The journey for 10 Krause's lasted 230 miles to reunion site in Fresno.
Here is the clan!
here is 1 branch.
Us!
How did we celebrate? Food, cake, balloons, games and stories.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Family Reunion 2015
The occasion! Graduation for Heidi and birthdays for Char, Bryant and Oliver
The journey for 10 Krause's lasted 230 miles to reunion site in Fresno.
Here is the clan!
here is 1 branch.
Us!
How did we celebrate? Food, cake, balloons, games and stories.
The journey for 10 Krause's lasted 230 miles to reunion site in Fresno.
Here is the clan!
here is 1 branch.
Us!
How did we celebrate? Food, cake, balloons, games and stories.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Nolans Birth 2-11-15
Feb 11 2015
Here's the thing. You can have an idea how a story can go but until you actually live the moment, you really don't know. And you don't know what you will feel or remember.
Charis: feb 8th due date long gone. At the doctors appointment, 3cm dilated but no contractions. That evening cramps a and hope, "this is it." Wed at 130 am I am excited and full of apprehension because I realize labor is in progress. I let Dace sleep for 1 hour. I needed him to join my sleepiness and suffering. You really can't rest when you are in labor. The contractions from the beginning have been intensely sharp making it difficult to cope. The contractions were irregular and ranged from 7 min to 1 1/2 minutes. My orginal plan was for an epidural but I was ready to throw in the towel and head to the hospital for drugs. It's time to notify the family.
Char:So last night Charis sends me a text that she thinks she might be having contractions. I smile, because really its time for Nolan to be born. He is a few days late on arrival and messing up all our planning. We all go to sleep because these things take time. Dace sends a text at 5:56am that Charis has been in labor and awake since 130 a.m. OK...awake now and getting ready for the next text that would tell me to get going to the hospital. My daughter has invited me to be with her during the birth of her second son. Soon, another text from Dace, her contractions are not regular but are intense. "Hi char if you want to come over that would be good. We might be heading to the hospital soon." I arrive at the apartment to see my daughter telling me, "I can't do this". She was thinking about medications to help with the pain. I ws thinking what if she has the baby right now? Off they go to the hospital while I wait for Dace's folks to arrive to care for Aidan. In my mind seeing the look on Charis's face, hoping she makes it to the hospital. Its a 30 minute drive.
Charis: mom arrives and says you need to go. Now I'm worried that this baby might come in the car. The morning traffic didn't help my stress level. Im trying to practice my breathing unsuccessfully. We get to the hospital and a wheelchair ride takes me past the nurses station. I apologize because I know it's change of shift. The nurses are eager to see how far along I am after reporting contractions have been 1 1/2 minutes apart. When the nurses tell me I am over 9 cm I almost didn't believe them. The feeling of relief comes knowing that we get to meet our son soon and that the hard part is almost over. Dace feels bad because now I can't receive the drugs. He is busy updating the family and facebook this time so everyone is in loop.
char: Dace soon texts that they are in the labor room and Charis is dilated to 9 cm. Wow...soon I'm stuck in traffic with the sun in my eyes. Well, if I don't get there in time...that's just part of the story. Soon I arrive at my daughters bedside and begin to witness each contraction. Together Dace and I count, rub her back, feet and give encouraging words. We watch her focus and serious face.
Charis: I am at the end of transition labor. I have finally gotten my focus and can work thru the contractions. It takes 2 hours before I finally get to push, and when that doctor came into the room for the final 10 minutes of pushing, I felt relief knowing how close I was to holding my baby boy. In between contractions and pushing, the doctor noticed my valentines day nails and complimented me.
Char: Thankfully things like, water breaking, doctor saying almost time to push and nurse saying baby in position all help to cheerlead this daughter of mine. I ponder my role in this sacred place of a child of my daughter being born. I will be a witness to this event. Soon she is pushing and we are encouraging but she is doing all the work and finally the little guys head is crowning. Seriously, I know how all this works theoretically but my heart is amazed and I'm overwhelmed watching that little head make a grand entrance, blue, wet and shocked and finally a little wimper and then some great cries and skin turns pink and my stomach relaxes that all is well. Every mother's amazing accomplishment now belongs to my daughter and I'm so proud of her. Small tears because Charis choose me to be with her and witness this.
Charis:
Charis: feb 8th due date long gone. At the doctors appointment, 3cm dilated but no contractions. That evening cramps a and hope, "this is it." Wed at 130 am I am excited and full of apprehension because I realize labor is in progress. I let Dace sleep for 1 hour. I needed him to join my sleepiness and suffering. You really can't rest when you are in labor. The contractions from the beginning have been intensely sharp making it difficult to cope. The contractions were irregular and ranged from 7 min to 1 1/2 minutes. My orginal plan was for an epidural but I was ready to throw in the towel and head to the hospital for drugs. It's time to notify the family.
Char:So last night Charis sends me a text that she thinks she might be having contractions. I smile, because really its time for Nolan to be born. He is a few days late on arrival and messing up all our planning. We all go to sleep because these things take time. Dace sends a text at 5:56am that Charis has been in labor and awake since 130 a.m. OK...awake now and getting ready for the next text that would tell me to get going to the hospital. My daughter has invited me to be with her during the birth of her second son. Soon, another text from Dace, her contractions are not regular but are intense. "Hi char if you want to come over that would be good. We might be heading to the hospital soon." I arrive at the apartment to see my daughter telling me, "I can't do this". She was thinking about medications to help with the pain. I ws thinking what if she has the baby right now? Off they go to the hospital while I wait for Dace's folks to arrive to care for Aidan. In my mind seeing the look on Charis's face, hoping she makes it to the hospital. Its a 30 minute drive.
Charis: mom arrives and says you need to go. Now I'm worried that this baby might come in the car. The morning traffic didn't help my stress level. Im trying to practice my breathing unsuccessfully. We get to the hospital and a wheelchair ride takes me past the nurses station. I apologize because I know it's change of shift. The nurses are eager to see how far along I am after reporting contractions have been 1 1/2 minutes apart. When the nurses tell me I am over 9 cm I almost didn't believe them. The feeling of relief comes knowing that we get to meet our son soon and that the hard part is almost over. Dace feels bad because now I can't receive the drugs. He is busy updating the family and facebook this time so everyone is in loop.
char: Dace soon texts that they are in the labor room and Charis is dilated to 9 cm. Wow...soon I'm stuck in traffic with the sun in my eyes. Well, if I don't get there in time...that's just part of the story. Soon I arrive at my daughters bedside and begin to witness each contraction. Together Dace and I count, rub her back, feet and give encouraging words. We watch her focus and serious face.
Charis: I am at the end of transition labor. I have finally gotten my focus and can work thru the contractions. It takes 2 hours before I finally get to push, and when that doctor came into the room for the final 10 minutes of pushing, I felt relief knowing how close I was to holding my baby boy. In between contractions and pushing, the doctor noticed my valentines day nails and complimented me.
Char: Thankfully things like, water breaking, doctor saying almost time to push and nurse saying baby in position all help to cheerlead this daughter of mine. I ponder my role in this sacred place of a child of my daughter being born. I will be a witness to this event. Soon she is pushing and we are encouraging but she is doing all the work and finally the little guys head is crowning. Seriously, I know how all this works theoretically but my heart is amazed and I'm overwhelmed watching that little head make a grand entrance, blue, wet and shocked and finally a little wimper and then some great cries and skin turns pink and my stomach relaxes that all is well. Every mother's amazing accomplishment now belongs to my daughter and I'm so proud of her. Small tears because Charis choose me to be with her and witness this.
Charis:
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
1987 Out of Africa
Reading a devotional on the times of Christians during Idi Amin caused me to reflect on my mission trip to Uganda. Motivation to go? God stirring my heart, husbands encouragement and support from friends and family. 500,000 people were killed as Amin began a war against the Christians.
Vivid sights: beggars in markets, cripples crawling in the dust using flip-flops on the hands to move along, orphans, checkpoints with soldiers, 4 month old twins the size of newborns. Dust. Children in rags, stores with just a few items. The picture above? yeah, skulls with bullet holes including skulls of children. Many memorials observed like this around the villages. Can you imagine?
Food: cooked bananas, maize and pineapple, sugar cane.
smells: latrines, smoke in the air and the taste of smoke in the water.
different: no running water, some nights no electricity. Nurses make $10 a month.
Our work was immunizing children. Frustrations: using same syringe and just changing needle, running out of gas so no work, conflict with Africans way of doing things. Hard part was inflicting pain on the little ones with the needle. One day after completion we reloaded the syringes with water and sprayed the children. We passed out stickers and balloons. Let the children smile.
One memory lingers all these decades later. 20 children in a circle listening to me tell them a Bible story (memory foggy here but probably David) with Thomas giving translation. Thomas completed the time with prayer and telling me all the children wanted Jesus in their heart.
Danger: taking a walk and 2 soldiers stopped to talk to us and pulled out a grenade. Despite the language barrier knew something was off with these guys and happy to move past them.
One work day required a 2 hour drive and then a trip in an ancient wooden boat to cross the swamp. Oh yes, someone had to paddle but everyone had to keep bailing the water out because the boats leaked. After a 4 mile hike arrived. After immunizing the children had a feast of ma-toke and fresh fish from Victoria Lake.
Outcome: definitely received more then we gave. Out team immunized 4,500 children. Obedience. God is in Africa. God loves children!
Vivid sights: beggars in markets, cripples crawling in the dust using flip-flops on the hands to move along, orphans, checkpoints with soldiers, 4 month old twins the size of newborns. Dust. Children in rags, stores with just a few items. The picture above? yeah, skulls with bullet holes including skulls of children. Many memorials observed like this around the villages. Can you imagine?
Food: cooked bananas, maize and pineapple, sugar cane.
smells: latrines, smoke in the air and the taste of smoke in the water.
different: no running water, some nights no electricity. Nurses make $10 a month.
Our work was immunizing children. Frustrations: using same syringe and just changing needle, running out of gas so no work, conflict with Africans way of doing things. Hard part was inflicting pain on the little ones with the needle. One day after completion we reloaded the syringes with water and sprayed the children. We passed out stickers and balloons. Let the children smile.
One memory lingers all these decades later. 20 children in a circle listening to me tell them a Bible story (memory foggy here but probably David) with Thomas giving translation. Thomas completed the time with prayer and telling me all the children wanted Jesus in their heart.
Danger: taking a walk and 2 soldiers stopped to talk to us and pulled out a grenade. Despite the language barrier knew something was off with these guys and happy to move past them.
One work day required a 2 hour drive and then a trip in an ancient wooden boat to cross the swamp. Oh yes, someone had to paddle but everyone had to keep bailing the water out because the boats leaked. After a 4 mile hike arrived. After immunizing the children had a feast of ma-toke and fresh fish from Victoria Lake.
Outcome: definitely received more then we gave. Out team immunized 4,500 children. Obedience. God is in Africa. God loves children!
God suffers with his little children.
Father, we pray for our hearts to be open to what you are doing.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
End of 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Kearsarge Pass July 2014
Our 4 day trek into the wilderness took us over 2 passes of near 12,000 feet in elevation. Our lakeside accomendations created a space for us to to gaze at fish jumping, moon rising and slowing down the pace of life. No, the trip was not all perfect for us. We experienced wipe-out with altitude sickness,exhaustion, rain and ankle injury. However for us a few days to ourself with no agenda except to put 1 foot in front of the other and soak in the beauty of the landscape left us in awe and refreshed. During the 35 mile trip and extimated 5,000 feet of climbing we wondered if this was to be the last trip for us as our aging bodies complained just a bit. However the benefits outway the discomforts and we are already thinking about next year's adventure.
