My own "Samwise Gamgee" (Everyone should have one!)

One of my favorite moments in "The Return of the King" (Lord of the Rings) is when Sam and Frodo

are struggling uphill towards their goal, bleeding, dirty, discouraged...Frodo can't walk anymore. But he's the only one that can deliver the ring to its destruction.  Sam would like to help him carry the burden; however, Frodo knows HE  must be the one...but he can't make it.  Gathering what little strength is left in him, Sam says, "Come, Mr. Frodo!  I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!"  And that's how they finished their quest.
                  *************************
I have a personal Samwise Gamgee.  I've had him for 46 years, and he has become more and more "Samwise-ish" as my health has little by little been losing ground.  When my husband was away for almost three weeks this summer, among the things I did to keep myself "busy" was re-watch the Lord of the Rings movies.  When we got to the moment I've just mentioned, my eyes teared up, and I thought, "My husband is my Sanwise Gamgee!"  Let me explain a bit.

Having several chronic illnesses, I have reduced energy, daily pain, and am always tired, with little stamina.  Germán always tries not to weigh me down, does things like keeping the dishes washed during the day, takes care of garbage disposal, runs all the errands, tends to brush off any comment from me about not having been able to cook this or that...saying I should only do what I feel I can, and to please rest when I need. He will readily order food in if I am not feeling up to cooking, or bring home take-out.  His whole demeanor is one of doing his part to make my days easier.  (He also tells me he loves me numerous times a day!)

You see, he knows that he cannot carry my sickness, the pain I live, the frustration I feel as I seem to lose ground...but he can do all that is in his reach to "carry" ME!  To make my life easier if he can, to encourage me, to cheer my sadness, to give me some of his strength...and, above all, to intercede for me with our Father.  (And he does this as he struggles with health issues of his own.)
                                           **********************************

Jesus said, "This is my commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you."  (John 15:12)  This includes helping others to carry their burdens, and if necessary, "carrying" them.  (No, it isn't easy, since we have loads of our own!)

But don't be afraid to be a Samwise Gamgee to any "Frodo" God brings you, because if you walk with Jesus, you walk with the Source of strength, hope, joy, trust.  You walk with the One who loves you so much that He says, 

 "Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke on you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul.:  (Matthew 11:28-29)
                                             ************************
                                                   
And here's the best part:  the whole time we are helping others, "carrying" those who need it while bearing our own burdens, our Father will carry us!

                                   "I am He who will sustain you. 
                             I have made you and I will carry you."  (Isaiah 46:4)
                                                **************



 

46 years, my love? Oh my!!

Forty-six years ago, Germán's niece Alma graced our wedding with a very poignant recitation of a Biblical compilation of passages on LOVE (in Spanish).  Her rendition was so lovely that even my

grandparents' eyes teared up - and they didn't know any Spanish!

See the little ring-bearer?  Leslie, one of Germán's nephews, was only three years old.  My brother Steve (far right) was a groomsman.  My parents are on the left.

Through the ups-and-downs of all these years, God has been our Refuge, our Comforter, our Strength and our Hope.



Not many of you will have a picture like this one in your wedding album...not with these particular guests!  Right in the center of this photo (taken during the outdoor reception) you can see a man and a woman of the indigenous tribe my parents worked with, and around which I grew up.

                                                                                         
                             God has been so good to us, hasn't He, my love?
                                           
                                                  Happy Anniversary!

The definition of "Carol"

Dictionaries don't tell the whole story.  But they can point in the right direction. For example, one meaning (as a verb) is to speak or sing "in a happy way".  Yes, my sister Carol makes pretty much a

Carol on the left; then me and my husband.

habit of it...and she loves to laugh!

A "carol" is also a song, usually referring to one sung at Christmas.  My Carol has tried to make her whole life a song.  Though time and again she has been rocked by loss, she gets her feet under her once more and then works those hard times into the tapestry of the music, adding positively to its melody...instead of taking away from it. Her lyrics are restored and refined, speaking to those around her who hear. 

How does she manage to do all that?  The answer isn't hard to find or far away.  Starting with Christmas...the One who was born in Bethlehem is her Companion.  She personally knows Him, "The Why and Wherefore".  She trusts...and that's enough.

Happy Birthday, little sister!
May God continue to help you weave His music through your life.
Keep trusting.  Keep laughing!
I love you.

Tsachi sisters!

"Our bodies may have many parts, but the many parts make up only one body when they are all put together. So it is with the body of Christ,"  (I Corinthians 12:12)

           *****************

Another delightful visit to the Tsachi church in Cóngoma (where I spent numerous years growing up) has warmed our hearts.  The last few times we've gone, when I've worn the native skirt, none of my Tsachi sisters have...and when I haven't worn it, some of them have!  But this time, three of us matched! 

 I remember as a child watching the women of the tribe work their looms, making the colorful striped skirts for the females of the family, and short, navy blue ones for the males. (They were basically rectangular, no seams, buttons or zippers - just wrap-arounds.)  Nowadays, they don't need that back-breaking work.  They can just buy some already-woven fabric, make the skirt and put a zipper in!  One thing that always fascinated me was how they managed to keep the skirts on!  The men used a type of sash, but the women just tucked the one edge of the "tunán" into the other.  I never saw a woman's skirt come loose, in spite of all their activities.  (Mom never managed that; she used a big safety pin to keep hers from falling down!)

                                 *******************************

The couple in the background (whose little girl Lulí I played peek-a-boo with) are much younger and don't wear native dress.  (Few youngsters do!)  The husband (Ismael) has decided he would like to look into becoming a pastor!  Although there are leaders in the churches in various Tsachi areas, none of them are actually pastors, so this would be awesome!  They are going to look into the most practical and efficient way to get him the training he wants. 

                                   *******************************

The three of us in the picture match in another way...a much more important one.  It's something that we share with the others who, together with us, sang to our Lord (in Spanish and Tsáfiki), listened to a teaching (from the Word, via my husband) and prayed together.  We all believe in Christ!  This Bible verse says it really well:

                                                      "In this new life 
           one's nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; 

                                                such things mean nothing. 

                                  Whether a person has Christ is what matters, 

                                                 and He is available to all."

                                                                                                    (Colossians 3:11  LB)

The Artist Strikes Again!!

Lately we have been treated to the amazing brush-strokes of the master Artist as He adorns the sky...both in the evening and in the morning.  Our house is situated in such a way that we can see the

Sunrise in Quito

splendor of sunsets directly out our living room window. (Photos farther down.)

  Even though we can't see the core of the sunrise, I recently saw this "corner" of a lovely sunrise, and took a picture quickly before the light grew and colors faded away. (Only seen because I usually get up between 5:30 and 6:00!)  I am always entranced by the beauty!
                     *******************

"Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars."  (Psalm 148:3)
When God adds the last touches, does the sun whisper, "How lovely! Thank You!" ?

"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised."  (Psalm 113:3)                                                                                                                                                     "The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets."  (Psalm 50:1)                 

 "So that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting, people may know that there is none beside Me.  I am the LORD, and there is no other."  (Isaiah 45:6)

          *******************

There will be a time in the future when the sun won't be dressed in either twilight or dawn finery.

"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord."  (Acts 2:20)
      ***********************

And then...we won't need it anymore!   God's presence so outshines the sun that it will cease to be necessary, when Christ reigns in the New Jerusalem.

"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."  (Revelation 21:23)

"The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD wll be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory...the LORD will be your everlasting light and your days of sorrow will end."  (Isaiah 19-20)
                  *******************

                                                     
                         Thank You, Father, for light and beauty here and now...
                             and the promise of even greater Light and Beauty 
                                             when your Son returns!

Tsachi peace...prayer...and peek-a-boo!

We had been waiting so long for this!  Due to ill health, family visits and home repairs, we had missed making the trip to visit our brothers and sisters in the Cóngoma church.
      *****************
I was struck by the atmosphere of lightness and peace that I felt. (Especially after what had happened that morning - see below.) I think part of it had to do with the young couple on the left in the picture.  Apparently, they had recently become reconciled, and the husband seemed to radiate contentment.  We sang in Spanish, and a little later I led them in some songs in their own tongue, Tsáfiki.

When it came time for the offering, Primitivo (church leader - far right in the picture) was asked to pray.  It turned out to be one of the highlights of the evening for me!  Since I can understand some Tsáfiki, I could follow a lot of what he was saying.  In  sweet and sincere, tender  and touching  faith, he started out "Father God, your Son Jesus..." and went on to recognize God's ownership of everything, and how all that we have comes from Him; what we give now is such a small, small return.  (After the meeting, I told him that it was a blessing to hear his prayer in Tsáfiki.  He told me that when asked to pray, for whatever occasion, and whoever is present {Tsachi or not}, he always prays in Tsáfiki.)
                          **************************
During the meeting, the little girl you see in the photo above (18 months) was hardly still for an instant.  I was sitting right behind her and her parents (the couple "on the left"!).

Trying to engage her to calm her down some, I started a bit of peek-a-boo with her! (Among other things.) Her attention span was pretty good, for her age, but she'd come and go. (Later, Germán told me that, from the pulpit, he saw that others were watching us.  I thought I was being rather subtle!  At least it didn't distract too much from the message, as we both noticed that there was very good attention being paid!)
                       ***************************

After the service, we spent the informal "social hour" talking, eating Cassava Cake (yuca...with coconut - really good!!) that I had made, and taking pictures.  (As usual!)  As we said good-bye, we were given a whole head of plantains!  We use them green, but once they ripen, they are delicious prepared in an air fryer!
                       *****************************

This lovely time did much to lift my spirits after what had happened that morning.  Alone at the house we stay in, I went outside to take some pictures...and heard the heavy front door slowly swing and clang shut, pushed by the wind that blew through the screened windows!  My heart sank. There was no way to open it without a key.  Virtually everyone on the campus had gone to church, so I was alone.  I looked around for a possible hidden spare key.  No luck.  So I walked and walked and rested in the hammock...all I had was my Kindle, but not my glasses, so I couldn't read!  Finally, three hours later, people began arriving back, and one of them kindly brought a spare key and let me in.  I was able to rest a lot less than usual before heading to the Tsachi service, so I wasn't sure how I'd cope.  But, as you have read above, we had a truly lovely time together!
                                            ********************************
I often think of John's vision of the great crowd he saw gathered in the last days.

                     "They were from every nation, tribe, people and language. 
                      They were standing in front of the Throne and the Lamb..."   
                                                          (Revelation 7:9)

                          My Tsachi brothers and sisters will be part of that crowd. 
                                                      So will I.  Will you?

Dan's simple plan to become a millionaire.

Of course, he was only a boy - maybe 12 or 13 - but my son Dan (tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure) thought

it was the best way to become a millionaire.  What could be easier...for him? (One can dream, right?)

All Dan would have to do to reach this goal was...wait until his father made his millions...and then inherit them!
                          ********************

Well, even then he knew that it wasn't a sure-fire or fool-proof plan, and it's a good thing he didn't rely on it!  His father, though a good provider, is still far from becoming a millionaire!  His earthly father, that is.
                                                                 *********************

But what about our Heavenly Father?  We don't have to wait for Him to amass a fortune, do we? After all,
"The earth is the LORD's and everything in it..."   (Psalm 24:1)
                                  ***************
And He is not a stingy Father!

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:19)

"God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work."  (II Corinthians 9:8)
                                   ******************

Best of all:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy He has given us a new birth into the living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.  This inheritance is kept in Heaven for you."  (I Peter 1:3,4)

                       When we become God's children, we become his heirs.
                                    We can become spiritual "millionaires"
                                         because of Who our Father is!

                                                        *************