Basic Training - Almost Over - Counting the Days

Brian called today, said that he is headed to Victory Forge. This is the final full week of Basic Training where they put into practice all they have learned. It also means he is about ready to Graduate!

Carol and I will travel along with Carol's dad, to Ft. Jackson on Wednesday, March 25th. Carol's sister, Ruth will join us for Family Day, March 26th. There will be various activities planned for that day but we must remain at Ft. Jackson. Graduation day will be Friday, March 27th. After graduation, Brian will be able to leave the post but there is confusion whether he will be able to spend that night with us. He will then ship out to Ft. Meade, MD on Saturday.

We are of course, proud of him for his accomplishments. Yet, we also take pride in his very positive attitude he exhibited throughout the entire nine weeks of training. Yes days were long and hard. Yes he was sour and sometimes he was concerned that he would pass his Physical Training requirements but he never lost heart. He always had a "can do" spirit. I think he and the army were made for each other.

Back Again

Well it has been too long since I wrote and for that I apologize.

We have been working at raising support, put our house on the market and began sorting through everything we own. We have been seeing doctors, recovering from injuries, having surgery, and all of this in the middle of the holidays. Then, in January, while I was in Dallas for a class, Carol helped Brain sort through all that he owned in preparation for his joining the Army. We now have in our attic about ten boxes that, as he said, "contain his entire life". Eventually it will be shipped to him, but that will not happen for several years.

Our house has been on the market for about 10 days. We have had 5 or 6 showings and one offer. The offer was too low and since we not fully ready to move out, it seemed best to reject the offer. Have you ever noticed that just about the time you really get your house just the way you want it, it is time to sell!

Support raising is slow but moving forward. We have about $4400 in pledged support with about $2000 to go. I have resigned from our church to focus more on the task of getting us to Ft. Lewis. More to come soon.

Thanks Giving

Wanting to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Day. We are thanking God for so many family blessings. Next years will be very different for us for by that time we expect to be celebrating Thanksgiving with the troops at Ft. Lewis. For now I send to you a Thanksgiving prayer that was sent to us. Take time to watch it - it will remind you of so many reasons to give thanks.

http://www.cpmsglife.org/tg/td1.html

Grand Canyon and Great Memories

Well we made it all the way to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and back! Some of the days were rather long - the longest 450 miles, through desert heat topping 100 degrees and Phoenix traffic. From Las Vegas to Tucson - I really felt my age!

Spending this time with Brian was well worth the effort. We now have memories of fighting the elements of cold, wind and heat - traffic that does not see you or care you are there - great views, marvelous vistas and the marvels of engineering. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and looking at the tremendous expanse - makes you feel special, privileged to be part of God's great creation. To stand at the top of Hoover Dam, gives you a great sense of gratitude for the men who worked so hard to build this engineering marvel during such a difficult times as the great depression.

We spent an evening on the strip in Las Vegas. Lost of glitz - but the majesty of man is lost in that city. Men and women, most knowing little English - work hard to had you a "baseball card" with pictures of prostitutes. We ignore them, but thousands of discarded cards litter the streets. Among all the lights and laughter, there under foot was a constant reminder of the human pain, suffering and degrading passions that fills the dark side of human existence. Yet another reminder of why the Gospel must be spread - and why we need to get back to the business of world evangelism.

Last Road Trip

In a few hours, Brian and I will be taking our last road trip together - at least for the next few years. Brian has joined the Army and will leave for basic just after the first of the year. He has always wanted to see the Grand Canyon so here we come!

Motorcycles are ready, bags are packed and we have our maps in hand. First stop will be in Socorro, NM. Lord willing, we will arrive at Grand Canyon Village Sunday afternoon/evening. After two days there, we will move on to see Hoover Dam. As we head toward home, we will stop to see Tom and Ann Perkins. The Perkins are in Military ministry with the Navigators and we worked closely with them while in Germany.

I am looking forward to these days with Brian. He is fun to be with - a good guy. But more than that, he is a young man whom I am very proud to call - my son!

Camping, Friendships and Great Memories

While it may be true that Midland is the only place I have ever lived where a man can stand on a sardine can and see 50 miles, not very far from Midland are the Davis Mountains. This last weekend some couples from our church camped with us at the Davis Mountain State Park about 3 hours SW of Midland. We enjoyed a great time of fellowship and wonderful weather. Brian joined us on Saturday, after a rather cold motorcycle ride earlier that morning. We spent several hours in Alpine, TX where we visited the Museum of Big Bend. It really was a well done museum - worth the time to stop and see it - should you be passin' through!

Whenever, Carol and I camp - we think of the many camping trips we took with the Army and Air Force while in Europe. Members of the Hospitality House and/or chapel community joined us for a week of camping in Switzerland. House members, Tim and Virgina, both Airmen at the time, hiked up to a small lake with me during one of our trips. While Tim is now married with two children on the East Coast, Virginia, we hear, is living now at Ft. Lewis, WA. She is involved in the Chapel PWOC. We look forward to renewing our friendship with her.



George (far left) still works with the Army in Oklahoma. He and his wife have been long time friends of ours and have even run the ministry for us when we were away. The man in the blue jacket is Chaplain Richard Hartwell. Richard was always supportive of our ministry, providing many opportunities for our ministry to spread deeply into the Air Force community. He is now stationed in Hawaii but his responsibilities take him all over the Asia/Pacific theater.

Images such at these are calling us back to our early years of ministry. We look forward to sharing our lives as we share the gospel with the military members and their families at Ft. Lewis. We pray this will be soon!

"Personal Message"

I sat down at computer to open my email. There it was in my junk mail, "a personal message from Chuck Norris." I opened it and it began, Dear Friend - guess I should have known since it arrived in my junk mail!

The thought occurred to me however, this is not the case with God. Because of Jesus, we have a truly personal relationship with the God of the universe. The God of creation so loved us that he sent his son to die for us so we might have a true and personal relationship with him for all eternity! Praise the Lord.

Today I will be meeting with one of the pastors from Christ Church Midland, one of our newest supporting churches. We will be speaking to the congregation in January which we look froward to since it will enable the people to get to know us better.

This evening our church begins its AWANA program. I am helping out with it until we leave for Ft. Lewis, WA