The Knauss House - Updated

2012-01-08T23:42:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

As we near the end of 2011, The Knauss House would like to take this chance to wish you fulfillment in the coming year of 2012. May God bless you richly and draw you close to Himself!

Knauss Happenings

2011 re-cap: In January we packed and moved to Bend, OR. Looking for houses to buy turned out not to be such a good idea and the Lord closed every door. In May, Theresa went to Germany and celebrated Natalie's graduation with her there at Black Forest Academy. They both went on to Slovakia to support and encourage the Oasis host that runs the guest home for missionaries. In June, they returned to some difficult news that Theresa's younger brother, Michael, had died a week before. They made it, however, in time for the funeral. In July we moved into a rental house and in August grandma Jeanie (great grandma to our kids) moved in with us. Jenae was able to visit from Virginia for a week. The boys started 8th and 9th grade and David started teaching a coach training class via webinar in September. The fall found us catching our breath and recovering from our move from Indiana. Oh and today Daniel received his drivers permit. Go Daniel!

Year End Giving

We continue to raise greatly needed funds for 2012. Your year-end gift would help to make it possible to make two trips overseas to visit and coach missionaries and to train those who care for missionaries. We are needing to raise $5000. You can give directly on line by going to this link - Donate Now. Thank you in advance for your generous support in caring for us and with us for His sent ones all over the world.

Our New Year's wish for you is that 2012 will bring you closer to Him in increasing glory!

Happy New Year from the Knauss House (Jenae and Grandma)
(plus Natalie's friend Jared and Sadie)

2011-11-03T14:33:00.001-04:00

November 2, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Here is #3 of our 3 series update... We will be mostly updated now - yeah!

Fall in Bend has been great on many fronts

-The weather has been incredible. Sunny days as the trees change color - those crisp mornings that end up in upper 60's and lower 70's. Just beautiful!

-Finally getting into some type of routine and organization after so long is like a breath of fresh mountain air.

A highlight for Theresa and I has been connecting with Desert Streams Church(dstreams.org) in Bend - a small group of about 60 people (that might be including kids). The joy of this for us is that we are daily encouraged to press into our relationship with God - and pressing in we have. We are going deeper and experiencing God more closely than before.

I, David, am growing in experience and appreciation for coaching. In September I started teaching via webinar - basic coaching skills to Life Impact staff and a few others located in varous places. The idea here is that they would be trained to coach Christian leaders as these leaders retreat at Oasis locations. Just in the training we've seen several of the participants make major life shifts in the way they live because of coming to new understaning. I've also had many wonderful coaching opportunities in the community with non-profits and for-profit organizations.

Theresa has been keeping very busy with managing and setting up the home, helping Grandma and other elderly saints with healh and practical needs, nursing a few hours a week during the seasonal flu immunization time and taking the coaching seminar.

One of the great joys of being here in Bend has been the opportunities we have had to meet with pastors, missionaries and Christian leaders. Walking with them and serving them through the tough things in their lives has been such an honor.

Though our plates are full our hearts brim as well. In our next update we will share more of our needs for moving forward in all that the Lord is calling us into.

This picture was taken at our front door in September

Love from all of us at the Knauss House.

PS: We have decided to change the date of Natalie's graduation party to coinside with her birthday in December. More info to come.

Email Address:

KnaussHouse88@gmail.com

Home Address/Phone
in Bend:

3210 NE Hampton Ln
Bend, OR 97701

541.241.6636

Life Impact Ministries

Support Christian Leaders by supporting the Knauss House
Donations can be sent to:
Life Impact
PO Box 2216
Liilburn, GA 30048
memo: Knauss #130

Visit our new website:

KnaussHouse.org

We are working at organizing our communication. The website isstill being formed but go check it out for a quick gander. We would love to get your input for ideas!

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Knauss House Theme for 2011
"As for me and my household we will serve the Lord"
Joshua 24:15

Serving with Life Impact Ministries

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Life Impact Ministries · 3210 NE Hampton Ln · Bend, OR 97701

2011-10-13T16:17:00.001-04:00

October 12, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Here is #2 in our 3 series update... thanks so much for all the wonderful responses to last week's update. So picking up at the end of June... "The Knauss House is now open in Bend” ...and guests we have had... :) I’ll just mention a few -

We moved just in time to receive a group of Kazakh and Ukrainian students that came to Central Oregon for a debrief in SunRiver from a 2 week servant leadership academy organized and taught by Co-Serve International. Anya from Kazakhstan (who is like a daughter to our family) was able to stay a few days longer with us - albeit on an air mat on the floor.

At the end of the first week of July our sweet Jenae flew out from Virginia and we were able to visit with her and show her around Bend. She is now a junior at Liberty University and is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Coaching (taking after her dad!). We were so blessed to have time with her!

Natalie welcomed her friend from last year now living in Canada (David) a couple of weeks later and he stayed into August with us. Natalie is taking a year off of school – a “gap year" as it’s called. She has been blessing many here in Bend by babysitting and tutoring etc… She has not been able to find a steady 40 hours a week job yet.

About the time David (Natalie’s friend) left, Theresa's grandma on her mom’s side, Grandma Jeanie, moved in with us. Theresa's Aunt Lyn came up from CA and we all helped pack up Grandma's apartment, move everything and then start to unpack. And, yes, we found treasures dated back to the 1930’s! I am happy to report that we can almost get a car in the garage now!

Oh, and did I mention in July we had a family reunion here in Bend from Theresa’s dad’s side? .

The Lord doubly blessed us in August not only with Grandma (87 years old) moving in but also with the acceptance of Daniel and Caleb into Trinity Lutheran School. It is a small but wonderful Christian school in Bend. Daniel started his freshman year of High School and Caleb his 8^th grade year. Both boys are settling into their routine and figuring out the ropes.

Have a blessed day and hope to send out update #3 in a week or so more related to ministry (Life Impact), coaching and a few other items!

Love from all of us at the Knauss House.

Email Address:

KnaussHouse88@gmail.com

Home Address/Phone
in Bend:

3210 NE Hampton Ln
Bend, OR 97701

541.241.6636

Life Impact Ministries

Support Christian Leaders by supporting the Knauss House
Donations can be sent to:
Life Impact
PO Box 2216
Liilburn, GA 30048
memo: Knauss #130

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Knauss House Theme for 2011
"As for me and my household we will serve the Lord"
Joshua 24:15

Serving with Life Impact Ministries

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Life Impact Ministries · 3210 NE Hampton Ln · Bend, OR 97701

2011-10-05T16:32:00.002-04:00

October 05, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

So much has happened over the summer months as they have for everyone! Since there is so much to cover and catch up on we thought we would do this in 3 shorter emails. This is the first of those three.

Let's start with May and June... Our living situation was precarious during this time and we found ourselves as a family crashing on friend's and families' couches and guestrooms - even Sadie our dog ended up as a guest in a kennel for 3 weeks and then some friends' home while we were homeless. God uses all situations though and we see His mighty hand during that time.

Theresa traveled to Europe at the end of May to both coach and support Life Impact's staff in Slovakia as well as attend Natalie's high school graduation from Black Forest Academy in Germany. YEAH - Congratulations Natalie! BTW - We are just now able to have a graduation party for Natalie Nov 12th. More on Natalie and the other Knauss teenagers in the next email.

Natalie and Theresa both had a wonderful time and it was such a blessing to have had that time together. The last days however were overshadowed with some very difficult news from America.

Theresa's brother Mike died unexpectedly. He was 34 years old. The family waited on the funeral until Theresa and Natalie were able to return. It was a difficult time but we also were blessed to be able to mourn together as a family and celebrate the wonderful memories we all have of Mike.

I'll end this update with saying that instead of buying a home in Bend, as we had hoped in the spring, we were able to find a rental home at the end of June (after the 5 of us returned to Bend). We crashed on Grandma's couch and floor in her 2 bedroom apartment until we could move in.

Things are tight to say the least in this rental house but as Grandma has been saying these last weeks "Thanks be to God" - at last after 6 months of living out of suitcases and bouncing from house to house we have a roof over our heads, a bed to call our own and boxes to unpack.

Have a blessed day and hope to send out update #2 in a couple of weeks. Love from all of us at the Knauss House.

Email Address:

KnaussHouse88@gmail.com

Home Address/Phone
in Bend:

3210 NE Hampton Ln
Bend, OR 97701

541.241.6636

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Knauss House Theme for 2011
"As for me and my household we will serve the Lord"
Joshua 24:15

Serving with Life Impact Ministries

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Life Impact Ministries · 3210 NE Hampton Ln · Bend, OR 97701

April

2011-04-22T15:41:00.001-04:00

Made it to Bend OR

2011-04-22T15:39:00.000-04:00

Merry Christmas

2011-04-22T15:35:00.002-04:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Much to say this month but with all the Christmas emails flying around I thought we would keep it simple and to the point! Here are a couple of pictures and a few bullet points:

Moving to Bend– Our house has not sold so we have decided to rent out our house here in Indiana and still try to get to Bend. Your prayers greatly appreciated. Our new goal is to leave Indiana around the 15^th of January. Please ask God for His purposes and will be to be made clear and His provision to be made known.

Bend or Bust….

Life Impact Conference - Dec 8-13^th in Oregon – Great time to meet all the staff, plan and train for meeting the needs of Christian leaders worldwide.

Merry Christmas– from the Knauss House!

Knauss House Update - October 2010

2010-12-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends;

As promised in our last update here are the specifics on 1) Life Impact 2) Our new role 3) How you can join with us in this vital ministry. Life Impact is the organization that we (The Knauss House) are now working with to minister to the needs of Christian Leaders. We are excited to have such a far reaching GLOBAL impact.

1 – Life Impact: Consider this:

Missionaries:

Ø 47% of career missionaries leave their work within the first 5 years!

Ø 71% of these losses are for preventable reasons.

Pastors:

v 1400 pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in the church.

v 70% of pastors constantly fight depression and say they have NO ONE they consider a “close friend”.

v 80% of pastors feel the ministry negatively affects their family.

The need is HUGE. Many years of education and 10’s of thousands of dollars are invested in EACH of these leaders. Yet they leave kingdom work (shepherding, caring for and leading the flock) prematurely for preventable reasons. There is a significant emotional, psychological and personal cost to them and their families as well – many finding themselves and their faith depleted.

Life Impact offers…a place of quiet, rest and retreat. A place where confidence is held, rest and solitude is found, for husband and wife to reconnect. A setting conducive for increasing or finding again one’s intimacy with God. Life Impact does this by… first providing places of Oasis (refreshing, living water found in the desert) , meeting leaders where they are at and offering coaching, counseling and mentoring depending on their specific needs.

(see the graphic at the bottom of this page)

2) Our new role: We have accepted the position of “Director of Coaching and Personnel” for Life Impact. We will be training Oasis host couples in coaching and providing care for them. We are also on the executive team - giving direction and management to Life Impact as an organization. It’s also our desire to open our own Oasis in the near future.

3) Please join us in this vital ministry:

There are several ways you can participate and partner with us.

- Please pray for Life Impact and the Knauss House

- Partner with us as a monthly or regular supporter – impacting leaders around the world

- Take this opportunity to give a special gift to the Knauss House/Life Impact (we have many needs right now Afghanistan Trip, moving to Bend etc…)

If you would like more information or if you would like to join with us simply reply to this email and send us a note – we look forward to hearing from you.

You can give by sending a check and making it payable to: Life Impact, PO Box 2216, Lilburn, GA 30048 – Please put in the memo line “130 Knauss”.

I look forward to reporting on my trip to the middle east when I get back the first part of November.

David for the Knauss House

David, Theresa, Jenae, Natalie, Daniel, Caleb

www.lifeimpactministries.net

Knauss House Update - September 2010

2010-12-27T21:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Family and Friends;

Here is an update on the Knauss House and a request towards the end…

Psalm 34: 3-4 “I sought the LORD, and He answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame”

Family Update:

These last months have been full of transition – Natalie is now in Germany and LOVING it! She writes often and we talk weekly. She felt more like herself after a week at Black Forest than the last 3 years in the US. You can write to her at KazgirlNat@gmail.com – Jenae is back at Liberty University and has her own apartment – we visited her over Labor Day weekend. She is also much more “at home” in an apartment than she was in the dorm last year. Jenae is looking to switch her major to psychology. Daniel and Caleb are doing well. Growing like weeds! We now officially have 4 teenagers! (I keep telling myself “it’s a good thing – we now have 4 people in the family that know EVERYTHING”! J) Caleb just celebrated his 13^th Birthday last week. Theresa and David – The house here in Indiana is now up for sale and we hope to move to Oregon in October. Please join us in prayer that the LORD will bring a buyer and we can move before winter. FYI Both girls are on Facebook and post pictures…

Ministry Update:

In our last update I eluded to a new ministry that the Lord has called us into. We are excited to officially announce that the Knauss House (and this really is the whole family) will be working with, ministering to, strengthening and encouraging Christian ministry leaders – specifically Pastors and Missionaries. These last months have been a strong confirmation for us that this is the next step God has for us. Scary yet exciting too!

1) Life Impact was started in 2003 by Dave and Sherri Grissen (our former Navigator supervisors) in order to keep overseas workers on the field and pastors in ministry. By caring for them and helping them process through life’s issues (as an objective and independent organization) hundreds of leaders have gained clarity, processed their situations and discovered the next steps to take in moving forward and making good decisions. This is really a ministry of hospitality and pastoral care. More details coming up…

2) Trip to Afghanistan: Interestingly enough this is an unrelated trip to the above announcement– though God is calling us to minster to his shepherds with Life Impact – our hearts are also for the unreached. I, David, committed months ago to this trip before we knew we would join Life Impact. I have an opportunity to teach on servant leadership in Kabul from Oct 21^st - Nov 5^th to Afghan current and future leaders. Please pray. Things have heated up over the last weeks over there including 10 missionaries losing their lives. For more information on this trip you can look at http://www.co-serve.org/afg20109g6Xhq.htm

Exciting “coincidence” – we have felt lead for many reasons to move to Bend, Oregon – the main reason was our hearts’ desire to be with Theresa’s grandmother – We are excited about this for several reasons but one is that for 17 years we have not been able to live near family and now the doors are opening for us to do that. Grandma Jeanie, through words of wisdom and many hours of prayer, was instrumental in Theresa’s decision to give her life to serving others overseas. Grandma has been such a blessing to us and now we can give a little back. We also think she will be a great ministry partner as we care for Christian leaders. As God lead us through this specific way, Life Impact, interestingly enough, is being lead to have their offices also move to Bend, OR starting next year. Coincidence or providence?

Seeking Ministry Partners:

As in the past, in order to be effective we need team. My next update in a week or so will give more detail about Life Impact, our role and how you can join with us in this vital ministry. Times are hard and they are especially lonely and difficult for ministry leaders. Spending so much time helping and caring for the needs of others, pastors and missionaries have little or no time for their own needs. Would you begin praying now to see if God is asking you to join with us in caring for His leaders? Thank you!

Current Prayer Requests:

1) The sale of our house in Indiana

2) The move to Oregon

3) Trip to Afghanistan

4) Ministry partners

Blessings and Love from the Knauss House to yours,

David, Theresa, Jenae, Natalie, Daniel and Caleb

My Trip to Savva

2009-07-15T13:29:00.008-04:00

Wow! Thank you all for your support of my trip to Kazakhstan! Because of your prayer and donations I was able to go on an amazing trip to Savva Orphanage with some really great people. My trip was so fun. I got to see my old home, see my old friends, AND visit the orphanage that I have been going to since I was 10. In the past six years that I have been going to Savva I have built some really awesome friendships with the kids there and with the teams. Let me tell you about some of the things that we do during the 8 days at Savva. Every morning at 9 we had English classes with the kids. This year I partner taught with one of the girls from Oregon, and we taught 5th grade. I got to teach my class from last year which was so fun to see how the kids had grown since the year before. After English class we had free time until lunch. Free time was my favorite time because we got to hang out with the kids and just get to know them. Then was lunch, and rest time. After rest time we played sports, and had hair and nail time. After that was more free time, yay! Then dinner. After dinner we would have evening activities. Every night we would do something different. Like one night we had an All American night (which I planned) and another night we had dance night. This is a picture of Sumit (one of the kids), me, and Kamery one of the girls from Oregon This is a picture of me at dance night. I was a hula dancer :) After the evening activity we would have disco. The other favorite part of my day! Dancing, being silly, and just having fun with the kids was always a great experience! Then we would have a team meeting and go to bed. Then we would get up the next moring and do it all over again! A great 8 days! Then came the last day...the last day is very hard. The kids are crying, we are crying, there is usually not a dry eye in the place. It is always hard to leave because you don't know if you will see these kids again. You worry about what will happen to them. The rest of the week makes the last day very worth it though. This is a picture of the last day, right before we got on the bus, with all my special kids that I have become close with. My trip was great and it was all thanks to you, because without your support, I wouldn't have been able to go. Thank you for everything! Hope your summer is going as great as mine :) Natalie Knauss

Natalie Arrives in Kazakhstan

2009-06-28T08:35:00.016-04:00

The delegation from Interlink arrived in Taraz Kazakhstan. Here Natalie and others gather to prepare for their 2 hour bus ride out to the orphanage. Natalie with 13 other Americans are putting on a 10 day camp with 180 kids from Savva orphanage. Here are a few pictures -

When she returns we will put up more of the activities and kids that they loved on.

Graduation Open House

2009-06-02T22:14:00.003-04:00

Jenae is officially finished with high school! Yesterday, Monday, she took her final high school final and is elated to be out of school. Last Sunday we attended her Senior Awards ceremony and are so proud of her many accomplishments in the past 3 1/2 years since she came to the States and started high school in Virginia. We are excited about the commencement ceremony this Saturday and preparing to celebrate it with an open house on Sunday. Please join us if you are able!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T20:26:00.014-04:00

We had the great pleasure of hosting the Britt family at our home for Memorial Day weekend. In celebration of Jenae's 18th birthday and her upcoming high school graduation they made the 9 hour drive Friday arriving around 11 pm. We had a wonderfully fun weekend together do all sorts of fun things like riding the ATV around the yard and in the woods across the street: Drew's brother, Tyler, brought his fencing gear so he and Daniel had a few friendly matches: Tyler is also tres interested in radio controlled airplanes and a member of the AMA ( Academy of Model Aeronautics) so was thrilled for the opportunity to visit the AMA museum and flying fields located here in Muncie. He brought his plane and had a great time flying it at the field. After visiting the AMA site we went to The Artist Within (where Jenae just completed her internship and now works) and Jenae gave Drew and Rich (Drew's dad) some pointers on throwing: Because they were here the weekend of the Indy 500 David thought it would be exciting if he and Rich could go to the race. They managed to get good seats with a couple other guys and had a fun time experiencing true Hoosier spirit on Race Day! Here is a picture David took from his seat: We've heard that if you live in Indiana you must experience it once - and both David and Rich agreed... they had fun, but once was enough! While the men were at the race the rest of us went to church and in the afternoon enjoyed some time swimming and playing in the water. In this picture is Drew's mom with Jenae. By evening we all returned from our various places of fun so we could celebrate once again with cake, candles, and presents for Jenae. Here Jenae is with her favorite cake, made by mom! Drew bought Jenae a mini coffee pot for her dorm room. Overall, it was a memorable holiday weekend!

Fundraisers!

2009-05-22T23:18:00.011-04:00

Both Natalie and Jenae are planning and preparing for trips to serve in various parts of the world this summer. Jenae to teach English in Thailand in July and Natalie to help in a Kazakh orphanage in June. Because they each need to raise between 3 and 4 thousand dollars, they have sent letters to friends and family requesting their support through financial contributions and have also done various fund raisers. The past few weeks have been busy ones as their final amounts are coming due. In mid April Jenae was invited to participate in Muncie's Spring Zing. For the Spring Zing several downtown Muncie blocks were closed off and various opportunities for entertainment and shopping were offered. Jenae was able to market her pottery and the owner of The Artist Within also donated many ceramic pieces for Jenae to sell. All proceeds went towards Jenae's trip to Thailand. At Spring Zing there were also guys on bicycles doing stunts: And several bands played: Jenae did well, making about $150 just in the few hours she managed her table. She was also able to take orders for several items she will make and deliver in the future. Way to go, Nay! Natalie's team consists of people from Portland, Oregon; Lynchburg, Virginia; and Muncie, Indiana. Those here in Muncie have done two fund raisers. The first was a corn hole tournament. Corn hole is a bean bag type game that is quite popular here. The team did a bang up job of planning and setting up the tournament. Unfortunately, the turn out was much less than anticipated, but the team still managed to make some funds for their trip. The weekend following the corn hole tournament the Muncie team pulled together again and put on a BIG rummage sale at the home of one member. The neighborhood she lives in hosts a rummage sale across the neighborhood twice a year so it is a very popular event in the community. The Savva Delegation also sold hot dogs, drinks, popcorn, and other snacks so were a sought after stop for the rummagers! The team brought in about $1500 from this sale! Yeah team! Thankfully, both girls are now fully funded for their trips! Thank you all who have given financially or donated items making their service trips this summer possible.

Kazakhstan in April

2009-05-06T21:49:00.010-04:00

My trip to Kazakhstan in April was wonderful in so many ways! Of course there was lots of good food, as there always is when enjoying the experience of being a guest in this most hospitable land! In this picture I am enjoying bish parmak (5 fingers) with my dear friend, the one responsible for making this wonderful platter of noodles, meat, and potatoes. And though the weather was rainy and cold much of the time I was there, the scenery is, none-the less, breathtaking! A main objective was to have time with Interlink's staff in Kazakhstan. I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with each of these quality individuals, renewing friendships as well as becoming acquainted with those new since we left two years ago. Another main objective was to spend time with Interlink's American employees and work through some issues they are currently facing. I thoroughly enjoyed being with Beth, Ken, and Jason and felt that we had a productive time together. For sure, the greatest gift of this time was the opportunity to spend time with so many friends. This lady was one of my very first friends in Kazakhstan and one who can be credited with helping me gain my early working knowledge of the Kazakh language. I enjoyed a wonderful evening,visiting late into the night with this dear family. These are friends from our days in "Risky". Their daughter, pictured in the orange striped top, is one of Natalie's long time friends. Sulushash, a close friend from Bauerzhan, is pictured here with her 2 year old daughter. One of the greatest moments of this trip was when I showed up, more than 2 days before I was supposed to be in town, and surprised my friends for their son's birthday party. I wish I had pictures of Scholpan's face (seated next to me in the red top) when she answered the door and found me! This beautiful young lady was just 13 when we first met and used to babysit for us. Now she is married with two children of her own! Overall, a wonderful time!

Surprise!

2009-04-05T11:29:00.005-04:00

I made it! Yes, I, Theresa, made it safely to Kazakhstan on Friday. I arrived into Almaty Friday morning, rested for several hours then flew to Taraz arriving around 6 P.M. I kept this pretty quiet because I wanted to show up unannounced at our friends' house today and surprise them for their son's 9th birthday. With the help of friends here in Taraz I was able to pull off a fabulous surprise! It was really fun to show up at their house and completely shock them with my presence - and just time to join the family celebration. These are some of our dear, dear friends. This man was the first person David met the very first time he went to visit the village "Risky" where we lived from '94 to '99. We have celebrated so many birthdays and other holidays together over the years from the time our kids were very little. This young lady was born just 8 days after Daniel so she and Dan have been friends since birth. In this picture she and her brother are sitting in front of a mural their oldest sister painted on the bedroom wall. I look forward to the coming days here in Kazakhstan as I spend time with these and other dear friends.

The Artist Within

2009-03-22T20:28:00.011-04:00

The Artist Within is actually the name of the shop where Jenae has been doing an internship for the past several months. In this store you can come in and enjoy creating various types of art. The idea is that with a bit of encouragement we can all find the "artist within". As a birthday gift Jenae took me to The Artist Within and with her help I painted a mug. It was fun but through the experience it was confirmed, the artist is no longer within me! In fact, she was delivered nearly 18 years ago and in recent years has become more familiar with her own Artist Within. Through her internship Jenae learned about a student art show here in Muncie and was able to submit 4 pieces of art. Of these, three pieces were accepted into the show and were on display through the month of February. This is one of the pieces Not only did Jenae have 3 pieces of art accepted into the show, she won 3rd Prize in her division for this scratch board Here are some of Jenae's pieces of pottery that she has thrown and painted. Now that she is at The Artist Within 4 days a week she often stays after to throw pottery or paint. This bowl has a special place to hold chopsticks. Jenae made this pizza pan for me as a Christmas gift and I love it! It works every bit as good as the one from Pampered Chef. Thank God 4 Horses Jenae has been invited to enter a youth art show next month where she will be able to sell her art. She hopes to sell some of her work in order to help pay college tuition. If you are interested in purchasing any of Jenae's art, please give us a call or send us an e-mail.

Best in the County

2009-03-20T22:59:00.004-04:00

For the past two months Daniel has been on the Science Bowl team at his school. This is his first time to do this; he has really enjoyed it and has learned a lot. Tuesday was the county match and Daniel's school did really well. None of the other schools even came close! Go Blue and Gold!

Daniel, Drago, Daddy

2009-02-20T12:25:00.007-05:00

Drago is a Chinese Water Dragon that Daniel received as a gift on his birthday. Our next door neighbors were looking for a new home for Drago and Daniel really wanted him! Since he came complete with his entire habitat and only needs about a dozen crickets a week (cost $0.90 when not available to catch outside) we felt it would be a perfect pet for Daniel to have. Though he is a reptile, even I think he is rather cute! Though you can count on NEVER seeing him on MY head!! Daniel has done a great job of feeding and caring for him. He even used some of this birthday money to purchase a harness leash so he can take Drago safely out and exercise him. Prior to the harness Drago had escaped once when Dan had him out..and I, for one, would prefer not to find a Dragon in my laundry! I would also rather not find Drago dead by murder from another predatory animal in our household!! In other news at the Knauss House, David will be arriving home this evening from 10 days away working in England. He was sorely missed on this side of the Atlantic and we are looking forward to having home again.

School Closures and Orthodontics

2009-02-03T14:58:00.006-05:00

(There really are brackets on the top, they are just clear so barely visible.) Wednesday we woke up to nearly a foot of snow and it was still coming down! We had already been informed of school closing but none-the-less were both delighted and a bit concerned as the snow continued to pile up. The snow itself was delightful, but Natalie had been waiting for so long to get her braces on that we hoped we could make it to the orthodontist office. We hoped that the orthodontist and his assistants could make it too! The worst part was getting out of our driveway and down the street; we weren't sure we would make it, but we did. Even so, upon reaching the highway we found there was still snow accumulating on the road and as we got closer to town things didn't get any better. Through the snow we went and happily made it, though a little late, for Natalie's turn to sit in the chair and get brackets attached to her teeth. It was nice to be one of only a few brave souls to make it out that day - there was no waiting and no one to look on and feel self conscious in front of! She was sore for several days after so was thankful to have school canceled not only that day but for the rest of the week making it a 5 day weekend! (and it meant that she didn't have to take that French test while feeling lousy!)

Teenager in the House

2009-01-24T21:14:00.007-05:00

If you are close to my age, you might remember Wayne Watson came out with a song "Teenager in the House" back in our teenage days. I remember a few lines of the song, something about "racing up and down the driveway in my car" and "can the phone be surgically implanted in the ear?" As of Wednesday we now have another teenager in the house, making the total Knauss House teenager count 3! Daniel started his birthday on Wednesday morning with a small family celebration before school and a birthday dinner at home that evening. However, the main event was this weekend. Friday evening two friends spent the night. The three boys put up Daniel's new tent in the living room with great plans to sleep in it that night. With such a fun place to sleep the dog and cat had to get involved; but they weren't that interested in sleeping! They didn't mind so much because once the boys left for Dan's basketball game the next morning, the animals went back to sleep... After the game the boys came back and got ready for the rest of the guests to arrive. Once here the kids played sardines, hide-n-seek, video games, Sequence, musical chairs, had a dance contest, and even went outside to sled in what is left of the snow. They also enjoyed a hamburger lunch and, of course, cake and presents. Happy Birthday, Daniel!

Phone Failure

2009-01-19T10:55:00.004-05:00

We often joked in Kazakhstan that if three out of four were working we were good. The "four" were electricity, gas, water, and phone. In the past month or so we have had problems with water and septic and now it is our phone. Actually, we are at 3 1/2 because our phone DOES work, but our phone number doesn't work! We are in the midst of changing phone companies and there is a glitch of some sort so we actually have two phone lines but neither of them are with our regular phone number. Because of this, our phone has not rang since the 15th! If you would like to call us you can call our cell phones or here is our temporary phone number: (765) 381-0252. In case you are wondering...the temperature is 16 degrees Fahrenheit- practically a heat wave compared to temperatures late last week!

Cold and Colder

2009-01-16T21:21:00.008-05:00

I thought it was cold when I took this picture on Wednesday afternoon. It was about 26 degrees. It snowed steadily most of that day and this is what it looked like at 3:00: Thursday the temperature dropped steadily to a low of -12 degrees Fahrenheit(that is about -24 degrees Celsius)! It has has stayed bitterly cold ever since. It did get up to 5 degrees today, though, and now it looks more like this: Since our day of digging in the yard and running water from our well trying to clear it, we have been extra thankful for clean water from the tap and no further septic tank overflows. In this weather it would be less than fun to try to do that again!

Weather, Water...Weird

2008-12-28T18:12:00.004-05:00

December started out weird with our septic tank flooding our basement with several inches of "brown water" (this is code for sewer water, I know due to the severe smell that wafted up from our basement!) The symptoms were temporarily relieved by having the septic tank pumped but the underlying problem is still being investigated. Mainly David would like to find the "distribution box" for our septic so it can be cleaned, preventing further build up. Some of you may be interested in chit chat about the "D-box" but since most readers don't really care I will not go into it except to say that we don't yet know where it is. In the meantime, I went to Oregon, returned and Christmas was nearly here! The week of Christmas as we busily prepared to celebrate the Savior's birth with baking, shopping, wrapping and other festivities, the water from our tap was growing increasingly cloudy. By Friday afternoon we had mud flowing from our tap. With this we called a family conference where we discussed our strategy for dealing with our water crisis. As you can imagine, this is not the first time we have been without water so we reminded one another how to manage. This time has been much easier because we had a lot of left-overs so didn't need to cook, and because we can use disposable dishes! We never had that convenience in Kazakhstan! Because the weather has been cold (some of the time, VERY cold-down to 1 degree F.just a week ago), keeping the ground frozen, David had not been able to dig around the septic tank to find the mysterious D-box...until Friday when it warmed up and we experienced thunder storms with pouring rain! Then it was too wet to be outside digging. However, yesterday the temperature nearly reached 70 degrees! Fahrenheit. In December. WEIRD. (In case you forgot, we are not living near the Equator!) During this heat wave David first, with the help of friends, ran water from our well into the yard for about an hour. By the end of this the water was running clear again. Then, began the digging. Finally a chance to find the "D-Box"! Well, after a whole day of digging, we now know some places it is NOT. And towards night fall David and Jan found something. We don't yet know if it is the long anticipated D-box or if it is an abandoned septic tank. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be buried treasure but we do not yet know for SURE. The good news in all this is that though we still don't know the whereabouts of the D-box, water from our tap is looking normal so we are back to flushing, showering, washing dishes and floors, and starting tomorrow we will be cooking once again! What an exciting Christmas week!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T23:28:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Knauss House to your house!!

Fun with Faraway Family and Friends

2008-12-21T23:14:00.004-05:00

It is true! I recently made a trip way out West and was able to see many family and friends during my 7 days in Oregon. I began thinking about this trip in August when my niece phoned to tell me that she and her sisters were planning a surprise 25th wedding anniversary party for their parents (my brother, Tim, and his wife, Tina). The party was scheduled for December 5 so I decided to fly back to Oregon with my mom and step-dad on December 3 (more on that visit later!) Of course, I forgot my camera so bought a disposable one that doesn't produce such nice pictures; but here is a shot of my brother and his family taken at the party. My nieces did a fabulous job planning and pulling off a party that was truly a surprise! Another priority of this trip was to see my Grandma who lives in Bend. I thoroughly enjoyed my short 3 days with her. While there it was fun to help Gram with a few things around home and town, including doing some shopping. Most of all it was great just to be in her home, sipping tea and enjoying time with her. Also, because both my parents grew up in Bend I still have relatives there and was able to have dinner with my cousin Troy and his daughter on Saturday; shared dinner with my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Mick, cousin Rob and his wife and daughter on Monday; and also visited long time friends Dave and Sherri. Here I am with my beautiful Grandma. Another wonderful gift of this trip was to be able to join in celebrating David's mom's (Karin's) birthday. I arrived too late on her actual birthday to celebrate that day, but they all agreed to postpone the party until the next day so I could join. (Unfortunately, I had not yet purchased my disposable camera so don't have a photo.) Besides these spectacular events, I also treasure the time I was able to have with others in my family and a number of friends as well. It was a great trip! As wonderful as each day of my trip was, it was nice to be back home again. David and the kids did a great job of keeping the household running (despite a septic problem that happened a few days before I left for Oregon) so now we are full swing ahead in Christmas celebrations and preparations! (Keesa really likes the tree!)

Give A Gift That Changes Lives

2008-11-25T18:45:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wondered how you can give a gift that changes the life of a child? This Christmas, you have the opportunity to make your gift go further with Interlink's Gift Program. Imagine coming to the orphanage at age 10 with no prior education. When you begin school, you are placed in a grade with other kids your age, who all know how to read and write. You are passed from grade to grade until you graduate, but realize you don't even have the ability to read and understand the test that will allow you to study at a vocational-tech school. As a result, you have no future, except that of cleaning up after other people. This Christmas, you can give a child with a similar story hope for a better future by following the three easy steps below. Here is how the program works:

Choose items from the Interlink Gift Catalog that you would like to give to your friends and family.

Donate quickly and securely via Google Checkout.

Print out gift cards from our gift card page. Then give the card to a friend or family member for Christmas and know that this years gift could change a life.

Visit the Interlink Gift Catalog today and start shopping for life changing gifts.

Monday Miniatures

2008-11-15T16:54:00.010-05:00

MINIATURE MONTA Three weeks ago, David returned from Kazakhstan bearing gifts. One very special gift was a montavarka, pictured below. A montavarka is a multi layered steamer - in our case, 4 layers - used to make "monta". Monta are dumplings filled with a ground meat mixture and steamed in the montavarka. The thing that is funny is that I have been assistant in making monta many times but had never been the one in charge so when David arrived with the Montavarka I knew I needed to figure it out quick! So that Monday the kids and I began the process of mixing dough, cutting vegetables and then the rolling and cutting of the noodle dough. It all turned out great except that the monta were supposed to be about 3 times bigger than they actually turned out! Pictured below are our miniature monta, that though teeny due to me cutting the dough super small, tasted great! They will be bigger next time... I suppose only our Kazakhstan friends will appreciate the miniature appearance of our monta! MINIATURE MEOW Meet Keesa! I confess, I love alliteration. So although we adopted this itty, bitty kitty on a Friday (see, there I go again!), I still had to add his mini -ness to my Miniatures on Monday post! "Keesa" in Kazakhstan is the equivalent of "kitty". What I mean is that here in America when we see a cat we say, "Here kitty, kitty". In Kazakhstan (and maybe other post Soviet countries) they say,"Keesa, Keesa", so I guess his name could be translated as kitty! Anyhow...Keesa was orphaned when his mommy was hit by a car so he needed a home at a very young age. He came to us the same day David got home from Kaz. He was quickly accepted and has adapted nicely to family life in the Knauss House! As you can see, we now have matching pets!!

Fall Feelings or... The Difference A Day Makes

2008-10-23T12:31:00.008-04:00

Recently, as I looked out the window at this beautiful fall scene I pondered what about it made me feel melancholy. As I thought on this deep and mysterious topic the thought came to me that I had already been here and seen it. Still, no great understanding of why that would make me feel a touch of sadness. Then it came to me, for us to repeat a season while in the United States hadn't happened in 15 years! So, though we are beginning our second full year in Indiana, it is still a first! Oh my, how complicated we can be! Following these thoughts I remembered back to last fall and how the landscape was transformed through the month of October as fields were harvested. It was then I decided that the landscape of my feelings was being transformed too, in this time of transition. The former was good, but this is good too! The above picture was taken about a week ago and it shows what the view toward our house looked like yesterday morning. However, after being gone for a few hours, I came home and it looked like this: Minus all the tall corn stalks the landscape had really changed! Honestly, I don't know the connection with the field of corn, but I feel that while the sadness of being away from Kazakhstan is ebbing there is a brightness that comes from knowing we are just where we are supposed to be at this season of our lives! Along with fall comes the desire for some of those warm, comforting foods that can be eaten no matter which continent we are currently serving on. Some months ago I made this soup for my friend Tammy and her family after she had had surgery. Since then she has been requesting the recipe. As promised, today I am posting my recipe for Cream of Potato Soup. Originally this came from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook which I left in Kazakhstan last year with the hope that we would be returning and I would be using it there again. However, once we made the decision that now it was time for us to be in Indiana, my friend and co-worker on that side, Beth, gave me the gift of a new, spiral bound copy to replace my well worn, not-holding-it-together copy in Kaz. Unfortunately, this edition does not have the recipe and I can't find the one Beth wrote and sent to me. Fortunately...it is all in my head so here goes (keeping in mind that I do not measure precisely): Cream of Potato Soup 4 cups potato slices (I always peel mine first) 1 cup chopped onion 6 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon dried dill 1/4 cup margarine 1/4 cup flour salt and white pepper to taste 4 cups milk Cook potato, onion, and dill in chicken broth until tender, then put it through the blender to the consistency you prefer. While the potato mixture is cooking, in a different pan melt the margarine in a heavy saucepan then stir in flour, salt, and pepper with a wire whisk until smooth. Add milk stirring constantly with the whisk. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly; continue cooking for another minute or so being careful not to let it scorch. Then pour this mixture into the potato mixture and combine well. (If the soup is too thick add more milk.) If desired, garnish individual servings with fresh dill and grated cheese. I always use my hand blender when making cream soups as it is so much easier to handle with much less chance of spilling or my arm being burned by steam!

Road to Victory Rally

2008-10-18T11:32:00.009-04:00

Yesterday Daniel, Caleb and I had the opportunity, along with about 25,000 other Hoosiers, to go to the Road to Victory Rally with Sarah Palin. Here Caleb is signing the Campaign Headquarters for Governor Mitch Daniels. It was tremendously exciting to be in such an enthusiastic crowd and we loved hearing Governor Palin speak in person. She was witty and winsome, energetic and enthusiastic, beautiful and believable! We were fortunate to have VIP seating so were not as far away and it also meant that we had a much shorter line to wait in! I collected Caleb and Daniel up from school by noon, then picked up a couple of my friends; and we were on our way to Noblesville arriving around 1:50. The program didn't start until 4:30 and Governor Palin wasn't slated to speak until 5:30 so we were in plenty of time to get through crowded parking lots, security lines, and seating procedures. We counted this as part of the adventure so enjoyed it all. After the rally we tried to get an autograph and were so-so-close... but not quite close enough! The best part of that is being able to see how Sarah Palin interacted with people. The second best part was that the parking lot had cleared out considerably so we didn't have to wait nearly as long to get out - and even the freeway was moving a bit better by then! All in all, it was a long day, but oh-so worth it!

Soup'sOn! Saturday

2008-10-11T17:00:00.005-04:00

This weekend Natalie is the guardian of an infant. She is responsible to care for this baby day and night - last night the baby (Dina) woke up around 3:30 needing to be changed and fed. I know this because I heard her crying. Natalie did a superb job caring for her little one and has continued to keep her close by all day, changing, feeding, and rocking her as needed. She is a cute little thing, even though she is a computer doll! Yes, this doll cries when she needs something, makes sucking and swallowing sounds when "drinking", and even makes cute baby noises while she "sleeps". Natalie needs to care for her all weekend as part of her Child Development class. Thankfully, her teacher programed the "baby" to be off during the football game last night and during church tomorrow. All the rest of the time Natalie is "on duty"! Now, to Soup's On!... my sister has been hosting Soup's On! Saturday on her blog for a few weeks now so I decided it was finally time for me to post my soup recipe (the one Tiff has been pining for). So here is my recipe for Taco Soup. Actually it isn't "my" recipe, it is from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook. TACO SOUP WITH BLACK BEANS 1 lb ground beef, browned and drained 28 oz can crushed tomatoes 15 oz can corn, undrained 15 oz can black beans, undrained 15 oz can red kidney beans, undrained 1 envelope dry Ranch Dressing mix 1 envelope dry taco seasoning 1 small onion, chopped tortilla or corn chips, shredded cheese, sour cream 1) Combine all ingredients except chips, cheese and sour cream in slow cooker. 2) Cover, cook on low 4-6 hours. 3) Garnish individual servings with chips, cheese, and sour cream This is a great recipe to make when I only have a short amount of time before dashing out the door. I often brown the meat and chop the onion the night before then all I need to do is open cans, pour it all in, add seasoning packets, stir and go. When I made this in Kazakhstan I would always use home canned tomatoes and have several cans of corn and whatever beans I could find. I would just open cans and pour until my crock pot was full; usually not enough room for 2 cans of each, but almost, so I had to decide what I wanted more of and open that first. This makes a great after church lunch, too! Happy cooking!

Kaz Coaches

2008-10-08T08:16:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Larry, Barb, and David left for Kazakhstan, via Indianapolis, Detroit, and Amsterdam. Upon arrival they will spend about two weeks in Kazakhstan focusing their time in Taraz but also spending some time in Shymkent, Vanovka, and Almata. This is Barb's first trip to Kazakhstan so it will be extra fun for veterans Larry and David to introduce her to the many friends and joys of that beloved land. En route they will spend about 6 hours in Amsterdam and will do some sightseeing before boarding the plane for the final leg of their journey. Once in Kazakhstan they will visit Interlink's work in Shymkent and have a number of important meetings there. Since we were there in June Interlink has been able to finalize purchasing the property on which our center sits. This is something we have been wanting to do for several years and now that it is done there are some improvements and changes to seriously consider. From Shymkent they will travel to Taraz with a stop to visit the orphanage in Vanovka (the town fondly called "Risky" by the Knauss House when we lived there because the official name of the town is Turar Riskulov). Once in Taraz Larry, Barb, and David will spend time coaching the team, meeting with employees, strengthening ties with officials, and assisting in any managerial needs. Of course, they will also enjoy time with friends and plenty of Kazakh hospitality.

Play for Work

2008-10-04T22:00:00.006-04:00

Last month David and I had the wonderful opportunity to go on a trip, just the two of us. It was a wonderful time away; though because of Hannah, Ike, and Josephine we weren't sure if we were celebrating our anniversary or hurricane hunting! March 19 was the 20th anniversary of our wedding. ( click here for Mood Music from our wedding...) Knowing that this is no small feat, and wanting to celebrate the joy of our marriage, we booked our 3 day Bahamas cruise, knowing even then that it would be hurricane season, but felt that schedule-wise it would be a better time to go then at our actual anniversary. As it turned out, that was the exact time Ike was coming ashore, in fact, we watched the news coverage of Ike hitting Texas from our room on the ship! However, we enjoyed beautiful weather for two days in Miami before boarding the ship, and for all three days we were on board. Besides the excellent reason of celebrating 20 years of marriage, we had a second purpose for our trip. Now that we have a travel website to supplement our income we need to learn all we can about travel; and cruising is a major leisure travel activity these days. (to view our travel site click www.way2muchfun.com) We also needed to experience first hand some of the opportunities in port so visited a fabulous water park on Nassau. We had a blast riding the water slides, floating on the lazy river through rapids and waves, swimming in the ocean, and viewing the excellent aquarium. So, for all these reasons, we had an excellent time away! And, I have to say, it is really great to get to play for work!

iDentical Double Digits

2008-09-27T17:23:00.005-04:00

Last week we experienced several very sad days. Thursday and especially Friday were sad because those days we were acutely aware that Caleb would never, ever be 10 again. For as long as he lives. As parents we experience such sadness (accompanied in our house by parental wailing) as each child's birthday approaches. It is truly sad... But then, on their birthday morning, we wake with such great happiness and anticipation of what the next year holds for each of our unique and talented offspring!! Tradition in our house is for Birthday Pancakes for breakfast. Birthday pancakes are the size of a dinner plate and are made only for birthdays. To accompany birthday pancakes are usually balloons and presents (combing hair is not required - thankfully I (Theresa) am behind the camera!!) Caleb had been asking for a BB gun for some time so this birthday we decided it was time. To go along with the gun were several "accessories" that he also really likes! This year Caleb requested a skating party. Considering the thought of keeping 8-10 5th grade boys actively engaged in positive activity at home VS the $5 per person the skating rink charges for birthdays, we decided that a skating party was a GREAT idea. After several hours of skating, with a cake and ice cream break in the midst, we traveled home with our van full of boys and had a bit more fun in the yard before parents arrived. After everyone was gone and we were enjoying a second round of birthday cake Caleb told me that he had enjoyed his skate party VERY much and wants to do that again next year. Personally, I don't want to think about all that crying and wailing again just yet, so will enjoy our youngest being 11 for about 11 months before I start thinking about another skate birthday party!!

Turkey Trouble

2008-09-04T14:37:00.005-04:00

I love living in the country, really I do! It is not unusual when out walking our dog, Sadie, to see rabbits, raccoon, or even deer. However, there are some pesky "wildlife" in our neighborhood...turkeys! I am not kidding. It seems that these turkeys started out to be farm turkeys but were set loose at a young age to roost and forage. Now they chase people and have even been rather aggressive, causing one neighbor to run to my house for protection when she was attacked! I tell you this because recently two of these turkeys started following Caleb as he mowed the lawn. Once Sadie saw that they were there she took great joy and excitement in chasing them over the lawn, across the road and into the woods...then back across the road and into our next door neighbor's yard. All of this seems somewhat believable. However, what happened next is so funny that I took pictures lest you think I jest... After I removed Sadie from where she had the mean turkey cornered, Jerry (my next door neighbor) and his son Jared decided to make the turkey leave their property. The problem with that is that the turkey ran/flew back to our yard. Jerry and Jared are too nice to leave a mean turkey in their neighbors' yard so they worked very hard to get him out. First, the turkey roosted on our patio...right on the grill!! After much pushing and prodding with the butt of his gun and with a big stick the turkey roosted on the fence, right next to Sadie's dog house. Sadie didn't think this was a good idea. (You can see Sadie, barely visible, next to the fence going after the turkey.) I kid you not, Caleb threw a basketball, hitting the turkey several times; though Mr. Tom was jolted he did not give up his position on the fence! He was also pushed and prodded numerous time with the butt of the gun and the big stick, eventually causing him to fall backward off the cyclone fence and down the rock wall into the driveway showing him the road leading to the wooded area where he finally ran off to! I knew turkeys were not the most intelligent of God's creation, but I didn't realize until this episode how far down the list they lie!

First Bell

2008-08-13T20:24:00.006-04:00

I'm an Oregon girl so having "First Bell" in August is difficult to accept. "First Bell" is a holiday in Kazakhstan celebrating the start of school and in Kazakhstan this happens on September First. Early on in our time in Kaz this was difficult for me to understand, why would school start on September First even if it was a Sunday? Then someone explained to me that it is a big celebration, so big that it doesn't get put off even for a Sunday (would we consider having 4th of July the next day just because it fell on a Sunday? Of course not!) After considering this explanation I began to appreciate the psychology for this celebration; after all, it is a great privilege to have the opportunity to learn. So in Kaz kids get all dressed up with their fresh school supplies and a beautiful bouquet of flowers for their teacher in hand and head to school for an exciting morning with a welcome assembly, getting to see their classroom and be reunited with their teacher and classmates (they have the same teacher and classmates from first through fifth grade),and becoming acquainted with their new schedule. But alas, we are no longer there and we are currently here, in Indiana, where school starts not after Labor Day as it does in Oregon, nor on September First, as it does in Kazakhstan, but in mid August! So you see, it is difficult for me, the mom, to be ready for this eventful day. Having home schooled for so many years only adds to my difficult adjustment! Ready or not (mom that is!) school started today! I can hardly believe that my first born is a SENIOR in high school! And how is it possible that I have a sophomore too? Daniel had his first day at the middle school - with lockers, class periods, and lots of new classmates - and decided that he loves middle school. He said that he only had REAL problems with his locker once - he is a trooper! For Caleb it means being in the top grade in his school and getting to sit at the very back of the bus (this special area is reserved for 5th graders). Caleb also came home excited and pleased with his first day. So, you see, whether mom was ready or not, we had a very successful "First Bell" for the second time here in Indiana.

Friends Forever

2008-08-04T21:25:00.012-04:00

Michael W. Smith came out with the song,"Friends are Friends Forever" in the 80's - if you aren't familiar with it you can listen to it here. Throughout this post are pictures of some friends that will be "friends forever" but I will need to write about a hundred more posts to picture everyone; so remember, this is just a sampling! A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed several hours with an American family that we became friends with in Kazakhstan; we have the special history of ringing in the new year together whenever both their family and ours happened to be in Kazakhstan for the holiday. Now that we live in Indiana and they live in Illinois, we might be able to ring in the new year together again some time! Since their visit I have been contemplating what a bitter sweet thing it is to have dear friends in many places. Though we miss our times of fun and fellowship with friends from Kazakhstan (some still there, others not) we would not trade those special relationships for anything!

New Lady Liberty

2008-07-20T20:49:00.007-04:00

There is a NEW Lady Liberty being created right now, right here in Indiana! That's right, the new Lady Liberty will be 130 ft tall as compared to 151 ft of the real Statue of Liberty! It's hard to believe, but she will be made out of ... styrofoam, and will be coated with plastic to make her not only weather proof but also bullet proof! FreeDigitalPhotos.net This amazing re-creation is set to be finished this week and then transported via 80 UPS trailers to St. Louis for her great unveiling on August 6. 80 UPS trailers - that will make a caravan 3 miles long! Should be quite a show! Upon arrival creators will have but 3 days to assemble and have her completely ready. "Ready for what?", you may be asking. This Lady Liberty will be the centerpiece for YTB's 2008 national convention. YTB stands for Your Travel Biz and is the the company we signed up to be Referring Travel Agents for. YTB is a publicly traded company that has been around for about 8 years. With YTB we have a website very like Orbitz or Travelocity where anyone, at any time, can get on and book travel, buy event tickets, order flowers, rent a car, or any number of other online purchases. Besides that, if you want to organize a group or need help for some reason you can call and we will help you. We are really excited about working with this publicly traded company as they have exhibited very high standards, operating on the motto: If it isn't true, don't say it; if it isn't right don't do it! The main difference between this company and big names like Orbitz is that the commissions they earn go into advertising and and the commissions YTB earns goes right to the person whose site the travel was booked on; utilizing the proven word of mouth advertising method. So, if you are planning any travel, ordering flowers online, renting a car (or know anyone who is) please check out our site and compare. If our prices are competitive (and I am confident they will be!) please book at www.way2muchfun.com! Click here to see Chicago news station WGN's July 7 coverage of Miss Liberty's construction, travel plans, and anticipated future.

Boatin' Birthday Blast!

2008-07-16T20:04:00.010-04:00

Last Friday, July 11, was David's birthday. Because we are greatly blessed, we had the joy of sharing his birthday celebration with my dad and his wife Jenae's boyfriend and his dad Another friend from Virginia, Jason, about to leave for a year in Kazakhstan was also able to celebrate with us. Also because we are especially blessed, our friends the Millers loaned us their boat. All of this allowed for David to have his dream birthday...spending the entire day driving a speed boat in near perfect conditions! There were 10 of us enjoying the Indiana heat on Mississinewa Lake. Nearly every one got up on skis, though some had not been for 15-20 years and others had never been before. Overall it was a grand day - and for David, a GREAT way to test out being 44! Happy Birthday!!

Back for the 4th

2008-07-04T10:01:00.018-04:00

Happy 4th of July! We are happy to be back to our Indiana home after a month away and about 30 hours of travel to get here! We arrived home around midnight on July 1 and have spent the last two days sorting through mail, unpacking and putting things away, and trying to orient to our current surroundings! Our farewells were bitter sweet. Our last day in Taraz we were whisked away for lunch with friends at their house, sold our Toyota van, had about 30 people stop in to say goodbye, were loved greatly by the team as they served dinner and tea to all who stopped by, and were seen off to the train station by the team and at least three local families. Needless to say, last Saturday was a busy day! We enjoyed two days in Almaty and were able to see a number of friends while there. We spent much of Sunday with friends from Vanovka - below are one of the pictures taken that day. A delightful surprise of our return flight from Almaty to Amsterdam was that we saw a man who had been a friend of ours in Almaty in '93-'94. Almas was one of our first friends and we lost track of him not long after we moved to Vanovka. We enjoyed about an hour visiting with him in the Amsterdam airport. We hope you enjoy a great 4th of July celebration!

A Time to Laugh and a Time to Cry

2008-06-25T06:58:00.006-04:00

Well, here it is, nearly the end of June - already! This means that our time in Taraz is drawing to a close - already! As we look back over the past few weeks we have had many opportunities to laugh with friends - especially as we arrived. Now, as it is time to leave, I sense the tears coming! There is a time for everything... For a week now, Natalie has been at an orphanage about a three hour's drive from us. They have had a busy week teaching English, doing crafts, playing sports, and generally developing relationships with the kids there. Today and tomorrow will definitely be a time of many tears for Natalie and for the rest of the delegation members as they say farewells and head back to Taraz on Thursday before flying to the States on Sunday. (We will post some stories and photos after she returns, probably after we are back in the States) Today David and I began going through our Taraz home, deciding what to do with many of our possessions. When moving within a state, or even a continent, it must be easier to decide! We see this as a wonderful opportunity to bless some of our friends here with items that are meaningful to us. We are also planning to bring back items from our life here that will bless us, and those who come to our home in the U.S., with joyful memories of our years in Kazakhstan. A few highlights of our last week...meals in homes of many of our local friends, a traditional Kazkah meal of Bish Parmak made with horse meat and horse sausage with local friends in our home, a wonderful picnic with about 50 friends at a local park, a day trip to Shymkent (a city that IRI has an office in, about 3 hours from here), all this on top of routine, daily stuff! For now, we have just three days left in Taraz then we get on the train for Almaty where we will spend two days seeing friends there and preparing for our departure on July 1. Like I mentioned earlier,there is a time for everything - a time to laugh and a time to cry!

2008-06-14T09:38:00.006-04:00

WOW! So much has happened that it is difficult to try to condense it down to fit in a reasonable space! As David posted earlier, our arrival to our adopted homeland was great! Here we are with the team upon our arrival Since landing here in Taraz we have been very busy meeting with the team and trying to get caught up on all that has happened in our lives and theirs in past months. Additionally, it has been wonderful to have time with some of our national friends. The kids are renewing some old friendships and also enjoying some time with their two dogs and cat that still live here in Taraz. It is difficult to believe that we are down to just two weeks until we leave! There is still so much that we hope to do and so many friends that we still want to see before we leave...we hope to squeeze it all in before we fly back to the States on July 1!!

2008-06-04T18:07:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We wanted to let you know that we arrived safely in Kazakhstan and all is very well. We enjoyed the trip even though very long (we went into Amsterdam during our 7 hour layover touring the city by boat - above picture) It is wonderful to be back in Taraz and with both the team as well as our close friends here (see pictures below). We have been received very warmly and on our first day back 3 of the 4 kids had invitations to spend the night in national’s homes! We are off and running!

(sorry our connection died - will try posting more pictures soon)

WE'RE OFF

2008-05-31T10:37:00.002-04:00

The Knauss house leaves today! We are about 3 hours away from loading up the van and heading to the airport. Our flight leaves today (Saturday) at 5 pm. We will have a 7 hour layover in Amsterdam and a friend will be meeting us at the airport and then taking us sightseeing during our layover. We then arrive in Almaty at 5am on Monday and will be taking a 6 hour van ride from the airport directly to Taraz. We are all excited, packed and ready to go! We will let you all know of our arrival as soon as we can and will update this blog also while in Kazakhstan. Love from the Knauss House!

COUNTDOWN TO KAZ...12 DAYS

2008-05-19T10:34:00.004-04:00

This has been a busy spring with school and sport activities. Caleb has been playing soccer on a local soccer league and has done very well, learning much about the game. Daniel has been playing with the Albany Baseball League and is also learning a lot in his first ever baseball season. Natalie finished her first season playing tennis on her high school team and Jenae's favorite sport is still horseback riding! The Knauss Kids are especially excited because not only will they leave for their "other homeland" in just over two weeks, but they have just three days left of school (counting today)! Speaking of Jenae...today she turns 17! We are so proud of her and thankful that she is our daughter. Pictured here is Jenae with her boyfriend, Drew, from when Jenae and I made a trip to Virginia last month. Happy Birthday, Jenae! We are so excited at God's awesome provision for our trip this summer! Many of you have blessed us by giving generously toward our trip and we are very close to meeting our goal. With great excitement we tell you that all of Natalie's Savva Delegation needs have been met!! thank you for your part in making her trip possible! Also, our family goal is within $300 of being met - THANK YOU!! Besides the financial needs of our trip, we are also seeing other was for someone to live here, caring for our house and dog. Jason Walke is a young man who has already been to Kazakhstan three times with Interlink. He plans to spend one year interning with Interlink starting this summer and will give the first month or two here in Muncie helping with technical aspects of the work. Jason will arrive in Muncie the day before we leav needs being met. One big neede for Kazakhstan and will stay at our house to care for Sadie (our dog) and our home. To learn more about Jason and his plans visit his blog at www.randomwalke.blogspot.com. And...as I mentioned in our last post, we continue to find surprises in our yard! God is good!

Spring Surprises

2008-05-04T22:21:00.006-04:00

Spring is such a lovely time of year! I find it to be a time full of surprises from God. This year in particular holds many spring surprises as this is the first year in our home in Indiana. Most every day I take a walk around our yard to see what surprises are popping up now. The previous owners of this home obviously enjoyed flowers! I love seeing all sorts of flowers in many vibrant colors blooming all around the yard - what an extravagant, wonderful God we serve! One big surprise this spring was that we had an earthquake here in the Mid West! On the morning of April 18 we woke to shaking at around 5:40. We had become accustomed to earthquakes while living in Kazakhstan as we experienced many of them there, and coming from the Northwest had even felt a couple there. However, when we came to Indiana we thought we would experience tornadoes but not earthquakes! Another surprise of spring is the weather. It seems like every day holds a new surprise! We dress by faith these days, not knowing if it will be 40 degrees or 80 - will it be sunny and warm, cloudy and cold, or muggy with thunderstorms? Amidst the surprises we are staying busy. All the kids are busy with school, sports, and other activities. The last day of school is May 21 and just 10 days later we are scheduled to fly to Kazakhstan! We are all very excited about going and are busily planning what we will do during that time. Already our schedule is pretty full with seeing friends, coaching the team, and helping with Interlink work. Most of you know that Natalie will be at the Savva orphanage for about 10 days of our time there. Thank you to the many who have given generously to Natalie and/or toward our family's trip. We are excited to say that only about $1,000 is still needed to cover the cost of our airline tickets. So if you are thinking of giving towards this trip there is still a need and still time. We are planning and hoping to update our blog more frequently between now and when we return from Kaz so please keep reading! With love, Theresa for the Knauss House

Cuts, Casts, and Concerts!

2008-03-01T20:37:00.001-05:00

CUT

Haircut that is! In January Theresa cut off 10 inches of hair to donate to Locks of Love (you can go to www.locksoflove.org for more information on how to donate). This is a project she started 3 years ago and was thrilled to meet the goal of 10 inches. The donated hair will be used to make hair pieces for children with permanent hair loss.

Theresa is pictured here with our new dog, Sadie, who is a black lab mix and is definitely partial to Theresa!

CONCERT

On February 1^st we were privileged to attend a live Randy Stonehill concert. A local company arranged for Randy to come here to Muncie, IN and do a benefit concert for Interlink Resources and orphans that we sponsor in Merke, Kazakhstan. It was a great concert and a lot of fun. Thanks, Randy!! Learn more about Randy Stonehill by visiting his website at www.randystonehill.com.

CONGRATULATIONS AND CANNON BEACH TRIP

When David went to Oregon for his February class I was able to tag along and surprise my sister, Tiffany, for her birthday. She was truly surprised and it was a lot of fun. Tiffany’s husband, Cliff, made arrangements for us to go for a night at Cannon Beach for some sister time, which was extra special. I was also able to see some additional family members while I was in Oregon which made it even more special. After David returned home I stayed a couple of days with his mom to help her with some house projects. All together it was a great trip (even so, I was very glad to return home to my husband and kids)!

CAST

David, Daniel, and Caleb made the unfortunate decision to attempt snowboarding on President’s Day weekend. Though David is an accomplished skier he had never been on a snowboard so the three guys decided to give it a try. Mind you, this is the Mid-west and there are NO mountains. Anyhow, a place was found and the three men headed off on their adventure at a ski place in Michigan about a 3 hour drive from home. All was well on the first two runs down the teeny-tiny bunny slope but on the third run things didn’t go so well! David fell backwards downhill resulting in the picture below!

As you can imagine, resolving the situation was interesting, but after several other complicating factors David did manage to get them back to their hotel and then to the urgent care clinic to be examined. With the help of friends David and the boys managed to get home, disappointed, but in good spirits. After seeing two orthopedic surgeons his arm was put in a cast on February 26. In the meantime, David is pretty much at our (mostly Theresa’s) mercy!

Hope in the Midst of Winter

2008-02-23T13:37:00.001-05:00

In November I wrote about transition and the changing landscape of our lives. It seems that our lives are following the seasons that we are in! As winter settled in, the Indiana landscape settled with it to bare trees, empty fields, and often overcast skies. However, the landscape is occasionally brightened with a lovely dusting of pure white which seems to brighten the entire world! Additionally, we have been blessed with a flock of turkeys showing up ever so often and even deer, right across the street!

In many ways we feel that we, too, have entered a winter season of our life. As we continued seeking direction for what He has for our future we became increasingly convinced that the next portion of our lives is to be lived here in the states, specifically in Indiana. This decision came with much prayer and searching and also with mixed emotions in regards to the outcome. There is deep sadness that we will not return to live in our home and be with many loved friends in Kazakhstan. At the same time there is joy and expectation for what our Father has planned for us here in the coming months and years.

Each one of us has mourned the reality of not returning to live in Taraz in a different way. As can be expected, periods of sadness sometimes come unexpectedly and are, at times, brought on by difficulties presented by our new circumstances. Yet, at the same time, we are overwhelmed with the many blessings of being where we are at this very moment! God has graciously given us a comfortable home, a great church, and many tender-hearted and fun friends.

Along with the decision to stay in the states for the next period of time came the offer by Interlink for David to lead the company into the next phase of expanding the work. David has accepted this offer and is in the process of transitioning into that position. The tricky part is for him to be able to begin this new area of responsibility while retaining significant time for sabbatical. Finding this balance has been a challenge and will, no doubt, continue to be.

One main aspect of this sabbatical is that David has enrolled in a class at Western in Oregon to be a certified executive/life coach. The core classes are now nearly finished, with David having traveled to Oregon several times. He still has homework to complete and practice hours to log, but he is well on his way. This course has been very helpful and David feels that he has learned so much already. He still has two classes to take and is looking at doing those this spring and summer.

Along with our new roles with Interlink comes new responsibilities. Though I (Theresa) will not be an official employee of Interlink (actually, I never have been!) I will continue to be deeply involved. I continue to be in communication with the team in Taraz as well as with various friends there. David, for the time being, will continue in his role as field leader which means he is in close contact with the directors in Shymkent and Taraz. David and I are also engaged in the office here where all are working hard to make this transition a positive one.

As we travel through this time of winter we are encouraged by the many of you who have blessed us through the years and continue to bless us now. We eagerly await spring and the new life and beauty it brings. In the meantime, we are enjoying the beauty of the journey we are on!

We will write again soon with more on our plans for the future.

Theresa for the Knauss House

Happy New Year

2008-01-09T19:14:00.001-05:00

New Year’s greetings from the Knauss House!

We enjoyed great Christmas and New Year celebrations, our first in Indiana. Though it wasn’t a totally white Christmas, we did see some snow before and after the holidays. David arrived home just 4 days before Christmas so a big part of our holiday celebration was simply the joy of being together again as a family.

David’s time in

Kazakhstan

was good. For him, being back in Kaz was like coming home -except it all felt a bit empty and cold in our house without the family being with him. However, it was great for him to be with our team there, meet with the Interlink staff, and have time with many friends.(David pictured here with Dina our Kazakh daughter)

As usual, he was treated with world class Central Asian hospitality and enjoyed many a wonderful meal in homes of dear friends. It was a special joy meeting with various believing friends, seeing their growth and entering into their journey with them again.

After a couple weeks spent between Taraz and Shymkent David was able to visit several other cities in Kazakhstan. First he went to Astana, which is in the central part of Kazakhstan and is the capital of the country. From there he went to Uskemenigorsk for several days to visit the Kazakh-American Free University (KAFU). In both places he met with various contacts and felt there were many divine appointments. After that he went to Almaty and then flew (by a rather exciting and eventful route) to Portland, OR where he spent a day meeting with several others in regards to the future (it was called a servant leader summit). From there he finally made it back to Indiana to his very “excited to have Dad back” family!

The family is doing well, continuing to adapt to the many changes that have occurred in our lives this year. Jenae has joined the swimming and diving team at school and is doing well, learning many new dives. She just returned on Wednesday from spending about 6 days in Virginia visiting friends (this is where she lived for about 1 ½ years while the rest of us were still in

Kazakhstan

). She had a really good visit there and was able to see many of her friends as well as her former host family. It is Jenae’s hope to get her driver’s license soon!

Happy Birthday Natalie!

(Natalie with her friend Bethany)

Natalie is doing well adjusting to being in high school. We celebrated her 15th birthday last month. In December she also ran and swam in the school biathlon. Through this experience she has decided to begin conditioning for the track team. Actual practice for track doesn’t start until March but they may choose to begin conditioning next week and Natalie has decided to participate in this. She has never been on a track team before so this will be a new and exciting experience.

Daniel is in the school choir as well as the kids praise team at church so this meant that he was busy with performances throughout December. He was able to participate in performances at three community Christmas celebrations, plus a nursing home, our church’s Christmas Eve service, and the school Christmas program. All of these were very good experiences for him and he did really well. Another big excitement for Daniel in December is that he got glasses!

Both Daniel and Caleb are playing basketball on a community league and will have their first game next week. This, too, is a new experience for them and one they are enjoying so far.

Caleb continues to make the needed adjustments to life at home and in school. He continues to be a bright spot wherever he goes, lighting up a room with his contagious smile.

As we are now officially on sabbatical there are some new things happening in our family. David is enrolled in Western Seminary taking a couple classes in life coaching. This requires him to travel to Oregon once a month for the next 4 months, starting this month. I think it is also time for me to find out what is necessary to get my nursing license up to date so will be checking into that in the coming weeks.

All our love from the Knauss House to you in 2008!

Fall Update

2007-11-30T23:43:00.000-05:00

Fall Greetings from Theresa at the Knauss House!

The landscape around us has greatly changed in the past two months here in Indiana with corn and soy bean fields being harvested, leaves turning beautiful, bright colors, then falling off, and now with Christmas lights and decorations going up. The change from fields of harvest to barren trees and land seems an outward reflection of the inward changes we feel as a family. It has been difficult in many ways adapting to being in the States for this extended period of time. Natalie, Daniel, and Caleb have never stayed in the US for this many consecutive months in their entire lifetimes! There have been many a time we have all lamented, “I just want to go home!” It is strange that this country that issued our passports often doesn’t seem like home to us!

But, just as the changing landscape has had beauty so have we experienced many bright spots in this transition.

SCHOOL All the kids are really enjoying their schools. We are especially thankful for the small, family atmosphere of the school Daniel and Caleb are attending. There are only 180 kids in the entire school and the staff knows the kids all by name. I have spoken in person with the principal many a time and he along with his entire staff are so helpful and encouraging. Both boys are doing well learning how to function in their classrooms and are learning many new study skills. Jenae and Natalie also like their school and are adjusting well to their new environment. As before, Natalie is excelling in learning foreign languages (she has added learning French to her previous languages of Kazakh, Russian, and Turkish) and is also especially enjoying her cooking class. Besides the basics, Jenae is further developing her drawing skills in art and has joined the swimming and diving team at school.

Grammy visits us!

FAMILY It has been a bit difficult to be in the States and be so far from family but we have been extremely blessed to have had visits from two family members and the opportunity to go see another. My mom flew out from Oregon for a week in September so she could go to Grandparents Day at Daniel’s and Caleb’s school. It was so fun to have her here and the boys were really glad to have Grammy with them for their special event at school. Then, earlier this month, my sister, Victoria, flew out from California for several days. While she was here we were able to attend two basketball games of our niece, Jessica, who is playing for Arkansas University and had two games in Indiana.

Theresa's sister Victoria visiting us in Indiana!

Jessica playing for Arkansas against IU!

DAVID IN KAZAKHSTAN Right now David is in Kazakhstan for about 3 weeks serving the team and Interlink Resources. While there David will be addressing various needs of our offices in Taraz and Shymkent, meeting with our team and staff to assess how things are going, and also plans to travel to several other areas in search of additional personnel for the ongoing work both in Taraz and Shymkent. While there he will also enjoy visits with many of our dear friends bringing love and greetings from our entire family. David reports recently having a wonderful evening with three "leaders" and their families. Please lift up David’s time that he would be Salt and Light and be a vessel of blessing as he is there.

KNAUSS FUTURE Upon David’s return we will be officially beginning the sabbatical portion of our year stateside. During this time we are pursuing an opportunity for further education/training for David and perhaps for me as well (several weekends through the spring). We also are planning for increased time of reflection (after 15 years working in Kazakhstan) and seeking direction for our future as we are at a point of needing to make firm plans for the next phase of ministry. We appreciate you thinking about us during this important time. A decision needs to be made in the next several weeks. We will be posting updates on our blogspot so you can know where we are at in the process.

Our deepest appreciation and love to you!

Theresa for the Knauss House

Summer Update

2007-11-11T07:35:00.000-05:00

Knauss House

The Knauss House has moved once again but this time from Kazakhstan to Indiana (via Oregon)!

We arrived here in Muncie, Indiana on Aug 1^st and were received so very well by all here. Thanks to so many who worked so hard to see that we “landed” on our feet. You did a GREAT job and we feel very humbled by your show of support and love!

First day of school – yes the date is correct!

The last few weeks have been filled with learning a new culture all over again (mid-west rural America, school systems and many extra- curricular activities). Our learning curve has been pretty steep but I’m happy to report all 4 kids are in school and making the adjustment.

Jenae and Natalie are at Delta High School and have had good reports so far of the students, teachers and the school itself. Daniel and Caleb are still jumping out of bed in the morning and excited to head off to school. The last three weeks Daniel and Caleb took an extra class to help them catch up a bit and prepare for the Indiana state education exams. They had to be at school by 7:15am for this class but they enjoyed it and I believe it has helped them push through some of the difficulties.

Jenae gets glasses our first week in Indiana!

Theresa and I are doing well and working at getting the house set up. The boys didn’t really have a room so I knocked out a wall or two and remodeled the basement making the basement a place the boys can have their bedroom. I’m happy to report that is finished as of last week with the help of some friends!

We enjoyed a fun surprise and hosted our first Kazakh friend at the end of Aug. Asel was in the US visiting and we loved having her for the weekend as well as for our traditional family night (pizza and a movie!) come back and see us, Asel!

Asel and Theresa with some good ole’ homemade pizza!

Our new address and phone numbers are below. We would love to hear from you and talk with you if we can over the next few weeks and months so please drop us a line and let us know your number so we can give you a call.

With lots of love!

David, Theresa, Jenae, Natalie, Daniel and Caleb

NEW ADDRESS:

6812 E Woodside Rd Albany, IN 47320

765-216-7206 hm

765-729-2970 cell – verizion

David’s work email: dknauss@interlinkresources.org Knauss House email: Kazman12@interlinkresources.org

View lots more current pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/knaussfamily