after lunch we got rid of the remainder of the two walls and began digging the footer -- all the way around the perimeter. 40 cm down and 60 across. through the existing floor and the earlier one - the original one - from when the building had first been built.

By lunchtime we'd pretty much demolished all but half the back wall and the shared wall with the neighboring lot. Fortunately, it was empty (the lot, that is).

the project begins: removing the old so as to make room for the new. Black dog down in front is 'Popis', who is just 7 months old. he was tiny when we were there in January. I hardly recognized him! He thought each shovelful or pail of water that was thrown was (of course) just for his enjoyment.

Chimalhuacan: day one

started the day off on an interesting note. boarded the plane in richmond, and after we backed away from the jetway, they began what i assume was the preflight check. a couple of minutes into it, we hear "BAM! BAM! BAM!" from the left engine. then it happens again. a pause, and then the captain comes over the intercom and tells us that that should not have happened, and that they were going to check it out.

we return to the gate, and wait. long story short, whatever it was that caused the problem got fixed, and we pulled away from the gate at the time that we should have been arriving in Atlanta.

Fortunately, our departure time fom Atlanta was late enough (almost noon) to allow us to still catch the flight, even arriving an hour and a half later than intended.

the flight to Mexico, DF was uneventful. got to the airport and Sergio and Norberto were waiting for us there. no bags lost, everything in order.

pulled into the house around ... 4:30 or so, i guess. walked down to greet Romualda for just a couple of minutes. returned to the house and ate supper, then waited for the guys (Valentin, Gumaro, Lucio, Domingo, and Margarito) to arrive. they pulled in a little after 10:30.

slept like rocks. :-)

This was what the front of Romualda's property looked like on Monday the 13th of June.

This was the existing structure. it was Romualda's first home there in Chimalhuacan, and held a LOT of memories. Don Bell is standing to the right.

Back in 1985, I was part of a group of 65 men and women who were sent all over the world to work in different capacities alongside career missionaries. Before going off to our respective assignments, we spent 5 and a half weeks going through ... training ... it was an interesting time ... and more than a little intense ... intentionally so, i suppose, to somehow prepare us for potential stresses that we might experience overseas. a couple of months ago, one of the group decided to start to try to get everyone back in touch with each other, and a little over a week ago i received a massive email with updates on 61 of the 65. It is truly amazing to read through what folks have been through in the last 80 years (since we last saw each other -- we had a debriefing conference after everyone was back in the states in glorietta, new mexico. If you'd like to stop in and see what's what, the blog is linked to the right -- the continuing journey. grace & peace

Yesterday, I helped Elvira with a few things, and in the process avoided an unnecessary trip to the ER for Cesar,and got to spend some time with him. Pretty cool to think that I was there when he was born -- see my post from May 10th, the last paragraph. He's doing great! What a precious little boy!  

We spent the afternoon and a good part of the evening at Gray's beach yesterday. A totally relaxed time. fished later in the day, and caught 6 Croaker and 2 catfish. Shocked myself by catching one of the catfish and two of the Croakers. Oh, and one 18-inch log! (and man, did it put up a fight!) ;-)  

fishing pole: $15.00
swimming trunks: $10.00
swimming shoes: $ 5.00
baja: $15.00 (14 years ago)
A genuinely thrilled 7-year-old sitting by your side and carrying on a quiet conversation about nothing in particular: priceless.

The Royal Ambassadors group from Beulah Church, UP the road from us (about 10 minutes in the opposite direction from White Stone, which is ... oh, 30 minutes to the southeast of us ... so Danny Maupin and these guys and their leader drove for nearly an HOUR to get to the gathering. it was great having them join us. Hopefully they'll do it more often -- and won't have to drive too far!  

Usually someone will volunteer to read scripture. Sunday I ended up reading, which was fine ... it's nice though, when there is broader participation. 

Cecilia, finding the passage for the day - Matthew 28:16-20 (The Great Commission) 

Paty and ... hoo boy, i'm drawin' a blank on his name ... free time, then the meal, then the devotional...  

the communion table at White Stone 

this past sunday we had a gathering at White Stone Church. Caleb took this picture at some point in the afternoon. i thought the composition was pretty cool for a six year old. 

Team members and respective spouses: Doug (and Lea), Carolyn (and David), Leslie (and I), Sandra (and Gary)

Here they are: Carolyn, Doug, Leslie and Sandra.

the kids ... and there are ... 5 others total from the families that couldn't make it ... that means there are 2 families with 4, two families with 3, two families with 2, and one family with one child each ... i THINK that was the math ... let's see ... from left to right, front to back: Joshua Redden, Emily Redden, Garrett Stanley, Karen Coppage, Hannah Park, Micah Redden, Abigail Stanley, Caleb & Judson Park, and Sam Redden (with his Mom Caroline) ...  

Abigail, AKA the bandida, and her evil sidekick, ... panchita ... aka judson ... funny, kids never met a stranger ... :-)  

Sandra and Carolyn ...

this weekend we're hosting MOST of the original GodSpeed Summer Missions Team from 1984. A couple of them couldn't make it, but the remaining 4, with their families, have spent last night, today, and will be here through tomorrow afternoon just BEING together and enjoying each other's company. it's been a blast to watch the old jokes fly, and to hear the memories and the laughter. It's one of those things where you REALLY wish the WHOLE crew could be together. There's incredible meaning in reunions like this, just like there was when the Center Street gang got together at Christmas of '03 in Louisville (see archives) ... but there's always a sense of something missing when it isn't everyone. so for that, we send our love and best wishes to Martha and Bekers. (or however you spell that!) :-)

it's been an interesting week.

mother's day went fine ... had the encuentro sunday evening with a visiting pastor from costa rica bringing the devotional, and it turned out to be something more than what folks were used to hearing from me. it was much more evangelistic, much more emotional, much more animated than i usually am.

three women responded. one just had her baby boy prematurely, and he is still in the NICU in richmond, she developed severe preaclampsia, and her mother went up with her. she'll be dealing with high blood pressure for the rest of her life. the other woman is also pregnant and has developed gestational diabetes. they are all dealing with huge life events ... so there were lots of tears.

after it was over, i took 4 of the guys who came back to their workplace in white stone, 45 minutes away, and we had a chance to debrief from the evening. the concensus with them was that it was a little too much, a little too forced ... even confusing at times (the pastor did some jumping around in scripture, something that most of the folks who come to the gatherings are not accustomed to doing), and in reviewing his points and going on to the next, it ended up being a little repetitive for them.

today, i took the one who is due in june to a couple of dr's appointments in richmond, and we talked about the evening on the way over and some on the way back. she said it was an amazing experience for her. the pastor and his wife came out to her where she was sitting and prayed over her. she said she'd WANTED to go forward, but couldn't. she came away feeling ... not so alone, not so isolated, she felt like she was safe ... with the people who were there. it was about as diametrically an opposed reaction to the preaching as it could be from what the men experienced.

we're having the floors redone on the lower level over at church, and i went to look at them and they look GREAT.

cancelled the two meetings that were scheduled for tonight in part due to probable low turnout (a committee meeting (of which more than half the members are ill or were not going to be able to attend) and children's choir practice), so we have an evening to just be a familiy.

and maybe, just maybe, do a little straightening up of the house in preparation for the crowd that is coming to spend the weekend with us (Leslie's teammates from her summer missions team in college ... way back in 1984)

grace & peace

Kenny

ps: did i mention that i took one of our hispanic women to the hospital in fredericksburg friday morning? she called at 1 AM to tell me her water broke, she'd been having contractions since 7, and the man she was hoping would be able to take her was not going to be able to? i got to her place and picked her and her cousin up and we got to the hospital about 20 minutes before 3, and her son was born at 3 on the dot.

that's 3 for Leslie, 1 for me.

sheesh!

In the interest of brevity ... there's a post by Martin Tiller (Thoughts of a Minister) that puts into words what I've been feeling as I've been watching and hearing the Judicial Filibuster issue discussed in the news ...

I am seriously mystified ... I get the impression that a majority of Christians in this nation are following the religious right leadership ... like sheep to the slaughter. I KNOW these are thinking, feeeling people who understand the complexities of the democratic process ...

or at least i HOPE they are.

I KNOW there are multitudes of people of faith who DISAGREE with what is being done.

I can't help but hear echoes of what happened in the beginning days of the Fundamentalist takeover of the SBC ...

http://matthew61.blogspot.com/2005/04/judges-2-attack-of-phantom-religious.html#comments

Leslie writing notes to the kids for each of the days that she'll be gone. she's simply the most amazing woman ... i can't imagine what i'd be like if she weren't in my life, and i thank God on every remembrance of her ... :-) 

i thought this one came out really cool. i've got it set up as my desktop ...  

We got the kids kites a couple of weeks ago, and today was the first day they got to take them out and fly them. Caleb opted to stay home with Daddy and fly his kite some more when it came time for Hannah to go to softball practice. we had a great time out back. It was a BEAUTIFUL day.  

Your Linguistic Profile:

55% General American English

30% Dixie

15% Yankee

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

i'm still figuring it out ... but i think this has to be taken into consideration.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com...5/ jennings.php3

HE IS RISEN!!!

The life of the community goes on.

Pearl Boyle passed away yesterday.

I was able to visit with Doris Jean and the family early yesterday afternoon, before she passed, and had some quiet time just with Pearl. I sat on the side of her bed and held her hand and prayed for her and spoke to her a little bit. She was still breathing when I left. Hazel, her sister, and HER daughter Wanda were there, as well as Benny, Doris Jean's husband, and HIS parents. There was no shortage of love and support in the house.

I left to meet Leslie at the mechanic's to pick up our van, which was getting some work done in preparation for their trip to Louisville next week (she's soloing it with all three kids - please pray for her!). After that, we came home and I went to pick up the kids from school. When WE got home, I started doing some paperwork, expense report stuff, and along about 5:30 Wanda called to tell me that they thought Pearl had just passed away. I told her I'd be right there.

When I got there, the grief was palpable. Pearl had been sick for so long, and Doris Jean had been caring for her for so long, that though I'm sure they've worked through some if not most of their grief anticipating the event, there was still a very real sense of sorrow permeating the air. There was, to be sure, a sense of relief, at not having to wonder if she was in pain or otherwise in discomfort. Her condition was one that was so frail that it made it hard for Doris Jean to be away from her for any length of time. Church on Sunday was almost the only outing she allowed herself.

Viewing will be tomorrow night from 7-8:30, and the funeral will be on Saturday ... Holy Saturday ... at 11:00.

The family of faith is gathering. Surrounding them with not only their love and presence, but their prayers and words of comfort and encouragement as well.

The life of the community goes on.

the guys were singing 'Las Mañanitas" ... it was great.  

i wish i could describe for you what happened last night. it was part concert, part play, part goofyness, and ALL magic.

the kids apparently started working on what they were going to put on for the guys after dinner after i left to go pick them up. after finishing off the pizza (the one with jalapeños-- made MOSTLY for them--) we announced that the after dinner entertainment would be downstairs. we walked down the steps to the basement to find seats lined up in a couple of rows, with programs of the night's entertainment (listing the 4 songs to be performed), and signs for the bathroom - in english AND spanish.

the first song they did was "So Good to Me" -- but in spanish. then ... well ... then they did 'Wild Thing' (what ya gonna do?) ... then ... hmmm ... not sure ... but they ended with "Jesus Loves Me" (also in spanish). the guys LOVED it.

With Hannah on guitar, caleb on drums, and judson going through all kinds of contortions and dancing in front of everyone ... lights out and a flashlight/spotlight playing over them, Leslie being the tech roadie and changing the CD's as needed ... at the end they were all giving out autographs ... it was a TOTAL hoot.

the picture with the cake was after that. :-)

grace & peace

why is it that we fear what we don't understand ... or is it just that we don' t agree?

http://www.kybaptist.org/kbc/welcome.nsf/pages/mclaren

maybe i should rephrase that ... i don't know ... it just seems counterproductive to cut off thinking because it doesn't fall into the 'orthodox' way of thinking ...

that's the whole point.

an eventful weekend.

We celebrated Caleb's birthday party Saturday with a pool party at the fitness center over in tappahannock. had fun, but it was a bit rushed. 11-2 including an hour's swim time.

Scott and Becky and Breanna and Colin came up for the day. First time visit. it was good to have them here. hopefully we'll be getting together again soon.

This past sunday was WMU (Women's Missionary Union) Missions Emphasis Sunday. Leslie and I were going to preach together, weaving together a couple of stories from our trip to Mexico with the Matthew passage on salt and light that we used on our prayer calendar. i was looking forward to standing with Leslie in the pulpit.

As usual, i was up late working on my part of the sermon, and the phone rang. it was 12:15, and it was Miguel Angel, Vianey's husband, letting us know that she was in labor. the due date was this past tuesday. Leslie took her to the clinic on Thursday, and they had called the hospital in Fredericksburg, who in turn had asked her to come up right then. Leslie took her up, but they decided not to induce THEN. they DID schedule her to come in at 5:30 on Monday morning to BE induced.

They pulled up here to the house about 12:45, and they all climbed into the minivan and headed out to Fredericksburg (a little over an hour away). Leslie called me at 2:15 to let me know they'd gotten there. i was almost done with the sermon by then. so much for the tandem preaching experience. :-/

Leslie called again shortly after 8 to say that they were still waiting, and that things were going slowly.

She called again just as the prelude was beginning to let us know that Miguel Angel (son) was born at 10:44, 7 Lbs, 13 oz, 20.5 inches long. mother and child doing fine.

Sunday evening we were slated to show some of our pictures for Family Night, and tell the rest of the story from our trip.

Leslie pulled in around 3, went straight to bed, and slept for a little over an hour, then got up, showered, and got ready for the evening. We'd set it as 'Chili night', and had 5 different 'versions' of Chili to choose from. had a good turnout, including Micky and Rick Vetra, their grandson, and Nancy Foster, as well as Vince and Barbara Gunn, all from Thalia Lynn, our church in Virginia Beach. It was great to see all of them.

Leslie pretty much did the presentation by herself. i had a few comments here and there, but since she'd already gone through the presentation when she spoke at Corrottoman on the evening of the 6th, she had a better idea of what to say and when.

She came straight home afterwards and went straight to bed. I'd gotten a call from Riverside Tappahannock hospital to translate for a woman who'd taken her daughter into the ER earlier that evening, and as i was getting ready to head on to bed, about 11:30, i got a call from the triage nurse. another family had just come in with their 9 month old son. the situation was complicated by the fact that he was born with a chromosomal issue, and he had a feeding tube inserted (nasogastric). i helped with what i could over the phone, and we ended the call, but a few minutes later, about midnight, another call came in. Dianne, one of the other nurses, asked if i could come in, since the situation was a little more complicated than would normally be the case. i had not changed out of my clothes, realizing that i probably needed to head over anyway. the call of course confirmed it. got over there shortly after midnight, and helped with the translation as needed. the ER gave the boy (william) a couple of breathing treatments and he was able to breath easier, and settled down and finally went to sleep. then they had to take a couple of chest X-rays. woke him up of course. but again he settled down.

ended up getting back home about 3:20, and to bed around 4.

got up to take Jose to his physical therapy appointment at 8 in tappahannock, then back to work. came home, and climbed into bed and slept. Leslie had not completely recovered from Sunday morning/afternoon, so she went back to bed as well. we ended up sleeping until 2PM. like she said when we were settling in "we're GETTING OLD."

yeah, we are.

just glad we're doing it together.

She's in Fredericksburg now, picking up Vianey and Miguel Angel and Miguelito to bring them back. I'm waiting for her to call to let me know she's on her way back so I can head out to Richmond to purchase a bus ticket for one of the guys in White Stone to leave on the 15th of March.

Such is the life. :-)

Grace, and Peace.