Renate's Reflections

            As I sit at my desk which faces the window to my front yard, I notice the grass needs cutting. Maybe I should call Daniel. Maybe I should just get the John Deere riding mower out and do it myself. I enjoy the alone time while I'm mowing so I'll do it later, in the afternoon. That little tractor reminds me of all the mowing I did when we were in Western New York. Doug's Dad owned five acres of land that had a tiny house and a big pond. He named it Woodpecker Hill and there was a large white sign at the road with that moniker and the name Reiner.  Many in the Reiner family called it home over the years. Those of us missionaries lived there during furloughs. Others stayed there when they were in transition from one home to another. Nobody ever paid rent, but we were expected to pay the utilities and care for the property.  Care of the property meant shoveling snow in winter and mowing the grass in summer. Summers were great. Winters not so much. The land sat

            When driving the two-lane highways of northeast Brazil, it's not uncommon to see roadkill. A variety of animals lie on the side or in the middle of the road that range in size from cattle any time of the year to tarantulas after a heavy rain. The roads are unlit at night and if you find yourself driving during that time an animal can appear seemingly out of nowhere. Any dead animal on the road seems to send out a radio signal advertising fresh meat to all the vultures in the county. I've seen as many as ten feasting on a horse. The vultures pose as much a threat to your car as the other wildlife. The ugly, black carrion fowl are reluctant to leave the main course for the day as the car drives by. The gluttons want to tear off every last bit of flesh they can. When they're finished, a pristine skeleton remains. And yep, it's gross. Did I mention they're protected by law? It's illegal to kill the vultures because they're the garbage collectors

          The First Baptist Church of Hamburg, New York has a long history and heritage. Founded in 1810, the church has been a presence in the community for more than 200 years. It began with a small group of German believers and experienced consistent growth throughout the 19th century.            This growth resulted in the founding of three other churches in the area, all of which are still in existence. The First Baptist Churches of Eden and East Aurora are worshiping and impacting their communities in the village centers. Armor Baptist Church was established in a small community at a crossroad. It has since changed its name to Armor Bible Church. The 20th century brought about a burden for missions and several families called First Baptist their commissioning church. The Harold (Doug's father) Reiner family was commissioned and left for the field of Brazil in 1948. About 10 years later, Harold's brother, Ray also went to Brazil to preach the Gospel. Doug and I were the

       The sun had not yet risen on that first day of the week. It had been three days since they laid Jesus in the tomb. The women had prepared the necessary spices for the Lord's body. The spices would cover the odor that would surely be coming from the dark hole carved from the rock. After all, it had been three days. But when the women arrived at the Lord's burial site the stone had been rolled aside. What was going on? Mary Magdalene poked her head inside the tomb and saw two men in glowing garments and they asked her, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." (Luke 24:5-6) At first, Mary thought Jesus' body had been stolen. Things still weren't clicking. It took several conversations and appearances for all the disciples to believe Jesus had indeed risen from the dead--just as he said he would. (Matthew 28:6) The crucifixion was an excruciatingly painful day for those who believed Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior of

  There have been many dark days throughout the course of human history. Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and wiped out an entire city. The black plague took a toll on the human population from 1346 to 1353 and touched every family in some way. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor devastated the US Navy and turned the harbor into a tomb. More recently, 9/11 sent close to three thousand people into eternity and has affected the health of first responders in the years since. And even more recently, COVID-19 became the worst pandemic since the black plague. Today, Good Friday, is without a doubt, a remembrance of the darkest day in history. The Lord Jesus had been arrested the previous evening. He was then subjected to accusations, beatings, mockery and was passed back and forth between Pontius Pilate and Herod. Neither of these men wanted to be the one responsible for Jesus' execution because it could mean political suicide. In the end Pilate caved and handed the Lord over to the p

  Someone close to my church family recently went through a very harrowing experience. As traumatic as it was for those of us praying constantly for him, it can't compare to what he actually faced. That valley is behind him now, but the memory won't fade any time soon. One statement he made struck me right in the heart and took me back eight years to when Doug and I were awaiting the results of the first scan after the first rounds of chemotherapy. He said, "When you sense that you are not in control, that's when you have an accurate understanding of reality. Thankfully, the gospel introduces us to a caring Father - our loving, benevolent Sovereign. In that, we can rest. God is good." I remember the feeling when I was faced with reality. It was something I had not expected and it shocked me. We were at the Cleveland Clinic cancer treatment center waiting for results of the CT scan. The doctor came flying around the corner, his lab coat fluttering behind him, into

     If it weren’t for the heat, humidity and the fact everyone speaks Portuguese, I might believe I’m in an old European town. The cobblestone streets are narrow and winding with little room to maneuver. As I punch a destination in Google Maps, I see our route will take us well around the city with several switchback turns. It’s not until I take the car out that I come to realize the incline on some streets is so steep the front wheel drive car I’ve rented can barely make it to the top. When it rains…forget about it. My rental and I become The Little Engine that Could .      There is a rich history in Ouro Preto (Black Gold) in Minas Gerais. The city was settled in the late 17th century and has always been known for its gem stones. I drove over to the Tiradentes Plaza this morning to do a little souvenir shopping. What I found was an unusual assortment of soapstone items ranging in size from a small box to an entire coffee service. And there were so many jewelry stores.     A man behi

           The family I stayed with recently has a dog. He’s a poodle named Scotty and he is the happiest mutt I’ve ever seen. He looks like he has a perpetual smile which is hard to imagine because he’s a dog. But smile he does. Call his name and he’ll come running for a belly rub and a head pat. He’ll take whatever I have to give.         I was scheduled to speak at a women’s conference last weekend and my host family was taking me to the church where it was held. We planned to go to the retreat center afterward to spend the night. It’s a nice relaxing place to spend a few days and not far from the church holding the conference.           There had been discussion for a few days as to whether Scotty should go or not. He often stays with my hostess’ mother and the plan was to drop him there on the way out. Several circumstances prevented that, so Scotty went with us. The following is an account of his weekend.           Scotty saw the suitcases and backpacks stacked by the front door

          Four little faces are plastered against the picture window as I drive up and park along the curb. The driveway is narrow and at such a slope it’s easier to park on the street and walk across the grass to the door. Of the four faces, three are human. The Hooligans, as I call them, have been impatiently waiting for me to arrive. I usually have something for us to do together, but I never tell them ahead of time. The suspense kills them. The fourth face belongs to Diggory, the family ShiTzu-Poodle mix who is just as happy to see me as the girls. Yes, the Hooligans are sisters; three girls under the age of ten who keep their parents on their toes. Each is mischievous in her own way.           The oldest, M., is the sweet, sensitive one who loves to copy her mom as she sings along during the song service at our church. Under all that sweetness is a little influencer who likes to spin a story to her advantage or who will “forget” instructions. When she was younger, she was notoriou

            I didn't babysit much as a teenager. There weren't young children on our street so I had little exposure to them. I was also busy with other things. Why? I was a teenager. That should pretty much explain it. Teenagers haven't changed that much over the years. As a grandmother, though, I do a lot of babysitting for church families. I appreciate the opportunities because I can invest in little lives. I call my favorite babysitees The Hooligans. They are three sisters with no end of energy and find mischief in every corner. I love each one of them.  Our church has many families with young children and for those who would like to fellowship and encourage each other outside of regular services, care groups are offered. There are several and they meet in homes of various church members at different times during the month. The leadership wanted to encourage families with children to participate by providing childcare during the Bible study/discussion time. The adul

      It's a foregone conclusion that when we go to Walmart, we can expect to experience any number of things. From the woman wearing a bikini and high heels to the girl in pajamas and slippers, we are neither shocked nor surprised by such sightings anymore. My experience the other day was different, but certainly within the realm of possible Walmart encounters. My mom and I went to pick up a few things. These excursions usually begin with me coasting up and down parking lot aisles becoming ever more frustrated as I look for a handicap spot. It can be almost impossible to find one simply because of the general clientele of the superstore chain with discount prices. It would behoove them to add more than the requisite number of parking spaces for those with mobility issues, but that's another subject for another day.  I finally found a non-handicap spot with enough room to squeeze a motorized cart to the passenger door for my mom. I went in through the market entrance and h