Jonathan's Ordination

It's so close to fall, ya'll! 

I got some pears from Uncle Lee's tree. I've been told we're welcome to them anytime, and I finally made it this year right in time for the perfect ripeness. They are so good! I've frozen several batches for desserts to come.

The sound of wind rustling in dry cornstalks rivals the rhythmic cadence of ocean waves. 

If allergies weren't so bad, we'd sleep with the windows open.

They've begun shelling corn next to us! 

One of the many weddings of Lanaya Elizabeth this year.

Jonathan arrived soon after our trip to Louisiana. Then my parents came up to be here for his ordination. They shot his AR-15 and obliterated some bricks and cardboard.

Sitting around visiting. 

Mom and Dad were here for the Midwest Ministry Training Banquet, which was really well attended and always exciting to be a part of.

Phoebe conned Jonathan into teaching her country swing dance.

The three yahoos playing cards.

And then Sunday was the big day ~ Ordination Day for Jon. 

He asked Jim Book to preach the service, and Jim gave a really inspiring, personal sermon. We've met Jim before when we would visit Jonathan in Florida, but it was great to visit with him and get to know him a little better. 

Phillip and David prayed over Jonathan.

Jon also received a scholarship to purchase Preacher Clothes. 😄 That's a blessing for young men going into the ministry.

And we asked a super talented lady at church to make a pulpit cake for the dessert table. It is shaped like our church pulpit, which I love, and she made some extra cupcakes with flowers. We almost always have flowers to match the season in front of our pulpit, and she had such a cool little clay vase to hold the flowers which almost exactly matched what we had up front that morning!

"Congratulations Jonathan Gore. 

Ordained August 23, 2026. 

First Christian Church, 

Vandalia, MO."

Christy generously took lots of pictures of us.

This is one of the eye-catching things in our foyer. I've noticed it ever since I first visited FCC when I was in college. It's a cabinet full of pictures of men from First Christian Church, Vandalia who have become ministers, called "The Hall of Timothies."

And now Jonathan's picture sits besides Phillip's.

The progression of a Gore sibling goodbye hug.

Phoebe left Sunday afternoon to head back to her apartment in Linn, and Jonathan left that Monday morning early to head to his first ministry in Rich Hill, MO. Which seems like such a neat church ~ they had Friend Day last Sunday, and they had 160 in attendance! 

That afternoon my parents and Harrison and I took a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi. 

Then Mom and Dad headed out to visit a friend (Mrs. Faye) in Indiana and attend a nephew's wedding. I love that they could come for Jonathan's big day.

We've not had a lot of rain lately, so this little shower was a treat. 

That sky is amazing.

Septic replacement. 

Thank God for men who have the equipment and know-how to do these jobs that are super important to our daily lives! This house has been needing this.

Harrison went with the church group to volunteer at the food bank in Columbia. And he brought back these gorgeous pink tiger lilies that they gave away.

Daelynn (young lady in red who is a high schooler) shadowed me in Sunday School for a month and this picture was from her last Sunday. She was a huge help! And hopefully she learned a little bit about teaching Sunday School. I think she'd make a great teacher one day.

Happy Sunflowers on my walk down the gravel roads. 

And more of that rustlling corn that calms the senses.

Our marigolds were leggy and leafy but didn't have any buds until I googled and found out they were too much in the shade. Now they get more sunshine and are blooming.

Preacher Boys has started up again.

Harrison is preaching this Sunday at the Presbyterian church in Farber.

Good luck, this year, boys! 

Two of my Sunday School kids are in there this year ~ I love seeing that.

Dad went alligator hunting again. He loves it. 

A sunrise last week.

And Lanaya Elizabeth came to visit us on a last minute lark! 

She spent time with Mimi and Papa and then we went to Hermann, MO to visit all the little shops and eat at Wurst Haus. We were all a little sweaty by the end of that day, it's been so hot.

Girls in silly glasses.

It was a joy to spend time with Liz and have her home for a bit. She and Amos are doing well youth-ministering up in Idaho.

Phoebe loves frogs. 

And this is too adorable to me! Those things are so cute and derpy.

The moon behind a cloud seen from the front porch.

 

Louisiana and All the Family

 

This is a full one! 

Lots of family and happenings for which we can say, "Thank you, Lord!"

We had a doe and fawn come out of the corn near our mailbox last week.

The racoon under our house finally led her babies away because I started watching the cat food to make sure she didn't eat any. I don't mind feeding mousers, but I do not want to feed all the wildlife! Although Phoebe found it cute.

Okay, these are fascinating. They're called brace roots, and they grow on corn stalks. Supposedly if you grow corn in a greenhouse, brace roots won't come because there would be no stress (no wind and all the nutrients needed). But in the open, they are needed for stability and they act like underground roots and gather nutrients and water from the soil. As the stalk grows taller, a second set will grow and sometimes a third or fourth (depending on the hybrid and conditions). Fun stuff.

I found an idea for two of the bulletin bourds in my classroom: Bible pictures hung from a beaded photo string; it's simple and you can change out the pictures. And Daelynn (who is shadowing me and learning to teach Sunday School this month) had a great idea for the third one. So once that is complete, I'll post a picture of the third one.

Lauren is a newish member of our church, and she and I team-taught the preschoolers for VBS. It was a great team-up! Harrison also helped us out.

It was a wild time, but so much fun! We did have some crazy health hiccups this year: Our force-of-nature decorator had a stress heart attack, came back from that, and tore her Achilles tendon! Our preacher had emergencey surgery for appendicitis that week. And then a sickness (summer cold?) went through. 

A quick sewing project. I made a dish carrier for fellowship dinners and such.

Harrison cut down the dowels and the bottom board for me.

And I am trying my hand at Lanaya Elizabeth's Trail Tank top. I'll let you know if I get through it! She is beyond me in ability, but it looks like a such a fun knit ...... You can find her pattern here: Trail Tank Knitted Pattern.

A family at church gave us loads of produce from their garden (invited ~ I asked for it!), and it's been fun to figure out what to do with it. I made squash casserole for Sunday lunch which Mimi and I especially enjoyed. Cucumber salad for several meals for us and others. Three little jars of pico de gallo which was extra spicy (I was going to save some for Phoebe, but I'm afraid it will be gone before she gets here this weekend). I chopped and froze the okra and carrots. And I am going to make some cucumber kimchi and do some kind of dish with the rest of the yellow squash when my parents are here this weekend. 

Mimi's birthday cake for her 84th birthday! 

Actually, now that I think about it, I think it was a peach cobbler from the Calhoun peaches they were selling in town.

Phillip's siblings, Galen and John, traveled over. We missed Galen last year when she visited because we were both gone to different destinations. But this year we got to see her!

I'm sorry, guys, but father and son napping together is too funny not to capture.

Valencia's for Sunday lunch!

My sister Tonya and Joshua went to help Aunt Mary and Grandma at their new property. I'm helping Aunt Mary with the family reunion next year, so I will see that property next August, Lord willing.

Harrison at another preaching camp a few weeks ago.

He really enjoyed the intensity of the study time at this one ~ Rock Garden Christian Camp.

I asked Phoebe to send me some pictures because I realized I had nothing of her this time around! So she took some accidental selfies a while back, and that's what she sent.

But these are her sketches of late, and you should feel very privileged that she allowed these on the blog.

Jon and Devlin had to put up a sign for a new campus of their resident church. 

Devlin has been a great coworker and friend of Jon. 

Lanaya Elizabeth made strawberry pretzel dessert for Jon's birthday. 

And Jon's host made brisket, which I hear is very, very good.

And the hosts' grandkids were there and love Jon's attention.

He and several friends did a camping/fishing trip in Hell's Canyon. 

And his small group family made a goodbye cake for him for his last small group. Apparently their tradition is to make a face cake for those who move away. 😂

Harrison and I made our way down to Jennings, Louisiana last week. McDonalds is our usual breakfast stop.

He drove a couple hours through Arkansas (he made it through the craziness of Little Rock), while I rested. 

And we found this on our car the next morning! On the road to my parents, you could see these huge frogs jumping across the road in the headlights. Apparently this one got caught.

We were there to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. It doesn't seem real that they've been married that long!

Harrison sitting in the rocker my dad made.

We wanted Cajun food, and we got it. Gumbo, fried alligator, Atchafalaya catfish, shrimp, maybe crawfish (I can't remember)..... 

Had to get a picture with the alligator.

Tonya and Joshua have not held baby alligators, so they got their chance. They were on a 17 day trip visiting friends on the way and touring New Orleans. Our brothers were not able to make it, but at least the sisters could be together for a few days.

Our day at the beach was threatened by storms, but we never got more than some slight sprinkles.

We played lots of games: Phase 10, Yahtzee, Dutch Blitz, and something similar to Chinese checkers.

Mrs. Kristine and Mr. Johnny came over to visit. Tonya thinks she probably last saw them when she was 15.

We were all good friends as kids. 

Teressa and Nettie, the daughters of John and Kristine.

Reading the comics.

Eating lunch in the rocking chairs. 

By the way, it was so much fun to talk to Joshua, Tonya's youngest. He's in college in WA for music, and he was such a grown-up. We had good conversation.

Uncle Gerald came over and we also saw him at church. I think he and my mom look a lot alike. And his hair is still so black!

Alligator sauce piquant in the crockpot. My dad helped me make it. And it may be the first time I've been requested to make a Cajun dish!

Boudin'.

Fresh fried catfish that dad caught.

I didn't eat this till I got home, but it was a little sweet potatoe pie. I also had a raspberry one while still over there. It's from Ruddock's Bakery which holds many childhood memories for us. Their cookies were pretty inexpensive, and they always gave you a baker's dozen. But their donuts were really good too. They were just out of donuts by the time we got there. I do prefer the fruit filled pies to the sweet potatoe one.

And while Tonya and Joshua traveled home, they happened to be going through Boise exactly on the day Jonathan's residency graduation was happening! So they attended in our place. 

And Amos sent us this today of Jonathan and Lanaya saying goodbye. He begins his journey back to Missouri tomorrow morning. 

This is long! 

We've started school. Harrison has his license and a job at DG Market. 

Life marches on.