We know He CAN...but...will He? Here's His answer...(woven into a poem)

There are times when we wonder.  We know that God is able and  that He cares.  But what is He doing about our problems?  What is He doing?  We can't always see.  We know He CAN do what we need...but has He?...does He?...will He? 

                                                      I'll Answer You

                       "Did you think I'd leave you when the storms swept through?
                       Let Me hear you, Child, and I'll answer you."

                       I thirsted so when the sandstorms blew!
                       "I can make it rain in the desert, too."

                       I thought I'd starve when the crops were few.
                       "I can feed your soul in the famine, too."

                       I feared the danger that darkness drew.
                       "I can shine Life's Light into shadows, too."

                       I reeled, confused; doubts around me flew.
                       "I can make Truth find you in the chaos, too."

                       I bent...and I bled!  for my griefs were new.
                       "I can turn fresh scars into blessings, too."

                       I hid my tears so that no one knew.
                       "I can hear your cries when they're silent, too."

                       I stumbled as the pain of my sorrows grew.
                       "I can help you walk when you're wounded, too."

                       I have fought!...and anguish has pierced me through.
                       "Yes, you have...and each moment I stayed with you.
                       I 'had your back', never once withdrew.
                       keen to bring you peace in your battles, too."

                        I fell to my knees, reaching up to You,
                        awed by all that your kindness and mercy do.
                        Love spoke to my needs, timely words and true,
                        and Grace raised me up...heart and hope renewed!
                                                                                                               --Becky Rhon
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"I will turn the desert into pools of water."  (Isaiah 41:18)

"Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light."  (Micah 7:8)

"Even in the darkness light dawns for the upright..."  (Psalm 112:4)

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."  (Hebrews 6:19)

"Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows."   (Isaiah 53:4)

"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."  (Psalm 34:10)

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 "The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth.  The Lord has spoken."   (Isaiah 25:8)

                                                And He always will.

Sending children by parcel post?

Did you know this?  The book says, "Until 1913, children in America could legally be sent by parcel post."*  I wonder if anybody ever actually did it.  If so, how did they manage to get the kids from A to B unharmed? (Maybe they didn't!)  There must have been some who wished to avail themselves of the service, or else there wouldn't have been a law allowing it.  Just the same, I'm glad we live post-1913.  On the other hand,  if it were still in force,  maybe  we could have Dan and KC, and Steve and Debbie mail our grandchildren down to Ecuador several times a year...so we could see them more often than we do now!

However, we are so very thankful to God for our precious grandkids and for being able to spend time with them...even if only once or twice a year. 

Germán and I sitting at back, kids from left to right:  Micah (8), Miriam (5 - almost 6), Eli (5), Liliana (7) and Noe (10).

Like I, many of you grandparents agree with Proverbs 17:6:  "Children's children are a crown to the aged."

And the promises in the Bible are so heartening:

"But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear Him, and his righteousness with their children's children - with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts." (Psalm 103:17)

 We should let this beautiful passage be a life-long prayer for our beloved offspring:

"My Spirit...and my words...will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever, says the Lord."  (Isaiah 59:21)
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                                 THANK YOU, LORD, FOR GRANDCHILDREN!

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*1,227 Quite Interesting FACTS to Blow Your Socks Off

Unbelievable statistics on un-used gift cards! (Also some family pictures.)

Here's what this book says:  "The U.S. retail industry makes $6.8 billion a year from gift cards that no one redeems."*  Can you imagine?  Almost seven billion dollars!!  Gift cards are given...but not all are claimed and used.  (What a waste!)
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We might say that God has given us hundreds of gift cards, as He is lavish with his promises,  "vouchers" on the basis of which we can ask for so many things...things He wants to give us.  (We don't always take advantage of them, do we?) 

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who has called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises."  (II Peter 1:3,4)
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One thing we consider an enormous gift is our family.  We had the joy of being with Dan and his family in November, then flying to Indiana to be with Debbie and Steve and their girls for Christmas.  We spent almost a month there, and thoroughly enjoyed the time with our kids and precious grandchildren.  Here are some December pictures:

We went to Steve's folks' house  Christmas Eve, and watched The Muppets' Christmas Carol. Miriam snuggled between her two grandmothers...and namesakes.  (Becky, Miriam Rebecca, and Becky)

Abuelito with Liliana (right) and Miriam (left)

A closer-up view of our granddaughters: Miriam (far left) then Liliana (with their cousins to the right).

Miriam reads a story to Abuelito.  Liliana looks on.  (Miriam is in kindergarten, but reads at a 2nd or 3rd grade level.)

God said:  "I will make a covenant of peace with them...I will bless them...I will send down showers in season, there will be showers of blessing."  (Ezekiel 34:25,26)
                                     
                                    Lord, how can we ever thank You?

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(*1,227 Quite Interesting Facts to Blow Your Socks Off)