To Panama & Back

Hi Friends!

It has been a while since I was last able to write to you. My husband Tim and I moved to the mountain town of Boquete, Panama recently. He had to return to the States to finish getting the house ready to sell. On the flight from Panama, he caught Covid, which led to a domino effect that created a dangerous health crisis. I flew back to Wyoming to help him, and we will be staying here. I cannot imagine trying to cope with another such crisis in a foreign country in a language I do not speak well.

When the winter cold freezes the lakes and snow lies on the ground, I know we will miss Panama, though. It was lovely! Flowers everywhere. Temperatures that rarely reached above 75 and rarely dipped below 55 degrees. And the Panamanian people are lovely.

But I guess it isn’t time for us to retire, because it seems clear God has brought us back to Wyoming.

On my flight back to the States to help Tim, I was not at all worried. God reminded me of his faithfulness and assured me that Tim would be okay. This was just a course correction: God wants us here.

Now Tim is back to his usual health, and we are unpacking our things left in storage.

This week my new book, Sunflower Love, will be coming out. It is a book about country life and how various incidents can draw our hearts toward God. Here is the sample chapter from which I took the book’s name:

Sunflower Love

By Sheri Schofield

I love the sunflowers lining the roads in August. Their merry, golden faces make me smile. From morning to night, those cheerful flowers turn their heads to follow the sun across the sky, then swivel toward the east during the night in expectation of the sun’s reappearance.

King Jehoshaphat demonstrated that same kind of devotion to God. One day, messengers came running to the palace with terrifying news. “’A vast army from Edom is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazeron Tamar’ (that is, En Gedi)” (2 Chronicles 20:2, NIV). Three enemy nations marched against Judah together.Immediately, King Jehoshaphat turned his face toward the Lord to ask him what to do, fearful of the vast armies marching against him. He told everyone in the kingdom to fast.

The people of Judah went immediately to Jerusalem to seek the Lord. Jehoshaphat went out to them and lifted his voice in prayer. He reminded God of his faithfulness to the nation and called upon his power to defeat their enemies and save his people.

“Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

Jahaziel, a prophet, said, “’Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s’” (v. 15). He told them to send the men to march against the enemy but not to fight. They were to take their positions, stand firm, and watch God fight for them.

Early the next morning, the army arose and headed for the place of battle. Jehoshaphat prayed, then appointed singers to march at the front of everyone. They sang, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever” (v. 21).

As they sang, the enemy armies turned and destroyed each other. When the men of Judah reached the place overlooking the battlefield, they saw only corpses. Not one enemy had escaped.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus, who created the world and who died for our sins to give eternal life to those who believe in him, is the same God who defeated Judah’s enemies that day. When we face difficult situations, danger, and distress, we find victory when we keep our eyes on him.

Jesus himself said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

As the sunflower faces follow the sun, let us keep our eyes focused on Jesus. All power belongs to him. He alone can rescue us and give us victory.

Bible verse for today: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

This has been a sample chapter from my book Sunflower Love. I will send you more information as the book becomes available in print.

Blessings,

Sheri Schofield

Castle by the Sea

Hi Friends! My husband and I just completed our move to the little town of Boquete, Panama. We discovered this town many years ago, and when retirement time arrived, we decided to move here. I hope you will enjoy the story I have for you today!

Castle by the Sea

By Sheri Schofield

In memory of Dollie Schofield, my mentor and best friend, who passed into Jesus’ presence last night.

Cassie McCrae walked along the beach, her sandals swinging from one hand, her long, white skirt and her blonde hair blowing in the wind.

She wanted to be in London where the action was. But Dad had insisted. His family had come from this part of Scotland, and he wanted Cassie and her brother to become better acquainted with the people in the land of his youth. Of course, her father had to spend time with his constituency if he was to represent them in parliament. And Colin, her brother, needed to make himself known for the future when he would take Dad’s place.

Cassie sighed and dragged her feet through the pebbly beach strewn with seaweed and seashells. I wish Father had let me stay with Jeanne for the summer. She’s three years older than I. We’d be perfectly safe. Why, there’s nothing to do here! And so many of these people speak Gaelic instead of English, though they know perfectly well how to speak our national language. It’s confusing and humiliating to always be asking what they said. And the castle! Why, it’s ancient. It’s cold. Yes, the servants light fires in the bedrooms in the evening, but it’s still cold by morning.

Looking out to sea, she saw another ancient castle on an island far from shore. It didn’t have a roof. Time seemed to have destroyed it. Waves crashed around it, sending great white sprays into the air.

On the shore ahead knelt a handsome young fisherman putting his catch into baskets for market. He looked up as she came near.

“Maidin mhaith,” he said with a smile.

Cassie sighed.  “I don’t speak Gaelic, sir.”

“Ah. ‘Sir’ is it! Tis an English lass. I say good morning to ye.”

“Good morning.”          

“My name’s Alasdair. What would your name be?”

“It’s Cassie. Cassie McCrae.”

“Ah. Laird McCrae’s daughter, I presume?”

“Yes. Father brought us here for the summer.” She fidgeted. Looking up, she asked, “What’s the story with that castle out there on the island?”

Alasdair smiled. “Well, Lady McCrae, if you would like to hear it, please be seated and I’ll tell you.”

Sinking to the pebbly beach and tucking her skirt around her legs so the wind wouldn’tblow it up, she looked at Alasdair expectantly. “I’m all ears.”

“Sure now, but I don’t think you are all ears! Ye’re a bonnie lass, not a lot of ears, my lady!”

Cassie laughed. “Thank you, kind sir.”

“Aw, I’m just a simple fisherman.” Alasdair grinned, touching his cap and putting the last basket of fish aside.

“So tell me about the castle out there.”

Alasdair nodded and began. “Once upon a time, as you English say, there was a poor fisherman named Kair Barclay, who fell in love with the youngest daughter of Laird McCrae, many, many years ago. Every day the daughter, Lady Isobel, would go out to meet the handsome fisherman when he brought in his catch. You see, the young fisherman lived on that isle, but he had to come to land to sell his fish at the market.

“From the first, Lady Isobel liked the young man. They struck up a friendship. Over time, they fell in love. One day the fisherman dared to tell her of his love. Confessing her own love, Lady Isobel agreed to marry Kair, with her father’s permission.

“But that was not so easy to do, for her father was furious at Kair’s request.

“’Ye are but a lowly fisherman! I will not give you my daughter in marriage!’” he roared. ‘Ye have nothing to offer her. She would die out there on ye’re island, isolated from everyone, with no fine house to keep her warm and no servants to do her bidding.’”

“But seeing the hurt in his daughter’s eyes, the laird relented a little. ‘However, if you will build her a fine house on your island, I will consider your request.’

 “Laird McCrea, who felt he had been more than generous with his condition, smiled gently and nodded to his daughter and Kair.

“On fine days, after fishing, Kair would meet Isobel and take her out to his island, where he would spend the evening gathering rocks and laying the foundation for a large house. Lady Isobel would cook dinner for the two of them. They would dine happily together before sunset.

After dinner, they would dance together on the floor Kair had laid, exchanging laughter, many warm glances, and always a kiss or two. As the last rays of the sun began to fade, Kair would row Isobel back to shore, where they would share a long kiss before he walked her back to Castle McCrae.

“But there was a near-by laird whose son wished to marry Isobel. When he learned of the agreement between Kair and Laird McCrea, he sent his men to cause trouble for the young fisherman. When Kair was away fishing, the laird’s soldiers would tumble the stones Kair had built into a wall, preventing the construction of a castle.

“Lady Isobel indignantly told her father of the problem. Out of love for his daughter, Laird McCrae told the rival laird of his displeasure and ordered the son to leave Kair alone. For Laird McCrae was a fair-minded man.

“Seeing that he could not have Lady Isobel, the angry young laird decided to sabotage Kair’s boat. While Kair was at the market selling his fish one day, the young laird cut  into a portion of the boat’s bottom in such a way that it would come apart when Kair was at sea.

 “That evening after Kair Barclay and Lady Isobel were half-way to the island, the water rushed into the boat and they drowned in each other’s arms.”

“Oh, no!” Cassie exclaimed with dismay.

“The next morning, Lady Isobel’s father rode with his men to find Isobel and bring her home. He found her lifeless body next to Kair’s. He found the boat and saw the sabotage. At once, he knew what had happened. In his grief, he demanded the rival laird’s son be exiled. And the other laird, shamed by his son’s actions, banished his son forever.

“Lady Isobel and Kait Barclay have been gone for many years. But on clear nights, if your heart is in tune with the elements, you can see them dancing together on the castle floors in the moonlight.

“Today the castle remains unfinished. But I have been working on it, and it is near completion now. My brothers and I will be raising the roof this summer. For I am the heir, the great-great-great-great nephew of Kair Barclay, and that is my island.”

“Oh!” Cassie’s eyes were wide as she stared into Alasdair’s face.

Smiling into Cassie’s blue eyes, Alasdair asked, “Would you like to come with me to my island, my lady?”

Blushing, her heart pounding, the lady said, “Yes, I would, Alasdair.” She reached out her hand, and the young fisherman, smiling broadly, helped her to her feet.

Leaving the baskets of fish and pushing the boat out into the water, he lifted Cassie from the pebbly beach and carried her toward the boat. Both her arms crept around his neck and her bonnie blue eyes fastened on his grey ones. Placing a gentle kiss on her lips and carefully lifting her into the craft, he climbed into the boat, water dripping from his boots.

He set the sail. The wind blew a gusty breeze, and Alasdair Barclay sailed across the water toward his island with the youngest daughter of Laird McCrae.

I Married the Professor

Good four o’clock in the morning, friends! About fifteen minutes ago, I was awakened by the distinctive sound of my glasses sliding off the bed and hitting the carpet. After searching blindly under and around the bed, I decided to put on my contact lenses, only to discover they were packed. At least I knew approximately where I had packed them. Anyway, having found them and then finding my glasses, I found something else: I am thoroughly awake. So I will write. But please don’t expect me to be serious after crawling around under the bed at this hour!

I Married the Professor

By Sheri Schofield

   Did you ever watch the popular television comedy “Gilligan’s Island?” Among the five shipwrecked castaways living on a tropical island, there was a professor. He looked at life from a scholarly, scientific point of view.

   Well, I married his clone. Tim isn’t a professor. He’s a physician. But he was raised in a family dedicated to science. His parents, Bob and Dollie, worked for Moody Institute of Science, which morphed into Discovery Media and eventually a team from Discovery founded Illustra Media. Their purpose was to produce films about nature which illustrated how our universe was designed by God, for his glory and our enjoyment.

   Tim grew up watching these films, as did his siblings, Sam and Cyndie. Tim’s approach to life, therefore, has been greatly impacted by science.

   I knew this early on. He had two turtles, an aquarium filled with fish, and a dove named Snowball which rode around on his head frequently.

   But Tim was cute and smart, and we became good friends, then sweethearts, and then we were married, all within a year.  

   I had no idea how Tim’s scientific bent would affect our lives until one day I spotted a spider in our house. I hate spiders.

   “Tim! There’s a spider!” I exclaimed.

   “Spiders are our friends,” he said calmly.

   “Not mine. Squish it!”

   I felt that was a very reasonable request. But Tim calmly reached for a piece of paper, slid it under the spider, and carried it outside, much to my amazement. “Spiders are our friends,” he repeated. “If you see another one, just let it outside.”

   While Tim was home, I let him do that. But I bought a spray of insecticide and hid it under the sink for those times he wasn’t around to let the spiders out. I have never felt the least bit friendly toward spiders or other little insects.

   Then we had children. Of course, Tim taught them to love nature, too. By then, I was somewhat used to nature invading my house, but never resigned to it. We’ve had some of the most peculiar pets!

   When the children were young, we lived next to a wetland. In the winter, the water rose to the edge of our back yard. Ducks and slugs and water snakes, plus countless bugs, thrived in the wetland.

   One day our ten-year-old son, came to the back door holding up a bucket of four water snakes, his sister tagging along behind him. Tim had just helped him build a terrarium, and Drew wanted to keep the snakes there. In his bedroom. In my house.

   “No.”

   “But Mom! They won’t get out.”

   “Yes, they will. We’re trying to sell this house so we can go to Panama, and I can’t have snakes crawling around in it.”

   “I’ll make sure they can’t get out,” Tim said, admiring the snakes.

   “This is not a good idea,” I said with a shudder.

   A few days later, a stout, middle-aged lady came to look at our house. I showed her the kitchen, dining room and living room, then turned to lead down the hallway to the bedrooms.

   There, coming straight at us, was an escapee from Drew’s terrarium.

   “What’s THAT?” she demanded.

   “It’s just a …”

   “SNAKE!” she screamed, jumping three feet into the air, gyrating mid-air, shaking the house when she landed, and tearing out the front door.

   “But it’s a very nice house!” I called after her. It was useless. She was gone. I never saw her again. Apparently, she wasn’t married to a scientist.

  I ran back inside to capture the snake, but it had disappeared. For several weeks, I carefully checked the floor beside the bed before getting out of it each morning, fearful of finding the snake with my feet.

   Tim fixed the terrarium again, but I made Drew get rid of the snakes. We found the one that got away when we moved. It was dried up in a corner of Drew’s closet, along with a flat, dried-out frog, another escapee. Which explained the peculiar smell in Drew’s room.

   Once we reached Panama, Tim brought home a five-foot rainbow boa for the terrarium. Drew loved feeding it small mice. Until the snake bit him.

   I didn’t say a word. Tim found a new home for the snake.

   We stayed in Panama for over a year, then returned to the States. Now, thirty years later, we are headed back to Panama for another year. I feel a little nervous about what Tim will bring home while we are there. As you will probably agree, I have plenty of reasons!

My Angel

Hi Friends! Today I’d like to share with you a short, dramatic story. I hope it will bless you and give you hope.

Sheri

My Angel

By Sheri Schofield

“We’re going to visit Auntie Pat this weekend,” Mama announced.

   “Yay!” I shouted, leading the cheers among the children of our family: Mikie and  Donna. Davy, who was six weeks old, couldn’t cheer yet.

   Aunt Pat had four children, Brenda, Cathy, Cindy and Auggie. Brenda and I were born the same year. I was eight and she soon would be, which gave us a special bond. Cathy and Mikie were six, and Donna was five. They were a happy little team. The other three, Cindy, Auggie and Davy, were still too small to play with us, but we liked to hold them.

   We climbed into Grandpa and Grandma’s car and headed south. Dad couldn’t come because he was working. It was a long drive. After a fun-filled visit, we climbed back into the car to go home.

   I remember Papa praying for God to give us a safe journey home as the sun began to sink in the west. I remember the blackbirds perched on the power lines along the road. Somewhere along the way I fell asleep.

   The next thing I knew, I was awaking in a white room on a white bed, with Dad’s arms folded on the blanket of my bed, his head resting as he slept.

   “Daddy?”

   Instantly, he was awake. “Sheri!” He called for the nurse. “She’s awake!”

   “Where am I?”

   “You’re in a hospital. But I’m going to take you back to the hospital in our town as soon as the doctor says it’s okay.”

    I was groggy. I’d been in a coma for a few days. I vaguely remember riding in an ambulance soon afterward and being taken to a room in the familiar hospital where Mama worked. I remember a nurse taking me into a special room and washing my hair, which was coated with blood. I remember looking into a mirror and seeing a scar across my face over my nose and eyes. I don’t remember much more afterward, for a nurse gave me some medication that made me sleepy.

   Next to the hospital was a church. Our house was on a hill below that church, and I loved to hear the chimes play in the evening. But it was still the middle of the day when I heard those bells ring. I knew something was up.

   Dad said he needed to go somewhere, but he’d be back.

   Laying there in my hospital bed, I began to feel afraid. The bells never rang during the middle of the week during the daytime…except for funerals. I hadn’t seen Mama. She should have been there.

   A nurse came into my room for a moment.

   “Where’s my mama?” I asked. “I want my mama!”

   The nurse, a friend of Mama’s, said, “She can’t come to you right now, Sheri.” She turned quickly, but I saw her wipe a tear from her eyes as she exited my room.

   Now I was truly afraid. Something was very wrong. I could feel it.

   Just then, a man with short, curly black hair, and wearing a long, white robe, with a white sash appeared at the foot of my bed. He did not have wings, but I knew at once he was an angel. He told me our family had been in a car accident and Mama, Donna, and Davie were now with Jesus in Heaven. I was allowed to see them walking across the lawn in Heaven, and they were okay.

   The angel read to me from a big white Bible with gold edges on the pages. This is what he said:

   “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

   “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

   “And he shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

   “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: For these words are true and faithful (Revelation 21:1-5, KJV).”

  The angel told me, “Mikie has been hurt very badly, but he will get well. He will not have a mama to look after him. You need to take good care of him, Sheri.”

   Then the angel faded away.

   I remember crying, but I wasn’t afraid anymore. I knew where my Mama and sister and baby brother were now. They were with Jesus, whom I loved and trusted with all my heart.

   Later, Dad came to my room. He had been attending the funeral of our family. I’d also lost Papa. But the angel hadn’t said anything about him. I do not know why, nor do I speculate.

   Dad said, “Sheri, there’s been an accident. God chose to spare you and Mikie.”

   Looking up into his sad face, I said, “I know.”

   “How do you know?” Dad was alert and a little angry.

   “An angel told me.”

   Dad stood up. “I’ll be back in a minute, Sheri.” He left the room.

   My Aunt Sue came into the room. She had flown out to be with the family. I told her about the angel, too.

   Nobody believed I had seen an angel. Dad thought a nurse must have told me and was trying to find out who had done it. Aunt Sue didn’t know what to think.

   You see, our family belonged to a church which taught that when a person dies, their soul remains inside their body until the resurrection of the dead at the return of Jesus to earth. They did not believe Christians go to heaven when they die. And the hospital I was in was owned and run by people of that denomination. Everyone there believed the same way. There was no one who would have told me my family was with Jesus in heaven.

   My grandma had survived the accident as well. One afternoon later on, I heard her talking with my other grandma, wondering who among the nurses would have told me Mama and the children were in heaven, for everyone working in the hospital believed in soul-sleep.

   Not one person in my family believed an angel had told me Mama and the little ones were with Jesus.

   But I knew what I had seen. Once I realized nobody believed me, I stopped talking about it. But I knew the truth. Jesus had made sure I knew it, for He had sent an angel to tell me.

   I never doubted the words of my angel. And I have not been afraid of death since that day, for I know what happens to Christians when their souls leave their bodies. They go to heaven go be with Jesus.

   Because I do not fear death, I have not been afraid to tackle difficult, even dangerous situations when necessary. For what can man do to me, when Jesus has promised eternal life to those who believe in Him, who trust and obey Him?

   God prepares us for the work he has for us in the future. For me, it was a national battle that involved the Pentagon, Congress, the Congressional Subcommittee on National Security, International Relations & Criminal Justice, Congress, and the President of the United States. It was also broadcast on ABC’s 20/20 program and carried in the newspapers via Gannett News Services.

   I wrote about this in the book One Step Ahead of the Devil, by S. M. Hausen, my pen name for this book only. I had to write under a pen name to protect my family. It is available on Amazon and at www.sherischofield.com under “adult books.”