Festivals return

More beauty from the gardens yesterday! It still just amazes me that this is mid October and there are these kind of flowers blooming! The beauty of the Lord showing through.

October is a busy month here in the south. At home (Indiana) our fairs, festivals, craft shows and the like are during the summer months. Not here! The summer months bring such oppressive heat that those kind of things cannot be scheduled then. They are all set for October. Today was the Mullet Festival, yes, mullet as in the fish. And what a festival it was! I have no idea where the name comes from other than the mullet is a very popular fish here. Monty, Diane and I just had to see what it was all about. There was a mullet toss, yes, you see how far you can throw a mullet fish! The line was quite long and everyone not throwing was watching and cheering on the others. There were craft booths set up all over the place, food of all kinds was everywhere and community service agencies had their own booths set up. I don't know as I have seen so many people in one place since we have been here. Want to know why? NONE of these festivals and such happened last year! It's just one more thing that hurricane Katrina destroyed, atleast for one year. To say that everyone was ready for the Mullet festival is an understatement! They came from everywhere and enjoyed every minute. Even the weather was absolutely perfect, around 75 with sun and a breeze. God blessed everyone with some fun back in their lives, a day when they could get away from the mess, the work, the dismay and come out and throw a mullet or eat some jambalya or drink a lemon shake-up and smile and laugh and see friends and neighbors doing the same thing. Life was back to normal, atleast for the afternoon.

Tomorrow the 4H fair starts. We pray for good weather and plan on attending as much as possible to share in the fun, the "normal" for a change!

We got Diane lined up with her one way car rental this morning and this afternoon she went to say goodbye to a couple of really close friends that have become her family. She was instrumental in the rebuilding of the Spanish village and they all plan on being here for church in the morning to say goodbye. Diane had a way of touching the lives of those whose homes she rebuilt. Her warmth, her bright smile, the twinkle in her eyes, all told them that she really cared. Her love for our Lord showed in everything she did. She didn't need to speak about it, her actions showed it, and that is the way to win hearts for Jesus! Actions DO speak louder than words, especially here, especially in these circumstances. There will be many tears at the end of church tomorrow. Mine will probably start flowing when the sun comes up!!!!

We hope all of you will be in your home churches tomorrow, praising the Lord for all of your blessings. Monty and I are so blessed to be here, to be doing what the Lord would have us do, and for having all of you supporting us with your prayers. Please keep Diane in your special prayers tomorrow .... Wisconsin is a long way from Mississippi!

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty