Now FiberOne is giving away a free bar and cereal sample AND $5 off coupons for Fiber One products. I've asked for mine already. Maybe you should ask too - especially if you aren't a FiberOne fan already. Click here for your chance to try it free - fiberone
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Free Fiber One Bar and Coupon offer
I have become a Fiber One follower. I really love the fact that I can have good food (muffins are pretty darned good) and have a higher "fiber content" to keep me getting closer to the RDA every day without having to go crazy.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Fourth Of July
On this day - Our Independence Day - we should stop and remember what this day really means for us. Yes it is a day for family and friends. A day for picnics and parties and good times. But it is also a day that men fought hard for, a day where men gave their lives so that WE could be FREE.
This is a great video that someone put together so that we can remember just how far we have come but to not forget those that gave us this freedom.
vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=21689194
I do hope you enjoy it.
It is because of the early patriots that we were Free. It is because of our soldiers that we remain Free. To each and every one of them, we owe a debt of gratitude. So after you see this video (or even before) every time you see a soldier - make sure you say thank you.
Remember Freedom IS NOT Free. Every soldier is paying for your freedom.
This is a great video that someone put together so that we can remember just how far we have come but to not forget those that gave us this freedom.
vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=21689194
I do hope you enjoy it.
It is because of the early patriots that we were Free. It is because of our soldiers that we remain Free. To each and every one of them, we owe a debt of gratitude. So after you see this video (or even before) every time you see a soldier - make sure you say thank you.
Remember Freedom IS NOT Free. Every soldier is paying for your freedom.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Fullbar - The Alternative to Surgery
I'm sure you have seen the commercial for fullbar- the alternative for gastric-bypass surgery, I know I have. To be honest, it sounded like an interesting concept. Going to the doctor is NOT high on my list of things to do - unless it is something for my kids, or I'm dying. So if I had ever thought of gastric bypass surgery for myself (although I wouldn't be a candidate) - well THAT wouldn't happen, but a non surgical alternative ? ? ? That peaked my interest.
This morning I was at Costco's to pick up a few things before the holiday weekend and I saw 2 for the 5 flavors of Fullbar there. You can check out all the flavors here: fullbar-flavors. So since I wanted to try it - I picked up the Cocoa Chip, which was pretty darned good. The box size of 15 bars is smaller than what you can buy from them direct, but it was perfect to try. Since I thought the cocoa one was good - I think I might get the peanut butter one next time I go. The bar was not super chocolate tasting, and really not very sweet, but had a very pleasant flavor. It was soft and chewy, with no unpleasant aftertaste as is sometimes the case with "diet" foods.
I had 1 bar, with a large glass of seltzer after I had put everything I had bought away. Now it was about 1:30 and I was STARVING. I figured it would either help me to slow down when I did get to eat and therefore not overeat, or show me that you need to have the bar before your hunger gets too great.
Let me tell you - I had to force myself to eat something at 2PM I was no longer hungry. I will also try this again when I get dinner ready. I will eat one while I am cooking dinner and see how it works with dinner. And to really make it a test - I'm making chicken parm with penne - a favorite of mine.
If you are interested in reducing that scale number without feeling deprived, you really should check it out. To see how it works - in their own words jump on over to their site here and read how-it-works. And if you would like to know the who behind this great discovery, read Dr Snyder's bio here meet-dr-snyder
I'm really glad I found fullbar.com - and hope you will check them out too. I am really hoping that with this and continuing on my weight loss menus I will finally be able to kick these last 20 lbs out the door ....... and who knows maybe I'll go for 30 :D
This morning I was at Costco's to pick up a few things before the holiday weekend and I saw 2 for the 5 flavors of Fullbar there. You can check out all the flavors here: fullbar-flavors. So since I wanted to try it - I picked up the Cocoa Chip, which was pretty darned good. The box size of 15 bars is smaller than what you can buy from them direct, but it was perfect to try. Since I thought the cocoa one was good - I think I might get the peanut butter one next time I go. The bar was not super chocolate tasting, and really not very sweet, but had a very pleasant flavor. It was soft and chewy, with no unpleasant aftertaste as is sometimes the case with "diet" foods.
I had 1 bar, with a large glass of seltzer after I had put everything I had bought away. Now it was about 1:30 and I was STARVING. I figured it would either help me to slow down when I did get to eat and therefore not overeat, or show me that you need to have the bar before your hunger gets too great.
Let me tell you - I had to force myself to eat something at 2PM I was no longer hungry. I will also try this again when I get dinner ready. I will eat one while I am cooking dinner and see how it works with dinner. And to really make it a test - I'm making chicken parm with penne - a favorite of mine.
If you are interested in reducing that scale number without feeling deprived, you really should check it out. To see how it works - in their own words jump on over to their site here and read how-it-works. And if you would like to know the who behind this great discovery, read Dr Snyder's bio here meet-dr-snyder
I'm really glad I found fullbar.com - and hope you will check them out too. I am really hoping that with this and continuing on my weight loss menus I will finally be able to kick these last 20 lbs out the door ....... and who knows maybe I'll go for 30 :D
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
FitFlops ........
These look like the most comfortable "flip flops" around. Now they aren't flip flops but geez it looks like I could live in these shoes. Now Feisty Frugal and Fabulous is giving you the chance to win a pair. The giveaway is open to US and Canadian "viewers" and is open until the end of July - LOTS of time to enter. Now I didn't wait - I entered already because I don't want to miss out.
I'm also ordering a pair now so that I can try them out long before I win (hehehe, wouldn't that be nice!)
Check it out and give a shout out to Tenille - I'm sure she would love to hear from you when she gets back from VACA ..... fitflop
I'm also ordering a pair now so that I can try them out long before I win (hehehe, wouldn't that be nice!)
Check it out and give a shout out to Tenille - I'm sure she would love to hear from you when she gets back from VACA ..... fitflop
Thursday, June 25, 2009
More Email Tips and Tricks
I just love when my email has interesting yet helpful information. Here are more tips that I got from on office. They are such helpful people!
Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it. That's how the primates do it.
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in a double boiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!
Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.
Easy Deviled Eggs - Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
Expanding Frosting - When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size.. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster
Broken Glass - Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
No More Mosquitoes - Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.
Squirrel Away! - To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper.. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
Flexible vacuum - To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.
Reducing Static Cling - Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing pantyhose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! .. static is gone.
Measuring Cups - Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
Foggy Windshield? - Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the window s fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
Reopening envelope - If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.
Conditioner - Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
Goodbye Fruit Flies - To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
Get Rid of Ants - Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.)
He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit.
You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen..
This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it!
He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower)is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush)at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that.
So, I thought I'd share!
Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it. That's how the primates do it.
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in a double boiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.
Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!
Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.
Easy Deviled Eggs - Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
Expanding Frosting - When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size.. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster
Broken Glass - Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
No More Mosquitoes - Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.
Squirrel Away! - To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper.. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
Flexible vacuum - To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.
Reducing Static Cling - Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing pantyhose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! .. static is gone.
Measuring Cups - Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
Foggy Windshield? - Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the window s fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
Reopening envelope - If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.
Conditioner - Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
Goodbye Fruit Flies - To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
Get Rid of Ants - Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS
The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.)
He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit.
You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen..
This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it!
He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower)is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush)at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that.
So, I thought I'd share!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Absolutely wonderful product
I will be honest, I do not remember exactly how I stumbled onto Vocalpoint, but I am so glad I did. They are part of or related to Procter & Gamble family. I do love P&G products, although I don't use them exclusively, I do have a very large supply of their products throughout my home.
Funny story - well its funny to me. When I first moved into my home (28 years ago) I pretty much had to set up everything from scratch - dear hubby didn't bring anything with him. Since he was a volunteer fireman in town, a lot of our friends were fireman and their wives. They had always made me feel comfortable, but really made me feel welcome when I left my family and moved into the town. For the Christmas Holidays, I decided that we should have a party for everyone to show my appreciation. Most of the men worked for P&G - just not my hubby, and at one point everyone was in my kitchen going through the cabinets, if it was a P&G product much cheering erupted and if the product wasn't ........ they decided it needed to be thrown out. Thankfully there was more cheering then anything else. Hence part of my love for P&G products.
Ok back to my reason for loving VocalPoint .... last week I received a box from Vocalpoint that had a fabulous product - the Bounce Dryer Bar. It smells AMAZING. I put it in my dryer almost immediately and have been using it ever since. It attaches to the drum and works its magic every time you use your dryer. No need to dryer sheets that ALWAYS seem to be on the floor in front of the dryer (somehow NO ONE picks them up) but your clothes have the wonderful dryer sheet smell/freshness/anti-staticness (ok is that a word?).
If you would like to test products or see what's new / coming to stores sign up to be a member of Vocalpoint. I don't think you will be disappointed, I know I haven't been.
Funny story - well its funny to me. When I first moved into my home (28 years ago) I pretty much had to set up everything from scratch - dear hubby didn't bring anything with him. Since he was a volunteer fireman in town, a lot of our friends were fireman and their wives. They had always made me feel comfortable, but really made me feel welcome when I left my family and moved into the town. For the Christmas Holidays, I decided that we should have a party for everyone to show my appreciation. Most of the men worked for P&G - just not my hubby, and at one point everyone was in my kitchen going through the cabinets, if it was a P&G product much cheering erupted and if the product wasn't ........ they decided it needed to be thrown out. Thankfully there was more cheering then anything else. Hence part of my love for P&G products.
Ok back to my reason for loving VocalPoint .... last week I received a box from Vocalpoint that had a fabulous product - the Bounce Dryer Bar. It smells AMAZING. I put it in my dryer almost immediately and have been using it ever since. It attaches to the drum and works its magic every time you use your dryer. No need to dryer sheets that ALWAYS seem to be on the floor in front of the dryer (somehow NO ONE picks them up) but your clothes have the wonderful dryer sheet smell/freshness/anti-staticness (ok is that a word?).
If you would like to test products or see what's new / coming to stores sign up to be a member of Vocalpoint. I don't think you will be disappointed, I know I haven't been.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Isaiah 65:24
I received this in my email this morning. I wonder if there is something coming into my life that I need to be reminded of this.
It continues to be a reminder that God knows our needs before we do!!
This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in Central Africa .
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.
One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). 'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon. While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her? As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen'? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the porch was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly... excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.
From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!' Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her? 'Of course,' I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon'.
'Before they call, I will answer.'
When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all you have to do. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but do send it on. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards.
Let's continue praying for one another.. This awesome prayer takes less than a minute.
Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to them Your courage. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it. I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.
Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ would do.
It continues to be a reminder that God knows our needs before we do!!
This beautiful story was written by a doctor who worked in Central Africa .
One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator). We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.
One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates). 'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.
'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.
The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.
During prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon. While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her? As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen'? I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!
Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the porch was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly... excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box.
From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the...could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!' Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her? 'Of course,' I replied!
That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon'.
'Before they call, I will answer.'
When you receive this, say the prayer. That's all you have to do. No strings attached. Just send it on to whomever you want - but do send it on. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards.
Let's continue praying for one another.. This awesome prayer takes less than a minute.
Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them. Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal Your love and release to them Your courage. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. Give each of them discernment to recognize the evil forces around them and reveal to them the power they have in You to defeat it. I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
Passing this on to anyone you consider a friend will bless you both.
Passing this on to one not considered a friend is something Christ would do.
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