Run the Race

Run the Race

I looked at this picture and thought of this Scripture verse. It is a picture of my two

youngest granddaughters running at Easter. They're not worried about the race, nor do they

 seem to be competing with each other. They just enjoy the thrill of running. They are racing 

toward some unseen prize that lies before them. It struck me that this should

be my attitude as I run the race of life. I should not worry about the race, or how I am doing 

compared to others who are running. Rather I should run with the desire to be more like

 Jesus everyday. He has set before me a course just for me. 

"And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." Hebrews 12:1b

I've been involved in a small group study the last few months on the subject of practicing godliness. I hope and pray that God is changing me into someone who seeks to be gentle and patient and cultivate a heart of kindness that shows goodness to those I encounter along the race that God has set before me. 

My prayers go out for those who were injured as well as the families of those who lost loved ones in terrorist attack that took place during the Boston Marathon. 

Easter Sunday-The Family Gathering

We had a great day on Easter. We all gathered to go to church and were blessed to see our oldest

 grandchild, Pellie, get baptized. It was a blessing to us all. We praise God for the salvation of our

 children and now our grandchildren. Her dad, Josh, sang a special song that was beautiful. He sang

 "Man of Sorrows." God has blessed us!! 

After church we had a delicious meal. The kids were ready for the annual Easter egg hunt. 

Rachel was the easter bunny this year. She hid the eggs.

Vandenberg Family HIstory

Continued from last week.....

While searching for the Vandenberg name we found many spellings for the name due to the different localities it was spelled and pronounced different. This is some of the ways we found it spelled van den Barg, ten Barge, van den berg and many other ways.
When we were trying to find them in the census the Berg was the surname and then the given name with van den following it in some of the records.
Some of the early settlers with the name Vandenberg came to America about 1710 into New York and others arrived in Philadelphia around 1807.
Beginning in 1834 because many of the separatists were imprisoned, and charged large fines for not following the orders of the State Church and there was also a potato blight causing a famine so emigration seemed to be the only answer.
Reverend Hendrik Peiter Scholte and several ministers and their congregations declined to follow the orders of the King to follow the State Church style of worship so he and his family left by steamer for America so he could find a location for the colony the state of Iowa seemed to be an ideal place.
In 1847 the town of Pella, Iowa was founded under the leadership of Schholte and through the years many followed to this town sometimes known as Little Holland.
I will be sharing my ancestral line in my next several posts.

Vandenberg Family Story- Some Family History

This information is from my relatives who did all the research and published a book. 

The surname Van den berg is from the German word "berg" which means mountain leading us to the

 conclusion that they came from a mountain or high ground and the preposition"Van den" which means

 "from the". Therefore the name means they came from the Mountains. 

The name Berg goes back to Holland where it is believed to have existed since the 15th century and as

 they moved down into the Netherlands which was low lying flat country they were considered to have

 prestige and influence since they were from the higher ground. 

Edward Francis Dunshie & Ann Vandenberg Dunshie. 

My grandparents

This story will be continued next week. It gets better.

The Family Tree

The Family Tree

Where did you come from? That's a question that everyone ask. I have been delving into our family tree
and 

have found some very interesting stuff about the family. I will be sharing some of these in this blog and 

future blogs. That is my maiden name, Dunshie. This is in a cemetery in Beaumont, Texas. This

headstone stands near an area

where several of my relatives are buried. I went on a trip not to long ago and did some cemetery visits

and took pictures.

My great grandfather.

Some people may think this is uninteresting and a waste of time. I really enjoy finding and reading 

stories of my past relatives. I will include some stories next week about some who traveled from

 the Nederlands. Come back and visit next Thursday.

Valentine Breakfast

Every year since 2001 my husband has taken all the girls in the family for a Valentine Breakfast.

He always find a new place to visit for our special time together. This year we went to "5 & Diner"

 in Tulsa.  We always have a lot of fun. He gave all of us a box of candy and a red rose. He also gave

the little ones heart shaped ballons. The breakfast was outstanding.

Bill, Joanna, Mary, Petra, Pellie, Morgan, Joy, Jennifer and Karen

Joy and Jennifer

 The girls thought the jute box was a lot of fun.

Pellie, Joanna and Mary

A really fun place with a nostalgic atmosphere.

The restaurant is next to the Harley Davison Motorcycle Store.

We had to go visit and do a little dreaming.

Snow Day

We finally got the snow that 

all the grandkids have been wanting all winter. 

Joy joined the fun too.

Just a few fun pictures to share.

First Steps

Remember when learning to walk? 

No, but you probably remember when each of your children did.

I'm getting the experience again with my one year old  grandson. The little red shoes are not his favorite  

but he wore them long enough to get the picture and try them out. 

Don't you love all the cheers they get when they start taking little steps.

Then we realize that they are growing up and we want everything to slow down.

Enjoy all the moments!

Ten Thousand Reasons

Life is interesting when you are baby sitting grandchildren. I'm now keeping my granddaughter and one of the grandsons a couple of times a week. They are endless bundles of energy. They learn so fast at this age and I find more time to think about what I did with my own kids and what mistakes I made with them. So, I try to do better with the grandkids. I have found that the 4 year old is learning Spanish pretty quickly watching Dora. amazing. The 11 month old is talking up a storm and nearly walking. He learns at the speed of lightning. He knows how to wave bye, bye and kiss and high five. It reminds me to always keep telling them about God and his wonderful love for them. I teach them songs at breakfast and the little one eats better if I play Matt Redman's song "Ten Thousand Reasons". I can just see him singing it one day. What could be better? The four year old sang this song to a group of ladies at the church and amazed them. They were saying, "American Idol"! It's such fun to help with the grandkids. Please enjoy this time if you have the opportunity.

Sweet Surprise

I had a very sweet surprise today. My three girls took me out for lunch. Joy, Joanna and Jennifer. They told me they appreciate all that I do for them. It's so good to have my daughters as good friends. Also it's so good to see them being best friends. What a blessing to me and to them. 

Beautiful Sunset

I took this picture at one of our church fellowships. It has always been one of my favorites. Just a reminder of God's art work for us to enjoy.