It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas....

It's beginning to look more like Christmas here at the Berry Home....

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas tree!!! That's early for us, but John is super busy and I had to get him while I could! We went to a tree farm and hand picked our tree. We are probably the slowest people at choosing a tree. We look around all over the farm and try to pick the best one! It's so much fun!! We really love it!

We come home, with some Christmas music and hot wassail and put up the tree! John's in charge of the lights and then I put on the other things. Right now we still have the tree that matches. We just got John's ornaments from when he was a kid last year and I don't really have any from when I was a kid. Maybe some day when we have children we will go to a 'kid friendly' tree, but until then I will have my 'Martha Stewart' tree as some might call it. I love that my ornaments and wrapping paper all match. I know it's weird, but I enjoy it!

At this time of year I've already recalled quite often our trip to Bethlehem during the summer of 2006. It was such an eye opening experience. It helped me to really take a different look at the Word. It really brings it to life to have been in all those places where my Savior was. To stand in the place where he was brought into the world....was simply amazing. What a blessing that was given to us by my mother-in-law and father-in-law. Though the image to the left is less than what you would have imagined, it is the spot where Jesus is said to be born. I didn't imagine it being a 'shrine' as it seems. It smelled of incense. But when you are able to pull yourself away from the appearance you are able to realize that over 2 thousand years ago and thousands of tourists before it was a lonely cave where an amazing Savior was born to the world. The spot on the floor where the star is, is the location that they suspect that he was born at. It was so cool to stand there and know that a tiny little baby had cried there that was born for each of us!

In Sunday School we are studying the story of Christs birth and watching the Nativity Story. It is a wonderful movie. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend it. The reenactment of Nazareth is very much like the area that we were able to see. The movie makes the journey for Mary and Joseph so real. It brings to life the ridicule that they faced and how they were blessed with an amazing gift!

More Christmas celebrations to come!!! Can't wait!

OH so Thankful for rest!

Our Thanksgiving took us on a long journey of travels: Below is a small synopsis of our travels.

Destinations and Mileages
Boone to Hendersonville 107 miles
Hendersonville To Greenville, South Carolina 38 miles
Greenville to Hendersonville 38 miles
Hendersonville to Boone 107 miles
Boone to Mount Airy 89 miles
Mount Airy to Pfafftown 31 miles
Pfafftown to Boone 81 miles

Total miles traveled: 491 miles!! From Wednesday to Saturday!

It was a wonderful time filled with seeing our families. Wednesday we traveled to Hendersonville and hung out with John's dad at his office for a while. Then we joined Denice at home and headed down to Greenville to Brandon, Nicole, and Ella's. Ella was as adorable as ever! She was sitting up in her new little chair. I enjoyed every opportunity to hug her and love on her. Her Auntie Pepper sure does love her!We ate dinner at Chili's and then we enjoyed church at Redemption World Outreach. It's so nice sometimes to go to church and not be in charge of anything or have to worry about what others might be thinking about what your husband is doing! It's just nice! I love to hear Pastor Ron teach! He is an amazing speaker and spoke about Ezekiel 37 and the dry bones that we become when we have repetitious cycles that we don't deal with. He always brings the word!

We went back to Hendo that night and hung out. John presented his brother with their old Nintendo and it consumed alot of our time this past weekend! It was so much fun! Papa John hooked the TV up to the projector and put Mario up on the big wall! I never played on the wall because I was busy loving on Ella, but John and Coley enjoyed fighting over who would win and Brandon enjoyed making animals with his hands in the light. I must say Nicole came up victorious and saved the princess!!! Old school games are so much fun!

The next day we enjoyed a good time with extended family. Everyone shared one of their favorite family memories. Carmelita told a story and shared a dish from Mamaw Jo's. The dish sat on a picnic table outside and survived a large flood that overtook the back yard one year. The dish sank into the water and remained there, unharmed after the floodwater subsided. John shared our plaque with the "Dance like no one is watching", which reminded him of his time with Granny! Brandon shared a Mickey Mouse scarf that Granny bought him to clean the rosen off his violin. I shared a hilarious memory from the first time that I visited the Berry home and thought I had come in at an inappropriate time and found John Sr. rubbing Denice's feet! Coley shared a falafal postcard from our trip to Israel. Denice shared a time that Papaw gave Granny and "azalea" (haha..can't tell that one on this website). Tiffany shared about a time that when the boys tackled her in new clothes and ruined them in the mud! ....Many more stories followed. It was a good time to think about all the good times everyone has experienced in the Berry/Jones families!

We hung out and played all night! It was so much fun, just spending time together! The next morning we packed up and headed back to Boone. That night John had a football game and the Pioneers won! They have one more game until the State Championship!!! We fed some of the coaches and their wives after the game! It was fun to hangout and watch Friday Night Football!

The next day we headed down to Mount Airy and ate lunch with my fam! After lunch John hung a new light for Nana and I took a nap! Then we headed down to Pfafftown to see my Dad! As we headed home we picked up Marsha and then back to Boone!

We were exhausted once the holiday was over, but it was a great time with family and friends!!! We have so much to be thankful for!

GIVE THANKS

It's unbelievable to me that it is already Thanksgiving. Tomorrow we will be surrounded by the Berry family with the aroma of turkey and all the trimmings. We will each have our very special dishes there, I'm sure. Already in my kitchen the smell of pumpkin cheesecake, apple nut cheesecake, and pecan pies are making me ready for a yummy Thanksgiving lunch! I'm sure the picture will be the same as usual. Everyone with their over filled plates and happy faces which quickly turn to ohhhhsss and ahhhhsss after the meal and complaints about eating too much. John will surely fall asleep from the sleeping aid said to be included in each slice of turkey that he consumes, and then we will all be serenaded by his deep, sweet snoring brought on after a good thanksgiving lunch.

This year there is so much to be thankful for. It's amazing what God does in 365 days! More than you really can remember or ever list. I'm thankful for so much, but some of the things include:

A God who continues to multiply and bless me with so many things. His love is so indescribable. What an honor it is to be his child and to rest in the assurance that he loves me without condition and that he chooses to. That constantly amazes me. He doesn't need me, but he WANTS me. Coming the childhood that I have had, THAT very sentences explains why I stand in awe of my amazing Savior each day.

An amazing husband that can simply not be explained. He is such a servant and he not only blesses me by loving me (even on the days when it is difficult), but he serves so selflessly everyone around him. His smile is amazing and his laugh is nothing less than contagious. Though he tells the corniest jokes known to man, I would simply miss them if they didn't touch my ears. John has a love for the Lord and his people that is infectious. He has taught me and continues to teach me so much as we travel through this life together. It goes without saying that I am more in love with him today than I ever imagined I could have been 6 years ago when we met.

A new home that is one of my most loved dreams of my life. It's mine. Today as I baked, I thought to myself "wow! Look how far the Lord has brought me in my life." I used to imagine what life would be like as an adult. And he has so richly blessed me with a home that I love and enjoy being at. Also he has blessed us with the ability to bless others with a space where they can come and find refuge if it is needed and simply rest.

A wonderful family. This year I was blessed with my very first niece. What a responsibility I feel with being called an Aunt. Little Ella Christine in her mere 14 weeks has already taught me so much about love and putting things aside. She is absolutely precious when you behold her. I never imagined loving a child, that wasn't mine, so very much! John, Denice, Brandon, Nicole, PaPaw, Carmelita, Troy, Drew, Tiffany, and Jordan are great. Though we don't get to see them very often we know that they love and support us as we journey through life.

My personal family that I grew up with, Nana, Wanda, and Donald, have taken on a whole new meaning to me as I am growing up, I guess you would say. I understand the responsibilities of life so much more as I gain years and see what they took on raising me from the age of 8. I am so thankful for what they gave me, taught me and showed me as I grew as a child.

I am thankful for all the family and friends that can't be listed because they number so.... What a blessing each one is in my life individually. My bible study girls are a constant reminder of the ones God puts in your life to spur you on in your walk with him. Our study on Esther as been amazing and such an inspiration for each of us. Our friends and church family love us so much and I thank God for them. I thank God for those that have gone on to be with the lord and the unbelievable footprints they have left on the hearts of those behind. Our time with them was precious.

As you celebrate this wonderful time of thanks.....GIVE THANKS!

Teenagers and lots of laughing.....

After a week of children withdrawals from Gaidon, Isaac, and Mark being gone our home was filled again with laughter last night when we had our youth group meeting at our home. Different ones have come over at different time, but it's the first time that we decided to have everyone meet at our home. What a blessing to have a home close to town and where all the kids live. Before we were about 20 minutes from the ones who lived the closest. Now they all live within about 5-10 minutes of the house. It makes it so much easier. And, unfortunately, they are all getting their licenses. SO SCARY! Makes you want to not drive when you see some of them get their drivers license. We have endured many accidents with a few of them already!

Anyway..they all gathered (even Ben's Baby Think it Over in the picture above being abused in order to keep its head from falling back and lessening his grade). I spent most of the afternoon making them some goodies. Velveeta dip, cream cheese and sausage dip, ham and cheese rolls, popcorn chicken, cheese sticks, cheesecake, and other things that parents sent to us! They can really clean you out when they come to visit. Where do they put it all??? We finally got home about midnight after taking our last few home. It was a great night of fellowship!

Everyone in the living room singing.

Cassie and Blake competing to see who can catch the grapes without touching them.

John leading us in worship.

Evalyn, Sara, Caroline, and Danielle.

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Our morning began at a bright 6:30 AM as Isaac awoke ready to seize the day! He hopped out of bed and immediately turned to make his bed and brush his teeth! Gaidon woke up wanting to know where Uncle was. Once he found that he was still in bed, he wanted to wake him up. The above pictures show the somersault he did to make this happen! Not long after Gaidon was awake and it was time to make breakfast. It was obvious that once he was up, than everyone else was going to be up too! Mark was the latest riser, but woke up full of joy and ready to go!

We began to make breakfast and the boys were eager for bacon and eggs. Gaidon and Isaac were eager to help in the kitchen, while Mark wanted to run and play outside in the cool Boone air! Isaac knew how to make the eggs and Giadon helped to make muffins for our hike that we were planning to go on (I later burned them because I was so caught up playing with the boys!). It was fun to see John with Isaac working together to make some mini pancakes. Breakfast was yummy! The boys enjoyed it with a heavy coat of Texas Pete for Gaidon and Mark and ketchup for Isaac. No syrup was necessary because hot sauce was good for even the pancakes. They did like the strawberry jam that I had made back in the summer! I had cooked half a pound of bacon, but after the prompting of Gaidon and Mark, I cooked the other half! They loved it.







After breakfast the boys played, sang and wrestled. It was so much fun to listen to the laughing coming from the children. We prepared ourselves to go for a hike with all 16 children and all the other host families that took the day off! Marsha, Jenny, Jarrett, Adam, and myself all took off work to play with the kids! It was well worth it. I heard Jarett say it was the best day off he has ever had! We ran to Wal-mart and grabbed some waters for everyone. The boys enjoyed playing in the buggy and racing.



We joined all other children at the church and enjoyed a little play time inside. We then all hopped on the bus and had a little snack. They loved apples and bananas, but were not too excited about the teddy grahams because they were 'too sweet', as the children would say with crinkled up faces. On the way Gaidon and Little Rose enjoyed wearing Auntie Marsha's sunglasses. He thought he looked like a ninja and was excited to look at his pictures on the camera. We finally arrived. The children were so excited about the idea of seeing a real waterfall. Isaac said he had only seen one in a movie and couldn't wait to see it with his real eyes. I can just hear his little African accent as he spoke. The children all had to take turns going to the bathroom. Once the boys found this out 'Uncle John' showed them the privileges of being a boy--going to the woods! They were laughing and loving this! They all came back yelling and grunting! Such boys--no matter what country or what color their skin is! I love that and think that so many Americans are ignorant of this. They are just like us. Just wrapped in their poverty stricken situations that limit them in their opportunities.



We made our way to the waterfall and the children got so excited once they saw the water. It was hard for everyone around us, that wasn't with our group, to not notice the difference in the children. Many asked questions about where they were from or what they were doing? It was an awesome opportunity. A nice couple took the group picture with about 8 different cameras. They were mesmerized by the excitement of the children. You can see from the pictures how proud Isaac was to see his first waterfall!



On the way back everyone was asleep in a matter of minutes. We traveled back to Boone on the parkway and Gaidon was staring out the window at all the beautiful mountains and trees saying 'Auntie take a picture...take a picture auntie!' We took everyone to Chick-fila and they enjoyed chicken nuggets and french fries. Our boys wanted more and ended up having 9 nuggets each and splitting a second fry! They played in the play center for a with all their friends.They enjoyed their time together with everyone. Everyone in Chick-fila, including a family with some unruly kids were amazed at their incredible behavior!


We ran to the grocery store and got all kinds of fruits that they saw as we we went in the produce section. We had a real coconut at Gaidon's request; a green melon looking thing that he called Elephant fruit. Mark wanted a mango. All three boys loved the mangos and it was a lot of fun watching John and the boys break apart the coconut.

We came home and had dinner. Everyone wanted something different for dinner so I agreed to make both spaghetti and tacos. Mark and Isaac ate up some spaghetti, while Gaidon ate his weight in taco meat. I loved serving those kids. They were so grateful. Isaac kept saying, 'thank you auntie. thank you for everything!' How precious.


They wanted to look at pictures of us as we were married. They loved it. They wanted to know about my rings and why I didn't have them on. They made John go and get them. Isaac said, "In Uganda when you put on a ring- you NEVER take it off.' We looked at pictures from our El Salvador trip and the boys shared things about their homes. Isaac shared how his home was made our of wood and straw and Mark and Gaidon said their floors were dirt. We listened with open hearts as the boys shared their dreams for the future. Isaac wants to be an engineer. He shared on a news story that he hoped to build his mother a home with a roof like the ones he has seen in the United States. Gaidon wants to be a preacher. He preached to us at dinner about how everyone is special. This was prompted by Isaac saying that he was made fun of for being' too black' in his country. Gaidon told him that God made him the way that he was! An eight year old was preaching to an eleven year old about how precious he was in God's sight. Not to mention that Gaidon is an eight year old with nothing. From what he said he lives with a neighbor and his father is dead. He told us that his mother was alive, however he said he doesn't really get to see her because she lives so far away. Gaidon even blessed my soul when he left me this precious letter that is to the left.


Mark seemed to have the most active childhood of them all. He mentioned his father having a laptop and that he had family including his grandfather. I am sure his living situation is not that great since he is sponsored by someone through the World Hope.





As we prayed that night the boys took turns. Isaacs prayer brought me to tears. He prayed in his broken English with a heavy accent: "Dear Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for auntie and uncle who have opened their home to us. Thank you for everything they have done. Please bless them for what they have given to us. amen"

You can hear Isaac sing and hear his story at the following link. It is so worth your time to watch!

http://texomashomepage.com/media_player.php?media_id=3704#

The Pitter-Patter of Little Feet has Entered the Berry Home

On Sunday, after many weeks of excitement, we were able to meet the children of the world tour group. It was so much fun to see how differently they behave from what I typically see in America! The children were so well mannered and Auntie Natalie (the leader) didn't ever have too say a direction more than once or say it in a loud voice. The children were very attentive and very respectful! They were excited to see that dinner was chicken, potatoes and green beans. They put away some chicken! We were able to meet our boys-- Gaidon, Isaac, and Mark. I was so excited to be taking them home. They were excited about my name being Pepper and loved calling me 'Auntie Pepperoni!' Guess that's one benefit to the name; every child around the world knows the name Pepper! Gaidon, pictured to the left loved asking for the 'pepper' throughout dinner. He got a kick out of it ...as you can see!

The amazing group of 16 children all from either the Philippines, India, or Uganda performed a wonderful presentation of praise to the Lord after dinner. Each one, in their native dress, praised him like I have never seen. Helen, pictured to the left, had an amazing presence of God about her. She is the one in the middle in the traditional African dress with her vocal cords belting to the heavens! So many of these children are either orphaned or live with one parent in less than comfortable conditions. They have each been chosen to tour the eastern part of the United States for the next year! They are wonderful!!! They are so loving and caring for each other and for others!

Little Rose, only 7 years old(pictured above in center), found out after the show that she had lost her only living parent. Auntie Natalie and Uncle Chad were afraid of her reaction. But after finding out about the death of her father her reaction was simple:But, she simply said,

"It's because he drinks. Guess it's just my brother and me now and then started talking about other things. " She was a heart stealer! She was the most precious thing.

That night was exciting. We quickly gained the blessing of three children! ALL BOYS!-John's dream came true! We got each of their suit cases loaded up and the youngest two boys had car seats. It was amazing how much work it was. We entered our home and the pitter-patter of little feet entered the Berry home for the very first time! Once we got home it was time for a bath! 'Uncle John' as they called him, really had a blast with this part. The boys wanted tons of bubbles and insisted on taking a bath together! After a bath they watched a movie and devoured 3 bags of popcorn among themselves! We said prayers and were in bed at their 10 o'clock bedtime that night. Below are some pictures of our entertaining night!

More stories to come about our weekend and these

wonderful little guys!