Not a very exciting week...but that can be good too!

Last Sunday afternoon we drove from San Benito to Kingsville and attended Sunday night service there.  They had a good location for us to park overnight.  We left Monday morning and drove to San Antonio.  Ron wanted Iron Horse RV Repair Service in San Antonio to give the RV a check-up to be sure the critical things were in good working condition.  The RV is 10 years old and it's apparent the previous owner did little maintenance.  We got to Iron Horse too late in the day for them to start the checks, so we plugged in at their lower parking lot and spent the night.  The next day, they worked on the RV but still had a little more to do at the end of the day.  Another night was spent there.  Wednesday morning they completed everything, repaired a few things, replaced some filters and stuff and then we were ready to leave.  It was about noon as we hooked up the car and drove to Walmart to get gas.

Getting gas is not one of my favorite things.  I have to get out and locate the diesel pump and see if there's room for him to pull in and pull out and direct him safely into the spot.  This time, the pump was on the end but a gas refilling truck was parked too close for him to pull out.  Luckily, the truck was finishing up and replacing his hoses so we waited until we could pull in.  Soon we were on our way to San Antonio.  The traffic was heavy all the way but the drive was pleasant and uneventful. 

We arrived in Austin at the Southwest church late in the afternoon.  We went to Bible class at this church Wednesday night and are still parked here.  Sunday morning we will leave early enough to drive to the church in Leander, TX.  Sunday afternoon we will drive to Lampasas and attend Sunday night service there.

Ron had intended to go to San Angelo but none of the churches had returned his call so we headed north instead of northwest from San Benito.  Last night, one of the San Angelo churches called and said they would like for him to come.  That will require some backtracking but Ron has to wait to see if some of the other appointments come through first.  It's not easy to plan and schedule appointments when the churches wait for weeks, sometimes, before they call him back.

We are moving on toward Abilene, Odessa and Midland (eventually). 

I have felt unusually sad all week.  I think the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the terrible loss of lives and the anxiety of other world events (Libya) looming over us, gave me a somber feeling. 

Ronald, our son who works in China, planned his vacation (a long dream of his) for Hawaii almost a year ago.  Reservations have been made for months.  He got as far a Shanghai and then could not complete the trip on his Delta ticket because of the earthquake.  His flight was to Narita, Japan and then on to Hawaii.  He may have spent two nights in Shanghai before he arranged a flight to Vancouver and on to Hawaii through Air Canada.  This cost him an extra ticket and delayed his arrival.  I was sad for him that his trip was delayed and the frustration he went through to try to get there through another airline that added many more hours to his trip.  But, at the same time, I was very thankful he was not in Japan when the earthquake happened.  In the midst of every disaster there are blessings somewhere.  We just have to look for them.

I know the Japanese people will rebuild and recover from their loss but the loss of 15,000 people will never be righted.  As I was growing up, I don't remember world disasters, like this, and yet I know they happened.  Was it because I was young and carefree that it made little impact on me?   Was it because I was too busy to listen to the news and know what was going on?  Or, was it that the media coverage is so intense now that we can sit glued to the screen and see the pictures and hear the interviews and it makes us feel as if we are there, suffering with them?   In any event, our world is chaotic and life is uncertain and it makes us older people realize why we need to be prepared to leave the earth on a moment's notice.

On a lighter and happier note, Ron and I celebrated our 53rd wedding anniversary on Tuesday.  We didn't do anything very exciting but just being healthy and having our family safe, made it a good day.  We went to Sea Island to eat that night.  I had coconut shrimp and Ron had salmon (he said it was better than Red Lobster's).

We were just college kids, marrying on spring break, in 1958.  It doesn't seem that long in many ways when I think back to that time, but a lot has changed since then.  The world is different.  We have raised two children, moved many times, lived in various cities and traveled many miles.  It makes me think of the many times I said, "many miles to go before I can sleep."

Spring is here!   Trees and grass are green in Texas and we are having unseasonably warm temperatures.  Here in Austin, it's in the 60's at night and 80's during the day.   We saw many crops planted and coming up as we drove from San Benito.  We passed one large farm with many fields and two oil wells steadily pumping and a third one being built. 

May God bless you and be with you as you face another week in service to HIM.