As you can imagine, with three busy boys, we’ve had our hands full for this year. Andrew, Nathan, and David are each growing in height, strength, and intelligence. Drew has become an excellent reader with interests in botany and electronics. Nathan is a busy little boy. He loves to imagine with planes and trains and dinosaurs. He is also our sports aficionado, fond of baseball and soccer and cycling. David wants to do whatever his brothers are doing, and he’s regularly found tagging along and causing mayhem. He enjoys everything the others do. All three boys are developing a love for tennis. Jon is working hard at New Medio, Inc, and he’s nearly finished with seminary. Christa is busy teaching and training and enjoying these precious boys and trying to keep on top of the dirt and laundry they generate. It’s obvious that we remember Danny a million times a day as they each have characteristics that remind us of him.

This year, we have had new joy and new sorrow. Isaac Wesley joined us on May 22, 2009. He was presumed healthy at birth, and we were blessed to have him in our home with us for 46 days before it became wildly apparent that his heart was very sick. And so began a 58 day stay in the hospital that included emergency surgery, some more planned procedures, several miracles, and many disappointments. As it became apparent that Isaac, if he lived, would be in need of much physical and occupational therapy, we put him on the waiting list at The Little LIght House. Danny loved his school, and we knew that Isaac would love it too. But Isaac died on September 3, just 104 days after he was born. Our family is in great pain, but we know that helping others will provide a small amount of relief from our sorrow. Doing what we can to help this school is a way of touching the sons we’ve lost. Being involved at TLLH helps our children remember and learn about their brothers.

Most of you already know that The Little Light House is a tuition-free, nonprofit Christian developmental center for children with special needs. The school serves children with a wide range of disabilities from birth through age six. TLLH does not accept any federal, state, or United Way funding because they are determined to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to these precious children. It costs about $100,000 each month to run the school and pay the staff, and this is a year-round school, so there is a lot of fundraising to be done! This particular year has been particularly hard for TLLH because of the recession that has effected all of us. The school is committed to pay their bills before their staff and to operate debt-free. Teachers, therapists and other staff are so committed that they have worked for delayed pay when their check-upon-request system has been in effect so that the school can pay its bills first. The staff is also working to raise many extra dollars in a capital campaign with the intent of remodeling and adding to their space in order to serve more children in the Tulsa area and to continue training others so that they can appropriately educate and teach the gospel to extraordinary children in other states and countries.

Laps for Little Ones is the second largest fundraiser of the year, and it is just a few weeks away (October 24) at Cascia Hall Stadium. Our family has registered to participate in memory of Danny and Isaac. At least two of us will be constantly walking around the Cascia Hall track for an hour that Saturday morning. We’d greatly appreciate it if you’d click on the Donate button to the right and give what you can to help provide for some very special kids, their teachers, and their families.

Thank you very much!

Jonathan, Christa, Andrew, Nathan and David Bartlett