Joshua's 'Happy' Day at the Beach!

Enjoying Honeymoon Island with Joshua, Lynn, Tony & Charlie

What fun we had with our sweet "JJ".....building sandcastles, burying Tony in the sand, eating Cuban sandwiches and crab cakes, finding 'live' sea shells and watching them come out of their shells and then placing them back into the sea......it is so wonderful to experience the sand and sea through the eyes of a 7 year old....the sea gulls wanted our food and followed Joshua who teased them as well.....***click on the pictures of JJ to enlarge....the look on his face is priceless!

Delivery of Terry & Chuck's Missionary Goods...

Pops & Lynn start the day in Tampa...

Mom & Lynn pray over Eden's Passion water, food goods,
and traveling safety for Chuck, Terry and their supplies...

Loaded for sure.... Cindy's donation of Eden's Passion
'Water with Spirit'....prayed over, of course!

Arriving at Fort Cooper Baptist Church in Inverness...

Getting help from high school boys to unload was a blessing!

A 'contest' began....who could carry the most!

Loaded down....3 cases are quite heavy!

Pops, Lynn, Brenda, Mom & Missionary contact, Tom...
say, "This is the day the Lord has made....
we will Rejoice and be GLAD in it..."

Lil Chuck's 3rd Birthday....He is a 'big boy' now...

His special cake ALL for him....

Lunching with his friends at school...and also Mom & Dad...

Happy 3rd Birthday for our 'Lil Chuck'...We love you 'Lil turkey burger!"

Lunch with son, Chad

Yesterday's lunch with Chad at a Thai restaurant at Channelside
was a good treat.....

Afterwards we went to his condo across the street for times
of catching up on family news....
Chad said, "There is always some 'drama' going on in our family!"
Be that as it may, we wonder why the little ones like JJ,
Lil Chuck and Dylan are so 'animated' when they tell a tale....
Drama.....yes....Boring, No!
Carla bring Kason on down again, so we can teach him some 'drama'......
I Dare You!

Chuck & Terry .....from the road of their Missionary Journey

Chuck & Terry visit one of my favorite places. yesterday....
Anthony 'all glass' Chapel in Hot Springs National Park...
their Kenya missionary deputation journey
has taken them to all kind of places .....
'tis a funny world we live in now....Chuck called on the phone saying,
"Mom, are you on your computer? Can you look up the exact address of
the glass chapel since we are going through Hot Springs today on our way
to Texarkana. I want to plug it into my GPS.?"
I did, he did, they did....see below...also see pictures below these of their
son, Marine Chuckie, who stopped by for lunch yesterday during a
Marine event in Tampa.....
The computer, cell phone, GPS, web cam, digital camera to click, send...
all keep us in touch , instantly.
Yes, 'It's A Small World After All!" the Disney song is right....

Marine....On Duty now....But

Click on pic to enlarge ...

The Marines will be loosing a 'good man' in August...

...six years finished, Carlos M. Fernandez III will be 'getting out'....

A Man's Character....is his fate. -Heraclitus 504-501 B.C. time(Heraclitus was born to an aristocratic family in Ephesus, present-day Efes, Turkey)

Tying today's posting to yesterdays, I found that in my 'reading of the Bible in one year' plan falls into place with the word.....compassion.
I'm still struggling with the 'prophets' of the Old Testament, plodding along as they try to keep the wayward people focused on the 'right way to live'....and keep them looking and learning about their (and our) One True God.
The Message Bible's explanation before the book of Zephaniah brought me up 'short' with my own thinking....it says this......and I quote....

"We humans keep looking for a religion that will give us access to God without having to bother with people. We want to go to God for comfort and inspiration when we're fed up with the men, women, children around us. We want God to give us an edge in the dog-eat-dog competition of daily life. This determination to get ourselves a religion that gives us an inside track with God but leaves us free to deal with people however we like is....age-old.

Because the root of the solid spiritual life is embedded in a relationship between people and God, it is easy to develop the misunderstanding that my spiritual life is something personal between God and me - a private thing that I nuture by prayers, singing, spiritual readings that comfort and inspire, and worship with like-minded friends.

If we think this way for very long.....we will assume that the way we treat the people we don't like....or who don't like us....has nothing to do with God.

That's when the prophets of old step in and interrupt us, insisting, "Everything you do or think or feel has to do with ...God.

Every person you meet has to do with...God."

We live in a vast world of interconnectedness, and the connections have consequences, either in things or in people - and all the consequences come together in God.

The biblical phrase for the coming together of the consequences is....

Judgment Day.

We can't be reminded too often....or too forcefull of this reckoning day as the prophets of old remind us again and again......"

#1 point for me..... the other half of my relationship with God.....is with people.
#2 point for me.... we all will be held accountable....for how we treat other people.
Makes me shudder inside for myself....and others.
This reminds me of a child-like poem I wrote many-a- year ago....
"I yearned to hear the voice of God
And climbed the highest steeple...
But God then spoke and said,
"Go down again, I LIVE among the people."

Today's Word....Compassion

Today's Word.....Compassion... sympathy for the suffering of others,

often including a desire to help...

This word....hurts just to think about it!

In a busy world, the world around me, a hi-tech world of internet, iPods,

LCDHDTV, GPS, iPhones, etc. is there any 'time' for.....compassion?

Often the answer is 'No'!

But this lesson of 'compassion' was brought home to me last

week as Charlie and I were returning from, of all places,

Home Depot (we own the place in daily investments)...

Just before turning on busy Ulmerton Rd. (the new International Drive)

we saw a decrepit looking cargo van pulled off to the

side of traffic and we passed a man walking with a gas can in his hand...

We see this kind of thing all the time in some form or another.

Zooming by ready to make our turn, one of us say,

"We should give this man a ride to the gas station."

We know that it is only 1/2 mile away...it is broad daylight and he

looked 'non-threatening'...

Charlie stopped, backed up and we asked if we could take

him to the gas station....he didn't even know where the nearest one was to be found...getting his gas, we start back to his 'side of the road van'....

he is very grateful, saying he couldn't believe anyone stopped etc.

Finally I told him that as Christians our faith, helps us to

help others and God must love him a lot because we were

in a hurry but saw he needed a quick ride ...

Then this man said a very profound thing .....'yes, I know you are Christians

but you showed it by your action and most people don't....

I was shocked at this truth....for I, too, have been guilty again and

again of 'lack of compassion' for my fellow man in simple things of life...

I do know the dangers of .....helping strangers.

But didn't God give us a brain?

Has 'fear' of getting robbed, mugged, killed caused us to give up

on the simple action of being a 'good Samaritan' when the

need is right before our eyes and we can help 'safely'?

The dictionary tell me....

Good Samaritan: somebody who helps those in need: somebody who helps others who are in difficulty, without expecting any reward or recognition.

Most of my family members and friends are good Samaritans on a daily basis...

and it is never spoken of....this is a normal 'action of life'....

Why did I speak of this here?

Because a stranger had to re-remind me that it is in the

simple actions of life that our 'faith' speaks volumes....

Compassion breathes a 'desire to help'....as needed.

"Thanks for the lesson, Mister."

Now, who....blessed who?

Happy Anniversary to Carla & Kevin....Enjoy!

Lil Chuck's visit....

Lil Chuck with his special 'Pops'...both Gator fans, of course...

Lil Chuck on his Dad, Marine Chuck, as they watch 'Lion King' for the 100th time...

Joshua's 'spring break' time with Nena and friend, Max....

Busch Gardens was a fun time for our JJ...and for his Nena too....his friend, Max, his Mother, sister and cousins all went together and had a great day...thanks, Tony, for the pictures....

Nena Lynn in the bird garden...this one likes the Florida Gators 'pink' hat....and Nena too!

Joshus feeding the birds while sitting on his arm, much to his delight...

This bird likes hats too....

JJ and Max with cotton-candy mustaches.... yuk!

A day....and a childhood....to remember...

Where is Lodwar, Turkana, Kenya, Africa?

Above you will see the maps of Kenya...which borders Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and the Indian Ocean....
To the left of Lake Turkana, mid way, you will see in small letters the village of...Lodwar.
(Click on map to enlarge and see area clearly)
This is Chuck & Terry's desert mission home....see pictures below...

This is Chuck & Terry's Lodwar/Turkana, Kenya Mission

The Turkana are a group of people who live in Northwest Kenya and have learned to adapt to the harsh environment around them. The best estimates number the Turkana at just under one million, but an exact count would be difficult among a people who are spread out over an area about the size of North Carolina.
Terry with children of the church in Lodwar

Chuck teaching from The Bible in a bush arbor...

Woman of Lodwar village....each beaded necklace has a history, a story, and involves a ritual .....
Chuck baptizes in a lake miles away from the desert village of Lodwar....

Our little 'turkey' growing up...

Our 'Lil Turkey/aka: Chuckie' is growing up....he loves to fish...boat....and anything connected to the water...a Florida boy for sure....
His Mom's camera recently provided the shots below....Thanks MJ!
He was fascinated with this dragon fly...is very much a 'nature' boy...

"See Mommy I caught the dragon fly!"

One of his famous saying is....'Show me the money'.....
Yep, he's 'showing' it...

Mommy and son....two peas-in-a-pod!