ROUGH DOWN HERE

AND HOW COOL IS THAT VERSE

TO BE CONNECTED TO THE BAPTISM RIVER?

I WAS WALKING AROUND AND ABOUT

ON THE RIVER ROCKS DURING OUR

VISIT TO TETTEGOUCHE IN 1990.

LOVED DOING IT AND WASN'T THE SLIGHTEST BIT FRIGHTENED.  TOTALLY CONVINCED I WOULDN'T FALL.

 AND I DIDN'T.

OH, AND WHEN THE WORD CAME TO ME EARLY IN THE MORNING, THIS PHOTO JUMPED RIGHT INTO MY BRAIN EVEN THOUGH I WOULD NOT HAVE ANTICIPATED IT.  THE LORD MADE ME SMILE WHEN HE POPPED IT IN MY HEAD AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.   AND I HOPE YOU'LL GRIN, TOO.

WATCHMAN, PREPARE!

WAS WALKING INTO A DEAR FRIEND'S MOBILE HOME

AND SHE GLANCED AT THE MOON  AND SAID,

 "OH, TAKE PICTURES." 

 I DID.  AND HERE IT IS.  

AND HERE IS THE WORD OF GOD

 THAT FITS RIGHT IN.

DAVE LETS ME LAUGH

I'm in the process of loading up the books and other stuff, because we're leaving tomorrow for our trip to the North Shore.  We LOVE Lake Superior and it's rivers and falls and streams and rocks and people.  

Been going there nearly every year since our wedding 28 years ago.  One of my favorite places in the world... except for the Pacific ocean on the Oregon coast and seeing the Cascade mountains.  But "loverly".

As I was loading the cartoon books that we've had for years ... Calvin & Hobbes and Far Side and others ... that just make me laugh.  Dave had a really funny cartoon book when we were dating.  He was the youth leader at the church God had put me at and my daughter joined the youth group immediately.  We started dating in May...and engaged in a very short time, because we knew the Lord had put us together.  

A few weeks later the kids were at the home of one of the parents, and they had a swimming pool in their back yard.  The parents were with the kids, and Dave was tired, so he just laid on the couch in the living room.  I was sitting with him on the couch, and he just put his head in my lap.  

Well, he was falling asleep.  I felt so sorry for him.  He never had a chance to have a real break and have a good rest between his job at the Base and working at church, both as youth leader and organist/pianist, and then stuck with me and my kids.  

While he seemed to be sleeping, I had one of the cartoon books.  Hadn't looked at one for many years.  While I was reading through it...a Neighborhood one by Jerry Van Amerongen... I felt like laughing, roaring.  BUT how could I laugh and risk waking Dave up?  So, I swallowed the laughter, and I'm sure my body was quivering a bit.  And then Dave said, even with his eyes closed,  "Go ahead and laugh, Joanne.  I LOVE to hear you laugh."

I was overwhelmed with his blessed words.  For in my whole life, since childhood and then turning 40, my parents, teachers, and former husband had said, when I laughed, basically, "SHUT UP!  You are too loud."

Can't say that was the first blessing from Dave.  He WAS a blessing from the very beginning, even before we began to date, because he was such a kind and helpful youth-oriented person.  Immediately, when we were put together, he began to give my kids a little money for their activities, bought groceries for me if he was out and buying his own, gave me money for shoes, picked me up nearly every morning to go to my job which saved me gas and bus money.  [I was POOR!  Hardly able to do more than just pay for basic basics.]

So, while packing today, thinking again of those fun books we'll take on the trip, I was grinning about this wonderful event that occurred 28-1/4 years ago.

And I will be laughing and laughing and laughing some more ... and don't have to worry about whether I'll be hollered at.  That's a good thing.

YIPPEE!!!

PHIL. 4:4 ... REJOICE!

YES!!! ... REJOICE.

FOREVER AND EVER.

DARKNESS AND LIGHT

THIS WORD FROM THE LORD HAS VERY MUCH BEEN CONNECTED TO MY HEART, DESCRIBING MY WHOLE LIFE.

AS I'VE SAID A NUMBER OF TIMES, I WAS 

A "TOUGH COOKIE" WHILE GROWING UP, 

AND, INSIDE OR OUTSIDE, 

I WAS A "FIGHTER".

NOW, I OFTEN STILL AM A "FIGHTER", BUT IT'S ONLY TO SERVE THE LORD, GO ANYWHERE HE DESIRES FOR ME TO GO, 

DO ANYTHING HE TELLS ME TO DO.

HE'S LIGHT, AND I TRY TO BEHAVE.  REALLY TRY.

[SOMETIMES AIN'T PERFECT, BUT I DO TRY.]

NEVER WASTED

RICHARD WAS A GOOD TEACHER TO THE ORPHANS WHO NEEDED TO LEARN MORE AND MORE OF HOW TO DEAL WITH THE FARMING.  

DAVE AND I WERE REALLY IMPRESSED WITH HIS PRACTICALITY AND HIS LOVE FOR THE KIDS -- 

HIS OWN KIDS AND ALL THE OTHERS.

LIGHT AND JOY

This photo taken during the summer of '05 by my friend, Jill, met in Uganda who lives there and is from England.  The photo was taken by Susan's home.  A treat to see this again.

Jill is working at the New Hope Uganda orphanage where Dave and I had lived in the mid-'90s. She didn't arrive until around 2000, so we didn't know her then. I met her in November, '03, at New Hope when God had called me to visit my family there and to eventually head north to Soroti to serve the Lord and do whatever He asked me to do. 

Just as I was preparing to head north, early December, she told the leaders of the orphanage that she felt she was supposed to go up with me, to help.  I've told many of those stories on my blog, much connected to the book I'm writing.  We worked hard and we worked together.  I returned home in February, '04.  

 

When she could come to the States in June, '05, and could stay with us and have me take her all over the western part of our nation, she took piles of photos.  SHE'S GOOD!!   She's been here with us 3 times for about 6 weeks each time, and we've always had a blast.  And we certainly always take her up to Susan's, because they became wonderful friends.  What a treat!

While in Soroti, December, '03.  Working together.

OPEN MY EYES...

YES!  THIS IS MY "HEART" TODAY...

AND TOMORROW...

AND FOREVER.

KINDNESS EXPLODES

The Lord laid this on me to share.  I know it won't sound perfect, as we all hope life will be, but God did make a phase of it perfect, for which I rejoiced.
==============
In 1982, Lowell, my former husband, had moved back and forth between Omaha and Edmond, OK, to be a roofer.  He was a very good one.  While in Edmond, our kids and I still living here in Omaha, he had became involved with FGBMFI [Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International].  I was truly pleased, because I knew he was hearing the Word, involved in worship, and meeting good people.  After school was out, the end of May, he came to Omaha and moved us down.

After staying with a family, connected through friendship and spirituality, who had taken us in for several weeks, we rented a house.  It was really a nice one and I was so pleased.  I'd never been in one that beautiful.  I had received a job in Oklahoma City, about 25 miles away, only a couple weeks after our arrival to Edmond and Lowell was doing the roofing and other side jobs that were keeping us financially OK.

Then, just a few months later, life changed.  He quit the other jobs and became a taxi driver.  Believe me, the money reduced significantly.  I made enough money to pay the rent and utilities.  That was it.  Lowell made so small an amount that nothing else was regularly reaching us.

My daughter, Renae, an 8th grader, had entered a swimming team, and was working hard, and, in the evening, was rarely home.  Lowell was doing his taxi job in the evening, too.  So, once I returned from work, by 6:00, the main person at home was Steve, who was 9 then.

One evening, Steve and I home alone, were out of food except for the last portion of rice, milk, and sugar.  I boiled the rice and then we "cerealed" it.  That's all that was left in the house.  I was very worried.  And, of course, even though Steve was eating it, he wasn't exactly thrilled, either;  was obviously worried, too.  All I could do was pray over the food, and hope in the Lord.

 A few minutes later, while sitting at the table, there was a knock on the door.  I  hadn't anticipated anyone so had no idea who might be there.  When I opened, a friend, Bev, connected to FGBMFI, stepped in with 2 big full grocery bags of food.  I was stunned and overwhelmed with joy.  Steve stood next to me, eyes wide, and said, "OH! FOOD!" and was a bit teary.  [Bev told me later that his comment just burst into her heart.]  Then she said that she would be staying with Steve and I was to go grocery shopping.  She had written a check for $75 for a local grocery store that knew her intention and I was simply free to take it and turn it in when I was checking out. So I took the check, went to the store, and came home with piles of food.  Enough to last us a couple weeks.

It was not the first time that people had dropped food into my family situation.  In Omaha it occurred several times a year. But this was the first one in Edmond.  When my husband came home, he did not rejoice over this.  He was offended.  And the next morning he went to Bev's furniture store and tried to indicate that she had no business to give us food, that we were fine.  Believe me, she spoke very bluntly about how she perceived our situation, told him he was very wrong. He had to back off.

One of my blessings in life has been that people have provided food for me and my family a number of times [until I married my present husband, Dave,  9/21/85, a year after my divorce -- a miracle story].  And now one of the blessings is that we can give food, clothing, toiletries, computers, books, etc., the equivalent of a number of needs to a number of people... not because we are significantly wealthy, but because we are spiritually healthy.  Filled with a great desire to bless and help those who struggle and suffer.

My son, Steve, who is 40, has never forgotten that overwhelming blessing time.  And, as much as I've lost Bev now, I'm sure Steve's face filled with big eyes and emotion saying, "OH! FOOD!" has never left her heart.  

It certainly hasn't left mine.

The kindness of our Lord, through His servants, His people,  explodes in our lives many times.  That joyfulness, trustworthiness, can count forever.

Steve, at 9.  And a cat gift he loved.

January 17, 2013, his sister, his mom and his step-dad. And blessed!

JESUS IS ....

A COMMONLY KNOWN AND LOVED  VERSE FROM SCRIPTURE...

BUT MUST NOT BE TAKEN COMMONLY BY BELIEVERS, 

BUT ACCEPTED EVERY DAY.

JOYFUL THOUGHTS ABOUT HIM

MY LORD TRULY IS!

HIS GIFT TO ME OF GODLY FAMILY AND FRIENDS

ADDS TO MY JOYFULNESS... BIG TIME!

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

YES, MAY IT BE.

FOREVER AND EVER.

QUARRY AND ROCK AND ME

FANCY?  NO!!!

TRUTHFUL?  YES!!!

 AND YOU AND I PURSUING RIGHTEOUSNESS,

SEEKING THE LORD?  

ANOTHER "YES!!!"

HIS HOLY NAME

DAVE AND I WERE WALKING IN THIS AREA, SEPTEMBER, '99, WHILE DURING THE 17 HOURS LAYOVER WHILE GOING TO UGANDA FOR OUR UGANDAN SON'S WEDDING, AND WERE BLESSED TO SEE AND BE IN THE HISTORIC

 PHASE OF LIFE.

[BEING A HISTORY-ORIENTED PERSON, I ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE SOMETHING SIGNIFICANTLY CONNECTED TO HOW OUR NATIONS CHANGED AND THE WORLD WAS ADJUSTING AND READJUSTING.]

HERE WE WERE AT THE OFFICIAL MAGNA CARTA LOCATION:

AND WHAT WAS NEAR IT?

THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION HAD HAD THIS
 SPECIAL LOCATION BUILT.  

 WE HAD TO WALK THROUGH A FARM AREA

 ON LESS-THAN-WONDERFUL PATHS.

BUT REACHING THAT SPECIAL LOCATION

 WAS TRULY WONDERFUL, TRULY A BLESSING.

WORLD OUTREACH MINISTRY

Dave and I met the founders of this ministry in October, '94, and it's

quite a story... a funny one.  After our involvement with them, over these years, we've had a very hard heart for them.  Because one of my new spiritual granddaughters, connected through blogging, Elise Heidy, recently returned to Uganda and will be there for over a year, it was wildly discovered that she is with them, involved with them.  The rejoicing has overwhelmed me.   So, I felt it in my heart that sharing our story about them would be a blessing.  And will be spread around, I hope, to them, too.  If nothing else, I'll send it on an email, since I am one of their checker-outer people when someone drops insanity in their plate. Ron used to email me and show me a computer bit and say "Is this OK?"  Loved them ever since we met.  Would love to be with them more and more often.  Now I'll shut up and tell the "meeting" story.
=============================
 After moving into a house with new friends, Tim and Jill Way,

Our new place 2 months later

while we were in the process of looking for a house to rent after leaving a slum area where we'd lived with a Ugandan family for a month, I decided to take a taxi and get downtown in Kampala and wander around and get to know where some good shops might be.

I was walking past an Italian meat shop, and decided to pop in and see what was there.  I got in the entry "door"...which was just a thick cloth ... and, in the back of the shop a bunch of men were standing there, laying hands on a man, and praying loudly over him.  How could I NOT go there?  So, I walked back.  The man being prayed over was, obviously, from our nation, and one man praying for him was obviously from here, too.  The rest were Ugandans.  I didn't tightly enter into their mix, but I did stand behind them and prayed right along with them.  When they finished and said, very strongly, "A-MEN!"  I did, too.  And quite a number of them turned suddenly and shockingly to see a woman, a WHITE woman, a NEW woman, in their mix.  The white man glanced at me, smiled, and then needed to take a bit of time over this one who was so sick and had been left behind by the short-term team he'd been with.  He wasn't connected to this group of men praying for him, but somehow they met in the middle.  As I recall, he also was given enough money from their ministry to fly back home.

When all of that slowed down, the leader came to me.  He introduced himself as Ron DeVore and said he had a ministry in the Kampala area and had been there for several years.  He asked me what I was up to, and I basically filled in that gap.  Well, one thing he did, because he'd been in the downtown area many, many times, he took me to the Nakasero market area to shops or the open market place and introduce me to people who would be honest and helping and not cheating or providing less-than when I needed more-than.  And it was a huge blessing.  Especially, the market place, mostly fruit and vegetables, who, a man named Sam [not who became our

Ugandan son] he gave me to.  These people at the Market were wonderful forever until we had to leave for the U.S. in April, '96... and I could tell some more funny stories, especially as a shopper, and may do that one of these days.  Making people laugh is a good thing.
 

When Ron had taken me around, he offered to take me to my place, have me introduce him to my husband, and would like us to come to their church the next morning and he'd pick us up.

We agreed.  He came.  We went.  It was HIGH on the side of a hill a few miles on the Entebbe road outside of Kampala.  I know the road is better now, but then it was quite a challenge, even when not filled with mud that day.  [Many other times Dave and I walked up that hill, held onto any pieces of tree, shrubs, etc., that would help us keep pulling up and not falling down.]

When we got to the church... very basically built at that time ... we were introduced and we were very much welcomed.  When the service was over, Ron and his wife, Shirley, and Dave and I stood by the door.  We had piles of handshaking and many appreciations poured on us.

At leaving the church we walked a couple dozen feet to their "house"...which was quite unusual.  They had kept a ship storage container that had been filled with their items that had been brought from the states.  They had placed it on their ministry property, and expanded the container on both ends, adding bedrooms and bathrooms, but the rest of it was simply that small.  [Some people used to think missionaries only kept the best, biggest stuff.  And, I must admit that it was sometimes the case.  But this was NOT similar.  They did the least they could, so they would not be spending too much money or look too wealthy.]

As we walked onto the porch area, that few seconds after leaving the church, Shirley said, "It's time to wash the 'praise the Lord' off your hands, so you can eat."  I've never forgotten that.  Always makes me chuckle.

We had a wonderful time together that day, met a number of their Ugandan pastors that were a significant part of their group, and had a nice sharing time.  What amazed me is that, even though I was living in Omaha by then [had been for nearly 20 years], had been raised in the Northwest, lived in Tacoma and Seattle...and their ministry base was in the mid-location between those two towns.  What a hoot!  

'95, us, our son Sam, one of their sons, and the DeVores at their house.

The sad part:  they were leaving for Federal Way area in just a few days and would be gone for some months.  We were also told that any time we needed to swing by, meet someone, rest after or before being at the airport, we were welcome to stay at their place, whether or not they were there.  And we did it... many times.


After all these years of being involved with them, one way or another, one place or another, our appreciation to the Lord for putting us together has never left our hearts.  We love them, we admire their work, their hearts.

MY REDEEMER LIVES

NO DARKNESS

AMEN AND HALLELUJAH!!!

NO IDOLATRY

WHEN WE GROW, FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADULTHOOD,

 "IDOLATRY" CAN RUN INTO OUR LIFE.

IT CAN BE PEOPLE, CARS, TRAVEL, MONEY, PETS,

 SUCCESSFUL JOBS, OR JEWELRY, 

TV OR MOVIE OR MUSIC STARS...

OR ANYTHING THAT SLIDES ABOVE OUR COMMITMENT AND OUR SERVICE AND OUR LOVE TO THE LORD.

ST. JOHN, AS HE WAS FINISHING HIS LETTER TO THE CHRISTIANS, 

AFTER TEACHING VERY CAREFULLY, VERY THOROUGHLY,

AND CLOSED WITH THIS VERSE, HE KNEW/SAW MUCH.

IT'S POSSIBLY TRULY MAKING HIS EYES AND HEART OVERWHELMED WHEN SEEING FROM HEAVEN OUR PRESENT-DAY WORLD.

9/11 AND" SHIRLEY"

Depression had hit me over this whole national/world-wide event, and I needed to "run away from home."  To head out to the NW and be on the Oregon coast, resting, sounded like a really good idea.  BUT, financially and "timely", it wasn't gonna work out.  Dave and I decided I could go to the North Shore of Lake Superior, about 600 miles, drive the van so I could find a campground and sleep in it, and stay as long as needed.  I reached there at October 1, and I was only there for four days. It truly became a spiritual healing time.  One of the many blessings was that Dave and I could talk every evening at the Tettagouche St. Pk. building.  That kept me moving along, heart-filled.

I wrote stories, poems, historical issues.  I cried, I prayed, I laughed. And I met some wonderful people, who I introduced to Dave during our next visit up there, the next summer, and they are still involved with us. Dear ones.

On Wednesday evening, October 3, I attended a Baptist Church a few miles from the park.  In the church basement, about twenty people sat around tables, singing, praying, sharing needs.  I felt comfortable and accepted -- they must often have “drop-ins” from the nearby campgrounds.  A lady across the table invited me to come to lunch on Thursday.  Since I intended to leave on Friday morning and had a free day ahead of me, I accepted.

Well, when I woke up Thursday morning, I knew I was released to go home, and, since it’s that 600-mile trip, I would reasonably have left early in the day.  I put the trip home off until after lunch.  That morning I bought a muffin and hot

chocolate and carried it to a rocky outcropping and sat in the sun and reveled in the kindness and closeness of God.  The photo shows my foot -- a visual reminder that whatever the circumstances there are constant events in life that can "hit" us, and can be rocks, water, or breaking waves.  And no matter what is happening, we can worship and trust the Lord.

During lunch, I had a very sweet time of fellowship with Prue, who I had met at the church.  This was a gift, a neat cap to my personal retreat. (And her chocolate chip cookies are about the best I’ve ever had. Do you think those who give a cookie to a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward?  Sure gave MY spirits a boost and made the trip home sweeter.)

This is one of my funniest poems.  Hope you enjoy it.  I sent it to her some weeks later, and she laughed and laughed.  THAT was a blessing.

===================================

    SHIRLEY

Not really Shirley, but similar and good example.

During lunch
    with a new-found friend,
Her pet swirling around our feet,
She kept commanding,

 "Shirley, stay down!" or

 "Shirley, off the chair!"

And I wondered, and pondered,
    and thought --
        but didn't ask --
"Why would anyone name a dog 'Shirley' ?"
[I wasn't even sure whether 

it was male or female --
    must I confess such ignorance?]
But still -- Shirley?!

As I was leaving,
    settling into my car,
She suddenly said,
    "I bet you've been wondering
        why I call my dog Shirley.
It reminds me that 

'Surely goodness and mercy 

will follow me'."
And she trailed into a laugh ..

 which I joined.
[a most pleasant way to say goodbye].

Now forever,
    with the image of a middle-sized,
        black and white, shaggy dog
 Superimposed --
    Psalm 23, Verse 6 will never be the same.

MY HEART

AND THAT'S WHAT I CAN TRUST,

THAT HE DOES KNOW MY HEART VERY WELL,

MUCH BETTER THAN I DO.

SO, IF HE TELLS ME TO DO SOMETHING

I WILL TRUST HIM AND TAKE 

THE STEP FORWARD [OR BACKWARD].

MY GOAL FOR LIFE, THIS LIFE, PRIOR TO HEAVEN,

 IS TO OBEY HIM.

[AND I AIN'T PERFECT, SO AM EXCITED THAT 

I WILL SOMEDAY BE THERE AND OBEDIENCE 

WILL NEVER BE A STRUGGLE AGAIN!]

REFUGE FOR POOR

I TRULY UNDERSTAND THIS, 
BOTH PERSONALLY AND REPRESENTATIVELY.

HIS KINDNESS IN DEALING WITH THE STORMS OF LIFE AND THE HEAT OF LIFE THAT SOMETIMES OVERWHELM US 
IS ONE OF THE HUGE BLESSINGS OF LIFE.

HE IS THE KIND ONE! 
I'M A GRATEFUL ONE!