My incredible blessings

Hi everyone,

 Being I find myself alone this afternoon, I decided to post a nice, long narrative of the things that I'm most thankful for.  Cora has been doing this every day this month, which is a lovely thought, but it's been impossible for me to accomplish. 

I'm starting with Thanksgiving day which began very early for me.  Cora had to work in the afternoon which meant that the 15 pound turkey had to be tender by noon.  I am humbled to admit that I used Stove Top Stuffing as Robert and I had made a late trip to Bismarck the night before to pick up building materials for the shop. 

 When we had entered Dans, I said to Robert, "I'm not even sure if we have any bread at home to make stuffing with."  Being I don't eat bread any more, I don't pay that much attention to it nowadays.  "Better buy some Stove Top Stuffing," he had said, so I did.

It smelled wonderful as I forked through it after the 5 minutes of it setting in the boiling buttered water.  I stuffed the turkey in the usual places; buttered the breast with salt and pepper added; protected the wings and thighs with tin foil; and slid the whole mass into the oven by 6:30 AM. 

Being I was pretty sore from so many sessions last week, I took a wonderful soak in the whirlpool as the rest of the family woke up.  Then Cora and I got to work in the kitchen and did we ever have fun! 

The staff at the nursing home always has potlucks on holidays and Cora had decided to make a Thanksgiving table cake as her contribution to the day.  You can see her turkey here and, if you look closely, you can see that she stuffed hers too--wonder if it was Stove Top Stuffing too!  You can see a picture of the completed cake over at her blog.  The next day she shared all of the wonderful responses to her cake with the cutest one being, "I ate 2 plates." 

 Here is a picture of my darling daughter with the cake in the foreground.  She made a lovely table runner too.

 I'm not much good at cake decorating but, when I saw that Cora had a little bit of red fondant left, I said, "Why not make a big heart out of it."  Cora took my suggestion and, when I saw that there was a small bit of green fondant left, I made a great big B out of it and put it on top of the heart.  Four Bornemanns shared the fondant treat at lunchtime but I passed as I am trying to minimize sugar too.

 When I was out at chores that morning, I took a few pictures of things that I'm thankful for.  Here are our 2 dogs, Millie and Lady.  After goats, I'd have to say that dogs are my favorite animals.

 Jacob said, "What are you taking a picture of, Mom?"  "The alfalfa," I answered.  Being our small grain crops were poor, we especially appreciate all of the wonderful alfalfa the Lord blessed us with this year.  Further, he's opened up doors for our hay to go to Texas and to Oklahoma, so now we have the money to work on our shop!  PRAISE THE LORD!

 I think everyone has posted about the shop project.  We've been wanting to do this ever since we moved here 8 years ago.  However, funds are always tight, but it's also a big chunk of work.  Now that Andrew is into buying cars that need work; repairing them; and then reselling them, he has a need for a warm shop too, hence the work is going forward with gusto. 
Thanksgiving afternoon, Jacob and I painted the side of the wall which will be heated while Robert and Andrew finished putting the chipboard on the other side of the wall.  There will be cold storage on the other side of this wall now but this will leave plenty of room to get a tractor and some smaller vehicles in here to work on.  It will be nice to have the feeding tractor in a heated area this Winter too. 

 Those are the only pictures that I have from Thanksgiving Day, but when I looked through the November pictures on my computer, I found these to share with you.
 
Have you been to Scheels in Bismarck lately?  If so, it would be impossible to miss the tribute that they have made to freedom.  Jacob and I were so impressed as there were these life-sized statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ronald Reagan. 
You know how the ACLU is saying that we can't have the 10 Commandments etc on public property? 
Well, this just goes to show that human ingenuity CAN win over bullheadedness.  Jacob and I were so thrilled as we read on the placards beside our former presidents various of their quotes.  There were statements like, "A nation without God is doomed for failure,"  "We need the Bible to guide us so that we can please our God who formed this great nation.................... 
I was so thrilled to see God honored in this way, that I asked Jacob to take my picture beside this statue of one of the greatest minds to ever live.  Long have I admired Thomas Jefferson--don't we look good together?

 Now we're jumping to Fargo where Andrew and I attended the delegates training workshop.  Here we met Robert Brown who is the branch supervisor over our area in the John Birch Society.  Mr. Brown did a wonderful workshop on economics and he honored Andrew with a picture.

You must imagine our surprise, when we looked up towards the end of the day, to see Dr. Ron Paul in the room with us.  I shook his hand, as did everyone else within reach.  When he permitted pictures to be taken with him, Andrew didn't wast much time taking his turn.  As I snapped this picture, I remembered the Dick Van Dyke episode where Rob's uncle had his picture taken with Abe Lincoln before Abe was our President.  HMMMMMMMMMMM.

 Later we went to the Fargo Civic Center and heard Dr. Paul speak about his views of how to save our country.  He painted a glum picture, to be sure, but with God's help I know that we CAN turn this country around again.  This was such a special day spent with Andrew!

 We were so happy to see some "Old" friend there too.  This is
Tim and Louisa Stegman and below is Tim's brother, Andrew
with his little cutie, Carrie. 

I'm not sure why my computer is being stubborn and won't let me move my pictures back in order but that's how it is sometimes. 

I'm very thankful for these young people who are serving the Lord and are building their homes upon the principles of God's word.  I'm also thankful that my children plan to do the same when their time comes.  As you can see in the picture below, my Andrew is celebrating his 21st birthday by going bar hopping.  He laid out a bunch of bars on the ground; asked Cora to come out and take his picture; and then proceeded to jump over the bars.   He came into the house laughing and said, "I've always wanted to go bar hopping and now I have." 
Praise the Lord for helping us to raise 3 people in the next generation who will not waste their money, and their health, on alcohol!

 Here's another one.

 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future," Jeremiah 29:11.  Praise God that He is leading our lives and he's guiding us to raise our children to receive the blessing of God in their lives.

 As I looked through some more pictures from the year, my mind was opened to see other blessings that I am thankful for.  I dearly love acting in Godly plays and it gives me joy that my children have picked this up from their mother.  I'm sure that you all remember Barney from the Andy Griffeth show.  Well, we have our very own Barney now.  :)

 I'm also thankful for the Appleseed Project which is helping folks all around the country learn how to shoot and defend themselves if need be.

 I'm very thankful to know how to operate a radionics instrument.  I'm also thrilled to know those who make them AND teach others how to use them!

 I'm thankful for the annual Prairie Days celebration at the Dagley farm and the friends that we meet there.

I'm thankful to be an organic farmer/rancher and that the cattle are home for the Winter.  It always feels so much more homey when they are nearby.

I'm thankful for a husband who can build anything.  We were just talking about the huge number of building projects that he's taken up in our 31 years of marriage.  Here he is on top of the Quonset on Friday afternoon cutting the hole for the stovepipe.

Here are my 2 sons holding the ladder for their papa.  If ever 2 sons were opposites, it's these 2, but I love them both with all my heart!  Andrew, so assertive and brave, and Jacob, with such quiet strength, how proud of them I am!  How happy I am that they are brothers and that they can help each other through life--each one strong where the other is weak.  Isn't that like the Lord--putting us together in families so that we can learn from each other and ALL can become better people IF we are willing to let Him change us.

I guess I could talk all day about how much I love my family and how happy I am that we are Christians, Americans, North Dakotans, Organic farmer/ranchers, Sabbath keepers, home schoolers, Birchers, energy workers, gun owners, dog lovers, gardeners, car restorers.....  However, somehow it seems most important to say that I am happy that we are lovers. 

Over the years, many folks have had supper at our house and left with lighter hearts.  Many have spent the night with us and woke to the sound of our roosters calling, "It's a beautiful morning."  Many more have come for tea and found themselves smiling and laughing and, even sometimes, throwing dinner rolls in a food fight.  My heart grows happiest at the thoughts of those who have come burdened down with cares of this world, and who have left knowing that SOMEBODY cared about them, and knowing that this somebody was our family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As the love chapter says in I Corinthians, all that we do is for nothing if we do not have love.  I'm reminded of the numerous times that we dear friend, Sarah Keister would say, "Your children are so warm, Dawn--indeed, your home is so warm." 

Now THAT is what makes me the most thankful of all as I ponder the hatred that I inherited.  Only God could reach into such a war-torn heart, and produce a legacy of happy hearts coming out of my home.  Praises to the King who has healed my wounded heart and placed there instead a heart of compassion for the sick, wounded, and hurting.

 

Say there, want to come over for tea?

 Eternally thankful for God's love in my life,

Dawn

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today is my favorite day of the year because it's a day that people are MOST likely to thank God for all of the blessings that we take for granted.  My happiest childhood memories (and they were few) were memories spent on Thanksgiving Day.  It seems that even old grumps are moved by the day to rejoice.

This afternoon I ended up doing something that I wasn't really thrilled about.  After spending the morning in the kitchen with Cora, it was a bit of a dud actually.  However, the wall in the shop needed painting and everyone is excited about getting the shop insulated so that the guys can work in there when it's cold outside.  I must admit that after it was finished, the white wall improved the morale of the place immensely!

While we were painting, the thought came to me, "Why aren't there any really good movies about Thanksgiving?"  If there are any, my mind wasn't drawn to them just then.  I said to the boys, "We need to make a good Thanksgiving movie.  I'll write it; we can all act in it; and Andrew can video it."

"Sure, Mom," said Jacob, and we continued rolling the stinky white paint on the new wall. 

Well, after I got the paint off of me and the brushes, I decided to share with you all here.  You must imagine my delight when I went to You Tube to see if there was anything worth sharing there on this special day.  Here was our future president (that's how I'm praying) talking about God and the Constitution and my heart was happy.  Of course, I must add that I had just started to watch the video of our current President discussing Thanksgiving so the contrast in philosophies was quite remarkable.   I say, "Started to," because I couldn't stomach watching all the way to the end. 

I know that you're probably all busy with family today so I hesitated to post this rather long video.  However, after I started listening to it, my heart was so happy that I just HAD to share it.  I urge you to take the time in the next few days to listen and I pray that doing so will make you thankful that you're an American too. 

If you aren't an American--please join with us in praying for our country to turn around and run away from all it's sin.  God is always calling, even nations, to enter into His sweet presence with true THANKSGIVING--and not only today!!!!!!!!!!

Love to all,

Dawn

And the winners are:

Hi everyone,
  What a wonderful day we spent together as a family yesterday.  I am continually amazed how refreshing it is to totally rest.  I slept in until 10:00; took a shower; and got lunch ready as Cora was working on a cake.
  After lunch, and after our sing fest, we dug into our newest Preterist resource hot off the presses.  It's put out by the INTERNATIONAL PRETERIST ASSOCIATION, INC (www.preterist.org) and it's simply called: Garrettsville Seminar 2011. 
  Ed Stevens, who is the president of the IPA, spoke on the beginning of our life on this planet.  He said that it's critical to the understanding of the resurrection of Christ.  We learned that Adam and Eve, although mortal, had the gift of immortality by eating of the tree of life every day.  However, when they sinned, it would have been unbearable to live forever in sinful bodies so they had to be driven from the garden.  It made me realize that death actually is a blessing when a person refuses to surrender their life to God and experience His peace on this Earth.  This gave a new perspective to things.  
  After church, I rested and listened to Dr. Coldwell's STRESS RELIEF FOR CHRISTAN'S.  I have learned to listen at least once a day so that stress doesn't build up inside of me and the deterioration of sin start to wear me down again.  It doesn't matter if it's my sin, or someone who has sinned against me, both of them wear me down.  Dr. Coldwell gets me in touch with God again by focusing on the need for me to repent of my sin and to forgive those who sin against me.  IT'S ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!
When I woke up refreshed, the Lord spoke a new thought.  "What would it do to your wrist if you would start playing Foosball?"
"WHAT?  Boy Lord, you say the strangest things."
However, when I began to ponder this topic I realized that Foosball playing uses my wrist in the opposite way that doing sessions does.  I believe that I have shared what problems I've been having with my wrist these past few months.  Doing so many sessions, and then writing down the links, has caused a muscle in my arm to get way too tight.
The massage therapist that I got to know in Fundamentals class has worked on it twice and that has helped a lot.  She also recommended that I buy a small rubber ball and roll my arm on it between sessions.  This has helped quite a bit too but, with all of the sessions that I did last week, my wrist has been very sore.
I shocked my boys yesterday when I came out of my bedroom and said, "Does anybody want to go and play Foosball?"
"WHAT?  Mom wants to play Foosball--let's go." 
We played 8 games and my wrist felt much more loose than it has in months!!!  I have been avoiding playing as looking down, plus the general tension of playing with the professionals around here, usually made my neck and head ache.  Can you believe it--8 games?
After that we had supper and, being as I had offered to milk Sally to give Andrew a break, I headed out into the snowy, very crisp air to milk old Sally.  She was kind of goofy and couldn't decide if she wanted her BodyTalk session or not. 
Finally I got that there was an interference which is that she is afraid that Andrew will sell her.  I told her that this had not been decided yet, and that all of her worrying about it isn't doing any good.  Then she let me do her AnimalTalk session and she was much happier.  I am continually amazed how much stress relief can come out of a session!
After that we watched HOW THE WEST WAS WON!  Boy, am I ever glad that we don't live in those days.  I like to think that I've got lots of courage but, boy, nobody is trying to take my scalp off of my head--THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lastly I gave consideration to my "Problem."  This year 2 ladies have entered my contest for a free session.  I just wasn't sure what to do as I love both of these women.  Now, if 100 people had entered, then I'd chose one but seeing as 2 have entered, I have decided to give them BOTH a free session.  Kimberly and Gwen, please send me an email so that we can set up a time to do your blogiversary sessions and CONGRATULATIONS.
Well, it's a new week.  Today we're going to Mandan for Robert's mom's birthday.  Tomorrow we have our Constitution meeting in Napoleon; Tuesday is sessions, Wed..................  Please pray with me for a lovely day to work our calves.  Things have been so hectic around here that the dastardly deed has been pushed off and last night we had SNOW.  It makes me very nervous. 
Thanks for listening to my ramblings.  Have a great week everyone!
Dawn
PS  CONGRATULATIONS KIMBERLY AND GWEN!!!!!!!

My son, Andrew, is officially a man

*This is a reminder to register for the free BodyTalk session by the 19th by placing a comment on the giveaway post.

I can recall, like yesterday, when Andrew Robert Bornemann was born.  He came into the world at 10:54 AM on November 12, 1990 at St. Alexius Hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota. 

 It was a pretty traumatic experience for me as I had a hostile nurse.  My doctor had written in his notes that I had gone through one birth without any anesthesia so he was willing to give it a try a second time.  The nurse had another idea and she insisted that I have an IV.  I insisted that I would not have one.  She insisted more firmly and Robert said that she needed to call our doctor if she wouldn't take our word for it.

A few moments later, the nurse came in again, and started huffing around the room.  She started slamming my name labels on all of the items that I would be needing while in the hospital and I do mean SLAMMING.  What a spoiled brat she was--GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Anyway, we got through it and I can recall clearly pulling Robert's head next to mine and yelling at him, "WE GOT OUR BOY!"  The doctor laughed as he continued his examination of our newborn.  It seems hard to believe that this all occurred 21 years ago as I recall it all so vividly.

Well, last Sabbath we celebrated both of our sons births as Jacob's is on the 5th and Andrew's is on the 12th.  It was just our family, plus Jerome who is like part of the family, and we had a grand day.  We actually did cut the cake after the feast on Friday night as it was plenty big for just us.  Here are my birthday boys on Friday.  Can you believe that I did not have one single piece of their cake as I am determined to avoid starches.

Here is a picture of their father taken during the party.  Since I'm blogging, he's a little bit camera shy.  That is my new exercise ball that the massage therapist recommended to help loosen the muscles in my right arm when I'm working. 

Robert  actually did pose for me a moment later.  Here is the proud papa of 3 incredible children PLUS many others up in Heaven.

Leave it to Robert to know what Andrew would LOVE.  This is a magnetic tray that can stick to anything metal.  You can put screws, nuts, and bolts etc in it so that you don't lose them while you're working.  WHAT AN AWESOME IDEA!

Cora is our movie giver.  I don't know where she finds them all, but she certainly broadens our horizons.  We watched one last night called, FOLLOW THE RIVER.  It was too scary for me but I do realize that movies must have some suspense or people will get bored.

Jacob loves hot chocolate so I got him a big variety box of unheard of blends.

Andrew just HAD to have a case of root beer for his 21st.  He has never had any desire to drink alcohol but he sure does love a good root beer once in awhile.  Isn't he a handsome young man?

Here we are--the proud parents of that handsome young man.  Robert is such a goof at times.

Jacob got Andrew good.  He put Andrew's gift in one of these little boxes but which one is THE box?

After digging awhile, Andrew found this cute little package from his younger brother.

Can you guess what was inside of it?  You are looking at the proud owner of a lighted hockey puck.  We've been talking for years of building a hockey rink around the farm here and it looks as though this is the year for it.  Now we'll be able to play in the dark too!!!

Robert and I gave the boys new Bibles.  We had bought them King James Versions over a decade ago and they were falling apart--literally.  I prayed a lot about which kind to get and was very happy with my choice when Jacob and I checked it out.  It's called THE EVIDENCE BIBLE:  Irrefutable evidence for the thinking mind.  There are many tools included to help my boys lead people to Christ.  What could be a finer gift for any birthday?

Cora followed our lead and bought both of the boys new Bible covers to protect them.  Their old ones were cute about 10 years ago but not too manly.  Now, that problem has been rectified and Jacob no longer carries around a big frog with FULLY RELY ON GOD emblazoned on the front.  How do like this one?

Andrew's old Bible cover was a cute dog with floppy ears and the words, DEPEND ON GOD, on it.  Here is Andrew's new version compliments of his sister.

Cora and Jerome were enjoying the gift opening too.  Like I said, Jerome is like a brother to Robert and is almost part of our family.



When Cora and I were looking through the CBD catalog, I decided to buy Andrew a tie for his 21st birthday.  I think it's nice when men were suits and ties, at least for funerals, and I wanted to make sure that Andrew would have a good reminder of God's love every time that he wears his.

The verse on his tie is Isaiah 40:31:But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.  What an incredible promise this is to us to stay calm no matter what life throws at us. AMEN?

Cora and I also gave Andrew the expansion to the birthday game that we gave him last year--Agricola.  You can see that Andrew is delighted as his incredible mind continually seeks harder and harder games.  Goodness, I can't imagine how they can possibly make these games any more complex but he just loves it.

The group decided not to dig into Andrew's new game, though, and ended up playing Jacob's new birthday game which is called AUTOMOBILE.  This, too, is a complex game and IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT, I won the first game and Cora the second.  HMMMMMMMMMM



Well, that's all folks.  It was a great day and now we're going to watch one of Andrew's new birthday movies. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SONS!

Love to all,

Dawn

"A day to honor freedom" giveaway

I know that many people are spending time honoring our veterans today.  This is such an important thing to do seeing as these folks have placed their lives in danger so that we can continue enjoying our freedoms, and way of life, here in this great country.  May God bless each service person who is doing so today and may He bring them safely back to their families ASAP! 

I am also thankful today for another type of freedom.  For now anyway, we are still free to express ourselves through our blogs.  I know that there are people tucked away in secret who are reading and listening to all that we do and say.  GOOD!  That means that every time they come to a believer's blog, they can hear the truth that God loves them and sent His son to die on the cross for them.  Even government spies are loved by God, although it seems hard to imagine at times.

This is a special day for me as it is my third blogiversary.  It hardly seems possible that 3 years ago, as I made supper for my family, Andrew set up this blog for me so that I could "Speak my mind" when I could no longer hold in my thoughts.  I can recall him saying, "You need to start a blog, Mom.  When you have something to say, you need to say it so that everyone can hear it."  So I did and, yes, I know that this is NOT a complete sentence, but sometimes fragments can say a lot. 

Yesterday I worked with a new client who is a fellow BodyTalker.  As she paid for her session, I handed her one of my cards and said, "I have a blog where I write about my life and this is the address."

She got a big smile on her face and said, "I know, I've been to your blog." 

That's all that she said but it gave me a warm feeling to know that there truly are people out there who are reading what I write and getting some measure of blessing out of it.  It was the smile that I tucked into my heart to pull out when gloom sets in.

Now, those of you who have been with me since the beginning of A RAY OF HOPE, may recall that I said, "I will give this thing a whirl and, if there seems to be someone actually reading this, then I will continue."  So I will.

In honor of 3 years of sharing here, then, I will again give away one free BodyTalk session.  If you are interested in winning this session, just leave a comment here sometime in the next week.  I'll pick the winner on the 19th and let you know who it is then.  Keep in mind, that I've had the training to do remote sessions so you do not need to be able to come to my office for the session.

Well, tomorrow we are having the boy's birthday party here.  Jacob turned 16 last Sabbath and

Andrew is turning 21 tomorrow.  The party will be much smaller than in years past but we will celebrate with as much gusto as usual--perhaps more. 

God has been faithful to help us raise our sons for Him.  At times like this, I think of our many children who are living with God now.  I wonder how old they'd be and what their names are and if they ever think of their mother who misses them still.  It is good to know that they are happy living with the King over there! 

Oh my, how I ramble sometimes.  Drop me a note if you want to qualify for the free session in honor of  my 3 years of blogging.  That's the gist of it.  Cora and Jacob both said this morning, "I'm sure that Kimberly will try to win it, Mom!"  I wonder who else will have me put their name in the hat............

Happy Sabbath to everyone.  If you're in our part of the world tomorrow, feel free to drop in for a piece of birthday cake.

A happy mother,

Dawn

Pick your side

What an awesome time period we live in, isn't it?  While all around us people are wailing, "Death, death" God's people are rising to the occasion and learning ways to bring life to those who are too good for this world.

 The others, I'm afraid for.  They need to take heed to Christ's words found in Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were handged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 
Truly, if you are one of God's children, you need to be turning to His word and learning of His ways.  You need to be opening up your mind to see the ways that He is providing for your wellness on all levels.  Do you really think that it pleases God when you run to the world's systems for your health care; for your education; for your religious training; for anything????????????????????

I wish that I had more time to write now, but a client will arrive here at any moment.  However, I would urge anyone who reads this, to truly ponder the state of your soul.  Have you REALLY given your ALL to the Master?  If not, what are you waiting for?  What part of the world could possibly have any appeal next to the joy of being at peace with your creator?

Pick your side, beloved ones.  Heed the warning in Revelation 3:16: So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 

Now is the time to give yourself ENTIRELY to God who made you; who loves you; and who has a wonderful plan for your life.  NOW IS THE TIME TO PICK YOUR SIDE!

 Off to the battle,
Dawn

A day with Andrew

I am so excited as tomorrow I will be spending the day with Andrew.  It kind of bothers me, because it will be Jacob's birthday, and I have never been away from one of my children on their birthday.  However, Jacob said that it's ok because it's for, "A good cause".

It also helps that I spent all day with Jacob yesterday in Bismarck so I feel a little bit less guilty.   I saw clients, while he studied in my other office room, and then we took care of ourselves.  He went to Dr. Faye for a cranio-sacral treatment and I went for another massage with Jessica--can she ever give a massage.  I'll share what I learned about feet and shoes from her another time--after I have some good results to share with you.
Anyway, Andrew and I are going to be spending the day in Fargo tomorrow.  The North Dakota Home School Association has been encouraging people to take the training over there to become delegates to the Republican convention in Bismarck next March. 
Our family has been pretty politically active since 2002 when we had to try to save our organic farm from Monsanto's unwanted GM wheat.  However, this will defintely be taking activism one step further.  By attending the training, we'll learn how best to influence the political process for God in the choosing of those people who run for office. 
The John Birch Society will have a training time as well.  Robert B., who is the supervisor over our state, will be speaking on the Consitution.  I guess we will get to learn more about how to get our Representatives and Senators to vote according to their oath to uphold the Consitution of our great country.
Then, for the grand finale, we will get to hear Ron Paul speak.  Andrew and I heard him in Bismarck when he was running for President last time around.  We were so encouraged to hear someone speak about morals as being a priority for the leadership of our country.  WHAT A NOVEL IDEA!!!!!
Here are the links for more information if you are feeling led to join Andrew and I tomorrow for this inspiring day.  The Campaign for Liberty people have a 4 hour delegate training, which includes lunch, that costs $15.  Then the John Birch Society will have their talk about the Consitution which is free.  Lastly, the North Dakota Policy Council is hosting the Ron Paul talk which can cost anywhere from $35 to $500 depending on how VIPish you are feeling. 
  http://www.campaignforliberty.com/usa/ND/#cal12601                              
  http://www.policynd.org/
Lastly, I want to pass on this email from the home school office.  If you are feeling the nudge to attend the trainings tomorrow, then you will want to take the time to read this as it has vital information for you to ponder.  If not, then just skip it.
It would be wonderful, if everyone who is concerned about the direction that our country is going, would take a few moments to pray for the meetings tomorrow.  The forecast doesn't sound very good, so please pray for safety on the roads as people travel to and from the meetings.  It would be even more wonderful if you could all join us over in Fargo. 
HERE'S TO FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dawn

Dear home schoolers,

It is vital toward home education freedom to get pro-home schooling candidates on the ballet, not just candidates that say that they support home schooling, because they all say that they support home schooling.

We need candidates that understand Biblical and constitutional freedom and are willing to fight for both in the context of home education as well as other areas.

Practically speaking, to get such candidates on the ballet means that home schoolers with Biblical and Constitutional convictions need to be the ones selecting the candidates.

There is a training session for you to learn how to become a delegate on November 5^th in Fargo. Please attend if you can, if you can’t, train yourself and be a delegate from your district anyhow. A few of the details are below.

Thanks for seriously considering this important political involvement! Details below…

How do you defend liberty and control government?

Become a Delegate!

How do you ensure the right people are elected to office?

How do you secure the rights of the unborn from an ever growing and powerful government which is controlled more and more by officials who don’t share your beliefs, don’t represent your values and are working against our inalienable right to life?

By voting in the November election? NO, November is too late! 

If you want your vote to have the biggest impact; if you want to actually have a part in determining your choice of candidates - you need to be involved in your legislative district and become a delegate to your party’s convention. It is the delegates that determine which candidates name gets on the ballot for the November election:

At the district level:

• The candidates for the state legislature are chosen.
• The delegates to the state convention are chosen. And it is these delegates that determine which candidates will be elected in the fall by choosing who will be on the ballot.
• Becoming a delegate usually involves nothing more than applying and singing a sign-up sheet. If more people apply to be delegates than your districts can accommodate, then there will be a vote. This where you need to be familiar with your district’s by-laws ahead of time to be sure everyone is given a fair opportunity to become a delegate.

What does a Delegate do?

A Delegate to the State Convention represents (in fact, determines) the will of the party, and carries the voice of the grass roots. The Delegate helps direct the path the party takes by deciding who will be the party's candidates in state and federal races. Delegates to the State Conventions choose the Delegates to the National Conventions where the presidential candidates are chosen. All the debates about who is the best candidate and how much support will go to each candidate are all really decided at the district level and then at the State Convention. After that, voting on Election Day is little more than as a rubber stamp for what others have already decided.

How to become a Delegate in 5 easy steps:

1. Find out what Legislative District you live in and who Chairman is for your Legislative District. 

Here is the interactive map of North Dakota’s legislative districts: http://web.apps.state.nd.us/hubexplorer/legislativedist/viewer.html

For the ND Republican Party: http://www.northdakotagop.org/about/district-chairs/

2. Attend your Districts Reorganization and Nominating Convention.

Contact the Chairman of your Legislative District. Ask them when they will be holding their Reorganization Meeting (district officers will be elected during you reorganization meeting – you must be there for this one-time meeting) and their Nominating Convention. Mark these dates on your calendar and attend. 

3. Read and understand your State Party and Legislative District by-laws.

These bylaws will determine how candidates and delegates will be chosen. You need to make sure that you have complied with those rules in order to become a Delegate.

The ND Republican Party by-laws are here: http://www.northdakotagop.org/rules-and-mode/

Your Legislative Districts will also have their own version of these by-laws. You need to get a copy of your Legislative District’s by-laws from your district chair.

4. Actively participate in your District Nominating Convention.

It cannot be emphasized enough: Attendance at these meetings is vital! There is no substitute for your attendance. There is no other opportunity to have your voice heard. Once decisions are made at the District Convention, it’s final. 

Choosing Delegates to the State Convention: It is only at your district nominating convention that delegates to the State Convention are chosen. The process for choosing Delegates depends on:

• The District's bylaws
• The number of people who attend this meeting
• The number of delegates your district is allowed
• The leadership style of the District Chairman.

5. Attend the State Convention

The State GOP state convention will be March 31 and April 1, 2012 in Bismarck at the Bismarck Convention Center. Almost all of the significant voting will occur on Saturday, March 31^st.

NOVEMBER 5^th Delegate Training

Pro-life supporters and homeschoolers, ask yourself, honestly, how much of a difference do you think you've been able to make in our state government? Do you have enough legislators who address your concerns, who support your position? How many times has your legislation been stalled, amended, killed? Do you feel like you are swimming upstream and what little progress you make comes at great cost? Do you think we have candidates who will promote and protect freedom?

The problem isn't your issue or your passion for that issue. The problem is, you are playing by the wrong rules! You are playing by the rules they taught you in High School. But the reality, politics has a whole different rule book that they want to keep hidden.  

If you want to be effective, you need to learn how to play by the real rule book. Armed with the real rule book, you can become a force for change. You can literally change the political landscape OVERNIGHT. Don't wait for 2014 or 2016. Don't work on a 4-year or 10-year plan. Make changes NOW, today. 

Come listen to special guest speaker and successful activist Jeff Greenspan, who will teach us how to bring the Republican Party back to its conservative roots and become the activists that will restore freedom.

Training will begin at 10:00am and go until 2:00pm, with a break for lunch. It will be held at the Radisson Hotel, 201 5th St. N in Fargo, right across the street from the Civic Center where the NDPC event will be held later that evening. The cost is only $15, which includes lunch and all materials. 

 Jeff knows how the political system works and what it takes to change it. He will give us some great schooling on how to be effective activists. Jeff has been an activist since 1988. He was a precinct committeeman, county delegate and state delegate in the Utah Republican Party. Jeff was a precinct committeeman, state committeeman and state delegate in the Arizona Republican Party, serving as Vice Chairman for the Maricopa County Republican Committee, the 5th largest county Republican party in America, from 2007-2009. Jeff worked for the Ron Paul 2008 presidential campaign as the southwestern United States campaign director. Since then he has been state coordinator for the Arizona Campaign for Liberty. Jeff is a political activist who has changed the direction of the GOP in Arizona.

The training will cover these topics:
     Principles of Liberty
        What We Are Up against
        Nature of Political Power
        Mechanics of Local Political Involvement 

You do not want to miss this training.

This is a great deal for anyone who wants to see North Dakota politics change. Even better, college students who take the training will receive a free ticket to the Free Market Forum with Congressman Ron Paul and conservative commentator Jack Hunter that evening.

Don’t miss the Delegate Training and the Free Market Forum on November 5th, and look for additional news regarding other events on that day.