Ray & Clare

Home dedication December 12, 2012

2011-12-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful co-workers and friends who took time to pray through each room of the house. It was an amazing time!

Our new home!

2011-12-10T13:36:00.001-08:00

This house is really beyond what we could have dreamed of! This coming Monday, December 12, we will be dedicating this home in prayer to the Lord's use. Our Youth With A Mission Las Vegas family will be coming over to pray over the house room by room. It is our family home, but it is a ministry home as we do house and will house many foster children here. Currently we have one foster placement and two of our own. Also, our ministry Foster Connect will have it's office location here, along with our staff RoseAnna will be living here starting in the new year! We are excited to see God use this amazing place!

Following is a walk through for all of those who can't just pop over and visit:)

GREAT message on orphan care!

2011-09-06T21:49:00.001-07:00

http://www.disciplemakingintl.org/media/series/view/365/chapter-15-father-to-the-fatherless?filter=keyword&keywords=orphans

Daily Life

2011-07-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Simple things take time to sink in. Maybe it's because the most simple things end up being the most complex.
I've been realizing that God's grace on a daily basis doesn't spare us from the evils of this life but instead it brings His goodness into the midst of it. Because of this we are able to continue and have a real hope in a good God. Without His daily grace I would suffocate, but instead it lifts me above. The reason it is 'grace' and not just 'goodness' is because I don't deserve any of it.

Father's Day note from AynJel

2011-07-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

When love shows

2011-04-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of throwing my first every baby shower for Wiyo's mom Nicole. Though I had fun plotting and planning and crafting to make it a lovely event, the presence of 21 lovely ladies is what really pulled it off. I was the only guest who actually knew Nicole. The rest of the women came to simply show her some of God's love in her challenging situation. It was then an honor to share at the shower that the entire event was a sign of God's love for Nicole and her family; there really was no other explanation. What could really be more beautiful?

Social Entrepreneurs

2011-03-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

"Aid workers function in the context of an aid bureaucracy, while social entrepreneurs create their own context by starting a new organization, company, or movement to address a social problem in a creative way. The big donors, whether government aid groups or large philanthropic organizations, want systematic interventions that are scalable, and there are good reasons for that. But as a result they miss opportunities to bring social change by failing to set up networks to identify and support individual leaders who can make a difference in the trenches."
From the book: Half The Sky

They got me

2011-03-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

One of my characteristics is to over analyze things. I have a hard time letting something go until I come to a conclusive conclusion that satisfies me.
So, last Sunday Ray and I taught Sunday school. The theme was on thankfulness. Of course in lesson prep and while teaching the lesson I was strongly reminded myself that I need to line my heart up with a thankful attitude more often. I have more wistful thoughts than I probably have thankful ones....
So not far into the lesson I told the kids the parable of the lepers that were healed and about how only one came back to thank Jesus. Then I said, 'Isn't it easier to want stuff and forget about thankfulness?' The large majority response was, "No, we find it easy to be thankful, we have everything we want. There is nothing that we want that we don't have." This rattled me right then and there and my only recovery was to be transparent and to share that I did struggle with thankfulness and that it takes work to be so. In the end I am just left wondering....are they just super good Christian kids, do they just know the right answers, or do they truly have everything they could ever want? Just can't make it out. Well, it is true that just because someone has all they want doesn't mean that they are thankful for it.

3,500

2011-02-22T21:09:00.000-08:00

This matches the number of foster children in Clark County.
It is said that their are over 500 churches in Las Vegas, but
just be conservative we will stick to the 500 number. If each
church took care of 7 children the need would be met 100%.

Glorious Need

2011-01-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

Often I can sink into a hole of stacking up all my 'needs'. Of course all I want is for them to be eliminated as soon as possible. Whether it's current need or foreseen need, I mostly just want it gone so I can move on.
God reminded me that how much would I really experience Him without my need? In reading through Matthew and all of Christ's encounters with people it was only their need that brought them in contact with Jesus. If someone in the multitudes just had all their needs met they would have looked on and thought, "Pretty nifty, good for those people, hmmm interesting." and that would have likely been the end of it.
I want encounters with Jesus, thus I think I should invite need into my life rather than always trying to eliminate it....maybe even place myself in that position intentionally. For example, do we only live within our means? Should we only take as many kids in as our house and car will comfortably hold?
Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he said it is as hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom heaven as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Would they even be on the same side of town if they lived in the 'no need side'? How would their paths cross exactly?

Getting to Know You from The King and I

2010-11-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

Love this song! Makes me think of how I feel when we get a new foster child.

Wiyo still in our lives

2010-11-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

Can't go into details, but we wanted to let all know that we are still involved in Wiyo's life! When he left we gave his mom a card saying she could contact us any time and that we cared about them very much.
Three weeks later she did call and said she needed help! Thus, we have been watching Wiyo after school Mondays through Thursdays until 9:00 and Sundays from 9:30am- 7:00 .Yes, lots of time with him. He is very comfortable with us and is constantly processing all the craziness of his life. We are also in ongoing contact with the caseworker so that we can be sure that we are truly being helpful in the situation. His mom has been making very hard decisions and has been doing a good job putting her kids first (she also has one on the way). We will be watching him on those days until the end of the month when his mom will be hopefully eligible for other assistance. We are hoping also to gain some friendship relationship with his mom.
It is one more element to make life crazy but we are very happy about it.

Blah

2010-11-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

So this post is really merely a vent. Having said that you may just want to skip it:) However, it will make me feel better just to write these few sentences.
Over this last weekend we were told that our only Las Vegas supporting church is no longer supporting us. To be honest, crushing. The money of course will be missed but mostly we find it emotionally discouraging. It is yet another blow of discouragement from a church. Don't get me wrong some churches do things here and there and not all churches have we found discouraging, but by and large they are mostly discouraging. It's the lack of financial support, the lack of answered phone calls and visits, the lack of any effort really. I had better stop before I dig a deeper hole for myself. God has called us to work with the church here in Las Vegas and to serve them in leading them into the world of foster care, the U.S. orphans close to God's heart. So though it may be like pulling teeth onward we must go....God help me.
Hopefully I haven't offended anyone, it's just where I am at.

Wiyo

2010-10-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

Wiyo

2010-10-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

/
Wiyo was a part of our family for three months, sounds like a short amount of time but we still got attached. He is such a cool kid and we had a great time teaching him all sorts of things. He loved being a part of our family and loved family time whether grocery shopping or eating dinner.

One Friday Night

2010-09-25T21:56:00.001-07:00

So, now that two weeks have gone by I think I have inwardly processed my traumatizing event enough to further process with the public.
The story goes: It was two Friday nights ago that I went to bed exhausted. Little Ray was a light, restless sleeper that night waking about three times in the night only to cry a bit and fall back to sleep each time. This awoke no one else other than myself. As I was in a state of delirium from each of these interruptions of sleep at some point I began to think that my pillow was making some sort of noise. Of course my next thought was, " That couldn't be sleepy head, go back to sleep you must be a bit out of your mind." Repositioning I snuggled up again but I could not deny the sound, which made me jump a few times and at one point I thought the pillow moved. Now of course, just the thought of an unwelcome critter in bed makes a person hyper sensitive so I kept trying to counter play my reaction. Ray had woken by my jumpy movements and suggested that I turn the light on and look. As silly as I felt I thought at least this would bring me peace of mind. Sure enough, nothing was around or under the pillow. So I snuggled in again, and said, "Ray I hear it again, I'm going crazy." The sound was like a clicking, scratching sound. So by a loving, noble act he suggested we trade pillows. I took his and ahhhh, it felt much better. A few minutes passed and he said, " I hear it too." This was disturbing but at least I wasn't crazy. We quickly flicked the light on and he shook the pillow upside down. He said, "Don't look", and I heard a few stomping sounds. Ewwww, I said "What, tell me what is it?" Sure enough it was a very friendly roach. How in the wide world did it get in my bed let alone my pillow case? It may sound silly, but we couldn't sleep again in bed. We sat on the couch wondering how we would fall asleep again, until indeed sleep overtook our wondering.
Still a few weeks later I'm jumpy in bed and it takes me a while to fall asleep. Every little tickle alerts my senses and sets off my imagination.
My disclaimer is that no we do not have a roach infestation, all Las Vegas homes have the occasional roach, and my house is clean!
Out of all the various countries I've been to and strange places I've slept...never would I have thought that my worst bug encounter would happen in my own bed at home.
I underwent self imposed therapy today to reintroduce me to the friendly roach in Walle....he was kind of cute.

In danger

2010-09-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Read a harrowing story of a foster family who also adopted several children...it was a bit of a disturbing story, well intense really. The name of the book is 'An Unlit Path'. The nice part is that it is very down to earth. Here's a part of the book that realllly rang home for me. So nice to hear someone else say it.

"One of the biggest misconceptions of Christianity is that if we do God's work with a humble and willing heart and all for His glory, He will protect us. I am not sure why I started believing that, it is certainly not scriptural. Scripture teaches us we will be mocked and ridiculed for the sake of our faith. Why had I overlooked the martyrs John the Baptist, the apostles, even Job? ....The truth is that the closer we are to God and the more willing we are to do His work, the more danger we are in." - Deborah L. Hannah

The Bramwell girls!

2010-09-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

These are pictures are of our wonderful visit with the Bramwell girls. Sophia, the red head, was our first foster placement at three weeks old. Then named Stephanie, we had her until she was eight months when her great aunt Tammy (in the pictures) came to adopt her. They were back in town this week to pick up Sophia's sister Shealyn, also to be adopted by aunt Tammy. Their visit filled our hearts!

Getting Around!

2010-08-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

He is getting around, exploring his world, and getting into trouble!

Loving this series, just finished Old Testament, ready to start the New

2010-08-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

the new member of the family

2010-07-19T22:01:00.001-07:00

Known by our friends and previous owners as "The Millennium Falcon"

Gods faithfulness and our recent needs

2010-07-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings loved ones from sizzling 110 degree Las Vegas,

Clare and I hope this email finds you enjoying your summer weather and the fun activities it can bring. We have tried to make the most of it ourselves, including a weekend of camping at Mt. Charleston here in Southern Nevada this weekend! We will be camping with a handful of foster families who are apart of Foster Connect. It should be a great time of relaxation and friendship.

Although you may have received a general newsletter in the mail from us a week or two ago, we wanted to take the time and write a little more specific email sharing about what the latest is in our family.

As missionary's in the US, we have found that sometimes it is easy for us to "blend in". After all this is America, and even for missionaries living on a missionary budget, we almost always have our needs met. This is a testimony to God's faithfulness, and his hand working through generous people such as yourselves. The bottom line is that it can be really hard to truly starve when living in America. It is hard to truly be without. I look at our friends the Howard family from Las Vegas; after years of foster care, and inevitable adoption, they quit there profitable jobs, sold their possessions, and are traveling with their 7 kids to Uganda Africa as we speak to become long term missionaries commissioned by God to share the good news of the Gospel to some of the world's most poverty stricken orphans. That takes great faith on behalf of the Howards, and even greater faith from our Heavenly Father. Lord bless them on their adventure.

Putting things in perspective I would like to take a moment to share about God's faithfulness in our lives and wrap it up by sharing about some of the recent needs the Biggerstaff family is facing in the near future. Let me thank you in advance for taking the time to read this email, and for being apart of the loving network we have supporting us as we live and work everyday in the dark inner city area of Sin City.

As you may have read in our newsletter, or learned by talking to us personally, you know that we have been taking a 6 month long break from fostering ourselves. Our girls we had in 2009 left us just before Christmas and just in time for us to welcome in Little Ray (See attached picture). Our beautiful son has been such a joy. But we know God has given us a home, and a heart for more than one sweet baby boy. After these 6 months of rest and simply enjoying our family, the time has come for us to take in more children. We currently have been waiting for several weeks now for the Department of Family Services to send some children our way.

As a family, Clare and I believe we are called to have many children. Possibly when its all said and done we will have taken care of 100 or more! So far, the number is 6. We currently have a 3 bedroom house. We have 2 beds empty right now, 1 twin and 1 toddler. We are anxious to fill these up, but as we wait we get this feeling that we should be taking in more. "What if we had a bunk bed in that room?" we ask each other. We know that if God wants to fill this family up, he will need to provide the means. This includes more beds, but even more, maybe even a larger home. This also includes another vehicle capable of carrying these children. As I have said so often over these last 6 months, "OH BOY!"

We have seen God answer our prayers! We have been seeking a second vehicle for over a year now, and finally God provided just what we need. Just yesterday we picked up a large 12 passenger van that was given to us! Its big, and needs some work, but we got it! Now, our prayer is, "God, fill this thing up!"

I would like to ask you loved ones if you would please spend some time praying for us during this time. This is a spiritual battle we are in, and even as we take in these seemingly innocent children, they come from terrible experiences and carry such a burden on their young shoulders. Prayer is essential. I would also like to ask you to consider giving toward our specific needs. We know many people are out of a jobs, or are barley making it themselves. We live in a state that has 14% unemployment which is highest in the Nation. We understand. But we know as children of God that if flowers of the field and the birds of the air have all they need, how much more will our Heavenly Father take care of us. He provides, and in our experience, its usually through the generosity of others.

Let me give you a specific breakdown of out current needs:

* With the added van comes added immediate expenses: $100 Registration; $200 immediately for insurance; $400 for tires/oil change/other maintenance. Total: $700 one time
* And monthly expenses: Gas/maintenance/insurance Total: $300 estimate per month
* Another bed. We are in the lookout for another bed, preferably a bunk-bed.
* In the recent months we have seen our monthly support drop $100, all in a times when we need it to increase to supply the need for health insurance: $300 permonth

- Also when we do take kids in, as many as three, we don't receive any reimbursement from the state until a month after we have had them. The first month is the biggest as they all will need complete wardrobes, and all the basics.

Thank you for taking these into consideration and taking the time to read all of this. Please always feel free to give us a call or email. We would love to chat. You can also find us (and Foster Connect) on Facebook.com

Love,

Ray, Clare, and baby Ray Biggerstaff

Loves reading already!

2010-07-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

reminded

2010-07-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

I was reminded today of a general truth in ministry that I need to constantly re-embrace.
I have observed that the farther a ministry gets from loving, serving, and sharing the gospel with people on a personal level the farther it gets from true ministry.
In this country we tend to love numbers, results, measurements, almost a fast food ministry effect. I'm not sure that it is possible to truly minister, by the definition of ministry, to the masses. God made people to minister to people, yes it's micro-managing!

new pics.

2010-06-25T21:47:00.001-07:00

pat answers

2010-06-22T21:29:00.001-07:00

I am always reconsidering Christian 'pat' answers. We have so many that we sprinkle liberally over situations and call it good. Many of them lead us astray....and keep us from being relevant to the rest of the world. Growing up in Christian culture, I find myself frequently throwing them out without even thinking like a knee jerk reaction. Slowly I am just thinking through them as I slowly recognize them for what they are.
The recent one I've been thinking about is the, "God is in control!" one. I'm not saying it's bad to make such a statement in all cases by any means. But I wonder if we sprinkle this saying over the starving people in Africa, the millions of orphans world wide, and more importantly the many around the world who don't know Christ. Does this phrase let us, once said, sit easy with any atrocity experienced locally or world wide? It's sometimes like saying, "I don't need to worry about 'it' or explain 'it' because God is in control." Is it similar to saying, to someone in need 'God bless you, God is in control' and doing nothing?

Lately...

2010-06-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been trying to pray for our President more...hoping it becomes a habit.
In doing so, I have thought a little more of what a difficult, terrible job it must be at times. No matter political stance, views, etc. there are some things that I imagine would be hard for any president.
- I can't imagine having the weight of responsibility. I already have a hard time falling asleep thinking about everything in my little world. What if you had the whole country and its troubles swirling around in your head?
- Every once in a while I have a tired, or 'off' day. Well, I imagine they aren't allowed those. It happens nonetheless being it is part of human nature but in their position the whole world sees it and the press makes the most of it.
- They are always misunderstood to some degree by someone
- They have people who literally hate them...I've seen it myself people posting comments about wishing him dead
- Then there is always the real possibility that someone may try to assassinate them
- They also probably have to live with the reality that they have human flaws that will come out in presidency and affect the world in some way
- Then, who could you truly confide in with your struggles?
- Last, people love someone to blame...just like people sometimes think he can 'fix it all' they also think at times that he single-handedly has 'ruined it all'

These are just a few thoughts, which spur me on to remember our president, whoever it is, in prayer

Our first harvest!

2010-06-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

The best radish we have ever tasted!

politics and religion

2010-06-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Does loving your enemies pertain to politics? Bearing in mind loving is very different from liking. Just don't see it much. Hmmm...maybe we could persuade a little better if we did? Maybe a little foot washing in the political realm? What a radical idea! Maybe we would have a stronger voice if we did serve instead of slandering?
I'm always looking for it but don't see it much. Anyone know of a real live example?

2010-05-14T22:03:00.001-07:00

"If I discover within me a longing that no experience in this world can satisfy, then the most probable reason is that I was made for another world". C.S.Lewis

Investments

2010-05-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about investments lately. I think it is wise for anyone to evaluate where to make an investment, financial or otherwise. It's quite common for people to even hire others to help them make wise investments in the market place- a wise thing to do.
This leads me to think about the dynamic of spiritual investments. As Christians we take quite seriously our investments in the kingdom of heaven..storing up most of our treasures there where moth and rust won't destroy. So...my question is, why don't we have investing consultants for ministries that need investing in? Wouldn't it be great to have such a thing? Someone aware of ministries world wide, willing to explain the various kinds, explain the effectiveness of each one, and willing to make connections for someone looking for a place to invest. Sounds like such a great idea! I sometimes wish I knew of a native person in the depths of Africa to support. Of course we can research these kind of things but it would be nice to just have a consultant.
Just a thought.

Where have we been?

2010-04-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

Our lonely blog is often quite neglected. We anticipate getting a new computer in the near future, which leads me to a new resolution....I plan on writing blogs much more frequently. I find that in this craaazy world I would like to blog about some of the things going on in my head regarding the world. I'm not sure if my world view will rise above the chatter of the other many millions of voices in our cyber age, but I do feel that for whatever reason I should chime in rather than keeping things always to myself or making my poor husband hear everything. One of the reasons we frequent our blog so rarely is because our current computer makes most every task take at least four times longer than it should, which leaves me to never having enough time to make a post. So here's to the future!

spring!

2010-03-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

Our flower bed is unbelievably flourishing! At the end of November we scattered some various wild flower seeds in and look at it now! The flower in bloom currently are miniature snap dragons..they are so cute and are blooming in various beautiful colors. A new addition to our porch is the small table and retro chairs. We've been wanting patio furniture for over a year now, so we are thrilled with this purchase! This will allow us to enjoy our neighborhood, or flowers, and the weather.
The little pots are all our soon to be seedlings for our vegetable garden. In the mix we have tomatoes, pear tomatoes, radishes, green onions, artichoke, zucchini, cilantro, dill, sweet peas...a few other things. Sooo exciting! A garden brings so much joy and is so inexpensive. Inevitably I'm sure there will be a few things that don't pan out, but that's fine when the seed packets are only about $1.50. We'll continue to post pics. of our garden as it grows!

Our little boy!

2010-01-26T21:45:00.000-08:00

Our little boy Raymond Lee III was born January 19th, 9:46pm weighing 8lbs 15oz, 21 inches. He has brought so much joy into our lives. Following are some pictures of him in all his cuteness!

Our time with Ajaha and AynJel in photographs

2010-01-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

'A Thought' Continued!

2010-01-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

The short blog I wrote about the report a little boy gave in AynJel's class during one of the days that I was there is pleasantly continued! I will refer you to a recent newspaper article that shares the story of how he got a bed donated from a furniture store for Christmas! Ah, the sweetness of people giving to people! Here's the link: http://www.viewnews.com/2010/VIEW-Jan-05-Tue-2010/downtown/index.html It brings a nice conclusion to what I shared earlier in 'A Thought'. The boy, Curtis, is pictured with his mom for the article. I remember helping him with his letters and vowels one day I was at his school...which leads me to say that volunteering at a school is such a wonderful thing to do!

Life of the Christian

2009-12-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

"Either the world must bear the whole burden of suffering and collapse beneath it, or it must fall on Christ to be overcome in Him. He therefore suffers vicariously for the world. His is the only suffering which has redemptive efficacy. But the Church knows that the world is still seeking for someone to bear its sufferings, and so, as it follows Christ, suffering becomes the Churches' lot too and bearing it, it is borne up by Christ. As it follows him beneath the cross, the Church stands before God as the representative of the world. For God is a God who bears. In the same way his followers are also called upon to bear, and that is precisely what it means to be a Christian."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Floor project

2009-11-13T20:48:00.001-08:00

So here's the contrast. Our hideous linoleum is truly from the 60s or 70s. Ray finally found some special goop that takes up the glue left after the tiles are peeled back. You can see a few things stuck to the floor in the picture because everything sticks to it until the glue is removed. Then, we will recover the floor with polyurethane and wax it. Quite a bit of work, but what a wonderful difference it will make to our living room and dining room!!!

A thought

2009-11-03T09:29:00.001-08:00

Last week I helped in AynJel's class for a few hours.
Part of our time the kids got to share about papers that they had written. It was called 'author's chair' so when they sat in the chair they read their paper and people got to ask them questions about it.
One little boy wrote about his 'Dream House'. He had a list of things that he would have in his dream house. A few of them were a bed, a pool, and an x-box. I then thought that for many boys his dream is their reality. They then of course, like most of us, probably have their own dream house in mind of even more than they have. It made me realize that all of us are living someone else's dream to some extent. Just reminded me to be thankful for what I have and to take advantage of it since there are so many people who can't have what I am priviledged to.

Lip gloss

2009-10-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I experienced the disappointment a parent feels when their child is disobedient. AynJel brought her lip gloss to school when she is not supposed to; chapstick yes, lipgloss no. Anyway this is the THIRD time in the last few months she's tried to pull it off. Her consequence is that if it's in the wrong place it goes in the garbage. However, her mom continues to re-supply her and she keeps trying. Since now I check her backpack, she tried to put it in her pants pocket and kept her hands in her pocket this morning which gave it away. Anyway, we've had talks before about making us sad...us wanting to trust her but can't, inner character, blah, blah...
So I was a bit sad this morning that she tried again! She doesn't have a high conscience and she doesn't like to admit she's wrong...those are her weak points. Hopefully she is still learning even though she hasn't acted like it in this instance. So, now she's not allowed to posses lip gloss at all and I have to check her pockets and her backpack, sigh.

Fall

2009-09-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Fall being my favorite season I have ushered it in to our home by my own will. Here in Las Vegas fall and winter blurr together as it takes so long for the weather to get cold. This weekend we splurged and spent $50 on fall decorations. What happiness this brought me! First I assembled the wreath, which was very satisfying. Then I made my first scarecrow last night. He is very cute and I am quite proud of him:) He sat on the couch until this afternoon where he 'scared' us continually. Ray came home late from hanging with some friends and was given a little scare to see a man in the dimness sitting on the couch, then when AynJel was the first to get up this morning it caused her eyes to quickly open the rest of the way as she was stumbling around the living room. However they made quick friends for when I got up she was sitting next to him on the couch with her doll. So, now we have a fall wreath on our door, a scarecrow up by our flower bed, and fall 'leaves' in our front window. At night our house looks so warm and glowing as if it is inviting you in from the cold. However, the temp. is still in the high 90's and Ray says, "It's very cute that I have started fall so early.' Labor day is ending and I'm kicking summer out the window!

AynJel's new apron

2009-08-30T14:56:00.001-07:00

AynJel loves to work in the kitchen so I made this apron for her with some fabric that my good friend Lynnea sent. It's far from perfect as it is hand sewn and I didn't follow a pattern but it's pretty cute, it works, and she loves it!

My childhood treasure!

2009-08-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

A war on my front porch...

2009-07-27T15:38:00.001-07:00

**WARNING, THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS MAY BE WAAAY TO GRAPHIC FOR SOME VIEWERS**

Almost every evening I suit up with bug spray and head out to the battle field, my front porch. I saw this miss around 8PM one evening and gave her all I had. She was a fighter, but in this picture she is indeed deceased.

The large dead beetle shows up in Las Vegas every summer lasting for maybe a week. They are impressive, and so you can imagine how much more impressed I was when I saw that the large Widow successfully hunted it.

Tomatoes!

2009-07-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

We have been harvesting! Come over and we can make you a BLT!

My new favorite ice cream

2009-07-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have recently remembered our wonderful ice cream maker. It goes into hibernation in the winter so I had forgotten about it. Just this last week we created mint ice cream! I made just the basic vanilla- cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla and added a good amount of crushed candycanes. I crushed them in the blender so that they weren't crunchy in the ice cream. So refreshing!!!
The ice cream is showcased in my special little bowls given by my wonderful friend Lynnea. I am convinced it tasted better being eaten out of these:)

Vegas Summer Sunsets!

2009-07-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

A beautiful sunset on the eve of July 8th. Taken from our front yard.

Central Coast California

2009-07-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from our trip to California. Our first real vacation with the girls. Their first time visiting California and a ocean.

A red door.

2009-06-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

We have spent the better part of 2009 painting our house. Now we have a red door. Clare especially loves it!

Here is the door with primer on it. It was a white door before.

Harvest time!

2009-06-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

We were able to eat 2 of these tasty cobs. Only two that we have harvested are worthy of cooking sadly. But, they were juicy and very good. Much better than the colorless corn bought from Albertsons which were eaten simultaneously.

Here are the corn. As you can see, some of them didnt turn out right. We are not sure why, maybe from lack of pollination. We have some hard working bee's, but possible not enough. Maybe we picked them too early.

Clare is pruning our tomatoes. It turns out we should do this every 10 days or so. We have now done it once in 4 months. But there are LOTS of little green tomatoes.

This is our strange Sunflower. When it was smaller we just thought maybe it was a different kind of Sunflower from the others, but it turns out it is just deformed. Possible from seed, possible from disease, we are not sure. As you can see the Sunflower behind it is doing just fine and should be blooming in the next week or so, its leaves large and green. While the Sunflower in front has leaves that are stunted and curl up. I dont think it has a bud either. (Sorry for the sideways picture)

This Sunflower bloomed the day after this picture. Its huge.

Graduation

2009-06-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

I never thought of graduation from the 9th grade to be a huge accomplishment. For our foster daughter, Ajaha, it is. The last day of school she told me in the car on the way home of how happy she was with her completion and with her 3.2 grade average. I told her of course, "Yes, you did a good job, especially in a difficult year, yada yada." Then she said, "I'm the first in my family to graduate the 9th grade." Then I went, "What?!" She said none of her older three siblings had gone as far as her in education. And she began to say how she wanted to be the first one to be different in her family, to break a chain. Well, this gave us whole new perspective on her accomplishment!!! Then we realized, we better get her a card and gift since it is so special. So, now along with her we can announce that she finished and she finished well. Hooray! We pray that she will truely be the first one in her family to be completely different.

A bitter-sweet day.

2009-06-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos of a way too short visit with little Stephanie, or as she goes now by, Sophia.

It was a bitter sweet day. We anticipated her arrival ever since we heard her aunt was coming out. Then the day came and we were so excited. It was a short 45 minutes and it took alot to hold the tears back. We loved her as our own from when she was 3 weeks old, until she was 8 months. Even when faced with the hardest time of our lives, she was still there to bring joy.

We do feel now that we can move on. It was helpful to see her for that reason. With that said I hope we always have some sort of good influence into her life. What else can I say except we love her.

*note: Sadly these are the only 2 pictures we have of the visit, none with Clare in them.*

From the desert to....

2009-06-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Biggerstaff Garden

Mint and Rhubarb. Mint is doing very well. It is the only plant not from seed. The Rhubarb is also doing well especially considering it usually prefers mild climates. Rhubarb cannot be harvested the first year.

The Largest of the tiny tomatoes we have. I believe there are 7 or 8 Tomatoes plants in all. Some cherry, others the normal ones. The tomatoes are becoming the most impressive plant of the Biggerstaff Garden.

A sad Sunflower. He was the first to bloom, and our lovely little birds destroyed him before we fully were able to enjoy it. How do I build a "scare crow"?

Our CORN! And they said corn will not grow in Las Vegas. Well, we proved "them" wrong. Our corn is only shoulder length at its tallest, but its looking good. The corn husks themselves are coming along. We are not sure when to harvest. Maybe some suggestions from our Iowa friends. ;)

This is our struggling pumpkin. He had a neighbor pumpkin, but he didn't make it. I have this sinking feeling in my gut this guy wont make it either, but hope is on our side.

The full Biggerstaff Garden view in all its humble glory. Sunflower, Tomatoes, Corn, Rhubarb, Mint, Pumpkins, Asparagus, Shallots, and Dillweed. We started them all from seed in January. No worry about freezing in the Southwest.

We did not plant these, they came with the neglected yard. The cactus has doubled in size since we moved in a year and half ago. Its now about 7 feet tall. We even had blooms this spring. Also, next to the cactus is a struggling Grape vine. My hope is with a few years of love, it will pull through.

Not from the Garden, but still from seed. This is our wild flower garden with a wild flower mix, plus Sweet Pea, Morning Glory, Viola's, Nastursium, etc.

Finaly! A camera which is digital!

2009-06-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

drum roll please!

2009-05-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

Announcing our little AynJel as student of the month at her school, Hollingsworth Elementary!!!!

We are so proud of her. She has come such a long way and is already looking
ready for first grade, even after missing three months of school this year!

I identify

2009-05-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
Psalms 27:13

strange happenings

2009-04-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this afternoon I was taking Ajaha to her basketball banquet. She was 'freaking out' because she couldn't figure out what to wear. She was even on the phone to her friend about it. Then, the big surprise was that she asked my opinion. I said that everything she had on looked good to me. I said, "I wished I could help but we have different styles and I don't know what to do for you." At first it seemed that she thought her problem was her shoes, I offered a few of my shoes but they weren't satisfactory. But what did end of happening is that she borrowed my new black shorts! I don't mind or I wouldn't have let her borrow them, I was just a little shocked that she even wanted them. I just said, "They better not end up on your bedroom floor."
So I never grew up with a sister. I never even had anyone in my whole life ask to wear my clothes (that I recall). So, is this a good sign, indifferent, or will it get worse as in she'll always want to borrow my clothes? What do you think?

impressionable kids

2009-04-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

There is one large observation that I have made in having a six year old and a fourteen year old under our care. I have always heard that young kids are most mold able and impressionable even before the age of eight or so. I never thought much of it. Now I realize how true it is. With our six year old pretty much the way you tell her the world is, is the way she sees it. Our fourteen year old however, already has her own perceptions about everything. For example, if you tell the six year old that she can trust us and that we will always get her to school on time she will simply believe us. The fourteen year old has experienced differently in her past so we may tell her the same thing but she won't believe it until she watches us because she doesn't trust adults in general. She is still impressionable but mostly just by watching us, which though it doesn't seem like she is, she really is! Every once in a while she says something that makes me think, wow! She is so observant! So more power to those who have little ones, all the hard work really does make a difference when they're little.

A little project

2009-04-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

I have found it refreshing lately to have a little project or two. One of my projects came about months ago. One of our lovely neighbors threw an old door into our side yard. I was grumbly about it for months, then I realized what great things could be done with an old door. So, for months more we pondered exactly what we did want to do with the door. It was weather worn and had old door nobs on it as well. Finally we reached the decision that we should make it into a coat hanger. So, I have been painting it a shade of yellow. After I'm done paining it, I will sand paper it in spots to give it a bit of an old, worn look. Then we will mount three to four nice hooks on the top of the door and put it on a large, currently boring, wall in our living room.

While making some steps in my mind toward the door, I realized that it would be
wonderful to have an old window next to it on the wall. I was excitedly telling my
friend Heather of this thought and she said she had an old window. I would just have to remove her mural (which was a failed project of hers)from the window. Now I'm prepping the window to be painted a shade of red. So, in as soon as a few weeks hopefully both will be done and on our wall. I'm especially excited because I'm not a huge fan of white walls, but being we rent there's not much we can do to change that. So these two pieces should cover a good amount of white wall:)

Caramel

2009-04-05T12:06:00.001-07:00

So I had a recipe which called for caramel sauce and I didn't happen
upon it both times I went to various grocery stores so I just decided
I'd make my own. It turned out splendidly. I warn you, it is very
dangerous just to have it sitting around the house! It is good on
most things, also excellent in coffee!

- melt 1C. sugar over medium heat in saucepan. *a word of warning, caramel making is dangerous because it is like lava. You will get very burned if it touches your skin so use a big enough pot with plenty of room.
- stir as sugar melts or carmelizes
- once completely melted add 6TBS butter
- once butter melts slowly stir in 1/2 cup cream
- stir until it is mmixed and smooth

Enjoy after it cools!

dolce de leche

2009-04-05T12:02:00.001-07:00

Following is a recipe for dolce de leche, which is similar to caramel.
It originated in Argentina and is popular in many other Latin American
countries. Sooo good!

Start with a can, or more if you want, of sweetened condensed milk
poke two holes on opposite ends of the can
place can in a pot of water and fill pot until it is 2/3 up the side of the can
simmer water for four hours
continue to add water as it evaporates.
After 4 hours cool and open, ta da, you have dolce de leche!
You can spread it on anything or use it as a topping on ice cream:)
I like it on crackers.

Penn and the 'nice' Man

2009-03-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

Got this from our friend/fellow YWAMer Andrew: the Urban Missionry. http://urbanjunglemissions.blogspot.com/

I thought it was interesting enough to share on our blog. Keep in mind this is a Las Vegas celebrity. He is Penn from the famous Penn and Teller Magic Show at The Rio.

~Ray

The music makes me move!

2009-03-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

This is a short story of something that happened a few weeks ago with Ayngel, our 6 year old foster daughter.

It was the first Saturday morning she was with us, Clare was in the shower, Ajaha (her older sister) was in her room, so it was just Ayngel and I in the living room. I decided the beautiful sunny morning needed some music to go along with it, so I turned on the old record player. She, in typical 6 year old form, because a string of asking questions:

"What is that?" -Ayngel
"A record player." -Me
"Does it play music?" -Ayngel
"Yes. I need to first choose what we want to listen too." -Me
"Can I do it?" -Ayngel
"No, not this time." -Me
"Should we listen to Elvis?" -Me
"Noooo." -Ayngel
Ok, I got it!" -Me

And so I preceded on putting on a old Chuck Berry record. One of my favorites. What she said and did next is was inspired me to post this little story.

Once the music started she started moving her feet, legs, then her hips. She said, "I just can't stop moving." (as the music was playing) "It makes me want to move."

I just laughed. She then spent the rest of the record, maybe 15 minutes, in front of the glass doors of a cabinet we have watching herself dance through her own reflection.

Very cute.

~Ray

Another great Ray

2009-03-19T10:13:00.000-07:00

~Ray

incidents

2009-03-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

I have had problem after problem with customer service lately. It's almost been unbelievable! Here's a few of my incidents:

- About a month ago I realized that something was peeling off my glasses. I went to my eye doctor and they said my lenses were deffective as the scratch coat was peeling. Unfortuantely my 1yr. warranty was 3 mo. expired. Then, the gal quickly said, "We don't know what you could have done to cause the coat to peel, we'll see what we can do" They called back a few days later offering me a discount on a new pair of lenses. I thought, "Are these people crazy?" Why would I go back to them and buy another 'lemon'? So, that's pretty much what I told the gal on the phone. I told her not to take it personally but that I thought their customer service was terrible if they couldn't back their product and if they expected me to replace their deffecive product.

- Several weeks ago our foster daughter had a dentist appointment to get her premanent cap put on her tooth. Easy enough, we made an appointment showed up, waited an hour, almost walked out and they finally saw her. Then, they discovered that whoever made the cap did a bad job and it was completely the wrong size and color. So, we have to go back two weeks later.

- A few weeks ago our foster daughter had an eye exam, the doctor was so rude to both Ray and her that we cancelled the follow up appointment.

- I called the dentist to confirm the refitting appointment for the cap and a man answered the phone. I said, "Hi, I'm calling for my foster daughter." and in a girl mocking voice he repeated what I said. I thought, "Am I really hearing this?" Then I continued to say that I had a question and he again repeated me in a mocking way. Then He said in his own voice, "What do you want?" Then he transfered me to I suppose the regular receptionist. I asked her who in the world was that guy. She said "Oh, you didn't get a name? Our office is 'So big' it's hard to know who you talked to. Later Ray called and complained about the event. Needless to say after she gets her cap we won't be going back there either.

- Lastly, we have been waiting for a prescription to be filled at a pharmacy by our foster daughter's mom. Yeserday we got an automated call saying the prescription was in. I go out of my way to go pick it up. Of course, it's not there. The man behind the counter says, "Was it an automated message? Oh, well, since it was that's probably why we don't have the prescription in. It often calls people randomly." So, of course I have to go back today. I have a feeling that it still won't be in.

Ahhh, it just seems like simple things have gotten so complicated!!! Anyone else have problems like this?

"The Cat and the Dog"

2009-03-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our foster daughter read her first book by herself today entitled, 'The Cat and the Dog" !!! There is nothing like teaching a child how to read. For the past few weeks we've been working on small words with flash cards and by my having her 'help' me read. The library is a weekly event now where she gets two movies and stacks of books. I can already see that reading her first book has boosted her confidence! Hooray!

How far can she run?

2009-03-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, our current foster daughter has recently started her track season. It's a great thing for her to be involved in and it motivates her to keep her grades up. In any case, she is trying to get people to sponsor her to help raise money for the various expenses involved with track. Of course we didn't know when she enrolled in it that she would need two pairs of shoes(we did buy one so far), a cost just to enroll, a uniform etc. She is trying to raise some of the money herself, so we said we'd do what we could to help her get the word out. She's looking for people to sponsor a certain amount per mile that she runs this Friday, or just a flat amount if you're uneasy not knowing how far she may run. Just leave a comment if you're interested:)

On suffering

2009-02-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

Often times I find myself re-evaluating things that I have learned about Christianity. I find that many times just because something is a popular belief or it is said so many times that everyone just believes it. I am a critical thinker which means I can't help but think a little deeper and I'm not happy to just accept things because that's what everyone accepts.
Having said that, I have been pondering for a long time the thought that Suffering in our lives is to be embraced and is even ordained by God to make us more like Jesus. I have finally decided that I totally disagree. Here's a few points that lead to my disagreement.

1. I would never lead my own child into suffering such as cancer, etc. just to 'make them stronger or make them more like Jesus'. Really, can we say that God would?
2. Life experience doesn't necessarily make you stronger it is the truth and Christ simply living in a person that makes a person Christlike. If enduring hardship did make a person more Christlike then woe to those who happen to have an easier life.
3. I know people who have come a hair's width from death and they proclaim that God saved them yet they by their lifestyle are not anymore Christlike.
4. I think instead it is a shear miracle along with conditioning that makes it possible for humans to endure life's suffering. We were never made to face such suffering. We were made to live in heaven, which is perfect that is why we never find suffering and hardship 'normal'
5. I do believe that suffering in the form of persecution would cause one to identify with Christ in a new way, which would cause them to understand Him more.
6. I also think that walking through life experiences brings us closer to God in general, just as it brings us closer to one another weather it is a bad or good experience.
7. I think God weeps to see the human race endure suffering, He doesn't say "alright, now they'll be a notch closer to being like me!"
8. Lastly, I do believe that God by a miracle works our suffering into good and often uses suffering to reach others for Him. God, because He's God, can use anything.

I had to share this just because I have been given various 'grief' books over the last few months and this point is one of the main points in them. I have thrown a few books away over it:)

A new wish

2009-02-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

I am not a big one for cars, but I spotted this Ford Freestyle and decided that I would like to own one someday. One of the great things about it is that it has two bench seats, which most suvs don't have. I think it's worth while to voice desires because God pays attention. There haven't been many things that I have wanted that I haven't eventually gotten, so we'll see.

What do you think?

2009-01-30T20:47:00.000-08:00

I'm just curious of what people's opinions and views are, so just answer these questions for me in a comment.

As Christians, do you think it matters where we live?

Is it good or bad for Christians to generally congregate to the safe places of a city?

What should we take into account when we choose where to live?

Of course list any other additional thoughts as well....

I just wonder about this because I sometimes think I have some strange thinking compared to most everyone that I live around. I honestly wish there was a movement for Christians to be strategic in where they live and not just hole up in the safest, most beautiful, rural areas of the country. In my own city most people I know live on the far outskirts of town and the area that I live in is largely looked down upon. People avoid it for many reasons. I guess it's not just Christians, but people in general. But shouldn't we be different? Why should our goal always be to live in a 'nicer' place? Maybe instead we should live somewhere that needs the most change. I'm still learning myself how to actively live in my neighborhood, you know, rather than just living here and not engaging it. So, it's on my mind alot lately.

D+

2009-01-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

The good news is it's got a plus attached to it! Well, I always try to look on the positives, apparently the report of two year ago didn't have the +.
I am referring to Nevada Children's Report Card. This is a very noticed report card as we received it at the Child Welfare Network meeting for which many came and cameras were rolling just for the occasion. Not to mention that at the Child Welfare Network meeting there is a sign saying that you shouldn't wear jeans to the meeting, yes a bunch of uppity ups.
There's a quote on the front of the card that makes it hard for me to take it very seriously. " When are we going to start treating our kids like high rollers?" Only people in neveda would consider taking this quote seriously and hard hitting. Anyway our grade is interesting.

The minimal breakdown follows:
Health: D+
Safety and Security: C-
Education:F
Teen Years: C-

Maybe next year we'll get a C! I hope so, a 'D' is quite embarassing!

My new discovery

2009-01-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

Ahh, warmth. I really dislike getting into a cold bed at night. Often times I go to bed before Ray, so I slip into the icy sheets alone. I usually have good socks on and I get in bed with my robe on. Then, as I fall asleep and warm up throughout the night at various times I take my layers off. This has been my routine this winter, out of necessity. Now, however I have a hot water bottle! My brother got this for me for my birthday via a gift certificate, I'm sure he never would have thought of it on his own it would be a strange gift. Anyway, it is such a wonderful thing! I slip it into bed 15 min. before I get in and move it around every five minutes and it completely warms up the bed! I can also leave it in bed with me and it keeps the bed warm in general. The strange thing I think is that more people don't use them. I know they're old fashion, but they're so good! Also, I've tried an electric blanket before and it doesn't begin to heat up the bed until you get in, which is just not good enough for me. Anyway, had to share about a good thing:) Why do you think they're not more popular?

Snowing in the Desert!

2008-12-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today we got more precipitation than any other day all year it seems! And it just happened to be cold enough for snow to fall. Although we never actually saw the snow fall (the elevation downtown was too low for snow) it did snow in Las Vegas. We actually saw a good amount of snow on a car next to ours at the bank! The last time it snowed in Las Vegas was in 2006.

Take a look:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/media/slideshow/snowday_1215/

For those who wish they could enjoy our Vegas sun know we actually would enjoy some of your snow/rain. The next time your outside and see a large healthy tree thank God for the wet weather you get.

A new way of health care

2008-12-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

We have been searching for a long time now, of how best to take care of our medical needs. Neither of us have had insurance since joining ywam and we have realized that we can't keep putting it off. But what to do, when insurance is SO out of this world expensive? I call insurance the big 'monster'. In my opinion, it is part of the reason things are so expensive to begin with. Anyway, I'm not going to get on a soap box, but I am sure you can all relate to my frustrations. We recently heard of a unique ministry called Samaritan ministries. It makes a way for a group of believers, 13,000 households in all, to provide for each other. I think it is a breath of fresh air! Check it out at samaritanministries.org

A lively Christmas

2008-11-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

We are adding a new exciting dynamic to our holiday season.
Yes, we're adding a 4year old boy and 18mo. girl to the mix
It will be interesting, as they are both kind of a hands on age,
but we think it will make things much more fun. They will be with
us the 22nd-the 29th. Also, it will give us a chance to test the
waters a little bit as far as having a foster placement again.
We're already thinking of fun things to do with them. If anyone
out there has any festive ideas for us let us know!

Cute Pictures

2008-11-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

These are from last October when we were in Iowa. I re-discovered them recently. Such good pictures!!! Yes, I was flirting:)

Violet Mae Biggerstaff

2008-10-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

The day finally did come! Many of you already know the news.
We are proud parents of Violet Mae. She arrived weighing 5lbs.3oz
and 19in. She has already skipped this world and moved on to the next.
Her heart stopped beating approximately a day before she was born, for no
really obvious reason. We miss her so very much. There are many thoughts
that we have had about her and about life since she was born that I am sure
we will share in future blogs. She has definitely touched many of us and left
a permanent mark on our lives. She will always be counted a member of our family,
we are so proud of her. Thank you for celebrating her with us.

10 day count down!

2008-09-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, 10 days (or so) to go!
I do feel quite ready just because being in limbo is actually a hard place
to be.The next time you hear from us we should have lots to report!
The below picture was taken five weeks ago. I am larger of course now, lots of
people say I'm small, but it doesn't feel like it to me! I feel like a baby is
stuffed inside of me:) Just when I think I'm uncomfortable, I think about how much it must be too.

Less than a Month

2008-08-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Less than a month to go and so much to do.

We are now entering the final stages of the pregnancy, and its starting to sink in just a little bit more for me. Soon, very soon, we will have a little Biggerstaff upon us.

My thoughts are bouncing around from the now to the then. I start thinking about what we need to get together before the big day: pay off bills so there is no financial stress, arrange and clean the house preparing for the little one, staring at the Babys r Us web site (not my favorite place to be) for extended periods of time, wondering why in the world do people need some of the strange almost inappropriate items. Trying to ask final questions to prepare ourselves for the delivery.

Then comes the then thoughts. I think, "Wow, this is my child, my boy or girl! I will not just be a temporary father, or positive male role model, I will be a dad...a daddy." I will be teaching this son or daughter how to eat, crawl, walk, ride a bike, drive a car. Teaching him or her how to share their toys, chew with there mouth closed, treat adults with respect, open the door for the girl....I try not to go there too much....Then I think about the great responsibility of raising your children up in the fear of the Lord. Teaching them basic yet important Biblical principles like loving their neighbor, and the little more difficult, loving their enemy.

It can be a little overwhelming. But it is incredible the confidence I have. Its a confidence I can only get from the Lord.

~Ray

Not more shots!

2008-08-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

So today I again experienced one of the more difficult parts of being a parent: taking your child to get some shots.

We took Stephanie in for her six month check up, and sure enough she was getting some more shots. The last time we took her in for shots she was in so much pain for the rest of the day, crying out every time she would move her legs (involuntary movements). This was hard for us to watch, considering we could not do hardly anything to take the pain away.

This time around I was asked by the nurse to hold her hands as she gave the shots. so I held Stephanie's hands as she just looked around oblivious to what was about to happen. Then the first needle into the thigh left the little girl with a moment of surprise on her face, followed by the saddest little red face with tears instantly running down. Three more shots, two in each leg and it was over. We were left with a very unhappy baby! But Stephanie, in her usuall joyful self, has not really shown any pain now hours later. Whew! Holding down your little baby while she gets four shots into her legs is not easy for the dad or mom, that's for sure.

Other than the shots, her doctor visit went very well. The conclusion, she is a "Well Child". Healthy, developing just perfectly. She is now 26 1/5 inches long! Amazing.

Boy is she one special little girl.

~Ray (my first blog in a very long time)

Snapshot

2008-08-06T16:35:00.000-07:00

As I was driving to visit one of the foster families that we support, I realized that today turned out to be a perfect picture of what Foster Connect is. Also, some of you may wonder what our 'average' day looks like. To be honest, we don't really have an average day, but maybe telling you about today will give you a better idea.
This morning first thing our foster daughter's case worker stopped by our house. It was great to see her as she always fills us in on what's new with our little girl.
Next we came to our office where I promptly loaded up the van with donations for the family I was to visit and drove accross town. As always they were very thankful to receive what we brought and it was a particularly joyous time as several prayers for their little foster son had been answered.
As I was meeting with this family, Cindi met up with a mom and her daughters who had heard about us at a presentation we did months ago at their church. They wanted to begin supporting a foster family. Well, Cindi didn't waste time, and she took them right away to help us get resources for a sibling group of four that was to be placed today. They gathered things in our hot garage for over an hour. The couple receiving this sibling group just received their license days ago through a training event that we helped advertise and sponsor in June. It was encouraging to see them come full circle. The kids are ages 5, 3, 2, and 8mo. so we were able to give clothes for all ages, toys, diapers, and a brand new car seat. The items were delivered to the soon to be foster parents, and Cindi came back to the office with her helpers to orientate them on further supporting a family.
We both came back to the office at about the same time where our new friend Dori met us for lunch. She is staying with us and catching up with us when she can. Her purpose in coming to Vegas from Washington is to share her testimony at a group home here. She was a foster child in this group home 12 years ago and felt that she had to come back and share her story with the kids. She's also just curious in general about what is happening in foster care here these days.
Just before sitting down to write this little picture, Cindi and I shared with a Discipleship Training Schoolof 12 that has been here this week from Denver. We got to share about Foster Connect and foster care in general, ultimately inviting them to join us as staff.
There's my day so far. I think my next item is to take a nap:)

Growin' Belly

2008-07-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

This was taken in mid-June. I have grown considerably since then.
Ray plans on taking another picture to prove it:) It just takes
a bit to finish the roll off, get it developed, etc. Six more weeks
to get still bigger, oh boy!

new pictures at 31 weeks

2008-07-21T14:15:00.001-07:00

Click to enlarge!
The baby is looking right at you. It's only a head shot so
don't try to see the whole body in these pics.:)

A little get away

2008-07-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

This Friday we will be heading to San Diego for a week! This is our last good window of opportunity for quite some time to get some refreshment, rest, reflect, and look ahead for our upcoming new season of life. Also we'll get to spend time with our good friends Matt and Lynnea, who we haven't seen in quite a while.

These days we find ourselves somewhat weary after pushing ahead on several fronts for almost two years now with little to no really good break. We feel that now is the time, though taking time off even from the ministry we do is somewhat like leaving your child unattended for the first time. Between this week coming up and soon to come maternity leave Foster Connect won't be wholly unattended as our other staff Cindi will keep things rolling. It's a nice feeling to know it is at a place where we can leave it for a little while.

Week 30

2008-07-01T16:23:00.001-07:00

This picture is actually a month old, so currently I feel quite a bit larger.
I've gained 15 pounds up til now, which is on the low end, but the baby is measuring right on for growth. It's moving quite often and it's movement has become more uncomfortable at times. Today for several seconds my tummy looked mishapen because something was pushing and sticking out. I am also slightly less mobile, in that bending over, picking things up, and standing up from sitting or lying down is always accompanied with groans and various aches. I see my mid-wife every two weeks now. I feel so blessed that everything has been happening just how it should. This next two and a half months is going to fly by. Although I have to say, I wonder how in the world I am going to accomodate a growing baby for that much longer! The body is a wonder.

How I am feeling

2008-04-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Our digital camera broke so I apologize for the lack of pictures on this one.

Lately I have been feeling big. I feel pregnant no mistake! I wear all maternity clothes now, and in general I feel big and sometimes like I'm stretching. Our little baby's movements have come to my attention in the past week or so. I feel it quite often. It's strange to be very tired and yet have something very awake moving around inside. Ray can even feel the movements from the outside, which is really nice:) I do like being pregnant in general. I do have to be more patient with myself because everything takes more effort. What used to never tire me out may now leave me feeling exhausted. Energy comes and goes, but it feels like there is more going than coming:) I don't bounce out of bed like I used to.

a picture

2008-04-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

This is the littlest Biggerstaff at 14 weeks old. Now he/she is going on 18 weeks old! If you can't tell, it is lying on his back looking up.

Growth

2008-02-21T11:36:00.001-08:00

These help to visualize our little Biggerstaff's growth. He/she has come a long way from a grain of rice, currently being the size of a large lime.
It's length will double in the next two weeks. This means that I am burning calories at a much faster rate to keep up. I definately have noticed just this week that I need to eat something about every two hours. So, I'm trying to get in the habit of having food around all the time. The baby's fingernails appear this week and it is now moving and kicking, though I can't feel it yet. We're in week eleven currently. I'm excited for the next trimester because that's when the baby really grows and takes off!

Week nine

2008-02-08T14:53:00.000-08:00

We are now in week nine! The little Biggerstaff is now the size of a large olive. Fingers have formed:) I'm excited because from here on out the baby will grow very rapidly in size and will look different every week. Also, it will look much more and more human like.

My first check-up was this Wednesday. It was fairly basic. Betsy (my mid-wife) took a urine sample and told me lots of things from its readings. I'm perfectly normal. She weighed me and measured me and we filled out lots of paper work with basic health info. She also did an ultra sound just for fun. There wasn't too much to see, you could see my uterus and something in it, like a shadow. Next month it will be much clearer. During the check up we realized that Betsy lives just two steets down from us on 8th street. That's pretty cool!

Our baby

2008-01-29T16:46:00.000-08:00

Just how little the littlest Biggerstaff is at 7 weeks

I want to write periodic reports on our little unseen Biggerstaff. Future ones will contain pictures when there actually is something to be seen on my end.
I do feel a little pooch myself but I think only I can really detect it and just recently ray recognized that my belly is no longer flat.
We consulted with a mid-wife a few weeks ago and decided to go with her. She was so informational. She spent two hours with us sharing about all sorts of things. Of course, a significant amount of it was in answering my list of questions. I feel very safe and confident in her care. I'm never sure what others will say about my mid-wife/ homebirth decision. So far, I've had responses ranging from both ends of the spectrum. My reason for going the mid-wife route was because I found myself fearing the tradiational way. Mostly because most people that I know have had c-sections rather than natural births. I realize there is always that possibility but it just seems to me that doctors are knife happy these days. I also decided I didn't want all the interferences that hospitals so commonly use such as induced labor, epidurals, episiotomy...and on the list goes. Anyway, we'll see how it goes. I'll let you know as I go on this journey. My first real appointment is next week, with all the tests and starting my file, etc. I'm excited to start tracking with things.

Implosions Vegas style...

2007-11-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

Another reason why I love living here...

And the Top Ten Implosions in Vegas history.

Halloween fun

2007-11-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last night we got together with friends and had a great time:) When I picked Jessica up at

school it was so fun to see all the little kids running around dressed up. We hit it big in the neighborhood we went to when one of the neighbors had a carnival going on! The kids you see are Jessica, of course, Julia and Cindi, and Alex our housemate. Hope you had fun too!

Fall Fun!

2007-11-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Just the two if us, plus Emma

2007-08-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our wonderfully fun and relaxing camping trip to Mt. Charleston. We spent two nights at Dolomite Campground. We did two hikes, Mary Jane Falls, and Robbers Roost. We played many games of Uno, Phase Ten Dice, and Yatzee! Most of all we had a great time together, just the two of us.

Here are some pictures for your delight:

Emma, sooo tired from the outdoor fun.

Clare :)

A cool cave we saw on Mary Jane Falls hike.

Our bedroom.

Our grill, it was broken, but I fixed it with a few rocks.

Our kitchen, with Emma.

Desert Viewpoint. We needed a picture together.
Clare and Emma at the top of Mary Jane Falls hike. Arnt they cute.
Ray and Emma at the camp. Emma was fun to have around.
Ray and Mary Jane Falls. The water was cold, but so refreshing.
A nice view of some side of the mountain.

Pictures

2007-08-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

This are pictures from our past week, enjoy!

This is Dusty the 'cute' dog we watched this last week.

He woke us up like an alarm clock every morning about

5:30-6:00, and he had to have his face wiped after eating

since his tongue couldn't reach to clean it himself, and it

was fun watching him interact with our three cats.

Jess and her mom. We took her mom a b-day cake

we made for her last weekend.

Jess has been staying with us this month. We've had fun.

Me and my handsome man. After the wedding we

realize we never got a picture together, so we did

our best.

Me in Stacy's wedding

Jessica at her first wedding. She got a very

special, beautiful dress for the occasion as well.

People say we look alike. I can't really see it, but we

both take it as a compliment. Personally, I would

love to be as tan as she is naturally!

Pink

2007-07-31T12:56:00.001-07:00

This color makes girls all around th e world happy. We met a new little friend a few weeks ago who was between three and four who got more excited about pink than I have every seen someone get before. When we came to her foster mom's house she was sleeping. Her mom got her up to see the clothes we had brought for her. She was a bit quiet and shy having just woke up to strange people in her house. As soon as the first item of clothing was held up she said, "PINK!" and jumped up and down clapping her hands. This seemed to awaken her for the rest of the time when she proceeded to run around the house. She was a small little girl as she suffered from neglect when she was younger, but I think her new pink clothes brought her to a new milestone all in one day.

US

2007-07-10T16:16:00.001-07:00

This was taken on the 4th of July!

A Comment for the Commentors

2007-07-10T16:09:00.001-07:00

This is a quickie. Thanks for your comments.
It seems we would all conclude that the financial mis-use in our world is due to sin along with all of the woes of our world. However, as Christians we are to bring the Kingdom of God to earth often times in an aggressive way. God has been teaching me about this as the days go by and maybe it's just me but it's been quite eye opening that I don't have to just be sad about the miss use of money around the world but am instead supposed to live my life in changing it. I truly hope that in my lifetime I can somehow be a part of directing millions of dollars toward righteousness. - Clare

2007-07-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

Think with me

2007-06-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, I would like you to think with me for a minute. Money has been on my mind. It's one of those things some of us try not to think about and some of us think too much about . Thoughts have been jumping out at me everyday, whether I want them or not. Yes, I am one of those 'would rather not think about money people'. This is my big question with a few other questions branching from it. So much money is wasted in this world, particularly in this city. Why is there so much money available to be spent on useless things, not to mention evil things, when there is a shortage of money to be spent on good things? Honestly this creates a righteous indignation within, that I would rather not have. How many children need food and education while money is being spent on child pornography? How many missionaries are in need of finances? I use this example just because it's most familiar to me. Yet, just down the road yet another billion dollar casino goes up. I'm not upset at the casino, but I just wonder, "Why is our world like this?" Are we as Christians supposed to bring change in this area, and if so how? Of course change always starts with us and our own fincances, giving, resourcefullness etc... But how do we go beyond even this?
Waitin' to hear from ya......

- Clare