Miss Monica June 'A Serving Girl'

GGM: Tell us about your companion, Lady.
MJ: Lady is my dog. She is part Chihuahua, Sheltie and Dachshund. I take good care of her. I keep her nails trimmed with the Peti-Cure. I feed her, give her water and bathe her. Her coat always looks so shiny when I'm done. She sits in my lap when I'm working on the computer and sits on my desk when I'm doing my studies. She has been a model for me too. My mom is teaching me photography and Lady is a very good model.

GGM: How cute Miss Moni! It sounds like you're taking very good care of her. Do you help with other things around the house?
MJ:Yes, each month mom switches the housework up. Last month my job was to take care of the guest bathroom, which is also the bathroom I share with my three other siblings. I also check to see if the garbage bins get out on Mondays. Sometimes my dad rushes out and I want to be of help to him and make sure it gets done. This month it will change again and I have no idea what I'll get to do.

GGM: Maybe you'll get something less grungy this time Miss Moni. ;O)
MJ: Thanks Mom. :O)

GGM: Miss Moni can you tell us about your last family vacation?
MJ:Yes, we went to southern California in May to visit my Non and Poppop and got to stay at Aunt Susan's house on the lake. We went to some amusements parks and cooked together most of the nights. My Poppop has a BBQ pit and we got to roast marshmallows and make Smore's. Spending time with my family is a time I won't forget. Poppop had heart problems recently and we want to enjoy every moment we have with him.

GGM: Miss Moni what do you want to do with your life?
MJ: Well my mom says that my number one job will be to be a good wife one day and hopefully a mom. I am willing to go to the mission field if my future husband is called by God to do that. I have a strong feeling in my heart that I need to tell as many people as possible about going to heaven. My mom says that in order for me to be a good witness in another country someday I should be working on doing that right here where I live now. I go evangelizing in my town every week.

GGM: Do you like to cook Miss Moni?
MJ:Yes, I really enjoy cooking. My mom built me a blog to surprise me. I like to put recipes and am working on some new video cooking segments for that site too. We're also looking for a new template design. I make up my own recipes too. The best part is tasting the recipes.

GGM: You sound very creative Miss Moni. Are you creative in other areas of your life?
MJ: My mom says I am. I get to have Miss Charlene's boys over every Tuesday night when she goes to a Bible class with my mom. Timmy, Gina, Landon, and Brady all do crafts with me. I try to make them Bible related and I show Brady the signs for the things I teach them. I also like to make jewelry. I could do that all day!

GGM: Miss Moni tell us something that your parents have done for you that you appreciate?
MJ: There was a time when I heard someone talk about one of the best things they've ever done for their kids and I looked at my mom and said, "The best thing you ever did for me was bring me home to homeschool." There are times when I miss my friends and feel like I'm 'missing out' on all the fun they're having, but my mom reminds me of the family bond that we're creating and after almost losing Poppop I see why she tells me this. She says that friends are nice to have, but the family relationships are more important. She gets sad because her family doesn't come to see us very often, but we are making new traditions for our own family now. We are very close with Non and Poppop even though we don't see them very often.

GGM: Yes family is very important. What kind of traditions are you talking about Miss Moni?
MJ: Well we always share our holidays with other people and my mom makes up new ones almost every year. The other day we went to The Sarah Home to have Thanksgiving with the ladies that didn't have family to be with. Most other people celebrate December 25th and get sad when they are alone, so we invite people to have a big breakfast with us every year. We don't make a Thanksgiving dinner on December 25th like many other families do. We just eat a really big breakfast with all the extras.

GGM: That sounds yummy, can you tell us more?
MJ: The night before we do a lot of preparation. We scrambled the eggs in a big bowl, cover them and place in the fridge. We also pre-make the pancakes and french toast so we only need to microwave them. We set the coffee maker to start on it's own too. Mom gets up early and makes home made biscuits, bacon, sausage, and gravy. We get to help cook the eggs and set the table with butter and syrup. We pour the milk into a chilled ceramic pitcher, because it looks nicer on the table than a gallon jug from the store.

GGM: What other traditions does your family partake in during this time of year?
MJ: We get to help with the Coats for Kids drive and Adopt a Family gift program that gives food boxes and gifts to needy families. My dad's ministry also gives away a car every year. Our ministry staff submits needy families to our founder and the leadership team prays about who t give it to. They get cars donated during the year and the men in the program work on the cars to get them working better. We get to be there when they unveil the car, which is filled with food and gifts to a special family. We always make sure the family is there and the news crew is there too! We always end up crying when we see how it touches their lives and when we see the expression on their faces.

GGM: That certainly is a giving spirit that your family, ministry, and town does for those needy families Miss Moni.
MJ: Thank you. I got to go with my dad, mom, two ladies from The Sarah Home, and Mrs. Fickert to shop on Black Friday to get the gifts for those children. It's fun to pick out things for those kids. Mrs. Fickert is the one I interviewed a while back for the fire safety. She is in charge of this gift giving program.

GGM: So you like to give to others?
MJ: Yes, my mom tells me that when I was little I would always buy treats for other kids at the snack bars. I would spend all my money on others. She is teaching how to do that with wisdom now.

GGM: Tell us about your siblings Miss Moni.
MJ: Well we all love Timmy so much! My sisters and I are so happy mom and dad got to have a boy. He is so funny and cute. We are letting him be a leader when dad isn't home. If he says that a television program has 'bad' music we tell him how wise he is and then ask him what we should do. When he says to turn it off we say, "Yes sir" to him. It's so cute! Mom says that this will train him to take a stand on his own one day.

GGM: What about your sisters?
MJ: I love my sisters. We don't get along ALL the time, but I like bedtime when Jess and I sing together and get to talk. Gina has a sweet heart and I make sure her glasses aren't still on her face when she goes to sleep. I will play baby dolls with her sometimes, because that's what she likes to do.

GGM: That is so sweet Miss Moni. Thank you for sharing about your family and we pray you'll have a wonderful winter season celebrating your family traditions.