The Ice Cream Grandma

2012-02-11T17:41:00.000-06:00

When I had finished reading Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink, I took it back to the shelf in our fantastical library. And there I found another book by Carol! Wow! It's a VERY OLD book, yes, older than me! Written in 1937 - and I believe the book Alan and Beth have in the library is probably one of the earliest printings. The cover looks NOTHING like the picture above! And it definitely is not paperback! It's a cute story of two girls who are shipwrecked with four young charges - completely unrealistic, but cute nonetheless! So old fashioned! So proper!! It was a fun read!

School is fun!

2012-02-08T19:23:00.001-06:00

I'm not exactly sure what they're studying, but they're sure having fun at it!

Cameron and his friend Ivan first MADE the catapults and then had to try them out. But what to use for ammunition that won't hurt anyone??

Why, yes!! Marshmallows! But keep them away from Justin - age 5 - because he'll gladly get rid of them for you! It was obvious that the boys had a blast with this school project!

Caddie

2012-02-05T17:21:00.001-06:00

Caddie and I spent some time together this week. What a great book! Winner of the Newbery Medal, it has survived many, many years - I believe it was first printed in 1935! One author has described it like this: "You take Little House on the Prairie; I'll take Caddie Woodlawn."

Check it out! You'll be glad you did!

Are we having fun yet?

2012-01-30T16:18:00.001-06:00

KRAKATOA

2012-01-28T11:49:00.003-06:00

Last night I watched the movie Krakatoa. It was a documentary with information taken from the diaries of people who survived the Krakatoa eruption in 1883. Amazing story! Probably not recommended for the little guys, as it's pretty scary!

This volcano apparently is still erupting. Perhaps most famous for the powerfully explosive eruption in 1883 that killed tens of thousands ofpeople, ash from a violent eruption might also have temporarilyaltered Earth's climate as long as 1500 years ago. In 1927, eruptions causedsmaller Anak Krakatau to rise from the sea, and theemerging volcanic island continues to grow at an average rate of 2 cm per day.The latest eruption of Anak Krakatau started in 2008 Apriland continues today. In this picture, Anak Krakatau is seen eruptingfrom Rakata, the main island of the Krakatoai group.High above, stars including the BigDipper are clearly apparent.

I wouldn't call it a "fun" movie, but definitely riveting!

getting near to baby

2012-01-19T14:42:00.002-06:00

"Aunt Patty is fed up with me.
She told me so last night. When I got into bed, there was a sick feeling in my stomach that stayed with me through my sleep. I came out here to breathe deep of the fresh air but that sick feeling has not yet gone away."

It sounds like an ominous beginning for a "youth" book, but trust me, it's a really, really sweet story of .... yes, getting near to baby!

Check it out!

Double Vision

2012-01-18T16:15:00.003-06:00

When Aziel Jones, a preacher's kid from Alabam who served in WW@, and Marian Westling, a city girl from up north, were married, they had two goals: to reach a tribe for God and to raise a family for God. Double Vision is the remarkable story of what God can do when two people are wholly committed to Him.

I highly recommend that you find and read this book. You can't find it on Amazon, but here's where you CAN find it! Write to Mr. and Mrs. Aziel Jones, 6315 Winyah Drive, Columbia, SC 29203. The cost of the book is $20. It will be $20 well spent, I assure you!

And tell your friends about Double Vision! It's the best book I've read in a long time!

Becky

2012-01-12T18:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was spent in Mexico City, seeing my sister in law Becky off to Colombia, South America. Her husband and my brother, Lee, went to heaven last May on Mother's Day. And last night around midnight, if all went will with the flight, Becky arrived in Bogota, Colombia, to begin serving the Lord there for a few years. What a special time we had!

Hermanas - sisters. We're "in law" sisters, but feel as close as "blood" sisters!

Natalia (Eli's daughter), Felix (Carmen's son), Carlos (Eli's husband) and Eli with Becky.

You pronounce Eli as Ailee. She's a delightful lady - she and I were in grade school together - a long time ago! Even though she's a little older than I am, we graduated from 7th grade the same year. I've known her a very long time!

Eli's husband Carlos is quite a bit older than she is. But I bet you can't guess how YOUNG she is! I was amazed - she looks so good! The chiles en nogada she served us were deliciously wonderful! Poblano chile filled with ground meat, pineapple, apples, pecans, almonds, then covered with a cream and pecan sauce. Normally you sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top, but since there are no pomegranates this time of year, we settled for dried cranberries. Accompanied with rice and tortillas. Delicious!

Clips or Cleeps?

2012-01-07T22:04:00.000-06:00

I went to the little "papeleria" to get some paper clips, but couldn't remember how to say paper clips in español, so I took one along to show to the young man. "Ah, si, cleeps." Clips with a Spanish accent! Go figure!

Streetwalking with Jesus

2011-12-25T19:13:00.004-06:00

I just finished reading this fascinating book by John Green, who, along with his wife Carolyn, started Emmaus Ministries in Chicago, reaching out to people most of us would steer clear of, not wanting to become "contaminated."

Here is what the flyleaf of the books says: "
Green didn't set out to be another Dorothy Day or Mother Teresa, and would be quick to tell you he hasn't become one. Struck by the words of Micah 6:8 and the acts of a homeless man who gruesomely ended his life in Green's presence, Green vowed to constantly ask himself: How can I live justly? To whom do I show mercy? How may I walk humbly with God?

Green shares the lessons he learned regarding these hard questions through the stories of men who struggle to escape poverty, addiction, and sexual sin - while encountering Christ in the process. But this book is much more than the account of out Emmaus Ministries combats a social problem to which most of us wish to remain blind.

It is about finding joy in service to others and experiencing love in reaching out to the suffering, all under the shelter of God unconquerable, abiding love.

Yes, Streetwalking with Jesus will sober you..."

I highly recommend that you read it! It will change how you look at those who are suffering and help you see the amazing things God is doing in the lives of those who come in contact with Emmaus Ministries.

And the Christmas season continues

2011-12-23T15:53:00.000-06:00

Last night we visited our neighbors Jorge and Azucena. We spent a couple hours just visiting and enjoying the snacks they had put out for us. They are Nicaraguan and have been gone to Nicaragua for the past several months. We always greet each other, but this is the first time we've actually been able to visit. Pray that we'll be a witness to this couple.

And more Christmas season was very obvious at the market today. The first one being that it was PACKED! We were getting a little claustrophobic by the end of our purchases! Bethie couldn't get through the crowds with our little market cart and I barely could get through carrying two market bags. If in the pictures it looks crowded, well, it was!

We don't see snow, or Santa Clauses - a few, but very few - or the usual Christmasy items you expect in the U.S., just lots and lots of piñatas, candy and more candy, fruit to make ponche (sugar cane, tejocotes, guayabas, tamarind, apples), oranges and tangerines galore that are in season right now, and yes! More piñatas! They´re everywhere! And yes, we have one in our house that´s STUFFED, ready for the Bible study group on Christmas Day!

Any guesses? You see quite a lot of this during this time of year. Yams, cooked with enough sugar to give us all diabetic heart attacks (is that possible???) Amazingly sweet. And it was amazing that in the short time I stood there, at least four people stopped by to get their stash for the Christmas celebration. No, not my favorite.

Another very Mexican custom, the posadas. These strings of decorated ribbon are put up all along the street, indicating that there is a posada being held there. And traffic is cut off, making for terrible traffic jams. But that's OK! The posada must go on!

The best waited for us for on the way home. This piñata store sells the BEST piñatas! We don´t usually buy here, because they´re a bit pricey. Can't imagine how much that huge star would cost - didn't ask - but it's beautiful to drive by and look at!

Christmas programs, barbacoa, ponche, Christmas games, gifts, and much more!

2011-12-23T14:57:00.000-06:00

It's feeling a lot like Christmas these days. It's even beginning to LOOK a lot like Christmas (no snow though, thankfully!). At the church's Christmas dinner/program, we started out with some Christmas songs with some of the junior highers and their teachers Rosy (R) and Gaby (L).

Followed by a radio program, which included a "spot" with cooking tips. Like, how to serve yourself a bowl of cereal!! And Yeyo on the right, was happy to test it out! The entire radio program was very creative and fun.

Then dinner! Barbacoa (BBQ), which is NOTHING like U.S. BBQ. The meat has been cooked for several hours, and is then chopped and put into tortillas like a taco. You can add salsa, onions, cilantro, lime juice and ENJOY! Our own Francisco and Gaby, who have a barbacoa stand, made dinner for us. It was accompanied by all the ponche (hot Mexican punch) we desired. Very delicious.

Sunday morning I joined Alan and Beth's Bible study group in our home, since our dinner at church was Sunday evening. We had a time of carol singing, a video message, then a Christmas object lesson by daughter Bethie. She didn't know she was going to give the lesson, but she's as good at ad libing and impromptu messages as her Dad was! Very fun lesson!

Sunday afternoon a bunch of us "gringos" got together for a potluck dinner, then games. The following pictures show the "opening-the-gift" game. You need a chocolate bar covered with about 50 layers of Christmas giftwrap, large gloves, a hat, a scarf, two die and a knife and fork. The one to finally get through to the candy bar is the winner! That is, if there's anything but crumbs left!

Bethie's turn

Cameron's turn

The adults played one game, the children another. Here Kara has finally gotten to the chocolate!


On Monday our ladies' prayer group met at a local restaurant for fellowship and a gift exchange. We need to meet like this more often!

Dawn's Prelude

2011-12-16T16:28:00.002-06:00

Since coming home, I've been really busy unpacking, organizing, getting ready for Christmas activities, one of which took place just a day after arriving home, etc. But there's always time to read! I just finished reading "Dawn's Prelude" by Tracie Peterson. I don't recall reading any other books by her, but WOW! This one was really good! It's a romance, but much more than that. It is the story of evil trying to overtake good, but of course not winning! Check it out!

KENOSIS

2011-11-30T09:26:00.001-06:00

I've been wanting to share this poem since finding it several months ago in Luci Shaw's beautiful book called Harvesting Fog, I know it's still November (barely), but Christmas is fast approaching. Since I've spent the last few years in Mexico for Christmas, I hadn't noticed so much the way CHRIST has been taken out of Christmas. I definitely notice it here in the U.S. of A. this year. Try to find a "meaningful" Christmas ornament, try to say Merry CHRISTmas to anyone, try to listen (in public) to any Christmas songs relating to the ONE who brought us Christmas, and it isn't easy! I'm not saying it has totally disappeared - at my grandkids' school they will be singing CHRISTMAS CAROLS about Christ, no less, this year (yes, it's a public school!!), and I hope and pray that in every Christian home in this nation there will be objects, symbols, language, ways of being, songs, stories, Bible readings, and I could go on, that depict the real reason we celebrate this wonderful holiday. Christ came, not just to be born in a stable, but to SAVE the world from their sins! It's all part of the Christmas story from Christmas to resurrection, to ascension, to life everlasting.

Let's celebrate JESUS this Christmas!

KENOSIS

Reprinted from Harvesting Fog, Copyright Luci Shaw 2010, Pinyon Publishing.

Used by permission of the author.

In sleep hisinfant mouth works in and out.

He is so new, his silk skin has not yet

beenroughed by plane and wooden beam

Nor, so far, has he had to deal with human doubt.

Heis in a dream of nipple found,

of blue-white milk, of curving skin

and, pulsing in his hear, the innerthrob

ofa warm heart’s repeated sound.

Hisonly memories float from fluid space.

So new he has not pounded nails, hung a door,

brokenbread, felt rebuff, bent to the lash,

weptfor the sad heart of the human race.

The Devil in Pew Number Seven

2011-11-27T08:39:00.001-06:00

If you're looking for a fun, easy read, don't pick up this book! It's much, much worse than fiction! MUCH WORSE!

Shelley Breen of Point of Grace says, "As little girls, we're all scared of something. For five-year-old Becky, it was a bomb-setting madman in her daddy's church - with her family as the target. Against the odds she survived and has had to learn that 'forgiveness is the language of heaven.' This is a must reading for anyone struggling to forgive."

Hangin' out at the Allems

2011-11-24T16:07:00.001-06:00

Jeff and the boys made stilts, and there's been a lot of "stilt practice" since then. Kim still remembers how!

Jeff and Kim Allem with their children Jeffery 17, Jesse 17, Austin 16, Raquel 14, Toria 13, Calvin 11, Clara 9, Quincy 8 and Ada 6. Happy Thanksgiving 2011!!

Passing On

2011-11-22T20:24:00.001-06:00

I know it's Thanksgiving, and yes, there's so much to be thankful for, but I've also been thinking of all the dear friends and loved ones who have gone on to glory this year and several just in the last couple weeks: my brother Lee back in May, Marjorie Josi, David Ekstrom, Kathy Paul, Kathy Young, all just a short while ago, just to name a few. It brought to mind this beautiful prayer that follows.

Elisabeth Elliot finished her writing of the Newsletter with this: I bidyou farewell with words from a hymn written by Anna L. Waring in 1850:

Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out for me,
And the changes that are sure to come
I do not fear to see;
I ask Thee for a present mind,
Intent on pleasing Thee.

I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child
And guided where I go.

Wherever in the world I am,
In whatsoever estate,
I have a fellowship with hearts
To keep and cultivate .

That is my prayer tonight, tomorrow and every day.

A Man Named Dave

2011-11-15T17:53:00.001-06:00

First I read The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer. It was rough reading, but I couldn't put it down. Then I read A Man Named Dave, which was just as difficult to read.

"Pelzer...inspires us all. He is a living example that all of us have the capability to better ourselves no matter what the odds,'' is what Jack Canfield, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul, says. It's just amazing that anyone who lived through the childhood that Dave lived through could now be a "normal" human being. There's one book that comes before these called A Child Called "It". I don't think I could handle that one!

And there's another one: The Privilege of Youth. I'll be looking for it.

Calvin and Duck Tape

2011-11-13T14:58:00.001-06:00

Calvin had a birthday and among his favorite gifts were four, YES FOUR, rolls of duck tape - blue, silver, gray and black! Imagine what you could do with that!! Well, here are some of his creations:

First a tie for a handsome dude...

and ties for cousins Mikey and Del...

and in honor of Veterans' Day...

So young and already in the Air Force and Navy??

I spied some slippers around here made by the same young man and you can be sure he'll soon be creating more fun stuff - and buying some more Duck Tape to make MORE "stuff".

What do Herrs, St. Peters and blizzards have in common?

2011-11-09T16:03:00.002-06:00

A whole bunch of cousins, that's what! Yesterday and today were full of activities at Herr's Food Factory (potato chips and tortilla chips!), St. Peter's Park and last but not least, homemade blizzards!

We didn't buy the whole store, just a lot of it! After all, we're a lot of people!

What a bunch! Cameron, Calvin, Quincy, Ada, Toria, Del, his BESTEST FRIEND Raquel,

Josie, Elia, Clara and Mikey!!

I got it Mom, don't worry!

All photos taken "pre" the fall into the water! Only two kids got wet - quite a miracle!

But those that got wet, did a good job of it!

AND THE CLIMAX OF THE AFTERNOON...

Step right up and get your orders in for a blizzard, or milk shake, or just ice cream!

There's vanilla, strawberry, chocolate!

And besides, there's M&M's, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers,

Heath Bars, you choose!

And lots of whipped cream, extra creamy!

On your blizzard, in your hand, in your mouth, you choose!

Cousins! By the dozen - and more!

2011-11-07T20:07:00.001-06:00

I have about a thousand pictures I'd like to share with you. But I won't. Maybe only three dozen. Kris and I drove to PA from Indiana so we - and the cousins - could get to know each other. It's been five years since Kim and Kris' families saw each other - which means the cousins really didn't know each other! And Del, age 4, wasn't even around back then!

And today Alan and Beth - with two more cousins - arrived! So that makes a dozen! Tomorrow night Kim's three oldest will be home from Nashville where they're recording at Michael Card's studio, so then there will be 15!

I added some pictures of Longwood Gardens, which is an amazing place, where we spent four hours yesterday. We barely saw a small part of it in those four hours.

And this is for Ice Cream Grandpa

Sisters Kris, Beth and Kim

Calvin shared his birthday with his cousins - first time I think!

First, the rules for the treasure hunt....

Aunt Bethie emptied her bin of Mexican candy! Wow! What a feast!!

And we still have a few more days to enjoy together! Tomorrow to Herrs Potato Chip Factory.Next day? We'll find something fun, for sure! And if you need more pictures, just holler!

LAZY, IDLE DAY

2011-11-02T07:11:00.003-06:00

Since I'm surrounded by kiddos these days (Cameron 13, Dayton 10, Elia 8, Josie 7, Mikey 5 and Del 4, here's a good KID POEM, written by a kid!

LAZY, IDLE DAY

By Marilyn Petzy, age 13

A lazy, idle day.

A hot, humid afternoon.

Sipping lemonade.

Rocking . . .

back and forth

back and forth.

But she’s awake and alive,

and tiny, very tiny.

Taking up but a corner

of unused porch,

while I loll on the porchswing.

But she is busy, workingfast,

So very clever.

Spinning, spinning . . .

her silver thread . . .

so fine and perfect.

Her survival . . .

her dinner . . .

her craftiness.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2011-11-01T12:07:00.001-06:00

If you're wanting to read a sweet, happy, fun book, don't choose A Thousand Splendid Suns. It's definitely not any of those! It is "a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years...It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war..."

If you've read The Kite Runner, this was written by the same author, Khaled Hosseini.

Although difficult to read at times, and devastatingly difficult to imagine that life could treat people in this manner, it is a good book to help us understand the effects of war, the effects of a country where man is dominant and woman is nothing - or less than nothing. It's a heartbreaker.

Watch out....!

2011-11-01T09:32:00.003-06:00

Watch out! Teen driver! Just FYI, no one got hurt! And the cart is still in one piece!

Caught at Jon and Judy DeWald's house in Pontiac, IL!

Ready or not!!

Elia explorer, Josie vampire bride, Dayton artist,

Mikey - you mean you can't guess?? Del Spiderman

And enough candy brought home to sink a ship!!

I'm offering to buy their candy at $3 a pound!

Think I'll get any takers???

Mike and Kris hope so!

Breakfast at EliaJosie's Restaurant

2011-10-31T16:41:00.000-06:00

You haven't lived till you've had breakfast at EliaJosie's Restaurant. First, let's check out the options...

Waitress Josie takes our orders. And remember, this is NOT a fast food restaurant!

The cook, Elia, busy at work preparing delectable treats.

The menu, carefully prepared the night before...

And of course, the cook and waitress have to eat too, right??

This (below) is a "pre-breakfast" snapshot. Actually, it's the night before breakfast! Dayton's visiting, so there's a sleepover in the porch. Mikey and Del succumbed much earlier than the rest of the guests, but all had a blast. They must have slept well, because they were FULL of ENERGY the next day!

Hannas, Hannas everywhere

2011-10-26T18:00:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday I hosted an open house at Bible Baptist Church in Traverse City, MI. My main purpose was for family to gather, and they definitely gathered! Almost all my relatives who live in the TC area showed up and we had a grand time! A few "others" also joined us and we were so happy to see them too! Thanks for coming, thanks for sharing this special time with me!

I have LOTS of pictures which may bore some of you, but since I do this blog mainly for my kids, I know they'll want to see all these relatives. So, enjoy!

Chris made coffee for us - two delicious flavor. Since I don't
"do" coffee, I was very grateful! Thanks, Chris!

Dennis and Joy Hutchinson came all the way from Midland.

Thanks for coming, guys! It was so good to see you!

Brothers Don and Chris

Derek (above) with Davis and Torrie with Elliana (below)

Betty Jo was such a wonderful help setting everything up. And Ed bought the

luscious cookies we served! Thanks, guys! You're the best!

Sisters in law, Shari and Jenna

Mia with Bethie and Jimmy

Will and Holly couldn't come since we was working and she's ready to give birth to their baby boy, but he stopped by the house Sunday, on his way to check out the deer in the area. We fed him a couple tacos and some cookies and he was on his way!

Recognize anyone??

SWIFT THINGS ARE BEAUTIFUL

2011-10-26T06:57:00.001-05:00

Having spent this past week in the woods - literally - I thought this poem appropriate. My brother in law and his wife live about 14 miles outside of Traverse City, in the middle of the beautiful Michigan woods. We saw some swift things while I was there, mostly deer. Anything slow got run over and thankfully we didn't see a lot of those. The Boardman, so beautiful, still runs along their land and brought back wonderful memories of tubing down the Boardman, back when our kids were all still home and we did crazier things than I do now (not much crazier, but crazy nonetheless!).

SWIFT THINGS ARE BEAUTIFUL

ByElizabeth Coatsworth

Swiftthings are beautiful:

Swallowsand deer,

Andlightning that falls

Bright-veinedand clear,

Riversand meteors,

Windin the wheat,

Thestrong-withered horse,

Therunner’s sure feet.

Andslow things are beautiful:

Theclosing of day,

Thepause of the wave

Thatcurves downward to spray,

Theember that crumbles,

Theopening flower,

Andthe ox that moves on

Inthe quiet of power.

Hello Michigan!

2011-10-25T22:58:00.001-05:00

This past week Kris, Elia, Josie, Mikey, Del and I headed for Traverse City, MI! What a fun week. But it wasn't all play for me! First Sunday I spoke in Sunday School at East Bay Calvary Church, Tuesday was Hearts4God (women's Bible study), Wednesday was AWANA where the kiddos joined me and had a blast, Thursday was a luncheon at Bible Baptist and a small group dinner in the evening, Friday my dear friend Deb Downey magically turned into a civil war nurse and showed us so many interesting things about nursing duties during those dark days. Saturday evening I held an open house for anyone and everyone. Mostly family came and it was super fun to see everyone. And in between? Visits to Great Gram Hanna (my mother in law), meals at a Thai restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant (we don't do the common "kid" restaurants - we do exotic!), a fun tea party with cousins. Lots of "resale" shopping with sister in law Betty Jo, and we've got to mention that wonderful hot tub on Ed and Betty's back deck! And those wonderful trees to climb and build fairy houses under! Oh, and don't forget the HUGE jars of pickles Uncle Ed bought for the kiddos! He will forever be known as the pickle uncle! Needless to say, it was an unforgettable and memorable week!I have so many pictures to share - a hundred at least! But here are just a few!

I thought I uploaded a dozen or more pictures, but they're lost in cyberspace I guess. And since it's late, I'll try again tomorrow! So check in with us tomorrow for more exciting pictures of adventures in Michigan!

And how could we forget Sherman's?? Heading up to Michigan on I-196, Exit 20 (Phoenix), we stopped in at Sherman's and each got a BABY cone! You can see how little the BABY cones are! Mikey and Del couldn't finish theirs. The rest of us did justice to ours! Delicious ice cream - when you're in the area, check it out. You won't be sorry!

After we got home from this fun excursion, we found a dozen or so cherry pits in Mikey's shoes!

It was COLD, but the water was 104, so we were toasty warm!

Putting out Fires

2011-10-25T22:36:00.001-05:00

Before heading to Michigan last week, we stopped in at the open house at the firehouse!Wow! Was that fun for the kiddos! Putting out fires, playing on the bouncy house, rode the old fire trucks, shook handss with Smokey the Bear, watched a rescue mission, and best of all, got popcorn and candy! What more could you ask for??

Doctors John and Becky

2011-10-12T21:29:00.000-05:00

Saturday Kris, Elia, Josie, Mikey, Del and I drove into Chicago to help John and Becky Abraham celebrate their marriage last July in Tulsa, OK with a beautiful reception. Becky is my cousins Jon and Nita Beran's daughter. She and John are both doctors now as well as a newly married couple. What a fun reception! The kiddos loved the food - well, OK, we all loved the food! There was soul food, American food and Indian food. John is of Indian heritage, although he is totally American, having been born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. But he hangs onto his beautiful heritage. Congratulations, John and Becky AND Jon and Nita!

Most of the folks at the reception were from their church, but a few of "us family" also joined them. I'm not sure who the boy on the left is, next to him is Peter Beran brother of the bride, then the "novios" John and Becky, my brother Keith and his wife Donna, Kris and her kiddos, me, and on the right the proud parents Jon and Nita Beran.

A visit to the home of Indiana's FIRST wind farm

2011-10-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

Today fron beginning to end was a fun day. 8:45 Kris, the kids and I headed to Benton County on a home schooling field trip to the Home of Indiana's FIRST Wind Farm! We first saw some videos and received an explanation of how they built these amazing turbines that turn wind into electricity. Then we drove to a couple of them and observed how they work. It was amazing, truly amazing.We ate our lunch there and ended up at a beautiful park near Fowler, Indiana where the kiddos worked off some - but not all - of their energy!

Home in time to start cooking dinner because we were having a special visitor. But then we decided to eat at Smokey's instead and take Rima there! Rima is from El Paso and we got acquainted with her when we visited Ken and Esme and family. She's just starting her college life at Valparaiso University as an engineering major, minoring in music. What a fun time we enjoyed around Smokey's delicious meals getting reacquainted with Rima and hearing about her life and all the new things she's experiencing at college. We hope to see her again before I leave (first part of November). Even though it was now dark, we took her to the beach so she could see beautiful Lake Michigan from our vantage point.

Tomorrow promises to be another fun day - to Chicago for a wedding reception. But I'll write about that later!

Mike and Mikey having a reading lesson! Mikey is now reading! Yay!

Just one piece of the turbine, one of the blades. Our tour guide passed out sharpies and everyone added their name to the blade! This thing is HUGE!

The home school gang. There was a lot of excitement today! For the base of this turbine, it takes 30 cement trucks! It costs between 1 and 2 million dollars to put ONE of them up and takes months! Amazing!

Standing directly under a turbine watching it move tended to make us a little dizzy. Did I already say this thing is HUGE?? It is 260 feet high and the blades make it even taller by 150 more feet, if I remember correctly!

This picture gives you an idea where we were - out in the cornfields of Indiana! Mikey decided to walk through the corn and suffered lots of prickers and itches afterward! But he survived, especially when we arrived at the park and he saw what fun that was!

Still full of energy!

There's Rima on the left - and the kiddos still full of vim and vigor.

But now they're in bed and I'm sure it didn't take them long at all to get to sleep! What a big, exciting day!

Getting beat by Mikey at bowling!

2011-10-06T16:01:00.001-05:00

Today Mikey and I went bowling, just us two. He unmercifully beat me - of course he had gutter bumpers - I didn't have ANY help! And it's been so long since I bowled, I wasn't sure I remembered how! I used to have my OWN bowling ball (many eons ago!) - wish I'd kept it! But we sure had fun. He took a picture of me, but it's pretty blurry - didn't think you'd want to see it!

And if you think that's the ONLY thing Mikey wanted to do at the bowling alley - well, pictures don't lie! He would have stayed and played forever if Abuela had agreed to it and provided the quarters!

BOOK TIME

2011-10-05T08:44:00.002-05:00

Since I'm surrounded these days by kids reading books, books, books, and more books, I thought a "book" poem would be appropriate! More likely than not, when I walk into Mike and Kris' living room, there are four kiddos sitting on the couch, each enthralled in their own book. Makes me happy!

BookTime

by Avis Harley

So many places to read a book -
bedroom
living room
kitchen nook

classroom
lunchroom
library
hall -
bus stop
treetop
hilltop
mall

backyard
garden
patio
park -
under-the-sheets-
in-flash-lit-dark

teahouse
tree house
subway
train -
attic
camper
trailer
plane
seaside
lakeside
by a brook -
Where do you like to read your book?

Museums, George's, apples, lunch with Elia and MUCH MORE!

2011-10-04T17:31:00.005-05:00

A big hello from Chesterton, Indiana where my children Mike and Kris and my grandchildren Elia 8, Josie 7, Mikey 5 and Del 4 live! We've had a great time hanging out so far!

Sept. 30th was the last day for their Museum of Science and Industry pass, so we drove into Chicago and spent the day at the museum. What fun! I took a few pictures. Fun stuff!

Saturday I headed to Michigan and spent a very quick weekend with brother and sister in law Ed and Betty Jo. Sunday we all headed over to Maple City Community Church where I reported on my ministry in Mexico. After a luscious Chinese lunch, I headed back to Chesterton. That is ONE QUICK TRIP! But it was worth it to visit and hopefully encourage the folks at Maple City!

George's Gyros has been visited by us - one of our fav spots in all the world!! Today we visited an apple farm and brought home A LOT of apples! What a fun time - until someone suffered a black eye in the apple battle! Ouch! Later Elia and I went out for lunch at Tonya's, a really fun little restaurant here in town!

And there's much more fun to come!

g

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Uneventful makes me happy!

2011-09-28T14:59:00.002-05:00

Last Friday Alan, Beth, Cameron, Dayton and I left San Juan del Rio to start our two-month sojourn in the States! We were hoping and praying for UNEVENTFUL, and I'm very happy to report it's been just that! If you'd like to read a much more interesting tale about our journey north, check out Alan and Beth's blog: http://abcdmcmanus.blogspot.com/

The trip trough northern Mexico was as boring as possible - of course we had a good story going on Bethie's Kindle - or ipod - or whatever it is - so we weren't in the least bored! The trip through Texas was equally uneventful and equally boring, although there are a FEW more highway signs and towns to see. In Dallas we enjoyed a visit with Jim and Inez Ferguson, as well as shopping and of course PANERA - we love that place!

Dallas was a bit eventful though. I was supposed to visit El Redentor church Sunday morning and never did find it - even with written directions and a GPS! The GPS didn't even recognize the address, so that was NOT a good thing! After some wandering in the general area - I KNOW I was close to the church! - I returned to the CAM mission home! Maybe next trip I'll try again!

ANd the best uneventful occasion was today: Jeff Arnold took me to get my car registered - it wouldn't let me do it online, since it was expired. Happily, we got through the line and everything taken care of in record time! AND THEN....

Inspection! This had me a bit concerned (not worried, you'll note, just concerned!) because my 2002 Sable has not seen the U.S. soil since 2006, and who knows if it's still in operating order! Well, it is! No problem, everything is A-OK! All I could say as I left the inspection station was, "Thank you, Lord!"

So, now I'm ready to head north to Chicago. Around 5:30 this afternoon my friends Jim and Inez will come by for me, take me to their house for the night and tomorrow run me to the airport. Aren't friends GREAT?? We've been friends since the Nicaragua earthquake (1972) and they're the best!

THE PRECIOUS BIBLE

2011-09-28T14:54:00.002-05:00

I'm trying something new and different this trip - I brought along an ENGLISH Bible rather than my trusty SPANISH one! And wow! It's weird to read those even weirder Bible names in ENGLISH rather than SPANISH! I'm reading in 1 Chronicles (or is it Crónicas) right now, so there are LOTS of names! I even found mine there in one of the lists!

This brought to mind a poem I found some time ago and I thought you might enjoy it as much as I did:

THE PRECIOUS BIBLE

Though the cover is worn

And the pages are torn,

And though places bear traces of tears;

Yet more precious than gold

Is the book worn and old,

That can shatter and scatter my fears.

When I prayerfully look

In the precious old book,

Many pleasures and treasures I see;

Many tokens of love

From the Father above,

Who is nearest and dearest to me.

The old book is my guide,

'Tis a Friend by my side,

It will lighten and brighten my way;

And each promise I find

Soothes and gladdens my mind,

As I read it and heed it each day.

from "The Poetry of Preaching" compiled by Dr. Clyde Box; Sword of the Lord publisher's

HIGH FLIGHT

2011-09-22T09:47:00.002-05:00

This may be a very familiar poem to most of you. I had to seen it before my brother Lee passed away last May. Familiar or not, it´s well worth repeating!

HIGH FLIGHT

By Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee – No. 412 Squadron, RCAF

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds – and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed on – wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delicious, burning blue,

I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew

And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Verse on Funeral Folder for Lee A. Phillips

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

Silenced

2011-09-21T19:27:00.003-05:00

I've been reading - er, listening - to Silenced by Jerry Jenkins. On my way to and from church, on the way to prayer meeting, on the way ANYWHERE, I'd listen to a little more of the story. It was hard to "put down"! Since we're leaving for the States on Friday, I decided to listen to the last two CDs here in my own living room - beats TV all hollow, beats reading, and sure kept my attention!

Here's the description: "In the name of peace, the world is forced to take sides. National Peace Organization operative Paul Stepola walks a dangerous tightrope as a double agent - a new believer assigned to enforce the ban on religion. Three major cities have been attacked by terrorists and thousands have died, all in the name of God. Paul must find a way to expose the source of the terrorism without endangering fellow believers. And with his unbelieving wife's powerful connections, Paul faces danger on every front."

And it gets more exciting from there! Check it out! I highly recommend it!

It's time to get more CDs - and maybe a Kindle!!

¡¡VIVA MEXICO!! ¡¡VIVA!!

2011-09-16T20:01:00.007-05:00

That is what is shouted (very literally!) at 11 PM or so on September 15th. The official Viva Mexico is shouted from the palace in downtown Mexico City, but it was heard at every party across Mexico celebrating our country's independence last night. Including our party at Abundant Life Bible Church! And what a fun party it was! Just a few pictures to let you in on the fun:

After a short service with praise songs and an excellent message given by Rene (see picture below of him with his wife Isa), we had: Crazy and fun games! The winner of the chile-eating contest downed 12! And there wasn't even a prize! Bummer!

The food! Wow! It was great! Here I caught Rene and Isa totally enjoying it!

The pambasos in front of Paul and Nacho were YUMMY! They are a bolillo (small loaf of bread) that has been dipped in a special sauce, then "fried", then filled with a potato/meat mixture, lettuce and sour cream! Delicious!! Very messy! Finger lickin' good!

The costumes were very creative! Here is Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon, Junior and Senior! Junior won a prize for his creative costume!

Four prizes for the most creative costumes were given to the children! My first choice was Angel, third from right, who came as Speedy Gonzalez! Other prizes went to Vania (see below!), Adaia on the left who came as a campesina and Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon who is in the middle!

I didn't stay for the women's costume judging because the guests I brought were getting extremely tired, so I took them home! I took Rosa and her twin granddaughters, age 6, to the party. They are not used to being in church, so were quite restless, but enjoyed the party - until 11 PM or so! Then they were DONE! I'm sure I would have won a prize! My costume was the same one I've worn the past two years - since it's the only one I own!! I came as a Yucateca - a gal from Yucatan! My friend Mundi Cab from Merida, Yucatan, sent me a lovely huipil from there, so I put it to use once a year at the "Quince!" Here's a snapshot of me with Ivonne taken a couple years ago!

Reading, not TV watching!

2011-09-10T13:33:00.003-05:00

I just finished up the Baxter Series by Kathy Herman, all five of them. They were all page turners, lots of good mystery going on! I enjoy a good mystery - not TOO scary (I've read some of those too!), but enough to keep me going!

Our cable company just changed all our TV stations and what's available and my favs are gone - specifically The Wheel and Jeopardy (especially Jeopardy! I love to see if I can answer the questions BEFORE the contestants - once in a great while I actually do! Especially when they're Bible subjects - that helps! Ha). There's still Hawaii 5-O though, although it took me awhile to find it! So, now I don't watch much TV (not that I did before!!), but hey! There's a whole library downstairs waiting to be explored! And I manage to explore it at least once a week, sometimes more.

The other day while heading down to this basement library, I stubbed my big toe on the last step. Why, I don't know. I wasn't even in a hurry! The steps ARE a little uneven, each step being just a tad different than the rest. So, this past week I had a very swollen, red, purple and now greenish gray toe. Ouch! But I still walked a lot this week. I have a pair of very ugly, BIG tennis shoes that don't cramp my toes at all, and for walking, they're great! So, guess I better be more careful heading down to that fantastic library!

My International shelf

2011-09-04T18:40:00.002-05:00

Just showing off my "international shelf!" Actually I have beautiful things from many countries (Spain, Scotland, Honduras, Guatemala, to name a few!), but here is where my latest gift is! The beautiful scarf is from Turkey, given to me by "my" missionaries from Turkey, Alejandro and Liz Pantoja, just this morning. Alejandro was at our church this morning and gave a beautiful presentation of his newly adopted country of Turkey. And of course it never occurred to me to get a picture of him! Liz and their three little ones weren't able to come and we were disappointed of course. They have two girls Bethany 5 and Damaris 2, and a brand new baby boy - he has a beautiful Bible name, but it's a bit unusual! Sorry, I don't remember it! They will return to Turkey on September 18th. Our ladies put together a gift of two outfits and The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes (in Spanish of course!) for the new baby. And I sneaked in some little gifts for the girls (books, puppets and two fun pens)!

The plate on the left is from Spain and the picture doesn't do it justice - it's beautful! The rest of the items are Mexican.

And don't forget the beautiful clock that is hanging above my "international shelf." When we visited Yellowstone quite a number of years ago, I told Ken I wanted just a "small" remembrance of our trip. This is what he came up with! He never did things in a "small" way! But I've dragged it everywhere and still enjoy it. Good memories!!

Esperanza en ti (Hope in You)

2011-08-28T16:36:00.008-05:00

At last the big day we'd been looking forward to, arrived, August 27th! 19 of us crowded into Julio's van, (we would never have passed inspection in the States!) plus 5 in another two cars, and we were off to Queretaro to "Esperanza en ti" orphanage! This orphanage was started about a year ago by two sisters and their husbands, along with their children. They now house 19 children from ages 14 months to about 16. It is not a fancy place, no, it is quite rustic, with one small room for the girls' dorm (with 10 bunk beds for 12 girls), an even smaller room for the six boys, very crowded kitchen, but a large "family" room where they enjoy most of their activities during the day.

When we arrived the children greeted us enthusiastically, telling us their names and thanking us for coming. The director, Dionisio, showed us around the grounds where they have chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, geese, a beautiful vegetable garden, a large "pond" with fish in it and even a donkey! They eat as well as sell the eggs, eat as well as sell the animals, eat fish from the pond, the children all have their jobs, taking turns doing each one. They have quite a good number of fruit trees as well - pears, apples, guayabas, oranges, tangerines, etc. Very nice!

We then had a time of singing, with those kiddos singing VERY enthusiastically! After that we divided into three groups for a Bible lesson - little ones, girls and boys. I listened in on Rosy's talk for the girls and it was EXCELLENT - you go, Rosy! Then it was time for handwork - I'll let the pictures tell that story! After that we had supper, which our group had brought along: sandwiches, fruit salad, juice, milk and soda pop (for the adults!). What a fun way to spend a Saturday evening!

It was a special joy to get to know the folks there. As I talked with Dionisio and his wife, after they realized who I was, they said, "Hey, we knew your husband!" They were saved in the Celaya church when Dan and Beverly Kendal were there, and of course Ken and I traveled there quite often. Dionisio said the first Bible study the did was "Hasta que todos lleguemos", which Ken had a lot to do with! So, that was fun to see how God works over the years and brings us back together again after so long!

The baby in the photo below had only been at the home 3 days. Her name is Estrella (Star) and she wanted nothing to do with anyone, but her "mama" who is holding her! The children appeared to be so happy, and called the "parents" mama and papa. As Dionisio told us, it isn't an orphanage, it's a family, it's HOME to these children who have been so abused in their past life, and they all feel so at home with each other. One lady told us that when a child is adopted or goes back to his or her family, it makes her so sad, she misses them so much!

There is nothing fancy about this home. You might be shocked at how little they live on and how simply they live, but the love of God is so evident in that place, it's just a huge blessing to observe! We all hope to visit again soon, because it wasn't just US ministering to THEM, it was THEM ministering to US!

This morning in church I caught a glimpse of some of the handwork from yesterday! Minerva took three of her children along last night and of course the two girls made beautiful hair ribbons along with the girls at the orphanage!

I, Juan de Pareja

2011-08-19T14:49:00.003-05:00

Just finished reading I, Juan de Pareja, a Newbery Medal book, excellent! The New York Times Book Review says this about it: "This brilliant historical novel captures and holds the attention from its rhythmic opening sentence - 'I, Juan de Pareja, was born into slavery'- all the way through to the end. . . A splendid book, vivid unforgetable."

Since I didn't read the back cover or the Afterword until I finished the book, I didn't realize it was about REAL people! It was great as a novel, but even greater considering it's a historical novel!

The Afterword began this way: "Whenever one tells a story about personages who actually lived, it becomes necessary to hand many invented incidents, characters and events upon the thin thread of truth which has come down to us. The threads of the lives of Velázquez and Pareja are weak and broken; very little, for certain, is known about them." And it gets more interesting from there on!

I loved this book! I know you will too!

Books for kids

2011-08-13T19:20:00.004-05:00

Sometimes it's just fun to read book for kids! After all, we're all kids at heart! Here are the two most recent that I've read - and thoroughly enjoyed! Both very sweet stories.

Once a week roses!

2011-08-13T19:05:00.004-05:00

Roses, hand delivered to our gate every Tuesday! One of the pluses of living here in Mexico! Sometimes, as the ones above, break off or are so crooked they won't look nice in a vase, so we find a pretty dish to put them in! The rest - at least this week - are gracing our dining room table and my bathroom! Hey! It's the coolest room in the house, so the roses stay beautiful longer! And it makes a very nice touch.

They aren't exactly LaSalle Flowers quality, but the cost is right. With the exchange this week, they cost $2.02 a dozen!!

Happy birthday, Dayton! 10 years old!

2011-08-12T18:06:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Dayton's birthday. Today is his party. Five of his special friends are at this moment, playing some special birthday games and will soon smash the Ben Ten piñata to discover what he's filled with! Goodies, I bet!

The pictures speak for themselves!

Any guesses as to what Dayton likes?

What in the world???

2011-08-12T17:28:00.003-05:00

A crystal! Dayton and his mom Bethie, created a crystal! And they enjoyed looking at it through a microscope! Makes school fun, doesn't it?

Not singin' in the rain --- eatin' in the rain!

2011-07-27T10:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Paul and Grace Becker and I headed for Amealco, where our Camp Koinonia is located. We went to visit our friends and fellow team members Rich and Sara Musgrave, who are just here for the few weeks of camps, and will be heading back to the States in just a few days. We invited them to eat with us at the Chinese restaurant, which isn't open on Tuesdays, so we found a taco stand instead!

Just off the street, a small stand with a tarp covering two tables and 8 chairs. The atmosphere was amazing! We could see the beautiful trees and bushes planted in the middle of the highway just a few feet from us. A rooster was prancing in front of the stand for all to enjoy (?), and, as we waited for our orders, it started to rain. No, it started to hail! We were getting wet so moved to the table closer to the grill - we still were getting splattered, but it was OK! We were happy to have the rain, we could have done without the hail!

I should have taken some pictures! But who thinks of pictures when a luscious plate of tacos is sitting in front of you??

More glimpses....

2011-07-21T13:30:00.007-05:00

What is it about water that always fascinates kids?

First just a little wet....
Notice that Del isn't sporting any pants.
He already got soaked clear through.

Swimming at the Y was fun, fun, fun. First, Kris and I did the water aerobics, then the kids swam until they were water logged! Their instructor is giving them diving lessons - and she's free!! And she's their mom! We had quite a few bellyflops, but they were definitely having fun!

Can you see why a trip to Target is tons of fun?? The super cart, the popcorn, the coke!! Have you ever tried to push one of those carts when it's full of FOUR KIDS???

Salsa by Josie and helper (Elia)

And panna cotta by Elia! Wow! Was that good! No wonder I came home with a few extra pounds!

Both Elia and Josie are becoming quite the good little cooks! Of course, they have a fabulous teacher!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

50 Years Together

2011-07-17T21:32:00.003-05:00

This past weekend daughter Kris and her four kiddos accompanied me to Port Austin, MI where we helped my dear friends Art and Marita Mikesell celebrate their 50 years together. What a happy occasion it was!

Four beautiful daughters singing to Mom and Dad. Felicia, Cindy, MeLinda and Debbie.

The original crew! Art & Marita's pastor and all but one of their attendants when they married.

I'm glad I came all this way to join in the celebration! It's once in a lifetime occasion, full of joy and so wonderful to see all their family together in one place. As Art said to Marita during their vows, we're all looking forward to the next 50 together!

Glimpses of my whirlwind week in Chesterton, IN

2011-07-17T21:20:00.000-05:00

2011-07-17T20:34:00.003-05:00

Just another great comment.....

2011-07-10T20:49:00.001-05:00

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

End of the Spear

2011-07-09T13:24:00.002-05:00

You MUST find this book and read it! Seriously! I've seen the DVD, but trust me, the book is a thousand times better!

By way of introduction:

"Steve Saint was only five years old when his father was brutally killed by Waodani warriors, men from the most savage culture ever known. But in a story almost too amazing to be true, Steve eventually comes to know -- and even love -- the very ones who drove the spears into his father's body.

Decades after their lives were changed by learning to walk God's trail, the Waodani asked Steve to return to the jungle with his family to live among them and teach them how to interact with the encroaching outside world. Striving to mesh his two very different worlds, Steve must fact the tragic events of his past and learn to fully trust God through terrible danger, great loss, and remarkable joy."

A fascinating read. And you can find out more about Steve and the business he started called I-Tec (Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center) at http://www.itecusa.org/. The book has a surprising - and very sad - ending, but also a joyful one.

Fiction was never better! Please check out this book. You'll be glad you did!

Remember to.......

2011-07-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

The World is Bigger Now

2011-07-05T16:09:00.002-05:00

This is the story of an American journalist's release from captivity in North Korea.

You've probably heard the story of Euna Lee and Laura Ling who were working on a documentary about the desperate lives of North Koreans fleeing their homeland, when they were apprehended by North Korean soldiers. They were detained for nearly 5 months - I personally did not think they would ever be released, but they were! By a series of miracles. Euna and Laura both received a sentence of 12 years hard labor, but they never began their sentence.

Euna's story is one of faith and love and her own personal conviction that God will sustain and protect us, even in our darkest hour.

Check it out! It's a fascinating REAL LIFE (my favorite kind) story!

Right now I'm reading another REAL LIFE story that's even more exciting than this one! I'll tell you about it when I finish!

San Miguel de Allende

2011-07-01T21:07:00.007-05:00

It's been a very long time since I visited San Miguel de Allende. So, when Bethie said she needed to go do some tutoring of Cristina, Rebeca and David Martinez, I couldn't let her go on the bus, but offered to drive her! Alan couldn't go because of prior commitments. It's about an hour away, depending on how fast you drive - it takes me a little longer! We arrived around 4 PM yesterday and our hosts, the Martinez family, was eager to show us their town.

So, off we went downtown. First we visited the cultural center where young people can take all sorts of music lessons, from violin to dance. Rebeca was there to practice with her orchestra group (she plays violin). The scenery was beautiful - below for some pictures. Then, on to the shops! They are beautiful and excruciatingly expensive! Yikes! We did find one shop run by a cute Ecuadorian lady though, who gave us good prices, so of course we bought some great gifts and items we "needed!" A purse and coin purses for me, some adorable backpacks for little granddaughters and a guayabera (shirt) for their baby brother, a cool shirt and purse for Bethie as well as some coin purses. We also visited a little restaurant and had hot chocolate and churros. Delicious!

I took a bunch of pictures, so enjoy!

Who needs a washing machine?
These "lavaderos"are old, but still in use!

We're heading up to that yellow building!
Bethie counted about 87 steps up to that point!

Someone lives here!

I don't know how they got their furniture up there!

Here we are with Cristina Martinez
And from there we went higher....

....and higher
The view of the city was amazing
We didn't quite reach the top...
This was high enough!

Sadly, many of the restaurants were empty,
like this one.
Tourist trade is WAY down
and people are hurting

Oh! Didn't I mention the tacos??
10:30 PM
Our hosts took us for tacos!
These four guys kept very busy
The tacos were scrumptious!

Mr. Martínez in the red and black
Mrs. Martínez in the green sweater
Two of the teens behind Bethie
who is sporting her new purse

Yep, they were good!

Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom

2011-06-26T20:19:00.005-05:00

I'll let Oliver North describe this book for you:

"A powerful and moving chronicle of courage, commitment, and devotion by an audacious soldier and gifted leader. This thrilling account of how he (Jerry Boykin) 'fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith' in the midst of dangerous and difficult circumstances is inspiring. You won't want to put it down."

He's right it WAS hard to put down, until I finished it! Jerry Boykin was "America's Point Man" for over three decades. An amazing story - written by the author himself with Lynn Vincent, of his life as a soldier, but also as a Christian. Amazing! Check it out! You won't regret it!

Icy Sparks

2011-06-19T18:44:00.002-05:00

I hesitated a minute or two, to tell you about this book that I just finished. Wow! It was an amazing story of a young girl who suffered from a troubling affliction that affected her whole life. Besides the fact that she was left an orphan, raised by her grandparents and lived in Appalachia where people have a hard time understanding or accepting "different". It had some rough spots where her thoughts and actions were anything but sweet or kind. But it also was the amazing story of how Icy overcomes and eventually has a happy life.

Author Loyal Jones describes it like this: "Icy Sparks is a work of imagination, about being different in a world where difference brings separation and pain. Icy, in 1950's Appalachia, finds community with others who also don't fit in and acquires an outlook that is wise, serious, and yet comic."

If you like a challenge, something to stretch your thinking, go for it!

Marriage Conference with Martin and Rubi

2011-06-12T15:10:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated a Marriage Conference at Abundant Life Bible Church here in San Juan del Rio. Couples from Celaya, Queretaro (a BUNCH!), Salamanca, and San Juan joined us - over 150 people. There were about 30 children of all ages, and Rosy and her crew of helpers did a fabulous job of keeping them entertained while the conference was going on.

But the preparations beforehand were almost as interesting as the conference! Almost!

Ivonne came to my house Friday afternoon and made the "sopa" - I merely assisted! Here in Mexico sopa can be rice, spaggeti, or "real" soup. We made noodles with cream/mayonnaise/onion/ham and pineapple. As Bethie said, it sounds awful, but WOW! Wow! Was it good! So good that today the ladies at church asked us to make it again next week for the Father's Day dinner! Her hands were CLEAN when she mixed the noodles and sauce! Really!

Here's our final product - two big tubs full of delicious sopa! I stored it in Bethie's and my friges overnight - and had to take out several items to make it all fit!

Ivonne's granddaughter was along, and what do you do with a 5-year old when you're trying to cook?? Get out the Legos, of course! She had a ball!

Saturday morning we arrived at church at 6:30 to get ready. Chop the fruit for breakfast, set up the tables, put out the sweetbread, yogurt, granola, juice, set up the sound system, get the coffee going. It was quite a crew working hard!

Here Linda, our official church decorator, made and set out the table decorations. A small basket with a variety of typical Mexican candies. It was hard to get a picture and you can't really tell how pretty they were - but the candies were luscious - not that I got any! Those round colored pieces are obleas - like the rice circles used at communion in some churches only much bigger - and people here (including me!) eat them like candy! The couples at the tables munched on these goodies during the conference!

Later, during the conference, some of the ladies made mixiotes, some of the best chicken you've ever tasted - or at least that I've tasted! I though that it would be an easy recipe to try in the States, then Estela told me how to make the sauce - easy it is NOT! Labor intensive it IS! Mixiotes are chicken in a special sauce, wrapped in aluminum foil and put in a big double boiler - or in this case, several double boilers - and cooked for a couple hours. The end result is wonderfully flavorful chicken.

Dinner was mixiotes, our macaroni "sopa" and a salad made with lettuce and jicama with a delicious dressing on top. Jello for dessert. Very simple, very delicious!

Had to get a couple proud grandmas in there! Yola on top with her first granddaughter Jade and Linda below with her second granddaughter Renata.

As folks arrived between 9 and 10, they helped themselves to a nice breakfast of coffee or tea, fruit, yogurt, granola and sweetbread.

Our church, which isn't real large, was pretty well packed out.

Jason and Kristin, who study the Word with Alan and Beth, were there and really enjoyed the conference. Bethie was there as well - Alan wasn't feeling well, so stayed home. Lo que te perdiste! (See what you missed!)

Martin and Rubi Sweany from Mansfield, TX are with us for three weeks. We've enjoyed having them in our home since last Wednesday. Martin preached today - his first time preaching! It was great and the people enjoyed it so much - so did I! Later we all had dinner together at the church - eating the leftovers from yesterday and bringing more goodies! I took frijoles charros that Bethie had made. On the way to church they spilled (just the first layer fortunately!) in the trunk, making a huge mess. Not to worry, when I got home I took the rug out, laid it down for Peanut to lick up, the hosed it down! Peanut thought it wasn't quite enough of course!

For the next two weekends Sweanys will be at Salamanca and Queretaro, but during the weeks, I'm hoping some of the folks at church will invite them over! I'm encouraging them to, not so much because we don't want them with us, but because I think they can have a wonderful ministry with these families. They've been a blessing so far and I know will continue to be.

Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak

2011-06-10T20:02:00.003-05:00

I loved this book! I highly recommend it! Davey writes with such humor that it makes living in the jungle seem like TONS of FUN! I always asked the Lord to send me to the city, and even after reading this, where it sounds like such fun, I can only say to the Lord, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for sending me to the city! Not that San Juan del Rio is such a huge city, but it IS a city! We have all the modern conveniences - well, most of them anyway!

Gracia Burnham says of this book: This book is awesome! We loved it and laughed and laughed. An entertaining and informative jungle adventure. Two thumbs up!

And even in the fun, Larry Brown, CEO of New Tribes Mission says, "Reflects the hardships, frustrations, complications, fun and sometimes bewilderment of living among a people so greatly different that your own. I highly recommend it."

And you know what? Davey lived among these Wilo people ten years before he and his team were able to speak enough and write the language enough to share Christ with them. That takes dedication! Super strength that only God can give. Even in his humor, Davey sneaked in a lot of wonderful truths about how God was and is working among the Wilo people. What an amazing story!

Check it out! Please.

Oh, Lord show me your will (rough translation)

2011-06-08T10:38:00.003-05:00

I found the most beautiful poem - and hymn - when singing through the hymnal "Celebremos su gloria". Only problem for some of you out there - it´s in Spanish! I know it´s an English hymn as well, but I have no idea what it´s called or where to find it. I don´t have any English hymnbooks at my house, sorry! No need for them! When we gather as women to sing, I usually choose this song - it´s page 403 if you´re interested! The words are even more beautiful than the words in my opinion!

I wasn´t going to upload this since it´s in español, but my daughter Bethie said, "Why not? Upload it anyway!" So I did!

Oh Dios, revélame tu voluntad

Letra: Benjamin M Ramsey 1919, trad. y adapt. Estela Z. Sharpin

Música: Lowell Mason, 1856

Oh Dios, revélame tu voluntad;

la senda hazme ver con claridad

Por donde debo andar,

qué pasos he de dar,

para poder gozar tu voluntad.

Imprime en mí, Señor, tu voluntad;

pon en mi corazón seguridad.

Tu voz anhelo oír

haciéndome sentir el ansia

de cumplir tu voluntad.

He de aceptar, Señor, tu voluntad

en tiempos de dolor y adversidad;

En medio de aflicción,

en prueba y tentación,

que sea mi porción tu voluntad.

Quiero probar, Señor, tu voluntad,

y el gran poder sentir de tu verdad.

Por fe deseo andar,

tu plenitud tomar,

y en todo tiempo amar tu voluntad.

Cúmplase en mí, Señor, tu voluntad;

confío en tu poder y gran bondad.

Rindo mi ser a ti,

que viva Cristo en mí;

he de cumplir así tu voluntad.

Amén.

The Face of God

2011-05-31T18:23:00.002-05:00

What if....
you could hear the voice of God?

What if....
you actually saw His face?

That is the quest of two men with opposite faiths. . .

A very fascinating book. Of course, it´s a novel, but it does show the human nature of "spiritual" leaders, those who are "serving God", but aren´t "serving people." Those who have a heart for God, but have moved away from Him to somewhere that is dark and sad. It´s a good book for all of us to ponder - where am I in my relationship to God, in my relationship to my fellow man, in my relationship to those I love and who are the closest to me? Made me ponder. I know it will you as well.

Check it out. On the cover is a note that says, "We guarantee you´ll love this book, or it´s FREE." I loved it.

2011-05-29T15:03:00.006-05:00

Aren't pictures of days gone by fun?? Check these out!

Eli and God's Whisper

2011-05-26T16:55:00.002-05:00

I finished two books - not necessarily simultaneously, but close.

God's Whisper in a Mother's Chaos is written for young mothers, but is good for all of us. "We know we need God in this time (when mothering small children) more than any other. We need God's wisdom, guidance, and, most of all, His peace. We need to find ways to hear that still, small voice in the whirlwind of life. Keri Kent offers down-to-earth ideas to help us along the way."

A very good book, for all you young mothers. If you can't find it, I'll lend it to you! (Or should I ask the librarian in my house first??)

Eli was a fictional story of what it might have been like if Jesus had come in a modern setting. Fascinating! Crazy, but fascinating! At first I thought I wouldn't finish the book, but then I couldn't put it down till the last page was read! It's an "intense and thought-provoking novel." And besides, lots of fun to read, you always wonder what's going to happen next, even though you know the old, old story!