September 28 2011

            Yesterday (Wednesday) was marked by meals, with friends, at the start and the end of the day.

Wednesdays are when our Men’s Bible Study meets at 8:30 a.m.  We generally have a course of study that lasts four to six weeks.  When we’ve finished a course of study we have a men’s breakfast before we start the next study.  This was the week of the breakfast and we had French toast and sausage links for breakfast.  This time we did something different.  We watched a thirty minute program entitled “Missions Without Boarders” It dealt with the ongoing situation with Mexicans illegally crossing the boarder and staying in the United States.

            My opinion has always been that they are by definition illegal – law breakers and should be sent home.  I’ve hated the term “undocumented immigrants” and referred to them as invaders.  I’ll have to say that having seen this documentary my views have softened.

            My thinking was, “If they want to come to the U.S., let them go through the proper channels.”  If the information given in this DVD is correct, that is almost impossible.  Our immigration laws are so restrictive as to nearly exclude any hope of them immigrating legally.

            I also was under the impression that illegals were using our welfare system and getting a ‘free ride’.  As it turns out, undocumented workers use stolen or fake social security numbers to get jobs.  Social security tax is taken from their earnings and goes into the Federal Government’s slush fund along with everybody else’s.  However, they will never be able to withdraw that money from social security.  In other words, vast amounts of money go straight to Uncle Sam that will never have to be paid out.

            Also, because the boarders near large urban centers are so closely monitored; many illegals try to enter by crossing in remote dessert areas where there is no water, no food and no shelter.  According to this DVD, a reported 5,000 people die each year in these desserts after crossing the boarder.  It also said that the actual number may be five to ten times that amount.

            What would Jesus do?

            Love your neighbor as yourself.  If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty give him drink.

            Hmmmm…. I got more for breakfast than I thought I would.

            After I returned home from breakfast, I worked on a bunch of small projects around and in the new trailer.  Ella went over to the clubhouse to do laundry and returned in the very early afternoon.

            We called Lynn W. to wish her a happy birthday and find out if she and Kip were coming down for pie today.  She had to wait to find out what her kids were doing for her birthday and said she’d call us back.

            About that time, one of our neighbors (Sam’s wife – can’t remember her name) brought over a bean bag tic tac toe game that her kids had outgrown.  She thought our great granddaughters would enjoy it.  She stayed and visited for quite a while until some other friends came to visit.  Dave and Grace got the nickel tour and stayed until around three.

            After they left, we got cleaned up to go to Betty Wilkinson’s viewing.  Ella had worked with her for years at the Iowa Film Depot.  We stayed just long enough for Ella to offer sympathies to the family and to visit with another old friend from when she worked there.

            We stopped on the way home to but postage stamps to mail out a bunch of birthday cards for all of the October kids’ birthdays.  We ate a very late lunch or early supper at the Dahl’s deli.

            Ella called Lynn back as we were on the way home, to see if she had made plans yet.  And found out that she would be coming down to Village Inn about 8:30.  We read or watched Droid TV until time to go for pie.

            Lynn and Kip showed up at VI (no that is not the Roman numeral 6) around 9.  Her sister Leora showed up a little after that and Sue (minus Stoney) joined us after her dominoes game was done.  It was around 11 p.m. when we got home

            Today (Thursday) is starting off much different than yesterday.  Yesterday was sunny and got up to around 85 degrees with no wind.  Today is cloudy and just above 60 degrees with wind advisers for winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.  Just a passing cold front!  Tomorrow is supposed to colder but sunny and calmer.