Day 2 at Kathy's...Sunday!

My second day at Kathy's was Sunday.  She's the pastor's wife of Northwoods Baptist Church in Escanaba, and her husband, Matt, is the pastor.  He is an excellent preacher, and they have a wonderful, growing church!  But for my part, I was glad to be with the kids and help out.  This is an adaptation of the letter I sent to my family.

I sure did enjoy a wonderful day in the Lord’s House.  Matt's an excellent preacher, and I got a lot out of both of his messages.

This morning I got up, dressed and went to Kathy's house to get my shower and have breakfast. Little Matt, who rides the bus with his dad, the driver, was already dressed and Matt was out the door.  For breakfast, I had a sausage, a Fiber One Bar, and a banana.  Yum!

I really want to help Kathy by cleaning up a lot, so after I ate, I did up a dishpan of that mound of dishes and put on a load of laundry, then did my hair.  Really, I didn't do much with the kids to help Kathy, but I did clean up a bit.  I had forgotten that they always have food at Sunday school, so I had a second breakfast of half a spicy breakfast burrito (and a cup of coffee!  No Stevia...) there.  Bro Christianson taught an excellent lesson on a brief overview of doctrines taught in the first 10 chapters of Genesis.  Did you know that virtually every Bible doctrine and every principle for living is laid down in the first ten chapters of Genesis?  Amazing!  I also thought how amazing it was that Adam was willing to leave fellowship with God for companionship with Eve.  It really goes to show how relationships can affect us - for good, and bad.  (Of course, in Adam's case, it was bad.)

Matthew preached on friendship, being a friend of God.  It was very good.  I got a double blessing of being able to watch the little buddy while Kathy played piano.  He is so adorable!!

While we waited for the bus to come back, I did another huge stack of dishes (I'm slowly whittling that pile down), and put on another load of laundry, folding and putting away a bunch, too.  Most of the laundry is clean, but needs folded and put away, so I'm working on that pile, too.  

Then it was Pizza Hut for lunch, but we didn't get there till 2, and there was only one waitress, so we didn't get our food till almost 3!!!  My sausage was looooong gone by that time.  I had one piece of pizza, and took Emmy to the bathroom, so by the time I got back, the pizza was gone.  There were bread sticks, but I didn't want to load up on carbs.  

I came home, took a nap, and called my family (hooray!!!), then went to Kathy's, did another stack of dishes and load of laundry.  Emmy contributed to the mess by wetting herself, so I took care of that, too.  Busy, busy!!

Two peanut butter sandwiches later, we went to church.  We celebrated the Lord's Supper - how precious it is to remember the death of our Lord Jesus!  What an incredible picture we have in the bread and juice being broken, crushed, and becoming part of our very being through its sacrifice!  I hope I never get over the wonder of it all - and then we went to preachin'!  This time, it was an excellent message on walking in the Spirit.  How essential it is to walk in the Spirit, and how I long to be right in step with God.

We talked for a long time afterwards, and most of my time was trying to make sense out of the political smorgasbord one of the brothers was laying out.  I got lost about 1/12 of the way into his talk, but what I did understand was very interesting. 

We went to Culver's for "snack," with most folks (Matt, David, Kathy & the kids) getting ice cream while I got a salad and cheese curds...and a hot tea!  Lots of cream!  It was really good.

Now I'm ready for bed.  There's a cool breeze blowing, so I think it will be great weather for a run tomorrow morning.  I'm really looking forward to it, since I'm all cramped up from sitting for a week.  I've got a terrible headache right now, so I took ibuprofen, which I hope takes effect soon, and I'm going to bed.

A Good Sunday...

It is now nine days til our departure, and I have a ton of things to do. Most importantly, I need to send my grandson his birthday present! He will be three on the 17th, and I want to make sure he gets something from Nana and Papa.

We had a good day full of meetings. My Beloved taught Sunday School, preached the morning and evening services, and we were able to sing for both. I am always delighted to sing together as a family. It is one of my favorite things to do.

I have lots of work to prepare for the trip. Most importantly, however, there are folks we need to spend some time with before we leave, so this week is full of work during the day, and visiting in the evenings.

Talking to Heroes

Dodging through the raindrops, my family and I ran from the truck to the church. I entered the building and allowed a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the light. I found myself standing right inside the sanctuary, having taken a side door. It wasn’t long before the whole family worked their way to a pew.

After finding a seat, I went around to shake hands with folks. One elderly gentleman welcomed me to the service, and I turned to shake someone else’s hand when something on his lapel caught my eye. It was two tiny bars, one was purple and the other blue with a small white patch in the middle.

“What are those?” I asked, pointing to the lapel pins.

“Oh, the purple one is a Purple Heart, and the blue one is the Navy Cross,” he replied nonchalantly, smiling. My face must have registered my shock, and he went on, explaining what I correctly assumed. “The Navy Cross is the highest service medal to be awarded, other than the Congressional Medal of Honor.” I think he said more, but my mind was racing with the significance of such an honor.

Only 6,924 Navy Cross Awards have been given since Congress authorized it in 1919. As a combat-only award, it is higher than the Distinguished Service Medal, and has often been awarded posthumously.

It always amazes me to be in the presence of a World War II veteran, but I was completely grateful for the privilege of meeting such a hero.

Though our exchange was brief, my mind was reeling for hours. I thought of the many gallant people I have talked to over the years, and how very humbling it is to talk to them. Soon, however, my mind went to some other heroes I have known, many without any earthly honor at all.

I think of the man who is also in his eighties, and has pastured now for almost forty-five years. Remaining faithful to his family and his Lord against all odds and pressure, he is still standing strong and tall on the Word of God. He and his wife are a delight to talk to, because they are so full of the joy of the Lord. He is truly a hero, serving the Lord through a lifetime.

I think of the dear elderly sisters I have spent many an hour with, talking of the greatness of our Saviour. It’s been years since I’ve seen them, and one of them has gone on to be with the Lord, while the other is in a nursing home. Years ago, when my husband and I asked them how it came to be that they had never gotten married, one of them smiled and replied, “Well, our mother was very sick – bedridden. We decided we were going to take care of our mother, and we did.” They took care of their invalid mother for years and years, until all suitors had come and gone. They willingly gave up their future to care for someone else. In my book, they are heroes.

Then there are the mothers of young children, who have given up their dreams of careers or desires for fancy things while they spend their time wiping runny noses and changing diapers. They see the investment in the future, and are willing to pay whatever the price is to accomplish it. Though no medal awaits them, and no crowd will applaud them, they are still heroes.

Thank you, heroes, for all you do and have done!