Having Known the Favor of the Lord

NEW Africa Blogs

2011-07-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

For your convenience here are the blogs for our people currently in Africa:

Noah's Africa Blog

Amma's Blog

Noah's Grandfather Blog

Yahshana's Blog

Doug's Blog

Tara's Blog

Brandon's Blog

Kingdom Hikers

(As always, let me know if I forgot someone and try to let me know before they notice...)

Enjoy!!!

Shammah's New Leukemia Blog

2011-07-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

OK. Shammah has started a new blog entitled, "Thrilled to Death"

Need I say more?

I put an easy link (look to your right) at the top of this blog because we will probably be checking that frequently.

Enjoy!

Well, we've been assigned a doctor...

2011-06-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

OK. I'm just going to jump right into this little update. If you haven't done so read the previous blog. It will bring you up to speed.

So, the doctor called today. They still do not know what Shammah (Paul) has. The doctor said he sent Shammah's bone marrow biopsy and blood to the best pathologists he knows of. He made a point to say these guys are really good at what they do and they just don't know what he has.

Our next step? We are waiting for a call from Vanderbilt. If we haven't heard from them by tomorrow morning, Shammah will call the doctor back.

We are still looking at a probable acute Leukemia of some kind. Still looking at treatments at Vanderbilt. But we don't know what kind and when for treatments. Still probably next week.

The doctor said that Shammah's blood work looked good. Very little difference in two days. That's a good thing.

So, he may have something rare. Of course things would be, er, unusual for Shammah. His mother has been often quoted through the years as saying, "Why be normal?!"

OK, so that's all I have for news at this time. i.e. this concludes the end of the update for now. Sorry there's not more. There were a few new medical terms thrown in that conversation with the doctor and Shammah will be googling all of that and may have more info on a blog when he gets to it.

For those that would like to hear a sweet little story, keep reading.

Since I'm ready to just get to Vanderbilt and get things started (have places lined up for the kids, the dog, and Grandma - people who will be caring for them while we're gone) I found myself VERY out of my rest this morning. We live with a LOT of people always coming and going and people were starting to all look like GERMS that could harm my husband to me. I got some input from a registered nurse (I think he's a nurse?) and that helped keep everything in perspective for me.

I was driving my car, well, Shammah's nice new car, up the road still not quite at rest. And the most extraordinary thing happened. I'm very sorry this involved a dragonfly because I don't want you to think -= well, never mind. I'm not supposed to care what you think and this really happened so I'll leave out the disclaimer -- yes, yes, I hear that applauding

Anyways, as I was driving up the hill (we have to drive slow because little ones can come running out at any time) the largest dragonfly I've ever seen hovered in front of my windshield, over the hood of the car. I smiled as it buzzed off and my stubborn heart refused to put significance in it. SO, it came right back and escorted me up to the top of the hill. It flew off to the right and left me looking at Shiphchah's front door with her neon blue sign that reads, "BELIEVE"

Needless to say, I got what I needed. (For those not familiar with my dragonfly story: Dragonflies - My Favorite!)

I'm excited. God is doing something. It's a lot easier to be happy and excited when He's gone out of His way to say, "I'm all over this thing. It's going to be ok." - Well, God probably wouldn't word it like that, but you know what I mean! Well, who knows - maybe He would?!

That's all for now. Will keep everyone posted. :-)

OK. Had to pull this blog down to add this on. (Of course we get a call moments after I push "Publish Post")

We have been assigned a doctor at Vanderbilt. Now waiting on his call...cutting-edge news reporting...

One more observation: Shammah's color and energy levels have been much better the last two days compared to the start of the week. Just thought you'd want to know!

Thank you again for all your prayers, notes, and encouragements!

He Leadeth Me! O Blessed Thought

2011-06-29T03:39:00.000-07:00

He leadeth me! O blessed thought! O words with heav'nly comfort fraught! Whate'er I do, where'er I be, still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

Shammah (Paul) has a doctor appointment today. We are hoping to learn exactly what type of Leukemia he has. We know that it's acute (rather than chronic) and that's about all we know. Well, we know a little about his blood. His red blood cell count is low and his white blood cell count is elevated-not extremely so at this time. He's anemic and his platelet count is also low. When we went to the cancer center on Monday (our first visit) the doctor made the statement that if we had medical insurance we would be on our way to Vanderbilt that day.

We now have medical coverage (thank you, Hashachar, for all you do!) and I'm sort of expecting things to move very quickly now. We may be on our way to Vanderbilt or another well-equipped hospital soon. I think they are going to start chemotherapy as soon as they can. Shammah will be admitted to a hospital and probably stay there the duration of his treatment. (Not sure how long that will be.)

The day I learned that he probably had Leukemia (last Friday 6/24/11) I sat down at my piano and looked out the large window it sits by. As I looked up into the sky, immediately the clouds parted and rays of sunshine came down. They were those glorious rays - the ones you can easily track with your eyes. My favorite kind. And it only took a moment for them to cross the grass and come through my window. They washed over my face. I closed my eyes and let them, enjoying the sweetness of that moment.

Then I opened my eyes and looked up into that sky. As I watched the churning, dark clouds rapidly moving all around that small parted opening, God spoke clearly to me. He said, "Though things get a lot more stormy I will always part the storms and come through to you. I will be with you." And I got up from that piano bench, filled with abundant grace (power) and peace. It truly surpasses all understanding and continues to guard my heart and my mind.

Later that day I came home and Chayah (whose name means "abundant life") had left a dragonfly (I have a story about dragonflies: Dragonflies-My Favorite!) on my table along with a lovely little note. Truly I have known the favor of the Lord!

Shammah is as amazing in the small quiet times when no one is around as he is on "paper" through his blog, emails, and FB posts. As a wife to people who love and care for him very much I will say that he seems to physically be getting frail. All of this is so sudden and happening so fast, that we truly feel the deliberate timing of the Lord, and we feel His capable hands holding all of this so there is peace. But there is also definite signs that something is happening in Shammah.

Do read Shammah's blog if you haven't already. It's entitled, "Yippee! I have Leukemia" - he always was irreverent, wasn't he?! He's always loved that sledge hammer he wields at the foundations-however false-we love to stand on. But now I've slipped into my "Lorie on Life (LOL!)" mode and am in danger of being as irreverent as he! :-)

As I said, we feel God's hand in this. He's leading and it truly is a blessed and comforting thought. We also feel your prayers. And enjoy all your encouragements. Shammah made a comment about getting to see how loved he is. Thank you! Keep sending all your love and encouragements his way! It makes a difference as he has such a tender heart!

I know I was supposed to be praying but I couldn't resist snapping this shot. Now I'm glad I have it. Aren't you?!

Highlighting a Couple NEW Blogs

2011-06-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to draw your attention to a couple of new blogs.

John Dempsey has started Our Father's Generosity and Abba has invited those who'd like to view a blog he started for his grandchildren while in Africa: Zelda the Zebra.

Then for your convenience, here are quick clicks to those who are in far away places. Some temporary, some live there:

In Africa:
Abba in Africa
Amma in Africa
Chloe in Africa
* Coming soon (we hope) - Yahshana's blog for children while in Africa :-) *

In Mexico:
The Horst Family

In California:
David Dickerson
Ariel Dickerson

At I-TEC:
Austin's "Find My Wings"

In Memphis:
Joel Dickerson

In Atlanta:
Loving the Church

OK. That's all I can think of. If I've left some out please let me know right away (hopefully before those individuals notice...)

A Friend's Parting

2011-05-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

We are sure going to miss our Beloved Asher family!

This life is kinda strange at times. And this is one of those times. Though they are leaving there is absolutely no feeling of loss. Only expansion. Someone in our Gathering today said that we are simply extending our tent pegs so as to include Mexico. And that is such a real thing.

And it must have been expressed a thousand different ways that they take us all with them and we keep them here with us. Not physically or in some theoretical way. But in reality. We are One mind. One body. Intent and laboring for One thing. One Life and One Will. That of our Father.

It's just really strange sometimes to experience eternal life in a temporal vessel. There's no death. No loss. No endings. Just continuing on in Him. A fullness. And in that we are with one another. Together. We no longer need to be in the same room to experience the Oneness He has given.

We used to talk about this and try to envision being so One that we could be separated and still experience His Oneness. We used to ooo and aaahh (well, I did) in anticipation of what that would be like. And now here we are. It is. And it comes from the Life of I Am.

I loved the memories that were made today. Playing the piano for them. Shiphchah leading us to dance together and say our goodbyes in that hallowed place as only eternal beings belonging to the Maker of all things can. Wasn't it lovely? What can compare to the things our Father gives us - even in partings?

Jeremiah suggested that we have that song (A Friend's Parting) play when people click on Asher's Blog. So y'all be watching for that. In fact, does anyone know how to do that? I have an mp3 of the song...

Beloved Ashers' To Mexico

2011-05-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Asher's family left the day of(?) our conference and headed back east for two weeks. They will be back by to collect their few temporal things before heading out to Mexico in a week or so. We will miss them dearly. Here's their blog: Everything is Beautiful. Asher has posted one post and the end made Dossie cry. It's very wonderful as one more man chooses to lose what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Lorie on Life (LOL!)

2011-05-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else advertise one blog on another blog???? Where exactly is that manual of do's and don'ts for blogs?! I've concluded (with the help of a dear friend) that I probably make a better sign post than blogger. But, sigh, someone has to point the way!

So, the *NEW* blog I'm highlighting today is.......... wait for it.....wait for it......

MY OWN NEW BLOG! LOL!

I've started another blog entitled, "Lorie on Life (LOL!)" There I am more likely to post the small humorous every day stuff that happens just to me.

Here I am more likely to try and relate the happenings on a corporate level. Why the difference? Well, because I'm strange like that. :-)

So anyways, if you want something to smile about here and there, do click over to my new blog. Enjoy!

NEW on the Menu...

2011-04-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to take a moment and highlight a couple of new blogs in case you get lost in the copious harvest of blogs listed there to the right on my home page. As you are what you eat, I HIGHLY recommend getting your fill of these blogs each and every day. As there are so many blogs(!), chances are there's a nice meal waiting for you at any given time on any given day.

A couple of new scrumptious dishes (never blog on an empty stomach) are Kay's (aka Shalam) Art Blog, "Pencil Tip World" and "Dossie's (Briggs) Day."

Both of these ladies (well, Kay is 13) are stepping out in a new way and trying to tell you about it as they go. Kay, as many of you know, is an amazing artist and is opening up so everyone can see what's been in there all along.

Dossie, a seasoned and faithful Lover of God, refuses to stop growing and changing, always becoming more and more like Christ. Out of a love for Christ and the people He loves, she's putting forth brave efforts to talk to people in ways that are completely outside her comfort zone. And she plans to take us on this journey with her. It promises to be a glorious thing for "This is the Lord's doing - and that is always marvelous in our eyes!"

Enjoy!

Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?

2011-01-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know the daily ins and outs of our life, we are back in TN though the CA story continues...you can read all about it on Ariel's blog and more on David's blog. (David and Ari - get busy! Ha! As if you're not already busy...)

Speaking of blogs, I've added four new ones to my list there on the right but for your clicking convenience here they are: Cheres' blog chronicling the experiences of taking care of her mother with Alzheimer's; Mitch's blog, a love story between a father and his daughter with Downs Syndrome; Suzie's blog, entitled "Break a Leg!" which she has recently done and plans to use this time to "Get better at at least one thing!"; and Hosanna Dickserson's blog, promising a shared experience of all that God has for her...

I've been considering a little mini series for this blog of mine, hence the title of this post. To tell you about the people I meet each day could potentially keep this blog buzzing for many years to come and I like the thought of that. I can't promise that I won't interrupt this theme from time to time with other thoughts...in fact, I can promise you that I will! That's my BADD - blogging attention deficit disorder....(I liked that little joke there - did you get it? - that's my bad...no groaning now. Be nice.)

For today, for my first in this series, I bring you something to smile about. It involves a four-year-old named Ellie. Young children are the very essence of Life itself (Christ said that unless you become like one you can't enter Heaven) and having them around definitely keeps you young and lively. If your young 'uns have gotten older, borrow one (or more) of your friend's. They usually enjoy the break and you renew your youth from the bona fide source itself! (Win-win.)

So back to Ellie.

Ellie talked me into playing a game of cards. She emphatically reassured me that she was very good at cards and would teach me how to play.

My first lesson: you have to straighten the cards. As we were playing with Hello Kitty cards that meant all the kitties go the same direction. Ellie confidently collected all the cards spread out on the counter and stacked them professionally in her hand, tapping and lining them up, kitties all facing the same direction.

Lesson number two: you pass them out. She proceeded to deal the cards-starting with herself-and laid them carefully down on the table, turning each of my cards so the kitty was right-side up toward me. This required a little extra finagling when dealing my cards and I found this extra effort very thoughtful on her part. (And I confess to being very impressed with this attention to detail from a four-year-old!)

After (what seemed to me) a random number of cards were dealt - but remember, I don't really know how to play - she set the remaining stack in the middle and continued to give me direction, "Now we match up the cards."

Playing ensued with each of us setting matching sets of two cards on the table face-up. As we each had several pairs in our own hands there was apparently no need to discard nor draw from the pile in the middle. As Ellie left those cards alone, so did I. For the moment.

Then at one point as I laid down a matching pair of Queens, the intricate nuances of this fascinating game began. When Ellie spied the queens she immediately announced for my benefit, "Oh, those are bad guys!"

"Those are bad guys?" I enquired with great surprise.

"Mumm-hmmm. Give them to me. I'll take the bad guys. I'll take aalll the bad guys for you!"

(See how selfless she is?! Amazing! But then, I confess, doubt entered in...)

"Why thank you!" I replied. "Um, will I get any cards?"

"Yeah!" was the immediate, reassuring reply. "You can have the good guys!" This pronouncement was accompanied by a very winsome, dimpled smile.

It soon became apparent that the good guys were the numbered cards and the bad guys had letters on them. As an English teacher I was a little nervous of this developing stereotype until I realized that to her, the ABCs were more human - even if they were bad guys - than those faceless Numbers so I figured it would "balance out" in the end...

Anyways, it was about this time we came to a turning point in the game that eventually led to a victory for Ellie. You see it turns out that aaalll the BLACK ones were also bad guys and she needed to collect those as well. She very cheerfully gave me the red ones as she collected all the bad guys - black cards AND face cards.

Following her lead, we then began to draw randomly from the middle pile and as the starting practice of laying down sets of two was over, we just sorted the cards - red ones for me, black ones and lettered ones for Ellie.

As we neared the end of the game I figured the person with the most cards would win. I should have known better in this sophisticatedly ever-progressive game. At the end there was one remaining card in the middle pile. Ellie graciously allowed me to turn it over but, alas, it was a black card. A bad guy. Ellie won. It turns out the color of the last card is the determining factor in the outcome of this extremely fast-paced and ever evolving game!

Sigh. I hope I can lay MY life down next time. I hope I get to keep the bad guys. And I hope the last card is a black one. I'll definitely have to go for best 2 out of 3 with Ellie as she's such a proficient! And as this was a rather short game I'm sure there are plenty of other, er, rules my mentor didn't have a chance to enlighten me with. I look forward to learning all of those.

Remember to keep your Hello Kitty cards all facing the same way, watch out for bad guys, and enjoy yourselves should you decide to play - I should have asked Ellie what the name of this game was! Any suggestions?

Well, I'll keep ya posted! (No pun intended...well, yes it was - did you realize that was a pun? Never mind.)

SOJOURNER 101

2010-12-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

This is the conversation I woke up to this morning:

Shammah to Leilani: "Good morning, it's time to get up."
Lani: "What are we going to do today?"
Shammah: "We're moving. That's what we do..."

And that is indeed what we did today. We are now staying at Chris and Esther's house while they visit their family in Utah. Their invitation was very graciously extended and very gratefully accepted last week. Just a couple of days prior to that, this mother hen was worried a bit because all of our kiddos were going to be convening upon us and I didn't know where we'd go, specifically, Christmas morning.

Noah and JD are already here. They arrived Saturday evening. We picked them up, grabbed burgers at In-N-Out - official CA burger joint - then took them to Uncle Dave's house where they are staying. (Their trip was planned before our CA trip. They planned a fun CA trip to Uncle Dave's over the holidays only to meet with....the fam, already here. But they don't seem to see this as a negative thing. They seem to be glad we're here as well.)

Then Grandpa and Grandma (Roy and Laura) arrived today along with Zube and Nazar (one of my all-time most favorite people in the whole wide world-I asked if he could come.) The boys will stay with us.

The grandparents have a hotel room reserved close to Uncle Dave's. We'll spend some of this week visiting family over there and I'm sure they'll be over here some. (20-30 minutes drive.)

SOJOURNER 101: WHEN IN DOUBT - PRAY

One day last week I asked Shammah if we could pray, asking God what house we should be at while the boys were here. Adding two more (for a total of 8) to the RV did not seem like a very good idea. I didn't see how we could crash back over at Chris and Emily's as the RV didn't fit there very well. And I didn't see how we could crash over at David and Ari's...as the RV doesn't fit there very well either...and I didn't want to jeopardize their new lease...

Two days after we prayed and asked God where He wanted us to be, Esther called and said she'd got to thinking that maybe we'd want to use her house while our family was in town as they would be in Utah?! The house would be available the exact days we would need. (These are the kinds of things I have in mind when I say, "Truly I have known the favor of the Lord.")

We arrived around lunch today and the rest of our TN travelers arrived early this afternoon. I'm very grateful. (Thank you Chris and Esther!)

As you sojourn thru this life on your way to heaven (smile) there will be times when you don't know where you are staying next. Don't fret. Turn to your Father and ask Him. He already knows and would like to unfold a beautiful answer to your prayer for you.

I want to end this post with a quote from Aubrey's blog - this has stayed with me ever since I read it a few days ago:

"It is easy to think that if you’re going to be a missionary you need to be really spiritual, quick witted, and some kind of a leader... you do need a solid relationship with God to sustain you in tough situtations, but the needs of people are very basic. If you can love all the time, which isn’t always easy, that is pretty much all you need."

And then you should all read the post, Waves in an Ocean, on Abba's blog. Here's a teaser:

"After living for over 20 years in a corporate existence and thinking I knew what we would be doing in the future, I am beginning to see a new thought emerge concerning ministry..."

I believe the spiritual repercussions of this post and its content will echo throughout all eternity...uh, not to be dramatic or anything. Abba is so very good at capturing where we are at times and putting it into words for all to read. He writes in the first person and while it's his journey and feelings he's writing about, it really speaks for all of us at Rose Creek Village as we together go on with God. Enjoy!

Oh, our Gathering a few days ago that I asked prayer for -- that'll be my next blog -- along with the street-corner Gathering we attended the next day...to me they go together...

TTFN. (Learned that from the RCV Sojourners...)

Closure

2010-12-17T23:49:00.000-08:00

This blog is a continuation of my previous one ("All Quiet on the Western Front") so you might want to read that one first if you haven't already.

So, before you think I'm too balanced, let me tell you about my caper two nights ago. It was the night of the Victorian Christmas (see Leilani's blog) and we were heading over there in the RV. When I left you last (my first blog) we were Suburban-less and left to drive the RV everywhere we went. SO, we were driving the RV. As we were in traffic it seemed the perfect time to... uh, organize the clothes closet in the hall. What I was thinking I have no idea - well, obviously, I wasn't thinking.

As you're probably guessing already, Shammah had to hit his brakes unexpectedly and a series of rather unfortunate events took place.

First, I began a (to me) slow-motioned ascent forward toward the front of the RV, trying to grab something to hold on to as I went. As I passed the kitchen area, Shammah had to brake even more abruptly at which time I began my fast-motioned descent to the floor - face first. It all happened so fast, so suddenly, that the kids were quite startled. There lie Mom. Her face embedded in the carpet.

As I lay there, my brain (aren't brains amazing?! There must have been tons of who knows what kind of chemicals dumped into my bloodstream in that moment causing all kinds of chain reactions and yet my brain took the time to quickly but calmly assess its surroundings and come up with some fairly coherent MOOs -modes of operation- as you will see...no jokes on the "moos")

As I lay there, I registered a corporate intake of breath originating from all four children as they sat there wide-eyed, gawking at their mother. (I know this because I have eyes in the back of my head - in case you were wondering how I saw them with my face embedded in the carpet.)

Seriously, I heard their intake of breath and registered the stunned silence and my Motherly Martyr persona kicked in and avouched (rather bravely, I thought), "I'm OK!" "Really, I'm OK!" "Don't worry. I'm fine." I must have said this reassurance four or five different ways in varying degrees of volume. I'm not sure who I was trying to convince more - me or the kids.

I peeled myself off the floor and crumpled onto the couch (where I should have been in the first place) and tried to remain quiet as a whole new set of events registered in my brain. The Pain Protagonists had arrived in this unfolding saga and were playing their part rather zealously. I was one hurtin' puppy. Mostly in my left knee.

I agonized there on the couch as quietly as I could and waited for my knights in shining armor to arrive -- the Endorphins. But alas, my knights, like the rest of me - except the Pain Pushers - must be getting old because they SURE TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET THERE!!!

Finally they did arrive and I was able to slip into blissful oblivion for a short while. (For my younger readers - Endorphins are these really great little guys that your brain sends out when you get hurt. They block the registering of pain so it doesn't hurt as much. Unfortunately they don't stick around for very long.)

My knee did swell (swell as in puffed out the size of a small orange - not swell as in terrific) but not as bad as I expected. Ice, Rescue, and Ibuprofen tended to the repairs. We ended up parking the RV back where we're staying (parking would have been a problem where we were heading) and so my family climbed into various vans while I stayed at home with the RV. I'd had quite an adventure of my own already.

It's two days later and while my knee is stiff, I'm walking on it just fine. I sure learned a lesson. I will never let people walk around in the RV while it's in motion if I can help it. For one brief moment I thought I was going to go thru the front windshield. Fortunately I took a dive downward instead. Sometimes I just have to learn things the hard way. (Sometimes?!)

As for the Suburban - it was indeed a transmission problem. It's been fixed and is now happily back home with us. We're not as happy as we were as that was a costly repair but hey, why take away from someone else's happiness? (Are you following all of this?!)

The only thing left to finish fixing is the window on the RV -- sigh -- well, the awning is no longer attached either...I guess I'll save that for another rainy day...

Love you all! Thanks for reading!

All Quiet on the Western Front

2010-12-17T22:13:00.000-08:00

We are cozy, we six, tonight in our RV. Some are reading, some doing late-night math (they enjoy this!), one folding new sweater purchases, and one typing with great determination to finish a blog tonight. It's raining outside, adding to our coziness. The pitter-patters are heard all around and add to the enveloped coziness that surrounds us.

It is not, however, without event. Shammah may be getting sick. He had an outbreak of hives earlier this evening and his stomach continues to feel queasy. He's being a good patient, though, going so far as to drink ginger tea. I prayed for him and now I'll tend to his physical needs as best as I can. He's had a good day...

He met with the pastor he's been getting to know. It sounds like they are forging a friendship that will be built on eternal things. I dearly hope so. And there was another man there today (I think they met over lunch) who also seemed very interested in listening to things as they ought to be. :-)

OH RATS! RATS!! RATS!!!! You're going to think I'm making this up but I'm not. I just burnt the soup I was heating up for Shammah. While I was sitting here dreamily trying to capture the beauty of our cozy moment...I burnt his soup.

Sigh. As is often heard at Rose Creek Village, "You can look good or you can be good, but you can't do both."

AND the wind is starting to pick up. I'm going to hurry and finish this blog because I thought the title of this post was very clever and I don't want to have to change it!

Shammah met with two men today and they talked about what church is and the route to experiencing it. At one point the pastor said, "I need to take a week and go see the village." He seemed "right there" as if he could totally see what Shammah was laboring to describe - which is no small feat. It is very difficult to describe what we are talking about because the words are so the same as those used by Christianity in general. And the application of those words is so not the same.

It is equally impressive that a pastor would even look at it, let alone like what he was hearing! I would expect most pastors to consider the ramifications of living life as a real church too costly to seriously consider actually doing it. This pastor is apparently not like most. (My apologies if I am stepping on pastors' toes. I speak solely from my own experiences and observations-though I've observed countless pastors in America...if you do not fit into my broad sweep, PLEASE let me know. We would like to meet you!)

Shammah said God was very much in that room when they were talking today. Things were as clear as he's ever seen them be. It was as if God, Himself, were drawing virtual 3D models as Shammah spoke for the men to understand. (OK, I've maybe watched a movie or two too many but you get the picture-no pun intended. Was that a pun?)

Many, many thanks to all who actually stopped and prayed for that meeting today. For that is how things are built in this realm, the one I affectionately call, "Our Life." The same one that was affectionately called, "The Way" 2000 years ago.

A realm others call a cult and who knows what else -- isn't that how it was when Christ walked the earth? Is that how it is for you? Didn't He say they would say those same things about you? I'm just sayin'...

So Shammah came home. Slept a short while, got up and was immediately besieged with hives. As they moved up to his stomach area they were particularly painful. He took Benadryl tablets and that seemed to help. Now he seems to be battling something else. Do I put these together with his meeting? Well, yes, I do.

Do I put the burnt soup in there too? Well, no. That was stupidity on my part. (So now you can see that I'm actually quite balanced. As opposed to a not-quite-balanced believer of some sort...you, uh, don't look convinced...)

I'm not sure when Shammah will meet with these men again. I encouraged him to write an update for y'all and I think he'll probably do that tomorrow so watch for that.

Tomorrow night we are hopefully all getting together at David's house at 6 PM our time. So maybe you could pray for that. That God would meet us there. I believe everyone will be there. It will be the last time we're all together this trip because one couple heads for Utah for the holidays on Sunday. And then our family will be leaving, heading back to the village on the 27th of this month. It would be really great to see something come out of tomorrow night's meeting. I'm not sure what. Just something!

This officially ends this blog. I have, however, for those interested in closure, a story and update from my first blog so I'll close this and post another real quick. (You're not supposed to write posts that are too long...)

See ya soon. I hope.

New Beginnings...again...

2010-12-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

Do you know how many new beginnings I've had in my life?!!

And to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I'd do it just the same! For it lead me to where I am today. Growing up military (yes, go ahead and add "brat" - I resemble that remark ) we moved OFTEN - like every 3 years or less. And oh, how I HATED to move. The worst place on earth was always my new destination and the best place on earth was always the place I'd just left. *sigh* And, as Brian Regan likes to say (love Brian Regan!) "then one thing led to another..." and here we are. In an RV. Moving around. Again. :-)

Only now, the best place on earth is still where I just left and the better-than-best place on earth is hopefully wherever I'm heading. For if I'm on the move it's because I've left the best place on earth in hopes of being a part of another best place on earth-and most likely-seeing one begin. For those that don't know me that well, that will be mystical. Stick with me and the explanation will unfold (I hope) as these blogs do.

By the way, just like best friends, you get to have as many best places on earth as you have room in your heart for! (Confessions: I, er, tend to make up the rules as I go along. I was the oldest child, you see, so I get to do that. Unfortunately, I also married an oldest child - we're not supposed to get along as well as we do but somebody forgot to tell us that - and it does get, er, dicey when one tries to assert the oldest child trump card on the other...)

Wow. That digressed.

New Beginnings...again...er, again(!)...

So, after badgering everyone and their dog to start a blog before they left on their various trips around the world (see the section, "Blogs I follow") I've finally stopped being a hypocrite (a point my friends lovingly never pointed out - I wonder if they even noticed? - well, Kitra did. She spent several nice texts encouraging me to start a blog. Uh, she noticed I hadn't started a blog. I don't know if she noticed I was being hypocritical...)

(BTW - "Nothing improves my performance better than praise" - my 8th grade Sunday School teacher gave me a poster with that caption on it for Christmas many moons ago. It had a cute little kitten sitting on a piano keyboard. I was totally offended at the time. Now I laugh because it was and is still, unfortunately, so true!)

So back to Kitty - not the one on the keyboard - the one sending me texts. She said some really nice things about me and suggested I blog. If you find yourself enjoying these blogs...thank Kitra. If, however, you find these a total waste of time...again, thank Kitra. :-)

So this is a new beginning for me. I've waited a long time to start a blog because I haven't been able to figure out how to write to such a varied audience. I do very well looking you in the eye, watching your reactions as I talk. It's a lot harder when the only thing I see is the continual blinking of a cursor. I mean, the way I'd phrase something for Cian the Gallant Knight vs. Austin learning to fly with Steve Saint(!) would be completely different...I'd have to use pictures for Austin! LOL - just joking, Austin. Hope you get to read my blog. (Austin will most likely fly the Maverick someday - that's a flying car. You should check it out on YouTube!)

SO, (BTW, I've noticed people in CA, where I currently am, will randomly begin a conversation with, "so" as if we've already been talking on the subject they are about to begin...just a little random tidbit I threw in there for free. In case you're ever in CA. Which I hope you are. So does Ari. I think.)

SO, when determining my audience, I'll probably just pick one of you and envision talking to you. If you feel that I'm talking directly to you then there's a good chance I am - unless, of course, you don't like what I'm saying. In that case, feel free to think I'm talking to the "follower" who signed up right next to you...

Wow. I wonder if I have any readers left or if you've all clicked away. OK. I'm picturing one -- yes you! You're still reading! Awesome! I knew you would be!

So, where to jump in and update you in a screaming fast whirlwind called "my life"- or more accurately - "Our Life!" Hmm. Let's do practicals as they're rather dramatic at the moment.

A couple of weeks ago the RV that we're staying in (the "we" includes my hubby and FOUR children - three large and one small) SLID a wee bit on a slanted hill while being backed up and tipped into the corner of a barn. If you'd like the dramatic play-by-play including pictures on that one see my son's blog. In the end, the only damage done was a shattered side window. It could have been so much worse.

Note: Janelle, my 15 yr old daughter, took exception to that description of "three large and one small" in that last paragraph...Neither Manu (age 12) nor Leilani (age 8) seemed to mind. Caleb (age 16) immensely enjoyed Nel's reaction...

Then the fridge went out. And the central heat. And the water heater. (Can you say AURGHH?!) - not sure how to spell that. But to be fair to myself and those with me, we didn't say AURGHH. Actually, we didn't say anything at all. We kept pressing on - using electric space heaters and boiling water, storing our fridge stuff at a friend's. Things like that are just simply going to happen when you're going out as we are. And besides, we have many people praying for us. That transfers into a lot of ability for us to take these things in stride as they come. And besides that, they're all fixable...eventually...

Last week the RV went into the shop for supposedly one day to get those things fixed (minus the window - that's a process) and four days later(!) - we got the RV back. The source of all our troubles? MUD DAUBER nests! They are now all cleared out. The trick is preventing them from taking up residence next summer. Any suggestions?!!

So last week we bounced around a bit -- a couple days at David and Ariel's new house -- see Ari's blog for the latest there -- and a couple of days at a hotel, doing laundry at a laundromat, spending time at coffee shops with computers. And that brings us up to today. In an RV park in Auburn, CA, for this week. Only then...

Then this afternoon I was driving the girls to the post office (mailing fun things back to the best place on earth...) and the Suburban started making the most awful grating sound. It sounds (and feels) like a transmission problem. *sigh*

So tomorrow we drop the Suburban off for repair and I guess we'll either get around on foot - we're within walking distance of most everything we'd need, stay put at the RV park-maybe we'll meet someone(!), or drive the RV when we need to go somewhere- LOL. Hopefully the Suburban will get fixed quicker than the RV.

That's our practical drama. Gee, it seemed like there was more to tell...ah well. I should be grateful there's not!

Well, dear reader-you're probably the only one still reading this-thank you!, that's all I'm going to say in this, my very first blog post. Over the next few blogs I'll tell you more about the people I'm traveling with, people we're meeting here, and various things we're experiencing.

Let me hear from you. If you have any questions let me know. Remember, nothing improves my performance better than praise...

Actually, if you're in the mood to praise -- praise the One who makes the Life I live possible!

Truly I have known the Favor of the Lord! I'll spend as many blogs as I can telling you about it. :-)