Chaotic days

Have you ever had a day when everything seems to go backwards? I had one of those on Friday. I started out rather well, I thought. Walked 3 miles around the park - yes - I did that when it was dark. Surprising enough, there were other walkers and bicyclers also, so it did not seem so terrifying to me. I spend this time praying - for a good day, for those I see walking or driving by, for those who are ill, and especially for all of our "family" that will be traveling here to the Valley. A quick shower then started my laundry. Since I had other commitments for the day, I decided I would dry them in the dryer (I would have rather hung them out). Sally and I meet on Friday for the 2 mile workout, and as I had other things to do at the hall, I was there early, and waited, and waited, and waited. Whoops - Sally totally forgot (and imagine, she is younger than me). Upon returning home, I found the message from Sally - OK, I did a few other chores and waited for Fred to come home from CHI as they were having their fall yard sale at the resale store. I was scheduled to work at 1 PM. 1 PM arrived and no Fred - (I needed the car to go back to CHI). Finally he returned, as there were duties for him which made him late. Luckily another couple was at the store to cover for me. I arrived at CHI only to find that someone else had shown up to work also - so back home I went! As I was driving home, I thanked the Lord that it was earlier than planned, and I did not have to drive on the interstate in rush hour traffic. But throughout this whole fiasco of a day, I keep thinking about Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything , by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God". I now laugh at the events of the day - and know that God kept me at peace with all the crazy happenings

                                                           SCENES IN OUR PARK

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Don't these cacti look like they have faces?

OK ladies - drool over this - a lady at our park is an avid quilter, so she quilted this insulated front window cover for their coach. Isn't it beautiful?

Some people paint instead of plant flowers. This is on the side of their shed.

And then there are those who don't want grass.

Just one of the many citrus trees in our park

Fresh rosemary - our neighbor grows this so I snip off some occasionally.

This lady loves color -

Another bird near the lake - a mud duck perhaps?

More and more people are finding their way back here for the winter, and our time volunteering at CHI is getting to be so busy with all the donation we receive, as well as the many customers looking for holiday items. The store is getting filled up, but the items sell as fast as we put them out. Other CHI activities are keeping everyone busy, from fund raisers, to children's programs in Reynosa, to our Bible study which starts this coming Tuesday. We are going to be studying Luke, which I am sure all of you have read parts, if not all, of. No matter how many times I read scripture, I find something new that I had not thought of before. I really had my eyes opened on the first few chapters and verses as I was studying. Most important was the fact that Luke was a doctor, therefore very precise in his recordings of the life of Jesus. He checked out many sources as well as eyewitnesses to write this book. I also had another revelation as I read the story of the angel appearing to Mary. I will tell you about that next week, as I don't want to spoil it for our study on Tuesday.

 

 Chaplains Jack and Karen Gregory bringing donations to the resale store. Jack and Karen are CRM Chaplains at Alamo Rose, a nearby RV Park, as well as great friends.

 

 

Yes, we are putting out Christmas merchandise already - we do have Thanksgiving things also available.

                                                                    Lots of great stuff at wonderful prices.

 

This was our second Sunday service, actually the official one of the season. Usually on the first Sunday of the month, we honor those with birthdays and anniversaries with a small gift. This year Sally Maloney and I decided to bake monster cookies, place them in CD sleeves, and put a Scripture verse on the front. It was really fun baking the cookies and trying to decide how much dough would fit in the sleeve. The best part was spending the time with Sally - time to talk and plan together.

Sally is a multi-tasker

mixing and measuring the dough

ready for the oven

 

                                 I think the cookie on the left is a bit large - our husbandsgot the benefit of that mistake.

 

 

The congregation today seemed to enjoy the surprise, as much as we enjoyed baking them. We will change the type of cookie, add other things, and make them special. The most difficult part is to research verses of Scripture, as we do not want to repeat any. The benefit we get is to read Scripture, and enjoy God's Word as we prepare these gifts. Chaplain Dennis continued his sermons on Thanksgiving this morning referring to Psalm 100 - please read this one day this week as your daily meditation. There are three ways to be involved in God's word - Pray, Give, or Go. Not everyone has the resources or provision to do all of these (although there are some who do), so pray for missions, for those who do not know the Word of God that someone can plant the seed of Jesus in them, give if you can, you time, your money, and your talents, and go forth into the world, proclaiming the Word of God. You really do not have to go far - the nearest soup kitchen, the Salvation Army as a volunteer, to a sick neighbor's house to bring a supper or just to pray with them. All of your actions give thanks and praise to God - let them reflect in everything that you do.