Lemons and Limes

We have received so very many lemons and limes from those who have trees growing in their yards. The lemons were a bit different- from a church family member who has a Mexican lemon tree producing a lot of these amazingly juicy lemons, not to be confused with the large Valley lemons. I squeezed quite a few and made a pitcher of lemonade - not enough for a lemonade stand, but enough for  us to enjoy. We also received a huge quantity of key limes. They also are very juicy - I froze 7-1/2 cups to use in baking and mixing into my Mexican Hibiscus tea. There were still extra limes which I shared with neighbors.

just one half of the limes waiting to be squeezed

The large influx of hummingbirds just has not happened yet. We had a flurry a few weeks ago - about 10 or so tiny creatures, and we were sure that the rest would be soon following. So far the few that were here left, leaving only the local few birds. Maybe they are late getting started this year?? We did hear that the migration route was changing, so maybe we will not see the hundreds that we have always seen. We did have an Oriole here this morning - sorry for the photo through the blinds and screen, but I did not want to scare him away.

he looks like he is telling everyone else about the tasty breakfast

 

 

I know that I have talked about Prairie Grove and Fayetteville Arkansas , but I love both of these cities. Prairie Grove is the home of our Arkansas church family which truly believes in Loving God, Loving Others, and Serving Others. Yesterday was the Great Serve Day which allows everyone in the congregation to serve the community in some way. Usually the activities are lined up beforehand - raking, repairing, cleaning, painting, whatever it takes to serve the community. The church staff does not only encourage everyone to participate, but they themselves get involved. One very special young lady, who is wheelchair bound, abandoned her wheel chair to lay on the ground and weed around the Senior Center. I so much love Prairie Grove Christian Church and am proud to be a part of this congregation knowing that when the Lord is finished with our missionary work, we can return to an amazing church family.  

 

she knows no bounds in her desire to serve

Fayetteville was host again this weekend to Bikes, Blues, and Bar-be-que which is a huge event involving motorcycles, blues bands on Dickson Street, and all sorts of Southern bar-be-que. The roar of bikes is constant all week-end, the streets and restaurants are crowded. I love it (even though we are in S Texas) because everyone - bikers, sightseers, and residents all seem to meld together in the commotion, with no one seemingly getting upset   I often felt that a person should just plan to stay home on this particular week-end if they resented all the confusion. Many thanks to friends for a few pictures I stole from their facebook page!!!

the streets are packed 

 as well as the highways

 this charming guy even posed for a pic

 

 We have had a continuation of the rain again - every day this week. It is a strange rain though - you hear a bit of thunder, then the skies open up in a deluge which causes flooding all over, and then it stops as quickly as it starts. But we thank God for the cooling rain - for us as well as for the fields. The birds love it, as the mockingbirds were just singing for joy!

 the streets are flooding

 rain pouring out of a neighbor's drain pipe

                                                  a river in front of our house

 

 

Pastor Israel's sermon this morning was one which touches everyone, I am sure. "What You Say Does Matter" taken from Proverbs 10:17-21. God gave us the wonderful ability of speech in order to praise Him and spread the Good News. There are so many verses in the Bible warning us that words from our mouths may not seem important at the time, but they can accomplish a lot or destroy a lot. What we speak comes from our heart. What kind of heart do you have and what does it say about you when you speak? "It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony into chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke. and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell." From The Message James 3:5-6. 

 

Take time this week to think before you speak - let the Christian love in your heart come out of your mouth.

 

 

 

 

 



Porsoli and Sweaty Tacos

Great Oaks Community Church holds a Hispanic service on Sunday nights. Those who attend this service extended hospitality to all who wanted to join them for a dinner last Sunday night. We ventured out in the rain and arrived just before another downpour. Since this service is totally in Spanish, we were blessed to have an interpreter by means of a small wireless radio. It was so interesting to be able to understand a Spanish sermon - the terminology, emotions (of which there were plenty) and message were so different from ours. We then were ready for the meal of porsoli, a pork soup (not greasy at all) to which you add raw shredded cabbage. It was extremely tasty, with enough spicy heat to be able to eat comfortably. Also included were sweaty tacos (sounded really nasty) but turned out delicious. These tacos are sort of like pork filled steamed taquitos, with 3 different hot sauces added to your own amount of fire!!! Also included was pizza for the kids, as well as pan dulce, the not so sweet but delicious Mexican pastries. It was a great evening for fellowship and sharing cultural foods.

decorations and food

a bit of fun, too

two senioritas who dressed up for us

porsoli, sweaty tacos, and pizza, complete with red tostadas

Robert won one of the door prizes - Mexican cookies



Lots of rain again this week, but I was able to walk a bit every night. As fall descends upon us, there are many changes in the park. Even the birds love the cooler evenings as much as we do.

another storm blowing in

 the egrets are back, enjoying the evening

 a blooming bush of some sort

 my latest creation - a bird bath which the birds have not yet found

a rare sight here in S Texas - mushrooms!

beautiful sunset

papayas growing here in the park

 

 

Children's Haven resale store has been hosting a 50 cent sale this past week or so. We were blessed to be able to give them a donation and box up all the extra clothing to take to Great Oaks for their clothing ministry. We are so thankful for Director Betsy Chicon for allowing us to help more of those in need. It took a bit of time, but we finished the clean up and delivered 38 boxes of clothing!

 

 looks like a huge project

almost done packing up

  we even had a few empty boxes left over

We had an unexpected visitor at the park this past week. Our park manager rents out the hall in the summertime for events of all types. The area McDonald's had their get together here on Monday and guess who showed up? Yep -Ronald McDonald!! I didn't get a picture of him as I did not want to crash the party (guess I am aging -a few years ago I would have done so). But I did get a photo of his transportation mode.

Ronald McDonald Mobile

 

 

Another happy surprise

look at these gas prices -

 

 

Pastor's Israel's sermon this morning was based on the familiar story of Mary and Martha with a bit of a different twist. We read this with the idea in mind that Martha was so very busy preparing for her guests, including Jesus, and upset with her sister Mary for not helping but just sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to His message. Martha was so upset, she went to Jesus to complain about it. But Jesus told Martha that Mary chose the better thing. What I did not consider before that Jesus was the teacher and Mary (as well as all of us) are disciples which is what Jesus wants. We welcome Jesus into our lives, listen to His Word, which takes us out of the error of not knowing His word. God takes care of our needs, which allows us to be a true disciple.

 

Saturday I listened to God's voice as I was in morning prayer. I heard "pray for Shirley" who is a friend in Arkansas. I had not conversed with her in a few weeks, but I immediately prayed for her. Later that day, I called her and told her what happened and that I had prayed for her that morning. She was quiet for a minute, then proceeded to tell me of her two cataract surgeries (of which I had no knowledge), the first one presenting a few problems which resulted in her having a shot in her eye, and perhaps needing one every week - a very expensive and painful experience. Luckily, her insurance will cover it for now. I am so thankful that I acted in obedience to the voice of the Lord. I pray that if any of you are led by the Lord to do something, please follow His instruction.

 

Season Change

Fall is in the air here in S Texas - the temps are dropping slightly, especially with the downpour of rain we have had lately. Yesterday was over 4 inches with all the frontage roads flooded and cars sitting in water up to their hoods. We were coming home from McAllen - it took us over an hour when the normal travel time is15 minutes. We had to backtrack and work our way around the flooded streets, coming in the back side of our park. Thanks to a great friend for opening the side gate for us to get in. We are supposed to get more rain this coming week - good for the grass and fields, but hard to travel in - this will be a stay at home week!!!

Everywhere you look there are pumpkins, squash, and scarecrows in every store. As I think I said before, this is my very time of year, even though we don't get to see the color changes here. I need to dig out my fall decorations and buy some candy corn! Maybe even make some pumpkin bars and an apple pie for Fred.  We have noticed a few more hummingbirds at the feeder, so we put out one more - two feeders to fill often now. A friend from Wisconsin noted on her facebook page that she has not seen any of those tiny creatures for two days now - so we can expect a huge influx of them very soon, We have identified three varieties already at our feeders. Another sign of fall is the appearance of the Halloween and Thanksgiving items showing up on the shelves at the Children's Haven resale store. They seem to fly off the shelves as soon as we put them out. Love the cooler weather (well, 79 and 80 is cooler). I can envision the piles of raked leaves and almost smell the sweet scent of them burning in the cool air. No leaves here in S Texas, just mesquite and palm trees, Guess I could collect a pile of mesquite leaves and burn them on the curb, then run and jump over the pile of burning leaves just like we did as kids on the streets of Chicago years ago. Wonder what the neighbors would think?? 

some fall items at CHI resale shop - the human head is not for sale

more great  fall stuff

Yesterday, 5 of us from Great Oaks Community Church were blessed to be able to attend the Simulcast presentation by Beth Moore at a large church in McAllen entitled "Living Proof". Beth Moore is an amazingly funny but profound speaker. Her Bible studies and videos are truly an inspiration. The presentation, based on being female, mentioned so many women of the Bible who played an important in Christianity. It seems that Jesus changed the life of every woman He met. Many times, after prayer, God reveals Himself to us: it then becomes our responsibility to respond to that revelation. He wants us, as women, to know who we are and who we are not!!! She brought up a very intetesting thought that a women's joy is not the same without girlfriends ( tas philas in Hebrew). We, as women,  all need girlfriends to share our joy, just as the women in the Bible who lost her coin, found it, and asked her friends to share her joy. I am so very glad that I decided to attend this program, as I met some amazing ladies there: a lady from Guatemala, new to this country, who asked for prayer because of a wounding from a man,  and a Hispanic lady who asked for prayer from a wounding from another woman. We prayed with each of these ladies, placing our hands on their shoulders, praying and crying with them (even though I could not understand all that they has said). I also got the opportunity to share with a missionary lady who, with her husband, are ministering to the Muslims in S Texas and Mexico. What a huge ministry with many obstacles to overcome. It was a wonderful day to fellowship with other Christian ladies, despite the pouring rain.

 the theme for the day

 a beautiful welcome

 three of our ladies - the middle one is the lady from Guatemala

Becky Rodriguez and myself, just after finishing a delicious luncheon from Chicfila

 

 

 

Prayer for this week - for every lady that has ever been wounded by a friend, relative, or stranger: take time to meet Jesus through Scripture - He will indeed change your life. Blessed is she who believes.



 

 

 

Party Time

Child's Haven Int'l celebrates birthdays for the kids at the refuge in Reynosa every three months - this month was the July, August , and September birthday party. Originally, it was planned for the Water Park, but because of uncertainty of the weather, it was held at Peter Piper Pizza in Reynosa. Five of us (including Director Betsy) went over to Reynosa Saturday morning, arriving right after the kids all got there. There was the usual excitement as they waited for the preparations before they were all let loose into the game area. I am always amazed at the behavior of these kids - kids who, in another life,  have been without food or sometimes even a roof over their head, been exposed to unimaginable abuses, and in many cases, left to fend for themselves. After a few months at the Haven, they are more well behaved than children of "normal" families. Their respect for others is a wonderful thing to see - taking care of the younger ones and watching out for us older ones, too. After a time of exhausting play, they settled down to pizza, soda, birthday cake, and some wonderful Mexican ice cream cones - sort of like our soft serve only a bit grainier maybe. We chose the pink cones and I could not identify the flavor, but it certainly was delicious. The time then came for birthday wishes and opening presents to be oohed and aahed by everyone. The gifts are always some item of clothing, shoes in some cases, and a personal item from the list they had made earlier. One college boy received a money counter and money rolls to roll his American money in. He is in his last 6 months of college before he receives his degree in architectural design, is working on his internship right now, and has his sort term visa to visit the US. He loves the US and is saving all the change he has to spend in the US when he comes to visit. He plans to join a Mexican firm after graduation and be a role model for others. After all the excitement, everyone lined up for Betsy's inevitable photo shoot, and we headed back to the US, with a very short wait on the bridge.

waiting patiently for the signal to go!

                              

trying to dance on the pad

 

the Tios with some of the younger kids

the older boys trying desperately to get the most tickets

Tia Brenda (who was amazed that her name is the same in English and Spanish) with Carolina, who soon will have more surgery to fix her handicap

bumper cars, the favorite

rides for even the littlest ones

Faviola and Jessie doing the hand jive

enough pizza for everyone

us with Belinda and Paty

the birthday kids

Maryanna, showing Darlene her birthday shoes

chocolate and white cake

Little Kayla is growing - she was just a baby when she came to RIN

our college students - Nelson, on the left, will have his degree shortly  

the Casa of Paty and Belinda with Tia Carmen

 Pastor Israel's sermon this morning just reiterated CHI's mission statement - "and whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me". Matthew 18:5. Israel's sermon  calls us to be LoveStrong in the knowledge that love always costs something, - our time, our talents, even our money. God commands us to have such a great love for others that we would lay down our lives for them. John 15:13. It is not easy - doing the work for the Lord is hard, both physically and spiritually but it is how we are supposed to live. We were reminded of it this week as we were on our way to volunteer at Border Missions - a long and tiring day but one filled with love for others. As we traveled there, we noticed a helicopter near the Rio Grande, hovering above a grove of trees. Border guard vehicles were converging upon the spot - obviously there were immigrants waiting to be picked up and granted asylum. Is this the correct way to freedom - perhaps not, but are we turn them away? Send them back to their countries where their very lives and the lives of their families are in danger? If we see them struggling through the dense trees, almost dehydrated, are we to offer them a bottle of water??? Do we turn our backs on the homeless ones asking for a bit of food along the roadways?? Are they really homeless and penniless, or are they just begging for beer money??? We need to give from our heart according to God's command. The rest is in God's hands. Pray that God shows you how to LoveStrong - it may be a very simple thing like taking a casserole to an ailing neighbor, or giving up an hour of your day to visit a nursing home, or being nice to an unfriendly co-worker, or even a bigger scale like taking a mission trip. The opportunities are endless. Let God and the Holy Spirit in your heart show you!

 

Have a blessed week.