Fall Thus Far

Well it is official we have a preschooler! We have been doing this preschool thing for about a month now and we are finally getting into the swing of things! Malachi is adjusting pretty well, hates this whole separation thing, but once he is at school he absolutely loves it! He is learning all sorts of wonderful things!
This week they are on the letter 'E' (they were there last week too, but with MEA they only had 1 real day of school). This week is also picture day! Hard to believe we are at the stage of pictures to hang on the wall, I am so proud of the boy he is becoming!

Nanyel is also adjusting well. It is fun to see them recall their days to each other. Nanyel is still at our wonderful daycare where he plays with his cousins and other friends. I think the hardest part in it all is that Nathaniel and Malachi are apart. They haven't been separated like this since Nathaniel was 6 weeks old and I was on maternity leave. So both are adjusting well, but we are still in progress :)

For Mike and myself it has been a busy fall. Mike has been working a lot to help cover for vacations that other employees are on, he had 1 week of vacation that he worked through on a "honey-do" list I had conjured up throughout the summer months when we were always on the move. So....I finally have clean carpets! Wa-hoo! I, have had kick-offs at church for all ages, See You At The Pole, and preached a few times.
I have also had a rough fall at church, though. The first day of Sunday School saw a day I don't wish to repeat at all. I received a phone call that one of my former students was killed in a hit-and-run incident down in Iowa. You may have heard about it on the news, but it was devastating. His mom was and is one of my biggest helpers, he was one of my first graduating classes that I worked with here, he has an almost 2 year old-so the boys are friends with his son in the nursery. It was a really tough loss and we are still feeling it here. If you could-please pray for our church, for his family, and for how I alongside the youth that are still struggling with it.

Other than that we have had a good summer and fall. The trees are changing nicely here, and we haven't been too crazy on the allergies! Malachi also had a wonderful day of harvesting, he spent Friday of MEA with Aunt Kristy and Uncle Layne and MorFar out on the field. He loved it and talked about it all weekend.

We thank you so much for all your prayers. We greatly appreciate it! Also, one last prayer, if you could pray for our neighbors-one had a son pass away (he was 56) and another is planning on moving come spring, please pray for wisdom with where to move and pray for the person/people who will move into the home.

Thanks so much! God Bless
The DuFrenes.

August 21, 2015

August 21 seemed like a normal day, but God had other plans. Mike was home in the morning, like on some Fridays, before going to work at noon. The boys and Mike hung out at home while Amy ran to church (again, normal).
What changed was what happened that afternoon. After running a quick errand Malachi started asking a few questions about what happens when you die, why Jesus died on the cross, etc. It was during this conversation Amy explained that after she leaves her earthly life that she'll be with Jesus in Heaven, that she had accepted Him (and Daddy had too) as her Lord and Savior. That Jesus made it possible to have a relationship with God, because when we do bad things God cannot be near sin (or bad things) so He sent Jesus to be our mediator, or someone who walks alongside us and takes our place of judgement. Malachi asked how he would be able to be in Heaven, and how he would be able to know God the way that Mommy and Daddy do. Amy offered to pray with Malachi when they got home.
When getting home, Malachi and Mommy went upstairs to Malachi's room. They prayed, Mommy first prayed asking for wisdom, then she and Malachi prayed together and Malachi invited Jesus into his heart! Praise the Lord!

Now the work begins, showing Malachi what it means to be a disciple to Jesus. His name means "messenger of God" and we intend to show him how to live up to his name, the best we can! Will you pray for us??

Thanks, Following HIM,
Mike and Amy

Wedding Season is upon us

Most people have already started their wedding season. We have had one invite to a wedding in July, unfortunately we were unable to attend, but otherwise no weddings until this past weekend.
This past weekend (8.9.15) Amy's really great friend, Kali, was married to Brandon. Amy was honored and humbled to stand up beside Kali as her Matron of Honor. It was so cool to see how Kali and Brandon incorporated different members of their families into this wonderful, God-honoring event.
First of all, all their brothers were groomsmen. Brandon's son Jackson as the coolest ring bearer around, he did so well! Kali's youngest brother helped create a vase for them. They used it as a unity vase for a flower display. Each of them, Kali Brandon and Jackson, took a rose and placed it in the vase. Then the families came up and put Baby's breath into the vase. The vase symbolized how we are the clay and God is the potter, the roses of the display were the roses representing each member of this new family, the baby's breath was the support around the roses (symbolizing the support their families have been thus far and will continue to be in the future). It was such a powerful moment, and then the family circled up and prayed.
The whole day was wrapped in prayer and encouragement. If you can, please pray for this new family as the navigate what life will look like as a married couple. The first year is so special but can also hold its own special challenges as they learn about each other and how they tick on a day to day, hour by hour basis.

Following HIM,
The DuFrenes

Spring and CHiC

Well I have apparently been a terrible at keeping everyone informed. It has been a busy end of winter, spring, and first half of the summer. The end of the winter really was busy but overall uneventful. In early spring, however, April 15 our family had a very sad day. Thiessen, the dog that Mike and Amy had since August of 2009 was put down.
In late August of 2014 Thiessen had been playing fetch with Amy



and come around the house limping. We talked to a few dog-rescuers to see what to do, they thought it was a torn muscle and to just watch it. We did watch it and it seemed to improve, at his November vet appointment she didn't say anything about it. Well, April 15 came. Mike and Thiessen were playing a bit in the backyard before Amy and the boys left for the day of work and play. Mike came around the house with Thiessen following limping on his "good" leg. We thought it was the same, a torn muscle, so Mike helped him in the house and we got him settled and all heading towards work/daycare. Mike arrived home about noon that day to find Thiessen shaking in pain, and not able to walk. Amy took him to the vet, it was a super crazy day at church so she dropped him off with our friend (the receptionist) Calli. Calli watched him and told her she'd have the vet call as soon as they know something. We received a call a few hours later learning that Thiessen had arthritis in his hips, that both hind legs had been destroyed in his games of fetch and that, if we wanted to do surgery, the chances of him surviving are very slim. We made the very difficult decision to say, "good-bye" to our friend. It was a sad day and the boys still ask where Thiessen went. We answer, "Jesus wanted to play fetch with him, he is in heaven." It is the best we can do for their young minds.
So, not to be a debby-downer right away. We had a wonderful few weeks as Amy dove into homework for a class she would take in June. A lot of reading a few tests all done before the end of May. As we neared the end of May, we welcomed Jackson-a new puppy from the rescue down in Fairmont. And Malachi celebrated his 4th birthday! Hard to believe that kiddo is already 4 years old, signed up for preschool this fall at a local preschool (he is super excited and eager to find out who his teacher is).

June held the class for Amy, a bachelorette party for her friend, Kali, and VBS! Amy's class was a Covenant Class so she can move closer to her ministry license, it was a week long class and she was able to stay with Kali. Kali's wedding is coming up here in August and so back in June, Amy and the other bridesmaids celebrated with a wedding shower and a bachelorette party. It was such a fun time! June was rounded out nicely as Amy, Malachi, and Nanyel hiked up Everest in our Everest themed VBS! The boys were both in preschool crews (we snuck Nanyel in a year early since he would have to be there most of the week). Amy was the main actor in the welcome section of the night-she also filled in as needed-including serving the snacks. It was so fun to see Malachi grow, he even stood in front of the kids for the snack time prayer.

July was swimming lessons month for Malachi. He was putting his head in the water and splashing and loved every minute of it! Now if we could get him to sit still while the instructions happened :) Amy took 5 youth down to Knoxville, Tennessee to the Covenant youth convention called, "CHiC." This year's theme was Shift, shifting our gaze to Christ and what He has done for us. She had a blast, she started, upon arriving there, having bouts of dizziness. If you could please pray for her, she is still suffering from them 4 weeks after they started. The end of July was fairly uneventful.
Now in August we are excited to finish the softball year off with our OHCC softball team. We are eager for a letter in the mail from Malachi's preschool, he will be done at his daycare when he starts-it'll be a whole new adventure for us! And Amy's getting things ready for the school year at the church. Mike has been an outstanding dad (not that he wasn't already-he just stepped up even more this summer) all summer long, really filling in where Amy was falling behind. He is still at Menards in the flooring section, please pray that he continues to glorify God through his work there.

We are so grateful for you, we pray for you as we ask you to pray for us too. From H-town to your town!

The DuFrenes.

Winter

It is hard to believe that we are already a good chunk of the way into winter. Last year it felt never-ending. From the -40 degree days to endless "inside only" play times. It was a time when we could really never get ahead. The cold kept a pretty good hold on us, most high schoolers remember the joys of seeing their schools closed day in and day out due to the cold.

This year has been different. We had a weird, January-weather in November and then this weekend had almost spring temperatures. But yet, I feel the burden of winter laying heavily on us. The boys are cooped up and anxious to run and run and run. I, Amy, feel like we just need the sun more and more. And Mike, he hates how the garage is always a disaster in the winter; the dog is gross in the winter.

This past weekend we were so excited to welcome Mike's sister and our brother-in-law back to MN. Stacy moved out to Colorado the spring after Mike and I were married. She then married her husband, Ed, in 2012. Since then they have welcomed our cute little niece, Hannah. We are so excited to have them back! Ed came back to MN in November for work, but Stacy and Hannah didn't follow until the beginning of January. This past weekend, though, they moved into their own place! Mike was able to go and haul a bunch of stuff and I got to hang back with the kiddos.

If you feel like praying for us here are a few requests: Mike has lost a lot of co-workers. Many are moving on to different ventures, it is hard to see them go (even if you are happy for what lies ahead). Please pray that he knows that God has a plan for him there, and open up new opportunities for him. Amy has a few evening ventures to the local ski-hill with students. She is also planning the summer trip and fundraisers. Please pray for wisdom and guidance. Boys: both boys are doing well, Nanyel turns 2 on February 1! Hard to believe. Malachi had his KINDERGARTEN screening on Friday-he is cleared for that, minus the vaccines he isn't old enough for yet, and they recommend preschool (which he'll be starting in the fall). Crazy to think my babes are growing up! But there is much excitement on the horizon.

Thank you so much for praying for us!

2015

My last post, far too long ago, was one I thought would lead to a better guide for the fall. Our fall was absolutely crazy. I love the school year, I love everything about the fall from football games, cooler-sweatshirt weather, salsa making, everything! Our fall this year, however, felt like it was spiraling out of control at times. Both boys had rough falls, I don't know why or what was going on with Malachi. I have heard of the "terrible twos" but not the "tornadic threes." It seems that we are working through some of the things that take place as we learn independence and understanding of who is in charge (dad, mom and God). This is a tough lesson for anyone but a three-year old is a whole other ballgame.
Nanyel had surgery in late October for a birth defect. We felt a lot of pressure with this. I, Amy, was not a huge fan of his surgeon. Didn't feel like the surgeon took time to get to know our situation and required that the surgery take place at a different hospital (one that cost more than ours with our insurance, though it was covered-Praise the Lord). Nanyel was a trooper to be sure!
Mike and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary! Last year, with it being close to Thanksgiving and Mike's work schedule during the holiday season didn't allow for us to really celebrate. This year, we had a nice evening of Tokyo Grill and then Christmas shopping for the boys. It was nice to just sit and talk and even get a few errands done.
Work is going okay for Mike. The holiday season is so busy over there, that I think by this time he is exhausted. There were a few Saturdays where he worked over 17 hours that day alone. Please pray for a nice schedule for him in the next coming weeks to recover. He also just lost his assistant manager due to the assistant moving to a different department. He also lost a close co-worker, she passed away in her sleep only a few hours after working with him (he saw no sign that anything was coming). Please pray for that as well.
Amy's work is going okay. The youth are all going through so much, some to their own decisions and some due to situations out of their control, that she is helping with. I absolutely love what I do. We had our 6th annual New Year's Eve-Eve party this year and had about 25 kids! It was a night of fun and fellowship. It is a great chance to get to know the kids a bit, get to play with them a bit. Looking into 2015 we are prepping for a trip to Tennessee with the youth to CHiC (it is a youth convention put on by the Covenant Church).

So sorry for the delay-thank you so much for your prayers. We pray that you had a wonderful Christmas season and that you felt Christ's presence during this time.

Following HIM,
Amy (on behalf of the DuFrenes)