Thankful for rumble strips besides the highway and countless other little things! 😊
Hello, it's Monday.... time to reach out to our loved ones again! I've been home alone today, Ron has been with Jordan and Alex on the tract route. They went into Yonkers today and ate at Longhorn for lunch! Now that sounds like home to me!!!!!
Quote from me to you,
" It's not our job to fix people, change people or judge people. It's our job to love people. The rest is in God's hands. "
I've done laundry today, jeans and swimming trunks over banisters, chair backs and various other places to dry! Bed sheets, towels and rags, clothes.... ironed Ron's shirts....and so it has been a good clean day! Since I was home alone, I took the chance to listen to both church services from home yesterday....I don't do this too often, because of the loneliness.... wants to attach itself onto. It maybe works a tad better to stay a bit disconnected! We did rejoice with the home congregation with a reacceptance of a youth boy!!
We are looking forward to Thursday, Doyle, Monica, Jenna, Savannah and Tyce are coming to the city to see us!!! We enjoyed when Uncle Franklins were with us...." our" company....we have lots of company, but it's not ours!! 😍 Anyway looking forward to showing them " our" city and enjoying the sights! Hope my big boys won't feel neglected!! 😂
Monday evening the 14th was Tribeca service! Clay and Dana met us there and joined us. This is a mixed men and women shelter. We sang songs, Jordan had us sing, This world is not my home, and his thoughts centered on that thought. We ate supper in Little Italy @ Da Gennaro...our favorite Italian restaurant!!! It's where they are so friendly and know Sugar Hill mission! Had train trouble, finally caught a A and came on home!
Tuesday.... our morning off and David cooked for supper....so I had the day off!!!! Did go to Lincoln to sing. Had some nice responses and sang later then usual! We had company waiting for us to get home.... Doyle, Sherah and their 3 children...( Unruh ) From Greenville TN. Doyle is Lavern and Eva Jewel's son. Doyle was in the unit 20 years ago and wanted to show his children....so we toured every floor, including the basement and discovered wet floors down there!! I guess the water came in from the rain water!! Anyway Doyle's stayed for several hours and we super enjoyed their visit!! Doyle went to the rooftop with his children also! Meanwhile a pest control company came and wanted in our back yard to gas the rat burrows! Yes, you read right...we have rats in the back yard!! So for a nice fee, they come out to gas them! Our neighbors called the company out, but we basically had to follow suit. Like I mentioned David cooked...he baked chicken thighs, a sheet pan supper with broccoli baked around it. Made a yogurt based sauce to put on the chicken which had fresh mint in it. A green salad with a mayo based dressing. It was good. Ron and I basically cleaned up the kitchen for him!! We practiced songs in the evening...
( David was telling me that he had been 4 ft away from a fight at Lincoln ED today... 2 men were hand cuffed to a bench and the older man had told the younger man to just chill, I guess the younger man had been running off on the mouth and the younger man took offense at that and asked want to fight? I guess a fight ensued, of course security/police came and got them to quit. So then the younger man, starts to pray, thanking the Lord, that he kept him from killing that man... He also had told the Lord, how easy it would have been to kill him!Amen!! So the police encouraged him, you have a connection with God, just keep that up!! Apparently some heavy blows were exchanged!! You never know what stories the guys will come home with!!!! 😜)
Wednesday the 16th, guys were home by 2 or so from the Bronx Pantry...no lunch, so they went to Bricola up on 145th for lunch. Bible study in the evening, David chose a lesson on Thankfulness, Dede and Peter were our attendees.... interesting discussion.... sing-out went well. Dede left right away, she is s back in school and had a " ton" of homework to do! Dede brought 3 dozen doughnuts from Dunkin donuts....for us all....I had fixed lasagna, green salad and Texas toast for our late supper. Ron and the boys got into a discussion about money....and after a long while I excused myself and went to bed!!!!! 😉
Thursday the 17th, shopping day, went well and home again! One of our garbage carts was stolen early in the morning....our neighbor has a security camera....his can was also stolen! Anyhows camera shows, a man came walking at 5:35 am and walked around the cart, then took it, grabbed a cardboard box from a apartment dwelling a few doors down and put the box on top of cart and rolled it all away!!!!! How weird is this?? So minus a garbage cart....it said Sugar Hill mission on the side. Supper was earlier than normal.... because we had plans for the evening! Ron bought tickets for us to go to Empire State!! Took the subway down to Penn station and walked/ hurried over there. ( We were some late for our appointment, but didn't seem to matter! ) We bought tickets to go to floor 102 and the sights were surreal!! The sun absolutely WAS beautiful, the sinking sun this is.....so, so orange and golden and the way it reflected off of the One World building!!! And the city.....so much fun to pick out the landmarks and look for things you haven't seen from down below! I understand more why photography is so vain.....so vain....so many people primping in front of windows, standing just right and hardly taking in the sights, taking pictures of people this is... We were up there a long time and then headed to Penn station and of course, before we headed home, gelato called our names! There was a couple and a older lady in there, I thought to myself, these people look like farmers!!!! 😂 In line, we talked just a bit with them...later Jordan talked with them and the couple was from the Red Oak Iowa community!!! They knew some of our people from around there! They were in the city visiting their Aunt, who lives here. Right close to Penn station in a apartment!!
Friday morning, the 18th.... busy morning of laundry, house cleaning and packing up for the weekend. Guys had the permission to leave shortly after lunch from the Bronx Pantry. We had lunch together when they got home. Quickly warmed up some BBQ pulled pork meat from the fridge for sandwiches. We then left for Wildwood New Jersey. It is supposed to only take 2 hours and 40 minutes and we were on the road for 4 hours! Let's just say, traffic wasn't user friendly!!! We got to laughing though....there was this black Town and country van with 4 boys or more in it....we would pass them, they would pass us....till it got to be a joke! On Saturday, Ron and I seen this very van in a parking lot at Wildwood!!!!! Went to our Airbnb and unpacked, unloaded and checked out the house! We rented the middle story and upstairs....kind of expensive....and we had to take our bed sheets and bath towels and rags....and Saturday morning, we needed to do some cleaning and so not sure what we paid for, but nice enough digs! Instead of dragging bed sheets for all the guys over there, they just took sleeping bags and slept on tops of beds!!! Ate supper at a restaurant called Stephens Restaurant....good eating and the chef himself came out and inquired about how we enjoyed our entree's!! Ron and I each had cheese ravioli and meatballs! Off to the boardwalk and beach etc. Spent the evening there....10:00 was a fireworks show over the beach! Awesome, just 8 minutes long, but it was amazing....a lady sang, Star Spangled Banner.... Jordan just loves fireworks, so he was delighted!!!!! One thing that was annoying to me....was the sea gulls....never sure when they were going to dump and one did on Ron! Let's just be thankful, that all he said was, Crazy bird!!!!! We were eating frozen custard, so had some napkins for him to mop up with!!! 😄 The sea gulls are so tame, so there and fly right on top of you...we watched as he just knocked a ladies supper right out of her hand and then commenced to eat her supper! She was not happy, nor would have I been! Another man was eating pizza, and throwing off meat to those sea gulls....so they just hovered and cawed around....right where we were, as were other people. So then he puts a piece just on top of the garbage and a small congregation arrived, of sea gulls this is....it looked like the man almost was doing this to us all as we sat there, to just be a menace to society!!!! 😐 Another annoying thing, was the automated voice on a tram car.....over and over again.....watch out for the tram car, granted none of us wanted to be run over! Friday night, when Ron and I got back to our house, we walked several blocks to a convenience store to buy some milk for the mornings cereal. We could have drove, but then risked losing your parking space....and we walk in NYC!!! Saturday was just a fun day down on the beach and boardwalk! Rides, guys rented some surf boards and completely wore themselves out by surfing for 3 hours! But they had so much fun!!! They were so grateful to Papa for the trip and we made lots of memories!!!! We only left about 9:30 and quickly grabbed some supper yet, before hitting the road....none of us really hungry.... because of the heat and sun burns! It was a little shop called Muncheese....the lady who helped us....was so kind. Ron and I didn't get drinks, we just had our water bottles....she stepped up to me and said to get a drink out of the cooler, it was on her!!! I said, " for me?" Yes...I don't know if she thought we were too poor to buy drinks or what?? I thanked her, she was ever so sweet. Guys seen dolphins out in the water on Saturday morning! We got home at 12:35 am or so... unloaded, unpacked, folded some laundry, got a much needed shower and went to bed at 1:30 am!! Alarm went off at 6am !
Sunday the 20th.... there was potatoes to peel for some 32 people! But by the time I was ready, Ron had peeled most of the tator's....he cut them up and I cooked them and flavored them. Breakfast to make....we had company in church....a Lincoln Brubaker from Walker MO, he is expelled, divorced from his wife...was in the city because of a job. He had a friend along from Brooklyn, named Dennis. A Scott and Nancy Goosen from Rosewood St Anne Manitoba. He is a Deacon there... been in the city since Friday, also had been to Washington DC. Just touring.....plus some of our local attendees, so were a nice sized bunch. Poughkeepsie also came! Scott's also had a son along, but he didn't come to church. He is expelled and felt like joining us, would have been uncomfortable. They also have a son at Kidron right now for the summer boys class. Wanting to attend the program! Scott had the sermon, God's ways are the best ways. O taste and see that the Lord is good! Rueben had the opening! Sonia wanted to sing for closing, " Shall we gather at the river?" Lunch was meatloaf and flavored mashed potatoes, green salads and bread. Dessert of course too. We chose to stay home in the afternoon, took naps and caught up in journal. Kaitlyn's turn to make supper, we dined on bacon/ brie cheese sandwiches, either with cranberry sauce or apricot preserves.. Apple slices and potato salad. Bars.... Kendon's, Clay's and the guys went to Central Park zoo. On Monday, you wish you would have went along!
This evening, Ron is gonna grill some Jalapeno/ cheese brats that Mary Ellen brought from Fleetwood. Found out, Roger wants to grill also....They had Clays come and help put tracts together and feeding them supper...so I guess Ron will grill, after Roger is finished!!!!!! 😁
If you have lasted till now, goodbye!!!
Love, Mama Carol