More "nastop-s" (na-stoaps)

We were just commenting the other day how many Slovene words we use in the midst of our English vocabulary. "Nastop" we use all the time. It means recital but a more direct translation would be "to step on". Recently, the girls have been stepping on a lot of stages (figuratively and literally).

Kiley is emoting through her saxophone and it sounds good! She has had the opportunity to play at church and musical school.




Laurel is playing in a violin ensemble. She loves people! Oh and she got all A's this year (except for the B in Slovene) and will be joining Meagan at the Catholic high school next year. I think she knows more people at HS already than Meagan.



No video of Meagan this time since she is being her lovely self off-camera. Last week for youth group Meagan spoke on the purpose of English camp and how to use it for the God's glory. Last night she taught English to an underprivileged girl and cooked spagetti for her family.

We are proud of our girls because of their accomplishments and because of their desire to know God, love God and do His will.

Marriage

In January, Terry's parents came and relieved us of our parental duties for one week to attend an amazing marriage conference in Poland. I was very incredible and real teaching. We are so grateful to be a part of an organization that cares about our marriages - and for family who will fly all the way here to make that possible for us.

Kiley's Band Competition

Kiley's band competition from Terry Jackson on Vimeo.

Laurel Orchestra Competition

Laurel Orchestra Competition from Terry Jackson on Vimeo.

Birthday Girls

Laurel turned 14 on Oct 2. (I'm a bit behind). This year has been a great year for Laurel. Her health has improved significantly which allows her to enjoy school, music and youth group more. She is making great choices in her relationships at school and being a blessing to our family with her joy and love. Laurel has an incredible gift with Children and Animals. It is almost as if she has a magical touch. Animal just melt around her, even animals that others can't do anything with. Children seek her out to spend time with her, which she loves. She has been working hard at "catching up" on her violin lessons. She missed a lot while being sick, which in the schools standards puts her "behind". We are just so proud of her for having kept up her school work, life and practicing as much as she could while she was ill. If you were to ask her, she would tell you that she learned a lot through those 2 years of illness.

Currently Laurel is thinking through where to attend High School. Here in Slovenia, it is more similar to college in the states, where you choose what you want to learn and attend that school. It is a difficult decision because this affects what the classroom environment will be like, what your studies will major on and even how much time and what times of the day you will be at school. Not an easy decision.
Kiley turns 12 today. This morning she announced "one more year and I will get to be a teenager". This girl loves being a teen and all that goes with it. She is passionate about her "puppy" that she prayed for for 5 years and enjoys playing her saxophone. This year she actually gets to be an official part of our Jr High group and invite her friends. She really desires that her friends would know the Lord and feels the weight of the fact that most of her world is not Christian. She has learned a lot about being in the world and not of it, which is tested daily in her school environment. She adds so much life to our home. When she is gone for camp we usually sit around and wonder what to do. Thanks for making our home fun Kiley!

A Movement of God

Terry, Gašper, Polona, Meta, Neja

As I write this we are preparing for our Jr High leaders meeting that we have once a month. We are so thrilled to get to work with these Young (compared to us) people. They have really taken the role of leading or churches Jr High ministry and they are doing a great job. Gašper is responsible for the regular Friday night meetings for seekers and growers. Meta is responsible for our once-a-month out-reaches. Neja is responsible for our Sunday school program and Polona is responsible for one-on-one mentoring relationships. They all work together well and we are amazed at the fact that they give up their Friday nights to come to our house and serve about 20 Jr High students (who are not always the most grateful). But we are grateful and WE LOVE YOU GUYS! None of these leaders were believers when we moved here and now they are not only believing and growing, they are leading!

WE'RE BACK - to Slovenia and blogging

Summer on the Oregon Coast

We had a great time in the States this summer. It is always fun to land in America and not have to think about what you are saying to people. We filled 2 months with family, meals with friends, and trying to fit in as much fun as we could.

Lori's brother-in-law and sister with 2 of their daughters joined us for our 3 weeks in Spokane. Though Adele had to be gone most of the time, we made sure to have a few special times together. Her girls stayed with us much of the time and we thoroughly getting some time with cousins. We spent as much time as possible at Lori's family's lake cabin with Lori's dad. The water was FREEZING cold this year! But that didn't stop us. It did limit us however. We enjoyed a great time with Lori's mom and being at Valley 4th. In the midst of all of this we fit in shopping, dentist appointments, root-canals, and dr appointments for Laurel.

Portland was very full as usual and we enjoyed seeing as many people as we could, we always leave feeling like we could have visited with so many more people. Laurel and Meagan were invited to attend Good Shepherd out of town 5-day clubs and really enjoyed getting to know some of the youth and youth culture (it is different in America). They even got to go toLand. Our time at Good Shepherd was rich as many dear friends lavished us with great meals and encouraging conversations (that we could completely understand). We had a great time staying at the Beach for 3 days with Terry's sisters family. Thanks to Kathy Codanti's generosity we slept well in a great camper.
Montana was restful for us. It was the first time in many years that Terry did not have harvest while we there. Instead he got to restore a '63 falcon. It is always good to spend some time thinking about something else. We got to horseback ride; drive 4-wheelers, tractors and a model T; and, if you know Terry's mom, eat lots and lots and lots of really good food. We enjoyed the slower pace with Terry's parents. The churches in Montana welcomed us with open arms and we really enjoyed sharing in their services.

Thanks to all of you who hosted us and spent time with us. We miss you and are grateful to partner with you!