daily life as life goes on . . .

The routine of a weekly day off is starting to become a discipline.  Having said that, last week didn't quite work out. But today . . . pretty well a day off! Repainting a door, cutting the grass, and even helping make supper (notice I said helping - I'm not quite up to the chef level yet!) . . . those were all opportunities to do "day off" stuff.  And I enjoyed them. I also had an afternoon rest (the Sunday version is often called the "evangelical nap").  Riding my stationary bike gave me some exercise.  Watching some TV was entertainment.  And now, I write my blog and settle in the for evening wind down time. May your day end with restfulness, ready for a new day to dawn!

A watering trough serves as our baptismal tank.  Not your regular, country style tubular kind.  It actually looks like a round swimming pool, downsized and made of black plastic. The tank was filled a few nights ago, and the water temperature increased by inserting heaters used for cattle troughs.  To regulate the temperature you need to back off the heat judiciously.  Which means, in terms I understand, you unplug the heater when the water gets too hot. At the same time, the overnight temperature in the building tends to get colder so the water cools down.  The heater is now on, and in the morning we'll check it once again.  All things being equal, by 11:00 tomorrow morning the baptismal will be just right!! Come join us - at the Kindersley Alliance church, 74 West Road, Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada.

The saga has begun. Last night I took the front screen door off it's hinges.  Corralling it into the garage, I placed it upon sawhorses.  With a file in hand, I sharpened the paint scraper that was to serve as the instrument of cleansing.  Scraping off old paint in both crumbling state and in long sheets, I soon had the outer coat removed. That was last evening. Today was primer time and semi-gloss.  Thankfully the paint dries quickly. Tonight the color has changed from green to white.  If you come by, you may miss the house - the sparkling shadow of beauty will engulf you!!  Of course, I have to put the door back on the hinges.  Should be soon, I hope, I think -- OK, wait a few days!!

Attendance is climbing at our Vacation Bible School. When I first volunteered to work with this program, I wasn't sure how many 6-10 year olds we would find in the summer.  When the first day saw 10 kids, I was satisfied.  That would be a good start.  The second day we saw a few more and today we hit 19 in attendance.  I would be quite satisfied with that amount.  It suits the staff well and lets all of them work together.  Having said that, we could still take a few more.  To encourage that we let those who invited friends receive a special reward -- a spoonful of gum balls, as many as they can get.  Seems they like that idea.  If you look in the picture below you can see the bowl filled with gum balls.  We place them in a plastic bag (sanitary and all that!!) and the kids can eat them on the way home. The good news of Jesus is becoming clearer for the "campers" as the week progresses.  Two more days.  We have been well served by those who are serving during these days.  That has included those who directly work with the children, and also those who make food, pray, prepare decoration and a thousand other little details that make this work.  THANK YOU!!