Missionary Conquest

My family got a game called Missionary Conquest from my aunt for Christmas, so tonight we decided to try it out. At first it seemed like it was going to be a rather complicated game, but as we went along it turned out to be loads of fun!! I will try to explain it as best as I can. Bear with me, please!

It basically has the same set-up as Monopoly. However, instead of trying to buy properties, you are trying to successfully complete mission trips in different countries. If you look in the middle of our game board below, you will see the map of the world.

When we successfully completed a mission trip, we could place one of our colored markers on that country. The object of the game is to establish Missions in countries throughout the world, and to earn Blessing Points. There were 3 ways of winning the game:

1. Successfully make four mission trips in one color region of countries and earn a minimum of 700 Blessing points.

2. Successfully make six mission trips in any combination of color regions and earn a minimum of 500 Blessing points.

3. Successfully make one mission trip to each of the three countries - Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia with a minimum of 400 Blessing points. (Those are obviously harder countries to reach!)

Here's how you go about it....

Like Monopoly, we all started on the Start/Salary space. When it was your turn you would roll the dice. There are certain spaces you want to land on, and others you really want to avoid! If you landed on a Mission Trip space, you would then have the choice of which country you want to go on a mission's trip. Of course, all trips cost money, so you would have to pay the bank a certain amount to go on the trip. However, if you got other "fellow missionaries" to go along with you, they would help cut the cost down. They would also reap the benefits or the losses of the mission's trip, but only you were the one who could have the country in the end. Basically, their benefit was to gain Blessing points. For example, one of the countries I went to was Cuba. On the card there were 8 slots. You would take one of the dice, and put it on the bottom of the card as your marker. You would then roll the second dice. Whatever number you got, that is how many spaces you moved up on the card. You would then have to do whatever that space said. If, by chance, you moved all the way up the card without being expelled out of the country or being martyred (yikes!), you had a successful mission's trip and were able to put your marker on that country.

For example, here is what each space said on the card for the Cuba mission's trip:

1. You tell the crowds that communism does not work. For that, you are arrested and expelled from the country. Gain 75 Blessings.

2. You refuse to lend your Spanish Bible to a young believer without one. Lose 25 Blessings.

3. Boldly, you speak out against government corruption. Gain 25 Blessings.

4. The food is bad, and so is your attitude. Lose 25 Blessings.

5. You help smuggle Bibles into the country. Gain 25 Blessings.

6. Testifying to a waiter leads him to Christ. Gain 50 Blessings.

7. Roll again. :)

8. Your bad attitude offends the people. They demand you leave the country. Go to Bad Stewardship (which means you lose a turn, have to give back 25 blessings, and don't get your salary)

So it really can be challenging at times to have a successful mission's trip!

You have to gain a certain amount of Blessing points in order to win the game. Each little blessing point card counts for 25 blessings.

There are other ways to gain or lose blessing points. If you land on the space that says "Blessing" you can pick up a card from the "Blessing" stack.

Here is one I received tonight:

However, if you land on the space that says "Temptation", you must pick up a card from the "Temptation" stack and you can almost guarantee that you will be losing either blessing points or something else. This is one that my Dad received tonight, which we all found rather humorous!

However, since each Mission's trip costs money, you may eventually run out unless you invest in a Financial Opportunity! Each financial opportunity is risky, however, because your marker could land on the wrong space on the card! You could also have other team members invest with you, and they can either lose money or gain money depending on where your marker lands.

What really made the game fun was the fact that we had to watch out for the "Mission Board Hearing" space! (Forget the fact for a moment that we don't believe in Mission Boards, okay?! :))

If someone lands on that spot, they are at the mercy of the court basically. They have 30 seconds to prove what a good person they are, how they are faithful in their tithing, how they have done good deeds...yes, well, you get the general idea. :) Then, the rest of the players get to decide what the "fate" of that particular player should be. If they have ever had a negative attitude about something throughout the game, if they have cheated them out of their money through mission trip escapades or financial opportunities, etc., they could be in BIG trouble! They could lose a country, lose Blessing points, lose money, you name it! Soooo...although you could strategize throughout this game, you had to be REALLY careful how you went about it, or your fellow players could really get you when you landed on this spot! I had lots of fun trying to sound "spiritual" when things didn't go my way because I wanted to be "pardoned" if I ever landed on this spot!

So, yes, it was a bit complicated, and I hope I haven't totally confused you as I tried to explain it! I haven't even touched on some other factors of the game, but it was soooo much fun! We were laughing so much throughout the game. It was definitely a family fun night! :)

BTW, Andy was the first one to complete his Missionary Conquest. I almost had it if I had only known to shout "Missionary Conquest!" at the beginning of my turn. *Sigh* Oh well! Now I know for next time! :D

Rambling Thoughts

I haven't blogged anything since Christmas, and this morning I was getting a little panicky. I mean, isn't there a blogging etiquette rule somewhere which says that you have to post a blog entry every few days or so, or you will lose your audience? Ever since I have discovered Sitemeter, its been neat seeing how many people have been looking at my blog from all over the world. I don't want to let all my faithful followers down! I know I just totally make your day with my treasured tales! :) However, I don't really have anything profound to say or post about at the moment, so I guess I will just ramble a bit till something comes to me!

I've been enjoying Christmas break. Its been great to be able to stay up late and then sleep in the next morning! That is the main thing I am dreading about returning to school next week. The thought of having to wake up early again makes me want to *sigh*. I still have a couple more days though!

These past few days I have enjoyed eating all the candy and goodies I received from Christmas. I have two baskets full of goodies in my room, plus we have a rather large stash upstairs. Its rather bad the amount of sugar I have eaten each day. I will probably have to go on a no sugar diet for awhile after this!!

I just finished one of the books I got for Christmas. It was one of those typical series where there is all this miscommunication going on, and it takes 3 books for things to finally all work out in the end. Those kinds of books drive me nuts, but I think I already blogged about this! If people would only communicate.....*sigh*.

Last night I stayed up late and finished watching the last episode of a series that my brother got me into. (Thanks A LOT, Andy!) However, although many things did work out well in the end, something happened that was horrible and I basically was crying throughout the whole episode. If any of you have watched the Robin Hood series, and have seen the last episode of the 2nd season, you'll know what I am talking about! The series is so funny, but the ending is just so sad. :( Does it ever amaze you how emotionally involved you can get over a book or a movie that is just make-believe? I mean, I cry when I read books, and I cry when I watch movies. However, it just hit me last night after I sniffled my way through this one episode that IT'S NOT REAL! I am crying about something that was just made up. I think what hit me hard was when this one person was dying in the end, and they said something like, "I will see you in heaven." I mean, it was just the typical line many people like to say when a person they love is dying, but is it really true? So many people died a "hero's death" throughout this series, so of course they deserved Heaven, right? It's a really sad thought that so many people think that just because they are a good person here on earth that they deserve to go to Heaven. So as I was sitting there crying over something that wasn't real, I began to think about the fact that I cry so little for people's souls and where they will spend eternity if they don't hear the truth. It was definitely a sobering thought!

Although its fun to read books and watch movies, it does take you away from reality and what really matters in life. It's something I have discovered I have to be very careful about not over-doing. Sometimes after I am done reading a Christian romance novel or finish watching a romance movie, I find myself daydreaming about my "future prince" and how he will come to sweep me off my feet like the guy in the story did for the woman he loved. Although there is nothing extremely wrong with daydreaming about that, it does take my thoughts away from what I need to be focusing on right now in my life. Sometimes, its good to step away from those things and get a "reality check", because it is soooo easy to get distracted with the things of this world! If it gets your mind so focused on other things that you don't focus as much on your relationship with God, its probably a good idea to stop it for awhile!

Well, I just started typing, and I wasn't really sure where this blog entry would be heading, but I think it headed where it was supposed to go! :) Hope you understood all my rambling thoughts! So next time, when you get all emotionally involved in a book or a movie, remember -

Only one life will soon be passed, Only what is done for Christ will last!

Christmas At Our House

Alayna and I were matching today :D

A cute little teacher calendar/desktop thing I got for my desk at school :D

What a cute teacher tote bag!

- My new Jane Austen collection -

Persuasion (DVD), Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion & Mansfield Park books

The table is spread & the feast is ready!

My hungry family gathered around the table.

Of course, the meal wouldn't be complete without pie & ice cream! This poor little bird was caught in the cherry pie and couldn't escape...how sad! ;-)

My loving parents

The *loving* siblings

(Andy didn't get the memo to wear red today ;-))

Posing for a picture during a rousing game of Phase 10. (Please Note: This was the *only* time I smiled throughout this game. Let's just say it wasn't one of my better days! Oh well...you win some, you lose some :D)

It was a definitely a fun and crazy day with my family! I hope you all had a great Christmas as well! I can't wait to hear (or read!) all about it :D

Christmas Morning

-Before-

Look at all the beautifully wrapped presents!

-After-

After spending all that time wrapping those beautiful presents, it only takes 2 seconds to rip open and destroy!

Awwww...look how Christmasy Andy & Alayna look together in their new sweatshirt/jacket! :D

After we were done opening presents, we enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast of egg & sausage casserole!

Now we are just waiting for my grandparents and aunt to arrive, and we will have another round of Christmas fun!

God Sent Us A Savior

If our greatest need had been information,

God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,

God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money,

God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,

God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need

was forgiveness,

So God sent us

a Savior.

-Roy Lessin-

This Christmas

may you see and know anew

how great His love

is toward you!

And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21

Twas The Night Before Christmas...

Christmas traditions are a wonderful thing. I think every family has a Christmas tradition whether they realize it or not. I know my family does! I have read some other posts about Christmas traditions and Christmas memories, so in order not to feel left out, let me share ours with you now!

Every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, we have had our own private "candlelight service" before heading off to bed. Both my parents grew up with a Christmas Eve candlelight service, so they have carried on that tradition with us. We gather candles from all around the house (mostly my room!), set them in various places around the living room, and light them. We then turn off all the lights in the house except for the Christmas tree lights. My Dad sits down at the piano, pulls out our old hymnbook and we sing Christmas carols together in the flickering candlelight. Our last carol is always "Silent Night". It is so neat to just sit there in our cozy livingroom, gathered together as a family in the quiet of the evening, and to just sing together! Especially when we sing "Silent Night" when everything is truly silent all around us, the words of the song take on new meaning. After we are done singing, my Dad reads the Christmas story from Luke 2 and Matthew 1.

As I sat there tonight listening to the familar Christmas story, I was gazing at all the flickering candles surrounding me. Every year this thought enters my mind during this special time. Jesus came to earth to be the Light of the world. Without Him, we would still all be in darkness. What amazing love God had (and has!) for each and every one of us to send His only begotten Son to be the sacrifice for our sins!

After the Christmas story is over, we then go around the room and blow out all the candles. When we were younger, it was always a contest to see who could blow out the most candles. :)

This is just something really special we do every Christmas Eve. I remember last year we were going to be at my grandparent's for Christmas Eve. So instead of having our special "candlelight service" on Christmas Eve, we had it on the eve of Christmas Eve. ;) That night I was at my Sunday School's Christmas party, and I didn't stay very long because I wanted to make sure we had enough time to have our special service.

It just wouldn't be Christmas without it!

When At First You Don't Succeed...

...Try, try again!!


After Thursday's disappointment, I had given up hope that I would ever see Kate Gosselin in person. I had heard that she was doing another book signing at Barnes and Nobles tonight, but I wasn't really interested in facing the mobs and chaos just to get a book signed. However, Rachel F. called me earlier today and told me that this time they were handing out tickets. If you had a ticket, you were guaranteed entrance!

So when I got there, Rachel handed me the ticket, and we didn't have to wait too long to see her. It was much more organized this time. Everybody had a number, and they lined you up according to your number.

The waiting crowd...she was signing books behind that pillar.

When it was finally my turn, Kate took my book and said something like, "Oh, your book is so cold! You must have been outside with it." Do you ever have a moment where your mind goes completely blank and any "profound thing" you had wanted to say just flees away? Well, that happened to me. There I was face to face with Kate Gosselin and all I could say was "uh-huh...thank you" and walk away. *Sigh*

Here would be the autographed title page of my book!

Elementary Christmas Party

Today was party day at school! I was in charge of all the games and activities for the Elementary party. I had it down in the Kindergarten classroom...a bit crowded at times, but since my room was all decorated for Christmas, I wanted to have it in there. There were two teams: Red Team & Green Team (who would have thought!?)

To start off our fun day, they first played musical chairs - thankfully no serious injuries as they pounced on the chairs when the Christmas music stopped!

The next game we played was called, "Christmas Chaos" - most commonly referred to as Fruit Basket Upset. The children were each given a name - Christmas tree, ornament, present & star. One child would stand in the middle, and call out 1 or 2 of these names. The children would then have to jump up and find another seat. The whole point was not to be the one left standing in the middle! If they wanted to call everyone's name, they would just yell, "Christmas Chaos!!" and indeed, there was mass chaos as all the children scrambled for another seat!

After these two rowdy games were over, we then played Christmas Hang-man. However, instead of hanging a man (oh the horror of it all!), I drew a Christmas tree on the board. Every time a team member would yell out a letter that was not in the word, I would erase part of the tree. The children were really good guessers! Next, we played Christmas pictionary where each child had a chance to draw something on the board for their team to guess. When both of these games were over, we then had a Christmas Tree contest. I gave each team a certain amount of art supplies to create their own Christmas tree. However, they only had 15 minutes to put this tree together!! I was pretty thrilled with how well they were all working together on it. In fact, I overheard one of the girls comment, "Isn't it nice how we are all talking to each other and working together? Normally, we are just yelling at one another!" This teacher's heart did a nice little *sigh* and a happy dance when she heard that! :P Its so encouraging to see (and hear!) teamwork in progress!

The Red Team working on their tree:

The Green Team working on their tree:

Isn't it amazing how 2 trees can look soooo different even though both teams were given the same exact supplies?! :D

The Green Team's Christmas Tree

The Red Team's Christmas Tree

While I took the trees around the church for people to vote which one they liked the best, the children watched a Christmas movie. (Notice the pattern of the chairs? I wonder whose idea that was??? :D)

For the Christmas present exchange, I thought I would do something a little different. I had 2 baskets of goodies for them to pick from, so I decided to turn it into a game. I turned on the Christmas music once again and they had to pass the basket around the circle. When the music stopped, then that person could pick out their Christmas present from me. After they got their present from me, they were then allowed to hand their friend the present they got them, and leave the circle.

It was definitely "Christmas Chaos" in the classroom for a bit while the children opened the presents they got from their friends.

Mrs. L then served us a scrumptious Christmas dinner of baked ziti, buttered bread, carrots, fruit punch, and cupcakes to finish off our day! What a fun, tiring day! *Phew* I can now breathe a sigh of relief....Christmas break, here I come!!!

Christmas Cookie Decorating

Today was my last day of Kindergarten before Christmas break. I wanted to do some special "Christmasy" things with my kiddos, so this afternoon we decorated sugar cookies. I "cheated" and used a sugar cookie mix where all you had to add was a stick of butter and 1 egg, but hey, its made life a lot easier! So, after we watched a short Christmas movie, we headed down to the kitchen to make our sugar cookies. I had actually already mixed the batter myself to prevent extra messes and to save time, so we went right to the rolling-out stage.

They each got to have a large gingerbread man/woman cookie cutter for their first cookie cut-out, and then they got to pick 3 other Christmas shapes.

The cookies are shaped & ready to enter the oven!

While we waited for the cookies to bake and then cool, the children worked on some Christmas art projects.

The boys cut out and glued together a Christmas wreath.

Abbi glued more brown felt pieces to the "roof" of her manger scene (my old shoe box :)).

What the manger scene looks like when complete :)

Playing a Christmas matching game

Finally, to everyone's delight, the cookies were cooled off enough and ready to be decorated!

The end results were quite interesting! Yes, this teacher was once again guilty of "sugaring up" her kiddos! :) However, I told them that they had to wait to eat the cookies until they got home...I am sure the parents GREATLY appreciated that. ;)