Heritage Singers - Peacespeaker

Katie's Mission

Katie left yesterday for a five week trip to Caracas, Venezuela. She was literally beside herself with excitement. This had been the desire of her heart for a long time. Last year when she first started talking about this, I never thought this day would come...........but, COME, IT DID!! When we got to Atlanta airport yesterday, I could not have been more proud. She knew right what to do. Of course, almost everything had been done online. She is very self-confident and it showed yesterday as she left. All went off without a hitch. Our life flashed before us as we remembered how it was when our parents told us goodby when our whole family- minus Katie, left to go to Costa Rica to study Spanish and then on to Caracas a couple of years after that. It isn't easy saying goodby but it is easier when you know you're in the will of the Father who is sending you.

She will be working on a team that ministers to University students. She is living in a beautiful apartment that looks out over the magnificent mountains surrounding Caracas. Today when I talked to her on instant message she informed me that she was standing there looking at the gorgeous view and drinking chinotto (a flavored soft drink) and eating an arepa - her very favorite thing. It is a corn meal pancake that can be stuffed with cheese, meat or anything you would like. It would be like our sandwiches. She may really be tired of them when she gets back to the states. That's about all, except for spaghetti, that she knows how to cook. oh well, at least she won't starve

Pray for the ministry. I will update more as I receive info.

Memorial Day at the Cashion's

Today we took a little trip to see Bill's parents for our day off because of Memorial Day. This is one day when most of the family gets together and barbecues or something of that sort. Today we fried up a bunch of salt water fish that Bill's brother had caught on one of his deep sea fishing ventures while they were at the beach. Everything was delicious as we feasted on fish, fries, coleslaw, Mama C.'s really good homemade hushpuppies and so many kinds of desserts. It was fun and filling. Everyone enjoyed it.

One of my favorite things about going to the Cashion's house is to see what kind of cap Mr. C would be wearing for the day. He always dresses the part. If he knows one of the kids are coming that gave him a certain cap, he will always put that cap on. He likes for them know he appreciates what they gave him. He used to always put the Venezuelan cap on that we got him when we came to visit. He loved that cap. He came to visit us once in Venezuela and fell in love with the country . One of the ice cream vendors who pushes a little cart around selling ice cream in Venezuela actually remembered Mr. C. recently. Bill went back to Venezuela for some baseball clinics and this SAME VENDOR who was still selling ice cream from the same cart on the same plaza talked to Bill and remembered his Dad. This is a vendor that AFTER all these years, 19 or 20 years to be exact, still remembered Mr. C. buying an ice cream from him and Bill translated as they talked and talked to each other. This vendor sent him yet ANOTHER cap and an Effie Ice Cream shirt that all the vendors wear. Mr. C. was so proud that he remembered him.

I guess my favorite cap that Mr. C. wears is the one that he wore today. He proudly wore the cap that proclaimed him a veteran of World War II. He served in the Navy during the war and even though he doesn't like to talk too much about it, he is proud of the service he gave to his country. I am here to say he SHOULD BE PROUD. This is a man who risked his life defending our freedoms. He has to be prodded a little to show us some medals he received. He is really very humble and modest about what he did in the war. I am so proud of my father-in-law for the sacrifice he made to serve our country. He deserves to proudly wear that cap. Happy Memorial Day Mr. C. I know a lot of your friends lost their lives and you remember them this day. We are so glad that you made it home. Thanks for all you did.

Thou, Oh Lord - The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

This is my song of praise for what the Lord has done in my life.

Graduation Day

Graduation Day is an exciting time in the life of anyone. As a matter of fact, our granddaughter, Ashlyn, just graduated from kindergarten. She had the cap and gown and the whole works. Ironically, I had a day of Graduation today and it was a joyous time. Meme graduated from the Wound Care Clinic at the Lanier Park Hospital in Gainesville, Georgia. I had an ulcer on my foot for about 5 1/2 months. I had no cap and gown, but I had spent tons of money on bandages, tape, medicines etc. It had been a grueling process to get it well . After bouts with infection, etc. I was beginning to think it wasn't going to get well but what do I know? I surely hope that I learned all that God wanted to teach me during those five months. There are times that I believe God puts you where he wants you to get your attention. Not that he caused my foot to be sick but I do believe He uses that time to do some molding in your life. Patience is not a virtue that I boast of. There were times that I could have kicked that boot that I was wearing to the ends of the earth. My sister kept telling me that I was having my JOB (long "o" ) testing. That's true. I know that I was tested, and I also know that I didn't always handle it well. The Lord kept working with me;He never left me during that time. His presence was my mainstay. His strength was my strength. He was everyday "the lifter of my head." What an awesome God we serve! Little ulcers or big cancers He understands. Little scraped knees or big tumors are both important to Him. Nothing is too big or too small.
I love Him for that. I love Him for watching over me. I love Him for the friends He gave me. They brought flowers. They brought food. They laughed with me. They cried with me.
That was a few of many ways that God blessed me......through His people. What a joy to know the Lord! I am so glad He loves me. He is the awesome God.

Our Mom - Kathy's, Martha's and Bibby's

I miss my mom. She has been gone for almost four years. I miss her as much today as I did when she passed away. I still hear her sweet loving voice, her wise counsel, her laughter. She was so funny. I remember once when I was a teenager, we were riding down the road. I looked over at her and she had this weird looking sun-visor cap on. I was embarrassed and got down in the floor of the car. She got me so tickled. She really turned on when I tried to hide. She turned that hat backwards, frontwards, sideways. I was hysterical in the floor of that car I almost wet my pants.

There are so many stories about my Mom that circulated around. She was deathly afraid of BUGS!She almost beat to death a raisin on the floor one night thinking it was a bug. Every time she hit it, it jumped so she thought it was alive. We laughed for years about that.

Once she kept hearing a noise in the closet. She thought it was a cricket. So what does one do?
One gets the best bug spray out and sprays in the closet. The only thing, every single time she sprayed, the noise got louder. Finally, she decided to divide and conquer. She started slowly moving things around on that closet and found the little culprit. It was an old smoke detector,
still loaded with batteries, that "chirped" every time she sprayed that bug spray. As I said, she was so funny. She loved to laugh AT HERSELF.

One Saturday my Mom and I were going to town and my brother-in-law asked if we would get him some wadding. Now, neither of us even asked what wadding was.....who cared? He told us to go to the sporting goods store and get it. On the way there, she and I had a deep conversation about "wadding". We both tried to guess what it was and we were hysterically laughing by the time we got to the store. We walked in and she about spit all over the guy when she asked for it. Could IIII HHaave SOOme WAAAADing (spit) please? We were laughing so hard, we were crying. He looked at us like we were crazy. We sure had different ideas about what wadding was than materials to stuff shotgun shells with. We had thought of everything.

Lastly, my mom loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We all would call her and tell things they said and things they did everyday because we knew she would get so tickled. My sisters, Martha and Bibby ( Lib) and all their children, my children and grandchildren loved "Nanoo". We would all spend lots of time talking to her. She was the best. Even when she was down, she could bring us up by simply saying "now, Honey". Oh, I miss her! I miss hearing her say "well hey!" when I called. I just miss having her to talk to. She was the best listener. God really blessed us with the finest. God gained a wonderful person when our mother went to be with Him. One last thing, my favorite thing was when I spent the night with her one night. I had already gotten on my blow-up mattress for the night. She was still in the den taking medicine, putting drops in her eyes etc. All of a sudden I heard her start talking. She was right in the throne room of the Father. She began interceding aloud to the Jesus on behalf of all her children and grandchildren. She asked the Lord to save those who weren't save, reclaim those who were "not living right" and bless those who were serving Him. She called us all by name.....every single one of us.....What a godly woman she was. Her prayers were powerful. That's the main reason I miss her. I love you, Mama.

Our Mom