Hey, my dearest, most darling Siestas!
I’m writing you once again from the shot gun seat of my man’s blue Ford truck via the wonders of my nifty internet card. Keith and I are high-tailing it down I-10 to the cactus ranch with Star and Geli in the back seat so that I can write like a maniac for four days. I am working on a project that I am very close to telling you about. You won’t waste a prayer on me but, far more importantly, you won’t waste a prayer on Melissa!
I finally heard from her a couple of hours ago and, after departing Atlanta Friday afternoon, she’d just made it to her hotel in Calcutta!
Oops. Keith just pulled us into a random convenience store in a town of 200 outside San Antonio because I’ve been whining about wanting a treat. We tried to stop at the infamous Buccee’s right there on the feeder in Luling (yes, the mascot is a huge, buck-toothed beaver) but, as usual, there were ten jillion people there. I was so ticked. What on earth can I hope for here? I’ll find out. Be back in a sec.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away and giveth again! You’ll never believe that God secured ten – count them – TEN Moon Pies for my man right there on the shelf in that very store. I have never heard Keith say “the favor of the Lord” more times in my entire life. Needless to say, he’s already called Amanda and left a message.
As for me, I was hoping to find one of those rare popcorn balls (not the normal caramel kind but the ones made with karo syrup) that you can happen on occasionally at off-the-wall gas stations where a good God-fearing woman makes them, wraps them in saran, and puts them on the shelf to make an extra few bucks. I’d pay her five. No luck. Apparently Keith is the one with the favor today. I got peanut brittle. I’ll probably break a tooth and have to have a root canal and, where our ranch land is located, they’ll probably use a roto-rooter.
Anyway, stay with me here. I’m trying to talk about Melissa. She’s safe and sound and totally exhausted but thankful to be part of this incredibly important venture with Compassion. She’ll have so much to tell us soon. Until then, keep praying for her and her wonderful team. For those of you who follow Angie Smith’s wonderful blog, I’m sure you know she’s part of this team, too. Shaun has really taken a stellar group with him to India to cast some much needed light on poverty-stricken children living in conditions we can’t imagine. I’m chomping at the bit to adopt me some but I’m going to wait for Melissa to tell us a little bit about them. As you picture this team of Americans over there, picture them dealing with 120 degree heat! Even a young woman from Houston, Texas isn’t used to that! They are undoubtedly in for an adventure and we’ll get to tag along through Melissa’s posts.
OK, well, I can’t type and eat my peanut brittle and I’m feeling cranky for sugar so I’ll sign off now. You know I love you like crazy.
Oh, my word. Keith just realized his Moon Pies are double-decker. He nearly drove this rig off the road. He’s beside himself. Is there no end to what God will do for a man whose wife and daughter stole his pies?
ttyl!
Beth, you & Keith must come to the RC Cola Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, TN. There are moon pies galore! It's June 20th this year. Glad to hear Melissa is well.
Great to hear about Melissa’s arrival! Y’all have a safe trip, too! I am praying for a productive writing session- look forward to your letting us know what’s up.
Love,
Fran
Gulf Shores, AL
Awesome, thanks for updating us.. LOVE the new look.. A LOT!!!
Thought of you today Melissa while doing some dishes (sometimes it’s the best place to pray since everyone tends to scatter.) Praying for Colin’s peace as well.
A big shout of praise for Keith and his Moon Pies! Beth, I’ll pray for your writing as well as you desired popcorn ball!
Beth you are too funny, thanks for a laugh siesta! Love you like crazy too!
Beth,
Can’t help but love you!!! Will be praying for you and your Melissa.
Just finished Esther and am starting Daniel with an unsaved friend. She is loving it. Can everyone say a prayer for her, please? Thanks!!!
Rachel
You are hilarious. And Keith sounds soooo very much like my husband who says “Ooooo that’s my most favorite meal in the whole wide world!” when I “cook” fish sticks and macaroni…;) Anyway, your Blog is a blessing to me, and I’m thrilled to pray for you and Melissa during this time. =)
Happy Writing!
Lindsay
Spring, TX
Congrats to Keith on his Moon Pies! 🙂
Beth, will look forward to hearing more about your writing project. Hopefully, peanut brittle will prove to be good brain food! 🙂
Oh, Honey! What we women will do for a sugar fix! Ten moonpies are indeed from the hand of the Lord. Just like the huge piece of chocolate birthday cake from last night after a 16th birthday celebration. It beckons now.
Bless you and Keith and tell him not to eat those things all at one sitting. There may not be any more for a few miles!
Hilary in Michigan
So glad to hear that Melissa made it safely! And I’m happy for your husband that he found some moon pies! 🙂 Too cute.
I just love reading your posts. I sign on here everyday after work to read what’s new.
I’m so glad the Lord blessed ya’ll with those moonpies! Double decker ones at that!
LOL I just love you.
Praying for Melissa and the entire Compassion team. Looking forward to her posts.
I’m so happy for Keith. The Lord gives and takes away . . . or takes away and gives . . . ? Well, he got his ‘misunderstoof lost’ Moon Pies back and even a double-blessing to boot! Have an awesome time in cactus-ville!
Dear Beth,
I love you too! Praise God for favor and blessings on your man. 🙂 Also, for Melissa – a safe trip. Looking forward to hearing from her.
Much love,
Sharon, NC
This is so hilarious. The Moon Pie thing I mean. I am anticipating reading the blogs of those in India and getting all of their viewpoints.
I will be praying for them too.
ttyl? Not sure what it means, but I’m sure it’s sent w/ love. Praise Him for Moon Pies, double decker ones at that. Enjoy the writing!
Praying for Melissa.
Kim Feth
Apex, NC
Insane! Love it, love it all! Your last post made me laugh so hard I just had to show my husband. By the way, we went to the Focus on Marriage seminar back a few months ago (I didn’t know we could have been there in person! Had I known you were in Colo Aprings, we would have driven down I-25 to see you in a heartbeat!) Anyway, I just wanted to show my man why I am so thankful for you and you were his favorite speaker. We had so much to discuss at our lunch break that day about all sorts of things you said. It really was wonderful because we mentor younger couples and we can always use whatever the Lord wants us to learn in our marriage too! Anyway, I got out of him that he doesn’t really have to have any sort of treat and he won’t go to another store to find anything in particular, he’ll just settle for whatever they’ve got there. But then I recalled that he loves those little chocolate donuts (6 to a pack!) Yum. I am so thankful Melissa made it and I am praying for both of you…her in Calcutta and you as you write.
Oh Siesta,
WHY WHY..why peanut brittle when you could have a Milky Way?
I just laugh so loud at your posts. I’m so happy for Keith to have a DOUBLE Moon Pie.
Awesome.
Kelly
We had strict instructions last week to stop at Bucc-ees on our way from Houston to San Antonio and didn’t do it. Shame on us! Now I’ll never know what a beaver nugget tastes like!
LOVED meeting your Amanda. She is just beautiful inside and out. Oh, I love her!
Praying for Melissa! And Pete and Angie and everybody. And those darling little babies living in darkness.
Can’t wait to read everybody’s posts!
God’s favor is obviously resting on Keith!! He is now equipped for every good work that the Lord has for him to do at the ranch!!
Have a blessed and productive four days.
leah
It deserves to be spelled out: I am truly laughing out loud! My dog looked at me funny just now, but I think she’s used to me. I’ll be praying, through my laughter! I’m sure the Lord had a moment of anticipation waiting for K to open the package and see the double decker goodness! Hysterical!
Beth- you bring such joy to my heart with the random nature of these posts!!
Good news! I heard the depth of what you wanted to relay…
Melissa is in Calcutta. PRAISE JESUS! Will turn my prayers to her time in ministry now that she is there.
Moon Pies! Check! I heard a very wise someone once say that God is in the business of ENCORES. “Want ye more praise Lord??” If you found ten and give him glory… no telling how many you can expect at the next gas station 😉
Lastly… Karo Popcorn balls. Got it. I’m on the hunt. When you arrive in Pittsburgh June 12th… I’ll have one for ya!
LOVE YOU!!!
Oh the roto rooter root canal..LOL
Too funny… and a double decker moon pie to boot!
Have a wonderful trip and I can’t wait to hear what you are writing about!!!
And praises that Melissa and the others arrived safely!!!
You are all in my prayers!
Love and Blessings,
Michelle in VT
thank you for sharing your everyday things in life-I have moved more times than I have desired-so I dont have a whole lot of friends since again Im in a new city- and I feel like Im reading a letter or an email from a dear friend (since I have gotten to get to know you a bit through your bible studies). Blessings on Melissa’s trip-look forward to hear about it. God Bless! Enjoy those moon pies! They will taste especially good in the middle of nowhere-what a find-God is good!!
HI TO OUR SWEET SEISTA MAMA SO THANKFUL MELISSA MADE IT SAFTLY TO WHERE SHE WAS GOING. I WILL BE IN PRAYER FOR HER AND THE TEAM CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR FROM HER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR LIFE WITH US,I JUST FINISHED WATCHING CHAPTER 7 OF ESTHER THIS STUDY HAS BEEN GREAT LOVE IT BUT LOVE ALL YOUR STUDIES. CANNOT IMAGNE KEITH EYES WHEN HE REALIZE HE HAD DOUBLE DECKER MOON PIES, YOU ALL HAVE MADE ME HUNGRY FOR MOON PIES TRYED TO FIND SOME TODAY WELL I WAS OUT AT WALMART BUT DID NOT SO THE NEXT BEST THING WAS ZEBRA CAKES LITTLE DEBBIE. WELL HAVE A GREAT WRITING VACATION CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT WHATEVER IT IS I AM SURE IT IS GOOD. SAVOR THOSE MOON PIES I REALLY WANT ONE I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO DRIVE TO TEXAS TO FIND ME SOME GOOD ALL MOON PIES. HAVE FUN WILL BE PRAYING FOR YOU ALL. LOVE YOU ALL BUNCHES. CAROL ALBUQUERQUE NM
Praying for y’all!
Jesus flat out took over our church service this morning. It’s normally wonderful anyway, but was WONDERFUL today!!!
Love ya!
Cracker Barrel sells moon pies by the box first and foremost. Second, I heard they made it safely and am praying like crazy!
So glad to hear Melissa arrived safely! I have been following the team and I can’t wait to hear all about what is happening over there. Moly 120 degree heat???? This prego would fall over and DIE! ahaha!
And Praise the Lord for those moon pies. Keith sure sounds like he is a happy man!
So glad Melissa made it safely. Have been praying for her every day. And am so happy that Keith found his Moon Pies! You guys are hilarious.
Much love,
Anne in MO
Praying for Melissa. I know the Lord is going to use her so much during her travel. I can’t wait to read her posts.
Thankful that Keith got his moon pies. I am going to have to find me one of those and taste them. I have seen them before but never yearned for one until now. Your posts sure make me laugh. Blessings, Melissa.
Thanks for updating us on the Compassion team to India. This post was great fun. I know I am so out of the texting loop, but what does “ttyl” mean?
Amanda
Beth, I’ll be praying for you as you write. I know how daunting that task can be (in a very small version) as I write lay speaker “sermons” and Sunday School lessons etc. It is so thrilling when God speaks a word for those whom we seek to serve.
May you receive favor and a double portion of anointing for this project is my prayer. I’m also praying for Melissa in India, that her heart will melt, from compassion and she will not melt in the heat.
I could make you some of those old fashioned white Karo popcorn balls
and bring them to Greensboro in July!
BTW…I know TTYL means talk to you later…you’re in the know, girl!
Glad to hear that!
Thank you Beth for the good laugh. I really needed it….BTW I sent you a letter…sorry for it being so long but once you read it you will understand. Praying for Melissa and you
love you
Thank the Lord for safe travels!
I saw Moon Pies on the snack aisle at my Super WalMart yesterday!!! Could not believe it. I think I only noticed them because of your post. (Only chocolate, no banana, but they had mini ones and regular size!)
I love the new look of the blog, but my eyes are struggling a bit. Is there a way for y’all to make the writing bolder or something? I didn’t have a problem with the old one at all. Maybe it’s the white background, I’m not sure.
Hugs!
Hurray for Melissa! Now we will continue to pray that the food and water she eats and drinks will set well with her tummy (nothing worse than being in a foreign country with tummy trouble!).
Also, I just have to say to you and all the siestas on here that your last blog brought back so many wonderful memories for me! Flintstone Push Pops, candy cigarettes, Lik-M-Aid, Astropops…it reminded me so much of being a little girl and having happy memories in the summertime (for some reason, all my memories involving sweets revolve around our pool on sunny days!). I went to Publix a few nights ago and smiled a mile wide every time I came across a candy or treat that was mentioned in that post 🙂 And now I want to try peanuts in my coca cola! This blog has been such a blessing to me!!
LOL!!
Praying for Melissa and your project. Tell us what it is soon!
Love to you, MamaSiesta
Glad to hear Melissa made it safe and sound! As a missions pastor’s wife I know the great feeling of relief you have when you know that your loved one has made it to their destination. (By the way, my husband has been to India with Hopegivers International, who also work with orphans, so I have some idea of what her experience will be like.)
I will be praying like mad for Melissa and you this week!
Thought of you guys when I was at cracker barrel yesterday and saw moon pies on the NC display. Evidently they originated here in NC? I don’t know. Maybe I should do some research and find out the history of the moon pie.
By the way, I love candy apples that are home made and left by the register to sell.
Have a great week!
Much love!
I thought of you yesterday, Beth. I was dropping by the bookstore where my sister works, and they had an anniversary sale going on. Refreshments included a platter of mini moon pies (vanilla and strawberry). Clearly, there’s no moon pie shortage in Upper East Tennessee. They’re giving the things away! Come visit us.
Hope you enjoy your time at the cactus ranch.
Anne
Beth, so glad to hear Melissa has arrived safely. I will be keeping her in my prayers this week. Thanks for the laughs today! I hadn’t been on here recently, and the Moon Pie saga just cracks me up! A little side note of my own: I was just finishing up my study for the day from “Beloved Disciple” and had my iTunes set to easy listening for some background music. All of a sudden my player went crazy and skipped to the “Final Countdown” from Rocky. I couldn’t help but note the irony since today’s lesson just happened to be from Revelation. If that doesn’t make a girl want to get spiritually fit, I don’t know what will!
Praise the Lord! I’m so glad that Melissa is there after such a long flight. I’ll be praying for rest for her weary body as well as the requests she mentioned on the last post.
And praise the Lord for double decker moon pies too! God’s favor was upon Keith today!
Praying for you this week as you write. May He give you clarity of thought, fullness of words, and much of Him.
Love you dearly, Mama Beth!
I have a Compassion child in India. I’m really glad to know I’ll get a greater sense of how he might doing from the bloggers who’ve gone there. For those who want to follow all the bloggers on the trip, Compassion sent me this link: http://compassionbloggers.com/trips/2009-india
Thanks, Beth. Have fun at your ranch!
So glad to hear Melissa made it. Looking forward to her updates from India. She has got to be worn totally out. What is the time difference between TX and India? Does anyone know?
The popcorn balls you described are the very ones my mom made for us when we were growing up. There are none better on the planet. Oh man, my mouth is watering for one of those. I will ask Mom for her recipe.
My prayers are with the Fitzpatricks,the Moores, and the Jones families.
love y’all,
Mary
You are just down right HILARIOUS!!! For all the seriousness of life – you bring such joy to the things that I think God intended for us
Keep us posted on Melissa and the rest of the Moore clan.
Kim . . . who is
Grafted by Grace
So glad to hear that God is blessin your man with those double decker moon pies. Nothing like a road trip with a pit stop surprise.
My husband, Keith, came home from Fast Phil’s (our local gas station) with a bag full of those stinkin things. Beth, do you realize they have 27 grams of fat in each one?!?!?!?! It makes my knees weak just thinking about it. I hope your Keith is joining you for those morning workouts in your garage. He’ll need some serious cardio to help pump that moon pie oil though his sweet little veins.
OK, if you guys have a wreck because of those stinkin Moon Pies, there’s gonna be a bunch of ticked off Siesta’s. Pull off and eat ’em, Keith, for heaven’s sake. I know you’ll probably disagree, but they aren’t worth dying for!
Been checking in all day to see if Melissa had checked in. Tell her we love her and we’re praying!
Write, write, write, sweet Beth. (I’m in week 3 of Anointed Transformed Redeemed and so loving it!)
Melana
p.s. See you next month!
First off – Praise God for a safe arrival!
Second – LAUGHING!!!! Double Decker Moon Pies – too much . . . have stopped at that Bucc-ees – it is truly an adventure. We now look for them when we travel!
Will pray for your writing time – I know it has to be a new treat for us – even better than peanut brittle, popcorn balls, and moon pies!!!!!
I am jealous of Melissa’s experiance. From what I know of others trip and knowing her tenderness and love of people, she will never be the same.
Sometimes I read parts of the blog to my hubby, and I had read him the moon pie story the other day, so he enjoyed hearing Keith was getting special attentions from the Lord today!
You know you and Amanda will never hear the end of it!
Beth,
I’m praying for you and Melissa this week. Thank you for being obedient to the Lord and for doing all the work and writing that the Lord has put on your heart. As for Moon Pies, my husband once took a bag of them to an executive meeting in Chicago. Somehow he fit the Moon Pie concept into his presentation, and he couldn’t believe that half the folks up north had never heard of such a pie.
Have a wonderful time at the ranch.
Thanks for the update on Melissa…she has been on my heart especially today. And I will be praying for both of you.
Moon pies…double deckers…when God chooses to bless He doesn’t do it halfway…amen