Continued

This is a continuation of last week, as there were lots of pictures from our trip to the island (South Padre)  with friends. We decided to go to the birding center, as this area of Texas is the birding center of the world due to all the migrating birds who use this as a flyway. There were not lot of birds present, perhaps due to the time of the year but the ones there were spectacular. The guide at the center told us the walk was about 1/2 mile, but I do believe we walked 3 miles - lots of boardwalks and different areas a person can explore. 

entrance to the birding center 

beautiful colors on this turtle's back

a sand art creation

kite flying - I would love to do this as long as I am anchored to a boat

butterfly garden - there were a few white and brown ones - the rest must not be migrating yet

surveying his kingdom

he was busy watching for supper

fishing - he did catch some

a small alligator but still dangerous

a big family of ducks

lots of these huge catfish swimming around

funny furry feet - guess they are really feathers

A very large bird

and his partner

it looks like a pile of rocks but really is an oyster bed

this guy came running when I called him

he and his friend checking us out

another oyster bed

fishing downstream

pretty coloring

a bit larger alligator

you can take pirate ship trip- complete with sword fights, water fights, tattoos, etc. 

no trip is complete without time to feed the sea gulls

they must have recognized us, because as soon as we arrived they came flying in

bread was gone so they are now looking for the next hand out

leaving the island in the distance

I am starting this Saturday morning as Fred and a neighbor are trying to track down an electrical problem. I so much dislike electrical stuff - actually dislike when anything does not work correctly. I especially dislike it when the electrician says"oh oh you have a problem", or "I sure don't like this" Please, just quietly do the job!!. PS: Finally finished late Sat afternoon - all is well again - just need to clean up the mess now!

Saturday afternoon we made it to CHI's fund raiser - which is really a lot of fun. A really good dinner (pulled pork or fantastic chicken salad with grapes and all the trimmings), Gospel music with The Ambassadors of Grace, a silent AND live auction, homemade goodies, all sorts of fun stuff. I love the live auction - most folks know how much they are going to donate and just bid outrageously on items - $150 for a pie, $175 for a birdhouse, etc. The only problem is that we who cannot do so just don't get a chance to win any lower bid. But it is fun to watch and see those bidding against each other.

Things are beginning to wind down here in S Texas as far as the Winter Texans are concerned - coming home from church this morning we saw quite a few RV rigs headed northward - perhaps not to their homes but making their way via various detours to places of interest or places to visit.  We attended church at Mission Bell again this morning with Jim and Shirley Maxson, who are leaving in about two weeks. They have decided to stay in the Valley Next year, so they will be back. Hooray!! Jim's sermon this morning again seemed to fit perfectly with our morning
devotions -- "Sowing the Gospel Seed" based on Matthew 13:18 and 23. It is true that only a willing heart can receive the Seed, because they had prepared the soil. If the condition of the soil (heart) is not ready, it cannot receive the word. The gospel seed needs to fall on prepared soil. So who prepares the soil?? The sowers do. The sowers mission is to plant the seed - to get it into the soil. God's requires us to do this - to sow the seed for His glory. He will tell us when and where to go and spread His word. Perhaps not in actual words but though the Holy Spirit. We need to plant this seed everywhere, far and wide. To share the word does not mean to go out and "thump the Bible", but to tell others about Christ and what He has done in our lives. We need to plant the seed, others will water it, and God will harvest it. We know that we are successful because we have sowed all our seed and all of the field. Some people sow, some water, and the Lord harvests1 The level of the harvest is our crown in Heaven.

As we have entered the Easter season, let us concentrate on what God has done for us - He gave His only Son so that we ,too, may have everlasting life.

Perfect Day

It is a beautiful day here in the RGV - breezy, great temps, and sunny. Church this morning, breakfast with friends, relaxing with the Sunday paper (mostly to check out coupons), and now time to work on the blog. I will need to get ready for the CHI Bible Study tomorrow night, and make a berry cobbler for our fellowship dinner before Bible Study - so nice to have a quiet day for a change.

This week a friend gave us two bags of just picked grapefruit from a tree in his yard. There is nothing better than fresh delicious, sweet Ruby Red grapefruit. When we leave for a few months, I miss the wonderful fresh fruit available here year round.

                                         

these are delicious as they look

There are 3 seasons here in S Texas in the winter - 1) when did you get here? 2) where are we going to eat to? 3) when are you leaving? We are now in the third season - although the second one seems to be ongoing. The hottest conversation in the hall is "when did you say you were leaving?" - then the answer is immediately forgotten. In October I begin to get a bit lonely for the Winter friends to return but by now I am ready for them to go back home so some of the peace and calmness of the park gets back to normal. We love having them here - lots of friends and some new faces, something going on all the time but lots of traffic and activity always.

We finally took our long awaited trip to South Padre Island with friends with a stop at the San Bonito bakery which everyone seems to be talking about. (Did you know that San Bonito was the home of Freddy Fender and that he is buried there?) Lots and lots of baked goods - the Mexican style - not as sweet as the American ones. A piece of anise bread, cookies for us,  and a coconut donut for me - Apple something for Fred as well as a cinnamon roll for him  

 cookies anyone?

 how to choose?

 many more choices

 even spices in bags at very reasonable prices

We continued our travel in to South Padre Island to the visitors center, where many folks were admiring the sand castles, asking for information on tours, sights to see, deep sea fishing trips, dolphin watch, etc. There was also a great display of South Padre in earlier times.

 the newest indoor amazing sand castle display

 check out these swimming suits - a far cry from today's styles

 a family outing at the beach - my father always wore a suit, tie, and hat when going somewhere, but never at the beach

 looks a lot different today - with SUV's, trucks, boom boxes, and of course, phones

 did you ever go fishing dressed like this?

the 4 year old outdoor display

We also went to the birding center and walked the boardwalk enjoying the weather and observing many birds and wonders of nature. I will post those pictures next week so that hopefully can pictures every week. No trip is complete without a stop at Dirty Al's for shrimp - fresh from the gulf.

God has so blessed Caring 💕's Ministry this past year. Produce is a bit down for the Friday delivery to the colonias, but God has provided through the generosity and contributions of others. This week we had cherry tomatoes regular tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, tortillas, onions, cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, croutons pears, peppers, croissants, kolaches, bottled tea, and pudding dessert mix to name just a few things we were able to provide the families with.

 heirloom tomatoes ready to deliver

 beautiful ripe tomatoes

kolaches bagged and ready

We attended church this morning with Pastor Jim Maxson (who with his wife teach our Tuesday Bible study). His sermon about how religion needs salvation is so much in line with our Monday night Bible study, as well as the things that happen in the world today. What is religion?-- it is a system  of beliefs about God or gods, and a system of faith and worship. Countless religions have their own beliefs, methods, and characteristics, and methods. Even in a specific religion such as Christianity, there are different beliefs or doctrines, everyone thinks their religion is the only one. Religion without salvation is possible - but beware of those who say they are Christians but are not. Fake Christians love to been seen by others as they seem to portray their righteousness - they are hypocrites who want to be seen by others as being pure and holy - remember the Pharisees??? A survey has shown that 50% of those who attend church are not saved - they go to church, say the prayers, do the works but they are not saved. We have to surrender totally to God - take up the cross and follow Jesus. Do you know what the main theme is that runs through Christianity -- it is love. Love your neighbors as yourself, Jesus is love, God so loved the world - it is there throughout the Bible. Through Jesus' salvation we are saved from the horrors of hell, and are guaranteed eternity with Him.

I was criticized this last week for praying for a situation that I felt needed prayer - and was told not to pray for that situation as it was under control and did not need my prayers. Guess what - I am going to continue to pray in Christian love.  

 Practice Christian love this week - shake the hand of a veteran, take a meal to  homeless begging on the street, help an older person load groceries into their car, be nice to your spouse - I am sure you can think of hundreds of more ways to show love.   

Is It Tuesday????

I did not forget - Saturday was our God's Worthy Women Conference. To see the video which should be posted shortly, go to crmintl.org. (Part 1 is already posted). It was a very hectic week last week as we finalized all the needed preparations for the conference As usual, there were a few speed bumps along the way, but God prevailed and we hosted perhaps the most successful conference ever. We hopefully touched every lady that was present. During a part of the presentation, we brought our unworthiness to the cross on colored paper that represented flames and ashes. As we  left them there, we picked up a diamond on which a specific word from God spoke to us - "you are blessed, you are His daughter, blessed, adored, righteous, etc". which represented beauty from ashes. Sherry Anne's mother and many of our lady chaplains were present to pray with the ladies. One lady was deeply hurting and was privately counseled by one of our chaplain couples. God drew her to the conference to receive the blessing she needed.  After the conference was over, I totally collapsed for the evening, then spent the next two days picking up the pieces, putting things away while planning for next year's conference - our 10th anniversary!!! Who knew that Sally Maloney's dream would bless so many women for 10 years??

I really have no idea what went on last week as I was totally engrossed in planning, but this week is a bit more relaxing. Our neighbors breakfast is on Thursday, where we meet with just a couple of neighbors for breakfast once a month. We have done this for quite a few years now, and is a time for us to catch up with other, as all of us are involved in different activities. Also Thursday we are finally going to South Padre Island with friends to belatedly celebrate her birthday. Did I say we are all busy with so many things that we do have to put off a few other things for awhile?

Sadly to say, we have had a break up in the church here at the park again. We do not attend church at the park because we are assigned to other Sunday services and CRM does not have a chaplain here. The minister that was hired (a female minister) was replaced last week with a man who lives in the park, but is an entertainer also. Can a man serve two masters??? We attended a hymn sing last Sunday hosted by him where I was deeply offended by some of the things he said. Was he representing himself as a pastor or an entertainer?? As a pastor the things he said were totally unacceptable. I am praying that he makes a decision for God and that those who do attend church in the park will be fed and blessed.

We are beginning to see folks leave already and head back North - either for stops along the way or to return to their homes. Some friends have sold their homes here due to health reasons and have already left. In a month or so the exodus will  begin in earnest. We, too, are planning our two month vacation time in Arkansas and Wisconsin to visit family and get to meet some new great grandsons!!

This is very short today, but did want you to know that I am still blogging - just bogged down and late this week.

Have a terrific week - learn to be a good neighbor. What is a good neighbor?? It is someone who is there when you need them. Don't judge a person unjustly - just learn to love them. God is there for all of us no matter who we are. When we love our neighbor, we need to love like God.

Late Sunday

Not really late for most folks, but usually by this time I am all snuggled in, ready to relax in bed watching TV - Sunday night is Flea Market Flip - my favorite thing to watch! We spent earlier this evening at our park attending a hymn sing  which seemed like an impromptu type thing, although the gentleman who hosted it had it all planned out. Some great old favorite old ones, then the more up tempo older ones. It was a full house and fun. We got to visit with folks who used to be in the park and were here on a visit, as well as many of the residents we don't see very often.

It was a nice Sunday - church this morning at Mission Bell, then to pick up chicken dinners we donated to for the Boy Scouts, on to Staples to pick up a few things for the God's Worthy Women Conference coming up next week, back home to do some CRMI duties, Bible Study for tomorrow night, starting the main dish for the Bible Study, up to the hall for Hymn sung and now back home to check in with all of you.

We had our monthly chaplain meeting yesterday at Golden Corral in Harlingen - one of the nicest ones I have been to. Except they did not have their usual creamed spinach!!  Most of the meeting revolved around our ladies conference as we filled folders and discussed next Saturday. We prayed over the folders and for each lady that would receive one - that the Lord would touch each and every one in a special way. It is always good to get together for these meetings, but the time seems to fly by and we are all off again to our normal (or as normal as can be) duties.

Caring Hearts Ministry is really expanding, thanks to God. He just blesses us everyday so that we can serve those in need. We are almost ready to put up the building in the colonias to serve as a storage for our overflow (our Texas room has also become a storeroom for the time being). This building will also be used as a distribution point for the fresh produce we deliver each week, as well as a sewing room for the ladies get-together, a Bible Study area, and a place for Ida to teach cooking to the ladies in the colonias. God has been so good and provided all we have asked for.

Our Thursday sewing group this week is going to be working on lap quilts for the veterans - all done in red, white, and blue. I have started mine, but because of the upcoming ladies conference, I don't know if I will be able to attend. I so much enjoy these monthly all day meetings, as we ladies gather together to sew, visit, and just have a day to ourselves. We also have a weekly Friday afternoon sewing time for a few hours as we work on our own projects. I love the fact that the more experienced ladies help us beginners out, being so very patient in explaining procedures to us without making us feel inapt.

This morning Pastor Jim Maxson had another great sermon "Jesus Serves". Jesus' slogan (as on a t-shirt) would be Wake up, Serve, Repeat. Jesus knew that He was here to serve us - a really different concept as we feel we should serve Him. The chief priests and Pharisees wore garments to show the people who they were, but they did not know what they really preached. We need to practice what our own personal t-shirts say. Today everyone is looking out for themselves - but we need to be looking out or the end times. Are we ready? At the last supper Jesus served by washing the feet of His disciples, then they began to quibble among themselves as to who was the greatest, etc. They we looking out for themselves. Jesus still loved them anyway, even though he knew what was going to happen - how some of them would betray Him. Foot washing is a truly humbling experience - to serve others in that manner is a true sign of servitude. We need to reflect Jesus, be more like Him in order to make His sacrifice worth something. What does it say on the front of your t-shirt??? Wake up from selfishness and live to be a blessing to others.

Please pray this week that our speaker, Sherry Anne, will not have problems flying from NY to our conference, due to the storms predicted in the East. Pray that our conference will touch each and every lady and perhaps bring someone to salvation.

Unexpected

What a weird week this has been - mostly because we were without or had only minute amounts of water for three days!!! Friday morning we were without water - hopefully to have it return by noon. Well, we got water, but such low pressure that it would not even get the shower. If were careful and did not flush the toilet too often, at least that would flush. We could slowly fill our filtered water pitchers, but no showers, no washing clothes, no watering, etc. A water main owned by the city just over the fence from the park burst. After it was repaired, it was discovered that a new pressure valve was needed. It must have been sent for, because it took until late this afternoon to repair (NO water today for over 4 hours). It was back to taking a sponge bath with just a trickle of water for all of us. On top of that Fred got some kind of bug and was sick for 2 days. I did feel sorry for him, because he got the walking boot off on Tuesday and got his wheels back (he could drive again) - then to be housebound for 2 days was certainly not much fun. But after the speed bumps all seems pretty much back to normal. We give God the glory!!

This week was the Quilt and Hobby Show here in the park. There are so many activities that I just have to pick what I am really interested in - a person cannot do every one. The quilt show was awesome - some many beautiful quilts and creative ideas - even the  men got involved and entered their woodworking items. It was a fun time, as many door prizes were given away, including a beautiful quilt made by the  Helping Hands. I was even asked to be a part of the style show, all of us showing off our quilted jackets. After church today, Opal and I went to JoAnn fabrics to pick up a few pieces of fabric for projects - I did get everything I need for our new great grandson's quilt (he is due in June).

Texas quilt

a really unique wall hanging

a study in symmetry

gorgeous black and white

love this

friend Yvonne's scrap quilt - beautiful

hand carved walking sticks

these are amazing

hand carved - they look real

more fish - only these are in fabric

Today's sermon "When God Calls You to Show Off" was not a part of a series - just a reflection on light and dark. Our eyes always seek out the light - turn off the lights totally, then turn on a tiny one - your eyes immediately go to the light. The darker it is, the more we seek out the light. This world is full of darkness - murders, robberies, rioting, etc. Where is the light in our world? You know the answer to that question - God. "When Jesus spoke again to the people, He replied, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life". John 5;12. What are the signs of light in other people's lives? Those who go to church give up 3X as much as those who don't - they give up their time, talents, and resources. When we shine the light on others through the way we act we certainly make a difference in the lives of others. God gives us the light so that we can share it. Be a show off - show off and shine the light.

We received a huge amount of clothing that we will use for our March big distribution - really nice things that will certainly be welcome - sort of a light in others lives after the coolness and rain of the winter. The produce seems to be slowing down - we are sort of in between growing seasons here in S Texas but luckily Caring ❤'s Ministry has another distributor who helps us out with donations. This last week we received individually wrapped turkey and ham sandwiches as well as lots of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, tortillas, even Starbucks frappichino. We never know what we will receive, but God always surprises us and provides!!! Continue to pray for our ministry to be able to provide for those less fortunate with the knowledge that is all through the grace of God - to Him be the glory.