Happy Fall Y’All

Happy Fall Y’All

Fall is my very favorite time of the year. Yes, I love Christmas and Easter, but fall brings special memories of the smell of leaves burning, harvesting the end of the garden produce, pumpkins, and the excitement of the kids returning to school and Halloween. Sometimes I dreaded the school year beginning because of the expense of outfitting and providing school supplies for 4 girls! I hated to tell them that, no I could not buy 2 pair of Levi jeans for each kid – way too expensive. Our girls were very creative – one of them sewed her own jeans and then sewed the Levi label on to it – the others just sewed Levi labels on their Plain Pockets. Problem solved. It does not seem like fall here in the Rio Grande Valley as the temps today are still on the 90’s.  I did get my fall decorations out and put up – a new twist on the decorating though. We were deep cleaning the Texas room when I decided I needed to move my spinning wheel out of the corner and put it in the living room. Fred then informed me that there was no room for it there – whoops. So I picked my battle and went with his suggestion –put it on the landing in the Texas room. Beautiful, don’t you think?

A bit dark, but looks good

This pumpkin belonged to my mother-in-law when she was in a nursing home. We bought it for her and kept it filled with her favorite hard candy.

Detail of one of my creations

We were actually busy this week with pick-ups for both Children’s Haven Resale Shoppe and our Caring Hearts Ministry. Fred was busy moving stuff around in the storage container making room for new supplies which will be coming soon. We did some clothes sorting, and packing for the ministry – mostly fabric donated by others for quilts that Ida and her gals will be making. I even contributed a bit of fabric as I sorted and cleaned out my “stash”. I also found time to cut all the strips for another quilt that I am starting – lavenders, greens, and greys - should be nice when finished. We are making strip quilts in our Friday Busy Bees quilting group, so thought I would get a head start.

Our sweet Miss Opal is on a rehab right now, as she became ill and had a pacemaker put in. She now needs rehab time to try to get her strength back. We visited her this morning and she looked pretty perky, although she seems resigned to the fact that she has to slow down and cannot do as much as she has done. She said she was ready to go home as she has accomplished everything that she ever dreamt of doing – I don’t think the Lord is done with her yet though. Please keep her in your prayers for God’s will to be done.

Have you ever thought or wondered if you are truly representative of your community?? When we are in Arkansas we truly are – as most of the folks there are Christian, Caucasian, middle to upper class folks, just the epitome of all American person. But being down here in South Texas made us realize that we are not representative of the community around us – which is mostly Hispanic (At the grocery store this morning we were the only Caucasians there), lower to middle class, mostly single parents, struggling to just make a living at mostly minimum wage. Oh sure, there are Hispanic doctors and lawyers, but those are the exceptions, not the norm. If you truly want to be part pf the community, you have to get to know their culture and their place in society in order to be able to talk to them about your faith. When we are in the colonias, Fred and I often forget where we have come from and imagine ourselves in the same positions the folks are there. We try to imagine the gratitude that they have for the gifts of food and clothing in order for them just to manage from week to week. We often forget how very blessed we are – but in retrospect those folks also feel very blessed. If you want to minister to others in a different sector of society or religious faith, you have to actually try to imagine yourself in their position without seeming to be superior or “above them”. Try to feel their hurt in times of depression or devastation, or exasperation at seemly stuck in a rut and cannot get out. Love them, encourage them, and become a part of them.

Please keep a family in prayers as they have lost a son/father/ husband/brother this morning. A close cousin (as well as close friends) lost their son this morning to cancer – Brian was only about 56 and was just diagnosed 2 months ago and went very quickly. Our hearts ache for that family, as our kids grew up together in their early years. We will always hold a special place in our heart for Brian.

Normality?

What is really normal? Normal for us may seem quite the contrary to someone else. We traveled to the Valley last Wednesday with a really cool overcast day and very little traffic. Arriving home on the Valley and unpacking took up what was left of the day. We did have to make a stop at Subway for a quick sandwich and then to the store for eggs for breakfast, otherwise no more until the next day. It was a relief to be back home and to try to unwind for a few days before the “normal for us” routine begins. Already we have had to sort clothing and unpack a trailer full of food packets for the colonias – the works began immediately on Thursday.

Our CRMI fall conference and training is coming up in October and now chaplains are signing up for the training, paying their fees, and requesting parking spots for their RV’s or needing housing at Lakewood Park. We have many returning chaplains, as well as a few new ones here in Texas as well as those returning to Arizona and Florida. Our administrative secretary and I (treasurer) are both resigning this year so that will also involve training of those wonderful ladies who will be taking over for us. Many things are changing on our organization as well as most of the RV parks- an end to an era I do believe. Change is good for the most part, so it is good to see new blood taking over during this transition. God has laid a plan out for us and has removed yet another obstacle in the way of our path. Pray that we continue to listen to Him and follow His plan for our lives.

The weather continues to be hot and humid, although it seems as if the 100 degree weather has left, to be replaced by middle and low 90’s. A bit of rain the past two days has really perked up the grass and flowers in anticipation of the return of the Winter Texans in about a month or so.

Attending our Texas church for the first time since returning, we noticed that the attendance was really low – people on their vacation, the weather, and absence of Winter Texans seem to be the reason. Miss Opal did not come with us this morning – after a few phone calls when she was not ready for church this morning, it was revealed that she is in the hospital as of yesterday, due to what was thought to be a heart situation, but needs further testing. Pastor Robert is doing triple duty for a few weeks as Pastor Ricky is on a vacation. 

Our sermon this morning sort of tied into last week’s sermon n Joshua, Texas. There are many ways we can share the gospel of Jesus to others without offending them or seeming to come on with a holier than thou attitude. Thinking about doing or praying about doing something is easier than actually doing it. When we think about sharing the Word of the Lord we often fall short of actually executing the thought. We need to use our words, heart, and hands to convey this message of following Jesus, but action is required to share our faith. Christians are often thought to be hypocritical – tending to criticize those who are different than us in their faith or walk in life. How can we share our faith so that people take us seriously when we tell them about Jesus? We need to step out of our comfort zone. When questioned about our faith, we are often afraid of being offensive as we share our beliefs. We need to have courage to take a stance and profess our faith to those who question it. As we serve God through good works we become noticed by others. When we are questioned about why we are doing what we do we can answer that we are doing it for Jesus Christ – then tell them about Him.

Homeward Bound

We are on the final leg of our journey back to the Valley as we take a break with fellow chaplains Roy and Paula Gee in Joshua, Texas. It has been sort of  a hectic last two weeks ( hence the absence of a blog post last week). Between getting new phones  and dealing with the changes and "oops" of learning to operate a new device, and the gatherings of family and friends we were seemingly on a  dead run.

Our son-in-law cut open a strange rock which we thought was perhaps a geode. What a surprise when a dark liquid flowed out which smelled like diesel fuel and burned when lit. I tried googling it but only saw an Arkansas shale rock which it definitely is not. Thoughts, anyone?

 rock was round  this is the top of it

the inside - the hole was filled with the diesel fuel smelling liquid

Last Friday we picked up our Wisconsin daughter and drove to Fort Smith to another daughter's home where w had a family get together for the family that was able to attend. Of course, pictures were demanded amid the confusion of 4 daughters, husbands, significant others, grand children, and great grand children. We had a wonderful day of reminiscing, laughing, and just being together as a family. 

                                                             

our four amazing daughters - each one so special in their own way - from the youngest to oldest from the left - Christine,Connie, Brenda, and Chandra. Connie is the only daughter still living in Wisconsin

 Youngest daughter, Christine, her son,Seth,and his twin daughters, Kinsley and Kinley

 Christine again - her daughter Casey, and Casey's daughter Brielle, and son, Jaylen

oldest daughter Chandra, her daughter Sydney, and Sydney's daughter, Harper

  

great grandchildren enjoying the gifts bought to keep them busy for the day

We did miss our other granddaughter, Dela'von, (Connie's daughter in WI), and her two children, Avery and Milo. Dela'von is expecting her daughter (and our 8th great grandchild ) any time now.

Any visit to Aunt Chandra's house always includes a ride on Ruby, a very beautiful usually calm horse.  The kids did really well, lead by Chandra's husband, Darrell,  and grandson Seth. Since Ruby had not been ridden in awhile and it was terribly hot, she got a bit feisty and started to run with Brielle on board. She did very well holding on to the saddle horn and leaning forward as to not fall off.  Luckily, Darrell was still holding the lead rope and all was well. But it was then time to put Ruby up for a much needed rest. The kids got to ride by themselves,as well with as with their siblings and all did well. 

 Calm Miss Brielle after her "run-a-way" experience

 Brielle and brother Jaylen

 the twins with their Daddy Seth and Darrell

Harper, who lives close to her Mema (Chandra) and Pop Pop (Chandra's husband) so she gets to ride often

Sunday of last week we had a girls day where 3 of us ( actually 3-1/2 as Harper was with us)went to a junk day sale in Van Buren - checked out flea markets and antique shops, had ice cream (Harper wanted it so we had to have it too), on to Fort Smith for more flea market browsing. A good day !!!

We left for Joshua, TX and a visit with friends, the Gees. We have to have some work done on the vehicle, so are getting that done also. Before we left Prairie Grove, our home church sent us with many packages of a rice/veggie mix for our colonia family. We are beginnnig to miss the terribly, and anxious to return to the Valley and being able to provide for them.

This last Sunday was an all day church day it seems. We went to Sunday School, church, out for a leisurely lunch, then back to church for a small but beautiful wedding of an older couple, then out for a Dairy Queen, then back to church for Sunday Services for a program about Mission serving. Very informative program given by Bro. David Washer who will be going to Madagascar to serve the Lord. Lots of great ideas and thoughts for our mission work.

Sunday's sermon was based on the fact that we need to keep walking. We took the initial step in becoming a child of the Lord but it does not stop there. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. Salvation (coming to the Lord) is just the first step, not just the end of being saved. We are commanded to keep walking - to keep seeking more from the Lord.We keep walking because we are changed through salvation. The way we walk is just as important as we continue to walk. Remember to walk the talk - act like a true Christian and not revert to your old, sinful ways.We need to put on and put off. Put on the heart of compassion, kindness, humility, forgiveness, and love. Put off the worldly things. Take off the things that should not be a part of our Christian lives like sexual impurity, pride, lust,evil desire, gossip, greed, idolatry, anger, greed - you know them all. Put all of them to death. We can do this because we have brothers and sisters on Christ to help mentor us, The Word of God also helps us to put these things to death. Let the Word of God dwell in us. Do you have something that is keeping you from being the child of God you should be? Find Scripture that relate to this barrier, memorize it, let it be the forefront of your mind, and your will keep on  your walk  the Lord. 

"The lamb will lie down with the lion"

In reality, it was the deer will dwell with the dogs. As we were going to visit friends on a back road, we saw 4 deer ( a smaller one and three larger ones) close by in a field, just standing there and looking at something. A few feet away was a white dog walking down the driveway, a bit farther down the driveway there was a black dog lying down watching the deer. The deer looked at the dogs and just quietly steeped across the driveway, within a few feet of the dogs, who paid them no attention. We stopped to observe this scene. One of the deer looked as if she wanted to get closer to the white dog,but the the older deer all scampered off, urging the younger one to follow! What a beautiful sight. Why cannot we as humans take a lesson from this and learn to cohabit the earth with each other? How simple and easier it would be.

We again spent a lot of time on our daughter's patio, just relaxing and watching nature in action. The hummingbirds are now not afraid,and come to the feeder a few feet from us - the deer wander around below the hill, looking for food, not really aware that we are even there. Fred spends time scaring away the squirrels from the bird feeder, while I just chuckle and relax. It was a cold and damp day one day, so we had a fire again in the fireplace. So comfortable. I still cannot convince my daughter to buy marshmallows to make smores with though.

We are in the process of changing phone providers with all sorts of hoops to jump through. We were on a cooperate pan with others, but they have all dropped off, so we were picking up the whole telephone bill - plus the fact that that the service was not that good anyway. So we had to choose from plans, phones, etc, etc. Life was so much simpler with one phone in the house and a long telephone cord so a person could stretch it out when you wanted privacy!!! Of course we had party line, so we had to share telephone time with others, too.

We are starting to wind down as we prepare to return to the Valley and our wonderful ladies in the colonias who I am sure are waiting for us to return! We miss them and their warm welcoming smiles. We leave next week with a trailer full (33,000 individual packages) of additional food supplies for the colonias, but are stoppimg in Joshua, Texas, again to visit friends and break the trip up a bit. We should be home in S Texas by Sept 15 ready to continue the food and clothing ministry. We will have loads of clothes to sort and repack, and other things t catch up on, but are ready for the task.

Thanks to the saving grace of our Lord, all of our physicals came out normal except one, which involved additional testing. That, too, was good news - a benign cyst was removed with little or no discomfort. God is good.

This was our last Sunday at our home church as we will be in Fort Smith, AR this next weekend with our daughters- all four of them. One of our daughters still lives in WI so she is flying in on Friday to be with us there. So a fun family time on Friday, complete with food, of course.

Vance's sermon Sunday reference the heart of reconciliation. Are you convinced that One died for us all? If so, you then are compelled to tell others about Him. Doing good never changed people's hearts, Only God can do that. We are broken internally no matter how good we are - we are still sinners. When we are united with Christ, we are made new again We don't know what God has planned for us, but He WILL make us new again. We are changed from the inside out. God is the most offended because of our sin. We have to be reconciled with God,because our account of sin has been paid for by Jesus Christ. This was done so that we can be in a new relationship with Him. Jesus is the only one who was sinless - the unblemished sinless Son of God.

Summer Rain

There has been some summer rain here in NW Arkansas,, but it is always so beautiful after the rain. Just relaxing on the patio watching the world go by is our favorite past time right now. This morning we watched a tenny tiny blue tailed skink lizard scurry around on the patio. Even the black ants were bigger than he was. His tail is such a beautiful neon blue!!

looked out the kitchen door and this is what I saw - there were two of them

even the creepy spiders can show beauty - the intricate design of a morning spider web

If you enjoy cooking and like to experiment  with oils and vinegars, the place to visit is Cask and Grove in Fayetteville, AR. The have wonderful olive oils infused with a variety of flavors - my favorite being wild mushroom and sage. I did try the garlic and butter (you can taste all of the flavors) of which I bought some along with a mango white balsamic vinegar. The vinegar will be so tasty on salads, while the oils are great on sauteed veggies, etc. Even eggs fried in the garlic flavor oil sound delicious.

Pastor Vance is gone on a men's encounter, so we had Youth Minister Matt Tibbet give the sermon this this morning. He preaching is much different than Pastor Vance's, but so informative and easy to listen to. As believers, we have one job which is the the mission of taking the message reconciliation to the lost. If the disciples did not do this, we would not be here. The job itself has far reaching affects. Reconciliation actually means "exchange" from Greek. "The old had gone, the new is here." which is a verse from II Corinthians. Why should you care about God and bring reconciliation to the lost? The reason is simple - because He gave His own Son for us to be able to experience eternal life As we fulfill this mission we are concerned about how we should it. We should do nothing by our own vanity but in humility. Have the same mind set as Christ Jesus has.Be an ambassador in humility - lower yourself to be servants to the Lord. God does not count our sins against us just as we should not count others sins against them. How do we view others we are ministering to?  We should do so in the eyes of the spirit. Instead of seeing the sin, see the sinner in need. Do not look at them in the flesh - in their sin  or shortcomings - not of they were beneath you but in the eyes of the spirit. Be careful how you use your words.Are you coming across as humble, full of the spirit, or as pious superior? Love them all just as Jesus loves you. 

Talking to God

Do you find yourself talking to inanimate objects? As we are spending our time in AR with a daughter we enjoy watching her robot vacuum. Yep, it is fun to watch. But I find myself, as well as listen to Fred,  talking to this machine.  It seems to follow a person - it may be cleaning in the living room and all of a sudden it it right under my feet in  the kitchen. So I say ,"Quit following me, and it bumps into something and returns to the living room. Or we will say "wait a minute - I'll move that chair". How many times a day do you talk to inanimate objects? How any times a day do you talk to God? Driving into a parking lot of Wal-Mart, I spy a closer parking spot, and often just say "thank you, Lord". Or sitting on the patio and see a butterfly or a Bambi and doe come out of the woods and thank God for His wonderful creations made for our joy. Talk to God often, not only when you are in need, or asking for healing for someone, but as a friend. That is what He really wants - a relationship with Him. I try to thank Him the first thing in the morning as I wake up - thanking Him for another day - another chance to tell others about His wonderful grace.

A really busy week as we had 3 doctor appointments so far and two more coming up soon. We just keep praying for good results and continued faith in God's plan for our life.

Saturday was a special day as we celebrated the birthdays of 2 of our great grandchildren, Brielle, 4,  and Jayden, 2. It was choatic as it usually us with young children around but we feel so blessed to be able to attend these birthdays as the little grow and mature. It was a day of fun and laughter with the family. When things got too wild and noisy, we just retreated to the patio for quiet time. The kids were not afraid or shy with us, as we only see them about once a year. To see them grow and mature each year is such a pleasure.

                            Jaylen, 2 and Brielle, 4,  two of our 7 going on 8 great grandchildren, the birthday stars

 Jaylen, Brielle, and Mom getting ready to open their many gifts

great granddaughter, Harper, who loves to pose. She also love her G Pop.

I told Harper I wanted to take a pic -  she never ceases to pose

I was lucky last year to be able to find some time to sew quilts for two of our daughters - two other girls already have theirs, so this finishes that generation. One of our grand daughters got married last fall in Northern Wisconsin, so she received a quilt also. Hopefully I will be able to sew a few morw quilt tops to be able to get ahead of the demand - we still have 5 more grandchildren to sew for. God blessed me with the ability to create by sewing, so not only am I doing so for our family, but also for the colonias by making items to sell. 

 quilt for youngest daughter who likes turkeys - it fits perfectly in her bedroom - the 4 middle squares are turkeys

quilt for #3 daughter - fits her personality perfectly - she will be arriving in NW AR the week end of Labor Day

A warm and bit humid Sunday morning as we attended church services this morning. Vance continued his sermon series relating to Living Letters about having the confidence in our faith so we can obtain the final victory. We have a sense of confidence through the Resurrection and the spirit of faith.Our faith is not in ourselves or anything in the world but in the One. The One who knew what He did did in the Resurrection. Because of that, we all know how it is going to end

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We are confident that our present struggles are achieving eternal glory. "For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal". 2 Corinthians 4:18. Our bodies are aging and wasting away but inwardly we are being renewed day by day. "Win the day". Live for the day - yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not here yet. What God does in our life outweighs what is happening in our lives today. God God uses the daily struggles to strengthen us. Where is your focus - on the daily struggle and  material things? Or are you focused on the unseen? What is unseen is eternal, what is unseen is often unreal. If we ask God to open the eyes of our hearts, we can see what God want us to see. The temporary things of the world will pass away. We have a confident future in the Lord.

Our body is a temporary tent. It is a building of God waiting for us, not built by man. but by God. We have the Holy Spirit as a promise of what is to come. We have God's presence with us in the Holy Spirit, guaranteeing us of what truly is to come. We live by faith and not by sight. Our ultimate motivation to please God.

Thee is a an unspoken prayer request that needs special prayer. Please keep this in your prayers this week. 

Peachy

I love the Farmer's Market in Fayetteville, AR. We went Saturday (and got caught in a shower) mainly to see if the peaches were ready. We bought peaches and nectarines which were s soft and juicy. The only way to eat Arkansas peaches is to bite into them and let the juice run down your arms, head over the table to keep from getting your clothes sticky. They are so very delicious. There were many folks out shopping for fresh fruit, flowers, crafts, as well as the usual street musicians playing on thesquare, including all the dogs who are enjoying the walk, interested in other dogs and people as well. Love to go there and just watch people. Fred and I had lunch the other day at Loafin Joe's - a really unique place to eat as it was an old service garage remodeled into a place to eat. They serve homemade pizzas, subs, and the the most amazing salads around. I had a heart's desire salad which features artichoke hearts. I had enough to take him and share. Fred had a sub (on homemade buns) with homemade jalapeno chips.

Spent the last few days at our youngest daughter's home - sitting on the patio and watching the rain one day. The deer come out sometimes to delight us, as well as the any song birds which are not  prevalent in S Texas. The weather here is beautiful - we called friends in S Texas where the temps now are 106+. A much needed reprieve and rest for us. We have a lot of doctor appointments scheduled to make sure we get all of our medical stuff up to date. Visiting with friends - loving this down time right now, but missing all of our folks in the colonias in S Texas.

Almost back to Arkansas we travel the roads with beautiful scenery

soft rain and mist one day

we enjoyed a warm and cozy fire and watched it rain

Sunday was another beautiful day as we attended Prairie Christian Church with Pastor Vance Eubanks. Vance has been pastpr at our church for many years, but I never tire of his message and words of encouragement. It was great to be back "home" and greet old friends. Some of them with medical illnesses that have taken a toll on their bodies and for whom we continue to pray. A few new faces, but a feeling of love and protection. Vance's sermon of being"Living Letters Who Share the Glory" was so very relevant to everything we do today as Christians. It reminded me of last week when I prayed with a lady with  cancer in a nail salon. We are all living letters, representing the Lord every day with everything we do. We strive to not just be perfect rule keepers (which no one can be) but to also have a relationship with God. Following the law cannot change our hearts, but the grace for God can! We do not have it in us as humans to live perfectly. We all have spiritual death and have no hope except for God. The law is not there to just give us rules to follow,  the glory of the law shows us sin.The old covenant shows us that the debt of God's sin has been paid through God's grace. The old covenant of law leads us to a new covenant with God. We need a transparent, not a shameful ministry. We need to continue to be unashamed of the gospel of God. Compare yourself to a plastic bottle, which when empty is almost worthless. But when filled with coins it becomes something of worth. That is what where we need to be - filled with the glory of God - to share this with others. The same message that saved us will be the message.

I hope you continue to follow us as we travel along the path that the Lord has laid out for us. We see Him closing doors for us in certain areas, but there are more doors opening up for us. Pray that we listen to the voice of God and follow His will.