Cactus Flower

My twenty years of service in Brazil have been full of many joys and quite a few heartaches when it comes to helping individuals.  Seems I'm always investing my time and energy to help others, but often don't see the results I expect.  As a mother/wife/homeschool teacher I'm always limited in how much time I can use in assisting others.   I learned the hard way that running all over town to help others usually meant that my boys and home were not receiving the needed daily attention they deserved.  It's a definitely a balancing act. These days I'm left with my last homeschooler, no more diapers and babies to supervise, no more toys to pick up from all over the house.  My last homeschooler is finishing up his ninth grade work for the school year.  I'm glad we found the right niche with the right books and a great system.  He does his work mostly independently with several self checking subjects.  Home life is a breeze this year. But then, ...

So how do the three go together? I've been praying for a park since we got here to the States.  It's a park near the mission house where we are staying while here on furlough.  There aren't the public squares where people gather like there are in Brazil.  But quite a few young people gather in the park every afternoon.  One of our boys likes to go down there every day to play basketball and hang out.  I've also been praying for a small ministry to do while being at home most days with one of my boys doing his school work at home this semester.  One of the ladies in the missionary circle at the church here had an idea to make baby blankets for a local women's shelter.  The lady had been the owner of a cloth store and had a lot of fabric at home.  She gave me a bolt of calico and I started sewing. The two ended up going together when some of the folks of the church began to consider how to reach out here in Reidsville like the missions te...

And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, Daniel 9:4  Old chapel, Praia do Forte, Bahia Seems I yell at my kids most often on Sunday on the way to church or getting ready to go. I'm never super well prepared for my Sunday School class. Every corner of my house almost always has a cobweb. I haven't swept behind the freezer or refrigerator in who knows when. I hate passing out random tracts, but often do it nonetheless. There is a small hill of unfolded laundry in a chair in my bedroom. My sink is rarely shiny like the Fly Lady says it ought to be. I can't stand to take out water to passers-by even though I realize one of them one day could be an angel in disguise. I often tell kids in the front yard that there time is up and their mothers must be calling them. I play Scramble on Facebook way too m...

John 3:16   For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life . My thoughts today are centered on an upcoming event out on the island. It's a camp for children. Years ago when we came to Sobradinho to work with the Treasure Island Camp we soon sensed the camp was under-utilized especially for children, evangelism and the people of our little town itself in direct connection with our church. Our church work in Sobradinho has actually shrunk in numbers since we first came in 1994. My husband and I have tried it all and with lots of prayer and counsel. We have done all the things that have worked in other places plus a few more. Once a friend told me that perhaps there were just not any more of God's "chosen" left in Sobradinho. Wow! Knock me down! That is not true! It is against all my beliefs and the core of all I know about the Loving Eternal Creator God. Two ...