Fall is here...

Fall is here at last with all her charms, the leaves have begun their annual march from green to vivid then gone, the little gray squirrels are busy hiding away walnuts, much to my dismay as I would like some too, and the toads and frog are slowing down. The turkeys are again out strutting there stuff, tempting us to catch them... thanksgiving dinner early anyone? LOL!  It feels so good to walk in the crisp cool breezes and hear the birds chirping away.

This has to be my second favorite time of the year, next to winter, of all time.  I love the ciders, the leaves, the animals, and the start of fires in the fireplace.  This is when one can start buying things for the long winter ahead, and start planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

~ "Morria"

Furlough

So for the next how ever long, we will be on furlough.  We don't know when we will be returning to our beloved Dine Bikeyah.  But until then we will be working odd jobs, and gathering items we need.  Praying that we get a new assignment soon...

~ Rob and Michelle 

Living our Faith...

When we talk about living our faith, and being Jesus hands and feet, what do we really think about? Do we see a poor widow?  Do we see the fatherless kids down the street?  Do we remember the thousands without clean water?  Do we think of the many without a meal, especially the 1 in 5 children who will not eat today?  Do we remember the orphans, the homeless, the strangers, and the outcasts?  Do we think of those ill?  Do we think of those alone?  Do we care? Do we picture feeding 5,000?

When Robby and I returned to Kentucky, we also returned to our anchor church here, Immanuel Baptist Church of Corbin, because of their heart to reach the world.  Little did we know we would be returning during the Love Loud outreach, which is not just hosted by IBC but many other churches from the area.  One of the goals is to feed 5,000.  How?  That is the awesome part...

Have you ever gone to church Sunday and had a reverse offer?  What is that?  Were the church passed the offering plate and TOLD you to take $1 dollar out for yourself.  Then we learned about the parable of the talents   Then we all, along with many other churches descended upon walmart (only food place that could handle all of us), and each spend that money, and many of us beyond that, to buy food for others.  Result?  One large truck, plus 7 small pick-ups full of food...  how many feed still pending...  That to me is living our faith... in a BIG way.

~ "Morria"

Reflecting

As I sit here, with cool weather coming upon us, reflecting on these past 9 years since I started blogging back in February, 2003, I am struck by the journeys I have been on.  I have been looking at a few of the keepsakes that are here with me: the glass bottle with dirt from Dine Bikeyah, the doll called "Gypsy" that Robby got me as a gift, the cedarwood flute I am learning to play, and the few photos about the room with friends and places from the journey.   These past 9 years have brought many people into my life: many, many more than I can list (or spell all the names of... ~_^)  And of course, it brought me Robby, too!

One of the biggest surprises and blessings has been my little sister, Chissy, and her son (my nephew), Ethan, entering my life.  Chrissy was a surprise to me on so many levels.  First that she was in my life, after not being for 24 years.  Now, I am shocked that we have become best of friends, the "forever friends" that sisters should be.  Tis not a bad shock, but a joy I never dared dream would be mine. What a blessing it is to have Chrissy and Travis back in my life again!

So many things have changed over the past 9 years, but these three remain the same: my love for Celtic Christianity, my desire to journey and travel for God, and the calling (now clear) to Dine Bikeyah.

"May Jesus's peace rest with you all, and may you each find your journey-tasks!  Blessings! Amen."

~ "Morria"

Dreams and Hopes...

When one dreams of a place, when one starts talking of hopes for the future, what do they look like?  I have often dreamed of land, children, missions, homesteading... all in Dine Bikeyah area.  But for many years it was just that, a dream.  I was not going to ask really for anyone to do that... Then, my beloved Robby, began to share his dreams for living out in Dine Bikeyah.  And he spoke to my heart...

He spoke of a homestead or sheep camp in the area of Dine Bikeyah, with sheeps, goats, a few horses, rabbits, chickens, gardens, and such.  A home with room for me to do some kinda hospitality/art-music ministry.  And my heart awakens with dreams and with hope.... maybe there is more to fight for then even I knew...

~ "Morria"

Great Thoreau Flood

 Yesterday, monsoon season continued as expected, but what came after has not happened this bad in over 10 years... The Great Thoreau Flood.  Our backyard and drive way turned into a literal river.  I had to rescue our dog Nikida back onto the porch.  The rain had stopped and she had gone out to relieve herself, but in the 2 minuets she was out... the flood hit.  Robby had just walked from the front window to the back, and back to the porch...and it hit between leaving the back window and the front porch.

 We had to wait till our driveway stopped being a river to get over to the church. The church got hit too.  Our back field, which last week we used for a cowboy church service, was "Thoreau Lake" yesterday.  We were blessed with sandbags from the Fire Department, and bagged every door of the church to keep it from leaking through the doors, more than it had at least.  We had pizza and fellowship after cleaning up the church.

Even more unbelievable was the flooding out of the train tracks.  These tracks have been used since the 1890's by first the Mitchel's lines and now the Amtrak and Santa Fe Railroad.  Trains were waiting till about 9 till 10 pm for the water to go down and the tracks to be cleared off enough for the trains to pass.  At 6 pm when I took the pictures, the tracks were still flooded out... It was totally and unbelievable sight!

~ Rob and Michelle 

Torn..

Here I sit in a home soon not to be mine, torn between my life here in Dine Bikeyah and the new life I will lead in Kentucky until our return... Yes, the open road is calling me.  Yes, I am very restless.  BUT  I have so many friends here.  I have a good life here, except for no work... *la sigh* Tis that not work part thats killing me... 11 days and then farewell, for how long I know not... Next time I will ask for more than a year settled down...

Tis not like we don't have friends in Kentucky; we do, and family, too!  It is just we have not lived there in 3 years.  We both have changed, grown, and become different.  We know where "home" is, where we are called.  Until the day we get to settle (though the road will always be part of my life), the day we establish "home base" here in Dine Bikeyah... I will be among the wanderers.  As Tolkin said, "Not all who wanderer are lost."

~ Rob and Michelle