Who stole October?

October is a big month around here.
8th - Keri's Birthday
17th - Our anniversary
20th - The anniversary of our move to Jamaica
And, its gone! But, we believe in remembrance. We believe in recalling our God's faithfulness and we can do that with the month of October. It didnt necessarily get much easier than September as "storms" have continued to swirl around our family. But, His Steadfast love has kept us in profound ways. Discouragement has hit us like a truck, but encouragement has followed like a train. We give thanks as we remember His mercy!

A taste of Home!

We had some friends from Jamaica who recently took a trip through central Illinois. While there, they connected with our parents. An autumn connection with our parents can only mean one thing, a taste from home. Some cider donuts for that taste of fall and the classic "monster" cookies just because they help the world go around. As you may have heard us say before, fall may be the hardest season to miss. Obviously, we have summer here all the time, spring is special but we can deal with it, and winter is great but it just gets so long. The crisp air, the sweet apples, the colors, a wiener roast, they all escape us. But, a little taste of home is a nice band-aid.

Beautiful Naivete

Our "house" has bars covering every window, the realities of crime and thievery are ever-present. Tonight, as the boys were going to bed, they were listening to the story of the Good Samaritan. In processing the concept of robbers, Drew asked, "are there still robbers today?" Wow, what beautiful innocence!

Danae Grace

The other day, Erin took these great pics of Danae. They really capture Danae, how big she is getting and how beautiful. She is 5 months old. Click HERE for some other pics of the happenings over the past couple of months.

Before/After

Before

After

Today marks our 4 year anniversary in Jamaica. We committed to stay here for 2 years and somehow I think we lost count. Wow, how things have changed! The first picture was taken not long before we left for Jamaica, a happy, clueless, blessed, anxious, committed, naive, passionate family of 4. The second picture was taken very recently, a happy, even more clueless, blessed, anxious, somewhat committed, not quite as naive, passionate family of 6. The most natural inclination is to look at the before/after picture and only see the 2 additional kids, 100 additional white hairs, and 10 extra pounds. But, what about the inside? What has changed? If I could only show you a picture of how we have changed on the inside. Actually, I am not sure I would show you that picture, it may be uglier than the addition of white hair and extra pounds. But, I am convinced that in the midst of the potential ugliness of that picture, their would be some beautiful streaks. Not of our doing, but of the Lord working in our lives. In the changing, wrecking, tweaking, and crushing, you would find beauty. We honestly cant believe that we are here 4 years later and there are certainly times that we are not too happy about it. Then, there are other days that we wouldn't want to be any place else in the world. It has not been easy, but it has been good. We have had these conversations with God, we have shared our disappointments and we have shared our thanksgiving. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness and steadfast love.

September Update

Plattner Family Update -- September

We believe in monthly updates. We really do. I know it may not feel like it as we send out a September update on the 19^th of October. But, we believe they are valuable. We are convinced of their importance as a duty and we try to do them in delight. In duty, we believe that we have an obligation to everyone who so faithfully supports us. As an act of accountability we believe we are supposed to be reporting to all who are praying. We believe in the power of communicated needs and cumulative support. We feel a duty to write of our journey. On the other hand, we delight in reporting God’s faithfulness. No, we don’t always feel this as sometimes these feelings evade us and hide behind life’s little rankles. But, we believe in His faithfulness and enjoy praising His name. And, we delight in the fact that as we approach 4 years in Jamaica, we should have close to 48 updates that record the life and times of our experiences. There is value in reflection and these updates should provide us a “memoir” of sorts on which to reflect. We believe in monthly updates.

Well, as we said, September was a long time ago and its kind of hard to remember such ancient history! But, we know that school started in September and normalcy came back into our life. The students have slowly trickled back to school over the past month. It has been great getting into the swing of school and seeing the kids again. Kirk is back working on the farm with the kids. The work thus far has been focused on getting some vegetables in the ground. We have some cabbage, callaloo, sweet potatoes, pak choy, and tomatoes starting to grow. September saw Keri putting on her teaching hat and spending her morning sitting at the table with Drew. This is a huge responsibility and opportunity and we pray that God can use this formative time in helping our kids build a strong foundation for faith. We have also had the opportunity to teach the weekend chapels at school. Our hearts continue to be very burdened for the students as we witness them copycatting the lives by which they are surrounded. We see a loss of hope, a lack of vision, and a misunderstanding of God’s word. We pray for the students and ask you to pray with us.

Our family is doing well. September saw Drew starting 1^st grade. He is mostly being home schooled and continues to do well. He loves to learn and is very self-motivated. Truitt started school at CCCD. Similar to what Drew had done, Truitt is in a deaf classroom for 2 hours every morning. He doesn’t learn the same way as Drew, but he has been growing by leaps and bounds. Truitt’s level of confidence over the past month has doubled. For some reason, I think he finally understands that it is acceptable for him not to be Drew. It is really exciting. Daisha often sits at home in the morning waiting for her “Teecha.” She is convinced that she needs to have everything the same as the boys. Therefore, she believes that our helper, Claudine, is her teacher. It is hilarious and her schoolwork involves trying to figure out how to use the potty. She is special. Danae continues to grow fast. Besides a day here and there where she becomes convinced that the world is out to get her, she is a good baby. She is happy, smiley, and loves her siblings. While we still sometimes have to stop in our tracks when think about the fact that we have 4 children, we are profoundly blessed.

We continue to appreciate your loving support. Our school, CCCD, has been going through some very difficult times. Leadership transitions and financial struggles were front and center through the month of September. It has been difficult watching the turmoil swirl around us. We continue to ask for your prayers as we continue to seek wisdom through these difficulties. The “whys” have come easy during these times. But, at the same time, we have learned many lessons and continue to ask the Lord for understanding and clarity. Thanks for joining with us in prayer.

Every Day is a Gift

You know the adage, "Every day is special, a gift we have been given, make the most of it." Its absolutely true! We believe it and try to live it. But, some days are extra special. The 17th of October is one of those days. Its our anniversary! We are absolutely convinced that our Lord has blessed our relationship in purposeful ways. We believe that our relationship is for the purpose of bringing Him glory. It is a blessing meant to bless. It is our prayer that the light of His love flows through our lives and specifically the life we share. So, for 7 years, we have been learning what this looks like and how this works. It is a high calling. We need grace and we give thanks.

A couple of years ago, for our 5 year anniversary, I made a little slideshow of pictures. I thought it might be worth resurrecting for this year. The memories are sweet. The joy of sharing life everyday!

Cultural Differences!!!

This is a holiday weekend. Heroes day is on Monday. Jamaica has designated national heroes which are people who have helped advance Jamaica politically and socially. Friday morning, the school had an assembly to commemorate and celebrate these heroes. In the midst of one of the presentations, a certain political party affiliation began to be flaunted. You see, in Jamaica, party affiliation is a big deal. You pick "republican" or "democrat" and then you show your support through wearing certain colors, using specific hand signs, or celebrating certain leaders. And, to add to this fervor, it is almost election time in Jamaica and the parties are beginning to campaign. The rhetoric is thick. So, when this issue came up in the assembly, chaos broke loose. From teachers to students, everyone began screaming and taunting in support of their particular party. Well, not everyone, there happened to be two little Americans sitting oblivious in the front row. Erin was sitting in the back and captured a great picture of Drew and Truitt. If you know Drew and Truitt, you know this is antithetical to everything they appreciate. So, as the picture paints, these two little boys are covering their ears from the deafening noise and sitting still to try to avoid being casualties of the chaos swarming around them. Ahhhhh, beautiful cultural differences.

A new bath tub!

Who knew that you can go through bath tubs like clothes? Well, its true. Daisha has recently outgrew her old bath tub and hand-me-downed it to Danae. You can see it on the left in the picture below. She has now graduated to a new tub in which she almost has enough room to swim laps. Ok, maybe that is a stretch. In fact, by looking at the second picture, you could guess that her newer tub has not delivered on its promises of grandeur. What a peanut!

To a Mother of 5.6 kids

I had this birthday post written for Keri before Saturday, but had not got it posted before Keri wrote her own. So, not to waste a post, enjoy Keri's birthday message Kirk style.

I dont think you understand! I really dont! I am not even sure I can explain it to you or if I should even try. Its just one of those things that is difficult to put into words. Keri is special, unique! I am not just talking about the fact that we have had 4 kids in 7 years. Or how we moved to Jamaica. Not even how we have lived out of suitcases for probably more than a year of our marriage. I am talking about the day in and day out. Loving. Serving. Giving. Recently, I was doing some thinking. On any given day when I come in from work, their is a potential for at least 3 extra kids to be at our house. So, doing some simple math, adding up the hours each of those kids live at our house and dividing it into a normal week, it is very reasonable to consider Keri the mother of 5.6 kids. Of course, the 4 biological ones are always around, but we must add in the 1.6 kids whose presence is felt day in and day out of a normal week. This is alongside the fact that she teaches Drew at home, deals with a difficult husband, and opens her home often to neighbors. I am not presuming that she does it in her own power, but by the Grace of our God, She is brilliant. An exemplary wife, loving mother, and compassionate friend. It is her birthday today. Her wisdom and beauty is becoming increasingly refined by the day. Happy Birthday Keri! We love you, cherish you, and celebrate you today! Praise the Lord!!!!

What a gift!

I have to admit, turning 32 isn't so bad.
In fact it was GREAT!
My husband promised to lock me (with only Danae) in my bedroom for the ENTIRE morning!
I never use to understand what was so exciting about BREAKFAST IN BED.
4 kids later, I UNDERSTAND!

This was 3 full hours of SWEET Soul Care time...a longer than usual shower, uninterupted prayer and Bible study, chapel preparation, and a hot cup of tea.

I'M FEELING GOOD!

Thank you, Lord, for these sweet moments. Thank you, Kirk, for this sacrifice of love..it was a wonderful gift.

Tragedy and Triumph

We have a small team visiting from the states. The team is primarily made up of deaf people and they have a strong passion to minister to the kids. So, the team helped with Wednesday night chapel. Several from the team shared testimonies and I couldn't believe what I was seeing as this women told her story. She was born hard of hearing but functioned in a completely hearing world with the assistance of hearing aids. She was a teacher working at a school district in Texas. Then, through an illness/accident, she suddenly lost all of her hearing. Simply while she was teaching, she noticed her hearing evaporate. She explained how by the end of the day, her coworkers and students were coming up to her and talking to her, but she had no idea what they were saying. While she was not afraid of the deafness, the social transition was extremely difficult. As she was dealing with the illness and the sudden loss of her hearing, another tragedy struck. Her school district was having a special dinner to honor their administrators at a local restaurant named Luby's. It was October 16, 1991 and she was supposed to join her colleagues for lunch, but couldnt because of the recent illness. It was that day at that restaurant at that time that 21 of her colleagues were killed in a massacre by a crazed gun man. Her friends and her coworkers were gone, but why not her. She was thrown into this struggle. This resulted in an extended period of her life in which she was simply angry with God. She packed all of her things in her car and just drove around the country. But, through this time, her Savior continued to pursue her with loving gentleness. Her face beamed as she expressed the wonder and amazement of His mercy on her life. The pain from recounting the experiences was still evident as scars remained, but I also witnessed profound healing through her testimony. Give Praise to our God!

Here is a little excerpt from the Wikipedia page about the massacre:
The Luby's massacre was a mass murder that took place on October 16, 1991, in Killeen, Texas, United States when George Hennard ″Jo Jo" ^[1] drove his pickup truck into a Luby's cafeteria and shot 23 people to death while wounding another 20, subsequently committing suicide by shooting himself. It was the deadliest shooting rampage in American history until the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

Woman of Faith

A dear friend of our family recently passed. This is not the mourning kind of passing, but a rejoicing of a seasoned saint going home. For us, it all started one Sunday after church, Drew was a baby and Imogene asked to hold him. She held him for a short time. This short interaction made us fast friends. She has always lived with her sister Lavada, and they both loved Drew. Subsquently, they fell in love with Truitt as well and likewise, our appreciation for them also grew. Even up through our most recent time in the states, they loved catching up with Drew and even holding Danae. These were faithful ladies. They are a part of a small cadre of elderly ladies in our home church who are exceptional women of faith. These ladies live out an active faith in so many ways. They were always supportive and prayerful. May God grant Lavada peace in the passing of her sister. We thank the Lord for the Imogene's testimony of faith in our lives.

IMOGENE L. STIEGLITZ

IMOGENE L. STIEGLITZ, 85, passed away Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, at The Cedars. Born in McLean County, Ill., she worked as a registered nurse with Parkview Hospital for 22 years, retiring in 1995. She was a member of Leo Apostolic Christian Church, The Cedars Auxiliary, and Parkview Methodist Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association. She enjoyed gardening, reading, visiting friends throughout the years, and being with her family. Surviving are her brothers, Oliver J. (Emma Jean) Stieglitz, George H. (Joyce) Stieglitz, both of Harlan; sisters, Eleanor R. Strahm of Leo, Lavada L. Stieglitz of Woodburn; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by parents, George and Elizabeth (Schwartz) Stieglitz; brothers, Harold, Russel, Marvin, and Morris Stieglitz; and sister, Lenora M. Sorg. Service is 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, at Leo Apostolic Christian Church, 11714 Grabill Road with calling one hour prior. Ministers Lynn and Steve Stieglitz officiating. Additional calling from 2 to 5 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011 at D.O. McComb & Sons Maplewood Park Funeral Home, 4017 Maplecrest Road, Burial in Leo Cemetery, Leo-Cedarville, Ind. Memorials to Gateway Woods or The Cedars in Leo, Ind.