Modesty

Q. How can I be modest? Is modesty really important?

A. Most teenagers in the world don’t care how they dress themselves and don’t know what modesty is all about. Modesty is one of the most important things in my life.

1 Timothy 2:9-10 says, “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.” People will see the real me, when I dress myself in clothes that cover me properly. We should clothe our insides with good works and a pure heart. We should dress modestly by properly clothing ourselves, causing others to look at Jesus in us, rather than seeing our clothes or parts of our bodies that shouldn’t be shown.

Romans 14:13 “…determine this– not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.”

I do not want men to fall into sin or to be tempted by my immodesty. I try to dress in a way that is pleasing to God, rather than men.


A good idea to help you dress modestly is to do a mirror check before you leave your room in the morning. When you are all dressed and ready to go, look in the mirror to see if you are covered properly. Make sure to check the front and back of you! Have your mother or father approve your clothing and how you dress. If they tell you that something isn’t proper, then you should listen and change into something else. If your parents do not have a concern for modesty, go to your grandmother or a pastor’s wife and ask her to teach you how to dress for God!

Our beliefs on Halloween

In a few weeks many people will be celebrating Halloween. This holiday is Satan's holiday, and his day and he loves to lead people into sin. I know there are many Christians out there who do not know the true meaning of Halloween and they celebrate it with many other people. My family never celebrates this day, instead we celebrate Reformation Day. Last year my mom had the privilege interviewing two former-wiccans, who are now Christians. They explained the meaning of Halloween so well and it is worth reading.

On Reformation Day we usually have some kind of special dinner and dessert that my mom makes that is similar to what the reformers would have eaten in their time. After dinner all my siblings would dress up just like Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe and many other reformers.

Please take the time and read this and understand the real meaning of Halloween and understand the meaning behind it to know the truth.

Here is the link to my mom's blog that tells about the REAL meaning of Halloween:
http://www.a2ndgenerationofhomeschooling.com/

Exciting News!!!!!!!

I have some exciting news to share today! My siblings and I are having a new sister and her name is Eva Caroline! On Tuesday my parents went to the big ultrasound together while I stayed at home and babysat my four brothers and three sisters and helped them with their school. My mom came home and told us she already knew if we were having a girl or a boy, but we had to wait a whole evening to find out, because our daddy was at work.

Please keep my Mommy and our little Eva Caroline in your prayers every day. #9 will be a blessing to our family and we are all VERY excited. So far, we have a healthy Mom and a healthy little sister!

Thanks for reading!

~Annalise

A Growing Ministry

Our ministry is growing and growing and growing! We are so thankful that we have more friends who are helping us, supporting us, praying for us, and helping us put baby items together to help moms through their pregnancy and afterwards. We have been going to the abortion mills for about four months now. We were able to help one mom with her baby who chose life. We were able to provide diapers, formula, clothes, and childcare for that precious baby!
God has blessed us with this ministry tremendously! I am overwhelmed with joy!

Here is a picture of little Victoria Lynn who was saved from abortion after her mom kept on coming 3 times and just could not do it:

Here she is! Is'nt she a beautiful princess?

~Annalise

Julia and Ellie's Recital Pictures

Julia Claire Metzger

Birthday: October 7th 2005

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Ella "Ellie" Grace Metzger

Birthday: October 8th, 2007

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"Sisters, Sisters, there was such a thing as devoted Sisters".

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These are my two adorable sisters in their recital dance! Aren't they cute?! Julia and Ellie are the closest to the left. The tall one is Julia and the shorter one is Ellie.



Here they are again! On the far right, the two in in blue are my little sisters. They were dancing to the music of "Let's Go Fly A Kite" from the movie, Mary Poppins. All the little ladies were beautiful at their recital!

~Annalise

Focus On Television, Movies,etc

Q. Does your family watch a lot of television? If so, how much and how often?

A. My parents are very careful what movies we watch. Most of the time my parents have to watch and check a movie before we get to watch it just to make sure there is not any bad parts. Movies, and television now these days are not proper to watch, because of so many bad parts,languges, and sometimes it influences you. Hannah Montana, High Shool Musical, rock bands, and many other movies influence children in a bad way. We do not watch many cartoons either, except for some of the older cartoons. I know that older movies are better to watch than the newer ones.

One of our favorite movies we watch is Facing the Giants. These movies were made by the Kendrick brothers who are Christians and who love the Lord. These brothers have also made another two other movies called Fireproof and Flywheel and are now making another movie called Courageous.

I know there a lot of young adults and teens who watch movies that I would never watch, because those movies have some violence and they are extremely evil in God's sight. God warns us to stay away from evil in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Avoid every kind of evil." Yes, the movies and cartoons I've listed are evil and there are still many more other movies that are not appropriate.

We all (yes, even me) need to be careful in everything we do, everything we see, and everything we hear!

~Annalise

My Favorite Links

These are some of my favorite links that I like to visit every once in a while. Enjoy!

http://www.agentleandquietspirit.com/

http://www.lifeoffaith.com/

http://http//www.groundworkformanhood.com/

http://http//duggarsblog.blogspot.com/

~ Annalise

Peanut Butter Pie

This is my daddy's favorite dessert and we make for him for his Birthday, Fathers Day and on Christmas and Thanksgiving. He loves it!

Here is the recipe:

2 Oreo Pie Crusts

1/2 Block Cream Cheese

1 Cup Peanut Butter

1 Cup Confectionary Sugar

2 Tbsp. Milk

18 oz. Cool Whip

Mix all the ingredients together and top it with cool whip. Let it chill for a few hours in the fridge. We put chocolate chips or sometimes we shread a sweet Hershey bar and put it on top of the cool whip. Enjoy your pie!

To Hold One Saved From Death...

This is from my Mom's blog at A 2nd Generation of Homeschooling!

FROM JULY 3, 2010....


What a breath of fresh air to be able to hold a child who was scheduled to die! What a relief to be able to embrace a woman who had planned to enter a place of death, but chose otherwise! What a sweet blessing to be able to see the fruit of your labor right before your eyes!

Today, as a number of us stood outside the Charlotte area abortion mill praying and sidewalk counseling, a new mother stopped by to thank us for helping to save her precious little one-month-old, Victoria! We were all able to hold this precious little one and hug on this dear mother who had chosen life for her child. Our eight children, among other children present, have spent countless hours loving and praying for mothers and babies from a distance. This morning they were able to see, touch and hold this sweet creation of God. We were all able to see first-hand God’s wondrous works made possible through the oftentimes thankless volunteer work of countless men, women and children on the pro-life front lines.



Months earlier, a battle of epic proportions had been fought. This young mom turned, not once, but three times from A Preferred Women’s Health Center as she struggled with the decision of whether or not to undergo an abortion. Each time she approached the abortion mill, she encountered one or more pro-life counselors, and she eventually made a life-changing decision to allow her child to live and grow within her womb and experience life. The struggle she faced was one between death and life; defeat and victory. In the end, the Lord softened her heart and used sidewalk counselors to help her make the choice she knew was right. Because of the willingness of those who continually go out to the abortion mills, facing opposition, hostility and rejection, victory was won and death was defeated in Jesus’ name!

Little Victoria, whose name means “conqueror” and “victory,” swallowed up death and proclaimed victory when her mother allowed her to experience LIFE, as her Creator God intended! Just as the Lord promised in Isaiah 25:8, that death would be swallowed up in victory, so God allowed Baby Victoria’s scheduled demise to be conquere when Victoria entered this world because of her mother’s brave choice for life. Life was chosen; death was swallowed up in victory.
Yes, women make a decision for life every day in America, because their hearts are softened by Jesus’ touch. Yes, each day new lives are saved from the abortionist’s grasp of death because of souls who make the sacrifice to stand for Jesus and His Truth. However, this story is different because we were able to meet one of the precious babies who we work so hard to save. This story is different because one mother took the time to thank us for being there to assist her in making the right decision to give life to her baby. What a great reward for us to have experienced! We have been so blessed!

My Family

My wonderful parents are Mark and Lisa Metzger. My daddy is a father, a protector, a husband, a teacher, a leader of our home, and a financial planner. My mommy is a homekeeper, a teacher, a wife, a mother, and keeps our house organized and tidy.

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Kaitlyn Noelle is 10 years old and is the second oldest in the family. She loves to sing, write, rock collecting, put shows on for her family. She is in eighth grade.

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Ethan Gabriel is 9 years old and is the oldest of my 3 brothers. He is in sixth grade and hopes to be an engineer someday. Ethan's talents are rock collecting, helping daddy with big chores, fixing hard stuff, and leading our family in devotions when daddy is away.

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Trey Christian who is 8 years old was adopted from Missouri and joined our family early in June 2oo7. He loves to play, reading, fixing things for his brothers and sisters with his tools, playing outside, and hopes to be an Army Soldier someday. Trey is in 3rd grade and getting ready to enter 4th grade. He is a very energetic boy.

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Jake Merritt who is 6 years old was also adopted along with his brother Trey from Missouri in 2007. He and Trey are brothers and we brought them home together. Jake loves to play outside, sing, play with his younger siblings, camping outside, reading and loves to be funny. He is in 2nd almost 3rd grade.

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Julia Claire is 4 years old and is in preschool. She loves to play, sing, dancing, getting dirty outside, helping with cooking and baking, and loves to be a little mommy to her baby dolls and her two younger siblings. She is in preschool and will be entering kindergarden very soon.

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"Ellie" Ella Grace is 2 years old and loves to color, sing, looking at books, dancing, playing with her baby dolls and with her younger brother, and loves to be a little mommy. She will be our future homeschooler.

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Judah Michael is 19 months and is a very active little boy. He loves to sing, talk, play indoors and outdoors, and loves to help mommy. He is our one busy little boy who loves to get into things. Judah is very happy and brings laughter to our family.

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Levi Samuel went to be with Jesus in January 26, 2010. My mommy delivered and miscarried at home. We all miss him terribly, but we know that we will see him in heaven soon. You can read his story HERE. We all love you Levi and cannot wait to see you! We also have 6 other babies in heaven, waiting on us.

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My parents are "quiverfull", meaning they let God plan their family. My parents and I believe that every child is a blessing and should be received with great hapiness as Psalm 127 and 128 says.

My large family enjoys going out to eat, playing games, swimming in our pool, doing devotions together, helping out each other, serving Jesus, serving others in our pro-life ministry, and enjoying each other's company. The most important thing in my family we try to do is trying to please Jesus in every day of our life.

~ Annalise

Starting a Pro-life Ministry

My family has saved two babies, so far, with Jesus' help, from being tortured and killed at an abortion mill. We pray that many more lives will be saved this year. Each and every baby is unique in different ways. Let us not forget that all babies are precious in God's eyes and the little lives need to be treasured. My family goes to an abortion mill most Fridays and sometimes on Saturdays. We can be the voice for the voiceless and speak for all the pre-born babies who cannot speak for themselves. With help from Jesus we can do it!

Are you willing to go and minister at the abortion mills? Do you want to start your own ministry at the abortion clinics? If your answer is yes, then you should visit my mother's blog HERE. Yes, my family is willing to go and save as many lives as we can every day and I truly hope that yours is too.

Elena's Adoption

Dear Friends and Readers,

We have friends in the Ukraine who are adopting an 11 year old girl named, Elena. In her FOREVER family she has one brother and one sister, and she will become their big sister.

Elena also has two cousins living in the orphanage with her. They desperately need a Christ-centered home. Their names are Natasha and Koyla and their ages are 12 and 14. They are siblings. If you have friends or relatives considering adoption please pass this information for their sake. Maybe you could be the family for them. I know that God works things out for His good and perfect will.

Please keep the children in your prayers and thoughts. I know it will be hard for Elena to say goodbye to her cousins and her friends. I also know that the family of Elena will appreciate all the prayers as well.

Congratulations, Elena, on your forever and loving parents and a God-centered family!

~ Annalise

Ministry at Abortion Clinics

My family has been going to an abortion mill for a while now and we will be going this coming Saturday. The abortionist that performs abortions there has been doing it for 10 years. Please join us in praying for him to repent and stop killing the babies. The women that go there either believe in lies or know that it's a baby, but just don't care or do not feel like raising another child. My family of 10 go there and try to hand out literature.

~ Annalise

Training to Be a Homemaker

Whenever a conversation about raising homemakers gets started, you can be sure to expect a few standard responses. The one I most enjoy answering is: “Well, that’s all fine and good if a girl gets married at eighteen or twenty, but that’s not really likely in this day and age. What is she supposed to do with her in-between time? And what if she never gets married at all? Wouldn’t those homemaking skills go to waste? And wouldn’t her other gifts go to waste as well?”

Read the rest of this great article HERE!

Chicken and Squash Casserole - Large Family Style

If any of you have a fresh garden and are growing squash and zuchinni and need more recipes for them, this is a recipe that my family of 10 enjoys:

Chicken and Squash Casserole

6 yellow squash
2 med. onion chopped
2 sticks of butter (melted)
1 extra large (26 oz) can of cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
2 packages stuffing mix
2 large cooked chicken breast
16 oz. of peas or carrots
2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in small amount of butter. Add soup, sour cream, squash, chicken, seasonings, and veggies. Melt butter in a mixing bowl then add stuffing mix and blend it. Layer stuffing and squash mixture reserving stuffing mixture to sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Being a Servant to Your Siblings

Q. My siblings are annoying! They are so needy. I hate being the oldest in my family. How can you stand being the oldest and a teenager in such a large family?

A. I hear this question often, and even though it’s a common question, the attitude behind it needs to be discussed.

Without siblings, you would be lonely, life would be dull, you’d miss out on close relationships that last a lifetime and your heavenly reward would be lost!

Think for a moment what it would be like if it was just you in your family. No more Johnny or Suzie, but just you. No more socks to put on. No more shoelaces to tie. No more messes to clean up. No more sharing your food. No more cuddles. No more kisses. No more laughs or giggles. No more tiny fingers and toes. No more chances to show them who Jesus is through you!

Matthew 23:11-12 says, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

If you want to be the greatest (and who doesn’t?!) you must first be a servant. We are showing characteristics of servant hood when taking care of our siblings’ needs. Through our service to our brothers and sisters we are being humbled, and God will exalt us later on!

Jesus came to earth for us, making Himself nothing, “taking the very nature of a servant.” [Philippians 2:7] Jesus was a servant and a leader. He was a leader by showing His miraculous powers. And by serving others, He was exalting His Father God. Shouldn’t we, too, be like Jesus? Let us not forget that we are serving Jesus WHEN we are serving our brothers and sisters.

Are you “taking the very nature of a servant,” as Jesus did? Are you humbling yourself through serving your siblings?I thank God that He blessed me with seven wonderful siblings, so far. Even though there are tough times, I know that my siblings will always be there for me, and I for them, all through our lives. How great it is to know that we will always be best friends because I chose to humble myself and become a servant to them!

~ Annalise

Practice Hospitality

Q. Why is it important for me, as a teen or child, to practice hospitality? What is hospitality anyway?


A. [Annalise – age 18] It is important to know what hospitality is and what it means. Hospitality is a great way to show people about Jesus. Hospitality is when we extend our hands to the needy, and open our homes to the homeless, our family, friends, neighbors and unbelievers. We are showing them the love of Jesus Christ when we serve them in our home.

In Romans 12:13 it says, “Share with God’s people who are in need and practice hospitality.” What do we share with these people who are guests in our home? We share Jesus by showing them the love of Jesus in us through hospitality!

I love showing hospitality to my friends and family. My Mommy and I clean the house, make a dessert dish and some kind of drink. We also light the candles sometimes and welcome them warmly, with a smile!

Why don’t you ask your mother if you can invite someone who is lonely over for a home-cooked dinner, so that you can show them Jesus through you and your hospitality!

[Kaitlyn – age 10] “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering Gods grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:9-10

The children in my family just started sending letters, writing little messages and making drawings for our elderly relatives who we don’t see very often. They really enjoy getting those letters. Just think about your relatives opening the mailbox, not expecting to get much of anything interesting. Imagine their smile when they see a child’s handwriting and quickly open it to find a nice little note or drawing!

Hospitality is also known as the act of generously providing care and kindness to whoever is in need. – Wikipedia

The gift that he’s talking about in 1 Peter could be drawing, writing or inviting someone to dinner. We show God’s grace when we do things like those. It might not sound like a lot of fun, but I really enjoy showing hospitality to my friends and family!

** Leave a comment to tell us how YOU have shown or plan to show hospitality to others. I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas and suggestions! **

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Kaitlyn is 10 years old and is a budding young writer who wants to share her thoughts on what God has shown her through Scripture. She also likes to write on what it’s like being part of a large homeschooling family. She, like Annalise, who is 18 years old, is maturing in grace.

My Adoption Story

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

James 1:27

Hello. My name is Annalise Metzger. I am 18 years old and am the oldest of 8 children and the first of in my family to be adopted. This is my family’s story of how God added to our family through adoption.

In 2002 my Daddy and Mommy set off on the adventure of adoption. They wanted desperately to adopt a 10 year old girl from Kazakhstan – ME! They first discovered my photo on an internet site with photos of children from around the world who needed forever families.

God’s hands were already on the process, even before it began, because my Mommy had specifically searched for a child who was closer to their own biological children’s ages. They were thinking of a child that would have been maybe three years old or younger. I was 9 years old at the time, yet God had this “older child” come up in my Mother’s search for 2-3 year olds. After going to bed that night that she could not get me out of her mind, so the next day she requested a video from the adoption agency.

The video was eye opening and heart-wrenching for my parents to watch! The only things I said I wanted for Christmas was a bucket of raspberries and a mother who would love me.

My Daddy and Mommy married during my Father’s last semester of college. They found out they were pregnant with Kaitlyn when they had been married a little over a month. When Kaitlyn was 6 months old, they found out that we were expecting a son - Ethan. Daddy had started a new career right out of college, which requires years to build up a client base, so they learned to pinch many pennies. They had only been married for a little over 4 years, and had no savings, when God sent me into my family’s picture. My parents were unsure as to how they could afford the price tag of $27,000 for a Kazakhstan adoption. After praying, they felt the Lord’s gentle guidance and decided that it was the Lord’s Will to take a leap of faith. So, they started their home study.

Upon making this gigantic decision, my parents humbly shared their plans, as well as their needs, with their friends, family and Sunday school. They shared their hearts and their financial need, without being specific. During this time, they prayed fervently and asked others for prayer. Their specific prayer was for doors to be opened or shut according to God’s perfect Will. They sincerely desired God’s plans to come about for them and for me, who was thousands of miles away.

The Lord constantly proved His faithfulness by providing the money needed for each home study payment, agency payment, passport fee and INS fees. One day my Daddy and Mommy desperately needed $200 for a home study payment, which was due that afternoon. When they opened the front door, there was a check for $200 from their neighbors! Again, when it was time to travel, they had no money for airline tickets to fly over to Kazakhstan, to meet and pick me up. My grandparents were provided by God with extra tithe and offering money to be able to pay for those plane tickets. God worked again and again like this! It was amazing for them to see God working through others during this time!

The Saturday before my Daddy, Mommy, Kaitlyn and Ethan left for Kazakhstan, my parents’ Sunday school class gathered at a member’s house for a get-together. After laying hands on them and praying for their journey, they handed them an envelope for the trip with a lot of extra cash. At that time, my parents did not really see a need for this money since everything was already provided for financially for the entire trip. However, the Lord could see much farther down the road! Our family ended up with an unexpected stay in Kazakhstan of 36 days due to some problems with my visa. If it were not for this extra money that we received, they would have had no extra cash for food and lodging while in Kazakhstan. They would have been in a strange country, with no interpreter, knowing only a few words of Russian, unable to communicate with me, in below zero weather with no lodging and no food. God saw the need even before they did and met it before they even left to venture out into the unknown! He provided for all of us and saw us through!

God provided for my family through each step of my adoption. The money was not there a day later than when they needed it throughout the process! And when they did need it sooner, He provided then, too! His perfect Will was carried out through willing vessels that trusted in God, prayed and waited for God’s timing!

I asked Jesus to be my personal Savior shortly after learning English! I, now, want to go back to Kazakhstan someday as a missionary to the orphans. If my parents had not been willing vessels; if they had not asked for and obeyed God’s perfect Will and had not taken leaps of faith; if they had trusted in their own power, instead of His; if they had not waited on HIS timing; if they had not prayed and asked for prayer, I might not be who I am today!

God sometimes allows you to get into a place of testing where your own welfare would be the right and proper thing to consider if you were not living a life of faith; but if you are, you will JOYFULLY waive your right and leave God to choose for you.

~ Oswald Chambers ~

Since my adoption in 2002, our family has welcomed Julia, Ellie and Judah through birth, adopted two brothers from Missouri - Trey and Jake - in 2007! We are absolutely THRILLED in the Lord's working in this! What a plan He has for us all!

~ Annalise

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name."

John 15:16