Street. This is a battle to be fought in the closets of our heart communing with God pleading for the life of this nation. The colors of our flag may not fade or run, but they do bleed. And we are bleeding. Badly. Only god can staunch the flow, and heal our land. But it starts with "If my people...".

Why did the Chicken?

Everyone has heard the timeless joke... why did the chicken cross the road? These answers are new to most though! Enjoy a good laugh, and thanks to Joni for the heads up!

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD??

SARAH PALIN: Before it got to the other side, I shot the chicken, cleaned and dressed it, and had chicken burgers for lunch.

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One! that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about
me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the
satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black
chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not
live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never crash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?