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Saturday, March 31, 2007

State Farm 1 Mile Race

Kemonterious browns the hamburger and we had a lesson in meat safety.

Making garlic bread.

The girls eat up.


Time for a friendly game of Nintendo



Coach Steve and Jodene give some last minute instructions.




Team Obasi





After the race Jodene made us a big breakfast. MMMM Good.
This weekend it was our first 1 mile of the season. Because the weather has been so nice we have been able to practice for about 5 weeks. This week in practice everyone was beating their all time records so we were pretty excited to go to the race. We decided to have the kids sleep over Friday night so that they could get a good meal, good nights sleep
and so that we would be able to find them early Saturday morning. Coach Steve gave us a talk about eating right before the race. Kemonterious decided he wanted to help me make dinner for everyone, he was so excited. We made spaghetti and garlic bread. He was
so excited to serve everyone. While we were making dinner he said I wish Dez could be here so she can learn that when you do the right thing you get to do a lot of fun things. I almost busted out laughing. Kemonterious is the one in the last few months we have been trying to teach that lesson to. He has been doing much better the last month so I am glad that he figured that out for himself. I just pray that he keeps continuing to live by his words. He really is an awesome kid.
Shae and LaMario came later and Kemonterious wanted to make sure that they had eaten. They both said they were full. He asked them what they had eaten for supper when LaMario said McDonalds, Kemonterious hit the roof. He told LaMario you know we aren’t supposed to eat junk food before a race, now your body is going to be tired. Shae and LaMario felt so bad they ate a plate of spaghetti.
The kids played a little Nintendo, Teijah listened to Nicole C. Mullens on the ipod. She sat on the couch just singing her little lungs out. She loves music and singing. It was a little off key but her heart can sing with the best of them.
We had some fruit for snack and then to bed.
The kids were awake at 5:30 p.m. ready to run. The race started at 8:30. There was a 70% chance of hard rain. The weather men were right and about midnight it started raining. Every once in a while I would wake during the night and hear the pounding rain. I asked God
For 20 minutes of no moisture for the race. As we left our driveway it started pouring even harder. Then about 5 minutes before the race it stopped raining and it didn’t start back up again till about 9:00. The kids would have ran in the rain, but I am grateful that God gave us a break.
The kids did an awesome job. Kemonterious ran a 6:20, he got third out of 291 kids and broke his record.
LaMario ran a 7:07 and came in 15th, pretty good for a kid who couldn’t make it around the block a month ago.
Alexis ran a 7:34 and came in 33rd coming close to her record,
Shae ran a 9:07 which was really good.
And little Teijah ran a 9:27 breaking her record.
This is our second year of competing really seriously. I have seen a huge difference in the kids. Last year Kemonterious was a afraid to even practice because he didn’t want to lose, he had no confidence and
didn’t really understand his talent. This year he begs to run all the time. He can’t wait to race because he believes he can do it. He is even helping the new kids. Last week I heard him tell LaMario you got to start running harder, the only thing stopping you from winning isn’t your body it’s your mind. I used to say that to him all last year. It is so good to see them finally believing in themselves. To see them wanting to practice and wanting to beat their times. They rejoice for each other when they break their records.
I love that.
I want to thank Coach Steve, Jackie and Jodene for really helping with techniques and their enthusiasm for for the sport.
Thank you Meribeth for coming and cheering on Team Obasi. It means a lot to the kids to have someone there to watch them.
Miss Brenda


I was nervous once we got there. Then we heard a gun shot and we started running.
We ran fast and I was running with Jackie.
In the middle of the race I was praying help me run faster.
I heard Miss Brenda yelling, go, go, go faster. And I did.
Then when at the end I got a golden necklace.
Teijah age 6


The State Farm run was the biggest thing of my life. Man I was doing good and I beat my record big time. I got third place. I was so tired I had to ask Jodene to hold me up.
During the race I was slowing down but I started to pray and I wasn’t tired any more. I was praying that God would please help me and not make me slow but fast.
I learned to try my hardest to get better at it.
Kemonterious age 10

Today was our State Farm race and I was really nervous because it was my first time racing.
It was fun because we kept practicing everyday. I was praying when I was running that God would help me win this race and help me to get a medal and I got it. I was really tired when the race was over I hardly could walk because I was that tired. We took a picture when we was done.
I had to carry Teijah all the way to the car. She was pretty heavy.
I am really glad I got to run in the race because it was really fun. From coach Steve I learned to keep my arms back and forth and don’t give up.
Shae age 10

When we got to the farm race we had to wait for 20 minutes until the race started. Then bam the gun went off and everybody ran so fast that I thought it was a stampede. At the end of the race I was so exhausted I felt like fainting.
I learned that when it gets to the end of the race I need sprint so hard that I feel sick.
Alexis age 10

Today was the state farm race and it was super fun. When I first took off I was so excited that I might have pasted 2 or 3 people. I think I gave the race all I had. I got nervous and took my glasses off during the race to wipe the rain off. The last part everyone was cheering for me. I never had people cheer for me before it was so cool. I also broke my record. I learned that you give it all you got and never give up.
LaMario age 11






Thursday, March 29, 2007

The Domino Effect of Being A Good Role Model.

Wednesday, March 28th

We had just got done celebrating that Pierrie had opened his checking account. He was beaming from ear to ear. And why not the beginning of one of his dreams was starting.

When out of the blue popped up this conversation.

Kemonterious- Can I start my car savings account.
Miss Brenda- No that is something we will help you do when you turn 16. It's like the celebration of going into manhood.
Kemonterious- But I want to start now.
LaMario- Me too.
Miss Brenda- We will wait till your 16.
Kemonterious- But why can't I start now and get a car when I am 14.
Miss Brenda- Well, you are 10, it takes a lot of money to buy a car and you can't use a car when you are 14.
Kemonterious- Well why not, I want to drive.
Miss Brenda- Because it is illegal, you have to be 16 to drive.
Kemonterious- They will send me to Mexico if I drive when I am 14. ( Kemonterious is African American, and must have heard the word illegal in the news, so was a little confused)
Miss Brenda- No it is against the law to drive by yourself when you are 14. You will get in trouble.
Kemonterious- But why can't I start saving now?
Miss Brenda- Well I guess you could start saving now. We aren't going to open a savings account for you but how about we get a piggy bank for you.
Kemonterious- Yeah.
Miss Brenda- But the bank stays here and when you put money in it, it stays, you can't take it out when you are hungry and want a pizza.
Kemonterious- I wouldn't do that! Let's do it.
LaMario- Me too, I want to do it.

So tomorrow I will be making up banks for them. I am a little skeptical and impressed at the same time. The power of Pierrie's role modeling is incredible, I don't think we truly understand how our actions impact far more people than our words could ever do.
I am skeptical because saving money in this neighborhood is a totally new concept especially for Kemonterious- Money burns a hole in his pocket and anytime he has a spare dime he is spending it. BUT this could be a totally amazing experience for him to do something that major. Just Saving is like WOW. But then saving for a car that is a double WOW. Cars or lack of cars in our families is a huge problem. When they do have a car, it is breaking down a lot.
Please pray that with our kids, especially the boys that we would be able to show them the power of saving, planning and role modeling.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

I Got Money In The Bank.




Well today I opened my 1st Savings Account. Yes that's right a savings account.
I am saving up for a car someday. Jodene helped me when we went to the bank. She really knows a lot about banks.
Then after that we went to go look at cars and how to find a good car to drive. It was so much fun.
So pray that I would save fast and be able to get that car real soon.
Pierrie

Where's Your Head !


Tuesday, March 27

But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be?
I Corinthians 12:18-19

Jodene's group has been studying what it means to be members of the body of Christ. That when one member is not doing what they should be doing it makes the whole body disfunctional. So today we started this little behavior game. At the beginning of each Obasi day each person picks a body part that is a piece of a human puzzle,that they want to represent for the day. If they have a good day then they get to put their piece of the puzzle on the wall. If the whole body is completed then they each get a little reward.
Today two of our kids didn't get to put their pieces up. They didn't have horrible days, just not quite great. When we got done putting our pieces up, we were missing a head and a mouth. The even funnier part was the kid who had the head, the reason he couldn't put the piece up was that he was kinda gone mentally all day. The second was the mouth and the person who had that part had used her mouth to hurt someone. It was so God revealing His word to us in a living example. The puzzle just looked plane odd without a head and a mouth. The rest of body really can't function without a head. The rest of the us had to keep going back and bringing him up to speed, which took extra time and disrupted the flow.
Our actions really do affect the rest of the body.
We have had two girls that are on leave of absence for behavior problems. It was really hard telling them they must step away for a while, but they were disrupting the whole body. No one could function properly. During their absence, our hearts grieve for their decisions, but it has been an absolute joy to have the body functioning as one again. The kids that are here are trying so hard to do the right thing. Our days are filled with learning and enjoying God and each other again. I enjoy mentoring again, and see God again.

Happy Birthday Dezhanay

Tuesday, March 27 We ended up celebrating Dez's birthday a day late, because she was at the hospital meeting her new sister, Josie. She is very proud of her new sister and that they share birthdays.

Blow out those 11 candles.

In Bible Study we have been learning that we need to protect our hearts by being careful what we listen too. So for her birthday we got her our favorite Nicole C. Mullens CD, so that she will have some great music to listen to at home. She was very excited.


Morissa and Cheney came to celebrate too. We played spoons which was very tricky with 12 people but it made for a lot of fun and laughs.

At the end of the day, I usually pray before we go home. Dezhanay wanted to pray today, which is pretty unusual for her. She was very grateful for her day. We started an "I caught you!" book. We have a lot of trouble with put downs. This book is for the kids to catch each other doing something kind or doing something good. Dez was thankful that Alexis noticed that she was trying really hard during track practice today. Dez usually walks around as slow as possible. Today she was trying to sprint with the other kids. We all were very proud of her.









Tuesday, March 27, 2007

It's My Party

March 27th

Well as you know I'm now 16 years old, it is so much fun to be 16, bit it feels like 15.
I had a surprise party. I was surprised and mad all at the same time. Before that we went to Applebees and ate.
It was nice to see all the people there who care and love me. We had a great time talking to each other and stuff.
Pastor Jessie gave a good talk about being a man.
I just want to thank you for coming.
Pierrie

Monday, March 26, 2007

Soweto African Gospel Choir

March 24, 2007
What I liked about the choir is they were singing and dancing. I liked when they did the high kick's it almost looked liked they kicked their faces.
When the girls came up to sing it was like one girl would sing then the rest just repeated like the wind was blowing.
The best part that I liked was when they were singing Amazing Grace, a lady came up to sing, she sang a high note for a long time.-Alexis

I liked the choir because it was fun and I liked how they were dressed in clothes that looked like zebras. Then they took a break and came back in different clothes. I really liked the first song, the middle song and the last song, because they explained it and then we knew better what they were singing. They were singing so loud I could not hear myself but I liked how tehy were in the skirts. I liked how they were singing. It was really cool, I am happy we went to see them because it was real fun.- Shae

We would like the Lied Center and Randy Bretz for donating the tickets to Obasi so that we would have the opportunity to experience such an awesome event. We also got to take a couple of parents, some friends from church and Pastor Jessie and Sister Lil.
We couldn't take pictures but you can check them out at http://www.sowetogospelchoir.com/

Happy 16th Birthday Pierrie!!!!

March 22 Pierrie thought we were just celebrating his birthday with dinner at Applebees, but their was more to come later. Obasi gave Pierrie a picture of his dream car and is helping him start and maintain a savings account to help him get his first car.

Surprise ! The whole gang is here. Pastor Jessie starts out the party by giving a little talk on the meaning and qualities of a real Man. Then the rest of us shared what we love about Pierrie.

Time to blow out all those candies. Kemonterious is at the front of the pack waiting for the cake.


Brother Colin, Pierrie and sister Lentorious keep it real.



We were excited to have Erin join us, she is a very good friend to Pierrie as well as one of his youth group leaders at church.




Mom and Pierrie.





Pierrie and tutor Beth.


The Tenney's and Pierrie.

Penne, Pierrie and Mrs. B, two very special ladies in Pierrie's life.



Pastor Jessie, Pierrie and Steve. Pierrie's Male role models.




Miss Brenda, Pierrie and Jodene.




Sean and the boys.







Pierrie's fan club.
I liked Pierrie's birthday because me, Alexis and Teijah had to keep a secret, (about the surprise party). First we went to Applebees, then we left early to go to Jodene's house so we could sit down and talk and wait for Pierrie to come for the surprise party.-Savanah
When we went to Pierrie's birthday we went to Applebees. It was really fun and then we kept a secret. We went to Jodene's house and we had a good time, it was so much fun.-Teijah

As you can see God has surrounded Pierrie with lots of support and Life Models. I hope that through the evening Pierrie was reminded of all the people God has blessed him with.
Miss Brenda's favorite card to Pierrie comes from Savanah.
Dear Pierrie,
Thank you for helping me with homework.
I think you are mature, smart, awesome and grateful.
I love that you are at Obasi.
I am proud of you for believing in Jesus.
You make me laugh when you make up jokes.
Remember when we went to Adventureland, Grand Island and the Capitol?
I hope you grow up to be a Jesus Man that goes to church and picks a good wife that treats you right and that goes to church as well and that lets you make your own decisions not a wife that don’t let you have a life. Marry a girl that does not cheat on you.
From Savanah.









Friday, March 23, 2007

Happy Birthday Beth

Thursday, March 22 Beth is one of our tutors. We celebrated her birthday Thursday. We love you beth.

Children of The World

Wednesday, March 21 Teijah got really brave and went up and introduced herself to Joeline from Uganda. They both wore those smiles throughout the whole performance. Teijah asked me if that is the only outfit the kids had to wear. I told her that those are there choir outfits, and that they probably have a few more clothes. Then she said well if she lived here I would give her my clothes. It was so sweet. We have been studying Africa, we are sponsoring a little girl from Ethopia and we have been keeping up with Oprah, so the kids are really getting sensitive to others who are hurting in the world. They were so excited to finally see someone from Africa. They were in shock when they sang two of our favorite songs: Shackles and Trading My Sorrows. The choir did an awesome job singing. They were only 7 and 8 years of age.
Miss Brenda

On Wednesday we went and saw some awesome kids sing and dance. Their dancing and singing really touch me. These kids are from all over the world and most of them are orphans. They are called the Children of the World. The kids that stood out the most for me were the 3 from Uganda. As you might know there is a war going on there now and many kids have to walk for days without food or water to get away from the rebels who try to make them fight in the war. Many of the parents of the kids in Uganda are dying of aids. Just pray for the kids.
If you want to know more just log on to www.worldhelp.com
by Pierrie
The children's choir was so awesome and talented. I think that they have really good voices. When we left i just couldn't forget about their parents.-Dezhanay
What I liked about the children's choir came out and I liked when we got to meet them. We got to know what they do and what they like. My favorite song was "Trading My Sorrows." - LaMario


Hey Grab A Dollar Bill for This One





Tuesday, March 20

Did you know that dollar bills are made up of 25% cotton and 75% linen. Today we learned that in money class. We also learned that each dollar has a different serial number. Did you know that the big letter by the picture of George Washington, tells you what major city it is made in?
The reason why the pyramid isn’t finished is because it means that the United States has room for growth. And the eye at the top represents the watchful gaze of God. Today we also learned that the average one-dollar bill is in circulation is for 18 mouths and we also learned that it cost four cents to make 1, one-dollar bill.

HOPE YOU LEARNED SOMETHING TODAY TOO.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Zany Fruit Cereal Marshmallow Bars

Hi, My name is Savanah, I am 8 years old and I am the Obasi Snack Lady. Today we made up a new recipe. Get a pan and put in a stick of butter and turn the stove on medium. Stir it while it is melting, with a wooden spoon.

When it melted stir in a bag of new strawberry marshmallows. Then put in a 12oz box of fruity cereal. Take off of the stove and stir it all up. Put mixture int a buttered baking cake pan. Put some butter on your hand and spread it out.

Then put it in the fridge to cool.



Cut them into bars.
( Do not do this at home. We recommend that knife be smaller than the child cutting the snack, and an adult was present and assisted with cutting the snack bars.)
The kids thought they were excelantay !!!!!!!






Saturday, March 17, 2007

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Today we got together with the other kids from our church NO GREATER LOVE Church and had a skate party. We were excited that about 25 kids showed up. We had a lot of fun skating, getting to know each other, and snacking. It was a very good day.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

We have been learning a lot about money. It's history, how it is made, bartering, working, saving, budgeting etc. We don't go to movies very often but we heard of one called The Ultimate Gift-that deals with an inheritance and character building. After checking out the website we decided we really wanted the kids to see it. Before going we talked about what an inheritance is, how you get one, who gives one, etc.

This inheritance is difference because the Grandpa leaves an inheritance to one of his grandson's who is really spoiled and living off of other peoples money. But before he can get this inheritance he has to accomplish 12 task. Each task gives it's own gift.

The twelve gifts are:
The Gift of Work
The Gift of Friends
The Gift of Dreams
The Gift of Giving
The Gift of Love
The Gift of Problems
The Gift of Gratitude
The Gift of Money
The Gift of A Day
The Gift of Learning
The Gift of Laughter
The Gift of Family

It is a great family movie, their is a little violence when he is captured in Equador, other than that is a film you can take the whole family and not worry about what is going to happen next. It was a little over the head of our 6 year old, but she was still able to glean a lesson.

The movie is only showing at East Park, and you can get discount tickets at Family Christian Book Store for $5.50.

There are also study guides at their Website- http://www.theultimategift.com/home.php?cid=4294967295&cat=home

I give it two thumbs up.
Miss Brenda

What we learned from the movie:
To be a better person is more important than how much money you have.
Pierrie-age 15

Learn from the troubles you have.
Kemonterious- age 10

Life is about how you live it, not about how you spend it !
Dez-age 11

At the beginning of the movie Jason was sad and being bad. At the end of the movie he was happy. Little girl was a new friend. Mother of the girl made him happy and when he found out what happened to his father, he gave all his money away.
Teijah-age 6

Learn to control your money instead of waste it on bad things.
Shae- age 10

Friday, March 16, 2007

After the Movie we went to the Pet Store.

Savanah enjoys hanging out with one of the gerbils.

Kemonterious watches the gerbils race back and forth.

Dez dreams about having a puppy.


Teijah comforts a baby bunny. I wanted to take one of these home really bad they were so cute and soft.



After a run through Holmes Park-More ice cream- we decided our goal for the summer would be to see how many ice cream parlors we could check out in Lincoln. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.





Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Today we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and took off for Mahoney State Park. It was hard to believe that just over a week ago it had snowed nine inches. We had a great time just enjoying the sun and exploring.

Pierrie did a little reflecting by the lake. I had fun taking to him and catching up on his life. Sometimes during the normal schedule it is hard to just relax and visit. I loved being by the lake and just watching the kids explore. When I was a kid I always went down by the pond to gather my thoughts and feelings. It always reminded me who was in charge of my life and made me feel closing to God after seeing all the wonderful things He has created. It was just wanted I needed today too.

There was about a 3-4 inch layer of ice still on the lake. The kids had fun trying to move it.


And then they had fun getting really long branches and trying to break up the ice from the dock. They were so excited when they broke off a large piece.



Shae shows off her ice diamond !!! It really was beautiful when you held it up to the sun. It had losts of little holes in it.





On top of the tower over looking the Platte River.





Our favorite tree to take a picture from. We visit it every year.





We stopped in Ashland for some ice cream. It was delicious.








Pierrie does a little window car shoppin !!!!! Hate to squish the dream but wait till we take him window car insurance shoppin.







Jodene gives us a lesson on how to buy and put on new wind shield wipers. Always something to learn.