Seasons: Reflections on the Life of an Industrious Daughter

Looking back on our own revolutions around the sun, we realize that the lives of daughters flow in seasons. Each season is full of different God-given opportunities and calls for different skills and actions. Each season has it’s own challenges and blessings. Each season has it’s own special purpose.

This past week we attended the funeral of a precious woman who was like an “adopted” grandmother to us. We wish you could have known her. She was a tiny German lady with a big sense of humor. Her wit was so clever sometimes we could hardly keep up. Her funny sayings always made us laugh. Most importantly to us, she loved her Savior and loved others...and she pursued what He gave her to do industriously right up to the end. 

During her days in the hospital, when her body was worn out, she couldn’t do all the things she used to do (a very long list). But in this final season, she could do one thing: she told everyone about Jesus, adding “Jesus is coming to take me home this week.” The hospital chaplain went to give her some encouragement and came out saying that she had been given so much more. Somehow this sturdy lady grasped onto her last mission from the Lord and went about it with gusto. She finished well. At her funeral, this is what everyone was talking about - how she just kept talking about Jesus and how that was who she was. 

About a year ago, when we were visiting her, she told us how she longed to “go home” to heaven. Every day she would pray, telling the Lord she was ready and would really like to go to be with Him soon. However, He kept keeping her here - until last week. Now this part of her story reminds us in some ways of these verses from Mark 5,

“As he [Jesus] was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.” Mark 5:18-20 (ESV)

For this grandma, her version of these verses meant being here instead of in heaven long enough to tell what she needed to tell about the Lord. And everyone marveled.

What a great reminder for us of such priceless truths! In some seasons it may seem like we may not be able to do much at all. This lady certainly couldn’t do much, but she seized what she could do - her special assignment - and did it well. Next, may we all be on the lookout to grasp opportunities like Grandma did. People tend to listen to ninety-six-year-old joyful ladies, and she knew it! What opportunities like that are facing us?  Lastly, may we remember that “life is but a vapor” (see James 4:14). We may not all have ninety-six years to accomplish what the Lord has given us. May we, by His grace, fill each season full and rejoice in what He is doing as we look to Him. May we remember that if we are daughters of the King our story, no matter how dark along the way, will one day end with a sweet celebration.

Our jolly German grandma passed away on the day that we officially published our blog. Without her, we couldn’t have written the first several posts. She was the little lady who graciously gave us a copy of the book she had typed herself of her life - really a tome of the Lord’s faithfulness - for her grandchildren. It was beautiful, and we were intrigued. It was she, all those years ago, who passed on to us the vision of recording the faithfulness of God in one’s family. 

We are so grateful that we got to tell her how thankful we are for what she got started. We only wish we could have had time to say so one last time and add, “See you later.” But for now, we know where she is and we celebrate God’s goodness in giving us our little German grandma for a grand season of our lives.

May we never forget. And may we go at whatever God has for us, even if it’s not quite what we have in mind, with gusto. Just like she did.

Review of Pilipinto’s Happiness

This post is in honor of the 57th anniversary of the death of missionary 

Jim Elliot (October 8, 1927 - January 8, 1956). We hope it gives you a glimpse of how God specializes in bringing triumph out of tragedy.

    If you are on the lookout for an example of how a daughter can take her family legacy and use it for God’s glory, Pilipinto’s Happiness comes highly recommended. Written by Valerie Elliot Shepard, the only daughter of missionaries Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, this book shares Valerie’s memories of growing up as “Pilipinto” with her mother among the Aucas, the same people who had killed her father Jim during his efforts to share Christ with them. Valerie uses her unique experiences to craft not only a children’s book but also a priceless testimony to the legacy of her father, her mother and her Savior’s love. Children will be captivated by what she remembers: sleeping in a woolen sleeping bag during a tropical downpour, playing games with the native children, having a pet otter, her mother singing to her at night about God’s love and protection, and even eating all sorts of jungle delicacies - fish heads, anyone?! Among these adventures, Valerie weaves in lessons on contentment and finding happiness in little things, trusting God amidst great dangers, being able to laugh at oneself and delighting in God’s creation. Furthermore, this real-life story gives opportunities to talk about how the Gospel really does change culture. Here is a story of a little missionary girl written for little boys and girls who can be missionaries, too, wherever they are. Here is a story for families to read and enjoy together.  

As you can imagine, for us, daughters of missionaries ourselves, this short story is particularly meaningful! We think it may be a blessing to you as well. 

Recording Your Family History Part III

FAQs

What kinds of questions could I ask my grandparents?

Here are some of our thoughts on questions ideas for those of you recording your own family history. 

As far as what to ask goes, we always told our grandparents that we just wanted to know about the things they wanted to tell us, so we could ask questions and they didn't have to answer if they didn't want to for some reason. That helped them all feel comfortable. We especially wanted to know what life was like for them when they were children:

    -What was their house like? 

    -If they had siblings, what do they remember about them? 

    -What was their school like? 

    -If they went to church, what was their church like? 

    -What do they remember about their parents? 

    -Did they have pets? What did they do for fun? 

    -How was life different back then? 

    -Did they have any family traditions?

    -How did they meet?

    -What was their wedding like?

Then we would go chronologically through their lives: "Grandpa, what do you remember about WWII? Where were you when you heard about Pearl Harbor?" and so on. Our one set of grandparents have traveled all over the world, so their travels were a great source of adventures! If you are interviewing your grandparents, make sure you get the story (from both sides!) of how they met. We especially wanted to know about their faith in the Lord and how He worked in their lives. Also, another thought-provoking, important question is, "What would be your advice to future generations?"

 Of course, there are just fun questions to ask, too, to record more of who the grandparent is. Here is one list that we used to help our grandparents get thinking!

        There are so many “favorite things” questions...

            Foods?

            Restaurants?

            Movies?

            Top 3 Books?

            Music?

            Color?

            Time period of history to read/learn about?

            Scripture passages?

            Hymn?

            Place visited?

            Flavor of ice cream?

            Game?

            Job?

            Activity on a rainy day?

            Season?

What if I don’t have grandparents or anyone to share the stories with me?

First of all, let us say that we do recognize that we have been given an amazing gift in having all four of our grandparents not only living but also living near us. Secondly, we realize it is hard and sad to not have a family like that.

But God usually gives us options in such a situation. Two generations above us are thousands of grandparents, many of whom don’t have grandchildren who care at all about their stories, and if you showed any interest at all, would be elated to share their stories with you.

In fact, an “adopted” grandma gave us our first inspiration for collecting family history. She had gone through the work of putting her own book together of her life story for her grandchildren and, graciously, shared a copy with us. Her sweet testimony of the Lord’s provision and protection during even the hard days of her life was such a blessing; it sparked in us the desire to do the same someday.  It all started with her.  

What if my family history is such a mess it wouldn’t inspire anyone?

Again, we’d first like to say that we sympathize; family histories can be terrible sometimes. But here’s a thought that might help. In our books about our grandparents, we like to mention that they have laid a foundation for us to build on and we hope to do just that. Well, maybe all you have is one block or even only part of one. Use that one block and build on it. It might be that the only thing your great-grandfather did right was not going into debt. Well, learn from that. And learn from the mistakes, too. Maybe your family was a mess. What an opportunity to show the power of God’s grace in that you are where you are now! God delights in taking the ugly and wicked and making it beautiful and using it for good. (Genesis 50:20) This could be an opportunity to witness that.

This reminds us of a quote from William Bradford (one of the original Pilgrims who traveled on the Mayflower) stating why he decided to keep a record of the Pilgrims’ history: 

“My object is that their children may see with what difficulties their fathers had to wrestle in accomplishing the first beginnings; and how God ultimately brought     them through, notwithstanding all their weakness and infirmities; also that some     use may be made of them later, by others, in similar important projects.” ¹

We hope these ideas help you. Blessings on your endeavors!

¹ William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation: Bradford’s History of the Plymouth Settlement, Vision Forum, San Antonio, TX 1998-2007, pg. 48.

Recording Your Family History Part II

Here are some thoughts on the nuts and bolts of putting your family history together.

Cast the Vision

Get at least some idea of what you want your finished product to be. This may look different depending on your age/time available/finances/geographic location, etc. If you are six years old, it would be delightful if you could decide to make a ten-page, stapled-together book out of extra printing paper with colored pencil illustrations by you and then carefully copying out a sentence or two for each page. Perhaps your title will be “Grandpa’s First Horse”, “Grandma’s Favorite Things”, or “How Great-Aunt Ilma Learned About Jesus”. We can honestly say we would love to read a book like that.

If you are older and have more resources available, you may choose to actually self-publish your volume using one of the many self-publishing companies accessible online. We have used several: Blurb, Snapfish, Shutterfly, and Apple’s service that comes with iphoto. You may also want to check out local printing houses and FedExOffice. Those companies may be more cost-effective.

Yet another idea, if a book isn’t appealing or if you find you have such amazing stories to share they need a bigger audience, you could make a film. We actually know several young ladies who are doing this with their family legacy right now. 

Lastly, it’s usually helpful to lay out a timeline (even if it’s highly flexible) to keep you on track and remind you that you don’t have all the time in the world.

Uncover the Treasures

Here are a few different techniques/tools you could use to uncover the treasures buried in your history:

• Ask your grandparents. This may take a while because grandparents sometimes like to say things like, “Oh, my life wasn’t really that interesting,” or “I don’t remember much. It was a long time ago you know.” Don’t be annoying but don’t give up either. If you can do nothing else, pray that they will tell you and that you will ask the right questions. For our one Grandma, it took Grandpa being in the hospital, her moving in with us and all of us sitting around the fireplace doing family devotions for her to start telling us. And, oh, what a shower of blessings (more like a deluge) poured forth after that. For our other Grandma, it took some encouragement from Grandpa.    
• Seek out other relatives/friends, too. This is something we possibly could have done better in our projects. Does your Grandma have living siblings? Ask them to tell you stories they remember from growing up with her. Is Great-Aunt Emma’s memory still keen? Beg her to tell you all she knows.
• Read all the family history you can get your hands on. Many families are blessed with one or more individuals who took it upon themselves to compile at least a family tree. Collect all that, study it, organizing it, use it. And if the historians are living, thank them!    
• Search online databases. Family history websites can be immensely helpful. We used Ancestry.com. There you can find things like military service records, birth certificates, ancestors’ names, etc. Of course, many of these sites require a membership to access certain records. It definitely could be worth the price. Also, if you’re willing to be patient and wait for holiday specials, you can gain access to a great deal for free for a limited time.

Record the stories

Of course, once your interviewees start answering your questions, you need to be able to record their tales for future use. We tried several techniques to capture our grandparents’ stories during our research phase. Maybe these will give you some ideas of what you can do!

• MP3 voice recorder. One of our grandma’s loved to just pour out a story for us, so we would carry around our MP3 players with recording capabilities whenever she was around. (We actually purchased our first MP3 players for this purpose, not to listen to music.) Later, Kristen transcribed the audio, crafting it into a story. We actually did this at varying levels with all of our grandparents. 
• Mini autobiography. Our economics professor Grandpa wanted all the details to his liking so he personally wrote his short autobiography. We got to add in bits for “local color”.
• Tape recorder. Our other Grandpa had started an amazing program of walking about seven miles a day (in January in the North - quite the man, isn’t he?) right when he started telling us his stories in earnest. He ended up taking a tape recorder with him on his walks and telling his whole life story - in amazing chronological order with topic-sentences for his paragraphs - while he walked. Kristen then took those files, recorded them onto a laptop as MP3s and transcribed them . This can be a really time consuming method, but it works.
• Laura-Ingalls-Wilder style. Our other Grandma used a pen and loose-leaf paper to record her memories as she thought of topics like “Our Farm” or “What We Did For Fun”.

    

Wrap it up with a bow on top

After the research phase, you’re ready to move into production. Map out what you have into a book. Will you go chronologically or with the information you have would it be better to do a collection of short stories? Even if it’s just for planning purposes, make a table of contents. Such possibilities!Planning is key here, so that the things that really matter, the thoughts most precious to you, actually make it into the final product.

You will also want to have familiarized yourself with whatever software you are using to create your book, whether it’s Adobe-something or Blurb’s downloadable program. Knowing your tools - what your possibilities and limitations are will be extremely helpful!

    As you are working on your project make sure you keep certain things in mind.

• This photo looks bright enough on my desktop screen, but will it be too dark printed out?
• Will this photo be big enough when it is in the book or will it look like a thumbprint?
• Are there certain price conditions that would make it much better to keep the book a certain length? Are the stories I’m putting in here actually helping to show who this person was/showing how God worked in our family/going to have generational impact?

We found the editing stage to be the hardest. if that’s the case for you, do it anyway - it will be worth it. Really. And get other people to help you. By the time you’ve heard/read a story 20 times, it all looks correct, even if it’s not, so an extra set or two of reading eyes really helps. Also, reading out loud helps you, well, hear how it sounds. When we were little, we heard that C.S. Lewis said that one should write for the ears. It’s really true when you think about it, especially when you’re writing a book that you might be reading to your grandchildren.

Another word of advice for this stage, back up your work every day or even every time you make a significant change. In fact, back it up a couple of different ways. Take it from the girls who lost twenty hours of work once. Learn from our pain, please.    

Bundles of Blessings

Phew! Now that the production/editing is done, it’s time to go to press. What a glorious day it is when your little volumes arrive in the mail! We hope you remember to put your name on the cover because this really was a labor of love. When you’re ordering your copies, you may want to consider giving this book to others besides the people in your own family who participated. Perhaps your grandparents’ siblings would love a copy as a present? What about future generations - would it be wise to have a couple of copies for them? Either way, may the Lord turn your books into bundles of blessings for you and those around you. 

In Part III, we will share a few FAQs and ideas of interview questions to help you in your ventures

Recording Your Family History Part I

As our first series of posts on IndustriousDaughters, we want to share about something that is near and dear to our hearts and with which we have firsthand experience: compiling our family legacies into books. This will be a three-part series covering the why, how, what and where of some ideas to get you started. We also hope to share with you some books and resources that inspired us in our own adventure.

WANTED:

SKILLED WORDSMITH 

TO CRAFT COMPELLiNG STORY.

POTENTIAL FOR MULTIGENERATIONAL,

WORLD-CHANGING IMPACT.

REMUNERATION POSSIBLE, 

LIKELY IN THE FORM OF 

ETERNAL REWARDS.

ONLY THE INTREPID NEED APPLY.

Maybe you’re like us. For years we wished we had a story that could fit the above description. Then, with inspiration from The League of Grateful Sons and a little book called Coming In On A Wing and A Prayer, we realized we had a wealth of stories like that right under our proverbial noses.

OR

Did the above ad make your heart skip a beat? Did you think, I wish there really were an ad like that? 

If you did, have we got news for you! That ad is real and there are enough positions available for all of you, if you are intrepid enough, that is. (There’s a reason the above ad reads a bit like Shackleford’s seeking men to venture into the unknown Antarctic...)

You see, each of you, as a daughter is part of a story that has been unfolding for generations. It is the story of your family, how the Lord has been working. 

What if your great-grandmother was a Swedish immigrant who came to America as a young bride and helped settle the wilderness? Perhaps your grandfather was on the Titanic or maybe he stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Maybe your grandmother was part of a large family on a rural farm during the Depression and learned the value of people over things. Or could it be that your great-great-great-great, etc. grand-uncle fought with George Washington at Princeton? Just as interestingly, maybe your great aunt was a loving homemaker on the frontier and watched with interest as the American landscape and culture changed during the decades of her life.

Whatever the case may be, these are stories that could be worth telling, and they are practically handed to you! You could have a treasure chest awaiting your discovery. You have the opportunity to capture a story about what you know - or what you can know.

But why?

-Truth is stranger than fiction 

This saying is so overused we may not believe it, but, well, it’s true! 

    

-You are the only one

More importantly, you are uniquely fitted to tell these stories because they     are yours. Susie Jones didn’t grow up in your family. The story of how God has worked in her family is different from yours. In fact, no one’s story can be just like yours. How’s that for originality?

-God’s Word

Now whenever we consider a project, our first concern should be, what does God’s Word have to say about this? As far as writing our family histories goes, there is actually quite a lot about this in Scripture:

-Impact

    The promise that follows honor leads us into the third reason to record the legacies of God’s work in our families: the potential impact. In our varied experiences, we have noticed something: honor does not go unnoticed. If you take the time to sacrifice the blood, sweat and tears to secure your family’s story, people will stop to ask why. People will want to know how. And perhaps most importantly you will be erecting an ebenezer for future generations, saying, “Here is what God did in our family. Remember the Providences of God. See how Jesus Christ has put together the details.” This will give you, your immediate family and future generations connections to past and present, context for the present, and courage to conquer whatever comes as they find comfort in Christ Who has crafted their course. In a world of general disconnection, purposelessness, and fear, such a gift of connection, context and courage is undeniably beautiful and powerful.

In Part II, we will explore some ideas to take the concept of recording our family stories to reality. 

¹ Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. I, pg. 673. Hendrickson Publishers, 1991. 

Review of Coming In on a Wing and a Prayer

     This is one of the books that inspired us to record our own grandparents’ stories. We think you might enjoy it as well.

     As if she were writing a letter as a grandmother to her grandchildren, Kelly J. Brown vividly portrays the story of her own grandfather, William Brown, a WWII pilot. From his childhood through his P-51 pilot years and onward, the reader gets vibrant glimpses of God’s providence weaving together the events of Bill’s life. Kelly handles the complex issues of WWII with a sensitive spirit focused on the sovereignty of God, making this a book that even young readers (or listeners) can enjoy and appreciate. Also, she masterfully draws parallels between her grandfather’s physical rescue after being shot down in the Pacific and how the Lord Jesus rescues us from sin. Authentic photographs throughout the pages add to the vintage feel. Overall, Coming In On A Wing and A Prayer is a phenomenal example of a granddaughter honoring her grandfather, a compelling biography for all ages, an inspiring story of courage and sacrifice, a study in the Providence of God, a real-life look at WWII and - most assuredly - a book to have on your personal bookshelf for generations to come.

Hello!

Here at IndustriousDaughters we believe that Christian young women (all of whom are daughters) of the 21st century have extraordinary opportunities to be used by the Lord, especially if they pursue what He has given them to do industriously. We hope that this blog will be an encouragement to these young women to do just that as we present

    -ideas of “making the best use of time” (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5), 

    -articles that we hope will renew your energy for the daily battles, 

    -interviews with young women who are living industrious lives for Christ

     right now in varied ways and situations 

    -interviews with/articles from older women who have gone before us and                

     have wisdom to share.

To begin at the very beginning (a very good place to start, we’re told), let’s define our terms. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines industrious this way:

    industrious:     

1. Diligent in business or study; constantly, regularly or habitually engaged    

    in business; assiduous; opposed to slothful and idle

1. Diligent in a particular pursuit, or to a particular end; opposed to remiss or slack; as industrious to accomplish a journey, or to reconcile contending parties

(And it continues...You can see the rest for yourself sometime.)

The IndustriousDaughters Team believes that this idea of industry goes along with the Scriptural principles. The first one that comes to mind is of not growing weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9). Next comes Proverbs. 31:13 and 27 where we learn that the godly woman “works with willing hands” and “does not eat the bread of idleness”. 

As young women ourselves, we also hope that IndustriousDaughters will give us an opportunity to practice what we preach: encouraging younger women in the Lord in the spirit of Titus 2 and urging one another on to good works in the spirit of both Hebrews 10:24 and Titus 3:8 and again Proverbs 31:27. We recognize that how/when/where/why we invest our time and talents (some of our treasures - especially time, since we can never get it back) matters (Matthew 6:19-21). Therefore, we would like to inspire and equip one another to invest these treasures wisely, constructively and fruitfully for Christ. 

Beyond that, we hope to hear thoughts/ideas/comments from you. We know we still have a great deal to learn ourselves. Therefore, iron-sharpening-iron (Proverbs 27:17) comments are definitely welcomed!

May our gracious Lord Jesus bless you all.

Joyfully in Christ,

~Kristen & Susan Hammer

Kristen & Susan Hammer are the twin daughters of Dr. Steven and Jodi Hammer. Some of their interests include writing, hiking, painting, food (both making and enjoying it!) reading, playing with their Australian Cattle Dog Annie, analyzing a film or two, singing a Scottish ballad here or there, and pulling stories out of people. Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, they hope to keep doing these things (and more) while making more revolutions around the sun.