Protected

We were awakened in the wee hours of the morning to loud crashing sounds outside our window. A young lady fell asleep driving and crashed into a light pole and tree. The car and light pole didn’t fare too well but thankfully, though she was shaken up, she was protected and came away okay. Afterward spent some time in those wee hours recalling the many times in our lives when, even though things have come crashing down around us or those we love, we have been protected and come away okay.

Its natural to want to feel safe and protected.  Ducks are great protectors, this little brood on our walk around a lake knew "mum" spelled safety so they stayed close

 This Australian Coot (the New Zealand Coot is extinct...didn't get protected) keeps a pretty tight rein on its little ones (the funny looking red head).  Mum and dad share in protecting and teaching the little guys.

Some of these protected little families were not little...counted as many as 12 ducklings for one mum to protect...yikes, that's 6 sets of twins!

For our most recent senior couples FHE, we learned in Maori style the art of protecting your tribe and protecting, cutting, and weaving with the Maori's beloved flax plant.   

By the time these fierce senior warriors finished learning the "haka" we were certain our FHE group would be protected...from harm (as well as any professional haka entertainers trying to steal them from their missionary jobs) . 

Meanwhile the ladies learned how to protect the flax plant when cutting its leaves to weave them (the Maori even pray while they cut the leaves and promise to bring back any unused pieces to the mother plant).  There is another protective caution: wash your hands after working with flax and don't touch your mouth as it's oils are a highly potent laxative.

Look what a well protected little geranium plant can do in the safety of this north wall and the NZ climate

Had to throw in another matching church floral arrangement.  Sometimes they are real, sometimes silk, but a beloved tradition everywhere it seems 

This little soul was feeling pretty safe and protected as well as happy to be walking between Mum and Auntie while viewing the ducks and geese at the lake.

Thomas and Agnes Yang...parents of our YSA Matt.  Agnes fixed some of her amazing secret protected recipes for Korean cuisine (maybe secret because I don't speak Korean) for our Tuesday night classes at AIB.  They were beyond awesome.

Among other things she made vegetarian sushi, kimchi salad, kipbap, pork belly with korean spices, rice, and dessert.  Tried to get a photo of the spread BEFORE some of it was eaten but couldn't get in fast enough.  It was WOW! 

The well-fed.   Fed by their Institute classes and Sister Yang.  ...Something about a Korean heart symbol with their thumbs...couldn't figure it out so in 10 seconds so I went with the only heart sign I knew.

Walls and Protection

Walls are built to enclose and define spaces, to support, lean on and even climb.  But probably walls are most often put up for protection. 

Blooming lavender on our walk supported and highlighted against a protective wall 

This wall supports as well as protects among other things this flowering rhododendron tree.  Before we came we didn't know that rhododendron could get to be trees.  Their name means rose tree in Greek.

Even found a wisteria using this #16 wall for support and protection

More of our walk...Fences offer a measure of protection, but often not as all-encompassing as a wall

How many of our pictures do we line up against the "wall"?  We did for Institute with Exavier and Lelani's class...Grace, Tuvala and Tulafala.  Not so much for protection, just a backdrop.

We lined up for this photo after Elly Edwards (Maori teacher in the middle) spoke to us at our Lunchside Devotional and gave us some great gospel advice on the power of God that can provide valuable protection.  

This was the Wednesday Devotional faithfuls who came to learn about the protection we get from spiritual knowledge and ponder it while eating deli sandwiches and chips.

Another BIG rhododendron, and shorty Elder Downs.  The landscape right now is FILLED with flowering trees.  They can offer protection from the sun, but not a good protection in the rain or lightening storm. 

Protection   

The headlines are filled with storms and catastrophic events that have changes once relatively safe places into places of destruction and disaster.  It can make you think twice about potential disasters, and safety and security.   

These "old volcanoes" are everywhere.  We hope they stay "old".  As we have seen elsewhere in the world, there's not much you can do to stop them when they "wake up". 

More Walls

As mortals we are quick to put up temporal walls for protection. Some of those walls fare better than others, just ask the three little pigs. 

But eventually most of those those temporal walls come down. 

abc news apf photo

Many protective walls weren't able to withstand the power of Hurricane Florence. We watched all over the world as the walls of men have been threatened, and at time consumed, by walls of water, of wind and of fire. 

web photo

Even though it was presumed that Jericho, a double walled city, was extremely protected and fortified...

web photo Jericho wall

...her powerful walls and the protection they offered came tumbling down. 

web photo Jerusalem wall

The walls of the great city Jerusalem were massive and strong, but no match for the decay from within that allowed for her "protective" walls to be thrown down as well.

Sometimes people build other kinds of "walls" to cover and protect themselves from real and perceived fears.  Eventually most of those "walls" fall or fail as well.

So where does ultimate "protection" come from? 

Isaiah 41:10

By far our favorite sure and most powerful protection comes from The Hand of the Lord-THOTL (occasionally we share a few of ours, and some of you have shared great ones with us as well-thanks).  

Tayloryardleyldsliving photo

We read many stories in these recent disasters of those who called upon the Hand of the Lord and received a undeniable protection from the Creator of the fire and wind and the water Himself.

THOTL takes us by the hand, and can walk us through great storms, fire storms, water and wind storms, even storms of pain and heartache. Therein lies the ultimate and permanent power of protection. 

Thankfully,

Vance and Louenda

Elder and Sister Downs