Let me be preachy

Recently ran into a youtube video on face book where a preacher (i think) had trouble swallowing his $8.00 hot dog at a baseball game after watching a video he received on his i-phone of starving and thirsty children that are dying on the vine because of they have "no means of support". The question on facebook became, Christian or not, how can "we", people, tolerate this. Some responded that Christian or not people can and do have compassion and should take care of each other. ~and for the most part I agree with what was said. But really for Christians it is different.

If you know Jesus Christ as your savior, you will come to understand that He has called us to Himself and has given us one assignment. That is to tell others of His mercy and grace ~ that He chose to die on a cross for us, eliminating our sins, and reconciling us to God. In that, we have eternal life.

With the Holy Spirit, we then, can go forward. Yes, we are being compassionate as we feed others that are thirsty and hungry. But as we do, we are being Christ-like and as their bellies become satisfied, they come to know Jesus, as we "become Jesus" to them.

So yes, their thirst is much more important than an $8.00 hot dog, but even more so is their salvation. This applies to not only to the starving children in Africa, or the abused women in China, the sick or the dying worldwide ~ it applies to each of us ~ our family, our neighbors next door, the people in the inner city, or across town, the kids in Poland,,,, Jesus says feed my sheep. His sheep maybe be physically hungry, even sick or dying, but they are starving to know Him.

Feed them.

Butterscotch Terriers

Ya know...walmartians are just part of my life ~ well some are. you see, we got two super-walmarts here in town now and my house sits smack dab in the middle between the two. the first one, on the other side of the freeway, opened almost a year ago. it was (and still is) crowded, stinky, and dirty. after two visits, i haven't been back...until last night. on the other hand, the second one, is really really nice and i have been shopping there weekly + since it opened about four months ago.

but i gotta tell ya about my excursion to walmart last night. i learned some invaluable information there, that i would never have found elsewhere. i am so happy that the next member of the p-family brigade went out of his way to allow me the opportunity. we unloaded our butts and started towards the front door. and there, there, my gosh, i thought for sure my eyes were deceiving me, but, there was a man and a young boy with several puppies and can you even believe this....a mother dog with teats hanging to the floor....that could easily be Banger's sister!!!! hair, human green eyes, and freckles!!!! just a shade lighter...but non-the-less very definitely a banger-type dog. so i asked the man, "what kind of dogs are these????" well that man enlightened me. it seems as if Banger is a member of the Butterscotch Terrier family. eeeeyep. now the little mother dog that the man had was akc registered!!! and, get this....he paid six hundred dollars to bring her from Ireland. Uh Huh!!! A real live butterscotch terrier. i am almost sorry that i had Banger fixed. I could be makin' a living selling her puppies down at walmart!

When we came out of the store...the security guards were taking down the man's signs and telling him to leave.

love ya

g

ps....go ahead, google-search butter-scotch terriers. i dare you. i double-dog dare ya.

A Polish Joke for you

So Monday we got up to begin our first day of English camp. We had breakfast. That was a couple slices of bread, spread with some cheese or something, and a cup of tea. To me, meager, but really quite tasty and it actually held me over til noon-thirty when we were served dinner (lunch.) 7:15 we are out the door. Pastor drove us into Slupsk to the school. About a 20 minute ride, one we did twice a day for the entire week, landscape which became ever so familiar to us, but everyday produced something to look at as we passed it by. There is even a Fiskar factory/distributor there! Oh the things that excite us! {eyeroll}

Upon arriving at the school we were introduced to the staff there. Very welcoming. After a quick tour of the facilities we began readying ourselves for our first group opening, and readying the classrooms with supplies. As we carried on with the preparations, the children began coming in. We gathered in the lunch room and began. We opened with prayers and songs and then we were dispersed to the classrooms. The younger group (7-9 years) were told, “Go with Geo!” So here comes a herd of about 16 kids, all lined up and raring to go. As I finished a conversation with one of the other ladies, I directed the kids across the hallway and into the nearest “classroom”. I turned around to the door I sent them into and saw them there, silhouetted against the huge window at the “end of the tunnel”. They were quietly giggling amongst themselves when much to my surprise I realized I had sent them all into the bathroom…the teacher’s bathroom at that! They couldn’t have been packed in there any tighter, staring into each of the stalls, and just giggling, waiting for me, and I am sure they were wondering, “Okay what’s up with the crazy woman and why are we in the bathroom????” Yes, it was a bit embarrassing, but with kids…well there is some saving grace there. So I called them all out, (like it was perfectly normal to have sent them in in the first place) and we went up stairs to the room directly above the teacher’s water closet. Thank God for the the letters WC. Repeat after me, WC, water closet.

And so began the camp…..

Here I Am, Lord

Long about five or six years ago I returned to a journey I started years ~ a lot of years ~ ago. I was basically called out by God, who caused me some time to examine my self, that is, to discover who I had become and where I was going. What I saw was a pumped up self, one that I had come to believe as pretty darned important and more so ~ self-made. And as a result of re-starting that journey, I have been able to get back into step with Him, and for me there is no better place to be. I am not so very important. I never have been. And I certainly was not self-made. What I had; what I have; He has provided. That includes friends, families, employment, all of it. And the best part of it is that He has welcomed me back with His loving, gracious arms, in which I know I am forgiven and ~ believe it or not ~ can and do find His joy and peace.

It is almost a week since I returned from Poland, where, as I described below, I spent time with four other women from the church, teaching English to Polish children. And the secret to our endeavors is that we used Bible stories to teach. In doing so we were allowed an opportunity to see God at work in the hearts and minds of these little kids. It was awesome! I know that if the kids already knew Him, they were happy to soak up His word in English. If the kids didn’t know Him, they sure got a dose of Him, that will last a lifetime. Can you imagine hitting them with the Christmas story, Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine, Zeccheaus who sat in a tree waiting to see Him, the love and forgiveness experienced by the prodigal son, and ending it all with the Easter story. In five days we covered it all. He came to save us because He loves us!

In the midst of it, one boy asked, “How can we change to be more like Jesus?” Is that not ever so cool! And the little girl that, at the end of the week, was able to say that Jesus died on the cross for us because He loves us. His message was heard. And they know all the English words to go with it!

Mission accomplished.

Along the way we spent a couple of days in Warsaw and more in Slupsk and along the beach of the Baltic Sea in Ustka. Beautiful weather! So much to look at and absorb!

Best of all time spent with Pastor Froelich with his congregation, breaking bread together, and worshipping in languages peculiar to our ears, but praising one Lord and Savior.

Dzien' Dobry

Hi ya'll. it is good to be back in the USA. what a wonderfully fulfilling, experience we had. 36 kids soaking up the English language through Bible stories. what better way to spread His word! and we had the best of His world to go with it.
some of you think His premier place is where you are, but there is much to be said about the landscape of northern Poland. but for today, it is back to work....i will tag up with you later.

the countdown begins

Its monday morning. The suit case is pretty much packed. so is the carry on. i need an extra pair of shoulders to lug that one...i still can't figure out why it is so heavy! It must be the red vines. I think i am going to dump them. Maybe only take one bottle of water. i just cant see paying airport prices, when walmart is less than a mile from my house.

very excited about heading out on wednesday. yesterday we were commissioned for the mission. ultimately sharing Christ through teaching ESL using bible stories. can't beat that method! pray for the five of us that we deliver the goods just the way He wants them delivered and to open ears and hearts of children that attend.

we are not marching to pretoria, but we are flying to poland. it will be a long day. left coast to desert to midwest to destination. leave here at 6am and arrive the next day around noon. don't panic i tells my self...we are losing a day in the process ~ it is only 15 hours travel time.

we get to stay on the baltic sea's premier beach! check this out:

so i will be back in two weeks. see you all then. be good.

Back into Baking

a new discovery tried and true for you.

pilsbury makes REDUCED sugar cake mix!!! all colors, even!!!

my 4th of july cake was out of this world. get this. white cake, made w/ egg whites, cause that keeps the cake white covered with frosting from heaven. found it on the box. make it from REDUCED sugar frosting and sugar-free cool whip. whip it together. voila'! put some strawberries and blue berries on it ...mmm mmmm mmmm....it was really really good.

tonite, a repeat peformance with a twist. for the frosting, i am using brummel spread, strawberry, and whipping it with the cool whip. no fruit. out of fruit. but really looking forward to it. 30 minutes from now.

here's the deal. check out the cake mix and frosting! it satisfies the sweet spot we all have and flake over dealing with. so...try it. i think you will really like it. i think it will bake even better if you use products from beth's unspecified business endeavor. check out her site "if you knew her".