Swarm of Bees and Apple Cidering

After spending the day taking Rose to take her test to get a driver's permit,

and getting our school room ready for school again, I'm sitting down for a few minutes!

I've had these pictures uploaded for a while.

Here is a swarm of bees that congregated in our tree a few weeks ago. 

Timmy had just split our own hive, so he thinks these honey bees came from somewhere else.

Bees will swarm when the hive becomes too crowded.

They will find somewhere else to make a new queen and start a new hive.

Timmy put on his gear, got another hive ready, and scooped the bees into it.

Great job, Timmy!

Now we have three hives!

 A couple weeks ago after picking apples, we pressed cider with our cider press that my brother-in-law Kenn had built and gave us when they moved.

We invited new friends, the Hagerty family, over to help us do the cider.

The Hagerty's recently  moved into the area, and we've enjoyed getting to know them.

Here Mrs. Hagerty, Shelby and I are washing the apples and cutting any big ones in half.

Jonathan and the boys put the apples through this chopper/shredder, and then wrap the mash in cloths which are pressed by the hydraulic in the press.

And little Elizabeth and our Hannah pour the resulting cider into jugs.

Work like this is so fun with friends!

Our 23rd Anniversary--and Treasure in Our Own Back Yard

Yesterday was Jonathan's and my 23rd anniversary.

He surprised me the night before with a dozen roses, baby's breath, and these daisies!

I arranged them in a jar.

 Then I noticed the day's verse in the daily calendar beside the jar.

"The house of the righteous contains great treasure..."

And I thought how many treasures God has blessed our home with!

Treasures in our own back yard!

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof and be glad."

Psa. 34:1-2

Not only do we have seven precious children (and two in heaven) but this year we were blessed with a new well that produces abundantly, so that we can water our little gardens, flower beds and even the yard!

We are blessed with a ranch where there are almost ALWAYS babies! 

Either our own babies, or puppies, or kittens, or chicks or bunnies or calves or kids or piglets!

God said that if His people would honor Him and choose life, He would bless.

Deut. 30:9 says, "The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, 

in the fruit of your body,

in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. "

While we can expect to suffer as Christians at times, we can also expect God to bless as we obey Him!

On our anniversary morning, we woke up to the sunshine streaming in the windows, and most of our children camped out on the front lawn--along with one or two dogs!

I just love the cosmos, bachelors buttons, and sunflowers that are blooming along our walk. They come from seeds saved from either Grandma Lucas or our friends the Duddeks.

Other treasures in our own back yard (or front yard) are toads...

and caterpillars.

and nice stones for walk way!

Jonathan brought home a pile of these flat stones leftover from a job he did.

We had been wanting stones like these for a walk for a long time, and finally we got some leftover for free!

Sunflowers all over our backyard! 

The children did not want to mow them, so we left them, and they are so bright and cheerful!

Morning glories are one of my favorite flowers!

We have so many blessings! Jonathan and I both have marveled at the blessings, the answers to prayer, and the friends that God has blessed us with recently--in the middle of some tough situations.

Some of our children recently trusted Christ as Savior recently or prayed for their sins to be forgiven. 

We are in the middle of several Mission Helps trips, and God is providing for us in wonderful ways! 

A lady Jonathan worked for a few weeks ago gave him twice as much money as he billed her--telling him she wanted the extra to go toward our mission work!

At the fire station where Sam volunteers as fireman, he was asked to help someone in town move some big rocks and help with landscape fabric. For just two hours work, Sam was paid $160!

We were going to just stay home and work in the yard on our anniversary, since we've been gone so much,

but then we found some tree seedlings and other plants at a cheap price, so Jonathan took me out to eat on our way to buy maple, ash, and willow saplings, as well as lilac and rhubarb starts.

I also got a couple lush ivy plants. Jonathan had picked up two of these overflowing flower baskets at buy one get one free.

Love never fails!
God's love is everlasting and faithful.

And we are so thankful for the loving home He's given us.
Since going to Caring for the Heart, Jonathan has been an even better husband to me, and I hope I've been a better wife to him,
and better parents to our children!
We love them dearly!
Thank You, Lord, for all You've done!

Hope Family Chapel in Mission, South Dakota--the "Happy Place"

I loved how this little mission chapel in Mission, SD, was decorated for autumn.

It was so homey and cheerful!

Here is a little dry erase board with prayer requests written on it.

This placque really touched me.

Tazbah Lavery leads the children's choruses before Daniel Anthony leads the worship choruses or songs. This particular week Keith Lavery's family was visiting from Indiana, so Keith's sister was playing the keyboard. Chip Yarrison (on left) whose family we know in PA, led praise and prayer time and shared some devotional thoughts.

We so enjoyed the totally laid back style of worship. No one comes to church in a suit and tie!

At least two kids came barefoot! 

Yes!!!!

We visited with others after service before everyone crowded into Lavery's house for snack.

We contributed apple pies, chips, and fresh pressed apple cider.

I loved how the church entry way was decorated.

In case it's blurry, it says, 

"Live simply

Love generously

Serve faithfully

Speak truthfully

Pray daily."

Here was the opposite corner of the entry way.

Inside the chapel, this cute book shelf stood in the corner.

Tazbah Lavery told me that Monica Anthony had decorated the upstairs of the chapel,

and Tazbah decorated downstairs.

I loved these bandanas hanging in the youth section of the basement.

Tazbah had done a super job of making cozy dividers in the basement for Sunday School classes, making a stark, concrete-floored basement into a very welcoming place...

a cozy, happy place...

and a place to belong!

Tazbah and Monica did such a lovely job of making a lovely, inviting place for children and adults,for visitors and regulars.

A place to belong.

Jesus, when our hearts are drooping and we aren't sure where we belong,

help us to remember that You have 

a welcoming heart,

an inviting smile,

open arms,

an understanding compassion,

and that with You, we always belong!

South Dakota Ranch

While Jonathan and the children were working on the church in South Dakota
a rancher stopped by to see how the project was coming along.
He let us know we could come by the ranch, and so Jonathan made arrangements.

Sunday afternoon before evening service we stopped by the ranch on our way to the mission church in Mission, SD. There were a bunch of horses out this lane, one of which kept backing up to us!

We were a little leary because you don't stand behind horses, but later at church Chip Yarrison,

who works at the ranch, told us that particular horse just likes to have its butt scratched!

Well, that was good to know, for we had kind of figured that out!

We walked along this dam for a bit.

The rancher took us out to the cornfield where he picked a dozen or so corn on the cob to send with us.

His wife raises cucumbers, corn, and other veggies to sell. The rancher gave us a couple cucumbers, squash, and an onion, too! Mmm, homegrown veggies!

Hannah gets to pick one ear of corn, just to say she did it!

They also have this greenhouse with these enormous tomato plants!

How about these antlers?

These cows were staring at us as we lumbered in the lane in our motor home,

and we also saw quite a number of wild turkeys!

The kind rancher picked Hannah a sunflower!

He and his wife are going to be gone soon to another country that is closed to the gospel,

on a mission trip. 

Lord, be with this couple as they go to share Your love in this other country!

He gave Hannah a little ride on the horse that he'd been giving his own grandson a ride on earlier.

They had lots of cats and kittens!

So we said goodbye to the kind South Dakota rancher and headed off to church at Mission.

I hope to post pictures of that church and service soon.

Weekend in South Dakota

Last week we traveled for a second time up to South Dakota to get a head start on siding the Indian Gospel Chapel at Winner, 

where we had worked before.

Thursday and Friday was an Interchurch Holiness Convention.

Bro. Harry Plank, one of our children's favorite preachers and minister in the center with gray suit, and Mark Doddrill (the shorter man beside him) were the speakers, and the Maleys and Albertsons provided special music.

We really enjoyed the Michael Maley family from West Virginia again.

This native American man, to the left, shared twice in testimony, how the Lord took the hatred out of his heart and put love there.

He described how many of his close relatives had ruined their lives with drink, many of them having been killed or dying of disease related to drink. This is the story of so many native Americans. Praise God for this testimony of God's grace!

Mark Doddrill shared an object lesson in one service about the need to encourage each other and hold one another up in prayer as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands so the battle could be won.
Bro. Sherman was Moses, and Mike and Hunter Maley were Aaron and Hur!

Saturday while the men kept siding the church, Crystal and I did a lot of baking for the weekend.

We really appreciated Beth Montour allowing us the run of her little house, since she was caring for her mother at the time.

Here are the beautiful apple pies Crystal made, along with brownies.

The men and boys sided up to the base of the windows on this side, and about ten laps up all around the church, and more in the front.

Sunday Jonathan wanted to visit the Society of Indian Mission's church at Rosebud.

Here it is. 

The Smith family ministers there. They have nine children!

Some of the beautiful scenery on the way...

or less than beautiful!

They had a lot of native American children there that morning, mostly on the other side of the church.