Christmas Light Overload

 We have had our share of Christmas lights this year. We shared the Lights of Texas in Joshua, Texas,  with the Gees, and then the Lights of the Ozarks in Fayetteville AR, with our daughters. We have not spent Christmas on AR for many years, so it was quite a thrill to be here. The lights on the square are so spectacular to see, but it always so cold where we decide to walk and view them. There were al lot of folks out, everyone wearing their masks and being careful about social distancing. In years past, there were vendors, carriage and camel rides, etc. but because of Covid we just exclaimed the beauty of the displays. A fun evening for us all. 

                                                    

                                                               the entire downtown square was ablaze with lights

                                                     

                                                                     imagine the time it took to do this

                                                          

                                                              there was a breeze, so the lights in the trees swayed in the wind

                                                     

two of our girls and their Dad!

Christmas Eve found some of our daughters, grands, and great grands enjoying the weeks of baking before Christmas, as well as numerous snacking foods, such as stuffed mushrooms, taco salad, small hot dogs in sweet sauce, potato skins, nachos and various dips, and much more. I am sure there are a few extra pounds that we all have added.  

                                                            

                                                                               brother and sister love - 2 greats      

                                                                

                                                                    4 dazzling girls in dazzling dresses - great grands

and a sassy but loved great

As we reflected on Christmas Eve, I wondered how Mary and Joseph felt at the birth of Jesus. It was not a clean, beautiful stable, but the Baby Jesus was born in a food trough, in a dark and smelly stable, with only  2 very nervous parents in attendance - no doctors, sterile delivery rooms no pain killers, no birth coaches to make the delivery easier, no grandparents waiting in to hear the news of a successful birth. But because of their obedience to the Lord, Jesus was born the son of Joseph of Nazareth, but best of all Jesus the Son of God, who came to free us from the chains of sin and allow us to be able to spend eternity with Him in heaven. 

After a few days of eating frenzy, our daughter made a delicious breakfast pizza - perhaps the most nutritious meal in a few days. A pizza crust, gravy, onions, peppers, sausage, and egg. You really need to try it!!   

so good and easy to make

We leave tomorrow to return to the Valley and Caring Hearts Ministry, but thank God for the time He allowed us to spend with family and friends here in NW AR. The weather was colder than we experience in S Texas, but we must adjust as we are still trying to sell our place and return to AR, but we know that God has a plan for us and we need to need to be patient and wait upon Him. 

We wish all of you a very blessed, peaceful, and wonderful New Year. These times seem to be very trying, but the Lord has this!!!  Trust in Him.

                            

Blessed Christmas

                                                        A Merry and Blessed Christmas to All

 Yes this is a bit late this week, but after a busy busy past two weeks and then travel to family in NW Arkansas, this is the first chance I got to do justice to the blog. 

As I said, God so very much blessed the ministry with donations. On Sunday we packed many bags for the Christmas Distribution, as well as gathered all of the presents for the kiddos in the colonias. Guess I posted pictures of that last week.  All week donations continued to come in, so we collected, wrapped, and packaged, as well as doing a Tuesday distribution, where each family received a small frozen chicken, just right for Christmas dinner. Friday we arrived in the colonias with a truck and trailer load of food as well as a back seat filled with Christmas gifts. As the girls started to unload, another pick up arrived with all of the bags we previously packed (each one containing many canned goods and a small canned ham) and all of the presents we wrapped, followed by a flurry of activity as we prepared to distribute the food and gifts. After the distribution (thank you Lord for providing enough for everyone who showed up, as well as enough gifts for the kids) we gathered for prayer and a short devotion that I had prepared about Joseph and Mary's obedience to the Lord, which I will reprint at the end of this blog. This was followed by gift distribution to the loyal ladies who help out every week, as well as a gift card for us to use for travel. After thanks and praises, a bountiful meal prepared by the ladies. Homemade tamales (a Mexican Christmas tradition), fried rice, potato salad, and various salsas. And for dessert one of the ladies made a scrumptious strawberry flan. we soon left to tie up loose ends and prepare to leave the next day to visit Chaplain Roy and Paula Gee in Joshua, Texas for a short visit and then onto Arkansas to spend Christmas with our daughters, the first time we spent Christmas with them in about 15 years. 

                                                                           tomatoes anyone

                        the baskets ready to fill with a bountiful of food - the purple boxes contain papayas

                                                               boxes full of toys

                                            

                           some of the  kiddos who live in the colonias also received presents   

 this little guy was busy eating quavaus

                                           

While at the Gee's we drove through Christmas in Texas light exhibit which was so very beautiful - it took us at least 30minutes to drive through it all.  

                                                                    a drive through sparkling trees

                                                              country church

                                                                  the reason for the season

                                                             a quiet scene

                                                                  gingerbread house for everyone

                                                  homoring our firefighters

                                                           and emergency workers

Our daughter, where we are staying has decorated house house and patio so beautifully. We sat outside on the pation today with a fire in the outdoor fireplace, just enjoy the beauty (and the relaxation for us)

                                                             Christmas candles she made from 4 x 4 pieces of lumber

                                                              her outdoor tree

                                                               even the deer was decorated

                                          Joseph, An Earthy Father

Matthew 1:18-21

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. His mother, Mary, was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

When God chose Mary to become the mother of Jesus, she did not fully understand but responded that she was the Lord’s servant.  God also entrusted Joseph to be Jesus’ earthly father. What did God see in Joseph? A righteous man, a man that God knew would act appropriately when he found out Mary was with child which was not his. Joseph’s first reaction was to break the engagement, and quietly put Mary aside, therefore causing her no shame.

Joseph was a man of God and accepted the words of the angel and went about his life, honoring Mary for the humble and obedient woman she was.

Because of his obedience and faith, Jesus was born the Son of God in Bethlehem but raised as Jesus, the son of Joseph of Nazareth. How many times do we questions God’s plans for our lives (who me, Lord, I’m too old, or not smart or strong enough, etc.) thinking that we know better what is good for us. If we were more like Joseph and Mary, accepting God’s direction in our lives by obedience, imagine how much more amazing our lives would be.

Because of Joseph’s faith, prophecy was fulfilled, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means “God is with us”.  Matthew 1:23

As we prepare for Christmas and the birth of our Lord and Savior, let us also remember what His birth means to us. God sent His only Son to earth to save us from our sins, to give us salvation that we do not deserve.   

This is always a special time of the year for us as Christians as we celebrate the first coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We have to focus on what that first coming means. He gave His life so ours could live in Him. This Christmas I encourage you to think about that first Christmas, to allow Jesus to become the Lord of your life. Let Him rule and reign in you so that in all of these present difficulties you can praise and give thanks for Him. Respond like Mary did with the words, “I am the Lord’s servant”.

A safe and wonderful Christmas holiday to all - remember the reason for this beautiful season.

 

 

Christmas Blessings

 We have panned this year to spend Christmas in Arkansas with some family - the first time in perhaps 10 or so years Because of this we have been working hard to try to supplement the food ministry in order to help the folks in the colonias have enough to keep them in food supplies for the 2 weeks that we are going to be gone. We also have been collecting new gifts for the children - Christian resort Ministries have come through from their parks to provide the gifts - and even many loads of canned goods - not to mention Ranchers Village Park which provided 155 little canned hams so far. These small hams do not seem like much, but the ladies prepare them with other veggies, etc. to make a full meal. Yesterday at our chaplains meeting, the ladies helped wrap the many presents, as well as help load the many canned goods they collected. As we attended the meeting, we were treated to a concert by Citizens for Glory, a traveling family Christian group of 10 kids (and their parents), all who are extremely talented. they combined classical music with Christmas Carols for an hour of great Christmas music. Then today we took all of the gifts and food to the church in Alton, where a group helped unpack and sort it all. After a luncheon of salad and chicken, we left, as another group were coming in to bag up all of the food for the individual families on Friday. We will do our normal food delivery on Tuesday, then the Christmas celebration on Friday. We are so thankful for those willing to help with this wonderful project.

                                         

                                                         a portion of the talented family

 

                                                                           God has provided

                                                                          the overflow table

another view of the second picture

What lady in Scripture gave the world it's first musician? She was Adah, whose name meant adornment, beauty, and  pleasure. Adah, and co-wife, Zillah, are the first women to be named after Eve. Adah was one of the two wives of Lamech, who was of the the 7th generation from Adam. Adah was the mother of two sons, Jabal and Jubal.  Jubal was the first person to introduce music to the world. The is another women named Adah whom we will discuss  next week.

As we continue in the Book of Philippians, we realize that the city of Philippi was going through a difficult time - Nero was about to become ruler. There was much confusion and unrest as there is in the difficult times today. Just as the Philippians, we don't know what will happen. As believers, God sould make our lives easier, but He does not do that. Where do we find stability? God wants us to stay strong and hold our ground because we are in Him. "But our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it we await a Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to bel like His glorious body, by the power the enables Him even to subject all things to Himself." Philippians 3:20-21. Transformation and determination are how we stand firm in the Lord. Paul admonished the ladies in the Philippian church to quit arguing about non-essential things of the church. Their names were written in the Book of Life, so their earthly squabbles are worth nothing here on earth. Realizing what we have on store for us makes the things of the world mundane. We have to keep the right perspective, keep our eyes on the long view. The supreme lesson in life is what the centuries have taught us. Keep telling yourself the right story. "Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say rejoice.: Philippians 4:4 . We have to  keep our minds in the right place, not to follow the narrative of this world. If you are anxious, you will nor be able to rejoice. Learn to rest in God. Have a confidence in Him. God is near. He is with us in all of our struggles. Do not be anxious about anything. (Read Philippians 4:4-7. We have to keep our minds in the right place, not to follow the narrative of this world. If you are anxious, you will not be able to rejoice. Learn to rest in God. Have confidence in Him. God is near. He is with us in all of our struggles . Do not be anxious about anything. Anxiety sections off our thinking about God. Pray - prayer is stopping and letting God back into the story. Let Him be a part of what is going on in your life. We have a messed up world, but God uses the ugliness to bring joy to the world. Our responsibility is then obedience. Keep your mind focused in the right place. Don't fill your mind with the happenings in this world. think about what  is true, honorable, and pure, The voice you are listening to is the voice that disciples you. turn off the messages of the world. Put all of this into practice. You have to keep moving or you will fall over..   

Winter Coolness

The past week has been cool - yesterday it was rainy, damp, and cool. Just the perfect weather to do a bit of sewing and reading, except one of the chaplain arrived with a pick-up full of donations, including canned hams for the colonias for Christmas. Their park always seems to come through with the needed hams. There were numerous quantities of sheets and towels, clothes, and miscellaneous kitchen items which were separated for the colonias and also for Children's Haven International. The chaplain and his wife stayed and helped us separate and box up items, which was so  greatly appreciated. Right now our Texas room looks like a warehouse with boxes of canned food, and other items to distribute on December 18th in time for Christmas. This coming Saturday we have a chaplain's meeting where the chaplains have ben asked by our administrative secretary to bring a gift for a boy and one for a girl. I am gong to bring wrapping paper so we can wrap the items and mark them age appropriate. In a perfect world, we would like to  let the children choose their own gift but that could take hours and then some of them still would not have made a  choice. My blog next Sunday may be late (maybe even Monday) as we will be preparing bags of canned goods to give out on the 18th, as well as making up sets of sheets and towels to also give away. This last Friday's distribution was amazing - it was a good thing that we had a lot of help as we gave away 90+ boxes of vegetables, including coconuts and tunas ( not not fish, but those prickly pear fruits that the people love) , as well as cartons of cream of chicken soup and peanut butter. We again received boxes of dairy products from Donald J. Trump so the folks have plenty to help during this crazy time. The weather was cool, so one of the ladies, who lives next door, made a kettle of hot chocolate with cinnamon, and others brought Mexican street tacos with onions, jalapenos, and salsa, croissants, and the sweet crispy Mexican pastry. We were so well fed that day, as when we picked up the vegetable in the early morning, one of the missionaries gave us breakfast tacos - don't know what was in them, but they were good. Then our special lady, Magdalena, sent 4 warm breakfast burritos for us to take home. I never seem to have to cook meals!!I have been asked to give a meditation on the 18th as that will also be our Christmas celebration in the colonias. I finished writing it, and had it translated into Spanish also so the ladies could sort of follow along. It is from the Book of Matthew, and is centered on Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, and the type of person he was. We then will leave on the 19th for Joshua, Texas, for a couple of days. then on to Arkansas to spend Christmas with our family. We have not done so for over 10 years and feel strongly that we need to do this. It will be a time to relax in the true meaning of Christmas. 

More people have returned to the park and there are many activities that do not involve gatherings. A lot beautification contest was held with prizes awarded, nod now there will be a Christmas decoration contest. There are quite a few festive decorations up already. The music parade continues around 7 every night, as golf carts ride around the park, playing Christmas music and honking horns. And I do believe there is going to be Christmas caroling. 

I do love this time of year and had to sew another Christmas stocking this year. Many years ago, one of our daughters was with me at JoAnn fabrics and saw a Christmas stocking that she wanted me to sew for her. She is now 56 and still has it. Of course, since we had 4 daughters, I had to sew 3 more, then 2 more for us. As the girls grew up, there were boyfriends who needed stockings, then husbands, then children who grew up and had children of their own. So --many stockings were made. The pattern was copied many times as we all have a copy of it. I tried to search the internet for the original pattern and found one seller, but it was already sold.  Over the years the colors and fabrics have changed, but the original design remains the same. This year I made a buffalo plaid (black and red) with a silver flecked black toe and cuff. I imagine a person could tell when the stocking was made just by the fabric. 

another stocking to add to the list

Achsah was a lady in the Bible who wanted more. She was the daughter of a prince of the tribe of Judah and the only girl in the family. Her father promised her in marriage to the man who was able to capture Debir - the city of the Book. Othniel accomplished this feat and won Achsah, as well as a portion of the south land. Ascsah was not satisfied and wanted springs of water to irrigate their fields, so her father then gave her the upper and nether springs. She still was not content with the dowry she was given, she urged her husband to ask her father for more. Because she was human, as we, too, are, we must pray to be content where we are and for what we have. As a result, Achsah was never satisfied.

It was a great day at our home church in Prairie Grove as a mortgage of 1.25 million dollars was paid off and the mortgage was burned. This loan was for the addition centering on the spiritual growth of the children and was paid off in 5years!  What do you do when you reach a milestone. You keep going. God does not have plan for you as a spectator. If you are not moving forward in your spiritual life, you are moving backward. Your walk with Christ is to press on and take hope. God has a plan for your life. He loves you as your heavenly Father. He wants you in a relationship with Him. There are 3 branches of salvation: justification, sanctification, and glorification. Are you in Christ, and do you know that for certain? Have you made a profession of faith? If so, you are justified. You have to be justified to have glorification. Your citizenship is in heaven. God came once and He is coming again. When that happens, you are not gong to have the same existence as you have now. Right now you live in a sinful world. You are working out your salvation today - which God has worked in. It is God's work in us daily as we live in obedience. Sanctification helps us to deal with the practice of sin by obeying Him. Our heavenly father puts up fences because He wants to protect, just as humans do. You have to be obedient. You need to press on and take hold. Take hold of what God has called you into. There will be suffering as we continue to walk with Christ. There will be better things for us. There is only one God and only one way to Him, and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot make any steps in following Jesus until you become vulnerable as you are a work in process. Progress not perfection - you are on that journey. We want the world today to be over (no more COVID or election problems), but we can still grow in that journey. Rejoice in the Lord, but also rejoice in your circumstances. Don't let your circumstances destroy your joy.  You are not at the finish line yet - forget the past but strain forward for what is ahead. Press on toward the goal - keep active in your walk with Christ. Press on to what God has called you to do. Live up to your identity as a Christ follower. Live up and olok up. 

 

Thankgiving Times 2

 This has to be a Thanksgiving first for us. Last Tuesday as we delivered in the colonias just before the big turkey day, the ladies had a surprise Thanksgiving dinner for all of us - including turkey and all of the trimmings. There were also some delicious flaky pastries that were brought from Monterrey, Mexico,  for the occasion. The ladies had a short devotional and then we all individually stated what we were thankful for. We were thankful that the Lord brought us to this colonia and these wonderful ladies that we call family.  

the ladies serving themselves after making sure we went first

a plateful of  Thanksgiving food

devotional time - this lady in peach is my donut helper

Carmen loves to have her picture taken with Fred

                          Some of the prepackaged boxes from Donald Trump containing dairy products and fruit

As Thursday came around, we chose to have our Thanksgiving dinner delivered for a minimal cost from the park hall. Again, the turkey dinner and all of the trimmings, except that for some reason we were forgotten! After a bit I called the on-site manager and we were then delivered our dinner.  Guess we were on 2 lists and then no one brought ours at first. It was highly welcomed when we finally received it.

It always amazes me that the the poinsettia plant is native to the hot climates and grows into a bush. 

The legend of the poinsettia:

On Christmas Eve a small child in Mexico had no gift to give the Baby Jesus. When the child prayed an angel appeared and said," Whatever you give from your heart will make Jesus happy". So the child picked some weeds as as the child took them to church they changed into a brilliant red bouquet of poinsettia flowers. 

 a poinsettia bush in a neighbor's yard - a bit droopy because we did not have any rain (but it did rain today).

An after Thanksgiving parade was scheduled for Friday - the day after Thanksgiving. Usually we have quite a few people participate, but this year the attendance in the park is so low due to Covid that the parade was a bit short. But folks love to show off  their golf carts (we do have a case of Covid in the  the park right now - the gentleman is in the hospital and his wife is quarantined at home). We also had a gentleman who was only here with his wife from Ohio for only two days and passed away in his sleep on Thursday. 

the most common golf cart

a shelf added to the back

add baggage

a cute gray one

now look at this one

and here comes Santa

Abital was a woman in the Bible who has little or nothing significant about her. She was born in Hebron and was one of David's many wives. Her name means : "whose father is dew", which represents a blessing or consolation. Perhaps her name was chosen by her parents who felt blessed at her birth, or it may figuratively  signify the early death of her father before she was born. Interesting theory. 

Our sermon today was given by Matt Tibbit, our home church youth minister. He is so very energetic and really goes into the depth of tying the sermon to everyday living. He ministers to the junior high and high school kiddos so perhaps that is his way of getting through to them! We do enjoy his preaching. Continuing in the book of Philippians, they did not believe that the death of Jesus on the cross was enough for their salvation. They felt that works had to be included - a belief carried over before the disciples' preaching. These Jewish people could not understand the God wanted them to have a healthy relationship with Him as well as others. They took their old laws and carried them to the extreme. It became a realistic religion as they lost the heart of God. It did not help them to have a healthy relationship. They felt that they needed to elevate themselves above others, thus relationships were lost. Jesus came and His #1 goal was to bring salvation, but also to recapture their hearts. There was the new way, but the old way still remained. The Jewish Christians accepted the new way, but still wanted to keep the Jewish laws and tradition of circumcision to keep the old way. Paul lived his life for Christ after he knew Jesus. He felt he lost his old life but gained a new life in Christ. He was given an opportunity to  know Christ through Jesus regardless of his past accomplishments. He felt that all that went before in his life was rubbish. He told the masses that the life he previously lived was garbage, but when he knew Jesus, his life was changed, He wanted to know Christ, to become like him.  The new life was better than what he had. If you follow Jesus, you may think that you are better than others - caught up in works. If you think you are better, you begin to feel the lost are beneath you. You cannot earn salvation because your works will never be enough. We are all on the same level and get drawn to other believers and well as the lost. We need to see ourselves as we really are. As believers we  have to have faith - not works - and we will gain salvation. We have to humbly pursue the cross. What we gain in Christ is worth more than what we lost. Lean hard into Jesus by having Him in your heart. 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. This Thanksgiving is certainly going to be different for everyone. Our granddaughter has Covid, so she and her family will have their dinner delivered by her mother, as I am sure other families are making similar arrangements. In this world today of strife, confusion, and uncertainty, let us all see joy and beauty in our lives, in being able to give thanks for all of the good things in our life - family, friends, the ability to worship as we please, to be able to live in a democracy. Let us forget all about Covid, the state of our country right now, the hatred and lack of Christianity that seems to abound. Use the day (or even this coming week) to be thankful for all the goodness and joy God has provided. 

This morning at breakfast we had a discussion on toast. First of all, whoever decided to toast bread, which lead to "I wonder who first realized that yeast could be used as a leavening agent?" Covid has certainly led to very interesting discussions in our household. After doing a search, I found out that toasting bread in ancient times was a means of preserving it. The Romans spread the idea of toast throughout Europe, even into Britain, and the colonists brought toast to the Americas. The word 'toast,' in fact, comes from the Latin word tostum, meaning scorch or burn. The word "yeast" comes from a combination of Old English “gist,” or “gyst”, and Indo-European “yes” which meant to "boil" or "foam”, and for thousands of years bakers have understood what it does.  There is evidence of the mastery of wild yeast and its use in bread-making 4000 years ago in Egypt. William Sitwell’s “A History of Food in 100 Recipes” discusses early bread making in ancient Egypt including early depictions of bread showing how people had progressed in agriculture and the techniques of milling, leavening and baking.  Sitwell includes hieroglyphs from tombs near Luxor illustrating bread making and he notes that there is evidence of “bread being left to rise near ovens”. Beer making in the same hieroglyphs suggest that the Egyptians had found though the air-borne yeast spores that “the baker enjoyed the resulting fluffier loaf” although “the products of this early baking were most likely like modern day pitta bread” So now you all have gained some more knowledge, based on a simple question over the breakfast table!.

We have been so very blessed with food for the colonias - as well as many pounds of beans and rice to distribute. The uncertainty of Covid still has some children remaining at home, while older ones continue to attend school. Parents have to stay home and try to help their kids with the school work, even though many of the parents are not able to understand too much of it. This at home time demands more food in order to provide meals for those who stay home, although some schools provide meals if the parents are able to come pick them up. Many of our people in the colonias have to depend on those with a running vehicle to pick up and deliver meals. When we first began working in the colonias, most of the neighbors did not even know each other unless they were related. Since then, we have noticed a more neighborly and Christian attitude for the neighbors and the helping out each other in time of need, as one young mother goes to the school and brings home meals for some of the neighbor kids.  For this we are so grateful to see this improvement in the neighborhood.  We are still short of help, so we dig in and fill boxes of food and ready them for pick-up, along with the few girls who are able to help at this time. By the time we get home after a distribution day, we are really tired, but a wonderful kind of tired. We shower immediately, wash our clothes that we wore, and relax for the rest of the day if we can. This week we will only deliver on Tuesday and not on Friday because of Thanksgiving so I had the Director of Children's Haven translate a letter that we included in each box reminding folks of that. I printed 120 letters, and only about 15 were left when we went home, so we did hand out quite a few food "baskets".

A few more people are coming back to the park, but the Canadians are not able to come down at all, as well as a few who decided to stay in their Northern homes. Right now we only have one Winter Texan who has returned to our block, but understand 2 more may arrive shortly. It is strange to see only a few familiar faces, but usually only in passing as many of the activities have been canceled and masks and social distancing is required. The evening music train of golf carts continues around 7:15 with golf carts and music playing travels around the park, attempting to add a bit of festivity here in the park. There will be a Thanksgiving dinner, with only 6 people at each socially distant table, but we opted to have ours delivered to our home.

Abishag was a woman in the Bible who nursed a King. King David's physician recommended that he have a young maiden "cherish" him, in other words, a young maiden through physical contact she could give David the advantage of her youthful vitality. She was chosen as his wife because of her youth, beauty, and physical vigor. The prescribed treatment was not successful, as David died soon after. David's son, Adonijah,  then desired Abishag for a wife. He told  Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon of his wishes and she then brought the request to Solomon, who saw through the scheme as treason - as being  Adonijah's way of becoming the husband of a deceased king's wife and thus assume some authority. But his scheme cost him his life. It is so interesting to learn about this, as the Bible is indeed full of intrigue, conniving, and subterfuge!

Pastor Vance continued in the study of Philippians today, feeling that studying something familiar would help in this world of turmoil. God is calling us to lean into the life God has planned for us. We have to restore our relationships with God by surrendering ourselves to Him. We need sanctification by working out our salvation. You need to be intentional about your spiritual growth. Train yourselves to grow in God and stay connected with Him. Work toward all that God has planned for you. Embrace in the life that God has given to you - do not waste it. Let the Word of God reign over you and allow you to hear it. It is God who works in us. The Holy Spirit lives in us and does allow us to hear the Word. God gives us the power to live the abundant life that He gives us. We have to set a tone in our lives that reflects God's goodness. "Do all things without grumbling or questioning that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation , among whom you shine as lights in the world." Philippians 2:14-15. We have the right to speak up but we need to do so as followers of Christ. Look at today's world and find instead joy in Christ. It is easy to slip into a tone of anger and negativity. We all struggle to be in control but we need to be aware of God's presence everywhere instead of complaining.  Choose to trust God. We need to be recognized to be different - we can shine like stars in this dark world. As we enter this Thanksgiving season let us rejoice to be glad in the Lord. Tell someone how thankful you are for them to be in your life. 

Apologies

 I would like to offer my deepest apologies to all of our veterans, as I totally forget to mention Veterans Day in my last blog After reading so many posts on Facebook, I can see the proud loyalty of many families, as various family members had numerous relatives who served our country, many of whom lost their lives.  My father was quite a bit older than my mother, therefore he served in WW1, but in a very different way. He did not join the service, but served under the auspices of a group of Red Cross ladies who recruited young men to volunteer for the cause. He was only 17 when he served in the ambulance core in Europe where he caught shrapnel in his arm, which gave him a permanent disability - but could not collect anything from the government. He tells of working along side an Ernest Hemingway, who also served in the ambulance core but I do not know what capacity. I am proud of my father who served his country, although under very different circumstances. I have tried to find out any information about this Red Cross group, but have never found anything. So I salute all of those who have so gallantly served and sacrificed for us.

Caring Hearts Ministry is still going strong, despite the Covid virus. There are no cases in the colonias where we distribute, nor are any of our helpers ill. We keep to strict rules about masks (required) and social distance ( as much as possible ) and have no contact with those who pick up food. The food boxes we had received from the US government, under the instructions of Donald Trump, have slowed down, as those who originally received them for distribution to us have to renew their contracts with the government. If that will even happen we do not know because of the uncertainty in our country at this time. The election drama does have a lot of unintended consequences. We did receive huge, wonderful cookies, decorated with sprinkles and happy faces from a local bakery. Each family only received one, as we wanted to brighten the faces of as many families as possible. We will continue to distribute as long as our loyal ladies feel comfortable doing so

We had our first Chaplain's monthly meeting on Saturday. Our new chaplains were introduced again and gave a short story of their lives and how they came to become a part of CRM. The stories were funny at times, and really showed how God was working in their lives to bring the to this point. We spent time in prayer for those who requested it, and also for those who we felt needed  it. After sharing a wonderful fellowship meal of smoked chicken and all of the side dishes brought by chaplain's wives, we left feeling the closeness that these meetings bring to us all.

There were at least 3 women names Abihail mentioned in the Bible, as well as the fact that the name was used also for male as well as female. The name means Father, or Cause of Strength, or Father of Splendor.  Abihail #1 was the daughter of the son of Merari, of the tribe of Levi, the mother of Zuriel who was a "prince" among the families of Merari.  Abihail #2 was the wife of Abishur of the tribe of Judah, in the line of Hezron and Jerahmeel. Abihail #3 was the mother of Rehoboam's wife, Nahalath, and daughter of Eliab, David's eldest brother. There was frequent intermarriage on the house of David. In the male use of the name, Abihail, he was the father of Queen Esther. Some of this information may be a bit overwhelming, but I do find it interesting as I read the Bible and can associate the names to the people. Most of my information comes from "All the Women of the Bible" by Dr. Herbert Lockyer who was born in London in 1886, and was a pastor in Scotland and England before coming to America in 1935. He received a Doctor of Divinity from NW Evangelical Seminary. He returned to England in 1955 where he continued to write ministry until his death on 1984.

The world does not revolve around me! I was perhaps 7 or 8 years old when I realized that there were other 7 year old girls in the world with ideas and thoughts besides me. Sure, I had friends and schoolmates, but came to the realization that the world is full of people who generally think and act as I did - all who had parents other than mine, with their own particularities. It is truly hard to explain, but living was not about me and my own world. The city of Philippi was governed by the Roman law, even though Rome was 800 miles away. From prison, Paul encouraged them to act like Romans, as well as being a part of the kingdom of God. Whatever happens to you, live up to God's Word. Whatever has happened to you tends to allow you not to live live up to the Christian life. We sometimes we feel we deserve to act unChritianlike. Paul challenged the Philippians (and us today)  to act in such a way to honor our King. We need to aim for unity and live in humility. The Philippians faced pressure from the outside just as we do today. We have to stand united to respond to and overcome the pressures upon us in this world. We need to know that we do not stand alone. If we stay together, we survive. Satan's plan is to divide and conquer us. Our enemy loves to use the vision of discord to lose the vision of Christ. Make a commitment to stand together as brothers and sisters in Christ and stay strong to the Word. In the end, we know who wins. We are privileged to struggle for Christ. Jesus told us we will have trouble in this word, but Christ eventually wins. Have the courage to know that we can stand united for Christ. There are also eternal dangers that tend to undermine us.. Don't be your worse enemy. In all things, LOVE. Consider others better than yourself. Do everything for others and not for yourself.   

Strawberries, Bananas, and Pineapple, Oh My

 We had such an amazing blessing this week, as we received a huge abundance of fruit, including strawberries, bananas (those small, wonderful tasting ones,) pineapple, and guavas, not to mention the large variety of vegetables - but no tomatoes. Guess they are not in season - (but everyone is asking for them!) Another missionary from Matamoras had called and brought 100 boxes of prepackaged food (mostly dairy, such as a gallon of milk sour cream, cottage cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese, potatoes, apples, chili chicken, and 2# packages of shredded chicken).  What a blessing. Everyone went home with a big box of veggies, fruit, and a box of dairy products. Also included was a letter from our President, encouraging them in this time of Covid. 

                                              Our faithful ladies packing food - this was toward the end of the supply,                                                             but as you can see, the boxes still were full

                                                   this amount of food was given to each family

                                       

                                     as well as a box of the dairy products provided by another ministry. One of our                                          ladies unloading one of 100 boxes for us, while missionary Vanessa looks out                                              for her own son in the trailer.   

Abigail was a women with beauty and brains. Her name meant "Whose father is joy". She brought gladness wherever she went. She had strong religious witness and a large knowledge of Jewish history. Her husband, Nabal, was the direct opposite. A bear of a man, harsh, rude, and brutal. He was also very selfish, stubborn, and ill-tempered. An unbeliever, he bowed to the Baal god of the world. Abigail begged for mercy from King David, telling him to pay no attention to her husband who was a fool. Today, sometimes a lovely face hides an empty mind, but Abigail was lovely as well as intelligent. She knew God and even though she lived with a bear of a man, she remained a saint. She had the tact of a wise wife and the religious principles of a good woman. After Nabal's  death, David asked for her hand in marriage and she became his wife. There was also another Abigail, who was the half-sister of David. They had the same mother but a different father. She married Jether, had a son named Amasa, who was a leader in David's army. 

Pastor Vance started a new series this Sunday in the book of Philippians - which is another of my favorite Books of the Bible. What are the basics of being  follower of Christ? Our world today needs the glory and joy of the Bible. Governments come and go, but the Word of God stays the same forever. Apostle Paul wrote this letter to city of Philippi while he was in prison on Rome. He is thanking the people for all they have done to help him. 10 years prior to this, Paul went to Philippi to preach as there were no synagogues there at the time. He heard of a prayer meeting near the river where he met Lydia, the first convert in Europe. At that time there was slave girl who made money for her owners because she could foretell the future. Paul drove the demon from her, thereby making her useless to her owners. They became mad and had Paul and Silas thrown in prison. They sang praises to the Lord all night long and witnessed for the Lord. An earthquake shook the prison in the morning and Paul and Silas were released. Paul and Silas soon left, but established the church in Philippi.  10 years later, the Philippians heard of Paul being in jail and took up an offering to help him. The theme of the book of Philippians is  joy. The second emphasis is on Christlike thinking. The summary is gospel centered thinking that brings lasting joy. Our spiritual connection is eternal. Paul was filled with emotion and love for those in Philippi. That fellowship is called Koinonia, which is the deep relationship that holds us together. Satan wants to get the upper hand by using social distancing to allow us to cool off in our relationship with Christ. Connect with other Christians to build each other up - don't let the world keep us from connecting with each other. Cherish your gospel centered perspective. Paul was living in a world of uncertainty just as we are in the world today. Things have not been looking good, but remember, God is up to something. He will leverage the unrest for His glory. We cannot let this uncertainty paralyze us. We have to find joy in the unrest. Do you cherish and nurture your Christ-centered relationships? Do you see life through the lens of the gospel so you can maintain an attitude of joy and thankfulness? 

Now that the elections are over (or are they) remember to respect the office of the President.   

Please Vote

If you have not voted yet, please do so - your vote does count. It is the privilege we have for living in America. The outcome of this election could change our county forever!!! 

Very quiet here in the park. Every night a small group of golf carts parade the whole park, honking horns with music paying, just to let us know that a few of us are around!! Last night there was a Halloween parade with quite a few decorated golf carts, as well as a few of decorated people. It was a fun distraction these days of Covid and political confusion. Not only did they perk us up, they threw treats at us. Sort of a small town celebration feeling.  Today a few are sailing their RC water craft, with a tent of food for sale and prizes, I think. Trying to make sense out of insanity today.

                              this lady witch was taking along a gentleman who need an electric                                                             cart to get around - fun for him - they tossed us a bag full of goodies

                                                    lots of puppies, too, out for an evening ride.

a few decorations

                                                 

                                                        these folks outdid themselves  

We are still delivering food to the colonias - although we did have a scare this last week. A lady was not feeling well last week and thought she might have Covid. She went to the doctor who felt that she was ok but had her tested anyway. She came out negative - thank  the Lord. . We are very careful about wearing masks and gloves, using hand sanitizer often, and keeping social distance as well as washing our clothes and showering when we get home  God is good and is watching over us. We continue to have ample food and other items available for all who come to pick it up. We help box it up (something we did not do before) but do now in order to speed the process up and help out the ladies. We even received a large box of individually wrapped candy for a Halloween treat. A small surprise for our people.

Did you know that Abia (or Abiah as she was sometimes called) was an ancestress of Christ? She was the wife of Hezron who was the grandson of Judah who came from the genealogies of Jesus. There seems to be no more information about her, but we hope that she knew and God as her heavenly father.

Speaking of genealogies, my brother took a genealogy test and found out that we are exactly what we thought we were. 50+ % Italian, a bit less of German with a tiny bit of Mongolian which was Hungarian. Also that we have 1200+ living relatives, of whom we know little or nothing about. Our father's family was totally obscure, and my Mother's Italian family was, well, guess you all know about the crazy Italians!!! I do say that with love as I am proud of my heritage, ancestors who came to America and made good for themselves. And that is what America is about today.

2020 will certainly be a year to remember. Covid, hurricanes, the election, and civil unrest all over the country. We all need to be in prayer at this time for our country. even the tone of the county today is different during this election time is contentious to say the least. "No matter the outcome (of the election) let's call off the Civil War". The news, politicians, and the tone of everyone seems to be anger in order to keep all of us riled up. "Your vote is important, but should be the tone of your witness". But, there is more to our witness than our vote. It is not what you say, but how you say it. We have to learn to manage our grace and use that grace in our speech and actions. We need to continue to create respectful debate. Do you want to make a point or make a difference? We can win the battle but lose the war. "Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil by good" Romans 12:21. Instead of bitterness, anger, or revenge, we should be kind to your enemies. Serve them, do something nice for them. Be Biblically correct in all that you do. This is what the Word of God says. We are driven by the spirit not by the flesh. The pattern of the world is to hate, use violence, be disrespectful, and use ugly words. Do not transform to the world. Overcoming evil by doing good is not easy to do, it is possible to be overcome by evil in these ways:

1) we live almost paralyzed because we ae overcome by the barrage of news today. All seems doom and gloom. We can lose sight of God.

2) We compromise and plunge into the reckless lifestyle of our culture today, the theme of which we cannot seem to beat them but need to join them.\

3)We join the mob and be fueled by anger, which just fuels more anger. 

As Christians and God's children, we are different people transformed through Christ . He is the example we follow. We  live empowered by His transformation. We answer to our calling in Christ. To follow Jesus is not easy. We follow the example of Christ. We have to trust in the Father. We need to follow the pattern and send a new tone to our culture. We choose to love, not hate. "When someone strikes against you, don't curse it, don't nurse it, don't rehearse it, but reverse it". Quote from Dr. David Jerimiah. 

Please be in prayer for our CRMI board chairman, Bill Arthurholt, who had a small stroke which has affected his speech. Pray for healing, as his speech is a huge part of his witness.  

Remember - get out there and VOTE if you have not already done so.