CREATION APPRECIATION

NEW WEB SITE

2009-02-24T21:31:00.002-05:00

Dear friends we are opening a new web site which will make it easier for folks to read about us rather than scrolling through blogs - go see it and make your comments - the address will be easier and shorter soon but for now it is

http://sites.google.com/site/creationappreciation/

"SPRING DAY !?!?"

2009-02-08T23:00:00.009-05:00

With a high temperature of 57 degrees how can one say indoors? We went to Conestoga Pines Park to look for the White Winged Cross Bills but did not see them. I was being the "lazy birder" today and not walking on my sore (phlebitis) leg. With more effort I may have seen them. We had a lovely windows down back road drive to Haunstown but no sign of the eagles there and then by way of more back roads (including Seglock) to middle creek. Seglock Road is a sacred place the air is so clean and the forest so pristine, it is always a special renewing place. Along Fox road we saw a large "white" bird in flight. He turned out to be an immature red tail hawk but his underside was pure white and from our angle we we not certain what he was at first.

Near the beaver pond at Middle Creek a beautiful male king fisher appeared saying "hereIamtakemypicturehereIamtakemypicturehereIamtakemypicture".

There were more bird watchers today than birds (except for the snows and Canadas, but the air and woods were worth the trip.

Get out there and enjoy this blessed weather.

UPDATE

2009-01-24T11:14:00.004-05:00

A bit of warming (almost 50) and I had to get out. We went back to our beloved Middle Creek and while we saw little of note the fresh air, woodlands, and fields are still invigorating. We managed to get very close to a great blue and saw geese and swans from a distance. We met another bird watcher / photographer and had a very pleasant conversation. He came to us to ask "what we were about" - the letters on the van are working - it is the least expensive advertising available.

The farm show was long and hard (8 12 hour days plus driving) but worthwhile. I did two presentations and sold a few pictures. We handed out about 400 fliers about the ministry an sold more than 20 of my new book.

If you are interested in the book call or email us. It is $11.95 and of course my personal opinion is that is is worth every penny. ( I broke my arm patting myself on the back)

I presented my program - "Creation Appreciation - God still Speaks" for the employee banquet of Forry's Country Store on Wed at Shady Maple. I think it was well received and about 40 attended.

GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US. HE DID IT FOR YOU AND I.

CHANGES COMING

2008-12-31T09:27:00.000-05:00

Hello friends - God is working and although we do not understand all He is doing we know that He is much better at making decisions than we are.

Don's book is about to be released - We hope to have them in time for the PA Farm Show (Jan 10 -17) The price will be $11.95. Proceeds will help us continue to do what we do.

The market stands at Root's and Green Dragon are closed. So ends our attempt at retailing. We will miss the contact with friends. There are people we see every week and do not know there names, but we will miss them too. We will miss the fun of sharing nature with folks but there are many other places where we can do that for less money.

Because the stands are closed we are able to accept more group bookings on Tuesdays and Fridays. Having Friday open for events and bookings will be a very positive step. We did not realize how much we would be missing. The bird and herp clubs meet on Fridays.

Also I will have more time to work on the blog. I will be combining all of my blog and net group efforts into this one. So some improvements are coming, any suggestions? "Stay tuned."

2008-12-20T11:07:00.000-05:00

Creation Appreciation
c/o Don Billett
4533 Miller Drive
Mount Joy, PA 17552
717-684-9822

Greetings in Jesus' name - Winter is here and feeder watching is a favorite sport. Our little Decay snake is closing down for his winter nap and I feel like joining him. We are in need of prayer as there are many decisions to make regarding the ministry in these days of finical turmoil. The fact remains that God has called us to this and He did it knowing the future so following His guidance is never foolishness. Pray specifically for me - that I will not become discouraged.

I am working on combing the 2 blogs, a google group, and the picture web sit into one work. Too many irons in the fire effects the quality of all of them. If you know something about blogs etc contact me, I need help.

God bless all of you as we celebrate the coming of our Lord to be with and save mankind.

Don Billett

Dear Friends

2008-12-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

Creation Appreciation
c/o Don and Florence Billett
4533 Miller Drive
Mt. Joy, PA 17552
717-684-9982

Jesus knows me, this I love. think about it!

What a joy it is to watch the feeder and it's many visitors - the same old birds nothing new but fascinating to watch and think about. God watches them too! He sees the sparrow when it falls so I know He is a bird watcher.

We had two programs in the last two weeks both of them were on subjects other than nature and I feel like I need another nature fix. I would rather present God's creation to folks than anything else. No matter what the topic is I always get a little bit of nature into it.

My book "Creation Appreciation" is about to go to press. Proceeds will enable us to keep the ministry going. I will need help in distribution. So keep that in mind

The sun is shinning and I must get outdoors. bye

12/12/08 Don B

Welcome to Creation Appreciation

2008-11-12T18:25:00.000-05:00

Creation Appreciation
c/o Don and Florence Billett
4533 Miller Drive
Mt. Joy, PA 17552
717-684-9982

Upcoming events

Monday Nov 17 - 7 pm
Don Speaks at the West Manchester Township Historical Society York County PA
Topic: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Lancaster County

Every Tuesday - 9am - 8pm Root's Country Market East Pettersburg PA
Look for coupons on Root's Web site

Every Friday - 9am -9 pm - Green Dragon Auction and Market - Ephrata PA

Stop by one of the market stands to see Brother Al Spoo's new books. The two volumes are a collection of previous articles and illustrations from the Lititz Record. We hope to have a special day to meet Al and have him sign his work for you.

Thanks to all who contributed to the van fund - it has arrived and was "lettered" today pictures to follow, soon.

God certainly does bless us. If you have any leads for programs contact Don or Florence or stop by on a market day. We are always in need of sponsors for our "OUTSIDE IN" program for nursing homes, call for details.

BUSY WEEK

2008-09-14T22:42:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends - I just got back from an evening sharing with the youth group of Harmony Church - the church is located in Lebanon County but the youth met at the Nolt farm just west of Lititz. On Saturday I shared with the Seniors group at Mohn's Hill ECC I took a Monarch cat to Mohn's Hill and then on Sunday Morning he was hanging and by 6 pm was a chrysalis - I should have been watching closer.- both groups heard "God Still Speaks" It is nice to make new friends and to share the miracles God is showing us every day.

We also had great days at Green Dragon the last several Fridays. We had Caterpillars (monarch and milk weed tussock) We also had a Monarch chrysalis along last Friday but he did not emerge at market.

Coming up - Roots on Tuesday - Phoebe Berks Village on Thursday - Green Dragon on Friday and Middle Creek on Saturday and Sunday. Come to the markets and see what we are doing.

If you have never done so before go to the first blog on this site to find out more about Creation Appreciation.

welcome new friends

2008-08-20T18:07:00.000-04:00

Hello new friends - please go to the first blog written in April 2008 titled WELCOME to find out what we are all about

Returning to Kentucky

2008-07-29T15:03:00.000-04:00

As many of our friends know we have spent the last several months in Kentucky returning for 4 days to do the programs recently. We are planning to return on July 30 and stay until August 20. We have had several opportunities to share in KY and have an event planned for Aug 9 at the Eolia Christian Community Christian Outreach to share with friend there about our vision. Keep us and the ministry in your prayers.

Newport PA RSVP summer kids program July 28,2008

2008-07-29T14:47:00.000-04:00

Myron Hostetter and Don Billett traveled to Newport in Perry County to present a program on insects titled "Whats bugging you?". About 60 young people from 1st to 8th grade were in attendance. All went well and the kids seemed to enjoy learning. As this was a public school we did not talk about Creation directly but I planted some questions in their minds and left no doubt about what we believe. I asked who is it that tells the cicada that 17 years are up and it is time to crawl out off the ground, do they keep a calendar? I also asked how the navigation and differing life span happened to make the Monarch migration possible. Pray that these opportunities keep coming.

Ned Smith Center Festival July 25 and 26, 2008

2008-07-29T14:40:00.000-04:00

Our program at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art was successful - about 35 people attended although it was very hot in the tent and the light was not great for pictures. My subject was "Birding 101" I stressed the difference between bird watching and bird counting with pics of blue herons courting dance and a merganser swallowing a fish. We covered some of the literature that is out there including computer stuff. I shared the "hot spots" for local birding in South Central PA and nearby and many of my bird photos from these locations.

PROGRAM FOR RIVER BRETHREN WIVES

2008-05-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

On Saturday April 26, 2008 I presented a program at a dinner our church men put on for the wives. I was told to have 20 minutes - I took 40. Everyone was gracious to me but I am certain they were ready for me to quit before I was. Florence and I shared my Spring Beauty short story and I went on with pics of wildflowers, butterflies and lots of birds. I had planned to spend 15 seconds on each slide but as I did not have a clock that I could see I went overtime (understatement). Many people were kind to mention how they liked the pics and stories so I should not feel to bad but they may never ask me again. God is so great and His creation reflects that. It is hard for me to keep quiet about the beauty He has gifted us with.

Upcoming programs include
An out of state church group at Heritage Hotel, Lancaster (tour) May 15
Sonlight River Brethren School May 17
Hope Grace Brethren Church (tour) May 19
West Manchester Twp Historical Society May 19
Kentucky May 24 - Aug 15
Ned Smith Center July 26

Keep praying for these and many others coming this fall. If you want to get involved with the ministry don't hesitate to call and leave a message at717-684-9822

PROGRAM AT MANOR CARE, DALLASTOWN

2008-04-19T19:52:00.000-04:00

I presented a "bird program" at the Manor Care Nursing Home in Dallastown, York County on 4/17/08. The program was well received by those who stayed awake. I was also talked by several people who did not seem to be alert enough to know I was there. One lady I had counted out told me that she "always liked the birdies".

It is always a pleasure to share the beauty of God's creation with others. It is even more meaningful in settings when people are not able to go outside and enjoy creation themselves. I talked with a 93 year old that remembered me from last time. She said she had not heard the birds sing for 4 years. She almost never gets outside and her windows do not open. She sees birds sometimes but does not hear them sing. She is most likely not the only person with such a desire. How sad is that? What can we do about it?

I have two more programs scheduled for the near future.

April 26, 2008 - "Wife's Appreciation Dinner" for the Lancaster District of Old Order River Brethren Church

May 17, 2008 - Sonlight River Brethren School Picnic

May 24, 2008 we depart for our 10 week voluntary service in Kentucky and there will be many opportunities to share there.

Keep praying for God to use my photos and stories for His glory.

WELCOME

2008-04-13T20:30:00.000-04:00

This blog is about so much more than me. It is about what God is doing in this wonderful ministry He has given us. CREATION APPRECIATION is about the marvels that God created all around us. We are seeking to open the eyes of everyone to God's Created Word. We believe He speaks to all mankind through nature. His Written Word is true, His Living Word is alive, and His Created Word expresses His beauty in tangible ways. Here you will be able to read about all that God is doing with the ministry, from our events and speaking engagements to prayer requests and ministry needs.

Please note that we are replacing the blog at http:/creationappreciation.blogspot.com with this new easy to remember address. We will eventually close the former site.

Want to know what is going on and maybe get involved contact Don at donbsr@gmail.com.