Ninas Family Missional Life

Now if all my golden moments could be rolled into one, They would shine just like the sun for a summer day. And after it was over, we could have it back again. With credit to the editor for striking out the rain very clean. And all it really needed was the proper point of view. No one's  gonna bring me down, no one's gonna stop me now. Now I gathered up my sorrows and I sold the all for gold, and I gathered up the gold and I threw it all away. It all went for a good time and a song, come on. The laughter was like music, it did float for soul along for a while. And all it really needed was the proper point of view.                             -Golden Moments by James Taylor         I am a big fan of James Taylor's music, but not his politics.  The lyrics above are from one of my favorite albums of his called In the Pocket   The hyperlink above will take you to YouTube ...

     One of my life verses has always been Philippians 4:6-7. "Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition and thanksgiving present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus." There are a   few things on my heart that I have turned over to God through prayer, that have been on my mind.  As you may know I have been working on my ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) Endorsement, and have applied for an ESOL position in my school district that opened up.  After waiting two weeks from the date the position closed, I e-mailed one of the secretaries and asked if they were going to be interviewing.  Let me quote the response I received back: "No! The position will be posted again as we did  not receive enough to meet the criteria the first  go around. Not sure when it will be posted.  I will let you know....

Why Do I Write?   I have two answers to that question ...maybe three.  First and foremost I have stories to tell.  Take the picture to the right here.  It was taken in 2005 in Beijing at a silk factory.  We had just been through a tour and watched silk worm cocoons unwound by a simple strand generated by the worm.  The guide told us that it takes the silk of 2-3,000 silk worms to make a silk shirt.  The silk producing gland composes about 25% of the caterpillars body weight, and it takes 3 days to make the cocoon.  It takes less than 15 minutes to undo their handiwork.  What does that have to do with this picture.       If you know me well, you know my callsign during my last Navy tour was Panda (after being Budha in Guam and Gunny in Spain, Panda was a nice change).  You will also recall I collect stuffed pandas.  So I walk into the gift shop for this silk factory and they are selling fresh water pearls.  T...

     This past Thursday I put in my resume for an ESOL position open in my school system.  I am nervous about the prospect of leaving a school at which I have taught for 13 years.  This would be a new adventure for me, as I would be an itinerant teacher working between at least two middle schools, if not three.  The previous teacher who had the position taught two ESOL classes (small group, ESOL students only) at a school only 5 minutes from where we live.   Love my job at LCMS and the ability to teacher grades 6-8 building a rapport and relationship with the students.  However, I feel drawn to work with the ESOL students in our county.  There are over 10 language groups represented in Troup County.  I covet your prayers.

     You will have to forgive me as I write to my friends in Zambia, and catch them up on what is happening at the Ninas Family Farm.   When we killed our rabbits a few weeks ago and couldn't remember how they cooked them at New Day Orphanage (NDO), it occurred to me that I stay up on them through the various blogs but haven't let them know how we are doing.      I am sitting in Stephen's room typing this.  Stephen is 19 years-old, and a sophmore in computer science at West Georgia Technical College.  He is in Kansas somewhere right now pitching his tent and getting ready to start a fire for his dinner. You might remember that Maribeth worked at Latigo Ranch last summer as a wrangler. Stephen is working at Latigo this summer as a cowboy maintenance man.  He is hoping to get winter work and winter-over in Colorado.  He is driving to Kremmling, Colorado, and should be there by Wednesday.  He is camping his way across the count...

Like the pine trees lining a winding road, I've got a name,  I've got a name. Like a singing bird, and the croaking toad,  I've got a name,  I've got a name. And I carry it with me like daddy did, But I'm living the dream, that he kept hid. Jim Croce          My parents divorced when I was 3 years old, and I was pretty much raised by my stepfather Howard.  Although I did not bear his name, I knew that most people in the small towns where we lived knew him and my mother.  Thus, I knew that my behavior reflected on them as people and parents.  Of my 5 brothers and 3 sisters, only me and two brothers carried the last name Ninas.  I was always proud of my Prussian last name.  I have done my level best to keep that name clean and of good repute to pass on to my son Stephen.       I tried to pass onto my son that when he was out in the world the only thing he took of mine was our last name. ...

     I had what could be called an epiphany several weeks ago.  Let me trot this dog out for you and see if he hunts.  You may remember I am in a discipleship group with a couple of awesome guys (Jeff and Eddie you owe me for saying that) working through the study written by Francis Chan and David  Platt entitled  Multiply Movement .  We are in our last few lessons and were studying Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 about us being the body of Christ.  Let me guess ...the Casting Crowns song just started playing in your head???  I have heard this passage taught many times over the past 30 or so years of my Christian life.  While preparing for our study on The Early Church  (Chapter 22), I was ruminating over the passage in 1 Corinthians 12.       Each time I have heard that passage taught, it has been in the context of getting plugged into your local church  body.  Having attended numerous church...

        What can I say, I am back!!!  I made an agreement with my friends at New Day that I would continue to blog to stay in touch with them.  My last post was in December 2013, so what is the deal!!!  Right!!!!!  I have an excuse if you are willing to listen, but I still need you to forgive me for the interruption.       So here goes the excuse.   My Georgia teaching certificate is up for renewal in 2016.  That means I have two years to earn 10 Professional Learning Units (PLUs).  I began last July investigating how to earn my PLUs.  The Georgia Department of Education called for applications for their three course English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) endorsement class.  I dilly dallied, and finally put in an application ... one day too late.  The class is limited to 10 teachers and it had filled up while I dilly dallied.  They asked if I wanted to go on a waiting list in case someone dr...