Christmas Ponderings

Merry Christmas from the Brown's!

Taylor, Collin, Kristen & Rick
Christmas 2011

It's been a while since I've updated this site. Over the past couple of months I've had a few comments about my silence on this page. Frankly, it surprised me that anyone checks it for new updates... and it made me feel good!

Time sure does get away from us, doesn't it? We've been incredibly busy over the last 12 months, and I have neglected writing. Perhaps I'll make that one of my New Year's Resolutions for 2012...to make the time to enjoy writing. Wait, I forgot.  I don't set New Year's Resolutions -  I have a strict policy against those pesky little promises to self that always leave me feeling like a loser.

Oh, speaking of New Year's Resolutions, here's something for my dad. 

He loves Calvin & Hobbes.





2011 has been packed full of fun highlights. God has blessed us and without a doubt, I credit HIM for all of it. My sometimes melancholy nature steps up and I wonder why we've escaped tragedy this past year when so many of our friends and acquaintances have experienced dark days. Fairness certainly doesn't show up in real-life scenarios.  I'm reminded of a scripture that my Grandad lived by, and as such, left as part of his legacy.

"When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." Luke 12:48

This makes me think about the way God helps those who are hurting. Those of us who have able resources, even just a little bit, must step up to the plate. We are the way God is going to help our neighbor, our friend in the next town, a child in another country. No one summed this concept up any better than Rich Stearns in his book "The Hole in Our Gospel."

If you are looking for a (non)New Year's Resolution, I highly recommend reading this book.

In thinking about my past year, I see learning moments scattered about.  Places I've been and things I've seen and heard. And up close, I can't see anything except the emotions of those moments. I see the thrill, the sadness, the boredom, the frustration, the elation. Words from a Sunday School teacher,  themes from the books I read. People I admired have been doing for others, ahead of themselves. Stories of love, inspiration, and remembrance shared at the funerals I've attended.

All these moments have been colliding together in a kaleidoscope of lessons over the year. I've been seeing the blurry colors and shifting patterns of those moments. And yes, it's been beautiful. But now it's coming into focus for me. There has been a common theme that God seems to have been teaching me.

Intentional living.

Something I've lacked. Something I've admired in others. Something I'd like to have more of.

You know what I'm talking about. How many times do we see someone in need and have a GREAT idea to help them out. But then the moment passes and we get busy with the other things that we need to do. Tasks at work, laundry at home, even responsibilities at church. Well, you've probably already learned this lesson. But for me, I'm just now seeing it.

I'm never at a loss of ideas. When I know of someone in need, the thoughts of how I might help literally pour out of my conscience. But then they never get acted upon because I'm just not INTENTIONAL. 

Being intentional about following through could make a huge difference in the world. Who do I think GAVE me that thought of how I could help out? Could it be God? I pray and ask God to help someone in need...a thought comes to my mind of something I could do... and then SPLAT! I let it drop. Because I'm not intentional.

Back to the scripture that Granddad lived - I've been given SO much.  I've been entrusted with SO much. This season of my life has been blessed. What do I think God expects of me in return? The kaleidoscope journey of the last year comes into focus and I know the answer.

I will live the answer.

With God's help, I will become more intentional with others. I will follow through with the actions that I know could make a difference.

Holy Moly, that sounds like a New Year's Resolution.  Nooooo, it can't be! Because as Calvin says in the cartoon above "I'm perfect the way I am!"



What I Want for Christmas...

So the Holiday Season is here. I loved my long Thanksgiving weekend, but am not sure I'm ready for the madness that accompanies the next few weeks. 

I was completely content before this weekend... don't really have any needs or wants at all. But being bombarded by all of the Black Friday ads and watching people out shopping and seeing on facebook all of the "good deals" my friends got - well, it's hard not to get swept up in the frenzy.

We did venture out on Friday - enjoyed dinner out with the boys and got to hear all about their recent trip to Rome. We laughed together and it was one of the best times I've had in a long time!  It runs a close second to my most favorite place on the planet: Barnes & Noble! They left me there and went to research a vehicle purchase that is looming on our horizon. I selected a stack of books and settled in to peruse them, peering up now and then to observe the shoppers coming and going.  What I noticed mainly was the new outfits so many seemed to be wearing - it seems that half the store was decked out in their Black Friday purchases. One teenage girl even had the sticky strip still running down the leg of her new skinny jeans! She paraded around while I battled the dilema of "do I tell her, or do I let someone else tell her?" Just as I decided to get up and tap her on the shoulder, another gal-pal joined her and they turned the corner off into the self-help section in a giggling frenzy. (Teenagers looking for self-help books? Goodness-gracious!) 

I digress.

My point is that I'm trying not to be swept into the consumerism this season. Yes, there are some things I want - (new cup towels, W's new book, and a maid to come every 4 weeks) - but here's the deal. There's nothing wrong with the old cup towels I have now. And W's new book will be in the Library soon. And the maid? Well, if I really wanted the kitchen floor mopped, I'd do it myself.

The Advent Season is upon us, and I'm challenging myself to focus more upon doing for others this Season than for myself.  (http://www.adventconspiracy.org/) . It seems that I'm always suprised when I do something for others - without a doubt, the feeling that comes from it is almost addictive! I'm not kidding about this - there is a deep joy that is better than any cup towel, new book or maid that I could ever pay for.

Case in point: on Thanksgiving morning, Rick and I participated in a project spearheaded by a friend of ours. Sharon cooked a homemade Thanksgiving dinner in her own kitchen for almost 200 people. Volunteers boxed the plates up and delivered to those on the Meals on Wheels lists for the Lake area and Athens. (They received frozen dinners earlier in the week to get them through the holiday weekend, so these were a wonderful gift.) 

Rick and I had about 12 meals on our list to deliver. It was raining. And cold. But the food was hot, and what we encountered along the way warmed us up. This little old couple - first on the list - live way out in the country. The house was obviously the same one they had lived in for years upon years. Rick quickly noticed and began commenting on the little things that the man had done over the years. The tools hanging in his garage told a story of his handiwork. The crepe myrtles, now overgrown and untrimmed, stood stoicly in place on either side of the driveway - obvious to Rick's eyes that the location had been carefully selected a loooong time ago and planted with care. The car parked in the garage, collecting dust, hadn't been driven lately and I found myself wondering if there had been a battle when the kids took away the keys. Or were there any kids? Why were they here alone on Thanksgiving morning and not with their family? There was a story to be told, and I wish we could have taken the time to hear it.

The tiny shrunken woman sat in her housecoat in the recliner, oxygen tubes snaking up her side. The tv blared in front of her, but her full attention was on me. I walked over to her and gently grasped her hand, hoping I wouldn't hurt her paper-thin skin. The grip she returned suprised me. As I looked into her face, I felt everything around me fade away. The blaring tv receeded into the background. Rick had disappeared into the kitchen with the old man and it was just me and Mrs. R.

We held gaze for a few seconds as she thanked me and wished all of God's blessings on me. I felt like in that single moment... I knew her, and she knew me. We were linked briefly, complete strangers, crossing a bridge together, looking down into the valley of years gone by, and then looking up into the distant unknown stretching before us.

I let go before she did, and retreated back towards the door. Duty called, and we had hot meals getting cooler by the minute in the backseat. She again called out God's blessings for us and Rick wrapped up his moments with her husband.

We walked down the hall, let ourselves out the garage door and dodged the raindrops that were beginning to fall. Silence fell  as we sat in the car looking at each other, quietly assessing our emotions. Rick put it in gear and we drove down the drive as those two ancient crepe myrtles watched us slowly fade away. 

I told a friend yesterday that I feel like I saw the face of God in that little old lady's eyes. My friend said "maybe you did."

And the JOY  that I felt from serving that little old couple puts to shame any joy that I could feel over a new outfit, a book on my list, or even a maid. And the things that last in this world aren't things we can buy for our friends or family. It's fun to give gifts, and I'm not knocking that at all. 

I'm just saying that the things that last, that really matter, that make us who we are...

Those are the things I want for Christmas.

Highlights of Honduras

It's simply impossible to summarize the experience from our trip to the House of Hope.  There are so many moments that I cannot express adequately, so the following pictures will have to suffice. Thanks to each of you that supported us in prayer while we were gone. We are glad we went, and glad to be home safely.

Below are the 3 highschool guys at the airport in Houston, waiting on our outbound flight. On the left are Rustin and John, returning to Honduras for the 2nd year. Collin, on the right, is on his first trip to the House of Hope. In total, there were 12 of us that traveled.

Below is just a fun shot from the mall (yes, mall) in La Ceiba. I didn't know we owned a sporting goods store! After landing in San Pedro Sula, we took a 3 hour van ride to La Ceiba to spend the night. The stop at a mall was our last bit of modern civilization for a while. We ate at Applebees, listened to their 80s radio music and reminisced about all things 80s. (He-Man, Garbage Pail Kids, UnderRoos...you get the picture)

This is the 18 passenger plane we took from La Ceiba to Puerto Lempira. It was much nicer than the one I remembered from 2 years ago, but still not much fun if you don't like prop planes. After about a 90 minute flight, we landed on a dirt runway with armed guards that meet the plane. Drugs are very prevalent in this area. In fact, it's known as Cocaine Coast because of the drug smuggling. Hence, the guards.

Below is a group picture of all of the children. Katrina, standing in the green, is telling them to sing "Jesus Loves Me" for a video camera. They sang it in English, Spanish, then Moskito. We tried desperately to upload the video to an email and send back to our church, but to no avail. Our hope was that it could be played in Children's Church that Sunday while we were gone. However, internet in Puerto Lempira is spotty as best, and while the local "internet cafe" had DSL, we were unsuccessful in getting the email to send.

Collin is mesmerizing the children with a magic trick of disappearing coins. They couldn't get enough of it! I was kind of surprised that the pieces to this trick survived the trip and didn't end up in a child's pocket.

Watch the video below to see Collin entertaining the children with his juggling skills.

The next group of pictures are the construction project that the men worked on. At the landing strip (it's hard to call it an airport), there was a dilapidated building. Katrina petitioned the Mayor and was able get the City to let her turn it into a store for the paralyzed divers. One of Puerto Lempira's industries is lobster-diving, and most of the local divers do not wear protective scuba gear. When they come up from the floor of the ocean to fast, many of them become paralyzed. They then lose their ability to produce income and must turn to handicrafts to try and support their family. The building that our team began enclosing and re-roofing will house a "souvenir shop" of sorts for travelers to purchase handmade items like jewelry and purses. They will also sell snacks. Our men installed a new tin roof, enclosed the walls, and ran plumbing lines for bathrooms and showers. One of the paralyzed divers will live at this store as well. In Honduras, if you leave anything - I mean anything - unattended, it will sprout legs and walk off. So this structure will also become a residence.

The picture below is Katrina standing in Jose's house, at the table he uses for making jewelry. Jose will be one of the men that will stay at the new store. His current house is not much larger that what you see in this picture. Just a tiny room with room for his wheelchair and his table. Jose is very excited about this project. He sends money that he earns to his son that is in college in Nicaragua, and knows that his potential for earning more income will increase when the new store is open.

Here I am sifting rice with 2 of the girls. Rice is a staple of almost every meal, and icky things have to be sifted out of it before cooking. Apparently, mice like to play in the bags of rice...

Carol is holding a hydrocephalus baby. If I recall correctly, the mother is on the Milk Program that Katrina runs. There are over a hundred mothers on this program that come to the House of Hope at scheduled intervals to get milk. They are not healthy enough themselves to produce milk, so the powdered formula literally saves lives of these babies. They do not believe that this baby has brain damage, so that is great.

Our "Sisters in Service" (a group of women at our church) send money to the Milk Program every year. The picture below is Larry presenting a substantial sum to Katrina for the program. She was overjoyed!

And below is Charlotte supervising a game of "memory." It started out organized but quickly became mass confusion. They had fun, and Charlotte tried her best to keep the game going smoothly. I'm pretty sure we did NOT end up with all the pieces going back into the box. Oh well! This picture is taken in the kitchen area of the guest house. Over the past couple of years, the guest house was constructed by our group and other groups to house the volunteers. Before it was completed, we would sleep in the dorm with the kids at the main house. Let me tell you, it is a whole new world having your own bed in a separate house! The guest house has 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths and sleeps up to 18 in bunk beds.

Below, Sharon is cleaning teeth in the newly constructed dental clinic on site. Dr. Tom Brian, who founded "Send Hope" (the non-profit that supports the House of Hope,) frequents the clinic several times a year to offer his dental services. Since Sharon is a hygienist, she had made arrangements to spend some time in this manner as well. What a great thing!

This next series of pictures are from our day traveling to the Islands. We took a boat to three different islands to deliver notebook paper and school supplies to the children. These children received notebook paper from our group the past 2 years in a row, and this outing has fast become one of the highlights of each trip to Honduras. Katrina told us that the school children will write on the paper in pencil, then erase everything and reuse the paper over and over again. Once they run out of paper, it's gone. Pondering this really puts things into perspective! Back home, we will waste a sheet of paper so quickly. These children let nothing go to waste. (Their culture is much better stewards of the environment than we are.)

As we were approaching the island, the children would come running to meet us at the shore. Katrina had broadcast on the radio the day before so that they would be expecting us. School was recessed for the event, and the whole village came out to see us. Of course, everyone knew Katrina. She's a legend everywhere she goes.

They formed lines while our boys passed out notebooks. The teachers received bags with supplies in it like markers, crayons, pens, and glue.

This is a typical residence. You can see Collin and John in the front handing out the notebooks. The lady that lived here was ill, and had been for quite some time. Sharon shared that she had met the lady last year on this same trip to the islands and she was still gravely ill.

I'm wearing a rain poncho - it POURED on us for much of the time. I was grateful for the poncho, but felt a little bit ridiculous at the same time. I think the kids thought it was frivolous.

At the next island, we delivered the supplies and then were treated to coconuts. The video below is amazing... watch how quickly the boy climbs to the top of the tree!

The teacher whipped out his machete (a tool everyone has) to chop holes in the coconut so that we could drink the milk. Young coconuts are yellow - You don't get the brown ones that we are used to seeing until they mature. The milk from the young coconuts tastes very unique, almost like cola. It has a sweet fizz to it and kind of "pops" in your mouth.

The one I'm drinking is an older coconut, and the milk is not fizzy.

On our boat trip back to Puerto Lempira, we stopped at the home of James and Paula Anthony. They are missionaries with Global Outreach International. While we visited with them, some of our group found a swimming hole to cool off in!

Ok, in the video below, you'll see how COOL these little "touch-me-nots" were. They grow on the ground and the second you touch them, they shrivel up. We had more fun playing with them!

Upon returning back to the House of Hope, Rustin had a birthday surprise waiting on him. In honor of his 18th birthday, the children decided to crack eggs on his head and cover him with sawdust, then pelt him with water balloons. Nice, eh?   Remind me NEVER to celebrate my birthday in Honduras!

He was such a good sport about it though, we rewarded him nicely with a rather large piece of cake. Good job, Rustin! You were a much better sport than I would have been! (By the way Rustin, I have a nice video of the egging if you want it!)

Our time drew to a close on Wednesday evening. We left for the airport about 5am Thursday. In years past, some of the children have made their way down to the airport to see us off. So we were all a little disappointed that they didn't make it this time. Had I known that, I would have taken some extra time Wednesday night to say goodbye.  Little Edius was my special angel on this trip. I regret not being able to say goodbye properly. 

A little story about this guy... During the trip, I learned that a friend of ours had passed away. Erin is my age, and had bravely battled cancer for 17 months. She passed away on Monday during our trip, leaving behind her husband Jon and 4 beautiful children.  The news hit me pretty hard, and I felt lonely being away from family during this time. Our cemetery handled the arrangements, and that made it more difficult to not be there to help with those details.  On one evening I was feeling sad about Erin. I sat down on the concrete step and just couldn't hold the tears back anymore.  And get this...little Edius came running across the yard and skidded to a stop, landing in my lap. He took one look at my tears, wiped them away and kissed my cheek. There was no verbal communication, only the tenderness expressed in his touch.

How incredibly amazing... I set out on a mission to serve and give to others. And yet somehow, this little impish-grinning, toothy smiling, muddy little 6 year old touched my heart with his kindness.

I guess I was the one who really received the gift.

More questions

In the midst of my busy day, I clicked over to the blog I've been reading from Ben and Katie (in Haiti.) They have been in Haiti for 5 months. Since just before the earthquake.   http://www.benandkatieinhaiti.com/

Katie's post entitled "Questions" on Monday, May 31st really touched me.

She has more questions now than before. I like her honesty in admitting that she doesn't know, doesn't have a clue. I admire her candidness and transparency. Tough questions that deserve answers... but those answers may never come. Not in this life-time.

Her words reminded me today of the fragile lives we live. And that there are more important things going on than my cluttered desk, backlog of bills to pay, and technology frustrations.

The little girl she wrote about on her post entitled "Last Day of School" (just below the aforementioned post) is more important than all my busy little things. The encouragement and love that the fellow teachers poured out on this little girl could be a HUGE defining moment in her life.

I want to be more about those moments and less about the petty things that get my feathers ruffled.

** For FUMC Newsletter Readers **

**For FUMC Newsletter Readers**
As you may know, Rick and I are part of a larger team serving 42 inmates at Beto Unit next weekend. 

Last week, I printed out some copies of my previous blog posting to mail to our out-of-town friends and to hand to some friends at church.

The piece I printed inadvertently ended up being included in our church newsletter (hence, you found your way to this blog.) And while the facts included in the article are accurate, it was not written with the intent of the newsletter publication.

I wrote it from my personal perspective, about Rick and me participating in Kairos, and it was "exclusive" to the Browns.

The piece that WAS intended for the newsletter would have listed all of the team-members, and was much more "inclusive" of the entire team experience and our church support of this ministry.

The other team members from FUMC Mabank are:
Sharon & Kenny Underriner, Sherry Nash, Debbie Wrinkle, Tyson Johnson, and Bonnie Turner. 

Kenny and Sharon have been the heartbeat of Kairos at FUMC. They have poured their time, resources, and leadership into this particular ministry because they feel called to serve in this way.

Sherry, Debbie, Tyson and Bonnie are also integral to the team, and each of them are so very important to me!  They each feel passionately about sharing God's love with these men and I am honored to serve with them.

I have shed tears over this. I did not intend for it to happen....and I sincerely hope that my fellow team-mates do not feel slighted in any way. I will speak with them in private, but wanted my church family to know my heart in this matter. 

Thank you for understanding,
Kristen

Kairos - coming up!

Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). It's also been referred to as "God's time."

On May 13 - 16, Rick and I will be experiencing Kairos #42 at Beto Unit, Tennessee Colony. This is a maximum security prison outside of Palestine Texas.

Our team (pictured below) has been preparing for weeks to take God's unconditional love and & acceptance into Beto Unit. We are very excited, and want you to participate with us, if you wish.

But first, what is Kairos? It's an intense weekend designed for 42 inmates, who each apply to participate. Some want to participate because they have heard that Kairos weekends involve homemade food...quite the change from their normal fare. Others will apply to participate because they want to get out of their normal job/routines. And maybe, a few will apply because they have an interest in spiritual matters. Whatever the reason, they are welcomed as they are, and accepted as they are. The inside team, which Rick will be part of, will spend all day with them in sessions learning the basics of God's love and grace. They will have activities, singing, and eating. Walls will come down between the hardest of hard - it's seen every time. Barriers will be broken and grown men who have been locked away and forgotten -  gang leaders, drug dealers and worse - will experience a miracle on this weekend.  They will realize that they are NOT forgotten, that they ARE accepted, and that they CAN know God's love. It is witnessed at every Kairos event, bar none.

This is where you come in. Our team needs prayer support. AND, the 42 inmates need prayer support. That's the most important thing you can do for us! If you are willing to participate in this way, please email me at kbrown@cornerstonebiz.net. We are filling in time slots so that we have 24/7 prayer coverage during the weekend. You can pick your time and know that your participation is a crucial component to this weekend.

Another way you can help is by donating to sponsor a participant ($160). This helps underwrite the cost of the weekend for us. It costs over $9000 for us to have this weekend. And, obviously, the participants do not pay to attend. So it's up to us.

You can also donate money for the food that we will be cooking all weekend. Just think, you could buy a home-grilled cheeseburger with all the trimmings for one of our participants for $5.00! Think of it as sponsoring a cheeseburger!

Do you like to bake? Then consider baking cookies for the weekend. On a typical 3 day Kairos weekend, we go through 1500 dozen (yes, I said 1500 dozen) cookies. Obviously, we need help baking cookies!  If you would like to help in that way, there are some guidelines to follow. I can email you the details if you are interested. They can be baked now and frozen, so you don't have to wait to the last minute.

And if you are local, I invite you to attend the closing service on Sunday afternoon (5/16) at the unit. You'll enter the gates of the prison and be invited into the chapel. You will hear first hand from the participants what this weekend has meant to them. It is an incredible moment to see the men up close and hear them as they attempt to put into words what has transpired over the last few days. I promise, if you attend Closing, you will not regret it. But you have to be screened to attend, so let me know asap so I can get you on the list.

Rick and I are excited about this weekend, and are hoping that you will want to be involved in some way. Please consider it, and get back with me!

Recap of last weekend.

It's Wednesday, but feels like Friday because of Thanksgiving tomorrow. I'm looking forward to time with family and friends over the next couple of  days.

Thought I'd share a few pictures from last weekend. 

We helped with the monthly meal and activities in a local neighborhood. Our church participates with several groups in bringing a presence of hope and love to this neighborhood.

This picture shows some of the clothes available for anyone who could use them.

Here are the ladies dishing up a homemade Thanksgiving meal.

Rick, below, has a helper handing out hygiene kits.

This is Larry Partridge and me on the porch of a house in the neighborhood that we are going to turn into a kids afterschool clubhouse, and in the evenings have it available for adult programs. It's a longtime dream coming to fruition for our church to have a presence in this neighborhood.

The house needs ALOT of work. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point! Good thing youth groups like to do demolition, becasue we are going to have to start from scratch!

Dogs, money, and others.

I took Roxie to have her Micro-chipped today. In case she ever wanders off and gets lost - some kind soul may take her to a vet to find out if she was chipped... and then we'll get her back.

I love my dog. She's epitomizes unconditional love, she shows us how to live with "gusto" and she is always thrilled to see us! When we walk through the door at the end of the day, she acts like we are the highlight of her day!

So I got to wondering how much money we spend on this dog. I looked at our monthly expenses that are logged into a nifty budget spreadsheet, and was surprised with the amount of cash that goes towards her care. Between dogfood, vacinations, grooming and kenneling, we have spent $566 so far this year. And then the $50 today that I paid for her to be chipped. (GASP!!!)

I'm troubled by this.  In our culture, it's acceptable to drop lots of money towards the care of our animals. For some of us, they are a part of the family, and are treated with the best medical and preventative care we can afford. I'm the worst about it too. I love my doggie with all my heart, and would be quick to sacrifice alot, if needed, to keep her healthy.

Many people will spend their last dime to feed their pet before they will feed themselves. I learned recently about a facility in Henderson County, called the Silver Star Room, that assists with supplying necessities for victims of Elder Abuse.  When they are brought to the attention of Adult Protective Services, there are many physical needs. The Silver Star Room keeps items like blankets, socks, and toiletries readily available for help. Also...pet food is one of the items they keep in stock. Many of these elderly victims of abuse will have given their last bit of food to their beloved pet, choosing to give to their doggie or kitty instead of taking care of themselves.

Isn't that sad?

So here's what I'm thinking... Rick doesn't even know this yet. (Hi honey!) What if, for every dollar that we spent on our dog, we gave the same amount to help an elderly person in need?  From the numbers in my budget, we have spent about $2.00 a day on our dog. To put it into perspective, for only $1.00 per day, we can provide clean water, food, and education to a child across the world.  Think about that! We can secure their future for less than I spend on my pet.

Wow. I just re-read that. It's sobering.

There are so many needs around us. In our own neighborhood, across town, on the other side of the County, on the other side of the world. And it's easy to get overwhelmed, thinking that we can't do anything to help change the world. But what if each one of us did a little bit more than we already do? Just a little bit more. Collectively, we CAN make a difference. I know it, and you know it too.

I'm not sure what that looks like for me and my doggie. But I'm thinking about it... And change cannot occur without thought.

Think, talk, do. See the change.

A little of this and a little of that...

(Note: I've had major formatting problems with this post. If there are lots of extra spaces, unexplained white spots, etc... forgive me! But I'm done with trying to get it to look right!) Last night we watched the Cowboys win over at the Lilly's. I was lucky to have some good cuddle time with Cade.















And with Rowdy, too!

It was such fun hanging out with the gang although we missed the others in our Cowboy Gang that couldn't join in last night.

Sunday night, Rick and I were "servants" at a Prodigal Son feast that my parents hosted at their home. Their church is studying a book called "The Prodigal God" and to kick off the study, each small group is treated to a "feast" that is provided by the leaders of the group. This feast is representative of the feast that the father gave for his son when he returned home, as told in the Bible. It was a huge spread, and mother slaved for days over the preparations. Everything turned out fabulous... with the exception of the rolls. Thank God we had a backup plan (crescent rolls!)

Rick played the perfect role of the French Waiter, complete with accent. I don't have any really good pictures of his outfit, as they are all on mom's camera. But his bowtie and glasses were perfect! I was so grateful that he carried the weight of the serving, because I'm just not very good at it! I kept tripping over my own feet, forgetting the drink orders, etc. But it was a successful evening, and I think that all of the guests enjoyed the dinner, the discussion, and the fellowship.

Rewind to Saturday - Cedar Creek Cleanup Day! Whoo-hoo! We had so much fun with the Chamber Team. There were 5 of us that donned our vests and gloves and hiked the roadway picking up trash. But in all, there were over 350 people that participated in the day. Each team picked a spot to clean up, then we all gathered at the Park for lunch, games, and prizes. It was refreshing to see so many adults and children out doing their part to keep our Lake Area and roadways clean.

Here is our team: Jo Ann, Rick, Sharon, me, Dorene. Rick was our token male.
When we saw this road sign, we wondered if it was put up just for us!

And the job did get stinky. Can you believe people throw out dirty diapers on the side of the road???

Next topic:

I've been following a blog by a team at The Village Church that has traveled to Kenya. As it turns out, the brother of one of my high school friends is on this trip. Here is the link, if you are interested.

http://kenyablog2009.blogspot.com/

They are working at a hospital, and it's interesting and encouraging to follow along on their trip. I've been giving alot of thought to Kenya lately, about the poverty, health crisis, orphans, lack of clean water, hunger, the list goes on.

Sometimes it's overwhelming to wonder why I was born into a country with so much wealth. We have SO much, even those that have little, have SO much in comparison. Who knows... maybe we were born into our present situation for the exact reason of sharing our resources with those that have little? Thoughts to ponder...