My husband’s parents are visiting from Missouri. It’s been such a treat to have them here for the week. My daughter-in-love and granddaughter came with them. She’s staying at her Mother’s home but we were able to spend the evening with them last night at my daughter’s home and will see them again on Monday. What a blessing!

My mother-in-love is such a hard worker. She is 82 years old but likes to help me in the kitchen. How wonderful to have an extra pair of hands. I told her I just may have to keep her! Here’s a picture I took of her last night at my daughter’s. My youngest granddaughter from Missouri is sitting on her lap.

My father-in-love read the Scriptures to the family yesterday morning at the breakfast table. I wonder how many generations in his family have done this. My husband comes from a family of at least 3 generations of preachers that I know of.  I’ve often thought that the most interesting genealogy would be a spiritual one where the faith of the ancestors was told. Oh, that God may bless not only my grandchildren but my great, great, great grandchildren with saving faith … if He so chooses to tarry.

My friend Erma passed away this morning. Erma had no friends in California, except me, so there will be no funeral or obituary of her life in the local newspaper. It breaks my heart to think of a soul leaving this earth in such a way so I decided to honor her life in the only way I could think of  … by sharing Erma with you.

This is in remembrance of my dear friend, Erma!

I first met Erma about 5 or 6 years ago. I had believed  the Lord was nudging me to reach out to the senior citizen’s mobile home park in our old neighborhood. Our church at that time had a food program for the elderly so my hope was to use it as a tool to minister Christ. It seemed that this mobile home park was a place where people would go and eventually die. There had been 9 deaths in the previous year before I met Erma. I wondered how many knew the Lord.  

I still remember the day I met Erma. It was a cold and rainy day sometime not too long after Christmas. I had 5 names that the complex manager had given me of tenants who were very poor and could use some help with food. The first three doors I knocked on had no answer. The fourth trailer I came to was Erma’s.

I was taken back when Erma first opened the door. Her hair was tangled and looked like it hadn’t been combed. Her clothes needed a washing. As she walked over to her chair I began to see why she was in such disarray. She could barely walk. She had very little strength so the simplest of duties were difficult. Her hands were crippled from arthritis and she could barely use one at all. But, bless her heart, even though she didn’t know me she opened up her home. That was the beginning of my friendship with Erma.

The best I could figure out Erma was around 86 years old this year. She had been adopted and was an only child. She worked for more than 20 years at a bus station back East and eventually retired. She had one son and had been married twice. Her second husband was a Baptist minister. They were married 5 years when he died of cancer. I believe they lived in Arizona at the time. Erma then moved to California. She didn’t know a soul when she moved here.

Erma had been an artist and had many of her pictures hanging on her living room wall. One of the pictures was of a gray haired gentleman with a beard. I asked her who the man was in the picture and she said it was Moses.

Erma’s most loved possession was her cat, Sweetie Pie. A housekeeper sent from the county to help Erma had brought her as a gift. Erma loved that cat and was so worried about what would happen to her when she was put in a convalescent home. God was good and I was able to find a wonderful Christian woman to adopt Sweetie Pie.

Erma confessed Christ as her Savior. We had many talks about the Lord throughout the years I knew Erma. She enjoyed watching religious programs on TV. She was moved to a convalescent home a few years ago because of health reasons. When I’d visit she always enjoyed having me read the Bible to her and pray.

Here is a picture of Erma last year in her room at the convalescent home.

 I  wanted to express the love I had for Erma in Christ Jesus and my thanks to Him for allowing me to minister to her. I look forward to seeing Erma again someday in Heaven.

It’s been quite a busy week but I haven’t felt as if I’ve had anything of interest to share. I often wonder if ‘blogging’ is my ‘cup of tea’. My life is pretty normal and average most days! ha! I’m not sure that just sharing my daily activities would bring much interest to others… especially since it’s probable that your days are much like mine.

The part of my life that excites me is my relationship with the Lord. I struggle with how to share that in a way that will effect others for Christ.  How my biblical convictions work themselves out on a daily basis may not seem as exciting to those looking on.  A seemingly average day of housework OUTWARDLY is actually INWARDLY one simple way that I can worship the Lord and bring Him glory by doing it for His glory.   How do you express that to others in a way that doesn’t sound just like a daily ‘to do’ list? That is what I’ve been meditating on this past week.

A few highlights of my AVERAGE week:

* I’ve been getting up early most days to work on our family’s study of theology. My husband is going through a systematic theology course for his elder training and I’m trying to do it along with him. I get up early so we don’t have trouble with using the same book. This is a review for me and I am enjoying it SO much! Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology book has memory verses for each topic that I’d like to memorize. My goal for next week is to start writing those on index cards to practice.

* My 8 little pups were picked up on Thursday morning and taken to a mixed breed rescue that will go above and beyond the call of duty to find the best possible homes. It was very difficult the last hour because my grandchildren came over to say goodbye to the pups and wanted me to keep JUST ONE. That was rough.

* Emma Lee, an older woman from church, came to help me sort clothes for the clothing ministry on Thursday. We made great progress.

* My daughter in love went to a seminar with some ladies from her church so I helped my son with the grandchildren for a few days this week.

* Friday my son, granddaughter and I went to visit my parents which live 45 minutes away. My Mom had made turkey chili, rolls and homemade applesauce and some zucchini muffins. My son said that he always loves the way Grandma’s house is so clean and smells so good! It blessed her when I told her that! My granddaughter gathered her ‘babies’ off Grandma’s bed and played dolls for quite awhile. She was such a good little girl. Mom dug up some of her flowers to send home with me. I love family flowers. Each one has a story behind it. Ever noticed that?

* I’ve been drinking golden seal tea and using tea tree oil topically for a skin fungus. I’m wondering if I picked it up from the farm animals. I’m applying the tea tree oil twice a day. I hate to share this but I’ve been so grateful to find a natural solution that seems to be helping. The topical medicine my Dr. gave me only took care of it temporarily and then it would return the following month. I’ve been dealing with this since August and it looks like it might be permanently gone.  

* Saturday: Today I planted the flowers I brought home from Mom’s. I hope they survive and will bring some color to my front flower bed. I accomplished quite a bit of cleaning in preparation for my in-laws, daughter in love’s and grand baby’s visit next week. My father in law is diabetic so our diet will be the same which helps a lot with the cooking. If the weather permits we hope to go for a day visit to Santa Cruz and have lunch on the wharf.

I told you it was a pretty uneventful week! Yet, inwardly, the Lord and I have had a BLAST! Here is a picture of a small patch of my Mom’s flowers!

The ladies from our church met for our monthly Titus 2 meeting. We began a video series called, Seeking God by Nancy De Leigh Moss. We watched two segments of the series which included a teaching on humility. We then broke up in small groups and shared areas that we needed God’s grace to overcome pride in relationships.

One of the Mother’s and her daughter decorated the tables in a Valentine’s Day theme. They made a ‘potato bar’ for lunch which was fun! For a craft they had everyone decorate heart cookies. Afterwards we cleaned out a few more cupboard’s in the kitchen. It was a wonderful day full of sweet Christian fellowship and great food!

I especially liked Nancy’s teaching on humility. She worked through Phil. 2:3-9. One vein of thought especially stayed with me and that was her questions on serving. She asked if we think of our husband, family, friends (fill in the blank) as more important than ourselves? When visiting with others do we want to talk just about yourself or do we try to find ways to draw the other’s person’s needs out so we can find ways to minister to them? Most of us want to choose where we will serve yet Jesus took on the form of a servant. We’re never more like Jesus when we serve.

The ladies were talking about their husbands dropping their clothes on the floor and not picking up after themselves. Seems like the perfect opportunity to take on the ‘form of a servant’ and imitate our Master by serving.

May we live [coram deo] before the face of God!
Georgene

“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”

Jim Elliot

The weather was beautiful today. I took advantage of the sunshine the past two days and have hung out laundry. It’s like getting free electricity. I’m working hard to find ways to cut down on our electric bill. Everyone I know has had a big jump in their electric bill. So far, between hand washing my dishes, rarely using the heater and hanging out most loads of my wash I’ve been able to keep my bill down. I’m so looking forward to spring but I have a sneaking suspicion that we’re not finished with the rain yet.

Tomorrow a friend is bringing over a lady who will show me how to give shots to the pups and my son’s dogs. We used to raise goats and I was able to give them shots but there is something about giving a shot to a dog that was so hard for me. I’m hoping I can get past it and learn the ‘art’ of vacinnations from this gal.

Aren’t they adorable? They will be 6 weeks old on Sunday. They are getting so big. They have outgrown the two dryer boxes we had taped together for them. So, today my husband and I brought home an upright freezer box and another dryer box. My husband laid the freezer box on it’s side and taped the dryer box to one end. I put all the pups in the bathtub (on top of puppy pads) while we fixed their new little home. They were crying and throwing a fit and looked so pitiful that I had to take a picture.

My husband is such a wonderful man! He took our last dog to be put to sleep. I had planned on taking her but I couldn’t stop crying so he stepped in and said he would. It bothered him so much that he said he never wanted another dog again because he didn’t want to go through putting another one to sleep. We went for quite a few months without a dog and then I began to really miss having one around. So, I began ‘working’ on my husband and within a few weeks I had ‘convinced’ him we needed another dog while promising I would be the one to put the next dog to sleep, if need be.

I read about an abandoned dog that a neighbor had taken in. We went to see her and decided we would take her.  When we brought her home she was so thin. I made an appointment to have her ‘fixed’ in 2 weeks. By the time I took her to the Vet she had really put on weight. They informed me that she  was pregnant and due in 2 weeks. I was in shock! They wouldn’t fix her due to the chance it might kill her. So, two weeks later, on Christmas Day, our BB delivered EIGHT PUPS.

Well, this one dear little dog has cost us much. We invested money in a doggie door not to mention extra doggie food, garbage bags, wood shavings, air freshner, carpet freshner and extra food. We’ve been awakened at 2:30 in the mornings from crying pups. I’ve had a ton of washing and more cleaning. Our office no longer smells of ink and paper (need I say more?). The list goes on and on.

So, what am I learning through this whole situation? Mainly, that if I would have trusted my husband’s first decision to not take in another dog I would have saved our family a lot of headache, time and effort. (Oh, did I mention that she got mastitis and cost us 98.00?) If bringing home another dog would have been my husband’s decision then I wouldn’t have had that ‘sinking’ guilty feeling in my gut every time another expense came up. 

Kevin has been so gracious in spite of all I  have put him through. He truly loves this dog and doesn’t regret bringing her home.  Yet, in spite of his mercy I am realizing that my lack of submission has costs us and I’m taking this as a big time warning from the Lord for future situations.

I received this email today and hoped that if I posted it you might feel burdened to pray for this young Pastor. Gospel for Asia is a highly respected Christian organization that supports missionaries in India. One hundred percent of donations given go directly to the missionaries on the field. Those working in the US are responsible for raising their own funds. It’s the only missionary organization that I would trust sending money to. Not that there are not others who are responsible. I just know more about this one and have received good reports. Please join me in praying for our brother and those who are being persecuted in India.

[GFA Urgent Prayer] Missionary Kidnapped  
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February 1, 2006  -  220,000 Subscribed
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Dear Mrs. Girouard,

It is my sad duty to share with you the news that one of our Gospel for Asia native missionaries has been kidnapped by terrorists in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

Pastor Subhash, a young single missionary who has already started five mission stations with 28 believers, was returning home in a taxi with five other people–but they never reached their destination.

Yesterday, Subhash’s parents received a letter that said he had been kidnapped by an extremist Marxist group known as the Naxalites.  The letter did not mention any ransom or other demand, but did ask that Subhash’s parents “help in order to secure his safe release.”

This latest incident comes in a week in which we have received reports of more than two dozen of our native missionaries and Bible college students being badly beaten in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.  It also comes as hundreds of thousands of Hindus are planning to swarm into a tribal area of Gujarat in order to persecute the Christians living there.

Please pray for Subhash’s safe release.  Pray also for his parents, that God will be with them through this ordeal.  And please join me and the rest of the GFA family in praying for all of our persecuted brothers and sisters across South Asia who are suffering at the hands of anti-Christian elements.

Yours for the lost of Asia,

K.P. Yohannan
Gospel for Asia

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::: About Gospel for Asia: http://www.gfa.org/aboutgfa