4/24/23

 Dear Family,  

 

 

                I appreciate Bobby taking the time to be with me and to cook for us.  Monday we enjoyed shopping together and talking.  Because we spent over $50 together and I had clipped a coupon earlier on the off chance. . we got $10 off.  How fun!  We are better together.  I am glad he is kind and takes care of us.

                Adriel is so lovely!  She called and chatted with Bobby and me about what is interesting in her life.  I am blessed to be her mom.   She also chatted with my friend and me another day.  My friend mentioned that she is the light of my life and how proud I am of Adriel.  Apparently, I don’t say it enough because Adriel was touched.  I am totally proud of Adriel’s independent spirit, stick-to-itiveness, and perseverance.  Adriel is willing to work super hard to achieve her goals and it’s more than impressive.  It’s astounding.

                Adriel also chatted with me Thursday evening and said she is glad she moved to Portland.  She has nostalgia when visiting Salem but is stretching her wings, networking, and growing leaps and bounds out on her own.  Oh, my heart!

                Adriel also enjoys reselling thrift store or Estate sale finds.  She said she learned from the best because I have been selling things online since before she was born.

                When I asked Seth to join our family on a trip to Chicago, he mentioned it was “Enough of a culture shock visiting Seattle” as one of the reasons he doesn’t want to go.  He is willing to take care of the cat.  I didn’t expect him to go with us, but it would have been nice.

                Seth cleaned the downstairs bathroom, and I am very glad he took the initiative on that.  I like it when he is helpful around the house. 

                Tuesday night at youth group I enjoyed a new twist on the game Chess.  Forget all the thought, it’s now ‘Flick chess’.  Take a piece off, aim, and flick another piece at the other side.  All pieces that fly are now taken off.  Simple and way more fun than traditional chess.   An extra bonus is how much this disturbs Bobby, he doesn’t want any pieces lost and complains loudly that we are doing it wrong.  Hilarious!

                During Song time Bobby asked a youth, “Are you eating chips and singing at the same time?”  He seemed surprised there wasn’t much of a mess.

                The High school group also delighted in flick chess.  Smiles and laughter are way more fun than frowns and deep thought in my books.  Since our group was smaller Bobby had me go for an ice cream run.  I came back with the DQ bag right as he was saying, “We need to switch our focus on heavenly things more than earthly.”  I stood there a bit waiting to see if I should bring out the dilly bars.  When I turned to put them in the freezer Bobby stopped me and asked, “What are you doing?”  I said, “Switching these focus to the freezer?”  Nope, it was time to serve the ice cream even though it seemed the opposite of the lesson.

                Later in the lesson, Bobby had the group laughing when he asked, “What desires in your life wage war against God?  Is it pushing ___________ down the stairs?”  This may have been a legitimate concern; I never did get a straight answer out of the group.

                Thursday Bobby and I discussed refining some behaviors in our relationship.  Maybe getting his goat doesn’t need to be one of my major priorities and a whole lot of other things. 

                Bobby took out the garbage and cleaned our bathroom which was very kind.  I am blessed when he helps at home.  We are also praying a lot more for each other, for our children, and about how we can grow as a couple.  We are in discussion about how we will move forward.  It is good to bring things to God.  He is a wonderful counselor, caring, and comforting.

                Friday, we had a lovely date and began talking about a trip Bobby has been planning for us.  We will enjoy exploring a state Bobby has never been to before and were hoping to bring the kids.  Also, we figured that I would buy a different chess set so he won’t worry about his pieces being damaged or lost when people play flick chess.

                I hadn’t spoken to my parents in a while and I found out Dad went to the hospital with Pneumonia when the first thing he said after, “Hello,” was, “I’m alive!”  Goodness!  I may have never found out!  Please pray for my parents as they navigate this new health issue. 

                Thank you for walking with me on this journey called life.  Your prayers make a huge difference.  Your love warms my heart.  May you also be warmed, feel loved and appreciated.  Hugs,

 

 

Cristy

PS, this picture is of regular chess.  But it is still a fun picture.

4/17/23

 Dear family,

                I am so glad for our church and the love we feel while being there and participating.  I enjoy singing together, cookies between services, hearing the message, and fellowship.  Easter Sunday Bobby and I were able to do Sunday school for the 0–5-year-olds (we had 3–5-year-olds attend) first service.  It was fun to play with little ones, experience water cups, and one who put all the water in his mouth.  When Bobby asked, “What shouldn’t we do?” I answered, “Make him laugh.”  Well, I shouldn’t have said that.  Anyway, we had fun and I believe we will enjoy being grandparents later. 

                Adriel sold her car this week, so it was good of her to let me know she is still alive.  City living still freaks me out.

                Seth was kind with hugs on Sunday when I had sadness.  He also said, “I love you,” a lot and that was very kind.

                During the Middle School group, the youth were chagrined to find a lunch bag under their seats.  They wondered what would make them barf.  This brought much discussion and Bobby said they would have to wait and see.  I “did an errand” during song time.  Lesson time was good with insight like, “There’s a better way to live life.  Don’t be mean to ______.”  And the student Bobby was talking to was adorable.  He looked around and up at the sky, “What could it be?”  Anyway, all the guessing about barf bags had an end.  One person said they knew what we would be doing.  A late easter egg hunt!  How fun.

                Before the High school group started Bobby brought me aside to talk about hiding eggs.  He wanted to figure out if we should do the hunt outside or inside.  I pointed to the downpour outside and laughed at Bobby’s surprise.  Indoors it was.  Thank goodness Bobby planned to take the High School group out to bless some of our shut-ins.

                To announce his plans after the group was gathered Bobby asked, “What do you call elderly people who can’t leave their home?”  The unanimous, instantaneous answer was “Rich” in reference to the one Bobby likes to tease about being old.  “No,” Bobby persevered, “It has two words”.  Finally, someone got “Shut in” and they were off to give presents and joy. 

                One student came in wearing a Mario hat.  Bobby asked if he wore it to school and the answer was “No” – no hats at school allowed.  Bobby had to tease, “Because you might be a Gangster of Warrio!”

                Youth group truly is fun and I am also glad for rest.    The ability to sleep and enjoy life to the full.  Bobby and I relaxed Thursday and enjoyed a Corban dinner Saturday.  Having time together is pleasant.  I also enjoyed the company of friends from church at Corban.  Good times.

                May you find strength in the rest God gives.  May you enjoy good times and persevere through the bad.  May you find love in all you encounter.

                Much love,

 

 

Cristy

PS, this is the time of year when I see last year's work has paid off.  Baby sunflowers are coming up all over the yard.  I threw them on the ground like the parable of the seed Sower.   I don’t know if they made it over the winter till now.  How exciting.  We will have sunflowers again this year.  That’s God working – we don’t always see the results, they come later.

4/10/23

 Dear Family,

 

            Claiming to hate someone isn’t very nice but this is what my family says about our adorable, tiny kitty Skyra.  She truly is annoying because she meows so much.  So, when I saw Seth loving her, my heart melted, and I took this picture.  I bet this happens every day.

            Adriel continues to let us know she is alive and we had a great evening of reminiscing with pictures being sent back and forth.  My crazy eyes are present even in grade school pictures.  Adriel warms my heart.

            Bobby cooking food is such a blessing I must mention it every time.  Even if it’s food I don’t want to eat – this simply means I didn’t have to cook.  I am so blessed that my family doesn’t expect me to have dinner on the table every night. 

            During youth group, Bobby mentioned trust and how sitting on a chair shows how much we trust it.  He then said a stool has become wobbly enough that he doesn’t want to risk breaking his guitar by sitting on it.  Someone piped in with, “What about your neck?”  Either way, I found one for $5 at the UGM Mission store on 885 mission street and that is easier than fixing the old one.  Also, Bobby went another day to find a Dutch oven.  The UGM mission store is the best place to get Pampered Chef products at a good price!

            Middle school group was fabulous.  The youth enjoy gutter ball and foosball, but my feet hurt so I just sat down and invited someone to sit with me.  I enjoyed a wonderful chat about how even though those in my family say they don’t love our kitty I have picture proof of pure love.  She also loves her cat, so we have much in common.  Later she thanked me for the conversation and that was so downright beautifully polite my heart wanted to burst.

            Prayer time I enjoyed Bobby’s way of having someone lead in prayer.  He said, “Knock it off,” and that was funny to me.  In the lesson, we read John 3:1-18 and when Bobby asked the group what kind of plague the Israelites had to endure, one youth had the best answer.  “Weren’t there flaming snakes?”  That would have been dramatic.  Poisonous snakes were bad enough. 

            Near the end Bobby helped with the blanks.   Jesus C--- to S--- the W----.  Jesus came to save the world.  Someone said, “Dang it!”  This made me laugh.  I knew the youth was frustrated that he didn’t get the blanks right, but it sounded like he was frustrated about the meaning of the sentence.

            High school group brought deep voices and delightful smiles.  I enjoyed watching Bobby lose chess.  He played again and the next time with more people it was even more fun to watch him lose.  Snarky commentary is the best.  I think sarcasm is a fabulous spiritual gift. 

Those playing foosball were also enjoying their time.  One felt invincible.  He said with joy, “I had caffeine!” and later, “I had a coke at 3 pm, no one can stop me.” 

           Someone was excited about hearing there was ice cream in the freezer from a while ago.  He and a friend had one.  We told them the unicorn flavor was nasty, but they ate it anyway.  One mentioned they maybe should have looked at the expiration date, but Bobby asked, “Would you still eat the unicorn ice cream bar even if it was expired?”  Both said, “Yes.”

            I am excited to go to a Nerf Wars event on the 28^th to take pictures.  Bobby then mentioned I could be a zombie, and this doesn’t sound as fun.  A teen sitting next to me said he would be a zombie too with delight, so that made it sound OK.  I think I might just be a target.  Sounds iffy, what do you think?

            During the lesson time, Bobby had someone read John 3:16-18.  Another person had to comment, “That was the longest version of John 3:16 I have ever heard!

            Youth group is fun but it’s also nice to have evenings off and I am glad Bobby, and I could relax together on Thursday.  Life can get hectic.  Our bodies and minds need to rest!

            I have been considering a thought.  Just like an influencer can be liked one day, say one wrong thing, and be hated the next, Jesus was sung, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” one day and the next the crowds were yelling, “Crucify him!”  I keep wondering what changed their minds so fast.  Reading the gospels shows his timeline.  Instead of creating an army out of the welcoming crowds and saying, “Let's attack Rome and take over!” He went to the temple and overturned the tables.  Instead of preaching a resounding Independence Day speech, he said, “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”  (Matthew 21:43) Instead of appealing to the religious leaders to “Save the people” politically he took over the temple and taught saying, “Woe” about all the leaders.  Matthew 23:13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to,” and, Matthew 23:33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?”  Basically, he threw a rock at the hornet’s nest.  All eyes were on him, and he acted askew to what they wanted.  Jesus was the talk of the town and the news of the nation.  Many were healed but calling himself God and saying their religion was wrong got their hackles up.  As a religious leader's wife would I have been one shouting, “Crucify him?”  Would I have hurled insults while he hung on the cross?

 

 

 

 

 

I really, really hope not.

 

 

 

 

His kingdom isn’t about Rome, democrats, republicans, or Israel.  It’s about heaven, which is much, much more important than anything that is going on around us.  Looking up when we are surrounded by our own life choices must be a conscious decision.  May we look up and not follow the crowd.  May we be filled from above and not be swayed by the current that shifts by the minute.

 

Love to all,

 

 

Cristy

 

 

Happy Birthday Adriel!!

Dear Family,

 

            Every year rain or shine I am blessed when the youth group comes to help spread bark dust.  It’s a big job for just me, but for us all, it is a pleasure.  I am so glad when the community bands together to accomplish a task.  I can’t describe to you the joy our youth brought as they were willing to carry and dump bark dust repeatedly in the rain.  Their excitement was only heightened each time someone new joined.  They were so glad to see each other.  It was just like youth group.  The greetings were infectious with delight.  One even had an epiphany during the several hours they worked, “I have decided to help with VBS.”  His friend exclaimed with delight, “Yes!”  The fun continued with a game, Kinect Adventures.  Their enthusiasm peaked again as they took turns and battled for the best score.  Pizza gave them a break and then, “Apples to Apples” rounded off for a fabulous day.  Youth group kids are our fountain of youth.  If we never look old, it’s because of them.

            One silly part, a boy insisted he really wanted to shed his itchy pants once inside the home.  He feels very comfortable with us that’s for sure.  He really didn’t see the need for pants even though I’m a lady.  We convinced him to wear a pair of Seth’s drawstring pants. 

            Community coming together doesn’t just accomplish a goal it bonds our hearts together.  Bobby and 13 others joined to help Pastor Marcus move out of his house.  I was amazed to hear it only took 2.5 hours.  Wow!  Good job!

            Seth helped with bark dust and found the kids interesting as well.  He was fabulous and I am blessed with his hard work.

            Because it is Spring break the youth group had a games day instead of the regular youth group on Wednesday.  We enjoyed many games, and my two favorite quotes will follow with some explanation.  We talked about how I eat chips and Cheetos with a spoon because I don’t want messy fingers.  A young man said, “I have God’s napkin!”  He then proceeded to lick his fingers, “My tongue.”  The next quote was from another young man during the game of things.  The question was, “Things that would surprise you if it didn’t happen.”  One person wrote, “Not growing physically.”  He answered the inquiry, “Was it you who wrote that?” With another favorite quote, “Yes, it’s obvious?”  And I thought that was quite adorable because it is obvious when the youth haven’t hit their growth spurt yet. 

Bobby’s favorite apples-to-apples moment was when the green card we all had to match was, “Wee: ‘small, tiny.’”  He guessed mine which was "speed bumps".  As he was walking away, I did have to tell the kids, “I used to love flying over speed bumps but that’s a bad idea, parts fall off your car.”  It was amazing how fast the time went.  Three hours, blip.  And that is life!

            Celebrating Adriel’s Birthday at “JoJo’s Restaurant” in Portland was really yummy!  Adriel has matured so much and my heart was so full being with her and my parents.  I can’t describe how much love we packed into the couple of hours we were together. 

            May you find time with others to be meaningful as well.  May your joy be complete when you interact with people.  May God fill your hearts that you might fill others.  Much love,

 

 

Cristy  

P.S. My heart was filled again during Palm Sunday.  Whenever our little ones sing up front I cry tears of joy because that's what spills out when my heart overfills. 

    I did notice during the communion speech about this being a celebration and remembrance of belief (so only take this if you are a believer, no one is judging, this is a safe place . . . ) that several deacons had weird quizzical faces.  I asked Bobby what that was about and he said it looked like there might not be enough communion to go around.  I mentioned to Seth that dad and I would refrain even if it made us look like unbelievers because we were concerned the crackers might run out.  His response was to agree that he would refrain as well with, “I wear sandals to church, you can obviously tell I don’t care what others think.”  So we didn't take the bread and I pretended when it was time to Seth saying, "Really?" and me giggling.  We did notice that there was some leftover so we did take the grape juice.  I had to chuckle when Bobby told me someone did ask about us not taking the bread.