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.
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