Paper Overload

 This has been a busy week as we prepare to reopen the distribution to the colonias. All cases of Covid have been cleared, so we will begin distribution on Tuesday, and then again on Friday. The folks who pick up food have been checking every week to see when we will be back. Even though we have not gone to the colonias, the donations from others continues. We received a very generous donation of canned goods, ice cream bars and fudgesicles, and loads of paper goods - toilet paper. paper towels, and kleenex!! We bagged the toilet tissue so that each family would receive 2 rolls each, along with either a roll of paper towels or a box of kleenex. It seemed the fairest way of doing it and insure that everyone received the same. We had so many ice cream treats that one of the chaplain wives and myself went around our neighborhood and surprised our neighbors with special treats. We also received many loaves of garlic bread which make our Texas room smell delicious!! We are so thankful for all who donate - and are surprised every week with something new. Who would have thought I would spend a day bagging toilet tissue - what a great God we serve. 

We met with the West area Chaplains for luncheon and fellowship one day - all observing Covid rules. It was good to see and visit with each other - enjoying the company, sharing, caring, and praying. We are just normal folks - laughing, sharing thoughts and ideas, just as any other group of friends do. All of us are just trying to get through this rough time in our country right no and come out fairly sane and normal in the end.!! The Covid seems to be fairly contained here in the park - a few cases but no huge outbreaks. We all try to be very careful - we ourselves do not attend any of the few activities right now the park - for safety reasons and also the fact that we do not have a lot of spare time. 

The days have been warm, and the evenings and mornings cool. When I walk in the evening before dark  yes, I still am fearful of the dark, it seems so peaceful and serene, as if there is no threat in the world at all. It gives me time to reflect on the day, the beautiful environment around me, and wind down for the day - even though the dishes are waiting for me when I back home (Fred has surprised me every one in a while and had them done when I returned, especially on days when there is a minimal amount to do).

Ahlai #1 was the daughter of Sheshan and a descendant of Pharez, the elder son of Judah and Tamar, whose name appears in the royal genealogy of Jesus. She was given in marriage to an Egyptian servant, and became the mother of Attai. Ahali #2  was the mother of Zabad, one of David's mighty warriors. This may seem pretty boring right now, but it lets us know that women played an important in Scriptiual history. Aholah and Aholibah are two symbolic women ( likened to naming a ship or a hurricane). We do not know what their names stood for. It is unclear who these last two women actually were. Aholiab was a man who was empowered by God to fashion the furniture of the tabernacle while the women spun the blue, purple, and scarlet yarn for the tabernacle cloth - Aholibah may have been the symbolic name for these women. 

As we travel through the Book of Nehemiah, I begin to have a clearer understanding if Nehemiah's place in Scripture - to be a model for us to press on. We begin to see that Nehemiah was fighting for future generations, just as we are doing today.  There were no recorded miracles in the Book of Nehemiah - the miracle was God working in and through the people. Just as in Nehemiah's time, God has given each one if us a God-given purpose to fulfill in our lifetime. We need to have a dedication to God. We must have an anointed resolve to thin bout our purpose in our life, actually God's purpose and to fulfill it. There is a quit culture going on now - it is the tendency to give up. Refuse to be distracted and keep your eyes on the goal. We cannot stop important work by getting distracted by others. Stay focused on the task in front of you. The lifetime of opportunity must be seized in the life of the opportunity. We see to be dying today by distraction. Make the most of right now. It seems that all of us can be easily intimidated. Be like Nehemiah and refuse to be intimidated and continue working on the wall with greater determination. He prayed to the Lord oi stay on task, just as we should.  There is a movement today to silence the word of God but He is the only answer to our broken world. He cannot be canceled. In today's world, your character can be attacked. Don't back down from danger. Don't be afraid of man but be afraid of God's disappointment. Simply refuse to quit. Persevere to the end - finish well. Finish the race God marked off for you. 

 

What to Wear

 This past week has been a weird week of changing clothes daily. At first it is cold and rainy, then it warms up and the clothes you wore this morning are too much. Perhaps this is a sign of the coming spring. Covid is still around here in the Valley - one of the parks is completely locked down as there are 40 cases in that park. Our park is good so far, a few cases, but all seem to be minor with no complications. We continue to pray for God's protection to keep us all safe. We will be checking later this week to see what the status is in the colonias where we serve to determine if we will begin distribution again. We continue to get contributions which we are stock piling so we can have plenty to share. Fred has bagged 390+ bags of dried beans, along with 5 cases of salt packages, and of course, let us not forget all of the Cadbury eggs!!!  We look forward to seeing our faithful ladies again, but  are going to take every precautions, even if it means not delivering a week or two later than planned. God is on control and we will let Him do the planning. He definitely is in control, but He does not expect us to lean on the shovel and pray for a hole.

We are accomplishing a few things around the house while we have a bit of spare time. I completed 2 UFO's - unfinished sewing projects that have been hanging around for a bit - one of them for 2+ years. I also am thankful for the quiet time I can spend in reading.

Ahinoam #2 was a Jezreelitess who eventually became one of David's 8 wives. She became the mother of David's first son, Amnon, who was murdered for violating his half-sister. Did Amnon inherit  his evil trait from his mother who was probably as bad as she was beautiful?  Beautiful  was David's downfall so many of his children were beautiful on the outside but had no inward beauty. Ahinoam and Abigail were captured by the Amalekites but David attacked them and retrieved his wives. 

In Nehemiah 4, there are a lot of references to discouragement. Has any of you been discouraged this past year? If you say no, you probably are not being too truthful.  Discouragement sucks the encouragement. It feels that at no time in our own lifetime has we been more energized to rebuild our world. Things have become more complicated as we travel this maze of uncertainty today. the people of Jerusalem were halfway through the rebuilding of the walls when things become complicated as they met with opposition. Satan used their enemies to discourage them. He used every thing he could to get into their brains to use physical and psychological warfare against them. There are  many causes of discouragement:                                                                                                                                         1) fatigue - both emotional and physical.                                                                                                   2) frustration - a person cannot get work done in the face of confusion                                                   3) fear - we can produce fear when we listen to outside influences                                                    What are the cures for discouragement:                                                                                                         1) reorganize - do a complete pivot. We need to make changes and focus not on what we can't do but on what we can do.                                                                                                                                      2). renew our commitment. If you don't have a personal mission statement, create one. If you have one, renew it.   Love God, love others, serve others.                                                                                            3) recognize and serve your church community, either in person or virtually.                                            4) remember who the Lord is - He is great and awesome. Don't pay attention to those who try to discourage us. He who is with us is greater than who is against us.                                                            5) resist - take a stand - fight for our future generations.                                                                                                                                                 

 

Fellowship Time

 Due to most of the parks and their restrictions, we seldom have  time to fellowship with other chaplains. Today we met for lunch with two other chaplain couples and another couple at a favorite place that was not even available to us last year, and very limited seating this year. Previously though it was almost a monthly meeting for us all ( 10 people or more). So much has changed this past year as we wait for things to get back to some what normal. It was a great time though as we visited, prayed for each other, and just relaxed form the craziness of the world today. I wrote a perspectives for the weekly newspaper that is published for Winter Texans about patience, so I will print it here for you - I too, need to try to practice patience as we wait for the Lord:

  Patience

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” How hard is it to be patient? It is a true test of your faith if you truly trust the Lord with patience. I know it is often very difficult for me. I am the type of person who wants to get things done quickly and efficiently, often not waiting for God’s perfect timing. I really have to concentrate on patience. Do we really understand what waiting patiently for the Lord means? Lazarus’ family called for Jesus to come because Lazarus was dying, yet Jesus stayed 2 more days before going to where Lazarus was in Bethany. He even told his disciples that Lazarus was dead. When Jesus arrived at the home of Lazarus, he found out that Lazarus had been in the tomb 4 days already – passed the time when a body decomposes. Mary, his sister, told Jesus that if He would have come sooner, Lazarus would not have died. Many of the mourners felt that Jesus could have saved Lazarus from dying if He had been there. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, not for His own glory, but for the glory of His Father.  This past year has really been trying one for most of us, first the Covid virus, then the closure of so many things, especially our places of worship, and our shelter at home orders. All of this has tried our patience and still is. We know that God has a plan for us, as well for our world. It is difficult to be patient – waiting for a vaccine for the virus, waiting to be able to shop again like we used to, waiting to be able to worship as we did before the virus, in some cases, waiting for a business to reopen so people can get back to work. As young children, we waited for patiently for Christmas, all the excitement being built up for days. And what joy we had when it finally arrived! Just imagine our own joy and excitement when the Lord comes again as we patiently for that to happen, either in this world or the next, for we know that then everything will have happened for the glory of God. Pray for daily patience to  God take the lead and let everything in your own life be done for God’s glory and none of your own. Be patient, wait on the Lord, and find peace in His presence. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” James 1:2

Ahinoam in the Bible was the daughter of Ahimaaz and the wife of Saul, Israel's first king. She bore him a son, Jonathan, who had all of his mother's good traits. Her second daughter, Micah, was David's first and most beloved wife. Not much more is known about her, but you have to admit her place in Biblical history is most important to the entire story.

Vance continues his sermon from the book of Nehemiah (I have learned how to spell this name - another plus from writing a blog!). We need a burden for our community, a reason and purpose to serve. In today's world we are like sheep without a shepherd. In 2021 we need to submit to the Lord, be a servant for  Him, and let others see Him through us. Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem to hep build the walls - he did not go just to supervise or direct, but to be involved in the whole process. He had all the material resources to do so, but he needed the physical help to do it. "Teamwork makes the dream work", a quote from a coach and preacher friend of our Pastor Vance's. To do God's work, we need a common vision and team work. we have to be able to asses the situation. There was a lot of rubble in Jerusalem, just as there is in the world today. It is easy to point out a problem but we need to paint a picture of what needs to be done to slolve and fix it. Be optimistic about the future. the gracious hand of God was on Nehemiah in order for him to be able to return to Jerusalem.  We need to look for evidence of the hand of God on us. Remember, if we make decisions to move forward with God, we will meet with opposition.  In today's world, we are in rebuilding stage, but our mission has not changed. The mission in our church is to Love God, Love others, Serve others. We cannot worry about what we cannot do, but about what we can do. the only hope for today is to have a relationship with Christ. To accomplish God's mission, we need willing workers, anyone who makes themselves available can be used. We need to make ourselves ready to serve. We need to be flexible - to be ready to do whatever is need even if it is out of our comfort zone. Everybody can do something. Appreciate the power of teamwork. We need to work with unity. A house divided among itself will not stand. We need to pit our heart into it and work where we are right now. Serve how and where you can.   

Memories

 This has been a pretty strange and wildly surprising week. Our ministry was donated two truck and trailer loads of fabric - what a treasure. We shared this fabric with 4 other ministries who were so grateful. Our sewing group here at the park had first choice as we parked by the Annex and the quilters began to stream out -like a bunch of kids in a candy store. They were awed at the amount of fabric - not what the usually use for making quilts, but a lot if usable fabric. They were thankful as I told them to even take anything they could use for their personal use. We than went to Children's Haven, where some of the larger bolts were taken by Director Betsy Chicon to use as background for events at the refuge in Reynosa, Mexico. Betsy then called another ministry that we use at times to come and chose what they wanted. They then donated what was left to a minister who ministered in Mexico. So many people were blessed by someone else's leftovers! The next day one of our suppliers called with 6 skids of donations to share with us. We have closed the distribution in the colonias as there is Covid there right now - we plan to resume distribution the first of February if all is clear. We did take  few of the items that we could store until then - two boxes of quilted blankets, a large box of containers of salt, dried beans which Fred packaged into 180 family size bags, and least but not least, many boxes of Cadberry candy eggs! We also received a donation of 4 large spirial hams. Even though we did not distribute in the colonias, God certainly kept us busy.

All of the activities on our park are closed down right now because of 6 cases of Covid in the park. We usually do not take part in games, cards, programs, etc. as we seem to be busy with the Lord's work, so we will continue to be extra cautious - only going to the hall for the mail and not congregating. 

As I was on facebook one day, I noticed that someone we knew was going to be in the Valley. A next door neighbor of 40+ years ago was nearby, so I messaged he rand asked if we could meet. She babysat for our girls and her parents were good friends. We meet on Friday at an outdoor Mexican cafe and visited for about 2 hours - what fun that was. I recognized her immediately although she had changed, as I am sure we have too. It was a fun time, remembering all the silly things that happened in the unique neighborhood we lived in at the time, as well as sadness as we noticed all of those who had gone on before us. We both we amazed that we were there, in that particular place, at that time. God wasn't though.

Saturday we had our monthly chaplains meeting, at a park on a channel form a busy river. As we were there, a huge barge came by, entertaining us all. One of the chaplains signaled the captain to blow his horn, which he did to accommodate us! It was a truly awesome meeting, with lots of prayer, praise, and song. One of our chaplains recently had several strokes and is living his last days here on earth before entering eternity with the Lord. We spent time in prayer for him and his family. A great meeting with a deep feeling. of fellowship.

If you look out of the window, you can see the barge coming around the bend

only about half the length of the barge and its cargo

                                    

                                           one of the new chaplains leading us in song and praise

Another lady of  Scripture that is quite obscure is Adah #2 - I talked about Adah #1 in a earlier blog. She was the daughter f Elon, the Hittite and one of the wives of Esau. She became a "grief of mind" to his parents, Isaac and Rebekah. I wonder how any mother-in-laws today think of their daughter-in-law in the same manner?? She became the mother of Esau's first born and along with his other wives, became an ancestress of the Edomites who were treated like brothers of the Israelites. I enjoy learning about these ladies of Scripture and hope I am not boring you with all these stories.

Our music minister Keith Bostain, gave the sermon this morning. Keith is very instrumental in arranging the mission trips ( and going on), usually building homes in areas that have been devastated by storms, etc. These trips include a lot of the youth and very qualified folks who feel the need to do so. It seems very apropos for him to give the message from Nehemiah about rebuilding. Keith gave us 4 points to think about and ponder. Nehemiah was the king's cupbearer, so he had a pretty scary job. He was to test  king's food and drink to make sure it was not poisoned. He herd of his peoples troubles in Jerusalem although he himself had never been there. He was perhaps born in Babylon. He was a servant of the Lord, just as we are. As so, we need to reject passitivity. Make yourself available and get out of your comfort zone. Become refreshed because you serve and are refreshed by others. Make a plan to serve. Become available to suggestions and lay out a plan to serve. Accept responsibility for the project. Lead courageously. Get out of your comfort zone again and be prepared to face adversity. Ridicule is the weapon folks use when they do not understand your mission. We need to show others who Jesus is by mission work. And lastly, expect God's reward. Don't be surprised if the results are beyond your expectations. Do you have a burden your heart for mission work? Get out of your comfort zone, work well with others, and be available to God. 

 

Hello 2021

 We are back in S Texas after spending 2 weeks with family and friends. The final trek of the journey from Joshua to Alamo was a bit of a trial, as we had rain for most of the way, heavy at some times and the fear of it turning to ice as the weather was cold at first. But God protected us all of the way, we made good time, and arrived safely home. Needless to say, we did not do too much after we arrived, just a sigh of relief. 

I am so ready for spring - after taking down the Christmas decorations, I decided to add some spring color and flowers to our kitchen. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                         Waiting for spring

It is very evident that Satan is alive and well in the world today. Our CRM organization is being bombarded with illnesses. Two of our Texas chaplains have serious issues - one with liver issues and is on dialysis, the other in the hospital with a serious brain bleed. Several in Arizona have COVID, as wells as one also in Florida and our own CRM Manager in Colorado.  Please keep the all in your prayers and send the Devil back to where he belongs.

The virus has now affected our ministry - some of the ladies who are our faithful workers have been exposed to COVID and one of them is ill but has not gone to the doctor because of lack of funds. We have not been around any of them for about 2 weeks, and now intend to suspend the food distribution for at least two weeks. Our hearts are sad as these wonderful folks truly need the commodities we provide, but for the sake of all of our health, we feel we must do this. We still continue to collect contributions ( we even received two bags of Christmas presents that we have a place for, but will wait before handing them out.)  It will be an after Christmas surprise for some kiddos.

So far there is no COVID in our park and everyone seems to be following COVID rules. It has been a strange year for everyone, one which we will always remember. Our return to normal will never be the same as the pre-COVID normal, but I believe we all have learned from this. The turmoil over the election is another issue plaguing us - God has a plan for us and our country and we need to put our trust in Him. 

While in Arkansas, we did not attend our home church as there were some who were affected by COVID - we conceded to the side of caution. Today, back in S Texas, we again watched online, wishing we could have been there in person, but praising God that we have the technology to be a part of the service. Pastor Vance preached from the Book of  Nehemiah, which concentrates on rebuilding our lives.  Most preachers tend to preach from this book as they are ready to  launch another new building program. Nehemiah offers motivation even if the task is daunting. The name Nehemiah means "God is with us". Nehemiah brings comfort and hope to his people in captivation. We don't have clarity of what 2021 will bring. We need to have the ability to be faithful no  matter what happens. Even if we cannot see clearly, we can walk with God who is walking with us everyday. How can we be faithful in 2021? We have to prepare ourselves to be leaders before we can lead. The people of Judah were faithful to God, but continued to bow to the culture of those around them. God punished them by destroying Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. He took the people from Jerusalem and moved them to Babylon. God promised to bring them back to Jerusalem in 70 years. Zerubbabel allowed the people return to Jerusalem but the walls of the city were still destroyed - a pile of rubble, even though the temple itself was rebuilt. Nehemiah was still in Babylon and could not help his people.  God was not looking for ability but for availability. He used unlikely people to become available to Him. Nehemiah was upset and prayed and wept to God, as we should do, about what God wanted him to do. Prayerlessness is a condition of pridefulness. We cannot do the things we used to do for many reasons just as Nehemiah could not be with his people to share their despair. Jesus' answer to Nehemiah prayers was to find workers for the harvest - He needed Nehemiah to pray. There is no other hope but in Jesus Christ. Nehemiah fasted and prayed. When we pray we need to: 

1) acknowledge who God is and ask Him to hear our prayers.  It reminds us that someone is greater in this world than the world itself.  Let your ears hear, be attentive. 

2) confess your past in not keeping the spiritual feeling in the world today. 

3) remember God's promises. 

A good father disciplines his children, as God did for Nehemiah's people. But He forgives when you are repentant. Ask God to act - let's be willing to let Him be a part of our prayers. As we see our world today, God has called you for such a time as this - let us pray for God to use you for His purpose.