Wealth

My cousin sent me this article from the My San Antonio news. Her son enjoyed many summer camps at the H-E-B camp. This blesses me to see people of wealth using the money God has given them for the betterment of all. The Butts are a living testimony of how God can use their wealth for many. I thank the Butt family and God for entrusting this to them.

H-E-B camp aims to make difference for youths*

God's peace that surpases all understanding

When I heard the phone ringing during school this morning, I knew who it was and why she was calling. Like so many have commented, my heart broke with yours. My mind and heart were just flooded with all the emotions Jay and I experienced thru our infertility journey. I prayed: God help them to grieve and then help them to lift themselves up by the boot straps and be able to look ahead to the next step. I thank the Lord that they have experienced His peace. I pray
they can continue to experience His love and presence in their hearts and mind. God, please guide and fulfill their desire for Baby Sheldon.

A Great Servant of God's

Tonight, I learned of the death of one of God's greatest servants, Mrs. Alma Reid. She, along with her husband, Orvile, served God for many years in Mexico. Her husband, Orvile, was the first person to use strong feats in evangelism. He taught many about physical, mental and spiritual health. Up to a few weeks prior to his death, he would hold and gently swing a sledge hammer back and forth to keep his upper body strong.

Mrs. Reid, or A. Alma as I called her, (because she was a missionary and I a missionary kid, and that is how we referred and refer to other missionaries) always sat on the 2nd pew, left side of the church. Every Sunday, as I would come to my seat on the 3rd pew right side, she would say: "Naomi, is that you? (She was legally blind. Could only see shadows and occasionally, if the light was just right, she could see people's faces.) To which I would respond: "Yes, A. Alma this is me." She would say: "I want to get an 'abraso' from my niece." and we would hug. She always asked about Jay and how he was doing. (He sits in choir so she did not get to see him every Sunday.) If there was someone seated close by me, she would ask who it was so she could speak to them. She would get sooooo elated if the sun light shone just right for her to see someone's face, especially that of our pastor. Mrs. Reid, up until she went into a coma last week, was a very upbeat, positive, always smiling lady. It is amazing to me how she could be so positive and upbeat all the time. Her life had not been without sorrow. Her husband's son (She was his 2nd wife.) and their daughter both died at early ages. She is survived by a granddaughter and some great grandchildren. Even thru all her sorrow, God was her sustainer. Her joy came from Him. She and Orvile impacted many people for Christ during their years of service to Mexico. She often had people from Mexico in all walks of life stop by to see and visit with her. She and Orvile were so loved! I know God is happy to have her home.

I thank God that He allowed me to walk beside her thru this last part of her life.

The Party - prep and the party

Norma did a fabulous job as usual. She was totally organized having been to Sam's to purchase the food for the party. She had already gotten the decorations, so..... when I arrived, all I had to do was make sure the pictures she and Mom had chosen were in frames. This meant washing them to get them ready for the pictures. I was able to accomplish my task Monday. On Tuesday, we went to the church with the plastic gold table clothes and pictures. We got the fellowship room set up with the table clothes, pictures and setting up the tables, chairs, etc. Elaine, Norma and I got this task accomplished by 1 pm when we went to eat lunch. After this, we were able to go get the cake, which we took up to the church. We went to the house and started cutting the fruit - melon, cantaloupe, grapes; the cheese blocks and making the pigs in the blanket. Norma left to go get the flowers a lady from her church who grows them was giving us. She decided that she would also stop and get a dozen red roses. We went back to the church and set up the trays on the tables with notes as to what should go in each, Elaine did an extraordinary job on the flowers, setting them out all over the room. By 5 we were back at Mom's eating supper, getting our showers and back to the church to put out the food and get ready to receive the guest.

An aside was when a young man with a red tailed hawk came up to ask permission to work with his bird in the large soccer fields of the church. Mom gave him permission and also invited him to come for their special services with the Power Teams who will be at their church for the Fall Festival.

We had a wonderful time at the party. Several people spoke about Mom and what she meant to them. I'm so glad to hear from her church members. I'm grateful for a Mom who Loves the Lord and is faithful.

Mom's 80th Birthday!

We presented Mom with a scrapbook of letters and cards from family and friends on her birthday on the 14th. (Elaine did a fabulous job on it.) Here is what I wrote to Mom.

Dear Mom,
I thank God that He placed me in a family of women of grit, tenacity, and stamina. I admire you for trusting God as you accepted Dad’s marriage proposal and moved to Brazil; living in a country where you did not know the language; traveling by bus to the church Dad was pastoring, staying at the house of a member while Dad would go make visits, etc. and having a smile as your only means of communication; living in someone else’s house and delivering your first born in a town where you were the only American woman; having Dr. Spock to teach you how to care for a new born child; having an audience for the first time you were bathing me (using Dr. Spock’s method of holding a child like a football on your arm); moving to yet another small town where all thought you were German; being left with no car while Dad travelled the state visiting churches; making sure I was safe at home when you ventured out on a stormy day in the station wagon taking a group to minister in another town, ending in an accident, when Dad was laid up in bed with a body cast for his broken leg after being hit by a car in Porto Alegre; strategically placing umbrellas, buckets, etc inside the house to keep things dry after a hail storm; walking from the house to the church pushing a stroller with from 1 child to 4 children (since our family grew from me to the 4 of us while we lived in Rio Grande) being walked, carried and pushed home; finding solace in a book while we were playing; living in a hotel with 4 little children; making grilled cheese sandwiches for Sunday night supper at the hotel; allowing me to go by train to GA camp on my 9th birthday with my GA group; moving to Porto Alegre where Dad would take you out driving at night to help you get used to large town driving; teaching Bible in the Baptist School we attended; hosting many people in our home, especially the choir from São Paulo who sang the Hallelujah Chorus in our living room; moving thru the Leroy’s 10 year old daughter, Rebecca’s death with them and me, also 10; moving thru 3 to 4 robbers attempting to enter our homes while we were in them (usually when Dad was away); knowing when I needed additional sleep to be emotionally sweet and kind; listening to the 4 of us as we did not want to go to Brasilia and then hearing and knowing God’s plan for our move to Goiania; seeing me thru my 12th birthday living in a hotel and my having hepatitis; Granddaddy and Grandmother retiring to the US; Granddaddy’s death; seeing the Fite’s and us thru Charlie’s death (8 years old); becoming WMU executive secretary of Goias; holding me after I had pitched a temper tantrum, soothing my emotions; studying with me as I cried every night during furlough when we came for my 2nd semester sophomore year in High School; sending Norma and me off to Escola Bandeirante for boarding school; continuing to be in tune with our needs even when we were so far away and coming to care for us even before we knew we needed you; helping me work thru A. Kathryn (boarding school teacher) telling me that I would not make it in college; preparing me for my move to the US for college; the wonderful note you wrote me thanking me for being the child you learned on; the Bible verse promises you sent me to the US with; the pants suit outfit you made for me to wear on my trip to the US; becoming an author for the Brazilian WMU magazines; your constant prayers for me as I moved thru a relationship you knew was not in God’s plan; your support for me when we told you Jay and I were planning to be married; moving thru the wedding of your first born, a move to a new field of service and experiencing an empty nest with Jack’s move to the US for college all within the summer of 1977; crying with me during the hardest times of my life thru God’s process of healing Jay’s depression; being spared your lives as you flew to Brazil in an airplane with a bomb aboard; being supportive thru our infertility treatment and attempt to adopt a Brazilian child; your confidence in God’s continued plan for your life after Dad’s death; studying computer science at the age of 59; moving to Rio and computerizing the Brazilian National WMU making it possible for them to type, edit and print their own magazines; retiring and caring for your Mom, relieving the burden your sister carried during your time of service in Brazil; moving to Florida and diving into service at your church, association and state WMU with special work with the Brazilian women of the State.
Mom, I can just imagine the sheer determination it must have taken to move thru just a few of these, and you have moved thru all of these with true grit, tenacity and above all faith in the Lord to see you thru each of the phases of your life. I love you and “stand up and call you blessed.”
Naomi

Just thinking about .....

Yesterday I went to a memorial service at an Episcopal Church. This is what a person speaking about the deceased said "..... I don't know where he is." The Minister said: "...... he is in heaven...... where ever he is."

How sad not to know where someone goes to after life on earth. The word of God is specific: TITUS 2 11 For the grace of God that bringeth SALVATION hath appeared to all men, HEBREWS 5 9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal SALVATION unto all them that obey him; 1 PETER 1 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the SALVATION of your souls. If we believe in the sacrafice of Jesus Christ and accept the salvation given to us freely by God, then we know LUKE 23 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in PARADISE.

We have the assurance that upon death we will be with Jesus Christ in heaven. I'm so thankful for that assurance.