DIVERSITY

   God loves diversity. One look at His creation will attest to that fact. There are so many differences in the world that he made, as well as the creatures that live in it. We were the witness of diversity in harmony this past week, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
   Esther, her friend Ellen, and I drove over to the Spring Creek Camp in the sandhills of southwestern South Dakota to help with the children at a family camp there. We held a session with the children in the morning, and another with them in the afternoon. Esther and Ellen used a detective theme, and they 'solved the mysteries' of the prophecies of the prophets Hosea and Isaiah as they 'studied' the stories of Jesus in the New Testament. We had an enthusiastic group of kids who sang and played wholeheartedly. It was a special and fun--filled time for us.
   Back to the diversity, though...allow me to illustrate:


The world changes when we drive through the gate into Spring Creek Camp

Several species of flowers bloom-here are some wild roses

Differences in fence posts  :)

Diversity in heritage

Differences in personality and in activities

Sitting on a gate is fun

Some like to play

Some like to watch

This little lady was created uniquely by God, and she is giving herself to God. I found it very touching. She responded so wholeheartedly to attention and love. :)

I pray God's greatest blessings on you this week!!










     

WHERE'S GOD??...SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!

   She was looking intently at the picture board that I had created while I told the story, and I could tell her little mind was trying to process something. Finally, she couldn't wait to ask and burst out, "But where is God?"  It took me a couple of seconds to understand the question, and then I remembered that I had been telling stories of Jesus for weeks; and a picture of Jesus would inevitably appear on the board. The last couple Sundays, however, I have been telling the story of David the little shepherd boy and how he was raised by God to be the King of His Own Chosen People. No pictures of Jesus appeared in this story. At this juncture, I was telling about how King Saul had asked for David to come into his court to stay and to become his personal musician to calm him when the 'evil spirit' came upon him. In an earlier lesson, I had told the children how God moved on the heart of the judge Samuel to anoint David to be the next king, and now he was given the unpleasant job of calming a wild and dangerous king by playing his harp. To express it the way one of the girls recapped it this Sunday: "David played his harp when the king got really mad and went 'waaaa!!!!!....' "(arms flailing everywhere and head shaking violently until her hair stood up). Well, where was God?  I stopped and pointed to the top of the board where the sky ends, and said, "God was there. He was up in heaven, and He was watching what was happening to David. He was training David to be a good king. David was watching Saul while he was doing his business, and David was trained to be a king in his time as a musician."   I'm so glad she asked...I never thought of it that way before. It also gave me a chance to tell them (and myself) that God is always up in heaven watching what is happening to us, and He is planning for us a good future. Just for the record, I don't always see this; and I'm sure David did not always understand this when the situation became tense, but that does not change the truth of this fact. Ahh, the blessings of active little minds!

   We are thankful for the Lord's protection on some of our church family who had come to Mitchell for business last week and had a frightening accident that landed them in the hospital. We were glad to be with them, and to help them when they needed help. Happily, we were able to take them home a few days later, though they were bruised and sore. God is good--all the time!!

    My prayer for you is that you would have a wonderful week, and that you would see God in all things that come your way. God bless you!

THOUGHTS OF CHANGE

    Thoughts of change have been tumbling around in my brain for many weeks, and I will share them with you today. I have been keeping this blog updated so that you could know what is happening in Lower Brule as we go over there. I have enjoyed keeping it up, but I have felt it to be a little restrictive in content: for instance, sometimes things happen in life during the week about which I would love to share my thoughts with you. As a result, I often feel that I have repeated myself or become unimaginative as I write the blog. That particular blog was created specifically to report on the work in Lower Brule.  Our going to the mission is a very important facet in our lives, and I will not neglect to report on the work that is done there. However, I plan to eventually delete and recreate a blog with another name, and possibly another format. I will definitely keep you informed, as I would love to have all of the readers of this blog follow our lives and thoughts. I do not intend to delete this blog immediately, and I will continue to write on the blog until I begin another one. I am not sure what timeline I will be working on, as I tend to work slowly when I make a change in life. :)
    Last Sunday was a surprise, as we had an almost unprecedented number of people in the morning worship service. The group was attentive and respectful. Today was part of Memorial Day weekend, and people were busy with their own lives; so we only had a few people, but we so appreciated those who came.
     One lady I talked with today shared that her grandson and some friends had been making a little homemade 'bomb,' and it exploded in his face. He is suffering lots of pain, and the doctors are struggling to save his eyes, though it does not look good at this time. She has been in his room praying with him as he has requested, and she is appreciating prayer from those of us who are willing to pray for the family. Please, pray for this young man as he comes to your mind. Thank you.

    I have included a few 'happy pictures,' as it feels like spring has been long in coming, and is so welcome!
    I wish a great week for you, and pray that God will bless you.

MOTHERS' DAY, 2013

   Mothers' Day--the day to pour out your love and appreciation to your mother and grandmothers. It was a beautiful day here in South Dakota, as if the weather were in cahoots with the calendar. (Finally!). I have read nice and loving tributes to moms and grandmothers, and they are so deserving of praise. I am remembering many happy times with my mother that I now cherish as memories. I remember her gentle voice and her gentle ways, and I thought today of how she would sometimes laugh until the tears would stream down her cheeks. She was loving and kind.

   We had a nice Sunday morning service, and Sunday School was fun this afternoon. One of the little girls came running in the church with a little bouquet for me. :) :)

   Mothers' Day, however, has other facets to it. Sorrow, pain, discouragement, and emptiness can be felt by some women who have lost children to death or other means, some who have had children forced from their lives,and victims of broken homes. I have heard and read the virtues of mothers on Mother's Day when I had several small children, and I thought how far I fell short of the expectations of motherhood (it wasn't until years later that I realized how idealistic our memories can be when we are years removed from childhood). No, moms are not always patient; no, the work is not always done; no, moms do not always have a chance to sit down and spend time with each child every day; no, moms do not always keep babies and children clean. Mothers Are Not Perfect. I heard heartcries today from womanhood who would like to be mothers, but never had the opportunity; I heard a heartcry from one who lost a child to death in an auto accident, and others who lost babies to death; I heard pain from children who miss their mothers who are now in heaven. I suppose the most painful thing I heard today was a little girl whose mother left her and her siblings say, "My mother doesn't love me."   On the brighter side of the issue, I have seen mother love in a special and caring way today, also.

   It was special that all four of my children called to talk with me today, and it was a nice surprise that some of my 'adopted' children also contacted me. How special that makes me feel!! It was also nice that Ray gave me some beautiful roses. I loved talking to my sisters and seeing pictures of some of their children and grandchildren. What a NICE day!!

   I hope you have a wonderful week ahead. I am planning a change with the blog, and I hope to inform you of that change next time. Until then, God Bless You and Yours!!

 

FLORIDA

   We appreciated those who came in for Sunday morning church this morning, and the children who came to Sunday School this afternoon were so happy. These things make Sundays so much easier for us when we go out to Lower Brule.
   We missed the last two Sundays at Lower Brule, and we appreciate Mosheh Mitchem for being willing to  'fill in' for us. We took two weeks and took a trip to Florida to visit two of our daughters, our son-in-law, and our 1-year-old granddaughter. We had not seen some of them for over a year, and we were excited about the trip. It was an 'almost perfect' trip. I took lots of pictures, and I will share them with you. I hope you enjoy them and they do not bore you. I know I like looking at pictures that others take when they travel; so I'm assuming that you feel the same way. :)

VEILED

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part: but then shall I know even as also I am known."  ~I Corinthians 13:12~

      This morning was a good drive with clear roads and visibility until we crested the hill that climbs out of the Missouri River valley near Chamberlain, and we began to encounter fog and reduced visibility. We left the interstate at our exit, and we faced the northern buttes behind which Lower Brule lies tucked. The buttes were shrouded in fog and fine swirling snow. Where, oh, where did the sunshine go?

    Ray spoke a little this morning about the Mary at the tomb of Christ; and he examined some reasons that she did not recognize Jesus, as she thought He was the gardener. Ray mentioned that one of the reasons she might not have recognized Jesus was the fact that her eyes were filled with tears from weeping at the grave, and he stated that we sometimes might not recognize Jesus in our lives when we have been weeping. I thought of the veiled buttes, and the fact that I only recognized them because I knew they were there from other Sundays when we have driven that road. Sometimes I do not recognize the working of Christ when my eyes have been blinded by sorrow and pain, and I plead for mercy and revelation as did Mary at the garden tomb. The healing for my sorrow is there in the person of Jesus, but I blindly keep reaching and weeping. I will seek to recognize the working of Jesus Christ in my life, and to rest and trust when sorrow and pain come.

    We were so encouraged when a lady came to church this morning who has not come since we have been working at Lower Brule. She has had many physical struggles, and God has helped her numberless times when she has been at a low ebb. She seemed happy to be there, and her beautiful smile is infectious.

    Thank you for praying for the people of Lower Brule, and for the little church on the corner. May God bless you as you look beyond the veil of the tomb and see the Christ!

 

He washed my eyes with tears that I might see

The broken heart I had was good for me.

He tore it all apart and looked inside,

He found it full of fears and foolish pride.

He swept away the things that made me blind,

And then I saw the clouds were silver-lined!

And, now, I understand 'twas best for me

He washed my eyes with tears that I might see!

 

He washed my eyes with tears that I might see

The glory of Himself revealed to me.

I did not know that He had wounded hands

I saw the blood He spilt upon the sand.

I saw the marks of shame and wept and cried!

He was my substitute, for me He died!

And, now I understand 'twas best for me

He washed my eyes with tears

That I might see!

~gospel song~



  



Come, Come Spring!!

   Sometimes I am impatient. I just have trouble waiting.  I will confess to being anxious for spring to come to South Dakota. We needed the moisture that the snow brought to us, but I am ready to have rain now. One cloudy and snowy day, I decided to plant some bulbs that I had saved back when planting in the fall for this very moment. I stuck them in some soil and moisture, and... wala! Forced flowers!! They will not be as nice as the same variety when they bloom outside, but it surely will do for the time being! Come, Come Spring!
    We are happy that we were able to go over to Lower Brule this Sunday to hold Sunday morning church service and Sunday School in the afternoon. The weather has been holding us home from Sunday services every so often this winter, but it seems to be breaking a little. We ran into a little snow on our way back home, and more is coming. We sighed and said, "Well, we got to have Worship and Sunday School today!" :) We would appreciate prayer for one lady who is connected with the church who is struggling physically. The EMT's were at her house trying to help her today while we were having church.

   We love the children who come to Sunday School. They were very enthusiatic this afternoon when they came dashing in through the door of the church., bursting with excitement. They were so quiet and respectful while I gave them their Bible Story. They had a good time doing a little bead work in the basement after the story, and they went home with some very pretty creations.

   We took the bus back over and left it in the area so that we wouldn't have to be driving it back and forth every week. It takes lots of gas, and it is less than comfortable to ride in; so we were happy to leave it there with friends. With the weather warming a little, it shouldn't be so hard to start on Sunday mornings.

   Thank you for your prayer and encouragement to Ray and I. We love the people of Lower Brule and pray that God will use something we do or say to help them in their lives.