Month: June 2019

Well, we knew to expect the unexpected when we started on this road trip with three babies, but little did we expect that they would be champs… and that the rest of us would end up getting sick for the rest of the week. My dad, brother, sister-in-law, and I all got sick for the majority of our time in Durango. A bummer, to say the least, but sometimes I’ve found that God just tends to find a way to knock you off your feet when you’re trying to do too much, too fast. I will admit that some of the time I spent reading and talking with family–when there was nothing else I could do–was very refreshing and encouraging time that I probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. Yet I think we were all a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to do more while we were there. Thankfully all of the kids stayed healthy, though, and my mom and wife were absolute heroes helping pick up the slack for all of us sick people!

We planned on stopping back in Albuquerque on the way back home to spend more time with that part of our family, but since we were still sick and some of them had actually gotten sick during the week as well, we decided to just come home a day early. We drove through one of the craziest hail storms I’ve ever been in near Clovis, New Mexico, but eventually we made it back and are ever so happy to be home.

Overall, it’s been a really special time off for me. A time to pour into others and reconnect with God myself, and a time to let him teach me as I realize I can always use more teaching 🙂

Lastly, I want to thank Kris and FDLIC for allowing me to make this sabbatical happen. I probably wouldn’t have gone to camp otherwise, so it’s just amazing that my company would support me so fully on this endeavor. I hope and expect that from this time there will be tangible impacts in his kingdom that we will all get to find out about someday!

The first two days in Durango have been great. The weather is as fantastic as we all hoped it would be, and we even successfully completed a 4-ish mile hike with all 3 babies in tow! We also rode a mini section of the Durango-Silverton train and saw some incredible views of the Animas river that winds all around the area. Being in the mountains always reminds me of God’s creativity, power, and beauty all at the same time, and I’ve definitely felt his grace with us so far on this trip.

Riding the train

It’s a quick turnaround from my week at camp to family vacation. The way it worked out, I arrived back home at 5pm and left at 8am the next day. I think it’ll be worth it, though, for an escape to the cool weather of Colorado.

We’re probably crazy for attempting this, but it’ll be my family (with a potty-training 2 year old and 7 month old), my parents, and my brother’s family (with a 6 month old). We had originally reserved a 15 passenger van and planned to ride all together but thankfully it was sketchy looking and also broken when my parents went to pick it up. Instead we took two cars with my kids in one and my brother’s in the other.

We stopped overnight in Albuquerque to visit some extended family, which was a great bonus. Then the next day we finished the remaining 3 hours to Durango! Overall the drive was pleasantly uneventful, even with having to stop frequently for the babies.

Hopefully the rest of the week will be full of adventure and relaxation!

These three cousins rocked their road trip!

What a powerful week we had at camp! Some of the most special times for me were praying over the students in my group, encouraging them in their pursuit of God and watching their faces and hearts come alive as he moved in them over the course of the week. It’s really such an incredible privilege to be able to witness God at work in the lives of people who are desperate and hungry for him. One student said he had really been struggling over the past year with anger and depression, but one evening during service God really met him in a powerful way through the message, to the point where he said he felt as free as he can remember in a very long time. You could visibly see the peace and relief on his face as he was just filled with the joy of knowing he’s fully loved by God.

While I’ll miss all of the stories like this from the past week, one thing I will not miss is the weather: at one point during one of our rec times, my phone said it felt like 118 degrees outside! I don’t think that will be the case next week in Durango, where the high the first day we’re there is forecast to be a gorgeous 68 degrees. Stay tuned…

Camp is really an incredible (while also very exhausting) experience. I am co-leading a group of 17 Junior guys, many of whom I have led in life group during the school year for a couple of years. I have never been to camp with this group before, though, so I know it will be special to be able to walk with them through what’s always a transformative time in their lives.

Day 1 set the bar high right out of the gate: God moved powerfully during our first time of worship, and several of the guys in our group had already really encountered him in a powerful way. I am really raising my expectations for what God will do the rest of the week!

Here’s the first post of my mini-sabbatical! I didn’t have Internet access for a good portion of my time, so I’ll be posting several things at once now that I’m back at home.

Here’s an overview of my sabbatical:

The first week I’ll be volunteering as a family group leader (counselor) at Beltway’s high school camp in East Texas. I’ve done this a couple times before and it promises to be an adventure.

The second week I’ll be traveling to Durango, Colorado with my family. Hopefully this will be a good recovery from camp week and will really allow me to be refreshed an enjoy time with the people I value most.

Looking forward to it!

Good day to you! So far I’ve spent almost a week with my mom who is doing pretty good considering. Brother John and sister Lyla loved giving me extra chores to do for them. Mom just enjoyed having me there and wanted it to last a lot longer. So did I.

On return from Round Rock, spent Thursday mowing some grass. My fancy new mower had a flat so I used the push mower. Didn’t get nearly as much mowed before it rained again, but did get in some exercise. Didn’t see any snakes. That made me real happy.

Friday was the longest day for Alzheimer’s. I was there helping make breakfast at 7am and lunch until dinner around 5pm. I took home the best steak dinner.yum yum.

Saturday and Sunday we’re days off home chores and meditating on God’s many blessing for the past week and prayers for the upcoming week with meals on wheels.

Monday MOW was time spent with Frank and learning middle Abilene. Last stop was a sweet lady who has an antique shop in Baird. She loved chatting all about her life.  Today, I was solo as Frank had a migraine. It was a different route and still pretty warm out.

When I got to MOW, it was really packed and deliveries were delayed because of machinery issues. I made all my stops without to many route changes. I had to circle the block a few times. There were several nice people to meet me when I got to the houses with the mean dogs. It was a blessing to feel watch over and protected by God during those times and the assistance He provided through different people in the neighborhood.

What a great day!

I would like to say thank you to all for giving me another opportunity to spend a week with my parents. A special thanks also to two of my sisters who have become full time care partners for my parents. Dad has been diagnose with lupus and mom with dementia.

I did let my parents know that I would be spending the week with them. The last Sabbatical I had did a surprise attack! When I arrived Dad greeted me with a big smile and mom had forgotten.

After I arrived, I looked over their daily routine schedule my sisters had prepared for guidance. This consist of taking vitals (twice/day), administering medication (3-5 time/day), meal preparation (I only have a kitchen because it came with the house), exercising (walking), activities (puzzles, cards, etc.), laundry, cleaning, showering and last a nap (daily, but did not include me because this was my catch up time for laundry and cleaning). I knew then this would be a challenging week!

The week actually started Saturday (6/15) before my Sabbatical due to our Sibling Reunion. There were 8 of the 10 of us siblings for a total of 24 people in attendance. There was food, fellowship, games and storytelling. This was follow by Church on Sunday as a family. A typical day for my parents is breakfast @ 8:30, exercise, TV watching, lunch @ 12:00. nap time, activity, dinner @ 5:00, family time @ 6:30 and showering @ 8:00 followed by bedtime. This interrupted their routine. All went home leaving me with two exhausted parents.

Monday started @ 4:30 a.m. Mom is a day sleeper and a night owl. She gives sleeping with one eye open a new meaning for me. The constant challenge was trying to keep her awake during the day. The average sleep time for dad and I was 5 1/2 to 6 hours per day. She average 8 to 10 hours per day. It was very difficult watching her being commander in chief one moment and then being helpless as a babe the next moment. The highlight of the days were sitting outside talking about her children and enjoying nature and the fresh air in the morning while watching the traffic on Hwy 83.

Although this disease is taking a toll on mom and the family, I still see the fight to push forward by my dad and the majority of my siblings. Dad is determined to care for mom. The majority of my siblings are going the extra mile.

I left Saturday afternoon in tears, but knowing this week had been a blessing. Please take every opportunity to thank God for the blessings of your love ones. Life is short and tomorrow is not promised.

Sorry for the delay in my post, I had an unexpected glitch today.  I was on top of things got up early got a lot accomplished before it was just about time for me to leave.   Got ready and was about to leave or thought I was but, my vehicle did not start.  I  felt a little stressed but my neighbor came to my rescue and let me borrow her vehicle so I could make my delivery route on time.   I invited her to come with me but she declined.   I made my rounds and let everyone know it would be my last day and had so many good conversations with my newfound friends.  I had a sweet little lady  said her daughter convinced her to get set up on Meals on Wheels because she had recently had surgery.  Said she really didn’t want to but it sure had helped her.  She was very appreciative for the meal and that I took the time to volunteer.   I had another couple that the husband always was the one to answer the door.  He  told me I needed to keep that smile I have not only for them but to be sure and share with everyone.  He introduced me to his wife and she said she really appreciated me taking the time to serve and for Meals on Wheels.  She shared that she was really sick and their vehicle didn’t work and that by the end of the month the meals we deliver is sometimes all they had to eat.  This was very heartbreaking to me.  I relayed the information to Gloria at Meals on Wheels and she said they would get someone out to visit with them to see if they are aware that Meals on Wheels  also provides a service where they can receive groceries.  I did not know this so I was very glad I shared it with her.  Being able to take the time to volunteer at Meals on Wheels was so rewarding.  I really am very grateful for FDLIC  giving us the time and opportunity to be of service in our community, read our devotional and book, rest and reflect is Such a Blessing!

Today was a very good day I had more people added which was a total of 15.

Some of them are becoming more familiar with me coming  and are more talkative.  I had one gentleman who commented on his food because it was popcorn shrimp said he loved seafood especially from down South.  He then proceeded to tell me a story where he and some friends were having a fish fry and having to feed over 100 people.  He said they had a 35, 25 & couldn’t remember size of 3rd fish.  They had a big cast iron deep pan they were using, poured the oil let it get hot and he thought it was ready. His friend said let me show you a trick, he threw a match in the oil and it did not ignite so he said nope it isn’t ready.  They repeated this process until it finally did ignite.  He said they would throw the fish in it would sink to the bottom and within minutes it would float to top and was ready to be taken out.  He said match trick keeps the fish from being greasy due to oil being just right said it was perfect & so delicious.  He said they ate till night time and needed plenty of Tums .  He was so happy and laughing when he was reminiscing about good times.  Very nice day with everyone.  I then came home and read some from the Power of Humility, by R.T Kendall .  Tomorrow I will see what it brings and who shares with me.

Monday I showed up to start my mini-sabbatical at Meals on Wheels.  Received  my route and I loaded up.  The route was a little overwhelming this day because it was all Apartment Complexes  off of Catclaw.   I have 4 different complexes Copper Creek, Newport Village ,Timber Ridge , Tyler Grand and then 1 residence.  It took me a little longer than what I wanted but I finally found everyone.  It was like a maze at times.  Everyone was very nice at Meals on Wheels office and they were excited I volunteered to do my sabbatical with them.