RockTheDesert

Equipment Manager

Michael is now the Equipment Manager for the Phoenix Christian Cougars football team! He has decided that playing football wasn't something he really wanted to do, but since he's been working out with the team all year, including all summer, and he enjoys watching football, well, it seems like a perfect fit for him to do this job. We went to the team's first scrimmage last night - it had to be 110 out there. Michael was running on and off the field and keeping track of the water bottles and the giant thermoses full of ice water. Everytime the offensive line went on the field, Michael got to go out with them. It was great to see him working hard, serving the team, and enjoying the best "seat" in the house - the sidelines!

Summer Camp

I've just returned from Summer Camp. Not as an attendee. Not as a counselor. I was the Chef (that's what the kids called me). Dan was one of the counselors. We stayed at a home owned by a friend of FNC. Now, this home was not your ordinary 3 bedroom 2 bath with a great room. This was a lodge / cabin / ranch / cabin. We drove up a gravel driveway  past beautiful green pastures enclosed by white rail fences. There was a wind mill spinning busily away in the breeze, reminding us of the impending rain storm. We went inside the house and started exploring. I entered through the downstairs (ground level) entrance. It was sort of like a huge finished basement with a kitchenette, tons of carpeted floor space and a huge bathroom with a shower with 3 shower heads in it. Interesting. Up the stairs to a hallway with a laundry room. Then left into the massive, commercial-sized kitchen. My home away from home for 3 glorious days. No internet. No cell phone zone. Only 8 gas burners, a truckload of uncooked food waiting to be baked, boiled and fried, and 25 hungry campers. Did I really volunteer for this?

Dan and I shared the master bedroom. It was huge and had an antique oak bed that was at least 4 ft off the ground. Our room was icy cold at night. That was a total luxury. We actually needed all the covers!

 

The girls all slept downstairs on the floor. We also had our worship services downstairs. Upstairs there were 4 bedrooms and a bathroom. That was Randy's sacred domain. Billy (the other male counselor) snuck upstairs on Friday nite to sleep because the bunkhouse was too hot and stuffy and humid.

The boys all stayed in the bunkhouse which was built above the garage. They had their own bathroom. Dan snapped a picture of their bathroom on Saturday morning. He started out from the main house (air conditioned, cool, comfortable) and headed over to the bunkhouse (30 sec. walk). He entered and a blast of humid air enveloped him. He got the picture, but it was so humid that the camera lens got completely fogged up. I think you can make out the pile of wet swimsuits on the floor next to the toilet.

Here is a view from the front porch. It was really a beautiful place to be for 3 days. It rained every afternoon just for a few minutes. The kids played outside literally for hours. Tug of War. Capture the Flag and Slip & Slide on Bubbles. They also played indoors for hours. Leg Wrestling. Chubby Bunny (marshmallows were involved), and Charades. Lots of card games like Peasant Revolt and Kill Your Neighbor. They all worked up an enormous appetite. Today I cooked 4 lbs of bacon, 2 dozen eggs, 48 biscuits and it all disappeared in about 5 minutes.

 

They all learned a lot about worship and about faith and about putting on the full armor of God. All in all it was a wonderful experience.

Random Day

Just downloading thoughts tonight - not too many main points to be found in the following paragraphs. I had a hard time concentrating on anything for too long today - I was distracted by the thought of my dear friend Pam and the breast cancer surgery she was going through today. I and many others spent the day praying for her. I have a friend who set her computer to remind her to pray every 30 minutes. I took dinner to the family tonight. Pam had just gotten home from the hospital and was sleeping on the couch. Evidently they were able to remove it all and so far no sign of it in one of the lymph nodes they removed. They will have final pathology results on Friday. I'm sure Pam & Jeff & Pat (Pam's sis) and the fam are absolutely exhausted. But I know they are greatly encouraged by the doctor's prognosis and have been lifted up on the wings of many prayers today.

I made a Cobb Salad tonight for dinner. Romaine lettuce. Diced chicken breast (pre-bought whole roasted chicken). Sliced Roma tomatoes. Crumbled bacon. Blue cheese crumbles. Chopped hard-boiled eggs. Avocado slices. A handful of chopped black olives. Croutons. Drizzled ranch dressing on top. Could've made a classic Cobb Salad Dressing but ran out of time.

Went to Costco with Em Shoulders today to buy food for youth camp tomorrow. Oh, and did I mention that I'm the cook? We bought food to feed 25 teens for 3 days. Hotdogs. Hamburgers. Spaghetti. Tacos. Chocolate donuts.

It rained really hard in the valley tonight from about 7-8:30pm. The water was running over the sidewalks on Indian School Road. I had to slosh through mid-calf deep water to get to my driveway (I park on the street). We've watched it rain everywhere but our house for the past week - - well, now we can't complain. And we can turn off our auto sprinklers at least for 1 day.

I am re-designing the FNC website. By hand. On scrap paper. Such a tedious process. I hope it turns out great. Functional. Informative. Interactive. Colorful.

Randy starts a "What If?" series Aug. 5. Week 1 = What if we really cared about America? Week 2 = What if we descended into hell? Week 3 = What if we experienced heaven? Week 4 = What if God was not? We met last night to discuss the creative possibilities. I'm thinking we should do "What if" by Nichole Nordeman.

It Will Grow Back...

Michael just returned from Champ Camp tonight...minus his hair. I guess the Seniors on the team get to shave the heads of all the lower classmen on the team at camp. Mike looks pretty good with short hair. It will certainly be a lot cooler with less hair on his head. And it will grow back fast. It always does. Michael said that camp was fun but really difficult at times. They hiked up and down a whole mountain today. They had to build their own tents from tarps and ropes. The had no running water. I'm thinking his toothbrush was never unpacked.

And just as a bonus, here's a picture of my three favorite men...can you pick out the one who needs a haircut? Can you find the one who has a Russian barber who went crazy with the clippers one day last week? Click on the pictures for a clearer, bigger picture!!

 

The Music Man Rocked!

Mrs. Perry-Clark did a fantastic job of pulling together 85 cast members, costumes, props, sets, etc. into a great rendition of The Music Man!! We (of course) forgot our camera. I've posted a few pics sent to us by friends. All are a little blurry due to the darkness of the room. Steven was a great actor. Just sarcastic enough to be totally believable. We had a great time watching Steven dance and sing. He was less than enthusiastic at waving his arms in the air at the end of a couple of the songs. He had a great time and wants to participate again next year. It really helps when you've got some cool guys in the musical with you. Matt, Ben & Lydon made the experience particularly enjoyable. After the final performance, Steven went to a cast party, then at midnight brought a couple of the guys home for a sleepover. They were up 'til 2pm watching a movie and playing XBox. Dan, being a magnificent host, took all the boys to The Good Egg for giant pancakes for breakfast. I wonder if Steven's friends were as grumpy as he was all day on Sunday?!?!?!?

Rwanda - Part 7

Tonight I finally finished a list of 70 potential prayer & financial partners for Michael & Steven. They are going to Kenya with Dan and I on an e3 Partners campaign in June. Actually, a group of 23 of us from Fellowship North Church are going together. We'll meet up with a similar group from Alabama. We'll help plant new churches within walking distance of several villages. Our youth will focus on the youth and children we encounter. We hopefully will have activities, games, sports, etc. that will draw a lot of children and teens.

Well, since I'm still up, I thought I'd try to upload more thoughts and memories of Rwanda.

To be brutally honest, after 2 wonderful days of working as a team and sharing the Gospel with so many people, Wednesday came in like a roaring lion, promising destruction, pain, and disruption. Let's talk about all the kids first. It seemed that the kids grew in numbers exponentially each day. By Wednesday, we had at least 150 kids at our site. We were definitely under-prepared with resources to deal with that many kids. Don't get me wrong, I loved the kids. Having worked with kids this year both at Ventana Academy and Rancho Solano, I've realized that I'm not as scared of kids as I used to be. I've actually started to enjoy the time I spend with the kids at school. So, I tried to take some of my real life experience into the situation. Tried to break up the kids into groups. Had one group listening to the Bible being read out loud on The Proclaimer. Tried to read a story out loud to a group of kids. Shared the gospel glove. Taught them how to sing Kum Ba Ya (who knew this song would be a big hit). Worked with them on memorizing John 14:6. And then 30 minutes later, we were out of patience and activities. I would have given just about anything for a big screen, a DVD player and a stack of movies to play for them. Dan was also extremely annoyed by the kids by this time. Although we both know the New Testament gives many examples of Jesus reaching out to children, Dan and I were perplexed and overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and as a result this was definitely interfering with our best laid plans to disciple new believers and continue our gospel presentation to the villagers. It was hot outside, my scalp got extremely sunburned so that I had little blisters on my head that itched and stung. The kids kept coming closer and closer to me, invading my personal space. Those of you who know me know that I've got a hula hoop sized personal space issue. But in Rwanda, I had kids almost nose to nose with me, sitting next to me, standing behind me, literally everywhere, sneezing in my face, touching my hands, holding my hands, pulling my hair, watching my every move, dying of curiosity to see what I'd pull out of my backpack next. I was pretty quiet on the van ride home. Back at the room I was in tears and frustrated. This ultimately led to a meltdown between Dan and I. Yes. You heard it here first. Our first cross words in 21 years (jk). I think that maybe, quite possibly, I overreacted and took out my anger and frustration on Dan. I quit his team. I quit the trip. It was all over. After we both calmed down, it appeared that there could be solutions to all issues. The storm was over. We regrouped. Apologized. Refocused on our purpose and mission. Ate dinner. Celebrated with the other teams. Slept soundly. Started again the next day. God is good. He sent us help in the form of some wonderful volunteers from YWAM. More on YWAM tomorrow.

Randy talked about Anger at God today at church. I could really relate. I think my main anger and frustration that day really was with God. Why so many kids? Why so little resources? What about the pre-teens and the teens? Where do they fit into everything? Why orphans? Why are there kids sleeping on the floor of the banana plantations at night? Where are the dads? Where are the moms who let their 6-7 year old daughters spend the entire day alone with a young baby strapped to their backs? Why are their little feet already callused and worn? Where are the sandals or shoes? What about affection? Who tucks them in at night? Why do they just get up and leave school when we walk by? Who cares about them? What do they drink? What do they eat? If their clothes turn to unwearable shreds, are there other clothes available for them to wear? Do they really realize what we're sharing with them? Is their faith real or are we just providing a forgettable distraction from their everyday lives? Does God really have a plan for their lives? (Jeremiah 29:11)