MELLETTE MOMENTS

Pretty Little Princess' Pics

2012-01-03T21:54:00.012-05:00

Christmas 2011

Pillow Pets!

(Anything ANIMAL is a HIT with this little lady)

New Love 'n Nature bedding
Here's the OWL pillow...
She loves it

Now, she's a video-head, too

And, Little Bear opening one of his FAVORITE presents that day....

A Compound Bow

Wait, who's gift was that compound bow?

Daddy's???

hee hee

And, now what you've all been waiting for....
Pretty Little Princess' Pictures

Here she snapped a photo of her eldest cousin.

A stuffed polar bear hugging Geoffrey the Giraffe

This next picture has to be my favorite....

She's loves her Pop-Pop...
and his bald head!!!

Just PRECIOUS!

Here's more pictures of her favorite things....
ANIMALS!

I think this one was staged...

And, lastly....

The 2011 Mellette Christmas Tree!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Christmas Program Highlights

2011-12-22T19:19:00.006-05:00

See Pretty Little Princess on the far right? And Little Bear in the front row, 2nd from the left?

Such a ham!

Two of our nephews....the red dressed king and the cutie pie down front

Our nephew and the Pretty Little Princess as an ANGEL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGpIOaVKiWs

Montreal Revisted Part 3

2011-12-04T22:29:00.006-05:00

Snow was on the ground when we arrived in Canada, so of course, our pretty little princess made a wonderful snow bear!

An American Thanksgiving in Canada!

Ben - outside of Ben's

Inside the underground mall

I was so proud of myself - while Jerad was meeting with a pastor to tell about our ministry plans, I took the kids to a coffee shop ALL BY MYSELF! The barista understood English, PHEW! I was also proud of myself for resisting the cookies and opting for diet food!

Such great memories!!!

Montreal Revisted Part 2

2011-12-04T20:41:00.015-05:00

Saint Joseph's Oratory

A visit to Quebec's largest Catholic church

Different Shrines at the Catholic Church

Anyone know anything about a 2-headed apostle? - See the middle statue.

Good Catholics can lit a candle for $5!!! Less fortunate Catholics can pay $1 to light smaller candles. So sad!

Shrine to a man - not to our Creator

A place to confess one's sins to their priest...again, another sad reminder of how different Catholicism is from our relationship with God is - we as Christians have a direct access to God the Father through His Son, Jesus.

The canes from all the people who were "healed" by Brother Andrew....quite interesting.

The rock where water supposedly comes from the rock perpetually

It was so super windy outside, but after being in such a spiritually dark place (inside the basilica), it was refreshing to be outside.

Our nephew Ben came along this time to experience Montreal

The bike bridge - for bicycles, roller blades, and walkers only - no cars.

Montreal Revisited part 1

2011-12-04T14:52:00.011-05:00

"Mr. Horst, they've got taters in Canada, too!"

Two cute Canadians

Our Canadian niece and nephew

His and Her Heelys for Christmas!!!!

Children's Christmas practice at Grace Church of Lasalle

My niece's faithful "nanny" and her husband. Each and every Sunday this dear couple cares for my niece and nephew while their mommy and daddy do their many jobs at church.

Cousin bonding...

Fall Update

2011-10-15T18:53:00.005-04:00

Mellette Moments
Ministry in Montreal, Quebec

“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.” Romans 15:20

Thank you for your prayers – we really sense people praying for us! We have much to update you on...God is so good.

This summer we had the privilege of being the “Missionaries of the Week” during the 1st week of the 2-week annual Bible camp at Rawlinsville Camp Meeting. Wanda’s co-worker has attended the camp all her life and was instrumental in giving us this opportunity. We shared our missionary plans to so many that week: preschool children, elementary children, Jr./Sr. High school students, college-aged students, and adults.

Speaking at Rawlinsville allowed us to share our heart for Montreal to people of many different Bible churches in the area.

A week later, we were invited back to Greenview Bible Camp in Fivepointville to speak with the campers. The camp director, Steve Rohrbaugh, wants to partner with us…He wants to send campers to Montreal to assist us in the work and in return, we would send youth from Montreal to GBC to experience a Christian camp in rural America. We are thrilled at this potential partnership!

Also in August, Jerad was invited to speak at Waldheim Park in Allentown. He enjoyed sharing his heart with a small Bible study hosted by one of his close friends.

Later in August, we spoke at Calvary Monument Bible Church in Paradise.
In September, we spoke during the entire Sunday morning worship service at Bethesda United Methodist in Holtwood.

In October, we were invited to speak in Morgan’s 2nd grade class at Lancaster County Christian School about our ministry plans. Her classmates were so attentive and receptive. It was a
joy to be there!

Also in October, Jerad was asked to speak at Rawlinsville’s Fall Fest event. His audience was middle school and high school young ladies. While there, we got to interact with people we had met at camp there this summer. It was another wonderful experience!

That same weekend, we were asked to speak at all 3 Sunday morning worship services at Wesley United Methodist.

God has been so gracious with us and has given us many opportunities to share our heart for God, missions and Montreal. We praise God for each opportunity and are excited about getting on the mission field next summer, Lord willing.

In the meantime, we are enjoying every moment at our home church, Christian Fellowship Church, and making precious memories with our American family and friends.
It won’t be easy to leave the comforts of home, family, friends, work and school, but sensing your prayers already is calming our nerves about our future transition to Canada. We praise God for you and your partnership!
THANK YOU!

Praise!
We continue to be encouraged and truly blessed by new ministry partners each month. If our math is correct, we’re just about at the 50% mark of our financial support. As we near the one-year mark of actively raising support, we are very humbled at the outpouring of support.

Pray!
We are still in need of prayer supporters. We covet your prayers!
THANK YOU!

Martins and the Mountains

2011-10-10T21:41:00.015-04:00

My parents

The Granddaughters

The Grandsons

Such breathtaking views

My sister and her family

Me and My Hubs

Me and My Dad

My dad and his girls

Until next time!

County Courthouse

2011-10-05T22:51:00.003-04:00

Pretty Little Princess and her 2nd grade class were studying the 3 branches of government, so their wonderful teacher set up a field trip to the county courthouse.

Here she is outside - too cool for school!

Clearly the field trip was a success!

Mellettes and Mud

2011-09-09T10:21:00.008-04:00

The Park Behind Our House

This is (or, was) the Conestoga Pines Pool

The Pool House

My Basement Couch

Our Basement

Minus the Lego Table, TV and Furniture

The Unfinished Part or the Utility Side

The End of Our Development

Where the Neighborhood Pool and Basketball Court Was

Neighbor's House/Shed

Part of My Grandma Zook's Sewing Machine and Jerad's Fake Smile

Floods are NOT FUN!

So after experiencing the JOY of a BONE DRY BASEMENT, Our Sump Pump died at 3:30pm yesterday. Now, we have TWO borrowed sump pumps pumping out 4 inches of water. Thank God for family and friends helping us out last night. GOD IS GOOD!

Back to School

2011-08-25T22:06:00.005-04:00

Adorable - even in her collarbone brace!

Ready for the first day of 2nd grade!!!

Too cool

His shirt says, "Piece Out" - It's a Lego shirt!!!

He's all ready for 4th grade

Both wearing green - I just noticed that now as I post these pictures!

It's hard to believe they are in 2nd and 4th grades now! Time flies! The days can get long, but the years are SHORT!

Praising God for a great first day for them and for me - in 5th grade!

Summer Happenings OCNJ Style

2011-08-22T07:10:00.011-04:00

Friends from Preschool

Creating a decorative souvenir bottle

Arh!

Such a cute turtle

Monkey Business

The Youngest Martin Cousins

The Martin Cousins

The 2 darker kiddies aren't MeMa look-alikes, they were my sister's fresh air kids!

I love to READ!

Surf's UP!

Okay, hoping MJ's orthopedic doctor isn't viewing this - this IS NOT checkers...it's swimming with her collarbone brace! Shhhh! She goes back Friday for another x-ray.

Back at home...Now, to get ready for SCHOOL!

Rawlinsville Camp Meeting

2011-08-09T10:49:00.015-04:00

What a treat! The Mellettes were invited to the be the Camp Missionaries for the first week of camp at Rawlinsville Camp Meeting for their 126th season!

A couple pictures from our daughter's perspective....

An original tent - now used as the Prayer Tent

Some carefully planted and maintained flower beds by Gram

Gram & Grandpa Bob's cute cabin

The Tabernacle

The Youth Tabernacle

Yes, the dog came!!!!

Our children

Creek Adventures

A salamander find

All the animal finds

Some serious creek stomping happened here

The kids carnival on Saturday

Bracelet making by Jerad Mellette

Dunking Daddy in the Dunk Tank

Riding Horse

Speaking at the 56 building (5th and 6th graders)

Such a fun time!

We thank God for the many opportunities we had to share our burden for Montreal to preschoolers up through the adults. God is good!

Summer 2011 Update

2011-07-12T10:36:00.005-04:00

July 12, 2011

Dearest Family & Friends,

We praise God for each one of you! Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support! We are humbled by your care and concern for our family as we prepare to fulfill our call to the mission field.

This past Sunday, July 10, we had the honor and privilege of speaking at the church Jerad served as Youth Pastor/Worship Leader - Harmony Grove Community Church in Dover, PA. We spoke during the entire Sunday School hour and again for about 10 minutes during the worship service. It was refreshing to see familiar faces and catch up with old friends. We were touched by the out-pour of love and support from these dear saints.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 13 we have the joy of sharing our ministry presentation with young people at Greenview Bible Camp in Fivepointville, PA. The camp director, Steve Rohrbaugh, invited us to share with Middle School students to inform them of the spiritual need in Montreal, with the hopes of inspiring them to go on a short-term missions team there in the future! We couldn't be more excited about this opportunity! We'd appreciate your prayers as we talk to these youth - pray for open hearts for them and clarity of speech for us!

The need in Montreal, Quebec, Canada is great! We were reminded of that great spiritual need in March/April as we attended the mission conference at Grace Church of Lasalle. We brought our 15-year-old niece up with us for the first time and she was surprised at several things in this "European-like" culture. As soon as we approached the border into Canada, the first sight we saw was that of an advertisement of a nude woman - not uncommon for this part of Canada. While in downtown Montreal, we took my niece to the Notre-Dame Basilica (where Celine Dion was married) and she was struck by the admission cost just to go inside the church and then the cost to light candles! We praise God for a FREE salvation that COST Christ sooo much but cannot be attained by dollars!

Also surprising was the need to explain who Steven Curtis Chapman is to Jerad's brother's church - but the lack of Christian radio and Christian influences in Montreal is what is truly sad. Most of the people at Grace Church of Lasalle are first-generation Christians which is exciting, but their hearts of heavy to reach family members, neighbors, co-workers and friends. Please be in prayer for the church family at Grace Church of Lasalle...check out their church website. http://gracechurchoflasalle.com/

On the home-front, we're hoping to move to Montreal next summer, Lord willing. We are close to 45% of our financial support and at 75% of our prayer support. We only started actively raising support in December 2010 so these numbers are especially exciting for us! THANK YOU for your part in this!

We'd also like prayer for our 7-year-old daughter, Morgan, who broke her clavicle (collarbone) on Thursday evening after tripping down a hill. She will have an x-ray on Monday to determine if surgery will be necessary. Prayers for healing, patience and INactivity (not easy for my tomboy) would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much for partnering with us! I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

Lovingly,

Wanda Mellette

(Jerad, Gabriel & Morgan, too!)

Pretty Little Princess Turns 7!

2011-06-16T13:38:00.010-04:00

A New Kind of Grandparenting

2011-06-09T13:37:00.005-04:00

I had really cool grandparents, but NEVER did they pick me up on a MOTORCYCLE!

Needless to say, our children were ecstatic!!!

Pop-Pop and MeMa took them to a minor league baseball game!

A Sunday afternoon my children will never forget

Not your typical grandparents, that's for sure

What a super fun memory the kiddos will treasure always

Now for Mommy/Daddy date time!

Piano Recital

2011-05-21T09:01:00.002-04:00

Our Pretty Little Princess' FIRST PIANO RECITAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTeLgLZfc90

Admiring Mom's Flowers

2011-05-01T21:38:00.005-04:00

Each season, my mom goes all out with her flowers...

...and, each season, I drool a little bit at the sight of them!

Such beauty and creativity our God has!

I can almost smell them!

Lovely!

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin." Matthew 6:28

Easter Round-Up

2011-04-24T22:15:00.017-04:00

PRECIOUS!

TWINS!

Found it! Finally!

A rose between two thorns????

Sportin' his son's new baseball cap

Never looking at the camera at the same time - they are of the same mold!

Pop-Pop, I think you took my Easter money!!!!

Too CUTE!

Wearing all of her Easter goodies!

Cracking us all up!

Sportin' her new swimwear!

And, now an Easter EGG hunt!

Found them!

No, my sister isn't doing some new workout routine....she's playing a serious game of Cricket Kickball!

As for my eldest sister, I did not whip out the camera when they arrived around suppertime from their roadtrip from Florida. Everyone was smiling and not necessarily looking like they had been up since 3:30am, but....

...Some of them did look a little OVERcooked!

Hope you all had a wonderful EASTER! He is RISEN! He is risen, INDEED!

Joyful Surprises!

2011-04-22T08:12:00.003-04:00

Easter flowers from my sister before she went on a family vacation

An impromptu present for my classroom from my mom!

(It's a slipcover!)

Daily warm drinks from my husband during my quiet time with Jesus

GIFTS from my dad when he went on a missions/hunting trip to South Africa. He shopped for the WHOLE family - grandkids and all! SO thoughtful, unexpected AND unnecessary!

Sensenigs Cleaning Service arrived at my house yesterday!

For someone who is a GIFTED in the area of CLEANING, I'm sure she was a bit appalled at the state of the Mellette household, but she wanted to help the cause. She brought her wonderful helpers, too. Her daughter helped clean my daughter's room.

And, her son helped clean my son's room. What a gift! Their help gave me the boost and encouragement I needed to wash all my windows and make the house look presentable!

Earlier this week, my dear friend got to work in her kitchen to make my family a meal. Unexpected and SO appreciated!

She picks up my son every Tuesday from school to take him to piano lessons. She is a fabulous piano teacher to both of our children and then she went on to make us a meal. Whoa. So sweet, thoughtful and the meal was mmmmm good!

Then, above all, there's my Savior, my dearest friend, my Love....my God. He went ahead of time to bless me and redeem me by allowing His Son, Jesus to pay the price for MY sin. He allowed Himself to be crucified in the cruelest of ways to give ME grace and redemption. He provided a way to have a personal, intimate relationship with a Sovereign, Loving God. An amazing factor in our relationship is that I get to worship a RISEN SAVIOR! He's alive! After being killed on a cross, He became ALIVE and today, I serve God who isn't fashioned from stone - no, He moved a stone to show the world that He indeed is ALIVE!

Happy Easter to YOU! Hoping you can enjoy some unexpected joyful surprises in your life, too.

Pictures That Will Make You Smile

2011-04-21T09:59:00.020-04:00

My Sister and My Parents

My Canadian Nephew and Niece

Me and My Family

Since my tireless work with the President, the Amish, the local cowgirls, and Maria von Trapp keep me sooooo busy, I decided to final post on my personal blog...some pictures that always make me smile!

A trip north allowed us to visit my brother-in-law and sister-in-law

But, at home, I always enjoy the local Amish - especially when they visit my classroom!

Celebrating with friends - new and old - is always a joy in my life.

Friends from Virginia

Friends in OCNJ

When friends get married, it's always a beautiful, memorable time

Moments with parents

Even in winter, OCNJ is a memorable FUN place to be!

I'm so blessed to work with this pretty lady

And, THIS pretty lady, too!

Here's my sister and her husband in Guatemala

My eldest niece

My mom and her eldest brother

My eldest sister's youngest daughter

My sister and her wonderful mother-in-law

My sister and her dear friend

Friends from church

Friends in Guatemala

My sister's sister-in-law who is like family to ME

A friend of ours who is battling cancer

Our teaching pastor and his dear wife - so precious! We are so glad they are at our church! We love them and their ministry there!

Our friend who has cancer and his 2 adorable daughters

My sister and our friend who is amazingly positive in difficult times

My middle sister's middle child!

My eldest sister's eldest son

Love this couple!

My daughter's cousin who is in the same class at school!

My family!

My sister and her husband

My middle school niece!

The chocolate lovers in my house

My youngest American born nephew

Fashion model

My "Amish" niece and nephew

A wonderful matriarch of some wonderful people

Such a cute chicken!

At a FABULOUS little restaurant owned by an ol' friend of mine - check it out!

http//lickitysplit.info/Home_Page.php

The women in my family!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Niece's First Trip to Canada

2011-04-08T17:04:00.013-04:00

It was fun to visit my niece and nephew in Montreal.

And, it was fun to visit Grace Church of LaSalle!

Anywhere Little Bear can get some ripsticking in, he's fine.

Here the hubs is helping me with the children during missions conference in Montreal. The kiddos weren't bored - they were mesmerized with the story of missionary great: Amy Carmichael.

Little Bear is like a magnet to little ones - here he is with his youngest BOY cousin.

And, here is our eldest niece - my birthday "twin"!

She was stunned by milk in a bag!

The Missions Conference Theme: Salt and Light. Yes, that's a candle in a pillar of salt...so creative.

I love this sign and the people standing beside it!

Another highlight was taking my niece downtown to the old section of Montreal.

Outside the Notre Dame - yes, the Catholic Church where Celine Dion was married.

I think it was profound for my niece to see that to even get inside the church you had to pay an admission fee. Soooo sad!

Lovely Ladies

Golden Elvis

Worshipping at Church

Pretty Little Princess with her youngest GIRL cousin

The city of Montreal at a glance.

My Version of March Madness

2011-04-03T23:00:00.005-04:00

Four Birthdays in ONE week! Here we are celebrating Little Bear's birthday at a smorgesboard. The nephew on the right had his birthday 4 days earlier. The nephew on the left isn't that same week, but 8 days later!

So much fun! Pretty Little Princess and I had a Mother-Daughter Date while Daddy and Little Bear went to a missions conference breakfast.

If there are animals to be found, Pretty Little Princess will find them. She was disappointed I didn't have a rifle on me - as Daddy would have liked this one. hee hee

After celebrating my nephew's birthday March 21, my birthday AND my niece's birthday on March 23, our son's birthday on March 25, and then my other nephew's birthday on April 2, we finished out our March Madness with a weekend trip to Montreal. Pictures to come!

Unforgettable Experience!

2011-03-23T05:45:00.003-04:00

One of my students asked if her Great-Uncle CWO Jay Groff could come speak to our class about his World War 2 experience - a resounding YES quickly rolled off of my lips! CWO Groff survived the tragedy at Pearl Harbor!

Here's a picture of his niece, himself and his great-niece.

He even showed us a special shadow box that held a piece of a Japanese airplane that was in his FOOTLOCKER! Some day he'll donate this shadow box to the Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum.

On Memorial Day, he will again be honored with an award for his bravery and service in WW2. What an inspiring time and a GREAT way to conclude our WW2 unit!

Unforgettable!

A First

2011-03-22T06:19:00.003-04:00

Pretty Little Princess and I joined two of our friends for some pedicures.

Now after experiencing this fun, I'm afraid I've started something that will be a bit addicting to Pretty Little Princess!

Such a fun memory-building time!

Ah! The joys of pampering!

Hiking with Daddy

2011-03-14T05:58:00.007-04:00

While I was at our church's ladies retreat, Jerad took Little Bear and Pretty Little Princess hiking. The pictures he took - priceless!

Six years old

Next week, he'll be 9!

My family!

Too cute!

Hammin' it up!

Making memories!

Dr. Seuss' Birthday

2011-03-02T20:47:00.002-05:00

Today would have been Dr. Seuss' 107th birthday! Can you believe that dear man was rejected by publishers 26 times! Such determination! I'm so glad he didn't give up!

Before I had my 5th grade students write about Dr. Seuss' determination and persistence, I had to show them one of my favorite YouTube videos. It's a video of our son when he was 2 years old and he was impressing his aunt with his recitation of Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham. Check it out! You can hear my giggles in the background!

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDY_Z6J5ztA

Winter Writing

2011-02-05T12:49:00.004-05:00

Our Pretty Little Princess had a winter writing assignment in her first grade class. When she brought it home, I was touched by her memory of this fun outdoor activity AND at her spelling of the word "humongous" - she only missed one letter! Amazing! I don't think I would have done any better at spelling such a big word!

Thanks for indulging me by reading Pretty Little Princess' winter writing!

Have a happy day!

That Was a Nice 16-Months

2011-01-28T20:20:00.004-05:00

My Nissan Pathfinder and I have had a nice 16-month-old relationship. I praise him often. In fact, just yesterday I was telling my mom of my Nissan's reliable four-wheel drive capabilities. It's something how I can adore a car...I can't remember having such a relationship with any other car. Me and my pathfinder...we value each other so much.

When the surprise snow blizzard arrived yesterday, my mom picked me and the kiddos up so that my hubby could use my darling car for the day. His car isn't made for a winter wonderland, but my Nissan sure is.

When my hubby came to pick me and the kiddos up after a yummy dinner at my parents' home, we headed to an ice hockey game. We were talking about how this would be my hubby's and our children's first time at this arena. I was excited to go because it was a fond childhood memory going to this particular ice hockey team's games.

We hadn't even gotten that far when a woman - overly eager to get to Wal-Mart - ran a red light, crossed the center lane and hit us head-on (She got a ticket for her careless driving)! Our airbags deployed and all that hub bub. But, PRAISE the LORD, our children, my hubby and I were safe. My chest hurt initially from that powerful air bag and I couldn't explain the pain I was feeling in my right leg, but we were walking and talking and thanking God!

Unknown to me, my one sister and her family were a little ways behind us and recognized my used-to-be-pretty SUV and took our kiddos into the warmth of their car. It was so nice to have family there when this all came about.

I'm guessing that I tried to "break" even though I was the passenger in the car. That's why my leg is sore. Silly me! My parents drove me to the ER to get x-rays -again, praise God, nothing was broken, just pulled muscles in my neck: whiplash. I'm chillin' out on some serious pain meds and muscle relaxers, but God gave me the strength to go to school today. My students were EXTRA good today, which was such a blessing.

After school, my other sister and her daughter helped me get ready for our school's open house tomorrow....what a blessing to have their help. I couldn't have done it without them!

Praising God for His protection and provision. Jerad picked up a rental car this evening, so when I'm off the powerful meds, I'll have a temporary vehicle while they decide what they do with my Nissan. Will we have another 16 months together? To be continued...

Proud to be an American

2011-01-19T06:58:00.002-05:00

The dear bride featured in this picture has been deployed again....

Here she is with her hubby of 1.6 years.

Her quarters on ship

Precious

With her doting mom

With her proud parents

Saying Goodbye

Please be praying for our troops and their families. Last night, Jerad and I say a private showing of

Major Dick Winters

"In His Words"

- excellent. Too bad Major Winters wasn't able to attend - he was scheduled to come, but he's in Heaven for his 93rd birthday. Just reminded us of the great men and women of the US military.

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

Geoffrey died....

2010-12-25T18:12:00.006-05:00

Last year, my mom and dad went on a missions trip tailor-made for my dad. The missions trip was to South Africa. My parents went with another couple who helped buy a freezer for a small Christian school. The students would eat one meal a day at their school. My dad and some friends' job was to stock the freezer with meat for the students' meals. Well, they filled it up and THEN SOME. The rest of the meat was sold to help fund the school. But, there was sacrifice.

Geoffrey - may he rest in peace.

My 14-year-old niece's hand!

His head was as big as my niece's whole body!

The end...get it?!!? The END! hahaha

Celebrating a Friend's 40th in NYC

2010-12-18T18:52:00.009-05:00

The Birthday Girl...I know, I know...She looks like she's turning 21, not 40!

Brunch in NYC!

So sweet!

Pretty Persian sisters

Me and My Honey

My hubby's best buds

The Birthday Girl and Her Boys

The birthday girl's Aunt & the Colonel

Parents of the Birthday girl

My and My MAGNIFICENT BEAUTIFUL Birthday Friend!

The girls

I have pretty friends!

The Christmas tree at Brooklyn Tab

The whole gang!

Waiting for the Christmas concert at Brooklyn Tab to start

Such a cute couple!

Friends!

What a great day! Later!

Mother/Daughter

Mural at the Brooklyn Tab

Waiting in the Rain

The lights we saw outside church

A unique way to park cars in NYC

Even though it rained, it was such a fun, memorable day!!!!

Surprise!

2010-11-27T16:21:00.010-05:00

We're on our way up to....

...Montreal to surprise our Uncle Bubba and Aunt Mia (or otherwise known as Aunt Meow)

Sneaking up to their home!

Taking cover behind Aunt Mia's car

To the house to knock on the door....

...and SURPRISE!!!!

Surprise, SURPRISE!!!!

Little Bear said that Aunt Mia just stood their at the door for 10 seconds not saying anything! Just completely shocked! Probably wondering how her niece and nephew got to Montreal?!!?

Finally meeting his Mellette niece!

My niece...we came at feeding time!

Now over the bridge to the Island to surprise Uncle Bubba!

What to do? The church is locked. Let's hoist the Pretty Little Princess up to knock on Uncle Bubba's window!

"HELLO!!!!!!" What a surprise Uncle Bubba got!

He made a QUICK DASH outside to greet us all!

He was so surprised and shocked - here he is twirling Pretty Little Princess around in a circle!

Now, off to an American Thanksgiving dinner.

The first official Mellette family picture with the newest baby girl Mellette. Too bad there was something on my camera lens!

The next morning we woke up to SNOW!

Pretty Little Princess and her little snowman!

My sweet little niece

Off to the mall to do a little shopping

Such a fun stroller

"Look, Aunt WaWa, I'm holding my baby sister!"

My favorite pic of me and my new niece!

As you can see, she was shocked by our surprise visit, too!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T19:25:00.002-05:00

It's Wednesday evening. My husband is at church singing his heart out - leading worship and singing a special music piece. Our children are enjoying Adventure Club. And, I'm here at home in my PJ's wishing I was at church partaking in our special Thanksgiving service, listening to my hubby sing. But, alas...I'm here. I've had the ickiest, nastiest headache and I can't shake it. The hubs suggested I stay at home to ride it out, so as I pound on the keys of his laptop, I'm thinking of tomorrow's holiday.

Thanksgiving. What am I thankful for this year? My relationship with God. He's intimately involved with my everyday activities. I'm so thankful for Him and His unconditional love for me. I'm thankful for my godly Christian heritage, my family, my home and health. The normal stuff. But, one of my students helped remind me of something else I'm forever grateful for: memories. When someone you love passes away, memories is often what you're left with. I enjoy creating memories with my loved ones and cherishing the memories of those who have gone on to Glory.

What are you thankful for?

Whatever Puts Her to Sleep!

2010-11-20T23:32:00.002-05:00

She sleeps with her favorite stuffed animal, a puppy, which she named for the giver of such a beloved gift: her MeMa, "Sally Martin". She is also sleeping with more animals than I can count, as well as the very pink pillow her other grandma gave her. But, the ear muffs....not sure about why she's sleeping with them! Whatever gets her sleeping!

Sweet Dreams!!!

Foxy at Forty!

2010-11-07T19:07:00.016-05:00

Even though her actual birthday isn't until Veteran's Day, a big shout out to my eldest sister who will be turning 40!!!! Here's some pictures of her sweet beginning...

Our parents weren't afraid to be super trendy!

That's me in the pink pants! hahaha

My sister & her future hubby's engagement picture...

Wedding day - my 2 sisters!

4 Generation shot

3 sisters pregnant together -3 months apart!

Happy 40th dear sister!

More Photo Shoot Fun

2010-10-27T22:16:00.007-04:00

Just because I couldn't resist....

And, more fun from our weekend "Photo Shoot" on the beach!

Photo Shoots

2010-10-24T21:18:00.010-04:00

My new niece and her big brother!

This "being born thing" is a LOT of work!

My brother-in-law...the proud papa!

My nephew is so proud of his new sister!

The happy family!!!!

Isn't this SO cute?!!?

And, a photo shoot I participated in with some friends this past weekend...

My teen-aged niece

My sweet pea, the pretty little princess!

The woman behind the photo shoot!

Where'd this ol' lady come from?

Although I would have rather been at the first photo shoot I featured in this blog, this second photo shoot was a close second!

Congratulations to my one and only

SISTER-IN-LAW!!!!!

Your baby girl is adorable!!!!

Ronnie & Mary Get Married

2010-10-04T20:48:00.014-04:00

Flower girl

Bridesmaid & Bride

This is IT!!!!

SOOOOO EXCITED!

Getting everything put on

The church we took pictures at prior to the ceremony

Having fun playing preacher

Too Cute - Clergyman times 2

The happy couple and their ring bearers and flower girls

The girls have the same first name and the boys have the same first name!

Father, mother and nephew of the Groom

The first bridesmaid walking down the aisle!

Look at those handsome ring bearers!

Oh! I love it! The precious flower girls!

Awaiting the Bride's arrival!

The bride and her adoptive father - such a dear pair!

The Smooch!

Praying for God's blessing

Mister and Missus!

Precious Cousins

Silly, goofy cousins!

The Mellettes

The best man and his son

Forever Friends!

Me and my growing niece...

....She's in HIGH SCHOOL!

My beautiful MIDDLE SCHOOL AGED NIECE!

Friends from High School - that's my sista beside me

My bouquet

What a wonderful wedding day! What a wonderful couple! God is good!

A Wonderful Wonderland!

2010-09-28T20:33:00.007-04:00

Free tickets to a fun place with my hubby, our children and 4 of their cousins! So, it was my hubby and 6 kids - if you're adding correctly! It was soooo much fun!

Frog & Toad friend

Can you tell we spent a lot of time in lines...we have several close-ups! What else were we going to do while we waited?!!?

Sharing the same IQ...whoops! I mean spot in line!

Handsome 7th grade nephew!

Nice Niece

Dad & Mom/Uncle & Aunt chillaxin' on the Lazy Lagoon ride

Ol' friends we saw at the amusement park

The Flume!!!

Girls in one log and boys in the other!

Astronauts in training!

Exactly nineteen years apart!

A great day filled with great memories!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2010-09-23T20:42:00.003-04:00

Brace yourself.

This is me.

This is me at 11 years old.

This is a picture of me

at the same age as the students I'm teaching!
Okay, that's frightening!

Family Fun - Amish Style

2010-09-18T21:35:00.011-04:00

My family and I had the privilege of being invited to one of my sister's friends' home for dinner. It was AMAZINGLY yummy! The food, fellowship and FUN we had will be a night we'll always cherish! Our son asked our host AND hostess different times if we could come back for Thanksgiving dinner! He also asked if he could move in! Has it really been that long since my family had a good home cooked meal?!!?

Inside the eldest son's supped up buggie!

The kiddos enjoyed checking out the inside of the buggie.

Behind my niece was a curtain separating the seating area from the HUGE speakers in the buggie! Apparently, the speakers get hooked up to the son's iPod! A new generation of Amish!

Too cute climbing

My one nephew found some peanuts and made his own makeshift basketball game with the peanuts and a birdbath!

Getting his ammo ready!

Are you looking at me?

The kiddos playing around

I think my nephew would be okay with having this for his first vehicle!

Too cool for words

Posing in front of the buggie!

Hiding from the ball in "ball tag"

My three nieces played a trick on us. As the parents talked and the younger kiddos played outside, we noticed that the daughter of the house had not only one friend over after dinner, but 3 more! We hadn't even seen their buggy pull up! The girls were all busy drying the dishes, but then they turned around....

My nieces going Amish!

They really fit the part! My great grandparents would be proud!

I Love My Family!

2010-09-11T17:31:00.012-04:00

Whether it's the whole fam all together at once

or just the eldest bunch
or the patriarchs

the silly ones

the chocolate ones

the accident prone ones

the Kentuckin', French/Egyptian/Greek ones

or the cute cousins

-again, the cute cousins -

or ones who haven't been reunited but once in 10 years

I adore them all

and praise God for each

and every one

for there is always an adventure

always a thrill

always humor

and sometimes affection

in brotherly love

and sisterly kindness

family and friends alike

I adore you

and Love each

and every one!

Super Fun...Super Mom

2010-09-05T12:29:00.011-04:00

Super fun times with family

Finding treasures

Cute pictures

Almost perfect pics

Worshiping together

Enjoying the sights

The highlight....

Celebrating my mom's birthday!

My best girlfriend, my mentor, my hero....

My MOM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Healed....in Heaven

2010-09-03T10:00:00.002-04:00

Pictured left to right, my Aunt Millie, Aunt Mary Ann, Aunt Dot and my Mom

After much prayer, God answered our prayers - not as we had expected, but with His sovereignty - by healing Aunt Dot....she's got a perfect body and is more alive now as she has entered Heaven's Glory and was reunited with her middle son who went on before her just a few months ago.

This picture was taken at my cousin's funeral in May and was the last time these dear sister-in-laws were together. We will all miss Aunt Dot - her infectious smile, her emails , and her prayers for her family. Praising God for His sovereignty and for giving her 50 years with my Uncle Gil.

First Day of School

2010-08-30T06:31:00.003-04:00

Our THIRD grader...where did the time go?

Our FIRST grader...again, what happened to Kindergarten?

Our children...clearly, I wasn't the photographer or I would have insisted on a better pic, but that's what happens when Mommy is working full-time, too!

They're still so precious. But, it looks like Pretty Little Princess is trying to step on Little Bear's foot. hmmmm

Dick and Jane Book in Real Life

2010-08-24T22:08:00.003-04:00

See Dick run.

See Dick climb tree.

See Dick fall.

See Dick swell.

My nephew fell out of a tree on Aug. 15, but

he can now SEE out of BOTH EYES!

He gets some looks, that's for sure! The first time he went out for supper I was with him.

I had a few people at the restaurant make eye contact with me and then they'd mouth,

"What happened?"
I told them,

"There is NOTHING wrong with him - Why do you ask?"

Just kidding. I told them he fell out of a tree. Poor guy.

Kindergarten starts on Thursday.

Hope he stays out of the trees at school!

Family Weekend at SB2W

2010-08-17T10:51:00.021-04:00

The "Faith Pole" at "Summer's Best 2 Weeks" (SB2W) was a challenge for anyone who dared climb it. We at the Family Weekend event had a few takers. Here are some of the brave souls who took on the challenge...

Jerad

My dear red-headed niece got in on the action, too!

It's SOOOOO HIGH!!!!

NO FEAR!!!

Before touching the ground, Little Bear had to answer,

"Who's your favorite Disney princess?"
And, you couldn't say, "No one!"

Getting ready for the climb!

Ready!

She got a little nervous, but...

...she kept pressing on!

AND.....

She did it!!!

My "Faith Pole" experience involved water and....

...2 inexperienced CANOE riders!

But we all survived unscathed and DRY!

One More Picture!

2010-08-17T08:24:00.004-04:00

I forgot to include my favorite picture from our major league baseball game!

Unexpected Gifts Times TWO

2010-08-16T08:52:00.013-04:00

One Sunday evening a couple of weeks ago, our family was given tickets to our local minor league baseball team! It was such a fun evening.

Just that afternoon, Little Bear was asking if he could go to the store to buy a WebKinz, but we said, "Not today." When we arrived at the stadium, guess what they were giving out???? WebKinz!

Then, just three days later, our realtor called us and asked if we wanted tickets to the Phillies for the following Wednesday!!!! WHOA! It was our children's first MAJOR LEAGUE baseball game!

A night to remember!

The Phillies Mascot!

Until the sun went down, it was a bit hot!

Such good seats!

Over 45,000 people were there to see the Phillies WIN!

We all had SUCH a good time!

Build-a-Bear was there and Pretty Little Princess was pleased to make a big puppy!

She got a free little puppy, too!

She has had so much fun with her puppies she named, "Phil" and "Philly"!

Little Bear's souvenir was a Phillies Water Bottle

Where'd it go?

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

About 20 minutes later....

Zzzzzz

Unexpected blessings! What fun we had, what memories we built!

THANK YOU!

Lesson Learned

2010-08-10T09:19:00.004-04:00

Pretty Little Princess spent some time in the ER last night. Here's the story....She and her brother got a new WebKinz and instead of waiting for someone to help her take the tag off...I was getting wash off the line and Jerad was cooking supper...

Pretty Little Princess went into Little Bear's desk and found his biggest pocketknife and attempted to use the knife to take off the tag! Not a good idea! She ended up slicing her thumb a bit. Since she hit a blood vessel, it was quite a mess!

The ER doctor glued her cut together and put a splint on her thumb. It really hasn't slowed her down much. She was painting a wooden snake this morning! She's my girl!

The funny thing is that 2 college girls were coming over for dessert and our dear missionary saint - Cara Capps - was over for the night. Miss Cara stayed at home with Little Bear and entertained the college girls for 2 hours until we got back home!

Never a dull moment here in the Mellette household!

Once Upon a Time

2010-08-06T08:09:00.010-04:00

Once upon a time, this house looked like....

....THIS!
It was owned by freed slaves.

The property was part of the

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD!

The symbol in the center of this quilt was the secret sign that a property was part of the Underground Railroad.

Sadly, slavery was common in America in those days.

Do you see the slave auction sign in the picture below?

Slaves wore slave yokes like these authentic yokes pictured below.

Here is a famous photo of 5 generations of slaves.

A slave yoke up close.

Pictured below is the camp director at the camp we stayed at during Candidate Orientation. He is a history buff and clearly explained the history of the camp's property.

A replica of the box a slave shipped himself in to escape slavery.

Our new missionary friend put himself in the box to get an idea of how Henry "Box" Brown would have felt. Henry spent 27 hours in the box on his way to Philadelphia!

"Should I keep you in there for 27 hours????"

hee hee

So thankful our country has come such a long way!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-08-05T08:27:00.007-04:00

Happy Birthday, Dad!

You don't look a day over 55 and you don't act like a day over 25!

I love you!

At his grandparents' graves

Taking a picture of him is like taking a picture of one of his grandkids!

With Little Bear

With his bride of 43 years!

Letting his beautiful redhead take charge on a ride

Getting super soaked on a raft ride

With his #1 Wife

With his crazy family!

Even horses love his products!

He'll let his grandkids do just about anything!

Have a great day!

Happy Birthday, Dad/Pop-Pop!

A Fun Few Hours

2010-08-04T09:32:00.015-04:00

At the year end of Candidate Orientation, Little Bear and Pretty Little Princess joined us! It was such a sweet reunion. We got to tour the camp we were staying at and that was ahhhhmazing! Here's some highlights from our afternoon together!

The kiddos at the start of one amazing water slide!

The Suspension Bridge

Part of the obstacle course

On the way back, instead of walking over the suspension bridge....

....we took the narrow path!

It was scary at first, but it was fun!

Okay, not the most flattering of photos of me!

After supper, Little Bear joined Daddy in the kitchen washing dishes.
Little Bear served as "Supervisor"!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men..."
Colossians 3:23

Clearly Directed

2010-08-01T21:15:00.006-04:00

Thank you to all of you who prayed for Jerad and I this past week. We enjoyed a wonderful week of Candidate Orientation with FIM - Fellowship International Mission. http://www.fim.org/

It was encouraging to hear from other individuals and couples who also felt called to be missionaries. After more Bible education, one couple is headed to Guyana with their 3 daughters. This couple is just brilliant - he works for the federal gov't "optimizing" - he's got his Ph.D and she had a scholarship to Yale University....very intelligent people who are headed to a place where they will have to wash their clothes in the river & where food is terribly expensive because the soil is not fertile. It also has a great absence of male leadership.

The seasoned saint beside Jerad is serving in Argentina and

the couple on the right - the Christians - are headed to Guyana

Another couple is already serving an unevangelized people I had never heard of: the Basque people...right now they're serving in Boise, Idaho where the highest concentrated group of Basque people are inside the USA. They plan to return to the Basque country - northern Spain - in the near future.

Two other individuals - one seasoned missionary saint and one widowed lady who just signed up are both headed to Argentina. The seasoned saint has been serving God in Argentina for the past 23 years, but needed to change mission boards because her focus changed. For 21 years she worked with teens but as she visited another part of Argentina, the northern part, it became evident she was needed there, working with women. Her former mission board only worked with teens so FIM met her focus change and she's excited about returning to Argentina where she plans to build a very modest home (the size of our back porch). The widowed woman is signing up for language school and plans to join her new friend - the seasoned saint - in a year.

Then, there was us...the Mellettes. Jerad and I have been going back and forth for YEARS as to whether we should become full-time missionaries in Montreal. The need is so great, and it seemed so ideal for us. Jerad already knows the culture, the language and would have a ministry partner in whom he has a healthy relationship with: his brother. But, to move our family to such a godless place? Ugh. Gulp. Sigh.

Here's what we talked to the leaders at FIM about...the things we know about the province of Quebec:

It's ranked #1 in North America for
1. teen suicide

2. unwed live-in couples

3. divorce

4. abortion

Twenty percent of all books sold in Quebec are new age books.

There is less than 1 Christian worker per 11,000 people in the city of Montreal.

It is illegal to build a new Church building on the island of Montreal unless the property was already zoned for religious purposes. That's why it's so important to connect with an existing church in Montreal. It would be illegal to build a church or rent a store front to start a church there.

Before we ever even dated, Jerad and I felt the call to be missionaries. But, where? When? For how long? After much prayer, Jerad and I feel our direction has been clearly laid out and our vision for Montreal is to see trained Quebecers running a self-sustaining Church-based English youth work on the island of Montreal in La Salle.

Our mission: to evangelize teens and young people, disciple believers and train people through Grace Church of La Salle.

We are excited about this new step in our lives. We are now considered Missionary Appointees with FIM (Fellowship International Mission). We will now seek people who either feel the call to serve alongside us in Montreal or who want to support us prayerfully or financially. Jerad and I want to have 100 families or individuals commit to pray for us daily. It is a physically and SPIRITUALLY cold place to live and we covet your prayers!

If you feel the Lord calling you to come alongside of us in any of these ways, please let us know. It would be wonderful to got to Montreal in a year with a team of Christian workers!

Grace Church of La Salle

Again, thanks for your prayers this past week! We thank God for you!

jwmellette@comcast.net

Clear Focus

2010-07-29T13:05:00.002-04:00

I was challenged today to keep my eyes focused on Jesus. The rest of life may be out of focus, even blurry, but that is okay!

"...Look to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:2

Make It or Break It

2010-07-21T22:26:00.006-04:00

"I am the true Vine, and My Father is the Gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit...

...while every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes so that it will be more fruitful.

Remain in Me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.

Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me."
(from John 15)

That's our desire...that we would bear much fruit and remain in Him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm never sure who actually reads this blog, but Jerad and I thought we'd throw out a prayer request into blogland with the hopes that you'll be diligent to pray for us. From this Saturday to next Saturday, Jerad and I will be going to a missionary candidate school. The mission organization will determine if we'll become missionary-appointees.

For Jerad and I this will hopefully be a "Make it or Break it" week. We've always had a heart for missions...I remember as a young child wanting to some day be a missionary. The need is SO GREAT, but just because there is a need doesn't mean it's our calling. Do you know what I mean?

Should Jerad and I take our young family to another country where Christians make up less than 1% of the population? A place where it's illegal to build a church unless the land has already been designated for religious purposes? Should Jerad and I take our family to another country when God is using us to further His Kingdom right here where we're at?

Please be praying for us. We praise God He worked out childcare for Little Bear and Pretty Little Princess while we'll be gone. He also provided a wonderful housesitter who will also tend to our dog, fish, and now TWO hamsters!

Please pray that this next week will make it SO clear to both Jerad and I as to what our future holds. We love where God has us now, but does He want us to step out of our comfort zone and commit ourselves to missions for the next 5 years?

What Lasts?

2010-07-19T06:54:00.005-04:00

As beautiful as thes flowers from the Biltmore are....

...eventually, they will wither and fade. But...

....what will last?

"The grass withers, the flower fade, but the Word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

Pictures taken by my sister and her 14-year-old daughter.

The Pics I Promised

2010-07-14T09:53:00.007-04:00

There will be more pics another time...another post!

Hope you're enjoying today!