The Fournier Family: Steve and Kelly, Shanna (23), Jessica (22), Christopher (20), Brianna (18), Racheal (16), Kirsten (15), Naomi (13), Charis (11), Stephen (10), Shava (8), and Hannah (6)

Greetings in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior, Yahshua. My name is Shanna Fournier. I am twenty-two years old and the oldest of eleven children. Yahweh has blessed me with wonderful parents, brothers, and sisters. As a family we all love one another and enjoy working together, singing together, and serving each other. My brothers, sisters, and I have always been homeschooled. Since graduating in 2004, I have enjoyed helping my mom homeschool my siblings. I thoroughly enjoy helping around our home, caring for my younger brothers and sisters, cooking, baking bread, sewing, cross stitching, and writing. I also take care of the bookkeeping for my dad's small remodeling business. I am thankful that I can work out of our home and serve my dad in this way.

My parents, Steve and Kelly Fournier, have made it their ambition in life to raise and train their children in the fear and admonition of Yahweh. I am grateful that my parents have invested themselves into the lives of their children. They have sought to protect their children from the world, while asking Yahweh for wisdom to encourage us to live sensibly and righteously in this present world. My parents have always sought to be honest with us children. Their walk is genuine and not hypocritical. When they fail and make mistakes they come to us and repent, asking our forgiveness. For this example I am very grateful. My parents have sought and continue to seek to point their children to Yahshua and to the cross. They have placed in our hearts a burning desire to love and follow Yahshua. I am so very grateful that I can walk hand in hand with my parents, brothers, and sisters serving and loving Yahweh.

My family and I live on a small farm in rural Missouri. We have a lot that keeps us busy around our home. Just keeping up with five loads of laundry a day, preparing meals for thirteen, and cleaning and straightening our home keeps my mother and us girls very busy! My parents have taught us children to enjoy work and we do! Along with the everyday household duties, we have barnyard chores. We have several animals including milk goats, chickens, a goose, a dog, cats, a lamb, a pony, and a donkey. My brother, Christopher, has his own greenhouse business and works full time for my dad. He employs several of us girls each spring to work in his greenhouse. As a family we put out a big garden each year and enjoy harvesting and preserving the fresh fruits and vegetables. We all enjoy planting and picking flowers from our flower beds and harvesting herbs from our herb garden as well.

As a family we are grateful to our Heavenly Father for the opportunities that He gives us to serve Him and bless others. We enjoy meeting and spending time with believers and practicing hospitality by having others in our home. We also enjoy taking the time to visit the elderly, making cards for those who are sick, or writing letters to friends who need words of encouragement. We desire to wholeheartedly serve Yahweh in all that He brings our way each day.

One of the things we enjoy most as a family is singing and worshiping Yahweh together. Over the years our Heavenly Father has blessed us with many songs through which we can praise and worship Him. A couple of years ago we were able to put together a children's CD titled, Treasures from God's Word, to encourage children with Scriptures from Yahweh's Word. Most of the songs on this CD were written by my mother when she would ask our Heavenly Father how she could give encouragement to my siblings and me in different areas, as we were growing up. In this way we were able to be encouraged and encourage one another through song. In the near future we hope to put together a worship CD with selected Scriptures put to music.

My sister, Jessica, and I are very blessed by the opportunity that Yahweh has given to us to encourage other young women through The King's Daughters. Jessica and I have always been very close. I am thankful for Jessica, and I love her very much. We are blessed to work together and pray together over this magazine and the many letters that we write in response to the young ladies who correspond with us. A lot of Jessica's work with this magazine and website is done behind the scenes. She designs the layout for each magazine and works on the upkeep for this website. Our Heavenly Father has used the publishing of this newsletter to work in both of our lives. We know that in and of ourselves we are nothing. Yahshua is everything. We know that nothing we write, apart from the Holy Spirit breathing upon it, can touch anyone. We truly only want to be vessels He can fill and pour through.

Shanna Fournier
Summer, 2006

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