Hello xanga friends,

I'm not going to be posting on this site anymore because of some of the lewd adds that pop up on the top of my blog sometimes.  I've emailed about it, and I hope you all have too!  But they continue to return so... I've decided to start a new blog which you can find at:   www.4of14.blogspot.com   So please visit me here!

I think I'll keep my site open for now so that I can continue reading your sites, and commenting on them.

In Him,

Mandy

Last week I was sitting in the truck waiting for my Dad to rent a tile saw at Home Depot. 

While I waited I was reading my Bible, with the window rolled partially down.  As I read I noticed a man walk by right next to the truck, stop, turn around, come back to my window and lean up against the truck looking down at me.  I looked up wondering what kind of looney had just come up, and if I should ignore him or what...  He asked, "What's the Word say?  What's the good Word say."  I wasn't sure if I knew exactly what he was asking, but I replied, "It says that Jesus came to earth and died for our sins so that we could have eternal life".  He nodded, and asked, "But what's it say?  What does it say today?  What are you reading?"  So I told him I was reading Proverbs, still wondering what this guy was all about.  "What's it say?"  He persisted.  "Tell me something from the Word this morning!"  I glanced down and read him one of the verses I had just read a minute earlier.  "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches."  (Proverbs 13:7).  He listened very attentively until I looked up again.  "There's a lot to be said in those words isn't there!"  He said, "You love the Lord don't you!"  I said, "Oh yeah!"  "You don't see young people sitting reading their Bibles very often.  You have made my day!  God bless you!  Thank you, and keep it up!"  He walked away with a smile on his face and I continued reading after thanking the Lord for the unusual encounter.

I was encouraged and blessed.  I never would have guessed that my light was still shining while I sat in a vehicle all by myself waiting for somebody. 
It was an important reminder for me to be faithful in little things!  God is always watching, but you never know when somebody else might be!

Here's a few pictures for you all from last week.

Visiting with Bob after a long day of skiing (Notice Trevor)

Chris, doing what he loves

Posing for a picture

Little ham!

The family last Sunday +1

A Very Interesting Story!

We've been following the frustrating story of our friends, the Creighton family for over a month now. 

I've meant to blog about it sooner but the whole thing is so outrageous I didn't know where to start.

Here are two letters which sum up the situation pretty well. 

Please read them because if you happen to be a homeschooling family you could be next. 

Dear Folks:


I have been following the case of the Creighton family in California that had their children, most of them adopted, taken by social workers and sheriff's deputies. I am starting to see stark similarities between this case and the Gravelle case here in Ohio. One of the issues in both cases is the "restraint" procedures used by the parents for disciplinary means. The Gravelles had enclosures around the children's beds with doors that were never locked. In the Creighton case, one of the social worker's complaints is that the parents used "inappropriate discipline" including "keeping the children in their rooms."


Folks, this is getting out of hand!!!!!! I was sent to my room by my parents for certain infractions of the rules. You would think these moronic social workers would be HAPPY that I didn't get a spanking! But no, they are still looking for ANY TYPE of discipline to attack the parents with!


This doesn't have anything to do with "inappropriate discipline." The Creighton family, much like the Gravelles, are homeschooling parents whose children are not in the public school system where liberal school counselors can interrogate them to uncover the family secrets. This is an "I'll show you" attitude by liberal social workers who have severely overstepped their authority under the United States Constitution. I am fighting mad, and we can no longer sit by and let this garbage happen without fighting back!!!!


Below is a letter written by Jonathan Lindvall, a well known homeschooling convention speaker in California who is a close friend of the Creighton family. He has provided us with a more descriptive account on what happened when the social workers and deputies showed up at the Creighton home to take the children.


Robert R. Surgenor Sr.
Family Defense Network of Ohio

We have known the Creighton family for some time. This Christian homeschool family has fifteen children, ten of whom are adopted. Jim and Charlotte Creighton purposed, years ago, to make the necessary sacrifices to raise up these children to be God’s trophies of grace. And while the financial burdens and sacrifices have been real, there is no hint of regret as the family members all recognize how blessed they are to be part of such a joyful, loving home.


This family is well-known for being unusually hospitable. They invite groups of homeschool families to come to their house for special historical presentations, and work with many others on Science projects. (Their children have earned a reputation for winning awards at local and regional Science Fairs.) The Creightons were identified by Riverside County as model foster parents, and were chosen to speak for an initiation class of prospective foster parents there.


Several years ago the Creightons visited our family on their way home to Southern California from Washington state. They arrived in a bus that had been acquired and modified for their unique needs. We were amazed at how quickly these cheerful folks worked together to set up tents in our yard and had themselves organized to camp for the night. Each of the family members had their own responsibility, and both the younger children and young adults were joyful and obviously full of love for one another & others.


Later we had the privilege of visiting their home as we delivered turkeys our family raised. They and a number of others had ordered Thanksgiving turkeys together, and their large, uniquely-built home was the center of much activity as various families converged to pick up their orders.


Some time later Jim shared with me that the Bible Study they had been conducting in their home had grown and the people were discussing recognizing themselves as a house church. He invited my co-worker Donald Telian and me to present our full-day house church seminar in their newly remodeled and enlarged living room.


The weekend of the seminar there must have been around 150 people gathered at the Creighton home. Donald and I taught about what the New Testament actually says regarding how a church is to function and meet, including the fact that all the churches in the New Testament met in private homes rather than in public buildings.


Over that weekend my family stayed at their home, and enjoyed getting a first-hand glimpse of their personal lifestyle. Each family member had responsibilities to take care of, and they fulfilled them joyfully before enjoying playing together and with our children. At bed-time the Creighton children went to their rooms and read or listened to tapes as they went to sleep.


Recently we were distraught to learn that one of the Creighton boys, 14-year-old Zachary, was reported missing. He had last been seen on February 17, 2006. Zachary was one of the most cheerful and cooperative of the Creighton children, so they were confident he had not run away from home, despite his rough background previous to coming to their family. So they were concerned that he had been kidnapped.


As efforts to locate Zachary spread, including putting up posters and posting his photo and information on various websites, many people were praying for him. On March 14 a social worker from Child Protective Services called the Creightons to say they suspected they had located Zachary. He was in CPS custody, but uncooperative to the point of refusing to even give his name. The social worker came to the home and interviewed the family, even asking to talk with the other children privately. She left, saying she would confront Zachary with the fact that his identity was known and his family was worried about him.


It has now become known that when confronted with his identity and asked if he was willing to go home, Zachary responded that he didn’t want to go home because “they’ll beat me.” This apparently set in motion a whole series of events that is now devastating this delightful family.


The next day, March 15, Charlotte was shocked to find CPS social workers back with Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies. They ordered her to open the front gate, which was locked. She asked what the purpose was, and they said the children were in danger of abuse and she must allow the authorities to protect them. She called Jim, who immediately headed home from work. She then called the Home School Legal Defense Association, and attorney Michael Smith (president of HSLDA) offered to talk with the Sheriff’s deputy.


Charlotte gave the phone to the sheriff’s deputy and Michael Smith explained that the law enforcement personnel must have a warrant to enter someone’s property uninvited. The deputy disagreed. He said that all the children had claimed the Creightons chastened their children with a wooden spoon (information apparently obtained during the private interviews the previous evening). Smith explained that reasonable chastening is neither abusive nor illegal.


After they talked for some time, the deputy hung up on Mr. Smith, telling Charlotte that her attorney could not help her. He once again ordered her to open the gate and that if she didn’t, the deputies would have to break it open. Moments later the phone rang again. Charlotte asked the deputy to hand her the phone, but he refused, simply motioning for her to open the gate.


At one point in the exchange, one of the Child Protective Services social workers responded to Charlotte’s question of what the charges were. She called out, “You know what you do--inappropriate discipline, and food deprivation. You keep them in their rooms.”


(As the Creightons have pondered what these charges might be referring to, they are guessing the “inappropriate discipline” accusation is regarding their use of moderate corporal punishment. The food deprivation seems to be a reference to a family rule that misbehaving children are not allowed extra food (seconds) after guests have left their weekly house church meeting. And the charge of keeping children in their rooms is likely a reference to using the loss of the privilege to participate in socializing opportunities as a disciplinary measure. Yet that is precisely the approach that had been promoted as an alternative to physical chastening by the social workers with whom the Creightons worked during the adoption processes they went through.)


By the time Jim arrived, he found the street blocked by four squad cars. His friend and employer video-taped some of his exchange with the officers (see video tape of this encounter at http://www.creightonfamily.org/node/14 ) Jim asked if they had a search warrant and they said no. When he asked again, they retorted that they didn’t need one.


Eventually, as Jim and Charlotte refused to authorize the deputies to enter their property, they broke the gate and entered by force. They took the five youngest of the Creighton children into “protective” custody, despite clear evidence the children were terrorized and wanted to stay with their family.


One of the social workers defended her actions to the friends and neighbors who had gathered to support the Creightons, saying, “They homeschool, they home-church, and they self-medicate!” None of these things are illegal, or grounds for removing children.


The Creightons are admittedly unusual in their love for God, His ways, and their children. They have opened their hearts to wounded children who have found security in their loving provision and discipline. Some, including some authorities, may find such a lifestyle peculiar and contrary to their perception of what is normal. Some find it threatening to allow such peculiarity to exist.


As this is being written, the Creightons are understandably shaken and terrorized, wondering what the youngest children are being exposed to. They are overwhelmed in the face of their trial, not knowing what they should do. They are seeking help in publicizing their plight and appealing to authorities.


This is a call to God’s people to cry out to Him in repentance and supplication for this family’s deliverance. My encouragement to them, and to us all is that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God” (2 Corinthians 10:4). I believe that all our efforts in the flesh will come to nothing, unless they are acts of direct obedience
to the Holy Spirit. Our most effective tool is Spirit-led prayer.

Stickers?

Today Justin and I went to do a job for an elderly widow.  We wouldn't normally do this kind of work but our friend was swamped and asked us to take this job.

Our assignment was to lay a new kitchen floor with linoleum tile squares!

After installing and grouting a stone floor yesterday in 8 hours, we had to laugh as we sat there peeling and sticking these things on the floor.  I felt like I was playing with stickers all day. 

Justin had a brilliant idea, we used a paper cutter to cut the squares!  It worked great!  The son-in-law who was supervising the house while we were there saw what we were using and thought we were very professional!  He was impressed, and we were glad since neither of us had ever worked with that stuff before!

I was going to post some skiing pictures but xanga is having some technical difficulties I guess, so that will have to wait.

EDIT:

Hey, we got our website news page updated!  It has pictures from our latest ski trip among other things...  www.dortignac.com

I haven't felt so physically tired in a long time!  But it was all worth it!!!

Yesterday we went skiing for the first time.  We went with the Gramm's and some other friends and just being with them made the day a blast! 

Mom, Chris, Justin, Me, Annie, Merrie, Joanna, Alyssa and Trevor took a 1:00 hour class with an instructor and then we had the rest of the day, (The slopes are open until 10:00 pm), to ski wherever we wanted.  Jack and Willie decided to try snowboarding.

The difference between snowboarding and skiing for us was that by the time we stopped to eat dinner Willie said he'd made it down the bunny slope twice without falling!  (Most of us hadn't fallen on the bunny slope).

The weather was warm and beautiful, until the sun went down!

Making soup and hot chocolate while taking a break

After my last run before stopping to eat I realized I had lost my new sunglasses.  I looked around for them in the two places I thought I might have lost them but they weren't there, so I headed to the best place I could see to take off my skis.  I'd given up on the glasses since there was so many people every where.  As I approached the low brick wall I intended to sit on I saw a pair of sunglasses sitting there that looked awfully familiar.  I couldn't be sure right away though since they were new and I didn't know exactly what they looked like from a distance, so I just sat down next to them and started to take off my skis.  A guy walked up right then and picked up the glasses, I was too shocked and disapointed to say anything until he asked me if I knew where the lost and found was!  I know, big deal right?  But it was an awesome reminder to me of how God, Who is so faithful, knows every detail of our lives, He knows how much we have and how much we need, He knows who we are, He knows all about everything!  He even knows where I'm going to sit to take my skis off, and where to prompt somebody to set my glasses while looking for the lost and found! 

(You can click on the picture to make it bigger)

By the end of the day we were exhausted, and then I had to go to work with Chris this morning around 7:00.  We just got home an hour ago...  Thus explains my statement at the beginning of the post.