It has now been over a month since I put anything on our blog. I am sorry, what can I say, I am sorry. I have talked to some family/friends over the time but many of you I have not kept in touch with and shared in your life experiences. Emails have been a life thread to many of you but one day I hope to sit and visit with you face to face.
The first Sunday in October found us having a potluck at church at which time we received so many wonderful foodstuffs from our church family. They really do recognize "pastor appreciation month". We held service at Harvest Lodge in the afternoon and then entertained our college/singles group over dinner with Bible study.
This is such a busy time of year for our church family. The ladies ministry is very involved in many activities. We had our monthly meeting on the 4th of October which was preceded by a committee meeting for our quickly upcoming ladies tea and silent auction. The tea will be held on 11-12 and will be A Winter Wonderland (which I am happy to report that we do NOT have yet).
We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving on the 10th with a few folks from church. We enjoyed ham, sweet potato souffle, cranberry salad, green been casserole, a great lettuce layered salad (thanks Lora), pumpkin pie (thanks Jolene & mom), peach & bumbleberry pies (thanks Florence).... and not to have too many pies I had to make Ray a couple of pecan. It was a great relaxing day of good fellowship.
Susan Elaine Smith Davis Vanhooser celebrated a birthday on the 12th - sweet niece
Heather Cheri Bennett Shannon celebrated a birthday on the 14th - sweet daughter (in-law)
William CONNOR Lyons Davenport celebrated a birthday on the 15th - awesome nephew
Tammy McIlvoy celebrated a birthday on the 25th - dear friend
Ray and I left Fairview on Heather's birthday (14th) to drive to Calgary for our annual Midwest Baptist Association meeting. It was so good to visit with Mary Winn & Wilson and stay in their lovely home while in Calgary. Our meetings were Friday evening and Saturday morning. We took advantage of the opportunity of being near Cochrane and the CNBC and the CSBS to pick up books and literature. It was quite the snowy drive over that way and we had not experienced that up our way. We also enjoyed catching up with Dan & Melanie Morgan again. We enjoyed a great lunch with the two couples at Whitespot.... new place and I loved it - yummy tomato bisque soup! Ray and Wilson got into college football games while Mary Winn and I tried to put her house back together after all the foods she had prepared for our meetings. Good job Mrs. Nelson!!
Sunday morning (the 17th)Ray took me to the airport where I flew to LAX to be picked up by our dear friend Nancy Peterson. (picture of me and the bougainvillea is shopping in Orange, CA) Ray then started the long drive back to Fairview - by himself . While in California it rained the first 4 days - Nancy said that never happens until December...I am Jonah. That did not slow us down one bit. I enjoyed visiting and catching up with my friend, working on home projects, shopping, EATING (see chicken tostada above) and sightseeing. I attended high school for 9th & 10th grades not far from where they live. The world that God made for us to live on really is small.
One of the highlights was attending morning worship at Saddleback Church (first picture above). Rick Warren was in the pulpit and Sara Kelly sang that morning. Their campus is H U G E but their hearts and ministries are even larger. Rick said of the 300 ministries that their church was involved in - he did not start a one - the people all undertook projects that touched their hearts. Sounds like the NT to me.
Ray had a busy week and on Sunday he had his Sunday school class, worship, longterm service, and college/singles Bible study (and he had to do the cooking for them since I was out of pocket). Ray drove to Grande Prairie on the 27th and met with immigration, had an appointment with the dermatologist and then ate at Boston Pizza while trying to watch the Texas Rangers in the World Series. I was trying to do the same thing in Edmonton during a 4 hour layover. My airplane got to GP at 10:30pm and I was sure glad to see my man waiting for me. (12 hours in the airplane or airport is tough)
Saturday we planned our day around the TX Rangers game with SF. That was a great win and we hollered for all of Arlington to hear us.
We had a parent dedication service yesterday that I had not adequately prepared for prior to leaving for California - so I hit the ground running. Sunday was another full day except that Cindy & Stan drove Ray to GP to fly to Calgary for a National Leadership Board meeting in Cochrane where he will be until Wednesday. Several ladies worked at church all afternoon preparing for a pizza/pool party for all our church kids and their friends for halloween. It was an Hawaiian theme and they made Hawaiian pizza and the decorations were all from our VBS in 08. I slipped out early and headed home to watch our Rangers and see if they could get another WIN.....they didn't!!
Now it is Monday and I have been to my water aerobics class, done banking, picked up some groceries and will work on a plan to keep 16 children busy while their moms are in Bible study on Wednesday morning.... you might just pray for our group and me on Wednesday mornings... please and thank you.
I will head down to GP on Wednesday to pick up Ray and hopefully we will be home for a while. The church was awesome and gave us monies to attend the Pastor/wife retreat in SK but it started the 5th and we would have been out another Sunday. We will try to do the one that will be offered in January. We do like to get away together - just seems like the last while we have gotten away separately.
It is so hard to believe it is November and we do not have snow covering the Peace Country. I am definitely not complaining~in fact the sun is shining and the sky is blue (it was very gray and raining this am). Speaking of November I want to wish blessings to the following:
Andrew James Davenport - on the 8th he will be a teenager
Sharon Dockery Shannon - on the 9th she will be kicking up her heels (hopefully)
David Allen Davenport & Joni James Davenport will celebrate their wedding anniversary on the 23rd
Happy Thanksgiving to all you folks in the US on the 25th. Eat some turkey for us.
Ray will be going to Edmonton for a procedure by a dermatologist in December and Ray will need to decide on a course of action for other skin cancers - so please be praying with us about all those decisions.
I have a ladies ministry meeting tonight at 7:00pm and a committee meeting prior to that (right during game time - what's a fan to do??) I still remember wearing a headset during choir practiced at LABC (poor Larry)... he would just ask what the score to the Stars game was and then share it with the rest of the choir!
SONG FOR NOVEMBER
Take My Life and Let It Be / I Am Yours (Michael Neale)
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated Lord to Thee
Take my moments and my days
Let them flow in ceaseless praise
Let them flow in ceaseless praise
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee
Swift and beautiful for Thee
I am Yours set apart for You
I am Yours hungry for Your truth
Take my life You are all I live for
I am Yours
Take my voice and let me sing
Always only for my King
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee
Filled with messages from Thee
Take my will and make it Thine
It shall be no longer mine
Take my heart it is Thine own
It shall be Thy royal throne
It shall be Thy royal throne
Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. NLT Eph 3:20
Hope
