Sightseeing and travel days

Tuesday, April 28
Yesterday was a day of sightseeing. I drove up Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona to Flagstaff. I remember thinking it is the most beautiful road in America the last time I saw it, 47 years ago. It is still incredible, on a more personal scale than the Grand Canyon. I booked a room in Flagstaff and then drove on up to the Grand Canyon. It was a little overcast, so my pictures may not show the colors of the cliffs as much, but I did see it near sunset, so they might turn out OK. It is truly awe-inspiring, on such an vast panoramic layout that it is hard to comprehend with the eyes or the mind. It deserves to be one of the Seven Wonders. The scariest thing I saw was a young woman tourist from Japan who had climbed the wall and walked out to the end of one of the outcroppings, removed her shoes and then raised her arms and one leg out behind, as though she was flying. Her husband or boyfriend or whatever was taking pictures of her. I took some too, praying as I did so that the Lord would send an angel to help her keep her balance, and to protect her, as He often does with fools and children!
As I had during that trip 47 years ago, I stopped at an Indian market after I left the Grand Canyon. The mechandise has changed; back then I bought handmade leather moccasins from the Hopi tribe, this time I bought handmade jewelry from the Navajos. (In case you might be wondering, it is earrings!) I also stopped at a restaurant in the Indian nation and had a taco served on Indian fried bread instead of a tortilla. (Hope I can find a recipe for that online.) Did you know that the Navajo and Hopi reservations are an actual independent nation enclosed inside the US? I learned that unusual fact on that long-ago trip. It was interesting to see the Indian flag flying in front of the restaurant.

Today was a day of travel. I came almost due west on I-40, crossing the Arizona continental divide at over 7000 feet altitude. There was a terrific headwind, the weather prediction for the day that I heard in Flagstaff this morning called for gusts up to 40 mph. I bet I don't get too many miles per gallon for this days travel! We came along the edge of the Mojave Desert, and the mountains are getting taller and more rugged looking. There are very few towns, at long distances apart, and although I wanted to wait until I got to Barstow for gas, I stopped at a lonely gas station when my needle went below a quarter tank. Although I had been praying for a gas station to appear before I ran out, like the Israelites in the desert, as soon as God answered my prayer, I started complaining! My complaints were about the price of the gas, over a dollar higher than any other station so far. What an ungrateful traveler! I did tell Him I'm sorry, but it's scary to realize that murmuring and complaining are listed in the same list of sins with murder.

We are finally back in the land of grass, for which Jiffy is grateful and so am I, for different reasons. Tomorrow we'll see Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, which have the kind of beauty I'm more accustomed to: great evergreen trees and waterfalls! Please continue to pray for me.

Saturday, April 25 Laura and I spent the morning at a Goodwill half price sale getting some clothes for the three younger children. It didn't take long to find the clothing, but the lines were half a store long! We came home and fixed lunch for the children and adults, then Laura began the process of giving baths and getting everyone ready for church this evening. The children have played table games, and also batted sour oranges Wyatt obtained from the trees by the house then tossed to them. The boys and the younger girl really enjoyed batting the oranges and making them crack open. They then had the joy of throwing the juicy pieces at the concrete block wall forming the back boundary of Dave's yard. They are very intelligent children, but none of them has asked deep questions so far. I'm sure that will be coming soon...Please continue to pray for peace for the family, and that the wrongdoers will not escape imprisonment, and that all the adults in this household will give the situation over to our Father for his Direction.

Continued Details, Divine Appt. in Peoria

Friday, April 24 There was another houseguest at Dave & Laura's house when I arrived last night. I had met him before, at their wedding. This morning, I found out why he is here. His daughters, three of them, live with their mother and three younger half-brothers/sisters. One of the girls reported sexual abuse by the mother's husband, that has been going on for two or three years. Their friend had driven from where he now lives for almost two days to fill out paperwork to get his girls released to him, but was not getting any return calls when he got here. I prayed for him, that God would allow him to gain custody of the girls and remove them from the situation. Laura told me that she and Dave have applied for Foster Parent status, and although they are not fully certified, the caseworker asked if the three younger ones might come to their house, when the time came. That time came later in the morning. The police were going to arrest the man, and his wife for not telling about it, even though she knew. Laura had to go fill out paperwork, so Wyatt, my 16 year old grandson, and I went to Goodwill and bought sheets to make up inflatable beds that friends from the foster parent association were bringing over. The full facts are, by 6:30 this evening, we had 7 children, 4 adults and 4 dogs in residence. Laura is getting a lot of flack from her mother. Laura is also torn emotionally about the children, who don't know yet that they will soon be separated into two or three groups. The house is stuffed, with wall to wall sleepers at night. I have been counseling and praying for Laura, Dave, and all the children. All the legalities will happen, hopefully soon, at the beginning of the week.

I feel that God has put me here, partly because of my long experience as a foster parent, to help the family physically, helping cook and clean up dishes, but more importantly to pray for them and to be an emotional anchor. (I'm also privately beginning to think it might be more dangerous to pray for Divine Appointments than to pray for patience!) Will you all help me to pray for God's direction and peace for this family?

Divine appointment in Peoria

We left El Paso early Thursday morning, with no border trouble at all, for which I was profoundly grateful. When we arrived in Tucson, I finally found the least advertised National Park, Saguaro. (Pronounced Sah-wah-ro). Those are the typical cactus pictured for Mexico with a man sitting and leaning against it, with his sombrero pulled down over his face so he can sleep. That is totally unrealistic, because those cacti are much too thorny to be able to lean against! There are thousands of them covering hillsides and plains in the Park. Very interesting for maybe 1/2 hour, but the interest does not last for the 2 hours it takes to drive through the very rocky unpaved road at 15 to 20 mph! I was really wishing for my pickup for that segment of the journey.

We arrived at Dave's house in Peoria at about 5:30pm, and so began a new divine appointment.
More details in the next blog.

Jiffy and I left Sonora yesterday morning and traveled south to Big Bend National Park. I was so surprised to find the terrain very similar to the mountains near Captain Jack's Stronghold in Northern California, near where I used to live. We saw at least 14 species of birds, including two that I haven't yet identified. The highlight was to see a real live honest-to-goodness Greater Road Runner. I heard a lot more birds than I actually saw. I also saw a doe coming onto the road in the middle of one of the sharp turns; I was in time to stop, but not in time to get the camera aimed. Those Chisos Mountains, (the only entire mountain range enclosed in a National Park) are extremely rugged, but have the mostly barren look of the high desert, again similar to the Stukel Mountains at home. Our evening stopping place was at Alpine, called that because they are high in the Texas Alps, one of the brochures informed me. On the way, I stopped at Cowshead Ranch to deliver greetings from Bill to a friend he went to high school with in Copper, Texas. The man and his ranch were very interesting. He is totally a cowboy in his looks and manner, complete with jeans and cowboy boots and an old fashioned courtesy toward a lady. He has rebuilt smaller scale facsimilies of all the typical buildings in a cowtown of the 1800's. He told me several stories about the way he came to build them, especially the church, which looks authentic with a real bell and 4 pews. Right next door to the church is the saloon, with an outhouse between the two. (I'm pretty sure it was a make believe outhouse...) The man had lived the hard life of a cowboy, drinking and drifting, until he came to the Lord. Now he is settled and has some of his family around him. While we talked and he took me to see his town, he carried a new puppy, that looked like a cross between a border terrier and a dachund. What an interesting Divine Appointment!
Today was a travel day, from Alpine to El Paso. I passed the time on the road through the desert, now becoming rather monotonous, listening to a book on cd's, lent to me by my friend Mary. It is hilarious! Thanks, Mary.

Sunday, Monday

We did attend church in Del Rio, where Janice and Bill introduced me to a wonderful couple. The husband is a very outgoing personality, his wife is quiet but has a sharp wit and a great sense of humor. Theirs is a love story that began over 50 years ago. He was born and grew up in a border town, US side. She was born and grew up in a border town, Mexican side. As was the custom in many small Mexican towns, on Saturday nights there is a social gathering on the the town square. The old marrieds sit on park benches and gossip while keeping an eye on things, the children run around and play games, and the young eligible singles do the promanade. This consists of strolling around the park in single file, the girls going in one direction, the young men in the other direction. He was there with some of his friends from across the border. He thought she was beautiful, but his friends warned him that she never would consider an American. He was undaunted, and made a bet with several of his friends that he could obtain her interest. He told me that she refused to look at him, turning her head aside as they passed in the promenade. He said that he took that as a good sign, because at least she noticed him! Before the evening was out, she had consented to allow him to escort her to the refreshment stand. They dated and waited while he was in the service for over five years, and have now been married for 52 years. They shared their story with much laughter and teasing comments to each other. I loved this story!
The man also has a powerful healing prayer ministry. He says it is effective because he has total faith in God's miraculous healing. He is one of only three documented survivors of Lou Gehrigs disease. He told me that the hospital in here in Texas that documented his lack of any symptoms of the disease has a note posted in the file at his insistence. It says, "This man says he was healed by a man named Jesus Christ."
A change of plans happened late last night. A woman that is part of Janice & Bill's church in Cooper died during the afternoon. After praying about it, Janice and Bill decided to go straight home to be of help and comfort to her family, instead of to San Antonio with me, as was our plan. I decided that adding another 600 miles to my trip was probably not wise, although I love the fellowship with that couple so much it would have been a joy. So I have had a little more time in Sonora than I thought, but I have enjoyed going to a museum of the pioneer women who have lived, loved, and raised families here in this desert land. Jiffy and I also went to a wildlife park nearby and climbed up the rocky trails through sage brush, Spanish dagger and prickly pear cactus, and Mesquite trees. We didn't see any wild life, but did see a lot of deer tracks. It was around one o'clock, though, so possibly everything was taking a siesta.

I spent the day with missionary friends in Acuna, Mexico, yesterday. This is one of the few safe areas and cities on the border at the moment. I saw several answers to prayer--I had joined my hosts in praying for a grandfather and his disabled son who live in a cardboard shack. My friends were so concerned because it had rained a lot the last two days, and rain is not a friend of cardboard. When we got to that place (getting there is another whole story), the incredible love of the Lord was demonstrated. The day before, a construction crew of teenagers had come from the "hill country" in Texas, and had already poured a concrete slab, and constructed a house! They were putting in windows and doors, installing drywall, and painting the outside while we were there. What a blessing!
I met two of the Mexican pastores and went for several visits to their congregations. My friend Janice is a nurse, and she regularly visits these people, changing dressings, bringing diapers and medicines (from Kingsway Charities, usually) and treating whatever problems they find. We delivered bags of rice and beans to each of the families, and Janice and Bill also brought a bag of glasses, which several of the people found to be a great blessing. I also had the joy of giving away two large stuffed toys (donated by Matt & Anastasia) to one of the families with stair-step children. Janice also had a bag of handmade wooden toys donated by someone in her Mother's church. So each child we visited got a toy.
At each house, the pastor introduced me as "Jean, who came from far, far away to see you." It humbled me to see their gratitude, especially from one very old lady whose body barely made a bump in the blanket covering her. She motioned me to come close, so I bent to kiss her cheek, and she covered my cheek with kisses. Her caretaker daughter told us that the ancient one had been despondent because no one comes to see her. I think I had more tears in my eyes than she did. But the greatest joy came from watching the gentleness of the pastor as he smoothed the hair from her face and spoke softly close to her ear in Spanish that sounded to me like a smooth, deep, peaceful river.
We came home late and tired, but what a day! Today is Sunday. We will go to church today here in Del Rio, then return to Acuna.

On the move again!

I left Matt and Anastasia this morning. Please continue to uphold in prayer Anastasia's health needs and Matt's need to quickly find a suitable job. As usual when I leave after a good visit with one of my kids, I cried for a few miles. It is so good to be sharing time, thoughts, and prayers with loved ones, and so hard to separate again.
Jiffy and I arrived in San Angelo about 3:30 this afternoon. I checked in to the motel, then we went to a city park so Jiffy could stretch his legs and work off some of his amazing energy. While there, we encountered another adventure. I admired the lily pad collection and sniffed many of the hundreds of roses in their rose garden, and we started back up a path toward the car. Jiffy was ahead of me on the leash, and I topped the crest of the trail just in time to see him dart into a patch of cactus! He had a bunch of the spines stuck into his face. I pulled out most of them right then, but there were three of them close to his left eye. I finally got two of those, but the last one was almost to the edge of his eyelid, and he flinched when I barely touched it. So I knew I had to get back to the motel quickly to get my tweezers. He was in pain from it.
I was in such a hurry, I didn't notice that I'd dropped my cell phone in all that effort and excitement. I did get the final spine out, and then took us out to find some fast food to help both of us feel better. I didn't notice until I was paying for the chicken that I didn't have my cell phone, but hoped I left it in the motel when I got the tweezers. As soon as I opened the door to the room there, the phone was ringing. It was the front desk, who told me that my son Matt and two of my friends had called to leave a message with the number of someone who had found my phone! Her name is Jennifer. I called her, and she brought my cell phone back to me in just a few minutes. She said that she usually wouldn't even have been in that park, but she had her grandchildren with her and they asked what that place was. She told them they had some very unusual water plants there, and decided to stop right then and show the children the park. That's how she found the phone.
As amazing as this all is, it isn't quite the end of the story. After giving her a token of my appreciation, I told her that she had been a real blessing to me. She asked, "Would you do something for me also? Would you pray for me that I get the job I interviewed for this afternoon at the hospital? I'm out of work and have 6 kids, but I have the qualifications for this job." I said , "Of course. Would you like to pray right now?"
So isn't it amazing that God allowed me the embarrassment of losing my phone in order to give me the divine appointment with Jennifer? You all please pray for her too.

April 12 I am enjoying the visit with Matt and Anastasia. The weather is great, but too cold and windy still to dare trying to swim in their outdoor pool. We are having some stimulating discussions, but, as usual with Matt, his thought process is so far above mine that I feel like I'm totally out of my depth in trying to understand the concepts he is so deeply interested in. Oh, well, I guess my mind needs to stretch for flexibility as much as my muscles do!

April 9 Yesterday
This morning's weather was rainy. Peggy Sue was back on board, Jiffy was ready for the trip, (he is ALWAYS ready to ride again) and I am a little sore from driving, but not as bad as I thought I would be. I finished making the hat for the doll that is my gift to Anastasia, Matt's wife, this morning before I left Branson.
We went into OKLAHOMA about midmorning. Then Peggy Sue and the AAA triptics had a difference of opinion about which route I should take. I finally decided to trust Peggy, and, although it wasn't an interstate, it was a very good limited access highway, and cut off a great many miles. The other bonus is that it was not nearly as crowded as the interstate was. I began to get sleepy in the afternoon, so pulled off to a gravel lot next to a service station and slept for about 40 minutes. As I was leaving, I noticed a sign on a telephone pole that said, "Space for Rent, $5 per day". So I guess I rooked them out of forty minutes worth of rent.
We entered TEXAS in the afternoon, and arrived at Matt and Anastasia's house around a quarter to 7. They live in a mansion in Plano. I have never stayed in such a large and luxurious private home. I was too tired, and we talked until too late, to post a blog tonight.

April 8, Day-Before-Yesterday
Well, Spring started today! Nice sunny weather. Jiffy and I went to Paducah, KENTUCKY, then turned west and traveled through the Land Between the Lakes to reach two bridges over the Mississippi River. All along the way, I noticed that many trees were broken off, and huge brush piles were along the road. At first I thought it must have been a tornado, but it went for miles and miles, as far as I could see. Then I remembered that when I was traveling with Kim a couple weeks ago we saw something similar and she told me it was because of the ice storm a couple months ago.
We had to travel without the aid of Peggy Sue, (the name I gave my bossy GPS system, so I won't be so tempted to swear at it). She doesn't like Highway names as addresses, and that is all I had for the hotel in Branson. So I had to do the navigating the old fashioned way, with maps and advice from service station people. I think I may have learned a different way to program her, that won't require the specific address. Every thing has a learning curve, right?
I went to see the Chinese Acrobats this evening. This is the only entertainment I scheduled in advance for the trip. I was very colorful and incredible. I have been praying that the Lord would make me flexible, but I decided I don't want to be THAT flexible! Those people are so slender, but so strong, it is unbelievable how beautifully they move and bend their bodies. Even the women are so strong they can hold up another woman on one hand at arms length for 2 to 3 minutes, enough for the held woman to do a balancing routine. And they all have nearly perfect synchonization. I wonder how long each day they have to practice.
I couldn't get the laptop to hookup to the wifi at the hotel, and was too tired to concentrate, so did not send the blog.

Hi, friends! My "journey through springtime" began as a journey through snowstorms! Ice and snow covered my car this morning as I finished stuffing things inside it. The The weather was odd as I drove along--dark grey clouds with snow swirling around the car like we were in a gigantic glass snow scene, then 10 miles later there was blue sky with fluffy white clouds and sunshine. It went back and forth like that all the way to Clarksville, TN, where Jiffy and I are staying tonight. Jiffy loves riding, but he is pretty nervous about the sounds of people passing our doorway outside the motel. There was one unusual thing that happened, today. I took Jiffy across an empty parking lot to the grass verge on the other side, and when we came back, I noticed a jacket lying in the parking lot. I looked around to see if anyone was walking around there, but there was no one. The jacket is real leather, dark brown, and it looks expensive. The only thing wrong with my "finders keepers" is that it smells like tobacco smoke. Nothing in the pockets, so I regard it as a gift. What do you think?