Easter Sunday

 It was a joy to come share a Brunch before morning worship with the congregation of the Langdon,ND United Methodist Church on Sunday, April 16,2017.

We were welcomed into the house of fellowship and worship with the encouraging,uplifting words ,of confirmation that we were celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As with all things we can share in moments of fun...God does have a sense of humor!

I 💞💞 my photobombers, husband Corey and daughter Kyli who made me smile as I went about collecting pictures to document our day.

We had plenty of time before church started to get acquainted with both the parishioners and where we would like to sit for the upcoming service.

I, of course, found the nearest stained glass window to add to my digital collection. 

Each congregation has found a scripture verse to make a statement. I didn't examine the window close-up but the scripture I see is Luke 15: 1-7. Where Jesus leaves the flock off 99 to find the lost 100th to bring it back into the fold.

Time to listen to the voice of the Shepherd,Jesus...

Pastor Schnackenberg prepared for a baptism to be celebrated by the congregation.

Each of us have a different interpretation of how the sacrament of Baptism is to be expressed and here they believe in the sprinkling of the individual presented to the Lord.

Pastor Schnackenberg brought a message relating to us what the follower of  Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene must have felt when she went to his burial tomb provided by Joseph of Arimethea.

How lost Mary Magdalene must  have felt until she realized that the Savior had Risen from the dead.




                                                                   

                                                        John 20:11-18 (KJV)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹¹ But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
¹² And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
¹³ And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
¹⁴ And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
¹⁵ Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
¹⁶ Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
¹⁷ Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
¹⁸ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.


I ask the Blessing of the Lord upon these words that they might touch your heart and soul... The Lord has Risen Indeed!

Memorable Twist to Good Friday

Yesterday was a one week celebration of sorts. I will share the experience with you from my point of view.

Our Easter Road Trip was moving along smoothly on Good Friday afternoon,or so we thought...That is until we reached a bridge with a big bump north of Fargo. The edge of the bridge can be seen at the far right of the picture. Time wouldn't allow for a second chance to get another shot.  Unexplainable things began to happen after we hit the bump, the car pulled hard to the right. Well, it didn't take long to decipher that we had just lost a very important part to keep everything working to power the Voisinmobile. The Serpentine Belt had successfully decided to make a split....one of those eternal vacations.

Today's Smartphones sure are a Blessing when you need to go looking for help. We called here and there in Grand Forks to try to locate the right belt. Tried the little town of Hillsboro not far to our south, but they had nothing that would match. Kyli checked in Langdon before coming to help.

We spent four and a half hours keeping this bridge company until our daughter Kyli arrived to chariot us away, back to Fargo, to pick-up a Serpentine Belt.

On our return from Fargo we attempted to fix the difficulty with the tools Kyli had gathered from the home arsenal.The method we chose brought close results,almost fixed in other words, so many times ,but after fighting a long day, getting hungry and temperatures dropping after sunset in a wind cooled location we gave into the "We'll finish it tomorrow" mode. The next morning we gathered more tools and used another method thanks to Youtube to get the job done.

If you happened to see this guy running around in the Fargo, Grand Forks...etc...areas , I wasn't far away.

I have to smile really big. The Mazda came around Christmastime. So, I thought some vanity plates to complement the little Voisinmobile were in order.                                This is the view that kept us entertained while we waited. I spent time musing about what people were thinking as they passed by. It gave me a laugh to keep my anxiety at bay.

It was time to draw on our resources in God. This event was not one you wish on anyone...especially on a holiday weekend.

The State Trooper that stopped to see what he could do to lend aid, offered information that we might find it difficult to find stores open to get a replacement part.We had anticipated some issues with holiday and time of day. However, we were pleasantly surprised to discover the process wasn't as hard as we originally thought.

We had already started the rescue process with confidence that one way or another EVERYTHING was going to workout. 

Thanks be to God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ for everything we experienced...

The Next Leg of the Journey

I increased the contrast in the picture so you could see the magnificent masonry artwork that the State of North Dakota has designed into their updated Rest Areas. This is the first one we decided to stop at to stretch our legs at after lunch.

Spending a few minutes walking around inside and outside of the building I got a better idea of the history that makes up the people that call North Dakota home.

We made great time getting across Minnesota, arriving in Fargo just in time for lunch. Our first call was to Kyli to get her suggestions for the "Best" places to eat after we had driven down some streets packed with delectable dining establishments.

Corey and I made a lucky choice on a side street. As we talked to Kyli we pulled up in front of what appeared to be a Hometown 1950's style Restaurant called

Kroll's which happens to serve German/American Cuisine

Kyli was quick to share that one of Kroll's specialties was Knoephla Soup . A staple of the North Dakotans hearty meals. 

We had the opportunity to give the Knoephla Soup a try last year when we visited a Devil's Lake establishment during the Easter weekend. 

Speaking honestly, Corey and I, weren't used to the flavor and probably won't be fixing it on our  own as a staple to our diet.  

Upon asking our waitress for some suggestions, we decided to try their Clam Chowder ,after discovering it was the creamy style... what even turned out better was that it came as apart of  our meal.

We both ordered a bowl of the hot soup but I think I would have been very satisfied with just a cup.

Being of German descent I wanted to try one of the specialties Kroll's had listed on their menu.

It was something called Fleischkuechle, a deep fried meat pie. You could order the Fleischkuechle with or without sauerkraut. So, Corey tried the one without and I ordered one with.

I was already full when the order arrived but gave it the good  German try anyway...I liked it because the sauerkraut was subtle in it's flavor,  blending in with the meat and cheese for an almost melt in your mouth consistency. Corey even gave it a try and said he preferred the sauerkraut meat pie over his own plain one.

All in all we found our dining experience to be pleasurable and the atmosphere congenial. Thanks to our waitress who made our visit a good one to the Fargo Kroll's location!

Good Friday Morning

Please forgive the picture quality...I'm making excuses for myself this evening, just have to complain once in awhile.😇 The weather was gloomy, the car windows were speckled and my cellphone camera couldn't take the bumps in the road! Well, now that's over we can get on with the rest of the post!

Good Friday morning Corey and I set off for the far North of North Dakota.

This was our first trip to visit Kyli our daughter and her husband Justin at the United Methodist Church he now pastors in Langdon.

The rising light of the morning brought us to our favorite Truck Stop not far from Albert Lea, MN., Trail's TA Travel Center.

I love catching these three jets as we pass the Owatonna Airport just as we arrive next to one of my favorite  shopping venues.

Yes, we decided to take this familiar route again along I-35  to save some time.

Again, I say..."I'd take a ride  around the patch today,Please!"It certainly would get us to where we needed to go a little faster.

Whoops! Did I just show my impatience?

                                                                                                                                                                     

I'm glad to travel by car in all actuality. It gives me some wonderful opportunities to use my camera and now my cellphone gets a workout to capture whatever I think worthy of remembrance.

I not only saw this Cabela's at Owatonna, but we sped past the one at Rogers, on the otherside of Minneapolis. Ahhh,I learned about another store over in Grand Forks,ND as we passed one of those great advertising tools, "THE Roadside Billboard."

I'm always intrigued by our abilities to convey messages ....Some like this barn that spells it out without a doubt and others that take a few minutes to catch the meaning. I saw some cute mind entertainers along our way too but of course the camera was shut-off and the brain just wanted to enjoy the moment.

I too "Thank You Farmers!"

We depend on the Ag Products to cover so many aspects in our day-to day existence.

We hit the 494 off  I-35 on our way to Interstate 94 to get us to our Western destinations.

One of my favorite building decorations is at the BMW Headquarters as we come up the ramp to join the morning traffic.

Watching for interesting driving patterns came right away when a lady decided it was alright to stop to let us in to the chagrin of those behind her...Thank you for your kindness Lady.
These towers are welcome reminders for me to let me know I'm headed in the right direction. I'm one of those individuals that looks for markers to show me where I'm located. 

They were important to me a couple years ago when I decided to try a new experience, drive through the cities on my own. I got off on a side path where I didn't want to be...keeping these twins in sight allowed me to get back on the right road.

They almost became an afterthought when I tried to hurry-up and get my cellphone turned behind the driver's seat this trip. Helps to sharpen the reflexes!

Come back and I'll share some more of our Easter weekend adventures with you! Until then have a Great Evening!