SMALL TREASURES

Small things--what a difference they make!

A small word

A note of music

A small person

A shade of color

A raindrop or ice crystal

A piece of candy

An encouraging word is lifegiving to one who is struggling to survive in a harsh world. I have received one of those at just the right time, and I want to remember to offer a word to someone else who is struggling (maybe I should just hand one out when I can, as I don't know who is struggling). Sometimes more than one word can become a lifeboat when those words are pieced together and presented in a quilt of comfort and love. Give one or more.

A note of music can stir a hidden chord in the soul, and it can lighten the load a fellow-traveler is carrying. The right combination of notes can make the spirit soar above the drudgery and pain of life. Sing one note, or sing a stanza!

Small people are a balm to life-bruised trust. Children are so honest, open, trusting, and responsive to love. Small babies change the world (ask me-I'm a new grandma this week!)

Watch a child play, interact, hug a child who is close to you.

A shade of color can change a pallette. Sunday was a grayer shade of blue-it was somber and quiet. That shade has its own beauty, too. It has a place in life. It sometimes gives rise to the simplicity of a raindrop or the intricate snowflake or the glittery ice crystal. Accept-yes, welcome the gray days, as they will give rise to beauty that you did not dream would grace your life.

Ah, a piece of candy--one nice peppermint, chocolate, butterscotch, the list goes on. The circumstances under which it is obtained is often the healing touch of another human to you. A child offered me these suckers out of her amazing store this Sunday. Offer a tangible piece of love to someone.

Thank you for your interest in the small work that God has entrusted to us. Please pray for us and the people of Lower Brule.

"LIGHT SHINING IN DARKNESS"

William Cowper penned the following lines:

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines,

With never-failing skill,

He treasures up His bright designs,

And works His sovereign will.Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.

While driving to Lower Brule this morning, Ray and I were discussing some of the aspects of our lives that we don't fully understand. We both agreed, however, that God has worked His plan in our lives in ways that we would not have thought; and we are satisfied with His Plan. The path to the place where we stand in the last half of our lives has not been easy; and many times it seemed that the 'frowning providence' and the 'bud ...' with the 'bitter taste' was our destiny. We have found that 'His purposes...ripen fast' if we did not 'judge...the Lord by feeble sense, but trust[ed] Him for...grace.' We have allowed God to be 'His own interpreter' and He has made 'it plain.'

Today was enjoyable, as usual; and we had the morning service and the afternoon Sunday School. Since we do not have too many children some Sundays, I have taught a couple of the little girls how to play some of the songs that we sing in Sunday School. They, of course, love it; and they learn quickly. I tried to video one girl playing a song this morning, but my tech ability seems to have limitations so I cannot seem to transfer it to this blog.

The little guy in the picture below was waiting by the church door to greet us this morning. We resisted the impulse to take a dog home. :)

Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule, and may the 'clouds...break in blessings on your head.'

BEAUTY, BIBLES, AND BROWNIES

Ahh!! What a beautiful winter day drive we enjoyed as we traveled to Lower Brule this morning!

Postcard-worthy scenes greeted us as we drove along. I wanted to stop many times and take pictures, but that is not always wise when traveling the interstate; so I have many 'untaken' pictures. Oh, well-I'm happy to share what I could safely snap.

A couple representing the Gideon's cause came and presented in the morning service, and it is always inspiring to hear the testimonies of those whose lives were changed by reading God's Word. We enjoyed fellowship with them after the service, also. Bible distribution is an important part of our work as Christians.

Several children came for afternoon Sunday School, and they were so good and interactive. They helped to lead the singing, and they sang well. I told them the story about Noah's Ark, and they showed so much interest. I am amazed and happy when they tell me the story from the week before; as I know they are absorbing the material. We made little Arks out of foamies, and we shared some brownies with blue sugar on the top. One little girl told me that she likes to hug, and she gave me a sweet hug. As they were going out the door, they said, "We had fun today!" The children steal our hearts as we spend time with them, and we come home feeling rejuvinated.

Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule Wesley Chapel.

FAITHFUL

"Great is Thy faithfulness, O, God, My Father!

There is no shadow of turning with Thee!

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not,

As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be!"

The faithfulness of God has no earthly comparison. God is faithful to all of His children, and circumstances have no affect on Him. He is Almighty and can work miracles; He is Omnipotent and knows everything; He is compassionate and merciful. It is a comfort to know that God cares and He never changes.

Speaking of changes: the river changes each time we drive to Lower Brule, and today the river had solid white waves frozen along the banks. It was cold, though not as cold as I have felt during this season in South Dakota, and Ray and I sat in the warm car and ate our sandwiches beside the still white shores of the river.

We appreciate the faithfulness of the few who come to church on Sunday morning. This little lady calls me 'grandma,' and it is needless to say she has completely won my heart. She is so good and quiet in church, and we sometimes work on a quiet little project in our seat while Ray is speaking.

We had a few children in Sunday School this afternoon. Two girls came in very soberly and reported that their auntie has been seriously hurt, and they were wanting us to pray for her. Another young lady reported the passing of a grandmother. Please pray for these little ones.

Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule. May God bless you!

AND NOW...A FEW PICTURES!

As you know, I have not been able to get the pictures from my camera nor the SD card to transfer to my nor to Ray's computer. I still don't know what the problem is, but I bought a new SD card and WALA! it works. The sad thing is that I have many Christmas and other pictures on the old SD card, but I will keep trying to get them transferred somewhere. Possibly WalMart or Walgreen's will be able to get them on a disk for me-who knows? I will try.

Today was quiet and slow. Not much was moving when we drove into Lower Brule today. We did not see many people or cars, and the dogs were quietly lying by the porches. We had a man drop in for the service this morning who has not been in attendance for some time, as well as some of the regulars. Ray and I had a discussion this morning about the depth and beauty of the old hymns, and how we are neglecting to use them in our worship, and we mostly sang very old hymns this morning. It is refreshing to hear the beautiful melodies and the flowing words. Ray spoke to us about creation and the power of God. It was a thought-provoking message, and the people seemed to absorb it.

We didn't have as many children this Sunday as we had last Sunday for Sunday School, but we had a good Sunday School time. One girl who is a regular attendee is following the stories from week to week as we go through the Bible, and she remembers the lessons each week. She is interested in the piano, and I taught her how to play a simple melody in one of the little choruses we sing often in Sunday School. When one of the children pick that chorus, she sometimes plays it for us to sing ; and she does a very nice job. We feel that we have some special children who come to Sunday School who have great promise, and it is thrilling to work with them. We did paper art today, and we made snowflakes by folding and cutting the paper (a friend suggested that we do that today); and the children loved doing it. I am always impressed how artistic some of the creations turn out to be. We had 'fancy' scissors with which to cut the paper, and the snowflakes were stunning. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop while they were focusing on fashioning and cutting their art. :)

Ray and I came home happy. After all, it is a blessing to have an opportunity as we have to work among people whom we love. Thank you for your interest in Lower Brule.

"ACT--ACT IN THE LIVING PRESENT!"

I was challenged as I read the poem by HW Longfellow: The Psalm of Life-What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist, and I was especially affected by the last few stanzas as I relive the past year and think of the future:

"...Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,--act in the living Present!

Heart within, and GOD o'erhead!

Lives of Great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints in the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwreck'd brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing.

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The sentiment of this poem strikes a chord in my heart and my thoughts as I think of the past year at Lower Brule and in other areas of my life, and it encourages me to continue on as I wonder what 2012 stores for us.
We were encouraged this Sunday as several children joined us in the Sunday School. They are so refreshing and enthusiastic as they sing and listen to the story. I decided to sew a length of white fabric into bags for the children to decorate as they chose, and we sewed a little yarn handle on the bags when they were finished. They were so happy with them, and they spent quite awhile designing them. They went home happy, and that helped us to go home happy. :)
Please pray for us as we "act-act in the living present." May God bless you for your interest in Lower Brule.

CHRISTMAS IN LOWER BRULE

I have wanted to get a post on the blog for well over a week, and I wanted so badly to get pictures on here at the same time. Unfortunately, I am experiencing 'technical difficulty' in getting my pictures from my camera to the computer. Ray also tried to transfer them to his computer, but there seems to be difficulty there, also. It must be in the camera somewhere.

Anyway, I will try to describe and explain how the Christmas Season went in Lower Brule. Esther came home in time to help with the Christmas Program. We were so happy to have her here. She and I went over to Lower Brule on the Tuesday night before Christmas, and we finished the last-minute details and visited several homes of the children who were participating in the program. We brought some of them to the church and tried on their costumes and they practiced their parts. Wednesday night was the big night, and we could feel the excitement as the parents gathered in the church to enjoy the children's portrayal of the birth of Jesus. We had a Mary and Joseph and a Baby Jesus and several angels. We also had a baby lamb. :) After the children had presented their parts, we gave them each a little lit candle, and they stood in a line in front of the altar as Esther played a medley of Christmas Carols on her violin for us all. It was a very beautiful part of the program. Even though we find it invigorating to do programs and things with the children, we are also very worn out and tired when it is over; and this was no exception.

On a personal note, this Holiday Season was a special time for Ray and I. We were thrilled when some of our children came home for a few days during the Christmas holidays. We attended a local service on Christmas Eve that featured handbells and a chorus singing Christmas songs. We also had special friends who came to sit around our table to eat and visit and play games. We feel very refreshed, and ready for the beginning of the new year.

Today was a windy and cloudy day, but the gentlemen showed up for service again this morning, and several children came for Sunday School this afternoon. The children were so enthusiatic in singing and participating, but they were so attentive during the story and while they were coloring their sheets. They did a beautiful job on their creations.

I apologize for not having pictures for you, but I hope to have them up for you soon. I will have lots of them when we get the technology to work. :)