We have an addition to our immediate family, and no, not a great grand child either. Last Sunday our daughter was married in Las Vegas - a planned event that only the immediate family knew about. They wanted to surprise the rest of their friends and relatives, which they did. We welcome new son-in-law Earl Beaumia with love. Our daughter, Connie, also thanked Donald Trump for attending her wedding!! As they stepped outside after the ceremony, President Trump's motorcade passed by, waving at them. What a memory!!!
congrats to the happy newlyweds
Our CRM Chaplains conference was held this past week in Brownsville. We were able to attend the graduation ceremony and dinner on Friday as well as a tribute to Gary Laird, our board chairman, who passed away recently. Gary was an amazing role model to all Christians as well as CRM chaplains as he lived his faith. His calm and quiet demeanor will be greatly missed, as well as his vast knowledge. We know that he made a huge impact on our lives, as well as on the rest of the chaplains. We also held a short sending ceremony for the two new chaplains, sending them out to preach in their respective parks. It was also great to see the alumni chaplains as they too returned t serve in the Valley, although because of COVID we really do not know how it is a going to work. But God has a plan for us all.
two new chaplain couples in the front - this is not all of our chaplains, but just some who were able to attend.
Caring Hearts Ministry is going well this week, so we have an abundance for everyone. This last week we received a lot of produce, including strawberries (hooray, wonderful fruit) and even packages of hot dogs as well as more kolaches and Breadsmith bread. We also received two huge jackfruit ( perhaps the largest fruit there is ). It has the flavor of 5 different fruits inside - mango, pineapple, banana, heart of palm, and kimchi. Sort of tastes like paw paw soaked in pineapple juice .They can grow up to 100#. It has the texture of pulled pork. If a person wants to purchase some from the pulgas (flea markets) here, the cost is over $5 for a orange size piece. If you buy it in a store, one the size of a large watermelon is $25 or so.
outside of jackfruit
boxes of turkey dog packages
We have been brought from the bondage of slavery to the freedom of Christ, just as the Israelites were. We want the voice of God to be louder than the voice of the world. We have religious freedom, granted to us by the 1st Amendment. It is there to protect our civil rights. How does the Bible (the Word of God) speak to us about religious freedom in the world today today? If you keep track of the news our freedoms are under attack today. You are not at freedom to speak lies about someone or cause chaos though. The 1st amendment allows us to live as reasonable humans. We need to be free to have a dialogue with others about anything in the world today. Needless to say, everyone is religious, believing in something. Even atheists have a right to believe that they don't believe. The 1st amendment allows us to have a civilized society. We want to live in an atmosphere of permission not coercion. We cannot force others to be followers of Christ, but try to persuade them to do so. We live in a cancel culture - when someone disagrees with someone else they try cancel their beliefs ( being a bully). It is a cowardly approach which undermines what our country was established for. This is not the kind of world we want. The more visible your social status is, the more you become a target in our cancel culture. We need to come together and respect each other beliefs and thoughts. If we try to live Christian lives, we really go against the world culture. In order to save the church, prayer is a priority. Our general prayer should be that the gospel is for all people. Our specific prayer should be for leaders and all those in authority. They make decisions that make a huge impact in out lives. We want and deserve good government. We want to live out our faith in peace and quiet. Prayer paves the way for salvation for others. God delights in us when we share the truth. Pray that we continue to have the environment to be able to continue to do this. We believe in the Word of God - the only way to Him is through Jesus Christ. Find your hope in Him. We pray for the right to proclaim this. Read I and II Peter to see the way to do this. We need to proclaim this with courteousness and respect. As we stand up for what is right, be sure to use a Godly tone.
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