Victory is mine and Kool-aid pickles!
Hope everyone had a good weekend. We had an interesting weekend here in Jonestown.
Here is what I learned at the Jericho-Jonestown Day #7:
Victory is mine,
victory is mine,
victory is mine today.
Tell ole Satan, get thee behind me,
victory is Mine!
We prayed together on the corner and then began the walk around. We invited several 'mens' that we met to join us. One, named Nehemiah, did. I learned later that he is twenty years old, has a four year old son, lives with his great grandmother, and is a drug addict. We also attracted the attention of some other folks who were finishing up their night. They weren't walking very straight, let's just put it that way.I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the commonality here of women and men younger than me who are grandparents. There are 30 year old grandmothers in Jonestown and it isn't unusual...
The Carnival was a success. The kids loved the big bouncy thing and the games. Horseshoes were not popular. Most of the kids had never seen them before. It was hot,hot and hotter--about 97F with the humidity. It was the longest I've been outside this trip and it nearly did me in. It was well-attended and Sr. Teresa extended the time by an hour. And I did one of the 25 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE: I ate a Koolaid pickle! The kids love these. It was disgusting! They soak these giant dill pickles in Koolaid and sugar for three or four days before the carnival. They shrivel up and turn greenish pink. Then you eat them...I have a photo to prove it. Afterwards, we cleaned up and went home to collapse.
We went to dinner with Sr. Maureen from Tutwiler at "the Ranch". This small family owned restaurant has been open since the 1950's, kind of like a Zesto's. The smell is unforgettable-BBQ, smoke, earth, sweat, and beer-all mixed in with formica. It is BYOW (bring your own wine). The salad bar would rival Denny's and I enjoyed the Mississippi version of ravioli. I'll never need to have that experience again.
Here's another thing I learned. Baptists are pro-life for the beginning of life but not at the end of life. Most of them down here support the death penalty so the sinners can pay. The SNJMs are fervent pro-lifers and everytime there is an execution at the prison near here (It is Parchman. If you saw "O Brother Where Art Thou"-they filmed that at this prison), they go and pray at the prison-for the executioner, for the condemned, for the guards, for the families, for the victims...it is a tender situation because many of the prison guards are also coaches and mentors at the Tutwiler Center and they arejust doing their jobs putting these criminals to death. There is another execution scheduled for next week. Sr. Teresa will be at the prison.
Sunday was quiet-Mass, Kroeger's, naps, and then a workout all by myself at the F&H with A Women's Heart 2 and the Stair Stepper. A lovely day...and a little note, I am looking forward to having Mom and Dad to MYSELF (more or less-Scott will be too busy) for three whole days in Montreal! HAH! And I just had to wait until I was 44 to get there and go across the country...