Vegter News

Our happy 6-week-old Joel

2008-04-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Nothing melts the heart like a baby's smile - especially when it is your own little one smiling at the sound of your voice or as he looks at your face! Wow!!! It overwhelms the heart!!!

Joel's 2nd Week

2008-03-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

Joel & Mommy are doing well - you can click on this link (new album of pictures) to see many new pictures from Joel's second week, but following are a few of our favorites.

Welcoming Joel

2008-03-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born…” (Ecc. 3:1-2).

We’re so thankful the Lord has purposed this blessed time in our lives and would like to share our joy with you through the following video and photos!

Pictures of Joel

2008-03-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the slow turn-around time in getting these photos posted; we're finding out that there's a lot to do taking care of child! :-)

Since it's impractical to upload many pictures through blogger.com, we've posted over 100 pictures here: Joel Douglas Makaio.

And thanks for all your congratulatory emails - they were a lot of fun to read while we were waiting around in the hospital!

Shower of Blessings!

2008-02-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my dear friend Amy (Herman) White,

I had the sweet blessing of celebrating the soon-to-be arrival of our little Joel with my precious home church family and friends & family in the New Castle area. It was so special to be able to share this joyful time with these dear people who have watched me grow up and prayed us through the difficulties of my illness.

Staci (Storie) Small and her 11-week-old son Gavin came from Indianapolis. Staci and I became friends when my family moved in next door to her – we were 3 years old! Now we will have sons the same age!

Heather (Young) Harvey and her mom came down from Hartford City, IN. Heather and I have been dear friends since I was 5 years old.

Of course there were some fun games (hosted by Amy (Boyd) Golliher):

How many squares of toilet paper around is Alisha's baby belly???

Who can drink apple juice from a baby bottle the fastest???

We so deeply appreciate all the gracious gifts and the work that went into making the day so special.

Handmade baby gifts are a treasure:

baby blanket made by Lynda Spicer (from church)

burp cloths made by Linda Branham (neighbor of my parents)

Adorable outfits!!

And all those special baby "goodies" - like shampoo, washcloths, toys, bibs, etc!! What fun!

I love reading to Joel! Amy had each of the ladies bring an unwrapped book for little Joel. What a wonderful idea!! Joel has already been enjoying them.

Joel's Nursery

2008-01-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

I thought you might enjoy seeing the way Joel's nursery has come together. I just love it! Because my dad has called me "Pooh" since I was little I've always wanted a Winnie the Pooh nursery. I decided to go with Classic Pooh because I liked the colors and the calmness it gives. I just love sitting in the nursery with the light of the little Pooh lamp reading and singing to Joel and eagerly awaiting his arrival. What a precious time!

Practicing!

2008-01-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and I were able to get some "baby care practice" in while my whole family was together last weekend. As we held my nephew Jack we couldn't help but become more eager to hold our little Joel!(Yes, Jack got some good kicks from Joel while he was lying on my belly!)

33 Weeks!

2008-01-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

...and counting!!!

Wow! These last few weeks have gone by so quickly! The reality of Joel’s approaching arrival is starting to really hit me. So many emotions all at the same time – excited, nervous, elated, overwhelmed, etc!!! I just spent a week and a half at my parents’ in IN helping take care of my dad after elbow surgery and my dad reminded me the next time I come back there I’ll be a mother!! Woohoo!!! And Whoa!!!

New Nephews!!

2008-01-07T09:24:00.001-08:00

Many of you know our families so we thought you would enjoy seeing pictures of our two new nephews. Yep, all boys and all have names starting with "J" - what a hoot! We are so glad our little Joel will have boy cousins his age to play with. What an extra sweet blessing from the Lord!

Jayden Jonathan Vegter - born to Jon and Hope Vegter on Tuesday, December 4th.

Jayden was born with a diaphragmatic hernia - which meant half of his diaphragm was missing. By God's awesome working, Jayden has already had surgery to correct the diaphragm and move all his organs that were up in his chest cavity back to their proper places and he is off of the ventilator and only has a small oxygen tube now. He is even nursing and swallowing already. He is doing so well they are talking of allowing him to go home in the next few weeks. What a miracle little Jayden is!! We know God is always at work but it is so thrilling when we are able to actually see His mighty hand!

Jack William Allen – born to Nathan and Denise Allen on Friday, December 7th.

We thank the Lord that little Jack is healthy and he and Denise are doing great. Jack makes number 4 for Nathan and Denise. They have Rachel (10), Samuel (9), and Andrew (4) - all pictured here with my parents.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

Our last quiet Christmas! Okay by us - we've had quiet for 11 years; we're ready for a change!

(Well, maybe not all of us are ready!!!)

We spent Christmas and New Year's with my parents and most of my family this year. We would have been in Florida with Jeremy's family for Christmas this year but we didn't feel it would be wise for me to fly being 7 months pregnant. So, our Christmas Day was very quiet with just my parents and Jeremy, Laddie and I (and baby Joel, of course - he made his presence known by kicks not squeals this Christmas!).

We were joined by my sister Christy, her husband Todd and their two children, Caytlin (11) and Zachary (9) and my brother Tommy, his wife Tracy and their three children, Hannah (10), Thomas (9), and Brittney (7) for New Year's weekend. We had a great time together!

(Thomas and Zach)

(Caytlin, Brittney, and Hannah)

We were also able to be at my Grandma Warne's Christmas this year. My grandma is 95! Doesn't look it, does she?! She's just as sweet and precious as ever. She is an inspiration and sweet blessing to me.

Another sweet blessing of this Christmas season was having my dear friend Phyllis Rice visit for a few days. She was my drama teacher at Maranatha and has become such a dear friend. Last summer she moved to WA and lives with her daughter Lydia and her husband and their new baby Lily Sophia. I was overjoyed that she was able to be here and see my "babybelly" in person. Joel let her feel some good hard kicks, too.

Hope all of you were able to enjoy a blessed holiday season and are rejoicing in the gift of another year to walk with the Lord! We are overflowing with eager anticipation of the joy this new year holds for us! In less than 9 weeks (give or take a few!) we will be holding our precious son!!

26 weeks!

2007-12-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

Baby belly pictures have been requested by my "far-away" friends so here are a few of my 26 week belly.

Showered by Showers!

2007-11-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

We’ve all experienced “April Showers,” right? Well, I just recently experienced "November Showers!” We flew Jeremy’s mom up to help get our nursery ready and she had a few other things in mind while she was here. Let’s just say I was “flooded” with happy baby wishes and gracious baby gifts! The way so many of our friends and family are rejoicing with us in the gift of this little one is a tremendous blessing to us. What a joy to be able to praise and thank the Lord together!! Here are a few pictures from the occasions:

Vegter/Lowery Family Baby Shower -

Lowery Family in the area -

Pregnant Cousins!

Two of Jeremy's cousins on the Vegter side - Nikki Arn and DeAnna Henkel - are also expecting. They are both two months along in this picture.

Mini Baby Shower #1 -

Esther Matthiesen and Dolores Boyes are dear ladies from our church. The Matthiesens are our neighbors and Dolores is like an adopted "great-grandma" to little Joel. She gave him his first basketball (much to Joel's daddy's delight!) and made me a "cake" out of cloth diapers (complete with football decorations - much to the delight of Joel's mommy with her football family roots!)

Mini Baby Shower #2 -

All of these ladies are close friends of my mother-in-law and she combined her visit with them with a little baby shower for me and Joel because each of the ladies has prayed so much for Jeremy and I over the past several years. Fun to rejoice together!

Surprise Baby Shower!!

My mother-in-law loves surprises and she was at it again!! She had it all planned out - as I was being distracted upstairs by a few friends who just "dropped by" to see the nursery my home was filled with several friends eager to share in the joy of this coming little one. Yes, I was surprised!

It was such a treat to have Hope (Budhal) Robertson and her son Joel come to the shower.

My mother-in-law surprised both Jeremy and I with a sweet gift of Jeremy's old toys for our son to enjoy. These toys have been toted all over the country through my in-laws' numerous moves just waiting for Jeremy's son to inherit them! (Jeremy's dad is rejoicing that he doesn't have to pack them anymore!)

And here is Laddie's favorite gift given to little Joel:

(We are just hoping it goes the other way around, too - "Laddie Loves Baby!!!")

Mini Shower #3 -
Again combining visit with friends and welcoming baby:

Joel's first Winnie the Pooh!!

"I love my Daddy!"Joel will be clothed and clean!

Yea football!! Yes, Joel will be one adorably dressed little fella - as well as greatly celebrated and dearly loved!! Thanks for sharing in our joy!

Baby Vegter's First Photo Shoot

2007-10-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Meet Joel Douglas Makaio Vegter - "Joel" is one of his mommy's favorite names, "Douglas" is after his daddy (Jeremy Douglas) and "Makaio" is Hawaiian for Matthew which means "gift of God." What a precious gift from God little Joel truly is to us. We were able to see very clearly that this little one is a he! (for his privacy we left that picture off of our blog ; ) Hope you enjoy pictures of our adorable little son!

Isn't he the cutest little fella???!!! - with his cute little button nose! Here you can see him looking straight at us - his mouth is open with his tongue sticking through...

Perfect little foot...

And his arm and hand - he's waving "hello!"

Growing Baby Belly!

2007-09-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

Some of you have requested pictures of my growing belly. So, here it is...

15 weeks:

19 Weeks:

We're back!

2007-09-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

Wow! I am sure you have all given up on me…since it’s been 3 months since my last post! I apologize for the lack of communication, but I have a good excuse – a VERY good excuse. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let these pictures speak my excuses for me…

Yes, while Jeremy and I were on the Big Island of Hawaii we found out we are expecting our first child in March!!!! We wanted to commemorate the day by writing in the Black Sands of Waipio Valley, but no words can truly express our joy and gratefulness for this precious answer to prayer. To those of you who have prayed for us in this regard we can only say “Thank you!” and may the Lord be praised!

So, now you understand! I have spent the last three months dealing with “morning” sickness – which for me has meant all day nausea with some intense vomiting – as well as a great amount of fatigue. But as we heard the heartbeat of our little baby all the struggles of these difficult days melted away into an overwhelming gratitude for this miracle of life within me. Because of my past health issues I was never fully sure I would be able to conceive and carry a child. Now my heart cries out with Hannah, “For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him.” (I Samuel 1:27)

We praise the Lord that I am experiencing a “normal” pregnancy (no abnormal issues because of my past illness) and I am 15 weeks along. My official due date is March 9. Only 24 more weeks…but who’s counting?!

Since we have made it past the critical three month mark we are starting to enjoy the preparations for the arrival of our sweet little one.

Even Laddie wants to be a part of the action. We’re not exactly sure how he will respond to having to share his mama but we’ll do our best to make the adjustment as easy as possible for him. He’s a sweet pup!

Now that I am feeling somewhat “alive” again during this second trimester I will do my best to keep you updated. Once “Baby Vegter” arrives I will have more to write about and pictures galore, but I’ll do my best during the next five months to keep you in the “loop.”

A Sunday of added blessings!

2007-06-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, June 17, we were able to minister in two churches we had been in last year. That is such a great joy for us!! We are able to "pick up where we left off" and deepen our friendships.

Sunday morning we were with Pastor and Mrs. Ron England at Kukuilani Baptist Church.

We just love this dear missionary couple! We receive plenty of "good medicine" when we are with them – we laugh a lot! We enjoyed ministering again with their sweet church people. We feel right at home.

Their church meets in a school, so they have to set up Sunday morning - move "Cuddles" the bunny and everything! We were able to enjoy the perfect weather through the open doors on either side of the building.
Sunday evening we renewed friendships with Pastor and Mrs. Les Lippincott III and their church people of Kahua Baptist Church.

Enjoying lots of good fellowship is a "given" at this church!! Our hearts were truly blessed to be able to visit and get to know them all better.

One added delight of this church is the setting - they use an open area at a local school, so we enjoyed hearing the birds sing right along with us!

The blessings continue!

2007-06-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 13, was a real blessing for us as we ministered at First Baptist Church of Honolulu with Pastor Barry Lovett. This church is located right in the heart of downtown Honolulu.

We really enjoyed our time getting to know these brothers and sisters in Christ at a home-cooked meatloaf and mashed potatoes meal as well as afterwards just visiting in the courtyard (pictured below). They were no strangers with us and we were blessed!

Enjoying friends!

2007-06-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

Our travels also allow us to see friends in "far away" places!! While on Oahu, Sharon and Carla Hamilton (former MBBC students and former "boarders" in our home!) are graciously sharing their apartment with us the whole time! It is a sacrifice for them to have us and we greatly appreciate their generous hospitality. We're deeply enjoying our time with them - visiting, laughing and just sharing the joy of friendship with them. (as you can see in this picture - Jeremy just smashed a cracker in Sharon's ice cream!!)

We were also able to get a quick visit in with Roger and Becky Olson and their two boys before they headed to the mainland for the summer.

Roger and Becky are from our church in Watertown. They both teach at Hanalani Christian School. Last year they flew back to the mainland and we missed them at both ends. We were glad to catch them just before they left for WI this year. Roger and the boys took Jeremy boogie boarding and to a cool lookout spot. (pictures below) Good times!

We've also been able to see a couple from my home church in New Castle, IN – Mike and Kiley Trado and their three children - ages 3,2, & 1. I used to babysit Kiley years ago – yes, I feel old!!! Mike is in the army and stationed on the island. We enjoyed a nice dinner and "show" at their house – you can see from the pictures!

Bond in Christ

2007-06-14T20:18:00.001-07:00

One of the greatest blessings for us in ministering this way is the joy of meeting fellow believers, our brothers and sisters in Christ, all over the country! There is an immediate bond in Christ that just can't be explained.

Sunday morning, June 10, we had the privilege of meeting Pastor and Mrs. Steven Wygle and their granddaughter as well as their very welcoming church family at Lanakila Baptist Church.

In the evening service we were delighted to be able to minister with Pastor and Mrs. Larry Kaneshiro at Calvary Independent Baptist Church. We enjoyed visiting with their dear church people and getting to know them a little better during a fellowship time after the service. This church was an extra special treat for us because it is the home church of people we know. This is Carla Hamilton's and her friend Joe's home church on the island, so it was a blessing to meet their church family and those who are having such a godly impact in their lives. Mrs. Kaneshiro is a "Titus 2 woman" to Carla and it made my heart glad to meet her and see why! Sharon and her friend Joe were able to be in the service as well. (pictured below) We'll be in Sharon's island church this coming Sunday. Also, Jeremy was able to get reacquainted with John Lucina, a fellow BJU Choral member in '94-'95. Jeremy enjoyed catching up with John – it had been a few years. It was also a pleasure for us to see and visit again with Tim Befus, a former MBBC student. He has been through a great trial this year with the loss of his mother to cancer, but it was encouraging to see his increased faith and joy in the Lord and hear how the Lord is taking care of him. He will be teaching history full-time at Hanalani Christian School.

So, yes, we are "giving" at each church but we are "getting" much more in return!

Seeing friends and friends of friends!

2007-06-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday (June 6) we had the privilege of ministering with Pastor John Sass, his sweet wife and five children (pictured below) at Koolau Baptist Church. This is the home church of a dear friend of mine from my home church in New Castle, IN - Marilyn Kendall. So we enjoyed meeting friends of hers from her youth!

We also had the joy of renewing friendships by seeing the Inafuku family at this service. Jeremy knew Kevin Inafuku from his time at BJU. I (Alisha) was able to meet Mrs. Cheryl Inafuku (pictured below) when we ministered at their church last year. (Due due to schedule conflicts we are unable to be with their church again this year, so the Inafukus made a special effort to come to one of our services.) Cheryl is a kindred-spirit in the Lord as well as in suffering. She is in the midst of her health battles, so it was a special blessing for me to be able to see her, give her a hug and assure her of my prayers for her. To be able to say "I understand" is one of the "roses among the thorns" of my illness. If you think of it, I know Cheryl would appreciate your prayers for physical healing & endurance and spiritual strength to keep pressing on.

Seeing God at Work

2007-06-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

Isn't it amazing when we get to see God at work? On Sunday, June 3, we had the privilege of seeing God work through our "Faithful and True" program – not just in the congregations' hearts but in ours as well. Both services were at churches we had been with last year – which was an extra special blessing for us. Our morning service was with Pastor Jason Filler at Central Oahu Bible Church, which meets in a Christian school (pictured above). We enjoyed visiting again with Pastor Filler and his wife Anna, their son Jason and new little guy, George.
Our evening service was with Pastor Wayne Surface at Ohana Baptist Church. Their current church building is a refurbished bowling alley. We were treated to pizza after the service with Pastor and Mrs. Surface, three of their five children and youth pastor Matt Finch, his wife Lanissa and son Austin.

Both churches are in "transitional" times – one praying about joining with another work in the area and the other in need of finding a new building in which to meet. Our hearts were encouraged to see God use the reminders of His faithfulness through the testimonies of Fanny Crosby, Thomas Chisholm (who wrote "Great is Thy Faithfulness") as well as our own from my illness. We know God places us in the churches at just the right time, but what a blessing when we actually get to see it!
Personally, I (Alisha) was able to see God at work in my heart during our services as well. My heart was stirred as I heard again the story of Fanny Crosby and her complete acceptance and total embracement of her blindness. I still have limitations due to my past health problems and at times I am not very content with these limitations. As I stood to give my testimony of God's faithfulness to me during my illness I found myself saying, "Who am I to share this testimony when at times I question God's current plan for my life?" As I began singing the words to "It will be worth it all when we see Christ" my heart was overwhelmed and I couldn't hold back the tears. NOT part of the program! All I could say was "I am human." And I believe that is just what God wanted me to say and for the people to see. Sometimes we need to remember it is God in the midst of us Who is mighty, not us. (Zephaniah 3:17) That He chooses to use us to proclaim His faithfulness and love is truly amazing. This is His work, and we are so grateful for the privilege to be a part of it.

Enjoying the scenery

2007-06-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

Amidst our days of ministry on the island we do have time to enjoy the beauty of God's creation.

The above picture is Diamond Head – a volcanic crater, now a state monument. Jeremy hiked the crater and took the following pictures. You can see Honolulu and Waikiki Beach and the get a glimpse of the gorgeous ocean that surrounds Oahu.

Diamond Head was used as a military artillary station from 1906 to 1976. You can see the observation points cut out in the sides of the crater.

The followinng pictures are taken of Hanauma Bay – a large preservation bay ideal for snorkeling - which both Jeremy and I were able to enjoy. Hawaii is a beautiful place – above and below the ocean surface!

Getting a Heart for Hawaii

2007-05-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hawaii is more than just an island with palm trees and perfect weather surrounded by a gorgeous ocean. It is an island filled with people. And these people are more than just surfers and hoola dancers! While ministering in Hawaii we are truly getting a heart for the dear people here and gaining a greater appreciation for the labor of their pastors and pastors' wives.

Last night we had the great privilege of being with Pastor Kevin Akana, his sweet wife Roxanne, their five adorable children and their dear church people of Windward Baptist Church. We received a very warm Aloha welcome from these brothers and sisters in Christ and were blessed by their tender spirits and gratefulness for all the Lord has done for them.

After the service Jeremy and I were blessed to be able to continue the fellowship as we went out for supper with Pastor Kevin and Roxanne. We enjoyed swapping humorous stories, laughter and sweet fellowship in the Lord. Jeremy and I left with a real burden for their ministry. Pastor Kevin is a native of the island and God has given him and his wife a heart to reach the needy souls of his fellow Hawaiians, especially those bound by the chains of alcohol and drug addictions. The drug abuse is all around them, and the people know this church is a place of refuge – a place they can turn to when they have reached the end and are ready to turn their lives around. The love for these people and deep desire to see them free in Christ flows through Pastor Kevin and Roxanne.

Yes, they enjoy the nice weather and gorgeous creation of Hawaii but their joy lies in seeing a former drug addict sharing the freedom of knowing Christ with those who are still bound. This is the heart of Hawaii!

What time is it?!

2007-05-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well, our bodies are totally confused as to what time it is! We gained three more hours yesterday and are now five hours behind our Wisconsin time. Our bodies will adjust - just in time to go home!

We cannot thank the Lord enough for the strength He gave to us yesterday. We flew into Hawaii in the morning (Hawaii time!) and had an evening service to do that night! We were able to get settled and rest some before the service so that was a huge help. While we were doing our program we realized according to the time zone we had just been in we were singing at 10:30 PM! (I can't imagine jumping days ahead or behind! It will take me a bit to adjust to just a three hour change!!) We were up almost 24 hours yesterday by the time we hit the bed, so we praise the Lord for His strength and safety on our first day of ministry in Hawaii!

"Change of Pace!"

2007-05-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

We had a "change of pace" today by presenting the patriotic package of our "Give Me Liberty!" program to kids from ages 4 to 14. It truly was a blessing to minister to the students of Temecula Christian School in Temecula, CA. Jeremy adapted the program very well to spark the interest of these children in preK4, K5 and up. They were especially intrigued by tht Air Force jet pictures!

We greatly enjoyed our ministry at Temecula and visiting again with Brother Randy, the school administrator and church sound man, and meeting his dear wife Gayle. We were able to minister in their church last year and look forward to being with them again whenever the Lord allows.

First Sunday of Summer Ministry '07

2007-05-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

Our summer ministry is under way! We've already been abundantly blessed by the Christian fellowship of our fellow believers at Mountain View Baptist Church in Banning, CA and Gethsemane Baptist Church in Long Beach, CA.