HAPPY EASTER!!

Of all the holidays, Easter is my favorite. I haven't really isolated a reason, except that I just love it, and it is a very happy season for me. This Easter I was a little sad as it approached. Ray was down with his mother, and my children are far away. Even though this does not change the meaning of Easter, it does change the dynamics. Then Ray texted me on Friday and informed me that he would be driving home on Saturday and would be here for Easter. The sadness lifted right away. I have friends who would have made sure that I was not alone, but it is so good to have your sweetheart of many years there with you.

This morning's sunrise was gorgeous as we drove to an early sunrise service at Ravinia, and it was emphasized by a friend who took a picture of it and texted it to us with the message: "He is risen indeed!" We got in for a wonderful presentation and reading by Scott Yoder, and to sing "Up from the grave he arose..." with the rest of the early-risers who almost filled the church. We then went to the parsonage to eat scrumptious biscuits and gravy and talk with old friends before we headed out to Lower Brule for the morning service.

Ray spoke this morning about the Resurrection, and he brought out some beautiful new thoughts about Mary as she sought Jesus in the garden. He mentioned that, even though Jesus was right there, Mary did not see Him as who he was because of the tears that were clouding her vision. He exhorted us to look through our tears of earthly sorrow and view the One who is there. He mentioned that we could be weeping when we could be rejoicing because Christ is living and He is not conquered. He gave us a wonderful message.

Sunday School was a little challenging today, as we were both very tired, and the children were alive and full of vim and vigor and sugar. :) For some reason, they were at variance with each other, and I had to speak to them a little harder than I would have liked to. Sometimes there is sadness in the lives of the children, and this is why they 'act out' the way they do, but we cannot let them be unkind to each other. I talked to one little girl quite directly, and she came to me in just a few minutes and spent a long time with her arm around my neck and her head on my shoulder. I love these children.

This afternoon passed very pleasantly, as Ray found a lovely site that plays only beautiful music, and we slept to the music. I will share this with you: www.wordoftruthradio.com It is very calming to us. We went to worship with the Fort Thompson group, and we took communion with them tonight.

...AND NOW FOR THE ICING ON THE CAKE...

The drive to Lower Brule this Sunday was quite relaxing. I crested the last curving hill before overlooking the river and Lower Brule, and caught my breath. I pulled the car over to the shoulder and snapped a couple of pictures. The contrast is stark, but I was only able to get a little of the feel in the pictures. The whole valley ahead of me and on each side was etched with snow and black dirt. It was amazing.

This Sunday was a little different than usual, as Ray has been called down to be with his elderly mother in Oklahoma. Mr. Howard came over from Fort Thompson and filled in for us. We appreciated his coming over, and those who came in to worship with us.

I went and picked up children this afternoon for Sunday School, and we talked about the woman at the well in Samaria. After we talked about the story, we iced some cupcakes that I had brought and decorated them. The children had fun doing it, and I had fun watching them. I'm not sure why I decided on red kool-aid for them (there's a mess for you), but it made them happy. The icing was on the cakes, but it was also on the children, the table, the car, and me, but we are all happy.

Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule. May God bless you. Please pray especially for the mission during this time.

TODAY AND TOMORROW

Today was a dreary, drippy day at Lower Brule. We came in to Lower Brule around 1:00 PM yesterday, as I had scheduled a make-up class for the class that we missed because I was sick. After class, we went to the church and made ourselves comfortable. We rested-I even slept-all afternoon, and then we spent the night there. This morning we made things ready for others to come and worship with us at the appointed time, and we were not disappointed. How we appreciate those who come to church! There are more gathering lately, and this is always an encouragement to everyone who comes to worship. One little lady comes with her Grandpa, and he is always so proud to bring her in with him. She is such a good girl, and she quietly entertains herself during the service. She had a new pair of shoes that light up when she moves (she informed me that everyone has some--they learn that idea very young).

I enjoyed the Sunday School this afternoon, and I had a good time talking to one of the girls who come about Jesus and Nicodemus and John 3:16. Sometimes, I am amazed at their understanding when they are so young (she is 10 years old), and they connect the Bible with their lives.

Please pray for us, as Ray is going to stay with his mother while she has a shoulder replacement-a big undertaking at any time, and especially at 85 years old. We will search for who God wants to shepherd the little flock while Ray is gone. I plan to carry on the Sunday School, and I intend to keep on having classes at the college. It feels huge, but God is greater, and He holds tomorrow.

Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule Wesley Chapel.

I have begun an inspirational blog. The address is www.lifessymphony.blogspot.com

SPrinG??

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Is 1:18In last week's blog, I blogged about spring. So these pictures show what this weekend brought. South Dakota serves up whatever it desires, as far as weather. I am many days late getting this blog written. This last Sunday was a hard day for Ray and I. I prepared to leave on Sunday morning feeling very ill, and the feeling persisted and increased as the time passed. About halfway through the morning service, I felt so ill that I ended up going into another room and sleeping in a comfortable chair until later in the afternoon. I had a fever that drained every bit of energy, and it continued throughout the night. Monday morning wasn't much better; so I ended up canceling classes and coming home. Due to the snow and wind, we traveled on a treacherous highway, but we traveled 45-50 mph and arrived safely. I did not feel that I accomplished much, though Ray had service with the group that gathered Sunday morning. Happily, the Dr. was able to give me medication that seems to have the infection under control. I have been working on an inspirational blog for a few months, and I hope to have it up and running before too many weeks. I will give you notice when it is available.

SPRING!!

Today is the first day of spring-the day we have been looking forward to welcoming for the last two months. It gives us hope that the hurting, crippling cold and the imprisoning snow will soon be gone and the days will be warm and inviting. Life feels like it has been infused with new vigor, and the body and mind feel fresh and happy. The beginning days of spring offer the damp, foggy feel that today has held; but the dampness and mud hold promise of new green grass and flowers. I buried some spring bulbs late in the fall and I have been anxiously awaiting the appearance of the first little spears that break the damp ground. The signs of spring are appearing here in Lower Brule, too; as more people are turning out on Sunday mornings to worship with us. We had more worshippers this morning than we have had for many months. Ray has been speaking to us from the book of Galatians, and he had handouts of maps that show the geographical location of Galatia. It helps the book to come to life as we study the demographics of the churches that Paul was addressing in his letter. One of the things that I have particularly admired is the simple faith that is exhibited when someone requests prayer for someone in the community who is sick or suffering. It is good to know that God cares and He hears when we pray. We had a lively group of children this afternoon who are feeling the effects of spring and they are responding to them. It keeps me 'on my toes' to get a lesson to them. They are a special group of children, and we are happy for the relationship that they have allowed us to build with them.

I hope and pray that you have a good week, and may God bless you!

HAPPY AND UNHAPPY HAPPENINGS

It has been a few weeks since we have reported what is happening here at Lower Brule. Both happy and unhappy things have been happening here.

First, the Happy: We are Happy that the children are continuing to come to Sunday School. I believe that they are feeling a little cabin fever, and they are sometimes a little fussy between themselves or a little noisy. They still love when we can sit and do crafts; and they really get involved when we tell them the Bible stories about Jesus and His time here on earth. They often give me a detailed account of the story from the week before, and this is Happy.

We are also Happy that many more adults from the community have been coming to worship with us on Sunday mornings. Some of the mornings are extremely cold and miserable, but they come quietly in and sit down while we worship. Happy!

English classes are going quite well, though I had a discouraging time for a week or so because I want to make the class interesting, and sometimes English is not fun and interesting. Unhappy! I keep thinking about things to make it more interesting, but maybe my imagination doesn't go far enough. Oh, well! The students are respectful and seem to like the class. Happy!A very Unhappy happening was on the week that the Tribal Chairman's wife passed away suddenly. She was respected and loved in the community, and the community grieved deeply. Ray and I attended her wake and funeral.

Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule. We are Happy that you read our posts and pray for us.

SnOW

It has been two weeks since I have been here to update our happenings. I just didn't know how to record the fact that we were sent so much snow that we spent last weekend in our house in Mitchell, and barely stuck our noses out, except to shovel the sidewalk around our house. We miss our time here in Lower Brule when circumstances rule out our coming, but we rest in God's complete wisdom. The quiet time at home was not a bad thing, as we can 'recharge' during these times.

One of the joys of getting out again is that we often get to see those whom we have missed, and they have missed the times of worship together. We had a larger-than-usual group that gathered this morning for worship service, and we had several eager children for Sunday School this afternoon. How we love the people!The children's special artistic abilities always impress me. I give them a little something to do, and they take so much interest in them and create the nicest things.

Tomorrow I will meet with the English classes, and we have not met for two weeks now. This will put a little extra pressure on us to catch up with our lesson plans. Hopefully, the papers that were assigned will be done. We have missed two class periods due to snow up to this time, and it is mandatory that we have 15 class periods during this semester.

This morning was a beautiful morning to travel, as the snow had settled beautifully on the trees and fences, and the landscape was sculpured white. I really wanted to stop and take a picture of the buttes, as they were white frills against a blue, blue sky that was scattered with a few fluffy white clouds; but I told Ray that I would refrain since I had taken a picture of those buttes about five different times. They are so expressive in their beauty! The frozen river at Chamberlain was lying silent, blanketed in a white fluffy covering of snow, and the hills surrounding the valley were stark white before a backdrop of baby blue sky. The beauty of the snow dimmed a little when we found a four -foot pile of hard snow plowed up from the street that had to be dug through before we could enter the church. We had it done in a short time, though. :)

Thank you for visiting the blog today. May God bless you this week!