Happy Holidays! As Thanksgiving Holiday approaches, we want to thank each of you who have
contributed to these newsletters.
We love hearing from you and gaining new knowledge.
May you be blessed with this issue as you learn some frugal food techniques, help your
children to be consistent in their devotions, and keep bug-free. WASH DAY Monday Wash Day Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, So I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead Tuesday Iron Day Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years So that I may see the beauty in others Wednesday Mending Day Oh God, help me mend my ways So I will not set a bad example for others. Thursday Cleaning Day Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart. Friday Shopping Day Oh, God, give me the grace to shop wisely So I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love. Saturday Cooking Day Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love And serve it with clean, sweet bread of human kindness Sunday The Lord's Day Oh God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence. THANKSGIVING • What Are You Thankful Four? Cut large 4s out of colorful paper. Write “I’m Thankful” on the front. Have each person write what they are thankful “four” on the back side. These can be hung by string for decorations. (S. Stensaas) • Turkey Chain Have children color a picture of a turkey and hang it high on the wall or door. Supply each child with enough strips of paper for each day leading up to Thanksgiving. Each day, have the child write one thing they are thankful for and hang it •
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below the turkey making a paper chain. Each day could even be dedicated to a certain theme: Person I Am Thankful For, Things People Do For Me That I Am Thankful For, etc. (S. Stensaas) Name That Turkey Tune As a fun game, have each person take turns singing a familiar song, but replace all the lyrics with the word gobble. Choose a category for each round: Christmas carols, patriotic, action songs, etc. (S. Stensaas) Turkey Quiz 1. What is a male turkey called? Gobbler 2. What is a female turkey called? Hen 3. Where will you find the turkey’s wattle? It is the flabby skin growth that hangs from the turkey’s throat 4. Where will you find the turkey’s caruncles? It is the growth of skin that dangles from the turkey’s chin 5. Where is the turkey’s snood? It is the growth of skin that droops over the gobbler’s bill 6. About how long does it take a domestic turkey to grow from birth into a turkey that is plump enough for market? About 10 weeks Pumpkin Marble Cake (this is delicious and worth the ingredients!) (R. Lantz) 1 yellow cake mix (save 1 cup dry mix for topping) 1 egg ½ cup melted butter Beat together and pat in bottom of 9x13 pan. Set aside. Then mix together: 1 can pumpkin (29 oz.) 1 can evaporated milk (13 oz.) 3 eggs 1 ¼ cups sugar ¼ teaspoon cloves ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon Beat together and pour over first layer. Sprinkle with topping recipe (below), then cut through with a table knife several times to give a marble effect. (Be careful not to cut through bottom layer.) Topping recipe: 1 cup reserved dry cake mix ¼ cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup unsoftened butter. Blend together like pastry until small crumbs form. Bake at 350F for one hour or more. When cool, serve with whipped topping and nuts. KID’S DEVOTIONS • Our oldest daughter, Allison, is in the fourth grade this year. She really likes the devotion book we found called Devotions for Girls. It's put out by the same people who do the One Year Bible. It has great little stories in it and I have to remind her to ready only one a day or it won't last the whole year. We have also incorporated her regular Bible reading into reading class for school. It helps her learn to pronounce words and read smoothly. (S. Litson) •
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Mrs. Phyllis Hall has put together a couple years worth of children’s devotions that we have put into booklet form for the children and youth in our church. Each book has 4 weeks of devotions in it, and each week they have to check it with their teacher who listens to their weekly memory verse and encourages them to keep reading. This has really helped the youth get to know their Bibles better. It’s simple enough that even our 8 year old daughter does it. (J. Stensaas) www.heritagebaptistchurch.cc/mercyandtruth has new devotion books published each year for kids, teens, and adults. These are spiral bound and schedule you to read through the Bible in a year with questions for you to answer for each chapter. The kids’ book also has pictures to color, word searches, etc. These are just $7 each. Great price for such a big book. (S. Stensaas) [email protected] has six devotional books available that measure about 4 x 7 inches: Genesis, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts. The Bible reading is divided into small portions (about 12 verses a day) with questions and activities. Each booklet lasts for 90 days and costs $3 each, with orders of more than 20 cheaper. (S. Stensaas) We give each of our kids a dated journal to record what they learn from their reading each day and to record prayer requests in. (S. Stensaas) USEFUL SKILLS • As a girl, I learned the very basics of sewing with and without a machine, and I have used it over and over as an adult. I also see organization as a very valuable skill as well as a basic knowledge of how to use construction tools (hammer, drill, etc.)... even for girls. (R. Lantz) • Sewing, learning some sign language in high school, watching my mom cook nearly everything from scratch, helping to homeschool my little sister (8 years younger than me) , and gardening – these all have helped me living on the mission field. (J. Stensaas) • Sewing and cooking have been two vital skills that have stood me in good stead on the mission field. My mother taught me sewing, but we ate very plain meals growing up. I expanded my cooking skills by just learning to follow recipe directions – and by doing a lot of cooking! I also learned organization skills from my mother. (S. Stensaas) MOVING • When we move, or fly on an airplane (this last time we were allowed 23 suitcases plus carry‐ons!), or even just for the boxes we keep in storage, I like to number the boxes/suitcases and then keep a list of what is in each numbered box. (ie: "Box #15 ‐ books and kitchen items", etc.) It would also be a help if any luggage is lost en route... you would know what was in it. Note: be careful not to lose the list! (R. Lantz) • Because of the political situation here, we've moved around quite a bit (3 different African countries and several homes). One thing that has really helped us with these moves is realizing that the less you have, the smoother the move. Matt is really good about getting rid of things. We just don't keep things around that we don't use. It also helps eleminate much of the clutter in the house. If you're really sentimental, that's •
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hard to do, but if you have to move a few times, you learn not to be so sentimental! (S. Litson) Try to pack as much as possible in boxes, having as little loose stuff as possible. It’s easier and faster moving around boxes, than having many loose items. Mark the boxes as to which room they belong in. (J. Stensaas) Pack books in smaller boxes. Label all boxes on at least two sides with its contents and what room it belongs in. Purge as you pack. (S. Stensaas) FRUGAL FOOD Big Batch Veggie Soup (J. Stensaas) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups chopped onions 1 cup thinly sliced celery 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 3 cans chicken broth 2 can diced tomatoes or fresh 2 tablespoons tomato paste 8 cups mixed fresh or frozen veggies (carrots, potatoes, corn, cabbage, green beans, peas, and zucchini) Saute onions, celery and Italian seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5‐8 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, paste and 3 cups water. Boil. Simmer 20 minutes uncovered. Add veggies; simmer uncovered 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Cool before serving. Tastes better the next day! Great to freeze! • We will make a whole meal (lunch) of only sweet potato chips. Just cut up some Ugandan sweet potatoes, fry in oil and sprinkle with salt. Our whole family loves them and they’re very cheap. Also, I like to use bacon to give flavor to a potato or pasta dish. Even just half of a 500 gram package gives a lot of flavor. You can freeze the other half for another meal. (R. Lantz) • Mayonnaise can be used as a substitute for eggs in highly flavored food such as chocolate, gingerbread or peanut butter in the following proportions: 1/3 cup mayonnaise = 1 egg + ¼ c. oil. An alternative method is to substitute 2 tablespoons milk + ½ teaspoon baking powder for each egg. This will not thicken puddings. When eggs are expensive, cut costs by using this substitute for half of the eggs in a baked goods recipe. (R. Lantz) • Like in any other foreign country, the snack foods found at the grocery store here in Ivory Coast are so expensive. I try to use the things found in the market for making snacks (my kids love to snack!). Peanuts are always in abundance and are very cheap, so I've learned to make sugar coated peanuts and grilled salted peanuts. A lady I know in town makes a really good peanut candy that's almost like a brittle. We really enjoy that! (S. Litson) • Meatless or almost meatless meals are cheap. We eat a vegetable meal at least once or twice a week (veggie soup, baked potatoes with all the fixings, etc). Also adding lots of vegetables as side dishes stretches your main dish. I use potatoes and carrots a lot as they are cheap. I can make a 1 kilo roast last us many meals because of all the potatoes and carrots I put in the crock pot with it. Soups are cheap and with homemade bread or garlic biscuits, nobody misses lots of meat at a meal. I can make a huge pot of chicken noodle soup with a single chicken breast and nobody seems to notice the lack of meat with all the noodles, carrots, green beans, etc. Bean burritos are cheap to make. You don’t even need the cheese. Just pile on guacamole, salsa, lettuce, etc. You can make fajitas with lots of green peppers and onions, my children and I will eat these without any meat at all. We don’t buy juice as it is so expensive here! Milk is much cheaper so we just drink milk or water at meals. We buy sodas usually only when we have guests. (J. Stensaas) • I have begun using cabbage a lot more in our meals as it is a cheap food. It can be made into salad with either a mayonnaise dressing or a vinegar based dressing. It can be steamed in a little bit of water and oil. It can be made into soup and can even stretch meals by chopping it really fine and adding it to dishes such as sloppy joes. Another meal stretcher technique is to double the amount of sauce a recipe makes but don’t double the amount of meat called for. Also, figure out what foods are cheaper and use them more; for instance, minced beef is cheaper here than chicken, so we eat no more than two chicken meals a month. The same goes with breakfast foods; figure out if eggs or oatmeal or yogurt is cheaper for you. When my husband isn’t home for a meal, then I fix meals without meat. (S. Stensaas) • Penny Pinching Meals by Rosey Dow can be purchased from Camp BIMI ([email protected]) for $19.99 plus shipping. More than a cookbook of simple streamlined recipes, this is a manual of tips and techniques that will leave your family happy and satisfied. The author also provides a 60 day membership to PainlessPennyPinching.com when you purchase the book. What is included in the pages of this exciting resource? 1. Timesaving tips for busy moms and dads 2. Advice on the best places to shop for food 3. Diet helps to make sure your loved ones are getting enough protein 4. Breakfast in 20 minutes for pennies per person (no, it's not oatmeal) 5. How to get 4 comforting meals from one family pack of chicken 6. How to get 3 satisfying meals from one beef roast 7. Dozens of cheap substitutions 8. More than 100 ways to prepare hamburger including Mock Filet Mignon 9. Flavored coffees for a fraction of the cost Another book by Rosey Dow written specifically for those overseas is Survival Cookbook: For Americans Abroad ($14.99 plus shipping). These recipes use basic ingredients without the convenient items from a grocery store. (G. Baughman) MISCELLANEOUS • Cassava and Tapioca are the same thing. "Tapi" means root and "Yucca" is what Cassava is called in most other countries. Say them together and you get tapioca! Most Asians •
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eat it sweetened as a dessert. Use Cassava flour in place of tapioca flour in recipes. (R. Lantz) I was craving cherry coke recently and tried adding some cherry flavored kool‐aid powder to a coke. It’s good in sprite too for a cherry sprite! (J. Stensaas) No Touching: When shopping for groceries, children are a great help for loading the shopping cart, but when you are in a souvenir shop or a store of breakables, it becomes difficult for them to remember that you no longer need their help. Before entering the store, have each child interlock their fingers in front of them and put a coin between their palms. If they keep their hands clasped and hang onto the money, they get to keep the money when you leave the store. (S. Stensaas) When your family is going through the flu or colds, tape together 2 tissue boxes (one empty and one full). The empty one is right there to dispose of used tissues. (J. Stensaas) Baking soda rubbed into a child’s scalp at bath time can remove cradle cap easily . (J. Stensaas) INSECT REPELLENTS • Ants: Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in yard. Sprinkle ground cinnamon around your house or where you see them coming in. Draw a line around your house with a bottle of lemon scented dish detergent (liquid). Build a border around your house of spearmint plants. Mix 2/3 cup water, 1/3 cup white vinegar and 2‐3 tablespoons dish soap to spray on ants to kill them. • Fleas: Cedar oil spray. Plant Tansy around your dog pen. • Flies: Hang a CD up with string to allow it to spin around; it looks like a big fly’s eye and little flies stay away. Hang a clear bag filled ¾ with water above each side of the doorway. • Mosquitoes: Splash plain rubbing alcohol on skin. Mix Avon Skin‐So‐Soft bath oil half and half with alcohol and spray on skin. Mix clear, pure vanilla from Mexico half and half with water and spray on. Place moth balls in the yard where children can’t find them. • Silverfish: Sprinkle regular table salt around baseboards, drain pies and cracks and crevices. Sprinkle WHOLE, not ground, cloves wherever you have silverfish. • Ticks: Rub Vick’s Vaporub on legs • Several Insects: Plant marigolds in yard; bugs don’t like their smell. Make a spray of essential oil and rubbing alcohol (1 to 10 ratio) using your choice of citronella, lemon grass, eucalyptus, castor oil, peppermint, tea tree oil, lavender or cedar. Put a Bounce dryer sheet on your melt or in your sock to mask your smell and ward off bugs. Dab lavender oil on your pulse points. Plant garlic next to roses or other plants that are susceptible to insects. Basil repels flies and mosquitoes. WEBSITES http://www.sundayschoolresources.com/games.htm has some fresh ideas for Christian games http://www.momsminivan.com/printables.html lots of neat ideas for car travel with kids www.insidemusicteaching.com has practice drills and ideas for teaching music www.stretcher.com gives several ways for saving money or stretching the dollar WE WANT YOUR IDEAS! Please help us by sending in your ideas for the following subjects as well as anything else useful that you think others might enjoy. 1. Simply Simplify: What ways have you found to simplify your life to make more time for training your kids or homeschooling or more time for the ministry? Whether it is time saved in your cooking, simple meals you prepare, cutting down laundry time, or whatever it is, send us ways you have found that have simplified your life. 2. Recycle‐Reuse: One of the first lessons you learn upon arrival to the mission field is – don’t throw away empty containers! Wash & reuse. Besides food storage, what other ways have you put to use the empty jars, cereal boxes, spray bottles and other empty things? 3. Missionary Stories: Did you read a biography as a young person that sparked your interest in missions? Do your children have a favorite missionary book that they read often? Let us know your favorite titles. 4. 5‐Ingredients or Less: One way to save time in the kitchen is to create simple meals. Share with us your recipes that use 5 ingredients or less (salt & pepper don’t count). 5. Advertising: While we may not be in business according to the world’s interpretation, we are in the Lord’s business. What avenues do you utilize in spreading the word about your ministry? Whether websites, social networks, pamphlets, magnets or billboards – what has worked well for you? Please send your submissions to both [email protected] and
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