WHAT'S NEW WITH US...

It will feel weird in August when I am not "officially" homeschooling her. She will still be studying with us as we work through the New Testament and other special projects. Of course she will be learning more homemaking skills as well as taking on new tasks for Brodsky Ministries. And with the gift of art that God has given her, she will be teaching David and Victoria with Alpha Omega's new art program with Thomas Kinkade. I'll let you know how it goes!

This has been an especially difficult time for her because she is starting a new season in her life and is not sure where it is going! Unfortunately, all the graduating girls she knows are going off to college and she is the ONLY one who isn't. Our girls are being trained to be keepers at home. How sad it is that society today believes and actually encourages girls to have careers over having the most important job of all - a wife and mother.

As Paul states in his letter to Titus, "the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

I am in the midst of reading some wonderful articles written by young women who have reached this crossroad in their lives. You can read them at http://www.thekingsdaughtermag.com/v10n2.htm

This month, Mark will be having his third vasectomy reversal. The first part of our story was published in 'Unless the Lord' magazine. You can read it on our home page. It won't be long before I finish the story. I promise it will have a happy ending!

This past Memorial Day Weekend we had the opportunity to exhibit at the FPEA Florida Homeschool Convention. The Gaylord Palms is a magnificent place - one of the fanciest hotels we've ever been in! (The fellow at the front desk said it cost about 450 million to build it!) Our children were so excited! Next year I'd like to stay an extra day so mom and dad could enjoy the pool (and slide in the childrens' pool!) and other hotel amenities.

     I also had the privilege of meeting Virginia Knowles. I also met her oldest daughter, Mary - it's a shame they live so far away! I'm sure she and Cassie would get along great! They did have a chance to meet though! I enjoy reading Virginia's Hope Chest e-newsletter and highly recommend it. You can visit her web site at: http://www.thehopechest.net

     I also had the chance to visit with my best friend who is pregnant and very nauseous right now! Our visit was brief, but we'll be going back in September, so she'll be feeling better by then! Hopefully, she and I will be pregnant together by then!

Here are a couple of pictures from the conference...

SPECIALS THIS MONTH

HEALTH NEWS

"When I first read about the health benefits of coconut oil, I asked my wife, who grew up on a coconut plantation here in the Philippines, if there was a more natural way to extract the oil from the coconut, so that we didn't have to buy the refined coconut oils found in all the stores here in the Philippines. She said there was a method the older generation used to extract the oil by grating the fresh coconut, extracting the coconut milk, and then letting the coconut milk stand in a covered bucket for about 48 hours. After 48 hours, the oil naturally separates from the water producing a crystal clear oil that retains the full scent and taste of coconuts.

So we started making our coconut oil that way and using it for our cooking needs with our three children. We couldn't believe how great it tasted, and how healthy we felt. We had been living on Mt. Banahaw for almost two years by that time, and in the year 2000 telephone service was provided to our rural farming community, allowing me to put up a website about our Philippine Herbs.

I decided to put our Virgin Coconut Oil up on the website, not really expecting people to order it because it was a bit expensive since we had to hire people to make the oil, and shipping cost a bit because of the weight. Boy were we surprised when people started ordering, and then re-ordering it because they felt so great after using it!

They told us there was no other coconut oil like it on the market. Before long we had businesses contacting us asking how to order it in bulk. So we discussed how we could mass-produce this kind of oil, and almost abandoned the product because we didn't want to lose the traditional way of making this.

In the end, we decided to just keep making it the same way, by having others in our coconut community also make the oil the traditional way. We now supply this premium oil to health food stores and health practitioners across the US. The success has so overwhelmed us, that many other coconut communities here in the Philippines are looking at producing this also."

Just a note...Brian Shilhavy, president of Tropical Traditions, is a faithful Christian man and has blessed our family in an incredible way. Mark is the webmaster for Tropical Traditions and can attest to the honesty and integrity of Brian and the company. You can read Brian's personal testimony here.

For more information on this awesome oil, Click Here!

Summer - It is that time of year for swimming!!! (Especially here at our house, we have kids coming over almost every single day to take a dip in our pool!) Unfortunately, with more water activities, it is also a time of year for many drownings. A number of years ago I came across an informative article written by Jane Heimlich (wife of Henry Heimlich) about using the Heimlich Maneuver on drowning victims. Here is an excerpt:

"It is decidedly out of character for me to write about my husband's work. But drowning is the third most common accidental death among children, and with the swimming season upon us, I want every one of you to learn this simple and effective method to save a drowning child.

June of '92 in Cincinnati where we live, 8-year-old Michelle Green was found floating face down in a public swimming pool; when pulled from the water, she was blue, lifeless, not breathing. But having been submerged for less than five minutes, she had not yet suffered brain damage. A lifeguard present immediately started mouth-to-mouth as he had been taught by the American Red Cross (ARC). Fire fighters, also certified by the ARC, continued the procedure. Each time rescuers forced air into Michelle's mouth, she vomited. Finally, a paramedic performed the Heimlich Maneuver (applying upward pressure on the diaphragm). Clear water gushed from Michelle's lungs - but too late. Michelle was brain damaged and died in a coma a week later.

One year later, in June, another Cincinnati youngster, Natasha Stuckey, was rescued from a swimming pool; like Michelle, she had been submerged almost five minutes. But this drowning incident took place at an apartment house pool, with no Red Cross-trained lifeguards in attendance. The child's rescuer was a landscape gardener, who performed the Heimlich Maneuver for drowning on Natasha as he had learned it on TV. With the third Heimlich Maneuver, water gushed from her mouth. Natasha immediately started breathing and recovered fully.

'Blowing air into the mouth when the airway is blocked by fluid is useless and only pushes water deeper into the lungs,' says Dr. Heimlich. 'That method wastes valuable time and results in loss of oxygen,' he adds, ' causing brain damage and death.'

Seems common sense, doesn't it? You can't get air into the lungs until you get the water out! Edward A. Patrick, MD, PhD., a leading authority on outcome analysis, performed a study of drowning victims based on reports from several states. When the Heimlich Maneuver was used 87% survived. By contrast, only 28% of drowning victims survived when given mouth-to-mouth."

There seems to be a lot of controversy over using the Heimlich maneuver in a drowning, but here is one case that might make you think! (It certainly made me think!) http://www.escape-co.com/Drowning_First_Aid.htm

WEB SITES

A HEALTHY RECIPE FROM LINDA'S KITCHEN

Coconut Oil Chicken Stir-Fry
Ingredients:
organic chicken strips
organic broccoli
low sodium soy sauce
2 heaping Tablespoons of Virgin Coconut Oil
Little bit of water
brown rice
chopped organic carrots and celery

Directions:
In a frying pan, place water and coconut oil. Sautee the chicken til mostly cooked. Add vegetables. Add a little bit of soy sauce. Cover and steam, occasionally turning the mixture. In a separate saucepan, cook brown rice 1-part rice/2-parts water, depending on how you like it and how many you are cooking for! Serve chicken and vegetable mixture over the rice. Enjoy!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• For the Lord to bless us with another child in 2004.
• For Cassie to draw closer to God as she seeks His will for her life.
• Traveling mercies for Eddie as he participates in police cadet competitions and scouting camping trips.
• To be a light as we use the opportunities that God has given us.
• For traveling mercies to Arizona as Mark has his third vasectomy reversal done.
• Our church is believing God for $500,000 to $800,000 for a new church building by Father's Day.

• Safe travel to/from Florida for the FPEA Homeschool Convention.
• For the $4200 (not $3700 like I thought it was) that He provided for our reversal.

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

In the Service of our Lord Jesus Christ,