Our outing to the Tillamook Forest Center has been rescheduled for Monday, July 30th. Our previous date didn't work out well, but at least a couple of women and their children have said the 30th will be perfect. So bring your kids or grandkids, along with a picnic lunch, and meet us at the Forest Center at noon. We'll eat lunch together, explore the exhibits inside (as well as climb the lookout tower outdoors), then head across the river to find a neat place to wade and relax. Bring towels, snacks, drinks, and sunscreen for an afternoon by the water.
To get there, catch Highway 6 by Banks, and head west toward Tillamook. Continue 29.1 miles west on Highway 6. The milepost numbers will be counting down to Tillamook. The Tillamook Forest Center is near milepost 22. You’ll see it just past the turn-off for Jones Creek Campground, and around a big bend in the highway to the left. Look for the large stone and wood entry monuments. You’re there! It is about 20 minutes this side of Tillamook. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE COMING.
Women of Faith--Friday, October 5 and Saturday, October 6. Several women have already signed up for this event. Be smart and join them! I'll get a little brochure with the information printed up soon, so you'll have all the information. It's around $90, which I know can be a lot of money. But some things in life are worth spending like that, and this is one of them. For those who don't want to come all the way home after the Friday evening session, we'll be getting a couple of motel rooms, which enables us to split the bill and keep the cost down. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE COMING, EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY YET.
THIS WEEK'S OPPORTUNITIES:
Monday--Holy Sweat, 8 AM (You already missed it. You snooze, you lose--but not
pounds!)
Wednesday--Holy Sweat, 8 AM.
Common Grounds, 6:30 PM. Lesson 4
Thursday--The Perk, 9:30 AM. Lesson 4
Friday--Holy Sweat, 8 AM.
You've heard me say it before--one of the things I so appreciate about our Women Of Wapato (WOW) is that we've learned to trust each other and be open with each other. I hope you all realize what a gift that is. I want to leave you with a thought by one of my favorite bloggers:
Heart to Heart with Holley Gerth: Underneath All Our Layers
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Posted: 11 Jul 2012 11:36 AM PDT
I
step onto the newly mopped floor and my sock sticks. I hop like a
crazed rabbit back to the carpet. Looking back at the tile, I tilt my
head to one side. Little white patches are dotted across it. Hmm.
When my husband gets home I declare, "I think I bleached the floor!" He doesn't look too surprised. Odder things have happened in this house.
We investigate together, down on our knees, like a pair of detectives in a bad movie. Finally he says, "I don't think it's bleached. I think there's some kind of film on it." He scratches at it with his thumbnail and a small flake of grey comes up, revealing white tile beneath.
It turns out our "shine and glow" cleaner has laid down a pretty thick coat of wax--along with trapping a fair amount of dirt.
I'm horrified. I vaguely wonder if
my husband will be taken away from me because our home environment is
unfit. So I haven't been the mopper of the century but I certainly
didn't think we were walking across that.
We research how to strip the floor
and my hubby tackles it one weekend. I can hardly look at the bucket. I
perch outside the door in my pajamas and ponder how this came to be.
All this time I thought I was cleaning and I was actually sealing in what I wanted to get out.
It's not the first time.
I used to be master of the layers.
A friend would asks me how I was on a bad day and I'd reply, "I'm fine." Layer of wax, a little dirt trapped.
An email from someone I don't even know would hurt my feelings. I'd tell myself, "It's okay." Another layer.
A disagreement would leave me wounded. I'd say, "It's not really a big deal." More layers.
Then a few years ago I noticed some
dots on the floor of my heart, a little more authenticity showing
through. I wanted to cover them up in a hurry. But it seemed God
whispered instead, "This is what I want people to see. It's time to strip away some of this stuff."
And He did. Bit by bit.
At first I was horrified.
Then relieved.
And, finally, free.
We aren't meant to put on a coat of
wax to shine for the world. God can handle our grit. Our mess. He knows
how to deal with it in a way that brings healing and even reveals
beauty.
In the corners of my kitchen, I can
still see bits of wax. They peer out at me like little reminders of the
past. Over time I'll find a way to get them all.
Because I want the real deal--maybe not as shiny but clean and bright and cool beneath my feet.
A place I can stand tall.
Sherrie Ashcraft, Women's Ministry Director
sherrieashcraft@yahoo.com 971-285-6699
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