Family News

Tonight we celebrated Leah's birthday. It was a simple family affair at our house with an angel-food cake iced with low-fat whipped topping and served with strawberries.

We played two games. The first was a singing game. We divided into two teams. The goal was to think of songs with a certain word in the lyrics and sing a line or two of the song. For example, one word pulled from the hat was "light." Team one sang "This little light of mine," then team two sang "You light up my life." Another song could have been a line from O Little Town of Bethlehem: "Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light." Whichever team failed to think of another song when it was their turn, lost the round and the other team won a point. You have to watch out for people who try to make up their own songs--sometimes we didn't know if Charles' (Leah's dad) songs were really country lyrics from the forties and fifties or something of his own creation! ha ha.

Then we played a simplified version of Scattergories with everyone thinking of words to describe Leah. The girls came up with some interesting "G" words, some flattering and some not so flattering, like glamorous, generous, global and grumpy. We had some good fun with that.

Leah received some very nice gifts to set up housekeeping in their new home, including an iron, a griddle and a label-maker. I presented her with a little lap quilt to help preserve for her some memories of Cameroon. It has on it nine of my favorite pictures of them in Cameroon. Sorry, my camera was not working properly at the party, but here is a picture I took of the quilt right after I finished it.

Wes and Leah are back in Texas now, following three and a half years in Cameroon, Africa, as missionaries of the United Methodist Church. They came back right before Christmas, then Wes returned for January and February to tend to some mission teams who were scheduled to come.

Wes is now back here and has accepted an associate pastorate in nearby Rowlett. They have been living with Leah's parents, and will be moving into their own space very soon. Leah has been working toward her doctorate degree and hopes to be teaching in the Plano ISD.

So it is good to have them all back home so we can enjoy the grandchildren and celebrate occasions like birthdays together. Tomorrow Rachel and Chloe, the two older children, will be confirmed at Christ UMC, so we will be able to be present at that special occasion.

Easter Lilies for the Elderly

Here is a great idea for a craft for Eastertime. We made lots of these flowers for the nursing home residents who attended the Easter services which our church held at three different senior living facilities. The people really enjoyed the flowers, but not quite so much as they simply enjoyed getting up close to the little children who handed them out!

Here's how to make them: We found some white cone-shaped paper cups (made by Rubbermaid) at Home Depot. (They are made to fit dispensers on the sides of water jugs.) Cut down into the cup to form petals (you will be cutting V-shapes out of the cup). Then roll each petal over a round pencil to shape. Cut a small hole in the bottom of the cup big enough to pass through it a green chenille wire to be the stem. Twist the top end of the green wire around a shorter piece of yellow chenille wire to form the stamens in the inside of the flower. Cut out green paper leaves and hot-glue them to the wire stem. Form the leaves with your fingers to bend them back a little. Enjoy!

Have a happy Easter!

Something to Crow About!

These are my Good News Roosters! They tell the simple message of salvation. Perhaps you remember the Wordless Book from your childhood Sunday School class. It was simply blank pages of black, red, white, green and yellow to tell the story of our heart black with sin until Jesus' (red) blood washed it white as snow. Then we grow in the Lord (like green growing grass) and live forever in that city paved with streets of gold. These colorful roosters have put words to that story.

1. The black rooster crows:

"Cock-a-doodle-do!

Who is righteous? Who? Are you?

Certainly not me—I’m gonna be stew!"

(Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.)

2. The red rooster:

"Cock-a-doodle-do!

Who will save me from my fate?

Jesus will—He died to take my place."

(1 John 1:7:7 The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.)


3. The white rooster:

"Cock-a-doodle-do!

My chicken heart is now brand new.

Jesus washed it clean,

It’s whiter than you’ve ever seen!"

(Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.)

4. The green rooster:

"Cock-a-doodle-do!

I’m learning and growing.

Early each morning

I’m up and crowing!"

2 Peter 3:18:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

5. The gold (or yellow) rooster:

"Cock-a-doodle-do!

I’m all smiles and laughter

'Cause I’ll live with Jesus

Forever and ever after!"

John 14:1-3: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."