Reflections on 4-H in Elkhart County

Morgan is now a 10-year 4-H member.  Wow!  Where has the time gone?  I remember our first time visiting the Elkhart County 4-H Fair after moving back to Indiana from California.  The kids were 5 years olds and under.  I (Chris) couldn't wait until our kids could enjoy 4-H just like I did as a kid/teen.

Not to brag too much, but there is something very special about our county fair.  Elkhart Co. 4-H Fair has been considered the 2nd largest county fair for many years now, just missing the mark to Orange Co.

Beyond being one of the finest county fairs in the nation, it has a ton of wonderful men and women who work year-round to create a great 9-day experience like none other.  Here are just a few pictures that will give you a glimpse of the fair itself...

This year may possibly be our last year in 4-H... it all depends on whether our support commitments are at 100% by next summer.  Reflecting on the past 10 years of 4-H for our kids, we've truly enjoyed our "front row seats" in the Lamb Barn during the week of the fair.  It's such fun to watch the fairgoers and get to visit with so many friends and family while at the fair. 

The kids have experimented with various 4-H projects over the years - foods, sewing, fashion revue, salon print photography, scrapbooking, ceramics and sheep.

Morgan's salon print this year was of darling kids she met while in Thailand...

Bailey completed a beautiful ceramic project of "The Last Supper".  Lots of details in the faces & clothing...

Showing sheep, though we're not the model sheep-showing family, has been a blast for the kids over the years. We've enjoyed showing suffolk, romney, tunis, speckled-face dorsets, and this year we showed dorsets.  Here are some pictures over the years of showing sheep...

Since Morgan was in Thailand most of the summer, she didn't show sheep this year, but Bailey, Spencer and Easton enjoyed showing their sweet dorset sheep - Horsie, Luther & Loser. :)

Thank you, Elkhart Co. 4-H Fair Board, for all the hard work you put into the fair each year!  It is the highlight of our summers.  We know already that we will miss being part of such a great program after we move to France.

Morgan's Final 4-H Project = A Salon Print

It's Morgan's 10th year in 4-H.  Wow!  Where has the time gone?  We remember how exciting it was to have our first child begin 4-H.  Her first year included projects in food, clothing, fashion revue, and sheep.  As a 10-year 4-Her myself (Chris), it was quite fun to live back in my home area during the kids' 4-H years so they could also enjoy the 2nd largest county fair in the U.S. - our very own Elkhart County 4-H Fair!

With Morgan spending much of her summer in Thailand, she decided to not show sheep this year.  So, the easiest project to complete was to turn in a salon print... one single photo that she took in the past 12 months.  It seemed most reasonable to turn in one that was taken while in France.  Here were some of the top choices:

Which one of these do you think we should pick?

Well, Morgan decided instead to send us a cute picture of a couple pre-schoolers in a local daycare that they've enjoyed helping in a few times while in Phuket, Thailand.  I'm guessing you think I'm now going to post that picture, huh?!  Sorry... if you'd like to see the picture and you live in the area, visit the ECCC building at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair and look for it.  After the fair, we'll post the picture along with some other cool Thailand pics.

June Days for the Dahlgren Clan

Our June schedule, already eight days into it, is filling up quickly… prayers would be appreciated for our family as we tackle the delicate balancing act of work, family time, support team building and kids’ schedules.  Here is a rundown of what’s on the horizon:

·         June 5 – We had the pleasure of hosting many friends & family for Morgan’s graduation open house… it was like a family reunion/church friends’ get-together/kid bash all rolled into one.  Thanks to everyone who supported & prayed for Morgan and our family over the past 18 years - You are a true blessing!

·         June 15 (thru July 16) - Morgan leaves with a team from Adventures in Missions (AIM) for one month in Thailand ministering to the women caught up in human trafficking.

o   Pray for safety, amazing ministry opportunities, and that God’s love would be evident in & through them as they reach out in love to these young girls.

·         June 27 (thru July 2) – Bailey & Spencer will be heading to Chicago with other Nappanee Missionary Church youth to serve & learn about missions through the ChicaGO/SEMP program.

o   Pray for safety & God’s special working in & through their lives!

·         Easton finished up his spring soccer games while beginning his baseball league games.  He loves sports and has great fun playing all of them.

o   Pray for God’s protection during each game.

·         4-H projects for all four kids need to be completed; Bailey, Spencer & Easton will be working with their sheep to prepare them for show day in July.  Bailey is completing her ceramics project.  Morgan is completing her salon print project before leaving next week.

o   Pray for healthy sheep. (We’ve had 3 out of 8 sheep die in the past 2 years due to various crazy health issues… we need God’s protection on those little baa-baa’s!)  Also, that they would continue to learn responsibility, faithfulness and patience through the completion of these projects.

·         Steve and Chris will be taking an online class, Intentional Living, for continued training with ReachGlobal throughout the month and into the first week of July.

o   Pray we find quality time to study & learn about living intentionally in every part of our lives.

·         Steve and Chris are meeting one-on-one with families and churches to share more details about the ministry they will be involved with in Lyon.

o   Pray for quality time with many people.  Pray also that we will have the time needed to schedule these meetings while working full-time and supporting our kids’ activities.

Thanks, in advance, for all your prayers!  We know…

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 (NIV)