So good to be home...

As an MK, home is where your family is...in a village, a capital city, Iowa, Indiana, California...it doesn't matter where.  What matters is who sits in your living room, delights in your kids, drinks tea with you at night, and hugs you like they never want to let go.  What a sweet taste of Heaven.

Mom and Dad Danforth, Josh, Kimia, Maddie and Maia

Kimia always has some fun crafty thing for the kids.
Yesterday was decorating pretzels in chocolate and sprinkles.

Hide'n'Seek with cousin Maddie

Uncle Sam and Maia

Getting our Christmas tree with Mom, Dad, and Maddie

Snowball fight!

Christmas Cookies!!

Kimia's parents, Uncle Kim and Aunt Jan, are like family.

Giving some Guinea Fowl a good chase :)

Silly Cousins

Getting ready for Cameroon...

We are gearing up for our trip to Indiana (Dec. 8th), then Cameroon (Dec. 15th).  Much of my work lately has been collaborating with Mom and Mary Ellen Kluck (former Cameroon Wycliffe missionary) to coordinate the trip for the 17 of us going over.  Above is our schedule for our time in the capital city of Yaounde before going up to the village of Lassin.  To learn more about what we will be experiencing, our itinerary while there, who we are visiting, and who our group is, please visit the Nooni New Testament Dedication blog at:
http://nooninewtestamentdedication.wordpress.com/the-teams/the-translation-team/

Chez nous aujourd'hui

A snibit of the Danforth home today...

Those of you who know me well know that this type of mess kills me.    Some days, though, kids needs to be allowed the creative freedom to do THIS and figure out forts, playhouses, pretend cribs,  and pirate ships.   I have to bite my tongue and dwell on what it will look like AFTER I make them clean it all up :)  

Playhouse complete with chimney, door and windows.

Home made rolls for Thanksgiving.  Grandma's recipe.

One of my favorite sights in our backyard.  The blanket that lives in the tree.
The kids spend SO much time up this tree, this keeps them toasty.  

Elaina's always making/discovering SOMETHING.  Today she found sap from a tree and
tried to make rosin out of it for her fiddle.  :)

Beware of living with 5 year-olds cont.

Sawyer is convinced a racoon has sabotaged our backyard.  He cobbled together this coon trap.  Coons beware!

Step 1:  Coon smells the carrot.
Step 2:  Coon nibbles the carrot.
Step 3:  The rock that is gingerly balancing on the hangar falls on the coon.
Step 4:  Daddy can shoot the coon that is knocked out.

What title do you give to an aching heart?

What to title this one?  Nothing captures the feeling.  Last night Sam and I went to a Mission's Conference and at the end, a huge globe was placed at the front of the sanctuary.  There was an invitation for people to come place their hand on the part of the world that God has placed on their heart.  I went forward and covered Cameroon with my palm.  I couldn't hear the singing, couldn't focus on the prayer, all I could think  was, "Lord, please get me there.  Just please get me there.  Just get me there, Lord.".  The floodgates of emotion were opened, emotions that God so graciously has let me repress for the last year in order to cope with this overwhelming burden to reach the lost in Cameroon while not being able to BE THERE.

Let's be honest.  You see pictures of the Danforth Christian Academy, of the Danforths enjoying Fall, of Sam at work, of Sawyer's inventions and Elaina's crafts.  You don't see the ache, the sense of urgency that still exists in my heart... in Sam's heart.  Yes, I am fully enjoying every moment in the here and now, a lesson that God took 7 long years to teach me.  But the ache remains.  Cameroon runs in my blood and burdens my heart.  God alone can capture this heart and tame it for his purposes HERE AND NOW.

The DCA

The Danforth Christian Academy presses on!

Charting the pilgrim's voyage, "Our History: How and Why we came to America".  We're learning about time lines in math, so this teacher thought "Why not throw in some history too?!"

Elaina's interpretation of England in 1532.  King Henry the 8th separates from the Catholic church
and establishes the Puritan church so he can get a divorce from his wife.

Sawyer's interpretation of the Separatist church founded by Pilgrims in 1600
and their consequential oppression from the King.

Some of Sawyer's sight and phonics words.  

"Chasse-Mouche" or "Fly Swatter" is a game I learned while student teaching.  I say a word
and the first student to hit the word gets a point!

Show and Tell at the end of the day.
Sawyer made this rubber band gun out of a stick, rubber bands, and a clothespin.

I was pretty impressed!  I actually works!

Elaina's Show and Tell.
Piper and Kyper are her Bess Beatles from Science Class.

Teacher's Show and Tell.
I found this thorn on a bush shortly after dedicating my life to Christ in Cameroon.  
I keep it in my Bible because it reminds me of His sacrifice for me.

"For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning is shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  Hebrews 12:2

Lego Mechanics

One of Sawyer's favorite classes at our home school co-op is "Lego Mechanics".  He and a first grader, Ben, are on a team and recently had to construct a conveyor belt.  The belt is paper taped together :)  Next they are working on different types of pulley systems.

This particular morning, I woke to the sound of Sawyer shutting his room door and turning on his light earlier than usual.  15 minutes later I peeked in his room and saw that he had decided to wear his suit to school today.  He was standing in front of the mirror putting the finishing touches on his tie.  No particular reason, just wanted to look sharp :)

Christmas in a nutshell...this morning's discussion

Elaina: "Mommy, what is this magazine with a girl holding a goat?"

Me:  "Oh, that is Mrs. Campbell's magazine, it came in the mail today.  That is what some people do for Christmas.  Instead of getting presents, they go through the magazine and choose a chicken or a goat for a family in Africa.  They send their money for presents to buy the goat or chicken instead to help someone else have a better life."

Elaina: "Really?  I want to do that!"

Sawyer: "Yeah me too!"

Skeptical Me: "Well, do you understand that means you don't get a present?  The money that Daddy and I would use to buy Legos or dolls would buy a chicken for someone in Africa instead.  Do you still want to do it?"

Sawyer:  "Yeah!  I want to send a big fat chicken!  Besides, Christmas isn't all about presents anyway."

Elaina:  "Yeah!  I want to send a goat!"

Me:  "Wow, guys, a lot of kids would say "Well, never mind about the kids in Africa, I'll choose presents instead."  I'm proud of you."

Sawyer: "Oh Mom, for sure if you told those kids that the people getting the chicken are poor they would change their minds and give instead!"

Our prayer for you

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9


I usually read my Bible from high school, but this morning went to Bible Gateway and this was the verse of the day.  This is our prayer for you who love us, support us, are related to us, and follow our updates.  Our hearts are also burdened for you and we pray for you regularly.  Your faces are flashing through my mind right now, friends, family, co-workers back in Iowa, new friends here. I pray that those of you who love God WILL declare his praises today because you have been saved.  For those of you who have yet to love God, our prayer is that you will SEE his praises declared today by someone who does love Him, and that it will seem as light to you.


We love you all.

The scary Danforths

Sawyer's a hatless/spurless/beltless cowboy, Elaina's supergirl, and I'm....Sam.

Getting ready for the Nooni New Testament dedication

Today we send in our applications for visas for Cameroon!  We learned something new, the hard way.  After getting pictures taken for our applications, I found out that BOTH ears have to be showing.  I made sure to wear my hair up for the re-takes :)

Home school project...

One of our projects is to make blankets.  Elaina chose Rapunzel and Sawyer got Spiderman.  She finished hers, but his is still a work in progress :)

Africa class cont.

The kids and I were asked to share about Cameroon to one of their co-op classes.  Students learned about panyas (skits) and the Cameroon Lions (soccer team)!

Panya kid's dress

Panya towel

Panya baby carrier

Traditional men's clothing

Carrying loads on our heads

Chief's hat

Tie-dyed dress

Cameroon Lion jerseys