Four Cs of Christian Maturity

The morning of 4/12/9 was special - my birthday and Easter. Our Sunday School teacher, Skip Gray, gave a beautiful explanation of Christian maturity. The Cs are: convictions about the truth of the Word of God, be considerate of others and do not judge and do not cause them to stumble, contribution of my God-given gifts as I make them available and communion with others as I accept them and receive them unconditionally. May the Lord help us all as we grow in Him and mature.

Gould Mine Trail Saguaro National Park West

See the copper or rust color on this mountain? Well, that is Gould Mine. This volcanic area netted over 80 different minerals. Most were sulfide combinations. The mine closed in 1940, but there was a blacksmith shop and actual mining camp at this location. We discussed how hard the life was back then and difficult it was to mine with hand tools. They did have explosives and the second structure below was the dynamite shelter. The other structure was a lookout with windows for snipers to keep bandits from the mine. (OK, I made that part up! We decided that you can make up stories about mountains around here and in time they are truth!) The group picture is minus two dear souls, who chose to not take the biggest part of the climb with us. We had a grand time - 10 hikers total.

It was a very cool and cloudy day and we did get wet in the rain! Very unique experience for AZ! We walked up the oldmine trail, which was used to haul the ore down the mountain. We returned to our cars by walking down an arroyo or wash with petroglyphs. Check out the hike last month for pictures of it.

This ia a BIG packrat nest. They dig and gather and make a mess. The next pic is a very healthy specimen of barrel cactus growing out of a rock wall! The lichen in the next pic caught my eye - looked like cabbage!

We were amazed by the cane cactus all over this site AND the variety of colors of the blooms. It was early in the day, so the bud were just starting to open. They were yellow, rust, lavendar, pink, ruby rose, apricot to name a few of the different hues. What a special treat! The brittlebush we enjoyed during our last visit here with yellow blooms were no longer blooming. The Lord provided these cane cactus as a special treat! We have included pictures of many other smal, but beautiful flowers. We don't know their names.

Here's a view of our snowy mountains after a wonderful day of hiking! Yes, snow on the mountain on 4/12/9!

Tombstone Rose

This is the home of the world's largest rose bush! It came from Scotland in 1885 and the single trunk spreads over an arbor that covers over 8,000 sq ft. It blooms for about 6 weeks in the spring with millions of tiny white blossoms. It is called Lady Banksia. It costs $5 each to go and personally see this rose bush, so we opted for a 50 cent post card!

Tombstone Founders Day Festival

Yes, we dressed the part. Over 300 Sweet Evangelism packages were received and we pray that His Word is already touching the recipients' lives!

Folklorio dancers

Some interesting local people

Horse Power!!

Watching Joe Dillon was a huge treat. He is a champion gun twirler, who publically proclaims that Jesus Christ gave him the talent! We don't know the name of the championship roper, who also performed.

What a nice ending to a lovely but breezy day - a parade!

Carrie Nation Mine Hike in Santa Rita Mountain Range

This trail is off the highest parking lot in this National Park. We were hiking at a dry time of year, but there was still water in the creek. Apparently, the rocks up there absorb water. There is a Biblical reference to water coming from rocks and it thrills us that we live where that happens! We hope to return when we do have rain later this summer, because the waterfalls should be great!

This trail is high elevation for us, so we did have to stop at times to "catch our breath". However, it was beautiful. The tree formations are spectacular and we crossed a stream twice. The last pic shows a tree that experienced a severe trauma and went horizontal for awhile and then up 20+' with a perfect sycamore tree. It moved me to write a special note to widowed friends and then I wrote an Easter card about it.

Aquarium + Zoo

Calvary is our favorite church in Phoenix. The sermon was about the Redemptive Discipline. We are to point out and deal with error, sometimes strongly, but we are always to leave room for repentance. 2 Thes. 3:14 (GW) It may be that some people will not listen to what we say in this letter. Take note of them and don't associate with them so that they will feel ashamed. Galatians 6:1 (GW) Brothers and sisters, if a person gets trapped by wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should help that person turn away from doing wrong. Do it in a gentle way. At the same time watch yourself so that you also are not tempted. Calvaryphx.com for more info!

Much smaller than the penguins we saw in New Zealand.

The seahorse was one of Sue's favorites!

The chipmunk is hanging upside down.

Our $13.00 lunch! Cheapest items we could find to sustain us for the rest of the visit!