Cactus Flower

1.  Don't sell anything in a yard sale without total, prior permission of all household members. 2.  Half of what you buy on furlough and think you need to bring back, you probably don't need, but the buying sure is fun while it lasts. 3.  Remember that dress from so and so's wedding that you thought you could re-wear lots and lots, it never works that way.  Sell it quick while it's still mostly new. 4.  All the scraps that would make nice quilts, don't make themselves. 5.  Be careful what you write in public posts on-line.  You never know who's been googling your name! 6. 

Came across this little "mini-devotional" this morning in my archives.  I jotted down these notes in November of 2007, but they are fresh and new just like God's Word for October of 2010! I am not a Titus 2 woman, sorry. Maybe you've heard of them? I love the book of Titus. But there's just something a little fishy about some of the thinking behind calling yourself after a particular Bible passage. After all aren't we to take the whole Word and live by it - in other words weighing one passage against another and learning from them all?  Hope you understand my thought processes here. I was reading yesterday morning and jotted down these points. I think I might be more like a Philippians 4:12-21 person! Get your Bible out and follow along. 2006 (more or less) First of all, I'm not perfect and don't claim to know it all.  I have decided to leave the past behind although I do go over past events from time to time to not forget how ...

This was originally posted on my old Yahoo!360 blog on November 8, 2006.  Today is a good day to re-post it!  For years we have prayed for a man to come along side Byron and help him with the work of the boat and the camp.  Recently it seemed that God had, in a unique way, answered those prayers.  Then suddenly everything was turned upside down this week, and I began to wonder if I would have to start "catching canoes with tennis shoes" again!  But our God is indeed an Awesome God and knows all things.  Read on and a little later I'll tell the rest of the story with our recent test of patience and prayer in the area of the camp and help for our work here in Sobradinho. The photo below was not included in my original post, by the way... Children's Retreat, July 2010 November 8, 2006--- I have no photo today since no one had a camera in hand during this little adventure.  As we were leaving the canal where the boat is usually kept to go ...

Part #3 of my Traveling Mercies - Blessings Along the Way... One evening in the little town of Sao Miguel do Guama about three hours from the big city of Belem, our little group stopped for an ice cream after supper at a little churrascaria (grilled meat restaurant).  I noticed that the clerk of the small ice cream booth was helping her young daughter with her evening's homework from school and that it was English. After we had ordered the lady asked from whence we had come.  Some how people always figure out that I'm not exactly "from around here" and ask where I am from.  I am never quite sure if it's my somewhat red hair, my very blonde sons, or my really bad Portuguese?  Go figure!  Anyway, I responded that, no, I was from somewhere else and of course, the next question was - Where?  I explained that I live in the state of Bahia, but that I was originally from the United States. Right about then the little girl asked her mother a question about he...

More about my adventure travels in the State of Para: While traveling about the state of Para with Granny Atha and another lady from the States, we spent a good bit of time just sitting and waiting.  Waiting for planes and buses mostly.  Greyson and I spent a good five hours in the Belem airport on the very first day waiting for the two ladies who came in on a later flight than ours.  Waiting isn't always bad.  We went prepared and had lots of things with us to occupy our time. One hot afternoon while we waited for a bus to go into Sao Miguel do Guama from Castanhal, I met a young man named Luciano.  I had noticed he was carrying a guitar and a guitar case.  The guitar was out of the case but the case seemed heavy and full!  Apparently he had his laundry in the case and the guitar no longer fit!  He asked me if I was an American and if I was a missionary.  I replied, Yes, to both and asked him if he was a musician.  He replied, Yes, b...

Blessings Along the Way, Part 1 When I travel far from home, especially by plane, I look for opportunities to share the Gospel with other travelers.  Often air travel includes lots of waiting and what better time to share God’s Word with a lonely soul with time to spare! On my recent trip to the Brazilian state of Para, I carried two special tracts in English and some evangelistic tracts in Portuguese.  I also wore a wordless book bracelet every day of my trip.  Each day I looked for a special and unique chance to give out a tract or perhaps to share the message of my bracelet with the colors of the wordless book for children.  I also took along a new hat from our camp as a potential gift for someone along the way. Our tour guide, Greyson, Mrs. W and Granny The first thing I gave away was the Treasure Island hat.  The co-owner of the travel agency with whom I booked our airport transfers and two separate tours of the city of Belem turned out to be a spe...