Half-Banana

One day last week I decided to have a banana with my breakfast. Since our fruitbowl had only really big ones, I cut one in half, and put the dirty knife by the sink to be washed. Then I sat down at the table to enjoy my yogurt and toast and coffee along with my half-banana.

When I was well into the meal, Martha (our wonderful housegirl) spoke to me.

"Madam," she said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

I turned to answer her. She was standing by the kitchen drawers, the top one (the knife drawer) open. In her hand was a half-banana.

"Madam," she spoke again, this time with a bit of a twinkle.

"Oh no, Martha!" I sputtered. "Was that in the drawer?"

She sparkled and twinkled and giggled a bit. "Yes, Madam."

I think I'm getting old.

A New Thing

It’s so wonderful to have most of our ‘Cup team back in Swaziland.

The Rehmeyers got home a few weeks ago; Charles and Kristen Young got back a few days ago.

Our newest members, Isaac and Carol Williams have been here for a couple of weeks.

Needless to say, things are getting back into full swing.

A bunch of the ‘Cup gang went to Ncobe, Mozambique this week for a few days to hold a medical clinic and to paint the new church building. It’s cream colored on the top half of the exterior walls, and a cheery orange on the bottom. Very Africa. Since it’s on the highest point in the area, it can be seen from afar.

Neighbors are getting excited about the new facility. They even named the dusty road in front of the site “Church Road.”

Pastors Isaac and Carol walked across Church Road to call on the local witch doctor and her husband. They simply introduced themselves and chatted a bit. Just showing them a bit of Jesus’ love. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if this couple were among the first to be won to Jesus in our new church?

Ben and Susan’s interdenominational Saturday Night Bible Study / Food & Fellowship is growing by leaps and bounds (50+ there last time).

Today we began our own little ‘Cup Sunday Morning Fellowship at the Rodgers house with lots of praise and prayer followed by a sermon from Pastor Dino by way of video. The presence of God was so heavy I went through half a box of Kleenex. We sang as Isaac played the guitar, prayed for one another including Ben and Susan’s children—who also prayed for us—and shared communion at the close. There may have been only twelve of us there, but I'm convinced the room was full of angels joining us in our praise to God!

We really feel like God is taking us to a higher place of ministry. In our day-to-day work we need to be spiritually sound. Just as sports teams come together all week long and get in shape for the next game, the ‘Cup team comes together to worship the Lord and to get themselves in shape for the week's work. We cheer each other on, encourage, rejoice and laugh and cry. Just like a tight knit family…

Can’t wait for Patrick Conti to get back (he’s such a strength to us all—and a huge encouragement to the Swazis) and for Christy Merrill to get here in June. (If you want to make a donation to their individual ministries, visit our website www.childrenscup.org, and indicate your designation.)

While you are at the website, check out the blogs of the ‘Cup team members to get a more thorough picture of what’s happening in Swaziland and Mozambique.

"Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road (Church road?) through the desert (Ncobe?), rivers in the badlands ." Isaiah 43:18, 19 TMB

Great Good News

Mid October we will be blessed for the thirteenth time: Josh and Shannon will give us another grandchild.

Are we excited? Is sugar sweet? Is the Pope a Catholic? Is a pig's rearend pork?

We are crazy excited.

Whoopee! Yipeee! Hallelujah! Yea! Hurrah! Glory!

Dancedancedancedancedance.

(Pardon our exhuberance.)

Ponderism

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

If you have the answer, please let me know.

Our Day, February 14

Happy Birthday to my dear one.

Happy Anniversary to my lover.

Happy Valentine’s Day to my sweetheart.

Life with you has been amazing beyond my hopes and dreams.

I want the whole wide world to know that I love you.

Too Young?

February is a very busy month of celebrations for the Ohlerkings.

Danny’s birthday is the 8th. Lincoln’s birthday is the 9th. David III’s birthday is the 25th. Rhodes and Rhett’s birthday is the 29th.

Wednesday is Valentine’s Day. That’s Dave’s birthday. It’s also our anniversary.

Dave and I were just young kids when we married. It was his 19th birthday. I was 18. We were in love.

There was a secular song out about that time, “Too Young,” sung by the velvety voice of Nat King Cole.

Well, yesterday as we were playing a CD of golden oldies, that song came up. As we drove down the hill from Susan’s house here in Swaziland, our minds went back to the early days of our marriage. There were people who were whispering (and not too quietly either) things like, “This will never last. They are just too young.” Hence our love of this tune.

They try to tell us we're too young
Too young to really be in love
They say that love's a word
A word we've only heard
But can't begin to know the meaning of
And yet we're not too young to know
This love will last though years may go
And then some day they may recall
We were not too young at all

Too bad the whisperers are dead and gone now. We’d show them!

(Sometimes the best thing we can do for young marrieds who seem too immature to “make it” in the commitment they have made to each other, is to encourage them to celebrate their love, showing them by our own marriages how to grow their love for each other. How to stick it out through the tough places as well as the smooth. How to view differences as opportunities to know each other better. How to laugh and cry together. How to love each other no matter what. )

Marriage is not just a union, it’s a continual meshing of each one’s lives, hearts, spirits, souls. It’s worth all the effort when you look back over 48 years of loving and growing and raising a family (4 kids, and 12 grandkids) and serving God together.

Thanks, Dave, for 48 wonderful years. We weren't too young after all!

Thanks, God, for blessing us beyond measure.

Bragging Again

Did you ever see such cute kids in your life?

On the bronze LSU tiger at one of our most favorite eating hangouts (TJ Ribs), Dave snapped this photo of some of our grands while he was in USA early January.

From left to right: Rhodes (I think), Monet (I think), Vaughn, Monroe (I think), Lincoln, Rhett (I think). The "I thinks" are there because these are two sets of twins and I'm never really SURE. I've already changed R&R's names twice in my indecisiveness.

Now I need to post current photos of Tori, JD, and David III. I'll see what I can do about that...