Dog days of Summer...July 29, 2015.

In Oregon, we have had more 90 degree days, even 100's, than most have ever seen here, in a summer. We too, need rain, as we haven't had a good rain for nearly 3 months;  however, we are not on water rationing, YET, like California and other states.

We left Quartzsite, when most of the others were also leaving, late March,April, and are hearts are with Gary and Linda Buckley, who have graciously and energetically agreed to drive 3 hrs. each way on Saturday, to keep the church building open all summer!  This is a first.   For Sunday worship, they have had as many as 11 in attendance, and as few as just them, yet their outward enthusiasm has shown thru what has to be frustrating, also.

Speaking of Gary and Linda, they are upstairs in our house, sleeping like the exhausted "kids" they are, as they drove straight thru from the South, to our place, with only about 3 hrs. of down time to sleep.   They are here for just a short visit, and we so love that they came, but are already dreading the long drive back for them.

Before leaving Q. this spring, the men agreed upon a topic for the 2016 meeting of "Walking In the Light"...(excuse if I didn't get it properly written, but of course means walking with our Savior, Jesus), most or all speakers have been engaged and confirmed their participation. It will be another wonderful feast of Spiritual Food.  Join us in praying about it, please!

One Week Until the 2015 Spiritual Feasting Gospel Meeting Begins....

Today was the Hi Jolly Parade, in which several of the men members of the Church (Vern Miebach, Gerald Molzahn, Bud Moody, and Noel Teague) drove the quad with the sign advertising the meeting

 or walked along the parade route handing out Hershey kisses and invitations to the meeting. They shared the spotlight with a real camel, in honor of Hadji Ali, (who became known as Hi Jolly) a camel trainer who worked for the US Army in the 1850s on an experimental project using camels. The desert of Quartzsite was a perfect place to train the camels, and when the project was abandoned, Hi Jolly stayed in the area and is buried in what is now a National Historic site in Quartzsite.

Much work has been done in preparation for our meeting, and this Wednesday, January 14th, a prayer session, work day and Men's Business Meeting will conclude the preparations.

Snowbirds Beginning to to Think about their Southern Flight...

How exciting to begin receiving more frequently, emails from our Quartzsite Brothers and Sisters in Christ. It gives a shot in the arm, for sure! Some have been very busy planning for our upcoming meeting, and it sounds like it is unfolding just the way it should be.

Since we are maturing adults, we need to acknowledge a few physical conditions within our "flock."  Brother Wendell had a heart attack recently and 2 stents were inserted. Now he says he feels absolutely wonderful, and ready to preach the Word. Praise the Lord!

Sister Mary Blankenship is having much pain from degenerative and misaligned disks, accompanied with arthritis. She is now seeking the expertise of a surgeon, as she has tried P.T. for 6 weeks, with little or no help. Please pray for her and for Brother Ken. At this time, they are unsure of their time in Quartzsite this Snowbird season,

Miebachs have been having repair surgeries this summer, as a result of a car wreck last year.

Sister Fran Rupe is driving to Portland, OR, to help settle her mother's affairs in Oregon and pack her up, as she is going to be living with Fran in Quartzsite.  Fran has been busy making a few upgrades and repairs to prepare for this event. She is very excited to have her mom with her! (Remember that Fran's husband passed away last winter).
Please email vjmiebach@peak,org so we can make additions or changes to this list. 
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At this time, Brother and Sister Molzahn are in Colorado at a Bear Valley Preaching School Reunion, then plan to head on down to Quartzsite.
Brother Noel Teague plans to be in Q. the middle of October.

An encouraging note was sent by Dave and Karen Fiddament, who will be in Q. for the annual meeting and are eager to help. 

Because of another precious grandchild on the way, the Miebachs won't be at Q., most likely, until the first part of January.
Some of you will remember the Lewis' that were in Q. two seasons ago. (Leonard and Jean)  They have been having a nice trip down from Montana, touring and visiting with cousins, including ones of the Miebach family.

Please feel free to acknowledge errors or changes or additional information by emailing vjmiebach@peak.org

Well, we could try to fill in the time between entries....A lot has happened at Quartzsite church of Christ, and yet it is also the same!
                                       
Although Brother Wendell has had help preaching this year (mainly Gerald Mohlzahn and Ken Blankenship) he is still the main speaker. Paul Swangel has had some help this year leading singing, but he is still going strong with that, also.   We are grateful for the many years both have served!

Some of us have moved on, to greener fields...which is about anywhere. A few have passed on to Paradise. Waiting for that great resurrection day!  Among those are Dan Boenish, who with his wife, Harriett, handed out water bottles at their jewelry table, with a scripture on them, and an invitation to worship with us. Effie Seawright, Elsie Brian, Myron Nelson, and Howard Moyer are a few of them.
This is the 2nd year that Olen and Edie Tackett have not come to the desert for warmth. Edie just got tired of packing up all that "stuff" and Olen needed to take better care of himself, too.  

Bob Coffey, now in Arkansas, suffered a stroke and is improving with much help from wife Pat, and at home therapists. He has had carotid artery surgery recently, also.

Our Spiritual Feasting Meeting in January 2014 was a wonderful one, as have all four years! We had some wonderful speakers preaching straight from the scriptures.  We had one speaker who allowed the devil to shoot arrows at us, but because we have grown in love and are girded with truth, we were able to deflect those arrows, and we believe it drew us all closer. 

We have a beautiful website being built!  Most likely you are looking at it right now.  The men have been spending much time in meetings to determine when to have next year's meeting and what the theme of it will be, and how we can grow in our service to Quartzsite and the world, for God's glory. One way we have is the wonderful World Video Bible School DVDs that we put on the backs of the seats we set in for worship.  We encourage people to take them. We have given out close to 300 this winter season, already.  They are taken by people who live all over this United States, and who knows how many people have sought the Lord's church because of these DVDs.    If you are on the church website, just chose Free On Line Videos at the top and click on it. These are available via YouTube, or the WVBS website, to watch free! What a great way to fulfill the GREAT COMMISSION to carry the Gospel to all. 

We have been blessed by new people attending and becoming a part of our Quartzsite family. Praise God for that.  The men are also contacting AIM, Adventures in Missions, via Sunset School of Preaching, in hopes of attracting a young couple to come and work with us in Q. especially with those whose hair has not turned grey yet. :) The goal being to be able to have a full-time congregation: one that is "open" all year long, instead of closing from May to Nov.    It is so hot here in the summer that many businesses and also private citizens, close or vacate during July, Aug and September, anyway.   
Here are some of the wonderful Quartzsite church of Christ ladies!

                                            

Front row, left to right:   Hazel Swangel, Fran Rupe, Rose ? (a friend of Pat's) Pat DeLong.
Middle row: left to right:  Maryellen Teague, Jerri White, Marie Mohlzahn, Ilah Moody, Bonnie Terry, Judy Miebach. 
Back row: left to right:  Jo Moreland and Mary Blankenship.

That's it for now, more later, Lord Willing and the Wash Doesn't Fill UP!.

ALREADY MIDDLE OF JULY!

Summer in the Willamette Valley has come late, or not at all. We did have a few days of 80-90 degree weather, but have been cool, following a nice rain to water our garden...garden?? what garden. The seeds don't want to sprout, what did, some nice furry or feathered creation of God's pulled out of the garden and laid them neatly by their rows. Or, as of last night, a deer ate our zucchini !!! This pic shows Vern right behid our house.

Vern is good about not starting to hay until enough days are forecast without rain, so he can get it all sold out of the field with no rain. He was successful, once again. Around here, I've been told that others wait to see when Vern starts his haying. That's quite a compliment. It is so nice to sell it out of the field! We don't pick it up, except 50 bales, for our son's horse, and he and his wife picked it up and me or Vern drove tractor.

Olen called the other night and invited us to a catfish dinner. Would love to have taken him up on that. Told him it was a little too far to drive for dinner. Good to hear his voice.

Have been emailing Kay and Woody, who are enjoying their first year in their house at Twin Falls. We would have loved to go to Darla and Robert's wedding on June 11, my birthday, but we were on Grandson, horse, 3 dogs and farm duty in Central OR at that time. Sounds like their wedding was wonderful.

Wendell keeeps up on things. Was sorry that he lost his mother recently. She has had no quality of life for some time, and they took turns being with her til she passed. From the articles he sent, it sounds like Quartzsite's political machine needs a good oiling. But then we kind of suspected that for sometime, didn't we!

Vern is getting excited about the good speakers we have for the meeting this year...the 2nd annual 'Eight Days of Spiritual Feasting.'

Our children and grandchildren pay us no mind when they plan their babies to be born, and one is due on Thanksgiving Day ( a little brother for the one you met this past winter...Katie's) and another one, yet to be announced, LEGALLY, by their request, to be born in February. That is really going to mess up our time in Q. this year, but family is very important to us, if you didn't already know that.

Reg just had nose surgery to remove -or maybe clean out-??some "filter" thingys we have up our nostrils, that were plugged up. It was a day surgery and he is home now. Linda says he is doing better than feared. She had a big skin cancer removed from her face, and the dr. took 20 stitches (tiny and tight) so she should heal wonderfully.

Vern is anticipating shoulder surgery before we return to Q.

He is at a shepherd's meeting (aka elders meeting)...tonight, and I WAS GOING TO RUN some errands, but I am tired! I don't want to even WALK the errands. :) So think I'll stay home and vegetate.

Bill and Darlene visited with Reg and Linda and went on their way to WA. (we were out over the Mts. at our sons house) and did you know they bought a 3 b-room house in Sierra Vista. AZ close to Bill's daughter? How fun!!!

Please let us hear from you....in this blog or our email, vjmiebach@peak.org

love to you! God be with you, till we meet again!

Starting to get a pull towards home.......wherever that is..:)....?

Well, I think all of us snowbirds hear the call of home ....some are leaving from our little church family. MaryEllen and Noel Teague, Mary and Ken Blankenship, Teresa and Jim Miller, Anne and Don Harnisch. Fran Ruppe and her husband have sold their place here and are moving to Del Rio, TX. They lived their several years back. I love Fran's consistent devotion and attendance in our congregation and will miss her a lot.

The Ground Hog could not possibly have seen his shadow on Feb 2nd, with all the snowstorms, so Spring should be early. Today it is snowing and cold in our

home base of Albany, OR. burrr....!

It has been a wonderful year here this year, church wise and weather wise. Our Gospel Meeting was wonderful and kept us Spiritually fed, but with a built up appetite, we were kind of lost for awhile, with only the regularly scheduled services. We are already excited about speakers for next year!

Our Ladies' Bible Class has been going very well and has been a blessing to all of us. We had a salad luncheon today, following our class, in honor of the group of ladies leaving tomorrow.
We have consistently been having 12-14 attend. (We started with four I think.)

Next year we hope to have a mid-week service, maybe on Thursday or Tuesday night, so we can still go to Olen and Edie's on Wed. night, also

Just wanted to share the good-will and love we have grown into this year!
God's blessings on all.

Eight Days of Spiritua Feasting, Gospel Meeting

We are feeling full in our hearts! The feast of spiritual food has been greaten. We have enjoyed having Darrell Decker as our guest from the congregation where Reg & Linda and Vern & I attend. He spoke Monday night, and we had right at 40 there. Then he will speak again tonight, Wednesday. Vern and Reg will get him back, via airplane out of Phoenix, to his family in Albany. They are missing him.

Jim Miller and his wife, Teresa, are staying at the church's lot, and he spoke Sunday at 2 and is again on Fri and Sat. nights. Gerald Molzahn is speaking in Victor Rodriguez's place on Thur. and Wendell has Sundays and spoke Tues. night also. Different styles of presenting. but taken out of the same Holy Bible.

The weather turned off really warm for January. Has been over 80 and we are fanning ourselves, but is so good for this meeting, and the QIA POWWOW SHOW, and all the other million vendors, etc. This place is hopping busy!

Vern and I just set and grin because this is soooooo good soul-food!
More later