Day Two.

Highlight of the day was meeting several locals who seemed genuinely grateful to receive the John 3:16 Bible text. Praying that they will seek the One who offers them everlasting life.

Lowlight of the day was being charged by a dog. Totally took me by surprise when he darted out from some cars parked in the driveway of a home about to receive a Seedsowers package. I managed to quickly back up to safety, merely a foot from the end of his chain, while he snarled and barked sheer terror at me. Phew. Was a whole lot more cautious of parked cars and dogs after that.

We finished distribution in our local area, so set out for the foothills, about a half hour drive from the inner city of Yuma. The weather is glorious here, perfectly blue skies, and warm sunshine. It's a barren place though. Dry, arid and rocky earth. Amazing that anything at all could take root and sprout, but the cacti I've seen reach about seven feet tall, and the orange trees grow in abundance.

I took multiple photos today with the Canon but am unable to upload them onto my iPad, so no colourful proof of the day's events. :(

Day One.

Walkers and Stuffers. That s pretty much the only job opportunities around here. But both positions come with the best in staff morale and the most rewarding pay.

Pay is food. Home-cooked deliciousness, served with a smile. And a smile now known as the Jonas Miller Special. Before setting off this morning, we were encouraged to make sure we "jonasized" when delivering our packages. More on that later. ;)

Here's a few pics of our group taken this afternoon. Sin Kayleigh. She was a Walker with us this morning, but stayed at the Centre to be a Stuffer after lunch.

A short stop at the local Taco Bell. The Gabster... downing some Churros.

Sharing photos, learning some Spanish vocab, and adding some new friends on Facebook.

Christmas Day. Yuma.

Its a different feeling waking up Christmas morning to the fan blowing in your room, and realizing you spent the night covered with only a sheet. Balmy temperatures here, in sunny Arizona.

A pancake breakfast with all the fixings, catching up with family, and being amused by he dog and the children made up most of our day. Then, turkey dinner was served at the Center, where we dined with the 80 or so others who arrived late afternoon, eager and ready for the days ahead. Met up with some old friends and made some new ones too. Got some shirts folded and ready to join us for tomorrow's early start...

... and I'm off to bed. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Air Bud.

Well... we're off to Yuma at last. On our third and final flight of the day, in a puddle-jumper at that, so plenty of drops and droning. But we have a cute little Air Bud on board with us, so who's complaining?

En Route.

Cute passenger sitting next to me at SFO. Love her.

And I'm basking in the sun's rays streaming through the windows, having forgotten the delirious warmth they radiate. Aaah.

Next stop, Los Angeles. And some very special people to join us there.

Seasonal Treats.

I think I've finally conquered my quest for the perfect Pumpkin Scone recipe. This isn't your typical old-country flour and buttermilk production. It's a richer, crumblier, sweeter type. Dipped in maple icing. Hence making it fattening-ier, too. But who's counting calories, anyway.

The original recipe called for pecans, but I omitted them. I know I'm a bit of a nut, but tend to be wary of all those poor people with their nut allergies. A glance at the ingredients, though, and you'll know I didn't take the gluten-free, dairy-free folks into consideration!

Pumpkin Scones

 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter 

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup pumpkin

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup icing sugar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Directions:

1. Cut butter into flour and sugar until it resembles fine crumbs.

2. Stir in ginger, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

3. Stir pumpkin and vanilla into cream and blend well.

4. Add cream mix to flour mix and stir intil the dough just holds together.

5. Turn onto floured surface and roll into 8x12 rectangle.

6. Cut into 12 squares, then 24 triangles.

7. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

8. Warm maple syrup in the microwave before blending into icing sugar to make the glaze.

9. Dip the top of each cooled scone.

10. Enjoy!

Here's another little sweet treat concocted for the kids who come to our Christmas Program tonight. Edible Rice Krispie presents. And would you believe it, these are nut-free, gluten-free and dairy-free. Just loaded with sugar, but we're not counting calories, right?!