2014 Christmas Letter!

Isaiah 9:6&7

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 
 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

Friends and Family!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to sit down and write to you of the amazing year that God has blessed us with! 2014 has flown by like a roller coaster, but I'm hoping to be able to sum it up and hit the highlights for those of you who are only able to keep in touch with us with each Christmas letter! 

Oddly enough, this Christmas brings a beautiful story full circle. If you will recall, last year I told you of the miracle of the salvation of a new young friend of ours, Justin. Little did any of us know at that time, that it was to be just the beginning of a long, grueling, yet ultimately so very rewarding journey. I'm about to use a word that has such a strong negative stigma to it, that when anyone hears it, it is synonymous "hopeless" and that word is "heroin". This time last year, I didn't really know much about it, or any other drug for that matter. I certainly never thought that God would bring anyone INTO our life who was bound in it's grasp. Even as I write this I realized that today marks the day I got a text from Justin that said "I feel so alone and I'm so worried"... At that I told him to call me, where I found out he had been suspended at work because he was caught using heroin. Looking back on it, others may have thought of shutting the door on Justin, but we had already seen the miracle of God in his life and saw this as just the next step. Don't get me wrong, I don't think we really even understood the magnitude of what Justin was struggling with, but looking back, I think that was all part of God's plan. 

Visiting Justin with his mom Regena at Teen Challenge

Justin and Regena

For close to three weeks Justin stayed with us while trying to get clean from 5:00 AM until it was time to go home and go to sleep. We loved him, supported him and gave him God's word, but Justin hadn't hit the end yet, he had to fall once more before he finally let God pick him up and carry him. On December 30th after passing a drug test and having an incredible day with us, he used, although I am happy to say, for the last time. I could put the heart wrenching details of that story here, but they are unimportant compared to what followed. The next day Justin finally surrendered everything to Jesus, (if you are reading this on-line, follow this link to read the heart wrenching story, in some of Justin's own words Jesus the Carpenter- Making a Heroin Addict a Hero ). By the miracle of a friend suggesting Teen Challenge Cincinnati, Justin agreed to enter the program. He had been dead set against going into any "program" but

Justin, Michelle, Jonathan, Leah

when he found out that they didn't focus on addiction, but rather on turning you into a man of God, he was dedicated. This change meant losing his high dollar machinist job, and everything he ever knew, everything that is, accept his mother Regena, she was about to be the perfect gift he needed, at just the right time. If there is anything that has caused me to see the hand of God in this situation, it is the fact that Justin was drawn into the safety and comfort of his mother's arms, arms that had been aching to care for him since his parents' divorce 12 years prior. Regena is one of the kindest, most gentle, beautiful mothers I have ever known and we are so blessed to count her as part of our family! 

Michelle and Jonathan

When we dropped Justin off at Teen Challenge January 7th, not only did we all feel a huge weight lift off of our shoulders, knowing that God would bare it, Justin recalls having felt the exact same weight drop from his

Dinner with the young men of Teen Challenge

shoulders, into God's hands. The following seven months were some of the most rewarding of my entire life. Leah, Matt and I volunteered to cook dinner with the students at Teen Challenge on the weekends. In doing so we got to meet and befriend some of the most sincere, uplifting young men God created.  Including one of Justin's best friends and strongest encouragements while there, Jonathan. We were able to watch their struggles and growth, to pray for and fight along side them. The miracle that God did in Justin while he was at Teen Challenge, the change that took place in him, can't begin to be described with words, but each month I tried to grasp it and put it in the Carpenter's Daughters blog, please take the time to go to the archive page and read about it, it will reaffirm in you that we serve a very big God. Thanks to the generous donations of Justin's sponsors, his entire stay was entirely paid for, Justin and our family will never be able to thank them enough!

If you have the time, I highly encourage you to watch the video below of Justin's powerful testimony!

In August, Justin moved in with us, God had spoken to him that it was time to move forward and after seeking God, our whole family, including Regena, agreed that God was indeed speaking to Justin and that we were to support him in that. He moved into our basement and I gave up my future sewing corner to make a room for him, I guess sewing can be done anywhere... ;) The following month was spent with Justin and Matt working tirelessly to refinish the rest of the basement before our trip to Plymouth, MA in September. After our life changing pilgrimage there last year, I didn't expect to be returning again so soon, if ever, but Leah felt it was important that Justin get to see, taste and touch this cornerstone piece of American and world history! We were fortunate enough to be able to take two more tours with Leo Martin and get to catch up with he and his wife Nancy while also getting a sneak preview of their new Family: The Cornerstone of Society exhibit. If there is nothing else you and your family do this coming year, take a trip to Plymouth, our country's hometown, give our friend Nancy a call at the Jenny Museum and schedule a tour with Leo, I promise you, your life will never be the same. You will learn the truth about the founding of our great nation, with God as it's center!

Visit the Jenny Museum's website and meet our dear friends Leo and Nancy, click here! 

Nancy, Matt, Leah, Leo, Michelle, Jimmy and Justin

In addition to getting to take Justin, we were also able to take a former fellow student and friend of Justin's (and ours!) from Teen Challenge, Jimmy. One of the most amazing young men of God I have ever met; our journey to Plymouth this year wouldn't have been the same without him. He has also become like an adopted member of our family, although he lives near Columbus, he is doing what God has called him to do, supporting his family and God has opened up several doors of ministry for him, we are so very excited to see God work in his life. 

Our trip also wouldn't have been complete without our dear friend Ashley! Someone who started out as a fan from our You Tube Channel, turned into an e-mail pen-pal and friend

over the past 2-3 years. She drove up twice from Manhattan to stay with us while we were in America's Hometown, Plymouth! For the first time we got to put a face, voice and personality to this tiny girl with a big heart! She too has become like a little sister to us and even came to visit us here in Ohio a month later for our Reformation Day/Basement Remodel Party! We had a

blast that week teaching her culinary skills, visiting the Creation Museum, and staying up till all hours of the night! We even had time the last night she was here to film a Leah and Michelle's Virgin Diaries with her in it!  To watch it click play on the video below!




As for a recap of our trip to Plymouth watch the video below!

Uncle Jac at Niagara Falls!

Many of you will be curious to know how Uncle Jac is doing and you will be happy to know that he recovered from his pelvic fracture and several months of physical therapy and is doing quiet well! In fact, after 20 years of not driving, just before our trip to Plymouth he got

his driver's license and even drove the big blue conversion van for a stretch on the way home... until the fuel pump went out... that left us stranded in Medina, Ohio for an extra day... 


As many of you know one of the greatest additions to our humble homestead this year has been chickens! Matt (with occasional help from Justin and even Jimmy) built the coop

entirely from recycled pallet wood! They now live like princesses and eat like queens! Even in the winter we are still getting 4-5 eggs a day from our 9 girls! As a side note, Leah would

Matt and Justin working on the coop

like to submit a public announcement NOT to allow a chicken to jump on your shoulder when you are wearing $2000 diamond earrings... After a week of quarantine, we are left to assume that one of our girls is worth $1000, harboring said booty in her crop... But we still love them!

To our "produce" productivity we have added hydroponics to the basement, thanks to Matt we are on our second sewing of the year and have learned a lot! In our pantry we have added hundreds of jars... you name it,from apples to green beans, pears, jams, jellies, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, peppers etc! 

Leah and I continue to enjoy life as pet sitters but have cut back from our grueling schedule to allow for more time with our family and our many projects, which means tightening our belts a little, but we are happy for the change of pace and have discovered that you don't need as much money when you do and make things for yourself, God has certainly blessed the fruit of our hands!!!

Matt Milking at Amish Farm!

Leah has been a huge blessing as she has spent countless hours trying (and succeeding) to produce self sufficient, all natural products! She is now making almost 100% of our bread, milling the flour from scratch, from wheat, oats, local grown flint corn etc...! She has tried several recipes, some flops that get fed to the chickens and some that are out of this world! It is a labor of love and we thank her for it. We also have homemade tooth paste, chap-sticks, laundry detergent and softener, cooking spray, mascara, hair conditioner, lotion, butter and cheese from our fresh milk... the list goes on, she is daily researching for her family's health and well being! Thanks to her we now are the proud owners of two herd shares, one with a local friend's cow, Pumpkin Head who just became

a momma! And another with a very dear Amish family in Hillsboro, if you are at all inclined to research the benefits of raw milk, let us know, it really has changed our lives! 


Lastly, this year we decided to make most of our Christmas presents! While Matt has been busy making Lincoln Logs (yes, you read correctly) from pallet wood, Justin has been welding gifts in the garage, Leah, mom and I have been knitting and crocheting and putting together baskets of Leah's homemade natural products! It's been a blast! 


If you have managed to stay with me this long, I thank you and commend you. There is no way I could have summed up this year any shorter and in fact I have left a ton out. Moving into 2015 we look forward to Justin building his bee hives and getting his first batch of bees, Matt and Justin completing their saw mill and starting to mill wood as the Lord leads, and more ideas of natural living! I hope to have the time to add more to this blog, please take the time to follow us on this blog as well as our You Tube channel to keep up with our endless enterprises! God continues to teach us everyday, and we are very eager students! The most important thing to remember is:

I would like to close our year end letter with a prayer Justin wrote recently...

Matt, Leah, Jimmy, Michelle and Justin, Plymouth

Father God, let this be a declaration of a pure motive for purpose, to change my ways of understanding, redirect my patters of life thinking, implanted into my mind by means of indoctrination. I must give all the more earnest heed to the things I have heard by your Holy Spirit, take dominion over my enemies, step up, acknowledge and remember the God of my Salvation, (EL-YESHUATI) the Lord my Provider (YAHWEH-JIREH), My healer (YAHWEH-RAPHA), My Protector (YAHWEH-NISSI), the Lord my Righteousness (YAHWEH-TSIDKENU), my banner for all to see. The God of Peace (YAHWEH-

SHALOM), to Him be the unending praise for the Perfect Sacrifice so that we can be saved, eternally, despite corruption. Thus be the grateful day of deliverance from all unrighteousness, set free from strongholds by the blood of Jesus Christ. Call to mind the Holy living. God, you've paved the path from the foundation of the earth and the destruction of the same, they will perish, but You remain. By Your mercy and grace, I must say, I look forward to the day I meet a Man, that Faithful and True, be His name. Amen 

May you and your family be blessed by His grace this Christmas season and in the new year to come. 

With Love,

Jeanne, Leah, Michelle, Uncle Jac, Matt, Justin, Sydney and Jasper

Matt, Leah, Justin, Michelle, Jimmy and Ashley, Plymouth

Easiest way to chop wood