The Wilkes Team

What joy Hannah brings to our lives! Daily she is an encouragement to us all in her desire to be joyful, diligent, creative, thorough, obedient, to stay under authority, loving, kind and the list could go on and on! We our so blessed to have this dear sweet little girl in our lives! 

Due to the busy schedule we have had the last couple of weeks Hannah once again showed us the importance of following Christ and letting Him define our attitude and responses to the situations He places us in. She demonstrated a huge amount of patience as she waited to celebrate her birthday.

 So it was with great joy that we celebrated Happy Hannah’s birthday the other night and enjoyed a night of fellowship and fun together. Grandma and Grandpa were also able to join us which just added to the excitement of the evening. Cake and Grandma’s ice cream cake were highly enjoyed. But watching the joy on Hannah’s face was probably the highlight of the evening and will be etched on my mind for a long time.
 
Thank you Hannah for blessing our home and we look forward with great anticipation as to what the Lord will do in your heart and life this year. We love you very much!

6 Comments » | posted in Family News

January 29th marks the one year anniversary of theWilkesTeam.com. What an amazing year it has been. Before going any further, we wish to express our gratefulness once again for the efforts of Robert Staddon in making a long time family dream a reality. His creativity, ideas, and continued aid are valued greatly. Next, we want to extend our thanks to each one of you who stopped by this year. What a wonderful way to keep in touch!

We appreciate the focus the blog has provided. It continues to disciple us towards being ministry minded writers. Ps 119:24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors. On that note, we would heartily recommend this avenue of ministry to every family. You can have a simple blog up and ready for use in less than 5 minutes by visiting www.wordpress.org. 

Recently, much researching, voting, counting, recounting, and compilation took place as just about everyone worked together to provide the results to our unannounced 1 year anniversary blog competition. The final results are in and so ladies and gentlemen please join me in congratulating the winners.

The post that brought in the most comments, was The Night We Won’t Forget, authored by Matthew. Kenan won first place in the shortest post category when he wrote, ‘One Way.’ Joshua took first place in the longest self-written post, “Providence at Work.” Utilizing the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, Jennifer posted the article with the most photos, “The Joys of Being Together.” Finally, the one outside the Wilkes Team who contributed the most comments, was Robert Staddon. Congratulations to our winners!

Lastly, after conducting a private poll, here are the posts we think best captured: Beauty, History, Practicallity, Memory for the year, Family Fun, Thought Provoking, Remembering, Discipleship, and WOW!

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

10 Comments » | posted in Family News

Virginia’s large game hunting season ended January 5th. The men of our household were planning to go to a hunter’s dinner at a local church. This did not work out so we decided to have our own with everyone. Markie and I worked together on decorating the room with hunting gear. There were antlers around the table, arrows on the wall, gun shells, and more. Markie was a big help!

Mom prepared a family favorite casserole of venison burger and vegetables. When everything was ready, we dressed in hunting gear and sat down for a scrum-dilly-licious meal.

We learned a lot of valuable lessons this year. Several people gave us advice on how to hunt better. As a result, this was our best hunting season ever.

Venison Burger Casserole

In a 13x9x2 glass pan, spread 1 ½ pounds of ground venison, put in 2 small cans of green beans for the layer number 2, pour in 1-2 cans of tomato soup depending on how runny you prefer, and then spread about an inch of mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle a little paprika seasoning for additional flavoring and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

5 Comments » | posted in Family News, Recipes

Maine, also known as the Pine Tree State, was first colonized in 1607 (June 14th to be precise) by England under the leadership of Gen. Popham in what became known as the Popham colony. Unfortunately, the colony did not survive. Unlike Jamestown, with their bold, demanding leader, John Smith, the sister colony of the Plymoth Company lacked strong leadership. Gen. Popham had a caring heart and was hesitant to exercise the tough decisions true love and vision often bring. His successor was driven by greed and brought the struggling colony to an end even faster. Maine had few colonies on into the 1700s, but by 1820 had enough residents to become the 23rd state as part of the Missouri Compromise (March 15th, 1820). Today, the state is well known for its seafood and with its diverse landscape, is a big tourist attraction.

On one day of our trip to New England, we took a drive over to Maine. Uncle Bill & Aunt Ruth were wonderful travel guides. The road between Ashland, New Hampshire and Maine was dotted with scenic views, bicentennial buildings, rivers, and more. With the extremely cold temperatures of New Hampshire, a majority of the lakes were frozen over. After driving by one such lake (Lake Winnipesaukee) and seeing ice fisherman, bob houses (small sheds that the fisherman slide across the ice to provide shelter from the wind & cold), and dogs on top, a few of us cautiously ventured out. We found out there was 10+ inches of solid ice between us and the lake.

A quick stop in Freeport, ME provided a tour of the L.L. Bean headquarters. Mr. Bean, started this international company in the early 1900s. He provided quality products that met needs of consumers across the nation at affordable prices – 3 keys to successful business. Having purchased several items from this company in the past, it was to fun to see where it all began.

Our primary goal for visiting Maine was to see the unique coast line. Ogunquit, ME offers a beautiful view of the jagged rocks. The landscape differs greatly from the south. The land juts in and out with no real pattern – very dangerous to unsuspecting boats. Beautiful shells, unique animals, and uncommon rocks await the eyes of extra alert people. A few such people in our group, found several unusual shells, pieces of granite, and even a couple live clams. As the sun set, one of many coastal lighthouses could be seen flashing its message of danger to passing boats. At night, the beautiful rocks become treacherous points. Without detailed maps and strategically placed lighthouses, few boats could ever expect to land safely after dark.

A startling discovery we made, as our van drove along windy roads, through small towns, and along the beautiful countryside, was the lack of churches. One church we drove by had actually been turned into a place of business. Sadly, the unsuspecting darkness of evil has set in upon this state. Many are crashing amongst the rocks of eternal destruction with no light to guide them on their way. Maine’s motto is, “Dirigo, ” which is defined as, “I Lead.” As Ambassadors of Christ, it is time for us to reflect the Light of Truth and so “lead” many to Christ.

4 Comments » | posted in Family News, HIS-story

Earlier this month we were abundantly blessed by the generosity of Mom’s brother and his family. They invited us up to spend a week in the beautiful winter wonderland of New Hampshire. So many memories were made as we took part in one of our most restful vacations ever.

One adventure that became a highlight of the trip was Cross Country Skiing. Years ago, when living in North Dakota, both Dad and Mom had tried this winter sport and experienced great delight. When the chance to try it as a family came about, everyone jumped aboard. We spent 4-5 hours skiing along well groomed trails through woods, over hills, along a river, and across open fields. The Lord went before us and provided an amazing deal on the rentals. We inquired on the price, but when the lady at the resort found out how many of us were going, she gave a significant discount (over 50% off).

Cross Country Skiing is an ideal family activity (great for all ages) due to the cost, ease of participation (easier than ice skating), and opportunity to have fun and fellowship all along the way. It even provides excellent exercise and with a few of Jennifer’s timely stretches at the end of the day you are bound to feel refreshed and rejuvenated!

What were the thoughts of the first timers?

Markie: This was my first time ever skiing. I liked using my polls to push me along, especially up the hills.

Hannah: My favorite part of Cross Country Skiing was being able to do it with the whole family.

Adam: Being able to see the mountainside scenery made Cross Country Skiing exciting for me.

Sarah: I enjoyed it because the entire family could do it together!

Jennifer: Exhilarating!

Matthew: Provied great family togetherness

Daniel: What exciting it was to slide along together and enjoy the beauties of God’s creation.

Kenan: A great family memory!

Joshua: An all inclusive family memory, guaranteed to bring fun, fellowship, and refreshment to all!

We highly recommend this unique winter activity and hope your family will have the joy of trying it one day!

7 Comments » | posted in Family News

Our family trip to New Hampshire this month was full of surprises and new experiences. One memorable surprise took place on the morning of January 7th, (Monday). As you all know, our country is in the middle of what may very well be the most undecided and uncertain presidential race in the history of America. Our nation wants change but are finding it difficult to decide which candidate offers the most effective, moral answer.

January 8th brought victory for Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Prior to Election Day, each vying candidate made speeches up and down the state of New Hampshire. Concord, New Hampshire’s capitol, held rallies for several of the candidates. Seeing a unique opportunity to witness a significant chain of events, we drove the 45 minutes between Ashland and Concord. What a sight the city was! Flag wavers, air planes with banners, honking cars, banners, protestors, non-partisan groups, and more flocked Main Street. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. John McCain, and probably several others, were to make appearances in the city and so you can imagine the hustle and bustle. For Huckabee, the famous Barley House on Main Street was hosting him and the official commencement of the “Huckaburger.” Along with agenda driven people, news media, and reporters, we waited outside the restaurant until doors opened.

Around 11:15am, Gov. Huckabee and his wife Janet entered the restaurant. Amidst the chaos the 75-125 news reporters brought, each member of the family was able to meet Gov. & Mrs. Huckabee. He made his way to the back and enjoyed a tasty Huckaburger before slowly exiting the building.

A significant part of the day was the vast array of news hungry reporters. Several of us (including Markie) were interviewed by local and even foreign news reporters (atleast one interview made it onto tv). This afforded a wonderful opportunity to broadcast a question we see as paramount to deciding who to vote for this election. Dad ended up witnessing for an extended period of time with two foreign reporters (one from France and the other from Thailand). He asked each of them this question and sparked engaging conversations with both.

This question which we see as essential for determining who to vote for this election is, “When you get ready to make a decision on whether something is right or wrong, what foundation or principles do you use to make that decision?” This question provided a wonderful avenue into presenting the gospel. Only God knows what seeds were planted.

We were unable to hear Sen. McCain or any of the other candidates that day, but left with a realization of the impact every believer can have when they stand ready to give an answer of the hope that lies within them. Furthermore, the quiet testimony the rest of the family was complimented the message that was shared. May God continue to prepare each of our families to stand in the gap and to share the truth! We’re keeping our eye out for other local rallies!

8 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports, On the Issues