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I love the sunsets the Lord painted in the sky for us this weekend. The one in the second picture is the one we saw on the way home last night. The sun actually looked like a big red ball, but did not show up that way in the picture. It only showed up red around the sun. It's still pretty though. "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised." (Psalm 113:3) 
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Below are just a few pictures of the lovely morning glories and roses God has made to bloom on or near our front porch. Hope you enjoy!     I uploaded the next picture, not so much because it is pretty, but because it is interesting. Look at the variety! Also, did you notice who came to check out the flowers? :-)      August has been a busy month, full of the unexpected, with lots of fun thrown in. Recently I was able to get all the clothes out of my closet and try them on (except for the ones I already knew fit OK or were too small). Some went in a give-away pile, and some went in the mending pile. The rest were returned to the closet. One of the thrift stores nearby had a sale on clothes for 50 cents each for the last two weeks. I was able to find a few things. Most of the items that I got that did fit me did not have pockets, so I put a pocket in one of them. That was the first in-seam pocket I’ve done. It could use some improvement, but I think I know how to do it better next time. :-) The watermelons (and the weeds) continue to grow well. Christy’s roses are really beautiful, and the morning glories are blooming now too. I love the morning glories. They are so cheery. The butterflies have been enjoying the butterfly bush, so I’ll have to go take some pictures of them soon. Monday of last week was spent preparing to go to my aunt’s 60th birthday party. Actually, she did all the preparing, but I made food for Christy and me and put a pocket in the outfit I wanted to wear. We had a great time at the party. There were 22 of us – 12 kids and 10 adults. Most of those who attended gave my Aunt Ellen a copy of their salvation testimony. Also we all sang songs. She asked us to write out 60 reasons why we decided to serve the Lord. That was fun. We played a trivia game too, trying to answer 60 questions about Aunt Ellen. I only got 8 right. There was BBQ, watermelon, cheese cake, and ice cream. The song time was really fun. My two cousins and their brother-in-law sang a trio. They did well even though one of them had a bad chest cold. Some kind of flu with bad cough is going around right now. Each family sang a song, and my Uncle Tim sang “God Leads Us Along” (my Grandpa’s favorite song). I took several pictures. After the singing, we each shared some of our reasons for serving the Lord and our little cousins all excitedly shared their handmade gifts with their Grandma. My Aunt Ellen did a very nice post about the party on her blog. Click here if you want to learn more about the fun we had. Tuesday night we had a surprise drenching rain - about 2 inches in an hour! Christy had just hung some clothes on the line, so they got a second rinse. :-) The weight of the wet clothes on the lines made them sag, but I think we should be able to tighten them OK. I already tightened the front line. On Wednesday, for our supper, I made cheese/seaweed melts. Christy’s had peas and seaweed, and mine had two types of seaweed. They were delicious! To make these melts, take about 1/3 cup whole milk sour cream, 3 Tbps. Parmesan cheese, ¾ cup shredded cheese, and 2 tsp. onion soup mix. Combine all these with a little bit of milk so that the mixture will spread farther and not be so dry. Cook some veggies if you like and add them to the mix. Or just break up tiny pieces of Nori seaweed (the kind used to make sushi), and add them to the mix. About 2 sheets of Nori is good. This should make enough mix to cover 3 pieces of bread. Spread mixture over bread and bake until mixture thickens and cheese bubbles. Remove from oven, cool a little, and then serve. Mmmmmm! Any variation can be added to a melt. A couple examples would be tuna or chicken chunks instead of, or in addition to, the veggies or seaweed. One answer to prayer we’ve had recently is that my dad was able to get out to the town of Goroka to buy supplies. Also, Mom and Dad did get one package, the one Christy sent them in June; so we are very thankful for that. In my devotions, it has been a special joy to me to study the book of Job. I did, however, get sidetracked into doing a study on the question “Why?”. What does the Bible say about asking “Why?” Is it OK to ask “Why?” The study is based on examples in the life of Job, Elijah, Jeremiah, and Mary the mother of Jesus. I’m almost done with studying Jeremiah and will soon be starting on Mary. What a fascinating study it has been! “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Luke 12:27,28) Here are some pictures from the party and a sound clip with my Uncle Tim singing "God Leads Us Along." 
A. Ellen, U. Tim and A. Ruth
Cousin Caleb
Some of the party.
Time to open gifts.
Sound clip above. To hear the song, "God Leads Us Along," click on the little white square. If it does not play, right click and then click "Open in New Tab" or "Open in New Window."
Yesterday was my birthday, and it was fun and adventurous. Christy asked me if I was going to sleep in, but I didn’t. I woke up 10 minutes early! When I went out to eat breakfast, I found Christy had left me a birthday card. On Tuesday she said that we would be going out somewhere Thursday night, though she would not say where. The day started out quiet and peaceful. Mostly I just relaxed and tried to catch up on computer projects. In the afternoon we ate early and headed into Shelby. The first stop was WalMart to exchange an air filter (we had gotten the wrong size) and pick up some yarn. On the way into the store, I noticed a lady sitting in front of it at a table. She was raising awareness about battered women and children and taking donations. On her face was a happy smile, and she was singing as she listened to the radio. When we came back out, she was still sitting there, looking as cheerful as ever. On our way to the car, we passed a pick-up truck. It was painted black and had the following words on it: “Hell on Wheels.” Two men got in the truck and started it up. As we were getting into our car, they drove by, music blaring. The music was definitely from hell; that was certain. It was so loud that it made me jump. As we headed out of the parking lot, I thought of the contrast between the happy lady and those two men. She was calm and quiet and cheerful and made people feel comfortable and happy as they walked by. Perhaps she was a Christian. She seemed to have a light about her. The two men, on the other hand, entered a black truck with disturbing words and drove by blaring evil music that was loud and frightening. What a difference between those who have the Saviour dwelling in them and those who are of the world and serving Satan! Please pray for those two men to get saved. Off we headed. Soon we came to Cleveland Community College. One of the first things I noticed was that the news station was there. “Is this where we are going?” I asked. Yes, it was. When we went in to register, I found out that we were going to the Town Hall meeting where Representative Patrick McHenry was to speak. It was kind of sad that there was hardly anyone there. Except for the camera man and camera lady, we were the youngest ones there as far as I could tell. Patrick McHenry seemed kind of nervous when he first started, but he did a good job. I appreciated his honesty. He did not try to avoid any questions and attempted to answer each one as calmly and as thoroughly as possible. He was willing to admit that he did not have all the answers and did not know the solution for some of the problems our country faces. Though he agreed that the President, some of the others in government, and some members of Congress were doing wrong, he did not speak disrespectfully of anyone in office. He did not try to excite the people to vote for him but simply told where he stood and reminded the people that it was their responsibility to either hire or fire him as their representative. Patrick McHenry outlined where he stood on various issues and legislation, what he thought was the solution, and what he desired to accomplish in office. He did not make any promises but only gave assurance that he was trying as hard as he could. Though he was basically “attacked” verbally by a man with opposing views, he responded calmly. At one point he did begin to lose his temper. He simply ended the discussion, would not take any more questions, and apologized for getting “riled up.” Thank God for a man with this character. I am honored to have him as my Representative. I pray he wins this term and many more. The trip home was adventurous too. As we headed back toward 74, we ran into heavy rain. When we got to Towery Road, it really came down. For several minutes visibility was quite poor. Closer to home the rain let up and we were able to see better. Below are some pictures and a video of the rain on Towery Road. About 20 seconds into the video, you can see that Christy hit water and began to swerve a bit. She kept control though, and we were OK. Later, after we got home, we learned there had been lots of lightning and thunder and wind earlier in the storm. We are so grateful for the Lord’s protection and kindness. “How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” (Psalm 36:7) 
The setting sun made interesting circles and rays as it penetrated through the clouds after the evening rain. "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Proverbs 4:18) Well, here I am back at the July updates. We had trouble with our internet connection for about two weeks. It seems to be working pretty well the past few days. Thank the Lord. Crochet Projects I’ve also had a great time doing crochet projects. Mostly it has just been baby blankets and booties, but I have done a few scarves. Here are some pictures of the blankets and booties I finished in the past few weeks. 
Clouds and Rain The Lord has been blessing with a good amount of rain. This saves lots of time and energy watering the garden. Some of the clouds we have seen have been really awesome. Or scary. The other day some clouds went over accompanied by strong winds. They were moving around in the sky quite a bit and some of them were swirling. Both the clouds in the east and the clouds in the west were amazing, though some of the ones in the west were scary. The birds seemed to think they were scary too. They were chattering and flying about from tree to tree or rooftop to rooftop and would not settle down. After the clouds and wind passed, the birds were fine. The odd thing about the clouds is that they only took up about half the visible sky above us, yet they created a good deal of swirling and strong winds. Another day we had rain and sunshine at the same time and a rainbow later in the evening. On the way home from church last Sunday, we saw a fascinating cloud formation in the western sky. It reminded me a little bit of a fire breathing dragon. (See Psalm 148:7 and Jeremiah 14:6) Below is a gallery of some of these awesome, scary, fascinating, and amazing clouds. I hope you enjoyed reading about our Joys of July. Stop by again soon to read about more burdens and blessings and surprises and delights! “12For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. 14Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. 15Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers. 16The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. 17Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.” (Psalm 74:12-17)                      |
Sour Sammy
Sour Sammy could not be good, no matter how he tried. One day his father had to discipline him for doing wrong, He asked his father why he could not be good, so his father got down the Bible and showed Sour Sammy how only Jesus could make him good. "Soon it was known all over town That Sour Sam had lost his frown -- Jesus had turned it upside down." Mom's e-book for children can be purchased by clicking on the "Buy Now" button below. 
Journey Into the Love of God by C. Young "This little book, written from the perspective of a young Christian lady, will take you on a fascinating journey deep into the heart of God." $3.75 
God is Near Even when He Seems Far Away A short eBook with Reflections on Psalm 34. Written by C. Young $.99 Archives
March 2020
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