Nelson Daily Stories

  SARAH’S VISIT TO GUATEMALA     IN NOVEMBER 2022.                                            By                                     BARBARA NELSON “O! Big news!!! I will be going on a mission trip to Guatemala from November 9-18,” my friend Sarah Vaughan emailed me. Sarah lives in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. “I’ll be going with a group from a Presbyterian church in North Georgia.” Guatemala is a republic. It is described as “a mountainous country in Central America south-east of Mexico.” The country has a narrow coastline on the Caribbean Sea, while the Pacific Ocean is to the south. It   is bordered by Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. Guatemala is described as “predomina...

                                     REST IN PEACE, DESMOND TUTU "Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones - this year especially I understand why," Queen Elizabeth, 95, said on December 25, 2021. It was her first annual Christmas message since her husband Prince Phillip died. The following day, Queen Elizabeth, in reacting to the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, she remembered "with fondness her meetings" with Archbishop Desmond Tutu "and his great warmth and humour." "The sun has gone down in the middle of the day," a man in South Africa commented on the death of 90 year old Desmond Tutu. "It is a dark day," a South African women said. The Archbishop of Canterbury paid tribute to Desmond Tutu. "He just had this extraordinary, bubbly, overwhelming sense of humour." Desmond Tutu, "the rebellious priest" "never shied away from speak...

                                          In Jamaica we say:"Time longer than rope."                            "CLAUDETTE COLVIN, THE ORIGINAL ROSA PARKS" Nine months before Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person,  a 15 year old girl was also arrested after she refused to give up her seat on a bus. The incident occurred on March 2, 1955, in the same place - Montgomery, Alabama, USA. The 15 year old girl was, like Rosa Parks, an African-American. He name : Claudette Colvin . She refused to give up the seat and move to the back of the bus. Sixty-six years later, according to an article by CNN  December 16, 2021, the court records about her case have been "sealed, destroyed and expunged, f...

                                  HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A FOGBOW? In The Book of  EZEKIAL  Chapter 1 verse 28 in THE HOLY BIBLE  we read:  "As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. and when I saw it I fell upon my face and I heard a voice of one that spoke." In another book of THE HOLY BIBLE, in THE REVELATION   of St. John The Divine Chapter 4 verse 3   it says: ".....and there was a rainbow around the throne, in sight like unto an emerald in appearance." I have always been interested in and excited by the sight of a rainbow. One of the most renowned poets of all time, the Englishman William Wordsworth, (1770-1850) whose poems "speak his love for nature and its beauty" wrote in a short, simple ...

 YORK’S STATUE – Erected in February 2021                      Defaced in June 2021                               Toppled and damaged in July 2021  In February, this year (2021) I wrote an article about a statue that mysteriously appeared in a forested area in Mt. Tabor Park in Portland Oregon, USA. It was a statue of a black man, the first African American to cross North America and reach the Pacific Ocean. The man’s name was York. He was the slave of William Clark “an enslaved member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.” York  was forced to take part in the Corps of Discovery Expedition 1804 – 1806 to find an all water route to the Pacific. No one in the community knew how the bust of Clark got there. What was even more peculiar was that the statue of the black man, York, replaced one that was toppled - one of a white man, named Harvey Scott....

 “TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES!” “Moses, also known as Moshe Rabbenu is considered to be the most important prophet in Judaism, and an important prophet in Christianity, Islam, and a number of other Abrahamic religions,” (Wikipedia.) He is well-known for the experience he had (recorded in Exodus 3:5 in The Bible) when he went to look at a burning bush and God called out to him: “Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Another important historical figure, Joshua, was named as Moses’ assistant in the books of Exodus and Numbers (in The Bible).  Later he became leader of the Israelite tribes after Moses died. Joshua also heard an order to “Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy.” At that time, the order came to him from “the commander of the Lord’s army.” Fast forward many centuries to the year 2021 and we find an 18 year old African-American young man, Daverius Peters who is happy – over-the-Moon happy. Why? This was the day...

                              LOVE IS NOT JUST FOR THE YOUNG On the same day that the  BBC reported  French President Emmanuel Macron had been "slapped in the face on an official visit to the south-east of France" and the UN court had rejected "Mladic genocide appeal"    the New York Times carried a story about Wedding Bells. Joy Morrow-Nulton and John Shults Jr. celebrated their wedding! The article (published on June 7, 2021) is written by Tammy La Gorce and accompanied by a photograph taken by Lauren Lancaster. I had been waiting for the story. Ever since I read about the romance that began on May 14, 2019 between the two 95 year olds who had "both been widowed twice after 60-plus years of marriage" I wanted to hear about their wedding. "I hope I can make it to 100 so we can have five years together," Joy said just after the wedding to Mr. Shults in Ulster , N.Y....

 THE STORY BEHIND THE DIVYA On December 23, 2019 Newsround on the BBC carried a story headlined “New hand cranked washing machines could help refugees.” The article began: “Hand washing clothes can be a really hard task but it’s even harder in a place with little water or electricity – somewhere like a refugee camp.” It continued to explain that fifty new low-cost hand cranked washing machines designed by student Nav Sawhney from the University of Bath, in England would be trialled at a refugee camp in Iraq in the Middle East that week. “It’s hoped that they will help families living in the camps who struggle to wash their clothes.” How did this all begin? It was during a sabbatical in southern India that Nav had spoken with a woman there who told him it was extremely hard for her and others to get their clothes clean.” He had seen for himself “women and children enduring many backbreaking hours washing clothes by hand.” Nav felt prompted to help the people there “with their daily ...

HOW DO WE CHANGE THE WORLD?           ONE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS AT A TIME                             Morgan Freeman     “It just blows my mind that someone could be so generous to a stranger,” Savannah Stoneman said. “I just want to thank them from the bottom of my heart and let them know that their kind act has relieved so much stress I have been dealing with.” Who is Savannah Stoneman? A famous actress? A politician perhaps? No! Savannah is a student at Coastal Carolina University in the USA now doing her student teaching internship. Savannah works twice each week at the Outback Steakhouse in Conway to help herself as “money is very tight.” Savannah’s father was deployed in Iraq sometime ago and she has a tattoo of his handwriting done on her wrist. As she was serving a young couple last...

      MILLIONS IN YEMEN ARE IN CATASTROPHIC NEED They are the forgotten people.     And many more will die for absolutely no reason.   “Unless this moment is seized we’re going to see many more people die for absolutely no reason” David Miliband said to Becky Anderson yesterday, March 29, 2021 on the TV program “Connect the World. David Miliband is a British Public Policy Analyst and President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Rescue Committee. Do you want to guess what place in the world they were discussing? That should be easy. Yemen , of course! Where else in the world have children been dying from hunger and lack of medicines for years now? Where else in the world are millions said to be in catastrophic need? Millions? Yes some 3.3 million human beings are in catastrophic need as the Civil War rages on. There are many sides in the conflict, but the war is a man-made catastrophe. Miliband says the opening of ...

 “MORE THAN A HERO, A BLOOD BROTHER!” “It doesn’t take much to help another human being. You just have to have some compassion.” These words come from Army veteran Dan Reynolds, a man who has had his own share of difficulties in his lifetime.  Difficulties? Like what? Like having to live in a van, instead of a house or an apartment, for some time. Dan is a handyman in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. He fixes things. One day after doing some yardwork he noticed that Tony Antonelli, who lived nearby, did not look well, he looked pale and tired. Was there a problem, Dan wondered? He decided to find out. Yes, there was a problem. Tony explained that four years ago he had undergone surgery to replace one of his failing kidneys. He had been given one from his wife, Mary. But now the kidney had started to fail. He did not have much time to find another donor. Without a donor he would have to go on dialysis for the rest of his life. Finding a match is difficult. Without a moment’s hesita...

 MYCELIUM – the green substitute. Have you ever heard of Mycelium? I knew nothing about it until a couple days ago when I read a most interesting article. I must share the information with you. “Mycelium hits the market as green substitute for leather, plastic.” That was the headline for an article on CBC Technology and Science, March 22, 2021. “Designer Stella McCartney unveils mycelium-based clothing.” Written by Emily Chung the article explained how the British Fashion designer unveiled black leather clothing made “not from cow hide - but mycelium which is grown from fungi.” Sounds very strange, doesn’t it? But it is happening.  For some time, those people who did not want to wear leather garments made from animals had to settle for plastic “pleather.” But, according to Chung’s article, later this year, people who want products made with leather should be able to buy more products “made from another bio-based material that is grown by recycling waste.” “Mycelium is already ...

    DESERT JAMAICA, DESERT BOOT, JAMAICAN BEE Clarks International Limited trading as Clarks is a British International Shoe Manufacturer and Retailer. It was founded in 1825 by brothers Cyrus and James Clark in Somerset, England where it still has its headquarters. The company is “described as a brand steeped in British history.”  We read on the company’s website: “After years of developing trade and award winning designs, Clarks went one step further in 1873 when James’ son William mechanized the shoemaking process bringing the company to the forefront of technological innovation. By the early 1910s Clarks became a must-have brand among the style conscious in London, with new premium and fashion forward designs developed for discerning customers.” When I was a child growing up in rural Jamaica my parents sent me off to boarding school in capital city Kingston. One of the things I recall clearly was the pair of Clarks shoes that they packed in my suitcase. The shoes were...

   NATIVE AMERICAN DEB HAALAND MAKES HISTORY                Now she is ready to serve. As the policies and activities of the Department of the Interior and many of its agencies have a substantial impact in the Western United States, the Secretary of the Interior has typically come from a western state; only one secretary since 1949, Rogers Morton was not a resident or native of a state lying west of the Mississippi River.  Deb Haaland, former U.S. representative, chose a ribbon skirt and moccasins for her swearing in as Secretary of the Interior. She made history on Thursday March 18, 2021 when “she began her job as Secretary of the Interior, becoming the first Native American member of the cabinet.” Deb Haaland now serves as the 54th US Secretary of the Interior. Along with Sharice Davids she is one of the first two Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress. Deb Haaland was educated at the University of New Mexico School...

  “DAD, YOU ARE MY HERO!”   An idea was born in 1977. Two people began to take part in marathons across the United States of America. In 1980, for the first time, they took part in the Boston Marathon . One of the pair was Dick Hoyt , the other person was Rick , his son. What was so special about the two people? First, Rick could not run. He was born a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Because of his condition he was confined to a wheelchair, the story in CBS Boston reports. So how could he take part in the marathons? His father, Dick, pushed him in a wheelchair! In 1977 the pair began taking part in marathons across the country. Then in 1980, they participated in the Boston Marathon. In 2014 Dick Hoyt retired from the Boston marathon. But in a generous and loving act Bryan Lyons replaced him so that Rick could continue to take participate in the marathon. Last year, however, Bryan died suddenly. “Dick Hoyt was a fixture in the race for decades” A...

         The world is overwhelmed with bad news but        HERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS The world seems to be overwhelmed with the distressing news of ·         “wars and rumors of wars,” (Matthew 24:6) ·           “famines and pestilence” (Luke 21:11). ·           “earthquakes in divers places” (Mark 13:8) ·           Reports of the cries of starving and malnourished babies                and children in Yemen falling on deaf ears. ·           Reports that “hundreds of students, clergy, political leaders    and humanitarian workers” have been kidnapped by separatist fighters in Cameroon since 2017. ·           Report...