Life in the Past 10 days

As many of you already know we are expecting baby #2 of the Bourgeois family sometime in the beginning of October. We are thrilled about this wonderful addition to our family and we are so happy to share it with our wonderful family and friends. Seth will be 18-19 months, so my hope is that the two of them will become best friends growing up.

Maintaining a peaceful stomach has been a battle but I believe I'm winning. I'm determined to make this pregnancy better then the last, to have a better attitude about how I "feel." My husband has been such a blessing to me taking care of our son and I during this time; I'm so glad I have such a wonderful man of God to call my husband! Because of all his help I have been able to take 1-2 naps a day and relax for most of the day. 1st Trimester has a track record of taking a lot out of me, so I've been doing my best to maintain solid nutrition and lots of rest. We all know that fully slept and well fed Momma's are better at doing what we do when this is happens.

Some things that have specifically helped me to keep morning sickness in line are Prayer, Shaklee stomach soothing complex (great for the upset tummy), and keeping lots of protein in my system.

On another note we celebrated Seth's 1st birthday last week. He was so good, we had 4 parties in two days, 3 of which were his own and 1 of which was his friend Jennay's. We had a great time with little friends, big ones, and family too. Our friends and family have been such a blessing to us over the 1st year of his life and we are incredibly thankful for each of them! All the words of encouragement, the last minute babysitting, the shoulder to lean on, we thank you!!!

We hope that you have have had a great 10 days, but even more than that, you've had opportunity to grow closer to the Lord. May God bless you and keep you, may he cause his face to shine upon you!!! AMEN!

Snow Day :)

Today has been a great day :) We got snowed in. I shoveled three times, and yet you cannot tell because the snow has been drifting. It's funny how your hard work can so quickly disappear. It reminds me that the things of this world will all pass away one day and the one thing that will remain is the Lord.

Isn't it funny how on days like today we take the time to really love on our family, care for them, do things for them. Why is it that it takes a snow day for that to happen? I'm convinced we make our lives to complicated filling our time with needless tasks when we could block off time to spend with our Lord as well as our family.

I hope today has given you opportunity to slow down and enjoy life and the simple things that make it wonderful! God bless you and your family, and may you look at tomorrow differently with the light of Jesus.

Human Life

I was on facebook today and came across a link about a commercial that has been being advertised during MTV's Teen Mom. The article below states that the commercial has a Pro-Life agenda, and when the hotline that is displayed in the commercial is called that "scary misinformation about the morning-after pill and abortion" is given.

http://jezebel.com/5745885/teen-mom-advertiser-has-secret-pro+life-agenda?skyline=true&s=i

Now I am not sure how credible the "misinformation" part is, and I'm certainly not for lying but the fact that anyone is standing up to say that abortion is wrong is amazing. They deserve a hand clap from us all. In addition the fact that the commercial made it to MTV is also amazing.

The person that posted this link that I found had posted that MTV needed to pull these ads. I was very disheartened to see this, as this person has two children of their own having witnessed the miracle of life themselves. My mind just has a hard time wrapping around Mothers and Fathers being pro-choice. My heart just hurts when I think about it.

After praying about it I responded to the post the best way I could along with the following pro-life video:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=488452018044&oid=125911190008&comments

Standing up for what you believe in is not easy, especially when it is a topic that has become so controversial. I think it is important to not attack the opposite side, on the contrary present them with the facts, paint them a picture that they will never forget. Let God lead you.

When faced with this link I was forced to look at what I believe.

What is the value of a human life? And when does a human life begin to form?

Facts and science will tell you the moment a sperm fertilizes an egg cell division begins and within one hour DNA begins to form. It is determined during this time the sex of the baby as well as all the traits they will have.

All I can say is we have a magnificent creator and he can change hearts!

Be encouraged :)

Cinch Success

I thought I would post this video about the Shaklee Cinch program for you to view and share with your friends after explaining the program in my previous Mission Wholeness Newsletter post.

• How is your health?
• What are your goals?
• What have you tried in the past and what was your experience?
• What are your eating and exercise habits?
• How serious are you about losing weight?

When it gets down to a weight lose journey its about getting motivated and staying motivated. Shaklee Cinch takes the guess work out of eating so you have more time to spend on staying focused. Cinch promotes a healthy life style to help you learn good eating and exercise habits so that you can reach your weight goal and maintain it the rest of your life.

Here's a Testimony on the Cinch Program:

"Approximately 4 years ago, just before Shaklee’s Cinch was launched, I was very unhappy with my weight. Feeling like I would never loose the 15 pounds that had “attached” itself to my body in the “middle-age syndrome”, as I call it. That’s when the weight slowly, but continually climbs and seems more stubborn than ever before. Oh yes, in addition to that, much of it finds a home around the midriff and derrière. “Losing your youthful figure is normal in the 40-50’s. Just accept it”, my friends would say. That was not so much of the issue with me as was how I felt and how my clothes no longer fit. I kept my usual intermittent exercise routine, kept lowering my calories and got no results EXCEPT more weight. Honestly, for about thirty years, I had fought unsuccessfully against a persistent 20-30 pounds.

When Cinch was introduced, I was determined to give it my best shot, believing in my heart it would not work, and if I did loose the weight, it would come right back on just like always before. WOW, how wrong I was and how glad I am that I committed to the Cinch Program! The rest of the story goes like this: In the first 6 weeks, I lost the initial 15#. That was my desire after which I went on maintenance for approximately 6 months. BUT summer was approaching and I liked the idea of “comfortably” wearing summer clothing that I had not been in for YEARS. So I went back on the Cinch Plan. Lo and behold, I dropped another 10# in about 6 weeks. Summer was good. Feeling healthy & strong. BUT my wedding anniversary was approaching. Sooooo, I got the idea that it might be cool to weigh what I did in high school when my husband, John and I started dating. Don’t get the wrong idea. I was not a ‘skinny Minnie’ in high school. But I was at a good weight for my height and to me, it look like a good place to be again. So, back on the Cinch Inch Loss plan I went. Yes, it worked again. I took off 12 more pounds. Making the total 37# GONE!!!! That made my weight at our 40^th class reunion the same as at my high school graduation weight. Oh, I forgot to mention, the “trunk fat” (that is so annoying to me AND dangerous for the body organs), it “inched” away. (Very appropriate name---The Shaklee Cinch Inch Loss Plan.) Total result-37 pounds and 14 inches. Wait, there is more! That was over 2 years ago and it is still GONE! Now wearing my daughter’s Chic jeans"

-Brenda K McCumons

To find out more about this program please fill out the form at the top right corner of this page :) Happy Cinching!

Real Dirt on Clean Part 1

Mission Wholeness News Jan-Feb 2011

Creating Wholeness One Family at a Time: January and February 2011

Hello Shaklee Family,

Happy New Year to You! I hope you and yours shared a wonderful holiday! We had the great privilege of traveling to Alaska to spend time with our family over the season; it was great fun, especially with our son Seth Nehemiah who is almost one. Moreover with this New Year comes many resolutions; some want to lose weight, some want to exercise more and live a healthier life style and some like me want to be a better wife and parent. Whatever your resolution we’re here to support you. We want you to succeed in life and here at Mission Wholeness and Shaklee we know that it is important to take care of our bodies so that we can achieve all we aspire to do. Shaklee has healthy solutions to taking care of your family and your home. Start with looking under your sink, what do you have under there? If you like the average American household you probably have an array of toxic chemicals that could potentially lead to serious health issues. Here’s a list of some of the most common:

AIR FRESHENERS: interfere with your ability to smell by releasing nerve-deadening agents or coating nasal passages with an oil film, usually methoxychlor, a pesticide that accumulates in fat cells. Known toxic chemicals found in an air freshener are formaldehyde, a highly toxic, known carcinogen, and phenol. When phenol touches your skin it can cause it to swell, burn, peel, and break out in hives.

ANTIBACTERIAL CLEANERS: may contain triclosan, which is absorbed through the skin and can be tied to liver damage.

BLEACH: is a strong corrosive. It will irritate or burn the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. It may cause pulmonary edema or vomiting and coma if ingested. Never mix bleach with acid toilet bowl cleaners or ammonia. These mixtures may produce fumes which can be DEADLY.

DISHWASHER DETERGENTS: Most products contain chlorine in a dry form that is highly concentrated. The #1 cause of household poisoning is dish detergent. Dishwashing liquids are labeled "harmful if swallowed." Each time you wash your dishes, some residue is left on them, which accumulates with each washing. Your food picks up part of the residue -- especially if your meal is hot when you eat it.

LAUNDRY ROOM PRODUCTS: Laundry detergents contain phosphorus, enzymes, ammonia, naphthalene, phenol, sodium nitilotriacetate and countless other chemicals. These substances can cause rashes, itches, allergies, sinus problems and more. The residue left on your clothes, bed sheets, etc. is absorbed through your skin, as is everything else you touch.

OVEN CLEANER: one of the most toxic products people use. They contain lye and ammonia, which eat the skin, and the fumes linger and affect the respiratory system. Then there ís the residue that ís intensified the next time you turn your oven on.

TOILET BOWL CLEANERS: usually contain hydrochloric acid, a highly corrosive irritant to both skin and eyes that damages kidneys and liver; and hypochlorite bleach, a corrosive irritant that can burn eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Toilet bowl cleaners also may cause pulmonary edema, vomiting or coma if ingested. Contact with other chemicals may cause chlorine fumes which may be fatal.

Visit the website below to find out more about the chemicals in your home:

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ingredients.htm

Don’t get too scared, Shaklee has the solution, Get Clean!

*For 50 years, Shaklee has created products that improve the health of people and the planet*

*In 1960, Shaklee introduced Basic-H^®, one of the first biodegradable, nontoxic cleaners*

· Get Clean is Safe, Powerful, Clean and Smart. Get Clean gives you cleaning choices that are nontoxic and natural and don’t contain any of these harmful ingredients.

· Dish Wash Liquid Concentrate is twice as effective as Method^® Dish Soap and Seventh Generation^® Dishwashing Liquid on grease*

· Basic H²™ Organic Super Cleaning Wipes cleans twice as much dirt than Pledge Wipes on vinyl flooring*

· Basic H² (at ¼ tsp in 16 oz. water), Method^® Go Naked Spray, and Seventh Generation^® Free and Clear Spray were tested on clean tile. Both the Method and Seventh Generation products left film and streaks. Basic H² left none.

· Nature Bright^® Laundry Booster and Stain Remover is twice as effective than OxiClean^® on grass stains*

· Fresh Laundry Concentrate HE Compatible is 33% Better at removing soil and stains than All^® Small & Mighty™*

· Fresh Laundry Concentrate HE Compatible Outperforms Shout^® and Spray ‘n Wash^® on spot removal*

Why not give it a try, we have Get Clean baskets ready to loan to you, all you have to do is ask.

If you are like most people, you’ve struggled with your weight at one time or another. You’ve been on every fad diet. Initially you lose some weight, but then you gain it back and find yourself heavier than before. This is the dreaded cycle of yo-yo dieting.

How Shaklee Cinch Works

The Cinch Inch Loss Plan is different. It addresses one of the primary reasons why other diets fail. Cinch provides you a plan to lose the right way. Instead of losing weight from fat and muscle, the Cinch Inch Loss Plan is Powered by Leucine ™ to help preserve muscle while you lose

weight from fat. † Preserving muscle mass also prevents your metabolism from dropping. The Cinch Inch Loss Plan with leucine is scientifically formulated to help you lose weight, lose inches, and break the cycle of perpetual dieting.

The Cinch Inch Loss Plan is designed for real life, so it also addresses the physical and emotional challenges that come along with your weight control efforts. With proprietary formulas, the Cinch products will help you control your hunger, boost your energy, and keep you feeling satisfied. Plus, you’ll get healthy personalized menus, specific to your body’s needs and your individual preferences.

Benefits:

•Helps you lose pounds and inches †

•Helps you lose weight and inches without feeling hungry

•Clinically tested with leucine formula to help preserve muscle during weight loss †

•Promotes weight loss from fat

•Provides protein to help control hunger and preserve muscle

•Offers personalized and flexible meal plan options

•Provides the support and tools you need to be successful

•Helps you achieve healthy lifestyle changes

Sign up as a new Member or Distributor with a minimum $70 MN order, or as a new GOLD Ambassador with the purchase of a GOLD or Super GOLD Mission PAK, and get a Cinch Sampler Pack, a $101 value, for FREE! (Offer Valid thru January 31, 2011)

You can visit us on the web at www.shaklee.net/edb and click on the Why Shaklee Tab to learn more about the company and what Shaklee has to offer.

If you saw something in this newsletter that is of interest to you, if you have any questions or even suggestions please contact us by phone at 248-941-7591 or by email edb.shaklee@yahoo.com. We would love to hear from you. We want to see you and your families prosper and be in health this year, Shaklee can help. Don’t forget about the Cinch sample pack offer on page 2 and the Get Clean sample baskets, take advantage of these offers while they last.

If you are interested in learning more about Shaklee, we have a listener library that is open to you and yours. Please let us know what you are interested in learning more about and we will be happy to supply you with the materials to do so.

-Eric, Danielle and Seth Bourgeois

Good Food for thought:

· A true leader is one who has mastered his own attitude and empowers others to do the same.

· With childhood obesity at epidemic levels,

remember it is easier for children to control their eating habits if their parents are.

· You are who you are because of the way you see yourself.

Salt and Light

We are the Salt and the Light of this earth. There are so many people out in society today that have become apart of this repeated mundane sexual culture that has no purpose or meaning. People are looking for a quick fix, the next paycheck to "get through." Excuse me, but aren't we Christians? Aren't we the ones that are supposed to be an example to these lost people? But are we ourselves getting lost in there with them?

How will they ever know the love of Jesus unless we show it?

How will they ever know we care unless we take time to listen?

How can God use us as his hands and feet if we won't get up?

This post is not to bring anyone down, yet instead meant to challenge us as believers to be more, to win the lost and to see the love of God reign down.

I heard a very simple yet amazing testimony recently from a listener on KLOVE. A woman had been working in an office listening to the KLOVE christian radio station when 2 IT guys came in to help fix some sort of issue. One of the IT guys asked what she was listening to and as she began to tell him it turned into a witnessing time; as a result both IT guys surrendered their lives to the Lord and completely changed.

Now what if that woman had been having a bad day, decided she didn't really care to talk about what she was listening to, well we wouldn't have two more brothers in the kingdom serving the Lord instead they would still be heading for hell. That would be sad, yet opportunities just like this are missed so frequently.

God gives us opportunities everyday to be able to be his hands and feet, to be the salt and light. We have the responsibility to be on the look out for when those fine moments are, because man oh man, when they do, the glory of the Lord shines!

Be encouraged!!

Called?

I had the wonderful opportunity to get together with the young adults from our church this evening at Tim Hortons. I always love getting together with them because I seem to always be enlightened after, in the sense that I see things a bit differently. When you spend most of your time staying at home taking care of your child you become rather fond of the views you have. When it comes to leveling the field well, this batch of young adults does it well.

We talked about several things this evening, one being related to my last post "Passion." I hadn't realized that so many others had gone through a similar journey to mine. A few years back there was a teaching that was going around about "callings and destinies;" this teaching led me to a plan that later paralyzed me from doing the very things I loved. Being seasoned for a few years, I have begun to see the destruction a teaching can have on such young hearts if taken the incorrect way. We are all called to be righteous lovers of peace, reverent and humble living Godly lives. No where in the bible does it state Danielle Bourgeois is called to be apart of children's ministry and do such in such all her life. Now I personally do enjoy loving on kids and teaching them, so it would be a good thing for me to volunteer and be apart of children's ministry but that doesn't mean it is mandatory I do. I have a free will to make the decision myself. If the Lord gave me a detailed plan for my life, first of all I'd be freaked out, second of all I'd wonder if I'd ever be able to achieve it, and third I would question if I had free will. See it sounds like craziness, and yet we were so caught on this "calling" thing that we lost sight of what we were truely called to do.

I believe it is important to consult the Lord for decisions in life like major purchases, relocating, and other life altering situations. I have a brain God gave me to decipher whether a grape is rotten or not and the holy spirit for when I can't tell. Personally I don't need to ask if I need to bath or not, I do it because I know I need to. Part of growing up is making our own decisions and the Lord is right there beside us when we do. Follow peace and you won't go wrong; per the chance you fall, mess up, screw something up, well pick yourself up, dust off and seek the Lord. Do good.

May the Lord be with you as you go about your day making decisions that will glorify him. Amen!

Passion

I invited a friend to come over yesterday for hot tea and conversation. It was so good to talk with them. I discovered that if we channel our passions "to do" something, than we start to touch the joy the Lord intended us to have. Plans are nice to have but when they start to hold you back from enjoying the Life God has given us, well then its time to scrap it. Now I am certainly not talking about quitting when a situation becomes difficult, yet instead I am saying live and enjoy life, live your passion.

When I returned from my first Missions Trip to Honduras in July 2007 I started to develop a plan for my life, one that I thought the Lord was leading me on. I wanted so badly to be a missionary, love the unloved and preach the gospel. So I went, I went to Haiti and preached the Gospel, and then I went to Africa the following summer to love the unloved.

Upon returning from Africa in August 2008 I was tossed into a whirl wind of chaos that made life confusing and difficult. My parents were getting an unexpected divorce, one of my closest friends was moving to Texas, and my Best Friend was telling me he wanted to marry me. I didn't know what to do, so I turned to God. When the dust settled and my mind was clear, with the blessing of God and our Pastor, my Best Friend Eric and I decided that we would pursue a relationship with the intention of Marriage. Time flew by, we were engaged in November 2008, married in April 2009 and had our first son Seth Nehemiah in February 2010. I thought I had landed it, the dream life; I had my husband and baby, what more could I ask for? And yet there was always something missing.

I struggled to figure out how to fill the void with "things" of this life, surprise it didn't work. Despite the longing I have inside to return to Africa I don't feel the release of the Lord to go. The plan I had was to "go" be a missionary, when the thought occurred, why do I need to "go" when there are so many right here that are in need too. So I've decided to channel the passion I have to go volunteer at Carriage Town in Flint starting in February. I am thrilled to get back out there, doing what I love to do and hopefully taking my son with me. God is good, he blesses what we set our hands to do. Hey you never know, these beginning steps could be the stepping stones I've been waiting for. Hope is yet stronger and the light of the Lord is shinning on us, Praise God!

Encouragement in an Unexpected way

I had a good friend stop in today; I needed a pick-me-up in general. She nailed me to the wall, read my book before I completely told her. She referenced and broke down the scripture of Psalm 1. It goes like this:

¹ Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
³ He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

This friend spoke to me about this scripture and pointed out the action words walk, stand and sit. She began to break it down by paraphrasing the scripture roughly like so; Walking with the ungodly and listening to their counsel is not wise, sitting and watching sinners is also unwise, and sitting with the scornful will give you a rotten attitude. She continued, delight in Gods LIFE giving word, MEDITATE on it day and not, get your scripture and stand on it. Dwell on scripture when worry knocks on your door. The scripture than says "He shall be like a tree," meaning it takes time for your change to happen but don't loose hope because if you hold tight you will bring forth fruit in its season (which is the best timing), No leaf on your tree will wither (aka your marriage won't wither, your finances won't wither) and in the end whatever you do you'll prosper.

All I can say is WOW God. Its so simple. Guard yourself, your eyes, your ears, your mind. Keep your attitude right by dwelling on scripture.

I'm glad to have people in my life who are willing to say things how they are and help me to straighten myself out. Hope is growing and its a wonderful thing to see.

Tuesday oh Tuesday

I woke up today to my almost 1 yr old crying; he hasn't been feeling well since we returned from Alaska on Saturday. I did my best to calm him by cuddling on the couch in hopes to have a few moments alone with God. I was doing my best to focus on the scripture "Be still and know that I am God." I kept saying it over and over in my mind in an effort to focus myself to him. He is God, he is provider, he is lover, he is friend, he is joy, he is deliverer, he is redeemer; How can anyone go wrong with that. Seth fell asleep in my arms and soon after as did I. 1 o' clock is when I finally woke up, we're still adjusting to the time change.

I tried to get my day started again, but found myself dwelling on finances and our business. The stress of not knowing "how" ends will meet is something that I've struggled with becoming frustrating. My frustration soon branched into other areas throughout the day, having relationship with my husband and even taking care of my sick child became duties I couldn't take care of. My mind was on overload. I hate feeling that way. In that moment I should have walked upstairs and turn my mind to God. I'm sure that would have done the trick.

God is good. He has always provided for me. Why do I question "how" ends will meet then. Why do I become so engulfed with the cares of money? Am I allowing it to somehow control me? I suppose it has some kind of hold on me if I think about it so much. How then, I ask, do I "not" think about it? How do I take joy over dwelling in my self induced suffering?

I need break-through. I need my life to change because hope seems so dim on the path I'm on.

Contemplation

I've been thinking a lot lately. Thinking about the future and what it holds for my family and I. It's hard to make a decision that could be a pivotal point in life, especially when you've been having a hard time hearing the Lord for over a year.

All I want to do is the Lords will. It's funny how my husband reminds me that the Lord said it is good to live a quiet and peaceful life. I believe that to be true and yet I have this intense longing inside for something more, something deeper.

I look back on my relationship with the Lord up to this point, parts I question whether I was actually sincere or just wanted to be the center of attention. I've been extremely selfish in my ways and my walk for the Lord. It's been so difficult to cultivate an active relationship with God when it hasn't been here for over a year. I want it so badly and yet I can't seem to find time to have it.

I find myself saying "God I know you put this desire in my heart.... I don't see it happening and I don't know what to do." Where do I go from here?

I seem to have everything I have ever wanted, a husband, a child, a home to live in, and yet I'm not satisfied.

Worries and cares seem to have been knock on my door constantly, proving a distraction for the simple joys in life I've so wanted to experience. Taking a moment to breathe and write it out seems to really help. I am sure of this, the only thing that satisfies is the Lord.

I need you Lord, I need you more in this moment and every moment after then ever before. Come and be with me.