Truth for Today #160

Thursday September 4th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you!

Note: This is a travel day for me so I’ll be late in adding your verses.

Revelation 2:1-5

To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my names’ sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

From Dianna:

“Retain in the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NASB

Old and New History Hodgepodge

This photo was taken in Persia in the late 1940’s, after our mom and pop immigrated to the USA. My maternal grandparents are seated on the right lower side of the photo. Our cousin Alex is standing between them.

The photo above is of the paternal side of our family from the 1950’s. In the middle is our Babushka and Dzedushka. Our cousin Johnny is on our Babushka’s lap. I’m seated below our Dzedushka , just to the right.

Our Paternal and Maternal sides of the family are Russian.

It’s Wednesday and time for Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce!

1. Next Sunday is Grandparent’s Day. Share a favorite memory, photo, recipe, or something you learned from a grandparent.

Our maternal grandmother was widowed young while she and our grandfather were living in Persia so our maternal grandfather never made it to the USA. He died shortly after our mom and pop immigrated and that was very hard for our mom being so far away and getting the news that her father was killed. Our little Babushka lost her left hand and arm up to her elbow when she was a child. She only had one hand but her embroidering skills were amazing. She was very patient in trying to teach me that skill but it wasn’t something I could excel at. She was a praying grandmother and she prayed for all her grandchildren. One thing she would tell us young people, “Don’t got out when it’s dark, nothing good happens in the dark.”

The collage shows one of her wedding gifts to Greg and me. It is an embroidered table cloth and 8 napkins. I cherish this gift from her hand.

I had a closer relationship with my maternal grandmother.

2. What’s a quote from a book (besides The Bible) that has stayed with you?

BERJAYA

‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to’ – Bilbo

by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is spoken by Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Truth be told, the quote I use more often is, “It comes in Pints?” (from the film)

3. What’s your number one food pet peeve?

I’m not a fan of someone chewing with their mouth open.

4. What’s one thing about you that is still the same as it was when you were young?

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I’m still in the habit of smiling not to mention my hairdo!

5. September is National Preparedness Month…does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have some sort of preparedness kit you keep on hand? If so, tell us one thing that’s kept there.

Our sons are prepared but we aren’t. My emergency plan is to get to one of our son’s homes in case of a major emergency. We do have our important papers, etc. in a quick grab container.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

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On Sunday our own Seattle Sounders made history by winning the Leagues Cup Final against Inter-Miami. Josh and Laura were there to be part of the history.

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We live too far from Lumen Field to participate in these games anymore so I love to live vicariously through Josh and Laura and their love of the game of soccer!

The Seattle Sounders’ quest to their first-ever Leagues Cup trophy is complete.

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With Sunday night’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami, the Sounders were crowned champions of the tournament, becoming the only team in MLS to capture every major North American soccer trophy to date.

The game was not televised on any English speaking channel that we get on Dish so I had to watch it on a Mexican station. I was happy to be able to see it in real time and thankful for the Mexican station! I just set the volume low. 🙂

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Lumen Field delivered an electric atmosphere, with a record crowd of 69,314 – surpassing the old mark of 69,274. And, in a rare sight, most of that support was for the home side rather than the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. Seattle fed off it from the start.

The Ballon d’Or is an annual football award presented by French magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times and he was playing on the Miami team.

The Road We Traveled

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Our route for this one day road trip took us along Hwy 395 north across the Columbia River and then along the Kettle River to Boulder Creek Road. It was about 25 miles to Boulder Creek Road from home and then another 22 miles on Boulder Creek before we dropped into Curlew at Hwy 21. The Boulder Creek part of our trip took us over the Kettle River Range. In Curlew we crossed the highway and continued on Kettle Road along the Kettle River north to Customs Road crossing the Kettle river and continuing north to the Midway Border Crossing. This was another 16 miles.

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There were warning signs along the road about range animals.

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Approaching the highest elevation of our journey we met up with a slow full cement truck but luckily he pulled off a little after the pass and we were on the road alone again.

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This section of the range was devastated by a fire in the recent past.

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Back in lower elevations we dropped into Curlew.

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We drove through the historical section of the little town.

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It was very sleepy with no one about and few businesses still in operation.

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Back along the Kettle River we continued up to the Border crossing.

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We got to the tiny border crossing way too early so we circled back to try to find some spot that might include some restrooms.

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Hooray for Beal Park and their humble offering.

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The reflected views on the Kettle river were nice.

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The Kettle River begins its journey to the Columbia River at Holmes Lake in British Columbia. It first enters the U.S. at Midway in Ferry County, Washington. It then loops down, south east, to Curlew, WA.; then heads north east to Danville, where it crosses back into Canada. The Kettle River then re-enters the U.S. at Laurier in Stevens County, where it proceeds south to join with the Columbia River, near Boyds, Washington.

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Back to the Border and we were the first crossing of the day. I wonder just how many crossings they encounter?

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We enjoyed seven and a half hours with our friends at a campground about 1.4 Kilometers from the border crossing (that is under a mile) before we turned around and reversed our route home. (I shared our time with more photos here) Those hours seemed to pass quickly. The campground was situated along the Kettle River. This road trip seemed centered on the Kettle River.

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Our border crossings coming and going were both pleasant exchanges with the agents.

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We saw more of the fire damage on our way home.

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We were across the border by 4:30 pm and home by 6pm. It was a good full day.

To Canada!

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On Friday the 29th of August we left early for a little road trip to Canada to meet up with a couple of the Mennonite Girls and their husbands who were camping close to the border in Midway, B.C. We traveled new roads to us.

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Instead of deer, we were on the lookout for cattle along Boulder Creek Road.

Today I’ll share the destination and the time with our friends and tomorrow I’ll show more of the sites along the way.

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Our route was well marked. In the near future, I’ll share what we learned about Ranald MacDonald, too.

We knew this small border crossing closed at 5pm but we didn’t realize it didn’t even open until 9am. We were early so we tracked back to the little town of Curlew and we were pleased to see this sani-can!

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Thank you, Beal Park, for your facilities.

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We were back at the border crossing at 9am and were welcomed into Canada with a tip that we should be back to the crossing at 4:45pm to insure that the border wouldn’t be closed.

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We found Lovella and Judy’s campsite which was about 3 minutes from the border and it was so good to see our friends face to face.

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The table was set for our breakfast together. BERJAYA

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Judy and Lovella served us a feast!

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After our delicious breakfast we played a few rounds of Skyjo!

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We had a good catch up time and we might have solved some world problems.

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We had another fabulous meal together that we called linner before we said our goodbyes and headed for the border!

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Our Linner even came with dessert, fruit filled perishky!

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It was such a nice time together but it was time to wave goodbye and head to the border.

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Thank you, friends, for your hospitality at your home away from home.

We crossed the border after a nice chat with the border agent and made it home by 6pm.

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Saturday was a stay at home and relax day. Sunday we were in church and afterwards stayed inside because of smoke from a few fires burning in our area.

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We can’t see our beautiful mountains.

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These fires are about 12 miles north of us.

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This photo above is from our county fire agency. The fire is in rugged areas that are hard to get to. We are hoping all the agencies and volunteers fighting these fires make progress today. Such hard intense work.

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Another photo from Northeast Washington Fire Information Group. This was the caption for this mornings briefing;

Crown Creek – Blackhawk Mtn Fires

Good morning from Fire Camp in Colville and 0600 morning briefing. About 550 crews have arrived to help engage and manage the fire, with more crews arriving throughout the day. 550? That is about 10% growth for the city of Colville.

What an amazing turnout!

Today is Labor Day here in the USA and Canada and we also welcome September! School in our area will start tomorrow and Awana starts on Wednesday.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is ~ Hymn

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.

Words: Henry W. Baker, 1868.

NE Washington Parade and Fair 2025

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Our kids enjoyed the parade and fair on Saturday the 23rd of August. It was a hot day.

Dan had to work and Greg and I stayed home to livestream John MacArthur’s memorial service.

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After the parade on Main street, these 5 walked a short distance to the fair.

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In the evening we were together at our place. Everyone was tired from the full sunny day and we ended early with plans to meet up at church on Sunday morning. BERJAYA

We filled a row at church and after the service we took one last photo in the lobby!

Josh and Laura had a long and arduous journey home because of some road work and tire issues and we were all happy to get the text that said home at last!

Thank you to Josh and Laura for all the photos!

Friday Last

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The next couple of posts are catch up posts from our family times August 22-24. Friday August 22nd dawned with a trip to the golf course for the guys. After breakfast, Laura made her way to Dan and Jamie’s with some projects for Addy and JJ to enjoy. I stayed home to bake a dessert for Friday’s dinner and our celebration of Josh and Laura’s anniversary.

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After golf and craft projects, the rest of the day was spent at Dan and Jamie’s playing, walking and having meals together.

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An after dinner walk is always good.

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After the sun set we enjoyed some table games, Phase 10 and Skyjo.

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We are really enjoying this game and recommend it.

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We introduced it to our family earlier this year and continue to introduce it to others, too.

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Hooray, Laura shared the actual shot of all of us playing Skyjo on this Friday evening on Bayles Mountain. Thank you, Laura, for this photo and all your photos!

Saturday was a full day with the NE Washington Fair and parade. That will be a full photo post tomorrow.

Truth for Today #159

Thursday August 28th

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you!

This week I’m sharing 10 verses to prompt you for prayer for your kids and teachers as they go back to school.

Ephesians 4:32 ~Be kind to one another; tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Joshua 1:9 ~Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Proverbs 10:9 ~Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

Psalms 56:3-4 ~When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Philippians 4:6-7 ~do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Peter 3:18 ~But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Proverbs 17:17 ~A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Colossians 3:23-24 ~Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.

James 1:5 ~If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

I Timothy 6:6-7 ~But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

From Vera:

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Cindy:

Psalm 27. Verse 1 reads, The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

Fishing for Answers Hodgepodge

Another week and another Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce!

1. When someone finds out what you do or where you’re from, what’s a question they always ask?

When I say Colville (pronounced Call-ville) people get a puzzled look on their face.

It seems most always I need to add…”It’s a small town in the Northeast corner of Washington State about 70 miles north of Spokane and about 35 miles from the Canadian border.

2. Did you participate in ‘Greek Life’ when you were in college, or have children who did? If so what was your experience like? Taking another tack…have you ever been to Greece? If not, is that a destination on your bucket list?

My answer is no to all the above. Growing up with immigrant parents who escaped communism made my parents and us in turn skeptical of many organizations and we saw them as unnecessary in our lives.

Greece would be a very interesting place to visit, especially for the Biblical history there, but it is not on my bucket list.

3. Do you like Greek food? If so what’s your favorite dish?

Photo above from a great Greek restaurant in Walla Walla that our family enjoyed a while back.

Yes, I do enjoy Greek food. We just enjoyed home made Gyros at Dan and Jamie’s to celebrate Josh and Laura’s 24th Anniversary. Home made gyro meat, home made pita bread, home made tzatziki. It was all delicious.

4. What incredibly common thing have you never done?

I don’t believe that I’ve ever fished or if I have I’ve totally forgotten it.

I’ve been to ‘Fishing’ parties and played fishing games.

5. What is a telltale sign that you’re upset?

My hands will start shaking more than usual or my voice will be shaky.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Here’s another great Summer salad.

Greek Salad
Ingredients:

1 cup cucumber chopped
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo), drained, rinsed.
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, sliced
1/4 cup scallions, sliced (you can substitute red onion here)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

Method:

Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, olives, scallions, and parsley in a large bowl.
Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper for the vinaigrette in a bowl.
Drizzle olive oil into lemon juice mixture in a steady stream while whisking, after it emulsifies stir in mint and adjust seasonings to taste.
Pour over the combined ingredients and mix well.

Double the recipe if you are serving this as a main dish. This recipe would serve 2 as a main dish.
As a side it serves 4-6 people.
I used the whole English Cucumber for the salad pictured above which was probably 2 cups or more of the cucumber.

One Day At a Time

BERJAYA

Three days of nonstop fun here in Colville. I’ll cover one day at a time. On Thursday morning, Addy, JJ and a friend had the great experience of the local escape room. They managed to escape in 42 minutes. They had to find clues, crack codes, solve puzzles with a time limit. Addy felt she could have cut that time down if she was alone.

Jamie was able to watch them via a computer screen while they worked in the room to escape.

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On Thursday evening we met at the fields for Addy and JJ’s soccer games. As per usual, Dan was called on to referee JJ’s game. Josh and Laura had rolled in from the other side of the mountains in time to be able to enjoy seeing both JJ and Addy play and to have other fun at the fields, too. What fun to see all ‘our boys’ on the same field!

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JJ was ready to protect the goal.

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Addy’s team played their game on a field just beyond JJ’s field and it made it easy to switch between the games at half time. Addy’s game started late because of a referee snafu so we were all able to be on the same field for a good portion of her game.

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What a special treat to have Uncle Joshie and Auntie LoLo at the games.

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Jimbo’s Ice Cream truck knows just where to come for nonstop business. We ended the evening with ice cream treats.

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That was Thursday August 21st. We still had a few more days to fill with fun while Uncle and Auntie were visiting. Those posts will appear later this week.

Here we are in the last week of August. For summer lovers it’s a hard pill to swallow. Hope whoever you are you can take each new day and all it has to offer you in stride and in peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

²a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
³a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
⁴a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
⁵a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
⁷a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
⁸a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Aug	SEP	Oct
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2024	2025	2026

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Truth for Today #160

Old and New History Hodgepodge

‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to’ – Bilbo

The Road We Traveled

To Canada!

The King of Love My Shepherd Is ~ Hymn

NE Washington Parade and Fair 2025

Friday Last

Truth for Today #159

Fishing for Answers Hodgepodge

One Day At a Time