AS THE RAIN AND THE SNOW COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN,
AND DO NOT RETURN TO IT
WITHOUT WATERING THE EARTH AND MAKING IT BUD AND FLOURISH,
SO THAT IT YIELDS SEED FOR THE SOWER AND BREAD FOR THE EATER,
SO IS MY WORD THAT GOES OUT FROM MY MOUTH:
IT WILL NOT RETURN TO ME EMPTY,
BUT WILL ACCOMPLISH WHAT I DESIRE
AND ACHIEVE THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH I SENT IT.
God's Word recorded in Isaiah 55:10-11 Holy Bible NIV
Home January’s Challenge: BE TIDY
The filing system: I have several plastic-sleeve folders - one for car info, one for tax records and receipts, and a fat folder for banking, superannuation, house rates, house and contents insurance, electricity, phone records etc. When I have paperwork to file, I pop it in on top of these stacked folders until the day arrives when I feel like filing the dozen or more loose papers. It took me a couple of years before I found the right niche for these folders, and at last I am happy with the current arrangement, and can find papers easily when they are needed.
Garden WATER
I have a bit of trouble knowing which direction to turn a tap off! When my brother-in-law, John, asked me to look after his garden tap-system for a week or so when he went on holiday, I was left in a state of fear! Once hubby and I went away for 5 days, and I had left the hose attached to the tap as normal, and having thought I had turned the tap off, we went merrily on our way. Fortunately a couple of days later, Son-number-3 came home and heard the water pouring down a drain for the tap and hose had shot apart by the pressure. The water bill was an extra $100 but it could have been much more! I now have a rule for myself to always disconnect the hose from the tap (because I have frequently turned a tap on full-bore thinking that I had actually turned it off!).I was very excited at Christmas to be given a "SteriPEN journey" from hubby. http://www.steripen.com/journey This pocket-sized tool sterilizes water, killing bacteria and virus - so now I have a water-purifying implement to pop into my emergency bag. Finding oneself in a position of not having clean water is certainly a possibility, even when we live in a suburban home. Daughter-number-2 lives in Dalby with her farmer hubby, and during Queensland's devastating 2010 floods, they were cut off from the town. Fortunately they were not dependent on town water which had become un-usable because Dalby's water treatment plant was disabled. On December 30th 2010, the Courier Mail reported on the water contamination threat to parts of Queensland...
"Health authorities said water supplies may be contaminated with sewage, fuel and animal carcasses. There are also concerns minor cuts or abrasions could turn into major infections if people enter turbid flood waters. Mosquito-borne disease might also prove to be a problem when the water recedes. The health warnings came as authorities battled to ensure there was enough safe food and water in affected communities. Dalby is heavily rationing water after its treatment plant was disabled, leaving only days of clean water. Council will begin trucking in water today as food and water drops continue to other isolated communities, including Emerald, Chinchilla and Warra.
"Hundreds of families across Queensland have been hard hit by the worst flooding in decades – in some cases, the worst on record," Premier Anna Bligh said.
The following link tells of UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) whose not-for-profit humanitarian work reaches needy people in over 80 countries.
Robin in a flowering gum
Painted by Brenda, Robyn’s mum
