RBA Hispanic Ministry Report

Hispanic Ministry of the Rappahannock Baptist Association

Spring 2011

Welcome Grove church, Warsaw

About a month ago I was taking a family to an appointment in Richmond.  They were a younger couple, and had recently arrived in the area.  They had gotten my name from one of their friends who has lived in the area for several years, and knew me, and until we met in the Food Lion parking lot in Warsaw, I had not met them face-to-face. 

I tend to be an introvert, and it can sometimes be a challenge for me to open up and begin a conversation, especially with folks I don’t know.  The trip out was mostly quiet.  It was early morning, so we were pretty much all waking up.  By the time the appointment was done, we were awake, and stopped through a drive through to get some food, and began the trip home. 

As we got down the road, the husband spoke up and began to ask questions about what I was – as a Pastor – compared to a priest.  It is always easier for an introvert to be drawn into a conversation than it is for us to initiate one, and as we both warmed to the topic, our interaction became more animated and free ranging.  We got into the topics of the weight and place of tradition and church dogma over and against scripture, about what becomes unspoken church dogma outside the Catholic tradition, and other similar things. 

But then the conversation turned to a deeper theme.  He began to ask about what it means to me to believe, how I see my work as a minister.  What I believed about religion and faith.

It was an interesting moment, because as I began to explain what I believed, and expound on it, I found myself becoming more animated, I even felt as though my vocabulary broadened, that there was less hesitation in my expression, that I didn’t have to search for a word, or translate a phrase in my head from English in order to express an idea, there seemed to be a fluidity in speech that has on occasion not been there. 

What was so energizing about that conversation for me was that I was working on expressing my core beliefs in a way that stripped away the Christian jargon that we tend to load those kinds of conversations with – yes, it also happens in other languages, not just English – and it was coming out, as near as I could tell, in intelligible sentences and fairly clear ideas.

Necessarily, our conversation included shared biographies, telling each other about our families, and a few of our experiences.  As the ride drew to a close, I explained about our Gatherings, and where they were held, and what the upcoming schedule was.  Their response was positive both in their expression and enthusiasm. 

I haven’t seen or heard from them since. 

In ministry, that happens.  Sometimes more often than you would like.  You meet someone, you get involved in a conversation, it seems to go well, you feel like you connect with someone, the topic turns to spiritual matters, and it feels like things are going great, you get ‘good vibes’ from the folks you’re talking to, and you come away jazzed, you come away excited at the prospect of seeing them again and getting to know them even better.  It is not limited to any particular group or demographic.  It is no different with the Latino community here on the Neck.  There are folks that I’ve known since the first time I drove up here from Virginia Beach eight years ago to begin visiting workplaces and hold the gatherings who remain connected, but who don’t, for whatever reason, choose to involve themselves in our worship services and our Bible studies.  But they know what I do, and aside from not coming to our services, they still, when we see each other or meet at the store, like to bring up spiritual issues and matters of faith.

As I was thinking about that experience, the Parable of The Sower came mind.  We don’t always know how what we do and say will touch someone or not.  Wouldn’t it be nice if there WERE a simple, quantifiable way to be able to say ‘There.  Done.’  But I’ve found that’s its not that clear cut a thing.  Especially when you are dealing with cross-cultural issues, not to mention cross-denominational and superficial understandings of terminology and concepts.

I would love to be able to stand here and tell you we had X number of professions of faith, and so many baptisms in the last year.  But we are talking about people who in many instances are coming to us from a lifetime of BEING involved the practice of professing their faith already.  Claiming that they were not that before and now are strikes me as being less than respectful of their commitment and their belief.  The fact that we gather and share in worship, or that we connect in a passing conversation or during a car ride is enough for me to be able to share with you that, through your support of this ministry, YOUR ministry, lives truly are being touched and changed and hearts are coming under conviction and spirits are being moved.  And Christ is being proclaimed and salvation is being experienced. 

So it will ALWAYS be with the deepest gratitude that I will share with you the stories of the people that you’ve called us to minister to.

In Christ’s love,

Kenny 

Anniversary

So tomorrow is Leslie's and my 17th anniversary.  Hard to imagine that we've been married that long because ... well ... what do they say?  Time flies when you're having fun?

And it HAS been.

Not always, of course... we've been through sad times, and hard times, financially ... but it's almost scary how ... how ... united we have always been.  


Strains?  Honestly, not that many.  Little things, one not so much that we are working through ... but not something that we are going to let undo our marriage.  


I wish I could describe to you what it is like to know that she's there.  She's guarding my heart when I forget to.  She sees me for who I can become as well as for who I am, and doesn't blink.  I forget sometimes that I can tell her anything, but she knows that SHE can tell ME anything.  


It's hard to put into words the gratitude I feel towards God for allowing us to find each other.  


Happy Anniversary, beloved. 


As You Wish.

El 4 de Julio

So I'm still, after ... uh ... wow ... 30 years (more or less) of living here, working out how I feel about how Independence Day is celebrated in the USA.

I DO love this country ... but I have to say, it's more a love of the people, and the principles, and the ... potential ... I don't "love it or leave it", I'm not a "my country right or wrong" type of person, because my ultimate allegiance is not to the USA, nor is it to Chile, or any given earthly nation.

We have NOT ALWAYS BEEN that "shining beacon of light and hope" that we'd like to think we are.

We have not always stood for the right, the just, the fair, and if we think that we have an unblemished record of doing that, then we are in a heap of trouble.  

I don't see us (and I do, have to, on some level, consider myself a part of the greater whole) as having always done the right thing, or the best thing, or the most noble thing.  I think in our best moments we've faced up to those horrible mistakes we've made.  I believe it is a measure of the strength of character of a nation to be able to acknowledge and admit it's mistakes AS A NATION.  It is more difficult to do that in the present than in the past - I mean, it's easier - though no less important - for the Southern Baptist Convention, to give an example, to apologize for supporting slavery ... how many, 150 or more years after the fact, than it is for it to recognize that in allowing itself to be co-opted by the political power structures of our country we have lost sight of what it means to be a prophetic voice of truth TO power, calling this nation to behave as a member of the world of nations, and not as one that does not depend on MOST of the OTHER nations of the world to sustain ... an unsustainable society...  we have lost our sense of humility in the quest to reassert some lost sense of righteousness that I believe was misapplied to begin with.

There's been very little standing up and saying "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore."

I haven't seen a lot of that over the last 30 years, either from the SBC or the USA.

I hope to see more of it before I "slip the surly bonds".

Just sayin'.  

Mary, By The Chin

It's been an odd day. Feels like we got an extra Saturday.  The somewhat surprise snow fall cancelled classes, so the kids were out of school today.  Not much else was happening, so we stayed in, slept late, snuggled, and had a late breakfast.  

The morning appointment I had scheduled to translate for a man in Tappahannock got cancelled, and other than that the only thing on the schedule was to help Abraham fill out an application for work at the employment commission office up in town.  I got done with that about 2:30, and came back home.  

Pulling into the driveway I decided to go ahead and start the breakdown of the nativity scene that we've had in front of the church since the end of November.  I was pretty well bundled up, which was good, since it was still cold enough for the snow to be pure powder even that late in the day.  Someone, most likely Soozin, had moved all the figures into the stable itself, probably in an effort to keep them from being blown down or across the yard, so they were all together, in a semi-circle around the manger with the baby Jesus figure in it. 

The figures are nearly life-size ... think preteens and youth in hollow plastic with rocks or bricks in them for ballast ... not heavy, but bulky.  Gloves kept my hands mostly warm, but some of the snow that was blowing earlier in the morning had stuck to the faces or backs or arms of the figures.  The first ... one of the shepherds.  He had a staff, as I recall.  Then came a couple of animals - a donkey and a calf, I think... then came... Joseph?  He had been face down between Mary and the manger, so he had a good bit of snow on him, but he was okay.  As I walked down the hill towards the storage shed where we keep them, I heard the window open either in the kitchen or the dining room, and Leslie called out "That's the father of God you're carrying!  Be careful with him!" ... I grinned at her as best I could, while holding a bulky plastic figure... it was a good five minutes later when I thought of the perfect response: "I promise he won't feel a thing!" ... 

Most of the human figures had beards, but Mary was the only one without one, besides Jesus.  For that reason, she was the only one who had a chin.  One of the wise men had a hole in his back where the lightbulb is inserted, but the housing for the lightbulb had come out somehow over the years... it made for an easy handhold.  Otherwise, I found myself manhandling them down the hill.  The cold had it's predictable effect on my ears (fortunately I had a hat on to keep my balding pate relatively warm), as well as my nose ... 

When I did finally get around to picking Mary up, I simply reached down and grabbed her by the chin, and it was a perfect grip, a perfect fit.  The weight of the bricks and rocks in her base kept her upright, and with just the pressure of my fingers I was able to carry her down the hill and set her down in front of the shed.  

When I had finally gotten all the figures down the hill I opened the doors to the shed and stepped in to survey the area where I was going to store them.  spacious shelves, about 8 feet long by 2 or 3 feet deep on one side, and 10 feet long on the adjoining side, forming a corner, two levels... plenty of room.  

When I finally finished stacking them in place, they seemed a little forlorn, a little ... shabby.  The church has had them since a few years before we came, so that means at least 7 years.  Time and the sun and weather have taken their toll on the plastic.  Faded colors in places, brittle in others.  We began talking about replacing them this fall, but weren't able to before the season came upon us, so we will be looking for something new this spring or over the summer.  

I stepped back up to the frame of the stable to see how it has been put together.  It is a spare frame, with one by two's simply giving the suggestion of the outline of the building.  Still, they are all labeled, top right front, top left front, bottom left back, etc.  It's good to know we've got people who are organized enough that way to be able to prepare for the next year by looking ahead to what will need to be done.  

This year, I believe, will prove to be an interesting one.  It seems something is in the air ... change, perhaps.  (I hope for the better!)

  

First of 2010

Not saying anything about anything ... just going to give this a try in the hopes that a recorded life will lead to a better reconciled life ... and a higher awareness ...

This morning we drove to Seashore State Park, to the place where Donald's ashes were scattered, and prayed, sang, and scattered rose petals on the water. The song: The Power of Your Love. The pray-er: Leslie. the scatterers: all of us.

As we walked along the edge of the water, above the rip rap (it was high tide), there were a couple of seagulls who were chasing each other, pecking away, trying to get at what the other one had ... they were kind of funny, in a way.

Just as we got ready to begin, a Pelican flew straight at us from across the inlet, and landed just a few feet offshore and literally, it seemed, stared at us, with the tip of it's beak stuck down in the water ... while I don't necessarily believe in 'visitations' from beyond, this was just eerie enough to make me think that there might have been more going on than just a bird looking for food from humans ... I'm sure we tend to anthropomorphize events like that, but it almost seemed like Donald was there with us...

It was COLD ... but good. we stopped at the Starbuck's next to the Loessner Bridge and spent about an hour ... if not longer, just sitting together and sipping our drinks and talking ...

All in all, a nice way to start the year. Acknowledging the hardships of the last year, and their accompanying sorrows, but looking forward to the coming year with hope and prayers for healing.

the year in review

It's been an eventful year. the most notable absence at this point is that of Donald. There's no easy way to quantify what it is like to have to deal with the untimely death of ANY loved one, but in this case, as in the case of my cousin Eric in 1991, has made for a continuing struggle in adjusting to this present reality.

it's been a good year, a sobering year, a hard year, a centering year, a tiring year. in that sense, it has been no different from our previous years.

We are ending the year as a larger family, with Jesus and Perla having come to us as foster children in the middle of October. While they are precious and dear (as well as troubled, in their own way) ... i can't help but be increasingly aware of the fact that we are witnessing their lives in a way that SHOULD belong to their mother, who desperately wants her children - all 8 - back with her. We are pledged to work with her in that effort.

Jerusalem is a precious, precious place. Flaws and all, the family of faith that meets there is and continues to be a source of grace as well as of challenges. They have taught me what is means to Pastor and BE a pastor. Their patience, love, and support are a continuing source of grace and strength for us.

The Latino Community on the Neck are, as always, a source of joy and sorrow, encouragement and ... opportunities ... there is so much to do ... weighing the needs against our stamina is always a balancing act.

This is a good place. Any way you look at it, taking the good with the bad, the hard with the easy, the blessing with the ... undiscovered blessing... :-)

Here's to a new year of opportunities, hopes, dreams, challenges, and expectations, all rolled together into one.

RBA Hispanic Ministry Report

EXECOM Meeting, Beulah Baptist Church

Warsaw VA

090924

This afternoon I spent a while at the pediatrician’s office here in Warsaw, translating for three families and their children. It’s not unusual for either Leslie or me to spend SOME time there, two or three or even more days a week, depending on the season. The running joke is that they are going to set up a cot for me in one of the offices. Today’s appointments were pretty routine. A couple with their newborn baby son – Jose Maria Andrade Cruz was born on Saturday, and this was his initial newborn appointment. His parents, Jose and Fani, were excited and more than a little apprehensive at the prospect of being parents, but they were both very attentive and very focused on taking care of their precious child. In the course of the visit, I discovered that, though Jose was their first baby, this was their second pregnancy. Though I didn’t ask for any details, I did express to them my condolences in the loss of their first child.

In the next room over, there were two families who are neighbors who live in Village. In one family there are two little ones, Cesar, who is four, and has the distinction of being the first baby I got to the hospital to be born back in 2005 – we arrived at Mary Washington at 2:45 AM and he was born at 3:00 AM. Lucero, his sister, was born this past 4^th of July. The other family has two sons, Victor and Carlos. Victor has apparently been exposed to Poison Ivy or something that has caused him to break out in a rash almost all over his body.

Earlier today I was at the high school with a 17 year old young woman who wanted to enroll in school – she WANTS to at LEAST finish High School, if not go even further in her education, but she has just arrived here from California. She and her boyfriend have beautiful little baby girl. He and HIS family moved here last fall, and her mother wanted her to at least finish out the school year back in California before moving here. The problem right now for her is that her mother in California needs to transfer her guardianship to Marta – her boyfriend’s mother – in order for Marta to be able to enroll the girl in school.

Yesterday I sat with a woman in Callao who went in for a routine mammogram on Monday down at Rappahannock General in Kilmarnock. Her Family Nurse Practitioner received the report Tuesday afternoon early and called me to ask me to relay the results to her. They found a suspicious mass in one of her breasts, and from the size and shape of it there is a high probability that it will turn out to be a malignancy. She cried and I prayed with her. I’d ask you to please add her to your prayer lists – her name is Ana Maria Torres. Over the next days and weeks we will be working on getting her the needed tests and appointments to determine what else needs to happen.

Through your generosity we were able to provide close to a hundred students with the supplies they needed to start school. That number is considerably down from what we did last year, but coincidentally, we had fewer requests to fill this year than last.

I could work my way back through the summer months and walk you through stories of all these families and individuals we have come to know and love, but I know we have other business to attend to here tonight.

What I’d like to leave you with is the understanding that, even though we hear a lot of rhetoric in the public arena that deals in generalities, in labels for huge groups of people, we are still talking about people just like you and me.

If there is one thing that has been reinforced over and over again since we’ve been taking part in this ministry, it is that as followers of Christ, we are called to live in community – meaning we are called to KNOW each other –we are called to share in each other’s lives – CARE for each other, and that is hard to do if you stop thinking of that family in the next aisle over at Wal-Mart as folks with names, with hopes and dreams – in many cases dreams that they may have had at one point for themselves but have had to put away, and are now hoping and dreaming for their children and grandchildren, and start thinking of them in generalities.

Please don’t give in to that temptation, that easy excuse to set aside our responsibility to minister in the name of Jesus to everyone we come in contact with.

Yes, it is hard, and yes, it is messy, but that’s our call.

My final word is, as always, thank you for giving us the chance to DO this. It continues to be a source of joy and challenge for our lives as ministers and as representatives of the Rappahannock Association.

Hispanic Ministry Report to the RBA

Spring meeting, April 23, 2009
Gibeon Baptist Church

I’m reminded of the passage that starts out ‘train up a child in the way he should go …’ because as I was getting ready for tonight, this song started going through my head. As a Royal Ambassador, as a child, I learned the theme song that in part says:

Embajador yo soy, del reino celestial,
Lejos esta mi hogar, en un país mejor
Embajador yo soy, del reino celestial,
En los asuntos de mi Rey,
Este mensaje pues oíd:
Un mensaje de paz y amor;
Reconciliados sed,
Dice el señor mi rey,
Reconciliados sed con Dios

I am an ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven
My home is far away, in a better land
I am an Ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven
About the Business of my King
Hear this message
A message of peace and love
Be reconciled
Says my Lord and King
Be reconciled with God

I read in a Newsletter that i get every month from a fellow follower of Christ, where he was discussing the issues facing Christians and Baptists in Virginia specifically. In it, he listed the illegal immigration issue as the #2 issue to be dealt with (the first issue was education); but in regards to illegal immigration, he wrote the following:

“Illegal immigrants are responsible for an amount of crime much larger than their part of the population. They fill jobs that otherwise would be available for American citizens. They are disproportionately active in drug gangs and illegal transport of guns. A question that should be asked of each proponent is, “why are illegal immigrants more important than American citizens?” Certainly we should help these folks as we can, in their native lands.”

My first thought in response to HIS question would be “Are we behaving as though illegal immigrants are LESS important as human beings than us?” (Apart from wondering where he got his facts,) my other question is, how do we frame our thoughts and ideas about ministering to the migrant community, those people who are not in THEIR native land? It occurs to me that the voice that is loudest is that of the culture – the media and politicians. But is that the frame on which we as a people of faith should build OUR view of what it means to minister to this community?

The people of Israel are instructed in Deuteronomy very specifically on how to treat the foreigner among them – and it is with a welcoming spirit and open arms. And the foundation of that instruction is based on their own experience as foreigners and slaves in Egypt. As people of faith, as followers of Christ, we carry that mantle as well, because we are also a people living in exile. We are citizens of heaven, not of the United States. It is difficult for us to envision ourselves AS citizens of somewhere we’ve never been, I agree. But I would challenge us all to work towards living in that frame of mind. Because until we are there, we ARE called TO minister, while we are here, to the least of these, our brothers and sisters.

Our work, yours, mine, OURS, is about the KINGDOM. It is not about our politics or the world’s politics.

And the Kingdom is something that cannot be defined. It can be described – Jesus described it as a precious coin lost that a woman turns her house upside down to find, or like a treasure in a field that is found and the man goes out and buys the field in order to return and retrieve the treasure… Jesus described it, but he never gave a specific definition of it – and that is uncomfortable for us. We can’t box it in, as much as we would like to, for our comfort’s sake. But I think that, for the sake of the Kingdom, I would rather BE uncomfortable.

In the last few weeks, I’ve been stretched out of MY comfort zone. Two couples in the Latino community have come to me asking for counseling. They are going through rough spots in their relationships. Marriage and couples counseling is something that I am NOT comfortable with, but I am stepping out on faith that God’s spirit will give wisdom and guidance as we walk through these sessions together. Some of you may have heard of the movie ‘Fireproof’ – thank goodness, the DVD also has a Spanish language setting. It has served as a starting point for our conversations, and it presents a very clear direction in terms of the need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to truly make a marriage work.

I would covet your prayers for wisdom and guidance as we continue through that process.

My first and last word to you is “thank you” for giving us this opportunity, to be able to minister in the name of Christ on behalf of the Rappahannock Baptist Association to our Latino brothers and sisters.

On a personal note, I would ask that you pray for Leslie and her family. Her father is in need of a lung transplant, and they are down in Durham undergoing testing and assessment to try to bring him back to a point of health where he could be put on the candidate list TO receive a transplant. Leslie will be spending a lot of time there with them, providing transportation and support as they go through that process. Since she was the only one that didn’t have a ‘day job’ (nudge nudge, wink wink for those of you who know Leslie!) that she had to be at, she taken that on.

Again, thanks so much.

I used to not be able to even SEE the floor over there, much less walk across it ... there were stacks of mail and things piled all over that corner ... i'm so excited ... i find myself just standing up and walking around the office ... because i CAN!

we invited several of our friends who are working here over the winter for the first time (they are usually the summer crew) to spend Christmas day with us. we got their sizes and information from them about a month or so ago, and one of the churches in the area wanted to take on a mission project for Christmas, so we relayed the information to them -- they REALLY did a fantastic job --- all the guys got a shirt, a pair of pants, and shoes or boots of some kind ... they came in two waves -- four and four ... which was actually nice ... it meant that we could sit at the table with each group and eat with them ... 

Gabriel and Panuncio are at the bottom left of the picture, Mundo is in front of the stereo, and Gabino is to the far right ... in the picture above, Ruperto is in the blue rocking chair and Gabino is in front of the piano. Cirilo is to Ruperto's left, and Oscar is putting some trash in the bag that Caleb is holding. 

Hanna Zhu, a friend of Leslie's from seminary, who is from Hunan province in China, was also with us. She has her back to the camera in this shot -- to the bottom right... Hannah (our Hannah) can be seen just above the lamp light ...

See? it really IS possible! between last night/this morning/and today i worked on my office and got it clean --ALMOST completely. there are still a couple of spots that need work -- see the bottom shelf behind the chair ... but that will come... now the challenge is to see that it REMAINS AT LEAST NEAR to this condition ... for me to be able to work and not lose stuff ... to be able to look around and actually FIND something i'm looking for ... i'm going to be more intentional about sorting through mail when it comes in, and getting rid of the dross as soon as i see it ... not bring it into the house to wind up anywhere OTHER than in the trash can.

Interesting quote from C.S. Lewis today: 

"Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning..."

hmmmm ... hasn't changed since i first took the test in the early 80's. perhaps it has gone more to the extremes on each of the markers.

oh well. :-)

And yet another time ...

What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 79% Neo orthodox 71% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 50% Classical Liberal 39% Roman Catholic 36% Charismatic/Pentecostal 32% Modern Liberal 29% Reformed Evangelical 18% Fundamentalist 4%

Theological Worldview

Hmmmm .... veeerrrrryyy interestink .... what a difference a week makes! just can't figure anything different, other than location ... and thinking more about how the answers apply to the questions ... or rather ... in my head i was completing the answers beyond the 'yes/no' realm.

Example: QUESTION: God calls us to faith at the preaching of the Gospel (during the church service) : Choices: disagree ... through 5 degrees ... to agree (strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, whatever, somewhat agree, strongly agree.) I chose disagree BECAUSE I believe that God calls us to faith through our ENTIRE life experience, INCLUDING during preaching. It's not a lightswitch event ... though ... then again ... sometimes it is. Just ask Martin Luther (I guess that would be a lightning event) :-)

What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 79% Neo orthodox 64% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 54% Classical Liberal 46% Roman Catholic 36% Modern Liberal 36% Reformed Evangelical 21% Charismatic/Pentecostal 18% Fundamentalist 11%

What's your theological worldview?

You scored as a Neo orthodox

You are neo-orthodox. You reject the human-centredness and scepticism of liberal theology, but neither do you go to the other extreme and make the Bible the central issue for faith. You believe that Christ is God's most important revelation to humanity, and the Trinity is hugely important in your theology. The Bible is also important because it points us to the revelation of Christ. You are influenced by Karl Barth and P T Forsyth.

Neo orthodox 68%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 64%
Emergent/Postmodern 61%
Roman Catholic 39%
Classical Liberal 39%
Modern Liberal 39%
Charismatic/Pentecostal 36%
Reformed Evangelical 11%
Fundamentalist 4%

Bay St. Louis & Waveland, MS

it's been an incredible day. we arrived yesterday afternoon -- early. went through a small stack of work requests from different folks ... narrowed it down to a few we thought we could handle, and then called them to see if they were in and to see if we could swing by and take a look at their needs to have a clearer idea of what actually needed to happen. we visited three homes. the first is the home and place of business of an RN who is also a Tarot card reader ... Don and Tom and Billy worked there ... the other was a woman who works for Medicaid, has two daughters in college, and the third is a family who's trailer was completely underwater. we are going to focus on THEM tomorrow and probably the next day as well, and maybe even Thursday.

Sheesh ... it's been a while ... it's not that nothing's been happening ... it's that SO MUCH has been happening ... we ended up handing out over 220 backpacks. God supplied. And we will be able to send backpacks to several families in Mexico, through workers that are returning here in the next few days. Leslie found school supplies on clearance at Target for INCREDIBLE prices, and was able to stock us up on notebooks and rulers and a bunch of other stuff.

Sayde is doing well --- her arm was almost sliced off in a de-barking machine at he wood mill where she works. she's still in the hospital ... the kids are doing great in school... REALLY good. Caleb ran/jogged the fastest mile in the entire elementary school -- 8 minutes and 26 seconds ... he decided that, although he COULD, he didn't WANT to slow to a walk at any point in the test ... and when the PE teacher told him what his time was at the beginning of his last time around the track, he took off running and didn't stop until he finished. Even the PE teacher was astounded. He said that 8:26 is unheard of for a fourth grader.

cool. :-)

Hannah turned 12 last Monday. We're hoping and planning on getting out of town for a couple of days beginning Thursday -- coming back on Saturday evening. We have a guest speaker coming next Sunday, a former Pastor, so i won't have to prepare a message for Sunday morning. :-)

I volunteered to be on an associational steering committee to come up with recommendations to bring to the association as a whole on what to do with Kirkland Grove campground. It was used for evangelistic camp meetings back in the last decade of the 19th century and the first 4 decades or so of the 20th. It is a beautiful, historic landmark ... but it is begging to be put to use -- we just need to decide HOW, or do something WITH it.
Otherwise, things are going well. Pretty much.

A Start

Here we go! We've received somehwere just over 40 backpacks, and Tacha and Maria, bless their hearts, buzzed through checking those that had already been packed and those that needed packing and put them together in just a short while. We started getting calls from folks to check and see if we would be distributing again this year, and are compiling the list. We've got a few backpacks left that are almost ready to go except for one or two items. We'll continue to collect this coming week, will be going to a retreat for Pastors and families from Thursday through Saturday, then will begin distribution Monday the 20th. Leslie and the kids will go to Virginia Beach on Monday, to celebrate Angela's birthday on Tuesday, and will be picking up those backpacks collected at Thalia Lynn to bring back with them on Wednesday. Tacha and Maria fly back to Spain on Tuesday the 21st, so we'll be taking the day to take them to the airport, but then come back and dive into the distribution full force. :-) should be fun!

Peace

So here it is! We knew we were going to have to do this this year, and it happened pretty quickly once we decided that we were GOING to do it. It's a 2007 Grand Caravan, stow and go seating (the middle two captains chairs and the rear bench seat fold down into the floor, flush, so we can have a full length flat area if we need to transport anything massive. or spend the night in the car somewhere. :-)

it's got way more bells and whistles on it than we've ever had on a car, which is nice, but will take some getting used to -- except for the cruise control -- the cruise control we REALLY locked into, knowing we were going to be making these long trips throughout the year -- we are currently in Frisco, Texas, at Craig and Janet's, came here from Louisville last Saturday, and will be travelling to Memphis to be with Becky and Bill and the kids on Thursday. We'll leave from there on Sunday after church ... and lunch, i imagine, and stop somewhere on the road to spend the night with ourselves as a family before diving into the remainder of July and August back on the Northern Neck.

Peace!