Too Many Benefits

I never have heard anyone complain about too many benefits. The benefits I am talking about are the benefits to raise funds for those in need. The benefit I talked about yesterday was not for the couple who lost their 5th wheel in a fire, but for a couple in the park who, due to 11 surgeries in 14 months, have enormous medical bills. The wife has had her leg amputated and finally received her prosthesis. Last night, the amazingly generous people in the park attended a benefit and raised almost $1700 to help with their bills. Our park is unbelievable when it comes to giving. The benefit for the couple who lost their 5th wheel in a fire is this evening at another park in order to help offset what the insurance did not pay. The couple is from Canada and needs to return to their homeland on Friday. Pray for safe travels for them as well as emotional healing. They are planning on returning next season if that is the Lord's plan.

Have a terrific week in the Lord,

Blessings,

Chaplain Leila

Down Time

We have a one day down time today -- hooray. Not to say we don't have some things to do (such as this blog, get ready for Bible study tomorrow night, and prepare the main dish for our fellowship meal), at least there are no pressing issues or urgent needs.

Our 8th annual God's Worthy Women's retreat was yesterday and what an amazing day it was. I cannot believe that I forgot my camera, but in a few days, please check crmintl.org as our IT man will have a video of the conference - perhaps not all of the sessions, but hopefully most of them. The Dunnemans, a husband/wife duo who had the women standing on their feet, was spectacular !!!! A multi-talent couple who have given their lives to the Lord and really sing His praises. Myra Green of Bible Alive Theater presented a full stage production of Mary of Magdala - a beautiful story of love and forgiveness. Myra and her group travel the US with their presentations - check it out on the Internet and see if your church would be interested in booking her for an evening. You will surely be blessed. Myra also does great Bible studies - she taught us to live in the Light - the Light of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was certainly with the 140+ ladies yesterday as we enjoyed a full day of spiritual uplifting. Although I am trying to catch my breath (and trying to catch up on sleep) we are already planning next year's conference. We just pray and let God take the lead as we follow His plans.


We really did not do to much this week as the GWW retreat's last minute planning took most of our time. I did get a short reprieve as 4 of us ladies went shopping for the conference with lots of laughs and fun involved. We stopped at a new place for lunch and I had an authentic Chicago hot dog. It brought back memories of my days as a child living in Chicago and stopping at the neighborhood hot dog stand - except on Fridays of course when my Catholic mother would not let us eat one!

Tonight we will be attending a benefit concert at our park for the couple whose 5th wheel was burned up in the fire a few weeks ago. Robert McArthur, an extremely talented park resident and his group of big band friends are presenting a Dixieland Gospel concert. It should be awesome. I envy anyone who can play a musical instrument (my brother is multi-talented in that area) as I am really am totally useless. I did play clarinet in high school (and I use that term "play" very loosely). It was a struggle for me - as well as singing. Even our daughters do not want to be around me when I try to warble the notes!!

We had a guest chaplain this morning in church - Chaplain Bob Ruesch - who is the general director of Christian Resort Ministries. His sermon titled "Truth Decay" was so very appropriate in this day and  age especially during this election year, when truth seems to be just a distant memory. In order to know the truth, read the red letter Bibles - just the red letters - the Word of God, which is the truth. He cannot lie. We often reveal our beliefs, and even non-beliefs during times of crisis. Our actions are the true measure of our beliefs. So many times we are afraid to reveal these beliefs to others - are we standing between someone going to heaven or to hell? God was not shy about His beliefs as He preached His Father's Word to everyone who would listen (and sometimes to those who refused to listen). Chaplain Bob told us the story of 3 ships and 3 captains - the Titanic which sank in 1912, the Carpathia which came to the rescue, and the Samson, which was a much closer ship but chose not to respond to the mayday call of the Titanic because they were harvesting illegal seals. A really interesting piece of history - are you a Carpathia - a person who speeds to the aid of others, or are you a Samson who runs away at the first sign of doing something illegal or unethical. A thought provoking sermon.

This coming week is already March as we are looking forward to Easter - not the chocolate bunnies,  the ham dinners, the colored eggs, or the peeps that I love so much (but only after they are a few days old!), but the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, who gave us salvation through His death on the cross.

Beauty Abounds

Last week I talked about beauty from ashes, also the quilt I received as a gift - supposedly from ugly fabric. This could be beauty from the beast, but I never thought the fabric was ugly.

the colors, fabric, and textures are amazing

the back of the quilt - I love this design

We had our ladies Bible study tea this last Friday with many of our study group attending. It was fun to see all the fancy hats, the expressions on the invited guests faces (we had extra hats) and the variety of tea time treats. The park activity director must have really liked our idea (as we have done this previously) because she copied our idea earlier in the month for the park ladies. We are flattered that the tea is becoming popular all over.

 some delicious looking treats - the strawberries were mine - they were stuffed with a cream cheese filling and topped with mini chips

lovely teapots also

no deviled eggs though

 some of our tea time friends

 

 

                                                                      meeting and greeting

 

 

 

A few weeks ago (I told you I was backed up with pictures) we went with friends Karen and Dean to South Padre Island to celebrate her birthday. A trip to the Island is not complete without feeding the sea gulls. Because it was so very windy that day we had a really difficult time finding these guys as they were all hidden in coves trying to stay out of the wind. We did find some all huddled up near one of the buildings, but as soon as we brought out the bread, they all flew over to us. I love their sweet eyes and ability to eat on the fly.

 

 we left early morning in a thick fog

 amazing sand castles - this one in the visitor center

 outside castles - there are many in various places on the island

 love the pelican

 intricate detail

Karen looking for sea gulls

so windy - look at the waves

 the sand even looked like water as it blew along the beach

 as we drove to the north end the roads were filling up with sand, which the just plow away like snow

 hooray - we found our friends who took the bread from Karen's hand

 flying over me looking for a treat

 ships in the shipyard waiting to be demolished

 an aircraft carrier

Pastor Lee's sermon this morning was a bit disjointed but interesting as he related incidents of God's healing powers. We do need to abide in the Lord because through Him we live and breathe. Because we are connected to the Lord we are also connected to each other through faith. Does it build up your faith if your prayers are not answered??  Or is your faith made stronger because you know God is in charge. Let God take over in your life - let Him take the lead and don't ahead of Him!!!

 

Can you believe that it the end of March already??? Where had the time gone. Make the most of every minute of the day - don't worry about yesterday, which is gone, or tomorrow which is not here yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty Instead of Ashes

Isaiah 61:3

"and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor." This verse was brought to mind this week as some residents experienced the loss of a mobile home and a 5th wheel due to a fire. Early in the morning, a resident woke up (she knows the angels woke her) and saw fire in the mobile home next to theirs. She immediately woke her husband and they fled their 5th wheel, along with their cat and her purse and only the clothes they had on. After realizing he could not pull his 5th wheel away from the fire, the propane tanks in the mobile home blew up. The couple who owned the home had just left that afternoon for a family emergency a Northern state (they were from Wisconsin). The fire crews responded and put out the fires, but both units were totally destroyed. After getting the couple settled with wonderful neighbors, buying everything the cat needed (cat box, litter, scooper, food, bowls)and a few personal items for the couple, everyone tried to get back to sleep. Our unbelievable family here at Alamo Rec Veh Park responded with outpourings of love and money in order to make beauty out of the ashes. And beauty did indeed shine through. No one was injured, the safe box with passports and money was saved, all was insured, and as the Donna said "I do not have floors to mop, dishes to do, and my suitcase is a plastic bag". The faith and love this couple has for God is amazing - finding joy instead of mourning and praise instead of despair. Yes, it was a huge loss for them, but a gain for the Lord as we bask in the beauty from ashes. 

the mobile home was large - a corner lot spanning two streets

it went burned so quickly after the propane tanks blew up

it was amazing that there was no wind that night -

all that is left of the 5th wheel

The Red Hatters hosted a salad luncheon on Wednesday along with a fun style show. A few years ago, only women attended, but now there are quite a few men who enjoy the salads, as well as seeing the new female fashions for us more mature ladies. There were so many different types of salads that the choosing was almost impossible. The only duplicates were deviled eggs, which were gone almost immediately.

 

 one of the two salad tables

table #2 - too many to even think about

some of our ladies enjoying the style show

 one of the gentleman who helped the models off the stage - he stole the show

 the three gals were from another park and were there to entertain us

 isn't this dazzling

all of the beautiful models

 

 

We had a quilt and hobby show last week - a time to display the many talents of our residents. It was a fun time as we checked out all the displays. I was totally awed by the beautiful quilts created by our ladies. The colors and designs just made my mind explode as I viewed the creativity of everyone. It was a nice break from all the chores and duties of the day. As I admired a lovely table topper/lap quilt made from "ugly fabric" I only saw a beautiful piece of artwork. The kind and lovely lady who spent hours working on it presented it to me as a gift this morning in church!!!! I am truly blessed.

 a unique way to display handmade jewelry

woodcarvers at work

 these are amazingly intricate

my humble contributions

 some of the gorgeous quilts

 and more quilts

 the barn quilts of Iowa - the quilts patterns made from wood, painted, and placed on the side of the many barns - beautiful

the color combinations are unbelievable

 

 

Pastor Lee addressed the subject of love this morning as St. Valentine's Day rolled around again. God so much wants us to see Him and become involved in His Word. Loving Him is the first commandment, while the second commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Do we truly love ourselves - or do we beat ourselves up every chance we get??? Sure, we are humans and not perfect, we make mistakes, but we correct them and go on to praise the Lord for the lesson learned. God forgives us, but we need to ask!! We must love God before we can love ourselves or others. Everyone searches for, wants, and needs love. If we have God we have love which perfects us in God's eyes. He loves us before we were even born, before we even loved Him. If God is in your life so is love for yourself and others.

 

Be kind to everyone this week, reach out in love to all those around you with random acts of kindness. If you received an act of kindness and love, pay it forward! The chain will never be broken, love will continue, and God will smile from the heavens above. Remember the song "What the world needs now is love, sweet love"?? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm Late I'm Late for a Very Important Date

Yes - I am very late for an important date - the date was February 7th when this blog was supposed to be posted. Not enough hours in a day - even after 11 PM! It has been a long week or so.

Yesterday we spent the day in the colonias in Alton, Texas. Ida, the amazing lady who introduced us to these wonderful people works almost every spare moment for the Lord. We deliver non-perishable food items to her, as well as quilts, fabric, etc. for the ladies in the colonias so that they can learn to cook with whatever they have, learn to sew to make their own quilts, or perhaps even to sell to make a bit of money. She teaches them crafts in order to raise their self worth or again, to sell for a bit of extra cash. She arraigned for us and Chaplains Roy and Paula Gee to attend one of the many gatherings of neighborhood ladies as they study the Bible, create a worthwhile craft idea, share food together, and also share in the donations of food and clothing. We were so very humbled to be invited to join them in breaking bread together, eating some of the things that Ida had taught them to cook. To see their smiles as they received food, clothing, toys, and quilts was worth more that all the money in the world.

Fred, Ida, and Roy ready to head to the colonias

Ida's beautiful chickens

toys, food, and craft supplies waiting for new owners

the outside eating, cooking, laundry, gathering place most of the colonias have - the dirt floor was being swept as we arrived

bags of non-perishable food items, fruit drinks and boxes of soup mixes, ready to distribute

 

Fred and Vanessa - she drove us through the colonias and explained how she helps to instill a feeling of community among the residents - notice the bags of quilts that our sewing ladies donated

the residents of the colonias have been painting their homes as a result of a feeling of pride

these trailers are connected  by roofs or shelters because if they were not, it would be considered 3 residences - therefore it is still considered one residence, even though perhaps 3 families are living there

 

behind this roughly constructed shelter is perhaps the kitchen, dining room, laundry room etc. maybe the refrigerator was not working in the trailer - those items are very expensive for trailers, so therefore the residents purchase a good used regular appliance and put in this enclosure outside the actual trailer. 

one of the few businesses in the colonias

the picnic table is probably their dining room

 the ladies Bible study group

making a scarf made from felt - to wear to keep warm or even make more to sell for a bit of extra money

lots of fresh produce

all bagged up - also bottles of mineral water

Ida showing Paula and Roy peach pie and cobbler made from large cans of peaches - it was very good - not as sweet as we make it as Mexicans do not like a lot of sweetness

this sweet little lady proudly showing off her new hat

look at the smiles as they model their scarves

holding tightly to their new quilts - the sweet little lady again - smiling carefully as she has very few teeth

checking out the clothes - notice the cross on the right - these families love the Lord regardless of their station in life

searching for items for the family

this guy loved his very own quilt - perhaps the first one that was truly his

 

so happy as the nights have been cold lately

Fred and Paula and a happy kid

I have so many more pictures of last weeks events (the trip to South Padre, feeding the gulls, the quilt and hobby show, Children's Haven birthday party - I told you it was a busy week) that I will save for a future date - I do want to get this blog out to you all as soon as possible.

 

Chaplain Lee reminded us Sunday that just believing is not enough - trust is also needed. Who do you really, really trust? Your spouse, a family member, your minister, your government, God???? God intended for us to seek and trust Him completely - although sometimes in trials and tribulations it seems almost impossible. These are the times when we must trust Him the most. We need to try to always live in the presence of God - revealing Christ in us in order to know what He wants from us. We are mortal - weak - subject to temptation. Jesus was weak when he was on the cross. He cried out to His Father and was forsaken - cut off and separated from God. Do we feel that way sometimes?? We need to depend on God in our weaknesses because we are tempted everyday by the world - everything seems to be distracting us from our relationship with the Lord. God gave us the equipment to work in His service. Along with that he gave us love and the ability to use that love for His glory.

 

Sometime this week, try find someone who needs love - a co-worker, a friend, a family member, a church member, even a stranger. Offer them a smile, a word of encouragement, or even a cup of coffee - spread God's love everywhere.