2015 - what will it bring??

It is almost impossible to think that the New Year will be here in a few days. Sometimes the turning over of a new year is a more important milestone than a birthday. Birthdays come and go, but it seems that the changing of the year presents a bigger challenge. What will this year bring??? We often worry about what tomorrow brings, forgetting that we need to live in today. "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27. Worry involves a lot of "what ifs" - we create many scenarios of what is to happen, which most of the time never comes to pass. I remember my mother telling me not to make her worry about me - in my young ten-age intelligence I told her to just not worry. Right!!! When I became a mother, I understood the meaning of her words. Try to live in the moments of today - yesterday is past history, tomorrow is yet to come.

We spent Christmas Day at the hall in our park, celebrating with many residents. Chaplain Bill came in to pray and greet us all, but left as his wife, Ali, was a victim of the illness in the park. It is not the bronchial flu but the stomach variety - it has affected many residents. Pray for relief from this bug as it makes its rounds.

ready to sit down and enjoy Christmas dinner - this is one section of our hall and not as crowded as prior years. Many people are ill, and many more seem to have gone "back home" for the holidays.

our table filling up

there was not enough room for all of us, so we shared a smaller table with friends, Roy and Margaret. Are we still seated at the kids' table??

  Our little Christmas tree

 

 

Christmas Eve service at the park was beautiful - it included many Christmas songs by the choir and the congregation, a short sermon by Chaplain Bill, and the candlelight ending with everyone holding up their lit candles in the dark and singing "Silent Night". A peaceful, moving time to remember what Christmas is all about.

 

We spent the day on Wednesday at Border Missions serving a Christmas dinner to over 500 people. Beans, rice, a roll, a hot dog casserole, and fruit cocktail was served to all of those who came to eat a warm meal, to listen to a Christmas message, and receive beans, rice, donuts, tortillas, produce, toys for the every child, candy canes and Christmas wishes from all of us. What most people do not realize is that the food items we distribute are not supplements to their diet - they are food items that actually sustain them from one week to the next. As the weather is in the midst of a winter chill ( 40 degrees or less which is very cold to those in this area) it is a great effort to walk those few miles to Border Missions to receive food - for the soul as well as the body.

 

With the dawning of 2015, let us be thankful for everything that we have - looking forward to serving our Lord in every way we can by obeying as He commands us to obey. "And He has given us this command, Whoever loves God must also love his brother," 1 John 4:21  "The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me". Matthew 26:40.  

 

May you have  a wonderful and prosperous coming year.

Loaves and Fishes

I am sure most of you have read the Bible story of the loaves and fishes - Jesus feed over 5000 people with just 5 loaves and two fish.  And after the people were fed there were still 12 baskets full of pieces left over. The New Testament scripture tells of this incident in various places - look it up.  I saw this very thing happen this week - I cannot explain it, but I was amazed! We have been collecting small canned hams in our park for the food ministry so that those less fortunate than we can have ham for Christmas dinner. Our Helping Hands group of sewers donated quilts also. Sunday night was the Great Oaks Christmas program where we distributed the hams and quilts. Every family received 2 hams and a quilt for each family member present. After the distribution and most people left I looked at the ham and quilt stacks and was totally awestruck. There was enough left over to do this again next week with a different group of people!!!! How could this be?? There were many people receiving hams and quilts - and then I remembered the loaves and fishes “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”Matthew 9:26.

everything ready and waiting

the theme of the program was "the signs of Christmas"

 

 at practice the evening before this cross was displayed - these are the crosses Fred makes to give away

 

 

 

serious Mary and Joseph

 

adults depicting the Nativity

this sweet lady loved her quilt

this gentleman made the decision to let his son chose a quilt, before he realized that he, too, could have one. The joy on his face was indescribable

It as also the Christmas party for the kids at RIN in Reynosa. The excitement is very high - imagine 57 kids waiting to perform the Christmas program while thinking of all the presents awaiting them.They worked very hard on the presentation and did a great job.  We were treated to a noon meal - chicken in a sauce of some sort (very delicious) and the ever and always present green pasta. After the festivities, we were all boarded on the 4 vans that brought us over the border. We were sent off to the US with a heavily frosted cupcake. Fred and I did not have one - he had to drive and I did not want a blue mouth!!!This is a time that most sponsers come to visit and the energy is at a high level. After an exhausting day, we left with lots of Feliz Navidad!!!

 

 

 a very young Mary

Paty, Belinda and us

the twelve days of Christmas - a frozen turkey poses as a partridge

can you see the 4 calling birds? too funny

 Canadian visitors

 Uriel graduated from college and will be leaving the home after being there 15 years!!!

 Belinda standing beside her box of presents - the boxes formed a tree

Paty wondering what is in her box

 Casa 7 family, where Paty and Belinda live

 Paty's 1st item on her wish list - and she can play it a bit

 this little guy rode his new bike all evening

 Belinda with stash of presents

 lots of hugs and good-byes



We want to wish each and every one of you a very blessed Christmas - and remember that
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

 

 

 

What Happened to Sunday???

It seems that this time of year gets busier every day. I could not believe that Sunday slipped by and no new blog appeared (guess those blog angels overlooked me). As we continue in this glorious Christmas season, let us not let the busyness of the days get in our way of the true reason for the season.

It was a week of parties - one day it was 2 at almost the same time. Children's Haven had the "Welcome Back Volunteer" luncheon at their office in Pharr, Texas.  It was a good time for fellowship and catching up on what everyone was doing throughout the summer. The resale store did very well last year - $37,000 in sales with most of the items selling for $3 or less! What an achievement. Fred and I worked our 1/2 day this afternoon - the store was packed and busy all afternoon - I barely had time to price items and get them on the shelves. Sometimes they were purchased as I was getting ready to mark them. Praise God for His blessings, Pastor Jesse and his wife Belinda came into the store this afternoon to visit, bearing 2 hot wonderful meals that Jesse had cooked for us - what a godsend for sure as I had not yet figured out what we were going to eat for supper!!! Beans, rice, and a delicious goulash (but they call it something different) of hamburger  and vegetables. Thank you Jesse and Belinda for your saving grace - just as God saves us with His grace when we get ourselves in a bind.

the lobby of the CHI office with the pictures of the amazing kids at RIN in Reynosa

some of the volunteers, enjoying the appetizers

don't they look good?

Director Betsy Chicon welcoming us all

dessert

Friday was a gorgeous day as we met for our monthly/Christmas Chaplain meeting at the Echo Hotel. The seafood buffet there is excellent and very reasonable, especially for us seafood lovers! Of course, there was the hamburger bar for those who do not care for seafood. The salad bar is so good, especially since they featured cheveche - the awesome seafood cocktail.

Chaplain Bill addressed Spiritual Warfare as Satan is truly rampart in the world today. We all need to be prepared to meet the enemy -  "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:10-17.

Our Helping Hands quilting group donated 20 adult and 25 youth quilts for the food and clothing distribution this coming Sunday. Imagine the joy of a child who gets to pick out his very own quilt - not to be shared with other siblings or relatives. What joy there is in their eyes. Our park has also been donating small canned hams so many can be assured of a ham for Christmas. Most of these people share a grill with neighbors (they probably have no stove, electricity or gas in their homes). These small hams can be put on a grill to heat them or cooked any way they choose.

Judi, Vera, and Rena, avid quilt makers, along with Fred and one of the three bags of donated quilts

the Monday morning quilting is a beehive of activity

men are even involved

tying the quilts

sandwiching the layers

busy at work

another row of sewers

this was actually a tree skirt pattern turned into a cozy child's quilt 

another creative pattern

quilts ready to distribute 

On Saturday we were invited to an 80th birthday party for a park resident, as well as a shower for the niece of the maintenance man,  Pablo. We started out at the birthday party for a time then advanced to the Annex for the shower. There were the now familiar Mexican shower games and wonderful food. This is the first baby for the young couple (a boy ) and you could see the joy on their faces as they talked about their son.

 First the birthday party

 

 80 years old and still loves race cars

 Jim and his wife celebrating Jim's 80th birthday

 lots of help serving

 

 From there we went on to the shower.

 Pablo and his beautiful wife Margarita

 

 the decorations were very elaborate

 cute candy/nut cups made from small Styrofoam cups - adorable

Mama Ashley waiting for Zachery

 

 the proud parents-to-be

 

 cake pops - actually frosting covered cake balls - very tasty

      

the girls had to dress the men as babies, then the men had to drink a baby bottle

 

 

Along with all of our other commitments, you can see it was a pretty busy but fun filled week. We would find time to read Scripture each day to prepare us for the day's ups and downs - it seems that things seem to go much smoother when you start the day with some quiet Bible time.  Try it this week.