HomeBuilders Harvest Party **UPDATED**

**UPDATE: This event has been cancelled due to varying circumstances and will not be rescheduled. We will still consider having this event next year. Have a great week!***


It's that time of year again and you are invited to our home for our annual Harvest Party! In the past this event has been great fun dressing up in overalls, playing pumpkin games (pumpkin ring toss, pumpkin relay race, three legged races, whip-cream-bubble-gum blowing contest to name a few and this year possibly pumpkin bowling), haybale jumping, sampling fall dishes to the sounds of Turkey in the Straw, wood splitting, songs by the bonfire and of course--we can't forget the cocoa! The best part is that we get to do this as families and get to fellowship with friends old and new.

Here's the info:

Where: The Fuentes Home

When: October 18, Sunday
1 p.m.-6p.m.

What
to bring: A fall dish, lawnchairs, a drink
*When you RSVP I will let you know
what else to bring, we will need some help
pumpkins, haybales, etc!

*It is important to let us know as soon as possible if you are attending for planning purposes--the more in advance we know, the better as this event is right around the corner!*

Click here to view pictures of a past Harvest Party 2006 and 2007.

Hope to see you there!

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Our Family Ministry

Our family has been very honored and privileged to be able to have a family ministry that meets once a month to encourage and strengthen the Christian family. We do this as a family, working as a team, to be able to host such an event. Yesterday we had over 60 people in our home!



It all begins with a potluck first, we had 2 grills going and everyone brought loads of food.





Daniel led us in worship and did an excellent job as always---thanks, Daniel!




New and old friends showed up--it was so great to see each and every single one of them. Many people drive from out of city and state to join us.



Steve led the men and challenged them as leaders of their homes and to be godly men. Fathers and sons sat together listening, sharing, learning and sharpening one another as iron sharpens iron. And best of all, encouraging one another.



I led the women and encouraged them in their roles of wives and mothers. The title of our study was 'Deception and Discernment'. Many women shared how the world has deceived women today with lies and how we have to have discernment as Christian women. It was a great time of sharing God's truths. Here are some pictures of them afterwards when they broke off into pairs to talk and prayer for one another. Above are Lisa, Rhonda, Laurel and Kathy.



Diane and Michelle



Juliet and Sande--I missed getting a picture of Joselly and Meghan.



Janai, my daughter, shared with the girls a clip of the movie 'Return of the Daughters'. She also led a study encouraging the girls to walk with the Lord.



Children had fun playing, there were so many, this picture only shows a few!



We also had enough time to squeeze in a few games of volleyball.

It was a sweet day of fun and fellowship and we are so grateful to have the opportunity to spend time with other Christian brothers and sisters in Christ. If you live in the area, be sure to visit join us at our next HomeBuilders meeting!

See ya'll next time!

Blessed Beginnings!

We are excited to have started our group again this year with a kickoff last month in August! Many came to eat, visit, play and study the Word. It was a wonderful time with a house full of friends and family. We worshiped and shared what the Lord has been doing in our lives and prayed together. We talked about raising children for His glory and discipling, protecting, and equipping them in the world today.

Fathers lead us in worship...

Blessed Arrows enjoying a beautiful sunny day!



Husbands and wives are encouraged to raise their children for His glory.



Men and boys learn and apply the Word of God.



Maidens of Virtue...



A loving mother of nine blessings!





Join us for our next meeting:

September 20

Hope to see you there!

Summer Break

The BBQ went great---it was wonderful to see old friends mingling with new ones! It was great seeing the Ruiz's, Rodriquez' and Rivera's again. Anselmo even had his brother visiting. The twins got to enjoy a cake for their 2nd birthday. Too bad the battery was dead in our camera--we don't have a single picture to share. :( Oh well, maybe next time...

Just to let you all know we are taking a summer break....we will probably resume in September. We will update the blog and keep you posted by email.

Have a great summer!

Prayerful Twins

Here are our twins, they are praying for our next HomeBuilders meeting!

We are thinking about a BBQ...stay tuned for more details...

Marriages that Honor God

Marriages that honor God bring all glory to Him. In the world we live in today, marriage is viewed as highly disposable--almost equivalent to the fast food you had for lunch. In our narcissistic society, the selfish 'me-syndrome' reigns in all its splendorous destruction and sacrificing for our spouses or children seems to be extinct. But is that true? What is God's word calling us to? We strongly believe that a Biblical resurrection of the home and family life is essential to revival in Christianity today. If we have weak homes, we will have weak churches, and a weak nation. If we have no vision, we will perish. God's word must permeate every area of our life--especially the nucleus of the Christian home. We cannot impart to the next generation what we do not possess, therefore it is imperative that we learn what is takes to have a strong marriage and home today.

Join us for our next HomeBuilders meeting this Sunday on May 4th, at 1 p.m. at the Fuentes home to gain fresh, new vision for your homes. We will be discussing the roles of husband as priest, provider and protector and wives as loving and supportive help-meets.

What a wonderful opportunity for good food and fellowship and a chance to find out what the Lord is doing in others lives. Don't forget to bring:

Yourself
Your family
A Dish
A Drink
A Happy Smile

If the weather is good, children are welcome to play outside (or you could bring board games for them, if you'd like). We've also recently bought a trampoline! Oh my, the children will have loads of fun on that! We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Homeschool Workshop & Used Curriculum Sale

Come one and come all!

HomeBuilders would like to invite you to our Homeschool Workshop & Used Curriculum Sale on Saturday, May 17th--to encourage all homeschoolers to finish out the school year strong! Admission is free and children are welcome to sit quietly with their parents.

Schedule will be as followed:

Homeschool Workshop

9:00 -9:30 am Doors open (Used Curriculum Sale begins)

9:30-10 am - Worship/Announcements/Introduce Wells family (No curriculum sales during this time)

10-10:45 am "Finishing Strong" by Herb & Rhonda Devine

10:45-11 am - Break (Used Curriculum Sale resumes)

11:00-11:45am- "Steadfast Leadership: God's Call to Men" by Steve Fuentes

11:45-3:30 pm Used Curriculum Sale

Where: Hillcrest Baptist Church is located at 2825 E. Cleveland Ave in Hobart, Indiana, located right next to County Line Orchard. Click here for map.

Snacks and resources available for purchase.

Registration requested but not required for admission, please register at www.churchathillcrest.org

Used Curriculum Sale

The Used Curriculum Sale is open to all, and all transactions will be done mainly in 'envelope style'. If you are interested in selling your materials, please bring them to Hillcrest Baptist Church on Friday, May 16th between the hours of 9:30-4:30 pm or on Saturday, May 17th from 7:30-8:45 am for drop-off and/or any other help you might need for pricing. There will be a small sign-up fee of $5 for all sellers. Please contact Tammy Hall at 219.477.4838 or email her at roberthall@afo.net with any questions regarding the sale only.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Five Churches--One Family

Our meeting in March was the kickoff of our HomeBuilders group relaunching for the year 2008. We were excited to see old and new faces and the fact that five different churches were represented there that day---but still the one body of Christ--a family. We are not sure how we all fit, but so glad that we did!

Spring is in the air and Steve turned 36 this past week. We went on vacation to Kentucky to see the Creation Museum and also to Cincinnati, Ohio. We are still enjoying his week off so we will not be meeting for the scheduled meeting for April 6th. We will resume back on schedule on May 4th---first Sunday of the month and looking forward to encouraging mothers, fathers, husbands and wives in their sacred calling of building up homes the glorify and serve the Lord. Hopefully by then, the weather will be beautiful so we could use the backyard as well!

We are looking forward to gathering together as a 'family' soon. But until then---have a blessed time enjoying the spring air, our faithful Father and the precious loved ones He has given you...

Harvest Party 2007!

This year at our home we had our Harvest Party again! We had many friends and families come out to enjoy the day with us! We did many activities such as. . .

. . . talking and eating with each other. . .

. . . jumping over hay bales. . .

. . .pumpkin ring tossing. . .

. . . wheel barrow racing. . .

(uh oh!)

. . .corn shucking races. . .

. . .knocking each other off the logs. . .

. . .and playing more games!

Hay fight!!

Caught you, Amanda!

Marisela and Sande

Maria and Karen

Hudson and Jaime

Don't hurt yourself!

Steve making it higher!

Looks like Virgie needed a little help!

Then we settled down with a bonfire!
Our friend, Jay, sang songs and told stories for us when it got dark

(which is always a big highlight!)!

Hope to see you next time!

View pictures of our Harvest Party 2006

The 1st Annual NICHE Conference

This was the first conference held for the area of Northwest Indiana and it was a smashing success from beginning to end. Our family was blessed to be a part of what God is doing in homeschool families in the region.



Rhonda Devine teaching on 'The Five Homeschooling Unchangeables'



Ray and Tami shared the story of their homeschooling journey.



Dan and Kathy Piekarski as faithful volunteers.



The man behind the madness, Herb Devine and son, Daniel---both spoke at workshops.



Here I am with a cuddly baby, Elizabeth, that I was able to kidnap from a mom so she could sit in one of the workshops.



Homeschoolers were challenged, inspired and encouraged.



The resource table manned by faithful sons.



The Devine and Piekarski girls were in charge of the refreshment table.



Herb exhorting men to be the spiritual leaders of their homes.



Steve was the second keynote speaker at the end of the day teaching the 'why' behind homeschooling.

We are all looking forward to and planning next years annual conference ---hope to see you there!

Our Newest Endeavor

Steve and I will be speaking at the Northwest Indiana Christian Home Educators Conference hosted by the Devine Family of Crown Point, Indiana. To view registering information click here:

Northwest Indiana Christian Home Educators Conference

Come and join us and be inspired and encouraged!

More Pictures From Last BBQ

Baby Mia



Daniel and Evan practicing



Everyone moving to the other side of house to begin Bible study



Anselmo and Rony engaging in fellowship



The cutest face in the world, Joshua Marcus!



Iron sharpening iron---Dave, Herb and Daniel



A beautiful worshipful atmosphere outdoors---we know the neighbors heard us!



Israel, Pastor Paco and Reynaldo (AKA Papa!)



Boys enjoying the great outdoors!

Possible Date Change...

We are in the works for working out a new date for our BBQ in August---stay tuned for more details.

And remember, with all the excitement and relaxment of summer to enjoy your families and continue to build them up in the Lord!

Many blessings to you all!

Mark Your Calendars...

Our next summer BBQ party will be at our home on....(drumroll).... August 12th!

We loved having everyone over and looking forward to having more this time!

We are throwing around possibly having some games this time---and breaking up for a short time into men's and women's groups.

We will also have bigger canopies to protect ourselves from the hot sun!

We are also inviting people from New Life Little Village and hopefully some extended family...

Keep checking this blog for updates!

Thanks for Coming!!!

Hi everyone, here are some pictures of the BBQ by our house...



There was lots of food and sun...



The Ruiz family joined us, Dinora is due in about 6 weeks!



Christian enjoyed the yummy fruit salad and watermelon.



The Devine men offered up worship to the Lord.



We had a canopy to shelter us from some of the sun.



William and Missy



Let's sneak up on the Heidekruegers!



There was room for everyone (see Pastor Paco and wife Sylvia? It was their 12th anniversary)---



Even visitors from Texas!




Little maidens in trees



It was a long day of fun, fellowship and adventure. At the end we just curled up on the floor and fell asleep!

Thanks all who came to our BBQ fellowship---hope to see you in August!

Barbecue Cookout!

Our next meeting will be on July 15th and we will be meeting at our HOME!!!! We are looking forward to fellowshipping with everyone. Here is what you can bring:

1. Meat for your family to grill

2. One side dish to share

3. Beverage (for your family, we will have some drinks available.

4. Extra lawn chairs (if you have some)

5. A cheerful smile and friendship

We will provide plates, cups, fresh air, good music, etc.!

We can't wait to see you there! Have a great week!

Fabulous Fatherhood

Fatherhood is an amazing gift bestowed upon men from God. We can learn what the true model of fatherhood by learning about our Heavenly Father above. Come join us on June 10th for a fascinating look into biblical fatherhood!

Virtuous Motherhood

At this Sunday's meeting, May 20th, we will be looking into God's word for some wisdom in the area of 'Virtuous Motherhood'. I believe many well meaning moms aren't experiencing the fullness of the blessing that God intended for them to experience and He desires for them to return to their biblical calling as Mothers.

Mothering should be like a long afternoon drive through the country, filled with peace and tranquility, adorned with beautiful backdrops and the sounds and smells of nature along with clean crisp air. Unfortunately, too many cultural mom's experience just the opposite, and have chosen to go 'off-road' with their calling and wonder why the world seems so rocky and unstable. Our desire is that all mom's come to enjoy the high calling of motherhood as God intends.

Join us to be encouraged and inspired in the high calling of Motherhood!

The Year's Overview

Here is an month-by-month overview of what HomeBuilders schedule looks like for the year to give everyone and idea of what to expect:

January 28th: "A Fresh Vision for a New Year"

February 11th & 25th: "In His Image: God's Design for Marriage"
2/11 Part 1: The Role of a Husband
2/25 Part 2: The Role of a Wife

March 4th and 18th: "Raising Cain and Abel: Biblical Parenting Reloaded"
2 -part series

April 1st : Video "The Centrality of the Home"
15th: 3rd Annual Homeschool Fellowship (Time to prepare for the conventions!)

Revised for Remainder of Year:

May 20th: Virtuous Motherhood

June 10th: The Joys of Fatherhood

July 22nd: BBQ Fellowship at the Fuentes Home

August 12th: BBQ Fellowship at the Fuentes Home

September 9th: Harvest Party at Fuentes Home

October 21st: To Be Announced

November 18th: To Be Announced

December 2nd: Christmas Party! The End of a good year!!!

Come join us for an exciting year of HomeBuilding!

(Note: All topics and dates are subject to change as needed.)

Our New Bookstore

We have officially opened our new bookstore! It's mission is to equip families with rich resources to strengthen their families. We offer books and CD's on parenting, marriage, courtship and raising sons and daughters. To visit the bookstore click on the link on the right. We will be continually adding to the store so don't forget to visit often!

3rd Annual Homeschool Fellowship

Are you a homeschooling family who could use some encouragement? Are you feeling frustrated or burnt out with homeschooling? Would you like a place to share your questions with people who understand what you are talking about? How about just some focus, guidance and prayer?

This weekend we are happy to announce our 3rd Annual Homeschool Fellowship! Our keynote speakers will be Herb and Rhonda Devine as they share their hearts and their wise experience with us. Their son, Daniel, will also be sharing with us his experience of a homeschooled son (and calming some of our fears!) We will also have homeschool catalogs and free resources available. If anyone is interested in selling curriculum please let us know in advance. We are looking forward to seeing you there!




The Devine Family
Herb, Rhonda, Daniel, Evan, Sara and Jessica

(Children are welcomed as always!)

April 1st Schedule Change

We will be showing a special sermon on DVD by Pastor Voddie Bauchum called "The Centrality of the Home." Pastor Voddie leads Grace Family Baptist Church, a family integrated church in Spring, Texas and is one of the keynote speakers for the Illinois Homeschool Convention this year. Join us for this exciting time as we learn about how the Lord would have us bless our homes and families. You won't want to miss it!

Families United in Parenting

As our parenting series draws to a close, we all learned alot, shared alot and prayed for stronger homes in our churches and our communities. As parents we are the ultimate living example of Christ to our children. We are the ones to model love, kindness and servanthood to them. If we are modeling the opposite of that (yelling, anger, etc.) then we should not be surprised when the seed we have planted grows up and mature into such. Parents have a high calling to raise up children who are mighty in spirit, love the Word, serve and take the Gospel to the lost. We must perservere in training our children and raising them up as arrows of light to bring glory to our Lord. God will keep His word when he says that if we are careful to discipline and train our children that later it will produce a harvest of righteousness!



The Devine family lead worship as a ministry and as a team to bring praise to our King!



The Fuentes girls play hymns 'Ode to Joy' and 'Amazing Grace' on their violins.




We enjoyed a Q & A time with Daniel and Herb Devine as they responded to questions about how a dad can keep his sons heart and how children can keep their hearts turned towards their parents as stated in the Book of Malachi and Luke. What helpful insight!



"I'm glad my parents are here! I know they are trying to be the best parents they can be!"



Parents get vision, encouragment and support at HomeBuilders.



Families preparing their hearts before the Lord.



June shares her convictions and helpful child raising tips of raising eight children in her home.



Veronica Saldana entrenched in note-taking.



Stephen, who is seven, ran our book table with his siblings. We sell a variety of CD's ( also some past HB'ers teachings), books and magazines that promote the Biblical home.



We got a chance to meet little Alesi Rodriquez and here is a picture of her! Isn't she a doll? Welcome to the world, Alesi!

Parenting Class

Nick and Lisette Vastarella and children



Steve sharing a joke with the group



Jesus and Norma Garcia and daughters



Dave and Lydia Kitchen and son



Sande Rivera and Mia



Adelaida Rosado with son, Angel



This month of March brings our new class 'Cain and Abel: Parenting Reloaded'. It was a nice time of fellowship and learning for all. See you at Part 2 of the Series!

New Homeschool Site!

We have created a new homeschool site for those who are interested in homeschooling or have questions and don't know where to begin. This site will contain be a place to sell used curriculum, find support, get convention details, etc. You can find it here:

www.thehomeschoolcorner.blogspot.com

HomeBuilders Increase

HomeBuilders is excited to announce the increase of our Bible study group....by eight pounds, 2 ounces! Welcome to little Alesi Rodriguez of the Rodriguez family and congratulations to Isela and Gregorio!

HomeBuilders Meets Vision Forum

This past weekend Steve and June were honored to have met the president and founder of Vision Forum Ministries at a Liberty Day Celebration held by the Erber family in the city of Arlington Heights of Illinois. Doug Phillips was an engaging speaker at the conference and is a pioneer in a movement that is drawing fathers hearts back to their families. Much of their ministry has impacted the Fuentes household in a profound way. We cannot emphasize enough the gratitude we have toward the Phillips family and for their strong leadership as they lead families to have a vision for multigenerational faithfulness. This is one day we will never forget!

For more pictures of this celebration click here.

Fresh Vision Meeting

In January, Steve covered the topic, a Fresh Vision for a New Year. Here are some pictures from that meeting....


Isela and Gregorio Rodriquez are due to have their first daughter in a few weeks! Their son, Lorenzo, is shown here with them.


Lina Mena and Karen Church enjoy chatting at the potluck.


Worship was led by Anselmo Rivera and Daniel Devine.


A mother-daughter trio (Left to right: Janai, Naomi, June(mom) singing the classic hymn "Praise Ye the Lord"



Steve teaching the blessings of a strong home.



The Pineda Family (Diane, Rony, JJ and Lucas) and Rony's cousin



Herb shares about putting guilt behind for a fresh new year.

Newest Addition!

Here we present the latest addition to HomeBuilders! Congratulations to Judy and Mario Naranjo on their new baby son, Jacob. In the picture is Amanda Naranjo relishing her time with her newfound brother. What a blessing! (And what a cutie, look at those cheeks!)

Parenting Series in March

Come join us in March as we will be teaching a 2-part series on parenting!

This series is entitled 'Raising Cain and Abel: Biblical Parenting Reloaded'

Also, available at this class will be helpful resources to purchase and for free to better equip parents for parenting. Steve's 6-part parenting series done in 2006 will also be available for purchase.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

(Note: All topics and dates are subject to change as needed, keep current with our schedule by checking out the blog or emails.)

January/ February Schedule

We will be meeting for HomeBuilders on January 28th!

The topic for our meeting will be: "A Fresh Vision for a New Year"

Steve will challenge our visions for our families and encourage us with practical steps. You won't want to miss this one!



We usually meet twice a month but will be taking a sabbatical this month. We are looking forward to meeting again twice a month beginning February and throughout the year as the Lord allows.

February Dates are as followed:

February 11th and 25th---Marriage Series "In His Image: God's Design for Marriage"



Join us as HomeBuilders begins a fresh new two-part series discussing the Biblical roles in marriage and much more. We will be digging deep into the Word of God for truth about how Christian marriages should look and the challenges that we face today.

All dates and topics are subject to change. All changes will be put on this blog or sent out via email.

As we approach March, we have a parenting series in mind for that month. Stay tuned for more details....

A New Year Challenge

THREE....TWO.....ONE......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! You know the protocol, you can almost hear the fireworks and the chorus from 'Auld Lang Syne'--there is nothing more exciting than what lies ahead for an exciting new year----but have we put any thought to how we would like to see happen this time around? If this were to be your last year on earth before the good Lord took you home, what would you have like to have accomplished? How would your home, marriage, relationships and personal affairs look like---and what could we add that was not accomplished last year? From God we need a fresh perspective as to what this year will hold for all of us and we cannot accomplish this without daily consultation from He who holds all things in His Hand. What exciting possibilities lie ahead---and remember to dream BIG because we have a BIG God!

Steve poses to men a new year challenge that you can find at his blog, The Male Domain.

Happy New Year to All!

(For more pictures of Christmas with our family check out Janai's blog-Daughters of the King-she will be posting pictures there soon.)

Merry Christmas!

HomeBuilders would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May God richly bless you!

Our New Blogs!

We, at HOMEBUILDERS, have created two special blogs to encourage, sharpen and strengthen the body of Christ. We invite you to check them out and post a comment and share your thoughts with us.

THE MALE DOMAIN--A place for men, created by Steve. Come and learn about Biblical masculinity!



A WISE WOMAN BUILDS HER HOME--A place for women, wives and mothers. Be encouraged through the different seasons of our lives...



You can click on the links on the left or on the sites name above to enter the new blogs.

Hope you enjoy your time there and have a Merry Christmas!

OUR TTWWIINNSS!!

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord; children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are son born in ones's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3---On June 6, 2006, Christian Elijah and Josiah Lucas were born fraternal twins! All we could think of were the double blessing we had received and that we had gained two new best friends to add to our growing circle of family!

Children are welcomed at HomeBuilders! From infant to teens, we already have a nice mixture in our HomeBuilding family. We know that Jesus received children during his time on earth and scripture teaches that what we do for children on earth is like doing it for Him. We can bless the Kingdom of heaven by loving children!



Sweet little Josiah under the heater. He looks so sweet and here he was only a few minutes old.



Here is Christian after he was washed up after delivery. Pretty handsome, don't you think?!



Christian now at 5 1/2 months. Ravi put his indian vest on him when I wasn't looking and it looks like Christian was enjoying every minute of it. See those cheeks? They're huge like whoppers.



Little Josiah today. Naomi took him stroll in our backyard. The twins love being outdoors! See how happy he is?

"Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; and your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord." Psalm 128:3&4

A Thanksgiving to Remember

Thanksgiving in all its glory---all that was left of this turkey was the carcass! We thanked the Lord for all His blessings and enjoyed the wonderful fellowship that comes with knowing Christ and being part of His family. Everyone was grateful to take part in the holiday. The Fuentes family celebrated this year at the Dyckman home with Nana, Papa and Tio Is.



A beautiful childrens table set up with all the trimmings! There were even fancy goblets! Joy and Liny were excited to begin the eating!



The boys were stuffed with turkey! (And sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie and on and on...)



Auggie--enjoying a nice fall day! Happy Thanksgiving!

Meet Some HomeBuilder's Families

Bob & Marisela Dyckman
Israel Fuentes
Will Dyckman



Sara Fuentes



Reynaldo & Julie Fuentes



Herb & Rhonda Devine and family



Dave & Toni Heidekrueger and family



Anselmo, Sande, Annika and Hudson Rivera(and Mia-not shown)



Steve & Ravi



Lina Mena & Toni Heidekrueger



Mario & Judy Naranjo



The Dyckman Children (Will, Alex, Auggie, Sara, Ethan, Virgie and Lina)



Tino & Liza Delgado


Potluck Happenings! Mmmm----goood food!


Sal Sanchez & Friend


Gregorio Rodriguez


And more to come-----keep an eye out for an update on this post!

Saying Good-Bye

Saying good-bye is never easy to do. We will dearly miss our assistants, Enrique and Dinora Ruiz and their beautiful family. May the Lord guide you on all your new endeavors and may you know that we (your New Life family) will always be here for you and praying for you. Thank you for your commitment to the HomeBuilder's team and remember to keep in touch with us!

Thanksgiving Reinactment:Plymouth Plantation

Young men love wood-splitting...



Daniel, Ray and Herb sing an old hymn for us...or try anyway!



The audience of pilgrims and indians anticipating the play. It's a packed house!


Chief ??? and Squanto.....

Members of HOMEBUILDERS were invited to the home of Herb and Rhonda Devine in Cedar Lake for their special Thanksgiving Reinactment. Nearly 100 people showed up and all had a great time!

We ate deer and clam chowder and split logs and had hatchet throwing---the children loved the hayride and the adults enjoyed log rolling. The bonfire kept us warm outside and everyone was dressed like pilgrims and indians---some of us quite authentically too I might add!

Inside their home, the Devine's prepared a play for us reminding us of the Mayflower and what took place and why. We learned that families back then took bold steps to worship freely and keep their children from ungodly influences in their culture. It makes us wonder, would we ever do the same for our families?

Squanto was played by Chris Bougie and later he had all the children there chase him through the woods to grab a feather off of him. You should have seen how many children were chasing him! They had a blast!

Well, until next fall....

Harvest Party 2006!

A beautiful October day to host our Harvest Party!

We ate cornbread, pumpkin pie, chili, pozole, popcorn balls, taffy apples, and barbecued some hearty fare!

Many dressed up in overalls and as cowboys...

We played the Whip Cream Race---which entailed who could find a small piece of bubble gum under a mound of whip cream and blow the first bubble. I think Israel was one of the first winners.

Steve lined up all the wood blocks for splitting. Everyone did very well. Jose Carillo did a fine job too! See how serious he looks?

Many came to join in on the fun and games that included pumpkin rolling, three-legged races, pumpkin relays, haybale jumps, stories by the bonfire, wood-splitting and the like.

As night grew near we snuggled up with hot cocoa and apple cider and listened to stories by the bonfire. Jay Hendry (from Crown Point) did a great job especially when he sang us some country tunes!

Thanks for coming ya'll!

View pics of our Harvest Party 2007

"Unless the Lord Builds the House, it's Builders Labor in Vain." Psalm 127:1

HOMEBUILDERS is a ministry that encourages, strengthens and builds up healthy families through Biblical teaching of Gods Word in order to glorify God, build strong churches and communities, and reach the next generation of godly seed for Christ.

HOMEBUILDERS focuses on the areas of marriage, parenting, motherhood, fatherhood, family relationships and building up a rich homelife. Our heart is to see the families hearts turned toward one another as stated in Malachi 4:6-"He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the chidren to their fathers, or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

HOMEBUILDERS seeks to accomplish God's will in building up strong Christians and strong churches as God provides healing and restoration. We are dedicated to providing resources, Bible study group, counseling, support, fellowship, mentoring and special hosted events to bless the families in Indiana and Illinois.

Welcome

Welcome one and all to our new blog! We are excited that there is a place where we can come together and share with you our exciting endeavors of our family ministry--HomeBuilders. So sit back, relax and enjoy--- also, post a comment for us, we'd love to hear from you!