It is not "them". It is "us".

Eat:

It is hard to eat after hearing these facts.

I heard these words spoken by a friend at the Grace Presbytery Spring Fling this weekend.  "It is not "them" it is us."  she was talking about women who suffer the hands of abuse.

1 in 3 women will be raped, abused or beaten in her lifetime...


That number shocked me..  I don't know what to do with it.  I've known three women in my life, that I know of, who have suffered abuse at the hands of the man who professed to love them. 


One learned to hide the bruises behind her stage make-up and her hurt behind her church work. She was a leader in her church, successful, raised wonderful children.  The seemingly perfect wife and mother.  No one knew what was going on behind that beautiful smile of hers.


I held the safety deposit box key for one.  It held the letter that was proof that her husband had killed her.  I was to give it to the police if I didn't hear from her for a while.  I visited her when she took her children and escaped during the night.  They had left the home, but the fear stayed with them as they jumped every time a strange car went down the road in the tiny town in the middle of no where.  They were afraid he had found them and the beatings would be worse.


Another I met at the Presbyterian Night Shelter.  We went around the circle at the beginning of a program I led for girls one night saying the best thing that happened to us today.  One little girl shyly said "We got to come here."  I asked why they came.  She told the story of tying their sheets together to sneak out the window in the middle of the night because her mother's boyfriend beat them - all of them.  They had been hiding in their car, under their belongings during the day and searching for food in dumpsters during the night.  The girls were about 5 and 8 years old.  


I remember coming back from a Girl Scout trip one time.  The girls were teasing me and I jokingly said, "you are going to make me cry and I get very ugly when I cry."  One in the back seat said, "Like my mother does when my daddy hits her on the head with a frying pan."


I can't even begin to imagine living with that kind of fear. Yeah, my marriage didn't work out, but to this day, I know he loved me and it broke his heart when he hurt me by leaving.

75% of all Sub-Saharan Africans ages 15-24 infected by HIV/AIDS are women.


I wasn't surprised when I read on the rescue.org site that 75% of women in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from HIV/AIDS.  I've been there, seen them even held their hands and prayed for them and their children.


 I have looked these women in the face and seen the pain on their children's faces as they face uncertain futures.  Or, futures they are certain will face the same suffering as their mothers.

I learned that one man infected their entire village.  It's not uncommon.




75% of all sexual assaults worldwide are against girls ages 15 and under.


I look at my granddaughters - ages 14, 11 and 10 - and thank God it is not them.  But it is the one we pray for regularly in my Bible study and prayer groups.  Her mother sold her when she was 12 for drugs.  It is the little girl down the street whose behavior changes suddenly.  Why does the girl suddenly withdraw?  Why does she suddenly run away from a seemingly loving home?

Maybe we should take a closer look. We won't.  We are afraid of what we will find.If we know, we have to face that nasty, dark reality and we have to deal with it.  We don't want to know, so we don't look closer.

Perhaps it is time we look closer.  Perhaps it is time we stand up and take action.  Perhaps it is time that we band together and do something to stop this madness.  Like you, I just don't know what to do. I feel very, very helpless.

City of Joy
I found an article tonight about a place in the Congo - City of Joy.  The article says

"The City of Joy is a place where survivors of sexual violence can go to heal physically and emotionally, and gain skills and leadership training through programming. The knowledge they gain here will allow them to return to their homes with tools to help rebuild their lives. The concept seemed innovative and I was particularly drawn to the fact that it was thought up completely by the women of the DRC themselves. Who better to decide how to address their real needs? 


...The City of Joy has the capacity to change and inspire groups of women. These women can change their communities. And these communities can change the province and the country. I believe it is in this way that the message of turning pain to power can spread like an epidemic. Just as violence and terror spread throughout the country, why can there not be an epidemic of empowerment and peace?"


Wouldn't it be wonderful if every city had a City of Joy?


Pray


I don't know what else to do but pray.  I feel helpless.  But I will pray for the women suffering from abuse, here at home, my neighbors, my friends and women around the world.  I invite you to pray with me.


And, since I didn't have the words to pray, I went looking for some prayers...

St.Maria Goretti,

Patroness of Abused Children

Prayer for those suffering from abuse

Dear God, we ask you to help all those who suffer from

abuse.  

Help them find healing and peace in their life.  

May Maria Goretti who was strengthened by Your Grace

join with us in prayer for healing of all victims of abuse,

particularly those abused as children or young adults. 

Grant us your Love that we might reach out to them in

Your Name with hope in times of trial. 

As Maria prayed for her attacker, grant us the grace to

pray for the true conversion of all involved with the abuse:

that they might seek Your Mercy through prayer and

penance.

Loving God, pour into our hearts and lives your healing

Spirit, that the sacredness of every human person might be

respected and protected as the precious image of God. 

Help us to live in the peace which Maria Goretti had found

in Christ and in the love of his mother Mary. 

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Maria Goretti Network: www.mgoretti.org

I was curious.  Who is Maria Goretti?  What is her story? This is what I learned...

WHY Maria Goretti?  You can click on the link to learn more, the short version is that Maria was 11 years old when a 20 year old neighbor ordered her to the bedroom.  She refused.  He became enraged and stabbed her 14 times in her heart lungs and intestines.  Asked if she forgave her murderer, she replied, "Yes, for the love of Jesus I forgive him...and I want him to be with me in Paradise." 

Maria's example, of forgiveness of the one who harmed her, moved a victim of abuse to seek God's help to forgive in that way.   

and from beliefnet. com

I’m prompted to pray – for this grieving and confused young man, for their extended family and friends, and then for all the women suffering in similar situations. Domestic violence is epidemic. Let’s join together now and ask for the tempering peace of God to intervene – at this moment – in the thousands of individual relationships poisoned by the threats and fears of violence. Please join me in this prayer. If you know of someone personally who needs God’s saving hand, add your own words below…  

“God of peace, there are many places and many people who do not experience your peace. Right now there are many, many women and children who live under the dark weight of the fear of violence right in their own homes. We pray for your protection, and for wisdom for friends and officials to help bring that right protection to them. We pray for the many men who themselves feel powerless and confused about their relationships. We ask that you would help them find healthy ways to work out their frustrations and to find hope without resorting to destructive impulses. God, work in our country to stem this epidemic. We ask for your perfect peace…”

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/prayerplainandsimple/2009/10/a-prayer-for-domestic-violence.html#ixzz1JSn35zBI

So, hard as it is, we also need to pray for the abusers. Pray that they find hope, healing, peace and the strength to stop the cycle of abuse.

Love

It is hard to love the unlovable, but it is they who need love the most.

It is easy to love the victims.  We know they need our love.

So, join with me as I learn to love them both.  Help me have the strength and courage to love the easy to love as well as the hard to love.

Today is Simply Pray

Simply pray for Japan and all those affected by the tsunami.  It is hard to believe the devastation when I see the pictures.  It seems so surreal.  I can't even begin to imagine the magnitude of it from the small pictures that appear on my computer screen.

Pray for our missionaries.  PCUSA has ten mission - coworkers serving there.  As of Friday, they had heard from four.  According to their website none of them are working close to Sendai, which has taken the brunt of the impact.  They are still trying to contact others.


“As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God” (Ps. 42:1). begins the leaders call to prayer.  
If, like me, you are having a hard time finding the words to pray, PCUSA has this wonderful resource - "Worship Resources in Times of Disaster" 


Won't you join us?


And if you can help financially, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, PDA, can always use your donation.s




While exploring the PCUSA sites I found this link to the Red Cross - a registry for people searching for those they know and for those who are safe to report.  If you are looking for someone you might try registering on Safe and Well.  

March - St. Patrick and Ireland - Of Course

Ireland...

It is hard for me to believe that it is almost St. Patrick's Day - a day we celebrate with green beer, parties and pinching people who don't wear green.  I do't know where the time is going this month, but it is slipping by quickly, so I set off to learn more about this country of my ancestors.

Click on the link below for a great map that has many options for seeing Ireland up close and personal. Go to the map tab and click on the various maps for virtual tours of various places - you can visit the Celtic Ireland, castles, visit a 12th century church and more.
http://www.lookaroundireland.com/googlemapofireland.htm










St. Patrick...

Then, I was off to learn more about St. Patrick.  History.com has a lot of information about him.  I learned that he is the Patron Saint of Ireland, was taken captive at the age of 16 and held in slavery for about six years.  The article says "During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)".  

www.toptenz.net

I learned that he was guided by visions he believed were the voice of God telling him it was time to leave Ireland and walked 200 miles to a ship that was waiting.  He returned to Ireland after studying to become a priest and believed he was led there by a second revelation that told him to return to Ireland as a missionary to minister to the Christians already living there and to help convert the Irish.


His mission techniques were some that we can all learn from -use what is familiar in a culture to teach the Christian way of life.  He chose to incorporate traditional rituals into Christianity instead of trying to eradicate them.  He used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire.  He superimposed the sun on a cross (the birth of the Celtic cross) so the cross would seem more natural to the Irish.  


There were many legends surrounding St. Patrick including the one that he chased all the snakes into the sea.  


This doesn't sound like the St. Patrick of green beer and big parties to me.


Do you want to learn 10 Interesting Facts About St. Patrick's Day?  Visit toptenz.net


Eat...


We can't go to Ireland without sampling some of their food.  It's just not right! I used to make corned beef and cabbage every year for St. Patrick's day.  This year I thought I would branch out a little and try something different, a little more traditional.

I found this quick recipe that comes complete with a rhyme.

Boxty

Boxty is a traditional potato dish, celebrated in the rhyme.

Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan, If you can't make boxty, you'll never get your man

  
(Perhaps that's why I never got my man - I've never tried Boxty in my pan.)






Dublin Lawyer

This dish is delicious and traditional - a happy combination - though its expensive ingredients make it a rare treat rather than an everyday affair. For the best flavor the fish has to be freshly killed just before cooking. Plunge a sharp knife into the cross on the back of the head. Slice in half lengthwise and crack open the claws. Remove all the flesh and cut into large chunks. Keep both halves of the shell for serving.

I didn't make this quite the way the recipe called for - but I couldn't resist the name! I just don't have the heart to kill the lobster. When I look at live lobsters at the store I am reminded of a girl I worked with many years ago who kept sitting at her desk and chuckling all day.  Finally someone asked her what was so funny.  She said she had a call from a friend the night before who was cooking a special dinner.  Her friend asked her how to cook lobsters.  My friend said "You put them in a pan of boiling water.  When they squeal and float they are done."  To which her friend replied, "Oh, you don't cook them in the oven?  I guess that is why they are running around on my cookie sheet"!

Dublin Coddle   This was a great one for a cool spring day!  And since I can never leave a recipe alone, and I needed to clean out the fridge,  I added a few carrots and some cabbage --- mmm-mmm-good!

Pray...

Pray for my friend's daughter Christian.  She is serving as a missionary in Ireland as a teacher.  The church she works with is running out of money and she hasn't been paid in a while.  The villagers are helping to support her.  

Pray for the villagers who opened their hearts and their pocketbooks when tragedy struck the family not too long ago.  They gathered together and collected enough money for her to return to the US.  That, my friends, is true Christan love!  Giving what you don't have to someone in need. May God bless them, as they blessed Christian and her family.

Pray for PCUSA's partner church - the Presbyterian Church of Ireland and the work they are doing.  You can click the link to learn more about them and their work.

Pray for the PCUSA missionaries serving in Northern Ireland and the Young Adult Volunteers serving there. You can learn more about them by going to http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/global/northern-ireland/

And, please pray for the Presbyterian Committee for Northern Ireland and the Presbyterian Ireland Mission Network along with our partner organization...Corrymeela Community and  the Irish School of Ecumenics  

Laugh...Love

Today's post ends with a little laughter and a lot of love.  I think you can have laughter without love, but you can't have love without laughter.  Here's a couple if Irish jokes that made me giggle, hope you do too...

Paddy and the Holy Water....Paddy is stopped going through customs at Dublin Airport and he is asked to identify a bottle in his luggage. "That's holy water I've brought back from Lourdes" says Paddy. The customs oficer opens the bottle, sniffs it and says "This smells like whiskey" , "Jaaaysus thats fantastic , another bloody miracle!" says Paddy.

Penance - As soon as she had finished parochial school, a bright young girl named Lena shook the dust of Ireland off her shoes and made her way to New York where before long, she became a successful performer in show business.

Eventually she returned to her home town for a visit and on a Saturday night went to confession in the church which she had always attended as a child. In the confessional Father Sullivan recognized her and began asking her about her work. She explained that she was an acrobatic dancer, and he wanted to know what that meant.

She said she would be happy to show him the kind of thing she did on stage.

She stepped out of the confessional and within sight of Father Sullivan, she went into a series of cartwheels, leaping splits, handsprings and backflips. Kneeling near the confessional, waiting their turn, were two middle-aged ladies. They witnessed Lena's acrobatics with wide eyes, and one said to the other:

"Will you just look at the penance Father Sullivan is givin' out this night, and me without me bloomers on!"

Irish Blessings...

http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/archives/2004archives/3.14.04-3.20.04.htm

Like the warmth of the sun
And the light of the day,
May the luck of the Irish
shine bright on your way.

May the good saints protect you
And bless you today
And may troubles ignore you
Each step of the way

May joy and peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now
And bless you evermore.

http://everydaysaholiday.org/st-patricks-day/

FROM THE BREASTPLATE OF SAINT PATRICK

Christ be with me, Christ be within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Ethiopia

I can't say enough about my time in Ethiopia.  I have spent the last two weeks immersed in photos and memories in preparation for a presentation.  My heart is filled with longing to return to the people I learned to love so much and to complete work that I feel I left undone.  But, alas, that is not in God's plans for me right now.  What I can do is share the stories and the list of needs with others.  I can pray for those I left behind and invite you to pray with me.

Their needs are many and great.  Berhane Yesus Elementary School where I taught, still needs a native English teacher. BESS, Bethel Evangelical Secondary School, the feeder school for Berhane Yesus, where many of my students are attending now, has many needs.

Both schools are mandated by the government to purchase new text books for next year.  The cost is over $15,000 USD per school.  God only knows where the money will come from. In the mean time, they will purchase a few books for the teachers who will painstakingly copy word for word on the blackboard and the students will painstakingly copy into their exercise books.

My friend Leta, is still working to carry out the dreams of Dr. Mamo, a man with great dreams who died way too soon, to build schools and churches in 37 remote villages. At last count, he has completed 22.  Fifteen remain.  The schools he has built are only kindergarten, some through 2nd grade.  Either the children walk many kilometers, sometimes up to two hours each way, to continue their education.  Often they don't.  Especially the girls whose families believe it is too dangerous for them to travel that far.  Of those who don't, their education is over until teachers can be found and schools can be built.

Elders in Tanbarbar

My friends Samson and Dorothy continue to struggle to build elder care in Ethiopia through their organization Noble Cause Elder Care and Support Services.  They are building the first geriatric care in Ethiopia.  You can learn more about my time with them by clicking this link We're Going North!.

Grinding teff

Everyone I met introduced me to a glimpse of daily life and struggles and for that I will be forever grateful.  You can learn more about my time there by visiting my photo album Adventures in Mission - Ethiopia.  You have a couple of options if you are visiting.  You can click on next at the bottom and be able to read the stories and captions with each picture, or, you can simply view the photos by clicking the slide show button.  On the right, you have the option of selecting the speed you want to view it in.

Each day there was a blessing from God. Some days were hard, especially those with no water, electricity or internet to keep me connected to home.  Those were so minor compared to the joys I experienced in being there.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next!!  I know it will be truly amazing!

Waaqaoo Sni Ibsu

(Oromo for God Bless You)

It's February, the month of Romance...

EAT...


I am iced in.  No water, limited cooking, and a book I am having a hard time getting into, so this week I thought I would explore romantic places.  It is February and the month of Valentine's Day and romance isn't it?

So, what is a decidely single girl who is traveling the world via the internet supposed to do?  Well, for one, work the Valentine's Dance instead of getting all girlied up and having a hot date.  But that's ok.  Not many people get to have a radio station sponsor a party for their birthday and then let her work too.  But that's quite all right.

I get to go to the 50 most romantic places on earth, at least according to travel and leisure.com.  So let's start with the list and go from there.  Just in case any of you with unlimited time and budgets are in the market for a change from the traditional, dinner, chocolates and roses...

1. Moroccan Moyen Âge
2. Garden over the Big Apple
3.  Rule India
4.  Enchanted Evening in Italy
5.  Petite Promenade in Montreal
6.  Baroque Belgium
7.  Illuminated Vieques
8.  La Source Shiraz 
9.  Sedona by Firelight
10. Spanish Idyll


And, look, Paris didn't even make the top ten!  But I am adding one...New Zealand.  Here's what I read on BBC this morning...."New Zealand: a microcosm of ecosystems".  I just had to go there! So, it is number eleven!


I think I will stop here.  It will take a while to check out all of these places and we only have a little over a week until Valentine's Day. So let's start at the top...


Morocco...ahhh...one of my favorite places - Africa, and NO, I didn't put it first on the list - they did!  It's the home of Casablanca and Marrakesh.  


Who can forget one of the best all time movies "Casablanca" with Humphrey Bogart and Ingirid Bergman? Who can forget "Play it again Sam" and the words to "As Time Goes By"?


Let's have a look around Morrocco...I couldn't resist after reading this on Travel and Leisure: "The sounds, scents, and colors of the cobbled alleyways and mosques, the figures cloaked in djellabas—all create an intoxication that teeters on the overwhelming. Moroccan National Tourist Office, 212-37/681-541; www.tourism-in-morocco.com."


Starting of course, in Casablanca...

photo courtesy of www.photozones.net

I love the caption for Casablanca on Travel Zone. net ...'Casablanca, Morocco:  Entertain your wildest fantesies".  Now isn't that what Valentine's Day and romance are all about?

And of course, we have to move on to Marakesh.  How could I resist after reading this list of reasons to go on fodors.com

Top Reasons to Go

Wander amid the sizzle and smoke of the Djemâa el Fna—the world's most exuberant marketplace.

Lose yourself (literally) in the alluring lanes of the bizarre bazaars of the souk and the city.

Image courtesy of Photo Radar.com

http://www.photoradar.com/photos/127331/patparsons/marrakech-bazaar

I could loose myself for days in a place like this...

Stay in a riad and sip mint tea in the airy confines of your bougainvillea-filled courtyard haven.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Can't you just see yourself having your morning coffee here?

Step back in time to the elaborate tombs and palaces of the Saadian sultans, and the calm and beauty of the intricate medersa.

On to stop # 2...Garden over the Big Apple

Table for two anyone??

http://blog.hotelclub.com/new-yorks-best-rooftop-bars/

Stop #3...Rule India

"The sandstone fort in the town of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, rises from the eastern desert like a volcano emerging from the sea.  ... Government of India Tourist Office, 213/380-8855; www.tourisminindia.com."  

Those words were all it took for me to take a look around...

http://www.photography-match.com/views/images/gallery/Jaisalmer_Rajasthan_India.jpg

http://famoustouristspot.blogspot.com/2009/11/must-to-visit-places-on-rajasthan-tours.html

I could spend hours touring Rajasthan, but time to move on to #4...

4.   Enchanted Evening in Italy...

I love Italy.  Not that I have ever been there of course, but the pictures, the music...all impart great images of romance...

This You Tube video of Luciano Pavoritto singing Oh Sole Mio says and shows it all...

Forget the nose, the photos of Italy behind it are well worth looking at ...

Can't you just picture yourself in a gondola in a place like this?

Photo courtesy of Beautiful Places to Visit.com

http://beautifulplacestovisit.com/cities/venice-italy/

Eat - Recipe:  How could I pass up a recipe for Gnocchi when it read like this, " Both Luca and SImone, my cousins, promised me the experience I would have as each delicate bite of the fluffy gnocchi hit my tongue would be like consuming a piece of a fluffy cloud in the sky."

5.  Petite Promenade in Montreal

When I first started looking for pictures of Montreal, I only saw pictures that reminded me of any large city - towering skycrapers and typical street scenes.  I was wondering "Why Montreal?"  A little tenacity paid off and I found this photo and a link to a site called "Design Sponge" and a wonderful guide to visitng Montreal.  Now, I understand.

Photo courtesy of Design Sponge.com

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/04/montreal-design-guide.html

Eat - Recipe:  

6.  Baroque Belgium

Belgium has always been on my list of places I would like to visit.  After looking at this picture I wonder....hmmm...what kind of mission work could I do there??

    

7.  Illuminated Vieques

I had absolutely no idea where Vieques was when I fist saw this list.  Now I know  it is in Puerto Rico.  I am quite certain they need mission work there ...

http://personal-shopping-service.com/all-about-luxury/?cat=16&paged=2

What could be more romantic than a table for two and the end of a candlelit walk on the edge of the ocean?

All About Luxury News  describes it as "Vieques has all the classic elements for a romantic escape: superb beaches, balmy weather, a languid pace. But the highlight is the bioluminescent bay on the southern shore of the island, filled with microscopic organisms that flash bright blue and light up the water with what looks like a million stars." 

I'm packing my bags...how about you?

8.   La Source Shiraz

And I thought Shiraz was just a wine!  Little did I know that it is a place of such great beauty in Iran.  Persia.org describes it as "the city of roses and poets".  How much more romantic than that can you get?

http://www.persia.org/imagemap/shiraz.html

http://www.theworldwidewine.com/Wine_and_Food/Wine_and_Fowl/waterfalls_near_shiraz_iran.jpg

9.  Sedona by Firelight

Now, Sedona, might be a little easier for most of us to get to,  but I don't think it keeps it from being one of the most beautiful places on earth...

http://arizonavignettes.com/gorgeous-sedona-arizona-sunset/

http://www.azjerome.com/pages/sedona/sedona.htm

To learn all about Seona, take a minute to visit their travel guide Azjerome.com

And last, but certainly not least, on my list is...

10. Spanish Idyll

http://www.majorca.info/articles/living-majorca/

What more can a girl ask for than beautiful ocean and mountains all in one pace!  The link above takes you to a great story about living there.

I could soooo see myself curled up here with a good book to read....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/supersusie/489503687/in/set-72157600190617046/

RECIPES...

Now that I have "visited" all these places, I thought I would try a few recipes.  A girl has to eat after all doesn't she?  Check out the Recipe Page for the recipes.  Try as many as you like and let me know which are your favorites.

First stop of course is Morroccoo and Kefta Meatballs in Butter Sauce.  It's a quick and easy recipe I found on About.Com

Moroccan Kefta Meatballs in Butter Sauce

Photo © Christine Benlafquihhttp://moroccanfood.about.com/od/beeflambandgoatrecipes/r/Kefta_in_butter_sauce.htm

I skipped right over New York City, what good ol' Texas girl would admit to eating anything from "New York City"?

So, I jumped across the ocean and headed for India and found this recipe for 

http://www.recipesindian.com/indian_recipes/indian_snacks_recipes/Semia-Pakodi.html

Semia Pakodi

It's an Indian snack and the one thing you need when you've been iced in for three days is a snack! I don't know about you guys, but I get kind of tired of eating the same old chips.  

Skipped over a few others and headed straight for  Shiraz.  How could I not, when I found this ""Sharing poetry on a Persian Plate"! - Yea it makes sense because Persians are very romantic about their food. During a regular meal or otherwise, people can hardly restrain themselves from singing the praise of the food laid before them. Every food has a tale to tell and the eaters take turns to extol the virtues of the food through a poem, or a story. The Persian food culture is valued for the richness of the taste and honored for the abundance of literature. The quotes sang in the praise of food are drawn from ancient Persian literature." (http://www.ifood.tv/blog/sharing-poetry-on-a-persian-plate)

So, I needed a salad to go with my dinner and I tried the Tomato Cucumber Salad.  Nothing could be easier and you can never go wrong with tomatoes, cucumbers and onions...I wonder what kinds of poetry you can come up with while eating this?


And last, but certainly not least, a meal is just not a meal without desert, so it is off to Belgium we go for some incredible Crepes with Salted Butter Carmel.  It just sounds decadent, doesn't it?

My problem, I can tell with cooking all these meals is, I haven't found anything I don't like so far.  The other problem is, that with only two pans, I sometimes have to adapt.  Tonight it was having to reheat the gnocci.  I dumped it in the pan with the Kefta and it toasted a little and soaked up some of the lemon butter sauce.  I don't think I will ever make it differently again!  MMMM!  

Pray

This week, I am praying your lives are full of love, laughter and romance!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Click on the links below to learn more about PCUSA's work in these countries and I hope you will take a moment to pray for the work and the workers...

PCUSA - Mission Year Book for Prayer and Study - Morocco

PCUSA - Mission Year Book for Prayer and Study - Italy

PCUSA - Mission Year Book for Prayer and Study - Canada

PCUSA -  Mission Year Book for Prayer and Study - Puerto Rico

Presbyterians at Work Around the World - India

Presbyterians at Work Around the World - Iran

Presbyterians at Work Around the World - Spain

Love

I love this new website I found supporting women survivors of war rebuild their lives...Women for Women International  Check it out and learn more about what they are doing...