June 7. What an eventful night! Just as I was about to go to bed, when the wind was blowing and hard rain was falling, Connie and I heard water falling on the piano. Connie ran for the bucket. I ran for rags and plastic bags. Wiped off pictures, song books, and whatever had gotten wet. We covered the piano with the plastic bags and two big towel rags and set the bucket on them. We knew we would have to get in touch with CJ & Jum after all. With that delay, it was 10:45 or so before I finally got to bed. A little before 2:00 a.m., I woke up hearing a racket. Something either outside or on the roof or in the attic was banging and clanging, bumping and thumping. Were our neighbors across the street moving furniture around again? What was going on? I sensed that Daddy was moving around in bed so thought he was awake. I said, “What’s that noise?” “What noise?” The noise had stopped briefly, but then started again. He looked out the bathroom window, but nothing was happening across the street. “Sounds like something outside the house.” Daddy got dressed and went outside to look around. When I went into the bathroom, it sounded like the noise was in the attic, but Daddy was soon to discover a huge raccoon on the lower part of the roof in the corner where the two parts of the house join. What was it doing? Tearing up the roof? Daddy threw some stones at it to try to chase it away, but it only went to the top of the roof. He came back in and went to bed, but before we could get to sleep, the racket had begun again. This time we both got up and went out. It was about 2:45 now. I thought maybe I could help him throw some stones. Before we got out there, however, the noise had stopped. We did not see the raccoon anywhere. Connie was sleeping through all of this (unusual for her), but poor Christy woke up and didn’t sleep the rest of the night. Connie did wake up when she heard Daddy come back in, but didn’t really wake up until we two had come back in and were sitting in the dining room. I knew I would need a little bite to eat now before I could get back to sleep so turned the laundry room light on so as not to disturb the girls and had some wheat thins and almond milk. Daddy had a little snack too. We explained to Connie why we were up. Daddy and I didn’t hear anything else the rest of the night. But Connie did. The coon had apparently made its way either into the attic or ceiling space. She heard it walking all around Christy’s and her end of the house, scraping and scratching as it went (or maybe it was just on the roof again). She thought she heard another one outside her bathroom window so went and closed her window. It was after 4:00 before I finally got back to sleep. Woke up again a little after 5:00 just briefly. Heard Christy leave for work. Finally went back to sleep until about 6:15. The morning’s business included cooking amaranth for breakfast, eating a bowlful of yummy papaya with yogurt and pecan pieces for pre-breakfast, making the weekly shopping list, pureeing meat and squash that Connie had given me and having some with the amaranth for my real breakfast, and working with Daddy on recording the narration for our new slide show and rehearsing the timings. This time we recorded the narration on a tape recorder. Consequently, it is separate from the slide show, but is in sync with it. Tried writing some of The Isles Are Singing this afternoon, but the tired brain wasn’t cooperating too well. Didn’t really have a lot of time to work on it either as I needed to do dishes before supper so I would be ready for church afterward. I was happy to see Jennifer at church again this evening. She came up to me at handshake time and gave me a hug. I was surprised that she even remembered my name. But now I remember that she told me she has an Aunt Judy. Pastor Ogle started preaching on the first two commandments this evening -- verses 3-6. I could hardly stay awake in church after being awake so long during the night. But I did actually hear most of the message even though my eyes were closed. When we arrived home, we were happy to find the pictures from Amazon waiting for us at the door. “17Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever.” Amen. II Peter 3:17,18 Because we KNOW the things that Peter, by the Holy Spirit, has reminded us of in this epistle, we must beware (be on guard) and make sure we avoid those things that will lead us away with the error of the wicked. Instead we must keep growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. June 8. Last night was cooler, and we were thankful for a better night’s sleep. Early this morning, we did hear the raccoon a bit, making noises in the ceiling overhead. Went out a little before 9:00 this morning to do our shopping. Thought it would be an easy shopping day as there wasn’t much on our list. Then we could get home quickly and get other things done. Think again, Judy. Went to Office Depot first to get envelopes for the newsletters and yellow ink for Christy’s printer. That didn’t take long. Aldi shopping didn’t take long either. After Aldi, we headed for Verizon where Daddy paid our phone bill. Then we went over to Mighty Dollar because Connie said she had seen sticky back letters there. (We were looking for yellow and red ones to use on our display board.) Didn’t find what we needed so went to Hobby Lobby. Spent quite a while there looking for something they said they didn’t have. Found lots of letter stickers and got some red ones, but didn’t find what we wanted in yellow. Last stop was WalMart. Only needed a few groceries, but looked for yellow sticker letters there. Ended up buying a container of mixed colors and also some sticky back foam sheets if we needed to cut more out. It was going on 12:00 before we finally got home. Daddy went out to Subway to eat, and I had soup. Took a fairly long nap today. Was still pretty tired after our adventure the other night. The rest of the afternoon was spent on getting the display board ready. Trimmed the white borders off the photos, placed the center board photos in their approximate places, and sorted through letters to find enough yellow for all the words that needed to be formed. Laid out the red letters and finally found enough yellow ones and lay them out too. It was past supper time by then so went and had a big bowl of fruit salad. Then did up the big pile of dishes before making a large bowlful of banana tofu pudding. By then it was family time. Grabbed a snack and went to sit down with the family. “1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” I John 1:1-3 There is plenty of evidence that Jesus Christ is the eternal God, manifested in the flesh, and sent to this world to provide everlasting life. The apostles (and many others) heard Him speak, they saw Him, they gazed upon Him, they touched Him, they had fellowship with Him. And they bore witness of what they heard and saw, declaring it to all who would hear so that we also may have eternal life and have fellowship both with the Father and with the Son. Praise God!
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June 5. Slept very hard last night and never heard any rain although there were some storms. I know I was very tired after we got home from church. Didn’t get started washing dishes until 9:30, and it took a half hour just to wash the little things -- vessels, containers, lids, tableware, and kitchen utensils. I was grateful that Connie jumped in shortly after that and helped me finish up. The morning was somewhat dark and dreary with a little rain. A pretty good rain this afternoon, just at the time for Christy to go out shopping. Am thankful that my knee isn’t so unbearably painful today. Lewis was kind enough to go for a short, slow walk with me. Maybe the exercise will help(?). It did feel good to get out in the fresh air for a while. Some computer time was spent getting journal notes ready for Connie, and transferring and editing a few pictures to send to Connie along with the notes. Also sent the pictures to Christy because she said she wanted a puzzle picture for her co-workers to see. After a while, Daddy and I tried transferring the power point presentation to Christy’s desktop and recording the narration in there, but we didn’t have any success with that either. Took a much longer nap than I planned. Slept very hard. Finally made myself get up. This afternoon, I wrote a thank you note and put it out in the mail. Then I put the finishing touches on the quarterly newsletter. After supper, I printed out a text only copy for Daddy and me to proofread; made corrections; made a jpeg copy to send to Christy as well as the pdf copy. Then did the dishes. “13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” II Peter 3:13,14 June 6. This morning, I finished attaching the trim to the arm openings and buttonhole edge of my jacket that goes with my two-piece outfit. It took me quite a few days to get that done, working a little bit at a time, so I’m thankful to finally have it done. While clothes were washing, I printed monthly updates/newsletters and envelopes for our supporters who get them by mail; and after hanging out clothes, I wrote notes on some to acknowledge support, put them in envelopes, and took them to Connie to stamp, seal, and put out in the mail. Daddy went out to the bank, Ginger’s Salvage, and the discount meat mart; and I started getting potatoes ready to make mashed potatoes for Daddy’s dinner. Discovered a pack of ground chicken in the freezer, and used half of that to make a gravy for the taters. This afternoon, I worked on youth lessons. Have 7 1/2 more lessons to go. Am working on the 18th lesson now. Finished putting the verses in, and need to do questions and application. After we brought the clothes in off the line this afternoon, I took a picture of the robin nest and saw four more bright blue eggs. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation….” II Peter 3:15a Thank you, Lord, for being so longsuffering with us so that others may be saved. June 4. With quite a struggle to get my right leg out of bed, I finally managed to get up about 6:00 this morning, get a shower, and wash my hair. Had quiet time and breakfast. Fixed eggs for Daddy’s breakfast. Fixed a fruit salad to take along on our little excursion this morning. Daddy had decided that we would go to Maple Grove Baptist Church in Weddington, south of Charlotte. A few weeks ago, we had sent the pastor some of our literature. We had originally planned to go to another church in the Charlotte area today but decided on Maple Grove instead. Arrived at Maple Grove just about ten minutes before 10:00. We received a warm welcome. The pastor’s wife, Rhonda, taught the ladies’ class. Pastor Simpson asked Daddy to give a ten minute presentation during the main meeting. At the end of Daddy’s presentation, the pastor asked if Daddy could say John 3:16 in the Owena language. Daddy volunteered me to sing it so the pastor had me come up and sing. When I started to go back down, the Pastor stopped me and said, “Wait a minute.” Then he asked everyone to stand and said, “People give honor to kings, and we are all kings and priests to God, and these people are doing a priestly work. I have asked everyone to stand to show them honor.” I felt so small and unworthy. Then after we sat down, the pastor brought before the church the fact that they just had a missionary come off the field and had a gap in their faith promise giving. He recommended taking us on to fill up that gap; and right then and there, the church voted to take us on as their missionaries. What a surprise and honor! How good God is! The song the choir sang was a wonderful reminder that “even in the valley, God is good.” The preaching was good too, and we are thankful they are strong KJV, and Pastor Simpson expressed a loving, but firm spirit in his preaching. The church also gave us a love offering. It was 12:45 before we were headed home. Had a little delay getting onto 85 from 485 because of construction so it was going on 2:00 when we arrived home. I had eaten wheat thins and my fruit salad in the car so was ready to go right to nap after we got here. Slept until after 3:30. We didn’t get home from church this evening until after 8:00 as there was a business meeting following the preaching. “11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God….” II Peter 3:11,12a June 2. After breakfast this morning, I received an e-mail from Ellen saying that she was free today to go out to lunch and wondered if that would work for me. No problem for me so we made plans to go out later in the morning. It was a lovely morning for being outside and hanging out the laundry. Ellen came a little before 11:00, and we went to Denny’s and had an early lunch. Enjoyed the time together. After lunch, we wandered around the mall for a while, looking at things in Burkes and Marshalls. After that, both of us needed to get off our feet so we headed home. My nap this afternoon was somewhat longer than usual. Must have been extra tired. When I got up, I worked on the May progress report. Daddy and I also got the clothes in. And Christy and I worked on a photo order from Amazon so we’d have the photos for our display. (WalMart was still having technical difficulties so we decided to try Amazon instead. We are glad we did as the pictures cost less there than WalMart.) “10Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:10,11 June 3. Slept in until 6:30 this morning. A little before 10:00, Daddy and I started out for a walk. We only went around one block today as my back, hips, and knees weren’t cooperating very well. Christy and I worked on the white seal puzzle off and on today and finally finished it. (See photo above) I made pizza for our dinner, and this afternoon, I made a big pot of sweet tater soup for my next few days’ meals. Then finished sewing up the hem on my white dress. “9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” II Peter 3:9,10 Praise God for His longsuffering to us, His children, urging us to be faithful in sharing the Gospel, because He is not willing that any should perish. He wants ALL to come to repentance. But we must remember, the day of the Lord WILL come so we must be diligent. May 31. After looking over the Ingles ad this morning and not seeing anything to make a trip there worthwhile, I went ahead and made up tomorrow’s shopping list. Also made up June’s schedule which I had almost forgotten about. June came upon us so quickly. Later, I wrote another chapter in The Isles are Singing and sent a couple chapters off to Connie to post. Jason came around 10:15 to fix the leaky tap on our bathtub. It turned out to be a major job. He had to go out and buy a new set of faucets, but wasn’t sure if that would work or not. He was afraid he might have to drill through the dining room wall to get to the pipes, but he was finally able to get it fixed without doing so, for which we were very thankful. He also put a new washer on one of the taps in C&C’s bathroom and set the temperature up on the water heater he had installed last time. It was 12:30 when he left here. Wrote a couple e-mails this afternoon. Backed up files. Washed dishes. Pastor Ogle started teaching on Exodus chapter 20 this evening, giving an overview of the ten commandments. He didn’t actually get into the commandments yet, but gave some background information. “5And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:5-8 June 1. Woke up a little bit early this morning. It is much easier to get up early when light is already dawning. Around 9:00, Daddy and I headed out to shop. Our fridge was nearly bare so had quite a bit to do today. Aldi first, where we purchased a good bit of produce. Then Big Lots to get hand soap refill and jam. Also found some good buys on a couple mark-down items. We had thought about getting a double cast iron griddle too. They were only $15 in Big Lots, but $20-something in WalMart. I expected at the lower price that the griddle in Big Lots would be much lighter weight. When I tried to pick it up, however, it was extremely heavy, and my back has been hurting since I tried to lift it. We hurried as best we could to finish our WalMart stopping, but met up with several people to talk with -- the lady who loads stuff in the freezers, Donna who works in the photo lab, Johnny who told Daddy to take the buckets he had gotten from the bakery, Becky who loves to talk about the Lord and needed that few minutes of spiritual refreshment and encouragement, Jerry Judd who just stopped in Shelby briefly with his wife on their way to South Carolina. Please, please pray that the Lord will enable us to reach our neighbors. It seems that the enemy is fighting hard to maintain his territory. The more we pray and seek to share the gospel, the harder he fights. How we pray for God’s protection, for the enemy’s defeat, and for the salvation of these souls! I wasn’t very hungry at lunch time so took an early nap and had lunch afterward. This afternoon, I worked on another MTC (missionary training course) lesson. Took a break and did a little crocheting. Worked some more on the lesson. Had supper and worked a bit on the white seal in the snow puzzle, without too much success. Then I washed the mountain of dishes. We discovered that Mrs. Robin has laid more eggs in the same nest by our back door. It has only been a few weeks since the first birdlings left the nest. “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” II Peter 1:9 May I never forget all the our Saviour has done to purge me from my old sins. May I not be as a blind man who cannot see afar off. And may I show that I remember God’s goodness and mercy by adding to my faith those virtues mentioned in verses 5-8. May 29. It’s been quite a day. Seems like I’ve been busy all day but little has been accomplished. For breakfast, I cooked a panful of carrots and beans so I would have veggies to add to my grains. Then I got a thank you note written and ready to go out in the mail tomorrow. Christy had the day off, and she and Connie went out to do their weekly shopping. Daddy tried to record narration in the presentation using the noise cancelling microphone we had bought, but the sound was still muffled. Daddy also worked on some Bible notes, while I cooked chicken and taters and made a dough for crust for a pot pie. When the chicken and taters were done, I made gravy and added the carrots and beans, rolled out the dough, put the crust on top, and popped it into the oven. Then I did some research on vitamins so I could make a vitamin supplement list to give to Christy for the monthly order. Whenever I took a break from brain work and kitchen work, I sorted out some puzzle pieces of the white seal in the snow and put a few together. By the time I had had my dinner, I was very tired. Was awake for a while during the night. Also woke up later in the night for some reason and could not get back to sleep for a long time. Lots of things rolling over and over in my mind. This afternoon, I wrote some e-mails (that always takes longer than one expects it will), and all of us took time to search for a document we needed. Couldn’t find it in any of our file cabinets. Blended up some of my soup for supper and went outside to watch the dark clouds travel across the sky. We knew a storm was brewing, and it wasn’t long before the winds blew with gusto, and heavy rains fell. The power went out almost immediately. We searched for the hundred hour candle, but didn’t find it. After the storm passed, Daddy and Connie saw a man walking by carrying a black snack -- about five feet long or so. Then Daddy discovered that water was leaking over the piano, and the pictures and décor on the piano were getting wet. We ran for rags and wiped everything up. A few drops of water went down on the keys too so hopefully it doesn’t ruin things. Placed a few candles around the house because it was getting dark. I set a double candle holder on the ledge above the sink so I could do dishes. Praise the Lord, the power came back on while I was washing dishes. The power outage messed up the internet service too. Spectrum is aware of the problem and is working on it. So that’s how our day went, but God is still on the throne. “8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 5:8-11 Just the verses I needed for today and for times like these. How I need to be calm and discreet and to be on guard, knowing that the adversary is seeking someone to devour. Praise the Lord, He has given us the armor we need to stand solidly strong and sure in the faith, and He has commanded us to do so. I know that fellow believers face the same difficulties and trials as I do. And I can be sure that God’s grace will be sufficient to see me through the times of suffering, and through that will make me thoroughly complete, steadfastly set, and strengthened for future work and future battles. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever! May 30. Thankful for a better night’s rest last night. The morning was dark and cloudy, so some of our laundry was still hanging on the line when Christy was ready to hang hers out this afternoon. Around 10:00, Daddy and I went out to take care of some business. First to Office Depot to return the labels and purchase a display board and some literature holders. From Office Depot, we went to K-Mart to check on prices of household items and compare with WalMart. Everything was more expensive, but we did find a Kenmore blender on sale and a pretty vinyl tablecover on sale. This blender fits together well so we trust that it will serve us well. Last stop was WalMart where Daddy paid the rent and we checked on the cost of photo prints. Learned that it costs less to order online and have them delivered to the house. Have been trying to do that this afternoon, but unsuccessfully. Finally learned that there are technical difficulties so will try again tomorrow. Then we went to the housewares section and bought a set of Farberware kitchen utensils, an oven thermometer, a cast iron skillet, and a set of cookie sheets. This afternoon, I redid the set-up of the display board because the new board is larger than the plans I had made. Also fixed up journal notes and sent them to Connie along with a couple pictures and a couple other files. “3According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” II Peter 1:3,4 May 28. Was awakened around 1:30 a.m. when the storm siren sounded for quite a while. A short time later, I could hear the wind whooshing around the house, feel a strong wind blowing through the bedroom window, and see the lightning flash. I asked Daddy if he would please shut the window, and I went out to the other room to unplug the power board, the microwave, and the blender. On the way back to bed, I heard a few raindrops fall on the a/c outside our bedroom window; and then the storm was gone. Flashes of lightning could still be seen, but not as bright, and thunder could be heard way off in the distance; but the storm that made such a grand debut here was gone almost as quickly as it came. Mrs. Ogle taught the lesson in our ladies’ Sunday school class today, about whether one is an artificial or authentic Christian. It was a good lesson on being a “real” Christian, rather than a fake or a hypocrite. Pastor John Godfrey from Immanuel Baptist Church in Western, VA, preached the main service. (He had preached three times to the men at the weekend retreat.) This morning, he preached on the family from I Peter 3:1-7, talking first about the role of the men, from verse 7, and then about the women, in the other six verses. Christy and Connie went back for the afternoon meeting, which started earlier than we expected so they were late. Daddy and I took a short nap and then watched the preaching livestream. Listened to one of Pastor Weiss’s sermons this evening and started crocheting the border on my crochet project. “6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” I Peter 5:6,7 May 26. A little bit chillier this morning, but warmed up to upper seventies and was a very pleasant day. It was wash day again. Enjoyed being outside to hang out the clothes. It had already warmed up to the upper sixties by then. After washing clothes, I worked on youth lessons. There were a lot of verses to put into today’s lesson so it took quite a while just to put the verses in. I still need to do questions and practical applications. Around 11:30, Daddy, Connie, and I left here to go to the Mages. They had said that Daddy and I could get our pictures taken around their flowers so we could have a new picture for our new prayer card. Connie came along to be our photographer. We thought we would only be gone a short while, but we ended up spending a little time with Joe and Mary, looking at the pretty new shed Joe had made, looking at their house, and taking pictures of the flowers. It was going on 1:00 before we finally got home, but we enjoyed a good time at the Mages. Transferred some of the pictures to the computer after we got home, and the rest of them after nap. Fixed them up and chose one for our prayer card. I’m excited that the prayer card is now ready for printing. And the display board pictures are all ready to be printed as well. Daddy has gone this evening to the men’s retreat being held at the Spencers’ house. I sat outside for a while after supper and read. The girls sat with me for a few minutes. Nobody came along to talk to, although quite a few cars went past the house. “12Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” I Peter 4:12,13 May 27. Praise the Lord for another lovely day, even though it did get a little warm late this afternoon. Daddy went off around 8:00 this morning for the second day of the men’s retreat. After quiet time and breakfast, I made a revision on our new prayer card so we shouldn’t have to use the labels we bought. Then I wrote a couple letters. Around 11:00, after Christy finished Connie’s and her laundry, we ladies went off to Hobby Lobby. I couldn’t really think of anything I needed, except for some black lace. As I was looking around, I also found a scrap of black material on sale, just what I need to make pockets for my black jumper. After Hobby Lobby, the girls made a quick stop at Walgreens to get some paper towels. It was about 12:30 when we got home. No soup left for dinner so had some tortilla chips and dip and a small container of yogurt. I had planned to make soup this morning, but the trip to Hobby Lobby changed that plan. I did get the soup made this afternoon. Also helped Daddy put up curtain rods and curtains in Christy’s room. (She’s been waiting for quite a while to have her curtains put up.) May 24. Today was cool and cloudy, but not much rain here. Lots of rain in other parts of the county and state with winds, tornadoes, and storm damage.
After breakfast and quiet time, I wrote down prayer requests from e-mails and deleted e-mails, made a shopping list and searched for kitchen items available at WalMart, and worked on blog ideas. This afternoon, I wrote another chapter in The Isles are Singing, did the dishes, and got ready for church this evening. An evangelist named Dustin Duke, along with his wife Emily and their two little girls, was there to preach to us this evening. Their two little girls sang “God Is So Wonderful.” There was also a visitor there this evening named Jennifer, and another young lady with her. Jennifer said she hadn’t been to church since she was a little girl, but felt the Lord calling her to come there this evening. Not only did the Lord call her to come there, but the Lord gave the evangelist just the right sermon to preach, and the Lord called Jennifer to come this evening and drink from the well of salvation. How excited she was to get saved! Bro. Duke’s message was very special, his text being Luke 11:1-13, and using that text to show us how we should pray, and particularly how we should pray for the unsaved. He compared the needy friend who came on his journey to an unsaved person (the impoverished friend); the friend who didn’t have the means to meet the unsaved person’s need is the saved person (the inadequate friend, unable in himself to help the unsaved); and the friend who had the means was the indifferent friend, who represented God, but in contrast, God is not indifferent, and God has promised to always hear and answer when we ask him. He is the friend whom, we know, we can call upon to provide what we ourselves are inadequate to provide. “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” I Peter 4:7 Not much time left to win souls to Christ. Our endeavors must be serious and earnest, and we must give ourselves to prayer. May 25. Cooler and drier today, with strong winds. No rain, though it was predicted for afternoon. Today was shopping day, and we went out around 9:00, making Office Depot our first stop. Got some labels to print and put on the back of the new prayer cards we plan to have made, and also purchased a noise canceling microphone which Jeremy recommended for recording our presentation. A quick trip to Aldi as we didn’t need much there and then to WalMart. Besides doing our grocery shopping, we priced kitchen items and later will compare at K-Mart to see who has the best deals. We did buy a set of tableware to take to PNG. We were back home by 11:30. Started on another lesson for the missionary training school before getting lunch. Worked more on that before nap and again this afternoon. Washed dishes just before supper as there was getting to be quite a pile there. “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” I Peter 4:8 More important than everything else is the need for believers to have very warm, ardent, earnest, excited, glowing agape love for one another. Why? Because that kind of love will conceal, or refrain from disclosing, a multitude of sins. May 22. This morning was set aside for recording narration for our slide presentation. We finally figured out how to record in this computer, but there was a lot of static and the speaking was muffled. After spending a long time trying to get that to work, we finally transferred the slide show to Daddy’s computer. He thought he figured out how to record in there. A little after 10:00, we finally took a break and went for a walk. As we went by the house next to “R” and “C”, there was a grand welcome committee of dogs. The couple who live there was outside, and we had the opportunity to stop and talk with them a while. I guess they thought we would be afraid of the dogs as many people are. They still have four puppies left who are only four months old but really getting big. Then there are two big dogs (actually not much bigger than the puppies, if any). In the house they have cats, guinea pigs, fish, birds, and I’m not sure if there was something else. The reason for that is that her “friend’” DJ’s mother is living with them and is bedridden and has asked to have some pets around, something to occupy her time and attention. DJ’s mother’s condition is the reason why we see the ambulance at that house a lot. “S” also said that her mother is an ordained minister of music in FL. (Most of these people around here are so mixed up regarding spiritual things, and all seem to have some kind of “religious” association.) Before we left, I asked her if she had a Bible she could read to her mother-in-law. She said her mother-in-law has a Bible and can read herself, but it is hard for her to read without getting dizzy. She said if she had something on CD or other electronic device, her mother could listen to it. So I offered to bring her the set of Bible CD’s which I had. Came back to the house and got those, and also a tract on salvation. Took those back down and gave them to “S”, and told her I would be praying for them. It was already 11:30 when I got back to the house from taking things to “S”. Too late to get soup made in time for lunch. And I was already hungry. Snacked on a protein bar, and then went to work making potato soup. It was 12:15 by the time I had put that on to cook, and my tummy was crying for food. I was thankful I had a good cupful of soup left over in the fridge. Ate that and some yogurt. Waited for the soup to get done. Then enjoyed my daily nap. This afternoon, Daddy has been trying to do more with recording narration of the power point. However, figuring out how to record the narration on windows 10 and also keep the current animations has been quite a chore. He asked all kinds of help questions, but nothing was useful. The presentation eventually disappeared out of Windows 10. :-) While Daddy was working on that, I got last week’s journal notes ready to send off to Connie. “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” I Peter 3:12 Another promise from the Lord to hear and answer the prayers of a righteous man. May 23. A very rainy day. The laundry had to be dried inside, some in the dryer, some on hangers. Folded some of the clothes after they dried: put clean sheets on the bed. About mid-morning, Daddy, Connie, and I went out to some thrift stores, plus Big Lots, and Mighty Dollar. Connie got a mouse for her new computer. I didn’t find much at the thrift stores - a lightweight jacket and a black shirt at the first stop, Salvation Army. I went to Believe in Abilities while Daddy and Connie went to Mighty Dollar. When I came out, it was pouring down rain. I tried to find a spot between the sidewalk and the parking area where the puddle wasn’t too wide and I could step over. I over-estimated my ability, however, and ended up with one very wet foot. I was very thankful to get dry socks and shoes on after we got home. Fixed Daddy a hamburger for dinner, and then enjoyed some of the potato soup that I made yesterday. Researched bone support supplements while I was eating my soup. This afternoon, I worked on the missionary training school plans and also went to the Bargain Hunter thrift store with Christy. Found a pretty skirt and a few more 25-cent stuffed toys. Also got some bits of yarn for Connie. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” I Peter 3:15 May I, first of all, sanctify, or reverence the Lord God in my heart, and then be ready ALWAYS to give an answer to EVERY man that asks a reason for the hope that I have, and may I do so with meekness and fear (not of man, but of the Lord). |
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