Thursday, December 14, 2017

Building an Ark?


Not an ark (yet), but we are building a wall––not to keep people out but rather to reroute rainwater from flooding our classrooms. After many hot and dry days, the rains finally started but with a torrential rain that brought with it flooding. The irrigation ditch behind our property overflowed and flooded our classrooms last Saturday.

Cleanup is underway as I write. Thanking God for help from neighbors and church people who came to help. Last year, we experienced a similar flooding but thought it was a one time calamity. Now, it's evident that when the city workers came through the valley cementing the irrigation ditch they somehow rerouted the rain waters.

We're thankful it didn't flood our house. It seems prudent to build a wall on the back of our property to prevent any future flooding and damage to our buildings. We've dug ditches to reroute the rain waters and flooding that may occur before the wall is up.

We have a lot of work in the next few weeks but nothing will deter us from preparing for the Kids' Christmas and mountain trip. Pray with us for strength as we minister this Christmas season. We know God answers prayer.

We have an eternal Ark. Safe in Jesus no matter what floods our lives, Jesus keeps us safe from the waters that might drown us in the world's problems.

Exciting News
Look for my newly revised children's book on Amazon. 
  
·       Animal antics draw children in with vivid illustrations.
·     Historical tidbits are sprinkled throughout
·     Stories end with a Bible principle.

Hooray for Holidays
Book 1
A children’s picture book of celebration and faith.

By Peggy Cunningham

Hooray for Holidays Book 1: A New Year’s Day Tarantula, Valentine’s Day Ponies, and President’s Day Kittens






Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Holiday Fun Year-Round


I'm excited to share the cover of the first book of  my newly revised children's series, Hooray  for Holidays. 

Start the new year off reading about Quasimodo's new hairy, scary friend—a cat and a tarantula. And, finish the year celebrating with a lost Quechua boy and a llama on Christmas Day during a rainstorm in a mountain cave.  My new children's storybook series, Hooray for Holidays  Book 1 releases January 2018. The complete series includes three stories per book with a total of four books. They will be released quarterly in 2018.

The heart-warming holiday stories with adorable animal antics, history tidbits, and Bible principles plus beautiful artwork will delight children and stretch their imagination. And, adults will recall historical facts forgotten from their grade school days.

Each page incorporates real-life animals and critters in and around our ministry base, Rumi Rancho, as the main characters. While learning history and Bible principles, children will giggle at the humorous and whimsical animals and critters that will find a place in their hearts forever. 


Look for the launch of Hooray for Holidays Book 1 soon.

Here's the little blue guy––there's a glimpse of him on every illustration in the books. Hard to find him, but kids will love playing hide and seek with him.


Excited to announce Book 1 of my new children's series, Hooray for Holidays (digital) and paperback. 
Hooray for Holidays Book 1: A New Year's Day Tarantula, Valentine's Day Ponies, and President's Day Lost Kittens.

Friday, June 23, 2017

What Do You Want?




This morning while still in my jammies, I snuggled in my comfy chair to enjoy my cozy reading nook with my Bible in hand and opened. As though from the heavens, I heard this loud and clear. “What do you want?"

I could almost feel the vibration of God’s voice speaking to me through His Word. Reading in John Chapter 1, I wondered why Jesus turned around and asked this question to the two disciples who followed behind Him, "What do you want?" Don't you wonder, too?

A few years ago (when I had no fear of walking my neighborhood in the dark) I walked outside to check on things before bed. The quietness eased my soul as I enjoyed stars twinkling overhead as if they danced to music. The wind rustled the bushes, and nearby barking dogs aroused my curiosity. Unafraid of the darkness, I opened our gate and checked around. Looking back, I wonder what I was thinking. If there had been a danger I would have found myself smack in it–– unprotected and alone. 

Nevertheless, I walked the road and found relief that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At the time, no streetlights illuminated the road and neighbors were few and far between. Bolivia seemed to be untouched by things going on around the world like theft and murder. Times changed. The internet arrived, and yes, TV programs from outside this ancient Quechua culture flooded young minds. In our neck of the woods, outside the city lights and noise, we’d seldom seen or heard of these dangers. Those days are gone.

But, that night, one thing robbed my peace and safety––the wind. While on the road, a rushing wind blew our gate shut with a bang. We had no doorbell because kids rang it then promptly ran away––usually at 1 am. Doorbells were a novelty (and still rare) in this remote village and hard to resist. We didn’t hesitate to disconnect the modern menace.

Alone, unafraid but frustrated, I jumped with a kangaroo spring to my feet and screamed for help at the top of my voice until hoarse. Why I don’t know. My husband had long been asleep upstairs, and even if he’d been awake, he would not have heard my voice from afar. So what to do? Our wall was too high to scale. And, to enter from the back of the property was out of the question. We only had barbed wire around the property, but I’d have to climb a path of bushes and thorns and who knows what animals or creatures lurked in the dark. So I decided to walk the dirt road to our classrooms and attempt entry from there.

The darkness hugged me, and the brisk air chilled my bones. Garbed with only my PJs, I walked the lonely road. Suddenly, I became aware of footsteps behind me. Who walked behind me? What did they want? A moonless night left no clue to the one who followed me.

Out of the darkness came a voice, “Dona Margarita, what are you doing out here in the cold and dark all alone?” Relief, a familiar voice. Hernan, a teen boy who attended our classes, shined his flashlight. He walked to his home up the mountain each night after special classes at the school near us. We approached our classrooms, and his robust voice awoke our ministry helpers who lived near our classrooms. They opened the gate, and I basked in the safety and comfort of home.

At first, I’d thought about shouting to the follower behind me, “What do you want?” But, I hesitated. Jesus didn’t hesitate to ask His followers what they wanted. We shouldn't hesitate to tell Him what we want. That dark and cold night, I asked God for an open door and thanked Him for how it opened.

Two disciples were following Jesus when he turned and asked the question. “Turning around, Jesus saw them and asked, “What do you want?” (John 1:38 NIV).

Have you thought about what you want from Jesus today? How about making a list of those things? We can be honest with Him and tell Him what’s on our hearts. He wants us to talk to Him. 

Maybe Jesus asked the question of His followers because He wanted to know if they were following out of curiosity, personal gain, or purposes other than His purpose. Yes, He already knew, but did they know? Are we following Him for our purpose to advance our cause and or to accomplish His purpose and cause? 

Ponder Jesus’ words today. “What do you want?”