He Finally Did It! Mathiang's An American!

Here we are. Outside of the Homeland Security Building in Charlotte, NC. This building also serves as the Immigration Services Building. We were so excited to see a dream come true for Mathiang. He would be sworn in as an American citizen. The date was March 5, 2008! Nearly seven years after he set foot on American soil in May of 2001. What an accomplishment!

Before I go on with the story - I need to show you our outfits! Reid worked so hard and made all of us matching t-shirts to wear. They said, "I'm proud of my son, Mathiang Gutnyin, America's Newest Citizen." The boy's shirts said they were proud of their brother, and Mom's said she was proud of her grandson. It was too cute! Yes, I even wore my American flag, earrings, necklace, and bracelet! (Lisa Griffin would be proud of my patriotism!)



As we walked through the doors, the security guards got a kick out of our red-white-and-blue outfits! However, they actually made me empty my purse b/c Kaitlin had sent an Easter Egg to Mathiang painted red-white-and-blue. The guard didn't know what I would be carrying in my purse that was round. Rather embarrassed, I showed him the egg, and then he let me through. Too funny! The officers were excited that we were so enthusiastic! I'm not sure anyone had come through the doors quite like we did!

After we pass through the security, we get to enter "the room." "The room" where Mathiang will be sworn in. "The room" that is very quiet and somber. "The room" that is full of people waiting silently for the ceremony to begin. "The room" where everyone is showing reverence and respect in the extremely quiet atmosphere.

Now, come on people! Let's get a little excited!! I haven't seen Mathiang - my Sudanese son - and I am VERY PROUD of what is about to happen! We enter in our matching outfits, waving our American flags, and when I see Mathiang...Well, I just scream, actually squeal might be a better word. Most of you have heard me do this, so I don't need to paint a picture of how LOUD I was. "MMMMMMMAAAAATTTTHHHIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG! OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH! I'M SOOOOOOOOOO PROUD OF YYYYYYOOOOOUUUU!!!!!" Squeal, squeal, scream, scream - perhaps even a YeeHaw and HooRay!

I might say I embarrassed myself, but, now really - does that ever happen!?! I believe I embarrassed the boys and my mother, but at least I didn't feel embarrassed!

Mathiang was thrilled to see us. He said, "To see you come into the building. Ah, Mom, it was wonderful!" Oh, the tears were brimming, but I held them back for a bit. I just squeezed Mathiang and told him how proud I was to see this dream come true for him. He showed off his official document of citizenship and grinned from ear to ear! It was precious!

At this point, I did ask him if our shirts and stuff embarrassed him. He responded, "Oh no, Mom. It is wonderful. I like it!" So sweet!

I finally calmed down and wandered over to the "friends and family" side of "the room." I sat down next to four handsome Americans. I just happened to take some pictures of them. Here they are...

Today, including Mathiang, there were 39 people from 22 different countries being sworn in as citizens of the United States. It was amazing to see people from around the world freely choose to call our country home. Additionally, many of the people choosing citizenship are already serving in our military and defending this great country.

As they raise their left hand, here is "The oath of citizenship in the United States of America: I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

After the oath, everyone said the Pledge of Allegiance, and the ceremony ended with a slide show showing the history of immigrants coming to the USA. The slide show ran to the song, "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. My body was covered in chills!

Once everything was officially declared, and the ceremony ended, everyone was waiting to give hugs! The boys were anxious to congratulate Mathiang! In these pictures, Mathiang's smile is bursting off his face! It was a blessing to see him so excited and joyful over this special day!

After hugs, we all posed for pictures with "America's Newest Citizen - Mathiang Gutnyin!" (Yes, we tried to treat him as a celebrity!) We took some shot in front of the American flag. Honestly, I think as I witnessed this ceremony and felt the swelling pride for Mathiang's accomplishment, I truly was PROUD to be an American. I feel blessed by God to live in this beautiful land. I pray I will not take it for granted.

On a side note, after talking with Mathiang, I learned that he is the FOURTH Lost Boy from the High Point / Greensboro group to obtain his citizenship! WHOA! There were sixty Sudanese Lost Boys that came over in 2001. Mathiang's cousin, Zechariah, was sworn in one week before him.

This is an incredible accomplishment - we are so proud of you Mathiang!

Once again, please welcome, Mathiang Gutnyin, America's Newest Citizen!

Along with celebrating this astounding day with you, our overriding joy is the fact that we are united in the knowledge that "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ!" (Phil. 3:20)

We love you and we are so proud!

Braden's Proud To Be An American

Braden was so proud to be carrying an American flag! We were headed into the National Security / Immigration Services Building for Mathiang's American Citizenship ceremony. These pictures of Braden capture the spirit of being a true American. How precious to see this through the excitement of a child...

Click HERE see the short show! Enjoy! This is my FIRST slide show!

Happy Times with the Halls

On our way to see Mathiang sworn in as an American citizen we had a wonderful visit with Reid's sister, Margaret and her family! (Mathiang's accomplishment WILL be posted soon - sorry for the delay,but I like to stay chronological! I know, I know - loosen up, Robin!)
One of the highlights of our visit was seeing Jane Mckenzie perform her Karate routine. She is now a brown belt, and I would feel very safe if I was walking down a dark alley with her! Seriously, she can kick her foot well over her head!

I'd never seen a Karate routine set to music. Let me tell you, it was impressive! This girl, a-a-ahem - my niece, knows her stuff! Way to go Jane McKenzie!

The boys loved having time with their cousins. Jane McKenzie and Ella are both growing up so fast! All of the kids had so much fun together. They played board games, hide-n-seek, Scene It, and they enjoyed being chased by "Cuppy." Margaret and Andy's bouncy boxer. :-) Margaret showed our family wonderful hospitality and we really enjoyed being with them! YOU ROCK -HALL FAMILY! We are blessed to be related to you! Ha-ha!

One of my favorite things about being with the Hall's is that they serve INCREDIBLE COFFEE! You can only find it at a special coffee shop in Spartanburg. It's called "Bella Latte." Their coffee is supreme!! If you are ever in Spartanburg, SC - it would be worth your time to stop by and grab a cup! Your taste buds will thank you! It's delicious! (How's that for a plug, Andy?)









It was great to have some family time to be silly together! Thank you for having us! We loved being with you! Looking forward to camping with you soon!

After saying good-bye, Mom, the boys, and I loaded into the car decked-out in our Red, White, and Blue to celebrate Mathiang's citizenship! Charlotte, here we come! Check back soon to hear about our touching time with Mathiang!

Building the Digestive System - So Gross!

This year I am teaching a class in a Co-Op about the Human Body. I thought it would neat for the kids to see how the digestive system worked from beginning to end. Therefore, we built it! It was quite disgusting and I nearly "tossed my cookies" pouring the liquid out of our "stomach" but here is what we did...




1.) We started with a peanut butter sandwich. We talked about how our teeth bite it into smaller pieces. Josh tore it into bite-size pieces and placed it into our make-shift mouth - a large ziploc bag.






2.) We added our saliva (water) and then we "chewed" it up. The kids pounded the bag of sandwich with a hammer.

3.) After our sandwich turned into a thick mush, we dropped it down the esophagus (a paper towel tube) and into our stomach (our mega-power Vitamix blender.) The stomach was filled with acid to help break down the sandwich before it entered the intestines. The acid was mixed with vinegar and baking soda and was waiting in our blender before the stomach mush arrived!


4.) The stomach started churning - peanut butter, bread, saliva water, vinegar, and baking soda swirling around. If you look at the kids' faces you can tell that this part was disgusting - and it smelled horrible!

5.) We looked at the bile mixture in our stomach and prepared to feed it through the intestines. Franklin is getting his gloves on because he will be our "sphincter muscle."
6.) We started feeding the mixture from our stomach into the intestines. The intestines were made of panty-hose and the "gloved" participants squeezed out the nutrients. Yes, they had to squeeze the outside of the pantyhose while the sphincter muscle continued to hold it in until it was time to "drop it in the potty."

7.) The sphincter muscle released all of the waste that was left and "poo-pooed" in the potty! Here is a picture of me holding the remainder of the peanut butter sandwich. I guess I am holding our created "feces."

Oh my, I think I have lost my mind?!?

Standing Outside the Bathroom Door

Last night, we were trying to get the boys ready for bed. Because we were running so late, we let Weston and Braden take a shower together. Our house only has two showers, so they ended up in the shower that Reid and I use.

Now, you know I have long hair. Occasionally, I forget to clean out the drain after I shower in the morning...

I burst out laughing when I heard the conversation coming from the shower...

Braden: "Hey, Weston! Mom's hair is in here. I'll throw it on you first!"

Squeals and giggles... Screeches and laughter...

Braden: "Weston, get it off of me! Where is it?! Get it off of me!"

I'd better clean the drain next time! Eeeewwww! Gross!

Citizenship Test

We leave tomorrow to head to Charlotte for Mathiang's Citizenship Ceremony. Today we went out and purchased American flags, Red & Blue Silly String (the boys are planning to ambush America's newest citizen!), a red, white, and blue helium balloon and tonight Reid has been busy making us T-Shirts to wear to the ceremony! We are so excited to celebrate this with Mathiang.

My mom has decided to come with us! :) Additionally, we will get to stay with Margaret, Andy and the girls. It will be a FUN trip! I will post pictures soon!

I was curious about the information Mathiang had to learn to pass the test last week. I searched the Internet and found some information on a Citizenship Test. Much of our ride over to North Carolina will be spent discussing the following questions. Here is "A Typical 100 Question Citizenship Test." Could you pass??? Some of the questions are rather difficult! This quiz would make great dinner-table family discussion!


A Typical 100 Question Citizenship Test

What are the colors of our flag?
How many stars are there in our flag?
What color are the stars on our flag?
What do the stars on the flag mean?
How many stripes are there in the flag?
What color are the stripes?
What do the stripes on the flag mean?
How many states are there in the Union?
What is the 4th of July?
What is the date of Independence Day?
Independence from whom?
What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
Who was the first President of the United States?
Who is the President of the United States today?
Who is the Vice-President of the United States today?
Who elects the President of the United States?
Who becomes the President of the United States if the President should die?
For how long do we elect the President?
What is the Constitution?
Can the Constitution be changed?
What do we call a change to the Constitution?
How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?
How many branches are there in our government?
What are the three branches of our government?
What is the legislative branch of our government?
Who makes the laws in the United States?
What is Congress?
What are the duties of Congress?
Who elects Congress?
How many senators are there in Congress?
Can you name the two senators from your state?
For how long do we elect each senator?
How many representatives are there in Congress?
For how long do we elect the representatives?
What is the executive branch of our government?
What is the judiciary branch of our government?
What are the duties of the Supreme Court?
What is the supreme law of the United States?
What is the Bill of Rights?
What is the capital of your state?
Who is the current governor of your state?
Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the Vice-President should die?
Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
Can you name the 13 original states?
Who said, "Give me liberty or give me death."?
Which countries were our enemies during World War II?
What are the 49th and 50th states of the Union?
How many terms can a President serve?
Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Who presides over your local government?
According to the Constitution, a person must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to become President. Name one of these requirements.
Why are there 100 Senators in the Senate?
Who selects the Supreme Court justices?
How many Supreme Court justices are there?
Why did the Pilgrims come to America?
What is the head executive of a state government called?
What is the head executive of a city government called?
What holiday was celebrated for the first time by American colonists?
Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
What is the basic belief of the Declaration of Independence?
What is the national anthem of the United States?
Who wrote the Star-Spangled Banner?
Where does freedom of speech come from?
What is the minimum voting age in the United States?
Who signs bills into law?
What is the highest court in the United States?
Who was President during the Civil War?
What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
What special group advises the President?
Which President is called the "Father of our country?"
What Immigration and Naturalization Service form is used to apply to become a naturalized citizen?
Who helped the Pilgrims in America?
What is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
What were the 13 original states of the U.S. called?
Name 3 rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
Who has the power to declare war?
What kind of government does the United States have?
Which President freed the slaves?
In what year was the Constitution written?
What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
Name one purpose of the United Nations.
Where does Congress meet?
Whose rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
Name one benefit to being a citizen of the United States?
What is the most important right granted to U.S. citizens?
What is the United States Capitol?
What is the White House?
Where is the White House located?
What is the name of the President's official home?
Name one right guaranteed by the first amendment.
Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
Which President was the first Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?
In what month do we vote for President?
In what month is the new President inaugurated?
How many times may a Senator be re-elected?
How many times may a Congressman be re-elected?
What are the 2 major political parties in the U.S. today?
How many states are there in the United States?

I am thankful that Mathiang has made the effort and spent time learning about America...our country, our government and our heritage. If you would like to check the answers to this quiz - go to this link and you can click on any questions you would like to know the answer. Evidently, every citizenship test is different. They must go through an interview to answer these questions. The ones listed above are simply "typical" of a citizenship interview.

Pray for Mathiang on Wednesday - it will be a special day for all of us!

Let me know if you would pass the test!