Delaware Blizzard – February 6, 2010

Date: 2010.02.06 | Category: Home, Jeremy, Laura, Peter | Response: Comments

We are getting a little bit of snow and wind here. They are forecasting 30 inches. It is not enough snow though to deter kids from having fun!

Adventures with Flat Stanley

Date: 2010.01.29 | Category: Home | Response: Comments

Dear Matthew,

Your FLAT STANLEY came all the way to my home in Middletown, Delaware. 

While he was here, we went to a trip to Blackbird State Forest.

On a Saturday afternoon we went to Blackbird State Forest. We first just rode around in the car then we got out. I forgot my camera. Next we walked in the woods. My brother Jeremy took lots of pictures of us and trees and the ground.

My sister, Laura, and I stood on a fallen tree. It was held up by another tree. It was fun. I wasn’t scared but I had this tingling feeling like I was going to fall. It was high!

Our family then walked the nature trail and I saw whale wallow. I had my video camera by then and recorded on video. When I finished reading the plaque at the end my dad scared me by coming up behind me and saying “Boo”. I jumped and hollered!

At the end of our hike on the nature trail Laura let me ride on her shoulders. I took videos of things. She joked with me about falling into the frozen pond. She didn’t drop me though.

Before we left the forest I took video of people on horses. One horse was fine but the other horse was scared of me. The horses were nice. They were medium-sized horses. Two of the horses were brown and I saw another black horse by the trailer. I like looking at the horses. I had never been that close to a horse before.

After we left Blackbird State Forest we went to Willey’s and bought fruits and vegetables. I like sampling the oranges and grapefruits. We also bought subs and took them home. I loved the strawberries we bought. I gobbled them up. Dad told me I had to share but Mom agreed that they were sooooooo good!

Here is a map of our trip and how many miles we had to travel!

If FLAT Stanley should came back to visit, he should a jacket, gloves and a hat because the weather here is a little bit cold. It probably get warmer in March.

Some other interest facts about my city? Mhmm I don’t really know much about my city. Well I know on the other side there is a tree that is almost 350 years old. The old church that the tree is by is only used once a year. But the new church is used a lot more than the old one. Our town is a historical town. We are in the middle between the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay. There is a canal that runs from the Delaware River to the Chesapeake Bay. I don’t think there is anything else you would be interested in.

My name is Peter Olinda and my return address is 730 Cleaver Farm Road, Middletown, Delaware 19709.

Our Blackbird State Forest Trip

Date: 2010.01.29 | Category: Home, Peter | Response: Comments

by Peter Olinda, 8-years-old

I needed to write a story to send back to my cousin, Matthew, in Georgia. He gave me a Flat Stanley to take with me on my adventures. I choose to write about our adventure in Blackbird State Forest.

On a Saturday afternoon we went to Blackbird State Forest. We first just rode around in the car then we got out. I forgot my camera. Next we walked in the woods. My brother Jeremy took lots of pictures of us and trees and the ground.

My sister, Laura, and I stood on a fallen tree. It was held up by another tree. It was fun. I wasn’t scared but I had this tingling feeling like I was going to fall. It was high!

Our family then walked the nature trail and I saw whale wallow. I had my video camera by then and recorded on video. When I finished reading the plaque at the end my dad scared me by coming up behind me and saying “Boo”. I jumped and hollered!

At the end of our hike on the nature trail Laura let me ride on her shoulders. I took videos of things. She joked with me about falling into the frozen pond. She didn’t drop me though.

Before we left the forest I took video of people on horses. One horse was fine but the other horse was scared of me. The horses were nice. They were medium-sized horses. Two of the horses were brown and I saw another black horse by the trailer. I like looking at the horses. I had never been that close to a horse before.

After we left Blackbird State Forest we went to Willey’s and bought fruits and vegetables. I liked sampling the oranges and grapefruits. We also bought subs and took them home. I loved the strawberries we bought. I gobbled them up. Dad told me I had to share but Mom agreed that they were sooooooo good!

I had fun on my adventure!

Entertaining Strangers

Date: 2010.01.28 | Category: Home | Response: Comments

I received this devotional in my inbox and I was struck by how much we need to listen to God’s voice speaking to us. We need to remember to listen and ACT!

Hebrews 13:2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Someone you meet is facing a tougher battle than you are.

The year was 1932 and a brutal winter had settled into Chicago. Snow came daily, ice covered sidewalks and streets, and only the brave dared face the winds. In the heart of the Great Depression, many people found themselves homeless, penniless, and sometimes family-less. One family had an especially tough time that year. You see, their father had lost his job a few months before winter and had left his family. Out of money, the mother found an old car in which she and her three children could live. They often missed meals and slept without the heater running. However, no matter how poorly they were doing, they never missed a church service at the local church. Come Sundays, the mother would wrap up the children in the best outfits they had and would head off to church. Often, people stared at her family and tried to avoid them due to their matted hair and dirty appearances. The mother knew people around her judged her based on her appearance, yet she tried to press on with a smile.

One day as the mother struggled to find food, she began thinking of her children and how she had not been a very good mother to them. She thought of their shaking bodies as they slept at night and the growling of their stomachs most days. She couldn’t stand the thoughts any longer. She had decided to give up. As she walked to a nearby bridge with every intention of jumping off, a car stopped along the road ahead of her. Out jumped a lady she recognized as someone from her church. "You must be freezing out here! Come with me and we’ll get you warmed up," commented the lady. The mother resisted at first, but finally conceded. They traveled back to her parked car, picked up her children, then headed for the lady’s home. Come to find out, this lady was new to the church and had noticed the mother and her family the past Sunday but hadn’t been able to meet them yet. She recognized her walking along the road and decided to invite them to dinner. After much discussion and introductions, the lady realized the family had been living in the car for several months. Shocked she stated, "Why, that’s not going to do. My husband and I have an added apartment on the back of our house for guests, and I would feel terrible if you didn’t come stay with us at least until you can get back on your feet." Embarrassed, the mother refused, yet the church lady was insistent. Finally, the mother relented and she and her family lived with the nice church couple for the next few months.

The church lady’s decision to extended kindness to this mother saved her life, and probably the lives of her children. Yet the church lady probably never knew how great of an impact she had on this family. She was simply showing kindness to others.

Have you ever stopped to think about the people you meet in a given day? Think about them: the bus driver, coffee shop clerk, grocery store cashier, fast food restaurant worker, and fellow shoppers. Many of them carry burdens you will never understand. Some of them may have lost a loved one, others may be facing marital problems, and some may be thinking of giving up on life. Yet you hold with you the greatest answer each of them needs-the Gospel.

Day by day people experience hurt and failure. Especially in tough economic times, people are strapped with added pressures. While your life may have its trials, consider the trials of others. Think of the losses some people are experiencing.

God reminds us in Hebrews 13:2, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Don’t neglect those around you; spread kindness to strangers; do something nice for others. You never know who you’ll meet as you look to reach out to others in loving kindness.

Focus on others today. As you see someone, think of how they might be struggling. Rather than focusing on yourself, ask God to allow you to spread kindness to someone you meet. Never forget that someone you meet may be facing a tougher battle than you are.

About the Author: Dr. Paul Chappell – To learn more about the ministries of Lancaster Baptist Church and Pastor Chappell, please visit lancasterbaptist.org, paulchappell.com, or follow him on twitter.

A Tale of an Adventure Long Ago

Date: 2010.01.14 | Category: Peter | Response: Comments

It happened long ago that a knight was at his post when the king called him. It was his first time before the king. The king was talking to a magician when the knight walked in. The king ignored him for a minute and he said to the magician “Use all your magic to protect the kingdom.”  The magician replied, “Yes sire.”

Then the king said to the knight “oh, come in”. “You called for me sire.” “Yes” replied the king. The king’s face looked a little strange from the other times he saw him. “Sire, why did you call for me?”

The king looked at the knight and said, “I have a mission for you.” “What is it?” The king continued telling the knight, “The princess has been captured.” “What do you want me to do and who has captured her?”

The king wanted to be assured that I could help. “You must acquire a high skill of fighting.” I assured him that I had been training for two years now. “You must travel to the land of Hungary and free some of my knights. You must go to the land of India and free some of my captains from the Aquirens. Your last task will be to defeat the Aquirens army. With my help I need you to complete two of those tasks. If you complete them I will trust you to rescue my daughter.”

I wanted to please the king and I told him I would try. I warned him that his daughter was in the land of Iceland. All the knights knew Iceland had most deadly monsters ever. It took one year of 70 army’s to defeat one of those monsters and then only half of the army was left.

He knew he would have to pass the Singing Sisters of Melody on his way to Honduras. In Honduras he had to repair the ship and move on. As he was repairing the ship he heard the sisters. Their voices were so melodic he had to be held to the bar of wood on the sail. He stood and true and he made it past but more danger would come…

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Peter; age 8