I am sure you all are getting a bit tired of me and my raving about Arkansas, but in my mind it is a truly beautiful state. It has about everything a person could want, except the snow for those who love the winter sports. It is wild in its beauty as well as comforting in its scenery. While coming back to our daughter's house the other day, I was lucky enough to snap a picture of 3 doe and their babies near the road. Such a gorgeous picture of God's creatures. And just look at another beautiful day in the country - the cows in a pond, just cooling off in the afternoon heat
the mothers are on a high alert as they spot our vehicle
A lot of folks, while travelling through Arkansas complain about the roads - yes we have crazy twisting roads, some are even quirky Following is one of my favorites - please look at each picture and follow the road - love it!!!
and now you are on the road you saw in the distance - you have just driven AROUND the hollow - crazy isn't it??? I giggle every time we travel this road - it is named Greasy Valley Road. The story behind it is the fact that years ago there were huge apple orchards in the area - the wagons would load up apples and head to the market. Upon going up the high hill, apples would fall off, causing the road to become greasy. Hence the name. One of the roads that branches off from it is called Apple Hill Road. Don't you love history - I sure do.
We will be leaving Arkansas in about two weeks to return to the Valley of S Texas, depending on the Covid virus numbers there. It has been really rampart there, but the numbers have been decreasing, so we will watch carefully and decide to return. Caring Hearts Ministry will be on hold yet until the colonias become virus free - we are praying for a relief so that we can return to serving those in need - those who have not even be able to obtain extra food for their families. We also cannot go to Reynosa, Mexico, to the refuge we work with as there, too, is an outbreak of the virus. Pray that the Lord removes this disease from our country soon. Returning to the park will be interesting, as we will be able to actually see the damage done by the hurricane.
This is the last week we have watched our twin great granddaughters for a couple of days a week as they will be returning to school next week. Two 7 years old competitive girls are truly a handful for GPop and Great Grandma, but we keep finding new ways to keep them entertained from playing board games, word search puzzles - even to putting makeup on GPop this morning!! (Don't tell him I told you that).
Sunday was a terrific day as we returned to actual services at our church in Prairie Grove. It was wonderful to see those who were in attendance, practicing social distancing but loving the fellowship of fellow Christians. Vance continued in his sermon series in James, preaching from Chapter 5, verse 7 and forward. James was addressing Christians who were oppressed in those time. It was a tough environment as they continued to wait for Jesus to return, trying to practice patience (which is not one of my strong virtues). We are not very patient in today's world - we, as we wait for the Lord's hand in selling our place in S Texas so we can to return to live in AR, as we wait for things to return to "normal" after this virus recedes, as we also wait for Jesus' return. The only way to develop patience is to practice it! Our lives today have been on hold for awhile - try to rely on God's plan and not our own version of it. Patience is trust. According to the Greek translation, patience actually means sort of taking a long time to boil. Trust in God's timing and agenda and not try to force our own. Believe and rust. Patience is the hope on God's return and His ultimate justice. Patience is another way of saying you trust in God. Making you heart strong in the knowledge that patience will bring a trust in your heart. Stay on task - don't be idle or lazy while you wait on God - it is an opportunity to let God work inside you. Look forward in hope. Without hope there is no patience. If you don't have hope you are lost at sea. Hope gets us through when we need patience. today's world seems to reject Christians, so we must be patient when we are not received well. Be careful about grumbling and complaining - present a patient attitude toward everyone. Not doing so feeds the fire of frustration. We especially need patience when problems are unexplainable. You can trust when you do not understand. Only with patience can we live a good life and find God. Trust god and be patient - God is in charge.
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