Pressing On Toward the Goal

Meet Sadie Jane Scott

2009-11-22T05:53:00.003-06:00

Sadie Jane Scott

Born Tuesday, November 17, 2009
1:27 PM
Bossier City, Louisiana
7 pounds 11 ounces
20 1/2 inches

Sadie seems to already be smiling in her sleep.

Mother and child.
(Yes, you can see that Sadie has grown jaundiced)
We praise the Lord for His safe delivery of Sadie and for His care of Bethany during the birth.

Sadie's first look at her cousin Kyah.
Kyah is 10 weeks old and now weighs a little less than 14 pounds and Sadie has lost down to just a little over 7 pounds.
Acutally, Sadie is yawning, but it sure makes for a cute picture.

Life is Good

2009-10-20T20:06:00.005-05:00

Life is good and sometimes it's better. Keegan and I are enjoying a special time in our life right now. Bryce and Erin live less than a mile from our house and we are getting to be a part of Kyah's life unlike what we experienced with our other grandchildren. What fun it is to see him change in only a week's time. We have even gotten to babysit several times and it such fun. We just wish our other grandchildren were as close.Bryce has loved water since he came out of the womb. When he was a toddler we lost to him to every puddle of water no matter how big or small it was. It seems Kyah has his love for water already and loves to kick and splash in his bath.

Oh, yes, Fritz thinks Kyah is his newest and "bestest" friend. He doesn't give us or Kyah much space when Kyah is visiting.

Bethany is now 37 weeks and Miss Sadie will soon be joining our gaggle of grandchildren making number 6. We are all getting excited to meet her and we ask that you pray for her and her mom during the birth process. Kyah's birth reminded us all that uncomplicated births are no guarantees.

Please remember to pray for QUEST. QUEST begins next Sunday the 26th and it will be one of our biggest groups yet. There are so many new people coming and such excitement already. I will be going for 3 of the days and will be sorry that I can't stay for all of it, but I am glad I can go for some.

Fun Photos

2009-09-27T14:51:00.003-05:00

Bryce, Kylee and Connor spoofing for the camera.

Greg has always been a sucker for babies. He was no different with Kyah.

Fritz is still with us and is wonderful with the little ones. They can just about do anything they want with him and he loves it.

Alyssa has started ballet and has loved it since day one.

Changed My Mind

2009-09-27T08:57:00.009-05:00

The Whole Crew

I came to the blog today to close it down. Life is so hectic and I have not posted in over a month. I was feeling the pressure to post or close it. I started not to even look at it and just hit the "hide" button, but then I opened it and scrolled over the posts. As I looked back over the past year and a half, I could see so much of our family's journey. Even though I also write in a personal journal, there are no pictures there and the writings are of a different nature. I have decided not to hit the "hide" button just yet because I want to write and I like having this area to write and post pictures for myself.
There is no way I can catch up on the last 6 weeks and I will not attempt to do so. Erin has written her story down beautifully on her blog. You can hit the link on the right hand side of this page if you would like to see what God has done in the life of Erin, Bryce and Kyah. I will just begin anew and pick up form the present.

Meet Kyah, our newest grandson. His entry into this world was little rough to say the least, but he is here whole and health, all 10 lbs. of him! He's beautiful and wonderful, and the best part is he lives less than a mile from me. I have so missed seeing my other grandchildren grow!

Sadie Jane Scott should be joining our family mid-November. According to Bethany she is feisty already. We look forward to meeting her too.
Connor has started kindergarten, Alyssa turned 4, and the twins Ashlynn and Kylee are busier than ever.
Keegan and I are so blessed and we give all glory to God for His tender care of our little family.

Erin's Baby Shower for Kyah

2009-06-28T16:32:00.004-05:00

As I told you in my post last weekend, family came to town to celebrate the soon coming birth of Kyah Everett Williamson. It was a joyous time for all of us and such a girl event.

(Linda King, Holly, Bethany, and KalistaLiddell)
The shower was held at Erin's mom beautiful turn of the 20th century home (I think I got that right if it was built in 1902) in Terrell, Texas and her aunt was her hostess. Erin looked beautiful in her turquoise sundress and Kyah was in evidence if not seen!
(Erin and her mom Holly Stone)
There was all-girl delicious finger foods with chilled punch. The games were all about babies, what else?!!

(Brandy Travis, Erin and Holly)
There was a houseful of women, family and friends(new and old) laughing, enjoying great food and oohing over the gifts. It's amazing what they have developed since my children were babies!

Look at how creative people can be. A diaper cake, not edible, but so very useful!

(Rachael Thomas and Erin)

Family Comes a Calling

2009-06-21T15:38:00.002-05:00

We have had a great weekend with family coming to town to attend Erin's baby shower.

Terry's brother John (known as Buddy in the family) and Linda have not been out to Texas since Bethany and Phillip's wedding. It was so good to have them with us.

These three girls gave us much to celebrate this weekend as we celebrated Kyah's shower, Bethany's finding out she is expecting a girl, and Kalista announcing she will be having her first baby in February. There will be 3 months between each celebrated event!

Here's the whole crew visitng, but we were missing quite a few who couldn't join us this weekend.

And of course, we were so glad Holly could come. We give great praise to Greg for staying home with the 4 munchkins. We hear he survived it and did very, very well. Thank you Greg.

And the doctor said....

2009-06-21T14:33:00.002-05:00

Bethany and Phillip came to Dallas Friday for their monthly visit with their OB-GYN and to get a sonogram that would tell them the sex of their baby.
The doctor did the sonogram instead of the sonographer and the pictures aren't really good enough to scan, but his assessment was that everything was fine and it was a girl!

That mean it was time to hit Babies R Us and check out the pink section.

Phillip decided some some blue could be added to wardrobe. We are just glad their wasn't any purple and gold (LSU colors) available, though we know they will come!

We came home empty handed, but with lots of things to talk and dream about. And of course, there were plenty of folks to be notified.

Getting to Know Chris

2009-06-14T07:17:00.004-05:00

Julie, our niece is getting married soon and moving to Illinois. Saturday was a beautiful day here in Dallas, but very hot. It seemed the perfect opportunity to spend some time with Julie and Chris.

Bethany and Phillip thought it was a great excuse to come home and meet the fiance.

Of course, it made it especially nice that Keegan's sister Pat and her husband Jim have a wonderful pool we could all enjoy.

Yes, no party is complete unless Fritz is in the middle!

Please pray for Julie and Chris as they make this commitment to each other, and then as they move so far away from family and friends.

Shopping for Kyah's stroller

2009-06-07T19:30:00.001-05:00

It's not long before Kyah makes his arrival into this world, and as any boy would he needs to have "wheels"

We all headed off to the Babie's R Us and the boys (along with mom Erin) picked out the sharpest wheels for the next boy in the family line.

Of course, along the way the boys had to check out the other toys and see if they were worthy of Kyah. Erin and I were there to make sure we came home with only one set of wheels.

Shopping is always hard on everyone and we all took a break to check out the best rockers and to discuss the new wheels. Now we all look forward to Kyah taking his first stroll.

Purtis Creek 2

2009-06-07T18:40:00.001-05:00

Here are the rest of the pictures from our trip to Purtis Creek State Park today.

Purtis Creek State Park Picnic

2009-06-07T18:32:00.002-05:00

Today after church Keegan and I drove to Purtis Creek State Park for a picnic and just some time out of town. It was really too hot to do much walking but we managed to find a few cool things to look at and we want to share those with you.

Vultures aren't my favorite bird, but when they are soaring on the hot air with their huge wing span, they can be a sight to behold.

There is only one very short nature trail there at the park, but we found it full of of life as you can see in the picture below and on the next blog. There's just not enough space here to put all of them in one blog. We both feel so much better after our brief break from the daily reality, but not it's back to work

First Flight

2009-06-05T05:23:00.003-05:00

My office sits on the city line between Forney and Terrell (8 miles either way) in Kaufman county. It sounds like a crazy location but it's there because it's in the center of the area we service in home health care. The office itself is a house that was once someone's home and it sits off the road in an area of green fields and sparse homes. My office view across the road is a pasture of cows.

This spring a pair of barn swallows returned to a nest on our front porch that they had built the previous year and made it home once again. The family grew from 2 to 6 with the 4 new babies. Two weeks ago we saw the parents trying to fill 4 little mouths that were always open and then this week the babies moved out of the nest to the edge.

There were 4 pretty little babies sitting on the nest looking at me on Monday, but I didn't have my camera. When I brought it Tuesday there were three. One had already flown from the nest. The next 3 were contemplating flight and deciding who would go next. Because I actually have to work, I did not get to stand there and see the actual take offs, but from my office window I saw them in flight and heard them "singing shouts of exhilaration".

Now there were two.

I rushed to get my camera but I still missed the first flights. Now there was only one left to make the daring flight, and he too soon left the nest that day. They came back on Wednesday for a brief respite but since have been out flying in the fields nearby. I miss the birds being on the porch every day while I am at work, but I am already looking forward to next year's family.

Kyah's Nursery

2009-06-03T21:19:00.006-05:00

Kyah is Hawaiian and means ocean. Here you can see that theme carried out in the bedding.
It's still weeks off from Kyah's birth, but it's time to get ready. This past weekend, Keegan, Bryce, Erin and her parents Holly and Danny Stone spent Saturday creating a beautiful room for Kyah's homecoming in August. I was ill and could not participate, but they seemed to do a great job without me.

Erin has had to close her blog to the public due to abuse from strangers, but we wanted you to be able to see the nursery.
Erin and Bryce have mentioned there are a few more details they want to add, but from these pictures you can see how creative Erin is and how her decorating skills are so abundant.

Please continue to pray for little Kyah's development and safe arrival in August. If you want to see Erin's blog, you can email her and she can give you permission to see her blog.

Wow, a John Deere!

2009-05-31T20:25:00.003-05:00

Greg took Connor and Alyssa out to his friend's farm near Lubbock.

Needless to say, Connor was a little more enthusiastic about going than Alyssa.

Like any young woman, put her behind the wheel of a good looking vehicle and her day brightens .

Looking at the inside of the cab, I must say tractors have come a long way since I last was on a tractor (there was no inside)!

The Twins are Growing.

2009-05-31T20:08:00.005-05:00

Posing for pictures is always such hard work.

Ashlynn thinks eating cupcakes with blue icing is much more fun!

The girls are always planning something, even when posing for pictures.

Kylee agrees with Ashlynn that cupcakes are yummy.

A Reason to Walk

2009-05-08T06:57:00.002-05:00

This week I received an email from a friend of mine telling me about a friend of hers battling breast cancer. Reading her email just confirmed my reason to walk in November in the 3 Day Walk and to raise money to battle this killer of women of all ages. Please read:

We just heard from our dear friend, re: Her 2nd Mastectomy! She is Cancer free and won't need anymore treatments etc. She can start living a normal life after she heals. She had a 2nd Grandbaby this past week and her oldest Son graduates this Fri. night with a Master's from Texas Tech! Praise God! Praise God! Praise God! This is 1 year and 4 months later from her diagnosis of her stage 4 Breast Cancer.

If you have a story of someone battling breast cancer and wouldn't mind sharing it, I would love to hear it.

The Clear Vision

2009-05-04T20:42:00.004-05:00

_I love to read and there are always new authors and new great books. A book store is far more temptation for me than any candy store (and I LOVE candy)! Lately though, I have found myself going back and reading some of the great writers of yesteryear (even some I was FORCED to read in high school). One new, old area for me is poetry. I have never really enjoyed much poetry, but I am trying to develop a love for it. Below is a new favorite poem for me by one of my old favorite poets. I think it really ministers to me because I want to finish well and because he so captures where I am at in my own life. I just wanted to share the vision of Mr. Whittier with you tonight and see what you think.

The Clear Vision
John Greenleaf Whittier

I did but dream. I never knew
What charms our sternest season wore.
Was never yet the sky so blue,
Was never earth so white before.
Till now I never saw the glow
Of sunset on yon hills of snow,
And never learned the bough's designs
Of beauty in its leafless lines.
Did ever such a morning break
As that my eastern windows see?
Did ever such a moonlight take
Weird photographs of shrub and tree?
Rang ever bells so wild and fleet
The music of the winter street?
Was ever yet a sound by half
So merry as you school-boy's laugh?
O Earth! with gladness overfraught,
No added charm thy face hath found;
Within my heart the change is wrought,
My footsteps make enchanted ground.
From couch of pain and curtained room
Forth to thy light and air I come,
To find in all that meets my eyes
The freshness of a glad surprise.
Fair seem these winter days, and soon
Shall blow the warm west-winds of spring,
To set the unbound rills in tune
And hither urge the bluebird's wing.
The vales shall laugh in flowers, the woods
Grow misty green with leafing buds,
And violets and wind-flowers sway
Against the throbbing heart of May.
Break forth, my lips, in praise, and own
The wiser love severely kind;
Since, richer for its chastening grown,
I see, whereas I once was blind.
The world, O Father! hath not wronged
With loss the life by Thee prolonged;
But still, with every added year,
More beautiful Thy works appear!
As Thou hast made thy world without,
Make Thou more fair my world within;
Shine through its lingering clouds of doubt;
Rebuke its haunting shapes of sin;
Fill, brief or long, my granted span
Of life with love to thee and man;
Strike when thou wilt the hour of rest,
But let my last days be my best!
I've italicized the last line because of it's personal message to me.

The Year is Passing Too Swiftly

2009-05-02T15:29:00.005-05:00

Here we are in May already and it only seems yesterday that it was the beginning of 2009. God continues to bless us and provide for us in every way possible.
Change continues to be the word we seem to live by. It's time for Bethany and Phillip to move to Louisiana for him to complete his second internship. They will be living with his parents there and Bethany already has a job working in a bank close to the house. Phillip will be working in an orthopedic outpatient clinic. At the end of August they will move to Lubbock for his last internship. Here's where they need some help. Bethany will be 7 months pregnant when they arrive and really won't be able to work full time. They also will not have any housing provided. It looks like we will get to see God provide again as He always does. Please do pray for them in all these transitions and for the child Bethany is carrying. It's too early to know the gender of the baby, but all tests are showing a healthy baby.
Bryce and Erin are having so much fun watching their little Kyah Everett continue developing. According to his sonograms he's going to be a long baby (and who would wonder why with his momma and daddy!). They are in the beginning stages of getting the room ready for his arrival in August.
Keegan goes to Guatemala tomorrow with one of the elders, Mark Hardy, from our sending church in Lubbock. It should be a fun trip for them as they look for partnering opportunities for Melonie Park Church. Mark and Keegan always manage to have fun together.
I am still loving my job for so many reasons. I am blessed with wonderful coworkers who all know and love the Lord. Since this is a start up business we are getting to spend some time waiting on God to provide and then celebrate each admission. What joy to have such a working evironment and sisters in Christ with whom to spend each day at work.

Why Am I Walking 60 Miles in November?

2009-04-15T12:48:00.003-05:00

November 6-8, 2009 will be the 3Day Walk for Breast Cancer here in Dallas/Ft. Worth.
The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex offers walkers the best of both worlds. “Live Large. Think Big.” is their slogan and it describes the essence and vitality of this city which is built on big dreams, freshly blazed trails and the spirit of the Wild West.

No, I do not have breast cancer, and no, neither does anyone in my close family. You may wonder why or for whom am I doing this. I have two daughters, one daughter in law and now 3 granddaughters. I am walking for them. I don't want them to ever have to fight the disease! Already so many of my dear friends are battling for their very own lives against this terrible cancer, and many may not win because there is no cure. I am walking for them. I do have family members who too are fighting breast cancer. I walk for them. With research, there is hope. I walk for hope.

Please support me in my desire to help cure breast cancer. Please support me as I take an amazing journey in the fight against breast cancer! The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and National Philanthropic Trust, funding important breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment.

More Than Tulips in the Garden

2009-03-29T06:01:00.005-05:00

Dallas Arboretum

2009-03-28T16:20:00.002-05:00

We wish we could say our yard looked this good, but alas, we have to admit that we made a recent visit to the Dallas Arboretum.

The tulips were in full bloom everywhere and in every color.

The day was beautiful and there were so many people there. Walking the pathways were people from all over the world.

English was the least spoken language I overheard. Many of the visitors were in their cultural dress and the colors and styles were in competition with the variety of tulips we saw.

The day gave proof to the statistics about how international Dallas has become as a city.

This picture is my absolute favorite. They were every bit this bright!
Now if only I could get my yard looking this good!

QUEST 2009 Day Two

2009-03-15T16:09:00.008-05:00

Don't worry; I'm not going to take you through all the days! It's just that the blog only allows me to post so few pictures each time, and I have so many that I want to share. Every day at Quest centered around a different element of the spiritual disciplines and problem solving. Day Two's theme was "Personality and Teams: Celebrating our Diversity". We had all taken the Myers-Briggs Personality Test before coming, and days Two and Three would center on those results. On this day we explored our different personality types from the 4 characteristics and then moved right into what they bring to a team--some good and some not so good things. We were given tasks to work out with mixed teams and then with teams who had each had the same dominant personality characteric. Working with fellow "feelers" or fellow "thinkers" was so much easier than the diversified teams, but couldn't give near the complete balance a mixed team could. It was a day full of much laughter as we looked at ourselves and each other in a new way and realized just how creative our God is!
Day Three was centered on overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of Teams, still working from our Myers-Briggs test results. Day Four took us in seemingly another direction altogether as we learned how to journal our life story, but since all the themes of this QUEST were helping us learn who we were as individuals and how we work with others it dovetailed right in with the rest of the days. CAM will change it's structure April 1st from hierarchical to team and QUEST was built around helping the missionaries work through the change. Please pray for CAM as the change process.

QUEST 2009 Day One

2009-03-15T15:28:00.008-05:00

QUEST 2009 has come and gone already. There was so much preparation and rush up until the day it began, and now it's over so quickly. God was there and He really blessed the event. This time we had one of our smaller groups, but it did not affect the quality at all. Day One we worked on the True Meaning of Community. Remember this is interactive learning and Jon Edwards the facilitator of the day's study put us all right to work. After an introduction and some basics we were divided into 2 small groups and instructed to form our group into a community and to function as a a community. Easier said than done with such diversity! Each group was made up of men and women from the different fields of CAM. We had no trouble with step one: Pseudo community in which the group avoids conflict and is extremely pleasant to each other-just a time of chatter and laughter. We felt pretty good about our time and broke for lunch. After lunch, each group had to come back together and move on to step two "Chaos". This is the step where everyone tries to make everyone else normal and to convert each other to their point of view or heal them. Definitely not as much fun as step one! We obviously did not have time to move to step three "Emptiness" or the fourth stage, "Community". At the end of the day, we all agreed there is much work to do in our lives, our ministries and our organization to grow our communities.

A Short Tale of 2 Co-workers

2009-02-19T08:13:00.002-06:00

I am always amazed at the generosity of people. One of my co-workers recently spent two weeks in the hospital. Because of all the illnesses that led up to the hospitalization, she had used up all her PTO (sick and vacation) days. When she returned to work this week, she was in such a worried state because she was going to miss one entire paycheck and she was already under heavy financial stress. My other co-worker called our main office to find out if she could gift her the PTO hours she had earned and they said yes. Thus one co-worker gifted the other two weeks of PTO hours and now the other will not go without a paycheck. Isn't that a generous thing? It gave me pause to ask myself if I would have done the same thing? (I just started here and I haven't earned any PTO yet, so I didn't have any to offer).

Ghana Update

2009-02-19T07:56:00.004-06:00

I know that my first email was heart wrenching and sad. I wrote it trying to mirror life, death, and the medical care available in third world countries in general and Ghana inparticular. And remember, this is an oasis of health care in a very underserved area of the world. Working here would drive one crazy if one did not focus on successes rather than what could have been done in the States.

Just a quick update on the medical problems that we see here. I have seen two cases of tetanus. Unfortunately, both died. However, it gives impetus to the need for immunization even at home. It is easy to become complacent about getting our "shots." Even adults need the tetanus immunization.

We have now had three cases of bowel perforation from typhoid. I had never even heard of such a complication from typhoid. All three underwent surgery and survived. If BMC were not here, all three would have died from peritonitis.

Two more teenagers had retroperitoneal abscesses. Again, both did well and would have died otherwise.

Right now, a four year old boy is in surgery for a ruptured spleen. Of course it was diagnosed at laparotomy (no CT available).

We have had five or six cases of meningococcal meningitis. All but one survived.

Dr. Faile repairs about eight to ten hernias a week. Yesterday, we had one that was incarcerated and strangulated--a certain death sentence without surgery.

Currently, there is a Dutch urologist here. He has done many surgeries. His main goal here is to repair vesico-vaginal fistulas (bladder leaking into the vagina). He has done several this week already. He has made the lives of these women so much better. If BMC were not here, they would continue to be shunned.

Everyday, children are admitted with malaria, anemia, and dehydration. Almost everyday, one dies. However, many more survive because they received IV or oral fluids, antimalarial drugs, and supportive treatment.

There has been a c-section almost every day since I have been here. They are mostly for prolonged labor at home. There is no such thing as fetal distress since fetal monitors are not widely used. To my knowledge, all have survived except ones including a set of triplets and a set of twins.

Many more people receive treatment giving comfort and relief for less severe problems in the clinics. Much suffering has been relieved here.

I hope that the above sheds some light on the successes of BMC. No, everything cannot be done here. In fact, a lot of things cannot be done. X-rays are of poor quality. Certainly, there is no CT scanner or MRI. Sonogram is pretty good done by the three MD's who work here permanently. Lab consists of hematocrit, malaria test, urinalysis, and stool test. Blood is transfused directly from donor to patient after undergoing HIV and hepatitis screening. Surgical capabilities are limited to a general surgeon. There are no codes, ICU's, specialty hospitals, etc.

There are many things that you can pray for.

Praise God for the physicians and their families, the pharmacist, the Ghanaian employees of the hospital (nurses, translators, lab techs, pharmacy personnel, clinic personnel, maintenance people, custodians, guards, drivers, and many more).

Thank him for the many volunteers who come here each year. Ask him to send experienced volunteers in many areas of medicine. Ask for wisdom and clinical discernment as everyone here cares for patients with minimal information.

Thank God for those who had the foresight to found this facility. Ask God to send physicians and a surgeon in particular to staff BMC on a permanent basis. Pray for the patients here that they will hear the Word and answer the call of the Holy Spirit. Thank Him for all who have received salvation!

I will be leaving in sixty hours. Ask God that I have a safe trip home and a joyful renewal with my family. I thank each of you for your prayers while I have been away.

Jim Howard

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T16:20:00.003-06:00

Valentine's Day is a secondary celebration at our house. It's Keegan's birthday and that takes precedence over St. Valentine in my opinion. This year was no different and we invited family over to join in the celebration. As usual, Keegan has to be different :-) and doesn't want birthday cake but pies. This year Bethany surprised him and made him his two favorite pies from scratch, chocolate and creamy lemon meringue.

Ummm, they were delicious! Naturally the birthday boy gets to pick the meal, and we grilled out thick juicy pork chops with black beans, steamed sweet and white potatoes, and fruit salads on the side. After sating our appetites we circled the TV and watched Christian comedians, laughing until the tears flowed. It was a fun evening with family, one of our favorite times. In two weeks we will celebrate Erin's birthday and we get to do it all over again, except of course, she gets to choose everything.

Please Pray

2009-02-13T08:02:00.003-06:00

The following is a recent letter from my brother in law, a doctor, who is serving a month in Ghana, Africa helping out in a local hospital there. Please pray for him and for those who serve there.

Family and Friends,

It is much harder being here emotionally than I had imagined, even with my years of medical experience and trips to Ghana.This hospital is the "tertiary" care center for all of northern Ghana. Things work here. Medications are available here. Surgery is available here. Doctors are available here. The people and the equipment work. Yet, there are many things that we do not have. We do not have an ICU, ventilators or even oxygen. We do not have IVs at a constant rate--only slow, moderate or good rate. We do not have chemistry panels or even potassium levels for patients in ketoacidosis. There is no CT and only minimal xray. There are no code blues or even emergencies. This is the burn center, pediatric hospital, obstetric hospital, trauma hospital, cancer hospital, and any other kind of fancy whatever you can think of. There are three very dedicated men who are the physicians supported by equally dedicated wives. Two have children growing up here. Please, pray for all of these wonderful Christian men, women, and children as they dedicate their lives to His service. To date, we have had three pediatric deaths and at least that many adult deaths. They die from cancer and meningitis, liver disease and unknown causes since diagnostic capabilities are so limited. This kids have died from malnutrition, severe burns, and malaria anemia. The last one died as she was brought into my office today. I had written the admission orders and was preparing for transfusion (direct from family since there is no blood bank). She was bradycardic when I listened to here and her tiny heart stopped as I was doing the paperwork. I have a child in diabetic ketoacidosis right now. I cannot have a constant IV rate, an insulin drip, or even regular blood sugar levels or potassium levels. There is only one bottle of regular insulin available for entire complex. I tell you all of this, not to depress you, but to make you aware of life here.BUT, if this hospital were not here, many more would die. There have been two children with perforated bowel from typhoid and one with an intra-abdominal abscess who certainly would have died if they had not had surgery. I focus on what we CAN do, not on what we cannot do. We have had at least a dozen snake bites who have received antivenin. I doubt if they would have died but they would have suffered loss of function of their hand or foot. Baptist Medical Center is a true oasis in the desert of need. Pray for the future of BMC as it prepares to undergo transition over the coming years. Pray that a surgeon will be raised up to replace George Faile. May God bless each of you this night and always.

Jim Howard

Long Overdue and Late

2009-02-08T17:37:00.005-06:00

Wow, has it really been nearly two months since I posted last? There is nothing to say except I let the time slip away each day without sitting down to write. Let me give the briefest summary. Holly, Greg and family came for Christmas and we had a wonderful family time. The children are all growing up so fast; in fact, we celebrated Connor's 5th birthday while they were here. Bryce and Erin gave us a special gift on Christmas day-- announcing they would be having a little Williamson in August. After Christmas, I began working full time in my new job at Accolade Home Health. I love it and I am so glad I made the change! Then the upper respiratory illness knocked me down for nearly two weeks before passing on to Bethany. At least it wasn't the ugly flu that is so prevalent here right now. Keegan finally got his official letter of completion for his doctorate in late January--Hooray, hooray! How's that for brief?! Let me show you a few pictures, and then I hope to be back at this regularly.Christmas Morning

Everyone had to get some outside in the warmer weather, even Alyssa loved it.

The "Twinks" were too busy playing and, yes, eating the dirt to pose for a picture. In fact, they were very, very busy the entire time they were here. They love to double team anyone willing to take them on! I don't know how Holly keeps up with them on a daily basis.

If anyone is interested in Fritz, he has made a full recovery and is absolutely beautiful. He is as goofy as they come and thinks he's a lap dog, but he made his greatest inroad into the family with how he let the Twinks love on him in their usual rough and tough fashion.

Natchitoches

2008-12-16T13:53:00.005-06:00

This last weekend we went to Bossier City, LA to spend time with Bethany's husband Phillip and his parents. Bryce, Erin and her brother joined us on Saturday and we all went down to Natchitoches for the Christmas Light Festival and fireworks display. This is our second time to do this and we hope to make it a tradition. Natchitoches is the little town on the Cane River in which the movie Steel Magnolias was filmed.

What a delightful time we had with friends and family! This little town has the most incredible fireworks display and delicious hot meat pies to enjoy while watching the show. Live jazz Christmas music played from the bandstand and people strolled Main St. and shopped in the festive shops.

Phillip and Bethany

Tony and Pat Scott, Phillip's parents are wonderful hosts and we count it a blessing to not only be in-laws but friends.

Bryce and Erin wrapped up against the cold night air.

Phillip, Stewart (Phillip's long time friend and college roommate), Bryce, Bethany, Erin, and Daniel (Erin's brother).
Next week Holly, Greg and the gang will be here to celebrate Christmas with us. We are all so excited that we can be together one more year. Look for more pictures soon.

Catching Up

2008-12-10T09:13:00.008-06:00

Yes, it's been a while. November was one big rush! I was out of town 4 out of 5 weekends and started a new job. Let me see if I can catch you up to date briefly.
I had hoped to give to really send more pictures from the Smokies, but we didn't have Internet service. The trip was wonderful and such a blessing for us all. Keegan's dad was able to take 3 hikes with us, even one four mile hike! Unbelievable when you realize he's 91 and had a stroke two weeks before the trip!

In mid November I went to a Women of Faith Conference in Oklahoma City with friends and had a wonderful time on a sisterhood weekend. The trip and the conference were a gift to me, and it was such a wonderful thing to receive. It's been a long time since I had a weekend slumber party, and this one was in a wonderful hotel and was centered on Christ!
We had a wonderful, but quiet Thanksgiving with Keegan's sister Pat and her family. All of our children were out and about with other family. Holly and Greg did come to town and we got to see them the night before we left for the field conference in Mexico. We can't wait to see them in December for Christmas!
Keegan and I flew to Mexico the day after Thanksgiving for the missionary conference held in Fortin de las Flores. It was a wonderful time of fellowship with old friends and new ones. The worship was strong and the teaching great. I have to say the food was also a highlight and I didn't miss a meal! Keegan and I sure drug our feet getting back on that plane to come home, but we knew God is still asking us to remain here in Dallas. What a blessing that we were able to go and we are thankful for all the wonderful folks serving God in Mexico.

I am also starting a new job this month. I was 3 years at the last one, but now God has given me a new opportunity. Once again I must be childlike and learn everything new again. Sometimes I grow weary of starting over, but I also find myself eager to learn new things that will broaden my abilities. When I was young and just beginning my nursing career, I had it all planned out to specialize in one area, but I forgot to check with God on His plan for my career. He has led my career on a journey so broad and so full of learning new roles and jobs that my little puny plans could never have included. I have had to stretch and grow and become more flexible than I ever thought possible. Each time I have begun a new change in field with fear and trepidation, and each time I have left incredibly enriched and deeper in understanding. I loved what I was doing at my last job and I know it has helped prepare me for this new one. I am so glad God's plan took precedence over my own.
This grew longer than I thought, but I wanted to catch you up. Hopefully I will be more consistent in writing here again. Thank you all for your prayers and for just keeping up with us.

Not in Texas

2008-11-01T20:48:00.005-05:00

Keegan and I used our airmile awards and flew to Knoxville today. We will be meeting Keegan's dad, his sister Candy, and her husband Bill to spend the week in the Smoky Mountains at their time share condominium outside of Gatlinburg. What a miracle that Everett (Keegan's dad) is still able to make this trip that was planned since last spring! Remember he had a stroke only 2 weeks ago and because he has had such a miraculous recovery the doctors said he could still make this trip. There is still one more miracle to occur in his life, and many are your praying for it for him. We are all praying this will be a week of opportunities to talk to him about eternity. Please keep him in your prayers.
In December 36 years ago, Keegan and I came to Gatlinburg to celebrate our honeymoon, and we still love each other and Gatlinburg! Today we drove straight to the Park and hiked to Grotto Falls. Here's what we saw. Enjoy, especially if you live in Texas and don't get to see such sights as these.

Oops, I guess you can see the above sight in Texas:-)

Now this is what I am talking about!

Look for more pictures to come as we continue to check out the fall color here. We're a little late for the peak season, but it's still good to someone who has spent a lot of years in either West Texas and in Mexico City.

Soul Care

2008-10-29T09:06:00.002-05:00

Recently Keegan wrote his doctoral dissertation on soul care. Sounds simple, doesn't it? I learned so much reading his paper and now I am going back to read some of the books that he read in preparation for writing his paper. Soul care seems to be counter cultural to the US lifestyle because you have to actually stop, look, listen (sounds like crossing the street, doesn't it?) to God. Since most of us here in this country drive rapidly every where and rarely walk to our destinations (and live our lives in like speed), we seldom walk across streets and may have forgotten those three basic rules. It's true in our spiritual lives as well. Let me share some thought provoking quotes about soul care:

The meaning of earthly existence is not, as we have grown used to thinking, in prosperity, but in the development of the soul. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

...the great malady of this time in Western history is the "loss of soul." Without soul, we base our lives on doing, getting, achieving, and performing. When soul is neglected, it doesn't just go away; it appears symptomatically in obsessions, addictions, violence and loss of meaning. Thomas Moore

Forfeiting the soul looks from the inside like lingering emptiness, purposelessness, and futility. Looking at these prospects, we need to ask, "What am I losing by all of the gaining I am doing?" Soul care integrates all of a person, beginning with the inner being. Only God can peer into a soul to see perfectly what we cannot see. He says, " I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind" (Jer. 17:10a). Deep inside are desires, passions, longings, regrets, motives, and intuitions about God, family, work and other dimensions of life. All is revealed to him. Stephen W. Smith

Keegan would love to take his doctoral work and put feet to the work. He developed a conference on soul care as part of the paper and that is his passion. I pray God will provide the opportunity for him. All of us could benefit by learning more of soul care.

Breathing Grace

2008-10-22T09:12:00.003-05:00

I saw this prayer today in a blog written by Peacemakers. The author is TaraBarthel. I thought it was a great way to start my day and I wanted to share it with you:

"Peacemakers are people who breathe grace," Ken reminds us. The peace of God transcends all understanding and it fills their hearts like fountains bubbling over with mercy, kindness, genuine care, and abiding love. They are so filled with God's grace that they splash it onto everyone around them. They could no more stop breathing grace than a person could stop breathing air-because grace is the air that they breathe. Their prayers sound something like this:
• Breathing grace in: The one true holy God sent his Son to die for me? I am saved from hell, from my sin; justified before this holy God; forgiven and adopted? What wondrous love is this! Thank you, God. Thank you for forgiving me all my sins and making the way for me to be at peace with you. I worship You!
• Breathing grace out: And now, dear Lord, as I head into my day-let the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ be the heartbeat of my life. Please, God, let every word I say, every action I take, the attitude of my heart, my desires and inclinations-let my life be used by You, for Your glory and the furtherance of Your Kingdom. Please help me to treat others not as they deserve-but as You treat me. May I be your image-bearer, your representative, your ambassador. Thank You, Lord.

Blessings

2008-10-21T08:27:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know it's been quite a while since I last updated. There are no real excuses that would cover such a lengthy absence, and I won't bore you with any attempts. Even today I must be brief, but I want to share how good God has been lately.

Keegan did so well on his defense of his doctoral thesis, and I am so proud of him. He worked so hard on those 258 pages! Now we have to make all the formatting and content corrections and get the final copy returned by the 17th of November. That happening as it should, Keegan would officially graduate in December but wouldn't walk in a ceremony until June in Boston. Now Keegan is waiting on the Lord to show him just how He wants Keegan to use what's been given to him. We have many ideas and dreams, but we want only His dreams and ideas for us.

Bethany and Phillip sold their home here in Dallas in 10 days in September! To help them save money for this next year of internships and moving to three places, they are living with us. God gave us this big house to use and we are thrilled that we have the room and the physical set up to make it a good situation having them with us. Phillip continues to excel in school and loves practicing what he learns on us.

Erin got a new job at a large church in the area and loves it like no other! It employs all her talents and gifts and is teaching her so much. She works with a wonderful group of people who are strong Christians. Bryce also was blessed that he was not included in the large group of layoffs there at Time Warner this last month. He continues to do well in his manager's job there and is set to get some extra training this early spring that will enhance his abilities.

Holly and Greg continue to chase the 4 active little ones. Kylee and Ashlynn are now walking and there's no stopping them! Even Connor and Alyssa can't seem to keep up with them. Alyssa got her first stitches last month when she took a face dive off her chest of drawers, but the wound has healed well. Holly and Greg have been working on remodeling their kitchen to make more eating room and the end is in sight. If you want to keep up with this bunch (or any of our kids) check out their personal blogs. You'll find them listed here on this site. Just click on them and it will take you right there.

I am waiting on the Lord for some new direction. It looks like He is giving me some, but I don't want to be premature sharing those yet. Watch the next posting for updates.

God HAS BEEN good to us in this last month, but then that's not new. He's always good to us. May you find the blessings in your life today and rejoice in Him who bestows them.

Just a Thought for Today

2008-09-30T08:45:00.003-05:00

"To pray is to grasp heaven in one's arms, to embrace the Deity within one's soul and to feel one's body made a temple of the Holy Spirit."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Tricia Rhodes writes, "The most profound privilege of a prayerful life is not in getting answers to prayer--as amazing as that can be--but through the intimacy we experience with the Lord of the universe, who delights to share the secrets of His heart with us".

We need to Intercede for the US as Moses did for Jerusalem

2008-09-16T09:38:00.002-05:00

A Prayer of Daniel for God’s People

(Daniel 9:4-19 NLT)

O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands. But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke your messages to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.

Lord, you are in the right; but our faces are covered with shame, just as you see us now. This is true of us all, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. O Lord, we and our kinds, princes and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has disobeyed your law and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.

So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out against us because of our sin. You have done exactly what you warned you would do against us and our rulers. Never in all history has there been a disaster like the one that happened in Jerusalem. Every curse written against us in the law of Moses has come true. All the troubles he predicted have taken place. But we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. The Lord has brought against us the disaster he prepared, for we did not obey him, and the Lord our God is just in everything he does.

O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city of Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.

O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.

O my God, listen to me and hear my request. Open your eyes and see our wretchedness. See how your city lies in ruins—for everyone knows that it is yours. We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.

O Lord, hear. O lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, O my God do not delay, for your people and your city bear your name.

Praying for the November Elections

2008-09-12T08:58:00.006-05:00

My niece forwarded this to me in an email and I thought it so good that I want to share it. I don't have the source or I would give credit to someone else. These are definitely turbulent and critical times in our nation and prayer will be our greatest strength. Below is a prayer guide to use each week until the election in November.

09/05 - 09/11 Psalm 125 - Pray that those who trust in the Lord will not be shaken.

09/12 - 09/18 Psalm 86:14-17 - Pray that the Lord would defeat those who have no regard for Him in this election.

09/19 - 09/252 Cor. 12:9 - Pray that the Lord would empower and enable his man in any area of weakness.

09/26 - 10/02 II Kings 13:16 - Pray that the Lord would put His hands on the man of His choice for president (and his team) and guide them in this election.

10/03 - 10/09 Proverbs 1:5-6 - Pray that God's man will listen with discernment, add to his knowledge, and receive wise counsel in this campaign.

10/10- 10/16 John 16:33 - Pray that the man of God's choice would be given wisdom and ability from the Lord to overcome any obstacle or difficulty during this campaign.

10/17- 10/23 Acts 17:30 - Pray for repentance for yourself and for our nation.

10/24-10/30 Luke 12:54-57 - Pray that God's man and our nation will be discerning and do what is right.

10/31- 11/06 Phil. 4:13 - Pray that the Lord's choice for President will have special strength and unusual ability from God.

11/07-11/11 Habakkuk 1:5 and 3:2 - Pray that the Lord would do something that would utterly amaze us and give His servant victory.

During the days of Nov. 7 - 11, be encouraged to set aside a time of fasting during these days to commit this election to the Lord in whom we put our trust. Acts 14:23.

Remember 2 Chronicle 7:14: 'If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.'

Meet Fritz

2008-09-07T13:27:00.005-05:00

Meet Fritz. He joined our family on Tuesday August 25th. Many of you may remember we had to put our old friend Bubba to sleep last spring when he developed cancer. In the last two months or so we had started the search for a new friend to join us. We made some quick decisions: no puppy, have short hair that didn't need grooming, not a yapper, loves people and kids, and yet offers protection, and last, be smart. As you can see we weren't going to accept just any dog. Our first inclination was to rescue a dog from an agency. We narrowed our breeds down to a couple and then searched for local rescues for the breeds. Boy, did we have a lot to learn! One, we found out it was very expensive, and two, we found we wouldn't qualify because we wouldn't promise to keep the dog indoor all the time and not crated for more than 4 hours. Applications and home visits were a part of the process and there were even more requirements. We decided that was not the route for us after several weeks of trying to adopt.
Our next plan was visiting shelters in our area. Once again, we found out we had a lot to learn. There are good shelters and bad shelters. There is nothing you can really learn about the dogs in the shelters unless they were relinguished there by an owner, and most shelter dogs are just strays. I did a lot of looking and saw numerous dogs that made me cry, but none seemed to be the one. The next place to look was the paper and Craig's List. Let me just say, there are some crazy folks out there when it comes to pets! Again we looked and couldn't find what seemed the perfect match for us.
Well, I think God thought I was spending too much time and energy looking for a dog, and He stepped in and took care of the situation. On the fateful Tuesday morning of the 26th, I was driving to work and praying about the family when I looked ahead and saw what looked like a beautiful brown dog standing by the road which runs by the railroad track close to our house. I blinked and he was gone. When I pulled up to the stop sign I peered out the passenger side window and saw the most beautiful head with the saddest brown eyes starring at me. I opened the side door and motioned the dog to get in. I figured he was hurt and I wanted to see how badly. Well, after a moment or two the is sad dog unfolded some very long legs and painfully crawled into the car.

He curled up in a tight ball and just sighed. He had road burns from being hit and his hips seemed very tender. I took him home and looked him over and he just stared at me with those sad eyes. I don't know why, but I decided there and then that this mangy, hurt dog was home. We have since taken Fritz to the vet and gotten him started on cures for all that ails him. No broken bones were found and now he's fully mobile. He's being dipped for the mange and the worms were treated. He is growing more beautiful every day!

You may wonder why the name Fritz. It seems my found companion is full breed German short hair pointer, with docked tail and webbed feet. He's considered liver colored, not chocolate like a lab. He fits almost all of our requirements that we had wanted in a dog, but we're still waiting to see if some will still show up. He had a microchip that showed he originally came from California, but the owner never registered it and there's no way to trace it. He's ours, and we are his already. I'll post more pictures later when his coat has returned to it's healthy state.

If you know anything about this breed or just love dogs, drop us an email. We'd love to hear from you.

Envious

2008-08-24T10:39:00.002-05:00

I have to be honest with you this morning. I am envious, if not even jealous (yes, I know it's a sin and and I am working on it.). Let me tell you why and then you will understand. Keegan's brother in law Jim just got back from a medical mission trip to Ghana. He leads a team there every six months and also leads teams to Mexico. Every time he comes back and shares what God did on the trip, I just wish I could have been a part of it. The pictures of the people, well and ill, and the testimonies of what God did makes my nursing heart wish I could have been there and have been used by God in such a way. I am so thrilled for Jim and how God uses him in this endeavor. He gives so sacrificially to serve God in this way using his talents, gifts, time, and money. God is blessing this ministry by providing so many materials for them to take each time and sending more team members on each trip. It is so exciting to see God work, and although I don't get to go, I do get to be a part of the team by praying.

Jim and Pat

The other thing that makes me feel envious this morning, is that Keegan's sister Pat just got back from a trip to Israel. She and a team are putting together a house in Jerusalem for interactive prayer. Pat and the team have become very active in creating interactive rooms for prayer in their church and other sites. They came to the attention of the International Mission Board who asked them to turn this old house that the IMB has had for years into a sanctuary for prayer. Pat and the team have made several trips there to get the house ready to open. This trip finished most of the indoor project and although she has only been home 48 hours, she has gotten reports of people from all walks and faiths entering there to find sanctuary. WOW! My heart just trembles with excitement to think what God will do with such a place in His holy city that is so war torn and so lost. Like Jim, Pat give so sacrificially to be used by God in this endeavor. I wish I had her pictures here to show you so you could see the transformation and the work that has gone into this transformation. Again, I had to remind myself that I was a part of that ministry-I had the privilege to pray for them.

Having both Pat and Jim over last night really raised my "green" level as they shared how God has led them to serve and what He is doing through their ministries. It caused me to go God again this morning, and ask forgiveness for the green, but to also be reminded that He has a plan for my life and my ministry. I am at a point of change and transition and I am waiting for His leading. It's not easy for me to wait and I think that's why my green level rose so high so quickly. Please pray for Pat and Jim and their respective ministries as they will both be returning to Israel and Ghana again. Pray for me as I wait to see what is my Ghana and Israel, and that I would be patient for the Lord.

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life--place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you and quickly respond to it. "

Romans 12: 1-2 The Message

Family Vacation

2008-08-14T08:40:00.003-05:00

Gigi, Alyssa, Pops, and Connor
Eight adults and four children 4 years and under. Twelve bunk beds in one room with the kitchen at one end and two bathrooms at the other. Early to bed and early risers competing with late to bed and late risers.

Alyssa and her look alike Kendra
Introverts and extroverts. Noisy and very loud, and babies trying to sleep. Sandwiches and quick meals, and always the snacks in between.

Erin and Bethany chilling by the river
Schlitterbahn Water Park days and lazy river float days. Some who love the water and some who don't like it at all. Some love the river and some are afraid of snakes and gush muddy river bottoms. Hot sun and heat outside and cool air conditioning inside (too cool for some).

The Girls--Bethany, Terry, Holly, and Erin
Shopping at the outlet malls nearby and shopping at the outlet malls. Runs to Walmart for the forgotten items and for more food. Laughter, talk, laughter, and more talk. Photos, photos, photos.

The Family
That pretty much describes our family's vacation this year to New Braunsfel, Texas. It was wonderful! We are truly blessed because we love to be together and share such times like this vacation.

Just Have to Share These

2008-08-01T08:16:00.006-05:00

Holly's friend Teri Cepecia has done it again. Below are pictures she took of Connor and Alyssa and they as soooooooo good that I just have to share them. Teri is not a professional photographer, but a very gifted hobbyist. Usually Holly uses Penney's Photo Studio, but they have never captured the children in the camera lens like Teri has in these photos. Enjoy.

Connor

Isn't this just a great picture? It's taken outdoors in Teri's yard.

Miss Alyssa Grace

Help, We Need Prayer.

2008-07-23T15:26:00.003-05:00

Help! I know I don't usually put prayer requests right here front and center on this page, but this time I must. As you know Keegan is working on his doctoral thesis and there is a fast approaching deadline. By September 18th Keegan must have it completed and ready to send in to be accepted in written form. That will not be the end of it, but it is one of the most important deadlines to meet. Chapter One has been sent and returned saying the direction of the paper is acceptable. Chapter Two, the biblical basis, went to the professor today for his reading and Keegan is plowing through Chapter Three currently. It is one of the hardest because is is the literature review of all the books he is using in his paper. Please pray for Keegan that he can find the time and energy to get it all done in time. If not, it will be next spring and a fairly large amount of money spent. Thank you all so much for helping us with this.

Grandchildren are fun!

2008-07-16T13:18:00.007-05:00

The Twins celebrated their first birthday while we were in Lubbock this weekend and we had a small at home birthday party for them. Before the party we had a photo op session. Ashlynn is in the turquoise and Kylee is in the green (birthday presents from their Aunt Bethany).

The picture below is an accurate picture of the frequent interaction between the older and the younger siblings. We never got a picture of the foursome better than this one!

This is Connor's first year to play tee-ball. Naturally we think he has a pro career, but his coach may think differently!

We are blessed to have four wonderful grandchildren
and to be able to see them as often as we do.

Passion and Duty

2008-07-01T09:47:00.002-05:00

There’s passion ….and there’s duty. There’s enthusiasm…. and there’s determination. Candidate orientation is going on at CAM this week and next, and it’s always a great time getting to know people who want to serve the Lord with CAM International. Two nouns seem to capture some of the spirit of those who are here: passion and enthusiasm. These folks just bubble with passion and enthusiasm as they tell of their journeys to get here and describe their vision for the future. It’s so refreshing and contagious. I feel good about leaving duty and determination in the background for a while and just living the moment. I was there once and now I have matured into the duty and determination stage of life. Nothing’s wrong with maturing, but the reminder of where I started gives freshness and impetus to me today. I am so glad I can be here this week and next and be blessed by Candidate orientation. It will be fun to watch where God leads our appointees and the ministry He will give them.

It's a 100 degrees in Lubbock in June!

2008-06-17T20:01:00.003-05:00

Noon is not the best time to be at the park and try to take a family picture.

It's definitely time to find something cooler to do

Swimming lessons for the twins at the Tech pool feels good to 4 of us.

Not everyone got to go to the Tech pool for swimming lessons, but everyone got to cool off.

Smiles reign again.

Old Song New Voice Same Truth

2008-06-10T07:20:00.002-05:00

God did not give me a voice that most people can appreciate when I sing, but that's okay. He gifted me in other ways. Here's a new voice to please with a song of truth. Meet David Phelps, he's definitely gifted by God.

Audrey Hepburn gives beauty advice.

2008-06-07T14:18:00.003-05:00

Beauty Tips: by Audrey Hepburn:

For attractive lips speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

To my understanding, Ms. Hepburn was not a believer in Jesus Christ, but her beauty tips could have been a rewording of the "one anothers" in the epistles: Eph 4:2 & 32; Eph. 5:21; 1 Thes 5:11; and Heb 10:24-25. Her poem is a good reminder of true beauty.

Shadows of One another

2008-06-01T12:43:00.003-05:00

A friend of Holly's took this picture of the twins. It's a great shot of them.

Miss Priss Ashlynn

2008-06-01T12:41:00.003-05:00

When Ashlynn wants her mom's attention she strikes a pose and begins to yell "Mama, mama...." or worse!

Truth or Lie, who do we believe?

2008-05-31T20:28:00.005-05:00

Watch this video and then read below:

I think we women all know this, but here's a prime example of why we find so much wrong with ourselves. We see these women on billboards, magazines, television, and we wonder why we don't look like them. After seeing this, I think we see why we don't. Very few would match up naturally. It's a good reminder for us to keep our eyes off the media and on God's word where it says in Psalms 139:
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Let's Play

2008-05-22T14:25:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hope in Dark Times

2008-05-20T06:47:00.002-05:00

"Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He is your Keeper. He has kept you hitherto. Hold fast to his dear hand, and he will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, he will bear you in his arms." - Saint Frances of Sales

Someone sent me the above quote this week attached to an email. It came on a day when the world and local news seemed overwhelming. Combined with my own fears of the future, I had forgotten that I always have hope no matter how dark it gets. My whole perspective was fear-based and not hope-based. Maybe you need a word of hope today. As much as I like what St. Frances had to say, I think the words from the Creator of hope will stand you in better stead to face today and every tomorrow you are given.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." - Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)

As I write this today, the news of the world is no brighter, but my state of being is now one of hope and peace as I turned to the only one who could give me these things in such dark times. It doesn’t mean my battle with fear is over, but I have the victory for the moment and I have been reminded where to turn when I am overwhelmed.

Isn't Our Creator Amazing

2008-05-17T18:11:00.002-05:00

Watch this video to see just how creative our God is. It's about 5 minutes long but you don't want to miss the end.

The Power of Three Minutes

2008-05-16T10:18:00.002-05:00

Beth Gross wrote the following after attending the Quest Conference in April and it is worth the sharing. Read on:

The Power of Three Minutes

By Beth Gross

I was floored by the deep issues that surfaced in three minutes . . .

During the third week of April, Jonathan Edwards led a group of Questers in pursuit of better listening skills. He taught the principles of listening skills, demonstrated with a brave volunteer and then set us loose in groups of three to practice them. In every group, each Quester had 3 (or 4) minutes to share while another Quester practiced the listening skills and a third evaluated. I was floored by the deep issues that surfaced in three minutes.

It made me wonder why we don't see more of that kind of sharing in our casual conversations. Maybe some of it can be attributed to the urgency of the time limit or the preparation of the participants.
But, I think some things we learned about active listening are transferable to everyday interactions.

1. Freedom to choose. Our group found if we left the field wide open, others were more likely to share below the surface. Instead of greeting someone with "How's the wife and kids?" we could say "What's on your mind?"

2. Be quiet. Too often in conversations, someone's sharing triggers the memory of an experience or story. When it's our turn to speak, we jump in with our two cents, the conversation takes a turn and the opportunity to hear someone's heart is missed. Instead, we could recap what they have said, ask for more information or ask about the emotions involved.

3. Avoid advice and solutions. Sometimes a person's greatest need is just to be heard. Resisting the urge to "be a fixer" allows another the chance to continue telling his story. Affirming the difficulty of a struggle and the emotions involved can in itself bring healing. At that point, the story-teller might be ready to look for solutions.

A lot can happen in three minutes. Let's listen for it.

Honduras Bridge

2008-05-13T11:57:00.003-05:00

Look and listen to men who recently went on a missions trip to Honduras to help construct a bridge with CAM missionary Mark Fittz. See how such trips can change lives, not only those who receive the aid but also those who go. CAM offers all kids of mission trips from the the short exposure to a longer internship. Our fields are white and we are praying for laborers such as these men who will join with us.

Barksdale Air Show and God

2008-05-11T15:14:00.005-05:00

Capitan Keegan Williamson, USAF ATC Instructor Pilot

Keegan, Bethany and I stepped off the bus onto the hot tarmac at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana this past weekend. Our senses were assaulted first and we all commented on the smell of JP4 (jet fuel) that washed over us as we left the cool air-conditioned bus. The high pitched whine of jet engines winding up to speed was the first sound we heard, and then we saw all the people and planes in front of us. There were many young men and women walking through crowd, guarding aircraft, helping with crowd control, answering a thousand questions, and enjoying the show with their families just we were doing. We were at the annual Barksdale Air Show with the star attraction Blue Angels to perform. Keegan and I drove from Mesquite and met Bethany who was in Bossier City visiting with her in-laws and were so excited to be at the base after years of being unable to attend an air show. We stayed for the day and enjoyed all the incredible flying feats and were awed by the technology that military might requires today. Flags flew everywhere and the young men and women in uniform reminded us of a war ongoing now in Iraq and of other wars fought in previous times. We were humbled as the missing man formation flew by and reminded us of those who gave their lives for our freedom.

It was a grand day…. but it held something else for Keegan and me. The planes, especially the T-37 (commonly know as the tweet) and all the men in flight suits took us back to a time in the late 70’s when Keegan was a gifted pilot and instructor pilot headed for a great career in the Air Force. We both wondered what our lives would be like now if he had continued in that career path. God could have used him in the service just like He does so many others, but that was not what He asked of Keegan. Driving home alone after the show we both reminisced about those years and how good they were, but neither of us expressed any regrets about the calling God gave us to change directions and leave the Air Force. The 30 plus years since have been wonderful and full of God’s grace and mercy, and God has shown us that He could give us security, provision, travel, excitement, and a communal family that was and is every bit as good or better than the Air Force could have provided. Now in the years ahead we are going to trust Him for the retirement benefits as well J It WAS a grand day and as much as we enjoyed the air show, we returned home thankful that it is God who is our commander-in-chief.

Keegan and the Tweet

Quest 2008

2008-05-01T14:10:00.003-05:00

What is Quest? Keegan and I write about it, prepare for it, pray for it, ask others to pray for it, and we regularly attend it. I would guess many of you just know it’s some kind of conference associated with our ministry but not much else. Even though I have heard much about Quest, I have to confess that I didn’t fully grasp what it involved until I attended one. I knew it was a leadership formation conference for CAM leaders but not much more than that. In light of my own experience I encouraged Keegan to continue communicating what Quest is. Leadership formation has been a passion of Keegan since he began ministry in the local church. Quest is an out growth of that passion, years of working with leaders, CAM’s needs and the primary focus of his doctorate.

In June of last year attendees were asked to help pick a name and theme that would reflect their vision and values for leader formation. Thus, the name and mantra were created: Quest…Becoming a Christ-like Community of Lifelong Learners. The word “quest” implies the act of seeking or pursuing something. A quest can also be an adventure. Often, it describes a chivalrous enterprise in a medieval romance, usually involving an adventurous journey. God certainly intends for all of us to experience an adventurous and exciting Christian walk. Quest is designed for people who want to make a difference in their ministry setting, and the purpose is to help participants become lifelong learners with the goal to understand and then seek to align their actions and attitudes with biblical principles and practices. Over 100 CAM missionaries have participated at some level in leader formation and felt it to be enriching, stimulating and highly valuable. Under its current design Quest conferences are offered twice a year during the months of April and October. Attendees include both men and women who are invited by their respective organizational leaders to participate. When possible and desirable, couples are encouraged to participate together.

The April Quest themes were focus on: 1) Living and Serving Together as Multiple Generations; 2) Essential Counseling Skills; 3) 4) What Kind of Legacy Are You Leaving?; 5) Learning as a Way of Being. Keegan will be facilitated three of these sessions Jon Edwards, CAM's member care coordinator, facilitated one session. Please continue to pray for the moving of God’s Spirit through this ministry and for changed lives and a changed mission. Join us in praying God will continue to provide the funding to continue Quest and grow it for His glory and honor(funding is by donations to CAM).

My prayer from the QUEST conference

2008-04-27T17:36:00.003-05:00

I want to stay right where I am-in God’s presence in nature. Here I can smell, hear and feel what has been destroyed by the urbanization of where I live. I am alone now all but God, His word and some of his smaller creations. I am still and I am quiet. If I can keep my mind and heart focused only on Him, I will be fed and nurtured and perhaps able to digest one tiny morsel which will sustain me in the days ahead. Lord, can I stay here? Here it’s just you and me. Thank you Lord for your creation and for allowing me to be in it this time and this place. Refresh my soul. Have your winds blow away my masks and smoke screens until there is no pretense. Warm my blood so that it rushes through my body carrying the physical impurities to the organs that will clean these impurities from me. Clear my senses from sin that prevents them from being sharp and effective. Wash my spiritual lungs of the darkness that I might breathe deeply and fully of your purity and righteousness. Surround me so I have no escape but to dwell here with you for this brief time. Touch me so that when I return to daily living I am changed.

As always God answered my prayer. I am changed. More will follow on Quest in another blog.

CAM Center and Me

2008-04-11T08:40:00.004-05:00

Today is Friday and I have completed my first official week at CAM center. I worked Monday at the medical office, and began Tuesday at CAM center. They have given me an office near Keegan and the mobilization department. Right now it's pretty bare with a desk and a computer, but it is efficient. This week was CAM's week to have a concerted time of prayer each morning for all of the missionaries and ministries of CAM. Every morning began with an hour long session of prayer in small groups covering each specific missionary and ministry. Wow, it's been a long time since I have been able to participate in such a prayer time. I also learned so much about the needs and praises of each of CAM's missionaries. I am humbled by what God is doing through the people serving with CAM who are all so passionate and willing to serve God in each of their fields of ministry.
After the prayer time each morning, it was time to get busy. Quest is only two weeks away and there is much to do for the final preparation. Right now my main tasks are helping Keegan get the notebooks ready for the 46 people attending Quest and helping with communication. Let's just say, I didn't lack for anything to do and the days flew by. I loved having lunch with Keegan everyday in my office. Everyone in the office was wonderfully warm and friendly, and there was none of the usual drama and anger I experience at the medical office. It was so refreshing! Next week will be much the same with a little bit more pressure as it will be the last week to finish preparing for Quest. Already I have been asked to help with another project that involves a town meeting for our US missionaries in June. I will begin on that when we return from Quest.
I am so happy God is giving me this opportunity to return to ministry again. Please join me in praying He will provide for us as our budget has taken a huge cut without my nursing salary. Thank you. I close sharing this:

Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.
-- Helen Keller

Leaves, leaving, and lives

2008-04-01T12:35:00.003-05:00

I am spending my first week of being jobless to spend it with Holly, Greg and the grandchildren. Being with the next two generations gives me pause to think of my life and what I will one day be leaving behind. This fall we took a trip to Ruidoso, New Mexico and spent many hours hiking in the mountains there. One day we hiked along a beautiful wooded trail and I decided to stop and just experience my surroundings. I sat beneath a towering oak tree that was in the process of loosing it's leaves (not something I get to experience much in Dallas). As I sat there in the pile of decaying leaves, a slight breeze passed overhead and I was showered with withered and dry oak leaves, twigs, and even acorns. Every creature that crawled or hopped or scurried through the leaves made so much noise in the dry leaves that I knew I was not alone. I reached over and picked up a handful of dead leaves and twigs and watched how easily they crumbled in my hand. Moving the leaves aside I looked at the ground underneath and I saw such rich humus soil formed by the decay and I wished I could take back a large load to mix into the hard clay packed soil of my yard in Dallas. I was reminded of the elementary school science lesson I learned about how the decay will return to soil and will nourish the tree so that in the spring and succeeding years the tree will have the nourishment it needs to keep growing. I like how Solomon summed it up in Ecclesiastes 3:15 "Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before." Not to sound negative or morbid, I am decaying as I grow older, but it's not the ground I am thinking of nourishing. I am thinking of what will be my legacy to these children and those who are yet to be born. If anything, I want them to see that their mother and grandmother knew Jesus and heard His voice and followed Him. Let me be light to lead them to Him.
Speaking of children, we are very proud of all of our children, but this week we celebrate Bryce's new promotion at Time Warner. He's young to be in management, but he has worked hard and proven himself and his employers have recognized his gifts. Phillip has also continued to excel in his school work at Southwestern, but he has to keep his nose to the grindstone getting all the work done. Greg loves his new job and is slowly forming his team around him and making the job description come to life. The girls are all doing well. I have to admit after spending these few days with Holly, I honestly don't know how she does it--only by the grace of God.
Keegan is busy working on his presentations for Quest which will begin in two weeks. It's always a lot of work to get it ready and this time the group is even larger. There wil be many returning to continue learning and their enthusiasm about the conference has encouraged others to to want to be a part. Keegan has had to put his doctoral paper on hold until after Quest, but he intends to focus on it once again in May.
Since I am returning to full time ministry Keegan and I will be experiencing God's grace in new ways. Our prayer these days is based on Isaiah 30:21, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'". Please pray with us that we hear His voice in this new endeavor.

"The problem with life is it's so daily."

2008-03-19T10:30:00.007-05:00

Connor age 4.

The "Twinks" after lunch.

Isn’t the title of this blog the simplest statement and yet so profound? Those of us who enjoy good health, warmth, plenty of food, and are loved by someone may agree with the statement. But how about those who are fighting to live each day? It certainly changes the meaning of the statement.

We are doing well as a family and know that many prayers are given on our behalf and answered by our God. We recognize His blessings everyday in the big and the small dailies of daily living. In a little over a week I will move from my paying job as a nurse to a full time volunteer at CAM center and working with Keegan. The plan is that my time at CAM will be split, 50% working with Keegan on Quest and other projects, and 50% working in another department of CAM (yet to be determined). Initially I will still work 2-3 Mondays a month at First Family to help Leslie the LVN in the transition to my job. I am excited about this move and I really have total peace from the Lord about this change in my life. God has always provided for us when He asked us to give anything up, and there’s no reason to think He won’t do so again. Keegan is excited that I can join him in ministry and in his travels. All the details aren’t worked out yet, but it’s coming together bit by bit. Please continue praying for us in this new endeavor.

Our family is well. Please check our prayer requests for updates on those things we for which we have requested prayer. Above are two new pictures to show some of the blessings in our family.

Come to the edge...

2008-03-08T08:13:00.003-06:00

"Come to the edge, he said. They said:
We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said.
They came. He pushed them,
And they flew..."
- Guillaume Apollinaire

Well yesterday I came to the edge and God pushed me. I’m not sure if I flew, but I know I left the security of the nest. You are probably wondering what in the world am I talking about. Yesterday I gave notice at work of my intent to leave at the end of the month. I had been praying about it since October, but yesterday I was “pushed” by God and I knew it was time. Many of you might be thinking, “What’s so hard or so big about resigning?” First I resigned a nice paying job for no job. Keegan and I have always taught our children you don’t leave one job until you have another, but that’s just what I did. Second I gave my career of nursing to the Lord and said it’s yours. I have clung to it as a stronghold forever, but I am going to let God become my stronghold of security. I would say that was two pretty big steps for me to take in one day. My boss is not a believer in Jesus Christ, and he certainly didn’t understand the what or the why of my leaving and was deeply disappointed that I would abandon him. I don’t know if I would have done it if God had not divinely orchestrated it for me and given me the resolve to say the words “I’m leaving.”

Now you are probably thinking, “OK, why are you leaving?” For the last year or so Keegan and I have been talking about and dreaming about my returning to full time ministry to work along side him and to also work at CAM center as a full time volunteer. My wonderful husband sees gifts in me I’m not sure are there and feels like I have something to offer there at CAM and being with him in his travels and his work. I too have felt that God wants more of me than I have been willing to give since we returned from Mexico 7 years ago. My journal reminds me of all I have said to the Lord, and now He is asking me to trust Him. He’s never failed me and I should have no doubts, but I must confess I do have fears and doubts. Pray for me as I come to mind. I want to fly…..

I love this thought of Beth Moore: “The wonders God wants to do in all our tomorrows are prepared for in our todays.”

Summoned to Lead

2008-02-21T20:11:00.004-06:00

The following is a quote from Summoned to Lead by Leonard Sweet.

A historian's job is to tell the truth about the past. A consultant's job is to tell the truth about the present. A psychiatrist's job is to help you tell the truth about who you are. A theologian's job is to tell the truth about God. A leader's job is to rise to the occasion, to imagine the best possible future and to tell the truth about how to get there. A leader's voice rings the bell of the future.

If you are not familiar with this book (which is a favorite of mine) it is the retelling of the story of Ernest Shackleton who commanded in 1914 the doomed British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Shackleton lead a group of explorers who were to cross Antarctica sea to sea for the British, but he never made it. When his ship was within one hundred miles of the continent he and his crew became stranded in the most hostile place to mankind place on earth. Obviously this failure is not what made Shackleton one of the world's greatest leaders. No, it was the act of bringing home safe every one of his crew and how he accomplished such a seemingly impossible task. There are other books written about this expedition and even a movie made. The story is worth reading anytime, but this particular book focuses on the summons to lead, not the call. Although I am not gifted in leadership I was captured by the concept of leadership presented in this book and by the need for such leadership in our country today. Elections are nearing and we are choosing leaders for our nation. We have a responsibility to vote, but our choices are limited. It would be wonderful to have one or more of the many candidates rise to moral courage and ring the bell of truth. Please pray as never before in the months left to us for those candidates who will be elected to office. Not only is voting a right, a duty and a privilege, but so is prayer for each of us Christians.

Be A Listener Today

2008-02-12T14:38:00.000-06:00

Do you ever wish someone would really listen to you? Have you ever started telling a friend or family member something that you thought was important and they didn't hear you out before they were distracted? Recently I had an idea that I wanted to share with someone, and as I started to tell her she was momentarily distracted by something else in the environment. I waited a moment to see if she would begin the conversation again by telling me to go on, but she never did. In fact, it was like I had never said anything. It has happened more than once and with many people, and I am finding myself more often than not letting the conversation just die. Each time I feel rejected even thought the listener didn't mean to hurt me.
As some of you know I took the training to become a Stephen Minister and one entire module is devoted to the art of listening. There was some great teaching and tools in the module, but there was one thing that could not be overcome with a short cut, and that was that listening is an active process that requires personal involvement, commitment and patience. In other words, listening is work. After finishing the training and beginning with care receivers, I realized just how true that was. I had to focus and pay attention and fight the wanderings of my mind and the noise of the environment. It was much like reading a heavy tome on religious thinking of instead of a Christian romance. It took effort, but with time I could listen more effectively. In Stephen Ministry it was part of my ministry, but what about in my daily living? I find I fail often. Listening is definitely a need in our world today, but if that need can't be met by strangers, family, or friends, then we still have the greatest listener sitting waiting to hear every word, every idea, every dream, every comment, or anything at all that we want to express. Jesus knew everything, but it didn't stop Him from listening to the people around Him. We have that same option today, and I have found that God is a two way communicator and great listener. He never fails me and He takes my ideas, my dreams, my thoughts, etc. and He listens and He responds. So, I am learning to feel less rejected and am turning to Him who can meet this need as well as all my other needs. Even so, He doesn't remove the responsibility we as believers each have to listen to our fellow sojourners. I guess what I am asking each of us today is to simply practice better listening whenever we can so that God can use us to help someone else by just simple listening.

"Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace
and the things by which one may edify another."
Romans 14:19

More on the Twins

2008-02-10T14:07:00.001-06:00

Sorry everyone, but I never get tired of showing off the girls. These are their official 6 months photos. If you are wondering who is who, look at the bows. Kylee is wearing the red bow and Ashlynn has the black bow. Both girls are rolling over now and are reaching and grabbing for everything. Their little personalities are very different as are their abilities right now. If one of them gets picked up and the other doesn't, the left behind twin will cry. Both Kylee and Ashlynn are full of wide grins and beautiful smiles. Ashlynn likes to wake up early and is sunshine at that point (like her big brother Connor). Kylee on the other hand wakes up later and takes a little bit of time getting used to the day (like her big sister Alyssa). Notice their feet in the double photo. Holly can't keep their socks on because they are constantly rubbing their feet together. They are doing well and growing rapidly. Bethany went out last weekend to see them and help Holly out while she wasn't feeling well. Now Keegan and I are hoping to make a trip sometime in the near future. Connor told Keegan on the phone the other day "that he needs to come out to his house and get to know him." Don't know where that came from! Thanks for letting me be proud grandmother.

Pat goes to Israel; Jim comes home from Ghana

2008-02-06T20:41:00.001-06:00

Below are the prayer requests from Pat, Keegan's sister who is traveling to Israel this week. We know how much she would appreciate your prayers for her and the team. Her husband Jim made his trip to Ghana and has come home with many testimonies about God's work there. Prayer can carry us to many places in the world and help us to impact the world for our Lord and Saviour.

I am writing mainly to ask you to pray for us as we put together this prayer room. There are many people groups there and only the Holy Spirit will be able to lead us to successfully honor Him in what we do.

Please pray that He will clearly speak His will over us and that we will be able to hear exactly what He wants us to do and then be obedient.

Please pray that we will be able to encourage national believers and the workers in the region.

Pray that we will bless the couple who is hosting us (and the Prayer Center) and be a source of encouragement for them.

Pray for our protection.

Pray that the IPCJ (International Prayer Center for Jerusalem) will be a light in a very dark world and that many will come to know our God through this.

Pray that all the financial resources for our team will be provided.

Thank you for being so faithful to pray both for both Jim and myself! We would not dare go without your prayer covering as we know that our battle is not against flesh and blood as Paul tells us in the Word.

Time is a great healer...

2008-02-05T20:52:00.000-06:00

" Time is a great healer but a lousy beautician." author unknown.
Isn't that great? Any of you close to my age or older know just how true that statement can be. Keegan and I just went home for a quick trip to just see family, especially his dad. Everett is 90 and his sister is 94. Everett lives alone in a senior living center and is so active physically and mentally that you would guess his age at probably 15-20 years younger. Aunt Gladys is now in a nursing home and only lives in this world mentally for brief moments. They are the last of the generation in our families that went before. None of will get to choose how we age and how our final years will be, but those of us who know Christ know this world and life is only temporary and we will leave here to spend eternity in new bodies in heaven. I like what Psalm 70:10 says, " The length of our days is seventy years--or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass and we fly awayl" I know Aunt Gladys is ready to fly away, but Everett still finds much to enjoy here in this world. It was a reminder to Keegan and I to use the time God is giving us today for His glory and trust Him for tomorrow and what lies ahead. Many of us are not afraid of dying itself, but of the process. I am one of them, but this trip was reminder to me to turn my fears once again and hand them over to God who will give me His peace.

How Is the Impact of a Life Measured?

2008-01-29T21:07:00.000-06:00

Rosa Parks was one of the first African Americans to stand up for her civil rights. One day while riding on a bus she refused to move to the back when asked to do so. Her belief in her self-worth and personal rights were challenged so she chose to say no. Many say that her actions were key to beginning the civil rights movement in our nation. Her decision to challenge the status quo was never done with the idea of starting a movement but were simply a response to personal convictions.

I believe it to be the desire of most of us to live in such a way as to impact the world around us. We all hope that our presence and actions in some way make a positive contribution to others and life in general. The fear that we all have is that we will come and go and no mark will be left by our life. An even worse thought is the possibility that no one will notice or care that we are gone.

The truth is that few of us will make a life’s impact that is recognized by great numbers of people. However, it is important to remember that the significance of the mark that we leave is not necessarily measured by its scope and historical impact. The greatest measurement of impact is how our lives measure up in the eyes of God.

A life’s impact is at its greatest point when it glorifies God. If God is glorified by our actions and attitudes, we have made our greatest contribution. The degree to which God chooses to make know this fact is up to Him. Our actions may sometimes impact one person or thousands or even world history. However, we must always remember the significance of our lives is not measured by history books or by the reactions of others. As it has been so well said, “We live for audience of one.” It is here and only here that significance as human beings is gained or lost!

16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Col 1:16 NIV

Jim and the Medical Team in Ghana Update

2008-01-27T15:17:00.000-06:00

This will be the last email from me from Ghana. I will not have access to email before we leave. Thank each of you for praying for all of us.

Today, we went in two directions. Linda and Rusty Simpson and Barbara Graves have been working with a village east of Accra named Mamakrome. They have gotten every child in the village sponsored by World Vision. They went there today to visit. They had raised money to drill a water well for the village. We all got back so late that we did not get to hear about what all transpired but will tomorrow.

The rest of us went west to Cape Coast. We visited one of the slave castles on a rocky beach bluff. It is a beautiful structure and very well maintained and preserved. However, as you hear of the horrific conditions and treatment, its beauty diminishes greatly. The men's dungeon held about one thousand men at a time in a room no bigger than most of our houses. The rocks on the floor are worn smooth from hundreds of thousands of footsteps. They were herded down a tunnel to THE GATE OF NO RETURN, loaded onto boats, and then placed onto ships. It gives an awareness of man's inhumanity to man that still exists today. There are over 26,000,000 slaves in the world today. There are probably 50,000 in the US. The slaves were herded by other Ghanaian tribes to he castles and shipped literally all over the world. All told, somewhere between 12,000,000 and 26,000,000 were shipped from twenty or so slave castles over 300 years. I write all of this to make us all aware of that inhumanity still exists in many countries all over the world.

Today, I asked Pastor Lewis why Ghana has had political stability since March 6, 1957. His answer was very simple, "by the grace of God." Pray that God will continue to grace Ghana. This is an election year for them. They have discovered 600,000,000 million barrels of oil in the Atlantic off their coast. Pray that a leader will be elected that will us the tremendous resource wisely and not just for personal gain. Also, pray that the US will turn back to God and not be like post-Christian Europe.

God bless each of you.

Jim Howard for Mission Builsa Team 2008

3 hours and my brain is sizzling

2008-01-26T08:58:00.000-06:00

You are probably wondering about the post before this one. I probably won't be adding too many videos to this site, but I have to explain myself. Yesterday I spent 3 hours with Brad Bridges at CAM Center. Brad is a young man in his late 20's who works in the mobilization department at CAM. The purpose of our meeting was to to look at Facebook and blogs as a tool for CAM missionaries to use. Brad's ideas and fingers on the keyboard were almost too fast for this older woman to keep up with! You all know I love the computer and the Internet so it should come as no surprise how exciting I found it to explore the possibilities and be a part of something at CAM once again. Brad showed me so many things about blogging and Facebook and how to connect the two. We needed some test things to post, and, well the baby video was worth it! It still makes me laugh. I know some of you reading this will see and understand why Facebook could be such a great tool for getting CAM's ministry out there to more folks, especially the younger group. Like it or not for us older folks connectivity and relationship building are happening more on the Internet than any other place. I have always said my 90 year old father-in-law Everett is my hero. Even today he's still reading and learning new things. He has shown me more about the computer than anyone else I know. He's my standard for aging gracefully and staying alive mentally with younger generations; thus Facebook, blogs, Internet, etc. I will be meeting with Brad again in a couple of weeks and we will continue to build on this idea and see how we can use these tools of connection and interconnection for CAM.
One of my first projects will be developing with Keegan a group on Facebook for those who have attended Quest and who will be invited to the next Quest. The idea is this will give us a common "meeting place" to share, discuss, and stay connected. One of the elements of Quest is accountability, but many miles separate us and that can sometimes easier said than done. You are probably thinking that email would work as well. Maybe, maybe not. Facebook allows for all of us to "be in one spot". Keegan will be able to lead the group with less time because it will be like everyone is in the same class room and no one can interrupt or disturb it. No emails getting lost or forgotten. Assignments can be posted and questions asked. Quest occurs twice a year and now there can be an easier way to keep it fresh and ongoing in the six months between.
Quest will be our first trial, but we are discussing how new candidates will be able to use Facebook or blogs for their support raising and for connecting to their fields of assignments in the time before their arrival on the field. Causes has already been started with the CAM Christmas ministry (those of you who use Facebook know what I am talking about) and it has shown that it may well be a viable tool. Brad had so many examples of how Facebook has already been used to either bring people to CAM's web site for more information, raise funds, or even begin the application process to join CAM. I could hardly sleep last night for thinking of new ideas and just how much I want to learn myself. What a change from my usual thoughts of all the drama of the office where I work!!!! I have so missed being a part of CAM on a more active basis. I don't know where this will lead and I don't know how involved I will be, but I know what that the time spent yesterday with Brad and the computer will help me personally continue to follow in my father-in-law Everett's footsteps. Have a great day and may you glorify God in all that you do and say.

Facebook/Blogger Linked + Baby Video

2008-01-25T14:11:00.000-06:00

My blogspot and facebook are now connected. That's why you see so many new posts at once. From now on it will do it one at a time. Enjoy!

The Snail

2008-01-23T10:05:00.000-06:00

Charles Spurgeon once said, "By perseverance the snail reached the ark." For some reason this description really captures my attention. Nothing moves slower than a snail, and it takes much time to move short distances. I see these two snails inching their way from wherever they were to the ark and then when they arrive, they look up at the gigantic structure and the incline to the entrance! How impossible it must have seemed! All the other animals were flying by them in their hurry to arrive at their destination before the door was shut and the rains would come. I wonder if they were the last pair to arrive? Sometimes I feel like one of those snails in my spiritual journey. Inching along with a lot of effort and little distance to show. I get lost in the journey and feel a failure when I compare to others heading the same place. What I fail to see is in the story of the snail's journey to the ark, the Lord waited for them. The doors did not shut before they arrived, and they did arrive. He knew them and He was waiting for them. It is no different for me His child. All I need to do is keep my eyes on the destination and my heart full of the purpose of the journey and all will be okay. Someone else once said, "It is not talent or training that guarantees victory; it is perseverance." Thus my task is before me today as every other day, persevere. "You will need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." Hebrews 10:36 Have a great day and a great week and keep persevering.

Worth the Cost?

2008-01-18T21:02:00.000-06:00

I work in a doctor's office that is very busy. We work in very close quarters and spend a lot of hours together. Recently it came to light that one of the employees was embezzling 10's of thousands of dollars from the accounts. This young woman was very, very adept at what she was doing and she fooled everyone of us. In a small office you have to develop some kind of relationship with the other employees, and when something like this happens it affects us all and that has been the case at work. But if that weren't enough, we find out that she may not be prosecuted because the DA doesn't think it's worth the cost to prosecute. Breaking several laws and stealing 10's of thousands of someone else's money isn't worth the cost!!!!!! Give me a break. And here's the icing on the cake, we have found out that she has done it before and was not charged or prosecuted then either!!!!! Same reasoning. When did breaking the law have to be worth the cost? I have never been more disappointed in our legal system than now. This means this woman can move on to another place and do the same thing. Not only were our employers robbed, but our several of our patients and we the employees were robbed (for us it will show up in no raises or none and less bonuses or none). I am sure this is a regularly occurring incident in our world , but when it hits close to home it always becomes more personal. Read on:
Another co-worker's father died this summer from negligence in a rehab nursing home. It was obviously the cause of death and the co-worker wanted this personnel to never work in medicine again. She gathered the proof and presented it to different attorneys. They agreed the proof was sufficient, but they both refused to take the case. The reason why? It wasn't worth the cost. Because he was elderly, there wouldn't be enough money won to make it worthwhile. In other words, his life wasn't as valuable as a younger person's life. They even said they could get 10's of thousands of dollars, but it still wouldn't be enough. Now, I have only given the fewest of details here, but you get the idea. It felt like a sucker's punch to hear this. I'm older; the nursing home may well be in my future; therefore my life will have no value. Not bad reasoning if a little extreme.
Needless to say, depending on our legal system gives one pause. I can only rejoice that I don't live under the law, but under grace. Life is not fair, but God is just and merciful and He alone can and will meet my every need (and yes, fear too). Thanks for listening.

A Franciscan Benediction

2008-01-16T08:33:00.000-06:00

When I am reading I love to write in my journals quotes and writings of authors. Here's one I found today and I thought we might all find it a prayer for today.

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that yo may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

AMEN

The Twins are 6 months old

2008-01-14T20:22:00.000-06:00

Holly took the twins in today for their 6 month check up. Both girls were declared in good health and growing and developing well. Developmentally they are about a month behind, but the pediatrician says this is to be expected and they will catch up with their peers soon. Ashlynn was 27 inches long and weighed15# 13oz while Kylee was 26 inches long and weighed 14# 12 ounces. Both girls were smiling and happy--- until they got their immunizations. A
Another praise today is that the company that Greg interviewed have two more positions for which they want him to interview. The company prides itself on getting the right man to the right job. Please keep praying for him.

2008-01-11T16:31:00.000-06:00

For many of you I have sent out prayer requests for Alan and Pam May who serve with another mission in Kenya. Here are a couple of prayer requests from their recent emails. We all need to remember the people of Kenya and those there serving Christ.
"Pray for us as we make our way to the airport in the morning and then fly into Nairobi. We are likely to fly into Wilson field which is a neighbor to the huge Kibera slum where so much violence is still taking place. Pray we can get from the airport to our friends' house where we will hang out until we can get out of Nairobi."
"Please pray for Dr. Ghalay, she is an Indian woman, but she was born and raised in

Kenya

. She became a Christian after she married, and she is one of the most devoted followers of Christ that I have ever known. Her husband is a Sikh, and he is not at all happy that his wife is a Christian. She is abused by her husband in many ways. She always wants us to pray with her when we see her. I have seen her twice this week, and she has cried and asked us to pray for

Kenya

...it is her only country. Please pray for her and others like her who are not black Africans, yet only know

Kenya

as home. There are many 2nd and 3rd generation Asians in

Kenya

Ministry Prayer Requests

2008-01-09T20:01:00.000-06:00

Dear Team members and Family,

Greetings! I hope to do a better job this year of keeping you abreast of some of our prayer needs. Here’s the first update. Please share this with those you think have interest and will pray.

Prayer is the true work of God’s people as we seek to bring in His kingdom. CAM is facing an exciting year, but a challenging one.

CAM Finances

§ Pray for God’s provision for our missionaries. The great majority of us, including myself, are below minimum support levels. When the missionaries are below support this also causes the mission to experience an equal lack of funding for missionary services.

§ Pray for divine appointments with those that God has called to labor with us financially in reaching and mobilizing Spanish speakers to go to the world.

§ The fall of the dollar is radically affecting our missionaries in Spain (they have lost 35% of their buying power this past year )and other parts of Latin America.

Recruitment

§ The majority of missionaries from the U.S. currently serving around the world will be retired and gone within the next 10 years. Pray God will raise up the next generation of young men and women to go and represent our country and churches.

§ Pray for divine appointments on the campuses of Moody Bible Institute, Dallas Theological Seminary, Cedarville College and Texas A & M University with those students that God is leading to work with Spanish speakers.

§ Pray for energy, wisdom and strength for our staff as they travel.

CAM Fields

§ There will be CAM Summit held in Dallas to better align field ministries with our ends statement which is to produce among Spanish speakers a “growing number of biblically mature believers who make disciples globally” Pray for God’s leading in developing effective strategies.

§ Continued fruit among the 43 million Hispanics who live in the U.S. CAM has 160 graduates from its Seminary in Guatemala pastoring churches across the U.S. Pray for wisdom and boldness for our country’s leadership to deal with and define an effective immigration policy. Hispanics are only one of the multiple nationalities that are coming to our country. Ask for vision for the U.S church for reaching the internationals within our own borders.

Thank you for laboring on our behalf.

In His service,

Keegan

Pressing on Toward the Goal

2008-01-08T20:33:00.000-06:00

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:13-14)

Keegan and I are straining toward what is ahead. We press on toward the goal and that is the journey we want to share with you. Our focus is forward, filled with hope and purpose. God has blessed us abundantly in our journey these last 35 years together and we are always excited about the future. Our journey crossed and touched many others in journey and we have so many wonderful family members, friends, and sojourners. This is the day and age of the small world interconnected through this media, the internet. We're hoping to meet many of you here and to continue to press on together toward the goal to win the prize.