The End and the Beginning

I know - this looks backwards, not the beginning and the end but the end and the beginning. The end of the summer people and the beginning of the Winter Texans. The summer people become part of the winter activity here at the park. Last night we had a Halloween pot-luck - the beginning of all the pot lucks, dinners, jam luncheons (not really jelly-jam but music jam), breakfasts, bake sales, and holiday dinners that go on all winter. It is said that the favorite hobbies of Winter Texans are eating and hunting - eating out and hunting for new places to eat out. More folks are coming in at the park each day. Seeing old friends and neighbors is the beginning  of renewing old friendships and making new friends.

Our Chaplain finally made it down here to the park after a week of  many, many delays and problem situations. Another chaplain also had mishaps - guess Satan was really working overtime to prevent CRM Chaplains from returning to the Valley - hah - was he fooled!!!

Yesterday was a day of all sorts of situations - as we were working on the car port our neighbor's adult daughters insisted on helping (they painted the beams earlier in the week for us). I was preparing food for the pot-luck when Chaplain Lee and Marilyn called and informed me that they were in the park and needed direction to their site. I went to help them get settled in but they were having a problem getting their RV into their particular site, so I drove back to get Fred to help. When I was gone, one of the girls fell off the ladder so as I drove into our lot, I saw here lying on the driveway with the others standing around her. I told Fred that he needed to help Chaplain Lee on the other side of the park and he hollered that the ambulance was on the way. I stayed at our house as he headed over to Chaplain Lee's house. The ambulance arrived and transported Nadine to the hospital with a broken wrist and other injuries as her mother and I followed. To make a long story short - all is much better - Nadine had a broken wrist and hairline crack in her pelvis, Cat scan showed no head injuries. (We thanked and praised the Lord for that).  I returned home in time to finish food for the pot-luck, then after eating we returned to the hospital. A lot more issues too involved to mention, but God was working for us as everything worked itself out. We feel so very bad because she fell at our house, but she and her sister were very adamant about helping us. We are praying for a more quiet coming week, but I doubt that as we are preparing for our first church service and the first park meeting where the church serves the donuts. The Beginning!!

Today was our last church service until next spring at Great Oaks Community Church as our service will be held at the park on Sundays. The Ending! Pastor Israel's sermon this morning about faith really hit home as sometimes I wonder if I am truly following God's calling or is it just my own desires that are leading me. Pastor Israel likened our walk by faith but not by light to the bat - a nocturnal creature who depends on his "radar" rather than sight. He flies around in darkness, depending on this radar (faith) as he searches the bugs he needs for survival. We, too, live by faith and trust - as we fly in an airplane, when our kids ride the school bus, as we drink the bottled water. Faith that the plane will indeed fly and take us safely to our destination, faith that the bus driver will deliver our children safely to school, and faith that the water we drink is pure and safe. But faith is more than that - it is trusting God completely - relying on His guidance and instruction. We need to realize that even, in faith,  if we do as God commands us to, trouble will always be there. Take courage - God is always present. The disciples were caught in a storm "But Jesus immediately said to them, "take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid". Matthew 14:27 These are the words of the Master - words that we need in time of trouble. We need to keep our eyes on the Lord, or as Peter did, we will sink.

This coming week as the distractions of life seem to overwhelm you, remember to
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of this earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace".
(Helen H. Lemmel)