Rain and Sunshine

We have had rain, humidity, sunshine, and flooding all in one week. The floods here in S Texas were terrible. The amount of rain we received (14 inches in some places) was so heavy and continuous that the water could not drain fast enough or had no where to go. We here at the park were not flooded – everything slopes down to the lake which is great, except that them manager just had the lake filled with water!! Luckily, the lake did not overflow, but it came pretty close. There were parks that were flooded – the streets were rivers and some even had 22 inches of water in the streets, flooding the halls. The folks with Texas rooms that were level with the ground were flooded – some friends had lawn ornaments that floated away which they had to retrieve. Streets and roads were impassible, closed off in many areas. What I cannot understand is the fact that many folks still drove into running water and stalled out their cars and even trucks. We were going to the store, but could not get out our front gate as the frontage road was totally flooded with stalled cars all over the place. We were able to go out the side gate and wiggle around on higher levels to be able to find store we could get to – by the time we bought a few groceries and retuned to the park, the water had receded and we could enter the front gate, although we had to wind around stalled out cars and vehicles trying to tow them out of the way.

the lake alost m

just one of the hundreds of cars stalled and submerged

The worst of the flooding occurred in the colnias where our folks there were in imminent danger. Not only was the whole area flooded, but the ground around the utility poles was so saturated that the poles began to lean. Because a lot of the electric hook ups were just jerry rigged, the danger was great. Luckily, everyone was evacuated and taken to the Boys and Girls Clubs on the area, but could not return home due to the high-water levels yet and the fact that the water was probably contaminated. The homes themselves were leaking and not very substantial. We could not get the needed produce on Friday, but did receive 100+ tortillas on Thursday. Ida notified everyone that she could and we made our way to her church on Friday with the tortillas, some feed the children packages, some of the pack a sack from our church in Arkansas (these packets have food items that are high in protein and nutrients) needed for a decent meal), and the beans, rice, and other commodities that we have stored at the church for emergency use. Luckily, we also had a few boxes of clothing in storage that were distributed as most of the folks that arrived at the church only had the clothes on their backs. As usual, God provided for all that came for help. Most of the water has receded now, but some areas are still flooded.

many areas still flooded after the rain

                                     if you look closely you can see a few of Ida's baby chicks

We were going somewhere (cannot remember where) when we met a house coming down the road towards us in our lane!! Construction was going on in the others lanes, so the vehicle had to use the two lanes on our side to move the house along Was a pretty scary sight at first.

We did manage to find a bit of down time on Saturday to attend a movie at Tinsel Town (the name of a movie theater near here). Some folks form Mission Bell Park wanted to see a movie and as we were going to visit the Maxons at that park we were invited to go along. The movie – Jurassic World. Strange movie for mature folks, but all in all it was not that bad. It was a nice time to relax after an exhausting week of bad weather. Even Melania trump’s visit here to the Valley to was overshadowed by the bad weather.

Pastor Robert finished the series on the 1st judge, Samuel. Do you know why you do what you do? Probably because your parents pushed you into achieving more than they did – they want you to be better off than thy were. Have you ever wondered what your legacy will be after you are gone? I have sometimes wondered what I would be remembered for in 50 or 100 years, if I am still being remembered? We all hope for a worthwhile legacy. In the story of David and goliath, how do we see Samuel reflected in David. Samuel’s faith is what is reflected in David. David’s faith let him overcome the Philistine giant, Goliath. We need to have this kind of faith to know that God will se us through our trials. The time to take action usually follows a time of prayer – we pray and then go forward with God’s help to solve our situation. If we don’t pray and then try to make our own decisions, it doesn’t always turn out well. Sometimes God’s decision doesn’t make a lot of sense to us. We are not always swayed by the wisdom of others but by God’s wisdom is always perfect, we need to have fortitude to keep going despite roadblocks – fortitude is the ability to keep going. What will your legacy be?? What are you leaving for others to remember you by??

Father's Day

A truly interesting week - full of work and fun. One of the ladies we play cards with hosted the card night at her house and informed us that she is leaving the park - she bought a house in another park. She also leads our Aquasize in the mornings - we sure hope someone else steps up to lead us. No not me - I do not like to be committed to something every day of the week.  Our card night is fun, although we are down to only 4 players now, but it still is competitive and yet yet a game for fun. My partner and I won all three games ( yes, I am very competitive.)

We now distribute to a church in another colonia - last Wednesday we served 50 families! God is so good - we were not sure we would have enough provisions for them all as we have no way to keep the vegetables cold from Friday to Wednesday. Last Fridy we served 125 families- PTL. A distributor who has extra provisions also has a huge cooler He stores all he is provided with, uses what he needs, and calls us on Wednesdays to come and pick up the extra - still fresh from the cooler. God seems to always be one step ahead of us and we never want to get ahead of Him.

I go with Fred on Fridays during the summer as our faithful winter helpers do not arrive until about October or November. This Friday started out quite warm as we drove to Hildago to pick up our weekly supply of veggies, fruit, etc. As we were waiting we were invited to join in the morning prayer - a truly uplifting experience. As we all stood in a circle, Tracy opened in prayer in both Spanish and English, then everyone began prayer out loud, all at the same time, some voices quiet and gentle, some very loud and forceful. As we all prayed for about 5 minutes in both Spanish and English, you could feel the Holy Spirit in the room as we all offered praises in our own way. We were then instructed to put our feet in the circle, then  our hands, sill touching, send then raised them up at the same time in praise

 It is an unwritten rule, as you wait in line to be loaded, you help the person in front of you load, in turn they and other will help you load. I help with our supply, but usually sit in the vehicle as Fred helps others - too  many folks helping and I would be in the way.  As I sat there contemplating the beautiful morning,listening to the mixture of voices, watching the ever gentle morning doves, Fred brought me a big slice of fresh pineapple. Angel, the sort of the warehouse manager, cut a pineapple and shared it with us all. Lucio, another faithful worker at Border missions, presented us with donut holes and kolaches We so much appreciate all the work they do and yet they honor us with whatever they have to share.

the ladies separating  produce and filling boxes - look at the huge stack of fresh pineapples

a table full ready todistribute

the sweet and gentle colonia pet who waits patiently for a hand out - right now he is snoozing in he cool shade

We have had two days of beautiful much needed rain. The grass will soon be growing and ready for Fred to mow again. So many areas are parched already so we are so grateful for this cooling rain. One day it was 95 degrees, then started to rain, and dropped to 81 degrees. A huge relief.

Today in Sunday School we studied prayer, from the book Paths to Prayer by Patricia D. Brown. It was so very interesting to explore the way different folks pray - the different methods they use, and the way to incorporate them into our own personal prayer time. I shared the ay we wall prayed Friday morning which seemed to fit right in with the morning study.

Our lake is beautifully filled up, the ducks seem to love it as they splash around, ducking beneath the surface to catch tiny fish, and making all sorts of happy sounds. Our duck families are being decreased, as the snapping turtles snatch the babies right out of the water. It is sad to see a family of 12 reduced to only 5, but I suppose this is the law of nature. Some of our other water birds have left, but hopefully they should return soon.

This morning's sermon, continuing the first judge series, focused on the passing of leadership - the fact that Samuel was forced to pass his judgeship on to a king which the people requested. Samuel felt that he had failed the people as they no longer wanted a judge but wanted a king as the other countries had. If at first you don't succeed try, try, again is a phrase we often hear. Sometimes we find it hard to try again. No one likes to fail. Saul, the first king, lead well, until he began to turn again the Lord's ways and the country was in turmoil. Just as Samuel was concerned as this was a second failure, God wants us to face our failures just as Samuel did. God directed him to go to Jerusalem and find Jesse, as one of Jessie's sons was to be the next king. Samuel obeyed the Lord, even though he had no idea what was in store for him when he arrived in Jerusalem. Facing our failures also means facing our fears -Samuel was fearful. Our fears sometimes stop us from trying again. Facing failure is facing the future - the unknown. Samuel was facing the unknown - relying on God to lead him in the right direction. We often get swallowed up in our failures and do not persue the future. It is difficult to recognize how God is working in our lives I wonder where Caring Hearts Ministry will be in 5 or 10 years from now - how it will grow or fail??? As co-founder  of God's Worthy Women, I stepped down from the leadership team last spring I wonder what dierection it will now go - who will be the leaders, and what it will accomplish in the future.I will sit back and let God take control.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers, to those who are father figures to others, and to all the mothers who take on  duel role in their families.

Nun Bread

Nun bread sounds pretty weird I am sure. It is a name that we gave to a special bread made by a nun in Mississippi, a sister of one of our neighbors. It is a type of a European bread, called potica. Made from many layers of thin dough and combined with dried fruits and nuts. It is heavenly, if you will excuse my pun. Our neighbor shared some with us which I squirreled away in the freezer. Sad to say we ate the last of it this week – as I was digging in the freezer as I thought we had more, but alas, no such luck. We will have to wait until next winter to taste this delicious treat again.

it looks weird, but is delicious

We have been watering and fertilizing (actually Betsy Bluebonnet has been doing all of the fertilizing) a volunteer squash plant of one of our neighbors. It is huge! We had to train it to grow out towards the road and back on his patio, otherwise it was taking over all of the yard between the trailers. So far, I do not see any squash but Miss Opal assures us that some will appear. Fred threatens that if it does not produce it will be gone!!!!

a squash plant gone rogue

We went to Mexico to pick up a few things yesterday leaving early in the morning as it was predicted to be hot and humid. We arrived about 9 AM and were gone by 11 – but I did not imagine that it would be so busy – the streets were crowded and the hawkers were out in full force. Because our insurance does not cover Fred’s inhalers (over $300 each here in the states) we picked up some there – over all we saved over $1000 – yep, I know it sounds ludicrous, but that seems the way the insane insurance system seems to work. The life sustaining medication costs a fortune, the common pills are only $3 or no cost – it sure to be backwards. Why does not the insurance pay for the high dollar life sustaining medication and let the people pay for the low dollar stuff?? Too easy I guess. Enough for now, I am off my soap box.

The lake here in the park is getting filled up with water now that the area around the lake has been cleaned up. It looks wonderful thanks to the hard work of the maintenance workers here in the park who worked in the sweltering 100-degree weather to get it done. Special thanks to Mary, Mary, Pablo, and Lester for a job well done.

the duck family enjoying the water

We have been blessed again this week as on Wednesday we received an additional contribution of produce which enabled us to distribute to the second colonial that the Lord has brought to us We were not sure if we could handle it sufficiently but because the additional contribution it seems to be a reality. We are hoping that it will continue as we can only serve this additional colonia as long as the additional produce comes in – not because there is an ample supple (God always provides) but because there is no way of keeping the produce fresh from a Friday to the following Wednesday. We are praying for additional help for Ida so she is handling this additional work herself. Pray that the Lord leads someone to volunteer – someone dedicated to helping those in need.

Today’s sermon was a continuation of “The Last Judge”, the story of Samuel and the difficulty of leadership. Society thinks that when people become older, they become less productive, less able to be in a leadership position. Right now, we are living in difficult times – the church becomes less productive as people become complacent about the growth and influence of the church. Samuel became old, his sons did not follow in his footsteps, so the church leaders went to him and asked for a king, rather than a judge. After Samuel talked to God who told him to let them appoint a king, Samuel cautioned the leaders on the disadvantage of having a king that would rule like a monarch – their land would belong to the king, their sons would be called into the king’s service, their daughters would be called to be servants of the king. The people refused to listen and continued to beg for a king so they would have someone to fight their battles – to judge them, to led them, and to fight for them. The people thought that other nations were better off with a king – the green grass syndrome. In difficult times, we want what others have. We also want what is easy. It is easier to listen to a physical being than the quiet voice of God (although sometimes Him needs to shout to get our attention). We tend to want a super hero in difficult times. We want someone to fix our problems, we pray and want an immediate answer. But that is not how God works.  As a side note, we were praying for specific result in our life, noting all the pros and cons, the what ifs and what nots of the situation. In other words, getting ahead of God. He went on ahead of us to solve the situation – can you not just see Him sitting there saying “OK this is what you want – just hang on and watch me do it My way”. What a great God we serve. Back to the sermon -  We need to pray in both difficult and prosperous times, not just when we are in need. How are we handling the movement of God in our country, our church, and in our lives?? Are we listening to God – or are we trying to “fix” it ourselves??

For those who remember Chaplain Dennis and Sally Maloney - here they are today! Doesn't Dennis look different in a beard and mustache??? Miss them so much.

Betsy Bluebonnet At Work

Betsy Bluebonnet (Miss Opal) is busily at work again- only this time on our mum plant. The poor thing was stressed and trying to recover itself – Miss Opal took it home, tore it all apart, got rid of the dead mamas, and replanted it in three pots. It was originally a 3 colored plant but who knows what we will have now! We just appreciate that she loves to revitalize dead and dying plants – I usually kill just about everything except veggies – I can handle those. I came home from water aerobics the other day to find a strange potted plant on our patio – yep – Betsy Bluebonnet left a beautiful potted poinsettia there. She is amazing with plants – she even fertilizied our hanging pots ( all 6 which she gave us a while back) and they are responding beautifully.

Hot and humid here (but everywhere else I guess – 111 degrees in Midland,TX)) in the high 90’s and 100’s all week here. We picked up vegetables, fruits, etc. and delivered early in the colonias, as it is better to distribute in the cooler mornings- easier on the food and also the workers. After unloading, I divided up donuts, and helped stack the mounds of tortillas and dried fruit, while the ladies prepared the food boxes. We had so much this last week – we always pray that there is an abundance – enough that everyone gets a fair share. God always provides and then some. This week we had blackberries and leeche – love that little fruit. You know, the little fruit like things you always see at Chinese buffets. The ladies were popping them open and eating them to help cool off. After unloading and working for awhile, we headed home with couple of stops on the way. After we walked in the house we just collapsed – mostly from the heat. Please pray for those who have to work out in the heat everyday – it is difficult.

The workers here in the park have been cleaning up the lake shore – it looks really great. There is now 5 feet of water being feed into the lake – it will be amazing when it is done. There was a whistler duck nest on a limb over the water, so far it is ok – we thought the eggs had hatched earlier, but she is still sitting on the nest. Hope the family does not get flooded out. I suppose the workers are used to the heat – they wear long sleeves and pants, hats, and kerchiefs around their heads. I think I would roast, but they say it keeps them cooler.

This time of year is so much easier on the cook (Me) as the hot weather keeps us from wanting larger meals. I love to cook but do appreciate a break now and then. Sandwiches, fresh veggies, and fruit is just fine for now. If I do cook it is for two days or more to keep from heating up the kitchen. I can remember when we had a huge garden, and canned all day in the hot summer and fall with no air conditioning. We were talking the other day – remember driving a car with the windows open because there was no air conditioning, or sleeping n the front porch in the hot summer nights? Our air conditioner in the bedroom decided to give out this week, so we went a few days until we got a new one. It was not really hot – we had a ceiling fan going to move the air around. I still covered up and snuggled in the blankets – guess that I what you call my security blankets!

Sundy school this morning was based on God’s creaton and how we take care of it. Beautiful photos talen by the presenter and a great discussion on how to preserve the planet. We always have to leave early though in order to get to service on time. Praying that we will go back to our 9 AM church service. Pastor Roberts message this morning reminded us to head God’s calling. Based on Samuel, specifically 1 Samuel 3:1-10. Remembering that Samuel was the last judge in the Old Testament we realize that his reignaws the end of one era and the beginning of another. If you remember, Samuel was the son of Hannah, who could not bear children, so she went to the temple where she prayed and wept. Eli thought she was drunk and chastised her so she told him she was not drunk but just praying and weeping because she could not bear children. Eli told her she would have a child, which she did. She gave the child, Samuel, to the Lord when he was old enough to be weaned, to be raised in the temple for the service of the Lord. Fast forward a few years as Samuel was retiring for the evening and heard a voice call him. He thought it was Eli (who was an old man by now) calling him, only to find out that it was not. The voice called him 2 more times before Eli ralized it was the Lord calling Samuel, so he told Samuel to lie back down and answer if the voice called again. The Lord called a fourth time and then Samuel answered him. God calls those to serve Him  but it it is not about hearing the call but answering and obeying it. God uses people to do His work – if God is calling you to serve in the church or other areas, answer the call. God originally called us to be chaplains at Children’s Haven Internationl to minister to the Winter Texans who volunteered there. Through that calling, we met a lady who wanted to start a food panty. Fred was involved in a food pantry earlier in Arkansas, so he agreed to help her. From that, and a chance meeting with Ida. Caring Hearts Ministry evolved. You never know what path God wants to lead you down. Follow His call – even if it just means working in a soup kitchen, or a donation to a charitable cause, or even helping out at church. You never know where it may lead.