Onward, Christian soldier!

12:35 p.m. Today's project was for Steve and me to attend our older grandson Adrian's promotion ceremony from 8th grade to high school, at Castle Park Middle School in Chula Vista. This took some doing, because it meant traveling 2 hours south for an 8:15 a.m. ceremony! We could have gotten up in the wee hours today and driven down, but I don't like driving in the pre-dawn fog that happens through Fallbrook. So we opted to spend the night at the Motel 6 in C.V. right off the 5 South on E Street. We went out to a gourmet seafood dinner at Anthony's Fish Grotto, and stopped by the apartment to give Adrian his gift.

It had been an emotional drive down yesterday, because I still felt the need to find our widow after hearing that she was hospitalized. Calling the older son wasn't much help, but once he knew that I knew his mother was in the hospital, he did tell me an ambulance had taken his mom. He didn't seem to have a number for the hospital, saying that she calls them instead! I was just in tears, thinking of what would happen to the boys with no adult at home. So the Lord gave me the idea to contact on of my most diligent visiting team members, Linda, who tracked the mom down, using a different name than I knew, discovered that she was taken in the ambulance for breathing problems, and found out a room number, all by about 8 p.m. when she got back to me! She visited this morning while I was out of town, and another friend, Gloria, is going today. But that still doesn't solve the problem of kids unattended with only their mom's friend dropping in once a day to help. I'll be praying for wisdom, because James 1:5 says: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Not presuming to take on this issue alone, I did notify our pastor in charge of helps ministry of the situation.

I am so grateful for the way my grandsons are growing up healthy and well behaved, a real credit to their mom who is raising them. Our son has them up to visit for a week or so several times a year, and their maternal grandpa and we also have them for extended visits and include them on vacations. They have become responsible and respectful young men who know the Lord and heed the scriptures.

There is no doubt that for some families, there is no extended family safety net, and that's where the Church comes in, I believe. James 1:22 says, in the quintessential answer to the "faith vs. works" argument, "be doers of the word and not hearers only." Believers are called to both facets of Christian testimony! And, very germane to my ministry calling right now is v. 27a: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their troubles..." I pray that the three young boys will not become orphans, and that their mother will be healed and ambulatory soon!

Now I'd better get changed and packed before my ride to the annual women's retreat gets here!!