The Heymann Family Journal

Hi, We are having a really nice Christmas. Last night I took Philip, Thomas, and Nicole to the service at 4pm. Juergen stayed home with Jessica who does not like crowds of people. Our church youth group had been working on the non-traditional Christmas play for about two months. They did a super job!!! My camera does not take good pictures in low light, so none of the pictures turned out good! We got home about 6:30pm, and opened gifts. Again, bad pictures (sorry). The boys were very excited about their long awaited Lego! Nicole got some great art stuff, and science stuff, and Jessica got a new book, and DVD. I got Juergen a new computer game, and he got me a new Jane Austen movie (Persuasion). I loved it, and had to watch it 4 times!!! I can not get over the amazing costumes and sets! Beautiful! We played until 2 in the morning, and slept until 10am. This morning we had a great brunch with fresh orange juice, and eggs Benedict! Juergen has 2 weeks off, so we are taking...

Last year Juergen and Jessica went to his parents house in North Germany on Christmas day, and I took Philip Thomas and Nicole to the West Coast of the USA for 3 weeks. We visited my family in Oregon, and then went to Southern California (Disneyland and San Diego). It was Thoma's first trip to the USA. He loved it! The people there are just so friendly! I remember taking him to a McDonald's indoor playground in Corvallis, Oregon. He played for hours with the other kids. One child even gave him his happy meal toy before he left. Thomas never gets that kind of acceptance in Germany! Another highlight of our trip was riding roller coasters with my adrenaline junkie sons! We rode California screaming at the California Adventure Disney park. I was afraid it might have been too much for them...but I was wrong! If we only had more time!!! In March we saw Sarah for the very first time. I had been praying to adopt from China. You could say I was obsessed with the idea! Po...

Jessica had it first, and then Nicole, now they have given it to me! I have the flu!!! Oh, I am so sick! Please pray for me! This is not fun!

Juergen goes to his company Christmas party tonight.The company has gotten very big, and wives, husbands, and others are not invited! That's OK with me. I never did like those things anyway! I think I'll pull out some Christmas movies. Juergen hates those kind of "Chick flicks". What should it be, "It's a wonderful life" or "Holiday Inn" I just love the line from It's a wonderful life, "To my big brother George, the richest man in town"!

SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special , just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non- league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneake...

There are only 13 more days before Christmas. I have been in denial about the whole season. The weather in Germany has been more like October weather. It makes me think I've got a few more months to pull myself together! Any mom will tell you Christmas is what mom makes it! Dad only shops for Mom (and that always happens on December 24Th at around 11 am). Mom shops for everyone else! She is in charge of the Christmas crafts, cookies, special dinners, class parties, gifts for teachers and bus drivers, outings to the city Christmas markets, etc... and trust me this Mom is really behind schedule. I am just now making a list, and starting to realize I've got less then two weeks to make some magic! On Christmas day Juergen will be building Lego with the boys, Nicole will be playing with her new gifts (she reads this blog, so no more details), Jessica will be watching a new DVD, and I will be curling up on the big chair in the living room(maybe with a cup of hot coffee, hot...

You need to watch this. It is Juergen dancing to Jingle Bells dressed as an Elf. HERE . And HERE is Thomas as an elf! And I also have Philip HERE , I know this is getting old,but the kids want to see themselves as an elf! Nicole elf! Amy elf! Jessica elf! our dog Mickey elf. and last but not least... Sarah elf sings Jingle Bells in Chinese! PS.I made the kids skip school so they could learn the dance routine! What a talented family!!!

Hi, I am a little shaken up today. Let me explain... About two weeks ago a young German teenager walked into a high school and shot I believe 6 others, then shot and killed himself. This was something that happens in the USA, not here! Two days ago another young German teenager intended to do the some thing in my state.I guess he posted it on the Internet, that he would go into an unnamed high school in Baden-Württemberg,and kill people. There where police everywhere (at the schools of my children). The young man ended up killing himself in a forest. I felt really sad for his family. I am grateful he didn't manage to hurt or kill anyone else, but sad they did not manage to find him before he shot himself! Well, here is why I am shaken up, Philip came home early today (two hours early). I questioned him why. At first he said the teachers had sent them home, they had a meeting. At lunch time he told us police where all over his school. They were arresting a young teenage bo...

I read this today on a yahoo group, but it sounds pretty real... Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed" She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning. She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry. She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a t...

We are not getting any rest today. We have a very long to do list we are trying to work through before we go to China. I wish I knew when we would be able to travel to China to pick up Sarah. The not knowing is getting me down. I think all this hard work is good for me. I don't have to think...just work. Tonight I will fall into bed and sleep hard because I'm so tired. Please be praying with us to get our travel approval soon. We would love so much to travel during the kids Christmas vacation. I realize this is getting more and more unlikely...but with God all things are possible!

Here is the link to a 14 page holiday song book you can print yourself. It includes songs like Angels we have heard on high, and Joy to the world .

I read that it is snowing in Oregon...my old home! I love to watch the snow fall. It has been pretty warm here in Germany. I don't actually like the cold! When we pick up Sarah in China,half our trip will be in Southern China where it's warm! I am looking forward to escaping winter for a short time! I would love to live in Thailand or Israel. Snow is great to watch falling, but it is so...you know...cold! :)

This is my very favorite Christmas TV special. When Jessica was born, she had 4 heart problems. We had her in the hospital at Christmas time. We had no time to go Christmas shopping. The few gifts we did have were stolen from under our tree. That is right, someone broke into our small apartment and STOLE our gifts! The only thing I received for Christmas (apart from the priceless gift of my daughters life) was a Christmas card from Juergen with Charley Brown and Linus. I still have the card! Juergen knew that I loved this scene.

Tweens' are fast becoming the new teens By MARTHA IRVINE, AP National WriterSat Nov 25, 6:46 PM ET Zach Plante is close with his parents — he plays baseball with them and, on weekends, helps with work in the small vineyard they keep at their northern California home. Lately, though, his parents have begun to notice subtle changes in their son. Among other things, he's announced that he wants to grow his hair longer — and sometimes greets his father with "Yo, Dad!" "Little comments will come out of his mouth that have a bit of that teen swagger," says Tom Plante, Zach's dad. Thing is, Zach isn't a teen. He's 10 years old — one part, a fun-loving fifth-grader who likes to watch the Animal Planet network and play with his dog and pet gecko, the other a soon-to-be middle schooler who wants an iPod. In some ways, it's simply part of a kid's natural journey toward independence. But child development experts say that physical and behavioral chan...

Hi,It is late, but I'm having trouble falling asleep. Juergen and I went to see the new blond bond movie. It was so unnecessarily violent,I probably should have walked out in the first two minutes. It was not really clear who was good and who was bad. They were all bad! There was no clear good cause worth fighting for! It was mostly about money! I basically hated it! I am not a big fan of Bond films. I went because my hubby likes spy flicks! He did not like it either! What ever happened to the good guys verses the bad guys?

Dec 1 Dear Colleagues We are happy to invite you to our annual Christmas party on Dec 24 in the Argentina Steakhouse. We will have live music and be able to sing Christmas carols - and our CEO will appear dressed up as Santa Claus and light the tree. I am looking forward to meet you there and wish you and your families a merry Christmas season. Regards Bernfried Meier-Eiergeist Director of Personnel ---------------------------------------- Dec 2 To: All employees Yesterday's mail had by no means the intention to isolate our non-Christian colleagues. We of course realize that your holidays do not totally conform to ours. Therefore we will now call the party the "year-end party". We will have no tree and we will not sing either. I wish you and your families a happy time. Regards Bernfried Meier-Eiergeist Director of Personnel ---------------------------------------- Dec 3 To: All employees In this mail I respond to a discrete hint from a member of the ...

It's Thanksgiving in America and my family is gathering at my sister Shelley's house for dinner! I wish I was there! It's the same old, same old here in Germany. Juergen was not even home for dinner. He had a meeting at church. I had actually bought some turkey (not a whole turkey) and veggies. I planned to bake a pumpkin pie. Plans change! I am going to give my kids a sample of US thanksgiving food (small sample) tomorrow night! We want daddy to be there. He isn't a great fan of pumpkin pie, so I'll make some apple pie too! I got a new picture of Sarah (the 3 year old girl we are adopting from China). I may get even more photos tomorrow because a traveling family will visit the orphanage tomorrow (God willing). I got some really bad news too. My niece Anna (the daughter of Juergens brother) is in the hospital. She just found out she has childhood Diabetes. Her body isn't producing any insulin, and so she is going to have to give herself s...

I read this story a few years back, and it still warms my heart! Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for parents who basically gave me everything they could so that I could have a better future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Pickle Jar As far back as I can remember, the large pickle jar sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar. As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar. They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled. I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar and admire the copper and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure when the sun poured through the bedroom window. When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins before t...

Here are a few funny quotes. Feel free to add to this list by leaving a comment. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot. Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film! Yesterday was the last day of the previous period of your life. A Day Without Sunshine Is Like, You Know, Night Age is a high price to pay for maturity

Today I had to take Jessica, Nicole and Philip to the heart clinic in Heidelberg for a checkup. Jess had heart surgery at 3months of age, and we follow her up each year. Philip was found in central Thailand as a baby. He had two holes in his heart. He had surgery in Thailand. We also do annual check ups. It was Nicole's first heart exam. She gets tired easily, and sleeps propped up on pillows. I just wanted to make sure everything was OK. We found out Nicole has a valve in her heart that leaks a very tiny bit. It is no problem right now, but needs to be checked yearly. Philip is fine. We were afraid Jessica might need valve surgery. The heart Surgeon who did her original OP said she would need a valve job by the time she was 15 years old. We would not be surprised,but we really did not want to put her through that. Anyway, Nicole and I prayed for her last night. Today the Dr.said she is just fine. I have to continue with the checkups, but she may not need surgery for 20...

I got to sleep in until 9am this morning.Jessica (our 15 year old autistic daughter) does not go to schools on Mondays anymore. She needs a full time aid in school, and her two teachers that help her are not available Mondays. She has longer school hours Tuesday-Fridays, and no school Mondays. Anyway, I usually need to get up to help get Jessica ready for school, and today I got to sleep.I think I must be part bear, because I love to sleep! With my new found energy, I cleaned up the living room, dinning room, and kitchen. While I cleaned, I watched God TV . I understand you can now get GOD TV in the USA. You should check it out, it is great! Today I heard Steve Hill give his testimony of how God delivered him from drug addiction. Someone once said to him that Jesus was a crutch, He responded, "Oh, yes"! "He is not just my crutch, He is my wheel chair"! "I would be dead with out Him"! I loved it! I think too many of us think we would do just f...

"The Jesus Film" is a feature-length motion picture released in 1979 that depicts the life of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Luke in the Bible.The film's origins can be traced back to 1950 when Bill Bright, who would go on to found Campus Crusade for Christ, wanted to create an entertaining, but biblically accurate film about the life of Jesus Christ that could be translated and distributed globally. I have put the whole film in 15 parts at the bottom of My blog, How to become a Christian . If you haven't seen the film, it is a very good over view of the book of Luke. Each part is between 7 and 9 minutes.This movie has gone all over the world. There is also a link to the film in German.

When I was studying in Minneapolis to be a campus pastor, I was pretty poor. I could barley pay my rent, and buy food. I had to walk from point A to point B because I had no money for the bus. Even in the middle of the coldest winter days, I would need to walk. Someone noticed I had a torn up old back pack. They placed an envelope in my mailbox with money, and the address for a good place to buy back packs. Over the years I have seen many tiny miracles of provision, gifts from unknown givers. I think we would all be blessed if we would open our eyes to the practical needs of others. Go to a second hand store, and look at the parents hunting for a gift for their child. Go to the food store, and offer to pay for the groceries of the family behind you who looks like maybe they can use the help! Give in secret, and God will reward you someday in the open. But really, it is a great gift to yourself just to give!

I saw this for sale at a local store just in time for Christmas! Boy, I bet this will be a hot item! Just what we all need!

Secret Santa has decided it's time to reveal his identity. He is Larry Stewart, a 58-year-old businessman from the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit, Missouri, who made his millions in cable television and long-distance telephone service. His holiday giving started in December 1979 when he was nursing his wounds at a drive-in restaurant after getting fired. It was the second year in a row he had been fired the week before Christmas. "It was cold and this car hop didn't have on a very big jacket, and I thought to myself, 'I think I got it bad. She's out there in this cold making nickels and dimes,"' he said. He gave her $20 and told her to keep the change. "And suddenly I saw her lips begin to tremble and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. She said, 'Sir, you have no idea what this means to me."' Stewart went to the bank that day and took out $200, then drove around looking for people who could use a lift. That was his "Christm...

Last year Reinhard Bonnke showed Juergen this movie project he was working on. It is called Full Flame,and it's designed to light a fire in small groups and churches for the lost. We just ordered the whole video series. You can watch a sample of this video series HERE . Make sure and watch Lost at Sea. It really is amazing! Reinhard Bonnke is preaching in Lagos Nigeria this week. They expect between 6-10 million people.It may be the largest gathering in the world. Exciting things have already happened. You may or may not like Bonnke, but that doesn't really matter. Millions of people who are lost and needing Jesus are coming to Lagos. Bonnke does not preach Bonnke, he preaches Jesus Christ. Maybe a million or more people will find Jesus this week! That is worth praying for!

I am trying to win the Homework Battle with Thomas. He had no trouble doing homework last year, but it has gotten harder. This year he even tries to lie and say he does not have homework. I have actually gotten pretty good reading him. He isn't such a great lire! Anyway, I sat with him and read the words for him, and spelled them out as he wrote them down. When he finished, he got a reward. I just started giving the boys Star Wars cards. I buy them on e-bay, 100 or more at a time. Most of the boys at their schools collect Yugioh cards. I don't allow these cards because the cult, and occult symbols used in them. Star wars is a battle between good and evil. The good guys win! Today I won the battle, but I am sure we will have many more battles! Here is a funny old Star Wars card.

Akiane Kramarik is like your regular 12yr old kid but what is slightly different about her compared to others is she says God shows her what to paint and she paints it. She uses her gift to help the needy. Here is her website, and a short video of this interesting kid! The painting is titled Faith, and this is what she wrote about it... ... tied up to a board and thrown out to die on the dirt road the baby girl was crying for days somewhere in Asia before she was found... When I met her many months later I knew at once that I would paint her in an empty field, away from the big city, where she'd find God and love for the first time... I dedicate this painting to all the abandoned babies and children, It is because of our selfishness that they suffer and die... - Akiane

I just found a great website if you like to listen to sermons. It is SermonAudio.com I am listening to AW Towzer, you can find sermons by C. H. Spurgeon, D. L. Moody, and Andrew Murray. What a resource! You need to receive their newsletter, but apart from this the sermons are free! If you want good food look here!

This morning I was blessed to be able to share only a small part of my heart about extending compassion to the "poor" with about 50 students from Pepperdine University. From what I've been told Pepperdine is one of the top 10 schools in the USA. I'm sure most (if not all) of these kids are much smarter then me. They are in Germany on a student study abroad program. I really love being given the opportunity to try to shape their values and opinions. I only got 15 minutes, and I did not want to boar them. I felt it went well. They are a great group of young people. I imagine most of them will do amazing things in the future. I hope this will include giving their time and money to others! The staff already try to incorporate projects that help other.

Here are some pictures of Nicole and two of her friends putting together our boxes of gifts for Operation Christmas Child,a project by Samaritans Purse. The German site is here . Last year they gave away 7 million boxes in 90 countries. We try to make it an annual tradition to make one box for each member of our family. This year we needed 7 boxes. I actually pick stuff up like stuffed animals, and kids under ware when it goes on sale, then I have it for the boxes every November. We are late packing them up, the last day to turn them in is the 15th!

My ears are still ringing from the concert last night, and I have a five star headache, but it was worth it! Delirious is a real British rock band, and they really play hard rock! I loved the words to their songs. They had majorly cool graphics on a screen, that flashed the song text. If you could not understand the text by hearing it, you could clearly read the words. It was an uncompromising Christian message. Juergen and I must have been two of the oldest people there. There were around 1000 young people. The average church in Germany only has 80 people, so this was Huge by German standards. Juergen is the team leader for our Next Generation church service that meets on Sunday nights. We both have a special heart for young college age people. It was really great to see the crowds of young people hungry for more of God! We are starting to see more young people come to Christ in Germany. The concert was great! History Maker Is it true today that when people pray Cloudless ...

Juergen and I have tickets to see the band Delirious tonight in Stuttgart.God willing we will have a great trip down to the concert, and a loud but awesome evening! They rock, but they also preach! I can not wait!

I am a big believer in dreams. My kids have the Lego catalog,and I am already taking down the details of their Christmas wishes. I remember what it was like to dream about Christmas and birthday gifts. Dreaming would last for months, and often gave me more joy then the actual gifts. Sometimes I wonder if I have not lost something by having basically everything I want! I never know what to get Juergen, and He never knows what to get me as a gift. The only thing we lack is sleep! This year I have a dream, it has been something I've wanted for over 20 years. I want a plane ticket to China. I probably will not get that ticket before January, but I know it will come. Our adoption papers are in China, and God willing this dream will come true!

On the morning of Sunday 7th May the little girl giant woke up at Horseguards Parade in London, took a shower from the time-traveling elephant and wandered off to play in the park...

I find it harder to get out of my warm bed in the winter time. It's never easy for me to wake up in the morning, but harder in the winter. We turn the heat off at night to save energy. Juergen and I take turns getting the kids out the door in the morning. This morning it was my turn. Poor Juergen still needed to get up because it was to dark and foggy for Nicole to walk to the Street car alone. Thomas told me 2 minutes before his bus came that he needed to bring sugar to school. The class is baking a cake today. I am not really a baker (Germany has such good bakeries, why should I try to reinvent the wheel). I often don't have sugar in the house. I did not have it this morning. Now I need to drive to the store, buy sugar and take it to his school (20 minutes away by car). Sometimes I wonder how we manage it? The lost shoes in the morning, the parent teachers meetings, the help with the home work etc... everything! Philip sat on the sofa this morning playing a number...

Hi, I got my very first Christmas letter today, by e-mail! Germany has Thanksgiving, but it's in October. I thought I would get a head start on Christmas by changing my blog look. It gets kind of busy around here, and I may not get the chance to change my blog later.

I found this short video of some guy flying his ultra light plane over the Rio grand river. I guess the reason I found it so interesting was the whole idea of seeing something so large from a different perspective. He soars high above the river, and it is amazing to see the view. Life can get so confusing and complex when you are close to it, but from a distance everything looks so clear. I wonder what my life looks like from the distance of heaven. How clear everything must be to God, who understands the finest details, but still has the view of eternity!

This is for my adrenaline junkies (Philip & Thomas)

Today is Halloween. In Germany, this is basically a new holiday. 10 years ago, when we moved here, no one went trick or treating. In the past two years they have really promoted the holiday, and just like kids in the USA, kids here love going from house to house collecting candy. I realize allot of Christians don't want anything to do with a day that gives credit to the enemy. I have a choice, I can be the kind that locks my gate to the kids, and shuts all the lights in my house, or I can open my gate and light the path to my house! I decided it was best to light the pathway, and have loads of good candy to pass out. I want the kids in my neighborhood to know a generous family lives here! My boys have been practising saying Süsses oder Saures (sweet or sour in German). This is what they say instead of trick or treat! Thomas is language delayed. He was saying Süsse oder Saubres. Saubres means to make clean, like clean the house! Nicole thought that was too funny. She ...

I'm looking for material to put on my how to become a Christian blog. If you have any resources you want to pass on that help explain how others can come into a personal relationship with Jesus, just let me know by posting a comment. If you don't know Jesus, but have questions about God, you can also post that too. I found this cute little video about trees, and how we should just be more like a tree. I did not feel it was the right stuff for my how to be a Christian blog, because it's basically for those who already believe. I don't know what the readers of this blog are believing(because I don't get your feed back...hint, hint).Anyway, I thought I would post it here. My birthday was great, and I'm doing good. I hope you are also having a really wonderful weekend!

Juergen is busy painting the living room and dinning room for my birthday. This was no small task. He had to move all the heavy furniture to the center of the room. We have a very large fish tank that had to be half drained to be moved. We are going with a darker clay color in the living room, a lighter off white on the top of the wall in the dinning room, and a dark brown on the bottom part of the wall in the dinning room.These are all colors found in the curtains we bought at IKEA. We want to get new cabinets in the living room. That may need to wait until after we get back from China. We may do it sooner. We actually received a 30% off coupon from a local furniture store today. If they have something we like, we may get the cabinets now? Anyway, the after shot of the room will come later! Some women only get flowers for their birthdays, I get hard labor! There are some really great husbands in this world, mine is definitely one of them!!!

I love this scene from THE PINK PANTHER with Steve Martin. The movie was only OK, but this scene is worth the movie! This is a Pink Panther cartoon about paint.Juergen is painting the living room for my birthday gift. I can not wait to see how it turns out!

I'm not sure if everyone reading our family journal actually reads out adoption blog . Anyway, we are in the process of adopting a 3 year old girl from Nanjing China. The paper work took allot more time then we had hoped. DHL even lost 3 of our important documents, and we needed to have them redone. How often does DHL lose a paper? Maybe one time in a million? Anyway, the papers are all ready to go to China today (by FedEx). I thank God for helping us make it this far. It would be a miracle if we could travel to China before the end of the year. It is realistic to think it will be January or February. I like the miracle scenario, but either way I will trust Gods timing is perfect! Here is Sarah our new daughter.

Wow! we have new readers from Hong Kong and Australia! That's so cool! Welcome to our family blog. I am so glad you are here! What a small world! Have I ever told you about the It's a small world ride at Disneyland? Jessica loves that ride! Every time we go to Disneyland Paris, which is only a 4 hour drive from us, Jessica wants to ride on It's a small world 12 times straight. She has a special pass that lets her skip the line, because she is disabled. I "get to" do the ride with her, because Juergen basically could not handle it, and the other kids want to hang out with dad. If there was anything in this life that would qualify me for Sainthood, it would be riding It's a Small world 12 times in a row! I do love to see her light up as we pass all the cute dolls! I would do just about anything to see her happy!

I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either.