Hand and Feet of Jesus - Part 2

I am nearing the end of this great bible study with some amazing ladies at church. I love when I sign up for a bible study because it requires me to dig deeper into God word, to really chew on the scriptures and it promotes more growth in my walk. Especially when I get to discuss it with the other amazing women of many different ages and upbringings in our group. I love learning from those who have may be a little ahead of me in life. They bring so much wisdom to the table!

The study is of the book of Jonah. Titled: Jonah - navigating a life interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. this has been an amazing study and it has really hit home for me for many reasons.

1. I never thought I would ever leave the comfort of the city/area that I was born and raised in. When God layed it on our hearts to make the move to CO it surely was a "life interrupted".
2.  Everytime we bring new foster kiddos into our home, or when they move on to go back with their biological families...it surely is a "life interrupted".
3. Joshua and I each recently got the phone call we hoped we would never ever get in our lives. That call saying that each of our Grandmothers has cancer. Truly a "life interrupted".

How do we navigate it?  I honestly think this is one of those things I am still learning, and will continue to learn until the day God brings me home.

Pricilla has challenged us to look at the interrupted life not as "a life interrupted" but "a privileged life"or a "divine intervention".  She says "Your life involves you but is ultimately not about you. Knowing this allows you to be more willing to relinquish control of your life and yield to the "divine intervention".

I could go on and on about this study and what I have learned, but one thing I want to focus on is a challenge that Pricilla Shirer gave us at the beginning of the study. She challenged us to pray that God would reveal to us how we could be the "Hands and Feet of Jesus" through out our study. To pray that God would lead us to opportunities on how we could do that. I immediately thought of all the opportunities that I already have and am already doing. I teach and lead my treasures to Jesus daily in our home. Joshua and I lead the youth at church. We open our home to foster kids. We provide meals to families who are ill or grieving. We are more than willing to step up when we see a need at church.  I love that God has given us all these opportunities and I truly love serving Him in these ways. He continues to equip us and grow us as we serve Him in these areas.  I'm a check list type of person, and when I went through all the things we are doing already to be His hands and Feet, I mentally checked the box. As if saying yep, I'm doing that. Then I began thinking more about it and decided I love all those things we are already doing, and I want to be careful not to become "too busy", but I committed to praying and asking God if there were any other areas I needed growth on when it comes to being the Hands and Feet of Jesus. I asked him to reveal this to me throughout the study.

A few weeks back after I had been praying about this for about a week Joshua was contacted by a grandson of an old family friend of his from his childhood. This young fella (now 19 yrs old), mentioned that he was going to be in our area and asked if he could see Joshua and visit with us. Joshua and I talked about it, and we love having visitors so we decided to have him over for dinner. We love to have people in our home, we have had many conversation about this home and how we say its "ours" but really it isn't. God has provided it for us and we have prayed that it would be a place that we could use for His glory, a place for ministry, and hospitality, and place where people would feel God love and his presence.  So, Joshua let this young fella know that we would love to have him for dinner. He was in town, and didn't have a ride out to our farm, so Joshua picked him up and brought him over. We hardly know this young fella, that last time Joshua saw him was when he was 4yrs old, but Joshua knows his grandma and thought it would be nice to catch up with this young man. We quickly realized that this young fella was on a journey living what he called the "hobo" life. He arrived to our home with his dog, a very dirty face,  filthy clothes that smelled of a mixture of body odor and camp fire smoke. We welcomed him in and provided him with a warm meal. He came later than expected so our children had already gone to bed. We sat and listened to his story and how his journey was going. He had been traveling and living on the streets for a year or so. We knew that snow was expected to hit our area, and that the  temperatures were below freezing at night.  We decided to offer to allow him to stay in our guest house for one night. We gave him toiletries to shower with, a clean towel, and clean bedding. The following morning we said goodbye, and Joshua brought him back to town so that he could continue his journey.

I was so grateful that we have our guest house and that we could offer it to him to stay, there is no way I would have him stay in our home. We didn't really know this young man, we hadn't built trust to have him around our kids or sleep on the same level as them in our home. That night I struggled to sleep because I felt anxious about him being here and just the unknown of who he was. To be honest there was a sense of relief when Joshua brought him back to town.  After that we went about our day, our schedule, our life. Then I got the call from Joshua "he'd like to come stay for the weekend, so I will pick him up after work". Joshua seemed to think this was a good idea, he wasn't worried about it.  In all honestly I got off the phone and I was mad. This guy calls himself a "hobo", but in all honesty in my head he was homeless. I had no idea what kinda awful things he may be into. I was worried that I couldn't trust him with our kids and our home and guest home. We don't keep much money in the house but I immediately went to hide what we had. I talked to the kids about making sure they aren't alone at all with this guy. I explained to them that we just don't know him. Wow- I felt like my life was interrupted, and my heart was bitter about it. He hadn't even said thank you for the meal and shelter we had provided him the night before. All of these thoughts were going through our head.

Joshua brought him home, we had our traditional "Friday family pizza night"and he joined us. The kids asked him questions about his dog and his life. He was warm and friendly with them. When they went to bed we sat and visited with him and heard more of his story. We heard the "why" behind his travels. We heard how he gets money to continue to travel. Honestly, I felt like he was just avoiding what a young man should do when they get out of high school. He was avoiding college, trade school, or work. In his mind he was discovering himself and the world with the hopes that this journey would allow him to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He told us about all the places he has stayed and explained how he gets to ride trains for free because he doesn't take passenger trains, instead he hops in the boxes of the freight trains. He talked about all the hitch hiking he has done, and the different place he has slept. He explained that he has met amazing people along the way.

After conversation we all went to bed, as he left our home to head over the guest house I went around and locked every door in our home. We feel like we live in a pretty safe place, but that night I wasn't sure if we were safe. As I went to bed that night I had bitterness in my heart. I want my children to grow up to become responsible adults who work hard and are a contributing member to the community and society. I don't want them to be handed things for free or to use others to get through life. I also was still struggling to trust this young man, and was restless and I was trying to get to sleep. I prayed and asked God to reveal to me why this guy was here, and why my life had been interrupted by this guy.  The next morning as I was doing my Jonah bible study I realized why this fella had shown up at our place. I had been asking God to show me how to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and this was it. This wasn't really what I was thinking, but Gods plan is different. My heart started to change from bitterness to acceptance, and I decided to move forward in our weekend with intentionality in mind. I had waisted that past two days, and I needed to make up for lost time and figure out how I could be the hands and feet of Jesus for this guy. Because of my flesh, worry, and selfishness I almost missed this opportunity.

We spent the next couple days living life with this young man. For a short period of time he was apart of our family just doing life with us. He expressed an interest in going to church and we took him to church, and youth group. He asked questions about faith and we answered. We shared our love for the Lord and need for a savior with him. We talked about what he called "spiritual" things. He expressed interest in going to church when he gets back to where he came from (his home)". Joshua shared about the churches he knows in that area and encouraged him to get plugged in. Monday morning he went on his way and continued his journey. He left our home with memories made and a bible in hand. Joshua dropped him off at the bus station,  prayed for him,  and said goodbye.

We don't know what the future has for him, but I am so glad that God opened my eyes to the opportunity that landed right on our door step. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus on God terms, not our own.

Winter on the farm

Hands and Feet of Jesus - 1

I have no words that can explain or express how I have seen Jesus in the community around us. I know as Christ followers we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I have see this through His body of believers during different seasons of our life, and we have strived to do the same. However, I don't remember seeing it so clearly in action. The past few months we have clearly see this in the way of generosity of the body of Christ. 

Generosity is defined as the act of freely giving or sharing money and/or other VALUABLE things. Providing more than the amount that is needed or normal; abundant or ample. Showing kindness or concern for others.

God's word tell speaks often about generosity. Here are just a few examples:
"Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people especially to those who belong to the family of believers" Galations 6:10

" Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.  Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:10-13 

As believers we are called to be a light for Him and if we truly live this way then we will be generous people. I think many people think of money when they think of generousity.  Yes, that is one way we could be generous, we can give away what the Lord has blessed us with to bless others for His glory. There are times in life when people are struggling financially and it may not be wise for them the be extra generous with their money, but that doesn't mean they can't continue to live a life of generosity. Generosity is defined as being generous with VALUABLE things. Time is very valuable, everyone has life that goes on, their family, their hobbies. So many people in our church community have been generous with their time. They put a pause button on their agenda to think about us,  check in, pray, encourage and intentionally speak life into ours. Generosity is given through conversation, when others generously lift others up, and intentionally go out of the way to do so. We have also seen the body of Christ demonstrate generosity through their resources, personal energy by helping us, and their heart. A few years  ago I read on of my favorite books called "Love Does"by Bob Goff. Bob says, "Don't save up love like you are trying to retire on it, give it away like you are made of it" Bob Goff 

I have experienced generosity so many times in my life in many different ways. Mostly from those who are in my family or who are very close to our family. Maybe generosity is more expected or understood from those who are that close to you.   I am very grateful to have had these experiences! In all honesty many times I have struggled much of the time to receive generosity from those who maybe aren't in my family. I was raised to be independent and to do things on my own, so receiving generosity is an area that I am growing in. Lately,  I have asked myself why I haven't experienced generosity a this level in the past. I think it is different now as we are in a community of people who we have only know for a year and half. A community that truly loves the Lord and strives to serve Him in all areas of their life. This community that God has provided us blows me away. It continually overwhelms me and brings me to tears of joy. It really is a community, each person bringing their own gifts and talents to the table to work together as a body of Christ. It is beautiful, and the amount of time they know each other doesn't matter when it comes to the way the live out generosity. 

This community was intune to some of our families tangible, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs the past few months, and they worked together to help to meet them in very unexpected ways and it was from the kindness of their own hearts without expecting anything in return. Some were even generous without allowing us to know who they were. 

Here are just a few examples of how we have seen generosity in action:
- just because gift to lift our spirits when our close friends moved away. 
- sweet notes, texts, emails, and conversations. 
- a family spontaneously showed up to help fix our goat fencing . 
- a family excited about caring for our animals while were were in CA visiting family without expecting anything in return. 
- warm meal delivered upon our return home from our CA trip. 
- groceries delivered when we had our foster kiddos 
- a beautiful Christmas card with a $100 cash in it, and no signature or return address. 
- goody basket from our church family thanking us for our commitment to the youth ministry. 
- invite to a special event, that is all paid for. 
-financial gifts when Joshua's hours were cut at work. 
- continued Equestrian PE for our kiddos asking nothing in return

This is truly how I believe God intends life to be. He desires that we live life together in such a way that we are thinking of others, and that we wouldn't hold onto "our" Valuable things/time/energy with such tight grip. We are called to be His hands and feet. All of what we have is because of HIM but often times we hold onto it so tight as if it is our and to be used only for our desires..the truth is that their is so much joy in loving generously when it comes from your heart. It is also important to receive with Joy, and to not turn away the generosity being given. I am still learning this, but when we turn away the generosity we are stealing a blessing from the giver. 

This idea is so counter cultural. People work hard to make money to enjoy it for themselves. The other day we were at the library and Jeremiah said "Mommy it is so nice that the library shares their books with us". It is so true! Wow, we are at the library weekly. We are so grateful for the ability to check out books. They bless us so much. He went on to say, "Mommy why does the Library just give us duck food to feed the ducks at the lake? Why don't we have to pay?". Again this is something that blesses us so much. Every Thursday when we are at the library we get to get duck food and walk behind the library to the lake to feed the ducks. It's something we look forward to every week, moments that we cherish. I don't really know they why behind the free duck food, but I like to think that the library manger is generous and finds joy in providing children and families with the opportunity to feed and enjoys the ducks at the lake. It's interesting that our 6 year old questions why they would just give it to us. Yes, we do teach our treasures that we need to work hard for the things that we want, and that we need to save our money if we want to buy or pay for extra special things, but we also teach them that one reason we work hard and save is so that we too can give! 

We Praise the Lord that we are surrounded by a community of believers that lets God lead their life, and that they are obedient when He prompts them to be generous.! 

We love Thursday afternoons at the little lake behind the library

On the way home from the library, we were greeted by this lovely family of dear crossing our path.

Blogging fear

A little over a year ago I had one of those New years goals and it was to update our blog more often. It's really one of those things that I desire to do. Not because I want you all to read it and to know what is going on in our life. It's more because I have an awful memory and I want our little stories and snippets of our life documented for me and for my family. I want to be able to look back on where we have come from and where we have been. I want to be reminded of the growth that took place, prayers answered, and joys celebrated. I want to take the time to step away from this life that seems to be moving so fast to reflect on all that God provides day in and day out. I am not talking about his financial provision although that is also important.  I'm talking about ALL that HE provides. His beauty, His moments, His work, His joy..and the list goes on.

I hesitated though,  mostly because I am not this beautiful writer, and in all honesty it is my weakest subject. I don't want others to come on the blog and see all the mistakes I have made in my grammar, spelling, sentence structure. Or see that on most days I am scatter brained.  Maybe I was caught in a comparison trap. I have many friends who do this whole blogging thing so very well! Some who even get paid to do it! This has been the reason I haven't updated. I started to feel like it was chore to make it "just right".

As, I reflected on this past year I was saddened that I chose to give into my fear and not blog about it. It was a such a big year for my family and I wish I documented some of those moments when they were fresh.  So as I reflect I learned to not carry the burden of what wasn't done,  but to move forward with clarity and purpose. Got created me just how I am with the gifts he has given me for a purpose. Maybe writing isn't one of them and I am OK with that. I know that he has gifted me in so many other areas that I am oh so grateful for!  It is my prayer that this blog would one day be a gift to our kids as they look back on our days and they are able to read and be reminded of how God shows up in every moment as we continue to walk forward in faith in him. It is my prayer that it would be a gift to Joshua and I as we are reminded of how the Lord has alway been there and will always be! Who knows it may also be a gift to you all. If you could get past the grammar mistakes and see our heart and His heart in all of this.

I was recently told by someone that my instagram account reflects an amazing life, one that doesn't have any struggle. Ugh I guess social media can sometimes make peoples life seem that way. No one really wants to hang their dirty laundry out. We post about the beautiful glorious things and not the messy dirty things. Please know that in our home we have it all. On some days from one minute to the next it changes. There is much Joy as we take our life a moment by moment, day by day. At the same time there is sin and its ugly, and we get caught up in it. We are continuously praying that Satan would get behind us and that the Holy spirit would reign in our home. I will do my best to make this blog as authentic as possible. It's not alway roses, but when it is those days are glorious. We also see His glory it those days when it's not, as He lifts us up out of the dirt and give our feet a firm place to stand and wraps His arms around us and says.. I got this! I am so grateful for our God who does just that.

 This is a picture of our treasures, they are growing so very fast but they still love to feed the ducks every time we go to the library, and I love that we have the space and time in our day to do so! God is so good! 

Joshua and I had the privilege of leading at youth winter camp last weekend, serving together has been one of those things that we have loved to do since the beginning of our relationship! It sure does bless us! 

Christmas Greetings 2017 -posted late

Merry Christmas 2017

      Merry Christmas from Colorado, where it looks like its actually going to be a white Christmas this year!  This was our first full year out here and it was a great year for our family. It was also a year full of growth, learning, dedication, and some firsts. This year we established new traditions, and continued some old ones. It is such a gift to think and look back on our year and see all that the Lord has done in our lives.  He continues to show his faithfulness through out our lives in so many amazing ways.

     

        This has been our first full year as a home-schooling family and it has been such a blessing.  Julie is an amazing teacher and I know being able to teach our kiddos this year has been rough at some points, but has also brought her much joy. She enjoys being able to get creative with her teaching, and loves being able to teach to the kid’s different learning styles, and needs, while still providing them the time to just be kids and enjoy the wonder and discovery in God’s creation.  The kids have been able to have so many great experiences through field trips, and extra curricular activities through homeschool.  We have also been blessed with the opportunity to have equestrian P.E. this school year! This has been a highlight for all the kids! We surprised the kids with their first school-focused vacation this year! We took them to South Dakota! They got to learn about and experience Badlands National Park, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Custer State Park. It was an incredible trip of much learning! This is one of the many advantages of homeschooling. So far this homeschool journey has been a good fit for us. Most importantly, Julie loves that she can speak truth into the kiddos life all day long, and point them to Gods word. She definitely has her plate full when it comes to teaching. With four kids in four different grades, teaching can be tricky, but Julie looks to the Lord for her strength and lets Him lead.

     

      Julie was also given the opportunity to attend a women’s retreat this past year, and is now really feeling like She has a community around her.  When we moved out here, Julie left some amazing friends, which has been hard for her.  God knows what we need and He has provided some great women in Julie’s life that walk along side her and lift her up.

     

      Joshua Wayne is officially in middle school (crazy!) this year and is turning into a mature, godly young man. Joshua’s highlight each week is attending youth group! He also enjoys playing the guitar and he continues to excel in sports.  He returned back to Little League this year and made it to the all-star team, which was a huge blessing for him!  Another area he did great in this year was in 4-H.  We look at 4-H as an extension of the kid’s homeschool; it is a very educational program that also teaches great character development. Joshua truly enjoys all that he is learning in 4H. This past year he raised and showed his Boer goat “Grace” at the county fair. He made it to champion drive in the market category and Grand Champion in showmanship, which then allowed him to move onto the Round Robin category where he got to show other animals including a horse, a steer, pig, and a few others.  This was a great learning experience for him and he got second place. He also won second place in archery with a compound bow and made it to the El Paso County team and competed at the state fair.

      Janna Rose had an exciting year as well.  She is in the fourth grade and has really started to show a joy for learning across all subjects! Back in August, Janna publically professed her faith and chose to be baptized at our church! This was a huge step in Janna’s faith walk, one that she did not take lightly as she had been giving much thought to this decision for a couple of years. There is nothing that can make Julie and I more proud than know that our children have decided, on their own, to follow Christ and live their life for Him!  This past year Janna also really found a love for Softball. She had a great coach who first invested in building the girls character, sportsmanship, and then skill into the girls and because of this, Janna became a better all around player. She also learned a lot in 4-H.  Janna won Champion for Cake Decorating, her Quilting Project and in the Fashion review, and first place for her Clothing Construction project.  Janna continues to love to sing and play the piano. She was blessed with the opportunity to close her Christmas Piano recital by playing silent night with the audience accompanying her by singing.

      Jadyn Elizabeth has grown up so much this year.  She will always be my “tiny” one, but she is changing so much!  Now in the second grade, Jadyn loves to read and do math (she doesn’t get that from me!). She also loves to be creative, and says she wants to be an artist when she grows up. Jadyn loves to be social and meet new people, she has enjoyed making new friends both at church and through the homeschool program.  Jadyn also played sports this year.  With her being two grades below Janna, she was supposed to play with younger girls but we decided to play her up and she did great!  Being the youngest and smallest one on the team did not stop her from going out there, playing with all her heart, and do amazing! She has learned so much from her older siblings and wants to do everything just like them, including 4-H.  Jadyn was too young to participate this year, but is now old enough to.  She is real excited to get started on her projects, including goats, which I know she will do great in! Jadyn also continues to play piano, and she is beginning to enjoy it more as she advances! She currently loves to play worship songs on the piano. The greatest news about Jadyn this year is that she made the decision to follow Jesus all the days of her life, and committed to serving and loving Him!

      Jeremiah Ray, mommy’s “lil lad” is not so little anymore.  He is now in kindergarten and loves to read, and discover new things and ideas.   He has also been enjoying sports this year and cant wait to play flag football now that he’s old enough.  Jeremiah joined his sisters in piano this year and he too enjoys it! They just had their winter recital and Jeremiah went up with confidence and played like a big boy.   It is such a joy to watch him grow into a little man and navigate his way through different emotions as a six year old.  Like his older siblings, he loves to play outside on the farm. He enjoys riding his bike, climbing trees, treasure hunting and lending a hand building a fort the four of them have been putting together. Jeremiah is too young for 4H, but him and Jadyn were given the opportunity to show Joshua’s goat in the peewee division at the county fair! Jeremiah very much looks up to his big brother, and he loves to learn from him.   This was the first year that Jeremiah experienced being a “big brother” himself, he took this job seriously and he was amazing!

      In March of this past year our family started a journey of fostering kiddos that had been on all of our hearts for many years. We felt that God was calling our family to love on little ones that needed a place to feel safe and loved. We knew this was a big step of faith, and that we couldn’t have done it on our own. Through our church we have been blessed with an amazing community and support system around us to walk through this with us. We were honored to be given the opportunity to love on two different sets of siblings as our own this year. As you can see we included them all on our Christmas card, as they were a huge part of our family and our life! We were first placed with a sibling group of three little ones 2.5, 1.5, and 9 months old! They were apart of our family for two months. That time was both challenging and rewarding, but honestly it was transforming for us as we saw Gods strength shine through when we as parents didn’t have any more strength. Also, we saw God work in our kiddos lives, as they loved these little ones so well! It is such a gift to see our kiddos desire and enjoy serving the Lord by showing His love.  Next, we were given the opportunity to care for two brothers 2, and 4 years old. They were part of our family for 6 months! They fit right in, enjoyed life and were such a blessing and a joy to have. Our kiddos had such a loving bond with all the kiddos who joined our family. All of these sweet kiddos went back to their family, which was sad for us, but we also know that God has a plan for them and we were blessed to be a part of it and to be able to show His love to each and every one of them. Our lives are forever changed by their lives. We don’t currently have any additional kiddos in our family, but we are ready and willing when there is a need. The Lord knows what’s to come.

     

      A few years ago Julie and I had planned to go to Kauai for our anniversary. The trip was put on hold due to my back injury, but this year we were able to reschedule to trip, and not only that but our close friends Melissa and Shaheen were able to join us as they also celebrated their anniversary.  We had the most wonderful time! It was truly an amazing trip, filled with some rest, but mostly great adventure and discovery full of new experiences, much laughter and a lot of fun! Sometimes I look back on that time and can’t even believe it happened; it was sort of like a dream! While we were enjoying the island the kids were enjoying being at the Ranch camp with Julie’s Mom. It was truly an incredible week for all of us, and we feel blessed to have had the opportunity.

      We LOVE having houseguests and we were incredibly blessed to have so many this year! Some of our most favorite memories from our year were just living life with family and friends that we love here on our farm.  Some of the highlights included; a couple quick visits from two of Julie’s uncles, hiking through Castlewood Canyon state park with Julie’s Dad, Memorial Day weekend with my Grandma, porch conversations with our friend Benny, introducing our animals to Benny’s little girls, bike riding, game playing, and wagon riding with the Jahangards, card playing, quad riding, and playing with the animals with Julie’s Grandma, and painting, baking, hamocking and bike riding with Julie’s Mom. At one point this year we had 3 families -6 adults and 15 kiddos sleeping under our roof!  These moments of “living life together” were filled with much joy and laughter and they were truly a gift that we cherished!

     

I have continued to enjoy my job, home projects, our family time, and time out doors.  This year I was given the opportunity to lead and re-launch the youth ministry at church. Julie serves along side me, and we both very much enjoy ministering and investing in the lives of the youth at our church! It is such a blessing!  I have also had the honor of filling the pulpit twice this year for our pastor.  It was a blessing and honor to be asked to share what God has been putting on my heart.  The first time I preached on community and this past Sunday I preached on the importance of margin.  One of the reasons I focused on this was making sure we have time to work on our relationship with Jesus.  With this being the season of Advent, we need to take some time and remember what we are celebrating.  We can easily overwhelm ourselves with things that we think we “need” to do, and lose focus on what we really need to do.  There are plenty of important things in our life, but none as important as your relationship with Jesus.  Take some time and have a conversation with him!

We pray that God would bless you and reveal himself to you in new ways this Christmas Season and upcoming year!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Love, The Taflinger’ s

Joshua, Julie, Joshua Wayne (11), Janna Rose (9), Jadyn Elizabeth (8), and Jeremiah Ray (6)

                   

Lessons learned and moments to remember in 2016

2016 was a big year for our family, and there were many lessons learned, struggles overcome, and memories made. Life is a journey of growth, and there are some things we just don't want to forget. Here are just a few of those things in no particular order...

I don't want to forget that this was the year that..
.... Jeremiah baptized himself in the bath after watching Pastor George baptize others.
.... Jeremiah started to read.
.... J shared that he wants to go to seminary to be a pastor someday.
.... Janna shared that she is so glad that God made her Janna and made her exactly the way she is.
..... Jadyn accepted change in her life with joy.
......My little brother became a Daddy.
......I became an auntie to the most beautiful niece.
..... Jadyn lost her first tooth, this had been a moment she was waiting for since she turned 4.
......Joshua and I went to our first Laker game.
..... We went on our first family missions trip.
..... J learned to snowboard.
......Janna learned to Cross Country Ski.
..... Jeremiah went to his first KARE camp.
...... Janna went to her first overnight camp at KARE.
..... Joshua preached in Big church.
...... Joshua took Jadyn to a Daddy/ Daughter ball.
..... We did a family whale watching trip for our anniversary.
....  Our oldest boy turned double digits (10).
...... My best friend threw the most beautiful farewell gathering.
..... We said goodbye to our Upland home, and said hello to our farm house.
..... We lived in a trailer for 2.5 months.
...... Joshua and J went to their first NFL game.
.......Carolers came to the door during Christmas time and it was pouring rain.
...... I faced my fears.
...... Jeremiah got a One year bible at our Church White Elephant Exchange, and he asked his brother to read it to him every morning.
..... A resident owl lived on our farm.
.... We said goodbye to our first set of hens.
....... We hunted for our Christmas Tree in forest, and cut it down.
...... Janna expressed that she likes to get presents, but she likes to watch others get presents more.
..... My love for teaching returned when I got the chance to be teacher for our own treasures.
...... Jadyn had 8 inches cut off of her hair.
...... Joshua helped coach J's flag football team.
...... Our Thanksgiving Turkey struggled to get fried in time, so we roasted it and ate it the next day.
...... Daddy taught J to drive on the Farm.
...... We became part of a new church community.
....... The girls had their first piano recital.
....... We went to the Compassion experience.
...... J found a love for woodworking.
...... Janna found a love for quilting.
 
  Lessons learned...
 ... God calls us to hard things, but he continues to be faithful through it.
...  Faith can overcome fear.
.... Change is so hard, but can be so good.
....  Doing life with others is a gift.
....  Hospitality is welcoming others in, not making sure everything is perfect.
..... God gives you some friends for a season, and others for a lifetime.
..... Nothing is forever except eternal life.
..... Margin in your life is an amazing thing!
..... Fear is deep rooted, and sometimes unrecognizable.
..... Looking for lovely in the everyday is essential.
..... I have an audience of one.
.... Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.
.....Anxiety is real, and others may not understand.
..... You can be happy for someone even when it hurts to do so.
..... When you pour into someone else's life, you are pouring into your own life.
....  God knows all the details, and I don't need to know them.
..... God calls us to intentionality, and asks us to be ALL IN for him.
..... Patience is easier when you rely on God for your strength and have faith in Him.


God continues to teach us these lessons, and sometimes we need to be re taught. I am grateful that I serve a gracious God,  who loves me in every season on this journey of life.

Blessings to you and yours in 2017

~ Julie

Merry Christmas love the Taflinger's

Merry Christmas 2016

As I sit here writing this letter, I can’t help but to think about how much has happened this year.  As many of you know, we moved to Colorado back in August.  It was difficult to move away from people we love, like family, and friends, but we felt that it was something that God called us to do. 

For the first half of this year, Julie was still teaching in the classroom and doing a great job with her students.  Something that God put on her heart was to take the energy, passion, and love that she was giving to her students, and give them to our kiddos.  When we moved here, Julie started homeschooling them and it has been great to see her passion for teaching played out with our four.  As one could imagine, it is sometimes difficult teaching at four different grade levels, but Julie is doing great and the kids love that their mama is their teacher!  The kids have had some amazing teachers in the past, but none of them loved them the way Julie does and our kids know that.  Julie does have some help.  The kids are part of a hybrid program and once a week, the kids go to a school where they are with other homeschool kids and are taught hands on subjects like Science, Engineering, Art, and Music.  Janna and Jadyn also get piano lessons every week outside of school. They both have a love for playing the piano, and it is so great to hear the piano being played daily in our home.

        All four of the kids were involved in sports over the past year with Kare Youth League and that is definitely something that we really miss.  The kids have now started playing sports through the local YMCA and are continuing to thrive in all sports.  Joshua started things off by playing flag football and I had the opportunity to help coach the team.  The level of competition was a little different than what he was use to but it was good to see him work on skills that needed improvement.  He is now playing basketball, and is enjoying it.  Janna has been swimming since August and has shown a lot of improvement!  It has been a different experience for her considering that it’s not a “team” sport.  Janna expressed interest in playing basketball next month, so she will be joining a team in January.   Jadyn also started out swimming and then transitioned into basketball last month.  Jadyn is a tiny little thing but it is fun to watch how focused she is out there on the court.  Jeremiah began with soccer and is now playing basketball as well.  It was fun to watch Jeremiah play soccer and learn the fundamentals.  He was one of the older kids on the soccer team, but one of the youngest on his basketball team but he doesn’t let that stop him from having fun!  

        Joshua and Janna are part of 4-H and have begun thinking about which projects they want to be part of.  Joshua is thinking about archery and goats, and Janna is thinking about quilting.  She has already started making things on the sewing machine and loves it.  Although our younger two are too young, our 4-H club is very family friendly and allows the younger kids to participate in a number of activities.  Both Jadyn and Jeremiah are excited to start projects of their own as they get older.

        I mentioned that Joshua is interested in having goats, but Janna is also interested in an animal as well.  Not as a project, but for a pet, she would like a pig!  Right now, we have our two dogs, bunny rabbit, and ten chickens, but the kids would like some other animals on the farm.  We were very blessed to have found a property like ours.  The house was an old church parsonage from the late 1800’s and was relocated to this location around 1908.  There is also an old school house from the town of Monument which was also relocated to our property.  Our goal for that is to fix it up and homeschool from there.  There are a few other outbuildings on our eight acres and the kids love to explore them!

         With a property like ours, there’s always something for me to keep me busy when I’m not at work.  Luckily, my work hours are pretty flexible.  I started my job September 1^st and was working with two young men.  Our goal was to get them transitioned into their own place and functioning on their own.  As of the week of Thanksgiving, that all came to be and both are doing great.  I will now be working with young men in high school who are part of the foster system. 

        We have found a new church home and we love it!  We are part of a cowboy church out here in the country and it is different than what we are used to.  Our pastor teaches from the bible and says it how it is and we love it.  The people there have been so welcoming and genuine with us and it makes us feel at home.  Every month we have a potluck and it has been great to meet and eat as a family on a regular basis. 

        Every year we make many memories, too many to put in our Christmas letter, but this year we would like to specifically highlight two that stretched us and grew us closer to our amazing God. Back in February we took the kids on their very first mission’s trip to Mexico with the youth group at NewSong Church. Our family spent a weekend in Ensenada serving alongside the youth at a church, and in the community of Lomitas. We served in many ways including painting houses, helping with a bible school program, playing soccer with the community, and repairing roads. This is a trip our 4 treasures have continued to talk about throughout the year. They were blessed to be given the opportunity to serve God in this way and they saw how others were blessed by their service. Another highlight was that dear friends of ours opened their home and their trailer to us as we were waiting to find a place of our own to call home in CO. They were so generous and hospitable. We were given the opportunity to do life with them for 2.5 months. We were incredibly blessed to do so! There were days that were trying, but we relied on God for patience and persevered through.  We grew in our character, and it was an opportunity for God to continue to mold us into His likeness.  We are incredibly grateful that we got to have this experience.

        As I mentioned before, this move was hard for us.  We left some amazing people whom we love a lot!  I also mentioned that we felt called to make the move.  We know that this what God wants for our family, and we have to be obedient.  God has called us to follow him and we know that’s not always the easiest thing to do, but we are not called to live an easy life, we are called to live a life that will honor and glorify Him in everything we do, no matter how hard it may be.  God knows what a hard life looks like.  Jesus came to this earth, was hated on, beaten on, and died on a cross for us.  Life may be tough, but we have so much to rejoice in. I pray that you are able to forget about the things that are tough and focus on the birth of a friend…a friend that loves you more than you will ever know!

Have a Merry Christmas

Love,

Joshua, Julie, Joshua Wayne (10), Janna Rose (8), Jadyn Elizabeth (7), and Jeremiah Ray (5)

       *We have decided to start updating our blog again –Please go to thetaflingers.blogspot.com for further updates

Christmas cards/ Letters

I find myself anxiously awaiting the mail carrier during this season!
I just love getting Christmas cards, letters, and pictures!
There are a few reasons I really love this!

1) I love getting mail that is not bills! The reality is that most mail we get is junk mail or Bills! With technology these days we do not get snail mail! We get emails, evites, message posts, and status updates. I really miss getting mail!

2) Most of the Christmas cards we receive are from people we see on a regular basis, but I love getting a picture of them because I don't always have one.

3) I also love to see how everyone does it. some might send cards with nice works, some pictures, some letters. I love to see the creativity that is put into it! It is a great reminder of how God has created us all uniquely! With our own creative ways! Its amazing to see all the different ways to recap someone on your past year!

4) The biggest reason I love getting Christmas Cards is that I get to see and read how Christ is working in everyones lives! It is a reminder of how our God is alive and working daily in our lives!

Thank you all for sharing! Your cards have truly blessed me!
Here is our Christmas card and letter if you did not receive it.

Merry Christmas!
May CHRIST be the center of your CHRISTmas!

Sorry this is a picture of the picture..not too clear

If you click the letter it will enlarge so you can read it.

Christmas Card Picture Photo Shoot

Every time we take pictures we usually have some one missing! Usually its Daddy cause he is taking the picture. For our Christmas Photo Card we asked our close friend Melissa and Shaheen to meet us at one of our favorite hiking spots to take some family pictures. We were also able to take a few of them and their adorable family! It was a great morning, out in God beautiful creation! Enjoy the pics!

Joshua Wayne 4 1/2

Janna Rose 2 1/2

Jadyn 1 yr old

Lincoln is our friends son he is almost 2

Our Three kiddos

The Jahangards

This one is my favorite!

Janna fell off the bridge during the picture taking ...but she was fine just a little scared! Something to laugh about in the years to come!