Ron and Marilyn's Place

David Gerald Park - 37 years old

2008-03-10T18:27:00.001-07:00

He's not my son. He's Jerry's first born. He is the son of Ann. If you know them you can see them in David. His compassion. His gentleness. His patience. If you know him you can see he has gone beyond them - to their great joy, I'm sure. David is the son of Jerry and Ann, but he is additionally David.

He's not my son. I didn't know him as a boy. He was a man when we met. I, the man who was to be his father-in-law, met David at the occasion of the death of the man who had been my father-in-law. I must confess that this is a thought that is not new to me. It has always made me aware of the influence men in such a relationship can have on each other. If the years we have together in such a relationship can allow as much good influence to flow from older-to-younger as did in the years I experienced as the younger, then I will be pleased. If the good that flowed from the younger-to-older was then as much as it has been with us, then I was a blessing to Brab.

He's not my son, but he's one with my daughter. I remember her first attempts to describe him to me. She told me he reminded her of me - as if that was supposed to win my favor. But he's more patient than I. He's more compassionate than I. He's more determined to demonstrate respect for those who may not have learned to respect themselves. It flatters me that she saw something like me in him. My guess is she just saw what she liked and she liked me, too. I told David I knew he was a wise man because wise men marry up and he married Shelley.

He's not my son, but he's the father of my grandsons. To a man with only daughters, that's an important thing. He is the one who will give the wound or give the blessing. He is the one who will answer the question they will have about their own manhood. And, from what I've seen he is up to the task. Though my grandsons are as different as (dare I say it) ebony and ivory, he is to them what a father should be. I am able to relax when I think of how this great task will be accomplished. It will be accomplished through God's spirit poured through His son, David.

He's not my son. You see that's the point. He is God's son and that makes it all good. Thirty-seven years are really only a few. But they have proven, for David, to be plenty for gaining the respect of his wife, his peers, his seniors and his sons. They have proven to be plenty for demonstrating the meaning of hope for a brighter future for those who see little hope. After all, isn't that what the sons of God do. He's not my son - thank God! He's God's son.

Ron's GREAT ride

2007-10-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ron's GREAT ride can be seen at http://thegreatride07.blogspot.com/

He and 4 other guys from our church are on a 9-day, 600-mile ride from the Rio Grande River to the Red River. They are on their 2nd day today finishing the first day from Brownsville to Raymondville. Today is through the King ranch.

It Can't Be 38 Years!

2007-08-22T15:14:00.001-07:00

I was 20 and she was a teenager when we met. We played Spades that night - she won. The next night, a Sunday, I invited her to a gathering at her parents house. It took a couple of years, but we married in 1969. She hitched her wagon to mine in a very real sense. She quit her schooling so we could finish mine. What we didn't fully understand was what a partnership it was to be. I would lead our family where she pointed us to go. My career would be our focus our project our frustration our joy, actually, our career. And that would be true through all the careers. Our house, and they have been many. Our girls, and they have been sweet blessings. Our friends, all of whose names she would patiently reminded me. Our family, never "my family vs your family." Our God - always with us and yet never near enough.

It can't be merely 38 years. It has to have been since we were babies. Surely we were born together. Surely there wasn't a time when I didn't have her at my side. If there were how did I make it? If there were from whence came my joy? If there were what gave me purpose?

It can't have already been thirty-eight years! We just met a short time ago. We're not old enough to have been together that long. 38-year marriages are for old people. Why, if you've been married that long then it's more than half over and that can't be. We've got too much to do. Places to go we haven't been. There's Egypt and Panama and Switzerland and China. Memories to make we haven't made. There's Samuel's graduation and Jeremiah's wedding. 38 years already - no, I don't believe it.

I asked her, the other day, to marry me. She said (as she always does ), "I can't. I'm already married." Now how sweet is that?!?! Then she started talking about how great her husband is. After hearing her describe him, I couldn't blame her for saying "No." I'm glad she has him. I hope she keeps turning me down and keeps him.

August 23, 1969 - an ordinary day to an uninformed world. The beginning of an extra ordinary adventure for this old man. I wish the whole thing - from then to now - had been video taped so I could watch it all again. In real time, no fast-forwarding, no muting - only pausing and, maybe a little re-winding and slow motion. Yeah! Slow motion, that would be good.

I love my wife.

He Was Young - And Now He's Old

2007-08-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

OK. Last month I turned 60 - on July 18 to be exact. As I have often pointed out, that is actually an expression of location. To say "I'm 60" means that, since the day I exited my mother's womb, I have ridden around the Sun on this muddy dirt ball called "earth" back to the original place for the 60th time. It's as much a location thing as it is a time thing. Another thought. Since the sun is not really stationary in the universe, but traveling on some trajectory and carrying its orbiting planets along with it, our trips around the sun are not really like traveling round and round the center of a flat plate. They are more like following the spiral of a Slinky. So we never really go back to where we were before.

All of that is some non-normal thinking about what it means to be 60. The easy explanation of what it means to be 60 is "it's been 60 years since you were born." But, what else does it mean? It means your kids are grown. In some cases it means they have kids. It means the morning question "Did you sleep well?" is a question that is actually seeking information. It means, no matter how optimistic you are, you finally realize there are more years behind you than in front of you. It means you relish the idea of being "carded" when you ask for the senior discount (an event which, by the way, would NEVER happen).

I've decided to commemorate the achievement of having traveled 17.53 billion miles thought space. I plan to do something memorable this year. First, I followed through on standing commitments to myself concerning bicycling. I rode the MS 150. That two day event is a standard part of my year. That commitment has to do with MS and my sister more than my agedness. However, it carried extra agedness meaning this year. You can read more than you want to know about that ride in earlier editions of our blog. It resulted in the worst biking injury I've had, to date, and yet another completed ride and a fairly decent (and brief) DVD, since Marilyn was there to shoot a little footage at the Finish Line. Second, I rode, last month, in the Tour de Goatneck. The Goatneck is a 70 mile ride and satisfies my decision to ride, in miles, an organized ride equal to the number of years I've reached in July of each year. I call it my annual BMR (birth month ride) Since I'm only at 60 years, the Goatneck will satisfy that commitment for at least another decade. The main memorable thing I'm planning this year - my 60th air breathing year - is the G.R.E.A.T. Ride. I will describe that ride below. First, though I need to report on the Goatneck - since I have pictures.

There were six of us who rode, two young men who accompanied me last year, two who are

committed tot he GREAT Ride later this year, David Park (my son-in-law) and me. The two GREAT Ride riders rode the 41 mile route. The rest of us ride the 70 mile route. It was a "cool" day - high in the mid-eigthies and overcast most of the day. The four long riders stayed together by waiting for each other at the rest stops. Then, we would agree on which stop was to be stopped at next and ride our own pace to that stop. That way we were together, yet free to pedal at our own strength on the course. We finished the course in pretty much the same order as we arrived at most of the Rest Stops. I was second of the four. My average speed for the day was 16.2 mph. I set a new personal best maximum speed of 42.7 mph. Everyone enjoyed to day and the companionship. The Goatneck is a good ride. I enjoy haivn it as my BMR.

The Grande/Red Excursion Across Texas Ride - the GREAT Ride. I've decided to describe this in another post. tune

A Birthday Gift

2007-08-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have to post this because it needs to be preserved. Sara, our younger daughter who is living in Mexico, came home so she could have a birthday party here, at home. Shelley, our older daughter and her family, came for the party. So, we had a great family and friends time together. I'll let Sara tell you how old she became on July 26. As for me, I turned 60 on the 18th. Our two daughters had informed me that they were getting a combined gift for me for my 60th. They gave it to me at Sara's party, after Sara had opened her gifts. It was an official team jersey from the Texas A&M Cycling Team. I was blessed to be able to wear it in my annual BMR (birth month ride), the Tour de Goatneck, that very weekend. It was great! I got lots of "gig 'ems" from other riders. I also got remarks that linked my odd bike with being a Aggie. I just relish them all. I know they all stem from either friendliness and camaraderie or jealousy.

Another thing my creative daughters did was wrote a note to accompany the jersey. That's what I'm posting for your reading pleasure. Here it is:

Top Ten Rejected Birthday Gifts for Dad
(no particular order)

1. A New Bike
Rejected because: Who really needs four bikes?

2. A new iPod
Rejected because: Been there, done that . . . Twice!

3. An iTunes gift card
Rejected because: Boring!

4. New Clothes
Rejected because: More Boring!!

5. Naming a Star After You
Rejected because: Although a neat thought, a complete waste of money!

6. A Telescope
Rejected because: We're just not rich enough to buy you one that's good enough.

7. A Tie
Rejected because: You've got to be kidding me!!!

8. New bike Stuff
Rejected because: You're gonna buy that stuff for yourself anyway, so why spend our money?

9. Money for the Great Bathroom Switch [a re-modeling job I've talked about a lot]
Rejected because: We'll save that for Mom's birthday since that would really be her gift.

10. A New Coffee Mug
Rejected because: Who really needs 60 of those?

Know that we thought of a lot of options before landing on this one. Hope you like it better than it's potential predecessors.

We love you!!!

Your brood

One thing of great importance and very worthwhile to know is rejected gift #9. The way I read that we should be getting the funding for the Great Bathroom Switch remodeling job come April - at Marilyn's birthday. I'm really looking forward to that!!

I'm writing something about being 60 that I plan to post, if I ever get it to sound right. Check back here later on in the month.

World Travels

2007-05-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

We saw Phillips Shero's blog where he posted a map depicting to places he has visited. So, we thought we'd do one of those too. This maps shows the 59 countries either Marilyn or I has visited or countries we have visited together.

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

2007 MS 150 Video

2007-05-09T19:55:00.001-07:00

2007 MS 150

2007-05-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

[I know this post is long, but read it anyway. It's fun.]
Day One was 78.5 miles. It started in Frisco, Texas and proceeded north and west until we had pedaled across the top of Denton, well to the north. We stopped in the small town of Sanger for lunch and then it was all pushing south against a south wind until we reached the end of the first day at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Darrell Crow, my fellow rider (and one of four riders committed to the G.R.E.A.T. Ride coming up in October) came by our house as soon after work of Friday as he could. We loaded his bike and gear into our Odyssey, that was already loaded with my bike and gear, and headed for Mark’s house. Mark is my younger brother and he had volunteered his house, again this year, as the staging point for the beginning of Day One. Darrell had done the MS 150 once before - when it was a ride to Ardmore, Oklahoma. That was three years ago. Since Mark’s wife, Carla, was in China visiting their missionary son and daughter-in-law, Marilyn was the gal amongst the guys for the evening as we talked and planned and prepared for the next day’s ride. We had a great evening, but we retired early - get up time: 4:30a. Breakfast at Mark’s - departure for the Start Line by 5:15a - arrival at 6:00a - ready to ride by 6:30a. It was fun anticipating the ride, joking about who would be crazy enough to get up this early, let alone for these purposes. The first words out of my mouth as I stepped into Mark’s front yard were, “It’s windy.” That was to prove to be the curse of the weekend. Day One was 18 miles of northbound (wonderful tail wind) and 32 miles westbound (bothersome cross wind) and 28.5 miles southbound (brutal HEAD wind). Day Two was worse.

We said our “Good-byes” in the parking lot and Darrell and I headed to the Start Line. There is always an aura of great anticipation in the air at the Start Line. Everyone is ready to go, but not sure they really want to. You are noticing how others have prepared and hoping your preparations have been sufficient and yet not overdone. Some carry two hydration bottles, some only one. Some carry water, some some strange home-brew that looks like it might really be helpful or horrible. There is loud music being broadcast, as if to keep everyone awake. The announcer is hyping and introducing dignitaries on some stage not visible to anyone but those on the front row of the 3,000 rider throng. Then they sang the national anthem. Riders stopped their chatting and their tinkering with their bikes, removed their helmets and found one of many flags around to gaze at during the singing. Then the cheer at the end. The three plane fly over that had been announced didn’t show up until about five minutes later. Then you knew why. They were old W.W.II planes that took about as long to pass over as it had taken to sing the anthem. But, the idea was good.

The start of the ride at 7:00a meant that front pack started. Then, subsequent packs (maybe 100 riders) were released at intervals. Darrell and I crossed the Start Line at about 7:20a. The ultimate goal at this stage is don’t crash.

Darrell and I had decided we would make Break Point 2 our first stop. So we had 18.1 miles to ride. It always gives you a feeling of power to ride past a Break Point and think of all the riders you just got ahead of. Of course, many of them will pass you while you are eating sliced oranges and bananas at the next Break Point.

The ride to lunch was without incident except for one mental mistake. Everything that had been published about the Day One ride had the Lunch Stop at 44-46 miles. So, by mile 43 you are looking anxiously for the food place. Well, it turned out to be just after mile 50. We almost died in those last four miles.

After Sanger, we passed through Krum and Ponder and Justin. It was drizzling the whole way and the wind was in our faces. But, it was peaceful and satisfying. I could wax poetic about it all were I a poet. But I’ll simply speak of the multiple shades of green that blanketed the soft hills of north Texas - greens caused by the recent abundant rain. Some of the houses tell of simple agrarian folks who live and work hard happy lives. Others houses betray city lifestyles exported to the country side. I’ve often wondered why it is part of the American value system to want to be so wealthy that you have no nearby neighbors.

I completed Day One slightly ahead of Darrell, but he came in strong and tired. He recovered quickly. My computer read 5 hours and 2 minutes, 78.47 miles at an average speed of 15.4 mph. That’s shorter and slower than last year, but then the wind was no factor last year.

Day Two was scheduled to start with a lap around the track at the TMS and then cover 74.3 miles. It would be a west-northwest ride to Decatur - only 30 miles - and then south-southeast 44.3 miles to Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth.

Darrell and I stored our bikes and carried our bags to the camping area. About the time we found the place we would pitch our two tents, I was thinking of calling Mark to let him know we had made it. As I was getting my phone, I looked up and there was Mark. He had already finished his day’s work and driven over to find us. Last year he had stayed the night with me at the TMS and determined, at that time, to ride this year. But, alas, time slips away and the intentions to prepare, physically, get overcome and life distracts and then it’s too late to get ready and so you come back and spend the night in the tent, again, and console your good intentions with the ol’ Aggie anthem “Wait ‘til next year.” He came, again. It is a great blessing to have a brother who is determined to have our lives be connected. We also connect ourselves with our baby sister, Becky, through this event in that she has MS. We really want there to be a cure.

The three of us set up tents, sat around talking and had supper. Darrell and I ate at the camp ground - supper furnished by the organizers - while Mark watched us eat. Mark drove us to Wendy’s where he ate and we watched. Well, we also had a Frosty - you can do that guilt free when you’ve just biked 78.5 miles. Back at the camp site they had a rock band playing that reminded Darrell and Mark of AC/DC. It all sounded like a lot of noise to me. But we passed the rest of the daylight listening and talking. We laid down to sleep about 9:00p. We were tired.

The night was necessary, though not as restful as one would hope. What can be said is that as we laid down we were not at all sure we could do the next day’s ride. As we arose there was the hope that it would be possible. The wind was relentless throughout the night. It never shifted nor abated. I thought the tent would blow away. 5:30a came well after I was ready for it to come. We had to arouse Darrell from what seemed to be a deep sleep. Mark left as soon as the tents and bags were packed - it was, after all, Sunday morning. It had been good to have him there.

Darrell and I were actually a bit behind schedule. We wanted to get onto the track to do the lap and that meant being inside the stadium gate by no later than 7:00a. We finished gearing up and took our bags to the baggage trucks. Then, as went back to the breakfast area and stood in line for food. We ate quickly talking of the discouragement the wind was bringing to our hearts. Back at the bike corral they said, “turn right” if you were going to the track or to the Start Line.

We left the bike corral together and turned right. It was down hill and it was a wide smooth surface. Many had already gone ahead of us and we were a little unsure if we would arrive at the gate in time to go in for the lap. Then it happened. It was like three bikes in a “V” formation - but the opposite from what planes would do. There were two in front and one at the rear. The rear one was me and I had Darrell to my left and another rider (named Tim I would soon discover) to my right. I think we were going about 20 mph. Tim turned his body around to his left and bent down to look back at his back wheel. When he did he lost control of his bike veering left. I broad sided him and we both went down. I had no time to turn or brake or shout or jump. I hit the ground hard - fortunately it was not my head but my butt. My bike hit Tim’s hard. As we assessed ourselves, Tim had no injuries. I had “road rash” on my right palm, right forearm, right knee and right calf. I also had a very painful rear end. It has since become a blackish purple bruise about the size of a grapefruit.

Disentangling our bikes we discovered that I had fared better then Tim. I put my chain back on and my V-Rex was ready to go (though I was not at all sure I would be able to). Tim’s rear fork was bent. That’s a bit like a horse that has broken its leg. He was out of the ride and in the market for a new bike.

The delay cost us the lap around the track. We went to the Start Line and I lined up with everyone as if I was going to ride. Darrell tried to encourage me by rehearsing how dramatic the crash had been. He had helplessly witnessed the whole thing. The encouragement part was complimenting me on being willing to consider continuing. When they said go we went and the day’s ride had begun.

Lunch was only 30 miles away and the first pre-lunch Break Point was 14.2 miles in. I told Darrell I wanted to stop there and get the medics to dress my wounds. So, we did that. I was really unfocused and confused because of the crash, but slowly I regained my focus. We were both very distracted by our thoughts of the after-lunch ride to the Finish Line that would be entirely into that unceasing wind. By the time we reached Lunch we were needing the rest and the time to get ourselves mentally ready to face the wind all the way home. Without a lot of joy, we set out to head south-southeast.

The course into the wind began with downhill and smooth roads for a long way. That was encouraging. Then, as we began to actually feel the resistance and resolve ourselves to simply not making as good of time as would be expected without it, it all began to seem possible. Our plan was to stop at Break Points 4 and 6. BP 4 was 18 miles past lunch. I was feeling good and riding strong. I had regained my focus. Darrell fell in with a “speed line” (5 or 6 guys drafting off each other) and left me behind. I was glad he did because I had left him on Day One and still felt a little guilty. Now I was vindicated. By the time I reached BP 4 he was there waiting for me. He said he was feeling good and strong and attributed it to the Lord giving him strength. I was glad. I was doing OK and rooting for Darrell. He mentioned he might go ahead of me on the next leg and I gave my blessing. “Ride at your own pace” was the procedure for going to BP 6.

I’m almost sure it was four - it may have been only three, but they constituted a multitude of monster hills between BP 4 and BP 6. I’m not sure on which one it was that I passed Darrell, but I did. I couldn’t wait for him because I would loose my momentum and I was absolutely sure I would never regain it. The hills were more monstrously long than they were monstrously steep. Pressing on to BP 6 meant passing BP 5. I wanted to stop, but didn’t know what Darrell’s preference might be so I stuck with the original plan. At BP 6, I was 10 miles from the Finish Line. I called Marilyn. She was already there waiting for us. I told her I would wait for Darrell to make sure he was OK and then pedal on in, ahead of him. When Darrell arrived he was determined finish though he had “hit the wall” at 57 miles. He wanted us to cross the Finish Line together. I agreed. That was a much better idea. So we left BP 6 and rode side-by-side to Sundance Square. We both had renewed energy and it almost felt like we were crossing the Finish Line the whole 10 miles.

It was my second time to turn onto the bricks of Main Street in front of the Court House in Fort Worth at the MS150 Finish Line. The barricades, the crowds, the music, the announcer, the knowledge that Marilyn was there somewhere, the exhilaration of a successful ride - the whole atmosphere makes you feel like you could just keep riding. But, as one rider I spoke with along the route - a lady who noticed my wounds and had heard of the morning’s crash through the grapevine - reminded me that even if I were unable to complete the ride “it’s not the mileage that will find the cure; it’s the money.” So, I’ll close this account of the MS150 with heartfelt thanks to the nine respondents to my solicitations who contributed almost $700 toward finding the cure. It’s not too late, if you still want to help. My goal was $1,000 and I have until June 6. I’ve done the mileage. But, we’re still looking for the cure.

Come Before Winter Kenya 2007

2007-04-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

As you can read on the blog posting before this, Ron and I were able to travel to Africa together for the first time last month. You can read more about our travels to Uganda, Mozambique and Swaziland below. But I will say that we were so blessed to be in Mbale, Uganda and be able to spend time with Phillip and Laura Shero along with Malachi, almost 7, Israel, a very bright 4-year old and precious Annalise, the princess tomboy! What a great delight for all of us. We were doubly blessed to enjoy Laura Beth’s presence also (one of our own from RHCC).

After leaving Uganda, I finally fulfilled a promise I’d made to Pam d’Oliveira several years ago. To come visit her and Manuel in Maputo, Mozambique! Debbie and I were only able to stay 3 days but we squeezed in lots of sharing, praying, eating under the mango tree and enjoying sweet fellowship!

And what fun to drive together to Swaziland and see the Tree of Life Project with 15,000 macadamia trees! We were also blessed to renew friendship with Kurt and Wendy Platt and meet Beverly Dankers and the Carters who serve with Manzini Bible School.

After leaving Mozambique, Debbie and I flew to Nairobi where we met half of the team and spent the night at the Country Lodge. Here is the hotel atrium in this photo.

The next day we flew on to Malindi on the coast and arrived at Turtle Bay Resort which was the venue for this Come Before Winter renewal. Now I know why missionaries love to work in Kenya!! What sweet, gracious people! By this time, the rest of the time had arrived and we began preparing for our week.

The coast and beach of Kenya were so beautiful! We were anxious to get up each morning and see the sun rise over the Indian Ocean! What a beautiful setting to praise God for His creation.

On Monday, March 19, the women began to arrive! All 59 of them! This was the largest renewal so far and quite a challenge to plan and carry out. But what joy to greet these women who are serving God in very difficult places.

This was quite a different renewal for me as my main assignment was as Gifts Coordinator and assistant administrator. CBW lavishes gifts on all the women who attend and so each morning and evening they are given gifts of CDs, bracelets, pens, bookmarks, lotion, etc. This was such a fun job as each woman was continually surprised and amazed by the gifts. I also had other tasks throughout the week, taking care of details and making announcements each morning.

As the women arrive, they are assigned to a prayer cluster that meets each night. I was honored to spend quality time with four amazing women who are serving in Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda. We laughed and cried and spent time in study and prayer. What a blessing to get to know Kathy Ham, Becca Ramsey, Beth Tunick and Martha Smith.

The last evening after dinner, we had a Texas party! We actually brought cowboy hats and bandanas for each woman. And of course, we had to play some Texas music like ‘Cotton Eyed Joe.’ Then came ‘the chicken dance’ – that brought so much laughter as we all got in on the action! Someone outside the room heard that there were missionaries in that room and was amazed that we were having so much fun.

Friday morning was a time to pray and bless each participant. I was able to pray over the women of my prayer cluster. Afterwards, they put us in a circle and said thank you to us in 15 different languages. And then they gave US gifts! After that, it was time to say farewell to our special friends that we had come to know and love. And then it was just the CBW team again. We had a day of rest and recuperation and then a lovely dinner on our last night at Turtle Bay. Then came a time to process exactly what happened during the week. It is always a learning time as we look back at the week – what went well, what went great and what went perfect!!

I really love the women that went to Kenya. Of course, I had the best roomie ever! Debbie Jenks is such a amazing woman, full of the Spirit and in love with the Lord and His Word. She challenges me through her habit of prayer and time in the Word. Plus, she’s fun to be around! We laughed so much – especially about the crabs that wanted to come in our room each night.

It was so good to be with Laura Reppart, Becky Van Rheenan, Peggy Nelson and Donna Wilbanks, all first-timers from RHCC! We definitely had the TIA experience (this is Africa).

Well, that’s about all for now. Oh, one interesting note. We flew out of the Nairobi airport on March 25. We were amazed to hear Christian music and preaching over the intercom while there. Could not believe Randy Travis singing one of his Christian songs in Kenya!

We arrived home safely Monday, March 26. Debbie and I had a few days to recuperate before our husbands returned on Wednewday, the 28th. It was good to be back together again. As Ron always says ‘it’s better when we’re together’ (a Jack Johnson favorite of ours!) We praise God for taking us on this journey, keeping us safe from harm and blessing us tremendously!

African Saga 2007

2007-04-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Marilyn had been to Africa a couple of times. I had been numerous times. But, we’d never been together. The Lord provided occasion for us to both be there, again, so we set it up so that we could be together for at least part of the trip.

My recent shift to a new position at RHCC brought about the need for me to take Duane Jenks, the minister who is assuming my old responsibilities as Minister of Missions, on a visit the our African works. He had never been to Africa. Marilyn’s fifth time as a team member in a Come Before Winter project was taking her to Kenya. One of her teammates was Debbie Jenks, Duane’s wife. So, the four of us traveled together for the first half of the three week saga. We were accompanied by Don Box, a dear friend and an elder at RHCC. When the guys and gals parted company, Don went with the guys.

We all started in Uganda. We left the US on March 5 stopping in Chicago and London before arriving in Entebbe, Uganda. In London we took advantage of Don’s membership in American Airlines’ Admirals Club to help us cope comfortably with our twelve hour layover. The trip to Africa causes your body to enter somewhat of a twilight zone. It becomes day when it should be night and night when it should be day. You can’t sleep when you should and your body demands sleep when it can’t be had. By the time you arrive at your destination your body is time-zoned out (pun intended, of course).

Arrival in Entebbe was not, however, synonymous with arrival at our destination. We still had a five hour van ride to make to get to Mbale and the Shero’s house. With stops along the way in Kampala and Jinja we managed to make the van trip last eight hours - hours during which we all did our impersonations of head-bobbing dolls.

It was a sweet reunion with the Sheros. They had wisely opted to hire a driver to fetch us at the airport. Thus, they could prepare for our arrival at home and leave plenty of seats for us and our stuff in the van. So we first hugged them when we arrived at their house in Mbale. We stashed our mountains of stuff in the rooms of their house and immediately began eating and talking - activities which would prove to be our default activities for the precious days of our stay.

In the days that followed we toured the Messiah Theological Institute facilities. We toured the town church, Mbale Church of Christ, facilities. We toured the construction sites for the new Good News Production International production center and the Conference Center. We were given a tour of the school for the missionary kids. We attended the whole team weekly devo and, separately, the men’s and women’s prayer breakfasts. We were brought up to speed on the current status of the university project. We learned that to university will be named Messiah International University.

One of the blessings of the time there was to have Laura Beth Chapman on hand at most of our meals and activities. LB is from RHCC and is currently helping the team as their resident graphic artist. We saw her work place and home and met her house mates. We got to see some of what she has done to upgrade the MTI publications. She is also beginning to work on the branding for the university.

Outside the city we visited the breathtakingly beautiful Sisiji Falls. We concluded our stay in Uganda on Sunday March 11 by worshipping with a rural church and witnessing the baptism of 18 souls. Then we drove to Entebbe. Our flight to Mozambique left early Monday morning. All of the Sheros accompanied us to Entebbe. We had to say our “farewells” to LB in Mbale.

We five were met by Manuel and Pam deOliveira as we disembarked for our South African Airlines flight in Maputo, Mozambique. Manuel and Pam live in a missionary compound on the outskirts of the city. They have lived there for about seven years. The compound has several structures, including five missionary houses. However, there are currently only two missionaries families living there. All of the structures are of simple cinder block construction and tile roofs. Just outside the back door of their home the deOliveiras have a huge mango tree under which they have a small patio. Because of the heat inside the house and the beauty of the setting, this was the place we took most of our meals.

The core of Manuel’s work is providing Bible and leadership training for Mozambican church leaders. Since the trade language of Mozambique is Portuguese and Duane Jenks is a former missionary to Brazil (also Portuguese speaking), Duane came prepared to teach in the students for three days. This was great indoctrination into Africa for him. It was also a time when he learned what it means to sweat.

Marilyn and Debbie’s time in Mozambique was two days shorter then the guys - they had to get up to Kenya to get the women’s renewal set up. Before they left, though, we took a day and drove down to Swaziland to visit the campus of Manzini Bible School and see the progress of the Tree Of Life project. The property of the school was planted with thousands of Macadamia nut trees about eight years ago. Marilyn even planted one of the tress in her visit there. Now, they have just had their first harvest from them and are expecting the second soon. It was remarkable to see how things have changed.

After the gals left for Kenya, we had our “official meeting” with the deOliveiras and were able to speak of many important things having to do with their ministry and their future. We made it a practice at each stop to have such a meeting. We had already had such meetings with the Sheros and with Laura Beth.

One evening we were interrupted in our relaxation on the Mango Patio by the youth chorus who came by to sing to us for about an hour. What a blessing!

The guys flew out of Mozambique on Saturday, March 17. Our destination was Durban, South Africa. We had to stop through Johannesburg enroute. From this point forward I will be blogging the guy’s portion of the saga. Marilyn will have to provide the gal’s portion.

Little did we know that leaving Mozambique meant we had left the easy part of the trip behind. Sam Pakade and Johnson Ngoyo, the two evangelists we were going to visit in South Africa, had much work for us to do. We arrived on Saturday afternoon. Sam and Johnson took us to our hotel and left us there. They told us to get settled in and rest for the evening. They would pick us up in the morning. Actually, upon inquiry, we learned that Johnson would return to his home in Kokstad and Sam would fetch us in the morning. They told us that we would preach in the Westville Prison.

Sunday morning we preached in the prison - “Medium B” was the cell block name. Sam’s sweet wife Agnes prepared lunch for us. Then, sunday evening I was given the opportunity to preach at the Pinetown church - a congregation of white South Africans.

Monday Sam took us to “Medium C” and we preached, again. Then, Monday evening we preached to a gathering of Christians at Sam’s house. There were about 60 folks there and the preaching was followed by a lively question and answer period. We finished about 11:00p.

Early Tuesday morning Sam gathered us from the hotel and we left for Kokstad to see Johnson. As we arrived and got checked into a Kokstad hotel, we left to preach to a gathering of Christians in the evening. We preached two sermons each.

Wednesday morning we went to the women’s prison and preached. In the afternoon we attended a gathering of church leaders and gave lessons of giving and unity. That evening we traveled out of town to a tent meeting. there we preached again and then we listened to Sam preach. Before we left, Johnson preached.

Thursday morning was the time we had set aside to have our official meeting with Sam and Johnson. That meeting went very well. They are both great men of God who walk by faith and do His will. We prayed over them and asked God to give them many more years of service.

After the meeting is was back to Durban for one more night at our hotel. We had an early flight to Jo’burg and on to Livingstone, Zambia the next morning.

Jacob Sianungu didn’t have quite as much preaching for us to do, but we were kept busy either working of waiting for Jacob to to arrive to take us to work. We toured the orphan facility Jacob is using to take in orphans - often orphaned because of AIDS. We also got to meet some of the orphans who have grown up in Jacob’s care and are now becoming church leaders and responsible citizens. It was a blessed visit to Zambia.

On the last day in Africa Jacob took us to the border of Zimbabwe - on the Zambia side - where we were able to see Victoria Falls. It is the Zambezi River that flows over the falls. The river was very high because of the rainy season and so the falls were magnificent. We were totally drenched in the “mist” of the falls. It was like standing in torrential downpour. We were greatly moved by God’s handiwork.

Our flight home began on Tuesday. We went to Jo’burg then Dakar then Washington DC then DFW. It all totaled about 21 hours of flight time. Our wives had arrived home a little more than 30 hours ahead of us and were at the airport to welcome us. God had seen us through and given us great blessings.

Too Much to Write

2007-01-04T19:06:00.001-08:00

Marilyn has been after me to update our blog. Hey, what's wrong with my last one? I thought it was rather sweet. Well, you can't think that I'm going to try to record all the stuff that's happened since August. This is, after all, a place to post newsy type things. September - October - November - early December are no longer news. So I'm skipping them.

Of course, I guess I have to talk about some of the Fall stuff. After all Oct/Nov/Dec were the months our beautiful baby daughter, Sara, was home from her mission work in Mexico. We sure love having her around. I keep telling myself that her living in Mexico isn't so bad. She could have taken a job in Ohio - that's further away than Morelia.

Sara came home for furlough with the intent of buying a car while here. Her plan was to take it back to Mexico with her. So, she bought a cute little Honda Civic - very practical! Sara and her mother called its color "champagne." I cynically said, "I've never seen champagne that color." And "Looks more like weak tea, to me." But, it is cute and in good shape and she got it for a good price. Primary features - standard transmission and cruise control. (As I write it has already gotten her safely back to Morelia.)

Another notable event in our lives during this time period is that I am no longer Sara's Boss. By that I mean that I am no longer the Minister of Missions at Richland Hills. That job has been given to another of our ministers - Duane Jenks. In a re-org of the staff, a new position was created that came to be called "Minister of Global Outreach." It has to do with the newly articulated vision for our church. There is a vision of what RHCC will achieve by the year 2020 in four different arenas of involvement. They are described in terms of the Acts 1:8 description of the how the church would spread from Jerusalem. The four arenas are Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. The 2020 Vision (as it has been called) lays out work to be accomplished in each of these arenas. My new job is to manage the projects for the Judea, Samaria and ends of the earth arenas. So, I used to be minister over a worldwide missions program. Now my territory has been expanded to include Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. One result of that is that I am no longer the "direct report" for all the missionaries. Now Sara calls Duane "Boss" and me she calls "Daddy." I think I like this a bit better.

My job change meant that the Harvest Sunday that happened in November was my last one as Minister of Missions. It has been an exciting ride to see this annual Fall collection for mission work grow from a couple of hundred thousand to over a million dollars collected on a single Sunday. This year's goal was $1.3 million. The Lord blessed it, again, with full funding. One part of the whole thing is an annual Harvest Dinner. We normally have about 500 people who come to have dinner, hear of the mission projects, hear a great speaker and just enjoy talking and thinking of world evangelism. This year, at the dinner, the Chair of the Missions Ministry pulled off a surprise presentation of a plaque to me in recognition of the years I have spent with the ministry. Marilyn was in on it as were Sara and Shelley. They had a whole bunch of pictures of me and our mission points that have been taken through the years. Marilyn supplied them. Shelley showing up, unannounced, to attend the dinner should have made me suspicious, but I was surprised when it all happened. They called both Marilyn and me up on stage. They awarded the plaque and also recognized Marilyn's years of service with a huge bundle of flowers. It was all very touching and we were greatly blessed.

The Holland side of our family was able to gather at my mom's for Thanksgiving. Well, not all of us - but some. We had a great gathering except for the fact that I got sick with some kinda stomach ailment on Wednesday night and laid around on the couch all day, Thanksgiving Day. The up side of that was I didn't overeat - like most did and like I surely would have had I been well. On Friday, the day Mark and Carla had to head back to Allen, David and Shelley and the boys came down from College Station and we watched the Aggies beat t.u. in a great football game.

December was our grandson, Samuel's, seventh birthday. You can read on the Park's blog all you ever wanted to know about that. Of special note was the "Pie-in-the-face Contest" which I managed to loose. Yeah!! Daddy David won and so he got the pie in the face.

The Parks came to our house on Christmas Day (Monday) and stayed until Friday. We had some great times together. We opened gifts. We played in the back yard. We had family portraits made. Sara was still here from Mexico so we were complete. We went to the zoo. We played putt-putt. David and I got in some biking. David, Samuel and I got in some biking. I'm sure all of those things are forming memories in the minds and hearts of the boys - and their parents and their aunt. Somehow, from my generational perspective, it's not the memories that seem most important. Times like we had during those special days feel more like a joy to be savored for the moment. Oh sure, there'll be memories, but the view from the grandfather's perch sees that I don't have to wait for the times of remembrance to feel how sweet those events are. I already know they're priceless blessings. It's like you get to bask in the joy of the moment at full flavor and then you get to keep the memory so you can taste the joy again anytime you're ready. It's like it's already a precious memory as it is happening. And, since life is composed of memories, not time, it is one of those rare times of being alive in the midst of unspeakable joy - and knowing it!

Marilyn and I spent News Year's back down at my mom's place. We played "99" as 2006 ended and 2007 began. We were laughing and joking and loving being together. Larry and Ann were with us and another couple from the SWCC.

God has been good. God is good - all the time. I believe, the best is yet to be.

Eat Your Heart All You Other Guys

2006-08-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the day I was able to get promises out of the best "catch" in the world. Marilyn stood and went public with her intent to walk the path of this life with me as her partner. Boy, what a coup I pulled off in making that happen. Those promises have brought me much joy, shaped my life for the better, given me children and grandchildren that are beyond compare and made my life more meaningful and fuller than I could ever have imagined.

We have trotted the world together and toiled in God's Kingdom together. We have made friends and influenced people more than should have been possible. She is my best friend, favorite person, better half, help meet, spiritual partner and we are one.

As you say your prayers at night, don't forget to praise God for having blessed me with such a wife. You don't have to think that I claim to deserve her - you only have to know that I am the one who got her and I couldn't be happier. It may not be considered politically correct to state it this way, but I think I'll keep her. So, eat your heart out all you other guys.

Another Goatneck

2006-08-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

If you've followed this blog for a while you'll know that I (Ron) am a bicycler. Well, actually I talk about it a lot more than I ride. I enjoy road biking on my recumbent bike. It is a good work out. It is a good escape. I love being outside. I'm normally the kind of guy who is up for the challenge. So, bicycling is my occasional "thing." For fitness I run. For fun I bike.

In keeping with that type of agenda, I made a decision a few years ago to commit myself to an annual ride during the month of my birthday. That happens to be July! My commitment is to participate in an organized ride that is as long in number of miles as are the number of years of age I have celebrated that year. Thus, this year I needed a ride that was 59 miles long, since I turned 59 this year. Now I know most of you find that hard to believe, but it is, nonetheless, true. I attribute my youthfulness to the excellent care Marilyn has taken of me for almost 37 years, now.

A ride out of Cleburne, Texas is about the only organized ride in this part of Texas during the month of July. They are the only ones who do not realize it is too hot for such an event. It is called The Tour de Goatneck. The name has something to do with the shape of a turn in the Brazos River or something. You can google "Goatneck" and read. Anyway, The Goatneck has become my annual ride of choice for my BMR (birth month ride). They have various distances you can pedal - the longest being the 100km. However, the 100km ride is not exactly 100km. It turns out to be more than that. 100km would be 62 miles. But the Goatneck sponsors tell you up front that it is actually 70 miles. According to my bike's computer they are right. That being true, the Goatneck is going to qualify for use as my MBR for several years to come.

This year was the third time I've ridden the Goatneck. This year was the hardest. I'm not sure what made it harder this year, but it definitely was. The second half of the course is much more challenging than the first, as far as hills are concerned. This year the second half was also when the wind became a factor. Add to that the fact that it was a day of abnormally high humidity and 100 degree temperature and you have a formula for exhaustion. And exhausted is what this old coot was by the time I finished the course. But! Finish I did! To steal a quote, "I'm not a competer, I'm a completer."

There were three friends who rode with me this year. Brian Read had ridden with me last year and did again this year. We were joined by Chad Killeen and Carter Davis. Chad wanted to try Marilyn's recumbent. So she bowed out of the ride just to let Chad ride (isn't she sweet). Carter is a recent starter in bicycling and this was his first organized ride. We were all challenged by the Goatneck - me perhaps more than the others. But we all completed it. That means it was good time and we'll all be able to talk big about it.

Next year is the big six-o for me. I am brewing up something even more crazy that may replace the Goatneck for that year only. I'll keep you posted.

North American Christian Convention

2006-07-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

It was our first NACC and it was exciting. Exciting because it was a special gathering of the Restoration Movement family. There will some who read this blog who have no idea of what the Restoration Movement is - or was. But, the modern day manifestation of the history of that movement is the existance of the Churches of Christ and the Independent Christian Churches. Those two separate streams of christianity and christian thinking came out of the same movement. Those involved in the movement parted company 100 years ago (in 1906) - mostly because of a disagreement over the question of the use of instrumental music in the assemblies of the church. The Churches of Christ taking the postion that it was wrong and the Christian Churches taking the position that it was acceptable. So, we divided.

It's not my intent here to record the history of the movement nor even the forces that are at work to reunify the two traditoins that have developed since the split a century ago. I'll simply say that we have been blessed to be very near those who are leading the efforts to restore fellowship between family members who have long been estranged. We are convinced that God hates division. Its says so, specifically, in the book of Proverbs. Jesus wants unity. He says so, specifically, in the book of John. So, armed with those truths, leaders and members of the two movements came together to celebrate our love for God and His Kingdom. We spoke of our differences, but we spoke more of our common love. It was an exciting gathering.

Prior to the Convention Marilyn and I had been invited to sit at a "round table" with others who, like me, work for large churches and serve them as their "Minister of Missions." We were the only CofC ones there. Marilyn was the only female and she bowed out after the first day. She wanted to go tour the Cane Ridge church - the place that was one of the main physical locations of the beginning of the Restoration Movement. I talked with the other ministers for two days. I learned a lot. Also, I was able to share how RHCC runs its worldwide efforts to share Jesus. I think the others learned a lot, as well. There were eight Ministers at this Round Table Discussion. Plans are to do it again in November.

Another side agenda we were involved in at the NACC was a couple of meetings of the folks working toward establishing a Christian university in Mbale, Uganda. This project is one that is huge and involves both the Churches of Christ and the Christian Churches. It is The Real Thing when we begin talking of collaboration and unity between the two streams of the movement. It is also The Real Thing when we begin talking about partnering with African Christian leaders in the work of saving the lost on that continient. We have a group of church leaders from both fellowships who have had a series of meetings to do what we can from this side of the Atlantic. We have called ourselves the Harmony Project. So, we had a Harmony Project meeting as a sidebar at the NACC. This project is such a good example of collaboration that it was mentioned, specifically, by one of the keynotes speakers at the NACC. That speaker was Rick Atchley - the RHCC preacher and one of the leaders of the unity movement.

There were probably 50 or 60 people of the 9,000 present who were from RHCC. We had seven of our elders there. I think there were eight from our ministerial staff. There was a contingent of 15 women from our Over 50 Single Women's group. They mostly behaved themselves. It was a great time of RHCC fellowship as well as the larger gathering. What a blessing it is to be a part of the RHCC family.

Come Before Winter: Part 5

2006-06-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

And this may be my last entry about Come Before Winter. I was totally blessed and feel like God used all of the women who came from the states to serve our sisters in Christ in Asia. I thank all the people who were praying for us each step of the way. There were some hard times that we shared while there. But God used those hard times to grow us closer to one another. The study of Philippians was deep and aptly taught by Karen Alexander and Jeanene Reese with equipping help from Kelliann and Cynthia. The prayer team (Suzy, Cara, Mariana, Joyce, Georgia and myself) was used to the full extent and each one of us went to bed totally exhausted but woke up refreshed each new day. Trina Derr was an incredible praise leader who stretched these women to open their hearts and minds to the Spirit. Cynthia and Megumi were amazing administrators and kept us on track day by day and hour by hour. And what an incredible missionary ambassador we had in Tonia, from Italy! We were so blessed with her presence.

After the blessing time, the participants had been very ingenious and had gone out and bought us wonderful gifts. We were so touched that they took the time and effort to do this. Here is a shot of our gifts - beautiful sarongs, skirts, bracelets, earrings and all from Indonesia! Somehow, Cynthia did not get in either one of these pictures:-(

Here is my roommate in Indonesia - Kelliann Hale!

Our baggage ready to take to the ferry from Indonesia back to Singapore for the beginning of our trip home

Come Before Winter: Part 4

2006-06-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

As you can see, this is part 4 of my Come Before Winter experience, which took place in Singapore and Indonesia earlier this month of June 2006. If this is your first time on this blog, go down to Part 1 and work your way back up.

On Thursday night it's time for our PARTY! It's always a fun time and a reliever of the stress some of the women feel. Georgia Freitas was our party planner and worked tirelessly putting this together! It was a beach party and served out on the patio with leis and party hats. We even had a hula contest. Here is Crimsen doing her part! She serves in Sendai, Japan.

The CBW team all believe that Friday morning is one of the best gifts we bring to the women when we bless each one individually. Lots of tears are shed and love is received. God is very evident during these times. They shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace!

Gigie being blessed by Cara Flanders.

Jeanene blessing Minnie from Philippines, who is serving in Africa.

Kelliann praying for Gade from Thailand

Jenny, who with her husband, serves in China is being blessed by Megumi

Come Before Winter: Part 3

2006-06-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Remember to look down below today's posting for Parts 1 & 2

This year I was the registrar for the Singapore/Indonesia renewal. This all happened before the trip. During the renewal, I was the videographer plus part of the prayer team. Videoing was great fun as I was able to see all the women 'up close and personal'. I'm definitely not an expert by any means but have done my share of this in the past. Because of always being behind the camcorder, I did not get as many still shots as I wanted. So please forgive!!

I had an awesome prayer cluster made up of Shai Gonzales from the Philippines and Margaret Goh from Singapore. What wonderful women they are, serving God faithfully in their own countries.

As part of the prayer team, I was able to pray one-on-one with six women at scheduled times. Here I am with Michelle Soh, an amazing woman of God serving Him in Singapore!

Thursday is always a stressful day for the women as they are asked to share with everyone the things the Lord has told them through His Word in Philippians. But they all did such an incredible job. I was blessed and amazed at how God can work when we really study His Word. The picture here shows Karen McCurley during her sharing time with her 'supporters' at her side, Debbie Hogan and Lay Koon Choy. They all are members of the church in Singapore.

Come Before Winter: Part 2

2006-06-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

See below for part 1 of my report on the Come Before Winter trip to Singapore/Indonesia.

The opening night of CBW is a time of worship and praise and prayer along with the reading of Philippians by the prayer team. Trina Derr led worship and did such an incredible job. All the CBW team is introduced during this time. Prayer clusters, consisting of three participants and one team member met, as we would each night. Afterwards we adjourned to the Coffee Shop for a sumptious buffet with lots and lots of papaya and pineapple. I was almost in heaven, however, there were no mangoes there:-) Eating together was a wonderful time of fellowship, also.

Tuesday and Wednesday were equipping days. Jeanene Reese and Karen Alexander taught the women how to exegete a passage in Philippians.

But before that, there is praise time plus an hour of silence, solitude and prayer where each women finds a place to be alone with the Lord. Here you see Gade and Unnie from Thailand.

Here are some pictures of some of our sisters from Asia. Danita Jackson serving in China on right, with Joyce Blake, both former missionaries to Moscow, Russia. Next is Jin Eng and Lorna Goh from Singapore. Then Suzy studying with Crimsen from Japan and Ann from Thailand

That's all for tonight. Check back tomorrow for part 3!

Come Before Winter: Singapore & Indonesia Part 1

2006-06-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

Come Before Winter is a renewal for women in ministry in foreign lands. I just returned from my fourth renewal which began in Singapore and then to Bintan Island, Indonesia. Women from Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, China, Japan and Malaysia attended. The CBW team was made up of 12 women from the states and one missionary ambassador who attended the last renewal in Germany. This was a special treat for me as I was reunited with dear friends from the Philippines, where Ron and I served for 12 years.

We landed in Singapore, a metropolitan city-state of 3.5 million on Friday, June 9 at 1am after 22 hours in the air. This view is looking out from our hotel balcony.

This year I was the registrar for the renewal so had been communicating with these ladies for some time before I finally met them. What a treat to see their faces! Below see special friends Minnie and Gigie from the Philippines. Our niece Jenny Carter was able to come along with Lisa Taylor, who are both teaching English in China.

The renewal actually took place on Bintan Island, Indonesia, an hour by ferry off the coast of Singapore. The CBW team arrived there on Saturday afternoon, June 10 to finish our preparations. Each Sunday before the renewal begins the team has a morning of worship and communion. We were preparing to be in the book of Philippians for the week so we immersed ourselves in God's Word the rest of the day with silence, sollitude and prayer.

Monday afternoon the women begin arriving at the resort, welcomed by music and dancing provided by the hotel. We had never experienced such a joyous welcome before!

Check back tomorrow for part 2! And more pictures!

MS 150 - Dallas to Fort Worth

2006-05-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

Each time I complete the MS 150 I'm surprised that I actually finished it. The "150" stands for 150 miles in a two day ride. I think my mind plays games by having me forget, each year, how challenging it was the last time. But, I was blessed to be able to complete it again.

The route, this year was new and really really different. The web maps showed Days One and Two to be 78.5 miles and 82.3 miles, respectively. My bike's computer showed them to be 81.5 miles and 87.6 miles. So, we got more mileage than we expected. That's OK. Day One was wonderful. The roads were good, the hills were flat and the wind was not a factor. Also, there was a cloud cover the whole day. It was the nearest thing I've ever had to a perfect ride. After leaving Plano at 7:00a, I arrived at the Texas Motor Speedway about 1:00p. I had averaged 17.6 mph - the fastest I've ridden on an extended route. I was pumped. Day Two turned out a bit different. I had been excited by the plan to start the day with a lap around the track at the Speedway. But, I found lap to be a bit under-whelming. It was too crowded to really feel like it was special. There were 3,000 riders on the track at once. My top speed was 20 mph. Then, the route, though a good challenging route was more challenging than I expected - especially after Day One. All-in-all I like the new route and believe it will become a very popular. This year's ride was already grown the participation from 1,900 last year to over 3,000 this year. The TMS overnight really gives it room to grow.

The finish line, in downtown Fort Worth, was probably the most fun of all. They had a big Finish Line canopy set up - barricades on both sides with lots of people watching and cheering. I felt like I was finishing the Tour de France. My wife, Marilyn, was there and got my picture. This was the first time she has seen me finish one of these things.

Exciting Uniqueness: There was another aspect of this year's MS 150 that made it unique. A couple of weeks before the ride, we were having dinner with my brother, Mark, and his wife, Carla. The subject of the upcoming ride came up and I suggested to Mark that he ride Marilyn's recumbent and join me. To my surprise, he gave it some serious thought. Mark is a trekker, but hasn't ever been a bikker. A couple of days later he told he he'd decided to ride - next year. So, I'm already excited about next year's MS 150. Also, Mark and Carla live in Allen, which is near the Start Line in Plano. So, Marilyn and I went to their house on Friday night before the ride and spent the night there. Mark took me to the Start Line early Saturday morning. Then, Saturday afternoon he drove to the Speedway and stayed overnight with me in my tent. We had a great visit. A brother/brother bonding time like we haven't had in many many years. It was good to spend time with Mark. It was also good to have someone with whom to share the MS 150 experience. Next year we may even got some enroute pictures to share.

More Kilimanjaro

2006-04-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

One of our friends at RHCC is also a writer for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Today, she published a piece about our climb up Kilimanjaro. If your interested in reading it click here.

Tulsa Workshop 2

2006-03-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

Here is Ray Hughes, Executive Director of Rapha International at the Tulsa Workshop. Just wanted to show our display. I am on the Rapha board of directors and volunteer there at least twice a week. We have a facility in Fort Worth. To go to the website, click here.

Video Blog Experiment

2006-03-26T15:32:00.000-08:00

Click here to view video

Tulsa Workshop 2006

2006-03-25T23:20:00.000-08:00

Ron and I just returned from the Tulsa Workshop tonight. We had a wonderful time mostly because we had a great reunion with Jeff Moore and his beautiful wife, Stacy! And were able to meet their two beautiful daughters McKenna (posing in the Rapha wheelchair) and Magdalene (loving that Ipod!). How sweet God is to give us such special friends who we have not seen in years! We first met Jeff way back in 1986 when he was young and single and attending White's Ferry Rd School of Biblical Studies. Here are some pictures!

Morelia 3

2006-03-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos of our trip to Mexico. Sara is involved in a church plant, the Rio do Vida church so wanted to add a photo from the Sunday worship. Out in front of where the church is meeting are Victoria, Sofia, Gloria and Jose.

Below that is in front of Miguel and Morelia's home. They had treated us to a very delicious lunch of guess what? Mexican food!! yummy!

Sara and I in the BIG chair in Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara and then in Morelia at one of the beautiful parks.

Tres Hermanas Part 2

2006-03-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Morelia in the Spring Time! This picture wasn't taken while we were there but last spring. It is a beautiful downtown plaza. Brenda, Donna and I after lunch looking over the city.

My sisters and I took a walk through Sara's neighborhood. The first photo is of her very brightly colored Mexican house! Don't you love it? Her neighborhood is beautiful surrounded by the mountains in the background.

Tres Hermanas de Morelia

2006-03-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

Tres Hermanas de Morelia! Yes, me and two of my sisters made a trip to Morelia, Mexico to see our Sara who is on a mission team there. Here we are in downtown Morelia at a market with Phyllis Needham (dear friend from RHCC and mentor for the team). I decided to go and asked my sister Donna who lives in Dallas (on far left) and then Brenda (in red shirt) from North Carolina was invited! We have one more sister who we asked to go with us but she had too far to travel to join us (living in Hawaii). Ron was traveling to Uganda, Africa (see post below) so it was a good time for us to travel. We had a wonderful time in our 8 days in Mexico

We began our trip from DFW and Raleigh, met in Houston and traveled down to Morelia on Monday, February 27. The picture here is of the cathedral in downtown Morelia.

This next picture is taken at the office of the mission team. Ann Gonzalez is on the left, along with my sisters, Sara and then Summer, Sara's roomie and fellow missionary.

Below that picture is one at Sara and Summer's new house they rented late last year.

I'm going to post this now and continue later.

Too High to Explain

2006-03-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

The title is the slogan I saw on one of the two t-shirt options at the gift shop at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I think I would have bought it if it had said "Too Hard to Explain." Climbing Kili WAS the hardest thing I've ever done - physically and, perhaps, mentally. I found my limit and then went beyond it. I'm glad I'm at a stage in life such that I will never be pressured to do it again. I have no son coming of age who might want his dad to go up with him. I will be far too old to be challenged by either of my grandsons by the time they come of age. When they're old enough to do Kili, their dad is the one who will face that challenge. Neither my wife nor my daughters will ever ask me to take them there. So, I'm safe from the curtain call. BUT, I did do it! No matter how fat and lazy I get in the years that remain, I climbed to the highest point of Mt. Kilimanjaro. 19,341 feet AMSL. Additionally, I came all the way back down - no small feat either. And, it was grand! Did I mention that I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro?

I've been searching my mind and heart for something profound to write about this unique experience. Surely there was some soul purifying aspect that can serve to touch hard hearts. Surely I felt some intense sense of nearest to my God or my own inner-being. I was asked, by a dear friend who had wanted to make the climb, "What did you feel? What emotion stands out as you think about reaching the summit?" Wow! That's a hard question. I was glad we made it. Howz that for an emotion for the summit? It had looked doubtful for a while and I was really really glad we made it. I was anxious to get the pictures we wanted to make at the top. Documentation of the summit seemed important - as if others would need proof. But, I think my strongest feeling (and one that has made me kinda mellow about the whole thing) was/is a feeling of unworthiness. When I think of all the people in the world and the indescribable misery in which most people live and die I am struck by the privileged life I live. I know that the opportunity to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro was a gift from God. I know God does that sort of thing for His people. I know He wants us to experience life's joys because He delights in blessing us. I know those things. But, I still struggle that I should be so blessed. It was truly a time of purifying the soul. It was a time of exhilaration in the midst of God's beautiful creation. It was reveling in the abundant healthiness of the body God has given. It was so many wonderful things. None of them deserved. All of them so very humbling. Utter thankfulness is the only proper response to being at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

I have many stories with which I could bore you readers. Stories about the climb. Side stories about people we met and drew courage from and gave courage to. I'm not going to write them here, though, because I know they would go mostly unread. I've written them in my Journal - there too they will go mostly unread. They are preserved and will not be forgotten. But, here I'll only note that God allowed me to place a small stone on top of Kili in memory of a young Englishman who drown and who's mother requested that the stone be carried up and placed at the summit in his memory. Here I'll note that a shofar was blown from the summit of Kili to the north and the south and the east and the west by a missionary who had deep sorrows washed away from his heart by the declaration of the shofar. I'll note that a 63 year-old German declared that his grandchildren will stop calling him whatever they've called him before and from now on he'll be known as "Grandpa Kili." It was the greatest terrible thing I've ever done. It has made me humble and given me reason to boast. It was far too expensive and worth much more than it cost. I would do it again, in a heartbeat, but never again in this lifetime.

Praise God for making Kili. Praise Him for giving me the opportunity to climb it. Praise Him for giving me the resources to climb. And, praise God for giving me the strength to climb. It is great joy to watch God do things in your life. He is worthy of praise.

A Christmas Loop

2005-12-30T18:53:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Season actually started with a visit before Christmas that did not include Christmas. Sara came to the states from Mexico and stayed four days. She was a Bridesmaid in the wedding of her friend, Heather, and then she was gone. She stayed very busy while here BUT her presence as a great blessing. One of those blessings was the fact that Daivd and Shelley brought the boys up from College Station and we had an early turkey and a specific gift exchange - only presents to and from Sara were opened. It was fun and happy and too short and will be a lasting memory.

The "loop" referred to in the title is the trip we made in order to have Christmas. This was a year when David and Shelley were with us for Christmas. Last year it was David's parents. It's a fair enough arrangement. The problem this year was we couldn't figure where "with us" was going to be. So, it ended up being a loop of travel. We went first to Fairfield to see Marilyn's mom over night. Then we went to College Station and stayed 'til Christmas Day - which was on SUNDAY!! Then, on Christmas day we went to ORN to be with my mom and family - David and Shelley and the boys joined us there. After an overnight, we went back to College Station. We had Marilyn's mom with us because she had been with Marilyn's brother and his family in ORN for Christmas. Another overnight in College Station and we took Marilyn's mom home to Fairfield and drove back to Fort Worth. It really wasn't as bad as it sounds. None of the trips were all that long and we got to visit with and see lots of family and friends. We had some good quality time with our kids and grandkids. David and I got in a good bike ride and a couple of runs. And, there were lots of other fun events, which I'll speak of as we go.

I think our Christmas Loop is going to be blogged on several other family Blogs, so my post is going to be a bit more random. We've got a few pics. I'm going to record with a few things that I thought were cool. That doesn't mean that other things that happened weren't cool. It's just that I'm going to post these few on the blog.

I won't go into detail nor offer any explanation. Those who understand this will understand. The rest can just wonder. We asked Sara if Chema speaks English. She paused and thought for a moment and then said, "I think so. Yeah, I'm sure he does?"

Have you ever ridden through an open pasture on the tailgate of a Dodge Ram pick-up truck dropping feed off the back with 50 head of cattle chasing you and a 90 year-old woman driving? Well, I have! It's FUN!

Marilyn and I love our iPod Shuffle. It soothed and entertained us all the way around the Christmas Loop. I think it had about seven hours worth of music on it. All good stuff. We are not jealous of Shelley's new iPod Nano that her extravagant husband gave her for Christmas. We're just happy for her.

Becky Cox (the lesser) You-da-man!! What was it? More than 25 people in your house for Christmas dinner. Amazing! It was fun to visit with your dad and see so many relatives from your side of the fam. Great food and great memories.

David and I have lost count of our joint construction and remodeling projects. This one involved ripping out two old sets of sliding doors - arrhh arrhh arrhh - and installing new sliding doors. Oh, this is something neither of us had ever done before - no problem!! Just give us time, Samuel as a helper, and food and we'll get it done - eventually.

Jogging on campus at Texas A&M with my son-in-law and grandson (on his bike) - what a memory!! Right down the middle of the Quad pointing out the dorms I lived in. Does it get any better than that?

Well, I guess there can be competition. How about flying a kite on a windy day with both grandsons? How about enema roasted chickens? How about Christmas morning super-hero PJs? Or try this one - a homemade CD from your daughter (with song title selection help from your other daughter and your wife) entitled "Songs that make me think of you."

I know others will blog this Christmas because it has already happened. My mother now has (and is doing a great job of keeping it up-to-date) her own blog. She also has DSL and is starting to do her banking online. I won't reveal her age here (check her blog for that) but I will point out that such electronic activity is not normally associated with the generation born in the '20s.

Russell, Michael and Philip - all there at the same time. It was really good to spend time with Mark and his boys. Wish Carla could have been there, too. It's good to have a brother. It's good to see brothers be brothers.

We visited Andy and Stephanie's apartment in College Station. We met Beans the dog. Jeremiah loved him - was kissed by him and kissed him back.

While setting pieces of the small Nativity in place, Samuel was naming each piece. There was a cow and a donkey and a "seep." He's been having some trouble with the "sh" sound, so it was a "seep." His dad began very gently to help him repeat the word correctly - "SHeep." Then his mom began to offer her help as well. Then Nana helped with a "sha sha sha." Samuel sat quietly listening apparently appreciating the help. Then he said, rather shyly, "I think I'll just call it a lamb."

One of the fun things about being with Becky Cox (the greater) and her family is the sense of enjoying each other while being responsible citizens in the community. The ever present background static of James' Fire Chief's radio goes unnoticed by everyone - everyone, that is, but James. Somehow he is in tune to it enough to know when that "ksksksksksksk" actually refers it his fire station or district.

Eggnog on Christmas evening at Larry and Ann's place with our mothers and grandsons - does that sound like fun or what?! Dancing with Larry and Jeremiah to a selection from the famous CD album "Songs that make me think of you." Lots of laughing and conversations about other memories while in the midst of making more.

It was a great Christmas Loop. We were never all together at the same time or in the same place, but hey! What a blessing! We had opportunity to love and be loved. We spoke of our Savior and remembered His birth on the earth. We, from the Fall-of-life generation, remembered our memories from the past and created for the Spring-of-life generation some memories for the future. These are the things that make us live longer than we live because those we love will have us alive in their hearts long after we're gone. How's that for reflective and philosophical? God is good - that's a fact.

Six Complete Orbits

2005-12-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to post very many details of the event because I'm going to leave that to Samuel's parents. I'm sure they'll do an exemplerary job of describing the Balloon Birthday Party - Samuel's celebration of having come to this point in the earth's orbit for the sixth time. I'll just say that we had a good time. It was fun to see Samuel's friends and to see him interact so maturely with them. He has a very strong sense of fair play and a great desire to see everyone included. At my age, in spite of my relative fitness, I still wonder at the energy level of these small people. The thing that amazes me is the idea that most of the food they consume has to be being used to grow their bodies. They are all "growin' like weeds." Yet, though the calories they consume are going for bodily growth, they still have endless amounts of energy - more than is actually good for their own safety. Go figger!!

Another blessing of these occasions is the rarer-than-formerly-true opportunity to visit with the other Parks - Jerry, Ann and Kristi. When David and Shelley lived here, in Fort Worth, and were visited by the Parks it often resulted in our getting to see them as well. But now the Parks can visit them in College Station and we don't get to see them. So the occasion has to be big enough to get us all at David and Shelley's at the same time in order for us to see them. And this being such a big enough occasion - the completion of six orbits, we got to see them. A recent example of another such big event is Grand Parents Day at Samuel's school.

We all pitched in on the party decorating. Then, after the party was over and the kids retrieved by their parents, Samuel opened his presents from we family members. Then we all went out to eat together. It's fun to be related to people you like.

Thanksgiving Season 2005

2005-11-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

This year Thanksgiving wasn't a "Day" it was a season. My mom, near Houston, decided to have Thanksgiving the week prior. That worked out great for everyone, but it turned the holiday into a holi-two-weeks. Also sandwiched in between the two Thanksgiving weeks was our grandson's first ever Grandparents Day at school (Kindergarten, this year). Marilyn had campaigned hard to host Thanksgiving for her side of the family at our house. It was a campaign that paid off because we were blessed to have her mom, two of her siblings and their families here for the thankful celebration.

So, accounting for these gatherings and their associated events will take some time and some blog space. We had camera trouble early, but that was corrected later. Thus pics are sparse at the first Thanksgiving and more abundant at the second. So, here goes:

We drove to Oak Ridge on Friday - that's the Friday before the week of Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day and drive. Our arrival was glad and warm. Mama was waiting for us. It seemed as though we hadn't been there in a while. My mother's house is the house that holds the most memories for any of our family, since my parents moved there in 1966, or so. It has changed a little, superficially, through the years but is fundamentally the same. The change that my mom wanted to happen this time was to bring her computer into the house. That sounds a bit strange, but it's easily understood if you understand it. What used to be an area of the back yard that was covered by the house's roof eventually became a back patio area and then evolved into a closed in back porch area. Later, in that area's next life it became a back room that houses a TV and an extra dining table and the computer that serves as Mama's email communication with her world. She had decided she wanted the computer brought into the regular part of the house so she wouldn't have to "go out there" to check email and use the computer.

The trick to this project was to run a telephone line to the new location for the computer. Oh, this transfer also involved a switch from dial-up to DLS internet access. This is a techno-move that seems rather natural to those who know Mama, but something astounding to those who simply know her as a senor adult in her 80s - not exactly the DSL generation. Anyway, the project occupied my arrival afternoon and ended in incompleteness because the DSL folks had scheduled her account to open on the 23rd and would not change the date. All other parts of the move were accomplished.

The evening brought the opportunity for Marilyn and me to go with Mama to the church seniors group's Thanksgiving pop-luck gathering. It was fun being the youngsters in the crowd and meeting several new friends who have come into my mother's life.

The next day, Saturday, was "Thanksgiving." We were up leisurely and piddling in the morning. At least, that was my activity. Marilyn and Mama were busily getting ready for the feast that was scheduled to start around 1:30 or 2:00p. In the late morning I went for a jog and got back in plenty of time to clean up and get ready for family arrivals. Let's see . . . here's the list:
Becky and James
Andy and Stephanie
Jesse and Becky with Jaden
Chris
John Taylor with Meghan
Abbey
Brady
Later:
David and Shelley with Samuel and Jeremiah
Larry and Ann with Michelle and Kenny

We ate and talked and ate and laughed and ate and played games and ate and remembered and ate. Then, they brought out the dessert. It was a great time of love and family joy.

Sunday Marilyn and I stayed for Bible Class and Sunday Assembly. We seldom get to do this anymore, with our obligations at RHCC. So, it was nice. We went to Bible Class with Mama and were introduced as two young people visiting the class. After worship services, we packed up at Mama's house, ate a bite and headed to Fort Worth. We drove straight to RHCC. Marilyn went, late, into the assembly and I went to my office to finish preparing for our 6:30p Bible Class. After class we went home - tired.

I went to my office on Monday while Marilyn unpacked and repacked in preparation for our trip that afternoon. I had a 2:30p Departmental Meeting and came straight home after the meeting. We decided to make the College Station trip in the Miata. It was fully packed, but OK. It was more economical. Our purpose in the College Station trip was to attend Grandparents Day, Tuesday, at Samuel's school. His other GPs were coming down from Longview, also. They weren't coming until Tuesday morning.

We arrived at David and Shelley's in time for a late supper. It was good to work more on getting caught up. Our conversations at my mother's place two nights earlier had been incomplete. We closed out the evening with a video chat with Sara, in Mexico.

Tuesday morning Samuel walked to school, as usual, with his friends and one of his friend's parents - their "walking school bus." Before he left we briefly played his game for which he doesn't know the name. He was dressed to leave as he finished his last play. This was the only pic we got. That's the hat he picked out when he was given a choice. We got a good bit of video of the GP's Day program, but our camera battery life problem prevented more still pics.

Before we went to the school we sat in lawn chairs in the beautiful weather in the driveway in front of David and Shelley's house. Jerry and Ann had arrived and we had a warm happy conversation. It's always good to get caught up on what they are up to. Bob Davidson stopped by and sat and visited a while. He was about to ride his bike to the campus to play handball - he's 76.

When it came time to go to the school we walked - the six of us. We all attended the program and then David and Shelley left. The four GPs visited Samuel's room, met his teachers and had lunch with him in the school cafeteria. He was very glad to be able to show us how his life at school proceeds. Six years ago he knew nothing!! That is a statement that is absolutely true. He has come from zero to this is six short years?!?!? How in the world is that possible? He instructs us in his life's routines. He speaks one and a half languages and is completely fluent in one of them. He calls us up on the computer, so he can chat with us. He knows friends and what is considered good behavior. He plays games and understands strategies. He prays and reminds us to pray. I am amazed! No, "amazed" is not the right word. Stunned!! That's it - stunned.

We left College Station mid-afternoon. The traffic north out of Waco was very heavy. But, it thinned out when I-35 split sending more than half the traffic to Dallas as we went to Fort Worth. It was good to get home knowing that our driving was over. We went to bed tired.

Wednesday was yard day. Marilyn had already done a lot to prepare the house to receive guests, but we hadn't touched the yard in weeks. We raked up 15 bags and a yard-cart of leaves. We swept and trimmed. I ran and worked a bit on my Sunday school lessons. Then, the day was done. It didn't take long to pass that day. Oh, did I mention it was an absolutely beautiful day?

I think Donna and her friend, Mercheria, were the first to arrive. Mercheria is from Kenya and was hobbling on crutches because of a broken foot. He attends church with Donna and was invited because he had no where else to go for the holiday. It has always been a practice (at least since I began my observations) in the Brabham family that there has usually been a non-family member at the Thanksgiving gathering. Usually that person is a foreigner. I don't think it has been done by design it simply seems to always work out that way. Hospitality is a genetic trait in the Brabham family. I'm not sure if it comes from the Brabham side or the Platt side, but I do know it is there.

Then Larry and family arrived with Modene, Marilyn's mom. They had driven up from Oak Ridge after having spent the night in Fairfield. Larry had been here before, but this was the first visit in 7 years for the rest of his family. At my encouragement they had brought Kenny's bike. I had planned a bike ride for Larry and me and we wanted to take Kenny with us. They also brought the turkey and other dishes. The feasting was about to begin.

While final preparations of the food were underway, Larry, Kenny and I went for a brief bike ride. Larry rode Marilyn's recumbent Rans Tailwind and I rode my V-Rex. This was Larry's first recumbent ride other than a brief driveway experience with my Linear a couple of years ago. Later Michelle also tried the Tailwind. We were planning a longer ride on Friday morning. I think Michelle would have liked to have ridden with us the next morning but had no bike.

The Thanksgiving meal was as traditionally Thanksgiving as it could be - turkey, ham, dressing, cranberry sauce, gravy, other delicious dishes and all in abundance. We truly live in a blessed status in a blessed country full of more to be thankful for than we could ever "say grace over." After lunch, we got out the Monopoly game and actually got Larry to play with us. Later on an exciting game of Nertz was played. We found that Ann was almost a 'professional' in this game. It was fun and followed by popcorn. How could we have been hungry??

Friday morning the three guys mounted up and left on our bikes about 7:30a. We arrived back about 11:30a. We had logged a little more than 26 miles of riding. We had found our way to Main Street in downtown Fort Worth. We took a break at Starbucks, toured downtown a bit and peddled home. It was a beautiful day and great workout. When we got home Meghan and Mark had already arrived. Donna, Meghan's mom and Marilyn's sister, made a return appearance. Ireland and Caleb added to the excitement. Maghan had brought her bike and wanted to go for a ride. Three miles was about her limit. So, we took her on a four mile ride. She rode the whole way. As we went down the big hill she not only rode her bike, she also rode her brakes.

Then we got around to eating all the leftovers from Thanksgiving and there was food to spare! Thanks to Donna and Ann for bringing yummy salads and desserts to add to the feasts.

Everyone hung around visiting until about 3:00 or 4:00p. Then, they all left at once. I told Marilyn I was declaring the day a resounding success and congratulated her on her hard work. Then, as Larry noted as he left, we went back to being empty-nesters. Of course, that is what we are!

Now the Thanksgiving Season is over and we get a few days of normalcy. Then, the Christmas Season begins. God has been unnaturally gracious to us. He is to be praised and thanked far more than we could ever praise or thank Him.

Harvest Obsession

2005-11-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows us knows that this time of year Marilyn and I begin to be overcome by the season - that season being the Harvest Season. Our church has its Harvest Sunday collection through which our worldwide missions program will be funded for the coming year. This year's Harvest Sunday goal was $1,312,000.00. The activities and events that run up to the collection always provide more to do than we have time to do. Our Missions Ministry is in charge of planning and carrying out these things and, as Minister of Missions, I am at the heart of these things. Marilyn, as a member of the ministry and the top level organizer that she is, is the eyes, hands, feet and brains of it all. Of course, we get lots of help from many sources, but we get very few breaks from the high level of activity.

Yesterday was Harvest Sunday. So, it is all behind us now. God blessed this church with a contribution of $1,177,480.00. Our experience tells us that the rest of the funding will be provided over the next few weeks. So, our work has been blessed and our prayers have been answered. Here are a few pictures of some of what happened:

We have an annual Harvest Dinner at which we have about 300 people in attendance. We have a keynote speaker; I make a presentation of the Harvest Projects; we honor someone for missions voluntarism (That's what's happening in the picture above). The whole affair is very interesting and encouraging.

During the Sunday assemblies of the church (we have two morning assemblies and one evening assembly - all having the same program), we have a "Parade of Nations." This year, including the long term and short term works in which our church is involved in 2005, we paraded about 60 flags.

Manuel and Pam deOliveira, missionaries in Mozambique

Johnson and Flora Ngoyo, mission workers in South Africa

Kevin and Debra Reynolds, missionaries in Brazil

Steven and Dawna Price with Ashley, Weston and Austin, missionaries in Benin

Jared and Christy Abels, missionary candidates for Mexico

Jim and Laura Reppart, Jim was our keynote speaker at the dinner on Saturday. He also spoke to the congregation at all three assemblies on Sunday.

Laura paraded the Indian flag. The Repparts are former missionaries to Cameroon and Kenya. They have become very good friends of our.

Marilyn carried the Philippine flag once and I carried it once.

All of the kids of the church brought cans full of coins they had collected to pour into wheel barrels. This event is a super crowd pleaser.

Morning fog is very unusual in this part of Texas. Harvest Sunday was a foggy morning.

While Harvest Sunday activities were going Marilyn was also involved in the annual collection that Rapha does of gifts for the needy on the Texas/Mexico border.

Now that Harvest Sunday is behind us, we can think about other matters. Things like the Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas plans. I even plan to go run, today. It's hard to know which we love the most Harvest Sunday or Harvest Sunday over. Either way it is a great blessing to us to be used by God to help in this great event.

34! What?!?!?!

2005-10-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Can it be? Is it possible? How can we understand such things? One so recently born and yet so old! The acquisition of agedness in the twinkling of an eye?! By what power? With whose permission? I refuse to believe it! I refuse to allow it.

Shelley in nutshell (no pun intended):
Conceived on the west coast.
Born on the east coast.
Educated at various point in between.
Born again, by faith,
-----in the Philippines.
Graduated, from Faith,
-----also in the Philippines.
A one-man woman, after she met David. (Was he the 12th man?)

An Aggie by heritage.
An Aggie by choice.
An Aggie by marriage.
Dramatic by spirit.
A leader by giftedness.
Modest by choice
Singer of songs.
Lover of the lost and hopeless.

Married to a good man.
Mother of a good son.
Mother of another good son.
Mother to the son of another and the giver of hope to both.
Pride of her parents.
Guide of the unrighteous to change.
Guide of the righteous to change.
A blessing to all.

A 34th birthday on 10.24: a birthday of no special significance. Or maybe if we realize 10+24=34. And 71(the year of her birth) minus 3 (the number of men in her house) divided by two (the number of sons) equals 34 -- maybe it is significant after all. Or, maybe not!

Oh, I know, maybe if we realize that there is no other Shelley Anne who makes both her mother and her mother-in-law brag. Maybe if we point out that she makes her determined-not-to-be-proud dad proud. Maybe if we look at the gaze of admiration in her father-in-law's eye and hear the boasting about her of her husband. Maybe then we'll realize that any birthday, yea verily, any day in the life of this daughter of God is of special significance for she is a blessing to all.

We all failed. Your family and the world failed today to show the proper appreciation on this very significant day - your 34th birthday. Happy birthday! We love you.

Camp Care: Algiers, Louisiana

2005-10-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

We drove all day Monday, arriving in New Orleans about 5:00p. We took a wrong turn as we passed the Super Dome and suddenly were in a district that felt very uncomfortable to be in. Our attempts to backtrack on I-10 in order to be able to take the correct turn met with a bit of frustration because random roads were closed because of storm damage or debris. But, we managed to make another run at it and found our destination.

Our church has set up Camp Care in the district of New Orleans known as Algiers. It is one of the poorer sections of town and was pretty heavily hit by Katrina. It did not flood, but it sustained a lot of wind and water damage. The wind removed the roofs and knocked down trees and signs and stuff. Then, the rain got inside the houses and collapsed the ceilings and ruined the floors and walls and furniture. Many people have their houses, but can't live there. Others need a lot of manual labor type of help just to clean up the mess. One thing that is most useful is the installation of a temporary roof. This is done with large sheets of blue plastic. So, we installed a lot of "Blue Roofs."

Camp Care consists of a 4,000 sqft. tent, two supply tents, a trailer rigged to provide hot showers for men and women and a trailer for communications and supervisors quarters. The big tent is divided into three parts: the dining area, the men's sleeping quarters and the women's sleeping quarters. In the two sleeping quarters there are what are called "Cot Tents." These are cots with a built-in one-person tent. Or maybe a one-person tent built on a cot. Either way works and is actually pretty cool. The whole tent is air conditioned. An abandoned house/dry cleaners, near the tent, is used for kitchen and restroom facilities.

The whole idea of Camp Care is that crews of volunteer workers will rotate in to work for a week or more. They are housed, fed and given work assignments. People through out Algiers are being helped in the name of Jesus. The work ethic is that it's more important to talk to people and minister to them and pray with them than it is to finish the roof in record time.

Marilyn and I loved it! We loved the fellowship with our co-workers. At one point there were 33 workers working out of Camp Care. Most were from RHCC. Some were from a church in Morris, Illinois. We love the blessing of being able to minister to people who have lost all hope. I don't have time to write all the stories we saw and heard. But, everyone has a story. Most of the stories are heartbreaking and were accompanied with tears or frustration or despair or all the above. The amount of work that needs to be done is beyond comprehension. We would drive past 200 houses that needed Blue Roofs in order to install a roof on the house of someone who had requested it.

Camp Care is open to churches that want to send work crews. Just contact me and I'll put you in touch with the folks who can set your group up to go. We are in this project "for the long haul." We expect to be there, working, into the Spring of next year. Here are a few more pics:

90: Another Nice Number

2005-09-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

It has been too long to try to cover all that's happened since the last post. So, I'll just have to skip ahead to be up-to-date and only mention one event that has transpired since I last wrote. That event will be the birthday party we had for Marilyn's mom.

She will never read the internet, so I can go ahead and say it here. She is now 90 years-old. It is genetically contrary to the nature of those with Platt blood coursing in their veins to unabashedly speak of their age. It is a subject that provides more peace by simply leaving it alone. At least that seems to be true of the ones with whom I have close contact. So, at a time of life when most are bragging about their age, Modene would rather talk about the coming agenda for the local chapter of the Republican Party. Genes notwithstanding, her kids pressed forward with plans to celebrate what everyone else considers to be a lifespan landmark worthy of note - her 90th birthday. The only indication that anyone got from her that she was doing anything other than tolerating the foolishness of her offspring was a phone call Marilyn received two days before we all gathered to celebrate. She called with a request for the gathering. She wanted all the men - son, sons-in-law and grandsons - to wear white long-sleeved shirts. No tie required and rolled up sleeves permitted. Personally it affirmed for me that she appreciated the fact that the event was happening. When asked she later explained her request as simply a desire to see her men dressed as men would dress for such special occasions back when men were more careful about how they dressed. I was thrilled at her request. It represented an easy way to please and honor her taste and it meant she was glad we were making a fuse over her.

The event itself was spectacular. Sandy was the emcee extraordinaire. Bob Gibbs was the official photographer. Thus the pictures posted here, which were mostly taken by Marilyn or me, are unofficial. Preacher's count put the attendance at about 100. We had folks from probably 20 cities - from the east coast and from beyond the west coast. The fourth generation was there.

Special memories and meaningful praises were offered by each of her five children and all of her grandchildren. One nephew, Stan Simmons, interjected himself into the recollections to clarify some of Larry's comments. A special Modene-ized version of Proverbs 31 was read publicly. A nine minute DVD collage of ancient photos set to old music was debuted. A beautiful certificate of congratulations from the governor of Texas was presented. And, finally, a completely nonsensical soliloquy sent in by the one absent member of the second generation was shared causing laughter and groans. All was done in such a way as to comply with Modene's only other request for the gathering - "I don't want this to be like a funeral." It wasn't. It truly was a celebration of a life that has been an inspiration to many but one that is obviously not over with yet.

There were tons of pics, but these are the few unofficial ones I've chosen to post:

Modene with her seven grand children. Michelle Brabham (front right), Kenny Brabham (front), Bryce Gibbs (back, 2nd from right), John Terry (back left), Shelley Park (front left), Sara Holland (back right), and Meghann Jones (back 2nd from left)

We took pictures of Modene with each of the five tribes. This is Marilyn's tribe. This tribe contains two of Modene's four great-grandchildren - Samuel and Jeremiah.

As you can clearly see in this photo, there were at least 100 people there.

This photo-op brought out all the cameras. The opportunity to picture the two grandchildren who were obviously the most beautiful. What a catch for a collector of beautiful images.

And finally, a picture of one of Modene's best friends. A woman who shares two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren with her - my mom, Naomi Holland Paulus. She is hold up her two sons by their belts. Pretty strong don't you think.

Modene Platt Brabham is no ordinary woman. She neither sees life nor lives it in an ordinary fashion. She has a passion for her Lord. She has a passion for her children. She has a passion for her Rangers. She can almost name every person she has ever met and, given a few minutes to think about it, tell you who their relatives are. She loves people and she loves her land. It was an honor to see her children honor her. God was honored by the children who obediently honored their parents. For they did it not out of obligation but out of love. Modene Platt Brabham is loved and she knows it.

Catching Up

2005-09-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

It seems I go for days waiting to have something to post. Then, suddenly there's plenty. Of course, the devastation that has been caused by hurricane Katrina has got everyone's attention. Marilyn is busy at Rapha with preparing and loading supplies that are being taken to Louisiana by various churches and ministries. I'll refer you to Rapha's web page for more info on that. (www.raphainternational.org).

Last Friday was a red letter day for us, here in east Fort Worth. Marilyn and I try to meet on a monthly basis with my brother, Mark, and his wife, Carla. This month's meeting happened at our house and two of their "boys" and their wives came also. So we had eight for supper and we had a great visit. Chad and Amy were in from their missionary work in Burkina Faso in west Africa. Kyle and Jenny were over from Abilene. Marilyn wowed everyone with her adobo. Chad made and brought the salad. The fellowship was fun and relaxed.

After supper we talked about lots of stuff. Somewhere in the conversation someone mentioned the Chad Mitchell Trio (Marliyn's favorite from the 60s). Much to our surprise the younger couples were interested in hearing the homemade CD that I gave Marilyn for her birthday a few years ago. It contained all of the Chad Mitchell Trio music available on iTunes. Not only did they get to hear he songs, they got to hear Marilyn and Carla singing along. It was so enriching. We had a great time skipping through the songs listening to selected numbers. The big hit was "Your Friendly Neighborhood Liberal Ku Klux Klan."

Marilyn made it a point to get a picture of each couple on the Family Porch Swing.

Mark and Carla

Chad and Amy (and TBA)

Kyle and Jenny

Kyle and Jenny were staying overnight because they had a wedding to attend in Fort Worth on Saturday. I invited Kyle for a bike ride Saturday morning. We did 10 miles with Kyle riding Marilyn's bike. Then, after we got back Jenny wanted to ride. So she and Kyle went for a short ride. Kyle on my V-Rex and Jenny on Marilyn's Tailwind.

I had Marilyn take a picture of me on the V-Rex, also. Since getting my V-Rex a little over a year ago, I've logged slightly over 800 miles on it. I have really come to like the bike. It rides strong and is, of course, very comfortable.

We are looking forward to a brief visit from Sara next week. She is in the states to attend her grandmother's (Marilyn's mom) 90th birthday party. She has already arrived, but is spending the first few days with her sister in College Station. What a blessing to have kids that love each other.

36: A Nice Number

2005-08-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today was the 36th anniversary of our wedding day - August 23, 1969. We were both so excited to celebrate the anniversary of our wedding for the 36th time. Two days ago I asked Marilyn what she wanted for her anniversary to which she responded, "Oh," and, after an extended silence, she said "What do you want for yours?" Then, there was another extended silence followed by no answer from me. Then the thought occurred to me, why should we feel obliged to want something? We have all we want and when we want something we don't have we go get it. So, what's up with having to want something because it's our anniversary? Anyway, we made an unspoken agreement to skip the presents this year. Last year we went to New York City for the first time.

Today our plan was for me to go to work. Marilyn was to attend Ladies Class and then go to Rapha (the relief ministry where she volunteers). We were both thinking in terms of going out to dinner, but we couldn't decide where. We were kinda having this running discussion of where, but with no decision. We went to a movie last week, so that wasn't part of tonight's plan. I decided to not be a complete klutz. At lunch, today, I bought a flower arrangement and took it to Rapha. The folks at Rapha were surprised to see me and they had bought an ice cream pie for Marilyn's anniversary.

This evening we searched the web for an eating place. We looked at steak houses, seafood places, fancy places, near places, Indian food places. Finally, out of sheer frustration we decided on this little Thai food place we'd never been to before. It turned out to be super food at a reasonable price. See, our research and pre-planning paid off big time. We came home for coffee afterwards. We also hired a professional photographer to come by and take our picture. Looks good doesn't it.

We have this little game we play. I start talking about where we were on previous anniversaries. Earlier in our marriage, I'd try to get us to remember what we did to celebrate. Marilyn has never been all that excited about this game. I don't know why. After our life's pattern began to develop we realized that we would be doing well if we could remember what country we were in for each anniversary. Now it seems like we celebrate the fives-and-zeroes and just acknowledge the ones in between. Thus, New York City last year -35th - and strip center Thai food this year - 36th. Oh well, she's still the love of my life and assures me I am of her's as well. We've traveled many roads together. Lived in many houses. Visited many countries. Flown countless airways. Been blessed with great kids and now grandkids. We've always loved what we were doing. God has blessed us far better than we deserved. 36 is a good number. It actually is my favorite number. I'm happy we've reached this mile stone.

Samuel and his mom

2005-08-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well, one of the things going on in our lives is not happening here. It happened in College Station, Texas last week. Our older grandson, Samuel, started school. He is now officially a kindergartener. He was awake early, anxious for breakfast. But then he was too excited to eat it all. His school walking distance from his house. So, the parents do a "Walking School Bus" to escort the boys to school. The two other primary passengers on the Walking School Bus (besides Samuel on the left) are Cole and Jacob.

While we are on the subject of schooling, here's a picture of Samuel's mom, our own sweet Shelley, as she finished her schooling. She was graduating from Texas A&M. That's her Gra'ma Brabham for whom we will have a big birthday bash next month. She will be 90!! but don't tell anyone.

Another big even in Samuel's life was his first Rock Climb and his first zip line ride.

Marilyn and I have been team-teaching a Bible class, at church, for about three years. It's mostly young couples about the age of our children or younger. We made a big shift this week. We are, for the first time, teaching from a book rather than preparing our own material. That decision resulted in it being easier for me to teach alone, as opposed to the team-teaching we've done since the beginning of the class. We've decided the change of pace will probably be good. We like the material and the class seems to like it as well. No Bible class pics available.

Blood Numbers

2005-08-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

I know of a couple of my relatives who are interested in this information, so I thought I'd blog it in case others might be interested as well. I have, for several years, been aware of the fact that I have high cholesterol. It is a problem I inherited (I think). It runs in my family (in my opinion). That's why I have relatives who are interested. I have, for decades, been a pretty faithful runner and, more recently, bicycler. Nevertheless, I have carried high cholesterol numbers. At first I tried to control it in mainstream ways. We are always told "exercise and a low fat diet." I worked at that for years. Sadly, to no avail. Actually, my numbers simply got gradually higher. I first discovered the problem at a total cholesterol of 232. I continued my exercising and began watching what I ate - low fat, no fat, moderate amounts, etc. etc. etc. By late 2003 my weight had increased to 199, I felt lousy and even had the docs check out my heart a couple of times because of "chest sensations" - not chest pains, just "sensations." They found nothing wrong with heart but my blood numbers were getting higher. I think I had a 280-something test at one time.

Enter Dr. Atkins! When I hit 199 on the scales I decided it was time to do something different about my weight. Einstein is the one who defined insanity as "continuing to do the same thing and expecting to get different results." For some reason, though I'd never been on any sort of weight loss diet in my entire life, the idea of limiting a specific intake of something - calories or fat or something - made perfect sense to me. Dr. Atkins said that something was carbs. So, I went low-carb on January 1, 2004. New Year's resolution - lose weight! One thing Atkins said to do was have a blood test to establish where you were starting with your blood numbers. Remember, though, my motive for dieting was weight loss. He said your blood numbers would improve, but I considered that to be gravy (no pun intended). So, in Feb, 2004, I had my doctor check my blood. He found the following:
Total Cholesterol - 291
LDL - 184
HLD - 94
Triglyceride - 66
Total/ HLD ratio - 3.09

The weight loss program worked GREAT. I was very satisfied with every aspect of eating low-carb. I ignored the fat content of food and simply stayed away from carbs. I ate meat and nuts - both of which I love. I began to feel stronger and sleep better. I no longer needed a Tums to counter the acid I felt after EVERY meal. Marilyn told me I stopped snoring. Best of all, I lost weight. It was slow and deliberate, but it was real. By the end of 2004 I weighed 172. I have stayed there, easily. In November, 2004 I had my blood numbers checked again. I was hoping for similar success as I had experienced with my weight. But, alas, the readings were:
Total Cholesterol - 279
LDL - 176
HLD - 92
Triglyceride - 56
Total/ HLD ratio - 3.00

Improved - if you looked real close. Like with a microscope! [I might note that these only slightly improved numbers were, nonetheless, improved while ignoring - even disdaining - the idea of low-fat anything] So, it was time to do something else. Marilyn told me about Red Yeast Rice. I got on the Web and started reading. I discovered many things. One thing I came across was something that sounded better than RYR. It was a thing called Polycosonal. A quick summary of things I learned that I considered important are the source of blood cholesterol and how doctors try to control it. There are two sources of the cholesterol in your blood. One- what you eat. Two- your liver. What you eat accounts for 20% of the cholesterol in your blood. The other 80% is produced by your liver. So, the doctors treat your liver in an attempt to get the numbers down. They use statin drugs - Lipitor is the main one, but there are other brand names. It turns out the RYR is also a statin. But, it is a naturally produced statin rather than a chemical, like Lipitor. Polycosonal is not a statin and has not been found to have any impact on the liver. It has been found to reduce LDL as much as Lipitor and increase HDL - which is good and which Lipitor does not do.

So, with the above blood numbers, I started taking Polycosonal in December, 2004. I ignored my doctor's prescription for Lipitor and began with 10 mg/day. Everything I had read said 20mg/day was the best dosage. In March, 2005 (four months later) I had my numbers checked again. The results:
Total Cholesterol - 263
LDL - 174
HLD - 81
Triglyceride - 47
Total/ HLD ratio - 3.25

The doc again prescribed Lipitor. I told him I was going to double my Polycosonal dosage and see what happened. He kinda shrugged his shoulders. I was pleased to see some impact, but still not satisfied. I knew the time was approaching when I would have to do something that worked. My weight remained completely under control. And, for the first time, my blood numbers were improving - albeit, slowly.

Last week I went to have the numbers run again. This time my doc was on vacation. So, I was seen by his lovely PA, Molly. When I told Molly I wasn't taking Lipitor she was noticeably put-out with me. She asked me questions like "Do you exercise?" "Do you watch what you eat?" "How's your energy level?" I answered, "I run 3 miles-a-day 4 or 5 days-a-week." "Yes" "Great." Then her last question was, "If this blood test shows the Polycosonal isn't working would you be willing to take Lipitor?" I answered "I'd have to think about it." She left me with this factoid "All we can do is show you the numbers and recommend what you need to do. We can't force you to do it." My unspoken response was "You got that right, Cutey." Today the blood numbers arrived:
Total Cholesterol - 250
LDL - 154
HLD - 89
Triglyceride - 37
Total/ HLD ratio - 2.80

The recommendation from the doc (or the PA, I don't know which), "Continue with Polycosonal, diet and exercise." The increased dosage, after five months brought the LDL down 19 points! It increased the HDL by 8 points.

I am now an advocate of low-carb eating for weight control and Polycosonal for cholesterol control. I am confident my numbers will be more improved in six more months. The target upper limit for LDL is 129.

There's my blood numbers story.

The Goatneck

2005-07-31T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have any pictures to post with this posting, but I thought I'd speak of it anyway. Yesterday I completed what I have named my Annual Birthmonth Ride. The goal of my ABR is to ride my bike (affectionately dubbed "Popcycle") one mile for each year of life I am celebrating that year. So, this year my goal was to accomplish a 58 mile bike ride. Well, the Tour de Goatneck is one of the few rides in this region in July. It has several distances to choose from and one of them is the 100 kilometer (62 mile) ride. But they point out on their web page and announce at the beginning of the ride that it is actually 70 miles long - not just the 62 miles that would equal 100 kilometers. This is the second year I've ridden the Goatneck and both years, Popcycle's computer has registered 72 miles. The bottom line is that the Goatneck can be my ride of choice for my ABR for a long time to come.

This year, having moved to College Station, David Park was not able to ride with me. I did recruit Brian Read to go. He rode Marilyn's recumbent Rans Tailwind. Brian is 6'3", 225# and pretty fit. As I rode my pace and Brain would get further and further ahead of me. Then, he'd stop and wait a while for me to catch up. We finished the ride together but that was because he chose to have us do so. I'd have been well behind him had he just kept up his pace. We rode for 4 hours and 36 minutes, averaging 15.4 mph. There is one giant decent about 25 miles into the ride that gave me my highest recorded speed on my bike, last year - 40.0 mph. This year, after that decent, as I looked down at my computer to see what it had registered as the max I saw 40.0, again. Brian, being 50 pounds heavier said he reached 42 mph. It was quite a thrill.

Of course the Goatneck comes right after the Tour de France, so everyone is out there fantasizing a bit. There were about 2,000 riders this year. The Goatneck is ranked as one of the top 100 rides in America. It is a pretty challenging ride. Some of the climbs have been given names - "Eulogy Hill" and "The Goatneck Climb." The signs at the foot of such ascents lists how long the climb last and how much you ascend. They also tell you how far it is to the next Reststop.

Another friend of mine, Don Ferrell, who owns a recumbent but hasn't had much opportunity to ride committed to riding in the 10 mile tour. He did that and then he and his wife, Denice, positioned themselves out on the 100K route and waited for us to ride by. It was a real encouragement to have our own fans on the side of the road. It did wonders for our Lance Fantasies. Unlike Lance, though, we stopped and chatted with our fans.

Other than Brian and me, I estimate there may have been 5 other recumbents in the tour. I do not detect much growth in the presence of recumbents. I wish they were a growing fad because I think I could sell them and make a little extra money.

I guess the reasons I like touring on my bike is it provides the opportunity to completely escape from other thoughts and yet be able to spend some time with the Lord asking Him to get me up the next hill. Also, I am able to do something that I know, without reservation, is good for me. I come away with tired, sore muscles. I've long believed tired, sore muscles are a good thing because they indicate that you have gone beyond the ordinary walk in your life.

The weather was good. The ride was challenging. The companionship was encouraging. And, we finished. That's my report on the 18th Annual Tour de Goatneck out of Cleburne, Texas. Oh, here's a picture I can post. This is Marilyn's bike that Brian rode. It's a Rans Tailwind. My Rans V-Rex is pictured in an earlier posting on the Blog.

A Girl is Born

2005-07-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 27th anniversary of the birth of our second daughter. I think it was around 4:00a that Marilyn woke me up and told me she was having contractions. Since we had been through the Lamaz training, this time, I knew what that meant. I also knew I had a job to do. I had to get a watch and a tablet to serve as a log so we could know the severity, duration and frequency of the contractions. A bit before 6:00a we woke Shelley up and prepared her to go stay with friends. By 6:00a we had dropped sleepy Shelley off and were at the military hospital on Columbus AFB. Marilyn was still contracting and I was still timing and logging. Since this activity (giving birth) causes moms to forget how to breathe, I was helping Marilyn remember how to breathe, also. I had a big job to do in all this. It was different from the job I had when Shelley was born. At her birth my job was to go to the Waiting Room and smoke cigarettes. I'll point out hat I did that job with just as much devotion as I was doing this one.

At 8:00a we discovered we had another daughter - the only use of sonar in those days was detecting enemy submarines. She came out really messy but cleaned up very nicely. Marilyn began to breathe on her own, again, and I stopped keeping my log book. Now, Sara lives in another country and teaches people about Jesus. She speaks two languages and loves singing in both of them. She has an infectious smile and is greatly loved and respected by many people. What a blessing! Thank you Lord for that early morning arrival 27 years ago this day!

Global Missions Conference

2005-07-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

We dreamed it could be that good, but we never really expected it. God gave us all - all who were involved in helping it happen - and he gave His church a great blessing in the Global Missions Conference. The whole event exceeded our expectations in every aspect. I am still floating pretty high from the experience. An entirely new forum has been established for world evangelism in the churches of Christ. I know I sound pretty over-the-top about what happened, but what happened was over-the-top.

We don't have pictures, but Marilyn was in charge to of the opening ceremony's Parade of Nations. The Conference had purchased a full set of UN flags - 194 nations. So Marilyn had to recruit 194 flag bearers. There were several ideas about how to do that - Boy Scout troops, Girl Scouts, etc. - but in the end it came down to phone calls and emails. 20 flags did not get paraded, but the rest were brought in the triumphant songs of God's love and salvation led by the RHCC Praise Team. the parading of flags always proves the point that there is much work to do. It also always moves many people to tears. This was the case again with this Parade of Nations.

Just under 1,000 people registered for the Conference. There were 12 tracks of teaching taking place with 99 separate classes. I was on a panel for the whole group entitled "Lessons Learned from Great Mission Churches." It was a super experience to get to tell a bit of the RHCC story. The whole conference was purely devoted to teaching and promoting and discussing and improving our abilities as a church to reach the lost of the world. The conference was a collaborative effort of churches, missionaries, universities and missions agencies. It was excellent and exciting!

Since we held the conference in the Arlington Convention Center we were literally next-door to the Ranger's baseball stadium. So, part of the conference was an evening out together at the ball game. I took Marilyn's picture with two brothers from Africa who were experiencing a real cross-cultural event for them. Our block seating section included an all-you-can-eat hot dog supper. It was just the break we needed after the first two days of intensive study and discussions.

Attendees came from all over the US. Many drove from out-of-state. Many others flew in. I got a phone call, today, from a brother in Arizona who said 9 of them drove over for the conference. He said, "It changed my life." My former secretary, from when we were working in Makati, Metro Manila came from Kansas with several from her congregation. That's her, Remy, between Marilyn and me in front of the Ranger stadium.

Another part of the Conference was an opportunity for missionaries, churches and various missions oriented ministries to display their work and network with each other. Rapha had a display that gave them a lot of exposure. There were almost 90 displays. Many people come to such gathering strictly for the networking opportunities. There were numerous side meetings that took place throughout the days of the conference. Some ministries hosted luncheons. Several ministries had Board meetings. Special Interest groups had gatherings and strategy meetings. The Global Missions Conference provided many great blessings to the health of mission work among the churches of Christ. We praise God for these blessings.

Frantic Activity

2005-07-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

I have two presentations for which to prepare for the Global Missions Conference. I have Harvest Sunday proposal numbers to finalize. I have a new Administrative Assistant who started working today - therefore needs tons of training and help. Marilyn is the Grand Marshall of the opening ceremonies for the GMC's Parade of Nations. Visitors are coming in (yeah!!) and I'm preparing for my annual birth-month-bike-tour which needs to cover a mile per year.

The good news it's ALL GOOD. God is so good to us in allowing us to be deeply involved in exactly what we love - world missions. I love the opportunity to speak about missions from a congregational perspective. Marilyn is so good at organizing the flag ceremony because it thrills so many people.

The conference will occupy us totally for he next three days. There are scores of great classes. There will be hundreds of friends and co-workers. We are looking forward what the Lord has in store for His church as the Global Missions Conference unfolds. We'll either keep you posted as it happens or, more likely, bring you up to date after it's over. Stay tuned, either way.

Home Alone Together

2005-07-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

Most of our evenings are now consumed with OLN and the Tour de France. Since I am a pseudo-biker and Marilyn is an any-sport-is-fun-to-watch sports fans we find ourselves eating supper in front of the TV - an activity that would not ordinarily cross our minds. We aren't such big Lance Armstrong fans mostly because we were disappointed by his break up with his wife in favor of his girlfriend. Also his complete disavowal of God having anything to do with the cure of his cancer. But, it is amazing to see those guys screaming down those mountains at 60 mph on a bike. I've had mine up to 40 mph, but that was an instantaneous peak speed that last only a brief few seconds. Here's a picture of my bike.

Another big thing going on for us right now is the Global Missions Conference that will happen next week. I have been blessed to be a part of the planning for this first of its kind conference for the last two years. I'm speaking a couple of times. Marilyn has been called in to head the Parade of Nations opening flag ceremony. We've purchased a full set of flags of all the nations of the world. 194. It's going to be exciting. The conference is going to be exciting.

Marilyn's trip to Morelia July 2005

2005-07-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here's Sara, our daughter, at her computer in Morelia, Mexico. She is serving there wih a mission team and has been there three years, come September. We have been able to visit Sara several times during her time there and have come to love the people and the city in which she lives. We are very proud of her!

I'll write more tomorrow!

Near the Start

2005-07-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

This new blogging experience is kinda fun. I thought since we are just getting started I'd throw in something from near the start of our history. Marilyn saw me through Navigator training in the USAF during the second year of our marriage. So, she was the one who pinned my wings on my uniform. Isn't she beautiful? What a blessing she has always been! Shortly after this event we were transferred from California to North Carolina where I began to fly C-130 aircraft and she gave birth to Shelley. That young Lt. has that smirk on his face because he knows he's the luckiest guy in the world.

She is due back from Mexico early tomorrow morning. She's been down there blessing the folks there for a week. Sara emailed me today and indicated a great reluctance to send her back. Too bad, Sara. She may visit you but she stays with me.

First Posting

2005-07-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I just set up this blog and now I'm learning what it means to "post" stuff here.

Marilyn is in Mexico and due to return the day after tomorrow. She's been gone almost a week and I've managed to stay out of trouble inspite of her absence. She is visiting Sara, our younger daughter, who lives and works in the city of Morelia as a missionary. Sara's not in this picture, but that's her roommate, Summer, on the left and this is the livingroom of their house. They have a bunch of Mexican friends visiting them in this picture.

Let's see what else can I put on my first blog posting. Here's an old picture of my college Corps classmates when we were Seniors working on the Texas A&M bonfire. Can you find me?

Well, that's it for tonight. Respond if you know how.