Monday, December 31, 2012

Work in a Nutshell...

5 new individuals/families committed to joining our team in January
2 new churches committed to joining our team after we get our country assignment
1 existing partner committed to increasing current monthly donation starting in January
2 books read and reflections written for MAF training
Oodles of paperwork completed for MAF
2 trunks packed to take for 6-7 weeks of traveling to Idaho and elsewhere
Many priceless hugs to friends and family as we pack up
Countless prayers for our country assignment

GOD IS GOOD!
A sampling of MAF required reading and paperwork.



Sunday, December 30, 2012

Celebrating Sawyer and Selling Goats...

To market, to market
To sell some fat goats!
Home again, home again
to celebrate Sawyer turning 7!
Sam and Josh woke up at the break of dawn to load up Josh's first batch of goats to sell at a local auction.





Meanwhile, Kimia made Sawyer's favorite breakfast for his birthday which we celebrated early!
She is one fantastic aunt!
Sawyer told us for the first time that he doesn't like birthday cake that much and would rather have donuts.  Hmmm.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAWYER!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Reindeer tromping through our house...

Reindeer came RIGHT THROUGH the livingroom last night!  They nibbled on some of their carrots, but left a bunch half gnawed and strewn on the floor.
Preparing the cookies and carrots platter on Christmas Eve.
"Dear Santa, the sprinkled cookie is for Rudolph.  Love, Elaina, Maddie, and Sawyer" 


Reindeer tracks.  They tracked ashes from the wood burning stove all the way through the dining room!
Daddy inspects the tracks.

Rudolph ate part of his cookie and the other reindeer gnawed on the carrots.  Santa left a thank you note for the cookies.

Where the reindeer came in through the stove.
Stockings on Christmas morning!



Monday, December 24, 2012

Birthdays and sushi on the farm...

Elaina turns 8, Josh (Sam's brother) turns 30something, and Kimia tries her hand at sushi!  Pho soup and sushi at a farmhouse in Indiana...

Maia tries lime ;)
Pho soup and home-made sushi!



Waiting for the daddies to bring home the drinking water from the well.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Old Friends, New Experiences...

You know dedicated friends when they offer to take you on family vacation with them!  The Borkowitzes took us on our first experience at the Wisconsin Dells.  I have been itching to look up photos of what it would be like there, but wanted to be surprised.  I was thinking along the lines of Motel 6 and a YMCA pool.  We were more than blown away when we pulled up, checked in, then went swimming!  There were 3 pools and each time the Borks took us around a corner to a new pool, it was a crazy-amazing surprise!  It was incredible to see America's finest in terms of entertainment!  THANK YOU BORKOWITZES for a few days of PURE FUN!  BTW, all the pictures of the lodge are not mine, I was having way too much fun swimming to bother with a camera!
We went to Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast which made me a HAPPY girl!
Biggest splash pad ever!
I had never been on one of these (a Tornado) and had no idea what to expect.  It was night and dark and
 those of you who have been on one can imagine the sheer terror I experienced on the way down! 
Inside the Tornado!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Elaina is turning 8!

Thank you, Jesus, for our sweet girl and the blessing she has been in our family!
Big-Girl party favors :)




Tuesday, December 11, 2012

"Jaw-dropping"...



We want to partner with you”, said our friend as we sat around his dining room table.  “We don’t have much to give, but we want to help send you.”  If jaw-dropping were an emotion, it would barely adequately describe our emotional response to these types of conversations the last few months.   So many friends and acquaintances have asked to learn more about Mission Aviation Fellowship so they can partner with us to relieve spiritual poverty and physical suffering in largely neglected communities around the world.  It is this dedication of the global body of Christ that causes these jaw-dropping moments for us.  It is the selfless sacrifice of those sending and those being sent that causes us to stand back in awe and realize, “God alone has done this thing of creating a globally aware and concerned network that wants to DO SOMETHING about being the hands and feet of Christ.”  

Someday, friends, we will stand together with you at the feet of the Risen Lamb Jesus Christ.  With wide eyes and silent lips we will look around and hear every creature sing, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!" Revelation 5:13.  And in that moment, perhaps you will be standing by someone who is singing His radiance only because God gave you the grace, the means, and the determination to proclaim His glory until the last one has heard!

We are going to MAF headquarters in Idaho January-February where we will get our country assignment and formally switch from Proclaim to MAF.  We are currently at 75% of our MAF monthly financial.  If you have considered partnering financially, we encourage you to do so this month so that we can be as close to fully funded by January as possible.  You can do this by giving to Proclaim at Proclaim Danforth Donor Form and we will let you know how to switch to MAF in the coming months.

Until the last one has heard!
Sam, Anna, Elaina, and Sawyer Danforth

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Kind of Friend Who...

Melissa is the kind of friend who you just need to spend face-time with and there are too many reasons to state here.  Two reasons cannot go unsaid, however.  #1 Melissa is and always has been that "iron sharpens iron" friend that makes you grateful God created friends.  #2 She's fun.  What a great weekend in Tulsa!



Trying to make sense of local "art".

Visiting her favorite coffe shop.
Downtown Tulsa
Her awesome Saturday morning Bible study.
Rhema Christmas light show
Do tell if you figure out what the guy behind us is doing!
Charlie Brown Chrismas and Pei Wei take-out!