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By Ruth Gadberry
Isn’t weather interesting in southeastern Oklahoma? We bounce around from bright, shiny days to windy, dancy days, to cold and dreary days and on and on. Surely you enjoy some of this weather. We haven’t had much wet weather lately but we will have, one of these days. Maybe. Just enjoy each day. Remember, This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Church news is practically nothing again this week. JC and Ruth were among the missing from services Sunday morning. She did make some phone calls but the people she called weren’t all that informative either. So – well, maybe we’ll have more news next week.
One thing though; Preacher Joey was back in the pulpit again Sunday morning after being quarantined for the Covid-19 thing. His wife. Shelly, is well on her way to defeating the virus. She is over the sick part but still feels tired and weak. That just goes with it, or so they say. Anyway, Shelly, it’s great that you are doing so well and will soon be up and about, doing whatever it is that you do each day. The virus didn’t get the best of you. Preacher Joey, we’re glad that you are back too, and that you didn’t get the virus.
Just in case you’ve forgotten, Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child are due to be turned in by this Sunday, November 22. Remember? This is the Samaritan’s Purse Organization. The boxes, loaded with toys, gifts, school supplies and other items for boys and girls of all ages, are being sent to kids all over the world. The gifts they receive will also contain Christian literature in their own language. They can enroll in a Bible study and many, many people are coming to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior through the love and the messages they receive in their Christmas boxes. Not just kids, but their brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and the whole family. Not every child in a family will receive a box so they share with their families. They say that about ten people are influenced by just one box. It’s a great way, and a fun way, to be a missionary. If you didn’t get around to packing and sending boxes, well, how about praying for the boys and girls and their families who do receive the boxes?
Patsy Miller’s Sunday School class had a shoe box packing party at the church fellowship hall Saturday afternoon. Patsy wasn’t able to be there because of the Covid-19 thing and the fact that she has no immunity but they managed without her, though she was missed. Those attending and packing was their substitute teacher, Ruth, along with Ginger, Helen, Cindy, Beth, Debra, Kathy and Kathy’s daughter, Karie. See Kathy? Ruth told you she would probably spell ‘Karie’ wrong. Did she?
JC was there, helping with everything. He took Ruth to the church and she thought he was going home and Beth would bring her home. However, he decided to stay and was a great help. He and Ruth took things out of packages; tooth brushes, Barbie dolls, pencils, back packs; that sort of thing. The other gals did all the packing. When they finished they had 50 boxes, plus the two Karie brought, already packed. So, 52 new boxes were added to those already in the church, waiting to be sent, and then delivered.
Now, a word-a bunch of words of thanks to those of you who didn’t pack boxes but gave money to send the boxes. The cost for sending a box this year is $9. per box. Those ladies who filled the boxes can do that; they gather up things all year in anticipation of Operation Christmas Child. But they just can’t fill 50 boxes and then pay for the postage. So, thank you, thank you THANK YOU to those of you who paid for shipping!
The ladies brought snacks and munchies; of course, you have to eat. But they brought enough for the whole church! Snacks and goodies everywhere! Mmmmm, good!
There was one little unexpected incident that could have been a really big problem. The gals had everything strung out all over several tables, ready to start packing, when some of the firemen came to take the tables and chairs to the fire house. Oops! What happened? Well, Saturday was the day for the fire department’s annual community Thanksgiving dinner and they always use the tables and chairs from the church. No problems with that. Not a one. The church is always glad to help out. Only, the ladies either didn’t know the fire department used their tables and chairs, or had forgotten about the Thanksgiving dinner and were using the tables and chairs. They told the firemen to come back a little later and they would finish with them as quickly as possible.
When all the boxes were packed and taken to the sanctuary and the gals were packing up the items that were left to use next year, JC started folding and carrying tables and then went to the fire department and told them they could come and get them.
Honestly, fire department people, Ruth didn’t remember about the dinner. They said it was in the paper but when you have to take the paper to a magnifier to read it, you just don’t bother reading everything like you would if you could just see everything. Anyway, that’s what happened. Roy usually; well, sometimes, tells her about the dinner so she can bring a dessert or something. But he didn’t mention it this year.
Anyway, Sunday morning JC woke up hurting. His chest hurt, his shoulder hurt and he didn’t feel one bit good. He said he just couldn’t make it for Sunday School or church services. Ruth diagnosed his problem; he just shouldn’t have been folding, lifting, and moving tables Saturday afternoon. Or maybe it was just from hanging out with the ladies all afternoon? Think so?
The Covid-19 thing seems to be raging farther and faster than ever. Several schools are closed and their time to be closed is getting longer and longer. The virus is reaching into more and more families, churches, schools; everywhere. JC and Ruth have at least two nieces who have had, and recovered, from the virus. Now a great-grandson has been tested for it.
The tests Monday came out negative but he is still sick and hurting and his doctor wants to test him again on Tuesday. No fever though. You might want to pray for Rhylar, that whatever it is they will identify it and be able to fix it.
The virus has invaded our churches as well as our families. Shelly is almost recovered from it and Janie is doing much better. She has had a rough time and has spent several days in ICU in a hospital, in Miami. It was believed she would be released this week and maybe continue her recovery time at home. Why a hospital in Miami? Well, it seems that the hospitals in this area are all filled with Coronavirus people and they didn’t have a place to put her. That’s BAD.
Some churches are going back to Facebook services and parking lot services. Some people have just discontinued attending services until the virus thing is on the run. Does wearing a face mask really help a lot? Staying at home? Maybe we should take this Covic-19 thing a little more seriously. Should churches just close again? Other places? What’s the answer???
My, my! The problems that just seem to happen when you are trying to learn to be a country girl. Beth’s project this year was to learn to raise guineas. Ray built her a super deluxe guinea coop and pen. It’s big; she can easily stand up and walk around in it. She sweeps and cleans it every day. The sides and top are covered with wire that should keep out just about every kind of critter. Two or three feet high on all sides the wire is so small that even a snake couldn’t get it.
So, she got six guineas and she babies them with all sorts of TLC. She sits in their pen and watches them. Ray insists she reads to them.
Then she let them out and their favorite place to stay is on her back porch. That’s where she sits to read or talk on her phone. Maybe she really does read to them. She thought she only had one girl guinea and named her Poka. Then she heard another girl guinea talk; Little Bit. Last week, Saturday, wasn’t it? She heard girl talk from another guinea. Wonderful! This one she named ‘Cinnamon’. Only, she disappeared that very same day. Gone. Not a feather left. She was probably nabbed by a coyote. They are quite plentiful in the area around their house and pasture. Was it Saturday when you discovered her Beth? She didn’t come home Saturday night? Hasn’t been seen since? They are all really tame and follow her everywhere. Kinda like the Pied Piper. She can shake their food can and here they come and follow her to their coop and yard. This is the only one missing. At least so far.
JC and Ruth are scheduled to start physical therapy on Tuesday of this week. JC, so, maybe it will help him not be so dizzy. He has already decided it won’t work. Ruth? Maybe they just want to torture her too. She isn’t at all sure about that therapy thing. Don’t they know she is too old for that sort of thing? They may learn really quickly.
Well, Thanksgiving has been canceled in many parts of our country because of the Covid-19 thing. At the moment Thanksgiving is still on for the Gadberry Gang. That could change if the virus moves in. We should know more about that by the first of next week. Or the last of this week. Their plans are to celebrate Thanksgiving at Jan and Kenneth Barfield’s home, near Bennington. Bennington is in Bryan County and you know how things are going there.
You know, for a long time Atoka County didn’t have any reported cases of the Corona virus. Bryan County didn’t have many. Now Bryan County seems to have more than any other place in the state and Atoka Country is way up as well. Southeast Oklahoma is being hit hard!
Did we hear this right? That Stringtown Schools will be closed until after Thanksgiving? Hunters, maybe you should stay out of the woods. You wouldn’t want to give the corona virus to a deer would you?
By the way, JC and Ruth’s great-granddaughter, Jadyn, got her first deer last week. With a crossbow, no less! No, it wasn’t one of her MeMaw’s bottle fed babies. Pretty good for a seven year old, don’t you think? Congratulations, Pickle!
Do continue to pray for our nation. We have things in such a mess no one but God can untangle it.
An open mind leaves a chance for someone to drop a worthwhile thought in it.
