O Que Aconteceu no Final de Semana Passado????

Neste ultimo final de semana, pastor e congregação estiveram envolvidos em várias atividades, dentre elas a participação no "XIII Festival Missionário Cristo Para Todos" realizado no bairro Mathias Velho. Lá participamos desde o início com a caminhada "CRACK NEM PENSAR", realizada no sábado as 10h, tendo membros de nossa congregação envolvidos nesta, bem como os rapazes da Comunidade Terapêutica Recomeçar. Na parte da tarde estivemos também envolvidos com as atividades junto a sociedade do bairro, onde tivemos oportunidade de apresentar o grupo de apoio do Amor Exigente aqui do bairro Harmonia, bem como a Comunidade Terapêutica de nova Santa Rita, onde desenvolvemos os trabalhos de acompanhamento espiritual, desenvolvimento de atividades artesanais, e pedagógico-motivacional.

Ainda no Sábado, atendendo a um convite da uma congregação "Castelo Forte" de São Leopoldo, estivemos a Fernanda a Rúbian e Pr. Maiquel, junto com eles em um momento bastante interessante, onde tivemos a oportunidade de falar a aproximadamente 30 pessoas, sobre este grande problema que esta afetando nossa sociedade de uma forma geral, que é a dependência quimica. Apresentamos a eles motivações para o nosso envolvimento como cristãos em iniciativas que visam auxíliar a recuperação dos dependentes, bem como a prevenção, especialmente destro das famílias. Também nesta oportunidade mostramos o que tem sido feito na prática por nossa congregação, especialmente no que se refere ao tratamento.
No domingo participamos do Culto distrital de encerramento do XIII Festival Missionário Cristo para Todos, que embora estivesse "caindo um dilúvio", teve uma grande participação de membros de nossas congregações do distrito, e usando as palavras do Pr Egon Kopreck, "sem dúvida este foi um momento onde tivemos chuvas de bençãos em nossas vidas".

Agradecemos a acolhida dos organizadores do evento, em especial ao Pr. Elmer que nos deu a oportunidade de estarmos envolvidos desde o início deste belo Festival, que sem dúvida nenhuma plantou e ainda irá plantar muitas sementes da palavra de Deus nos corações das pessoas.

Pr Maiquel Hellwig

please come in!

THE SHOP is back up and open for business.
some of my favorite colors/fabrics/things for fall waiting for you to snatch them up & love.
please go visit and let me know what you think!
++++
love, lin

yes and no

Lucas has officially learned to say the word no. There's no going back with this one! I love that he always nods too. Enjoy the video!

a classic lunch

on the menu:
macoroni + sauce + cheese + a dash of salt and pepper
a can of coke for me >> o.j. for luc 
a handful of white cheddar cheez-its
smooshy peaches for gav
goldfish pajamas for me

  
  

"Sirvam Nossas Façanhas de Modelo a Toda Terra"

Grandes façanhas foram realizadas pelo povo gaúcho ao longo dos seus muitos anos de batalhas, lutas e dificuldades que sempre enfrentou, mas muito maiores são as façanhas que Deus realiza através de nós seus filhos. Esta frase de nosso Hino Riograndense, nós podemos e devemos usar em nossa vida e em nossa congregação, pois é aqui, pelo sangue do Cordeiro que foi derramado em nosso favor, que vamos realizar grandes façanhas de amor!

Que nosso bondoso Deus, possa estar sempre nos usando como guerreiros que levantam a bandeira da Boa Nova de Salvação, e que nos de sempre todo o apoio que precisamos a cada amanhecer pra mais uma luta diária.

E que os feitos de Amor que Deus realiza através de nós sejam conhecidos nos quatro cantos do mundo, e que nos levem a amar mais e mais a Deus e a nossos irmãos.

"Sirvam nossa façanhas de Modelo a toda a Terra!"

Pr Maiquel Hellwig

Little Inquisitors

Lucas loves to play with the kitchen!

I found Lucas a young toddler group "preschool" program! It's called Little Inquisitors, and is held Wednesday EVENINGS from 6:30-7:30. That's right, that means that I can take Lucas! It's so perfect. The kids get 1/2 an hour of free play time followed by a circle time and a craft. There's a certified teacher, and best of all, it's free. I'm so excited. I've been looking for some kind of a program to help prepare Lucas for preschool and maybe the toddler group at Clarke this winter. It's always a plus to have hearing peers around too.

This week was the second time Lucas attended. Last week was really great. This week was just okay. That won't discourage us from going back next week though. Last week, one of the mothers asked about Lucas's CI, so I talked about it and everyone listened for a few minutes. It was great to have the opportunity to educate. This week though, there were some different mothers there, who just smiled and looked away. I could have spoken up, but I wasn't in the mood. I don't want his CI to be the center of attention or to detract from other conversations (that I wasn't in on anyway). Maybe next week I'll speak up.

Lucas is definitely the youngest and smallest in the group, so his delays are more apparent. He is approaching 2 and many of these kids are approaching 3. That's doesn't help any. Even with his recent language gains, he still kind of babbles like a baby, which invites a lot of interesting looks. He wouldn't sit for circle time tonight either, so we went and played with the younger kids in another room, which was just fine. I just kind of left feeling a little down.

I'm really not trying to complain. I'm so proud of how far he has come, and I'm so very pleased with all of his recent gains. But I'm also very aware of how far he has to go to catch up with his hearing peers. I know he is on his own path, and that he will do just fine. But I think it's good to keep perspective too. I am generally very positive about everything going on with Lucas, but I do have my moments. Don't we all? Tonight just kind of reminded me of landing in Holland, and wishing I could go to Italy for the day. Tomorrow's another day.

CULTO CRIOULO 2009

Olá pessoal... estamos colocando hoje a nossa primeira postagem... este é mais um meio que encontramos de estar em contato, aqui estaremos constantemente colocando notícias do que esta acontecendo em nossa congregação.

Estas fotos são das atividades ocorridas no dia 19 de setembro deste ano, em nossa congregação, onde estivemos envolvidos tanto no período da manha quanto da tarde no "Projeto Macedônia", sendo auxiliados pelo pessoal do "SOS pra Vida".

A noite tivemos o nosso culto Crioulo, tendo o auxílio dos estudantes Marcos e Giovane na parte liturgica, e na parte musical o ouxílio de Clóvis e leandro nos violões, bem como a particípação de um Gaiteiro, que vieram a embelezar muito o nosso momento de louvor.

Que Deus nos abençõe, e que este seja mais um meio de mostrarmos ao mundo o seu amor.

Pr. Maiquel Hellwig

a good one

the summer of 2009, huh. over? that’s how it started. up there. with lucas in his book tent. {he’s reading russian books by-the-way.} he spent that whole day out there. it’s a little – ok, a lot bitter sweet as i can see just from the above picture how much my boy has changed in just one summer season. back then – on the first day of summer i was determined to do things like that all season long. park ourselves under that book tent and pass my time away with popsicles and that kid.

we only made one book tent.

somebody please hit the brakes. fast.
i know i said that three years old was driving me crazy, just this morning even.  but seriously. somebody. slow this growing kid train down.

lucas got a ride in andrey’s work van today. i followed them to the mechanic. he was thumbs up out the window and big smiles the whole way. seriously the biggest/coolest thing he’d done in all of his three years. could not have been happier - and his dad - could not have been prouder to be driving that beat up, ugly machine down the road with his happy boy. in a quick flash i imagined luc, age fifteen. humiliated. in that beast. a ride to school with his dad. and andrey just wish-wishin’ to take that van ride with lucas, age three again and again and again.
++++
i grew gavin this summer. i mean … well… i know i actually grew-grew him last year but i feel like he finally snuck in and officially became one of my boys in the last three months. during this, the summer of 2009. i know him now. he belongs to us. belongs here with us. and even though i’m still trying to figure out how to wrangle two boys with only one of me during the day - we’re figuring it out. and it’s like this is how it always was.

++++
and the season’s – they go ‘round and ‘round
++++
i’ve got big plans for this fall.   
besides just new socks, longer pants and warmer blankets…

love, lin

then and now

Airplane then:

Airplane now:

I am just so in love with this kid!!!

How does a bunny go?

Don't blink or you might miss this little video.

Hope it makes you smile!

wait time extended

In the academic world, we hear about a strategy called "wait time" quite often. The idea is to ask a question and wait a few seconds for all students to process before calling on someone to give an answer. In the same sense, we are taught to use "wait time" with our deaf children who are learning to listen, to give them input and wait for a response, instead of modeling the response right away. Some like to call it the "power of pause." An example is to ask Lucas, "how big is Lucas?" and wait for him to raise his arms and vocalize before imitating it and answering "so big!"

I like to think of the last 8 1/2 months as "wait time extended." We have given constant spoken language input and just waited. And waited. And waited. And given more input and waited some more for a response. And right now, 8+ months post activation, he's really starting to give it back. Sometimes I thought these days would never come.

Before Lucas was implanted, I always secretly hoped that he might have really quick success. That hasn't exactly been the case, although he's certainly making progress within normal limits. It's sometimes hard to remember that his hearing age is only 8 1/2 months.

I feel like we finally have a toddler on our hands. We have a little boy that can walk and talk. We have a little boy who can intelligibly hear me whisper from 5 feet away. We have a little boy who can overhear the word "hoarse" out of context in a conversation and sign "horse." We have a little boy in front of whom we must spell some words. We have a little boy who can follow one step instructions, like "walk to..." "get the..." and "sit." We have a little boy who finally likes to imitate us both physically and verbally. Today his daddy got him to attempt an /l/ for Lucas!

It's been worth the wait. We couldn't be more thrilled.

Mr. Solar System

Aporte para la ultima edición de la Lule-lelele.
Gracias a Souto y Scalerandi!

Serian 2 paginas de super heroísmo mezclando los géneros alucinantes del Fantasma del Espacio y de Stardust un super héroe de los años 50 cuyas aventuras era muy extravagantes, hasta para los ya extravagantes cánones de los comics de esos años!

“so kiss me and smile for me…” peter, paul & mary

it’s no secret that i was born and raised one/half  hippie heart. 

upstairs in the hall closet growing up was a stash of my mom’s vinyl records. some bob dylan. some beatles. some peter, paul & mommy, too.
++++
downstairs in our cleveland street house you would often find my mom. folding the laundry. the couches changed over the years, from bright orange and brown plaid - traded in for a navy blue floral. the laundry pile bigger from added larson baby girls. but the background music stayed the same. peter, paul & mary. the pbs special. my mom would sing loud. and we’d sing along as we played, too. especially the parts where they’d stop to let the audience join in. oh – we joined in. sometimes my mom’s singing would start to quiver a bit. usually around the time when puff’s green scales fell like rain. and we’d keep singing and dancing and growing up…
++++
a little lovely lindsay accompanied her mama to her very first concert. all dressed up pretty. and there they were…
++++
i have an image in my head. plain as day. it’s me. my mom. and lukey – boy. a concert hall. the curtains go up and there they are. the three of them guitars in hand. we clap. loud. and lucas would say, “ is that peter? and paul? and mary?!!!'” then we’d start in on “if i had a haaaaammer… i’d hammer in the mor –or- nin, i’d hammer in the eeeeeeeeve, all over this laaaaaand!”
i was so sure we’d get to do that. 
 

{mary travers 1936-2009}
i'm grateful for a brave girl with long blond hair and swooshy bangs. who sang her heart out for me while i grew up.

Teenage Feeling

sweetie.

 
my prettiest little sister christine was born today. we waited for her for days and days.
finally in a sweetie little birth center somewhere in idaho my mama had her babe.
round three of the larson girls. a much needed piece of our sister plan.
she is my soul-sister and i know that we’ve been friends for a very very long time.

she:
can appreciate real good music when she hears it
is an awesome adventure partner
makes pretty art
has sweet hands
loves a drummer
makes a mean batch of ‘magic bullet’ pesto [or so i’ve heard]
has a tender heart
takes care of me
has the prettiest girl brains. ever.

so happy to be celebrating you today over a good bowl of mac & sauce. i love you, steeny.
lin

interesting happenings

the neighborhood watchdog

Lucas is having a bit of a language explosion. His speech therapist pointed out that if I'm having trouble keeping up with the running lists on this blog, he's probably having a bit of a surge. Just in the past week, he has added dat - that, uh hu - uh oh, no, mah - mine, eye, hel - help, and rou rou - round & round. He's also changed the way he says banana to a very clear "nana."

Lucas also now says "uh" for both up and down. Hmmmm... we need to work on that one. I have no idea why he started that. We just keep reinforcing the correct words.

Okay... if you look at his signs list on the sidebar, it continues to expand, although he has not seen signs from us in maybe 2 months? Last week he added bear, truck and water. This week he added baby, help, silly and banana. And... I got some of these signs by just prompting, "Lucas, how do you sign ____." That's how I found out he can sign silly and help. He never did those until I basically asked him if he could. Strange.

Lucas has been doing well with identifying body parts, mostly on faces. He will point to his own, and to those in a book or on me. Last night before bed, he found one of his books on body parts, and basically read it to himself. He'd open a page with a belly button on it and pull up his shirt to point to his belly button, etc. So, I then decided to further test his knowledge. I asked him where his hand, leg, toes, feet, and tongue were, and he correctly identified all parts, with this little smirk on his face like "hahaha, you didn't think I knew these, did you?" All of this constant repetition is really paying off.

Another really cute thing he is doing is a bunny "sound." Whenever we do animal sounds, I always ask him, "How does a bunny go?" (knowing that I have no good answer). I then scrunch up my nose repeatedly like a bunny nose. He's now imitating it by opening and closing his mouth. I need to get it on video. It's so cute!

Lastly... for your viewing pleasure, here's a video of our baby who is finally not only walking, but walking in circles. If you listen closely, you might be able to hear him say "rou rou" for round and round and round. Repeating words in threes seems to really be working. Sorry the video is so dark - I take these video clips on my still camera and there wasn't a lot of light at the time. Also, I think his "ear" had just fallen off in all of his silliness... the wig tape had lost its stickiness for the day. The video is not captioned, because it's just baby jargon, and I don't know how to caption that anyway.

whale of a tail

dear blog friends.
i know you’re out there.
any suggestions on how i should go about rescuing this faux wood whale?
he is a beloved softie.
and another toy i plunked down too much money for.
++++
we find sophie – we lose a whale.
++++
hearts are breaking. mine and lucas jude’s.  
help!
love, lindsay

safe and sound

call off the search party!
found:
one sophie the giraffe.
still has all her spots.
still squeaks.
++++
she was hiding up on the plant shelf.
i have a sneaking suspicion that a certain big brother knew this all along.
baby brother and giraffe have been happily reunited. 
sophie is happy as ever to be safely tucked among gavin’s favorite toys.