New Adventure!!

     It's a new year, first Sunday, a new beginning!  Donn & I left early this morning for our newest ministry adventure.  One of our small churches which is located 75 miles away from our home is a twisty, curvy long drive...currently the congregation consists of 4 faithful followers. The town is a very small, up-north, everybody knows everybody and their business type of town.  Our goal is to seek out the unchurched, share the gospel and see lives changed.  When we reach and teach some new people for this church family we then will help them find a new pastor that can come up & live on the field.  In order to make any inroads we have decided to leave our home up here in Gaylord on Friday-Sunday & plant ourselves in that community.  The church owns a small cabin-like building that previously was used for Sunday School classes.  We will move down our 2 blow-up camping air mattresses for sleeping, some snuggly quilts for warmth and whatever bare necessities needed to live there on weekends.  Today after our worship Donn & I stopped at "the place to meet people" bakery/diner for lunch.  We met the owner who I believe will be our "person of peace".  After much conversation we invited him back to the church where we gave him about 100# of onions for his restaurant and some food for his father-in-law who lives alone and has need of food.  This past Wednesday one of our sister churches downstate, New Beginnings, in Lake Orion, brought a trailer load of goods to be handed out.  Over 100 people of Rose City came through the doors, received an abundance of food, clothing and the love of Jesus!  One volunteer even led a lady to the Lord!  She had come for food & went out with "the bread of life" and "living water"! Thank you Pastor Tim Chappel and your church family who drove many miles up north to minister here with us!!  That is what ministry is to look like...love in action, meeting basic needs, cooperating, encouraging and reaching out to others! I love it!!  Please pray for us as we ask for wisdom in ministering and reaching those Father is drawing to Himself in Rose City.  We are both excited at the possibilities in this small town back in the boonies of NE Michigan!!  We have a fistful of names, phone #'s and addresses of those who received food that we will follow up on beginning this week. A new adventure begins!!  Thank you ahead of time for your prayers for this city & the precious people that God wants to reach.
     Winter has truly arrived today with blustery winds blowing bushels of flakes across the snow-belt.  When this winter storm is all said & done we may have up to a foot of new snow. We arrived home just after the storm began.  Now we hunker down for a couple days, maybe get out the snow-shoes and enjoy our beautiful winter wonderland!  Be looking for your own New Year adventures sweet friends & family!! 

I am BACCCKKKK!

My blogging has suffered tremendously with my daily use of facebook!  I really need to get back to this...those who know me well understand my love of journaling my life so facebook has become my voice space!  This may become more of a forum for sharing some recipes, crafts and random thoughts, we shall see!  My friend Cathy & I have started crafting one of a kind necklaces, scarfs and bracelets using alot of recycled materials.  We are selling them through a consignment shop in our city.  Nothing like spending a couple hours with a good friend using our imaginations to make unique pieces.  To think someone would buy them is so cool!!  Here are a few of our products...some have already sold, some may not and we will rework them..we are totally in the beginning stages! Have a happy day sweet friends! 

   

Alabama Trek - An April Adventure there & back!!

   2600 miles may not seem alot to some folks, but to me sitting in a car for that long is really torture!  Despite my dislike for road trips, Donn and I started out with high hopes of adventure in our souls! The entire first day was filled with fog, rain and a black, stormy sky.  But the sun broke through in our hearts as we pulled into our first stop.  "Nana" and "Papa" sounded so sweet from 2 of our grands, Megan and Mason! We can never get enough of any of our precious family and this time was no different with Chad, Karin and kids. 

 Another rainy day was spent driving to Huntsville for an overnight stay with Garry & Denise.  How fun to catch up on their recent trip to the land we love! 

    The sun shone bright as if on cue for our drive to our get-a-way beach retreat spot!   We quickly checked in to our view overlooking the ocean and headed for the waves!  A little burned and sandy, the promise of "oysters on the half shell" screamed for us to indulge.  Indulge we did, both downing 2 dozen!

  What a long ways from the still snowy, frozen north we were!  3 days of soaking up the sun with no computers, phones off and nothing but free time was priceless!  Early morning walks to see the sunrise filled all the senses!  Playing in the crashing waves was childlike and free! Screeching gulls, pounding surf, hot sun, warm sand, seashells, the smell and taste of salt; all memories to recall on chilly upnorth days!

  All too soon we packed up our wet suits, sandy shoes and treasure sack of shells to head home. 
  The road towards home is often long and trying, this one was no exception.  On 65 in Alabama, the radio began blaring the announcement that everyone should take cover since a tornado was headed our way!  Not really having a clue where the counties were the announcer was talking about, we just continued to high tail it out of there.  Soon we heard a twister had just gone through about 2 miles behind us!!  We know Father was holding us for sure!!  The next day in a violent thunderstorm in Indy, with a million truckers surrounding our car, a pickup in front of me spun out of control and slid over 2 lanes!  Once again the Lord was holding our car in the center of His hand!  Whew!  Thank You Jesus! 

   Today we finally pulled into our city to about 10 inches of new snow! It's ok though, we are home, safe, tanned and rested with a load of memories of this year's trek to the south!  No matter how far we roam, no matter what good things we do, see or eat..there's no place like home, there's no place like home!!

Christmas Tree Alive

Memory Tree..
       We have not had a "real" tree for many years.  This year Donn and I loaded up our truck with a saw, boots for the woods and headed to dad's to find this special little tree.  Tromping through the maze of now neglected, untrimmed trees we found our treasure.  It is a little scrawny, branches are uneven and scraggly in places..but that is not what I see.  I see a tree that has been allowed to grow and reach to the sky free as a bird, up to the Father...not just the right shape, height or color, none the less beautiful for what it holds.  I did not see the beauty at first when we set it in the stand, in fact I saw the flaws.  After digging out a worn old box full of ornaments from long ago and placing them tenderly on the branches, my Charlie Brown tree came alive!  Memories of Christmas past begin to flood my mind..ah, remember this one that Chad made in school?  How about the year we all created something for the tree as a family?  Wow..this one is from mom's tree..it must be 50 years old.  These blue ones with doves represent mom's miracle. The tree began to glow with beauty as it reflected memories of long ago..how special it is! 
   Our family is scattered about the world this year leaving Donn and I alone on Christmas eve and Christmas morning.  But, it was good.  More and more I grow extremely thankful and happy with each moment Father gives us together.  Cherish the moment.  Remember the past fondly but love the day you are given.  Life is good and I continue to love and live this life.  Merry Christmas! 

      Leaves are showering down by the thousands once again. It is that time of year, actually one of my favorite seasons. Our huge 2 lots are full of massive maples that rain down their shedding leaves and cover our lawn totally! Last year we hired a young man from down the street to blow our yard, but yesterday I decided to invest in my own fall toy, a gas powered leaf blower! What fun! I filled it with gas mix, set the choke, pulled the rope, reset the choke, pulled again and vrrroooommmm, my toy came to life. It still is a big yard, big job but how fun to watch the fallen leaves dance and twirl as the blast of air moves them towards the woods. The only thing missing is the smell of burning leaves! Maybe after the fire danger goes down! Hey, let's make a huge pile and jump in them, ok? Next toy to tune up is the snow-blower, I've heard we are in for a doozy of a snow filled winter. YAY! Bring it on! Have a fun fall friends!



Fish Eyes Anyone?



Diggin' for the fish eye!

 Back on the otherside I was happy to find I have not lost my adventuresome appetite for things unusual and never tasted before by me!!  This year's challenge was fish eyes.  Yup, I said, fish eyes.  Why do you ask?  Because they are considered a delicacy and I have never been challenged to try them before.  Thanks Todd.  So the first step was to dig them out with my kuazi.  Then......


The first taste of the eye...hmmm, interesting

  Into my mouth they went!!  There was a slight crunch, a little soft spot and it was all over!  I did it, YAY!  Oh, at this same meal I tried donkey.  It was ok, but to me really nothing to write about.  I prefer to see them pulling carts than ground and stuffed in a dumpling.


The China "tourist" look



So many adventures during this past three weeks.    I think the most fun though was sharing the land we love with 4 people who had never been there.  They experienced trains, taxi rides, buses, walking, walking, walking, eating every kind of delicious food we could stuff ourselves with, the Great Wall and markets.  That was just the side stuff.  The most important and rewarding was meeting new friends in the various cities we visited.  Along the way 2 new sisters joined our family.  We plowed, planted and harvested on this trip.  It was good.  Thank you to all here at home who constantly remembered us to Father for our safety, health and work.  I pray each of you will look and find where HE is working and join HIM there!  Your life will be blessed, full of joy and peace like ours! 

UP UP and AWAY!

Yesterday was one of those memory maker days!  Donn and I traveled to Traverse City to cash in our gift certificate we received for our 40th anniversary from our kids!  It was for tandem parasailing in the Bay!  How awesome is that?  We both had wanted to parasail a few years ago in Thailand but kept stalling until one day we got up the nerve and the wind conditions prevented it!  Whew!  Finally, we have experienced parasailing!

Two other couples joined us in the boat for this adventure.  Donn volunteered us to go first, of course.  We were harnessed into straps that would be our seat.  I thought there would be chairs.  Oh no, straps and buckles.  We then were hooked to the sail, sat on our bottoms on the platform of the boat and waited.  The engine roared to life, the sail filled with air and the 800 foot line began to reel out!  No turning back, we began to fly up.  It did not take long for us to be high above everything, everyone, even the birds were far below us.  The flight was scheduled for 15 minutes so it was imperative to not think of the height, the water below or the tiny rope that held our two big bodies in tow!  Instead we focused on the clear blue sky above, the brilliant blue shades of glistening water below and the peaceful freedom of flying!  Occasional wind gusts tilted and tipped us which again could have panicked a person...hey, I am ready to die at any time, so why worry?  Coming down slowly I felt like a kite.  Our landing was a little rocky,  I did not like the look of the guys face reeling us in..he later said it was a little tricky!  All in all,  I would suggest you give it a try.  Up UP  and AWAY!  OK, what is our next adventure?

Livin' and Lovin' the life!  Dianne

Summer is here at last!  So many things to see, so many places to go, so many things to do!  On and on the list always goes, no matter how many times I promise myself the calendar will not be filled up every day with people, places and events.  We have entertained, traveled to the Smokies for our 40th anniversary, spent some time with family in Indiana, had Eli and Hannah stay up north, camped...it has been an awesome couple months.
   This morning early early I wandered out to my gardens.  They are at their peak right now overflowing with daisies, baby breath, lilies of all colors, hostas, delphiniums, bee balm and numerous other plants.  Breathtaking.  I am beginning to settle down now.  All I hear are birds chirping, the occasional buzz of a pollen gathering bee and the quiet of my own heart.  My huge patch of raspberry bushes is dripping with fruit.  I plunged into the sky high bushes and began to pick the harvest.  One hour passed and honestly it was pure bliss doing this time consuming task!  Did I do it for the berries? Not really.  Donn doesn't even like them.  It was a gift from Father to me.  A time to be still and enjoy His creation.  I came in the house a little scratched, a lot sweaty with 2 quarts to show for my work.  As I popped them into the freezer I knew that this winter when the bushes are buried in snow I can pull these treasures out and remember a hot summer day in NE Michigan when it was just me, God and his bounty!  I pray you are slowing down some every so often and seeing, tasting, smelling and resting in the One who loves us so!!  Happy Summer.
           Daisies, Hammocks, ponds, gardens, flowers and sunshine await!
                      Still livin' and lovin' life!      love, Dianne