end of January reflections

(January newsletter will be sent soon--if you're not on the email list, email us so you can get the exciting, superbly-crafted first issue of 2012!)

As we conclude January, we should remind you that we have not yet been here a month--that won't take place until February 7--but here are a few reflections on our first few weeks...

0 We hope none of us are ever as sick as Zeke was a couple weekends ago--that kid went through the ringer!

1 One of our favorite people that we have met from the community is Ahmed.  Ahmed is one of the gatekeepers at the community school the kids attend.  Ahmed is learning English and he is happy and downright excited to practice with us when we come through the gate--and since we have been encouraging him and conversational, he especially likes to see us coming.  Ahmed's English is slow, deliberate, and simple--if you are not careful, you may take Ahmed for being slow and simple--but he's not!   He's just learning and applying a very different language from his native tongue.  Today, he asked me to help him pronounce "drawers" from a list of household furniture items he was learning; (stop and think about that one, because the "d"-"r" sounds quickly followed by the "w"are really kind of tricky).  Ahmed makes me smile--and he makes me nervous--because soon it will be us being slow, deliberate, and simple in our speech as we look for patient, understanding and encouraging native-Arabic speakers to help us!

2 Speaking of language, though we won't begin formal language training until later in February, we are picking up a few little things here and there as we interact within the community.  Two important phrases here in Egypt are "inshallah" and "alhamdulillah".  Inshallah means "if God wills" or "if God wishes"--basically, "God willing".  This is used in nearly every case of anything related to the future: "I'll see you tomorrow, inshallah"; "My train arrives at 6 pm, inshallah"; "The repair man will be there tomorrow, inshallah"--engrained within the language and culture of the Egyptian people is this fact: if God's not in it, it ain't happenin'.

"alhamdulillah" is another concept engrained within the language and culture of the people; it means, "praise to God," or "thanks to God".  If you ask someone, "how are you?", the reply will never simply be "good"--it's always, "good, alhamdulillah".  Any positive state of being, result, coincidence, etc. is always accompanied with a praise and thanksgiving to God.  Isn't this our Biblical understanding, that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..." (James 1:17).

3 We have been able to meet with three younger adults of the Cairo Christian Fellowship on our own, and we have had a really positive response from them.  They are all eager for things to begin.  Similarly, we have enjoyed a very positive response from all the members of the CCF, and they too appear to be in a hurry for things to happen and change a bit.  Though we had intended to come in, get our bearings, and begin to lead slowly toward larger, different ministries, we have come to a group that has been waiting for more than a year for a pastor, and the younger ones have been waiting far longer than that for something different to happen.

4 We have a great team in Europe and Middle East -- four families ministering across the region have been praying for us and encouraging us with regular emails.  Three families are in Germany: Aaron & Nicole Varner,  Kelley & Rhonda (& Christian) Phillips, and our coordinators Patrick & Jamie Nachtigall (& Marco); along with Dave & Kathy Simpson in Bulgaria.  The emails have included their own ups and downs, as well as helpful stories to facing the challenges of acclimating to a new culture.  We haven't experienced any overwhelming culture shock, though we're told that comes sometime between months 2 and 6, but we're glad to have the support of these colleagues and friends.  We have also been blessed by Abby Smith far away in Bogota, Colombia as well as by Zach & Audrey Langford in Birkenhead, U.K. -- Abby has shared similar encouragement to the 3W Team, and Z&A sent a wonderful care package, complete with notes for each of our kids, whom they know well.  (By the way, you can follow the work of Three-Worlds at Three-Worlds.com, on Facebook at "Three Worlds" and also on Twitter at  "3WCHOG")

5 Five new furnishings that we're spoiled by: the T-Fal skillet, the hot water tap on our water dispenser, our roomy shower with plenty of hot water, Apple-TV (we brought this with us), and magic-jack.  Of course, the villas and large garden are an extraordinary luxury; it's hard to describe what a blessing this place is until you see it first hand, particularly within the context of Cairo.  As we've been attempting to furnish the villas, another amazing and fun upside to getting started here, we have gotten several double takes as people ask, "oh, you live in a villa?"
("yes," we reply, "we have two." -- just kidding!)
We are looking forward to planning for and overseeing the renovation of Villa 18 so that it can regularly host groups and teaching opportunities.

and the 6 biggest challenges in our first few weeks:

1. language, particularly when it relates to customer service at any level; 
2. baksheesh--this is not just the term for tipping, it's also an expected bribe--backsheesh is expected at nearly every level, and if they think you have a lot, the expected baksheesh is more; 
3. the attention Grace draws from school age boys throughout the city, particularly on our way to and from school--her cold, piercing stare doesn't scare them away--but, she continues to handle it well; 
4. the change of calendar--beginning the work/school week on Sunday, while still worshipping Sunday night, and weekends being Friday and Saturday--this has us all turned around when it comes to scheduling anything;
5. not having/using a smart phone--we were really spoiled by texting on a full qwerty keyboard, GPS, and mobile internet!  Language plays a part here, too, because texts in Arabic are all the more confusing!
6. being tired and simultaneously feeling unproductive--being exhausted, as we've been told by Aaron and Abby, seems to be a natural part of the transition into a new culture; we think it has to be from just the sensory, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual overload you are going through, regardless of how much you are actually doing.  And, after doing so much in ministry, working second jobs, and trying to get to the field through the long itineration process, not doing all of that seems like we're being lazy.  Of course, we know that we will be tired from actual ministry activity soon enough!

Thanks for all your ongoing love, support, prayers, encouragement, and more--we hope you are enjoying the blog and updates.  By the way, Ken won't be going to Alexandria tomorrow as originally planned; the conference with the national church pastors had to be cancelled, and we're awaiting a reschedule date.  Until then, we're tentatively scheduled to meet several national Church leaders in Cairo in a few weeks.

Re-Post: Why Young Christians are Leaving the Church

First, CLICK HERE TO READ Patrick's excellent article about young adults' views on church.

Second, if you haven't read unChristian and you live in a western nation, make it your next book purchase and dialogue about it with some between the ages of 17 and 27; it will simultaneously break your heart and lead you to deep moments of prayer and reflection, ultimately changing the way you interpret every church environment in which you may find yourself.

(I had not yet heard of nor seen a copy of this new book--i'll be interested to see what young adults here in the Middle East think and say about these views on church and Christianity).

Third, i couldn't get Patrick's media player to load on his page, so i'm attempting to put the file here for you to listen, along with an iconic image of a young adult just wanting to be heard...

In other news...
Winter is becoming a bit more "normal" here in Cairo these past couple days--70 degrees and sunny :).

uncertainty amidst anniversary

according to what little history i've read about July 4, 1777, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence had some gatherings and celebrations throughout Colonial America despite being in the midst of what we now call the Revolutionary War.  the citizens of Philadelphia reportedly lit candles in their windows and bonfires in the streets to illuminate the night sky, while church bells rang briefly and nearby ships added a little cannon fire to break the silence.  not quite the fireworks and patriotic display we are accustomed to today in hindsight of that monumental event, which makes sense as the uncertainty of the hopeful independents battled for a chance to make their own political and national path.

today, January 25, 2011 marks the first anniversary of the gathering in Tahrir Square--thousands are expected to gather there again today, though similar uncertainty looms.  no one will say the revolution that led to the resignation of 30-year President Hosni Mubarek was a bad thing (see videos), but all seem to agree that the revolution is incomplete in that the goals have not yet been achieved (goals that differ from person to person), the quality of life has not improved for anyone (particularly for the millions living on around $2 a day), and the economy has definitely suffered with the decline in tourism as a result of all the political uncertainty in the country.

yet what should we expect?  we have grown so dependent upon instantaneous results, as if we expect a government and society to refresh as quickly as the page on our web browsers.  if i remember our American history correctly, even after the years of Revolutionary War, there were years of rebuilding and bumbling--even 200+ years later we still have Tea Party and Occupy movements decrying that something is still wrong.  is it really possible to conceive of a developing nation, with decades (if not centuries) of political and societal baggage and rampant poverty, to progress to stability within just one year's time?

so how are we spending the anniversary?  indoors; quietly continuing to do things around the villas by way of organizing and repairs.  the kids are out of school today, as many things are closed throughout the city.  we have some Muslim neighbors who have organized a community watch for the evening, reminiscent of their watch during last year's Revolutionary days when the fear for safety and looting despite curfews loomed.  such an organized watch further indicates the uncertainty everyone seems to be feeling around us.  this is also perceived by other governments as many expatriates have been encouraged by their homelands to keep a low profile, stay away from city centers where demonstrators may gather, and a variety of other similar cautions. 

but it is a remarkably beautiful day -- it rained last night (a rarity here) and with the rain came not only a cleansing of the dusty buildings, pathways, and trees but also a clarity in the otherwise normally smoggy skies.  perhaps the rain was God's little reminder that He is able to cleanse the grime and cut through the haze to bring beauty, even in our times of uncertainty.

   Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
   He lifts His voice, the earth melts. 

...  

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.” 

~ Psalm 46:6, 10

 

videos from Al Jazeera/English (copied from YouTube)

National Contact

(By the way, Zeke has recovered--he returned to school today, a little weak, but MUCH better -- thank you all for your prayers)

We have internet in the villas--hooray!  We still need to get the stove installed, but we have connection with the larger world ;)

And, we made connection with national leadership:  last week, Keli and I were thrilled to receive Dr. Latif, who drove from Alexandria to meet us at the villas.  We have been looking forward to meeting him and interacting with him for the past year.

Dr. Latif pastors a Congregation in Alexandria, and he is also the Secretary for the General Assembly of the Church of God in Egypt, and therefore a member of the Executive Committee.  Dr. Latif's Congregation is an active group with four different weekly meeting times.  They also have an ongoing ministry to 54 widows in their congregation.  Dr. Latif cast the vision for supporting these widows by finding 10 businessmen who will provide 200 LE per month to help these--he has found 8 of the 10 to provide this monthly support!  Dr. Latif, a pharmacist, is also training another young former pharmacist who has been called to the ministry--this young pastor will begin to shepherd one of the Congregations in July at the conclusion of his training period.

The Executive Committee consists of 5 individuals from the General Assembly; there are 26 individuals in the General Assembly, including the 12 pastors and a lay leader from the 12 churches, a Treasurer (on the Executive Committee) and a representative for the Conference Center in Alexandria.

As you will hear in the video, thanks to internet, I will be able to attend a couple days of a Leadership Conference in Alexandria next week where many of the pastors will be meeting for a teaching series on the Church of God doctrines as presented by Joy Mallou of the Mediterranean Bible College (Beirut)--this set of courses was designed to fulfill the requirements for a theology degree from a Bible College in Alexandria.

Click here for higher quality video interview with Dr. Latif 

more to come from Alexandria next week; and Dr. Latif hopes to help provide information or introduction to each of the 12 national churches, one per month, for such video presentations--we'll have to work on some additional visual aids like maps, and pictures, and more than just the two of us at a table :)

Pray for Zeke

With new territory comes new exposure; and Zeke has gotten himself exposed to some nasty sickness that has kept him in the bathroom for one reason or another for nearly 12 hours now :(

We don't think it was food poisoning, because several of us ate the same things and he's the only one affected.  We don't think it's from the water, because he hasn't been exposed to it any more than the rest of us either.

We did hear of another boy at the school with a pretty nasty stomach bug--this could be the same one.

So, pray for the little guy--he seems even smaller now as he is really, really sick and bordering on dehydration despite our constant efforts and some pretty strong medicine (which, by the way, we're not sure you need a prescription for much around here).

Thanks for your prayers!

---------------------------------from the odd and random side of things...

The US Dollar ($) is worth about 6.2 Egyptian Pounds (LE) currently.  There are several documented reports that 40% of the population of Cairo live on around $2, or less than 13 LE per day--this is the poverty level.  We are further told that this lower economic population group is growing; and so, somehow, is the wealthiest class, but not nearly as fast--the "middle class" is shrinking.  This reality is apparent as you walk through the streets, and in and out of stores.

Now for the random...

The Egyptian Pound, much like the British Pound, is usually in coin, not bills.  One of the CCF leaders showed me an old Egyptian Pound note--not seen often these days.

The Egyptian Pound is broken into Piastres like a dollar is broken into cents; there are 1 PT, 5 PT, 10 PT, 25 PT, and 50 PT--and these are available in coins today.  Apparently, a few of these increments used to be available in notes, or bills, as well.  Yesterday, much to the surprise of the CCF leader with the 1LE note, i was given change that included a 25 Piastres bill.

That's not the equivalent of a bill for 25 cents--on current conversion, that's a bill for just over 4 cents!  Here's a picture of the current 25 PT coin and the 25 PT note i received:

Still Moving In...

...yep, we're not done yet!  We seem to add something to our to do list for everything we take off!  Some days it's a variety of little projects like cleaning up clutter, fixing a light to changing light bulbs, etc. -- but even the little things seem to add more things that we realize we need to buy, and a trip to the store is no little thing!  If it's at a store within walking distance, it has to be within a time that we can make the trip--and then we have to consider whether it's a load that we can carry back, or do we have to get a taxi.  If it's a taxi, then we have to add to the travel time because there are no quick trips to or from anywhere on the roads.

We make a lot of road trips -- mostly by foot.  Each morning we make a 15 minute walk to school--this is always a unique time.  I filmed a couple minutes of that journey last Thursday to give you a bit of the sights and sounds that we experience--this is from the morning and we actually got an early start so the roads and the metro station are not so crowded--in fact, as Grace pointed out, this may have been one of the quietest mornings we picked to film.  If we leave 5 minutes late, it's like all of Maadi is trying to get somewhere at the same time! (of course, that could be said of just about anywhere)

This is about 2 minutes of the 15 minute walk--Keli and I make this walk 4 times a day--then we throw in all our other little excursions, like the 20 minutes it takes to walk to and from the community church we attend and the shopping trips--and you can see that we are doing a lot of walking!  In Cairo, as some of you have heard me say, every road is a sidewalk and every sidewalk is a road--and you can see a bit of this in the movie link.  There's also quite a bit of honking; all the honking may seem like it's just impatience (which it mostly is), but some of the honks are to let you know that they are passing (because no one follows lane guidelines), and taxis honk to get your attention to see if you want a ride.

There's also quite a bit of litter--it may be hard to see that in the video, but it is a strange sight to watch people buy something like gum and just toss the wrapper on the ground without a thought.  There are few, very few, trash cans for public use available--and when you see one, they are often tiny or overflowing.  But, something i didn't see when we were here in September, are number of public workers who are sweeping up debris on the streets and disposing of litter; however, there are far too few for such a daunting job.

The litter among some very beautiful areas is indicative of the sharp contrasts all around us--we may have little kids begging from us as we come out of a store, mothers begging with their babies at the corners, and 6-8 year olds selling travel size kleenex pouches on the train; and, right next to all of them are people who wouldn't give us the time of day because we would be beneath their socio-economic standing!

• You have donkey carts passing Mercedes; 
• street produce vendors with scales and kilo weights in front of cellular phone stores; 
• pricey coffee shops with exquisite patio seating next door to condemned buildings; 
• competing cupcake shops across the street from closet-sized hardware store; 
• expensive dog breeds on leashes barking at the pack of wild dogs roaming the streets looking for trash; 
• the Muslim women in all black to the young, contemporary Muslim ladies with their stylish scarf wrapped tight enough for their smart phone to rest against their ear like a giant blue-tooth earpiece; 
• young men working tirelessly into the night while other young men seem to hang out smoking and looking at girls all day; 
• the beautiful green gardens like our own to the dusty, sandy streets right outside the gate.

Contrasts and paradoxes abound here in Cairo!  Well, it's late for me and time to turn in--i stayed up to make sure we got this video got up on the blog; i've got another to post soon with a brief interview with one of the national Church leaders, so stay tuned...

...as always, thanks for your ongoing prayers and support!

Moving In

We're here in Cairo!  Wow--what a miraculous journey it has been to get to this point--thank you all for your ongoing love, support, and prayers that have carried us and now must continue to sustain us and help us meet the new challenges that are now facing us as we settle into our new home, community, and ministry.

Travel - as you know, we left Huntsville on Friday, January 6 to tearful goodbyes from our families, including Alexis and her mother and sister who also came to see us off.  We actually arrived early in Chicago and parked right next to our plane for Germany--but, we had to taxi to another gate and then work really hard to get our carry-on luggage (each of us were with the allowed 2 pieces) across the older O'Hare airport back to where we needed board the flight to Munich.  By the time we reached the gate, we were ready to board.  The jet to Munich was smaller and newer than the 747 we flew home in last September, and was actually quite comfortable (I forgot to mention that when we checked-in in Huntsville, we were seated all over the plane for this flight and were able to have them rearrange our tickets to allow us to sit together--we were unable to change the seats until that moment due to some silly policy--fortunately, it worked out!).  Once we arrived in Germany, it was a long walk to our next outbound gate for a full flight to Cairo -- the flight was delayed due to some mechanical problems, and we were all a little grumpy when it was time to board.  We were told by one airline representative to go last and they would help us get our luggage on board so we wouldn't have to carry it down the 3 flights of stairs to the shuttle that took us to our plane.  That was a mistake -- that airline representative left and her replacements were not as accommodating; we got to the plane and nearly all the overhead bins were full--Grace and Titus had to sit with their feet resting on 2 of our carry-ons while we had 2 backpacks out between us.

Arrival - we came into the airport a little later than expected; we had to fill out the customs forms upon entry, and once again i was given the Egyptian forms while the rest of the family received the international forms.  We went through customs without a problem, got our tourist visas and picked up our additional 8 pieces of luggage--Jamie met us while taking our picture strolling into the general waiting area.  We amazingly crammed all of us and all our luggage in a minivan for the long ride through Cairo to Maadi.  This was the evening of orthodox Christmas, so we had a lot of traffic to battle on this holiday.  We were all exhausted, but we managed to stay up long enough order some pizza to eat (Pappa John's!) and to talk a little with Rhonda and Jamie.  Rhonda and Jamie had come in early to help clean up our new home--they had our beds made in each of our new rooms and candles lit throughout the house as we got our first glimpse of home.  The garden, even at night, was beautiful, and the kids actually went out with their new flashlights (thanks Uncle Brian) to explore the garden and find the tortoises.

First day, Sunday - We went to bed late Saturday night--but all of us were up before 5 am!  We had some breakfast, Zeke played outside, and Titus and Grace attempted to fall back asleep.  Keli and I got to work, moving out furniture pieces from storage to determine which bed frames we would use.  So much moving and cleaning continued throughout the day--Jamie and Rhonda awoke mid-morning to find the garden lawn covered in furniture!  We all worked hard attempting to get everything in order.  Tifa, one of the CCF leaders, came over to meet us--we were unable to meet him and his wife in September because they were in the states where their grandson was being born.  He took inventory of all the problems we were still having in the home, and then went out to buy us burgers and fries for lunch--he returned with 8 big burgers from Lucille's, a local restaurant which is as close to a Cracker Barrel as you will find in Cairo.  We managed to clean ourselves up a bit and then walk to take the train into the city for our first evening worship with the CCF.  They had someone else scheduled to speak, so i merely received prayer requests and offered the prayer, while simultaneously sharing the praises that led to our arrival.  We were all exhausted by this time and found it difficult to stay awake for the evening's activities and ride home.

Monday - we slept a little better, most of us that is -- Grace still struggled to get on the right schedule through the night.  We all got showered and dressed by mid-morning to walk to the school where the kids would attend.  We were able to help the boys see their classes and meet their teachers.  Titus was thrilled to see that a new boy had started that day (you may remember he was dreading the fact that he was going to be the only boy in his class); the other boy was thrilled to see that Titus was real and would indeed be coming to school as he was promised there would be another boy in his class.  We worked a little more on odds and ends at the house before being picked up for a lunch with Tifa and his family; they live between us and the Nile River, along the Corniche in a high rise apartment building there.  From their balcony, we saw a beautiful view that included our best glimpse of the pyramids to date -- you can see a picture from their balcony on Keli's Facebook page.  We were treated to a great meal that included HAM!!  Yes, pork products in Egypt--we were further thrilled to learn that the shop where this was purchased was not far from us on Road 9 and that they also sold bacon and pork chops!  If they have ribs and i can find a decent BBQ sauce, we'll be in business!  Anyway, Tifa & Christiane's home is a beautiful, double apartment that is ornately decorated with amazing art, sculpture, and artifacts--how their grandkids have learned to live here is beyond me; Rhonda was overwhelmed at how much work it must be to dust the home!  The fellowship was wonderful and we were encouraged with wonderful humor and stories.  Tifa then took me to get our internet account settled--we had not been able to have it turned on prior to our arrival because they would need a passport and letter documenting that i was an official ChoG Min' employee and able to make decisions on behalf of the property; but when we arrived, the representative that we dealt with seemed to think that the only thing in our way was a past due account, and that we could merely pay that and then put new service in my name.  So, hopefully, in 7-10 days, we'll have service here at the villas!

Tuesday - we got up early and out the door to get the kids to their first day of school.  We returned to go over some of the paperwork and report information with Jamie--actually, Keli did this while I worked with a new USB modem that I picked up to use in the interim of our internet service as well as to use as we travel through the country.  We had a priority of attempting to get online to help the boys be able to see the BCS National Championship game that they missed the night before; the modem set up easily and it was nice to be connected back home.  Keli, Jamie, and i hopped in a taxi to go to Carfour, a large shopping mall attached to the Carfour (French chain) store that is like a Walmart.  We had several things to buy for the household, most of which we found, and some of which we will purchase later as we get a little more settled.  We did buy a new stove/oven as the current oven does not work, a 32 inch flat screen tv, a vacuum, pots, pans, storage containers, shelves, etc -- all of this came out to about $900 US!  Along the way, we were able to determine the price of gas to be less than 2 LE (Egyptian pounds) per liter of premium grade (92) gasoline--this means that you could fill up a midsize car for less than $12 US, and this is why everyone drives and why all the internationals drive the giant SUVs!  We finished our shopping and needed to get back to pick up the kids -- traffic had begun to get crazy and Keli and I had to actually be dropped off at one part of town so we could run to pick up the kids from school on time while Jamie got our things to the villas.  By the time we all got home, the kids attempted a little homework, but they were all beat and hopped in their beds for a nap.  Rhonda had been working hard all day, and we contributed to a little work before waking the kids up to go to the Mermaid restaurant on Road 9 for an Italian dinner; yummy!  Back to the villas; the boys finished a little more homework and then stayed up to watch the BCS game--they were both thrilled as Bama Rolled once again--3 titles for the state of Alabama in 3 years is pretty impressive!

Wednesday - our last day with Jamie and Rhonda; they will leave late, late this evening and return to Germany; i've returned from dropping the kids off to school to find the villas vacant, which means the girls all went out for coffee this morning with Tifa's daughter and Jamie's childhood friend Nima.  Tonight, Grace has youth group at the local community church; the boys' children activities will take place during Worship at their Friday evening service.  Several of their classmates, along with many other international students in the community, attend this church.  We hope to make some new friends who can assist us with several adjustment issues.

There is still much to do, and we won't have the wonderful support and help of Jamie and Rhonda for the rest of this week.  We have an entire work crew of painters, carpenters, plumbers and electricians coming Friday morning (which is Saturday here) to work on the villas to repair or correct every flaw that we have discovered, as well as to help us move a lot of the heavy furniture we can not do by ourselves.  Saturday, we have a young lady coming to do some final cleaning--by that point, we hope to have internet and to have our family room and guest apartment finished.

As we settle in, I hope to have us ready to be able to take a short film to post here in the next week or so, too. Stay tuned for more updates -- you can always email or post your comments and questions.

As you pray for us, pray for the kids as they continue to get used to new teachers and new ways of doing things.  Pray for their patience and success in attempting Arabic (and French for Grace); Pray that they are able to make some new friends and feel increasingly comfortable in their new surroundings.  

Riding the Roller Coaster...

I wasn't much for roller coasters as a kid--i had a hard time breathing through all the ups, downs, twists, and turns.  Then I met and married Keli and she was not prepared to marry a guy who wouldn't do roller coasters with her--so I learned to ride roller coasters--by singing.  Yes, one little known fact about me is that when I ride roller coasters, I sing and in singing i breathe a little more regularly.  So, if you're ever in an amusement park and you hear some off-key, screaming, rendition of "swing low sweet chariot" with an entire train of laughing participants, then i may be the idiot "singing"...

All that to say, the week has been a nonstop roller coaster for us:
the big climb: Christmas with our families was a wonderful time that we could spend together.  I've written and talked a lot about the importance of this time together.

the big drop, Remembering Clayton: one of the youth in our church was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive cancer about 1.5 years ago.  Clayton had been in Children's Hospital in Birmingham throughout his senior year in high school battling this disease.  He had made real progress and had come home for a time in the summer--he and his family even came to church in October.  In mid December, he went back for what appeared to be a stomach virus--in such weakened condition, any illness is a serious threat--but then breathing problems began and little nodes were discovered in his lungs.  He was placed on a ventilator as a part of surgery to discover the cause of the nodes, with the resulting grim report of the cancer spreading into his lungs.  He did not come to after the surgery and entered into a coma while remaining on the ventilator; his mom, Donna, was given the report and told that not only would he not live much longer, but that she would likely have to make the decision to remove him from the ventilator.  James, our youth pastor, was in Florida and asked me to go see the family--i went to encourage Donna, not only for the short term, but for the next difficult steps in her life.  Sunday, we joined the 6th Avenue Church in simultaneously praying for a miracle and acknowledging our faith in the Lord's will to be done.  AT THE EXACT HOUR OF OUR PRAYING, Clayton came out of his coma and had 12 hours of positive, though weakened interaction with his family and friends who drove down after church.  As 11 pm approached, he grew weaker and more tired, slipping back into a coma--by 3:07 am, Clayton had gone on to his inheritance through Christ.  The simultaneous sorrow and joy and peace has been amazing...

the loopty loops:  we have had our "second" daughter Alexis with us nonstop since Christmas--she provides loads of laughter and help to us as we go through the packing process, but also a bit of sadness as we consider leaving her behind.  Keli has had lots of coffee trips with her sister and mom, and we are juggling last minute dinners and plans with friends from the church as well.  All of these provide moments of highs and lows in rapid succession.

the breakneck speed: up early, to bed late, and a million questions, and emails, and phone calls, and packing, and unpacking, and errands, and details, details, details fill every moment.

the singing:  trying to listen to music as we pack has been helpful, and comical as we watched a bit of the 100 top videos of the 2000's on VH1 (though much was unwatchable as the exponential increase of raunchy from 80's to 90's to 2000's is astronomical); i've wanted the radio to be on while driving on errands so i can sing; and i get an occasional song from others that makes me smile, like this one from one of our leaders at 6th Avenue (several of us went down a couple years ago to see Andy McKee perform in Birmingham--if you're not familiar with his talent, just type his name into youtube and be amazed!).

The quick stop:  Friday is coming quickly.  We will have a come-and-go farewell here at the in-laws home Thursday night, while my parents drive up that evening for a few remaining hours as well.  We'll load up Friday morning and head to the airport shortly after noon.

Thank you for your continuing prayers on our behalf...