Mission Trip to the Blue Fields of Nicaragua

Thought I would add a few lines on by recent Mission trip to Nicaragua. We left Paradise at 3 pm on July 8th and returned at 1 am July 22. It was arranged through the Quiet Hour of Southern Ca. There was 25 from Paradise, 12 from West Virginia, 3 from Washington State, 1 from Atlanta and 3 from Michigan.
We went to build a Church, do Medical work, and in the evening we would have Vacation Bible school, and Evangelistic series. For an example the vacation Bible school had 25 the first night and by the 3rd night there were over 125.
My main job was to help with the building of the Church, which became difficult, because it rained 6 to 8 inches a day. Many Miracles happened. One was when we were laying the foundation, we really couldn't work in the rain. And as a big black cloud approached, we prayed it would pass. It separated and poured rain on both sides, and we only got a few sprinkles. Praise God. Also many miracles in the medical work, where they seen over a thousand patients.
It's very humbling to see how Happy people seem to be, and with smiles on there faces, with little or nothing. And we in America, who have way to much Stuff, seem to be always complaining. I could go on but for now I will say so long. Dennis
Read: James 2:5 and as Winston Churchill said "We are stripped bare by the curse of plenty."

If you haven't been on a Mission trip, I highly recommend. I've been on 5 and you never return with out being a changed person, and thanking God you have been Blessed, to live in the USA.

We had a delicious dinner tonight in a lovely Italian Restaurant
with Nelson and Margaret Gingerich.

We spent the day in Anchorage. We went to the Mennonite church this morning and then to the downtown market this afternoon with our friends, the Martins. Late afternoon we enjoyed a visit in the home of Nelson and Margaret. We saw fabulous artwork in many forms in their home. Margaret has made marvelous picture quilt wall hangings and she also shared a lovely slide presentation of a recent trip to Tennessee. Nelson has been making beautiful vases out of wood. It was so good to reconnect with them.

We also drove down 4th street in downtown Anchorage, where the Iditarod Sled Race begins every March. Yes, Wilbur had goose bumps.

Seniors Traveling

Where are you traveling these days? Let's hear about your travel adventures and learn from each other about places that should not be missed. Like the book title says, 1000 Places To See Before You Die, let's share some first hand stories and experiences.

Consider yourself challenged - be the first to post on this blog! Lets get a thread going on this subject.

Where's the meat?

It's been awhile since I have been on the blog and I come back and learn we are actually discussing such esoteric ideas as vegan, vegetarian or meatatarian...never heard that word before. Well, just so you know, my gastroenterologist prescribed a meat and potatoes diet for me since I seem to no longer be able to tolerate fresh fruits and vegetables. I thought he was crazy but he seems to be right. So, there you go....for my world of experience. Did I pay him to say that...yes, he sent me a bill.

Litwiller Blog

If you have not done so lately, you may be interested in the personal blog of Wilbur and Mary at http://litwillertravels.blogspot.com/ .
They have very interesting pictures from Sweden

Ironies and Oxymorons

The older I get, the more I am fascinated by ironies (some kind of discordance between what one says or does and actually is) and oxymorons (two normally incompatible ideas or things). Many times other people don't share my views or see the ironies and oxymorons that I do. In any case, I find this kind of thinking entertaining and, sometimes, disturbing.

The recent very interesting posting by Jim Bare brings the concept of irony to mind. As you will have noticed, Jim raises questions about healthy eating especially in regard to eating red meat and being a vegetarian. The many pros and cons about being vegetarian is an interesting debate. However, am I the only person that sees a touch of irony in the fact that of all the members of the Class of 60, Jim is the only one who spent 38 years dealing with some aspect of manufacturing and selling drugs for human consumption. So Jim, how does this work? After 38 years working for Miles Labs (Bayer), you now raise questions about what one should introduce into one's body?

The concept of oxymoron has been raised in my mind in the political arena in the last several months. The "talking heads" of the political right (and religious right) have had plenty to say about torture and especially water boarding. Does anyone else have a problem with Hannity, Beck, and O'Riley saying flat out that "I am a Christian and I believe in torture (water boarding)? On what planet would this be true???

Vegetarian or vegan?

Vegetarian or Vegan? Subject for discussion.
When our family sat down to Easter dinner our 40 year old son surprised us by saying “Ham? I don’t eat ham”. He went on to say that hogs are the most “sentient” of animals, that is, “experiencing feeling or sensation”. “The living knew themselves as just sentient puppets on God’s stage” is a dictionary quote from T.E. Lawrence.
This was a new one for me. When we lived in England we usually cooked vegetarian style when we cooked for seminars because in any group of 20, there would always be 2 or 3 vegetarians. We also had 4 vegetarians and one vegan living in our household so we had lots of discussions. The reasons were “Oh, those poor animals”, or, because of the inefficiency of conversion of plant protein to animal protein in a world of more and more limited resources. No one there cited health reasons for their choice.
However, when we returned to rural America we discovered 5, yes 5 of our friends had read the book called THE CHINA STUDY by T. Colin Campbell and had become not just vegetarian but vegan! An article this week in the New York Times seems to confirm the wisdom of not eating red meat at least. What’s going on here?
Long ago Lois and I reduced our meat intake mainly because of cost. I could easily be a vegetarian I believe, but I’d have a difficult time doing without milk on my cereal (soy milk doesn’t do it for me), butter on my toast, or cheese with my crackers and wine. Our vegan friends do admit that it takes more planning to prepare meals from only plant derived materials. But the evidence is in – people who consume the most red meat and processed meat are likely to die sooner than people who consume much smaller amounts of these foods (NYT 4/28/09).
So I suffer from The Omnivore’s Dilemma (which is the title of a book by Michael Pollan that I recommend). When I dig into a steak or pork chop I may say “I’m supporting my farmer friends”, but am I slowly killing myself? Nowadays,if we have meat with a meal, it is usually chicken or fish; a steak or pork chop is a special treat. But is even that too much? The big push now is to “buy locally” (in other words, become a “locotarian!”) which is easy to do in a rural farming community. That may partially solve the use of resources issue, but still leaves the health issue open.
What would the farmers do if we all became vegetarians? I suggest they plant vineyards!
We have a guest coming over for supper. What’s on the menu? Lois said it’s called “spinach and mushroom puff pastry plait”. It’s quite good, actually. No meat!
So, class of ’60, what are you? Vegan, vegetarian, “meatetarian” or some combination. Why have you made the choice you made? Let’s get some discussion going on this blog.