1st Tooth Lost

 

6 years 2 months 4 days

gently pulled by mom

Mission Trip

We have just returned from our annual 5^th and 6^th grade mission trip. This year we took a group of 53 (about 30 kids/20 adults) to Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas. This is one area that was devastated by wildfires earlier this year. The camp where we stayed was unharmed and things in that area are slowly coming back to life, though there is a desperate need for rain as it has not rained in over 3 months. Because of the dry and burnt conditions many regular tourists and campers have chosen alternate locations for vacation much like what happened in the gulf coast after the oil spill last year. This put a bit of a damper on our plans for children’s day camps and drama performances, but this could neither have been predicted or corrected. Flexibility is key in mission endeavors. So plan B was to pass out cold water in Jesus’ name to the construction workers and people cleaning up from the fire damage.  This proved to be a very moving experience for many of our kids and adults as they saw up close the destruction of the wildfires and asked the prayer concerns of those they gave water to. 

We were able to do our drama performance “Kickin’ it Old School” twice while we were there; once at Stanley’s home church, First Baptist Mineral Wells, and again at the state park. I was so proud of these kids who literally spent hours learning the songs and motions and skits to make this a real production. This was the same drama by Go Fish we used for drama camp a few weeks ago but some of these kids didn’t do drama camp so they had to learn all this in just 2 days. Incredible! They did awesome and I’m so impressed with their poise and perseverance even when crowds were less than expected.

In addition to these missions activities we did a lot of team building activities. Some say this might have been God’s plan for this whole trip – to teach this group how to be a team. We played games that taught us to work things out without giving up, work together as a team, and trust others to not let us down. And sometimes we just played…in the lake, volleyball, hiking, canoeing, etc. Although this trip had more challenges than most that I’ve ever been on (lack of audience, bus troubles, a few squabbles), it had a purpose in God’s plan and I’m glad we went. 

Summer Grillin' & Chillin'

What do you do is South Louisiana when it is H-O-T in the summertime? You add some flavor and some friends and grill out! Thank you Papaw Mike for the new grill (aka "the griddle") you and your friends made for Stanley. We are loving it! And our friends are loving the food. :)

Historic Day for FBCZ

Sunday, July 10th marks a historic day for First Baptist Church in Zachary. They officially broke ground on what will become the new youth building named "The Crossing - Where real faith meets real life." The building will house the teenagers in 7th through 12th grades. May this be a building that houses a ministry that reaches the people that need the Lord.

Walking for Life

Yesterday my sister, Laura, ran her first 10K at the Peachtree Road Race. I am so proud of her accomplishments. It’s amazing that after only training herself to run for about 6 months she finished the 6.2 miles in just over 1 hour. Awesome! She’s found a healthy hobby and she looks and feels amazing. Laura is an inspiration to her own sons and students alike.

Of course, being the younger sister, it did make me the tiniest bit jealous that she can do something I can’t do. So after breakfast this morning I suited up in my own running gear and dressed my boys (ages 3 and 6) likewise and set out for a walk. They rode their bikes and I walked, jogged, and stopped to help up and down the sidewalk, fix helmets, encourage tired toddlers to persevere, watch for traffic, etc. In the 90 degree heat (at 9:30 am) the 1.5 mile walk seemed like an eternity. We all did persevere and made it back home in 30 minutes 3.12 seconds dripping with sweat! Suddenly, I remembered the words to a Miley Cyrus song, “It ain’t about how fast you get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.”  I may never be a hard-core athletic runner. I may never be able to run a mile in under 10 minutes, wipe the snot off my face with my bear arm, pee in my pants {on purpose} to save the time a pit stop would take and keep the pace. But I will forever remember the comedy of going for exercise with my boys and watching them wear the training wheels off their bikes speeding up and down the sidewalk. I will cheer with my son when he celebrates making it back to the house first (even if it took all day to get there). Hopefully, along the way, my boys will get the message that exercise is important and fun and I’ll keep on walking for life. 

Louisiana Landmarks

We've had a busy 4th of July weekend, however, we managed to squeeze in a few hours of family fun in the midst of summer camps, church cookouts, and traveling to switch trucks. We visited Baton Rouge to take a closer look at some of the landmarks we have passed by for the last 3 years and never gotten to see. First we went inside the state capitol building.  Built in just 29 months the 34-story, 450 ft skyscraper is said to be the tallest state capitol building in the U.S.  It is also the sight of Gov. Huey Long's assassination in 1935.  There is quite a view from the observation deck on the 27th floor. You can see the Mississippi river, Exxon, and all of downtown. Not sure why there is a fake snake on the desk in the Legislature.

After touring the capitol building and gardens, we decided to venture into another local monument, Frost Top, for a classic root beer float. A yummy treat when it feels like 105 degrees outside.

Hope you all enjoy a safe July 4th and thank a soldier for their service to our country! Happy birthday USA!