Moving On

Sometimes it's scary...not knowing what the Lord has in store.  Leaving before we had our future secured.  Moving on before we even knew we would be moving.  Packing up the wonderful memories of the many years along with the many boxes to be moved.  Knowing the physical unpacking can be measured in time but the memories will continue to be unpacked, tucked away, unpacked, tucked away for years to come.  How many others have done the same thing?  Why do I sometimes feel like I'm the only one to experience this?

But yet I know my future is secure.  And until that day when my faith becomes sight, I can rest assured in the fact the Lord knows what is best for me.  I'll present myself to Him "a living and holy sacrifice"..."not being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of my mind, so that I can prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect". (Romans 12:1-2 NASB)

1000 gifts #10

91.   laughing with an aunt on the telephone
92.   snow
93.   warm office
94.   surprise visit from family friends from New York
95.   developing new friendships
96.   VBS in New Mexico
97.   visiting cousins in New Mexico
98.   a CD of beautiful music
99.   time at home to take care of my husband
100. flute lessons

Thanksgivings

The Monday before Thanksgiving was the family Thanksgiving meal for my side of the family.  Mother had invited a friend to come eat with us.  One sister, her family, Mother, Dad, this friend & we 2 were the ones there.  The meal consisted of french-fried-onion-crusted chicken, creamed onions, Mammy Kathryn's rolls, pear butter, Grandma's jello salad with lime jello, sweet potato casserole, and coleslaw.  For dessert we had a pumpkin cheesecake from the church cookbook.  It was all delicious.  The children kept us entertained.  

Then Thursday we ate at John's parents house.  We fixed the turkey & Grandma's jello salad with orange jello.  John's mom made a sweet potato/cranberry/almond dish, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and brown & serve rolls.  For dessert we had a cake with pineapple and cool whip that John's sister-in-law made.  It was all very good.  And like the Monday meal, the children kept us entertained here also.  John's parents, 2 brothers, 1 sister-in-law, 6 grandchildren and we 2 were the ones in attendance.

Both meals were very enjoyable.  Small, intimate family affairs.  We had several things for which we were thankful.  The one thing for which I was the most thankful was the fact that John didn't get sick the evening of Thanksgiving.  For the past 2-3 years, he has always gotten sick after we arrived home from the meal.  So we were glad for that.

As we look ahead to the Christmas season, there are many things that need to be accomplished.  But in the midst of accomplishing them, I pray the Lord's light continues to shine brightly in my life.

1000 gifts #9

81.  anticipated trip to FL
82.  seeing Haitian refugees and orphans in FL airport
83.  warm weather 
84.  tea at the Grand Floridian
85.  watching "Blind Side" with a cousin
86.  eating lunch with 2 aunts & an uncle
87.  peaceful boat ride
88.  meeting a lady from England on the boat ride
89.  worshiping at St. Andrews
90.  seeing Mom & Dad at the airport

1000 gifts #8

71.  a reminder that in God, I can rest
72.  worshipping with my brothers and sisters (in the Lord)
73.  reminder of my heritage
74.  hot air balloon seen from the church parking lot
75.  listening to Mother talk about her parents and siblings
76.  5 year old niece's excitement about an aunt
77.  hearing the Jeremiah Part 1 Precept study will be ready in January
78.  only giving my family history to the nurse when the fire alarm went off
79.  a nephew's dimples
80.  sunshine after snow

Ancient Words

We have been singing a "new" song at church recently.  After searching for the lyrics, I see that Michael W. Smith has recorded it on one of his CDs.  Here are the words to the song:

Holy Words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart.

Words of Life, Words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart.

Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh heed the faithful words of Christ

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart.

Temp Agency

At 10:30 I arrived at the temp agency. The new owner greeted me. He was eager to rekindle the relationship between the agency & me. He was impressed with the resume presented. He also has the perfect job for me but it is not yet available. I will call him weekly until the job is available and gained. The company uses this temp agency quite frequently for their temp and temp-to-hire jobs. Based on his knowledge of this company they should be in need of this position quite soon. Still excited about the possibilities. The prayers offered for me around 10:30 this morning were felt. Thank you!

Starting Anew

This morning after flute lessons, I drove to the temporary agency I have used most recently. They were not in the location in which I thought they moved. After getting on the telephone, I discovered they are only down to one office in the area. It is located in Johnson City.

I called another temp agency I have also used. They were excited that I was able to come back and work with them. We had had a good relationship before. I have an appointment set up for 10:30 tomorrow morning. I am excited to re-develop the work relationship with them. I am eager to see how the Lord will use me to share His love with those with whom I work.

Persimmon Picking

The arrival of fall means one thing...persimmon picking time is here. The persimmon trees have been showing green persimmons all growing season. The cool weather of fall brings the ripening of the persimmons. When they fall off the tree, they are ready to be picked. One word of advice: do NOT pick the persimmons before they are ripe. They will cause your mouth to pucker.

Yesterday we went out and picked a little over a 1/2 gallon of persimmons.



Our family loves persimmon pudding. We use Great-Aunt Allie's recipe.

Remove any easily removable debris (such as grass, small sticks, etc) from the persimmons first. Then put the rest of the persimmons in the sink partially filled with water. I usually have both sides of the sink partially filled with water. I lightly wash the persimmons and put them in the next sink to rinse.



After they have been washed, I measure them out according to the recipe I am making. I put them through the foley mill to get the pulp out.



Here is all the pulp for this one recipe.



After I have pulped all the persimmons for that particular recipe, I then label a freezer bag with how many persimmons are in the bag and date the bag. Then the pulp goes into the bag.



The bag gets stuck into another bag and placed in the freezer. My mouth waters thinking of all the persimmon puddings we will have this next year.

End of a Chapter

Reading books is a favorite activity of mine. I love to start a new book, learn each character, see how the story unfolds in each chapter. I could even say my life to this point has been like a book. Some of the chapters are accepting the Lord as my Savior, teaching, marriage, coming to Bancroft. Each chapter has begun with the unknown and the anticipation of the Lord using it to develop me into the woman He desires.

A new chapter is beginning in our lives. We feel the Lord is calling us from Bancroft. We will be leaving this month. We are committing our future to the Lord and anticipating His directing us. We covet your prayers as we start this next chapter.

Thank you for supporting us with your prayers and finances. You have been such an encouragement and example of the Lord's love to us. All gifts designated for us that arrive by October 1 will be transferred to us. Gifts received after October 1 will be returned to the sender. If you wish to continue to financially support the work of Bancroft, you are welcome to send checks with the note for the general fund.

We love you!

New Mexico bound

Once again our church is going to New Mexico on a mission trip. This trip we are leading 2 Vacation Bible Schools (VBS) each day. One in the morning & one in the evening. The leftover VBS material from the church has been shipped to use as a resource.

I am directing the 2 VBS. I figure how hard can this be. It should basically be Bible Club but I will have help. Now mind you I realize that 2x a day for 4 days a week will equal 8 Bible clubs. But I'm getting ready.

Last night as I was trying to sleep, I was worrying about how to tell the Bible stories. As I drifted off to sleep my mind kept returning to Sunday School Charlie. I told myself that during lunch today I would look at the SS Charlie stories I have.

My head started hurting something horrible so I came home for lunch early thinking maybe a few minutes nap would help relieve the headache. I sat on the couch with my feet propped up but couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about SS Charlie & trying to figure out which story would work best. The first one has a lot to do with idols...it's a good story...but I wasn't too comfortable taking that one with me. The 3rd story was about a Little League ball game. I could take that one...but just didn't feel comfortable. The 2nd one seemed to keep popping up in my head. So I got up from my nap and looked for the #2 Sunday School Charlie story. I found it and read through the story. 2 of the 4 Bible stories (in the VBS curriculum) are included in this lesson. Day 1 talks about them going to chapel but does not have a Bible story so I can include one in there. The last day ends at a campfire service...the way that lesson is presented I can add the other Bible story to it. The stories will just be done in a different order than in the VBS manual.

Also I was a little apprehensive about taking flannelgraph with me because I do not know if there will be a flannel board where we're going to be serving. But I have lots of extra felt so I can find a large piece, pack it & when we stop at Wal-mart ask if I could have a box and make a board if there is not one. So now all I have to do is go through my Life of Christ manuals & pull the 2 stories on Zacchaeus & feeding the 5000. That shouldn't be hard at all.

SS Charlie is a 5 day lesson. So I will combine days 2 & 3. I just now need to decide what I can leave out of those 2 days that won't affect the story.

Now if I could just find a bunch of old keys. I could spray paint them gold & use that as my wrapped up item. (A gold key is lost in this SS Charlie story).

Still thinking, planning and praying but seeing more and more the Lord who goes before us in each of our endeavors.

The Well

Laura walked slowly down the path to the well. It was noon and the hottest part of the day. All the other women would be long gone by the time she reached the well. Laura would have to hurry so she wouldn't get sunburned.

She shifted the water jug from one hip to the other. Why was it that when it was especially hot the jug seemed the heaviest? She would have come early in the morning with the other women, but it was unbearable to be with them. They never looked at her or talked to her. Then when she left, they snickered or laughed. Sometimes she heard them call her a name. She could only imagine what they were calling her today.

The men of the village weren't much better either. They knew who she was, but they didn't know her name. And they didn't even care if she had a name. The only reason they cared about her, or acted like they cared, was because to them she was an object of pleasure. An object to be used and then discarded when they felt appropriate.

As she neared the well, she looked around. No women were in sight. She carefully lowered her jug into the well, carefully tipped it over and then drew it back up. She took the jug, set it on her hip and then turned to head back into town.

She took the first step and then heard a voice. "Could you please draw me a drink of water?" She turned around to see who was speaking. It was a man. But the thing that really surprised her was that he was a man from a country that was considered to be an enemy. And she could tell from the way he was dressed that he was probably a member of the ruling council. Not only were they enemies, but members of the ruling council were not allowed to talk to women alone in public.

She hesitated for a moment. Should she trust him? Did he really want only a drink? As she stood there contemplating his request, he said, "If you knew who it was that asked you for a drink you would ask him for a drink. And he would have given you a drink of living water."

"But, Sir," she said. "You have nothing to draw this water with. The well is also deep. And where are you going to get this living water? Not only did Jacob drink from this well, but his sons and his flocks did also. They're not still living. Are you greater than Jacob?"

The man said, "Anyone who drinks of the water from this well will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of the water which I give will never be thirsty again."

Laura's eyes grew big. If she drank of this water which he gave to her, did that mean she would never have to come to this well again. She wouldn't have to worry about all the other women and their idle gossip. She would take one drink and never be thirsty again.

"Sir, could you please give me a drink of this water so I will never have to come to this well again? I want to never be thirsty again."

"Go take your water jug back to your house, bring your husband, and come back to receive this water."

Laura's eyes fell to the ground. Go get her husband. She had no husband. As a matter of fact, she had had trouble maintaining a husband.

"S..S..Sir, I have no husband," she falteringly said.

"That's right," he said.

"Uh-oh," she thought. "I'm going to get it now. The game is up. He's onto me. He'll only make fun of me like all the others. Maybe I should make some sort of explanation as to why I don't have a husband. Should I blame it on my home environment, my education, or should I just remain quiet. Maybe he doesn't realize my real background."

"As a matter of fact you have had five husbands. You are now living with someone but he is not your husband. It is quite accurate what you have just said."

Laura was quite surprised. When he said that there was no condemnation in his voice. And Laura wasn't made to feel she had to offer some excuse.

Laura and the man continued to talk some more. As they talked, Laura came to realize this was the promised Messiah. The one that had been promised back in the days of Moses. And he was nothing like what she had been taught he would be.

Laura was so excited about this man that she ran back to town, forgetting her water jug. "Come see this man I have just met. He has told me everything I have ever done. Could this be the Christ?"

The men left their positions in town and made their way to the well. They may have been curious as to the man that Laura was excited about. But after they reached the well and found out for themselves who this man was, they knew they had no reason to not believe. Many of the Samaritans believed in Jesus because of Laura's testimony.

As I look back on this story, I am amazed. I am amazed at this woman's flexibility -- going to the well at noon. I am amazed that when she was confronted with her sin, she offered no excuses. How often I want to offer an excuse when I have sinned! I am also amazed that she doesn't have a recorded name. I have just given her the name, Laura, to make it easier to tell the story. Could her name have been Kathleen? Could she have looked like me?

She was the outcast and Jesus took time to personally touch her life. He gave her the true satisfaction for which she was looking. Am I looking to Him for that satisfaction?

A Special Neighbor

When I moved to TN, they were our neighbors. He was the pastor of the church my aunt & uncle (parents now) attended. When my sisters all had the chicken pox at the same time (thanks to me bringing them home from kindergarten), these neighbors welcomed me into their home one Sunday afternoon. That is the first time I remember having pork chops. They came to most of our birthday dinners. They could keep us children on our seat's edge telling Sunday School Charlie and other flannelgraph stories. When Papa died, we were whisked up to their house. The day President Reagan was shot, we got off the bus at their house. Even though they weren't official family members, we called them Uncle Guy & Aunt Evelyn.

We girls started joining the all girl youth group at church. After we bemoaned (I'm sure several times) the fact there were no boys in the youth group, our wonderful youth leader helped us organize a Valentine's dinner. We were supposed to invite a boy from school to attend. But when it came down to the fact, I think we were all a little scared. So who came as my date - Uncle Guy.

One summer (during our college years) Mom & Dad went out for the evening. We girls were at the house by ourselves. It was a hot night. Since we didn't have any kind of central air in our home, we girls had the windows raised & the doors open to let the breeze in. All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. We quickly shut all doors and windows & turned off all music and lights. Locking ourselves into the downstairs bathroom, we called Uncle Guy. He immediately came down to the house and saved us from the drunk (& his dog) who had run out of gas.

When John & I were married, Uncle Guy officiated our wedding.


When we came on as staff, Uncle Guy and Aunt Evelyn welcomed us. We shared meals with them every week as I was learning the ropes of the bookwork. Those were special times.

Uncle Guy's death this past weekend was quiet. It did not make the news. Even though the world doesn't know (and probably doesn't care), he had an impact on the world. The boys and girls with whom he shared Christ's love are now sharing that love with others.

Uncle Guy, we love you and will miss you. Thank you for sharing your life and Christ's love with us.

Spring

Today as I went to the mailbox, this is what I saw:


A bluebird waiting on the "danger" to pass so he can relieve mother in the bluebird box.




Daffodils near the creek bank

Bible Club 11

Board ready to review the previous week's lesson.


Making sure everyone knows what's expected of them...aka going over Bible club rules.


Leading them in singing. They really like the action songs.



The basket of candy. Each girl received 2 pieces upon leaving.

We will not be having Bible Club for the next 2 weeks. Next week they are going to have their Easter Egg hunt. They'll be doing lots of "eggs-citing" activities. The following week is Spring Break. They'll be operating on a different schedule. Lots of trips & activities planned.

Bible Club 10

After having not had Bible club for what seemed like forever, we were able to get back today. The girls were very excited to see us. One little girl (who used to be very faithful) came back outside to tell us she would not be able to be in club today because she was taking art. From my understanding the girls who take art go on a field trip every week to the Renaissance Center. It is here the seniors (age 55+) have their art displayed. A member of the seniors group will give the girls art instructions. These "art" girls have committed to attend every Thursday. If they see us come in they are torn between art & Bible club BUT have to keep their commitment to art.

The program director is leaving Girls Inc. and the CEO has hired a new girl to take her place. This lady (really) grew up in the church we attend. I have been on a few Ladies Retreats with her & her mother. She was there today & we were able to greet her for a few minutes before the girls were dismissed to their activities.

As we entered our room today, we noticed they have attached a door to the room. That was very nice today. It was able to cut the hallway noise almost completely out. Fortunately there is a window on the door so the leaders could get a count of which girls were in our room.

Before the girls were told to clean up the gym & line up on their lines for sign-up, I overheard 2 girls talking. Girl A says, "B, she said she didn't like you either." Girl B replies, "So, who cares". Girl A "I guess no one." I kind of laughed to myself. And inwardly commended Girl B for her attitude.

We started out with about 9 girls. 7 of them ended up leaving within the first 5 minutes. 3 more came in during the next 5 minutes. We had a new girl today. She is in kindergarten. I cringed when I realized she was so young. My experience with this age girl for Bible club is they usually can't sit still. She sat very prim & proper. Back straight, not touching the back of the chair, arms folded in her lap. Legs dangling from the chair but not swinging back & forth. Her eyes were focused on the lesson. She walked in with another girl who announced her as being a new girl. "And she doesn't even know what Bible Club means," the introducer said with a sound of tsk tsk in her voice. "Well, I don't know what is done in Bible club but I do know what the Bible is," the new girl corrected.

Sunday School Charlie, Red & Preston have been locked in one of Preston's dads trucks at the Triangle Trucking Company. The supervisor has gone home for the weekend & won't be back until Monday. Red, Preston & Charlie are sure they will be stuck in that truck until then when they hear Preston's dog sniffing outside. Preston yells at the dog & tells him to get dad. Preston's dad comes & reprimands the boys for hiding in the truck & not telling the supervisor. They apologize & go home. The next day in Sunday School the teacher, Mr. Brown, reminds the boys they are playing for either God's team or Satan's team. Satan tries his hardest to discourage the players on God's team. The boys are given a chance to tell how they have been discouraged or tempted to do wrong. But Mr. Brown reminds the boys that because they're playing on God's team they have this wonderful 5 letter word...faith. F...forgiveness, A...assurance, I...identification, T...triumph, H...hope. Each letter is written on a shield. He then places a wordstrip HEAVEN on the board. We have heaven to which to look forward. Taking the 5 shields, he turns them upside down & places them behind the HEAVEN forming somewhat of a crown. The boys are reminded that we'll be rewarded crowns in heaven for our faithfulness here on earth. The next Saturday arrives & Charlie gets to the ballgame. Bushy & the gang are there and tempt Charlie even further to throw the game. They had stolen Charlie's Sunday School pin & won't give it to him unless their team wins. We ended today's story with Charlie trying to decide what to do. One little girl said it was very mean of me to just end the story & not tell them what happens next.

John came up & led them in some songs....(Sit down & whisper if you love my Jesus, Stop, Go, I'm a Missionary's Helper, Do you know that you've been born again, Let's talk about Jesus, & Father Abraham).

I then came up & played the Ants game with them. One team just couldn't quite figure out how to play. They never got any points. The other team "won" with 89 points.

After finishing & dismissing the girls, we left for Johnson City to visit a friend in the hospital. We had a nice visit & then came home.

1000 gifts #7

61. trip to Charlotte

62. spending time with my sister on the way to Charlotte

63. sharing my pre-July 1974 memories with Mom & Dad

64. anticipating a day away

65. vacation days

66. visiting with out of state cousins

67. holding the ladder while John was standing on it

68. visiting with a sister in the grocery store

69. sharing barbecue pork (with a work crew)

70. our house being painted earlier than we thought

First day of March

Our morning started bright & early with the alarm clock chirping at 5am. I did not want to get up but did need to be in the camp kitchen by 6.

We arrived and worked on breakfast being ready by 7. We ended up eating around 7.15. The men were finished and on the job by 7.45. Breakfast was biscuits, sausage gravy, jelly (for those who might not like biscuits & gravy), grapes, orange juice, coffee & there were cereals - Cheerios & a Bite Size Shredded Wheat variety. The men were excited we were serving biscuits & gravy for their first meal.

Much work was done between breakfast & lunch. At noon we served spaghetti, garlic toast, green beans, salad, lemonade, sweet/unsweet tea & water. The men were able to eat a little more for lunch than they had been for breakfast. We had purchased some Little Debbie snack cakes for the men to have if they needed a morning or afternoon pick me up. They were set out for dessert.

We cleaned up from lunch & I was able to go back to the office. Supper was served at 5 - hamburgers - grilled outside - with all the trimmings, potato chips, lemonade, tea, water & I had set out a few soft drinks in case those were wanted.

As far as the progress of the new bathroom, they have the walls framed, pipes laid out & wires run. During each meal they laughed about finishing early enough they could go to Myrtle Beach before having to go home. Tomorrow there'll be even more finished.

We decided today that breakfast would be served at 7.30. That gives me 30 minutes longer to sleep! Tomorrow is pancakes & John's famous turkey. Bible study will be in the evening. We're studying Jeremiah...the Precept study. My heart is heavy for our country as I read through this book. The idolatry that was prevalent in the days of Jeremiah. And how faithful Jeremiah was to proclaim the message which the Lord spoke to him.

Hope you have enjoyed a look into our day today...mostly the meals. Hopefully tomorrow I will have some pictures to post.

And So It Begins

Every year a church in PA sends a group to do some work projects. They are coming two times this spring. The first group - consisting of 3 men - arrived today and will start work early Monday morning. Their project for this week is to put a bathroom in the office area above the dining room. We always provide the food for them to eat. Friday we staff sat down & created the menu. I typed it up & will hang it up on one of the cabinet doors in the kitchen.

They like to eat breakfast at 7 a.m. so we will have to be in the kitchen by 6 to start preparing that. Come by to eat one or two of the meals with us. Just call to let us know you will be there & we'll have a spot reserved for you.

Bible Club Week 9

Today was our first day of Bible club after Christmas. When we got there, we learned we were able to have the teen room again. I am so thankful. (Last night before going to sleep, I had asked the Lord if we could have that room back!) Even though we had only 7 for club today, they were all excited to see us. We actually started out with 8 but 1 little girl remembered she still had homework to do. And homework gets first priority. You cannot participate in the afternoon activities if you have not completed your homework.

We had been to club one week between Thanksgiving & Christmas...I just didn't write about it. So there was only one lesson left to tell in the Sunday School Charlie lesson. I reviewed it so I could tell the girls what happened. And then prepared the #3 SS Charlie story to begin today God's Little Leaguer. I was glad I had prepared that one.

The girls arrived in club & I asked them to tell me their name & one thing they got for Christmas (if they could remember). One girl couldn't remember what she got for Christmas but shared with us her late birthday present. Her birthday is Dec. 27 & her mother's is the 30. They always celebrate their birthdays together. They do this because sometimes there isn't money to celebrate them separately. I said something to the effect that it's hard having a birthday after Christmas isn't it. She agreed. I kind of wonder if there isn't money enough to do both Christmas & birthday presents.

We then started the story. I told the girls that I knew we hadn't finished the last story & here is what happened. Today we were going to start a new one. There was only one girl who even remembered the previous story. None of the rest remembered. So that was a positive to my having prepared the 3 story. In this lesson Charlie & Red are going to play baseball for the Midgets. They are playing against the Tip Tops for the Little League pennant. If the Tip Tops win they will be the champions. If the Midgets win, they will be tied & have to play another game. Charlie has learned in SS that being a Christian has lots of similarities to being a ballplayer. For one you're on God's team. And you're playing against Satan's team. Satan will try to discourage you & get you to fumble and sometimes you will. But God has His Word that goes to bat for us. And like Paul we can keep our eyes on the prize (VICTORY). On the way to the game, Charlie meets a new boy, Preston. Preston is also a Christian & he & Charlie become very good friends. They get to the ball field & a group of boys being led by a bushy haired boy nicknamed Bushy meet Charlie. Bushy offers $5 to Charlie to fumble & let the Tip Tops win. Charlie knows he shouldn't fumble on purpose but $5 is a lot of money. (Now I will admit the story has been around for a few years & $5 isn't what it used to be. I just said they offered Charlie money. I don't know what amount would be tempting in today's culture).

We finished our story & prayed. I asked the girls to each share 1 thing with me that I could pray with them about. Most of them had one item to share. Ranging anywhere from taking our puppy to the pound to world peace to a little girl who had been shot in the head. Her dad shot & killed the mother & sibling. The little girl survived the shooting but has a "bump" on her head & doesn't really remember anything anymore. So sad. I prayed for each one & then Uncle John came up & led them in a few songs.

We sang "Head & Shoulders, Knees & Toes", "Stop" & "Go", "Untold Millions Are Still Untold", "I'm a Missionary's Helper" & ended with "Father Abraham". Then I came back up & we played the ice cream cone review game. I told the girls that with the snow we were expecting, I didn't want to think about the cold. I wanted to think about warm weather & this game helped me think of that. The girls enjoyed the game.

The girls were so well-behaved that we were able to play the review game for the remaining 25 minutes. At the end of club, they all went to get a Tootsie Roll lollipop from Uncle John. Instead of having them line up at the door & then dismissing them, I had them come back & sit down after getting their candy. Then the last row to get candy was the first row to line up. That took up the remaining time until it was time to leave.

I think next week I will take a jar which has conversation hearts in it. I'll give the girls a chance (for the next 2 weeks) to guess how many hearts are in the jar. The 2nd week, the girl who came the closest will win a grand prize. The one catch is that she will have to be in club to get it. If she's not there, then the 2nd closest will get the prize.

My eyes are telling me that it's time for them to close for the night. We both want to work on our Bible Study some. We're studying the book of Jeremiah on Tuesday nights.