Talk Practice For Thursday Night

If you want to see the 'for real' version with Lauren as the householder instead of Harvey you will have to be at our meeting this week. :-)  Hopefully she will be more captivated with my delivery. :-)

Love to all,
Darci, Harvey & Pearl

North We Go!

Hey hi everyone,

My niece Lauren and I have been invited to join a team doing unassigned territory this August up north.  We are so thankful to Jehovah, and VERY excited about it.  Other than helping to build a Kingdom Hall in Alaska many years ago, I haven't been this far north in Canada before so it will be an excellent adventure all the way around.  And of course our fearless pioneer pups will be joining us too!  They can ride shotgun in the backseat while we go about our service duties, (barking at much bigger dogs and making friends with any people that want to lean into the windows. :-))  Anyway, GPS says it is an 19 hour drive north from here, so should have lots of beautiful country to see along the way.  If you know anyone else serving up that direction this summer let us know, as maybe our paths can cross along the way.  Here are some pics of what we can expect:

 Beach

 Campground booked for the team.

 Long hitchhikers chair.

 Husky country.

 BIG lakes.

 Service Break

 Lots of sand.

 On the road in service.

 Sunset

Tanning a hide.


Can't wait!  Love to all, D,H&P

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Hey hi everyone,  :-)

It was absolutely beautiful this morning as I had Harvey and Pearl out doing their morning walk.  Tons of snow coming down, no cars on the road, no snow plows either, but just walking under the early morning stars.

It may be pretty but we are in countdown mode for going away.  Looking forward to service with friends in a warmer climate for a bit.  And by the time we get back all this white stuff will be gone.  Yayyyyyyy!!!!  ...anyway, that is the plan. :-)

Everyone have a great weekend! :-)

Love to all,
d, H & P

So interesting!

While travelling, I have met several people that are into that new POKEMON GO game.  Then there was one sister who decided to do research on the game before allowing her son to play.  The article she found that explains the background of the game is just excellent...and astounding.  I had no idea, and it is just another example of how Satan uses something that looks innocent to weasle his way into our lives.  http://www.rightsidenews.com/life-and-science/culture-wars/pokemon-go-evil-dangerous-demonic/

The Chipmunk Marshall and a Storm to Remember

We have nick-named Harvey, The Chipmunk Marshall.  He stands on guard watching for them obsessively.  You call his name, nothing.  Just a blank stare out the window or back of truck.

Last night we can a storm with hurricane level winds go through the area.  Crazy.  Hadn't seen wind or rain like that since the hurricane when I lived in Taiwan.  Sideways trees.  Got up this morning and a couple of the RVs in the park had mangled awnings.  I heard a weird noise so told Anastasia to stay inside the truck with the pups and not come out no matter what.  When I popped my head out our canopy was completely gone but dangling by one leg that I had tied to the picnic table earlier in the day.  Rather than take a chance of it flipping back and hitting us and the truck I decided to go out and release the leg.  Picture me holding onto the picnic table with my legs almost off the ground.  Totally under estimated the wind.  Anyway, released the rope and struggled back into canopy.  After last night Anastasia got the FULL adventure of camping.  It was a night to remember. 

Today we are staying one more day at Milton Heights Campground and then tomorrow morning off to Niagara Falls for the morning then heading down to Brenda's and getting there in the evening.

Love to all,

from the Chipmunk Marshall's mom

Harvey and Pearl hit Bethel...At least the Parking Lot

Across Canada We Go!

I am so thankful that we are having such a great trip.  It was cold when we first crossed into Alberta during the night, so I used the heater for that night, but since then it has been nice and warm, and now we are into an intense heat wave in central/south Ontario.  Today was 95F as we pulled into Halton Hills.  But everything has worked out perfect.  The one variable that I was stressing about in the back of my mind was: how are we going to tour Bethel if it is really hot.  I had a couple ideas in mind: 1) let Anastasia go on the tour while I pup sit...or....  I hadn't figured out the other plan yet.  Anyway, all was solved when we got to the gate at Bethel.  I started talking to the gate attendant and it was suggested that I come early for our 8am tour, set up the truck tent in the corner of the parking lot for the dogs to sit in while we tour so that they can go in and out with the pen.  Perfect idea!  So we are at a wonderful campground that the brother suggested: MILTON HEIGHTS CAMPGROUND, and then we will get there early, set up and go on the tour.  

The campground is fabulous.  Beautiful pool, playground, grassy lots, power/water/ RV section and tenting section.  It is $40 per night, but that is much more reasonable than a hotel and the pups are welcome.  

Today, as we were leaving the Bethel parking lot I noticed literal gushing of water from the side of my engine.  My heart sank.  However, the gate attendant told to go to the garage around the corner in Georgetown because they have helped them out a lot.  I was so worried but the man who came out to take a look just said it was the AC unloading itself because of the humidity.  Heart lifted!  

Anyway, I think we will stay here a few days.  Tomorrow for Bethel, Friday Niagara Falls, then Saturday we are heading down to Windsor to stay with Brenda and get some good visiting, service and meetings in.

Cute moments with Anastasia so far:

1)  We were driving through Crows Nest Pass and we stopped at a nice rest area.  Anastasia had to use the bathroom.  When she comes out she says: aunti, I just used the most DISGUSTING toilet I have ever seen!  There is a regular toilet in there, but there is no pipe.  There is just a sewer beneath it!  Me:  "mmm...you just described what an outhouse is.  We have those in Canada where it is more remote. "  

2)  I sent her to the garbage can to dispose of some stuff.  She comes back screaming with tears telling me there is a hand sticking out of the container.  :-/  Really....     I go take a look and it is a baby raccoon.  I ordered her back to take a second look with me to prove nothing creepy was going on.  When I opened the lid and she could see the baby then she got a big smile.

Anyway, the trip is everything I imagined and more.  Looking so forward to seeing my friends and working in service with them and seeing their lives in this part of the country.  The prairies were spectacular, Ontario is littered with gorgeous antique towns with homes from the previous turn of the century, and camping and driving to see it all is just wonderful.  Hit the 2600 mile mark this morning.  Can't hardly wait for Bethel tomorrow!

love to all!  d  :-)

My Service Partners on Four Feet

Okay, about two weeks ago, in the resort where I live I saw a man walking that I had seen at the Memorial at the Kingdom Hall a year and a half ago.  But before he was very athletic and healthy and now he was very ill looking using a walker.  I decided I HAD to go see if there was anything I could do for him because I knew that he lived all by himself and may have been too sick to run errands.  Anyway, I have been watching this last week to see if I saw him walking again. WELL, tonight as I was leaving my place I looked up the road and saw him walking ahead and decided I was going to catch up and chat.  I mean, how hard does that sound, catching an ill guy using a walker???  Well, if you have ever walked Pearl with me you will know that it is much harder than it should be.  Sooo....I take off trying to walk at a normal pace with Harvey keeping up just fine - Pearl on the other hand is trying to smell every blade of grass and rock along the way.  Usually I don't care but this time I had a mission, plus I was kind of anxious because I didn't really know how I was going to start this conversation.  Therefore, as I was walking down the road I was praying in whispers under my breath over and over, "Jehovah please grant me some wisdom about what to say in this situation....I don't know what to say, because this person is sick...I feel really unprepared but I know I have to say something...so please PLEASE help me think of something to break the ice and say something..."  over and over - I am sure all of you have had those anxious moments.  PLUS Pearl is frustrating me by walking so slow and locking her feet because she wants to smell stuff, that between my utterances to Jehovah, I am frequently breaking in by talking to her and saying, "hurry up, HURRY UP! What is is wrong with you???  Why do you have to be so slow today??  Don't be a little slug - MOVE IT, MOVE IT!!  I just kept saying this to the poor little thing over and over (bad pup parent, I know).  Anyway, suddenly the man stops and turns around and says, I am sooo   sooo sorry but I can't go any faster.  I apologize, this really is the best I can do. (With sad look on face).  I looked so surprised and so did he, because I explained I was talking to Pearl the entire time.  And he said he honestly thought I was talking to him. :-/  So the right words at the right time came to me.  :-0  We ended up having a great discussion, talking about meeting at the Kingdom Hall before, and I was able to offer help.  Not sure if this is the best introduction to try on people, but it was effective in the end.  :-)

Two Posts In One Day - wow!! First, Today One of My Students Touched My Heart.

Today one of my students touched my heart. He has autism and prepared a presentation for the class using PowerPoint. It was all about him and his autism and how it affects his life. He is nine years old, and was so excited to prepare his presentation but then when it came moments before he was to stand in front of the class he started to shake and have second thoughts. I pulled him into the storage closet and showed him how to deep breath. He took 3 deep gulps to fill his lungs. At that moment I thought maybe it would just be too much, but then he lunged out the door to the front of the class, plugged his usb into the computer and started talking. It was incredible. When he was all finished he smiled widely and kept saying to me, "I am so proud of myself". He had tears in his eyes to have done this and could hardly wait to get home to tell his mom and dad. I am so sincerely grateful to have the opportunity to help students like him achieve their dreams. 

Amazing

Harvey has very bad back.  A few years ago when it first happened, because he couldn't walk for 3 weeks I had to keep him confined to his buggy and just lifted him out a couple times a day to do his business.  With the help of anti-inflammatories and tramadol to control the pain he finally healed.  Since then he has had a couple bad episodes and we've just done a replay of the anti-inflmmatories and tramadol.  This week it happened again :-(  He was in bad shape.  I gave him a tramadol to take the edge off the pain, but then decided to follow the natural vet's advice and start him on tumeric.  Apparently it is stronger than ibuprophen and given to humans and animals now for inflammation and pain.  I thought I would give it a try because it does not have side effects like the drugs.  It has been nothing short of amazing.  He is responding so much quicker than anytime before.  I still have him in his wiggless vest to be cautious but there is no "pain shaking", and I can tell he is feeling better.  I never knew something like tumeric could be so effective, or act so quickly.  Absolutely amazing to me.

Love to all,
D, H, and P. . :-)