Cactus Flower

When all the little TCK/MK boys in my house were little, life was so much easier.  It often didn't seem so with diapers and snacks and a million things to pack for even just a trip to the next town.  Mama had to play games and sit on the floor with books and puzzles.  She had to tend to wounds and fix hurt knees.  Boys had to be "encouraged" to participate in outdoor Bible club meetings and with camp projects. Now all the MK boys are teenagers and life is much more complicated.  Sometimes no one wants to go anywhere.  Sometimes they want to go to town but don't want to tag with Mama and Papa.  Then there are the days at camp where nary a one can be found when things need to be done. In some ways it's not all that different from when I was a teenager growing up in the middle of S.W. Virginia's rolling farmlands.   I would hide from garden chores and my brother even pretended not to know my parents once at summer camp.  Yet, the comparis...

used books ready to go Like I have any! Between homeschooling, ministry stuff, housework and just life somehow over the past month I've found time for a yard sale, a flea market day, and a book fair. All were to raise funds for expenses for my dear oldest son's mission trip later this summer to Mozambique. Needless to say today after this series of Saturday events, I needed some quiet afternoon time to regroup and re-coop!   book fair The logistics of having such sales in Brazil is much different than the States.  Yard sales are practically unheard of.  To have one you almost have to educate your guest and neighbors first.  I sent out personal invitations to spread the word as well as small signs in local stores, signs on the street the day before and of the sale and even made a Facebook Event for the sale inviting all my local fb pals.  Even so, it was not well attended though sales were fair. The day I went to the "flea market" was pretty much...

As of today that's how many days I've been alive here on the face of the earth.  Interesting isn't it?  You can find out how many days you've been alive on site www.therobertd.com of the author of 20,000 Days, Robert D. Smith.  It's an amazing little book that can be read in a few hours.  Mr. Smith, on passing his 50th birthday, felt he needed some time for reevaluation and self-reflection.  His book is the result with practical tips and inspirational messages about how to make better use of the time you've been given. "Redeeming the Time" has always been one of my self-themes of live, so I enjoyed reading about how Mr. Smith decided to make better use of each one of his days.  Even though the author is a spiritual person, his style is not that of preaching or even teaching, just sharing and relating what he himself came to see  as goals for his next 20,000 days. I liked the fact that Mr. Smith is to the point and suggests that each person is ful...

To get a dog or to not get a dog?  That was the question over 13 years ago when we got our first dog in Brazil.  I remember thinking about what we would do with the little black puppy when it came time for our furlough. But that dear dog added protection to our house like no night guard or electric fence could ever have provided.  Blackie-with-the-One-White-Spot struck fear in the hearts of passerbyers with his ferious bark and his swift bite.  Yes, he would bite anyone that came in the gate that didn't look just right, usually with a good nip on the ankle.  In Brazil that's all that was needed to keep the wrong people out and the right people in our high walled and gated yard.  People would ask what breed of dog was he.  I would always reply - Black. He gave protection for our house and joy to our kids.  But the question still remained, What about furlough? Blackie ended up living with a man who gave him daily baths and car rides.  He...

Quando o dia do meu fim chegar Só quero que me leve para queimar. E jogue as cinzas bem alto no céu. Assim vou eu para as nuvens voar. Voará para cima com os ventos do ar. Voará para alto nunca vou parar. Como os pássaros que não tem nem lar, No chão, por favor, não me enterrar. Quero estar sempre livre para eu viajar. I composed this little ditty on the return trip from Crato this Sunday while not feeling so great in the back seat of the car and wondering if we'd ever get home...  Portuguese is great for rhyming with all the -ar verbs.  Here's a loose translation... When the day of my end arrives go ahead and burn me. And throw the ashes high into the sky. So I go to the clouds fly, fly, fly. Fly up with the winds of the air. Fly uphigh, I'll never stop. Like the birds that don't have a home In the ground, please do not bury me. I want to always be free for me to travel along. If it seems a little morbid, don't think about it too much...

Did some big time traveling this weekend.  Byron and William and I went with another couple and two ladies to another Brazilian state for the wedding of the daughter of missionary colleagues.  Even though the trip was long and hurried with the car full of passengers, we all had a grand time and were happy to be a part of the festivities. As a foreigner in a strange land far from home and family, participation in major life celebrations is often sacrificed for the greater good.  Sometimes it's just too far to go to a loved one's wedding or birthday party, especially if that person is in the States and we are in Brazil.  For me it was a special gift to be able to attend the wedding of this young lady whom I've seen grow up over our years here. Yes, missionaries seem like people that are always traveling and always on the go, but most times we don't get to go to all the things we would like when it comes to family.  This time I didn't have to sacrifice - I got ...