Jantsen's Gift
Summertime and we are taking it easy. I have had several subjects or happenings to blog about, but whenever I get to the computer, just like Elvis, my thoughts had left the building.
I spent all of yesterday hanging out with my kids and their friends at Primetime then back at our house for a while. Primetime has a great deal in the mornings, unlimited putt putt, bowling, $10 arcade card, pizza and a drink for $14.99. I took a book to read and each of the kids had a friend along and they had a blast.
Before we headed out on our day of Primetime fun, my sister, Becky and her husband Dallas packed up their van and all the kids and moved on to the next leg of their journey, onward to Kansas to see Dallas' family. It was a quick two day visit but we all had so much fun. We all went and saw UP and it was their twins who are 2 years old first time to see a movie. They were old pro's it seemed, they sat in their chairs or on their parents laps and watched mostly in silence, except when something really exciting happened then they clapped or cheered. It was so fun to gaze down the aisle and watch their first big screen experience. All of my sisters kids are so fun and very well behaved, she homeschools the older two, so the younger two girls already know more than most kids starting Kindergarten. One of the twins discovered Jack's coin collection on the top of his dresser and decided to see what a penny tastes like and swallowed it. After a call to her doctor she was advised to give it time to work it way out of her system and it did successfully so that was a relief.
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I love to read. I haven't always loved to read, but I really just didn't know what I was missing out on. My reading hasn't been consistent over the last couple of months because work has kept me busy. I took yesterday to relax after my out of town wedding, then company, I needed a day of down time. I finished the book Jantsen's Gift.
I loved the book. Pam Cope along with Aimee Molloy wrote the book. I loved the writing style, it was very conversational and very authentic. The book is a true story based on Pam's life, the death of her 15 year old son, the crisis of depression afterwards and the journey of serving children all over the world who need her help.
Pam felt that her life was full of every material blessing, but very surface oriented. What was her purpose? Why would she still feel discontent after she finished decorating a room, or buying the perfect pillow for the living room? She never felt fulfilled. Then Jantsen died a sudden death and even though it took a lot of pain and suffering along the way she was able to look outside of her life and see what was happening in the world around her. It took that new level of suffering to understand suffering in the world. Pam has not stopped helping the children who are the least of these in our world. She and her husband started a non-profit called Touch A Life
and Pam has been featured on Oprah and had many articles written on her life. Her book Jantsen's Gift was released this year.
It was a book that touched my heart in so many ways. I am grateful for having read it.
A side note about the book is that I had met a couple of people who are in the book. Pam's brother in law, Mike lives in Abilene. And Fred Asare who runs the orphanage in Uganda that Pam speaks about was here at ACU taking classes. He was still running the orphanage from long distance, and getting a degree on top of that. When I took the class by Dr. Wray, Spiritual Formation, Fred was enrolled in the class also. I had the opportunity to hear bits and pieces of his work when Dr. Wray would ask him questions and that was such a blessing. I didn't know he was in the book until I read his name on the page. It was a "wow" moment for me.
I am so inspired by people who spend their lives taking care of the helpless, that is certainly my dream too. Mother Teresa, Pam Cope and Fred Asare are all now on my list of hero's.
I spent all of yesterday hanging out with my kids and their friends at Primetime then back at our house for a while. Primetime has a great deal in the mornings, unlimited putt putt, bowling, $10 arcade card, pizza and a drink for $14.99. I took a book to read and each of the kids had a friend along and they had a blast.
Before we headed out on our day of Primetime fun, my sister, Becky and her husband Dallas packed up their van and all the kids and moved on to the next leg of their journey, onward to Kansas to see Dallas' family. It was a quick two day visit but we all had so much fun. We all went and saw UP and it was their twins who are 2 years old first time to see a movie. They were old pro's it seemed, they sat in their chairs or on their parents laps and watched mostly in silence, except when something really exciting happened then they clapped or cheered. It was so fun to gaze down the aisle and watch their first big screen experience. All of my sisters kids are so fun and very well behaved, she homeschools the older two, so the younger two girls already know more than most kids starting Kindergarten. One of the twins discovered Jack's coin collection on the top of his dresser and decided to see what a penny tastes like and swallowed it. After a call to her doctor she was advised to give it time to work it way out of her system and it did successfully so that was a relief.
--------
I love to read. I haven't always loved to read, but I really just didn't know what I was missing out on. My reading hasn't been consistent over the last couple of months because work has kept me busy. I took yesterday to relax after my out of town wedding, then company, I needed a day of down time. I finished the book Jantsen's Gift.
I loved the book. Pam Cope along with Aimee Molloy wrote the book. I loved the writing style, it was very conversational and very authentic. The book is a true story based on Pam's life, the death of her 15 year old son, the crisis of depression afterwards and the journey of serving children all over the world who need her help.
Pam felt that her life was full of every material blessing, but very surface oriented. What was her purpose? Why would she still feel discontent after she finished decorating a room, or buying the perfect pillow for the living room? She never felt fulfilled. Then Jantsen died a sudden death and even though it took a lot of pain and suffering along the way she was able to look outside of her life and see what was happening in the world around her. It took that new level of suffering to understand suffering in the world. Pam has not stopped helping the children who are the least of these in our world. She and her husband started a non-profit called Touch A Life
and Pam has been featured on Oprah and had many articles written on her life. Her book Jantsen's Gift was released this year.
It was a book that touched my heart in so many ways. I am grateful for having read it.
A side note about the book is that I had met a couple of people who are in the book. Pam's brother in law, Mike lives in Abilene. And Fred Asare who runs the orphanage in Uganda that Pam speaks about was here at ACU taking classes. He was still running the orphanage from long distance, and getting a degree on top of that. When I took the class by Dr. Wray, Spiritual Formation, Fred was enrolled in the class also. I had the opportunity to hear bits and pieces of his work when Dr. Wray would ask him questions and that was such a blessing. I didn't know he was in the book until I read his name on the page. It was a "wow" moment for me.
I am so inspired by people who spend their lives taking care of the helpless, that is certainly my dream too. Mother Teresa, Pam Cope and Fred Asare are all now on my list of hero's.
Comments
I gave my Step Dad Same Kind of Different as Me for Father's Day. He told me when he opend it he thought, " that doesn't look like my kind of book." (He likes the spy novels, etc.) He decided to read a little bit and ended up reading the whole book in one sitting-very unusual for him!