Rebecca, brings so much life and love to our family with her hugs, dimples, and little servants’ heart. She is the most laid-back of all the Bontrager girls, and likes when the things in her life are neat, orderly, and routine. She has been learning to make her bed, and delights in seeing the job finished and everything “organized”, as she says. Her mental library is stocked full of hymns and different songs she has learned, to which she adds original compositions. As a little girl living in a house with adult siblings who are experiencing adult life, she knows and talks about things that are quite beyond her years at times. =) She has also started school and she absolutely loves learning to read! 

Lincoln Taylor                   1/13/02

Elizabeth Caresse            12/18/03

Marlin Joe                            3/30/67

Rebecca (Becky) Marie        10/14/67

Chelsy Renee                    1/29/91

Allison Nicole                    5/13/94

Mitchell Joe                          7/2/92

Carson Wayne                    11/5/95

Joshua Maxwell                  3/24/97

Denver Elliot                      12/5/99

Hudson Reed                   10/16/05

Rebecca Shania                   9/9/07

Hudson is the cuddly teddy bear of the family, and never turns down snuggles and story times! He adores his older brothers and spends hours with Denver and Taylor as their little shadow, working, playing, and learning alongside them. He LOVES the seven kittens that our cousin gave us and plays with them everyday (when we’re home!). Legos, puzzles, and watching wildlife movies are his activities of choice when indoors. Allison teaches math to Hudson, and he does his other school subjects with mommy.

When Denver ran his trap line, Hudson went along, and came home inspired to do his own trap line. Lately we’ve had mice trouble in the house, so Hudson set up a mouse trap and caught three mice, three days in a row. He was thrilled, and hopes for more mice in the future. (to the consternation of his mother and sisters)

Elizabeth is the ultimate little drama queen, although she’s growing fast and can hardly be called “little” anymore. Meeting people as we travel is a highlight for her and she has friends all over America. She begged to learn how to iron lately, and is now overjoyed to know how, in spite of the numerous burns she has given herself. Liz is very plucky and once she sets her mind to something, there is no stopping her! Her favorite things are sewing, coloring, reading, and writing letters to her cousins and friends.

She also loves hanging out with her brothers and little sister and can often be found outdoors with them, either helping with calf chores or playing with the kittens in the barn. Having earned the title of family news broadcaster, she is always the one bursting to tell everyone else the latest stories and happenings of the day.

Taylor loves farm life and everything that goes with it. If he had his wish he’d be a farmer for the rest of his life. The calves are his special jurisdiction, and dad always says that if he was a calf, he’d want to live on Taylor’s farm. =) With his amazing memory he has also memorized the names/numbers of many of our farm animals and knows each cow by name at a glance. Taylor also participated in the Bible Bee with Joshua. He didn’t place high enough to make it to nationals, but he went along with Joshua to nationals as a spectator and came back intensely determined to win the primary division in 2012. He is fiercely competitive and this kind of challenge is right down his alley. He continues to play piano, is becoming better and better on the bass, and has banjo next on his list of instruments to master. 

Denver continues to be the hunter, trapper, and outdoorsman extraordinaire. If it is outside and involves camo, knives, or guns, he will be there right in the thick of things. In twenty years if you hear of a mountain man living out in Montana and catching cougars and bears by the hundreds....you’ll know it’s Denver. That would be his dream. Several of his 2011 highlights were shooting his first deer (a little spike buck), trapping a big, bushy red fox, and winning 1st place in his age bracket in the Annual WeCare Ministry Read-a-Thon. He is in 6th grade, and in his 6th year of playing violin. He has taken Hudson under his wing in teaching him the ropes of calf chores. Denver continues to fill his place well in our family’s “social bug trio” of himself, Allison, & Elizabeth, and he has yet to meet a stranger.

Joshua is our quiet and steady scholar who loves to read, learn, and stretch his brain in big ways. He spent many hours this past summer learning 500 verses for the Bible Bee competitions. After competing and winning locals, he learned 200 additional verses and advanced to nationals, winning 4th place at the final juniors’ competition in Nashville, TN. He loved every minute of the competition and is already excited about competing in the senior division next year. 

Music is still a big part of his life and he loves to practice and improve his technique. He is delving into songwriting along with Mitchell, and we hope to add some of their original music to our concerts soon. Joshua learned how to milk this year and was a big help in filling in for the other guys when they were busy with harvest and hauling.

Carson is thrilled to finally be the proud owner of a license. Now he has proof that, despite his size, he IS old enough to be driving! He and Joshua seem to be involved in some sort of race to see who can grow the tallest.       Joshua is currently in the lead!  Seeing their plates at mealtimes leaves no doubt that the growing is just beginning. Carson is happiest on the farm, working with machinery and keeping things oiled and in working order. His older sister despairs at times of his dirty laundry and is sure that his motto must be “greasier is better”.

He spent much of his time this fall hauling for our family business and thoroughly enjoyed the long hours and adventure of working for different people. When he’s not working or singing, much of his time is spent in diligent study; he has set his sights on finishing school while he’s 16. Carson continues to grow in boldness for Jesus and challenges people he meets by asking them if they know where they will spend eternity.

Allison spends her days working part-time for a  landscaper, making and selling jewelry at two local businesses, tutoring Hudson in math, teaching Rebecca how to read, researching, reading, reaching out to those in need, and keeping “the brothers” (all six have very keen appetites!) well fed. She has taken up the study of health and is greatly enjoying her studies with the School of Natural Healing. Since acquiring her license, she helps with running errands and taking lunches to the guys when they’re working in the fields.

Allison is a natural exhorter and loves to counsel and encourage others in living set-apart lives for Jesus. Some of her favorite moments are spent sharing her heart with “kindred spirits”. She relishes spare moments to have quite time with Jesus, write in her journal, encourage family members/friends, and have quality time with her siblings.

Mitchell keeps busy working for the farm these days. He also worked with Carson for Bontrager Family Applicators and thrived on the experience of meeting new people and broadening his horizons in areas such as finding a good deal on hotel rooms near job sites. Calf registrations are his department and he keeps tabs on new calves that are born, naming and registering them. He loves the traveling ministry and is a huge part of that, helping with driving the bus, arranging our music, selecting new strings for our instruments, and writing new music.

Mitchell always has a smile for everyone and encourages the rest of us to relax and focus on the important things in life. He enjoys meeting people on the road and spends the time after concerts talking to people or jamming with fellow musicians he finds in the audience.

Chelsy’s days as big sister, cook, seamstress, photographer, and organizer are rich and full, and certainly never dull! After six years of teaching piano lessons, she decided to give her 18 students to other teachers and move on to pursue other interests. Spare time now finds her letting creative juices flow as she delves into fashion, design, and sewing. She keeps her math and english knowledge fresh as she scores her brothers’ schoolbooks. Chelsy loves quiet morning walks, old books, coffee, candles, chocolate, and journals.Writing is one of her favorite outlets and she posts on her daughterofvision blog and the family blog. She has been blessed to be able to travel with the Bright Lights ministry as staff, helping with their girls’ conferences, and has loved the opportunity to mentor and encourage some of the girls she’s met.

“Mommy" finds herself never lacking things to do as she keeps this household of 12 running smoothly! She spends time almost every morning having Bible time with the five younger ones and homeschooling them. One of her greatest passions in life is teaching her children to know and love God.  In spare moments, she loves journaling, walking, reading, gardening, and studying about nutrition and natural health remedies. She is passionate about children memorizing God’s Word and has a dream of publishing a children’s book with scripture passages for the alphabet.

"Daddy" stays busy with the farm and ministry as full-time CEO of both! He is a wonderful husband & father, and a fearless leader and provider for our family. We are so thankful for his vision for the future and present generations. He spends many hours on the phone scheduling our ministry tours and taking care of farm-related business in addition to working with his sons on the farm. He loves harvest time, dates with his wife, and singing with his family.