I am grateful to all veterans who have served on my behalf to allow the freedoms we enjoy to continue in perpetuity. That said, sometimes the history is lost on younger generations and I in addition to thanking veterans for their service, and I have many veterans I love in my family, I decided to give a short bit of history, with information from the web, written and researched by the Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica, November 10, 2023.

Although the original celebration of Veterans started in 1919 after the First World War;

“November 11 became an official national holiday in the United States in 1938. In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to honour those who had served in all U.S. wars. Ceremonies are held each year at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and floral tributes are placed on the graves of service men and women and at memorials throughout the country. Naturalization ceremonies have come to be an important part of the day’s activities.”

Again, thank you for your service, all veterans that have served in all of the branches of the military to keep us free!

Professional Mom

As most of my readers know, I joined my husband Joe in full time missionary work since my retirement from AT&T five years ago. My website is priority as I can maintain it from the road, and as you’ll see from the newsletter, a book I wrote is in presale on Amazon right now. Thank you to those faithful supporters that allow us to do this! Here’s the latest news of the ministry and please email your address or send your email address if you would like to be on our mailing list. PM

October and cooler weather greetings to you. God is faithful!

Here is the Joe McDonald Ministry October newsletter. Please take two minutes and catch up with us.

You can see it here: “The Evangelism Trail” for October 2023.

It is attached to this email in PDF format, too.

Lots of ministry and family things happening and many of you are a part of all we do.

Remember. Normal isn’t coming back, Jesus is!

Blessings,

Joe and Patti

We all face disappointment in our lives. Sooner or later, someone, something or our own actions will disappoint. I’m not talking about disappointment that our team lost a game, although that does bother us, I’m talking about disappointment in a person, sadness or loss, a life event, or a physical challenge that can’t be changed.

So, disappointment in a person. I’ve faced it. I remember a friend of my girls. She lived with us for a while as a teen when her mother moved to a nearby city. She fit right in with my four daughters and was a delight to have as a house guest. Although I loved her like my own, I had a few quiet moments to give her my motherly wisdom and offered that she would think about going home to her mother, my theme was that “she is her mother,” like no other. I didn’t want her to regret her decision to stay with us.

Time went on and she reconciled with her mom and did go home. Then she disappeared from our lives, disappointment number one. She later reappeared for a quick visit with a baby boy, who we never knew the father. But as time went on, she seemed to be on track for a normal life, with a new husband and two children by him.

Disappointment reared its ugly head when we heard she was taking drugs, losing her family and then, sadly, her life. Her decisions, however they came about, seemed to lead to a horrible end. One bright spot, she was a Christian and her children have grown up successful and happy despite their tragic loss.

This story is just one way disappointment can come into our life, and depending on your involvement in the situation, this could lead to disillusionment and despair.

Continue reading→

My husband, Joe, is on the ball, already delivering the September Newsletter. I hope you will keep up with our Ministry news and put us on your prayer list as we travel and share the Good News of Jesus Christ, wherever God sends us!

Here’s the link:

The Evangelism Trail-September 2023

And be on the lookout for the Amazon presale of my book, Hell is Forever: The Way of Escape, An In-Depth Look at Death and Hell, Providing Hope for the Hopeless.

Be sure to read click the link for the September News!

I have an important announcement! My book is in production as we speak, with Trilogy Publishing! I am looking forward to introducing it before the end of the year!

Hell is Forever: The Way of Escape,

An In-Depth Look at Death and Hell, Providing Hope for the Hopeless

To keep up with news of my book and also Joe’s ministry, click the link below!

The Evangelism Trail” for August 2023\

Blessings from Professional Mom!

I love fireworks! The bang, the boom, the sparkles, the excitement! I love them! We are close to the 4^th right now and I find myself looking for venues that will have spectacular fireworks next week. I love fireworks.

My love for fireworks started out a little rocky. I remember that as a very small girl, I was under my daddy’s legs, listening and peeking at my first fireworks show at a beach in Virginia. I don’t remember being particularly scared or excited, mostly curious, but fast forward to my adult life and my passion grew and grew.

I must ask myself, is it the thrill of the fireworks or is it that I am so proud of my country that I want to celebrate in this fashion? Altruistically I will say the latter, so, let’s dive into that thought.

“My Country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.” I am so proud of our country! The United States has been a beacon of freedom for its relatively short history. Think of it, a group of patriots launched an all-out revolution against tyranny and injustice. A small group of brave businessmen formed a governing body and penned what is a miracle document, The Bill of Rights, closely followed by the by Constitution.

When you study some of the founding documents or even take a class in Civics, you find that some of the concepts and arguments are downright brilliant, as in “God Ordained,” for example, the three branches of Government, Congress, Executive and the Supreme Court. Two with the powers “from the people”, and one that gets its power from following the Law. When you stop and think of how many different situations these men thought about, and how they managed to address things that had not happened, like civil rights and abortion (implied), it makes me know that God wanted this country to happen and wanted it to flourish.

My grandmother came to America on a boat from Italy in the early 1900’s, she was 12 years old and didn’t speak English, however, when her children were born (my dad included) she said to them “we are Americans, and we will speak English!” She knew what she had left, and she loved America. Personally, I’m not against people teaching their children their native language, but I was impressed with my grandmother’s resolve when I heard this story.

You may say, is there some point to your story? Well, there is! There are forces that would have us forget or become complacent about this awesome country we have and these freedoms we enjoy. It makes me want to wave an American flag around wherever I go!

Continue reading→

Editor’s note: Our Teach Sunday School friends have done it again! A perfect Summer activity to share with your children! It’s not free, but for a small price, your children can learn the books of the Bible in a fun and engaging way! This is so helpful for studying the Bible at home or referencing verses at church. Get yours today!

Hi-

We’ve posted a bunch of Bible quizzes/worksheets
on the website:

👉 Grab them here.

There’s a quiz for each and every
Book in the Bible.

They’re the perfect addition to any Bible lesson!

Enjoy!
Mary-Kate