YOUR MONEY AT WORK

God knows the weather ... and He isn't telling. For sure the weatherman doesn't know. The weather reports here in Baja have been very confusing. They say the weather today is sunny BUT it's been raining. Because our areas of ministry are very remote and connected with narrow dirt roads, when it rains, they become ribbons of dangerous slippery clay where the slant of the road dictates your direction.

We had to cancel workday yesterday after three days of rain mudded out our plans ... but plan two worked out. (Much better road.) Off to the old folks home we went. We decided to give Christmas Bonus cash packed in little envelopes to each of the twenty workers! Talk about happy! The staff was happy that day. That meant an extra weeks pay.

The workers are paid about fourteen dollars a week to care for over a hundred old people ... that is to feed, clothe and bath them, change their pampers, and bedding. Day after day putting up with the aged, crippled, and senile. These people willing to work with the old and worth-less, are worth so much more than $13.00 per week.

Some of the money we had for barrio Pedrigal, we gave to the old folks home.

Your money at work.

TOO BIG TO SWALLOW

A local pastor was checking out our Christian Education Program. Sunday morning he took a walk through our Christian Education Facility ... walking down the hallway he checked out my Sunday School class of a dozen or so Junior High boys. He found them with their Bibles open and listening intently to my teaching. He walked out very impressed. You see Junior High boys just aren't into studying. (He didn't know my secret! )

A few Sundays before, my kids were giving me a hard time ... a bunch of teen squirrels. I decided to play a little trick ... and turn them into students.

The lesson that Sunday was on Jonah.

Here's what I told my kids. "In my lesson this morning I'm going to tell you guys a big fat lie and you're going to believe it! Your going to buy it! Now, for anyone smart enough to catch my lie, I'll take you down and buy you a big frosty (Ice cream) ... BUT HERE IS THE RULE, don't let anyone know when you hear my lie, just whisper it to me after the class." "OK? Now lets get to the lesson on Jonah. As I was turning to the book of Jonah, I kept talking, "Now this little book tells of the fascinating miracle of Jonah and how he swallowed the whale, or big fish ... now have you all found the book?" Indeed they were students, and indeed they had the wrong motive. I used the statement "Jonah swallowed the whale" twice. Only two kids caught me! Two frosties for a room full of students? Not a bad ratio. In fact the idea worked so well I continued teaching each week, throwing a few lies in my lesson. Yes, the following Sunday I told them all about the lie I used the previous week and made fun of them. Students indeed!