Harris Happenings: January 2014

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Fun days

Here is a collection of fun times. After Christmas we drove to Houston to see Kimberly and family at her parents. We had a great time playing and eating. Gloria loves Noor!

New Year's Eve. Lydia insisted on a picture in front of the tree :) We watched the Aggies play at Marz' and toasted the New Year around 9:30-I like it!

Our neighbors came to visit and have a playdate. Somehow in the invitation over the phone, the mom heard it was a birthday party. Oops sorry no cake today, but we had fun anyway.

Gloria wanted to make sure Lovey Lamb was comfortable. Her legs were even balled up to give the toy lots of space!

Lydia got her school picture proof and I am still glad we use JPC instead. Less money and a much cuter picture.

Glow bowl on campus with Janine, the lights were fun and the girls did good.

The weather was nice that day so we played around after. I told the girls to stand like strong women like Barbara Jordan and this is what I got from them!

Miss Brenda & the Loveladies

Wonderful book; all of my favorite elements, true story of hardship and redemption.

Brenda had her own rags to riches stories, then a potential prison sentence changed her life’s course of wearing herself out for more and more money and stuff to opening a ‘whole-way’ house for women leaving prison.

In Brenda’s life, looking back, it is beautiful to see how each huge hurdle was God’s turning point for the next best thing in her. The other ladies had so much evil in their young lives, and the book reveals it, graphically at times, but most are able to overcome. Its called a whole way house because Brenda added in the element of faith and trusting Christ.

I am not sure why the tag line is ‘Seven women fighting the odds for survival on the outside’, there were more than seven ladies’ stories shared. Also the book begins with cuss words not spelled out but --- then in the middle it changed to printing the whole word. It would be better for the same format to be used through out. I also wished there would have been some pictures.

Overall, Miss Brenda & the Loveladies was truly a page-turner: will they come back from Thanksgiving?, will they go back to drugs?...I stayed up too late to finish it one night. I really recommend this book for anyone, but especially anyone interested in prison ministry, poverty or drugs.

I got this book for free by agreeing to blog about it from Blogging for Books and WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing

I was inspired by this book because of what Jesus says in Matthew 25:

34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

I have (or can rationalize) doing all of these at one time, except the visit in prison.

Hungry-we donate to food pantries, give crackers to homeless on the street and have served food at Church Under the Bridge

Thirsty-donated to dig wells in Africa

Stranger-of course this is my favorite and I help with English and other things with refugees and other internationals

Naked-we donate clothes

Sick-this one not a lot but we have helped sick friends

Prison-Lydia baked cookies in GAs for a lady who visits and I ate one…nope that’s even too much of a stretch.

I don’t feel like God is calling me to prison ministry at this time but I do know that as a believer we are called to all that he says. I know doing these things in a relationship and not just a donation is so important too, and I am glad to hear of Brenda’s successful personal ministry!

Six Flags

Maryam's family (her dad & sister) came to Texas and we went to Six Flags.

The weather was gorgeous and though its different going with little ones, we still got to do a lot and took turns going and holding the little ones.

Lydia & Gloria enjoyed the rides-5 times on the Merry Go Round, the big and little Ferris Wheel, some spinning stuff that I volunteered to hold Sara. The only huge one was the Iron Rattler, it was fun but the motion stuff gets to me more.

When the sun went down, all started getting tired, but we enjoyed the Christmas lights as we walked out including the huge tree.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Ice Skating

Whole Foods has a winter ice rink on their roof patio. The day after Christmas, Kara and family came to visit us. We had brunch at our house and then skated! The girls loved it, and after a while (we stayed for several hours) they even got off the wall.

Lydia took this picture of Caleb, me, Kara & John.

The girls had fun with Sam and Claire. When we got their Christmas card, Gloria was so excited to know that Claire is her age and they would get to play-they weren't disappointed. They had a great time!

Christmas in Salado

If you are my friend on FB then you know I am in no way opposed to pictures of myself, but now as I review these I see for the Christmas post, I pick ones only of the children!
Oh well, here they are posing "in their Christmas jammies"

Bathing beauties, little Lucy was big enough to really interact with her cousins this time and they had a blast!

Nativity scene. Same roles as last year but we had a real baby Jesus in Silas! Glory to God in the highest!

The angel adoring the baby!

Here are some adults-cookies making. Bill and family came for the weekend and we enjoyed playing. Caleb got another deer with his bow. After they left Kathy and we remained until Christmas lunch and decorated cookies, visited Grandmama, went to the church Xmas service and Jake's Chinese for dinner.