FINALLY..... Chicago Trip pictures!!

So this pic was obviously taken as we were entering the tolls to get into Chi-town via the skyway...

And this was after we crossed the skyway.  A nice shot of the skyline as we entered the city at dawn.

Ok.  We didn't manage to do nearly all the things we wanted to.  But we DID end up spending 4+ hours in the Chicago Art Institute where we took lots of pics... the following are just a few. 

This was one of the miniature rooms we were amazed by at the museum.  They had a whole wing of these little, detailed dioramas.  Each one is modeled after a different room, in a different part of the world and in a different era of history.  Don't they look like real rooms?

We were amazed by the attention to detail in these exhibits.

This was one of my favorites.

This one I liked a lot also.  It was a "shaker" living area.

They had a great section of ancient Egyptian artifacts, which I snapped lots of pics of since we are studying that time period now!

Canopic jars........eeewwwww!

An ancient Egyptian sarcophagus..neat!

And then we stumbled upon this very unique sculpture of Jesus on the Cross made entirely from wood.

Well that's all the pictures I have to share with you.  I am sorry there's not more, but when you travel with an infant you don't have a lot of time to snap photos!  Next time we will be sure to plan ahead better and hopefully we will get to do more.

Blessings,

Cassie

Homeschooler's Lunch with the Missionaries

We had a pretty good day today. Busy but good! Man I'm tired.

Today was our "Homeschooler's Lunch with the Missionaries". It was really neat and I am really glad we were able to attend. Pictures to be posted later this week, i hope!

So there were 2 missionaries who were present to speak at today's event, and both minister to closed countries (meaning they do not willingly allow missionaries to enter the country) which are predominantly Islamic. They referred to themselves as "undercover agents for Jesus" to the kids, which they all thought was pretty neat. We learned about the countries they minister to, Pakistan and Turkey, and about Islamic culture. After learning more about their way of life, it is easier for us to understand why it is so difficult for a Muslim person to convert to Christianity. It takes a Muslim an average of 7 years to actually convert! Talk about relationship evangelism! These people, when choosing Christ, make a decision to face many hardships in order to do so. Some of them are ostracized and threatened by their communities and families. Many are disowned and even go into hiding in order to avoid persecution. it is very sad but also very awesome to see that through the Holy Spirit these people can come to know a relationship with the one true God! I am making it a point from this moment forward to keep these countries and their people in my prayers, along with the missionaries that are risking their very lives in order to share the gospel with them.

I did get a photos of my boys with each of the missionaries, but will not be able to post them online as I don't want to put them at risk of being "found out" by their respective governments. They obtained their visas by other means. For example, many missionaries to closed countries go to school there in order to obtain their visas. Some others go there to teach to to establish some sort of social program. Thank the Lord for calling people who are trusting Him in order to go where He calls them.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed fellow-shipping with other HSing families and of course the boys made fast friends and hung out with old friends. We are hoping to make some new connections and continue to meet with other families for other events in the future! thank you to our church for supporting this event and making it possible! We will never forget it!

By the way, the new recipe I tried last night for "So Tender Swiss Steak" was a big hit! Never before have I prepared a round steak and been able to eat it with just a fork! It was very tasty. i know I promised to post the recipe, but i will get it up tomorrow, promise!

Til tomorrow -

Blessings,
Cassie