JT came to see us this fall and it was rodeo time, so Ralph and I took lawn chairs and a light lunch down to the church lawn and had a picnic and watched the rodeo parade. JT didn't eat a thing and was much more impressed with the 18 wheeler that followed the parade than he was with the long horn cattle or the horses. It was a pretty day, not too hot and we were able to sit in the shade so we had a good time.
Our niece Lori, Keith and Bettie, Ralph's sister, showed up in mid Sept. to bring their new baby, Landon to show off. I think they came because of a wedding and so Keith could go hunting, but we were happy to see them no matter what their reason for coming. I am a Great Aunt now. That really seems strange to me to think in terms of "Great". It didn't seem to impress Landon much.
Early Oct. brought JT to stay with us for a few days while his mom and dad went to Alabama for Nascar races. We had a great time. I took a couple of days off to take care of him. JT didn't seem to miss his Mom at all until she showed up and then I could tell that he was giving her a hard time because she had been gone. Of course he couldn't express that he missed her, but it was evident when she got home that he had. Kids can be so funny. He ate well and slept well for me and we played alot! He has a wonderful disposition. He eats with a fork, drinks from real cups without throwing them across the room and he even colored with markers!
One afternoon we were able to sit outside for just a little while. The mosquitoes have been terrible (which is a minor irritation considering our rain has been good). JT is sitting in the garden in the front yard (our new landscaping). He really got mad when we had to go inside, since we were being eatten to death by the mosquitoes.
On the 11th we drove over to Elmore City to celebrate Nathan's 12th birthday. The boys were racing their bikes and were spending the night, so we packed up a birthday cake, candles and ice cream and had a cook out with them. Parker has his new "big teeth" and looks so grown up- of course he didn't want a toothy smile for the picture, but they are beautiful! He and Ralph tend the fire for the hamburgers that Amanda fixed for us.
Turner in his race gear with Johnny and Parker, relax and sip on gator aide and chew on the afternoons "practice" before the big races the next morning.
The Birthday BOY, Nathan, is 12 and it hardly seems possible that we have had him this long. He is getting taller and taller and more and more handsome. And (not because he is my grandson), more and more talented.
Last Tuesday evening, Ralph and I got in the church vans with 17 other people and went to San Fernando, Mexico on a mission trip. It took us almost 24 hours to finally get to our destination. When we got there the new pastor told us that there was no water in the house or the upstairs living area (dorm) where we usually stay. They had been without for 4 months. They had water but none in the house. There is also an outdoor bathroom (banyo) that they were able to use, so it wasn't totally desperate, except to us, who were all looking forward to showers after 24 hours in the vans. The guys went right to work and after $350 and about an hour, we had the water going again in the house and dorm.
This time we went we knew we would have a VBS but the men really didn't have a firm plan for what they would be doing. It rained all day on Thursday, so on Friday, the men ordered gravel and they spread out the gravel to make a drive through the property. This helped the pastor to be able to get from the parsonage to the church (the turquoise building) without walking through mud.
The gravel was hand raked and made a wonderful drive through for the pastor and others who actually drive into the church yard. Most people walk but a few have cars. We were thankful to be able to walk from our dorm (picture is taken from the balcony of the dorm) over to the church. The ground is almost white clay and awful to clean off of shoes and clothes. It leaves a white film of dust on everything.
On Friday the pastor's wife Maria and her new daughter in law, cooked chicken, sausage and beef, fresh tortilla's, roasted onions and fresh guacamole for us. It was very good, but they were working with all the fly's outside (right next to the outdoor banyo) and thinking about it was a little gross.
While they cooked (and it took all afternoon), several of the men of the church came and played and sang. They sang all afternoon. What a wonderful cultural experience.
From our window upstairs you can see the cooking area and the banyo just on the right, behind the van bench seat.
I wanted this picture of Ralph and I, not because it is a good one, but the humidity was so high that my hair was curly, curly, curly and I loved it. I washed it and this is what it looked like when it dried.
We went back to Joe's downtown (we went last year) for taco's and baked potatoes on Thursday night. This is the taco that I got. It had fresh slices of avocado and goat cheese. I didn't want to ask what kind of meat it was. We don't see too many cats down there. They are served with a lime and the tortilla was fresh and wonderful. One is all I could eat and it was hard finishing it, but I sacrificed and didn't leave a bite.
We also had a vacation Bible school. It was really just a day activity. No one showed up the first morning. That afternoon we had 83, 8 on Friday morning and Friday afternoon we had 135ish. (lost count). I taught them "Deep and Wide" in English with hand and feet motions and they loved it. We actually got to sing it in church on Friday night. That was really fun. It is so difficult to work with the kids. If they think you can speak any Spanish, they start talking and I don't usually understand of word of what they are saying and end up finding someone who can help me. I feel so frustrated. I am beginning to be able to figure out some things that are written but to hear and understand is a whole different story.
We made crosses one day and the next we did visors. Most of the children were very well behaved and polite, but there are always a few "tuff" boys that makes it difficult for everyone. We had a few on Friday afternoon. But they didn't steal our joy.
Aren't they sweet?And just before we left, we took this pic with the team and the pastor and several of the church members.
We rolled into Altus at 3:30 this morning and Ralph and I slept until noon today. It was a great trip. The Holy Spirit worked in a beautiful way, we were blessed and we were able to share God's love with those we met. This one was certainly a God Ordained trip.
In a week and a half we will be going to visit Gwen and Sam. We miss them very much and are looking forward to seeing their new house in Portland. When we get back, we are hoping to go to Tulsa and visit JT and his mom and dad and see their new house.
Autumn is finally rolling in and the day temps are nice. Dinner is almost ready (YES, I am cooking tonight). so I need to go and besides it is almost time for Desperate Housewives.
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