Berlin Walls of Today

World War II ended just weeks after my birth. The Cold War was in full swing during my childhood and youth. Swarms of returning soldiers were landing in their homeland during those years. Warily, my sister and I checked the porch roof for soldiers before we tucked ourselves into bed at night. When the shrill air raid siren from our local town screamed loud and long on a school day, we students clambered to hide under the school desk until the "threat of danger" had passed. The Russians and Communism were a real world threat. US Army planes overhead and the words "Maybe the Russians are coming" would send shivers of fear through my whole body. Krushav, the Russian leader's threat "we will bury you" was a familiar line known by everyone...from children to the hoary head. . We never dreamed we'd live to see the day when the powers of communism woud lie in ruin. The Berlin Wall separated family members and friends in that German city for so many years. It was a wonderful testimony of God's prevailing power when communism fell in 1989 and the Berlin Wall came down piece by piece.
But as long as humanity exists and the prince of darkness has a measure of liberty, people will hate and destroy each other.
Recently I came to this website www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/11/05/todays-berlin-walls and pondered.
The article states there are five walls existing today.
#1- The Israel/Palestine "Separation barrier". The Israeli's proposed a physical barrier in 2002 to prevent terrorists from entering Israeli territory. When we visited Israel in 2008, we observed first hand some of the severe hardships this barrier creates for ordinary, non-violent citizens of the West Bank.
#2- US/Mexico border fence. In 2006 a 700 mile long fence on the US/Mexico was approved by the US government. A majority of Americans support building a fence along the entire border. We have been eyewitnesses of this "wall" and some of the ramifications involved.
#3- The Korean Demilitarized Zone- This heavily militarized zone divides North and South Korea since WWII.
#4- The Wagah Border Crossing (India-Pakistan) The border between these two countries has been relatively peaceful for the past six decades. But in Wagah, a divided town hosts the only road link between India and Pakistan, their rivalry is displayed every night. During a ritual ceremony the India and Pakistan soldiers pass within six inches of each other every night with the "legal line" between them before shutting down the road and lowering their flags. Their animosity is waning as evidenced by the ceremony that now ends with a brief handshake between the rival soldiers.
#5- The Great Firewall of China- China's Ministry of Information Industry has manned the world's largest Internet censorship and filtering system. About 40,000 cyber police monitor the country's Internet users. While it may not be a physical wall, the users are not permitted to access the complete World Wide Web which limits their interaction with the outside world.
These boundaries and walls between nations and peoples are a sad commentary on humanity. And I think of a familiar hymn by Kirk & Deby Dearman based on a prayer by St Francis of Assisi (13th century)
Lord, make me an instrument of you peace,
Where there is hatred let Your love increase,
Lord, make us instruments of Your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease
When we are Your instruments of peace.

Where there is hatred, let me show love
Where there is injury, we will never judge,
Where there is striving, we will speak His peace
To the people crying for release
We will be Your instruments of peace.

Where there is blindness, we will pray for sight,
Where there is darkness, we will shine His light.
Where there is sadness, we will bear their grief,
To the millions crying for release
We will be Your instruments of peace.



Let the walls of pride and prejudice come down.......for His glory!

Shipping Out

Over the years, our place has become somewhat of a mini- distribution center for various causes. It is not a job that was officially assigned to us but it is one we enjoy.
Today I dragged this pile of bags down from the attic where they have been waiting . Tomorrow we plan to attend the Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) open house near Ephrata. So they will begin the journey to who-knows-where. Included in the stash is outgrown clothing, sewing supplies, several comforters from our sewing circle group, used Sunday School material and empty pill bottles. Neighbors, friends and church people have all made their contribution to the collection.
For many years we collected used Sunday School books to send to Nigeria where they were used at a youth camp. But the duty fees for them to receive the boxes became too costly for their budget. So now we send them to CAM for distribution instead.




Another project of the day was to prepare this stack of boxes to be sent to Northern Youth Programs (NYP) . Many of the contents are donations from our congregation. The ladies sewing circle is sending a box with six baby comforters for a missionary to distribute to native mothers. Our church's annual kitchen linen project for NYP yielded almost 100 tea towels, 42 dish cloths, a dozen hot pads, plus some hand towels, a bath towel and a few wash cloths. One dear older sister canned 15 qt of green beans out of the summer abundance. A young woman went on a shopping spree and hopes to bless her friends in the North with several boxes of personal items. Of course, we added some things to send to my brother and his family who live at Sioux Lookout where they serve the Lord and the church. An older couple in our church plans to pick up the boxes next week. They graciously offered to collect the boxes at several locations north of Harrisburg and take them to Lebanon where they will be loaded on a truck to take their long journey up the north road.
Next month our church plans to assemble Christmas bundles for the Shining Light Children's Home in Tijuana. Last year we had the special privilege of personally distributing them to the children when we visited the Shining Light Home. How blessed we are to be part of the whole chain of those who "distribute to the necessity of the saints" around the world!
The next thing I'd like to ship out is the mice that are invading our domain this week! We do not feel blessed by their presence!
But who would want them? So the question remains...where do we ship them? Russia, China, Haiti, Mexico, Canada , Timbuktu...or Mifflinburg? Maybe on the back porch to the CAT.

Landis Valley post #2

Next post on Landis Valley Museum.. how do you like the rules for teachers in 1872?
This cupboard in Henry & George's family was one of their family heirlooms. Marvin remembers the 20 cats that inhabited this room with Henry & George. He says the cats would climb the window shades and play with the pull strings.

The outside of Henry & George Landis' house. Good they were bachelors...what woman would have put up with the 80,000 to 100,000 items they had stored in a few buildings before the state took over and made a real museum out of their collection.

This group almost made you look over your shoulder to see the Alps on the horizon.

Below: This is the house where my Uncle George and Aunt Emeline Felpel lived near Landis Valley. The barn, chicken houses and other out buildings are gone. The long lane is gone and you access the property by a new street. It is surrounded by new houses in a development. But the sun room to the left of the house makes it easy to identify. It appears to have the same old tin roof. When I was growing up in the 1950's this house seemed to me the epitome of elegance. There was glass french doors between the living and dining room, a sun room, the grand old piano in the living room, winding stairway to second floor...

My Grandma had a broken pelvis when she and Aunt Emeline were involved in an accident at Landis Valley not far from here. Aunt Emeline gave her excellent care while she recuperated in the sun room. ( I think that room must have shrunk..it had to be bigger than it appears now:-))The accident happened on the front lawn of the Henry H Landis home (Marvin's grandparents). We both remember going to view the damages to the black iron fence and lawn after the accident. But we did not meet there.

Another thing I admired about the Felpel place was Aunt Emeline had a bird bath in the middle of the lawn in front of the house. Bleeding heart plants circled the bird bath. The only photo we have of my sister Lucille (in my mother's arms) was taken in front of this house.

Ever since my mother died in 1993, my sisters and I plan an activity to celebrate one of our birthdays. Sometimes our brothers and their wives are included. This year my youngest sister Carol and I exchanged our birthdays. I chose to attend the Harvest Days at Landis Valley Farm Museum the week of Carol's (Oct 7) birthday. Lester had to work and Merle is in Thailand so it was just the three girls this time. Landis Valley Museum is a highlight for Marvin since his Grandpa Henry H. Landis farm has been swallowed up by the museum that Henry and George started years ago. The guide told us they collected between 80,000 to 100,000 items. Good they were both bachelors or they would not have gotten away with stashing so much in their few small buildings. The first time I attended the museum was on a class trip in 1956. George and Henry served as the tour guides if I remember correctly. The cupboard below was an original Landis family piece. Marvin remembers visiting this house that about 20 cats inhabited with Henry & George. They would climb the window shade in this room.

Last spring our oldest daughter and her homeschool children invited us to accompany them to the Homeschool event there. That's what drew us back in October for Harvest Days on Saturday. They had a lot of demonstrations like slaw making, candle making, butchering, weaving, spinning flax, and more.

We saw the school house, Marvin's Grandpa Landis' house, the country store, and more. At the store we learned that eggs would cost $6-9 dozen if they would be in proportion to today's income. Reason: Chickens did not live under electric lights nor have some of the newer feed improvements etc. so they only laid eggs seasonally..in the spring and summer. If you ever had a birthday cake, it was very special. Too bad if you had a winter birthday..eggs were out of season. At the end we enjoyed some German music. It almost felt like the Alps might be on the horizon.

I tried adding more pictures...but it did not work for me. Maybe I will post more pcitrues on a new post.

Summer's reward

For many years I enjoyed my mother-in-law's admiration of my canning shelves at the end of summer. Her praise and affirmation boosted my spirits after many hours of labor at a hot stove in the heat of summer. I confess that some times before her end-of-summer visit I rearranged the jars to give a more colorful appearance.
My mother-in-law has been gone for nearly 20 years. But these quotes express something of my gratefulness at the end of the gardening season.

"The first gatherings of garden in May of salad, radishes and herbs made me feel like a mother about her baby- how could anything this beautiful be mine? And this emotion of wonder filled me for each vegetable as it was gathered every year. There is nothing that is comparable to it....as satisfactory...or as thrilling as gathering the vegetables one has grown." by Alice Toklas

The following poem was taped at my jar shelves for a long time.


Labor of love
Shelves of vegetables and fruit,
Gleaned from bush, or tree or root,
One by one they tell a story,
Fresh tomatoes, rhubarb glory,
Snap beans stacked in green array,
Corn and kraut preserved to stay.
Each one represents her labor
Made worthwhile in taste to savor,
Berries and some cans of peas,
Memories left unawares
Testify that nature's treasure,
Knows no value one can measure,
Wintertime will show the worth
Of her salvaging the earth.
by Vivian Hansbrough

Getting ready

About two weeks ago a relative invited us to join them on a trip from Oct 9-23, 2009 to Greece and Turkey to visit the places where the Apostle Paul preached the Gospel. We have considered it. We have passports, good health and each other. But paying the ticket is the biggest drawback. Do we just go on good credit and pay later? We never traveled on credit before. But the more we study maps and itinerary, the more interested we become in making the trip. We have even purchased our prescriptions ahead and bought a bigger suitcase to replace our worn weary ones. While we continue our normal routines, we are preoccupied with the thought of everything the trip promises. We see ourselves with bags all packed, meeting the group and boarding the plane. But before we go, the barley should be planted and firewood stored up for the winter. More fall housecleaning should be chalked off the "to do" list. We talk to our friends, look at photos and read about the places listed on the itnierary. There is so much to do! One woman said, "I can either get ready, or I can go. But I can't do both!"
Oh yes! I should have told you...the group is full. We are invited only on a "standby" basis. Will the tour leader call tomorrow to say "There is room for you now "?
However, as the time approaches, we have about come to the conclusion that we should wait for this trip until we have sufficient savings rather than to go on our good credit rating. We don't know "when" or "if" we will ever go to Greece/Turkey. But if something changes this week, and God makes it clear that we are to go, I am confident that we can pack on short notice and go.
And I consider...I have received an "all expenses paid trip" to my heavenly Home. I do not go on my good credit, and pay later. It is paid in advance by the precious blood of Jesus who paid the ransom for my sins and gave me a gift certificate to travel at His expense. If I do not ever visit Greece/Turkey it will not be a great loss, but to miss heaven is eternal loss.
Nor am I on "standby" waiting for another to cancel their trip to heaven. There is always "room for one more" to accept His free gift of salvation and prepare for the "greatest dream trip ever!"
Sometimes I grow weary of all the activity of "getting ready". There is so much to do in the time that remains. There is the normal duties and committments that continue. I love to hear the experiences of others and be reading and studying available information (my Bible) . I am sometimes preoccupied with everything the "trip" promises. I strive to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice when the Master calls my name for the "dream trip of my life" . I dream of meeting Him with my bags all packed and boarding pass in hand.. My mind wanders to the description of our destination site. Am I excited enough to be talking to others about the wonderful opportunity and hope they decide to join our traveling party? Do I get acquainted with other " enrolled tour members" in advance and enjoy the anticipation and excitement with them?
Let's go! Are you getting ready?

Bring the books

Do you remember the growup feeling of holding a book at arm's length and reading. Even simple words like see, come, go, hat and cat were delightful for a first grader to read. And then we advanced to big words like "something" and"everything".
We snuggled against a mother while she read to us. "How can she remember to tell the story exactly the same every time?" we wondered. When we could read for ourselves, the appeal of books was a compelling force. Transported into other worlds, we found there was much to learn, see, do and imagine as we devoured many good books during childhood. Whether twirling on a backyard swing or drying dishes, a book became a familiar companion. We read while we brushed our teeth or buried our heads under the blankets to read with a small flashlight at night. Even through the teen years my mother continued to read wholesome, uplifting books to us in an effort to strengthen our faith.
The pleasure of books has not faded as youthful energy wanes. Life may be full of things to do, and places to go. But there is always a book waiting on the shelf beckoning. In the farm house, we had a bookcse in nearly every room of the house. Now, in our current home, we have a room our daughter-in-law named the "Library".
Yet, with all the books we possess, none compares to the Book of books! It is the greatest Book ever written! The Bible is God's way of revealing Himself to man. Many good books have been written under God's divine guidance, but no other book can claim God as the author, except the Bible! Various human writers were so completely directed by God that every word is His inspired writing. Napoleon said, "The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature with a power that conquers all who oppose it."
No other book can bring comfort, healing, hope, courage, guidance, challenge, conviction and faith like God's unchanging Word. Take away all the other books if you will, let the Bible remain!
The Apostle Paul said, "When thou comest, bring with thee...the books, but especially the parchments." 2 Timothy 4:13
Sometimes people are in awe when they meet a "real author" like my sister who has written about half a dozen books . Have you met the Bible's Author yet? Don't put it off! It is a life changing experience!