Spring is Here

Spring is definitely in the air I can tell it by the sneezing and snuffling I am experiencing, as well as the warmer weather (after it warms up from a cool morning), the folks all out riding their bikes and strolling around, visiting, even the birds in the morning seem to be singing more happily. Most of the fields have been plowed here in the Valley. Other fields are being harvested of cooler weather crops. There seems to be busyness all over. And next week-end we jump into daylight savings time. Where has the winter gone???

We have also been busy with the usual donations, ec. We have collected enough kitchen supplies to help out the family in the area that was robbed, as well as provide them with linens for the present time. Those folks who have donated sometimes do not know where exactly their donations go, but every single one has found a home and a purpose.

We are still in  holding pattern as we wait upon the Lord for direction - the direction that He seemed to have given us to return to NW Arkansas and the ministries there. We have not sold our home yet but put our trust in His timing. We had an open house yesterday with quite a few visitors who proclaimed that our home was very nice, but no offers as of yet. Our timing is not His timing for sure, and I am trying very hard to practice my patience. We both are trying to take each day as it comes, and pray for His will to be done.

It is also the time of year when the Winter Texans are itching to return to their Northern homes. A few have already left, while others are scurrying around to get the last mintue things done - trips to Mexico for shopping, medications, dental work, etc. It seems like they just arrived and are now planning their trek homeward.

The church we attend at Mission Bell has only 2 more services, then it, too, will be over for the season. We want to find another church to attend, as the one we had previously gone to during off season is not seeming to meet our needs. This morning Pastor Jim had a great service, including communion service. Next week we will have a pastor appreciation gathering after the service. We so much appreciate Jim and his down to earth messages - not "feel good' messages, but messages from the Bible to help us understand more fully God's plan for us and our part in a relationship with Him.Today's message was based on Matthew 16:24-26. "Loss is gain". This does not seem to make any sense, does it?? You can't take your earthly possessions with you - whoever saw a U-Haul following a hearse? Those who walk with God and are content with what they have, have much. God's economy does not operate like the worldly one does. Loss is gain in God's world. Could you give up what you have if God asked you to? Missionaries have given up so much and are content and blessed. Abraham left everything to follow God, not even knowing where he was going but he went nd God blessed him. If God asked, would you give up everything The blessings that you receive from giving up are enormous. Following Jesus is a  conscientious decision,a personal choice. It needs determination to follow Him and not the world. It is a committed denial. You need to be willing to deny yourselves and go without the desires of the flesh. We are our own greatest enemies. Our ownself stands in the way to follow Him. Struggles with ourselves will continue as long as we live. Following Jesus is a costly departure. We have to take up our cross and follow Him and be willing to die for Him daily. It is also a continual desire. Not just on Sunday or Wednesday, but everyday To follow Jesus requires effort and a commitment. Where do you stand today? Are you willing to give up everything to follow Him? His life was for our gain. You do not have to sell everything and go live in a dessert, live on honey and locusts, but turn your life over to Him and He will show the way.

A Plethora of Peeps

Since last week I have been undulated with Peeps!! My fun loving, amazing brother sent me 4 different parcels containing different flavors of Peeps. I even ventured to Wal-Met and found blue raspberry ones. So I will be in a sugar coma for the next few days. I love it!!! Oh, by the way, I went to the web-site of  the Peep manufacturer and discovered there are no pickle flavored Peeps. They never have nor is it in the process of making them. Someone evidently photo shopped the green colored Peeps and made us Peep lovers search for pickle flavor. Seriously though, putting all of this foolishness aside, we need to focus on the true meaning of Easter - especially with Ash Wednesday approaching. A lot of religions still keep to the tradition  of giving up something for Lent. I try to focus on giving, not giving up. And yet, it probably amounts to the same thing. I give up unforgiveness and pray for those who I think have wronged me. I give up the "Me" attitude and try to think of others. I try to give up speaking before I think ( which tends to be a bad habit of mine). Think about what you can give (or give up) this season.

Unbelievable flavors

I found this one at Wal-Mart

the newest flavor

Our Busy Bees Quilting group all made individual blocks of a Friendship Star which then were all incorporated into a quilt. One of our quilting ladies, who has been such an inspiration to me, just got here to the Valley after a round of cancer treatemment, so we all had voted prior to this to present her with the quilt which had a label attached which read "Busy Bees make good friends". 

Sue on the right who received this qujilt 

A truly busy week as usual, thus the reason for the late blog. We had a lot of donations - yesterday we went to a RV Park and came home with a Texas room full of clothing and other items for Caring Hearts Ministry as well as Children's Haven. A family recently bought a home nearby, went someplace for a few weeks,and came back to find their home here in the Valley totalty gutted. Someone had stolen everything - I mean totally gutted their entire home, appliances and everything.  Thanks to the donation we received, we are able to provide dishes, cooking  dishes,.linens, ect. How many times have I said that God knows before we do exactly what we need.

We went to a casual luncheon with the Chaplains form the West side of the Valley on Thursday. It was a great chance to get together, to see how their year at being a RV Chaplain  had gone(some were seasoned chaps and some were newbes). We were sad to learn that one coulpe was not asked to return to the park as chaplains - we never know why unless it is spelled out for them. We are praying for their future in CRM and hope to find a new park for them.

Saturday our park had it first Fur to Feather expo - an expo for all pet lovers. I did go to see all of the vendors even though we do not have a pet at this time.  We have had vasriuos dogs and cats throughout years and feel that the present time our lifestyle would not be fair to a pet. I would love a big dog - perhaps a husky of some sort, where Fred prefers a smaller inside dog.  A friend has a sweet Yorkie that could be fun to have that Fred loves. We shall see. I myself am more of a cat lover though - perhaps because of their attitude?

Sunday night there was a memorial service for those who had passed away in our park (either a recent or former resident). It was a very nice service honoring the loved ones who had gone on ahead to Lord. Their names were read while friends could honor them by coming forward and lighting  candle in their memory. I was surprised that I did light quite a few few candle for those who had touched my life on some way or another. A beautiful cross was handmade by a resident from cedar with shelves incorporated on it where we put the tea light candles. Many were just left at the base as the shelves were all full of glowing candles. The lights were dimmed as we sang the final hymn. It was indeed very moving.

Sunday we went to Church at Mission Bell and then to the church picnic - sort of a off-site picnic at a local park.It was really very enjoyable - lots of great food and company, gospel music in praise of our Lord, and a few testimonies. The weather was good, excep tfor the ever present S Texas wind and the fire ants who chewed up my toes!!

a large crowd

 

singing long to gospel music

Pastor Jim's message was based on Romans 8:28-30, entitled "All Good"?  All things are not good, But God works to make them good. Death, cancer, addictions, war, blasphemy are not good. God will take thing that are bad and make them good. Sodium and chloride are not good - they are poisons- but together they make salt, which in small amounts is god for our bodies. All things work together for God's purpise. There is a certainty in the cross which was  certainly not a good thing. We know Jesus die for us and our sins. In time God's pln came together. If we live by His promise, good things will happen for us. There is a completeness  in His promise. God gives us the test first, then the lesson, just the opposite of our school days. There is the cause of the promise that all things work out for the good. Pray for God's will, not our own selfish will. The promise is not automatic, it has a condition, "to them that trust in God". We must love God and cannot claim the promise ( all things work together for the good of those who love God). We need to  love God above all things, just please God above everything else. Consequences of the promise is that we have to recognize God's hand in everything that comes our way. What is the good that we in all things are working for? It is to becomel ike Jesus, to live in His image. the good does not necesseraly make us healthy or happy but will make us conformed in the image of God's Son. Something good always comes out of the bad when you love God.

Peeps

Yes, it has started! The first of the season Peeps are here, especially for those of us who are addicted to them. I stopped at Dollar Tree to pick up a couple of $ items and spotted them immediately. Now I will go on a peep hunt - trying to find all of the different flavors of peeps available in this area. I as pickle flavored ones on Facebook last year, but have been unable to find them in the store. My favorite way to eat them is to open the package and let them set for a day or two until they get a little bit crunchy on the outside. Now don’t say I didn’t warn you peep fans – they are out there now!

                                                      they are here💛💛💛

                                                    

We saw the strangest thing at Wal-Mart the other day – although there always seems to be strange things in the Wal-Mart parking lot. There was a pickup truck, with side racks built up in the bed and all painted a military sort of green. All over this truck were metal objects – small cars, bits of rusty somethings, jewelry, etc. all painted the same green color. I mean the truck was full of stuff. There were a lot of folks looking at it so decided to wait until we came out to take a pic up close. When we came out I headed over to the trick when I saw someone on the driver’s seat and was going to ask if I could take a photo when I noticed a sign which read “You are welcome to look at my truck but please do not touch it. For a donation, you can take a picture of it”. Needless to say, I did not take a picture, although this may have been his only means of income. Guess I was shocked after reading the note.

A rather quiet week for the ministry for a change. We did our normal routine of delivering to the colonias on Friday, collecting items donated to the ministry and sorting them, and of course, hauling bulk pinto beans for packaging. Our dear friend, Linda Smith, will come over on Thursday to help. She loves doing this – even when I suggest I could do it and she would not have to drive 10 mile or so to help, she replied that “Fred and I have a routine and can get it done quickly”. Guess I cannot take her blessing away.

Our Miss Opal, who is always willing to sew for the ministry, took a face first fall the other day. We stopped yesterday to chat with her and was shocked to see her whole face was black and blue, as well as a scrape on her forehead. Luckily, there were a few people around her when it happened so help was right there. She was taken to an emergency center, and proclaimed perfectly ok, except for all the bruising. She is a bit unsteady on her feet after her stoke a few years ago and really didn’t seem to know what happened. But she is feisty for sure and laughing at the whole situation, while she put a scare into all of us.

We will be attending a chaplain luncheon later this week for all of the chaplains and their wives on the eastern section of the Valley. Just an informal get together and chance to unwind for the day. It is also the day for the all day sewing of our Busy Bees quilting group, so I will attend part of that. I do like the sewing group as we all can see what the others are doing get greet ideas and helpful hints, and again, just enjoy each other’s company.

Church this morning with Pastor Jim Maxson was as uplifting as usual. We love Jim’s sermons as they come from his heart after listening to what God wants him to speak to us about. He told us an interesting side note – Wal-Mart music is in tune with the season or time of year. This last week was all about love because of Valentine’s Day. I do notice that Christmas music is played at Christmastime to keep you in the buying spirit, but did not realize it went on all year long. Will have to pay closer attention. His sermon, “Love Letters” was quite appropriate. He saw a tee shirt there at Wal-Mart which read “I Love Me” which is a picture of the problem between God and Men. Men have turned their love inward and have caused Satan to rule and nations to war. In the recent celebration of Valentine’s Dy, women wait for the resurgence of romance, while men fear the day because they don’t know what expectations are demanded from them. Relationships and love go together – you need to have a relationship with one another so you can understand each Other’s needs and wants, as well as to have love for the other person and not yourself. They are the fundamental elements of life. God created us for relationships, with each other as well as with Him. We, as Christians, are in a fight with Satan. Good’s word assures us that we may be knocked down, but never knocked out because we have the ultimate power in the word. We are never knocked out because we have an endless supply of Gods love. We have unending forgiveness. Guilt convinces us that we are losers before the battle starts. Christ justified us – “just as if we had never sinned”. If a jury pronounces us not guilty, we can never be tried for that crime or sin again. The same as with the Lord, when we are forgiven it is forever. Anything that has be given into God’s hands can never be snatched away. True love comes with a personal relationship with God. Have you come to a relationship with Him? Of not, do so today, right now.

Nuts

Yep, that is what I thought when Fred brought home several boxes - full of 1# bags of shelled walnuts. I never know what God has in store for us! When Freed told our colonia contact, Ida, about the newest contribution, she got very quiet for a minute or so. She then told Fred that she was doing a fund raiser by making cookies to sell and wanted to put nuts in some of them. She prayed and asked the Lord for the funds to purchase them. He answered her prayer - not the way she thought but the way He planned had planned! Isn't God amazing??? That has happened so many times that I should not be surprised, but am always amazed that He knows before we do what we need.

Another gorgeous day here in S Texas. Cool this morning but in the 70's this afternoon. I was outside for a bit and wondered what all the racket was. Birds hollering and squalking all over. It was very windy, so thought they were perhaps complaining that they were grounded and could not fly. I looked at the neighbors trees and saw the blackbirds all sitting there, perhaps patiently waiting for the winds to die down.

a few gathering make a big racket

a bigger congregation in this tree

Yesterday was our second to last Chaplains meeting. It seems impossible that the time has flown by so quickly. The chaplains all asked their parks for donation to Caring Hearts Ministry and came to the meeting bearing their donations. We were astounded how the people responded with all types of canned goods, clothing, blankets, pillows, etc. We unloaded everything when we got home and could not find room in the Texas room to even get around. What a blessing - both to the ministry and those who contributed. We then had to collect some food from another park today - after packing and sorting everything and loading it for delivery tomorrow Fred said that our Texas room went from total insanity to normal again - for a few days anyway.

This morning we went to Ranchero Village Park to make a presentation of Caring Hearts Ministry. This park gone above and beyond to support the ministry - they alone provided all of the canned hams we needed for the Christmas distribution. It was mentioned that the small ham was not enough for a whole family, but the ladies chopped up the ham,  add vegetables and other ingredients, and make a meal for the family for 2 or 4 days. As I gave the presentation and showed some pictures, Pastor Bob Ostermaier's sermon was cut down a bit. He did give a a short message where he impounded on verses from Matthew 25:35-40, "the King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brother of mine, you did for me'". We are called to  life of service. We are not called to live for ourselves, but to reach out to others and lead them to a life in Christ. When you leave your church on Sunday you are really entering the mission field, where you can minister to others just through your actions and words. You are given an opportunity to serve every day, don't miss it.

Cowboy Church

Saturday night friends invited us to attend Cowboy Church at another park. Years ago we attended one but for the life of me I cannot remember where! A family group played instruments - bass, violin, guitar, and mandolin and sang Christian music - some older hymns and some new contemporary music. It was very moving and powerful.The son, 24 years old, gave the message on faith - a truly inspiring sermon presented so very well. Usually the father gives the message, but Saturday was the son's turn.It was very satisfying to see a family singing and praising the Lord together. I cannot imagine 5 people (the son is married and his wife did sing one song) living in a bus. The son told the story of their wedding, as the new bride was from Canada. They filed out all the paperwork and planned their wedding according to the timeline, given a few weeks for mishaps. As it turned out, the government demanded more paperwork, and the wedding was postponed a month before it was die to take place. Now that is a true test of faith!!! The wedding did take place but at a later date.

I did get time on Friday to join the Busy Bees quilting group - I try to go on Fridays, but that is not always possible. Our park is going to have our annual quit and hobby show this week and I am going to enter one of my UFOs (unfinished object) as I have the top of the quilt done, but it is not quilted yet. The Busy Bee ladies are so helpful- giving advice and suggesting ideas to newbie quilters without seeming to be critical.Thanks ladies for making Fridays a fun day.

the finished quilt top - a bit out of my cautious nature, but I love the way it turned out

There is an outdoor stand that serves large fruit drinks at only $2 each. We went for the first time this season and I ordered my very favorite - lemonade cucumber. Maybe I can learn to make this myself - with sugar free lemonade mix and cucumbers. Fred is more adventurous than I am - he had a strawberry one with real strawberries!! I have tried the mango and the cantaloupe one also - good but a bit much.

my cucumber drink - sweetened with agave - Fred's strawberry drink in the left

We attended church services this morning at Big Valley Church where we gave presentation of Caring Hearts Ministry. This park has supported us in the past and we wanted to thank them and give an update on the ministry. Pastor Tom Borro is doing a series on spiritual warfare. We are in a warfare as Christians - but but there are weapons against the devil.God wants us to have an open clear mind in our struggles and guard against struggles and arrows in the spiritual realm The evil spirit world is real - strong and always there. In this war, there are weapons that we need to know and use, The Devil works with doubt and fear - doubt is the present and fear is the future. The Devil is the father of lies and accuser of us,We will win over him because of our faith. Feelings are very important - do you feel you have faith but sometimes can't really FEEL it?? The Lord says that if you believe in your heart you will be. God loves you regardless of how you feel. We need to have a weapon against disappointment (remember the Young main I mentioned earlier and his delayed wedding plans?). We are weak, but God makes us strong When we are disappointed, Satan will bring up discouragement. Another weapon we must use is against persecution. It will grow more as the second coming draws near. The trouble that we face in this world today is not politics,but a war against good and evil. We must learn how to deal with the devil - through God all things are possible

Found

Hooray- found my church Bible this morning - I had given it to the ushers with the song books last week  and it as put away on a shelf of seldom used songbooks. Some  kind gentleman came this morning after church while Fred was talking to Pastor Jim's wife and Fred saw it in his hand. He did not tell me until after we left the church and I saw my Bible lying on the dash. I so missed not having it - it was not very expensive, but contained notes and lots of notations and underlinigs of Scripture. Now I do not feel so lost.

tYesterday we went into a new colonia area where the folks there were very poor - more so than the one we normally serve every Friday. 30 families were expected, but only about 20-25 showed up - which was OK as they perhaps will tell others and we will have more families to serve the next time. It was a tiring day, as there were not as nearly as many workers, so we did a lot of physical setting up, serving, and cleaning up It was all well worth the effort as we saw the looks of gratitude on every one's faces. God is so good as He provids, we are just the vessels which pour out His blessings on others.

The beautiful young lady's where we had the distribution - she looks so young. We think she has 4 children and no spouse in sight.

three of her children

getting ready for folks - notice the "yard"- dirt

listening to the Christian music

reading from Scripture for the adults - in the background Ida having a Christian based children's craft session

eating a luncheon of hot dogs, (served with mayo and catsup if desired), chips, cupcakes, and a drink

again, shopping colonia style - also handing out large bottles of water - all of these clothes were gone

handing out blankets - the type you get in hospital - not fluffy colorful ones but they certainly will ward off the cold or perhaps act as curtains. Although, I noticed the windows are often all bordered up due to breakage, or maybe perhaps insulation. It is very depressing.

lots of blankets - the kids are carrying the 2 gifts each child received.


We had a an open house on our home yesterday, which worked out perfectly as we were going to be gone all day anyway.We did list it with the real estate for more coverage. There were 2 coiples and  a single lady who came to see it - all said it was very nice but so far no offers yet. We just put this in God's hands and are letting Him decide when it is time for us to return to NW Arkansas. 

Another great sermon this morning with Pastor Jim Maxson  .   His topic was "Code Yellow" which had me confused for a bit. "President Bush signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive 3, (after 911) creating the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS). The advisory system will be the foundation for building a comprehensive and effective communications structure for the dissemination of information regarding the risk of terrorist attacks to all levels of government and the American people." This means of communication is 5 levels - red, blue, yellow, orange, and red. The yellow is a sign of significnt risk. The Bible also allows for an alert system for us in our Christian walk. A 7 step waring system appears in Hebrews. Drifting is one of them. When we think of drift, we think of drifting in a boat, ether on purpose on because of other reasons. Supposedly we all grow smarter every day, but we still continue to drift in our daily lives. The USA was founded on the Holy Scriptures, but today has drifted far from those principals. This is mainly because of a lack of devotion . Even large denominations have drifted because of a lack of devotion to God. Have we lost the burning force and the passion to reach our nation? Our Christianity can grow cold as we, too, become content in our comfortable life.  Churches drift after they first start, are new and on fire for the Lord, and continue to grow. . Thy become complacent and tend to become lukewarm in their present state. We as believers can also drift. When we met Jesus for the first time we could not wait to tell others and try to show them the happiness and peace that follow accepting Jesus as Savior. But then our heart can grow from hot to lukewarm to sometimes cold. The definition of drifting is having no direction or course. Have we lost our course in our Christianity? The threat to us is deadly because drifting can be dangerous. It means going with the flow, following the crowd. A man cannot be bought who is  already sold. Are you sold to God? God uses 3 things to get our attention - tragedy, death, and His Word. Our deliverance from drifting is that we must pay more attention,- hear the message and pay attention to it's meaning in spite of the storm. Will your anchor hold or will your anchor hold on to you? What color is your alert today?

Wanderings

Another week of crazy weather here in S Texas - although I see it has been that way everywhere. This morning was cold when we left for church, but the sun is shinong and it has warmed up some. Folks are out walking and riding bikes, visiting neighbors and just enjoying this day of rest. Our neighbor is relaxing by building blue bird houses - lots of them for the himself and the family to take back to Wisconsin for everyone. Fred is supervising and taking notes, as he is itching to build some himself.

Tuesday we took our turn at the Expo in McAllen. Sort of a home show like they used to have in the small town in Wisconsin where my folks had a cafe. My mother made hundreds of rosettes for the event. Our job was to carefully shake powdered sugar over them and very carefully pack them in a huge box ( and try to sneak  a few for ourselves). . The home show was held at the armory where all the local businesses promoted their area of expertise and gave away gifts. I still have a letter opener and a clothespin basket from those events although I was a young kid at the time.This expo was for the Valley where everyone promoted their parks as well as various vendors hawking their wares. There was an oyster pick where you could pick an oyster, a pearl was then removed, and you could have it placed in a setting, for price of course. There were games of chance where you could spin a wheel and win a small gift - of course, you had to sign up and then someone would call you and try to sell you something. We were there representing Christian Resort Ministries, promoting our chaplains for RV Parks. It was fun to talk to folks, find out where they were from, and just chat. The booth next to us was Warrior 180 - a foundation of one of our chaplains who do suicide prevention training and minister to veterans with PTSD and other situations. They had lots of give  a ways including Bibles, inspirational books, Christian coloring books, books for kids, and even a soldier's Bible. We had gone out for breakfast to eat the Sunday before that and our waiter was a young man named Adam. I usually ask our waiter if we can pray for something as we pray over our food. He asked that we pray as he was going in the service soon. At the Expo, Warrior 180 had a soldier's Bible, which I promptly asked for. Today we presented it to Adam who was truly grateful. We wish this young man well in his new career. I was amazed as the folks came through the Expo with their "goody bags"( sometimes 3  or 4 of them) stuffed with free stuff. Our booth, as well a others, offered candy. Some folks came by and tried to sneak handfuls of chocolate, thinking we did not see Thom. Others just boldly reached in and swiped a big handful. We were tempted to place a sign that read "Please take 1", but thought better of it. It was tiring but a good sense of tiring.

each button in this bowl represents a death of a veteran through suicide for a year.

Criss and Jeff Hastings of CRM and Warrior 180

Our booth with Grace Tracy and Fred in the background. The screen displays each of our chaplains and their assignment

Yesterday I was invited tospeak to a group of women at another park. I used to be nervous to do this, even with our God' Worthy Women retreat, but was totally relaxed and really enjoyed telling them about some women of the Bible who not to be like. IT was a fun project, as I did some research to make sure I had all my fact straight and could clearly present reasons these ladies were not so perfect! The ladies seemed to enjoy it a lot. I also presented a short program of Caring Hearts Ministry as this particular park donates grreatly to the ministry.

This morning we had a couple who sing gospel music at church - this couple is from Canada and entertains here in the Vally during the winter. They were great to listen to and sing long with. Jim presented a sermon on who Jesus really is - I usually take notes during the sermon, which I did, but I think I left them and my Bible in church. So I will try to give you a brief summary of his message titled "Who is Jesus" taken from Colossians 1:1-8. Jesus is the Son in the image of the invisible God. God is not visible, but Jesus was  human in form. Jesus was the firstborn of all creation. Not born but actually of God and the Trinity. In Him all things were created. He is the head of the church. Not the church as a building, but the church  as we believers.. We strive to do All things of Him and for Him as we plod this earthly life. In Him we live and breathe.