NW Arkansas floods

                                               We can count on the word of the Lord always.
We have had terrible storms and floods here in NW Arkansas. One life was lost - please pray for the family of the lady who was swept away in the raging water. Our town was flooded to the point of it being a river. The main highway from Fayetteville was totally flooded and cars were stranded for over 4 hours. The waters receded late in the evening, but we are expecting more rain tonight. Thankfully we are all safe and dry for now.  He has blessed us with sunshine this morning, and I believe in His promise that He will not destroy the earth by floods again. I am looking for the rainbow! All of this is in His hands - we thank Him for being there.

Main State Highway 62 from Fayetteville

Cars waiting for the flood waters to recede

Downtown Prairie Grove - a raging river

Only a few stores were flooded

More of Highway 62

Weather Update

Easter – what a day that was yesterday. Attended sunrise service with our geanddaughter and listened to the story of the Risen Lord. No matter how many times I hear or read it, I become more aware of His great sacrifice for us – His life for our eternal life. The suffering He endured for those 3 hours on the cross is more than we as humans can even fathom – yet He did it out of love. Can we love others with that unconditional love??? Lord, let be able to forgive and love with just a small portion of what you have given to us – but let that portion be the most we can do. Listened to Chaplain Dennis Maloney’s Easter service on the web – he is always so inspiring.

Raining and storming here in NW Arkansas – severe weather all around us, but the Lord was good – our daughter prepared the Easter dinner between electricity shut offs as we broke bread together as a family. The rain is still coming down – many roads are flooded and we are all warned not to cross any water on the roads – some roads are flooded up to 2 feet!!!! We had a short burst of sun this morning, so the promise is still there.

We have family coming to Arkansas for our son-in-law’s memorial service on Saturday (he went home to the Lord in January) so please pray for safe travels for them. Pray for family bonding and the ability to minister to our daughter, Brenda, during this emotional time.  This is the first time in many years our whole family (daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren) have been together in the same place at the same time, so many pictures will be taken! Also pray for Jim Newberry, as he performs the service, that his words will be a comfort to us all.

It is still raining and flooding everywhere. Fred is trying to get our granddaughter home from school in the truck - there are logs floating in the road and debris everywhere. Please pray that they get home safely and  for all of those in danger of flooding.

Return to Arkansas

We are back in Arkansas for a short period of time, hopefully to have time with our family here as we promote CRM and CHI to our local churches. We had a nice trip here from S. Texas, taking a new route and enjoying the spring scenery along the way. The Lord blessed us with a safe and comfortable trip. As all of you do, I sometimes worry about what tomorrow will take and get anxious, but then remember Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord". I keep in mind not to let tomorrow's worries ruin today's joy!
It is beautiful here in NW Arkansas this time of year. We sit in our daughter's living room, watching the squirrels hungrily rob the feeders of the seed!!! Only the bold blue jays challenge them.
It seems strange to be back again with our "family" of friends here, just as we left our "family" in Texas - all of them going their way back to their homes.

God's Plan

The time is nearing for us to leave the Valley and travel on home to Arkansas. Our Monday night Bible Study at CHI had the last session on Monday as we studied a short lesson on ambition; good ambition versus bad ambition. Our group has expanded and matured so much this year! Monday provided us with only a few members, as most of the people have returned to their Northern Homes. But it was so great - a lady who was new to our group, felt comfortable enough to say what was heavy on her heart - to tell us very personal things about herself and her recent life. She did not understand God's plan for her, because she felt God had allowed bad things to happen to her. We had a wonderful discussion about this! We took time out to pray for her - for grace, patience, and peace.  One of the men had not read scrpiture at our study all season, but one of the verses suggested for our study touched him to the point that he started to read it as soon as we asked someone to read . Praise the Lord for allowing him to step out so boldly. It was a bittersweet evening, and we look forward to next fall when we all gather together again, to fellowship with food for body as well as for the soul.
As I was cleaning up my outside flowers (and wondered why the roses attacked me in the arm), a hummingbird was buzzing around the large cactus we have in the front yard.  I paused for awhile, quietly watching him/her and wondering what the tiny bird wanted with a prickly cactus. Our neighbor had recently told me she saw this bird earlier this week hovering around the caucus. Imagine my surprise when the tiny beak began to pick little bits of fuzz that was growing on the caucus: building supplies for the nest! Such tiny pieces of fuzz to make a house with! What perseverance. It reminded me how the Holy Spirit works within us - a tiny bit at a time until the project is complete. I gave thanks to the Lord for allowing me to observe this wonder.

God's Creation

a mockingbird sings to me every morning.

As I was hanging up clothes this morning, I listened to the songs of the mockingbird perched on a pole right above me. I began to think about how God really did know what He was doing when He created earth. The birds are of so many colors and sizes, just like we are. Each one has it purpose We all do not have the beautiful plumage of the cardinal or peacock, but we have the voice of the mockingbird, able to tell everyone about the Risen Lord, in the language that they understand. As we are nearing Easter Sunday, we need to think about how Jesus died for us, for our sins, so that we can spend eternity with God. He rose from the dead to fulfill scripture, to keep His word to us. Let us always keep our word to Him, even if we often fail.  We are all as different as the birds of the air, but we are all God's children. Thank you, Jesus, for being my Savior.

Just Pictures

 Jessie Curtsinger, a CHI volunteer and driver, holds the pod of the mesquite tree. Everything on the tree is used - the ants eat all of the sweet sap, the wood is used for cooking and smoking - even the pod can be used as coffee!!

 One of the Casas in Reynosa currently being renovated - the work was done by TEAM members and winter Texan volunteers.

 A new source of heat - the propane heater. Prior to this, wood was the only source of heat in the Casas. In cooler weather, you would see the children cuddled up on the couches, wrapped in the quilts that Winter Texans made for them.

The three Hernandez sisters that we sponsor. From the left, Paty, Sonia, and Lupe.

Lunch Time

Finally, we heard the sounds of the children being excused from school, normal excitement as all children express. Some of them stopped for hugs and kisses, as others hurried to their Casa's to change clothes and return for the noon meal. The children eat breakfast (and not cereal and toast) and their evening meal at their Casa's to create the family setting that most of them had never had. Soon the hall was filled with laughter and holas, high fives, and of course, more hugs.  We had a wonderful lunch prepared by Tia Maria, a great cook.
We Americanos were ushered to get our food first, then each Casa followed. The children made sure we had our drinks and plenty of homemade tortillas, too. Soon it was time to load up the van and head back to Texas, with lots of goodbyes and promises to see them again in the fall. We will miss all of them, but will write often. Our letters are translated before being forwarded to them, as are their letters to us.

One of RIN's classrooms

Another classroom - there are 5 altogether

Our delicious lunch - chicken mole, rice, tortillas, juice, and a banana. There is always fruit for every noon  meal

Canadian friends with the youngest RIN child, Elifer.

RIN Tour

We still had a bit of time before the children were excused from school ( in Mexico they go the mandatory 1/2 day, and are finished by 1 PM). We looked in the new house (where, incidentally, the three sisters we sponsor are housed) and it looks as beautiful as ever. The house parents were there, invited us in, and we enjoyed their company. Their English is better than our Spanish! An older Casa shows how much improvement after over 35 years of no renovations.

Casa #7 - new and sparkling

Houseparents Tio Francisco (Pancho), his wife  Tia Raquel, and their daughters Leni and Nichole.

An older Casa, which is also scheduled for renovation.

Goodbye Mexico

Yesterday was our last lunch trip to the RIN refuge in Reynosa, Mexico. The children were in school when we got there, so we sought out the sight where the new media/classroom building was going to be constructed, and was surprised to see progress has already started!!!CRM Parks in the area raised more than enough money to begin the project (the cement foundation , walls, etc.). As the TEAMS come down this summer, they will continue the project as funds permit. God willing, we will have a completed media center, library, and two new classrooms by the start of school in the fall.

site of new building - the building on the left is the existing school.

Let the building begin.

Online Giving

Some of you have asked how you can contribute to our ministry through love offerings, etc. We would like to give you the opportunity to do so in order to help with God's calling and outreach. Your support will help us to enrich our ministry, continue to minister to those who are in need, and follow God's calling. Your prayers are always greatly appreciated. May God bless you for your generosity as you share with us in this awesome ministry. Just click on the link, and go to online giving. Or send your contributuion to the following address:
Christian Resort Ministries International
2186 Jackson Keller Road 2094
San Antionio, Texas 78213
In the memo: Fred and Leila Preuss #1012

http://crmintl.org/

Winter in Texas

This has been a busy year for us: from becoming new chaplains with Christian Resort Ministries, being commissioned on South Padre Island as chaplains for Children's Haven International, to re-commiting our lives to Jesus Christ through baptism (in the swimming pool at Alamo Rec Veh Park in Alamo, Texas), starting a Bible study for CHI volunteers, facilitating a prayer session on Tuesdays, volunteering at CHI, raising the necessary funds to build a new classroom/media center at RIN in Reynosa, Mexico. Sally Maloney and I also held our third annual God's Worthy Women Retreat - and met our original goal of having more women than we could handle here at the Park. It was a wonderful time of spiritual renewal for all the women involved. Next year we are moving to a bigger area and praying for more women to attend!

The greatest part of all of this is the partnership, fellowship, and family involvement with all of the the CRM chaplains and their wives here in South Texas. We have such a feeling of family relationship (we are all the family of God) that being soon headed home to our perspective locations seems like a loss somehow. But being connected through facebook, telephone, e-mail, and our blogs, we all look forward to continuing our  ministries even while away from Texas. Please be patient as we learn how to blog effectively, post pictures, and keep you updated as we travel on the path that God has laid out for us. Pray that we listen and follow His call.


The Children of CHI/RIN, house parents, and interns in Reynosa, Mexico



Welcome Friends

Welcome to our blog. This is very new and scary to us, so please be patient as we blog and post pictures of our pathways. Preussless pathways is sort of a play on words, as our last name is pronounced "price" regardless of it's old world German spelling. Every step on the path that we follow we take in the name of the our Lord and God and is truly a priceless experience. Every day is a step closer to the perfect relationship that He desires us to have with Him. Follow us as we step out in faith to serve Him in the areas of over the border ministry. We serve as chaplains with Christian Resort Ministries in partnership with Children's Haven International, an organization that provides a children's refuge/school ( Refugio Internacional de Ninos) in Reynosa, Mexico. Our main goal is to minister to the volunteers, mostly winter Texans, who serve at the office on this side of the border in Pharr, Texas. As well as volunteering ourselves, we hold Monday night Bible studies, complete with a great meal, a Tuesday noon prayer time, where we pray for the things that are on our hearts as well as CHI/RIN. Fred works at the office 3 days or more a week, doing whatever is needed, as well as driving to Reynosa with lunch tours and TEAM members from all over the United States and Canada.  I work at the resale shop and wherever else is needed, sometimes in the office, other times acting as tour guide at RIN. Follow us along our path to as we do God's will. Pray that we understand what and where He needs us, and help us to hear His wishes. In the picture above, we are at a neighborhood carnival at RIN, a fund raiser and time of fun, games, and fellowship with the neighbouring community around the refuge, in order to bring God's love to them all. It was a great day, a bit cooler than normal, but a wonderful time.