What Makes a Mother Glad

It's the little things that make a mother glad, glad enough to stop right in the middle of doing dishes this evening to write about it. 

The little things that are really big things--the following my oldest son to the door as he comes upstairs dressed in his fireman's clothing and ready to spend his night at the station,

and seeing in his hand one thing--

his Bible.

That is enough to make a mother glad.  

My heart is anxious when I  know he spends a lot of time at the station with people who aren't Christians.

But when I see him take his Bible along for the evening, rather than so many other things he could be taking, I am grateful.

And as we are busy helping Crystal to pack for her move to Missouri, my heart is glad. 

She is going to help in a Christian school, and is making choices that keep eternity in view.

 

She had just received in the mail a couple weeks ago a certificate of completion of supervisor's training for ACE. And yet another plea came to her a few days ago from Joe Stratton for a monitor for his school there in Ottawa. 

Could Crystal come?

But she was already committed to Mt. Zion, and a mother's heart was glad, not that she had to say no to Ottawa, but that so many doors are now open to her.

Crystal spent several years preparing, spending all her money on Christian education while others were pocketing theirs, but now there is no end of open doors for teaching in Christian schools, 

and perhaps a mission school down the road.

Crystal has always had an eye to missions.

Today another two daughters traveled a little distance to attend an event they were interested in, and about 4:40, I received a telephone call letting me know that the phone hadn't been working, and hoping I was not worried about them. 

And a mother's heart was glad.

Not that a phone had not been working, but that a daughter cared about her mother possibly worrying and calling home as soon as she could get the phone working again.

A son had hoped to go with the girls to the event, but because of a wheel falling off his truck yesterday and a rotor disintegrating, leaving a lot of mechanical work to do, he had to stay home. 

And he stayed home, ordered parts, shopped at a junk yard for a part he had to take off himself with tools he had to go pick up elsewhere, and now, hot, greasy, tired, and miserable with allergies, 

Timmy is out a couple miles away working on his truck by the side of the road. 

He gave up what he wanted to do in place of what he needed to do

without a word of complaint.

 

There are many times I am concerned about my children, many times I walk the floor after they have gone to bed,

praying for them,

my hands folded in my bed, a silent prayer to my Father in heaven.

So I am so thankful for the little things--the little things that are really big things,

the things that really matter.

 

Sunday Skit in Alaska--Racing Pigeon and Endurance

 Our last Sunday in Alaska, our two boys and two girls, my nephew Samuel, Hunter Sayler, and Josiah Randel pitched in to help dramatize my children's Sunday School story on the theme of running the race with endurance. I got such a kick out of the props they brilliantly concocted--using everything from caulk guns to a laundry basket! 

The church there was so tiny that with our big work crew, the worshipers had to meet in a barn for service--a perfect place to tell a pigeon story!

Here are American soldiers hunkering with their "guns" and pigeon coop clothesbasket!

After reviewing a true story I had told the children earlier in the week about an Alaskan girl who entered her first sled dog race against all odds--and won (Stubborn Gal, in case you want to order this amazing story), I told another true story about a racing pigeon named Cher Ami, (that is also the name of a book which tells its story) which had been trained to carry messages in World War I. In the photo, that is Cher Ami (aka Rose under the clothesbasket coop). About this time, cameras were being whipped out from all over the place, and Matt Thompson went hurrying out to get his camera to video this skit.

This pigeon was the last hope of a besieged battalion of American soldiers who were not only surrounded and attacked by Germans but who were also being shot at accidentally by their own American airplane! Cher Ami had a message attached to its leg, but it sat on a branch and refused to fly up into the air where several other pigeons had been shot from. 

Here is paper pigeon, Cher Ami, perched on top of the "branch," which American soldier Crystal is shaking to try to get it to fly!

 Finally, Cher Ami knew the time was right, and took off-only to have one leg shot nearly off, and another bullet pierce its breast bone. That did it for Cher Ami! Wounded with a hole the size of a quarter through its breast bone, nevertheless it winged its way high above the guns and flew 25 miles in 25 minutes, safely arriving, collapsing, into its coop, where it rang the bell calling for a soldier who delivered the message to the major--resulting in 160 lives of American soldiers being saved.

"I have fought a good fight," Paul wrote, "I have finished the course, I have kept the faith."

Stubborn sled dog racer Sarah and determined pigeon Cher Ami both teach us the value of overcoming every obstacle and persevering to the end.

Home awaits us!

A Precious Preposition: "With"

This evening as sleep eluded me for a while, my hands were folded in the darkness--

a silent prayer to the God Who hears prayers of the heart in the dark

when others are sleeping.

I was thinking about those who are walking through the valley of the shadow,

and I was remembering what Psalm 23 says about it.

It says, "Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me."

With me.

With.

Beside.

Not alone.

Together.

His hand holding mine.

His arms around me.

His presence real.

It means that I do not walk through any valley, any shadow, any death--alone.

And neither do you.

 Always, the Shepherd is there with me.

With you.

In the valley.

Through the shadows.

In death.

Always.

"Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

 

And so now I have a new favorite word as I look toward the shadows in the future. 

It is simply "with."

A preposition sent from heaven to our valleys of shadows.

 I can go anywhere, even into the valley of the shadow of death, without fear,

because He is with me.

 

Cabins for Youth Camp in the Boonies of Alaska

Because I was a cook, I wasn't on the work site much, but I got a few pictures, or sent them to myself from Jonathan's phone. 

Here is the first end wall going up on one of the three cabins that were set and framed up.

They were set on six concrete pads that the men either set or poured. 

Rose and Hunter mixed cement and poured one or two or more concrete pads themselves.

Rose, Carrie, Hannah Smith, and Jaquie Norris all seemed to prefer outdoor work to helping cook in the kitchen and were a huge help!

And here is a picture of the crew on the last afternoon we were there, with the first cabin partly roofed and partly sided with rustic 3/4 inch live-edge siding that Timmy milled on site. 

This is the mill that Gary Deeter showed Timmy how to operate. Timmy spent most of his seven work days milling log after log after log. 

 Young people who were not busy with other projects would carry the lumber to whichever cabin needed it. 

Here Jonathan is taking up one of the rafter boards. In the lower left corner, is nephew Samuel.

Josiah Randel measuring and sawing lumber for the cabin.

 

Carrie, Rose, and Danny helped a lot with siding the cabin.

Danny stood inside measuring where each piece needed to go. The plan is to blow in some kind of insulation later. 

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More work on the siding on the gable end.

Matt Thompson, Hunter Sayler and I think that is Samuel doing the siding up high. k

Jonathan starting the metal roofing, with Matt Thompson and Jeff Deeter handing him the roofing pieces.

Love this picture--against the Alaskan blue sky!

Doors and windows were set in before the siding could go up. Lots and lots of work!

It never became completely dark there. This is a sunset in Alaska on our way home from somewhere, about 11:30 at night.

Worthington Glacier and Horsetail Falls

Wednesday in Alaska was to be a rainy day (in fact, it poured!) in Tok where we were working, so the crew chose to take that day off for sightseeing. Especially with a whole crew of teenagers and young people, the dads did not want it to be all work and no play!

We traveled about 4 hours to Worthington Glacier where we could hike clear up to the glacier.  

Here was a beautiful mountain scene on the way. 

Here is a picture I took from partway up the hike. You may want to click on the picture to enlarge it to find the hikers below.

We had warned the young people about the crevaces, and Jonathan went along the whole way to make sure everyone stayed safe.

He went here, while Crystal and I remained behind at one point where we thought we'd just stay away from the glacier and possible mudslides. We kept hearing loud cracks and rumbles and stones falling as the glacier edges melted bit by bit in the hot sunshine. 

Several of the crew who hiked up the glacial river bed noticed a 16-foot long crack that had just formed in the glacier practically under their very eyes.

What young people will do when Mom is not around!

Reaching in to a crevasse, and ready to get some of the clearest, coolest water ever!

Us!

Further down the road we enjoyed Bridal Veil Falls.

Timmy got this photo with a columbine in it.

Just a bit further down the road was Horsetail Falls.

If you click and enlarge this photo, you will find a rainbow.

What a blast we all had! 

Jeff Deeter challenged the boys to do what his boys used to do--put their heads under the icy water!

And so some did!

What a blissful moment, with Alaskan mountains in the background!

A carving of a bighorn sheep inside a moose antler at a convenience store/giftshop at Glenallen.

"Leave it to Beavers!"

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this cute scene.

On down the way at Valdez, we spent the better part of an hour watching the antics of several sea lions having a hayday catching salmon that were trying to swim upriver but kept back by something that had been set across the mouth of the river.  

It was high tide with saltwater from the ocean, and feeding time.

Sea gulls swooped about, trying to catch their share of slivered salmon when the sea lions' sharp teeth would catch one and throw it up in the air to swallow it. 

Above, four sea lions are having a conversation about whose salmon was tastiest! :)

They "talk' with growls, roars, glurps and something that sounds like an elongated burp!

People who enjoy burping contests need to go there and take lessons. 

Jeff Deeter said those noises are the sixth love language!

I prefer this love language!

 I love to go with my hubby on Mission Helps trips! God has blessed us with so many happy moments that we don't expect ahead of time!