Honduras or Bust

Short-Term Experiences, Long-Term Impact.

Dear Friends and Family,

I want to thank you all so much for the overwhelming support and prayers. Niah and I are very excited to follow God’s leading in this mission trip to Honduras. In case you don’t know, our dear friends Joe, Cortney, Carolina, and Alistair Cash were recently sent out by Life Point and Samaritans Purse to serve as missionaries at Hospital Loma de Luz. You can learn more about where they are serving by visiting http://www.crstone.org/. 

Our trip will be one week long, from August 12th - 19th, 2015. I am excited for God to take me out of my comfort zone and to a place I never imagined I would be going, much less with my daughter! We will be staying at the hospital, where we will also be serving in whatever capacities needed. We will also directly be helping the Cashes, who are near and dear to our hearts as close friends and our own sent out missionaries. It will be an incredible blessing to work alongside them!

I am sending this letter to ask for your support. I would love to have a team of people praying for my trip immediately. Specifically, if you can be praying for the following: good health for me this year and especially in August; that I may be able to quickly begin learning the culture and language in preparation of going; for Niah and the team that will be traveling with me; for the Cash family and the people of Honduras; and that once again, that finances will be taken care of.

The hardest part about saying “Yes” to God and committing to this trip is not the time away from the rest of my family, it’s not the long plane ride, or any immunizations I’ll need. It’s not dealing with foreign bugs and critters (as much as I hate spiders!), nor being in a completely different culture with a completely different language with people I don’t know. I’m not even too worried about the cuisine. No, the hardest part is reaching out to my friends and family once again to ask for financial support. The trip (airfare, lodging, food, transportation, and immunizations) is going to cost about $2,600 for both Niah and me to go. Nearly $1,300 has already been paid, leaving a remaining $1,300 owed. Please do not feel obligated to give financially. However, if you feel compelled to give and want to contribute to the work God is doing in Honduras, then please consider supporting me financially. We have been blessed time and time again by supporters and we pray that in turn, God has blessed them more abundantly! If you belong to a church family that is looking for a missionary to support, please share this letter with them, too! All contributions may be sent to 516Missions by cash or check (write Honduras-Woodring in the memo line) sent to P.O. Box 299, Monticello, AR 71657, or you can go online to http://516missions.org/trip-payments-donations and donate directly toward our trip there (be sure to add that it is for Kristine or Niah Woodring under “special instructions”). If you want to learn more about 516Missions and our trip, you may visit www.516missions.org.  Thank you so much for your prayerful consideration. I cannot wait to share our experience with you!

Lots of Love,

Kristine & Niah Woodring

Behavioral Chart

Yesterday was one of those days that as a mom I wanted to punch the clock and go home. Do you get me? My kids weren't listening, they were being disrespectful in that I had to repeat and repeat myself. It was infuriating. I felt as though it didn't matter how calmly and nicely I asked them to do something, they just didn't do it. Even after a heart to heart my kids just weren't listening. After I put them to bed last and after I'd had a chance to let go of the things that happened yesterday, that made me want to take a leave of absence, I was able to brainstorm some ideas that I hope will make a big difference in the future. I wanted to share them with my friends on this blog, partly so that you can use these ideas if you choose and partly because I want accountability. So feel free to ask me, how is that going?

Here it is: A visual behavioral chart. I saw a few on Pinterest last night that made the clogs in my head start turning. I added to them to help fit our family. So let me explain it to you. The premise is the Green, Yellow, Red light system that many classrooms use. Both of my older two are familiar with this concept but I wanted to take it a little further. So take a look at this picture and then I'll explain my thoughts behind it.

Please excuse the odd angle I had to take these pictures at, I hung this in a small hall between our kitchen and living room. 

The green lights say: 

Get a privilege!!! - read 1 John 5:3-4 

Awesome!! - read Gal. 6:9 

Good job! - read 2 John 4

The yellow lights say: 

Oops - read Eph. 5:15

Warning - read Rom. 12:9

5 minute timeout - read 1 Cor. 10:13

The red lights say: 

10 minute timeout - read Eph. 6:1-3

Lose a privilege - read Col. 3:20

Go to bed early - read Romans 13:1

Daddy J asked why I don't have red at the top like an actual stoplight. I choose to have green on the top so that the kids can visually move up. I also choose to add in the scriptures. I didn't see any behavior charts that included anything from God's word. If I am going to discipline or encourage my children I want them hear what God has to say about it, so that these are not just a current in the moment this is what is happening but that these lessons span time. I want them to remember these verses when they are teenagers and young adults making life decisions. I encourage you to read this verses and if you choose to make your own you can change the verses to meet your family needs. The reason I choose those certain verses for the red light is that my children typically get in trouble for fighting with authority and breaking the rules that we have set as parents so I wanted to remind them that God puts us as their parents in charge. If at any time the kids decide they want to start acting better they can start moving back up the chart. Even if they have already lost a privilege or are going to bed (they will still have that consequence!) but they can still work their way back up to the green lights. They won't have to sit in time outs again as they have already received that punishment but it will get them one step closer to the green lights. 

I will also say that I saw many behavior charts on Pinterest that did not include anything positive. Children need positive reinforcement. I know as an adult I do too. When I worked outside the home positive reinforcement drove me to work hard for my bosses and for God. And working in my home now, it drives me to make Daddy J, Big sis, brother, and baby happy but most of all I want to please my Father.

Basic instructions: 

Red, yellow, green construction cut to fit your needs

Write what you choose

Lamentate if possible

Hang

Use clothes pins with names to show progress/regress 

What would you do differently or what different verses would you use? Please leave a comment!

Fillings

Are you wondering if you read that right? Yes, I mean fillings, not feelings. Yesterday, I went to the much dreaded dentist. Nothing against dentists as a whole but I've had bad experiences and so I had put off dental treatment for 9 years. Yes, 9 years, shameful I know, I can't even believe I'm admitting that to the whole (internet) world! And so I was in desperate need of fillings. I got two of the four I need yesterday. It was painful, if you have never had them done before let me walk you through it for a moment. First they tell you where the decay is and schedule the appointment. The day of the appointment you sit down and endure shots in the jaw to numb the area. Next, they drill and scrap out all of the decay. After all this is done, they fill the empty spaces with a filling. So I had this done yesterday, after a few hours of walking around with a half numb face (go ahead and picture it, it was a hoot!), I finally started to get feeling back and boy was my jaw sore. I could only open my mouth a few inches and every time would I bite down I could feel where the filling wasn't quite like how my tooth used to be. This morning, I can still feel the fillings are different from my old teeth and my jaw isn't quite as sore but its better and I know its healthier even if I couldn't physically see the decay before.

So you're probably wondering what my point is. As I laid in bed last night, God reminded me of a few times I had decay in my life. I might not have been over aware of it and most people probably didn't even know it was there but God knew. And God called me out on it, He told me where that decay was and that it needed to be removed. God knew that it would eventually cause me a great deal of pain and problems, just as the dentist knew my cavities would. Thankfully though God went to work in drilling and scraping out the decay I had in my life. It wasn't all over my life just in 'one or two teeth'. But if I had let it go and not let God handle it, it would have quickly spread and caused ruin in my life. What is so wonderful is that God didn't just leave the hole in my life, much like the dentist filled my teeth, God fills our lives when He was done the work of removing the decay. It isn't without its pain and it will most certainly feel different from the way our lives were before but its better and healthier. Praise God!

Let me leave you with a few scripture references to mediate on today.

If you're 'cavity' hasn't been removed yet and you are wondering if God even cares, I beg you to cry out to Him.
~"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will." Romans 8:26-27

And if you think, "But you don't know what I've done", do us both a favor and keeping reading the rest of Romans chapter 8.

If you're in the midst of having that decay filled, don't lose heart! God is love, He won't give up on you, so don't give up on the work he is doing in your life.
~"Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 1 Cor. 13:7

And if you've had that filling, let God use you. There are others that are still stuck in their decay, afraid to 'go to the dentist'.
~"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 2 Cor. 5:17-20

Life with my Littles is giving away a Blissful Booty Pocket Diaper!

Follow this link to enter to win a BB Pocket Diaper from Life with my Littles! Give away ends on March 4th so hurry!

Cotton Babies Essay giveaway!

"I'm glad you were born" essay contest ends this Friday so get your entries in now!
Winnings:

• 1 grand prize winner ($100 gift certificate to Cotton Babies)
• 1 second place winner ($50 gift certificate to Cotton Babies)
• 1 third place winner ($25 gift certificate to Cotton Babies)
• 3 additional runners up per 100 contest entries ($10 gift certificate to Cotton Babies)

Gift certificates will be e-mailed to the winners and can only be redeemed online through the Cotton Babies website. You must either live in the United States or have a shipping address in the United States to be eligible to win. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

Tiny Tush Elite Giveaway!

Read this review and enter (on an easy Google- doc) to win a Tiny Tush Elite giveaway. I haven't tried these diapers yet but I would LOVE to! They sound awesome. Good luck!

Another Blissful Booty Giveaway

This giveaway is awesome a chance to win a BB diaper, a Cow Patties diaper (which I have not tried but would love to), two beautiful bows (that would look great in Niah's beautiful hair), and Scentsy's newest warmer and scent of the month! Check it out here!