I am excited about an upcoming baby shower in Reynosa, Mexico this Saturday - no men allowed!!! It will be interesting as it seems to be going to be an old fashioned shower for one of the house parents - Susan - a lovely young mother of 3 with number 4, a baby girl, due in November. Her and her husband Juan have been house parents at the Haven for about 2 years now - a very devoted couple intent on helping to change the lives of the kids there. Sounds like this shower will be games, fun, food, and laughter - I wonder how I will do at the games as they probably will be in Spanish!!!! I am truly looking forward to it. I have made the baby a quilt - well it is almost done. Just needs to be put together and tied, which I will get done this week with the expert assistance of friend Judi. The next project is a quilt for our newest great granddaughter due in January - I already have the fabric and am ready to get started.
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| quilt - almost ready to tie
Tonight is the food distribution at Great Oaks for the food ministry we are involved in. A couple here in the park who has come along side of us in this ministry is going to be there also - their first time to actually hand out the food to those in dire need. We are so thankful for their support in this very important ministry. This morning, Pastor Israel's sermon revolved around the story of Esther in the Bible (read this when you get a chance - it is a very interesting story). God really is in charge and has a purpose for us to fulfill here on earth. Our mission is custom made - God knew before we were born what that mission was and it had our name on it. Amazing that God put this other couple together with us at this time to fulfill that mission. Our purpose and mission includes loving God and loving people. The theme of our church in Arkansas is to Love God, Love Others, Serve Other. They do this every single day in some way or another - a caring. loving church, obeying God's commandment "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this, "You shall love you neighbor as yourself." There are no greater commandments than these". Mark 12:30-31 Great Oaks Community Church also follows the same commandments, caring for others before themselves. We feel so privileged to be a part of these amazing churches.
Working at CHI's retail store has definitely put us in the "decorating for Christmas" mode. A lot of the Christmas items have been brought out, with a lot more to go. Alas, I only have so much room, so can only dream of sugar plums and gingerbread men. Our personal, most prized Christmas decoration is the manager scene, a gift from my brother. It is one which new pieces can be added every year, adding to it's beauty and significance, It is the first decoration to go up right after Thanksgiving and the last one to take down. We even used it as a table decoration for the park Christmas dinner a few years ago. The best part of volunteering at the store is that we can talk to all the customers - this past week we meet an interesting missionary couple who minister to a refuge where their son is the director in another, but more dangerous, part of Mexico. The lady only flies in while her husband rides the bus in disguise - shaggy beard, old clothes, looking very poor. They have been stopped more than once, where the military (or those dressed as military) have stolen everything valuable. They did not even ride together as often the wife will be kidnapped and held for ransom. Please keep this couple in your prayers as they continue to serve the Lord.
 
more to choose from
The hummingbird invasion has come to an end for now. Perhaps another group will settle here before heading farther South, but I really doubt it. There are a few local birds who are probably breathing a sigh of relief now that they have the feeders to themselves. We had three species of hummers here - the ruby throated, the Rufus, and the buff belly (thanks to our resident bird watcher. Marie, I can name them!).
 
keeping the other feeder occupied
As I close this wonderful Sunday, let us keep our young adults in our prayers. They are so often misled by the secular world that they often loose sight of the path God has laid out for them. Pray especially for Raymond, the son of a regular customer at the store who was incarcerated this past week for not showing up at his appointments with the parole officer. Pray for his family, who has tried to keep him on the right path, but the pull of a more exciting world has gotten him into trouble, leaving them at a loss right now of helping him. Only through their faith and prayers are they coping.
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