This Reminds Me

Archive for the ‘Faith’ Category

Much of our family life the last few months has centered on Lois’ senior year and potential college choice.  Her GPA (112.)  Her class rank (25 out of 610.)   Her prom, her graduation, her party, her summer plans.

Tonight she helped lead worship for the students at church. Of all the things I will miss when she leaves, her beautiful harmonizing alto will be among them.

And really – when I see her leading the many to focus on The One – she could tell me she was going to drop out and dig ditches and I’d be just fine with it.

Maybe.

Well, not really.

But I do love to her my girls sing.

Speaking of music….we sang “Happy Birthday” to a certain 12-year-old this morning….but more on that later….

Keith and I hosted the 11th and 12th grade boys for our youth’s annual Disciple Now weekend Friday – Sunday.  Disciple Now is a church-sponsored opportunity for students to learn not only about God, but also to know God.  In years past, we’ve hosted the middle school boys, but those days – along with my last nerves – are gone.  What a treat to enjoy the oldest boys with their good manners, encouraging words and sincere desire to listen to that still, small voice directing them.

We could be the spokesfamily for air mattresses.  We have several Aerobeds and they are so handy for holiday visitors, hurricane company and sleepovers like Disciple Now.  We left three upstairs for the boys to use (in addition to Lois’ and Julia’s bunkeds) and inflated one in our room for Julia’s slumber.

We made waffles, sausage and pig candy (candied, spicy bacon) for breakfast Saturday.   There is no such thing as too much pork when boys are hungry.

And they’re always hungry!  We provide snacks and they bring some, too.   We’ve known some of these boys – like Billy (cap)-  since we joined the church in 2000.  It has really been fun to see them not only get older, but also mature.   No more rounded scissors in Sunday School, or melting popsicles in VBS.  Billy is off to the Citadel in the fall, and I know his parents are proud.

Nine pairs of “boy shoes” at the door.  Not a piece of glitter or a buckle in sight.

Lois (far right) and her group showed up in homemade tutu’s Sunday morning.  Why?  “Spirit!”  I don’t think they were talking about the holy one.

Hannah (glasses) with her group leader Kelly Sunday morning.  All the leaders study at Mary Hardin-Baylor University and drove to San Antonio for this opportunity.

The students – like Lois, Alex and Katie – were seated in the sanctuary Sunday before we more seasoned saints could hobble  in.

The shaved head of Brody Holloway, director and co-founder of Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters, where our students attended camp last year and will again this year.  Brody challenged us parents to be personally holy.  That phrase has been rolling around in my head all afternoon.  I expect it will be for awhile.  Might even dribble down to my heart.

Love these kids!  And no matter how old they get, they’ll always be kids to me.

The theme of the weekend was “Undistracted,” with our students urged to define and master those things which keep them from being whom and what God calls them to be.  I loved eavesdropping on their conversations, lessons and insights. I found the message quite personally relevant as I am (far too easily) distracted.

Guess I still have a lot to learn – especially from these students.

Just returned from a quick trip to see “The Cousins” in Houston.

My sister Judy (pictured), my brilliant niece Sarah and I did quite a bit of thizzzz.  We are always ready to settle down for long winter’s naps.

This was my usual view of the kids this week – the backs and sides of heads clustered around whatever iPod, DSi, Nook, Android, iPhone, etc. was handy.  Laura – age eight – picked up Rachel’s Android tablet for the first time and had pulled up Netflix in moments.  They all amaze me.

And now we’re on countdown for the happiest of birthday parties.

Merry Christmas!

They’re done.  This morning we delivered our 179 2011 Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes to their collection center which is, coincidentally, our church.  Soon they’ll be packed in cartons for transport to the Samaritan’s Purse warehouse on the south side of San Antonio.  From there, they’ll be crated and the crates shrink-wrapped on pallets for trucking to the Denver distribution center.  From there – well, any of our boxes could ultimately arrive in any one of 110 countries.  We know our boxes have made it to Slovenia and Mexico – otherwise, we have no idea.

179 shoe boxes breaks down to:

179 shoe boxes also means at minimum (usually more than):

537 rubber bands

1074 small toys, brushes, etc.

179 toothbrushes/ toothpaste

358 bagged clothing items – T-shirts, socks, undies, caps, etc.

179 decks of cards

179 foldable bags of some sort – mesh backpack or whatever

716 pencils

179 sharpeners

179 erasers

358 pens

179 boxes of crayons

1074 plastic zipping bags

4,296 bagged pieces of non-chocolate candy and gum

….plus innumerable small “fill in the holes” tops, magnifying glasses, hair barrettes, temporary tattoos, etc.

179 shoe boxes also means:  The chance to catch up with great friends like Renee and her kiddos Allison and Arthur.  They’ve helped pack for years – this year, 21 boxes. Renee also put out the word to some media buds, which is how we got the KSAT interview last week and now…..

……Operation Christmas Child is going to be featured on our local Fox affiliate “Daytime at 9″ TV program Wednesday, 11/16. Fox’s Juan Pardo (shown “mike’ing me up”) came to our house Saturday to talk to me as their “Woman of the Week,” and also to….

…..film us completing a few shoe boxes.  This publicity is great, and I love it but it’s not about “me.”  It’s about Operation Christmas Child.  I hope that comes through in the interview.  This is not false modesty, or some cute little ploy to have my friends pile on compliments.  I know myself.  I’m not some super woman with a perfect spirit and a heart always focused on God.   Operation Christmas Child has long outgrown “me” anyway.   There’s no way, no how I could do this without good friends who donate so much time, money and materials – and by the way, several of them have explicitly told me not to mention their names. They’re not looking for glory. They know what they’ve done.  Anyway, I am thrilled with this publicity – for the ministry, not for myself.  You can bet, though, that I’m going to watch “Daytime at 9″ on Wednesday, 11/16!  Oh, yeah!   

179 shoe boxes means filling the entire back of  Keith’s two-rows-of-seats-folded down Expedition, plus (not shown) the back of my mini-van.

179 shoe boxes means lots of unloading in the church parking lot.

179 shoe boxes means a good start in one of five San Antonio collection centers.    Find your nearest collection center here.

Rod  – our missions minister – used one of our boxes as an aid this morning, encouraging families to support Operation Christmas Child.  There’s still plenty of time to make a box!  Or two!  See the packing guidelines here.

So 179 shoe boxes means all kinds of things, depending on your perspective.

The perspective I care about – that my WOW class cares about – that Renee and many other friends care about – is detailed in Matthew 19:13 and James 1:27 .

Christmas morning – when we are assembling our breakfast tacos and wading through a small mountain of wrapping paper – we’ll take a minute and thank God for the opportunity to share with 179 children “somewhere.”  It’s likely they’ve never gotten a gift before.  It’s very likely they’ll use their plastic shoe boxes to carry water.  It’s almost certain it’s the only “thing” they’ll get for Christmas.

So the boxes matter.

Know what I mean?