Hospitality doesn't take much...

especially when you don't have much. Since we moved to Redondo Beach, I have been wanting to take to heart, hospitality. Sue Donaldson has been such an inspiration in this simple act of sharing and fellowship, that I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone and start using our house - as little as it is - as a place for people to come and feel loved and relax.

We have had a few opportunities already, and I'm not even finished getting our place all in order and I'm in pain from hurting my ribs in a fall in Oregon. The Petersons were heading out to Australia and wanted to return their rental car early so they wouldn't have to pay for another day. We picked them up at the car rental place, came home, set up our two beach chairs and office chairs (had a small couch) and sat a chatted a little and they freshened up. We then drove down to Manhattan Beach (2 miles away), walked on the pier and had dinner. Then we dropped them off at the airport. According to Josiah's facebook page, THEY MADE IT!! Yay!Then we had another friend, Debby, drop by as she was heading back to Bakersfield. Had a nice chat and caught up with her and what she was doing and then she left after a couple of hours.
And THEN, Rachel was heading out of LAX to Ethiopia and wasn't sure how she was going to get there...if she was going to come the night before or just try to get a ride VERY early in the morning. So, I let her know she was welcome to stay with us and I would drive her to the airport. So, her sister, Rose, drove her down from Santa Barbara, I made dinner - let me stress that...I MADE DINNER (for those of you who know me, I don't like to cook really, but I'll cook for others - weird) - and then Rose drove back to SB. Rachel slept on our air mattress in the small living room and this morning at 5:15 I drove her to the airport. (Sorry, Rachel, this was the only picture I had. You, too, Danielle...just couldn't resist.)I'm finding how simple it is to welcome people into your home, especially when you don't think about the things you DON'T have. Think about what you DO have and improvise if you have to. Why did it take me all these years to really feel comfortable with doing this? I don't have to have a big kitchen, family room, several bedrooms, chairs, etc., to try and help others out or just have people over for fellowship. I just have to be willing and open to the possibilities.

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9

Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13

I don't see anywhere in these verses that says you have to practice hospitality IF you have a big house or IF you feel like it or IF you have enough furniture. JUST DO IT!!! A friend said we should open a bed and breakfast...Dan said it would be more like a "couch and snack."

SO, anyway...if you are going to be flying out of LAX and have some time to spare, you are welcome to come by and hang out before your flight or you can spend the night, too. We'll find a nook or cranny to fit you in and get you to the airport. And even if you aren't going to the airport, but are in the area, call or drop by. We'd love to see you.

Some Highlights of OREGON

Here are just a few pictures of our time in Oregon. I have tons more and I hope to do something with them after they get organized, but that may take some time. But this is just a taste of some of the things we did and who we spent time with.

Time with relatives in Tualatin. Dan's cousins.

Some falls we were told about - Silver Falls - where there are several falls you can see as you walk a trail around the area. This one is South Falls (177 feet). Can you see Dan on the left in the blue (really tiny)? We went behind it and got some video of this. We drove to several of the falls and got a few pictures and videos. I'll try to get some of that online in the next week or so.
Time with Danielle, her boyfriend, Steven, and girlfriend, Natalia.The Oregon Coast...specifically Newport, OR. We just missed touring the aquarium.

Mt. Hood as we drove around. It could be seen almost everywhere we drove. I wish I would have taken a picture of Mt. Hood from the airplane.

Even though I fell and hurt my rib (such a klutz!), I was able to enjoy most of the trip. I was careful walking around the rocks at the beach and just tried not to exert myself too much. Rested as much as I could. Had some good alone time with Danielle as well as with her friends.

Oh, and I have to add this picture. We reunited with Pretzel, Danielle's first cat. I miss him, and even though Dan says he doesn't miss Pretz, he sure spent time petting him when he came up to him. ;)

Another Fun Shop at Etsy

Well, I have to say I really like the fun things that Rebecca's Shop has...especially the beach theme stuff. The beach is my favorite place and I would love to get some of her things to decorate our new little abode. Check it out.

Oh, yeah. She's having a giveaway, so go check it out...NOW!!! :)

In His Time

IN HIS TIME


In His time, in His time,
He makes all things beautiful
In His time.
Lord, please show me every day
As You're teaching me Your way,
That You'll do just what You say
In Your time.

In Your time, in Your time,
You make all things beautiful
In Your time.
Lord, my life to You I bring,
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing in Your time.
©1978 Maranatha! Music. All Rights Reserved.

A Sneak Peek

Well, I haven't been able to get to my blog lately. Have you noticed? I've been busy unpacking/repacking things since even half our stuff can't fit in this little house. We had to buy a pantry for food storage, a behind the toilet stand and towel holder set for the bathroom since there was only one little cabinet and a dresser for the closet to store towels and other things. Since it's still a little cluttered, I thought I would just give you a tiny look-see into what I've been up to with our little place. Don't know if I'll finish this week. We are hoping to take a trip to OR to see Danielle and other family members for about a week, so I'll have to finish part 2 of this blog in a couple of weeks if that's the case. But I am having fun with this and actually anxious to look for a job. We still haven't found a church, but we have visited a few and might narrow it down in the next few weeks. We are both anxious to get involved somewhere, but still not sure what we want to do.

Okay, so here is a little sneak peek at what's been done so far:

This is our walk-in closet. It's nice and big, so we thought, since we had no closets or cupboards to put towels and sheets in, how about a long dresser (then we could actually use it as a dresser if and when we moved to another place).So, it's a little crowded, but it works great and we still have room for all our clothes and even my jewelry box and a few other little extras. Pretty nice for us.
Now for the kitchen. This little nook is where a refrigerator was going to go. Dan found one and for some reason, the one he finally found, didn't actually fit (believed the gal who sold it to us, eyed it, and thought it looked right). It was like an 1/8 of an inch or smaller too tall, even with the casters off. We thought we could put a pantry there, but really wanted a refrigerator there and a pantry somewhere else. So we found this fridge at the Salvation Army and we were able to take our other fridge to them (not a trade, but at least we were able to get rid of it, and for a good cause anyway). If there are any Admin Staff seeing this, notice the towel on the magnetic rack...so fun to have something new in our new house. Thanks. Oh, and even though you can't see it, the white towel next to my gift has "Grace Church" embroidered on it. One of those old towels that was going to be taken away - glad I grabbed it. Even have some engraved Grace Church utensils. So Grace will always be a part of me. :)
Well, that's a start. I'll finish uncluttering and get some more pictures taken and posted. It's been fun, but I still think of all my friends in SLO. It's been nice communicating with you on a semi-regular basis. Love and miss you all. But know that this is where God has planted us and we will bloom here.