Family Time

We have been here in Fort Smith, AR for a few days with our oldest daughter and her husband, Darrell. They have a large home, big enough for all sorts of company. On Saturday,our daughters got together at the restaurant Darrell and Chandra own for a family birthday celebration - Fred, our son-in-law Scott, and Brenda's significant other, Todd, all have birthdays within a few days of each other. It was a crew, because great granddaughter Harper was also there. A fun time for the family. Our daughter Connie from Wisconsin was not there, but she will be down Labor Day week-end - so another celebration is in the making. 

Bob and Wanda's - Darrell's family restaurant in Barling, AR - a amazing place to dine

Freed, satisfied after a filling breakfast

some happy customers - the cafe is always busy

great down home cooking in a family setting - wonderful servers too.

We sit and watch as the deer come out in the evening to graze in the field by their house  A fawn got on this side of the fence and cannot jump the fence yet, so was running around in the back yard, while mama was coaxing him down the fence line where there is an opening. Great granddaughter Harper was concerned because baby was separated from mama, but relieved when they got together again. Ruby, the resident horse, just watched the excitement with a bit of concern, too.

We will leave here Wednesday and travel about an hour to Prairie Grove to stay with our youngest daughter dnd to be able to reconnect with our amazing church family at Prairie Grove Christian Church It always feels like we have truly come home because of their love and support. I have made a couple of quilts for two of our daughters, so will have them quilted so I can finish them while we are here.  The girls are patiently waiting for them!!! We relish this family time and take advantage of the down time.

I had a pedicure this last week (one of my few vices) and engaged in a conversation with the lady next to me. She is recovering from chemo and radiation for her colon cancer and believes in the healing power of God. I had the opportunity to pray with her ( the Vietnamese lady doing our toes sort of just stared at us, probably wondering what was going on) and share our beliefs. Remember, you never know when the opportunity arises to share your faith without being pushy.

Sunday we attended Life Church in Fort Smith with our daughter, Chandra. A very unique church with an interesting concept. When the offering is passed, anyone who is in need of funds is invited to take out any loose cash in the bucket. The church is very contemporary in their music and teaching, but the message is still there. We watched a video of a young man from England,  determined to become an Olympicdkier despite all odds. He had a dream of winning a medal for his country and pushed forward despite all objections and road blocks. His coach said he would never be a champion skier which only made him more determined to follow his dream. He stayed focused, pushed forward, and accomplished his task. We all need to remember that through God all things are possible. Sort of a review of last week's sermon in Joshua, TX. Faith is a the major part of our everyday living, and we always need to keep strong and be determined to succeed, knowing that if God is for us, who can be against us.

Beautiful Arkansas

Well, I missed posting a new blog last Sunday as we were in Joshua, Texas visiting wtth Chaplain Roy and Paula Gee. We left S Texas early Friday morning on our yearly break and stopped at the Gees for our short break. Roy and Paula were chaplains at Big Valley RV Park in Donna, Texas, for the past few years until Paula developed severe allergies Roy reluctantly resigned to make sure Paula could get her needed medical treatment to try to relieve her breathing problems. Roy has stayed on as new board chaplain for CRMI though. It is always so relaxing as there is no stress and is the beginning of a time for us to wind down for a bit. We went into Fort Worth to do a bit of shopping (new earrings for me!), but mostly just visited and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The weather in S Texas was still very hot when when we left, so the bit cooler weather was a relief. 

We attended church and Sunday School with them at Lane Prairie Baptist Church, a truly loving and welcoming congregation. Their Pastor, Brother Jerry Clemens,  is truly devoted to the Lord and reminded us that without faith we cannot please God. By  faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did, By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death, By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith,  By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going, By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born,because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. These are just a very few examples of how God's people acted on faith. (From Hebrews 11). We need to have faith in our  praying, living , and giving. We need to live our life on the basis of faith every day. 

Hebrews 12:1 )"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Turn to Jesus and make Him Lord and Master of your life. Change your life and run towards Him and He will change your life. We have to remember that God is not done with you yet - through Him all thing are possible. We have a lot of short spurt of Christians today - those who profess their faith, run the race for awhile, and then seem to slow down because of the conflicts of the world. True faith will be tried and stretched but it will make you stronger. It is not time to give up, it is time to look up and outward. Give your sin to God so you can finish strong. Then you will hear hear the words:"well done good and faithful servant. 

After the inspiring sermon, a Mexican potluck was to served to send off the youth minister to a new  position as lead minister in a small town in Missouri. There was enough different Mexican dishes available to make any Mexican food connoisseur droll - not to mention the many tables of desserts. The rest of the Sunday afternoon was spent in much needed naps.

1. 

   enjoying a meal with Roy and Paula, (on each side of us) and other members of the congregation, including a sweet lady from Louisiana who always wears a hat

We left our friends and made our way to Fort Smith, AR to stay with our oldest daughter for a few days before heading on to NW Arkansas to see 2 more of our daughters. (Our only daughter still living in Wisconsin will be joining us over Labor Dy weekend). We stopped at the cafe our daughter and her husband own in Barling AR (near Ft Smith). Amazing wonderful food, great service - a comfortablefamily restaurant. Saturday we will be celebrating Fed's 78th birthday with our daughters at the restaurant. 
It is indeed beautiful here in Arkansas at our daughter's home- quiet, peaceful, and green (we miss the green and trees in when we are in S Texas). Sitting here at their dining room table just looking outside and watching their horse, Ruby, peacefully grazing is really the  medicine we need to relax. Last night granddaughter, Sydney,and great granddaughter, Harper, came for a visit. Harper is 3 and such a character!! We cherish all of this family time.
Remember to always keep God in your focus, trust in Him, and you will feel always protected. 


 

Taco Party

This last Friday was our last distribution until we return from our trip to Arkansas. We were expecting another day of a meager donation for the colonias (although we did have 6 boxes of clothing) so we found extra on Thursday evening from another supplier. We arrived at the pick-up point early Friday morning ready to load quickly and be on our way. What a surprise we received. For some reason there was an over abundant amount of produce and other items. We did already have some beans/ lentils mix in anticipation of a low food supply and wound up with an almost overload on the trailer. We thanked God for this wonderful blessing of so much bounty. Green beans, watermelon, peppers, tomatoes, lichees, cucumbers, onions, tortillas, bread, and  papaya just to name some of the things we received - as well as two large bags of donuts. All of the ladies were so excited to see what we had brought and immediately began unloading and separating everything, ready to fill baskets. After they had filled a few of them, they announced that we were going to have a small brunch as sort of a going away party for us. Homemade tortillas, beans, chorizo cooked with onions and spices, hot sauce, a fruit salad and a bundt cake. The tortillas were homemade by Esther, as was the rest of the brunch except for the cake. As an appreciation they presented us with a $25 McDonald's gift card ( we usually order the breakfast burritos as we travel). We were so grateful to therm as it took a bit of sacrifice for them to collect the change to purchase the card for us. There was enough food left from brunch so that those who came to pick up the produce also shared with us. We worked for a while preparing the baskets (me doing my regular donut packaging) and were all dripping with sweat when we got done. The girls never complain - taking time to wipe their faces and keep filling baskets until they were done.  The temp by that evening as 103 at 5 PM. We will miss them as we are gone, but really can't wait to beat this heat and humidity for the coolness of NW Arkansas.

Very quiet in the park right now - some summer folks gone for a vacation - there are only 2 workers right now and one will be going on vacation in August. Fred and Pablo still have to finish building the fence on the West side of the park - they are totally removing the old fence and rebuilding it. Mary is weed eating, and Lester is mowing since Fred retired from that. A person does not see anyone outside except for a short time to do a few chores as the heat is intense.

                                                                                                                                                                                           

Does this picture depict your fervent prayers to God? Have you ever literally got down on your knees to beg God for forgiveness, or for a blessing, or even to free you from your current situation? We know that God forgives - all we need to do is ask Him and repent. But what about the other prayers that we send up to Him sometimes - prayers for healing, freedom from addiction, or even asking for material things? Do you wonder why God doesn't answer you prayers sometimes? But then again, do you remember to thank Him for answered prayers? Our prayer are sometime not answered the way we want them to be. God does answer answer prayer, but not always an answer we want to hear. Some people feel that if they say the right words, they will get what they want. Prayer is not like rubbing a magic lamp and poof - your prayers are answered. Prayer is an intimate relationship with God. We need to pray and then be quiet and listen. Jesus prayed continuously - when He was walking along the road, or in the temple, or in the quietness of the evening. Prayer is a practice of being consistent - praying aways and not just when we are in trouble. Effective prayer is consistent prayer. It is not about what we get from God, but what we receive from God. God answers prayer in 4 ways: yes, no, maybe and"are you kidding?". We have to wait upon the Lord - be still and listen. It is all in his perfect timing and not ours. Prayer sometime changes things. It is not God who changes things, but us who change. Prayer does not give us what we want, but allows us to want what we need. Prayer is designed by God to change us.There are so many opportunities to pray - as you are waiting in line at a store or a red light, as you are cooking or doing dishes, and even as you go about your daily routine. Pray always.

Please keep all the folks in the path of hurricane Barry in prayer as they deal with flooding and devastation. Pray for your neighbors to keep them safe from the heat and storms of life. 

Beating the Heat

We have discovered the best way to beat the summer heat here in S Texas is to stay indoors from noon on. Or only go out in it if you are going to an air conditioned store. It has been  unseasonably hot here - usually the hottest times are July-Sept - we have had over 100 degree weather for over a month already. One good result is the fact that we have been getting a few "honey do" items crossed off our list!!! We will certainly welcome the coolness of NW Arkansas in a couple of weeks.

The new tariffs that went into effect this month will definitely have an affect on your grocery bill, but it also has a drastic affect on our food distribution. The tariff increase has forced the donors of fruit and vegetables coming from Mexico to the US to keep them in their coolers and try to sell them rather than donate them to our distribution center. Last Friday we had very little produce and other commodities for our colonias. Luckily, we have another supplier that we relied on and finally received a full load for our families. The supply of non-perishables certainly helped out . We do not know how long this will continue, but pray that we can find other distributors that we can count on to hep fill the gap. It makes for  longer day and more miles traveled, but to see the smiles on every one's faces is well worth it. Yes, these tariffs do affect each and every one of us, but we cannot allow illegals to swarm our country by disobeying our laws. We welcome immigrants from everywhere, but just ask that they come into our country properly.

Loving this time of year and all of the fresh fruit available. My favorite this week is the lychee - you know, those little non color round things at a Chinese buffet. They are so fresh, just sweet and juicy enough to curb the munchies. Although they look like tiny porcupines before you peel them, they are so very good. Do you know a baby porcupine is called a porcupette - really!!!!  (just a bit of trevia to muddle your brain). Of course, the watermelon,  cantaloupe, and grapes are also delicious. There is a small stand nearby that makes wonderful drinks from fruit. All of them have no sugar - except the cucumber-lemonade one (super delicious) which uses agave. So very refreshing - and only $2 for a 32 oz cup. Last week I had cantaloupe one - perhaps I will try them all - except the watermelon. I do not like anything watermelon flavored except of course, the watermelon itself. 

Again, our sermon this morning and our Sunday School class broached on the same subject - and neither one of them are co-ordinated. "How can we relate to people of other faith", and "am I a real Christian".  Both based on the Golden Rule. Matthew 7:12 says,"Therefor whatever you want man to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets". Sometimes this is very hard. As  child in Chicago in the late 40's and early 50's, a daughter of n Italian-American stanch Catholic mother, I attended a Catholic school where we were taught that we not not supposed to associate with non-Catholic friends, let alone date or marry one. As I got older (well, into my preteen and teen years) I realized that I could not adhere to the teachings of the Catholic church and tried to become a follower of Jesus and His Word. As a result, I married a non-Catholic in a Lutheran Church. My mother did not attend the wedding or ever set foot in any church except the Catholic one. The was one exception to that - she attended a Christmas Eve service in Arkansas at our home church and seemed to treat it as if it were a concert rather than a meaningful church service. My husband's grandmother was also a staunch Catholic - a little short woman with a strong will, When I got married she told me that she loved me but could never forgive me from leaving the Catholic religion. I could never understand that because all of her children including my mother-in-law were Lutheran. All sorts of forgiveness on my part was involved in both of these incidents. Mark 9:50 says, "Salt is good, but if salt looses it's flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves and have peace with one another". Salt makes things taste good - it enhances the favor. To have salt in yourselves, you should do the following: S.A.L.T. S for service, be a willing servant , A- appreciate others,  L - love - work hard to give back. Love everyone with an Agape (unconditional)  love, respect others. T- treasure others - recognize that they are important. Jesus died for them whether they recognize it or not. Maintain SALT in yourselves and you can maintain peace. Follow the Golden Rule. 

Countdown

The time is fast approaching for us to take a short hiatus from the Valley and travel to Arkansas to visit with family and friends and to reinforce our calling from the Lord. Many doors have been closing for us and more are opening up, so we need time to sit back, relax, and listen to the whisper from the Lord.

Last week we had a huge downpour of rain, wind, and hail which flooded large areas around us. We had no flooding here in the park but the frontage road was flooded so bad that before anyone knew it, cars were stranded in the fast moving waters. Many homes and businesses were affected as well. We were without power for 17 hours - most of it at night so we did try to sleep listening to the thunder and wind, watching the flashes of lightening. No damage here in the park except for a few trees down and stuff blown about.

Still very hot - we try to work in the morning and stay in the a/c in the afternoon. When we lived in WI the hottest part of the day was around noon - here in S Texas it is about 4-6 in the evening - so no evening cooling breezes although the mornings are cool. The grass is still green in some spots yet, and the flowers are growing with continuous watering. I don't have many flower as I never really like to mess with plants,, except vegetables in a garden, so we have plants that do no require much attention. I did finally weed out my tiny flower area and wound up in the house later sneezing and coughing. Guess the allergies are getting worse.

The Lord has been so good and granted us us grace so  many times the last few months that I just shake my head and give Himall of the thanks and glory. On day He kept us from a serious accident on the frontage road as a car pulled over and stopped in front of us. Luckily, with quick action on Fred's part, we exited the frontage road, and made it safely to the freeway and continued on down to the next exit. And twice our vehicle quit - once the battery died and then  later that month something broke and made the fan belt break. Both times we were just getting into the park and were in front of our house - not out on the road somewhere. Thank goodness for Triple A as we were towed a couple of miles to our mechanic and both problems were fixed quickly and easily. Just a small speed bump in the road of life.

A question people frequently ask is why do bad things happen to good people? The brokenness of life shatter people's dreams of what  life is supposed to be. We think monsters don't exist but they do. People have evil thoughts and deeds they carry out - really bad things to good people. Why does God not stop suffering? It is the Theodicy Question - an attempt to answer the question of why bad things happen to good people. There really is no answer to this question.  God wants us to love Him, so He gave us free will - the ability to make choices Some people use their free will for evil and wicked things. One day God will come in glory and all of our questions will be answered. Do not allow the Theodicy Question to make you cynical. Don't focus on the pain and suffering or let it get us down. We do not face pain and suffering alone . We can never be separated from the love of God. "And we know all things work together for the good to those who love God,to those who are called according to His purpose". Romans 8-28. God can (and will) turn our trouble into triumph, He can take something ugly and make it beautiful. We can't control how bad things happen to us ( as our vehicle trouble mentioned above) but we can control how we respond to it. Get better, folks, not bitter.

                                              



Happy Independence Day! On this special day here's wishing your dreams of a new tomorrow come true! May your day be filled with patriotic spirit! Today we celebrate the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Have a wonderful and safe Fourth of July celebration -remember what we are celebrating, and please pray for our country!

Fruitful Delivery

I still have a few pictures from last week's distribution in the colonias. it was a fruitful (literally) abundance to say the least. We had papaya, mango, oranges, jack fruit, and limes. Jack fruit is such a huge fruit and hard to imagine "peeling" it to eat. I always ask questions as to what the fruit is and how it tastes, etc. Jose informed  me that the fruit has three flavors - mango- papaya, and pineapple as well as 3 different size seeds! Each layer of the fruit tastes different. If a person were to purchase one small piece of it at a flea market (the size of a lemon) the cost would be $5. A mango, papaya strawberry smoothy is absolutely super delicious! Adding a chili type salt, called  Trechas , to raw pineapple or mango is also super sweet and tasty. Every time a new person arrives to help out with the colonias, they put their hands over my eyes and touch my hair. I suppose they are so used to dark eyes and dark straight hair that I am a phenomenon to them with my blue eyes and lighter curly hair that God blessed me with. It is a good thing that I do not mind being "touched" but the first time it really startled me.

jack fruit - really huge

long, long green beans

rice and beans

yummy papaya

Jose, who helps Fred with projects in the colonias, and his beautiful wife Magdalena

  Ida is starting a Bible study for the summer at the distribution area which has a few attendees so far. Right now she has to haul tables and chairs from the church in the church van , but in a few weeks, the missionary group form Lakeland Church just outside of Dallas, is coming down for a week to help build picnic tables so Ida does not have to work so hard. We are going to figure out a way to either chain them together or make them somehow permanent so they do not walk away!!

the first Bible study group lead by Magdalena - last week it was a few more.

Another fairly hot week. we are looking forward to our time off in a few weeks when we return to Arkansas to cooler weather, family time, farmer's markets, yard sales, old friends, and our home church, Prairie Grove Christian Church. It will be a nice break, but will miss our friends here in S Texas. Jim Maxson will take over for us again as he did last year in our absence.

We received a large amount again of clothing from Border Missions including a real fur coat!!! At least It think it was as it was recommended to be cleaned by a furrier only. I wonder who will claim it as it is never cold enough to wear one here in S Texas - perhaps as a lap robe??? It made me hot just handling is so it will be interesting as to where it goes.

Last week Pastor Ricky asked the congregation to e-mail him and finish this sentence "I wonder". From his sermon this morning he got a lot of replies. the most asked question was "I wonder about God's will for my life." How many times have we asked that question in some form or another?? Wouldn't it be wonderful if God spoke to us? Actually spoke to us in a voice out loud? How easy life would  be. We would all love to hear from God, not just through billboards or radio programs, but actually hear His voice. We yearn to hear His voice to tell us what He has in store for us. God really wants us to know His will more than we want to know it. God's will is not a as big a secret as we think it is. Being in tune with God is not as complicated as it seems (Read Romans 12:2). God's will is good (the best in His mind for us), acceptable (according to His Word), and perfect (it meets out needs). His will for us is to fulfill His desire for us - not our will or desires but His. If God's will  is so clear, why is it hard to discover or follow? Because we are not listening and don't hear what He wants  us to do - It is a fear of change or pride. We are creatures of habit and fear change so we do not hear the Word of God. We often refuse to change. Pride make us stubborn to God's will. To obey is will is to surrender all to Him - we as humans do not want to do that. We need prodding from the Bible to truly understand how to hear God's Word. The key to doing His will we have to surrender all to Him. I am reading a book written by one of our chaplain's wives. It is "Simply a Whisper" by Lennie Nordloh. It encourages us to listen to the whisper of God in all aspects of our lives. Take time in silence to hear the whisper of God  - to hear the voice of God encouraging us to follow His will.

Faith

A very strong Christian young lady of only 21 showed me a lesson in faith yesterday - a faith so strong that she is waiting for God's plan in her life. We traveled  oReynosa for a CHI birthday party yesterday in the heat - and it was hot. The program for the day was a movie so that was a cool relief to relax in the a/c of the movie theater.  The movie was "Aladdin" in Spanish of course!! I could follow it somewhat and of course, knowing the story does help. It was funny and really good. We were treated to a drink  (coca - not diet) and popcorn. Most of the kids put salsa (a mild hot sauce) on their popcorn but I declined (at first!). I tasted Pati's (our Mexican "daughter" that we sponsor) and found it to be really tasty. As the Mexican director, Melana, came around to us all and offered more "salsa" I held up my box of popcorn and she raised an eyebrow and said "really, Leila?" A fun afternoon, after which we went to the home and had a meal of two different kinds of chicken, potatoes, and Coleslaw. Really good as usual. Served of course with hot and hotter red and green sauce. We celebrated the birthday party for the kids April-thru July, really not a lot of them. Our Pati is turning 21 this month. 3 of the kiddos had never had a birthday party, never received presents, nor ever been to a movie. What an exciting day for them. We had been informed that Pati may leave the home. We were devastated as she only has one more year to get her lawyers degree. We have sponsored her and been in her life for 10 years now and wanted to encourage her to finish her education. Through the help f a translator, we found out that her mother is very ill even with some dementia, as she was found wandering the colonias in Reynosa. There is no one else to take care of her as there is no welfare, etc. in Mexico and Pati's mother is very poor. Pati does have sisters and a brother, but no one else has stepped up to help Mama. Sweet Pati has to make a decision in about 2 weeks as to what she is going to do - give up her dream that she has worked so hard for, or to continue on. If she goes home to help her mother, he has no Internet or access to her online courses require, even perhaps no way to get to school. As we talked to her, she was smiling all the time reassuring us that she was praying for clarity from God as to what plan He has for her life.
She has placed her life in his hands!! What an amazing test of faith. We, too are praying for God's will to be done, and ask for you also to offer up a prayer for her decision - a huge one for someone as young as she is.

there was stage in the  mall where the movie theater was, so we got to watch these kids and traditional Mexican dances.

the three boys who never had presents before are in awe of the gifts

all the birthday recipients, including the adults - Betsy, CHI director, have a son celebrating also - 3rd from the right

always smiling Pati

We had a lot of rain this week, so I did get all of the weeds out of my small garden. Of course, after I got done, I sneezed with allergies for about an hour! After the rain I went hunting for a rainbow, and found one!!!!

if you look closely you will see it - soft of vague, but a rainbow indeed over Miss Opal's house.

A lesson in shopping from my husband, of all people, who detests shopping, but takes forever to do so! We eat low carb, whole wheat tortillas instead of bread, so when we need more, we shop. I usually just grab two packages and am on my way. Not Fred, no - he tests each one to see how heavy they are. Why, because they are supposed to have 8 tortillas in each package, but some actually have 9 or more. He invariably chooses the ones with the most tortillas for his money!

 It was terribly hot last week (107+) and who feels like cooking? Not me - but I had a longing for chili - yep - so I made a pot of it and we enjoyed it in the a/c at home! Guess I am the only one who would do that.

The border situation has not changed - the immigrants are still sleeping out at the Progresso border waiting for processing. We did wait about 45 minutes at the Anzadulas Bridge when coming home from Reynosa, but that was better than the normal 2 hours wait. Because of sending more folks to the borders to work, there are more lines open to cross (it had been down to one) so the wait time seems  bit better. 

 waiting for their turn to ask for amnesty while playing on their phones

looks like they are here for awhile

The devil is alive and well in the world attacking anything that he wants to control. It was very evident this week as he tried a major attack on our ministry, Caring Heart Ministry. He used lies, deceit, and doubt to try to undermine the things we try to do to help others with a hand up. Discouragement was starting to creep in, when we realized if God is for us, no one can be against us. Hopefully we conquered Satan with truths and Scripture. Please keep us in your prayers though, as wonderful things are happening in regards to the ministry, and of course, the devil hates that. 

This morning's sermon related to the wisdom of an effective life in Christ. What did God create first - many will answer light. That would have been my answer, but I referred to the title of the sermon and guessed Wisdom. According to Proverbs 8:1-4, wisdom was there at the beginning of time. Wisdom is actually the joy of  living - the joy of knowing the Lord, having a relationship with Him always. Wisdom offers high rewards to those who believe. It is the joy by characterizing the truth - the truth in the knowledge of Jesus Christ who is the truth in our life. The greatest truth is that Jesus loves us. We have to rejoice in the Lord - a rejoicing with abandonment. Wisdom is a joyful relationship with God. A wise  person overlooks the problems in life and finds joy in God, looking beyond the immediate problem. This is something that I really need to focus on. I tend to see a problem and them stress about all the "what ifs" - then I remember that worry will not add a single minute to my life, and to have the faith of Pati, and turn my life over to Jesus. Rejoice in what is yet to come - the resurrection of our souls into heaven, where we can praise and rejoice with God for eternity.