Moving South…From North Carolina to Mississippi

Saying good-bye to Branden, Brooke, and Aiden was hard but time to get busy with a project for Mobile Missionary Assistance Program (MMAP).

We have arrived in Durant, Mississippi, location of the Sunny Mount Missionary Baptist Church. Here we will spend the next three weeks helping to construct a fellowship hall-a much needed addition to their church. Estimated at around 50-75 faithful members, this is a small black congregation who love the Lord Jesus and aren’t afraid to break out in boisterous song on Sunday morning! Oh, the joy of worshiping with this group of believers is difficult to describe. We clap and sway with the music and the loud amens for over two hours. Last week we worshiped with 4,000 while this week we worshped with 40 and His presence was evident in both locations!
It is going to be three weeks of learning and growing together as we offer our services. Already this project has challenged our senses and caused us to dig deep into the well of patience. Upon arriving we had trouble turning into the driveway sliding two wheels into the ditch. In His perfect timing God provided a massive “tree logging tractor” to push us out. The site we were directed into to park our RV was and continues to be NOT level which causes problems in draining the sewage. As we sat discussing that issue we noticed a crack in our massive front windshield! Thankfully we don’t rely on circumstances for our happiness.
Remembering Ps. 50:15, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble (even little ones); I will deliver you and you shall glorify me.”,we put these problems behind us and got into the car to explore the area looking for two of life’s “necessities”: an internet connection and a Wal-Mart! The closest WiFi connection we found was in a tiny library about 25 minutes west in a town of about 1,000 people or less. In the opposite direction, 45 minutes away, we located a Wal-Mart thanks to our “air-head” garmin affectionately named Marilyn Monroe, who finds humor in directing us to turn down obscure dirt roads or seeming to express frustration voicing “recalculating” when we refuse.
As rain softly patters on our roof and we say good-night to our first week-end parked in the church lot we wonder what God has prepared for us here. One thing we do know-it can only be good. “For you , O Lord, are good…” Ps. 86:5

A Statement to Ponder

Recently I completed reading a novel titled: Edge of Eternity by Randy Alcorn. Basically it was the story of a man "caught" between heaven and hell. Although this sounds a bit strange it was a fascinating read. I wanted to share the following quote with you:
"We live our lives in eternity's lobby, walking toward a door that will forever seal our destiny."
If there is any truth to this statement think about its implications. The door we choose to walk through here on earth will determine how we spend eternity. Eternity is a LONG time. For me, I want to make the right choice, which I've already done. I'm walking toward the door marked heaven, but not because of anything I have done but rather because of what Jesus did for me. I pray, you too, make the right choice!

On a lighter note here are two blue-eyes boys ready for a run with mommy.

Look at that boy in the mirror!

Made from "scratch"

On my new diet there are a number of food items I have discovered I can not just go to the store and purchase, mainly because of their sugar or refined carbohydrate content. Therefore I am learning to make more and more items from scratch. It has become quite an interesting challenge-one that surprises the taste buds and provides me with a tiny bit of "pride". (I know that's a sin so let's just say I feel good about my accomplishments!)
In the above photo from left to right starting in the back row you see my versions of hummus, mayonaise, applesauce,(including the nutritious peelings), ketsup, sugarless granola, almond butter, yogurt, (just finished eating the last jar), and 100% whole grain bread made from wheat I ground myself. To this list I also can add soy milk, Italian salad dressing, peanut butter, carrot and various other juices, and alfalfa sprouts from my newly purchased seed sprouter. On my "yet to create" list I have yogurt cream cheese, buttermilk, other salad dressings, various seed sprouts, and a long list of grains to grind for use in breads.
If it was not for my stomach problems I would not be jogging along this new road. So,today, I can with heart felt honesty say "Thank you, Lord, for a tempermental stomach!"

Cutest kid on the block!

In the Valley

Why is it when we are on the mountain top we think we will never venture into the valley again? Just two days ago I was feeling great on this new diet and today I feel rotten. I think it may be the pork ribs we ate yesterday but who knows. There could be a number of reasons why I feel like a little gremlin has lit a match to my digestive tract and is gleefully fanning the flames. But I must remind myself that healing takes time and that a chronic condition doesn't go away easily but puts up a rather vicious battle. Thankfully I can be comforted by Paul's words in 2 Corinthians as he reminds us that God's strength is made perfect through our weakness. God's grace is sufficient.
There is a wonderful old hymn titled-"God Will Take Care of You"
I especially find stength in the line "beneath his wings of love abide". My mind's eye sees a baby chick under the protective wings of a mother hen. That is a safe, warm place. So today I'm resting under the wings of my father "hen". Tomorrow will only be better.

1 week down- 51 to go!

I have just completed one week on the "Perfect Whole Foods Diet" with NO sugar and NO refined carbohydrates and I feel good! In fact, I wouldn't say I just feel good, I am excited about the challenges presented to me by the necessity of radically altering my cooking and baking techniques and incorporating previously unheard of ingredients. Armed with fresh knowledge, as I read more and more about healty diet, each meal preparation becomes an adventure. Breakfast might be a yogurt smoothie with grilled tempeh and 100% whole wheat toast. Vegetables have been added to lunch as well as dinner and sometimes even a handful of spinach thrown into the smoothie to start the day. Various vegetable juices fill the mid-day snack role. (We have a new juicer, which makes that task a breeze.) Even the evening meal may have a few novel additions, such as quinoa or a stevia sweetened dessert.

For fun I thought I would share a little of what I am learning with you in the format of a quiz. See if you can become a member of the "Food Guru" Club.

1. Dulse is:
a) a sea vegetable
b) a soy protein

2. Kamut is:
a) a grain
b) a vegetable

3. Triticale flour is:
a) never refined
b) bleached and brominated

4. Diastatic Malt Powder is:
a) added to whole wheat bread to help it rise
b) added to vegetables for flavor

5. Kefir is:
a) the milk from a goat
b) a cultured milk product

6. Kombu is:
a) a member of the onion family
b) a sea vegetable

7. Amaranth can be:
a) cooked as a cereal
b) used as a fruit substitute

8. TVP is:
a) a low-fat meat substitute
b) an ancient grain

9. Durum is:
a) a baking term
b) wheat for making pasta

10.Job's Tears is a title for:
a) a grain
b) a fruit

ANSWERS: 1)a, 2)a, 3)a, 4)a, 5)b, 6)b, 7)a, 8)a, 9)b, 10)a

How'd you do? If you got 100% you're an automatic "Guru" club member. Any less and you are probably quite normal!! After tasting my stevia cheesecake my husband thinks I'm a bit obsessed, but I'm enjoying "the ride", anyway.

On to week two and more new recipes. Can't wait!