Catch up.

Been a month of catch up...and never quite catching up. Broken sinks, snakes in sinks, broken kias, broken bank, broken glasses ect. But in all strangely enough passing stress free. Thank You Lord.

Took the kids out to a local public park. Found another one that looked interesting as I passed last week. I would now clasify it as one of the most dangerous I have ever seen. Yikes. Those who know me know that is saying something. All the kids even Sayder said it was dangeous…umm. So after 30 minutes of thrills I figure we tempted fate long enough and left before the obvious happened. Very poorly thought out and worn out. The Merry-go-Round was 4 feet off the ground wobbly and cement benches within a foot or two all around it. and a sharp metal ladder mounted to it. Looked like a giant veggy dicer. The Maypole was mounted in a bed of bolders in which to bounce a head off of when you fall. It had several metal chairs welded to various rotating motor parts. One was on a big old water pump… with the fan blade still attached so when a kid dismounts while it is moving wack. I like giving the kids thrills but at least use a little common sense…(debatable I know) Photos off a phone. Just never seem to have the camera... Not long after this at home the boys made a rope swing in the trees... over the rocks. All was fine till it wasnt. The rope broke on Wilmer and he hit his head. It was scary the first night with many of the head trama symptoms. But our in house nurse (Jrs wife) and several calls to Drs. and a plea for prayer, it turned out fine. Really scary because had it turned bad as was feared, we did not have the resources do do what was needed, and the only CT scan here is 3 hours away and days for an apointment...The LORD provided the healing. Amen


Had a rare opportunity to preach in a different denomination church who once venomiously opposed us… It was… ok. They did not throw rocks at us, but it was hard to handle some of what they were doing and it made some of our workers ill and had to wait outside. The church accepted the milk message flavored with beef bullion cubes on truth to wet an appetite for deeper truths. Till the invitation when it was said by one of our Bible students, that those who do not trust Jesus as saviour die and go to hell… At that point we were accused of “judging“… The rest is a mute point if we cannot get past that. Not sure if we will be asked back… or if they want more truth. Never even mentioned that some of the things they were doing in their service had roots in satanism and voodoo… though it was in my notes if I could have gotten that far in teaching….There was one who wanted to trust the LORD but was intercepted. Time to let the spirit work, I gave the message the LORD gave me.

Good church Sunday though attendance was down, strong message by a bible student. Several out with dengue including Jr's wife. Had a couple of visitors who have not come in a long time. After taking everyone home I got a call and the kia "bus" was needed as a 4wd "ambulance". One of our church ladies in the mountain was going into labor...a month early. Out of fuel and out of money in the house, I had to borrow some to make the run. Still unknown condition of mom and baby when I came home. While we were at the Drs office last week with our kids, another mom died during delivery because she arrived late with complications. One of our babies (Ruth) we have is from a mom who did not survive childbirth... and no one came to claim her body or the premature baby.
Monday made the return trip up the mountain for baby and mom. She gave birth to a 3 week early baby boy at midnight. Got a call at 9am to take them back home. She walked out of the hospital carrying the baby and walked the last hard km to her house because the kia (or anything else) cannot make it there. So 12 hours after giving birth with no pain meds she hikes home with baby. I got her some premie formula and a bottle to suppliment a little. He is a little guy but fully functioning. The lady next to her in the hospital died giving birth. Kind of raw here.
Then went to try and get an alignment only to find we need to tweek the frame more and in the process of the alignment the mech shorted the wiring harness, while fixing that found another problem. The intake is broken and has been sucking in dirt to the newly rebuilt motor.. weee... arrived home at 8:30pm and a pillow was screaming my name.
Fixed a pair of temp glasses. Found frames in the glasses the Dr left, slightly smaller than my broken frames. Took them to a eye dr here and he cut the lenses down to fit the donated frames. They are small but I can see and it only cost $10. Will need new ones when the LORD provides.
Want to share a couple of post from the FB account.
1-The highest glory for me is not that I might seek to hear "Well done thy good a faithful servant". For I am neither good, nor faithful. My highest honor is not in my ability or falsely perceived value, it is in Christ's blood. For only by it am I allowed in the presence of the LORD to touch the hem of His garment, where I can cry out "LORD have mercy on me, a sinner." Anything else the LORD does is by His grace for His Glory....
2-In ministry, I have always been on the fringe. You know, the lowest part of the hem of the garment that is often in contact with the dirt... the part most others do not want to dirty themselves with. And I am good with that because I have seen the power and virtue of God, it most often flows out the hem of His garment...
Unworthy servant to a worthy Saviour,
Barry Ritchie