HE'S MY LAMP!

HE IS WHO I RELY UPON, FOREVER AND EVER!

MY DARKNESS IS DIMINISHED

AND THOROUGHLY FILLED WITH 

HIS LIGHT IN MY SPIRIT.

SHOWERS TO COME DOWN...

AND I SO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS!!

DAY BY DAY,

FOREVER AND EVER.

MY DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY!

BORN IN REDWOOD CITY, CA.

SHIFTED TO OMAHA, NE, WHEN 4 YRS OLD.

FIRST DAY AT BOYD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,

SHORTLY BEFORE BEING 5 YEARS OLD.

GRADUATION

AND SHE IS A LONG-TIME, LONG-DAY WORKER

FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY.

SHE HAS 5 KIDS, A GOOD HUSBAND, 

AND LOTS AND LOTS OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY

AROUND AND ABOUT.

HER BIRTHDAY PUTS HER AT 45.  SHE AIN'T A YOUNG 'UN ANY MORE.  

[AND IN 9 MONTHS, I WILL BE 70.  HOPE SHE WILL KEEP 
PUTTING UP WITH ME.]  

MEDITATING GOES ON FOREVER!!

I've told the story many times of what he indicated when I interviewed him as a kid that had been abducted by the LRA, and what he went through.  When I found out he was only 10 years old, and what he had gone through with his legs and feet being burned and filled with cuts, I was heartbroken. He did want me to be praying for him, and I DID start to pray.  However, unusually, when I would have held HIS hands, he grabbed mine and pressed them.  And, when I glanced at 

him, I saw his tears flowing down his cheeks.

I was overwhelmed with sorrow when I knew what he had gone through.  He DID seem to focus on the Lord, 

however, even when he had been so wounded.

Now, assuming he survived, he's about 20, pushing 21, since it was nearly 11 years ago that I was with him for that very short time.  I assume he has entered family and friends

 and the cultural situations.  

I would love to see him, love to meet his parents.

He has been on my heart all these years, all this time.

I meditate and consider my Lord's mighty deeds.

Our Heavenly Father is bigger than LRA, 

any world-wide sinfulness, any sorrowfulness.

All I can count on, forever.

AMEN!!

PROVE THEM WRONG!!!

TRUSTING HIM IS ALL WE CAN DO.

EVER, EVER, EVER!!

"THE ANNIE PROJECT" -- MOMMA'S NAME

I've told quite a number of people how I was able to choose Annie's momma's name.  Since Annie was part of "me" as a kid, I was really struggling with a mom name.  Even though I have used the middle names of my kids and grandkids, instead of their first names, I could have used my mom's middle name.  But, as an abuser to Annie in the book, I didn't
want to offend friends or family by using her that bluntly. 

My mom's middle name was Mae and it popped on me a few times, but I refused and simply wasn't sure what it truly could be.  And Mom came to the Lord, officially, about the same time this photo was taken at her 80th birthday in 2000.

The Lord dropped the name in.  I would never have thought of it in this manner.  Rarely thought of the name, anyhow.  But HE did.

Her name is Mara.  It means "bitter". 

Recently, the Lord has had me begin reading the Books of the Old Testament, from beginning to end, which I haven't done for about three years.  He had had me read the prophetic Books, over and over again for years, so I don't know if He'll have me reading them again when I finish everything else.  I'll read whatever He tells me to read.  He hasn't had me reading any of the New Testament Books now, and I usually am buried in Revelation. A few weeks ago, I began with Genesis.  After finishing Book of Judges yesterday, I read Ruth today.  And when I read Naomi's fierce and frustration in her life and heart and that she called herself Mara, I couldn't not share this with the world.

One of the good things is that Naomi, even keeping that side-name for a while, became filled with joy at the end of the Ruth Book.  AND at the end of "The Annie Project", Annie's mom, Mara, was also filled with joy.

I've been thrilled with how the Lord broke the name in and the wonderful consequences in reality for Ruth's mother-in-law and reality for Annie's mom.

Made me smile and rejoice today as I read the Book of Ruth.

UGANDA BOOK... PROLOGUE

I've mentioned this as a new writing job, and the Lord laid it on me last night and I put it together.  The combination of Cary and Pastor Max was through "The Annie Project".  This new piece probably ain't perfect, yet, but it is truly beginning.  The portion that is bolded in blue are the pieces that actually DID take place when I was on my way to Soroti, November 12, 2003, and spending a day in London during plane timing.  Some is fictional and some is filled with truthfulness.  So, friends, comment if you can.  I'll also FB it.  Anyhow, here it is:

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

                                            PROLOGUE

    Cary, in the Heathrow Airport in London, after flying from St. Louis and New York and arriving a dozen hours earlier, called Pastor Max in Newton, and calling him instead of her kids.  She knew he’d need to know more and could spread it around.  So, she pushed the numbers and phone was ringing and he answered.  She was so happy that they could talk for a while.
       “Hi, Pastor Max.  I’ve been in London for twelve hours.  Been around and about part of London town, but so dark early here now.  I’d been around town, as I said, but now I’m just wandering around Heathrow.  The houring issue is a challenge, to say the least.”
      “Oh, it’s so good to hear from you, Cary.  Though, somehow, I can’t remember the timing.”
      “Well, it’s about six hours later here, so when we land at 10:00 in the morning here at their time, it’s 4:00 in the morning at our place.  It’s a challenge for me to adjust to, but going downtown on a subway train, and then getting on the top of the buses to see other parts is fun.”
      “Did you meet anyone or see anyone or have a good food time?”
      Cary laughed.  “Yes.  I met a lady who is going to Uganda to be with her daughter who has been there for a couple years and has a few orphan kids living with her in Jinja.  The lady, Linda, wants to meet her new Ugandan grandkids.
      “We met at the bathroom at the airport this morning while I was brushing my teeth, and we went to town together.  We went to Harrods, that famous place, for lunch.  The cost was horrific.  Normal size of soup, salad, and pop came to $30.  I was pretty shocked!”
      “When are you leaving to Uganda? And when will you get there?”
      “I’ll be leaving about 11:00 tonight and get there between 9 and 10 in the morning, because it’s about three hours later than here.  My body will be struggling again, believe me.”
      “When will you be calling FAITH and connecting there and getting to Soroti?”
      “Think it will be when my Ugandan son, Sam, whose home where I’ll be  staying first, will be able to call FAITH.  Sam’ll take me up, I think, to Soroti, in about a week.  And I’ll connect with people connected to FAITH who are there or nearby.  Either way, I’ll do my God-job.”
       Pastor Max laughed.  “Yes, Cary, I know you’ll do whatever you can whenever you can to serve our Lord.”
        Cary laughed, too.  “You’ve made me smile.  I’m very tired and somehow might be dozing a bit on the plane tonight which isn’t normal.  But don’t have my husband with me, so it’s a lot different to be heading to Uganda.”
      Max said, “Well, your name will be spread around and about the church and the town and you will be prayed for, over and over again.”
      “Thank you so much.  I appreciate you and my family and my friends.  And I better hang up.”
      “I understand.  Keep in touch when you can, though.  And I’ll call Sue, Mike, and Luke right away.”
      Suddenly Cary said, “Oh, one more thing you can spread around. Last night on the plane when I was standing by the toilets, a lady by me indicated her original family was from India, but she had been born in the States and had been living in D.C. and London since she had married.  Her husband was originally from India and they now had two small children.  Her husband had decided to return to India.  She was very upset, because his mom had already said to him that she hates Rahajina, because Rahajina was not the girl she had chosen for him to marry.  Rahajina teared up when she talked about leaving all her family and friends behind and how hard the road ahead looked.  I told her my church people would pray and be standing with her.  I prayed to her that God’s grace would be with her and our Lord would meet her.  I anticipate she’s Hindu by what I saw on her jewelry and her face.  Anyhow, last night was truly an amazing ‘divine appointment’.  So please add her to the people and spread her around and about our nation.”
       Pastor Max said, “Oh, thank you, Cary.  God obviously put her in a Christianity location, because of you being in the ‘right place, right time’."
      Cary laughed.  “Yes, now you obviously know one of my main personal 'quotes'.  Thank you.  Now, I will say goodbye.”
      And she did.
      And he did.
      They both heard each other laughing and rejoicing when they were hanging up. Why?  Because of the joyfulness of their time to share.

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

Sam's wife, Adhe, my daughter, her birthday shortly after my arrival.

 Met Stella then when she was 2, and she is 13 now,

 and Dave and I miss her MUCH!!

And we also miss her parents, Sam and Adhe.

In Summer, 2008, they were here to visit 

so this is them then in our yard: