Watching God Work

 A week ago, a Saturday, we were all going through our normal routines around town. The Seniors were on a campout outside of town and the rest of us were just hanging around campus, playing, reading, sleeping or whatever we were all doing. Around 11 am, we were notified that some things were going on in town. I thought, this is Niger, it will pass in 30 minutes. This time of year, the university students march around town in protest to the government. So naturally, I thought it was finished.

 Then, the first report of the oldest baptist church in town was burnt. I thought, oh, oh, this isn't normal. The protesters have often thrown rocks, burned tires, and caused some mayhem, but they have never burned buildings of the government and especially not churches. But, today was different. As we sat safe in our compound and the military police began to assemble all up and down our road, we heard church after church was either burned or looted. Around 55 churches in all plus several French owned bars, schools, were destroyed. Most of the contents were burned inside each church and school. Fortunately, few people were killed since they did this on a Saturday. However, at least 5 people (identified as terrorists, not Chr*st**ns) were trapped inside these churches throughout the city and were killed.

 The pictures you see on this post are pictures taken by myself or others in some different churches. Many have asked why did this happen? Well, I am not sure. Since we live in a predominantly M*sl*m country, and people criticize them, even from a continent away, they respond in kind. Yes, this was a bit extreme, but it happened. Since last Saturday things have been calm. But, there are still threats and rumors that target people like us and the Chr*st**ns living in this country.

 There have been several cool stories emerge from all this. First, our seniors coming home from a camping trip had one of their vehicles break down. If they were not delayed, they would have driven right into the "mob". Since they were delayed, they were able to get to another m*ss**n*ary's house and hunker down until it was safe to come back to campus. While they were waiting, they heard the looters come down their street to the church around the corner and heard the cries as they burned that church. Needless to say, they had a lot of time on their knees in prayer. Their faith became very real all of a sudden.

 Secondly, the believers here seemed to almost be rejoicing in this suffering because it has made their faith stronger, and more resolved to furthur the k*ngd*m. Thirdly, the church pictured below was not burned because of one lady who stood her ground and forbade them to burn it. They could not get the door opened so they bashed the wall around the door to get in. They wanted to burn the church and the house behind it, but this lady stood up at the door and said that they cannot burn it. If they wanted to pull everything out and burn it, but not inside the church. When they pressed on, she told them that they would have to kill her first. They backed down at that point and pulled everything outside and burned it. The church lost everything but the building. The pastor's home was also spared.

 Some of these pictures that are shown taken by a colleague here show a cross in the ashes and a piece of  the B*bl* that did not burn. Just a reminder that that we are protected by the ultimate protector and that the church can be burned, but not destroyed. I pray for Niger that people will come to know G*d through this suffering. Persecution became a very real thing here for all Chr*st**ns here. Many people are counting this a privelege to go through this. They are counting it as Paul did who counted suffering for Chr*st a good thing. I see it as privilege to watch G*d work the way only He can. We got a front row seat watching all this happen! I wish you all could have watched this, but since you can't, I hope these pictures will help you understand better.

 We are so thankful to the thousands of you all over the world who formed prayer chains and held special meetings just to pray for Niger. I know it was those prayers that gave us hope and G*d answered in mighty ways. G*d is good....all the time.

Dunes!

 And yet, another excursion took us out to the dunes, just outside of town. We drive about 10 kilometers or so and find ourselves with the challenge to see who can drive up the dunes the farthest. So, far, I can only get up to a certain place where my car just can't make it up the hill. For those of you who have never driven on sand, just pretend you are on snow, a thick layer of snow that is not packed down. Lots of fun, if you can handle the sliding around. Of course, at the dunes, there isn't a whole lot to hit, so we just have fun.

 These are some views on top of the dunes looking towards the sunset with Jayson and Joel. We do have such a huge sandbox here. Do you know that the entire continental United States can easily fit inside the Sahara Desert?? It is HUGE!

 See our shadows? Can you tell who it is on top of the dune?? Jayson and his friend Joel decided to try sledding down this dune. You should have seen them. I will try to upload a video so you can watch it. I am not sure it will do it. Back home, at least in Indiana, you guys were being pelted with about 15 inches of snow and some super cold weather. This is the reason why my kids wanted to go sledding. Where do you go in Niger? To the dunes!

Giraffes with Brenda!

 Another one of our excursions was to go see giraffes that live about an hours' drive outside of Niamey. This year, we had a friend of ours from ICA. Brenda Allen was able to come spend about 2 weeks with our family during Christmas and so of course, we had to take her to see Giraffes. They are such nice animals. You can walk up to them and they will just walk away. They don't get too miffed at us being there. This year, however, they had migrated away from Niamey a bit and we had to search for awhile to find them. It is amazing that our guide has such good eyes. He was on top of the car looking while I was driving around and all of a sudden he banged on the car, got down and told me to drive through some millet fields. We drove for about 2 kilometers or more and there they were. I had no idea how he saw them so far away! They always make for some good pics though.

Vacation at Parc W, 2013

Right after Christmas, we had an opportunity to load up the car and head on down to Parc W where we basically sit around, read, talk, play games, chat some more and oh yeah, go look for animals. It is funny to find that when new people come out and they have been someplace like Kenya or South Africa, they become so disappointed at the lack of lion sightings. But, this year, the water buffalo and horse antelopes and other deer like creatures were out in abundance! We did see a herd of Elephants the first night, but I don't have pictures. We watched them through some trees and when we pulled up to where we could get some pics, the male stomped his foot, flapped his ears and then turned around and walked away. They didn't even charge at the car! 

 But, it was nice to get away from Niamey for a few days and be able to relax with others, sitting around a campfire, freezing at night, yes, I said freezing. I think it got down to around 14 degrees C. When you sit on top of the car early morning in hopes to catch sight of lions, it gets pretty chilly up there. I don't know if you can see the bird below. It was a rather pretty bird which are plentiful in this park.

 As I said the water buffalo were out in huge herds. Whenever we found a smaller one by itself, we would watch, and wait, not because the buffalo did anything funny, but because he was potentially the next dinner for a few lions. But, that never happened.

 Around the park, the guides have made these "salt licks" for the animals to come enjoy. Here you can see a horse antelope on his knees partaking of the salty solution. If lions were in the area, I don't think he would be on his knees...just saying. All in all, a very enjoyable time. The kids got to go hiking quite a bit and Jayson even found out what happens when you step on a thorn! ouch. It went into his foot and I think he thought he was going to die. But, he survived.

Christmas in Niger, 2013

Christmas often brings up all kinds of feelings, thoughts, and discussions of people back in North America. While we do not have to worry about even dreaming of a white Christmas, we find ourselves missing that part of Christmas, even though it is more of a North American thing to have a white Christmas. I am not sure of too many places that have that. So, we celebrate Christmas like any other North American in Niger. We wake up, open a few presents and have a big dinner. Janice actually found a 6 pound turkey here that sold for like 30 dollars. We had chicken. After dinner, the kids play with their new toys, or go outside to play with all the neighbor kids. We actually held a surprise from Mikaylah as shown in the photo below. Her neighbor last year in Kokomo wanted to bless her with one of her American Girl dolls. We snuck it into our luggage without Mikaylah knowing and got it over here for Christmas. Thank you Brooklyn, you made her Christmas! 

Jayson needed some new shoes and Uncle Ron and Aunt Linda did not disappoint! He has actually learned how to tie his own shoes now and loves running around in his new sneakers!

You know the most important part of Christmas our here is the fact that our kids get a unique opportunity to share with people who have little to nothing. Below is a pic of Mikaylah holding grandson of one of our workers. Our kids when trying to tease them about santa clause are very quick to remind me why Christmas is such an important holiday. Of course, we still can celebrate no matter the temperature, no matter the weather, no matter if there is family around because Jesus came to be the supreme sacrifice for our sins on this glorious holiday. While we love to decorate and open presents, we do make time to remember this very important fact. This baby had such eyes for Mikaylah. It was so adorable.

and of course, we miss the time with all our families back home. It is during this time, that we become a bit homesick. Knowing all our families are gathering for dinners and other such occasions. We have such a huge community of missionary families out here and that really helps. I often refer to the real missionaries as those who are living in the bush and are on their own. We, here in Niamey always have someone to hang out with when needed. That is what I like most about Christmas break. Just hanging out with people around town, at Park W, or some other place in Niger. 

January, 2014

wow! I almost forgot to advance to 2014. So sorry to all of you. We have posted nothing since September because we could not get into our blog to post things. We apologize. I finally tried again and finally, in French, figured out our password to post things. I am 50 now and my wife keeps telling me she is married to an old man. So, now that we have figured things out, be looking for a new post in the coming days! Thank you all for your patience.

We have enjoyed a rather relaxing Christmas break. I will post pics later of our trip to Parc W where we saw all kinds of animals and basically relaxed. We have gone to see the dunes, and the giraffes with our friend Brenda who came all the way from Guinea to spend two weeks in Niamey for vacation! imagine that, Niamey, a vacation spot! That goes for all of you people in the states who are looking for vacation spots where there is a guarantee that you will not be having 15 inches of snow with subzero temperatures. The polar vortex?? will not be felt here! Days still in the 90's and nights cool in the 60's!

We have finally moved into our new addition to our apartment. It still is a bit disorganized as we wait for furniture to be built, but we are thankful for such a beautiful little addition and for the extra room so our kids can each spread out a bit after sharing a room all these years. They still get to bunk in together when there are people vacationing here....hint, hint.

Ok, we will post pics later...I am going to bed now. Thank you all so very much for praying for us while being here at Sahel Academy. Please do pray for all dorm kids returning Monday for the second semester. Most will be traveling by car and some by air. Please pray for safety and a good start to the second semester.

Fighting floods, 2013

I find it kind of ironic that the last post we put on this blog was last April during some flooding in Kokomo. We are updating our blog still talking about a flood...in Niger...in the desert! I am not sure other countries want us visiting because floods seem to follow us :) Two weeks ago, I never would have thought that the Niger River would rise enough to cause concern for us. It was rather low for this time of year. We were really enjoying the abundance of rain we were having during the month of August. It actually rained every day there for awhile, but normally every other day was good.
All of a sudden, the river was beginning to tickle the top of the dikes and we became a bit concerned. The school canceled classes last Friday just to be sure that we didn't have the entire school here in case the river decided to come up on land. As it turned out, we didn't need to do that, but it did give us a day to further prepare our campus in case it did happen again. Our whole dorm was out Thursday night reinforcing our new wall into the wee hours of Friday morning. Then back at it again on Friday building berms around the outside of campus, on the dike and anyplace where water would be likely to go. I walked along the dike when it was close to coming over the top and just had a little time with God...more like a begging session pleading that the river would go down. It had been coming up at 2 cm per hour and  things looked grim. As we took turns throughout the night checking for breaches and taking readings on the water level, I went out one hour later only to find that river had indeed dropped by one centimeter. That was certainly going the right direction.
The river continued to descend throughout the next day much to our amazement. Although I have no idea why we were amazed because we know it was only through the power of God that brought this river down.
However, a part of the city still was flooded due to a dike not holding about a half a click north of campus. Much of that water was flowing across the road to the new bridge and then turned back up our road, so we now have water sitting on our outside wall. It isn't deep, but it could cause damage to the wall's foundation being waterlogged like that. As a result, we decided that that wall needed some help. We now have poles supporting that wall as well as dirt on the inside and outside of the wall to try to soak up some of the water. It has been a ton of work. The old wall was only letting water seep in thereby soaking the ground.

You can see how high the water was on the dike. Very very close to coming over. 

I will now post some pics of the kids working and one where you can see where the water was and where is is tonight. Please do pray that it continues to go down. While we love the rain, every storm that blows through even north of us causes some tension in wondering what it will cause the river to do.

This is a house just down the street with only a few inches of water in it. I witnessed it just collapsing Saturday. So sad to watch. The people got out the night before all the water entered. 

With the sun in Mikaylah's eyes, our two kids stand in front of a very swollen Wildcat Creek which left so many houses so full of water. The house I helped clean out yesterday had the high water mark up to my neck. The refrigerators were on their sides because they just floated up and were set back down where the water chose. There are piles of things all around town that was just destroyed by all this water. We are due for another round of rain tonight, so please pray that the houses stay dry. The creek now is down again, but will rise again!

Ready to send!

Tim has been working diligently to perfectly pack our boxes heading to the container in Florida which eventually (God willing) will be shipped to Niger.  There has been a snag recently in the way we ship, as new agents in Niger are now in the customs department and have relinquished the exoneration status of many Non Government Organizations.  Not only that, they are also requiring detailed lists with receipts in French of every single item being shipped before the container leaves the United States. There is still a container that was packed last summer with supplies for the flood relief that has not yet been released from American soil.  Please pray that the new customs agents will recognize that our efforts are to help their people and to look favorably on the containers we send to Niger.  "And my God shall supply (fulfill, make complete) all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19.  Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20)

He is Sovereign over us

Lately I have been finding a lot to identify with in music.  so much so I am brought to tears.  This song, by Aaron Keyes is a beautiful testimony to God's sovereignty over us, that brings hope in the darkness...

Even in the dark night of the soul
we remember that Our God
has plans to prosper us
and not to harm us.
Not only that, He actively works all things
-- even the schemes of the enemy--
for our good and for His Glory.

-->

Sovereign over us    by Aaron Keyes

There is strength within the sorrow;                                     (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

There is beauty in our tears;

And You meet us in our mourning;                                      (Revelation 21:4)

With a love that casts out fear                                                  (1 John 4:18)

You are working in our waiting                                                   (Lamentations 3:25, 26)

You are sanctifying us                                                            (1 Peter 1:2)

 When beyond our understanding;

You're teaching us to trust                                                            (Proverbs 3:5)

Chorus:

Your plans are still to prosper                                                (Jeremiah 29:11)

You've not forgotten us                                                            (Hebrews 13:5 )

You're with us in the fire and the flood;                                     (Exodus 33:14 )

You’re faithful forever perfect in love;                                     (1 John 1:9)

You are sovereign over us;                                                             (Luke 1:33 )

You are wisdom unimagined                       

Who could understand Your ways?                                     (Romans 11:33 )

Reigning high above the heavens                                                  (Matthew 28:18)

Reaching down in endless grace                                                 (Ephesians 2:8-9)

You're the lifter of the lowly ;                                                James 4:6

Compassionate and kind;                                                             Matthew 18:21

You surround and You uphold me;                                                John 7:38

And Your promises are my delight;                                     Acts 3:19

Chorus 2x

Bridge:

Even what the enemy means for evil;                                    2 Corinthians 11:14

You turn it for our good, You turn it for our good ;            Genesis 50:20

And for Your glory;                                                                         John 12:41

Even in the valley You are faithful ;                                     John 18:1-5

You're working for our good ; 

You're working for our good;                                                 John 5:16-17

And for Your glory;                                                                        Romans 8:28

Chorus

You are faithful forever, perfect in love;                                     1 John 1:9

You are sovereign over us;                                                             Luke 1:33

One Day at a Time

....each day is, in a certain sense, a complete life by itself. It has its own duties, its own trial,its own burdens and its own needs. The very best we can do for the perfecting of our life as a whole, is to live the one day well. We should put all our thought and energy and skill into the duty of each day, wasting no strength, either in grieving over yesterday's failures -- or in anxiety about tomorrow's responsibilities." ~ J.R. Miller

I tend to borrow trouble, to think of the worst case scenario in order to brace myself.  Jesus does not advise that at all.  In fact he advises AGAINST it, telling us NOT to worry.  This is actually freeing, I only have to be faithful TODAY.  Then when I wake up tomorrow it will be today again! 

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ Jesus in Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:34

In case you have missed our latest news via fb or email, I thought I would write a short blog sharing our latest. No, Janice is not pregnant...whew. For a couple of weeks, I(tim) had been experiencing some discomfort in what we refer to as the family jewels. I didn't think much of it since Jayson is always jumping on me and that seemed to be the cause. But after some time, I thought I should at least let my doctor tell me it was nothing to worry about, prescribe some medicine and away I go...back to raising funds to get back to Africa.
Now you have to understand the relationship we have with our doctor. He is a big, black British guy who loves life. The first time I walked into his office wearing my OSU sweatshirt, he told me to get out since he went to Northwestern and Michigan State. He is this relatively mild mannered guy with a very compassionate side. When we went for a routine physical, he shared some of his testimony of his faith in God and actually called us quasi-christians. Now, being American, we didn't know what he meant by that because in our heads it sounds like half christians or something like that. He then explained that in the country with proper English, that means kind of like crazy Christians who are living in a country where most would not. We had brought him up to speed on what we are doing.

During the physical exam, I didn't even think to ask him about this mild discomfort because it wasn't hurting at all. It is kind of like you take your car into the garage and the mechanic can't hear any noises that you heard and if fact, it doesn't make that noise for you, either...until you get home again. So, life went on as normal.

A few days later, I felt the discomfort again, so I decided that since we are home, I better rule everything out. I emailed the doctor and told him that it is probably nothing, but told him where the pain is. He wrote back and said to wait 10 days and then make an appointment.

That is where things began to change. I didn't wait the 10 days because it had already been a couple of weeks and I knew he would be mad if I waited some more. Shockingly, I was able to see him the very next day which would have been February 13th. He had a look, and said it is probably nothing to worry about but sent me the next morning to the hospital to get an ultrasound done.

At 9 am I walked into the ultrasound room and went through a relatively dehumanization process. I went home thinking the doctor would not call for a couple of days. Before 10 am, his office called and said that I need to get in to see him asap!  I thought, oh, oh, he found something serious or else that call would not have been so frantic. Janice and I got into the car and was there in five minutes. The doctor walked in and said, "well, Tim, there is a mass down there, but this will not kill you!" wow. really? Testicular cancer? really? my mind began to spin, tears came to my eyes and he just hugged me, us. He then said, "we are going to get you back to Africa, back to what God has called you to do and you will have a great story to tell" Then he took both our hands and prayed with us. I thank God for a doctor like this that he placed in Kokomo, IN for all these years. A man who knows that miracles happen and prays first before any surgery or treatment. That probably helped more than he knows since I haven't seen him since.

That was valentine's day. The day after, I had to go see the specialist that our doctor referred us to and he said we need to do surgery to remove one of those jewels. I said, "what?" He just smiled. So, last Thursday, one week after the discovery, he removed one of the boys.

At this time we wait for a catscan to see if it has spread anyplace else. He doesn't think so, but wants to treat this as aggressively as possible. So, there is the story. Am I worried? No, I can honestly say that. God has given me a peace that passes all understanding. I don't know what my future holds, but I sure know who holds my future. My grandfather, who ironically died of cancer when I was in high school, loved the old hymn, Great is thy Faithfulness. You seen, if I would have had this in Africa, I am not sure what would have happened. I probably would have ignored it until it was too late. I am so thankful that God allowed us to be in the US for this. I am thankful that we are here where we have good friends and family around us to pray with us as well as our good friends across the big pond who are also praying for us.

Now, once our doctor realized this was cancer, he did prescribe a medication I could take to calm me down when dealing with this. I don't remember what he said, but he said that would help. I never even came close to having to take that. With a God like we have, why should we need meds to give us peace?

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

The last 75

Okay now we are on the serious countdown.. 15 days until... the interview.  I have been studying a lot and feel like I know it all! :)  I know that doesn't sound very humble... so here are the last 75 questions so you can test yourself, the answers are at the bottom of the page... see if you can pass the test!
26. We elect a president for how many years?
27. In what month do we vote for President?
28. What is the name of the President of the United States now?
29. What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
So far pretty easy, eh?  Keep going, they do get a bit harder...
31. If both the president and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
32. Who is the Commander in Chief of the military?
33. Who signs bills to become laws?
34. Who vetoes bills?
35. What does the President's Cabinet do?
36. What are TWO (there are 16) Cabinet-level positions?
37. What does the judicial branch do? (4 things)
38. What is the highest court in the United States?
39. How many justices serve on the Supreme Court?
40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now (after the death of William Rehnquist in 2005)?
41. Under our constitution, some powers belong to the federal government.  Name four powers of the federal government.
42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the States.  Name four powers of the states.
43. Who is the Governor of your state now? (www.usa.gov )
44. What is the capital of your state?
45. What are the Two major political parties in the United States?
46. What is the political party of the President now?
47. Who is the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?
Rights and Responsibilities
48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote.  Describe them.
49. Name two responsibilities that are only for United States citizens over 18 years of age.
50. Name two rights that are only for United States citizens over 18 years of age.
51. What are five freedoms ( rights) of everyone living in the United States?
52. What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
56. When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?
57. At what age must all men register for the Selective Service?
American History: Colonial Period and Independence
58. What is one reason colonists came to America?
59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
60. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
61. Why did the colonists fight the British? (three reasons)
62. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
63.  When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
64.  Name the 13 original States.
65. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?
66. When was the Constitution written?
67. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constition. Name one of the three writers.
68. What is one (of five) thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
69. Who is the "Father of Our Country"?
70. Who was the first President? (beginning in 1789)
American History: the 1800s
71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
72. The United States fought in four wars in the 1800s.  Name one.
73. What is the name of the U.S. war between the North and the South?
74. Name one problem that led to that war.
75. Name ONE important thing that Abraham Lincoln did.
76. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
American History: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information
78. Name one war (of five) fought by the U.S. in the 1900s.
79. Who was President during World War I?
80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II? (1933-1945)
81. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general.  What was was he in?
83. During the COLD War, what was the main concern of the United States?
84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
85.  What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
86. What major event happened on September 11, 2001, in the United States?
87. There are over 500 federally recognized American Indian tribes, name one.
Integrated Civics: A: Geography
88. What are the two longest rivers in the U.S.?
89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the U.S.?
90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the U.S.?
91. There are five major U.S. territories.  Name one.
92. There are 13 States on the border with Canada.  Name three.
93. There are four States on the border with Mexico.  Name two.
94. What is the capital of the United States?
95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?
Integrated Civics: B: Symbols
96. How many stripes on the American flag and what do they represent?
97. How many stars on the Amercian flag and what do they represent?
98. What is the name of the national anthem?
99. When do Americans celebrate Independence Day?
100.  There are ten holidays that honor people or events in our American heritage.  Name two national U.S. holidays.

ANSWERS

26. We elect a president for 4 years and a limit of two terms.
27. We vote for President in November.
28. Barack Obama is the current President of the United States.
29. Joe Biden is the current Vice President of the United States.
30. If the President can no longer serve, the Vice President becomes President.
31. If both the president and the Vice President can no longer serve, the Speaker of the House becomes President.
32. The President is the Commander in Chief of the military.
33. The President signs bills to become laws.
34. The President vetoes bills.
35. The President's Cabinet advises the President.
36. The 16 Cabinet-level positions: Vice President, Attorney General and secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health ad Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs.
37. The judicial branch reviews laws, explains laws, resolves disputes and decides if a law goes against the Constitution.
38. The highest court in the United States is the Supreme Court.
39. Nine justices serve on the Supreme Court.
40. John Roberts is the Chief Justice of the United States now.
41. Four powers of the federal government are printing money, creating an army, making treaties and declaring war.
42. Four powers of the states are to provide education (schools), protection (police), safety (fire dept) and the power to give a driver's license.
43. The Governor of Indiana is Mitch Daniels, but in January Mike Pence will be Governor.
44. The capital of Indiana is Indianapolis.
45. The two major political parties in the United States are the Democrats and the Republicans.
46. Barack Obama is a member of the Democratic party.
47. John Boehner is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Rights and Responsibilities
48. The 15th Amendment gave American men of all races the right to vote.  The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, the 24th Amendment made poll taxes illegal and the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
49. Two responsibilities that are only for United States citizens over 18 years of age are jury duty and the responsibility to vote in a federal election.
50. Two rights that are only for United States citizens over 18 years of age are the right to run for federal office and the right to vote in a federal election.
51. Five freedoms (and one right) of everyone living in the United States are the freedom of worship, freedom to petition the government, freedom to assemble, freedom of expression, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.
52. When we say the Pledge of Allegiance we show we show loyalty to the flag of the United States and to the Republic for which is stands.
53. One promise you make when you become a United States citizen is to obey the laws of the United States.
54. Citizens have to be 18 or older to vote for President.
55. There are many ways that Americans can participate in their democracy, they can vote, and  run for office, join a political party, help with a campaign, join a civic group, join a community group, give an elected official their opinion on an issue, call Senators and Representatives, publicly support or oppose an issue or policy, write to a newspaper.
56. April 15 is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms.
57.  All men between 18 and 26 years of age must register for the Selective Service.
American History: Colonial Period and Independence
58. Colonists came to America to escape religious restrictions, to practice their religion freely and to have political freedom and economic opportunity.
59. The Native Americans lived in America before the Europeans arrived.
60. Africans were taken to America and sold as slaves.
61. The colonists fought the British because they didn't want to pay high taxes, or house soldiers and they wanted self-government.
62. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
63. The Declaration of Independence adopted on July 4, 1776.
64. The 13 original States are in order: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey in 1787, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virgina and New York in 1788, North Carolina in 1789 and Rhode Island in 1790, based on when they ratified the constitution.
65, 66. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention 11 years after the declaration of Independence in 1787.
67. The Federalist Papers were 85 essays that were printed in New York Newspapers while New York State was deciding whether or not to support the U.S. Constitution.  The essays were written in 1787 and 1788 by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison (the main writer of the Constitution) under the pen name "Publius".  In 1788, the papers were published together in a book called The Federalist.
68. Benjamin Franklin was one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States. He is credited for starting public libraries; he was the first postmaster General, diplomat, inventor, writer of "Poor Richard's Almanac", and as one of the signers of the Constitution he was the oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
69.  The "Father of Our Country" is George Washington.
70. George Washington was the first President (beginning in 1789).
American History: the 1800s
71. The United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 which doubled the size of the United States and expanded it westward.
72. The United States fought in four wars in the 1800s.   The civil War, the War of 1812 (against Great Britain), the Mexican-American War and the Spanish-American War.
73. The Civil War, or the War between the States, between the North and the South was fought for four years from 1861-1865.  Over 3,000,000 Americans fought in the Civil War and more than 600,000 died.
74. The problem that led to that war was when 11 Southern States voted to separate from the United states to form their own country because they believed that the federal government threatened their right to make their own decisions, chiefly the decision to own slaves.  The South's agriculture-based economy depended heavily on slave labor.  They were afraid that if the North ended slavery their economy would be threatened.  The North fought to keep all the US together in "the Union".
75 and 76. The most important thing that Abraham Lincoln did was to free the slaves and preserve the Union of the United States.  He led the United States during the Civil War and in 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared that the slaves who lived in the Confederate states were forever free.  It led to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution , which ended slavery in all of the United States.
77. Susan B. Anthony fought for the right of women to vote. Fourteen years after she died the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, yet it is still known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.
American History: Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information
78.  The U.S. fought five wars in the 1900s, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the (Persian) Gulf War.
79. Woodrow Wilson was President during World War I.
80. FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) was  President during the Great Depression and World War II (1933-1945), he was elected to office FOUR times and died in office.
81. The United States fought three countries in World War II, Japan and her Axis Country partners, Germany and Italy.
82. Before he was President, Eisenhower was a general.  He fought in WW II.
83. During the COLD War,  the main concern of the United States was Communism.
84. The Civil Rights movement tried to end racial discrimination.
85.  Martin Luther King, Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement, he recieved the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at the age of 35.  Four years later he was killed, on April 4, 1968.
86. Terrorists from the Al-Qaeda network of Islamic extremists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.  Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, VA and the fourth plane, originally aimed at Washington, D.C. crashed in a field in PA, almost 3,000 civilians died in these attacks, the worst attack on American soil in the history of the United States.
87. There are over 500 federally recognized American Indian tribes, Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux Iroquois, Inuit, Cheyenne, to name a few...
Integrated Civics: A: Geography
88. The Mississippi and the Missouri are the two longest rivers in the U.S.
89. The Pacific ocean is on the West Coast of the U.S.
90. The Atlantic ocean is on the East Coast of the U.S.
91. There are five major U.S. territories.  Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Northern Mariana Islands.
92. There are 13 States on the border with Canada.  Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Alaska.
93. There are four States on the border with Mexico. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
94. Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States.
95. The Statue of Liberty is on Liberty Island in the New York harbor.
Integrated Civics: B: Symbols
96. The 13 stripes on the American flag represent the original 13 colonies.
97. The 50 stars on the American flag represent the 50 states.
98. The national anthem is the Star Spangled Banner.
99.  Americans celebrate Independence Day on the fourth of July.
100.  There are ten holidays that honor people or events in our American heritage.  New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
There, now you should know all you need to know about being an American!

Seeking Citizenship

One month from today I (Janice) have my interview to become a naturalized citizen.  When I got my fingers printed last month the USCIS office gave me a book of Civics lessons to help me study for the Naturalization test.  There are 100 questions and they may ask me 10-20 questions.  I may not get more than 4 wrong, so I am madly studying to make sure I know it all!!
So my plan is to study 5 questions every day for 20 days and then have a week to review the "hard" ones.  I am on day five now so should have 25 % of all the questions down pat.  If you are interested I will post the first 25 questions and answers here.  Next week I will post the next 25 questions, and so on. Are you with me?  Test your own knowledge and see how well you do!
1. What is the Supreme Law of the Land?
2. What does the Constitution do?
3. What are the first 3 words of the constitution?
4. What is an amendment?
5. What do we call the first 10 amendments?
6. Name four rights or freedoms from the first amendment:
7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
8. What did the declaration of independence do?
9. What are three rights in the Declaration of Independence?
10. What is "freedom of religion".
11. What is the economic system of the United States?
12.What is "The Rule of Law"?
13. What are the three branches of Government?
14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
15. Who is in charge of the executive branch (clue to #13)?
16. Who makes Federal Laws?
17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
20. Name one U.S. Senator for Indiana.
21. How many voting members in the House of Representatives?
22. For how many years do we elect a U.S. Representative?

23. Name YOUR U.S. Representative (answers will vary, for a complete list and the districts they represent, go to www.house.gov.
24. Who does a U.S. Senator represent?
25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

Now for the answers:

1. The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land.
2. The Constitution sets up government and protects the basic rights of Americans
3. "We the people" of the United States of America...
4. An amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution
5. The First 10 amendments are "The Bill of Rights"
6. The five freedoms from the first amendment are as follows: RAPPS: Religion, Assembly, Petition, Press & Speech

7. The Constitution has 27 amendments, the latest being that congress can not raise their pay (effective) until after an election.
8. The Declaration of Independence declared our independence from Great Britain. (hard one :))
9. The three rights in the Declaration for Independence are natural and unalienable. They are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
10. "Freedom of religion" means Americans can practice any religion they wish, they are also free not to practice any religion at all!
11. The economic system of the US is Capitalist or market economy (so far).
12. The "Rule of Law" means that no one is above the law, everyone has to obey it, even the president.

13. The three branches of government are the Executive (the president) Legislative (Congress) and Judicial (Supreme Court).
14. Checks and balances  (separation of powers)  keeps one branch of government from becoming too powerful.
15. The president (and his cabinet) is in charge of the executive branch.

16. The Congress makes the federal laws
17. Congress is made up of the Senate (100) and the House of Representatives (435)
18. There are 100 Senators (two per state)
19. U.S. Senators are elected for six years. Every two years, one-third of the senators are up for election.
20. Right now Indiana's senators are Dan Coats and Richard Lugar, the newly elected Joe Donnelly will be sworn in as the new senator to replace Lugar sometime in January, I just don't know when...

21. There are 435 voting members in the House of Representatives

22. We elect the Representatives for two (2) years.

23. Our district 5 Representative is  Republican Dan Burton

24. Each U.S. Senator represents all the people in the state in which he was elected (two per state).

25. Because some states have more people than others, they have more representatives than others, it is proportional to the population of each state. 

 

   

Happy Birthday Jayson

Our little boy turned six in November!  It is hard to believe how much life has changed for the Phillips family since he joined us in 2006.