Blow, Christmas Wind!

  A snowy window greeted us this Sunday morning in South Dakota--behind the poinsettias and pineapples on the windowsill.

A winter storm watch of  sorts had been on, and only a few people braved the roads to attend church.

One was a native grandfather from Rosebud who managed to bring some of his grandchildren.

Pastor Ambrose asked one of them to light the advent candles. 

I was proud of the grandfather, who has to carry his oxygen pack everywhere he goes. 

He's a man whose older brother fought in the Battle of the Bulge, driving a jeep through enemy lines to deliver messages. His jeep had a hook on it, the grandfather said, that would snap wires laid across where it was supposed to go, wires that were supposed to cut his head off as the windshield hit them. Instead, the special hook would cut the wires. He would hear the snap.
Yes, he came home with PTSD.

The younger brother, now a grandfather, drove on icy roads forty-five minutes to bring the young people to Lakota Community Chapel. We passed another church that had cancelled service.

"I'm not worried about the snow," one lady said. "I'm worried about the wind."

These South Dakotans know what wind does. It takes a little snow and makes huge drifts. It whips the cold into cars and barns and bones.

 

Wind.

"I need a windy person to blow these candles out," Pastor Ambrose said at the end of service. And a young boy came up to do the blowing.

I thought about that later, the different statements about wind. And I remembered reading another statement recently by a Christian who observed, "The wind of the Spirit is moving on the reservations."

 

That's why we are here. The Spirit blew, and we landed here. I sat across from a native Christian lady this afternoon who also braved the cold and snowy roads to come to church. The Spirit has been blowing in her life. She is reaching out to ones about her.

It's why we spend hours making cookies for give-away plates, 

to take for serving after Christmas Eve candlelight service,

and for Christmas caroling. 

Also for the family coming in! 

This crew of happy bumpkins sitting downwind from us after Sunday service. 

As we wait for the predicted blizzard winds to blow tomorrow, on Christmas Day, my thoughts and prayers have been dwelling on the wind.

And the Spirit. 

"Blow, Spirit, blow!" my heart cries out this Christmas.

"Blow upon my heart! Blow within my family, and among my friends, and on this reservation."

Blow, Christmas Wind of God!"

Glimpses from the Windows at Christmastime

This was one of my favorite glimpses out a window this Christmas season! Looking up out of the window in the church basement yesterday, I saw these three hats stuck up on a post out where church children were playing outdoors--yes, in December!

The weather was sunny and dry and not terribly cold. 

 

Each child at church that morning received a brand new hand-knitted hat, made with love by someone the pastor's wife knew.  But apparently the children weren't used to playing while wearing hats, soo--three of the hats ended up on posts!

 

I love looking out the southwest windows of the house in the morning.

For some reason, our goats like to start grazing over there first thing in the morning, moving on around the property throughout the day.  

Heidi, the brown goat, must get inside the patch of plum bushes to search for December edibles.

From the same window today, through his scope, Danny got a closeup of a sharp-tailed grouse perched on a high branch of a tree in our draw.  

Somebody else perched up high--putting up gutters--another scene out my mudroom window today.

This picture was taken from near a door in our basement rather than a window, but I got the bright idea to set up my vibraharp and practice a song for Sunday's Christmas Eve program this coming week. The pastor's wife had asked our family to  have several songs.  Amazingly, all the parts for the vibraharp were intact, and I showed Hannah how I set it up. Then she actually decided to try to play it, too, so we are going to do a sort of medley and duet.

 

Avocado Christmas Tree--and Starry Peanut Butter Pie

I know it's not as fancy or tasty as Christmas cookies, but this avocado Christmas tree came out kind of cute.

I was trying to make my healthy food look more festive, and it didn't take much work to concoct a copy of one of these I discovered online when I googled "Healthy Christmas dishes" or something like that. 

First it came out like this, and Jonathan was not impressed at all. Neither was I. What was missing? Why, the trunk and greens! So I dug into my salad greens and cilantro and came up with the dish pictured above. The star is cut out of white cheddar cheese, and pomegranate seeds are the red ornaments. I did eat this, in case you are wondering.  

When I can't have Christmas cookies, I make avocado treats!

Today we decorated a peanut butter pie I made for taking to potluck after church. I was in a rush, so I had to ask for help. Jonathan made omelets for breakfast and helped Hannah with the star on the pie. I was going to make a star with M&Ms, but it didn't work.  

This worked better, green sugar they made, which Jonathan carefully worked into the cookie cutter star corners.  

I was quite pleased with how it turned out. It was the only dessert at the potluck, except for apple slices and orange slices and icecream that the pastor's wife brought over. Our crock pot of elk and potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and brussels sprouts disappeared well, too. Seems people at this church like vegetables! I was so happy!

So while my guys worked several days this last week for SIM, and at the worst apartment complex in Mission, trying to figure out some maintenance issues that are keeping one apartment complex from being occupied. This place has been dubbed the "ghetto of Mission," and everyone knows to stay away at night and on weekends. It is a very rough place, and I had started to pray for it. 

And then my husband got asked to help figure out some issues there! I have to trust him to God's care, because when we pray for a place, we better be willing for God to send us there--or our husband!

Above, Jonathan and Danny have poured cement leveler in a basement room for SIM president's family, and then laid flooring.

Here they are working in our own home setting a last cabinet over the stove and getting the stove hood in.  

Meanwhile, I work hard at home keeping meals on. This is a big pot of chicken corn potato chowder that I made. We had enough leftovers I could share with Jess and Faye today when we went over.  

This stir fry for over rice looked Christmasy!

More food we made to share. When someone gave us a bag of carrots "for your goats," I instead turned them into carrot cakes--one for us and one to give away, along with rolls and bread, with an extra loaf to give away. We had an interesting ministry opportunity today which was challenging. We wish we could help more, but God is the One Who knows what each person needs.  

I am having a blast being a missionary in South Dakota.  

Ye Old Serpent at Christmas Tme

This is the head that stared up at Jonathan and Danny in the basement of the Laverys' house where they were working yesterday!

Danny and Jonathan were pouring self-leveling cement on the basement floor so that this room could be turned into something useful for the SIM president's family. 

And that is when they discovered this beautiful creature between the basement and crawlspace. 

"Snakes in the basement in December?" I squawked. I guess they hibernate, and they love this particular basement, much to the consternation of the ladies of the house. 

More than this snake head poke up into our lives in December. My son Sam sent a message to family that he'd lost his night's sleep fighting a terrible fire two nights ago when he was on duty in Peyton. 

A family with children barely escaped with the pajamas on their backs when the mom woke up and discovered the house was on fire, possibly from a wood stove in the garage. It was the birthday of one of the girls, and suddenly they are homeless for Christmas season. 

A dear family friend of ours, Tim Cooley, Sr., academic dean for over thirty years at Penn View Bible Institute, just lost his wife only a couple weeks before Christmas. 

My friend Jess tells me more than once about losing her father a few Christmases ago. Her family buried him on Christmas Day.

Bitterly cold, they grieved that what should have been a happy celebration was suddenly so bitterly sad. 

My heart felt whispered to that I could take a meal up every once in a while this Christmas season to cheer this family that is going through so much with an invalid grandma, a mother with serious diabetes, and several children from more than one family living under one roof. 

Today I took sloppy joe, buns, No-Bake Cookies, and deviled eggs in this colorful egg plate I found at Dollar General up the hill.

I hope this Christmas is happier for this family--because someone cared.

I don't know what will happen to ourselves or others this Christmas season that may be anything but happy.  Today I found out that the oncology unit at Avera hospital in Sioux Falls scheduled me for a PET scan next week, Dec. 20, on Crystal's birthday, just before Christmas. 

I don't know what the results of that PET scan will be or how it will affect our Christmas.

I just know that as long as I have life and energy and breath, I want to love and do good for others.

When we pulled out decorations for the Christmas tree, I hung my favorites up--love, joy, hope, peace.

When the old serpent rears his ugly head once again at Christmas time, we overcome Him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony.  "Overcome evil with good," the Good Book says, and that is our aim.

When a family is sad, we take a meal, loving words, and a heartfelt prayer for the invalid mother.

When a friend loses a spouse, we send meaningful cards and condolences and post memories on the site, as well as watch the service if we can.

When we are facing unknown PET scan results, and we are sitting down to blog because we are simply beaten physically at the moment, we trust our future to God's care and live joyfully in the present--just like the daughter of an old friend of my mom's who called me a few days ago. Janelle Keep has been told there is nothing more the doctors can do for her in her battle against cancer.

But how is she spending her days?

Wrapping hundreds of gifts for children in need for a project her church is involved in. 

We can't let evil overcome good.

Rather, we overcome evil with good.  

The old serpent, who ruined the world for us all and who would like us to blame God instead of him, likes to rear his ugly head at Christmas time. 

But Jesus is Victor! Like Danny with his gloves, Jesus takes the old serpent and turns evil for good to all those who love Him!

Unlikely Christmas Rest

A couple days ago, Jonathan insisted I go out to the garage and look. 

I knew it was not about the garage, because the garage was a mess.  

It had to be something else.

There on a piece of plastic covering on the garage floor lay our two furry pets--tiger kitty and beautiful golden retriever.

Right in the middle of the messy garage, right in the middle of the Christmas season,

two unlikely furry creatures found a spot of rest. 

More and more I've been thinking about how "rest" is getting to be one of my favorite thoughts about heaven.  

I keep moving all day long, working, unpacking, organizing, cleaning, cooking, helping Hannah with her schooling, doing all my protocol (except for what I forget each day).

And of course, I'm collecting and wrapping Christmas gifts for each of my children and others. 

It's a busy time.

But Sunday mornings at church are restful. 

We get to go in and sit down and be still and worship. For a whole hour!

We can admire the old fashioned Christmas tree up front, with its stuffed stable animals hunkered down underneath. 

Our friend Dave Kruse filled in last Sunday morning when Pastor Ambrose was sick, and he was showing us the stable creatures. 

I loved them, as well as the red, white, and blue in memory of all the veterans, of whom the pastor is one.  

 

Our Danny had helped the pastor carry to the church the parts for the outdoor nativity. And his wife sent me this photo of them. 

I guess I'm kind of old fashioned, because I just really enjoyed the simple decor in this little old chapel--a place of rest when we come in tired from the week's work. .

A place with bits of beauty placed lovingly by a little pastor's wife and her helpers. 

The chapel is just one of those places where unlikely combinations gather to find rest for our souls--

young and old, 

natives and white,

country ranchers and beekeeper,

a pastor who has been there for thirty years and newbies like us.  

Just coming, in the middle of our Christmas busyness,

in the middle of our messy lives,

to find Christmas rest

in Jesus.

Crunched Refrigerator--When You Have a Big Problem

This week after I had a medical appointment near Pierre, we had to drop our old refrigerator at a scrap yard.       

 

When the boys moved our extra fridge from the garage into the laundry room at Thanksgiving time, someone plugged it in before the compressor fluid had settled, and the fridge quit working. I was sad because that old refrigerator had served us well for years, purchased for just $5 from a neighbor of our friends Lowell and Jean McVey. 

It was not a good time for a refrigerator to quit working--when we have to purchase extra food from far away and when I have special needs.

 But Jonathan found another fridge just a few miles from Pierre, and on our way, there we were at the scrap yard, watching the excavator with its yawning claws waiting for our old fridge.  

That fridge was a big, heavy monster for my guys to try to manage, but it was a toy in the sight of the steel claws.  

The operator pushed a stick or two inside the cab, and into the sky went the bad fridge--just like the big, heavy problems we have to take to God's scrap yard at times. 

Something that isn't working...

Something that's dented or banged up or hurt or wounded...

Something that can't be mended anymore.

To Him it isn't any trouble at all.

Maybe He doesn't fix everything about it, but if we will come to Him in prayer and trust, He will lift the weight of it off our trailer hitch and haul the weight and grief of it away and give us rest in our hearts.