This is really winter?

Feb. 15, 2009 Even though we get information daily about the weather at home and know it is extremely cold and snowy this winter it still is kind of hard to believe when we enjoy such balmy weather here. This week the temps got up into the 80's. Eating breakfast outside is hard to believe at this time of the year but we do it. Needless to say we are enjoying the weather.

The picture is of "my" class as they recited the scripture at the weekly Thursday chapel. They recited John 3: 1-23. I had heard these kids in the classroom as they recited various verses to me but was still amazed how well they did on stage with all the verses. Memorization is such a lost art these days but I think it still has a very valid place in a Christian's life.

This week I read the book, same kind of difference as me, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. No, the title is not capitalized and the grammar is characteristic of some of the script. It is about a black plantation worker (modern day slave) and an international art dealer and the unlikely woman who bound them together. It sheds light on the fallacy that one is better than the other and depicts an intriguing drama of how they are brought together as the result of the compassion of one women. Interesting reading and very insightful. Barbara Bush even said on reading the book that it moved her to tears.

Valentines Day is always a big day in lower elementary school and Florida Bible Christian School is no different. For days the bags and packages wrapped in pink or red began showing up in the school room. Most were for the teacher and for each other but I did receive a present from one little boy. My sweetheart! We don't work on Fridays so I was not there for the party, however, later that evening our group leader came to our RV to deliver my present. The note said Daniel wanted me to have it on Valentines Day so it was special delivery. My part of the Valentine festivities was cutting out various decorations for the kids to use making their valentines. Sooooo my Cricut machine does come in handy and is a help to a teacher that is already overwhelmed with 19 very energized kids.

Our tour on Friday was to the Everglade National Park where we took an airboat ride and walked around the park. We saw lots of alligators and various birds and fish but for me the scenery was still the highlight of the day. As we were on the boat I was impressed with how the water, brown tho it was, still reflected the clouds in it. I know I have sent similar pictures in the last months but I still stand in awe of God's beautiful creation. Our group this month is big on sack lunches and we are fine with that so on tour we ate our lunch sitting on logs near the slough. We took one of the school's vans so we could ride together, that is all but one couple who rode their motorcycle because the van didn't hold 12 people. On our way down we had just passed a truck when our driver saw in the rear view mirror that a tire on the truck blew out and he veered crazily across the lane we had just passed him on. A couple of seconds later we would have been hit and if the motorcycle that was just ahead of us had been behind us the resulting disaster is hard to imagine. We did thank God many times throughout the day for the safety of each one of us.

On Saturday we did our Valentine eating out at noon to miss the crowds. We ate at Bahama Breeze which is a sea food restaurant although it was possible to get a deluxe 1/2 pound hamburger there too for those who must have red meat. Thirty two years ago in Hawaii we had the most delicious mahi mahi we had ever eaten. Well this restaurant had mahi mahi as well and it was almost as good as what we had in Hawaii. It was delicious. It came with baked sweet potato, another favorite, so we thought we had made a good pick of restaurants.

Who knows who this confident big guy is? Not confident enough tho to keep his pants up without suspenders you will notice. No, I didn't try to blur the background but the picture is partially distorted which happened when our computer hit a glitch several years ago but I found it still worth sharing. I really can't find any resemblance to his present looks but I know the little guy needed prayers when he was young because of his curiosity and he does now as well with his work of compassion.

We are doing well and find RVICS a very good pick for us at this particular time.

Love you all,

Mom and Dad/Marilyn and Wilmer (whatever)