May 25

HAPPY SEVENTH BIRTHDAY, LEVI!

Chowing at TJ's

Last weekend we were honored to have Lad and Crystal Chapman, Children's Cup's newest team members, come all the way from Ohio to visit the "home office" in Prairieville.

Former Dream For Africa missionaries in Swaziland, Lad and Crystal will bring a new strength as we minister in southern Africa. They have three "all-boy" sons, Squire 7, Wyatt 5, and Crusoe 2. I'll post a photo of them at a later date.

Unwritten policy is to treat guests to Sunday dinner at TJ Ribs. Oink.

Seated in the picture below are (l to r) Vicki Ohlerking, Natalie Spera (an HPC "Elevater" who just went on a missions trip to Mozambique and Swaziland with Dan--we hope to snag her one day for a full-time position with 'Cup), Ty VanRensburg, Dan Ohlerking; standing (l to r) Jimmy and June Edwards (June is our office manager and bookkeeper; J&J are Vicki's parents), Crystal and Lad Chapman, Pat Conti ('Cup missionary on furlough who plans to return to the field mid-August), and my beloved, Dave.

Freedom

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.
It must be fought for, protected, and handed on to them to do the same or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children what it was once like in the United States when we were free.

--Ronald Reagan

Peanuts

A tour bus driver is driving with a bus load of seniors down a highway when he is tapped on his shoulder by a little old lady. She offers him a handful of peanuts which he gratefully munches up.

After about 15 minutes, she taps him on his shoulder again and she hands him another handful of peanuts. She repeats this gesture about five more times.

When she is about to hand him another batch again he asks the little old lady, "Why don't you eat the peanuts yourself?

"I can't chew them because I've got no teeth," she says.

The puzzled driver asks, "Why do you buy them then?"

The old lady replies, "I just love the chocolate around them."

It pays to be careful around old ladies.

Celebration Shine!

Last weekend I was privileged to attend a women's conference at Celebration church in Jacksonville, Florida. They call it Shine, and shine it did.

From the time I was picked up at the airport by two young people, Sean and Liz, who treated me like a celebrity, I was flat-out spoiled.


I had a personal assistant assigned to me. Elaine. A perfect hostess. (Check out the Shiny smile.)


Two lovely ladies to assist me at the Children's Cup booth, Erika and Laura. (See those Shiny faces?)

People would come by as we set up the booth and prepared to begin the Grand Event, asking whether I needed anything. They brought me water and food. Elaine drove me to the hotel and picked me up there. She got up early Sunday morning and took me to the airport. And, bless her heart, she treated me to a really really nice supper Saturday, bringing along a friend with a heart for missions, whom I've also grown to love, Jeanna.

I met all sorts of awesome people. I heard fantastic messages from the Word. I laughed 'til I thought I'd cry at some really strange events (that had nothing to do with doctrine or salvation--just funny shows!) put before us. Who'd have thought Dancing With the Stars would be there? And did I really see John Travolta?

The facility there is so so beautiful. We set up the booth in the new Lounge. Check out that Shiny floor!

You'd have never known it was church. Didn't look anything like what I grew up in. But everywhere I went, everywhere I looked, there was the Love of Jesus Shining forth and expressed and practiced. Isn't that really what Church is about?

Thanks for including Children's Cup, Pastors Kerrie and Stovall. Y'all are awesome. You make my heart shine!

PS "Shine" is putting sewing machines in our Swaziland CarePoints so we can teach the young ladies a trade, enabling them to eventually earn a living to support themselves. A huge thanks to all of Shine!

Warning

My sweet sister-in-law, Jannie, sent me this important bit of information:

Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.