Christmas Day at Flach Manor

Merry Christmas from Flach Manor!  Keeping up with blog posts might be a bit easier now that I got this handy dandy Mac-book Pro for Christmas!  Yup, I got the best hubby and family in the world!  We enjoyed a couple wonderful family celebrations the last few days.  Christmas Eve we traditionally spend with Wayne's family.  The evening includes delicious food, my mother-in-law reading from the Bible about our Savior's birth, my father-in-law sharing a word, prayer, gifts, and family fellowship.  It was a good evening.  

Rita, John and Victor on the right.

Christmas morning started peacefully.  I was up at 6:30am enjoying some quiet time, coffee, and Luke chapter 2.  Then Wayne joined me for coffee at 7am.  I think it was the first Christmas morning ever that we were up before any kids!  Jordan was the first kid up at 7:30am, then they all started rolling out.  

 Wayne watching Jordan opening his stocking.

We let the kids open their stockings until everyone is up, then Wayne reads Luke 2 and everyone has to share something they're thankful for.  I pray and then presents begin flying!

Wayne and Slava enjoying some cuddle time!

 Breakfast includes Christmas Quiche, which I make the night before, and our newest tradition - home made cinnamon rolls.  Seven years ago when we spend Christmas in Ukraine, our precious missionary friends, Joey & Laura Stoltzfus, welcomed us into their home on Christmas morning.  Laura made home made cinnamon rolls for us.  Missy and I decided that if Laura can pull that off in her kitchen in Kiev, we could pull them off in our kitchen here in NY!  We've had them every year since.

Awe...Kerri opened a blanket for Iona!

 Our kids pick names among themselves to exchange gifts.  This year Sierra got Kerri's name and sewed her a baby blanket.  She stitched a Bible verse (Let the little children come and do not forbid them for such is the Kingdom of Heaven) and stitched Iona Elizabeth in the corner.  Kerri was tearfully happy with this special gift!

Slava aka - Little Drummer Boy!

 All Slava could talk about was getting a drum set for Christmas.  Every gift opened from under the tree he scrutinized to see if it could possibly be a drum set.  The poor little guy, we made him wait until the last gifts were opened, then Andrii carried the big box up stairs.  He was soooo excited!  It was the perfect gift for him.  Slava has incredible rhythm combined with his sensory processing disorder which drives him to bang on things - I'd say he's destined to be a drummer!

Jordan and Officer Andersen!

 Jordan wants to be a policeman when he grows up.  Our good friends and next-door neighbors - the Anderson's surprised Jordan on Christmas morning.  Their son, Elias who lives in Vermont but was home for Christmas, came over to arrest Jordan!  The hand cuffs fell off and he tried getting away, so Officer Anderson had to taser him - only kidding.  But Jordan was thrilled to see a real taser!  Elias just completed police academy a few months ago and is an officer with the Rutland police.

Poppy Ken

 After the police left, Christmas morning returned to normal and my parents arrived.  They opened gifts, ate dinner with us, and spent the day visiting.

Annual Mom & Curtis dinner date.

 Curtis and I enjoy an annual dinner date around Christmas - just him and I.  We don't get to spend much time together since he's a busy college student and works when he's not at school and I'm busy with the little kids all the time.  Pretty soon Curtis will be moving into his own apartment.  It won't be far away since it's nearby, but it will be different.  Bittersweet.

Missy, Anna, me, Sierra and my mom!

 My girls love to take pictures of themselves.  They decided that on Christmas day the tree and their grandmother made great props!  Seriously, I love this pic with my mom.

Andrii & Jordan - Lego Maniacs!

Jordan is now our official Lego maniac.  He got 3 sets for Christmas from various family members.  He was on a building mission all day and thankfully, Andrii was his helper.

All in all it was a quiet, blessed day.  Wayne Jr. & Kerri spent the day with her family, so they are coming over on Saturday and we'll do Christmas all over again!  I am so blessed!  Thank you, Lord!

Merry Christmas from Flach Manor!

It amazes me how busy life has gotten.  It's been 2 months since I updated this blog and my goal is to update weekly!  Well, time to get you caught up on what we've been up to!  

When I last updated, Justice For Orphans was in full swing of preparing for our annual orphan conference on 10/26 and Orphan Sunday on 11/3.  Then we launched a month-long campaign on The Sound of Life radio network to celebrate National adoption month in November.  As our weekly radio show wrapped up at the end of November, Mary and I sensed that God wasn't done yet, so we renewed our contract with The New Light WDCD and are back in the studio recording our weekly Orphans No More show.  We are in awe at how the Lord has grown this ministry.  We are prayerfully seeking Him for a vision for 2014 as we anticipate many exciting opportunities to share God's heart for the orphan with the Church.  

On the home front, life is busy and blessed as usual.  We celebrated Slava's 8th birthday, Anna's 14th birthday, and Wayne's 50th - all in October!  Then Sierra turned 17 in November and I officially graduated her from homeschool-high school in December.  She is now enrolled in Liberty University's online degree program, and since all her credits she'd been earning through Liberty's Edge Program (for high school students) transferred over to the degree program, she will have an Associates Degree in Psychology by August (at the age of 17 I might add)!  Curtis just completed his first semester at RPI and plans to move into his own apartment in late January.  We just survived the 1st quarter of our homeschool year with all the kids doing great.  Slava is still attending OT, PT and Speech weekly too.  We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Iona Elizabeth!  Kerri has about 7 weeks left to her due date of 2/11.  Did I mention we are excited!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wayne Jr. sharing his espresso expertise with Sierra.

 Sierra got an espresso machine for her birthday and has been busy caffeinating the whole family!

Orphans No More!

 Mary and I were so excited to interview my good friend, Phyllis Whittam, and her 2 adopted children as we celebrated National Adoption Month on the show!

Orphan Sunday!

 As Mary spear-headed the Orphan Sunday celebration at our church, I was at Goodwill Church in Montgomery, NY with the Sound of Life radio network.  Sierra and Andrii joined me as orphan ministry is a family ministry!  I got to speak at both services at Goodwill and on the air with SoL.  We had a long, exhausting, blessed day which ended with a dinner date with Wayne's cousin and her husband who live down by Montgomery.

My heart swells with blessing...

 ...I walked into church early one morning to discover my boys (left-to-right):  Curtis, Andrii, Jordan, and Wayne Jr. in an impromptu jam session!

Making Dreams Come True!

 Anna has long desired a horse of her own.  She's taken lessons for a while now and we'd been on the look out for a good "first horse" for her.  Anna's instructor found this horse for us.  And it seemed that  if we were ever going to make her dream come true - this was the horse to do it with.  We welcomed Avalon, an 8 year old mare, American Quarter Horse - paint to the family in December.  She's boarding at the stable near our house where Anna takes lessons, but in the spring we plan to move her to Flach Manor once we're set up for a horse.    This is a big step for us, but since equine therapy can have such a positive impact on kids from hard places, we feel it is worth the investment.

What is Flach Manor you ask?  Well, it's an affectionate name for our home that our teens came up with.  They've even started answering the phone, "Hello, Flach Manor."  It stuck!

Jordan plowing the driveway after a recent snow storm.

Slava "helping" with the snow blower!

Happy 8th Birthday, Slava!

 He wanted his own Bible for his birthday.

Happy 14th Birthday, Anna!

That's all from Flach Manor for now.  I pray you have a blessed Christmas season and a Happy New Year.  If you enjoy following our family you can find me on Facebook at "Sandra Flach" and our ministry at "Justice For Orphans"!

Flach's Fall Frenzy!

Fall has been a flurry of activity for our family!  We're home schooling, running kids to activities, Slava to services, and this is the busiest time of year for orphan ministry!

Happy 8th Birthday, Slava!

 It amazes me that 3 years ago at this time we were in Ukraine for Slava's adoption!  He turned 8 this week too!  He's growing and making great progress.

Slava & Jordan playing in the leaves.

 We love this time of year!  Apple picking, crunchy leaves, and pumpkins.  

Sierra testing for a green belt.

Orphans No More radio show guests!

 Mary Slager, Eric Hanson, Ginny Hanson, and me!

Mary and I had the opportunity to interview Eric & Ginny Hanson of In His Steps International.  They have a tremendous ministry to the poor, widowed, orphaned and trafficked people of Cambodia.  The show will air on 11/29 on The New Light WDCD 96.7fm.  See http://justicefororphansny.org/  to learn more.

Andrii & Sierra volunteering at Life-A-Thon!

 We are so excited about our partnership with The Sound of Life radio network.  Locally we can pick them up on their Hudson, NY channel 91.1fm, but soon they will have transmitter coverage with an Albany channel.  Sierra, Andrii, and I had a great time answering phones for their annual fund raiser.

Andrii with Tom Michaels Zahradnik, CEO of Sound of Life.

 Tom had Andrii share his story about how he knows the love of God because he was adopted.  Tom had heard the story when SoL came and broadcasted live from our house last year.  It touched him and he wanted Andrii to share it live on the air again. Justice For Orphans will have a presence on SoL  throughout the month of November, to celebrate Orphan Sunday on 11/3 and National Adoption Awareness Month.  I will be with Tom at Goodwill Church in Montgomery, NY on Orphan Sunday when we will be broadcasting live from 8am-11am.  Tune in or listen live at http://soundoflife.org/
We are also in full swing for preparations for our 2nd Annual Orphan Conference on Saturday, Oct. 26th from 10am-2pm in Coxsackie, NY.  To find out more visit our Justice For Orphans website link above.

Anna & Slava on the USS Slater docked in Albany.

 Last week we enjoyed 2 field trips with our home school group.  The first was to the USS Slater, the only surviving US Navy Destroyer from World War II.  Then we visited the historical Ten Broeck mansion in downtown Albany.

Anna & I in the gardens at Ten Broeck.

So that explains why it's been almost a month since my last blog post!  If you think that's crazy, you should see the pile of clothes in the laundry room and the size of the dust bunnies in the hall way!  I'm trying to keep up with it all, but I've discovered that I'm not wonder woman!  I'm still hoping for a Rosie (the Jetson's) or an Alice (Brady Bunch) to pick up the slack...or at least the gunk all over the kitchen cabinets!

Motherhood, Ministry, and Miracles

We are in an incredibly busy season right now.  With the arrival of September came the beginning of our home school year, Justice For Orphans is in full swing, and Jordan had surgery.  

Big Brother Curtis helping Little Brother Slava

 Curtis began his junior year of college at RPI.  He still lives home and it blesses my heart when I see him taking time out of his busy schedule to play with the little boys.  Sierra is a senior in high school, at home of course.  She is taking all of her courses through Liberty University's Edge Program and will officially graduate high school in December.  She will be an official Liberty college student in January, but has her heart set on attending Houghton in the fall (sniff, sniff, tear, tear).  Andrii is in 11th grade with plans to attend Hudson Valley to become an electrician.  Anna is in 7th grade, Jordan is in 3rd, and Slava is in 1st.

Anna cracking the books!

 In addition to homeschooling, Slava is receiving services again this year from our local public school.  I really prayed that the school schedule would work with our home schedule and thankfully it does.  On Tuesdays we are at the school from 1:00-2:30pm for Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech.  On Thursdays we are there from 1:30-3:00pm for OT, Social Skills, and Speech.  Since these classes are in the afternoon they do not interfere with our school day and I use the block of time to run errands close by and conduct business from my car (orphan ministry business that is)!  It's kind of nice to have a quiet hour to sit and work on emails and radio show outlines.

Jordan and Andrii (hiding) hard at work!

Andrii being our poster child at the Casting Crowns concert!

 This is the busy time of year for our orphan ministry.  We had the amazing opportunity to be part of the Sound of Life's booth at the Casting Crowns concert on 9/12 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.  We handed out 150 Orphan Sunday postcards and 140 JFO postcards and we could have doubled that had we brought more.

Mary & I at the Miriam's Heart regional conference in NJ

 Mary and I went to NJ for an orphan conference.  Miriam's Heart is a ministry very similar to Justice For Orphans.  We learned some things and made some great connections.  October 26th is our 2nd annual orphan conference and November 3rd is Orphan Sunday.  These are 2 of our biggest events and they are keeping us very busy.  The radio part of our ministry is growing too.  Our partnership with the Sound of Life is getting us much airtime everyday and our radio show "Orphans No More" is now being aired twice a week!  We are also looking at extending our contract with the New Light 96.7fm which means the weekly show will continue.  God is doing amazing things!

Happy Birthday Wayne Jr.!

 A mother's job is never done!  We celebrated Wayne Jr.'s 24th birthday this month.  It's hard to believe that my first-born baby boy is going to have a baby of his own!  We are sooo excited!

Wayne & Slava

 We took some time out for a family fun day at a local theme park.  It was a beautiful fall day and the kids had a great time!

Jordan post-surgery this week.

 I have lost track of how many of these rod-lengthening surgeries Jordan has had.  But since he had the growing rods inserted for his severe scoliosis, he has had to endure this surgery every 6 months.  He is such a brave boy!  The plan all along has been that once his torso stops growing (for most boys that's in the early teen years) then the growing rods would be replaced with permanent rods and spinal fusion.  We sort of just accepted this plan and rejoiced at the fact that his spine is getting straighter.  But after this surgery when Dr. Carl met with me, he indicated that we have several options - one being NOT putting in permanent rods and NOT doing spinal fusion!  I was stunned and even repeated what he said back to him to make sure I heard correctly.  Jordan's spine now has a curvature around 30-40 degrees.  The doctor said that if a teenage boy walked into his office with that type of curve, he wouldn't even do surgery on him!  It will all depend upon how Jordan grows over the next couple years.  He's 10 years old but only a peanut at 4 ft.  But we know that this is a miracle in the making!!!!

Another miracle in the making.....

Mom-to-be Kerri

Gender reveal parties are all the trend these days, so we of course had to have one!  Tuesday night the family gathered for some pizza and very special cup-cakes.  Inside these cupcakes was a very special cream filling in a very special color - would it be pink or blue?????  Twenty cupcakes were passed out on the count of 3 we all dove in.  I did not have a preference, none of us did really.  Well, Slava did want the baby to be a boy named "Slava".  We are all very excited that a baby is on the way.  A boy or a girl???????   It's a girl!!!!!!  We are expecting Iona Elizabeth Flach to arrive in early February!

Yes the blessings and joys of motherhood, ministry, and miracles.  And now that I hear mayhem coming from the other room...it's time to go start school!

ORPHAN SUNDAY: One Day - One Voice - One Purpose

Orphan Sunday is an event near and dear to my heart.  As an adoptive parent I have come to understand God's heart for the orphan and even better understand the Father's heart for me - a former orphan until He adopted me into His family.  Orphan Sunday is a day to celebrate adoption, foster care, and global orphan care that reflects God's heart as revealed in His Word.  Psalm 68:5-6 says A father to the fatherless...is God in His holy dwelling.  God sets the lonely in families...

Orphan Sunday is an annual event on the 1st Sunday of November.  On Orphan Sunday Christians stand for the orphan on One Day - with One Voice - for One Purpose!  I invite you and your church to join us along with thousands of others across the United States and around the globe to celebrate this November 3rd.

Why celebrate Orphan Sunday?  As Christians, WE are the people God has called to defend the fatherless, to care for the child that has no family, to visit the orphan in their distress.  It is mandated in His Word:  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress...James 1:27.  It is not the government's job to care for orphans - it's OURS!  There are approximately 163 million orphans in the world - some adoptable, some not, but all need to know the love of God. Not all of these children are found in distant orphanages overseas.  Did you know that the United States has orphans?  There are over 400,00 children in the American foster care system.  Over 100,000 of them are available for adoption with 250,000 entering the system annually.  ALL of these children are created in God's image and every one of them needs and deserves to know the love of God and it's OUR responsibility to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these kids.
There are over 350,000 churches in the United States.  If just one family from each church were to take in 1 or 2 of the children from the foster care system alone that would leave zero kids in the system - they'd be in Christian homes!

I know not everyone is called to adopt or foster - but I do believe that if more Christians prayed, and sought the Lord on what He'd have them do for the fatherless, and if they walked it out in obedience - there would be a whole lot less orphans in the world and a whole lot more sons and daughters in families.  I challenge you to pray as individuals, as families, and as a church.  Ask the Lord what He would have you to do, and trust me - there will be an answer to that prayer.

Orphan Sunday is about waking the Church up to consider these things. It is simply taking some time during your Sunday service to share God's heart for the orphan.  A church could spend as little as 10 minutes or as much as an entire service dedicated to celebrating God's love for the fatherless.  Just visit the Orphan Sunday website at http://orphansunday.org/  to access free video downloads, event ideas, posters, post cards, bulletin inserts, and even sermon notes.  The 3 minute video clips are perfect for showing in church on Sunday.  Adding a testimony from a foster or adoptive family is a powerful message too.

This year on 11/3 my own church, Gospel Community Church in Coxsackie, NY, will be presenting a 30 minute video featuring Ukraine's orphans as part of our celebration.  Anyone in the area is welcome to attend our 10:30am service.  The Sound of Life radio ministry will also be broadcasting live from our church that morning.  Please join us - or better yet - get involved by getting your own church to celebrate Orphan Sunday!  And if you do, please let me know.  As the Orphan Sunday regional coordinator for New York, I'd love to hear what your church is doing for Orphan Sunday.  You can contact me at this blog, email me at sandraflachjfo@gmail.com, or by going to my ministry's website:
http://justicefororphansny.org/.

Join us in defending the cause of the fatherless!
http://orphansunday.org/

Good Bye Summer - Hello September!

Well, it's official.  Jordan is 10 years old!  We had a family party complete with this policeman birthday cake.  He was very blessed.  

Birthday Boy, Jordan!

 I've been pretty busy at the computer lately with orphan ministry stuff, getting ready for another year of home schooling, and life in general.  I looked up from the key board only to discover Slava had dragged a ladder in from the garage and was proceeding to do some household repairs.  At least he has initiative!

Workerman Slava!

 We spent a long Labor Day weekend up at our camp in the Adirondacks.  I ventured up on Thursday afternoon with Sierra, her best friend Luci, Anna, her best friend Mary, and Jordan and Slava.  Friday night Wayne arrived with Andrii and his best friend Ezra.  Luci, Ezra, and Mary are siblings and live right next door to us.  They're also a homeschooling family too.

The girls at the Old Forge playground.

 The girls watched the little boys for me at the playground while I ran to the store.  I don't think they minded;  They had just as much fun!

Sierra, Luci, Anna, & Mary cozy on the boat.

Yes, the big girls are reading books!

 Saturday night we headed to town and the kids had some fun racing go-carts.  Wayne got in on the fun too.  

Andrii getting ready to pass his dad!

 The days were warm and mostly sunny and the evenings were cool but nice.  The kids had fun on the lake and played a lot of card games.

Back: Sierra, Anna, Andrii

Front:  Mary, Jordan, Ezra

Friday night we roasted hot dogs on the fire.

Anna & Sierra did the cooking!

Sierra & I 

 Sunday  afternoon our friends, Lauri & Dennis, came up for the night.  Luci, Ezra, and Mary belong to them.  We enjoyed a boat ride around the lake and then headed into Old Forge for fireworks.

 On the way home we almost always go to the Soda Fountain in Remsen, NY for lunch.  It's a 50s style diner with the best chocolate milk shakes ever!

Jordan & Slava being silly at the Soda Fountain.

That pretty much sums up our holiday weekend.  We arrived home Monday evening in time to meet the 13 year old boy that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are fostering.  Our whole family was excited to meet him.  He will be spending a few hours with us the next couple of afternoons as public school doesn't start until Friday.  I'm so glad we had all of our clearances done and completed the MAPP classes so we can help our family as they foster.

Another bit of exciting news regarding our orphan ministry is that we have been asked to share a table with The Sound of Life radio station at the Casting Crowns concert in Glens Falls, NY next Thursday night.  This is a huge blessing!  And our 60 second spot has begun running 4 times daily on the station as well.  We are so excited and blessed by all that the Lord is doing!

Summer Fades

As summer fades and August draws to a close we are gearing up to celebrate Jordan's 10th birthday!  It amazes me that the little "lala" that we brought home from Ukraine 7 years ago is now 10!  

Slava Taking Out the Trash!

 Don't worry, there is no mower blade on this ancient tractor. The boys just love riding around on it, and they even figured out how to hook a trailer up to it!

Surfer Dude Jordan

 As the summer days wind down our pool water has cooled off.  The pool was barely getting used until Wayne turned on the water heater.  Finally a few hot days last week got the kids back into the water.  We'll be closing it soon since school is starting up next week.  Ssshhhhh....don't tell Anna!

Slava & Daddy Chillaxing!

 We spent another weekend up at our camp in the Adirondacks.  It's really cooled off up there!  The days were sunny and warm but the lake water was cold.  Andrii flew around on the jet ski and the rest of us lounged around on the pontoon boat.  It was a nice relaxing weekend.

Mommy & Jordan

Happy 10th Birthday, Jordan!

Jordan seemed to have taken over this blog post!  Probably because today is his special day.  We'll be celebrating with a big family party tonight.  Jordan is sitting on his birthday present.  Of course now Slava wants one!  We keep telling him he has to wait until he turns 10 too.  Since he'll only be turning 8 this October we figure it's a safe promise.  Except he keeps saying he will be turning 10 in 2 weeks. I guess I'll have to start teaching him days/weeks/months/years when school starts up again!