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Love is patient.

1 Corinthians 13:4 (GOD’S WORD Translation)

Penryn Mud Sale

Part 1

Saturday, March 16

It happens every spring – the Penryn Mud Sale – and our Amish neighbor Eli goes by our house with a tractor and two or three steel-rimmed wagons, usually loaded with a few things for one of the auctions.

Mud sales are called mud sales because it is often muddy in spring.

The weather was quite different from last year – about thirty-five degrees colder. Last year it was warm and sunny. This year it was cold and rainy/snowy.

We arrived about 9:15 a.m. – after the Lancaster Prayer Breakfast.

The profit from this day goes to the fire company and a local Amish school.

The Penryn Fire Company prepared for the cold by setting up extra tents, but there were still a few outside auctions.

Even though I would have enjoyed french fries, I was not about to wait in line outside in the cold rain.

The main auction – inside the fire hall was quite crowded, so I was glad my sister and niece had placed our lawn chairs along the center aisle in the second row.

I take a few pictures for the Mud Sale Guide – published by our daughter Deb – so need a good seat, at least some of the time.

Roy and Deb had come to our house for Jere and Kristen’s four youngest children while we were at the prayer breakfast and brought them to the mud sale, but because of the weather they did not stay.

For that reason I looked for two people who might appreciate two of our four lawn chairs.

About that time I saw Cerwin’s sister Velda and her husband, Mel, standing in back of the room. They were delighted to get good seats.

There were racks of quilts lined up against one of the walls.

It was delightful to have a good seat in a warm, crowded room, on a cold, snowy day, enjoying coffee and a donut while taking pictures of beautiful quilts.

Many pictures tomorrow night.

Look

Matthew 6:26 (Good News Translation)

A Prayer Breakfast

&

Weather for the Birds

We were up early on Saturday morning (March 16) to be at Lancaster Chapter Prayer Breakfast by 7:30 a.m.

It is always delightful to be with these friends.

I was going to a mud sale after breakfast where I wanted to have an Amish-made donut, so settled for fresh fruit and toast for breakfast.

Cerwin and I shared the same message as we did the previous month at the Bucks-Montgomery Chapter

“Is Love Your Dedicated Run?”

What does life look like when we love the Lord our God with our whole heart and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves?

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Weather for the Birds

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A robin in our back yard on a very rainy day.

An eastern bluebird on a sunny day.

A northern mockingbird refused to look at me on a cloudy, cold day.

A tufted titmouse close to my kitchen window on a warm spring-like day.

A male cardinal enjoying seeds from the ground on a cold, late winter day.

A day later it was cloudy and feeling like snow.

Hours later it was snowing as the female cardinal searched for seeds.

This was Saturday, March 16 – just a few days before the first day of spring.

It did not look like or feel like spring this past weekend.

I am looking forward to warmer days, but cardinals sure do look pretty against a backdrop of snow.

Follow

Matthew 4:19 (New King James Version)

Sportsmen’s Dinner

Family Worship Center, Leola, PA

Friday, March 15 – Part 2

Four of the guys with our group of fourteen: Quintin, Josiah, Nate, and Tyler.

The program began at 6:35 p.m. with a live auction to benefit Southern End Strutters “Wheelin’ Sportsmen” Program.

“Wheelin’ Sportsmen” are handicapped hunters.

The total funds raised was something like $4,750.00 (amount remembered by Justin).

Partway through the auction these two hunters emerged – with one showing the other how to shoot a gun. It ended up with what appeared to be a clay bird shoot at shirts and hats that were thrown into the audience.

Then this hunter emerged from the outhouse with this shirt launcher gun.

George, one of our group, got a shirt that was thrown/shot into the audience.

~~~

Following the auction, there was the door prize drawing when many items (total value of more than $10,000.00) were given to audience members.

Diana was the only one in our group to receive something. Her prize included gift cards to several local sporting goods businesses that totaled $75.00, also a deer and turkey call.

The special feature of the evening was Brodie Swisher from the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana, an acclaimed writer and world champion of the Great American Game Calling Challenge.

Brodie is listed as a Speaker/Writer/Pastor/Critter Killer on his website.

He invited these two young Amish boys to come to the stage to help him demonstrate a few calls.

One thing he said was that calling an animal into your shooting range is a form of deception.

After demonstrating many calls and showing several short videos, he picked up his Bible and reminded us that Satan is the one trying to deceive us.

His greatest deception is trying to make people think they don’t need God.

Don’t be deceived. You will reap what you sow.

~~~

Don’t get consumed with the pursuit.

~~~

Be a follower. Jesus wants followers.

Lead

1 Peter 5:3 (New Life Version)

Sportsmen’s Dinner

Family Worship Center, Leola, PA

Friday, March 15 – Part 1

I hadn’t expected to go to the Sportsmen’s Dinner this year. However, one of the young men had to cancel and our grandsons could not find a replacement.

There were fourteen in our group who enjoyed the meal and program.

It was nice to enjoy delicious food that I didn’t have to cook.

Diana and Cerwin checking out an outfitter from Missouri.

Cerwin brought this literature home, and the more he learned about this hunt, the more excited he became – and because this event includes lots of activities for non-hunting wives, we decided to book a hunting trip to Missouri in November.

I enjoyed seeing the interesting hunting-related exhibits.

www.southernendstrutters.com

Several talented craftsmen displayed their products.

Metzler Decoys

A variety of callers. I think these are for calling wild turkey.

These ladies were selling interesting bags – especially for women – for carrying hunting needs.

You can check it out at www.fashionablyconcealed.weebly.com.

For more information, you can contact Heather Butler at hsb001@comcast.net.

Each person received a program/entry form with a pen. These two young men were assembling them and handing them to crowd of people who entered the church sanctuary.

There were hunting videos to watch for those who were in the auditorium early.

I was impressed with the creative stage.

There were many nice door prizes.

This beautiful painting “Deep in the Woods” by Jack Paluh was part of the evening’s auction.

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More in the next post.

~~~

PS: Xanga did not let me post last night – the reason I am posting this morning.

Pray

Ephesians 6:18 (New Life Version)

Chapel to Towamencin

Chapel for Calgary

March 7 to 14

On Sunday, March 10, Cerwin and Bunny O’Hare took International Chapel #1 to Towamencin Mennonite Church, Kulpsville, PA.

Since Towamencin is an unusual name, I “googled” the name meaning.

The name Towamencin is of Native American origin, and means “Poplar Tree.”

An alternate etymology is a legend started in the 1720s when Heinrich Fry purchased some land near what is now known as the Towamencin Creek.

On this tract of land was a Native village whose chief spoke broken English. One day he observed two men clearing trees near the creek and said “Towha-men-seen”, meaning “Two men seen.” As the legend goes, the chief’s pronunciation stuck, and is how Towamencin got its name.

Only Bunny and Cerwin went to this church because Peg was teaching a Sunday school class at their home church and Cerwin and I were caring for Jere and Kristen’s five children.

It just seemed wiser and easier for me to stay home so Bunny and Cerwin could make the almost two-hour-drive in the chapel.

Bunny and Chaplain Allan Graham (Elkton, Maryland, Chapel) visit with a young couple from the church. You can see Sam Rittenhouse (Bunny’s assistant in Pastoral Care for Chaplains) visiting with someone in the background. 

Back in the shop this week: Cerwin and Glenn Fahnestock finished installing the cabinets and countertops.

This is what the chapel looks like today, Sunday, March 17. 

Cerwin and I were at the International Office to take the mobile chapel to another church (pictures in a few days).

For this photo I was standing in the living quarters looking toward the chapel area.

Reverse picture: standing in the chapel area looking toward the living quarters.

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The chapel will soon be ready for the sandblasting and paint shop.

~~~