45 Days

I looked at the calendar today and I realized that in 45 days I will be boarding the plane at the Cedar Rapids airport for a 2 day journey back to Mozambique. There are so many things to do, so many unfinished jobs that need to be in place before we go.

Yesterday my daughter shared with me that my grandson Koltyn 8, said he had the best day of his life ever! The family had gone to the airport to see President Obama's plane that brought the limo's ahead of time and they were able to see the plane being unloaded, a very exciting event for any young man. Then to top it off he was absolutely delighted that he got to eat supper twice!!

This event made me think of how much I will miss the daily conversations of my grandchildren. This event made me think about how the children that I love in Mozambique will never go any farther away from their home than they can walk. They do not know what an airplane is to look at it close up and personal. On most days of their lives, if they were never to change from what they are status quo, they will rarely have two meals in one day much less having two meals at supper time.

My goal each day is to be used by God and to remain obedient to His voice. Pray for Val and I for the next 45 days that we would be strong in the Lord, that our day will begin with singing His praise and that we will be wise in how we spend our last days here.

Obedience,

Kathy

Rain! Rain! Rain!!!!

In 2006 I met Domingas working at the project as a cook for the pre-school. She never smiled, she had been oppressed, the poverty she lived in was something I had never seen nor experienced before. I can usually make someone smile but she was a hard one to get to react to my silliness. It was my friend Diane that broke her to get that smile we worked so hard at.

Domingas the mother of 3 girls, 1 son and 2 grandchildren. They all lived in a mud home. They sleep on grass mats. They eat rice every day that they have food, and on very very special occasions they will get beans and maybe chicken. When it rains they can not sleep, they have to stand up because the rains run through the house. The floors are mud and the roof leaks.

They have not been so lucky this year to only stand during the sleepless nights of rain. Two days ago, March 1st her house wall caved in. The front fell right off the house! Can you imagine this? Can you even think of having to stand while attempting to sleep when it rains? What about your children? Can you imagine the inside of your house exposed?

If you are reading this, you are one of my friends. We are blessed......... my friends. Are you even the remotest moved by this? Look around the room you are sitting in. Take in all that God has blessed you with. Think about what you have and what you do. Is God speaking to you at all? What is He saying to you? Please obey Him. Not for me. Please obey God. You will never miss the amount of money He is now telling you to send in. Donate now at www.childrensrelief.org click on project/Green Door or send in a check and put Domingas in the memo.

You will never be the same!

May God multiply your blessing for being obedient.

From the Mouths of Babes

Tonight I have my 2 middle Grandchildren to spend the night with me because their mother is having a C-section in the morning. They came for supper and we had their favorite... pizza, they took showers, we watched a movie and then it was bedtime.

I first took 8 year old Koltyn to the bed he would sleep in for the night and prayed with him and said good-night. We didn't have much to say so it was lights out quickly. I did ask him if he was too old to have a kiss from his Grandma and he said it was ok to kiss him on the cheek, so I was privileged to get another kiss.

I then went in to lay down with Ally Max and pray with her and then our conversation began. I knew it was only to stay awake longer but we really had a great time as she shared some deep thoughts from a 6 year old. After she so graciously rubbed my back I thanked her and she started to ask me questions about heaven and God.

"Grandma, I really don't want to die." I said, "Honey there is really nothing to be afraid of. We are all going to die one day. We will be in heaven with all of our family and Jesus for forever." Ally says to me, "I know Grandma but I really like to shop and girls have to go shopping!" I started to laugh, and I laughed and laughed and laughed. Ally says to me, "Grandma! Are you ok?" I said, "Yes" But let me tell you a smile comes to my face again as I am writing this.

Next she says to me, "Grandma, I don't like it when Val is not here. She is so much fun and she plays with me. When she is not here it is like there is a child missing or a student gone." I about fell out of the bed laughing at this one. Val was sitting in the living room reading and she said she could hear me laughing and she started to laugh herself. Especially when she heard Ally ask me if I was ok.

Then for her final commentary on Abe Lincoln. This girl has been listening in class to the facts and life of Abraham Lincoln. I was blessed to know that she has such a love for learning. She knew everything and more that any 6 year old would or could know about our 16th President. I asked her if she knew about George Washington and she said she would need to read about him soon. We ended our conversation with one last question. I said, "Ally do you like to read?" She took a moment and said "Not really Grandma." But I do like to read, " Clifford books. He is just so cute and adorable!"

I am so blessed! Blessed to have 4 grandchildren today and one more tomorrow morning around 8 or 8:30. Brooke goes into the hospital at 5am and we are praying for a safe delivery. Ally and I want a baby girl, and she wants to name her Heather. Brooke and Eric, are just ready. They told me last night they had the perfect names picked out but they forgot what they were. I love my kids. They are just as nutty as I am:)

Proverbs 17:6 ESV

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.

My Daily Google

When I don’t jump to conclusions, I am a process thinker. I like to take time to think about things. I like to gather information. I want to hear more about what other’s think on a subject. I like to search the scriptures to see what God has to say about everything I need to be obedient. I like to read manuals on electronics. And of course, I use Google.

I like Google. It has more information than anyone can imagine. If I don’t know something, I Google it. There will be someone, somewhere in the world who has an answer. It might not be a sound answer or the right answer to me, but there will be an answer. I have learned more about silly insignificant things on Google than I ever did while I was in a classroom.
As a matter of fact I have learned more from Google in the last five years than I have learned in the last 50 years of reading books.

There are so many directions that Google can take me in one day. I can find somebody somewhere someplace in the world to tell me what I want to hear. And with one click of the button, I could end up finding myself very confused and lost if I believed everything I read on the pages of Google. Well, actually I could never read all of the pages available on one topic.

To find the truth, the real meaning of life, learn about salvation and the life of Jesus, I will just stick with the Bible. The beauty of Google with the bible is I can find 2,479 different language translations. I can't speak any language except English and a touch of Portuguese, but it's there if I want it.

While traveling Val and I drove for hours and hours across the desert and wondered where all the animals were. In Iowa one can not travel more than 15 miles without seeing a dead deer, raccoon or a possum. " Just what are the animals in the desert"
I asked? We both looked at each other and laughed, “We’ll Google it!”
Googleing is my favorite pastime. Good googlywoogly!


2 Timothy 3:16-17, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

There's No Place Like Home

"There's no place like home." Those are sweet sweet words to my ears.
Home, it is where the heart is. It is not so much a place as it is an attitude. For the last 20 days Val and I have been to Rockwall Texas to a staff meeting. To Tomball Texas to stay with some dear dear friends, John and Janie, and to speak to their Mission Committee. Then it was off to my parents for a few days to share some time with them. Then off to visit an Aunt and Uncle to speak to them about speaking at their church, back to Tomball for a Moz. short term team meeting, and then at last, for a two day drive home. We even tried to see John and Cindy Pieper's daughter Mary and Harry but missed them in Flower Mound.

I did most of the driving and Val did all of the reading. She read out loud an Andrew Murray book called, "The beauty of Holiness," Donald Miller's book called, "Jazz Notes" and she read the Psalms, Proverbs daily reading and we started Romans after finishing the book of Acts and parts of a book we are studying for cultural learning, "African Friends and Money Matters."

There were times when we listened to music, sang out really loud and then there were times when we just laughed a lot till we almost cried over silly things just because we were dead tired and trying to stay awake.

Traveling isn't all that it is cracked up to be but God has a plan and we are settled in trying to do what it is that He puts before us and to do it well. We pray daily for wisdom and revelation of the scriptures so we are acting in faith for this prayer to be answered.

Our time was fruitful with all those we encountered and our support was raised. We have been blessed abundantly above and beyond what we could have ever planned for or hoped for. And that is the way we like it, we like it that God is in control and most importantly that we believe it.

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" Psalm 37:23

Having My Parents...

After traveling through Texas to a staff meeting with CRI and then on to Tomball to speak to a mission's committee Val and I have landed in Mesa, AZ. to spend a few nights with my parents. I am blessed to still have my parents, they are in their 80's and going to be married 60 years this May.

When I was a kid, I was considered a "handful," and that was putting it mildly. I certainly gave my parents every grey hair on their head. If children would have been diagnosed with ADHD at that time I would have fallen into that category I suppose. I left home at 17 from the supper table after saying "I'm moving out of this place!" and my Dad saying, "well, get your bags and get on your way!" Dad and I didn't quite see eye to eye on many matters. But today 40 years later, it is much different.

Today a visit with my parents is fun and usually filled with laughter. You can find us on any given occasion watching either a CUBS baseball game or some basketball game or anything that would be sports related. They are just fun people to be with.
Dad and Mom tell stories and they help each other remember how it all goes adding their own bit to completion. I think I have heard the same stories over and over and somehow they change a little from time to time but they are so cute. They help each other remember their multiple pills, where they have been and when playing cards whose turn it is. Mom can remember names if Dad can prompt her with who their kids are. Dad still holds the door for Mom and she still thinks he is the best man she could have ever married. They are just sweet to be around. They have been a good example to me in how to grow old well.

I have friends who have lost their parents and I always think that I am so blessed to have these two around yet. They make my life full. I don't know how much longer they will be here but I am cherishing every moment for now. Living in Mozambique during the summer I need to make these winter trips to see them. God bless my parents. Thank you Lord for their lives.

Job 12:12 Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?

Here's The Deal.....

Here's the deal beloved friends and family, I am honestly going to try and make this thing happen on a regular basis...... blogging, UGH! I am not a writer nor do I claim to be and who in their right mind would want to follow a retired, overweight, short, missionary around the world?

I do have to admit to you all that I have the best job in the entire world....... that would be in the entire world and I get to experience some of the coolest things. So I am going to leave it up to you and your good senses as to whether or not you want to follow me on the journey of my life.

The most amazing thing about living as a missionary is that God puts before me some of the coolest people! People that I would never met had I not left Quaker after 32 years and 7 months I might add and follow God's leading to move to Mozambique. My life at Quaker was full, rich and fun but can not hold a candle stick to living life in Africa. I feel totally blessed and grateful that I had the years I did at Quaker because God has set me up with some skills and preparation for going on the field.

Another place that God had me be for missionary preparation was the Mission Of Hope across from hippie Hy-Vee on 1st. Ave. in Cedar Rapids. There I learned more about ministering to those who are hurting and without much hope. I love the people there! I believe that each step and each person has been part of the process of learning and taking me to the next level of where God has taken me and is going to take me.

If you have been part of my life process, thank you. Thank YOU for loving me, helping me become the person that I am and continuing to follow my life. Blessings to you above and beyond what you could have ever hoped for or imagined!!!