Between a rock and a hard place

This is a tight spot called Fat Man's Pass on South Mountain, near Phoenix, Arizona.  Suzanne's dad, Grant, took us on a three hour hike to Hidden Valley, which is up in the hills.  This spot is only wide enough for one person to squeeze through.  If you don't think you can make it, there is another way round.  Sometimes we can only think of one way through our difficulties, but God has another plan.  Sometimes we are squeezed through the "furnace of affliction"  to work something into our character. Being between a rock and a hard place, in the eternal perspective, is not always a bad thing.

Organ Pipe National Monument

This is the ocotillo, which is technically not a cactus.  It doesn't usually bloom at this time of the year; the plant looks like dead twigs.  After the winter rains , the plant bursts into bloom.  Today, we were blessed to find just ONE ocotillo in bloom, just so I could take these pictures.

Terry had a revelation today, an Aha! moment. He stood in the middle of the desert and exclaimed, "God created all this! Not just the rain forest, but even the desert!"   This is the organ pipe cactus, after which the park is named. The park is in the very south of Arizona, bordering Mexico.  It grows among dark volcanic rocks on south and east facing slopes, and at night the rocks release their warmth, like a blanket of warm air, so the cactus is protected from frost.  There are more stories to share about the wonderful adaptations of plants in the desert; hope to share them at some point in Canada. 

To everything there is a season

When we first arrived at this project, God spoke to my heart and said it was a new season in my life. (I had just watched that  wonderful movie again, "Beyond the Blackboard", and Vivaldi's "Seasons" was resonating in my head.) "Just what season is it here?" I wondered.  When we first arrived, it was 34 degrees Celsius, and we wore shorts, put on the air conditioning, and ate supper outside.  It has cooled down to the twenties, but today was a very pleasant 26.  However, to the Arizonians, winter is approaching. It snowed on a certain mountain . We were putting away summer clothes at the Mission, and clothing in the stores looks fallish.  A TV ad sang out, "Put your sweater on..." To complicate the seasons, it gets dark by 6:00 pm, but it is still warm. Some women wear Ugg boots (those suede fleece lined boots) and toques are in fashion. Here is Terry with a nice warm toque I found while sorting at Community Services today.  He'll keep it for the cold trip home.  

After we got back from the C.S. he changed into his work shorts and put on his sunhat to help the men finish sealing the roof at the women's shelter. (See his picture on Facebook).  Oh yes, Tucson had a record rainfall last Sunday...less than 1/2".  A boy stood outside the church with a giant umbrella, ready to escort people back to their cars.  We had laughed the week before when they were driving people to the door in golf carts.  The best purchase we've made is a little ceramic heater, which quickly fills the small space in the trailer with warmth first thing in the morning and sometimes in the evening; we  especially enjoyed it on the way down.
I have enjoyed the relaxed pace of this new season in my life, and our project is over.  We've made wonderful friends, which someday we'll meet again.  Tomorrow we're going to Phoenix for the weekend to visit Suzanne's parents, and next week... we'll keep you posted.

Thrift Shopping

The five SOWER ladies at Gospel Rescue Mission said goodbye to the men and enjoyed lunch out at Jason's Deli.  Usually we have a simple lunch at the Mission on the 4 days we work. Then we spent most of the afternoon in two thrift stores and in Target. When it was time to leave, the group leader looked at me in amazement  and said, "You didn't buy anything?" Little did she know how many thrift stores I've visited this past month, on top of wading through all the clothing donations we received at the Mission.   Our friends from Sleepy Valley, with whom we travelled to get here, are thrift shop connoisseurs, and were acquainted with every thrift store on our trip down.  They rate them as either "good" or else avoid them altogether.  It's hard to keep up to Erica; she heads straight for the yarn section, and Shelley looks for interesting coloured sheets out of which she makes rag rugs. I've bought a couple of things I've needed for the kitchen and some clothing items for unexpected weather conditions, like the day we were on a bird trip. I had forgotten to take my warm sweater, and the wind was blowing up a gale.  I was freezing, so begged Terry to stop at a little church-run thrift store in a tiny town where the only warm garment to be found was one of those coarsely woven Mexican "shirts" for a dollar  .  It did the trick, though, and I was able to bird watch in relative comfort.  I'm still looking for a couple of items, but I'm almost thrift shopped out.  Almost.

Breaking the sound barrier

It's good to do what God wants you to do.  Terry and I shared what God has done in our lives at this morning's devotions (inspirational time every morning with the SOWER group) Then we both spoke a different message this evening at the women's chapel time.  It really blessed me.  I was so happy to speak without a set of notes, and sound normal. To God be the glory!
 Only 2 more days officially on our project!

Saturday blessing

On Saturday morning we went on another field trip.  I hadn't packed our usual lunch because there was nothing interesting left in the fridge.  By 12:00 noon, I was hungry.
"Where do you want to eat?" Terry asked.
"Somewhere like a deli", I answered.
Our neighbours had mentioned a whole food market; it was nearby, so we ventured in.  It looked promising; people were eating outside with paper plates of food.  Were we surprise as we walked in the door.  A team of servers stood at attention, ready to serve a complete turkey dinner!  "We offer this free meal once a year, " they said.  (What better advertising for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday) They scooped tiny portions of everything onto our plates: creamed spinach, creamed corn, cranberries, mashed potatoes, salad, and thick slices of ham and free range turkey.  Even a small sample of naturally sweetened pie--a choice of 3 kinds--and a tiny cup of "freshly squeezed" apple juice. 
Speechless, we sat outside to enjoy our meal.  "Only in America!" I thought to myself. 
It reminded me of several instances of meals in the Bible.  In Matthew 14 Jesus miraculously feeds 5,000 hungry people because, except for a small boy, they didn't bring their lunches either.  In Matthew 22, special guests were invited to the wedding of the king's son, but for various reasons, they couldn't make it.  Then the king invited the poor people who hung out on the street corners. Matthew 25 describes the arrival of the bridegroom while half the wedding party was out belatedly buying oil for their lamps.  The ones who were ready went with the bridegroom to enjoy the wedding feast.
God wants to fill us with good things, but we have to be hungry.  We have to take the opportunity when we can.  Our neighbours, who were at the market just before us, missed out.  "We didn't see anything," they said. The ones invited to the wedding feast missed out because they were busy doing other things that seemed more important to them. In the third story, after the wedding attendants went into the celebration, the door was shut. The others who were off catchiing up on their shopping couldn't get in.  In Isaiah 55 God invites us to "Come, buy wine and milk, without money, and without cost."  We can have priceless spiritual blessings just for the the taking.  It really is that simple.  Are you hungry for God?  He is inviting you to partake of his riches.   Don't wait till it is too late. 

Early Bird Special at the Golden Corral

Who wants to eat the evening meal at 4:00 pm?  Seniors who gather for the Early Bird Special, approximately $7.00 for all you can eat! We found ourselves surrounded by other gray headed and bald headed people. I did, that is. It almost seemed strange to think of ourselves as being "one of them". Terry looks rather young to be in this gathering.  At 63,we are actually the youngest couple on our Project, and were called the new kids on the block.  Besides the 5 couples working at the Mission, other, older SOWERS from the area, who no longer work projects, were invited to join us at the Golden Corral.  We surprised ourselves by feeling comfortable sitting next to someone we had never met before, and chatting for at least half an hour before perusing the buffet tables.  Everyone was so friendly.  The main course was varied and delicious; with the meats tender and lots of greens, it was possible to choose healthily. The desserts, however, were way too sweet, and not worth the headache I had all night.  By 6:00 pm we were on our way home, as the leader felt it was "too late" to go shopping as we had plannned.  Indeed, we did suddenly feel tired from all that food. 

Picture of Gospel Rescue Mission

The big white sign says "Wayward Winds Lodge"  At night it is not turned on because it's not a motel anymore. The road is called Miracle Mile; it was named before the mission started!

Gospel Rescue Mission, Tucson, AZ

We're volunteering at the Gospel Rescue Mission through an organization of retired people called SOWERS (Servants on Wheels Ever Ready) . About 100 women live here, some with children, in a beautifully converted motel.  The women are in various stages of rehabilitation.  They are approved into the programme when they want to change, and must have already gone through detox from drugs or alcohol.  There are temporary stays, and longer programmes, about 18 months long.  Then there is a transition house, where they are taught how to function in the real world, after being in the shelter so long.  Some of us joined in their "celebration" the other day where they were given certificates for achievements and character.  It was just like school! They celebrated such things as completing programmes and getting a job.  Even the little children received certificates for reading books, and little 2 year old Mason, for listening so quietly to stories.
 I mentioned the 2 jobs I was supposed to be doing, but they did not actually materialize.  So I've been waiting to find my niche, and things are settling into a pattern.  The most predictable day is Tuesday, when I "help" in the daycare.  Today I was reading a story to 4 year old Micah, when he started dancing around.  On his way to the bathroom he yelled, "Pause the story!" When we were playing in the kitchen centre, I asked him to cook my food, so he put it into the (toy) microwave. I could not persuade him to "cook" my food on the regular stovetop! The microwave was all he had seen.  The women eat at a cafeteria, where we also eat lunch for the 4 days we work.
Other things I have done is sweep the sidewalk, littered with little black berries from the palm trees, help at the community outreach centre, and help sort clothing in the give-away store for the women. 
The RV's are parked in the asphalt parking lot behind the motel.  I'm happy to report, we are not the smallest.  Our neighbours live in a camping van.  Another couple is from Vernon, BC, so we're "buds".  When it was really hot, in the 30's, we ate outside, but it's cooled off a bit 

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum -Part 2

The Great Horned Owl and other raptors swooped low over our heads as the handlers put out meat for them. We were cautioned not to raise our hands over our heads!  The background vegetation was fairly typical , with barrel, saguaro, prickly pear cactus, and occotillo everywhere , along with all the various bushes, where we tried to find new birds.  We did see the Cactus Wren, the Arizona state bird.
The wind is picking up tonight and Baby B, our name for the trailer, is already shaking.  We've put down the awning, as the winds are supposed to gust up to 50 mph. 
It's been a great first day off!

Free Market Day

People at the Community Services branch of Gospel Rescue Mission were lined up early , waiting for
the Thursday Free market to open.  First they could choose a bag of bread and and some bottled drink, then they got to spend 5 minutes in roped off area where other " wares "were set out.  There were toys, household items and even furniture and building supplies.  They had to make their choices of 5 items quickly.  "Cinco cosas, Senoras!" called the volunteer worker.  She did such a good job, moving the senoras along, and making sure no one sneaked in without being in line first.  The shovels were snapped up quickly, even a snow shovel, and handbags and stuffed toys were popular as well. Everything was free--this is their outreach to the community. The people in line patiently waited their turn; these 2 ladies were reading out of little pocket New Testaments as they waited.  In another corner, lively music was playing, and someone was preaching.  Other volunteers , not from our organization, sorted in the great shed.  Terry was organizing a mobile van filled with clothing hung on hangers.  The Gospel mission gets so much clothing they give lots away to other organizations, first taking the nicer items to the women's shelter where we are all staying. 

Bluffing my way through Sluff

I sat in the group of four couples frozen in horror.  I had just agreed to play a card game, an  activity which is totally out of my comfort zone. Is this an American game?"  I asked. "I've never heard of it." "Well , we are American" was the answer. (It was called Sluff. I'm sure we wouldn't even spell it like that in Canada. This is comparable to the blank look I got when I said I was knitting a toque for a baby.  "Is that a baby bonnet?" asked the same lady.) Another lady who was not playing took pity on me and sat beside me to coach me.  I lay down my card each round, not really knowing the object of the game.  At the beginning, when people explain the rules of card games, I never get it.  It would take too long to really understand all the rules, so I just go ahead and bluff my way through.  Terry, on the other hand, got it right away, although he had someone leaning over his shoulder as well, pointing out the cards he should lay down. At the end of the game, my coach thought I was catching on, but I was just relieved that the game was over.