German Joe at Calhouns, Tennessee

                                                                                                                                     August 23, 2023

“German Joe”

Joachim Mathew (one ‘t’) was born 90 years ago last month in August 1933. He was born in Prussia. He was a member of Hitler Youth. Back in 1939, German children at the age of 6 were expected to join this organization.

David and I met “German Joe”, which is the name he goes by today, while enjoying a cold drink at Calhoun’s in Lenoir City, Tennessee. He arrived in the United States at Ellis Island in 1952, and was told his name would not work here, so was renamed Joe Mathew. He previously served in Hitler’s armed forces, but after the war, he became a tool and die maker and could take apart and build a machine gun in record time. He was sponsored by a tool and die company in Wisconsin, and that’s how he came to the United States. For some reason, his paperwork never caught up with him.

Shortly after he arrived in the United States, he was drafted. I’m not sure which year that was, but he was sent to Germany! His new job was in the C.I.A.! Now he was back in Germany as a German serving in the US Army, because his US paperwork had been delayed – most likely purposely.

Before being sponsored as a tool and die maker in Wisconsin, he had been engaged to a young lady, Heidi, back in Germany. But, she was a Lutheran and Joe was a Catholic and this combination would never have worked then. He did marry here in the United States and had three sons. We met “Jim” just before we finished up our cocktails – he was there to pick up his dad. All Joe’s sons were educated and professors – one in China (now back in the US), another in Europe somewhere, and one here in Wisconsin.

Now, back to Heidi. At the age of 62, he was contacted by her – both Jim and Heidi were now divorced from their first spouses. She talked him into visiting Tennessee and they eventually got married! Joe doesn’t subscribe to the denominational barriers anymore, and says there is only one God. Amen! The couple ran a Bed & Breakfast here in Tennessee for several years before they sold it for health reasons. Heidi had a stroke. After the stroke, she also had complications from a surgery and something ended up in her brain causing her to be completely paralyzed, unable to speak, except for some movement in her left hand. He visits her regularly and his pastor joins him on a monthly visit to Heidi. It was obvious that German Joe aches for his wife having to live like this. We pray for her peace and comfort and for God’s perfect plan.

I’m sure I’ve left out some important facts, but it was amazing to hear him share a piece of living history. One thing he said was that he was actually at Hitler’s home as a young man and it was quite impressive. He felt it was wrong that the Jews destroyed it. That surprised me, but then when he explained that it was an important piece of history and we shouldn’t be destroying physical reminders – not because we are idolizing them, but because we don’t want to forget history, otherwise, we will not learn from it. A lesson for us all today – thanks to German Joe!

He One-Upped Me!

 June 8, 2023

I had an “AHA!” moment this morning while admiring the quaint homes along the Tennessee River. Mind you, there are several McMansions along this stretch of river also, but I’m always drawn to the smaller, more modest homes. I’m not sure why this is, but it’s always been what catches my eye no matter where we might be traveling. Years ago, when David and I had just begun our family, we would travel back and forth from the mountains of central Vermont to my childhood home in Ontario, New York. I would make mention of the lake homes as we passed by Eagle Lake in the Adirondacks. I’d say, “One day, I’d love to live by a body of water.” David would always dismiss the idea with all kinds of excuses. None of the excuses ever satisfied me and I would just keep dreaming of the day when we would have our own little home on the water, somewhere, somehow.

Maybe my desire stemmed from my upbringing on the Wile Adler Fruit farm situated on the shores of Lake Ontario. We literally lived right on Lake Road. Our back yard consisted of some lawn, a row of grape vines, then an orchard of cherries and apples, and ended at the shore of Lake Ontario. In my mind, I can still smell the lake. I can hear the sound of the waves and I can feel the warm stones and pebbles on my feet. The picture and memories are always very clear in my mind. Having moved to the Green Mountains of Vermont when I was twenty in order to fulfill my dream of skiing everyday, took me away from the lake. The mountains and the beauty of Vermont replaced my love of water and I took immediately to the playground which was Sugarbush Ski Area, hiking adventures on the Long Trail, and canoeing and swimming in the Mad River. Eventually, we were drawn back to the lake when we would take the kids to the sandy beaches at Lake Champlain and when windsurfing became a hobby for a number of years. Then, the kids grew up and went their own ways. So David and I ventured up to the St. Lawrence River and rented a houseboat for a week at a time for a few years in the Thousand Islands. Do you see where I’m going here?

A scripture from Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” My faith has always allowed me to hold onto this truth. Now, this is the crazy, wonderful part. David and I have been traveling by boat for the past four years. We sold our lovely home in Vermont and have been navigating the waterways of the eastern USA since June of 2019 – and we both LOVE it! But, all this time, I’ve been wondering how God orchestrated this lifestyle we’ve come to treasure? It wasn’t really our “dream” or desire to live and travel on a boat. We didn’t even have a boat until 2017!

Then, this morning, the “AHA!” moment happened. As I was looking out across the water from my perch on our boat (aptly named Selah Way), and thinking whether we would ever have our little home on the water, it hit me. We DO have a little home on the water. Not in the way I had ever imagined it, but in a way, it’s even better than I’d ever imagined. And that’s just what God has done. He loves us so much more than we can ever imagine and absolutely does give us the desires of our heart. Sometimes, we don’t even see it until we’ve been sitting on it for four years. Another reminder, that God’s plans are always so much better than anything we could ask for or imagine. [Ephesians 3:20 “Our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or imagine.”]

I write this not to brag about what I’ve done or to sound proud, but to encourage others to seek God, too. Especially in the days we are living in, when right is wrong and wrong is right, life gets very confusing. Are you intrigued by this story or maybe you’ve had a similar experience?

Maybe you’re frustrated or disenchanted with how life has turned out. Do you wonder where my faith comes from? A scripture that may help you find what I have found is from Romans 10:17 and it reads, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Start by opening the Bible, finding a gospel preaching church, praying, or finding a trusted friend or family member to help direct you. Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments with me!

Amen.

Thought You Should Know - my Father

Thought You Should Know

Thought you should know
That my father is somewhat unpredictable
He’s been known to show up at the most unexpected times
And his wrath can be earth-shattering.

Thought you should know
That he has a reputation for having his way and
Always insists on the truth
No matter what the cost.

Thought you should know also that
My father has a soft side.
He’s an artist unlike any other and
Can see into a person’s soul though their
Heart may be as hard as a rock.

Thought you should know
That he loves his daughter more than anything
And will stop at nothing to protect her from harm
Just thought you should know …my Father.

Books for Windsor Castle All Age School

David and I will be traveling to Jamaica once again on Tuesday, February 25th for a week of mission work in the Portland area. I have begun taking used and new donated books with me each time we go and donating them to Windsor Castle All Age School.  A year or so ago, Hurricane Sandy hit Jamaica and damaged many businesses and homes. Windsor Castle school's library and computer center roof was ripped off and at this time the government has not made arrangements to make repairs or replenish their equipment and supplies. Sensing the hopelessness of the teachers and their principal on our last visit, I wanted to find some small way to help the school so the students and teachers had at least some supplies to move forward with learning. 

Here's some pics of the school when we visited last year to give you an idea of the destruction and how the students and teachers continue to function in a school that has still not been repaired!

The Vermont school where I've been teaching was more than willing and happy to offer books and curriculum material that had been replaced with updated material.  The librarian at Berlin Elementary School also contacted me when she was culling books to choose whatever books could be used and brought to the Jamaican school. 

I can carry about 50 pounds of books each time I travel at a cost of $25.  Even though it appears to be a small amount of supplies, I hope the teachers and students will be blessed with this donation. If you are interested in helping out (traveling with us to Jamaica, finances, or other school supplies) please contact me by commenting below.  I'm also including a video that shows what Windsor Castle School looked like before the hurricane did any damage.  Stay tuned for more pics and video of when we deliver the box or books to the kids! 
Windsor Castle School Tour

First Teaching Position

It's June 1, 2013 and I've been teaching in a 3rd/4th grade classroom since late January as a long-term substitute at Berlin Elementary School in central Vermont. Don't ask me how I managed to complete my licensure portfolio, but I did it in record time when the heat was on.  It was all about being in the right place at the right time.  Hilary, the teacher who went on maternity leave is one of the teachers whose kids I assisted in my previous position as a paraeducator, so it made sense to hire someone who was already familiar with the students, schedule, and curriculum. 

Needless to say, I have grown a great deal over the last few months and absolutely love being a classroom teacher. I have to say that everything I dreaded about teaching in a public school, such as behavior issues, testing (NECAP, etc.) and people's concept of separation of church and state became reality.  It's OK, though. I keep myself focused on the children and that makes it all worthwhile.  I've had mostly wonderful moments teaching with the occasional stress that erupts from time to time - all in a day's teaching! 

Now as the year is coming quickly to an end, I have my work cut out for me again.  I do have my paraeducator position waiting for me (thank you--you know who you are!), but I would truly love to get a teaching position somewhere nearby whether it would be kindergarten or 6th grade - I'm game!
Stay tuned - I won't bore you with all the details, but hopefully the next post will include my new position :-)

I'm Teaching!

To my surprise, I jumped on an unexpected opportunity to apply for a paraeducator position at Berlin Elementary School and got the job! Thank you, Lord.

This happened in the midst of the flood devastation from Hurricane Irene on Aug. 28, 2011. I had been unemployed (other than volunteering at Juniper's Fare as its treasurer/bookkeeper) since loosing the local election in March as Clerk/Treasurer for the Town of Moretown. Thank God for that, too, by the way ;-). Due to my success at procrastinating I still haven't submitted my teacher licensure portfolio to the VT Dept. of Education which limits me from applying to any actual teaching positions. Anyway, a full-time paraeducator position is a perfect fit for my schedule at this time.

So, to make a long story shorter...I started my position on September 12th working in special education at the 3rd and 4th grade level. There are three 3rd/4th grade teachers at Berlin and I work with several students in each of these classrooms. Needless to say, I am thrilled to be using my teaching skills at this level and especially thankful for the teachers and the administration that I get to work with. Who knows how stable the position is, but I'm trusting in the plan God has for me and I'm not worrying about the future.

In the meantime, the licensing person is someone I work closely with everyday and she is willing to help me obtain my licensure so it's possible that I may be applying for teaching positions next year. I must say, one of the great advantages in my current position is that my hours are 8:45 am to 3:45 pm and it doesn't involve extra time spent planning lessons - yeah!! That doesn't mean those children's faces aren't etched permanently in my mind though. I'm thankful to be able to pray for each and every one of them because who knows...

It's December already and only 3 weeks away from Christmas vacation. Next on my travel schedule is a missions trip to Jamaica in late February. Stay tuned!

India 2009 Wrap Up

Jonathan Stewart, Fr. Bart Devlin , Sr. Bernadette Mastroni, Sr. Mary Francis Stapinski, Sr. Rose Stapinski, Sr. Maria Brandon, Fr. Dominic Brandon, Br. Luke Silady, Sr. Abigail Deutl.

The group met at JFK Airport on Saturday, October 17th and left for Mumbai, India. We arrive in Kochin, Kerala on Mon. Oct. 19th and were driven to Fr. Augustine Pallikunnen’s church and Retreat Center (Tabor Nagar) in Thodupuzha. We spent a few days visiting with Fr. Augustine and the sisters that serve there and learned about this ministry which is a home for mentally and physically disabled orphan girls. We also took a trip into Kochin and visited Jew Town, the first Jewish community in India.

On Thursday, October 22, we flew to Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and were met by our host, Lee Ruud and his wife, Praveena. We spent time at Abundant Life Care’s girls’ and boys’ home performing Bible school skits and songs. This coincided with an Operation Christmas Child distribution of gift boxes to the orphans and all the children in the surrounding community that attend Bible school there.

We left on the Machilipatnum Express the evening of Saturday, October 14th and traveled by train overnight arriving early on Sunday morning. We were greeted at the train station by Uncle Deenabondhu and his ministry team. They allowed us to check into our hotel and get changed and then we were sent out two by two to several of the churches in the area to bring the Word, song, prayer, and fellowship. Several of the 18 or so churches are new construction since the tsunami and were built by missionaries from Australia.

Tuesday evening is Bible study in Machilipatnum and again we all had the privilege of being sent out again to bring the Word and pray with the people. Monday through Thursday during the day, our team participated in ministry to the children at Kamsalipalum during their holiday break. We performed skits, sang songs, prayed and many of us shared testimonies with college students nearby. Jonathan and Fr. Bart brought the Word to college groups and also to the parents of the children served at Deenabondhu’s ministry.

All of this took place in the midst of determining where our missionaries, Sr. Bernadette and Sr. Rose, would be living during the next few months in Kamsalipalem. It was decided that a room near Deenabondhu’s church, office, and school would be their home so work began on securing the windows and door, cleaning, and purchasing beds and supplies. The new room was blessed with a Mass of Dedication on Thursday, Oct. 29th. Deenabondhu marveled at the Word given at this Mass as it was the exact same Word given to his father when the church there was first dedicated some 40 years ago. Surely, this is the house of the Lord as our new mission house (room) is the place where the original church began at Sharon Ministry in Kamsalipalem.

We said good-bye our missionaries later that evening and returned to Hyderabad by train and spent a final day with our hosts, Lee & Praveena, then returned to JFK via Mumbai on Saturday, October 31st.