The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker

Black, Red, and White – The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker

For those of us who grew up in church, can name all sixty-six books of the Bible (spelling most of them correctly), and memorized John 3:16 before we were out of diapers (well, maybe not quite that soon) sometimes (and I hate to admit it), sometimes those poignant and life-changing stories of old become (how do I say this) mundane…too familiar…taken for granted.

In steps Ted Dekker with his Circle Trilogy to save the day, or at least give us a fresh glimpse of our heritage and our faith. Even non-believers will enjoy this series as they are full of action, suspense, passion, and all the things that make for a good story. If someone like Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame) got hold of this it would become an epic film. Be prepared to see the Bible come to life in a completely unexpected way.

What happens when Thomas hits his head and awakes in another reality only to find that somehow he’s the key to saving both worlds? Which reality is real anyway? What will happen if someone drinks the water of Teeleh? Just how far will someone go to save the one he loves? Will the Raison Strain actually destroy earth as we know it? Who is Elyon? What is the Great Romance all about? Where did all those black bats come from? To find out, start by picking up Black, but be forewarned, you’ll have trouble putting it down so make sure someone else is keeping an eye on supper…it might burn while you're turning pages.

What happens when an 18-Wheeler hits a '98 Ford Taurus?

This..............

And if angels are with you, you walk away without a scratch or a headache!

My parents came to our town and bought a new car last Friday. They had promised their old one to Cassie (DD16). The windshield was cracked, and since it was still covered by my parents insurance they took it home with them to have it repaired.

On Tuesday my parents headed back toward us to bring Cassie the car. About 12 miles from our house my dad had an accident. An 18-wheeler pulled in behind him on a 4-lane road and clipped his back bumper on the driver's side causing my dad to flip in front of the 18-wheeler and spin 3 times before crossing the median and ending up on the side of the road in the opposite lane. Praise God he wasn't hurt a bit. He said he felt very secure and firmly in place. No airbags deployed. I asked if it was his seat belt or angels holding him tight. He said he felt the seat belt, but he knew there were angels too.

Poor Cassie. After the relief of hearing her grandpa was ok, she was disappointed that she was so close to having her car. (What is Murphy's Law? If anything can go wrong, it will?) Technically, she still has the car; it's just seen better days. It may be totaled. Fortunately, my parents still have insurance on the car and it will either get repaired or they will give her the money to put toward another car.

By the way....the new windshield didn't even have a scratch on it! (A few splatted love bugs, yes. Cracks, no.)

Fall in Mississippi

Fall has arrived in Mississippi. Now, for you folks who don't live in the sun belt the word "fall" probably conjures up images of beautiful tree foliage, frosty mornings, and crips breezes. In Mississippi try morning temperatures of 65 (at least you don't break into a sweat the minute you walk out the door), beautiful green trees and grass (the brilliant leaves will come, but probably when the rest of you have snow on the ground), and breezes cool enough to send my girls into jackets (because anything that won't bake a cake is cool around here.) In Mississippi, when the high is no longer in the 90's, fall has arrived.

Now that the temperatures are nicer, my lantana is blooming beautifully. I'm so pleased!

(A jacket, shorts, and bare feet...what's with that????)

What homeschooling's about.

When Cassie (16) discussed ending her public high school experience after 1.5 years, her one question was, "Can I learn sign language if I come back home?" ASL (American Sign Language) has always facinated this daughter of mine, so I readily agreed. After much searching, Cassie actually found her own materials, an online course she discovered. After checking it out I agreed to give it a try. Three weeks into it and she loves it! (You can check it out for yourself by clicking here.) Truly, one of the great advantages to home education is that children can persue their interests.

Not only is Cassie interested in learning ASL, but she dreams of working with the deaf one day, perhaps as an interpreter. With that in mind we (Cassie, Candace dd12, a friend, and I) took a tour of the Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind today. What a treat! Not only is the MSDB a beautiful facility and campus, but our tour guide was more than eager to show us around, answer any questions, and introduce us to people. We popped into the end of a basketball practice, a science class, a preschool class, and a second grade class. We talked with teachers who were hearing and some who were also deaf. One teacher who works with blind students showed us how a braille typewriter works! (How cool!) One teacher mentioned having Cassie come help her with her class sometime, and a director gave the kids forms to fill out in order to be able to volunteer. Cassie was even able to use some of the signs she's recently learned!

This homeschool mom's heart was breathless with joy to hear Cassie, Candace, and M. talk about how interesting the tour was and how excited they'd be to volunteer. Their lives may be forever changed by this encounter in a real and positive way. What a joy to watch your child really persue something that truly interests her (him)! Cassie may never learn the periodic table; and if she does she'll probably forget it the next year. But she will never forget this day and our trip to the Mississippi School for the Deaf and blind.

That's what homeschooling is all about!

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Abraham Lincoln has been quoted as saying of Harriet Beecher Stowe, "So this is the little lady who made this big war." I thought to myself, Uncle Tom's Cabin must be a powerful book! I knew it was considered a classic, but one probably not read in the public schools, so a couple years ago my now DD16 and I set out to read aloud this incredible novel that divided a nation.

Upfront let me say we never finished the book. The story was compelling and griping. The characters were deep and it was easy to become emotionally involved in the tale. However, my daughter and I got completely bogged down in the slave dialect. I realize Miss Stowe was trying to be true to the culture, but it took so much energy and concentration to decipher the dialog we simply gave up. In retrospect I think it would have been a better silent read than read-a-loud. (At least in my opinion.)

I regretted not finishing the story, but DD16 went off to public school and that was the end of that. Well, maybe not. DD16 is back home now, and while I wanted to finish the story, I really didn't want to get bogged down again. So, I did what any self-respecting homeschool mom would do *smirk*.....I borrowed the video from the library.

There are many video renditions of Uncle Tom's Cabin. This is the one I happened to get from our public library. There may be better versions available, but I really feel this one is worth watching. (Avery Brooks did a tremendous job as Tom.)

In 2007 most of us have had some glimpse of the horrors of slavery. We've read of Harriet Tubman. We've seen or read Roots. We've read or watched Gone with the Wind. We've been to Civil War sites. We've read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. But what of those who lived before the Civil War? What of those who really had no idea how horrific slavery was? I can easily see where Uncle Tom's Cabin would spark heated discussions, evoke extreme emotion, and widen the chasm between abolitionists and slave holders. Considering the role this story placed in American History, everyone should either read the book or at least watch a rendering of this tragic story of slavery and the triumph of Christian character.

Investing or Grace? What's the Motivation?

I'm not sure why, but over the last month or so my mind has been truly pondering this concept called grace. Perhaps it is because my dear friend lives in "Grace-land", or perhaps the Holy Spirit is teaching me something new. (Or both!) I've been trying to put those "Grace-thoughts" into words and have been doing a poor job of it...but I thought I'd be real and do some ramblings about it here.


Do we invest in people's lives consciously, or unconsciously, hoping for something in return?

In return for support, comfort, promotion, favor, loyalty, good will?

Do we ever subconsciously think, "So-and-so owes me (any of the above) because I did this-or-that for her?"

If that is the case, those acts of kindness we do are truly "investments” into human bank accounts as we seek a "return" of some kind no matter how big or small. Pay back is expected or anticipated.

But…

If we pour ourselves into people simply because Christ’s love compels us to meet a need (either emotionally, physically, financially, or even spiritually by offering godly counsel);

If we give of ourselves freely to those who may eventually betray us, to those who have no power to reciprocate;

If we bestow acts of kindness into people truly without any hope or thought of "return" (not even a "thank you"), we go against worldly wisdom truly becoming conduits of God's abundant grace.

Wonderful Weekend!

(Atlanta from my hotel room)

God just blessed my socks off this past weekend! Cassie (my 16 year old daughter)) and I went with a small group from our church to Atlanta for a Beth Moore/Women of Faith Conference. Having Cassie share the experience was almost more than my heart could hold.

I'm not one prone to tears (unless my feelings are hurt), so it amazes even me that I spent the entire Beth Moore Conference crying from either extreme laughter or an extreme touch from God. I could feel the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit from the moment I walked into the Arena. It shouldn't have surprised me when Beth said she had asked God to fill the Arena with His emotional presence that day.

I thought my "toes" were safe when the topic was "Comfort". I thought, "How can there be anything convicting in the topic of 'Comfort'?" Boy was I wrong! The message was about being members of the "Cult of Comfort" which our society endorses, and that we are not to be compelled by comfort, but by our love for Christ. There was much food for thought, let me tell you!

While the Women of Faith part was fun (Sandi Patty was incredible as usual, and who knew Nicole C. Mullen has so much energy!) my heart was most blessed by my time with Beth Moore.

On a side note: I think we underestimate the ability of our teens to grasp the things of God. Cassie was as blessed as I and took as many notes. Perhaps the reason so many of our youth are still "babes" in Christ is because we don't offer them anything solid. I'm developing a whole philosophy on church youth ministries, but I'll save it for later.

Thinking Suicide? WAIT!

(Originally written on Monday, August 21, 2006)

They lived on the same street this man and woman, my street. Both were around sixty. The former used a gun, the latter pills, but the results were the same.

Lives were ended.

Their lives.

Within the last month these two acquaintances of mine killed themselves. I passed each house on my morning walk and exchanged pleasantries:

“Good morning,” we’d each call out.
“How are you today?”
“Fine. How are you?”
“Fine.”

Sometimes we’d say more. The last time I saw “her” she reminisced about what a godly man her father was and how she still missed him even after all these years. I had no clue, no clue she struggled with depression. No clue she would choose to end her own life.

I’m sad, and I’m afraid.

I’m sad because these two people couldn’t fight their way to the surface; they drowned in their sorrow either unable to grasp hold of hands willing to lift them up, or (horror of horrors) there were no hands extended to them. (Was my hand held out?)

I’m afraid. I’m afraid because I know there are thousands of people just like them suffocated by their life circumstances. People who feel there is no way out of their suffering except through death at their own hands. How many of these people do I know but am unaware of their struggle?

If you are one of those totally overwhelmed by life – PLEASE, STOP!!!! Don’t hurt yourself! There are hands extending out to you! Before you do something drastic, PLEASE write me (or call me if you know me) and let me talk to you and pray for you. I mean it! I’m not just saying it to be nice or because I’m a preacher’s wife. I want to offer a heartfelt cry for mercy to heaven on your behalf. It’s not a bother. It would be my privilege.

There is another hand held out to you which is much stronger than mine:

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.
~ Psalm 40:1-3

~ Drewe Llyn

Study on Prayer

I've posted all three parts of the prayer study I used with my Sunday School class. You can either scroll down the page for all of them, or click on the appropriate links. I hope it blesses someone.

What is prayer?

Why should we pray?

What are the results of prayer?

Prayer - What is prayer?

“Prayer is the practice of the presence of God. It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian. Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.” ~ CARM

“Prayer is the practice of the presence of God.” That is the definition of prayer in a nutshell. But what does it mean? Think about your closest relationship. What does it mean to be in that person’s presence? What do you do together?

• You confide in each other.


• You congratulate each other on jobs well done.


• You thank them for things they’ve done for you.


• You ask advice or for help.


• You say you’re sorry.


• You hang out, just enjoying being together.
  
  That’s how our relationship with God should be.

• You confide in each other. You tell God your deepest hurts, highest dreams, and greatest longings. (See Jeremiah 33:3)


• You congratulate each other. This is what we do when we praise God, when we admire and enjoy His creation. (See Psalm 71:8, Psalm 72:18, Psalm 92:1, Isaiah 63:7, and Matthew 15:31. See also Zephaniah 3:17 and Matthew 25:20-21)


• You are thankful. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 and Matthew 25:34-40)


• You seek advice. This is not reciprocal as God knows and sees everything and does not need our advice. He does, however, long to give us help in our time of need. (Psalm 18:6, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 33:20, Hebrews 4:16, and James 1:5)


• You apologize. Again, this one is not reciprocal as God does no wrong. However, in order to keep our relationships strong we must “clear the air” so to speak. In our relationship with God we must confess our sins and repent. (Psalm 51:10 and 1 John 1:9)


• You enjoy being together. (Psalm 16:11, Matthew 28:20, and 1 John 3:19)
  
  
  

Why should we pray?

“Since the power of prayer is in the One Who hears it and not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” ~ Max Lucado in He Still Moves Stones

“Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.” ~ John Bunyan

We are commanded to pray.

• Should pray always. (Luke 18:1)


• Be…faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)


• Pray continually. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)


• You do not have, because you do not ask God. (James 4:2)

Jesus gave us an example.

• The Model Prayer (Luke 11:1-5)



• For Peter (Luke 22:32)



• Before feeding the 5,000 and the 4,000 ( John 6:1-15 and Mark 8:1-9)



• He prayed often. (Luke 5:16)



• Early in the morning (Mark 1:35)



• All night (Luke 6:12)



• In the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-46)

(If Jesus, the very Son of God, felt a need to be in communion with the Father, then surely we humans need it even more.)

Prayer shows our dependence on God. (John 15:5)

We are priests between the lost and God.

• 1 Samuel 12:23



• Ezekiel 22:30



• 1 Timothy 2:1-4

God acts in response to prayer.

• Moses prayed for the people to be spared and God spared them. (Exodus 32:7-14)



• Elijah prayed for no rain and it didn’t rain for three years, not until he then asked for rain. (James 5:17-18)



• Hannah prayed for a son and received him. (1 Samuel 1)



• David prayed for forgiveness and God gave it. (Psalm 51)



• Jonah prayed for mercy and received it. (Jonah 2)



• Peter prayed that Tabitha would be raised from the dead, and she was. (Acts 9)



• God offers the same to us. (See Psalm 37:4, Matthew 21:22, and James 5:16)

Results of Prayer

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." ~ Samuel Chadwick

• Our sins are forgiven. (1 John 1:9)



• Our hearts and minds are renewed. (Psalm 51:10, Isaiah 40:31, 2 Corinthians 4:16, and Romans 12:2)



• We have peace. (Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:6-7)



• We have hope. (Romans 15:13)



• We get strength. (Psalm 59:16, Isaiah 40:31, and Philippians 4:13)



• We are delivered. (Psalm 34:17)



• We receive direction and guidance. (Isaiah 30:21 and Proverbs 3:5-6)



• We are encouraged. (Psalm 10:17 and Hebrews 4:16)



• We demolish strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)



• We become like Jesus. (1 Corinthians 2:16 and 2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

We're Home with Pictures

After sitting on the runway for an extra hour and a half (due to severe weather somewhere between there and here) we made it home. God welcomed us with the most beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snap a picture of it. Our last two days in Baltimore were pretty uneventful. Some of us walked to the Holocaust Memorial which was gruesomely fitting for what it commemorates. I'll post pictures of that later.

On Sunday night another team from Mississippi arrived. We shared our living quarters with them for the night. On Monday morning we all sat on the sidewalk singing praise and worship songs. That was pretty cool.

I posted a lot of pictures from our trip on our church's website. Instead of trying to post them all here, I'll just give you the link and you can click over and take a peak there if you wish.

I'm fully convinced I have jet lag, even though there was only an hour's time difference between Baltimore and home. Maybe I'm just getting older and it takes my body longer to recouperate from living on adrenaline for a week.

Anyway. I hope everyone is well. Be blessed!

Baltimore in pictures

Saturday in Baltimore

Saturday was slated as our official free day. We actually had a lot more free time than anticipated. Much of that was due to some poor communication. (But that's all I'll say here about it.) In some ways I think our time and energy could have been better utilized, yet, I still consider the trip well worth it. We've had some eye-opening-out-of-our-comfort zone experiences. We've seen some incredible sites. We've met some really facinating people who've enriched our lives. And we've had a great time bonding as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. (Perhaps that is the most rewarding of all.) I'm thankful for our time in Baltimore.

We had a great time exploring the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It was awesome! The only thing I can say is that Baltimore is home to about 2 million people, and I'm sure they were all walking around the Inner Harbor and visiting the Aquarium. *grin* Still, it was incredible and I had a wonderful time.

I'd like to write more, but I've got to go shower. Today is actually Sunday. We'll be heading back to Mississippi tomorrow.

More later.

Friday the 13th in Balitmore

Today our team split up for a time...the majority passed out packets in a different part of town while five of us helped with a preschool activity. I was one of the five along with the two summer missionaries. We took crafts, puppets, and the guitar up (and I mean up) to Federal Hill where we simply sat in the shade and tried to capture the attention of any children and parents. There weren't that many, even though it was a beautiful morning, but there was a woman there with seven children she keeps in her home. Using the guitar case as a table, the children first played with sculpty clay. (The girl next to me made snails.) Then the puppets came out to be played with and to entertain in a very easy going way. The children were given paper bags and made their own puppets. My two daughters, our guitarist, and I led the children in several, what I call, "Sunday School" songs which they really enjoyed. Finally, some simple crafts were pulled out for the children to make. Though very laid back, it was a good morning. There were a couple other mothers with children at the park who were either too shy to join in, or just didn't want to. One of the most interesting people I met told how she got to Baltimore. She and her husband decided to move from their home in Atlanta to somewhere. To discover where, they hopped on their motorcycles and toured the country. They liked Baltimore and moved here twelve years ago. I could never picture myself riding around the country and picking out where to live without any job or security. I have to admire their courage and sense of adventure.

We basically had the afternoon free. Most of us went to the Inner Harbor to shop and look around. (Some stayed behind to play games.) My two daughters, a friend, and I meandered around the Harbor. At the mall a couple approached us asking if we knew of a shelter that would take them in. (Most shelters are either just for men or just for women.) They said no one in the mall had been helpful and no one would even give them water to drink. I say what I'm about to say not to pat myself on the back, but to confess my weaknesses....for a brief moment I wanted to give the vaguest of answers and not get involved. For a brief moment I wondered if these people were really needy or just playing on sympathies. For a brief moment I wanted to "pass by on the other side". Then I was reminded of why I was in Baltimore. How could I be excited about ministering at the Helping Up Mission, how could I be blessed by passing out ice cream and water at the homeless park and not respond Christfully to someone on the street. Can you put on and take off Christianity like a T-shirt? If you can, then you're not really a Christian. I told the couple that we were tourists in the area and didn't know of a place that took in both. But we'd be glad to buy them some water and a little something to eat. We walked together to the food court. My friend and I bought them some pizza and drinks and prayed with them before leaving. Instead of patting myself on the back and feeling good, I feel badly about my hesitation, no matter how brief. It was a lesson in humility.

If you think about it, say a prayer for Chris and Becky.

Thursday in Baltimore

God is good! He knew we'd be walking the city blocks of Baltimore today and sent a cold front through last night. Well, cold front might not be the correct word, but the humidity and temperature dropped to a comfortable level for walking.

Instead of putting door hangers on door knobs, we passed out little packs of mustard seeds with the church's website on them. The idea is to capture people's attention and make them curious about the church that is coming. Altogether our team handed out nearly 750 packets. Since the target group is the creative/artsy group in the city, the church planting team is made up of mostly creative/artsy people. People like Cameron who is a violin major; Maria, a sculptor; John an artist, and our guide Steve, a student at the Peabody Institute majoring in classical guitar. We got a peek at the first library in Baltimore which is housed at Peabody and is gi-normous! (I feel so cultural!) Earlier in the day my oldest daughter fell down the steps and scraped her knee, so Steve took my team to his apartment to clean it up and get a bandaid. He lives at what used to be the Stafford Hotel....Francis Scott Key stayed there once upon a time.

All our teams met up for lunch in a local park. A couple of homeless people asked us for food, so we invited them to lunch. About four more came from nowhere so we shared with them too. After lunch we went to another nearby park where Cameron has a ministry to the homeless. We went there to pass out ice cream and converse with the people there. Not that many people were there as some actually have jobs during the day, some go to the various missions to eat, and some go to the library to get cool. One man told us about his life and said, "This isn't a bad existence." I wonder what he's been through to consider the homeless life as not being a "bad existence".

I really admire Cameron. He's a highly gifted young man, who is investing his life in the lives of these homeless people. He says that many charitable folks come by the park and give food and other items, and between the organized missons and groups bringing food the homeless should never be hungery. However, very few people actually take the time to hang out with and get to know them and share their lives. Cameron goes to this park every Wednesday to grill hot dogs and invest himself. I wonder, am I really willing to go that far? Sure, it was cool to offer ice cream and cold water to these "residents". I can go home and feel good about myself. But to go back week after week after week and really get to know each person on a first name basis, to actually know their history, to know the good, bad, and ugly and still be Christ's conduit of love to them consistently, that's where the "talk" meets the "walk". It gives me much to ponder on.

Wednesday in Baltimore

I really wish I could upload pictures from my camera while here because my Mississippi friends would find the row houses here very interesting. I haven't mentioned our facilities much except to say we are staying in various Sunday school rooms in the church building. There is a men's room with one stall and a ladies' with two. There is a separate shower which measures about three feet across. Next door, but also church property, is a connected beautiful row house which measures about 12 feet across. (No joking!) It is 40 or 50 feet deep and three stories high. A house like that sells for $300 - $400 thousand!!!!! There is a single shower on the second and third floors. You can see where it makes for interesting logistics to take care of 8 women and three men. (Two of our members are staying in a nearby hotel.) Even though today's activities were to begin a little later, we still had folks up and at it taking showers at 5:00 pm!

We were scheduled to cook for the Senior Citizen Luncheon/Health Fair today, but the man who usually cooks for the Seniors insisted on cooking for all of us, and we let him. LOL! We did sing for those in attendance and the two nurses on our team took blood pressure readings, did diabetes screenings, and passed out information.

After lunch, our scheduled preschool activity was postponed due to the threat of rain. Our back-up plan was to go back to Helping UP Mission to help unload a truck. When we arrived at Helping Up the truck wasn't there yet. My husband told the man in charge some of our men would come back later to unload. Since everything on our afternoon agenda fell through some of us went to Barnes and Nobles. (I know, I know, suffering for Jesus, but someone has to do it. :-))

Evening activities included preparing for supper and turning the fellowship hall into a make-shift coffee house where the two summer missionaries hosted open mic night. It was lots of fun. My daughters clogged to two songs, and our guitarist played and sang a song he wrote. Then we had a time of just hanging out.

On Thursday we will be helping another church with their new church plant, so that pastor (Roger Kim) and several of his members (all students or graduates from MICA Maryland Institude for Creative Arts) making them all creative geniuses. They were all on fire for Jesus and quite energetic. I look forward that adventure.

Fort McHenry!

Did you know Fort McHenry is in Baltimore? It's not that far from where we are! Any way, the reason my husband wanted to talk to me was to ask if I wanted to go to the Fort and look around!!!! All but two of our team went along with the two student interns helping us.

We didn't pay to actually go into the Fort because we really didn't have time to spend all the time we would have liked. But the visitor's center was free. It had a great model of the Fort and a 15 minute movie on the Defense of Fort McHenry. For anyone wondering what the big deal is, the Defense of Fort McHenry is what inspired a lawyer by the name of Francis Scott Key to write a little poem which begins:

"Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light...."

I feel so historic and American!

Helping Up Mission

The grits were found! Yippee! So we southerners were able to function today. After breakfast and a time of devotion and prayer, our entire team (except for our handyman) headed to the Helping Up Mission to do whatever were were asked to do. We began with a time of orientation and a word of testimony from one of the residents. Then we took a tour of the facility which houses 240 men in various stages on the road to recovery from addictions. It also sleeps and feeds homeless men off the streets.

Four of our ladies helped in the kitchen while the rest of us wiped down the mattresses the homeless men sleep on at night. Then, while the kitchen ladies continued working, the rest of us did a little dusting, but mostly talked to and encouraged one of the residents who is working hard to get his life back together. We spent a little time in the rec room, then four of us helped serve in a very, very hot kitchen, two washed collard greens and cut up 100 chickens, and the rest mingled with the men while they ate. I had serving duty. The men were very polite and nearly always thanked us for putting food on their trays. One of the men sang for us, and another man showed one of our youth boys the proper way to lift weights. All in all it was a very rewarding experience. We left Helping Up just before a thunderstorm burst open upon us. We drove through torrential rain, gusts of wind, and marble sized hail. Fortunately the worst part was over by the time we arrived at our door step. We were hot and tired, but blessed by our experience. One lady took a nap while the rest of us did our own thing. We had a rousing game of spoons going which was a blast. I was on my way to losing when my husband asked me to come to where he was. He had something to ask me.

Baltimore, we're here!

Thankfully we had an uneventful plane ride here to Baltimore. Security found something suspicious in my carry-on. (Turned out to be my mascara.) Then they found something suspicious in my purse. (Turned out to be my asthma inhaler.) One of our youth had his $25 acne medicine confiscated. It was 1 ounce over the limit. But, we're here safely!

We're staying at Warren Avenue Baptist Church which has been in this location since 1912 and in existence since 1855. The pews go back to the 1855 date. Their sanctuary is gorgeous with incredible stain glass windows. I wish I could post pictures here, but I have no way to download them from this location. Part of our team arrived a day earlier and had lunch ready. Then we had a time of not-so-brief orientation. We spent the rest of our first day airing up our mattresses, settling in, and exploring. We walked to Federal Hill which over looks the Inner Harbor. What a view! Later we walked part way around the Inner Harbor to the Cheesecake Factory. The Inner Harbor is such an interesting walking area, and the Cheesecake factory was oh, so yummy!

July 10, 2007

I awoke during the night with my behind on the floor - obviously my mattress has a leak. Debbie (our cook) can't find the grits she brought. I'm not sure we Mississippi folks will survive the day! LOL!

Today we are scheduled to work at the Helping-up mission which is a drug rehab homeless shelter. We don't know what we'll be doing, so I'll write about that this evening!