Mother's Day Flooding

For days we've been blessed with rain--too much, in fact.

And then there was hail and snow--so much snow on the road last night that on our way home from Carrie's violin recital our van landed in the ditch.

But that is another story.

The north side of our house was plastered with snow.

And our basement has water seeping in from several places, flooding into carpet, etc. 

And the sump pump suddenly quit.

We spent hours Saturday moving boxes, bins, and stuff to dry places and moving shelves and furniture, rolling up wet carpet and using shop vacs to sop up water.

But anyway, after a late night and Jonathan and Sam taking turns getting up to turn on a pump in the window well and dip one out by hand,

we woke to a very special Mother's Day!

When I pulled up the blinds, there was a whole flock of these colorful yellow-headed blackbirds

in the austree just outside the window.

The males of these birds have yellow heads, and the females have yellow throats. 

The first thing I did was go check the basement and slurp up two shop vacs of water which had run over the "dams" Jonathan had built on the floor last night.

He has drilled a few holes in the concrete by now, so the water seeping in will drain into the foundation drain and that should take care of most of the water in the basement. 

But after that,

 all morning there were colorful birds all over this tree and the south side of the house and pasture.

We were unable to go to church because of the flooded mess we were in, and the exhausting night,  but I felt like God sent some colorful messengers of His love and care to this mother 

who has been literally pining for streams and trees and flowers and pretty Pennsylvania birds.

 Jonathan and the children don't understand how I feel because they were all born or raised in Colorado, but for someone who was born and raised with the woods and flowers and colorful birds of Pennsylvania,

there are some things that I miss a lot.

And so it just seemed that God understood that, and He sent one colorful bird after another into the heavy, wet snow on Mother's Day morning out here on the prairie. 

There were robins and red-breasted finches and two kinds of yellow birds.

 I just reveled in the sight of all those birds as the snow plow went by on the road.

I don't think we would have seen all those birds if it hadn't been for the snow keeping them off the ground and from being camouflaged.

 "Why do so many bad things have to happen?" Hannah whimpered last night after spending nearly half an hour in the van in the ditch in the pelting snow before a kind rancher offered to pull us out, and then creeping home on those awful roads to a flooded property and to a big mess and several children having to sleep on the floor upstairs since their bedrooms were in a huge upheaval.

It did seem that quite a few things were going wrong all at once.

But we prayed and thanked God for bringing us home safely, that we had a dry upstairs, and a daddy who was taking care of us. 

It had been a fun couple of hours at Carrie's violin recital which most of us were able to attend.

                                    

She was part of the beginners ensemble.

 Their first song was "Hickory, Dickory, Dock," a very cute piece in which they plucked their strings.

 Carrie's teacher is a very sweet lady from a family of 12 children and originally from Kazakstan.

                                     

Carrie also played with other older children accompanying the children who sang "Edelweis," "Amazing Grace," "He Lives," "Over the Rainbow," and "I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord."

 We loved watching the cute little children singing. The little girl in pink is a twin to the little boy in a black suit beside her, children of Carrie's violin teacher.

 At the end of the recital, the children were given roses to give to their mothers for Mother's Day.

 And each of the participants received a certificate and a rose. 

Here Carrie is receiving a rose and certificate from her teacher.

 The participants posing for a photo.

 Carrie is second from the right in the back row.

 Teacher Natalia presented with flowers, too.

 The beautiful red rose Carrie gave me last night, with her own white one.

 I decided to give my children gifts for Mothers Day--something for everyone and some things to share.

And a photo album about our 20th anniversary and 20 happy years together

for Jonathan which I had meant to give him for his birthday and forgot about.

Outside there were a few beautiful scenes if you aimed at just the right spot

and missed all the flooded and muddy areas.

The sun was melting most of the snow this afternoon.

 But the northern side of this tree kept its snow even after much of the rest of the snow melted.

 This looked like Pennsylvania!

We all went for a walk this evening wearing rubber boots through our flooded pasture.

 And I couldn't help feeling so thankful like the Lord really cared about a mom who has been

starved for streams and trees and colorful spring birds

and so He sent a big snow and a flooded basement to keep us home on Mother's Day

so I could enjoy all the streams and birds and 

know it was God's gift.

At least that is how I interpreted this event.

God is so creative in how He cares for His children's needs and even wants--

and He can use what could seem like something bad

and turn it into a blessing if we have 

eyes to see it and a heart to receive it.

Clips from IHC in Dayton

About two weeks ago Jonathan, Crystal and I flew back to OH to join the Mission Helps team at the

Interchurch Holiness Convention.

I didn't take many pictures this time--but this is one of the mass choir.

Jonathan wrapped the wooden frame for our Mission Helps display as one of our pieces of luggage.

Here he is after retrieving it at the Dayton airport.

I reveled in the beautiful blossoms and green grass and tiny new leaves outside our car window.

My favorite part of checking in at the hotel was the blooming trees outside.

They made my heart ache.

Blossoms outside our hotel at night.

The first thing I thought to take a picture of at IHC was at the Women of Worth meeting. 

I enjoyed the women's meetings so much. 

This year, Sis. Janet Sankey turned the directorship of WOW over to Lorena Glick.

Lorena Glick had been a missionary in New Guinea about thirty or so years ago and had the vision

there as a young missionary to reach out to the New Guinea ladies and get a women's retreat

put together. 

Here is one of the women from Papua New Guinea who is part of the women's groups there,

speaking here at IHC and expressing her joy that we can all be sisters in Christ

no matter what country we are part of.

She is grateful that missionaries came to PNG to share the gospel.

Valerie Quesenberry and one of the two daughters who sang are to the left of the podium, and Sis. Sankey to the right. 

Crystal with her friend Hannah Moyer who attends AWC.

 And if you think nothing good is happening in this world anymore, think again. 

The most outstanding service was Thursday afternoon when representatives from Papua New Guinea shared in the service.

Rev. James Plank is greeting different government dignitaries and members of PNG Parliament as they come to the platform.

I was so proud of James Plank. It was hard to believe that I sat in college classes with him about 30 years ago at Penn View, and here he was, greeting this government delegation from Papua New Guinea and being part of this momentous occasion.

How we never know where life will take us--him on the platform as a respected and godly 

Chrisitan leader greeting government officials,

and I as a little lowly mom, one of the many littles there at the occasion.

All I could relate to was sitting in college classes with him--and now just so proud of him and that I got to know him personally, 

but we can also relate in that each of us is trying to fulfill God's plan for our lives whether it takes us to a platform or to a lowly prairie home.

We had no idea how special this service was to these brothers in Christ and members of the PNG government.

They told us how their nation has decided to become a Christian nation, and to build it upon the Word of God. 

They are rejecting their heathen ways and have torn down at least part of a wicked image in their government building representing three kinds of evil in their nation. 

Instead, they are wanting to use something Christian in its place.

To this end, a well-known and well-respected pastor, Gene Hood, who has worked for years with folk from PNG, supporting with finances, etc.,

donated the nation an original 1611 King James Version Bible, valued at half a million dollars. 

He had hoped to be present at this service to present it, but was taken ill and could only watch online. (Bro. Hood died only a few days later, but it was such a blessing that he could at least witness this event, for which he had surely hoped and prayed, before he died.)

Bro. Hood's representative spoke instead.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience--to be part of a ceremony where government dignitaries are receiving the Word of God with so much respect and celebration.

They said that PNG has moved their embassy to Jerusalem in support of Israel. 

The KJV Bible is being brought to the podium to be presented to a government official.

They said that when they get back to PNG, the government officials are planning to roll out a red carpet to the airplane to receive this Bible with all due honor and respect.

They are planning to create a special display in their government building to house this Bible as

their national treasure, expecting to use its truths to guide their nation.

While the hundreds and perhaps thousands of people in the auditorium clapped, cheered, and praised God, this man held the Bible aloft with great celebration and excitement and pride. 

It was absolutely spine-tingling. 

You really need to visit the IHC archives and watch the archived service online. 

We have never been in such a remarkable and amazing service.

One of the dignitaries speaking.

They shared that they believe they are part of the fulfillment of prophecy where the prophets wrote how the "isles of the sea" would turn to the Lord. 

They expect God to bless their nation now that they have turned to Him as a nation and government.

Another dignitary speaking.
I cannot do the service justice. You'll have to go online and listen for yourself.

The PNG group sang "Victory in Jesus" and perhaps another song.

Visiting with the Warners from Nebraska at our display. 

We were told that there was a record number of exhibits this year.

One was Hannah McDowell, new author of a most interesting missionary book about her life as a missionary midwife called Babies, Bullets and Bee Stings. 

She autographed her book for me, which I bought to give Carrie for her birthday since she is interested in midwifery. 

It was touching to see the entire original Edwards family singing a simple rendition of a song they used to sing many years ago before Bro. Edwards, a much loved song evangelist, died. 

I remember the Edwards being song evangelist one year at Evangelical Bible Mission in Florida when we lived down there in the winters. 

L to R--Daniel, Esther, mother Edwards, Elizabeth and Jonathan.

I couldn't help remembering 37 years ago when I was 12 years old sitting on this same platform with the Edwards, the Enyarts, and perhaps a third family, all waiting our turns to sing for that family evening of singing they always have at IHC.

I remember our family sang "I'll Walk With God," "My God and I," and "How Great Thou Art."

I am so thankful to see this beautiful family again, all of whose children are still serving God.

My hat is off to that family.  

Below now is the mass choir and orchestra on the last night. 

Part of the mass choir preparing to go on the platform.

It was a joy to see the Keep boy in the choir, with his white walking stick. 

Though blind, he is very much a part of joyful service and life with others.

Outstanding music.

As exhibitors were tearing down, I got a quick snap with Esther Miller (daughter of Jacob Miller) who has stayed young all these thirty years since we were together at Evangelical Bible Mission in Florida.

In Memory of Sis. Anita Brechbill

On Thursday of this week we said goodbye to a godly prayer warrior, 

founder of Rope Holders,

Sis. Anita Brechbill,

who died at age 91 after many years of Christian service, especially, in her later years, the service of prayer.

All of my family who live in Pennsylvania attended the funeral, where Bro. Arlen Kratz officiated, and Bro. Harry Plank gave the message. 

Bro. Will Byler gave some outstanding memoirs, and Bro. James Plank and others spoke in her memory. 

Yesterday afternoon when I was down physically again and not able to do much of anything, I watched the archived service online at

http://www.newcolumbiagmc.com/live-stream/

Of course the children and I eagerly scanned the congregation at the beginning of the service when the camera moved from side to side to show who was there, and we found Elon's, Fain's, Gabriel's and Joella's family as well as my mom and dad in the back. 

My favorite part was when my sister Joella played a simple but beautiful arrangement of "Under His Wings" on the violin (or viola), with her husband Craig accompanying her on the organ.

I listened to the memoirs of those who loved this saintly lady and those who knew her as a woman of constant prayer, as well as someone with a twinkle in her eye.

It was a blessing. 

It was a blessing to have known this lady, to have visited with her only a couple years ago,

and to hear her pray for us as we prepared to fly back to CO after attending the Penn View Mission Convention that year.

But it was also a little bit intimidating to a mom who has been struggling to pray much more than

"Dear God, it's Anna."

How many hours a day did Sis. Brechbill pray for missionaries and all sorts of other people?

And how is a busy wife

and mom of seven children

who home schools

and tries to help her husband in his occasional Mission Helps ministry

supposed to step up to the shoes of such a saint gone on before?

I want so much to help fill her shoes in the place of prayer.

But I reminded myself that there are seasons to life.

Right now I am being poured out for my family.

I have to pray on my feet--and in short, sometimes desperate, spurts.

 I have to keep my own and my children's feet firmly on the ground--

and hopefully our heads out of the clouds.

I have to swallow my aching desire for a Pennsylvania springtime

with trees and woods and streams and flowers and lilacs and daffodils and roses

and replace it with a little walk with my youngest daughter who wants to show me a few spring prairie flowers

and a few cactuses blooming

in a few spots in our weedy pasture.

Being mom of a big family is not exactly conducive to a rich prayer life.

Unless it's the kind of prayer that breathes a deep "Thank You!" when the older children have left for the evening, and the younger ones are finally in bed, and the house is quiet and ready for company, two girls who are coming to stay with Carrie for her birthday.

Ready, that is, except for an apple core on the lampstand...

and crayons on the floor,

and clothes a little boy left slopped on the bathroom floor,

and things like that.

About the time you find a quiet place to pray...
(what is that?)

you remember something you need to do, the phone rings, or you can't find your prayer list.
You feel guilty for working instead of praying,
but then you feel guilty for praying instead of working. 

And of course, the enemy is always there to remind you of all the things you've done wrong so that 

you couldn't possibly get your prayers through even if you tried.

It's a struggle to start.

It's a struggle to get to where you can say a respectful, "Amen."

And everything in between is sort of a jumble.

And it's in the secret place that Satan loves to blow things out of proportion--

until you decide that from now on you are not going to bury your head kneeling at your recliner,

but go to a sunny window and lift your eyes to the blue sky--

or go to your little nook where there is lots and lots of sunshine

and the birds are singing all around

and insects are buzzing

and you can choose to rest in this quiet place with God--

and get His perspective on life.

(That's our cat finding a place to sleep inside a tile saw on the deck.)

And then, every once in a while, like today, 

the children are all outside and suddenly you realize you can pray out loud and no one would be the wiser.

And so you do.

And for a few delicious moments, you pour your heart out to God--

interceding for ones you love.

and it's just God and you.