ARCHIVE GALLERY
February 2007
February 7, 2007
We are so sorry to see that the weather at home has been near zero! Here in Texas we have had some cold weather, but nothing like that! Today, as I write this journal entry, it is heading towards the mid seventies and that is pretty nice. We are certainly enjoying this beautiful weather and wish that we could send some home to our loved ones in Michigan!
This week has consisted of getting adjusted to life in the RV. We have needed to establish a normal schedule and that always seems to take some time, but now that we are getting on to it, life is calming down a bit. We have posted pictures on the photo gallery so that you are able to see where we are parked and how life looks for us.
This past weekend we sang at East Park Church of The Nazarene in Arlington. It is a smaller church that is really reaching out to kids in the community. Boy, do they have the kids! Especially for their size, they have a good number of youth that come, and now their parents are starting to come as well. That is the vision the Lord gave to Pastor Paul Printice and now it is slowly coming into fruition. It does call for the entire church to adjust their church life as many of these kids are coming on their own and do not have much parental supervision. What a great day it was as we worshipped together and we were so thankful that we were able to invest in the lives of these people. Pastor Paul just scheduled a marriage seminar for two consecutive Thursday nights in March. We will have to adjust it a bit, but that is the only time to fit it in while we are still in the area.
After church we headed over to the Slinker’s home (a family from the church we are parked at) for a Super Bowl party. What a gorgeous home they have! It was a lot of fun to just sit and talk and make new friends, as there were several other families there as well. I forgot the camera, so there won’t be any pictures. Sorry!
I was thinking how the Lord has taught us to arrive at a new place and accept it as home for a time. To some, this may come naturally, but I think most would fight it. For me, I have to lean on the Lord to have a place feel like home. It is a huge credit to His generosity to provide what we need to make us comfortable. Not only so, but to feel welcomed and accepted is a grand thing. We are just so blessed to be with a church body that cares for one another. That has been our experience here and we are ever grateful. I know that if I would plant my feet and refuse to move them, I would miss out greatly on what the Lord wants to do in my life and how He wants to use me in the lives of others. So, as time goes by, we are learning flexibility and contentment…some of those lessons come easier than others.
Have a blessed week.
Don’t you love it when everyone in the house (or RV) is asleep and all is quiet? Maybe you choose to read your Bible or just quietly talk to the Lord…or like me you sit and listen to the rain. That is what I did this morning and then I thought it might be a good idea to write this week’s journal entry without interruptions! Well, now they are all up! Every one of them. There are only three of them, but somehow it seems like twelve in this small space. Maybe that is because we house-sat this weekend for a couple from River Oaks Church of The Nazarene (the church we are parked at) while they took their grand-children to California for the weekend to visit the Ronald Regan ranch.
But, before I tell you about that, let me tell you about Wednesday night. River Oaks had scheduled a missionary to come and give a report on her ministry in the Ukraine. Since we had no concert planned, we went to hear Roxanne Alexander. We made the kids sit in the service with us (Kennedie wanted desperately to serve in the nursery as she has done the past couple of Wednesday nights here – they do not have a mid- week kid’s program yet) because we just felt like the Lord was going to use this woman. I can’t say either of the kids was wowed by the service, but they sure did pay attention. Roxanne’s ministry in the Ukraine completely uprooted her life and of course, changed everything for her. She went to Kyiv about 4 years ago knowing very little Russian but ready to follow the Lord wherever He asked her to go. Her passion and love for these people are contagious and her video presentation took you to the threshold of the Ukraine.
What really spoke to my heart more than anything was her resolve to give her time and energy to God. When she leaves her apartment in the morning, she asks the Lord if she should go to the left or to the right. She wants to touch the people that the Lord is drawing and knows that her involvement in their lives can and will make a difference. Living in the 10 – 40 window (where 80 % of the world’s population live) she could be overwhelmed with the amount of people who need Jesus and the many who have needs to be met. But, she just takes it one day and one-person…one cup of tea at a time. Being a type "A" personality, she had to learn this lesson, because you can’t make a checklist of all the people God’s is going to bring into your life. I don’t really think people belong on a checklist, anyway.
So, her main point that really spoke to both Randy and I was that ministry is very inconvenient and it will take time, lots of time. It will not be totally accomplished today or tomorrow and we shouldn’t try to check it off our list or even expect it to be "done." Ministry is the purpose of our lives and each one of us will fulfill our purpose when we make people the focus of what we do. That is what Christ did and He certainly knew His purpose. Can you imagine the interruptions He faced? They were constant. People needing to be healed, someone wanting the inside info on the kingdom, quarrels and hassles that could spiral out of control…the list is much larger than what I can think of. Yet, His focus was people. The whole service really refocused my heart on why we are here.
Thursday night we moved the RV over to Bernie and Judy Smith's house just a couple of miles from the church. We parked it in their driveway and unloaded all of the laundry as well as everything else we needed. I did laundry all weekend and decided the laundry mat is not so bad! Yes, it costs, but two hours and everything is clean at the same time. So, I have decided I really like the laundry mat.
Bernie and Judy have a great house with a hot tub and two dogs, Lucky (toy poodle) and Little Bit (miniature pincher). We took the weekend and worked from there, relaxing on Saturday. Randy took the kids out Saturday afternoon and I just stayed at the house lounging. Randy went to a local high school football field and kicked field goals. (a very relaxing thing for him) The kids just ran around and became sweaty and exhausted. I loved being alone and doing nothing but flipping stations and folding laundry. The weekend was a great little escape and we were able to spread out. I took some time to this weekend to reorganize the RV and that has really helped.
Yesterday morning we sang at First Church of Fort Worth in Crowley. Pastor CB Glidden and his wife, Becky hosted us and being the second time there, it was great to see them again. The service went well and again the Lord answered our prayers as He spoke in His own way and moved in the room. Neither of us felt like we sang well, lots of coughing and scratchy throats. The flu here is terrible and everyone seems to have it. So, all in all, it went well.
Sunday night, we went back to River Oaks Nazarene for a youth fund raiser called, "Pie-In-The-Eye." The purpose is to raise money to send young people to the Nazarene Youth Conference. It started with a baked potato dinner, and then segued to a very organized and hilarious pie auction. Texans know how to bid in auctions. Weather your bidding on long horn steer or a German chocolate cake, Texans take it very seriously. If you have an itch on your nose, you better just let it go or else you could find yourself in the auction bid. Marli accidentally was added to the bid various times because she kept turning around talking with the pastor's wife. And if you know Marli, she talks with her hands. (Thankfully, she kept being out bid by other people) About 20 pies and cakes were auctioned off. 2218 dollars was raised just by this auction process. We wanted to support the youth with an offering, so with some parental guidance, Kennedie jumped into the bidding for a scrumptious "death-by-chocolate" multi-layered cake. We won the bid and the cake at a mere $65. That may seem like a lot for a cake, but $65 ended up being one of the lowest bids of the night. (we think the people felt sorry for us and didn't want to run up the bid too much) Various pies were purchased for hundreds of dollars and the highest of the night was a cherry cheese cake that went for $650. Various pies had an added bonus attached to them. If you won a certain bid you got to throw a whip cream pie in the face of one of the pastoral staff. Kennedie's pie was one of those. She "creamed" Daniel, one of the youth workers who made the death-by-chocolate cake we purchased. You can see some of the pie photos in the photo gallery.
Thank you for your support and prayers. We depend on the Lord to answer those prayers and use us to encourage the church. We are certainly honored to serve!
Have a super week.
KENNEDIE'S KORNER
Sunday morning after church I was invited to go with some new friends of mine to go to CiCi's Pizza and hang out at their house for a little while. They had a Bible Quiz practice and I got half of the questions right. The questions were based on the book of Acts. They thought that was pretty good for not studying. After that we went to the Pie-In-The-Eye at River Oaks Church. (check out our photo's) I learned a lot of stuff about living in a motor home. I learned that four people can't fit into a little bathroom at the same time and so I have to be patient and wait my turn. I think we are all getting use to it and are becoming more patient. (except for mom - she's still working on it) I'm getting lot's of exercise and trying to stay healthy. I also miss my dog, Sammy, so very much. I want to say "Hi" to my Aunt Blythey, and I thank her for her support with "Kennedie's Korner."
KC'S KLUB
Today is Monday and we are going to ice-skate. I met two dogs. Their names are "Little Bit" and "Lucky." Lucky has a disease and Little Bit has such skinny legs. You can not pick up both of them because they are older and they can get hurt. We stayed at somebody's house. They had a pool table. The bed I slept in was very comfortable. Little Bit jumped up in the bed and snuggled with me for a little while. He was not supposed to be on the bed but he likes being with me.
This last week was the busiest as far as having dinner with new friends goes. Four evenings in just one week were spent at somebody's home or meeting at a restaurant. We love this aspect of investing into the lives of others as well as being encouraged by so many people and their faith stories. For the future, I think we will keep it to one to two per week, if we can help it, so that we are better rested for the weekend ministry. We definitely, though, feel like we have made some dear friendships for life. Thank you to so many for inviting us into your lives and taking the extra effort to make us feel at home while being far from home.
Marli was invited to attend a "Red Dress Tea" hosted by Crossroads Tabernacle at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Arlington. The annual tea serves as a time to encourage and pamper ladies dressed in Red! The music was great and the speakers were very encouraging. She loved going, sitting and enjoying the event without having to do a thing! Unfortunately, she didn't get any photos of her because she looked gorgeous!
Kennedie and Kadison spent the night with friends on Saturday evening and were involved with a play practice and choir practice on Sunday. The Nazarene District sponsors children in a regional talent competition that is scheduled for this Saturday. They have invited our kids to be a part and they are so excited about it. Marli is directing the children's choir and their song is coming along just great. I just came back into the RV from the church, watching and listening to the progress. They perform in front of the adults tomorrow evening (Wednesday) as a dress-rehearsal. All the acts that do well at the regional competition this Saturday get to go to Lubbock to perform in the North District competition on March 10. We will see what happens. We are grateful for the opportunities that our kids have to perform in various ways and with other children their ages. Kennedie and Kadison are both singing solos as well as participating in a short play and singing in the choir. Kennedie is also entering the photography category. We will let you know how they do...they sure are enjoying the preparation process.
Sunday, Marli and I headed out about 7:30 AM to arrive in Denton by 8:30 AM to minister at the Denton Church of The Nazarene. This church just sold their church building and has been meeting in a nearby elementary school for the past three Sunday's. They are obviously right in the middle of some exciting transition. Pastor Bernie and Peggy Burnside have served this church for twenty-three years! It is rare to see that type of longevity in American churches. Thank you, Burnside's, for your faithful dedication to Christ and His church.
The people of Denton Nazarene worshiped with such freedom and openness that it was very apparent to us why God has them expanding and building this next year. I think they knew every worship song that we sang, and they sang with us from the core of their hearts. The hour was over so quickly and Marli and I felt like our souls drank from a cold well that refreshed our tired hearts. The people of Denton were so gracious to us for coming, but I don't think they know how much we needed them.
After packing up, we went to the Pastor's house afterward for some awesome homemade roast beef sandwiches while we got to know them and their family a bit better. After the meal we were all in agreement that the next two hours would be best spent by napping, so Marli and I sojourned to the RV that was parked out front and we were dreaming in no time. When the alarm went off, I thought that someone was playing a cruel joke. It kind of confirmed what we assumed: our bodies need more rest than we have been giving them.
We followed Pastor Bernie and Peggy to Gateway Banquet Hall on the campus of Northern Texas University. We had about 30 minutes to set up and get some background music flowing. Denton Nazarene hosted this banquet for the purpose of meeting Bill Brown, their architect, and to hear his vision and plans for the new church building. Bill flew in from Colorado Springs and gave a clear and professional presentation to the congregation about how their dollars would be best spent. He gave a ground breaking date in November with a completion month of June 2008. The Spirit was evident in the room and the unity amongst the body was testimony to that. After eating a wonderful meal, Marli and I sang a 45 minute package of celebration songs, in which the people heartily joined right in with us. After packing up again, (my back is now telling me, "No more!") we hit Interstate 35 south back towards Fort Worth. We arrived at the Garcia's house to pick up the children, (Oh, yeah - I almost forgot) around 10:00 PM and then we steered toward River Oaks again. After unhooking and parking the equipment trailer, I backed the RV back on the cement slab, raised the jacks and hooked up the electricity and water. Midnight told me to go to bed, but my back told me to take a hot shower, so I went into the darkened church and leaned against the shower wall and let the hot water do its thing. Before I fell asleep, I turned the water off, toweled off and crawled into bed to doze off. Marli was already on her fourth dream, or so I suspect, and I quickly joined her. We didn't let the alarm disturb us on the following morning.
Monday morning I awoke to Marli ironing clothes for the kids 5th and 2nd grade pictures. We had an appointment at Glamour Shots at the Parks Mall in Arlington. The photos turned out great and the kids had a blast with the whole thing. We have photos of the prep time (they do a quick make-over on girls and the boys get their hair done) which was so much fun for Ken. We were exhausted by the time it was over, but all in all, a great family day.
Again, we see so many opportunities of people responding in obedience to Christ and we are humbled to be a part of the process in small ways. Thank you for taking the time to read our journal and for supporting us with your prayers. We love you all.
By the way, the temperature today was a beautiful, sunny 75 degrees. We aren't boasting in light of our family and friends in the north, we are simply grateful.
God Bless!
What a great weekend we have had!
Saturday the kids participated in the Nazarene zone competition including singing, drama, puppets, art, bible quizzing, choir, individual recitations, photography and other categories I can’t remember. They did an awesome job in a short play called “Jenny and the Lie.” They were both “lies” and felt very natural playing their parts (we are not really sure that is good!) I was asked to direct the children’s choir, so we have been practicing for the last couple of weeks. Randy ended up playing for several soloists despite trying to “stay in the background.” The play received a gold rating (your score determines your rating but only one act is chosen as “first place") and first place, and the choir received a silver rating. KC sang a solo (Every Move I Make) and even with changing the words on the judge’s lyric sheets to match what he had already memorized, he received a gold rating! Kennedie sang a solo (I Am a Promise) and received a gold rating and won first place! She also entered a really cool picture of KC and added a verse to it and won gold – first place! You should have seen the look on her face! It was priceless! We have some pictures in the photo gallery.
I was talking to my sister today about the opportunity for the kids to participate in the Zone competition and how I'm so happy for both of them. Not only because they did well, but more so, because they had the opportunity to get involved. She reminded me that I am experiencing answered prayer and there is no joy like God moving on your behalf.
The first weekend in March is the district competition in Lubbock, Texas (about 5 hours from Fort Worth) and we are all able to go and participate. The kids could not be more excited as well as their new friends. They have really gotten involved in the kid’s program here and made a ton of friends. In fact, Saturday after the competition, we went out to eat with several other families. All of the girls (about 7 or 8) manipulated us parents into letting them all spend the night together at one house (God bless Shelly!) We gave in and let both kids go despite being concerned about Kennedie’s cold that she has been battling. Nonetheless, they went and had a blast. Can’t say we didn’t enjoy the evening without them!
Sunday morning we went to Dallas Central Nazarene and led their congregation in an hour of praise and worship. Mostly an older congregation, we enjoyed using some favorite hymns to worship with and we threw in a few choruses as well. A very loving church family, they welcomed us and received us warmly. After the service was over, several people came to us with tears explaining that this was just what they needed. One lady told me that the Lord had healed her leukemia but that she had not really been praising Him for the miracle He had done for her. She was quite emotional and kept hugging me saying “You have stirred my heart with thanksgiving!” Those testimonies are answers to prayer and we do not take them lightly. We hope to see this church family again soon.
We swung by and picked up the kids from Miss Shelly’s house and took them with us to the evening concert at Burleson Church of The Nazarene. This was our second time there and they honestly seemed quite glad to see us. It is so inviting and such a blessing to feel loved! This church has A LOT of children and they love music, so we just kept on a singin’! Pastor Alton Ashby and his dear wife were really ministered to and they had had a trying day, so we were glad that we could encourage them. My cousin Melody and my Aunt Jeannie, who live in the Fort Worth area, came to this service, so afterwards we were able to spend a bit of time with them. They offered to take the kids home to spend the night, but Kennedie still wasn’t feeling her chipper self, so we took a rain check. Good thing we did, because she was up in the middle of the night wheezing and coughing. A hot steam shower did the trick and she has stayed in bed for the last couple of days recuperating.
The church we are parked at, River Oaks Nazarene, is having a 50th Celebration service on March 11th. At this point we do not have a concert on that day, which is our only free Sunday morning. So, if nothing is scheduled we will participate (minimally) in that service and help them. We have been able to serve them by helping in the planning process of the service. Pastor Danny and his wife, Drenna, have really appreciated that. We are so glad to serve in any way that we can. You just never know what doors the Lord is going to open up.
Please pray for that Sunday, March 11, and ask the Lord to show us where He wants us to serve. Also, if you would lift Kennedie’s health as we have a marriage seminar this weekend. We want the kids well and feeling good.
Thank you for your prayer support and financial support. It sure makes our calling much more enjoyable with you as friends!
Have a blessed week!
KENNEDIE'S KORNER
Welcome to "Kennedie's Korner!"
I entered a zone competition and I won first place in the vocal competition and photography. Our play won first place and we got silver for our choir song. I also spent the night at some friends house with about six other girls (I didn't know girls could talk so much!) I have a cold that won't leave me alone. Thankfully the weather is warming up, so it will help me to feel better. I will write more next time when I am feeling better.