WELCOME TO AFRICA!

This past Sunday we had a Uganda Mission fundraiser after church. We heard a report about how well the crops are growing on the land we purchased as well as a plea for sponsorship of the children attending the school. Above you see the table decorations in the fellowship hall. After services, we had a big chicken barbeque dinner. The meal was awesome, chicken, baked beans, broccoli salad, dinner rolls, jello salad, and assorted homemade pies. There were over 50 take out orders as well as a crowded hall full of "diners."
Many of us dressed in our African clothing and jewelry. In this picture just outside the door of our sanctuary, I am wearing items that I purchased in Kenya back in 2004. The skirt is part of a whole outfit, but unfortunately I can no longer fit the top. The orange colored cloth is actually an apron. I forget what it is called, but the ladies wrap it around their waists while cooking and also it can be used to carry a baby when the bottom part is wrapped around the child and tied to the shoulder as you see I have it arranged.
My shorter necklace and bracelet were purchased in Kenya as well.

After dinner there was also an auction. I donated a copy of "The Call From A Distant Field," my newest book, which takes place in Africa at a mission with similar projects to the one our church sponsors. The unique thing is that I was not attending this church when I originally wrote the book! The first copy of the book to be paid for was this one at the auction! I think that speaks of God's intervention in an interesting way!

I decided to take a step of faith and sponsor a child. This little boy has been on my heart ever since I saw his picture some time ago. Sunday, Rhiannon noticed that his picture was still there amongst those waiting to be sponsored and I suddenly realized it had been almost a year since I'd first considered the sponsorship. I was so convicted that a child had to wait a year while I made a decision that will cost me so little but mean so much to him! I couldn't quit tearing up all afternoon as I thought about a child praying in faith, hoping God would send someone. This time that someone was me....I should have obeyed sooner.

Sponsorship will mean that this little boy's entire family will benefit. Money that was spent for school tuition and supplies will now be freed up for food and basic necessities. This little boy lives in a house with over 20 other people! And I live in a house of over 3000 sq. feet with only three others! Imagine that! He wants to learn and improve his circumstances--and now I can be a part of God's will for his life! How privileged it made me feel! Blessings, LORI

THE PROMISE OF NEW LIFE

I couldn't resist picking a bouquet of the stuff blooming in my yard. This spring is like none I have ever seen before in my 51 years (Saturday marks that date!). The warm temperatures are unheard of for March in our part of the country. I am a little concerned about what this will mean for the fruit crops, and other flowering items if we get a cold spell now.

I thought this little bouquet, not more than about 6 inches tall was a perfect picture to use when I mention some things that have been on my heart. Such promise exists each time a season rolls around and we think about another year of life. Let's not take it for granted. Things are escalating at a rapid rate in the realms of politics and world events--things I never imagined I'd see in my lifetime. I'm sure you've noticed. It's like the speed on a fan being turned up and things all around suddenly being swept into swift whirling.

Will you join me and make a committment (not to me of course, but to God and yourself) that you will pray every single day for our country and Christians around the world. May our light not go out. May we American Christians continue to be faithful and uphold truth. May we be a nation of truth and justice based on Christian principles. Without the basis of the Bible people lose their way; let us not be like children who have lost their way. Please pray for revival, first in your own heart and then in the hearts of your countrymen. It is time to unite in prayer for restoration. If you agree, drop me a comment and encourage the others who read. Blessings, LORI

EVERYTHING'S COMING UP......

BOOKS!!!!!!!!!!!! MY FIRST SHIPMENT OF BOOK THREE, "THE CALL FROM A DISTANT FIELD" ARRIVED TODAY!


CROCUSES!!!!!!!!! MANY CROCUSES ARE OUT AND BLOOMING WITH OTHER FLOWERS FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND!

I've never seen anything like it! The warm weather is making things in the garden flourish. I hope we do not have a late frost to complicate everything!

As for the books, the mat in front of my front door where the box arrived today kind of says it all--WELCOME! I am so glad to have this book finally in print. It seemed like it was taking forever for all the finalities to come together, but in the last stages I had less trouble than with either of the first two books. It is really something to praise the Lord for! I hope your week has been one in which you can find much to praise God for! Blessings, LORI

Weedin' With The Chickens!

The weather has been so warm! I took the opportunity after work tonight to do some more raking and weeding. Three hens joined me! My chickens are very personable. They are almost like pets!

Hoping to get a picture ready soon of my newest book--it is finally in print! THE CALL FROM A DISTANT FIELD is ready after a couple years of work. It is the third in my courtship fiction series. I wanted to get some copies in time for our church sale on March 25--a benefit sale for our missions in Uganda. It seemed an appropriate way to announce the book since the story takes place in Africa and the mission described in the book is involved in farming to feed the people. Our church has a similar mission in Uganda. I didn't know this when I wrote the book, since I was not attending this church at the time. It is such an amazing thing to me that I want to donate a book for the sale. The proof copy came through in an amazing 5 days--never before happened in my publisher's experience! It was a blessed effort, I am sure, since I found out about the benefit sale only days before the book was in the final stage of corrections. I am thanking the Lord for the results! Blessings, LORI

CRAZY PATCHING

I started a crazy patch pillow over the weekend. I've done many in my lifetime!

I use a simple method of sewing a single piece to a muslin backing and then placing other pieces over the edges of that one by one. I sew a straight seem and flip the subsequent pieces over to their right side and iron them down.

I "built" a bit of a fan out of five green pieces before applying that to the rest of the block.


Here I am, fan wrong side up, sewing it to the center piece. I think the pictures are out of order! Sorry! After this I flip the fan right side up and iron it to smooth it. When all the pieces are done and the muslin square is covered, then comes the real fun--embroidering over all the seams. Since I call myself the "queen of thread" (more thread in stashes than any woman in the country) this is always a fun challenge.

This pillow is intended for the new old Victorian platform rocker that I donated to my library. It will go in our new history room. I am the "curator" or whatever you want to call it for the history room and we recently broke through a wall and doubled the size of the room to include more files, artifacts, and historical info. We painted the walls a slate blue/grey and dark cream, put an oriental rug (reds and golds) in the center of the room and will add the newly refinished and recovered Eastlake rocker for folks to use while browsing all our new collection!

This last picture is part of my stash of "silks" that I dumped on the sewing room table before starting the pillow project. Hopefully I'll have a finished pillow picture to show you soon!Blessings, LORI