Merry Christmas

Joyce and I wish each one of you a very Merry and blessed Christmas. We trust you are having as much fun and experiencing as much blessing as we are. To God we give the glory. You will notice in this photo that there are shadows in the picture? You know what that means? Yes, sun!!! It is a beautiful sunny day in LA -- about 70 degrees. This is our campground for about another month. Jana and Korak's house is on the left with our pickup and fifth wheel waaaay back in the driveway. Notice how narrow the driveway is? Just a little wider than the RV.

Our joy quotient topped out Wednesday evening with Ginger's arrival. We picked her up at the airport about 10:00. All of us are having a blast shopping for each other, playing with kids, enjoying the weather, visiting, and just being ALL together. This is the first time in many years that the four Mumaus have been together at Christmas -- and even then it was for only a day or two. And to top it off, we get to have Korak, Josiah, and Lilly with us.

Our friends, Rhonda and Eric with their children, Andrew and Katrina, flew in from Japan Monday morning. Rhonda is Joann's daughter (this is the Joann of the "knock out the closet and make a bigger kitchen/dining room" job last October). They are very special to us. Rhonda was a little girl when we moved to Newberg and met her family. She and her brother grew up with our girls and we've kept contact over the years. I married Rhonda and Eric and rejoiced in the births of their children. After a couple years in Japan as single missionaries, they married and are there now with Asian Access helping to plant a new church way down in the southern part of the country. Anyway, they flew in, rented a car, and headed for Lake Havasu, AZ where his family lives. We were able to meet them at Avis and take them to lunch before they started out. In a week they'll go up to Oregon to see Joann and connect with their supporting churches.

I want you to know I have been very spiritual lately (is that why Santa was so good to me? Naw.) Sunday I went to church at Marina with the kids -- two times. We went to the early service because Josiah, Korak, and I lit the fourth Advent Candle (the 3 generations of guys). But the ladies had nursery duty for the second service so... church again. Actually it was good because they had a lot of music -- really good music. They DO put together some awesome worship experiences. Then last night Korak and I went to the Christmas Eve service at 6:00 and Ginger, Jana, and I went to one at 10:00. The girls and I have a "tradition" of going to a midnight Christmas Eve service together -- sometimes we can't because we're not together and sometimes it's not midnight, but we always try to find one we think will be really good. Last night we went to Belair Presbyterian. This is the church that was pastored by Don Moomaw and is where Ronald Reagan attended. It is big, grand, and stately -- and it was a good candlelight communion service.

Oh well, how about a couple more pictures! Top is Officer Josiah is his new uniform about to give Grandfather Gene a citation for unauthorized picture taking. Bottom are the bakers, Ms. Jana and Miss Lilly in her new cooks uniform. They are making an apple pie of which I need to sample. So I've blabbed on long enough.

The weather is great and it's time for a walk. The Lord is good and it's time for a talk. Always remember, you are loved, even if from a distance. Be careful, be grateful, be useful.

Grand Kid Pictures

Ok, I promised some grand kid pictures so here they are. Josiah is eating popcorn and watching TV. Lilly is cuddled up with daddy. Of course! They are the cutest kids in the world. Josiah is the smartest kid in kindergarten and Lilly is simply charming. She is also stubborn and strong willed! So now this has become a brag blog! Well what did you expect?

Our trip down was enjoyable and uneventful. Uneventful is good. We decided to travel down 99 instead of I-5 because we hadn't been on that route for a couple years. For those not acquainted with the area, look on a California map south of Sacramento and you'll see that the two roads parallel each other.

Some will want to know about diesel prices. I paid $3.36.9 at the Flying J is both Corning and Bakersfield. Here in LA, I've seen it for 3.49.9 at a Shell and something like 3.65.9 somewhere else. Not as bad as I thought it might be.

Tuesday night we stayed at an RV park in Bakersfield. This allowed us to dump our holding tanks and soak in a hot tub. They also had winter rates! It also allowed us to get to Jana's at 11:00 the next morning. This meant less traffic on the freeway and fewer parked cars on the street in front of her house. That was important for backing in. This all worked real well except that I didn't do a very good job of backing in. After being over the curb and on the grass, I finally got in. Their driveway is very narrow; at least that's my excuse.

So I've been busy fixing the mud flat I tore off and putting together a doll cradle we brought for Lilly. This is a cradle that my uncle Ken made for Jana. When she grew out of that stage we took it apart and saved it. So I sanded, glued, put it together, and painted it. It is almost finished. I've also done of a bunch of "daddy dos." Those are like "honey dos" except they come from one's daughter. And there are more!

This last picture was taken Saturday evening. Josiah and Lilly are on the left, middle and back rows. The Taylor clan celebrated Christmas early because one of the brothers and his family can't be here at Christmas. So they all shared their gifts and the kids had a blast. These are the cousins -- plus there are two more in Portland.

Today we went to worship at Marina Christian Fellowship where Jana, Korak and family attend. It was a great time of worship. Good music even if I didn't know all the words. Two young ladies shared the message with the central theme of Joy. One told her story of disappointment in her earlier life. The other became a quadriplegic two years ago. She shared how God had brought her through all the emotions to one of joy. Good, good, good.

Well, some it happens to us, some of it happens because of us, but all of it happens as God watches over us. What is happening in your life? Where is God in it?

Off We Go

I am posting this on Monday, December 10 at almost 9:00 p.m. from kinda warm, kinda sunny, kinda southern California. Actually central California. We are boondocking in Bill & Kathy's parking lot. That is a restaurant at the Dunnigan exit a little north of Sacramento. It is not exactly warm but it is warmer than the 37 degrees we had when we left Grants Pass at 12:45 today. It is also windy. We'll get rocked to sleep tonight!

I guess I can't say the last week has been exactly boring. Lots to do in getting ready to leave plus a funeral Friday. And on top of that a dear lady we became friends with many years ago is in the hospital dying from the effects of a stroke. She lives between us and the church so we often stopped to see her. Her health has never been very good but she is a wonderful person. So Joyce and I made numerous visits to see her in the hospital -- even though she didn't know we were there. We left her in the good hands of her granddaughter, many friends, and the professionals in the hospital.

Yesterday we attended worship at the local Mennonite Church. They changed their name a few months ago -- I think they call themselves New Hope Christian Church, which is logical since they are located on New Hope Road. It was a really great service. They have lots of Hispanic people who attend so the first part of the service was bi-lingual. The sermon was only in English however. The pastor is a friend who is part owner of Farmer's Building Supply and he has always helped supply us with materials when we went to Ensenada with Allen Creek Church.

Today I sold the car. It had quite a few mechanical problems, the biggest being the transmission. I mentioned this to Don, Joyce's brother. He asked if I wanted to get rid of it because he knew a guy who needed a car and he thought he could fix it. The short version, is that I sold it to the fellow after telling him the problems. He found a used transmission and knows how to take the old one out and put the new one in. So it was a good deal all around. But all this had to happen early so I could get Joyce to a lab work appointment and then back to do the last minute packing (maybe the word is stuffing) of the RV and the pickup. One of the things we stuffed in the RV is an 8 foot noble fir Christmas tree we are taking to Jana and Korak. They are cheaper in Grants Pass than in California! So the RV really smells nice. It is still wrapped in binding twine so it will be like opening a Christmas present when we get there. Hope it looks good!

So this is how this new chapter in our world is developing. We commit it go God and expect to have fun experiencing many of new things. Grandkid pictures next week! And what's in your world?

Calmness Prevails

Wasn't last week's blog boring? I'm afraid this one won't be much better. I guess I'm used to more excitement. It has been fun having my sister here. She has spent many hours each day helping Joyce with craft. Saturday evening we went to the "big" Grants Pass Christmas parade. It really isn't very big and we didn't even see Santa Claus -- found out later he was riding in a car with the window rolled up. Oh well, what can you expect for a small town! It was cold enough that we bundled up real good. All the downtown Christmas lights were lit and everyone was in a festive spirit so it was a lot of fun. Even if we are in a small town, I think we have the most beautifully decorated downtown of any I've seen (except maybe the theme towns like Leavenworth, WA).

So, it's coming along. I mowed the lawn yesterday during the little bit of sunshine we had. It started raining today and is supposed to do that for quite a few days. I've started on the little things on the RV like putting a new rod in the closet and making a better bracket for the VCR and DVD.

A real strange thing happened in the church here. Maybe instead of "strange" I should say "unusual." For many years two ladies attended who knew each other but were not close friends. One was very involved in church life, the other was simply very faithful in Sunday morning attendance. During the past year both began to suffer health problems. Their ailments were different but both ended up in the same adult foster care home. Then as the days went by and their health continued to deteriorate they both were in the same room. On the Monday before Thanksgiving I went to visit them (at the request of a family member) and they were comatose with labored breathing. The next day they both went to be with the Lord within a hour of each other. It was like they were racing to see who would get to see Jesus first. I was asked to participate in their services so Pastor Dan and I have been planning for them. Because of Thanksgiving and because of a wedding in Hawaii the services were delayed. Yesterday we had the memorial for the lady active in the church. Next Friday we'll have the service for the other lady. But those things have kept me out of trouble for a little while!!

Today we attended worship at Redwood Country Church. The pastor is new but we know some of the people. It was a good traditional service. They had the church decorated for Christmas and we sang carols. It was fun.

It will be a busy week -- mostly getting ready to head south. And now you know what's in my world. What's in yours?

A Good Week

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. After the shed project, Joyce launched into getting crafts ready for the daycare and I just kicked back for a few days. Joyce needs to get crafts ready for the daycare leaders to use with about 60 kids for the 3 months we will be gone -- December, January, and February. She has two months done already. Thanksgiving day we went to JJ North's for dinner with Mike and Joann. Had a great meal and ate too much. Afterward we watched the movie, "Amazing Grace" at Mike and Joann's. Friday I hit the early morning sales at Staples and then we headed out for Salem.

We are staying with Ginger in her new little mobile home -- I mean, new to her. It actually is quit old but adequate for her. We have had fun helping her get a few things set up and then just visiting. We celebrated Thanksgiving with her Friday evening by going to the Olive Garden. Sunday we all went to Newport for worship and I met with Willy for a little while. Today I met with the superintendent for a little while and then helped Ginger with some meetings she had.

Remember the closet we tore out of Joann's house before we started the shed project? Well Joann invited us to dinner at her house tonight and we got to see the finished project with ceiling finished and new carpet to accent the floor we put down. It really looks nice.

Tomorrow I have a Ministerial Education and Guidance committee meeting. Then we go home. On the way we will pick up my sister, Beth, in Eugene who will stay with us for a week -- and help Joyce with some of the craft preparation.

Not a lot of excitement in this past week but that it okay. What has happened has been good. And that is my world. How about yours? Is it good?

The Shed, Part 2

Yes! Here it is. May I present to you, The Shed. It is done, finished, complete. Well, at least as finished as I will get it. Mike is going to add a ramp at the door. They will run electricity to it later. And put up some rain gutters. Mrs. Boss elected to not have it insulated and sheet rocked. I'll help with whatever they want. It was a long and fun project but I'm glad it is over. I need to start working on the RV and other projects to get ready to head south in 3 or 4 weeks. Next spring I'll gladly go to your place and build you a shed. But you can't afford me! The weather has been amazing during this project. Even though the mornings were cold and often foggy, it never rained. Hear that! In November in Oregon it didn't rain while we were working. It did rain last Saturday and Monday but I didn't plan to work those days anyway. Sunday was a gorgeous day. So was yesterday. But now it's done.

Saturday, I led a family memorial for Mike's father. About 15 people gathered in their living room to share fond memories. It was a good time of reflection and bringing family together. This coming Friday I will lead an interment service for him at Eagle Point National Cemetery. Sunday we attended church at Bethany Presbyterian. Pastor Steve Parker has always been part of our ministerial group and it was good to be in worship with him. Monday, Joyce and I went to Medford. There were a couple things I wanted to get done on the pickup, plus a few other errands. It rained the whole time but we didn't care.

Since this blog is so late in the week, there won't be one next week. So have a great Thanksgiving. Remember to be thankful for all the good blessings God has given you. As always, this is my world. Love to hear what's in yours.

The Shed, Part 1

Most of the week has been devoted to two things: getting unsore (like that word?) and working on the shed. I'm happy to report that there is progress. And as usual, no day is complete without an interruption or two but I expect by the end of this week the outside will be finished. You remember, we are building this for our friends, Mike and Joann. Mike's father has been seriously ill with heart problems and has lived with Mike and Joann for the last month or so. Sunday afternoon he died and we are going to have a family remembrance for him at their house on Saturday. So I want the outside (maybe not the door) finished by then. Also... it is supposed to rain the end of this week.

Yesterday we attended worship at Calvary Church where my friend, Ron is pastor. He is teaching through the New Testament on Sundays and the Old Testament on Wednesdays. It was a good message from Romans, chapter 6.


I promised some pictures. So here is the progress.

The floor is down and we are using it to make the trusses for the roof. The "boss" is helping by standing on rafters to keep them from moving while I nail them.


The framing goes up.
Watch out! I'm coming for you. I need help. The siding is on. There is one big door and one little window. The window isn't cut out yet.

The roof sheeting goes on. Now watch for the updated pictures next week. (I write with a lot of confidence, don't I?)


Well you can see this is my world right now. What's in yours?

I'll Live

Oh my! I think I'll live. For awhile there was some doubt. I have spent a week being stiff, sore, and discovering muscles I didn't know I had. This all started last Monday -- a week ago. On Saturday we went to Newport with a stop in Salem to take Ginger a bed. Oh yeah, I haven't told you about Ginger. Maybe I just better start at the beginning.

Ginger left Gary. This had been building for a long time. About a month ago she called because she had discovered some things he had been doing. I asked her what she wanted to do. She said she wanted to move out. I asked when. She said Monday. So that was our emergency trip to Salem. On Monday she went into a temporary place until a permanent one opened up. She will move from the temporary to the permanent next weekend. If you want to know more, ask me personally but this is enough for public reading.

Last weekend (the 20th-21st) we went to Newport and on the way we delivered a bed for her. It was raining so we wrapped the mattresses in plastic like a Christmas present with lots of duct tape. We also took along a young man who might move to Newport to help with the music. We left him these and still haven't heard how (or if) he made it back. Sunday afternoon we went back to Salem and laid our air mattresses on Ginger's living room floor. Monday was the day of destruction! Our friend Joann in Stayton wanted a closet removed from her house. It was between the dining room and kitchen and took up a lot of living space. So after wielding a 4 lb. hammer, tugging, prying, and carting we got the sheetrock off and the boards removed. All this we took to the dump. That began my week of misery. Boy, was I sore that night. The next day we laid some "floating" wood-grained floor over the whole area. Her son helped by preparing the place where we took out the closet, and laying some of the floor. We were done by early afternoon. Home to Grants Pass.

Now it was time to get serious with the storage shed. This is for another Joann -- our friend who lives down the street. Friday we began to tackle this project in earnest. Well, earnest means when we aren't off to some other meeting or task. Everyday this week there is an interruption. But I'm not sure I could stand a full 8 hours. Next week I'll show you pictures but right now we have the walls up and will work on the siding tomorrow. The next blog tells a little more about it.

Tonight is the first night that I haven't felt like dying when I got home. I think these old (I mean, OLD) muscles are beginning to take the hint. But I'm still stiff with plenty of slightly sore spots. And we're having fun. At least, I think we are. We keep telling ourselves we are. Sunday we drove to Roseburg and attended the Free Methodist church there. Had a nice dinner with Pastor Dan and his wife, Carol. On the way home we left the freeway and took the scenic root through Wolf Creek and along Grave Creek to Galice. It was a little late in the season to see lots of colored leaved but there were still enough to make it a beautiful drive. Very curvy and narrow.

Well I've got to rest my fingers. They're needed for holding a hammer, you know. But that's my world. Now, what's in yours?

Life After Mr. Yard Sale

And so famous Mr. Yard Sale passes into history to become part of Mumau folklore. The leftovers are carted off, the garage is restored (almost), and most of the garbage has been turned over to the tender care of the sanitation brigade. (Sorry I didn't take a picture of the front yard). Now, let's spend the money. Okay, how about having a tooth chip so we can go to the dentist. Good idea. Who will volunteer a tooth? And so, noble Joyce stepped forward with a piece of tooth in her hand. And off we went to Dr. Lanahan for a thorough cleaning, checkup, fillings, and crown. And so it goes.

Our friend, Joann, down the street, wants me to build a storage shed. The largest size we can build without a permit is 200 square feet. She wants it as big as possible so we decided on 12 x 16 feet. I drew it out, pulled off a materials list, got a quote for cost, and showed it to Joann. Very good, let's do it. Oops, it won't fit in the spot she wants to put it. Redraw it to a 10 x 14, pull a new materials list and... wait, let's put it in another spot where we have more room. Redraw it back to a 12 x 16 with an overhang for potting plants, pull a new list, get another quote. All is well. Except I don't have any eraser left on my pencil. We'll start this project after the next project. I'll tell you about that one next time. And next time will probably be in two weeks.

Sunday we went to Grace Bible Church. It was a good service but what stands out is the way we were we welcomed. At least 10 people (maybe more) came up to us, introduced themselves and welcomed us to the service. And they didn't know us -- we were just visitors to their church. They could give lessons to other churches.

On Friday Joyce has a CPR class from 7:00 AM (notice that is AM) to noon, work from 2:30 to 4:30, then we have the Pregnancy Care Center banquet in the evening. Former baseball player, Dave Dravecky is the main speaker. Saturday we leave for Newport with stops in Eugene and Salem on the way. And so it goes.

That's my world. What's in yours? Keep in touch if you can keep up.

The Yard Sale is History

Welcome to another addition of this little journal. I know, it has been two weeks since the last entry. I've come to the conclusion that it might be this way occasionally so I'll stop apologizing and just let it happen. The last 14 days have been hectic, tiring and busy with a strong mixture of exciting. After the board meeting and prayer retreat at Aldersgate -- which were good, by the way -- we got home and went to work on the sorting and cleaning for the yard sale. It seems Mr. Yard Sale has taken on a life of his own. Will he ever go away?

On Sunday we went to an 8:00 church service at Calvary Crossroads and then made a quick emergency trip to Salem. Monday evening we drove home at just the right time to get caught in a traffic jam behind an accident on the freeway. It could have been worse -- we only had to wait one hour, some people had to wait three hours. It seems some truck spilled his load of glass all over the road. Jim, Joyce and uncle Ken also arrived on Monday but they knew how to "break in" to the house and make themselves at home. We got home about 12:30 Tuesday morning and went to bed in the RV. Tuesday was a good day of visiting and relaxing. They left Wednesday and then it was back to Mr. Yard Sale. We enjoyed Jim and Joyce being here but it was beginning to seem like Mr. Yard Sale was the guest that wouldn't go away.

Maybe if we schedule him he'll take the hint. So we set it up for this past Saturday. Friday was set-up day -- and it took ALL day. Our whole front lawn was covered with stuff. We borrowed 11 tables from the church (some were old doors set on saw horses) and we still had stuff sitting on tarps on the ground. It was embarrassing to realize all that stuff came out of my house. It was sort of like having a bad cold and filling hanky after hanky with that stuff from your nose. Well, something like that. Okay, it didn't rain, things went well, and we didn't collapse from exhaustion... but almost! The nice thing is that we got rid of most of the big stuff. Some of the other that didn't sell was junk and went into the garbage. The other leftovers will go to Goodwill tomorrow. And it will be over!!!! Mr. Yard Sale has left the premises. Yeah!

Today was recovery day. We did NOT attend an 8:00 worship service. I was hardly conscious at 8:00. But we did attend one at 10:30 -- the Neighborhood Church. The pastor and I always used to joke about the opposite church being the "other" neighborhood church. This is a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church so it was like "going home" for Joyce. They are a small, friendly, family-type church.

Well, projects do lie out there on the horizon. We'll get to them. And this is what is happening in my world. What's happenin' in yours?

Fossils and Eggs

We have come to the conclusion that God was demonstrating his great sense of humor when he created eastern Oregon. After leaving Cascade Locks last week, we traveled up the Columbia River Gorge to Arlington. Not very far but we stopped there so we could go either of two directions -- we ended up going both. We have friends who live in Umatilla and, as it turned out she was in California but he was at home and would love to have company. So we left the 5th wheel at a campground in Arlington and soloed up to visit Ken. They have a wonderful place at the end of a dead end road overlooking the Columbia River at McNary Dam with deer walking through their yard and beautiful sunsets to the west. I could learn to live like that!!!

The next day we turned south and pulled up out of the gorge onto the high plateau of eastern Oregon (or maybe it is still central Oregon). Rolling hills. Up and down. Wheat country. Joyce and I had always heard about this part of the state but had never seen it. We stopped in Condon for some ice cream (don't tell my doctor). To give you an idea of how sparsely populated this area is... Condon is a wide spot in the road with a population of 770 but is the county seat of Gilliam County. Fossil has a population of 460 and is the seat of Wheeler County. Fossil is where we camped for two nights. What a fun place! Our campground was on a bit of grass behind the Fossil Motel and RV Park. With deer -- lots of deer -- walking through the town and the fields behind us. We used Fossil as our base to go see the three units that make up the John Day Fossil Beds. One down by Dayville, one over by Mitchell, and one up by -- well, not by anything, but between Fossil and Antelope. If you want, you can find all this on an Oregon map south of Arlington. The scenery is so fascinating and so changing. We actually have painted hills in Oregon. They are gorgeous in the afternoon sun. We have funny shaped hills and lots of odd rock formations. I think God was really feeling good when he got to Oregon... "Hey, I think I'll make these rocks look strange and see if I can get these to stand on top of each other." Well, maybe. He might have!













The intrepid hikers looking at some of the strange formations











One of the painted hills -- one with white in it.
Our campground in fossil.

From there we traveled west and ended up at Richardson Ranch just north of Madras. That is a well known place where you can dig for opals and agates and thunder eggs. They also stock lots... no, make that LOTS of beautiful rocks from all over the world. I've never seen so many different rocks in one place. We parked the RV in their yard and drove about 7 miles back up into the hills to dig for thunder eggs. We found the spot, got some instruction from another digger, and went to work. It was easy to find them. In fact, too easy because it only took us about 30 minutes to get all we wanted -- which was only about 18 or so. According to our new-found friend there is a way of telling (kind of) which ones will be interesting and beautiful when cut open so we didn't keep all we dug. We had two cut and they are "ok" -- not really great, but not too bad. All this costs money so we went a little conservative. Now to find someone with a rock saw to cut the rest of these.

We have come to the conclusion that campgrounds are supposed to be noisy. The "really nice" one in Cascade Locks was 100 yards from a train track -- with a crossing nearby which meant the engineer had the privilege of blowing his horn at all hours of the night. Same at Arlington. Fossil was quiet but then at Richardson Ranch... No train for miles. Just cows. A hundred feet away, right across the fence. Apparently they had just taken the calves away from the moms so they mooed all night. Cows are weird. They would be really quiet, then one would start in and all the rest would join like a gospel choir. And they would move from one end of the pasture to the other -- just following each other to... they didn't know where, just follow. Some of that time was right by our RV. But other than that is was quiet.

From the rock hounding we went to Aldersgate Conference Center near Salem, left the 5th wheel and soloed to Newport for the weekend. We stayed with friends, visited with Willy and Angel plus some other friends and returned to Aldersgate today. I have a board meeting tomorrow and a Pastor's prayer event tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday. Then we head for Grants Pass. All that sounds exhausting when I read it but it was really a lot of fun. Now its back to work.

And so, that is what is happening in my world. What's in yours? Love to hear from you.

Now For A Little Fun

Okay, I guess this is me in my new life. At least that is what the website said. A friend pointed out http://simpsonizeme.com/ so I had to try it. What do you think? A good likeness? Be careful how you answer that!! Go ahead. Try it yourself. See what you look like. Be brave.

Joyce and I left Grants Pass Thursday late afternoon, "camped" in the street in front of Ginger's house in Salem and then went on the Portland the next day. Ginger drove her car and Joyce rode with her. We camped at Pheasant Ridge RV Park in Wilsonville and then went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) together. They are showing a display of plasticised (sorry about the spelling) human bodies. The bodies are donated but the plasticing process makes them look, well... like plastic. You have to keep reminding yourself that they are real. They are posed in both scientific and artistic manners -- set you can see the muscles or organs, the bones or blood veins, etc. It was a good display. How awesome God created us. The infinate detail so everything would work together correctly.

Ginger drove home Saturday and Joyce and went to the End of the Oregon Trail display in Oregon City. My opinion is that it is just "okay," and probably really good for someone who knows nothing about the Oregon trail. This morning we attended church at the Gladstone Free Methodist Church (near Portland) and are now in Cascade Locks. Tomorrow we will move on toward the John Day Fossil Beds, circle around and end up back at Aldersgate Conference Center near Salem by the weekend. This our time to get away. We need it! We worked hard for four straight weeks!!!!!!! Wow!

And after today, no cell phone or internet for a few days. So our world is one of investigation again. What's happening in yours?

Moving Along

We are keeping busy! Oh, yes we are!!!! ...taking care of all the little things so wonderfully entangled with the big things. Last week we had overnight guests. My uncle, Ken Park and his son, Jim and wife Joyce were on their way north so they stopped to say hi. They live in Tucson, Arizona where we are planning to visit sometime this winter. Ken was a pastor in the Oregon Conference and then lived in Newberg for many years. So he was on his way back to visit his son and old friends. Jim and Joyce were going on to Bellingham to visit their son and family. They'll stop and see us on their way south in October.

The sorting for the One Great Yard Sale keeps moving forward. The pile on the deck is getting bigger and we filled another recycle barrel. But there is light at the end of tunnel, er... garage.

I want you to know I'm a real go getter. Joyce worked 2 days last week and will work one day this week -- at the daycare. I take her there and then go get her (get it, go get er. Oh never mind). Beside that, she has put in quite a bit time here at home getting the crafts ready. She even enlisted me to help a few times. We are trying to upgrade her "It's In The Bag" presentation. I made her some half pages with those words and some pictures as a logo. Now we are typing the directions for each craft. If you haven't guessed, she delivers the crafts in a paper grocery bag, thus the name.

The pickup was in the shop for a day last week. The "service engine soon" light would come on, go off, come on, go off. So they fixed some wires or something. Not cheap! I took my bike when I dropped of the truck so I could ride it home, then rode it back when the work was completed. I was proud of myself that I made it without feeling like I was dying.

And so we keep at the little stuff... sure seems like there is a lot of it. I've repaired a security light, fixed the barbecue, worked on the RV, cut up some scrap wood, and so on. So many little things have been let slide for so long it will take some time to get caught up. Well, those little things are my world right now. What's yours?

Sort, Recycle, and Toss

"It would be easier to sell the place as is and move," I told Joyce in the middle of cleaning 15 years of accumulation out of the garage. We are getting ready for a yard sale -- probably a massive JUNK sale. The only problem is that there is so much stuff to go thru I don't think we can have it until October. Hope the weather holds! Joyce has gone thru her craft storage room and tossed, sorted and rearranged. We are still working the garage and have part of the house to do. WE HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!!! The deck has a huge pile on the middle of it covered with some old blankets. That is the yard sale stuff. We have filled 3 big recycle barrels with more to go. And that isn't saying anything about the garbage. I'll probably have to make a dump run to get rid of all of it. Lots of work yet to do and we will be gone for a couple weeks later in the month. More about that when it happens.

Did you see the lunar eclipse last week? I went out and looked at it as it was just beginning. Then when it was almost total, I awakened Joyce and we went out and watched the last sliver of light disappear. I got out the binoculars and looked at the total eclipse. The moon sort of glowed, like it was translucent with an inner light. Kind of awesome. I don't remember ever seeing a total lunar eclipse before -- maybe did, but I don't remember it. I'll remember this one.

In our continuing quest to visit all the local churches, we attended Redwood Christian Church last Sunday. They have two worship services and the one we attended didn't have very many people there, but it was Labor Day weekend.

Well, I need to get back to the sorting, tossing, cleaning, and boxing. This is my world right now (deep in dust!). What's in yours?

Much, Much Too Long

Yes... it has been a long time. The last blog was posted while we were in Newport almost two weeks ago. Sorry. I'll try to get back on the Sunday or Monday routine. Well, our time in Newport was good. Beside meeting with Willy, we also met with others who are now our friends, enjoyed some cool weather, and relaxed a little after the week at camp. Willy is doing great at the church. They cleaned out all (well, nearly all) the blackberries on the property behind the church. This caused a stir among the neighbors wondering what was going on. Last Saturday they had a yard sale to get rid of some old stuff. But this was no ordinary yard sale. The church sponsored the sale for all the Agate Beach community -- doing all the advertising, etc. The only thing the neighbors had to do was set their stuff out and sell it. Willy said it went well with about 15 families joining in and voicing appreciation for the church doing that. Keep praying for Willy and the church.

Family Camp was a good time to connect with friends. We missed last year because of the Alaska thing (remember Alaska?!!!) and that was the first time we missed Family Camp in lots and lots of years. In addition to the friends AT camp we also had friends and family come to visit us. My niece, Kandy, came Thursday afternoon; our friends, Mark and Judy, came Friday afternoon; and daughter Ginger came Saturday afternoon. We left Sunday before anyone could find us (just kidding!). We did leave Sunday and stopped in Eugene to spend the evening and night with Joyce's brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Luwayne. So all in all, it was a "reach out and touch someone" week. We needed that.

Arriving home Monday, we unloaded the 5th wheel and took a nap!!! Besides the usual little things to take care of (like stacked up mail) we began to work on the "to do" list. The biggy on Joyce's list is to get crafts ready for the day care for September and October. As she sorts thru stuff we are also making a pile for a yard sale. That needs to happen early in September. This means sorting thru the garage which is a scary place! I started with two boxes close by... one for the sale and one for the dump. Lots to go. Want to come help?

Since Joyce rarely reads this blog, I'll let you in on a little secret. September 1 is her birthday. I think we are going to go eat at the Galice Resort and then take in a movie. But that's a week away; we might change our minds. In the mean time we are helping at the church yard sale tomorrow. They had so much stuff left over after the last one that they decided to do another one. Good idea.

Well, now you are caught up with what's happening in my world. What's happening in yours?

Kids, Kids, and Newport

Wow! what a fun time we had with our grand kids. After their Sunriver stint they came to Grants Pass and were with us from Monday afternoon to Friday evening. Korak helped me with some yard work, we spent a little time getting ready for Fir Point, and lots of time with the kids. Josiah got to pick blackberries (all over his fingers, face and clothes!) and got to ride his bike in the street and on the bike path. And... get this... he caught a fish!!! Yes, he did. We went to a fish farm near Cave Junction 'cause we knew he wouldn't have the patience to fish in a lake where he might have to wait hours for a nibble. The guy that runs the place was so good with him. His name was Thomas. He showed him how to cast the line out -- which we had to do for him anyway. And then showed him what to look for. Thomas's fish were hungry. And huge. Josiah's line was out about 10 minutes when the bobber went under and stayed under. Thomas said to be patient and reel slowly to sort of tire the fish out. Josiah did it pretty well even though he was anxious to see the fish. Thomas netted it, mom took videos, Joyce took pictures, dad and grandpa popped buttons, and Josiah was excited. It was the first time he had fished so of course the first fish he had ever caught. It was a 19 inch rainbow trout, about 2 1/2 pounds. He fished for another one but his dad did most of the work in catching that one. We paid by the inch so it was not an economical way to get a fish dinner but it sure was a great way to make a boy happy! It was good eating, too. We barbecued it the next day for dinner. Oh, by the way, grandpa had to clean it!!! Josiah watched but he wasn't going to touch those bloody guts.

They left Friday evening with grandpa and grandma in tears. But then it was down to the serious business of getting all our stuff ready for Fir Point Camp. This is a camp about 25 miles north of Grants Pass that a half dozen or so Free Methodist Churches rent to have a resident camp for kids from grade 3 through grade 6 and from grade 7 through grade 10. The two age group camps run simultaneously. Joyce and I taught the Bible story for the younger group. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. We had 45 kids divided into three groups so the Bible story rotated with two other events. This is the camp that I directed for a lot of years so it was interesting being there but not being in charge. The only bummer was that Joyce got sick Tuesday evening. It was like a 24-hour flu but she was weak and sore for a couple days afterward. She's fine now.

And "now" is Saturday evening. We are in Newport again to spend a little time with the new pastor. He and I will discuss, talk, plan, and pray together. My job is to "coach" him. Wednesday we will move over to Aldersgate Conference Center near Salem for Family Camp. And home on Sunday.

It just keeps on going on. And so this is my world. Isn't it fun? What's in your world? We love hearing from you.

And Home Again

The last time I wrote we were camped along the Columbia River just north of Vancouver. Josiah loved to watch the big ships go by. We were directly across the river from Columbia City which is just a couple miles north of St. Helens where we lived for 9 years -- and where Jana graduated from high school. A little nostalgia there.

Our trip to the property near Chimacum was slow. We don't travel very far with two little ones without letting them out to run around. We arrived at Will and Anna's property in a slight drizzle Monday late afternoon. Had to put it into 4-wheel drive to get in (to get out also, although it was much drier by then). The weather was great the next 3 days and we had lots of fun visiting and eating. Will brought halibut, king salmon, and red salmon down with him which he barbecued for us. Yum! Absolutely delectable. We all eat too much -- but what is too much when it tastes so good? The next day he barbecued some moose. Again, yum. Soooooo good. The last evening we roasted hot dogs over the fire. They were good but sure a come down from the fish and moose.

Besides Will and Anna, the other people that made our mini reunion so much fun: my sisters Beth and Doris; Doris's husband Bing and daughter Betty, and Beth's son Roy and his wife Twila. Anna's sister and husband and son were also there for a short time. We have scheduled a Mumau family reunion for next summer. More info later.

Oh, where is Chimacum? About 15 miles from Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. And for all our friends who live up that way and didn't notice when we drove by... I apologize. There just wasn't time to stop. We'll try later, but that later might have to be next summer.

We left Chimacum Thursday about noon and got to Sunriver late afternoon on Friday. Jana's husband Korak arrived at the house they had rented at almost the same time we did. We had dropped off the RV at a friend's house for a night of storage and stayed with Jana and Korak one night. Loved the hot tub! On Saturday we left for home. But we didn't arrive here until Sunday. When we went by Farewell Bend Campground there was a vacant campsite that beckoned to us and we couldn't refuse. So we attended church in Medford on the way through.

Jana, Korak and the kids will arrive here any minute and stay until Thursday. Then Joyce and I will get ready for kids camp next week. So you know what our week will be like. The next blog will either be from camp if I have a connection or from Newport in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

For those who like stats: We traveled 2300 miles the last three weeks, got 11.2 miles per gallon and spent a fortune on diesel. So that is our world. What's in yours?

Having Too Much Fun!

We had a great time at the beach and then off to central Oregon for a week. We stayed at a relative's cabin (house) near La Pine and did some of the tourist things in the area like the High Desert Museum. I went to the RV Rally in Redmond two days and Joyce and the kids went with me one day. Our friends, Mike and Joann joined us and it was a lot of fun.

The kids are a delight but also can tire out these old grandparents. I remember now why young people have the children. This morning we attended church in Madras and are presently at a campground along the Columbia River on our
way to Will and Anna's property on the Olympic Peninsula. We'll get there tomorrow and stay about three days.

The top picture is our campfire at Honeyman State Park. The bottom is Josiah, Jana and I on a dune buggy ride.

So that's what's been happening in my world. What's in yours?

On Vacation

I'm not sure if a retired person really calls time away from home a vacation but I guess that word serves okay. After we returned from Mexico it took three days for us to regain our strength and rest. It seems like we were in a rest-deprived fog. In fact, I had to read the last blog to see what I said. After that, we spent a frantic 4 or 5 days getting ready for the next leg of our summer journey. On Tuesday the 10th we hooked up the RV (the first time since returning from Alaska!) and headed for Salem. We picked up Jana and the kids at Ginger's house and camped at Silver Falls State Park for 2 nights -- hiking down to the falls and generally having a good time. Josiah loves smores made over a campfire.

Then it was off to the coast. We camped one night at Beverly Beach State Park near Newport and are now camped in the church backyard. When we arrived here Thursday, I led a memorial service for the man who had terminal cancer. He had died the previous week. I had the new pastor assist me. Someone estimated that there were about 250 people in attendance -- in a church that barely holds 150. Tomorrow I will do a symbolic "changing of the shepherd" to the new pastor and in the afternoon it is off to Honeyman State Park near Florance. After that we will go to a relative's cabin near La Pine.

Somewhere in there I will probably be able to update again but I suspect the computer connections will be rather sparse.

We are having a great time with Lilly and Josiah. We have done the Aquarium, 2 lighthouses, the beach, the tide pools, a store called Pirate's Plunder, and tried to fly a kite (not enough wind). Until about 6 hours ago the weather in Newport was a balmy 68 to 70 degrees with nice sunshine. Then it clouded up and may rain a little -- or not. Next time I'll try to attach some pictures of the kids -- maybe even of Jana! Maybe even of grandpa and grandma!

But until then that's what is happening in my world. What's in yours?

Ensenada Pictures

Our deck and security fence. The present sanctuary can be seen in the distance. One of the next projects for some group is to take out the big warehouse door on the right and put in a nice entry door with some windows.

This is the wheel chair ramp we added on this trip. Is it too steep? Sorry. It's the best we could do. The building on the left is the parsonage above. The door you can see at the end of the ramp goes into the men's restroom.

This is the view from the gate into the old compound. On the right is the sanctuary, straight ahead is the two-room classroom building, on the right out of the picture is the parsonage building.

Ensenada, Mexico

We're back! Joyce and I (and the Grants Pass group) arrived back in town about 2:00 this afternoon. The trip was great -- tiring, dirty, hot -- but great. Let me back up a bit and explain that this project began about 4 years ago. The Oregon Conference of the Free Methodist Church is helping a small church in a poor section of Ensenada, Mexico expand into a center to serve the neighborhood they are located in. The Conference has purchased (for them) a warehouse next door to the church and individuals and churches in Oregon are transforming it into a larger church building and community center. Grants Pass got involved 3 years ago when I and two other men went down with another church to check it out. Since then we have sheet rocked a small 2-room classroom building, helped remodel the upstairs of a small building for a parsonage, turned the downstairs (the old parsonage) into an office, tool room, and restrooms. We also built an entry porch -- a big deck -- onto the front of the warehouse.

In the past we have taken 12-16 people. This year we had 22 -- a big group considering the limited facilities we had. This included 10 teens. We cooked in a classroom, ate outdoors, the guys slept in the sanctuary, and the ladies in the other classroom and office. It worked okay and we all got along well. The work we did was finish the deck (yea!!!!) by adding safety railing and a handicap ramp. We also put up a security fence and repaired the stairway up to the parsonage. Oh, we also painted the deck. All of this done with no advance drawings, I might add. We just made up plans on the spot and did it. For me, it was it was a new experience because I was NOT in charge. Sometimes it was hard to keep from taking over but I was in charge of building the ramp so that helped keep me occupied.

Last weekend I went to Annual Conference Friday and Saturday, then left for Mexico early Sunday morning. We stayed Sunday night at the church in Los Angeles that Jana attends. Yes, we got to see Josiah and Lilly for a few minutes! We arrived in Ensenada about noon on Monday. No trouble crossing the border going down or coming back. Yesterday we attended the church there (this was the Pastor's last Sunday because he is moving to another church, but this will not be a problem for the project). We stopped for fish tacos going out of town, drove all night except for about 3 hours of sleep in a rest area. Did I say, "sleep?" Have you ever tried to sleep in a van with 10 other people? That one ranks right up there with the worst night I've ever had! But the trip was still good!

And so, that's been my world for the last couple weeks. What's in yours?

What an Ending!

We are home in Grants Pass now -- got in about 9:30 Sunday evening. But this past week... wow! Let me tell you about it. We had a great time Tuesday having breakfast with some friends and touring the Hatfield Marine Science Center. It was a gorgeous day and we walked around outside talking. Then my phone rang. Then it rang again. The first call was from the window people. They wanted to come Wednesday to install the new windows. Okay, no problem. The second call was from the carpet people. They wanted to come Thursday! Thursday!! I tried to talk him into waiting until next week when the house would be empty but they wanted to schedule it NOW. So we packed up and moved into the spare room in the garage. There we sat, me in my recliner working on my sermon, and Joyce on a foam pad reading a book in a little room stuffed with stuff. The carpet people didn't get there until noon so they had to continue their work the next day. But by 3:00 Friday. It looked great. Really great! Since we had to take our bed down we used the air mattress and foam pads and camped out in the living room. It was fun, it really was.

Saturday evening we packed the pickup. When I say packed, you have to read that as "stuffed full to overflowing and then poked back in." We finished packing a few things after church, cleaned the last of the places that needed cleaning, visited a church member who has cancer, and left town about 2:45. The people gave us a little thank you gift and had a cake with a sombrero on it -- sending us off to Mexico (which is next week).

Just for the record, let me say again: these are such great, loving, generous people. We thoroughly enjoyed our 7 months in Newport and will miss seeing everyone. Fortunately we will get to see them once a month for awhile as we go back to Newport to work with the new pastor.

And now, for the next chapter in our lives. We don't know what that will be, except that next week we will go to Mexico with the Grants Pass Church and most of July will be spent with Jana, Josiah, and Lilly. Because of the trip next week, I will have to miss adding a note to the blog, so the next one will be the first part of July when we get back.

And that's what's in my world. What's in yours?

Washing, Communion, and Baptism

It just keeps getting better, more blessings, more fun. Since this is Sunday, you can guess I'm referring to our worship today. We began a new start time today -- 10:30. Most of the people remembered. But it seemed we were very disorganized. The chorus CDs weren't cued and things like that which drive me nuts! But it was still a good worship. I preached about the time Jesus "cleansed" the temple by driving out those who were desecrating it. At the end we dismissed -- er, I mean we adjourned -- to finish the service at Longview Hills Clubhouse. Now, I need to explain. Quite a few of our people live in this modular home estate about a mile from the church -- across the highway and up the hill. They have a hot tub and we had people to be baptised. What a better place. So at the end of our church service we journeyed up the hill and had a hot tub service. Since there is not a whole lot of us (17 at this service, a few more at the church) we met in the hot tub room. I concluded the sermon there by reminding everyone that in the Old Testament they used ritual hand washing to indicate a heart and life that was right with God. So I washed the hands of anyone who had stuff in their lives that they were asking God to cleanse. It was a ritual washing but I think rather meaningful.

Then we participated in the sacrament of communion. Then... the baptism. Three people were baptised -- one was a teen boy and another a young adult lady. The third was a lady who just recently came to saving faith in Jesus. An interesting side note is that she used to live in Grants Pass and visited our church there in the middle 90s. She didn't attend long and we don't remember her (she doesn't remember us either). It was a great time! Love it!!

One picture is of the hand washing and the other of Austin just after being baptised.

at the parsonage. Got two pickup loads of old lumber and yard debris hauled off, power washed the outside (mildew collects easily here), cut a big hole in the living room carpet and put the piece in the room in the garage (office or spare bedroom), pulled the carpet in the smelly bedroom and discovered quite a few soft spots in the underlayment (moisture from ... oh no, not a dog!!!!). So the guys pulled that up and will replace it this week. The ladies re-stained some bad places on the kitchen cabinets and we did a few other odd jobs. The new carpet will be ordered tomorrow and will be installed when we clear out.

We have a man in ICU in the hospital. He had surgery on Tuesday and has a lot of recovery ahead of him. So, in addition to visiting him we have a lot of "getting ready to leave" stuff to do this week.

And that's what's in my world. What's in yours?

Progress and Plans

Progress is good. So are plans. We have both. It is happening. Regarding the work on the parsonage... new windows have been picked out and ordered. New carpet is picked out and will be ordered this week. The windows will be installed about the time we move out and the carpet right afterward. The kitchen cabinets need a little work and Larry and I are going to do that Wednesday. We have a work day scheduled for Saturday to do some general clean-up and a little painting. If we can save considerable money by removing the old carpet ourselves we will also do that Saturday (and if we have enough people). We might also power wash the outside of house. There will be a little painting outside to be done but that can wait until later.

I preached yesterday and will two more times. This coming week will be busy getting ready for a baptism we are going to have next Sunday. More about that next time. Joyce and I are anxious to get on with the next phase of our lives but are also going to miss these wonderful people. So we are a little mixed in our emotions. We face a busy summer so that will keep us focusing ahead, instead of looking back.

Wannna see the dead whale? I kind of thought it would be the highlight of your week!!! That is Joyce way off to the right and two of our friends are walking toward her.

Well, that's my world. What's in yours?

We Have A Pastor!

Don't miss this, it's exciting. We have a pastor!!! Yes, we do. I'm excited (can you tell?). His name is William (he goes by Willy) Burns. His wife is Angel (she is!). They have two preschool children, Joshua and Nicholas. He is presently serving as the youth pastor in a church in northeast Washington. They used to live in Redmond, OR. They are excited about coming here and taking on the role of senior pastor. There will probably be a transition period as he learns about ministering to people of all ages but he has a lot of potential -- I should say, they have a lot of potential because his wife is right in there along side him. Nick decided to be a little camera shy when we took this picture. They were here this past weekend, he preached, and they meet with some of the congregation for Q&A. Today (Tuesday) they met with the Conference board that interviews candidates and appoints pastors. I learned just a few minutes ago that he has been officially appointed here. Whoopee!

As it stand now, I will preach the first 3 Sundays of June, my last Sunday will be June 17, Ellis will preach for 3 Sundays, then Willy will arrive by July 15. That is the Sunday I had planned to be here with the family so I will do something to "turn over" the church to him. A kind of symbolic thing, like handing the gavel to the new committee chairman. Any ideas on what to do?

Just for the record, today is a beautiful day, temp in the 70s, not much wind. Ellis, Kathy, Joyce and I went down to view the dead whale this morning. It washed up on shore down by Seal Rock a few days ago. It is big... and smelly! A rather awesome sight. We are moving ahead with updating the parsonage -- but slowly. I guess some of these things take more time than I would like.

Well, that's my world -- and a bright, shiny one it is. What in yours?

Sailing West

Once upon a time there were two sailing ships. The people on board one ship thought the world was flat. They were afraid to sail far out to sea for fear of falling off the edge of the earth. So they sailed up and down the coast, visiting a few ports, raising and lowering their sails, going out a few miles only to turn back when the sight of land drew dim. They sang little songs like "Ho, Ho, Ho," said "Arggggggg" to each other, and pretended to be tough and brave. The people on the other ship had always been taught the world was flat but that didn't stop them from going far out to sea. Sometimes they had doubts, sometimes they were even afraid. But they continued on. Because they didn't limit themselves to the shoreline, they saw new sights, visited exciting new ports, discovered exotic lands, and met lots of interesting people. They sailed by the motto, "Ships were not designed to stay in the harbor."

There are people who live like the first ship. There are people -- thankfully -- who live like the second ship. And a church is really just a ship full of people. How far into uncharted water will be venture? How brave will we be? What will we accomplish because we didn't stay where it is safe? When Christopher Columbus was sailing the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria from the old world to the new world for the first time he didn't know what to expect. Sometimes the crew was a little surly; Columbus had to keep encouraging them. They experienced all the fears, problems, and doubts that could be imagined. Remember, ol' Chris had never been there either. But his confidence and his progress was demonstrated in his nightly log entry: "today we sailed west."

Well, today we sailed west. I'm not sure how much progress we made. Ellis preached a great message; some people responded. We sang, we prayed, we worshiped. It was good. It was progress. Even if we only had slightly more than half the attendance we had last Sunday. So we sailed west. Maybe not very far; maybe not very fast; but definitely west.

The next pastor will have the privilege of discovering the exotic new places the church can go. He will help the church meet lots of interesting new people. He will keep the ship sailing in the right direction. And... he will be here next Sunday to preach and be interviewed by the Leadership Team. Now I have to confess, this is not a done deal but we are hoping (praying!) "he is the one." If the people like him, if the Conference likes him, if he likes us, and if God wills, it will happen.

Last week we had hot weather in Grants Pass. Today it is raining and 58 degrees in Newport. It is supposed to be nice weather all week and then rain for Memorial Day weekend. Sounds like Oregon doesn't it?

Well that's my world. What's in yours?

Happy Mom's Day

This was an awesome week. No real big reason. Just a few rather large reasons. The weather was nice, a little cool but mostly sunny. Then on Friday we had company -- Ron and Joan. I was a candle lighter in their wedding 50 years ago in Eugene (I was a very young candle lighter!). Since this is their Golden Anniversary they are trying to touch base with those who were part of their special day so many years ago. They live in Washington, in the Olympia area. Joan's mom was my Sunday school teacher and we have a lot of fond memories of those days. So it was a fun evening of eating out and ambling down memory lane. On Saturday Ginger came to spend time with her mom (and maybe me). She stayed for church Sunday and then helped us load the pickup for a trip to Grants Pass. We had a nice mom's day lunch on Saturday at a quaint little restaurant near the bay in Newport and then another one at McDonald's on Sunday. It was really good to have her visit for a little while.

The worship service was fun on Sunday. Our regular pianist was visiting her kids so we borrowed a lady who used to attend the church. She and her husband were the worship leaders "back then." In addition, he taught a Bible study and they were loved by everyone. Unfortunately he had a stoke and died last fall (before we got there so we didn't know him). So she came to be our pianist and the folks who knew them as worship leaders surprised her with a nicely worded plaque and a tree in honor of her husband. Then after church we planted the tree. She plays the piano beauoooooootifully. It was indeed a spirited worship time!

And now we are in Grants Pass soaking up some heat -- almost too much heat. It was 87 today. I noticed in the paper it was 57 in Newport. But sunny! Joyce is working at the day care this week -- about 3 or 4 hours each afternoon. As usual there is plenty to do and it seems most of it is "catchup" from what has been neglected.

I do not have to preach this coming Sunday because a man in our church is taking care of that. It makes this week a lot easier for me. Then the following Sunday the man who is the potential next pastor will be preaching. Pray that works out well.

Oh, I need to clarify something from the last blog. I didn't mean to imply that we won first place in the parade. We won the Judge's Trophy and on top it says "1st place" -- I guess that means first in the judge's estimation. There was also a Queen's Trophy and a couple others. And.... guess what? The newspaper listed all the trophy winners. For the Judge's Trophy they listed: "Community Church." So much for name familiarity, huh?

Well, that's my world. What's in yours?

God's Blessings Are Truely Great

Well, this was float and parade weekend. Let me give you the long story. During the week we (meaning Joyce and I and various church people -- we even wrangled my nephew and his wife into helping for a few hours) spent considerable time getting signs ready for the float. Friday morning the trailer was delivered to us. It was a flat equipment trailer owned by a neighbor down the street. Six of us put in about 8 hours Friday putting on signs, flowers, ferns, and skirting. We used plastic table cloths and hula skirts from the dollar store because they said it always rains on the Loyalty Days Parade, i.e. no paper. Saturday morning it was up early and down to the staging area where we finished some last minute things that we weren't sure would make the 2 miles trip down the highway. By 10:00 we were ready for the judging and then it was wait, wait, wait until our turn in the parade. There were 96 entries and we were number 90! The parade started at noon but we started at 1:00.

I need to describe the float. We had two 5 foot by 5 foot pictures; one of the old church (circa 1942) and one of the present church. Friend Richard in Grants Pass ran these thru his computer and put the pieces together to make the large pictures. These were mounted back-to-back on plywood and divided the trailer into "then" and "now." This coincided with the parade theme "Reflections of 125 Years" because Newport was incorporated in 1882. Our theme was "Lighting the Way Since 1923." That's when the Free Methodist Church started in the Newport area. On the old side we had 3 ladies dressed in period costume, old quilts, and some old chairs, etc. On the new side we had a lighthouse plus our guests of honor, Dick and Sherry Kammerzell. Dick was pastor here from 1976 to 1993 and was very involved in the community so lots of people along the parade route recognized him. We used my truck to pull the float and it was a real kick watching the people as they called out to him or his wife.

Everything went so smoothly and we all had loads of fun working together -- even though it was a lot of work!! But here's the blessing part. As we entered the parade procession a lady ran out and handed Dick a trophy. I didn't see it but Joyce called out, "we won a trophy." I couldn't stand it so I stopped the truck and ran back to see what it was. It said -- are you ready for this -- "Judges Trophy - First Place." It stands about 2 feet high! God is good, isn't he? It sort of confirmed that every one's hard work was recognized.

Today in church, Dick and Sherry shared as I interviewed them. We had a reception for them afterward. Some of our regular people were gone but visitors came so we did well and two of the visitors would like more contact with the church.

So, now Joyce and I are worn out. I think we're too old for this!!! But God gives strength. It's fun following where he leads. Wonder what's next?





The now side












Dick and Sherry















The "then" side with Patty, Kathy, and Sally.

Happy May Day

Happy May Day. Trust you have had a good month of April but that May will be even better. We are busily engaged in getting a float ready for the Loyalty Days and Sea Fair Parade this coming Saturday. That means putting together pictures and banners and getting decorations ready. Friday will be the actual day of float building. Yesterday evening we put clear contact paper on two large pictures (old church and new church) so if it rains they won't get ruined. I'm told it usually rains for the Loyalty Days parade. Hope to have pictures to show you next week. Why are we doing this? We keep asking ourselves the same question! Actually, it is simply for name recognition -- to make the church name more familiar in the community.

Sunday we had a man and wife visit the church who may be the next pastor. Joyce and I spent Sunday afternoon talking with them. He has no experience being a senior pastor but he has been a youth pastor for 5 years. He has to begin someplace and he seems to have the passion and compassion needed for this kind of ministry. He is coming back later to be interviewed by our board and to preach. Stay tuned.

The church decided to borrow the money from the conference to repair the parsonage. This will put it in proper shape for the next pastor and his family. That work will begin as soon as possible -- next week if we can. This will be a positive step forward for the church.

Stay tuned for news about the float. It will be fun.

Not Much News II

Today began with rain but ended up as a beautiful sunny day. We went to Izzy's for lunch with Joyce's brother and his wife. Our worship time was good but some people out of town and others ill. We didn't have a quorum for the leadership meeting so we took no action on an item that needed action. We'll do it next week. Stay tuned.

Back and Forth and Up

We are in Grants Pass now. It's back and forth we go - to and fro. We drove down the coast Sunday and it was a beautiful day -- a little chilly but nice and sunny with just a hint of fog to make distant scenes look wispy. We go back to Newport Friday. The "up" is real nice, too. There were 27 in worship Sunday. Okay, that's less than the 42 on Easter but the great part is that ALL of these were local people. No out-of-town visitors. Isn't that great? The church is coming back from the precipice.

We had a leadership meeting after worship and they wrestled with some significant options centering around their property. A motion was made and then tabled (at my suggestions) to be acted on this next Sunday. This will give people time to think and pray on the decision. Stay tuned. I'll talk about the final decision in the next blog. All in all, I felt good about Sunday. I didn't even like the sermon going in! But it turned out to be a good, spirit-filled day and I guess the sermon was okay. Oh, let me tell you about "yellow Sunday." That's what we had and everyone wore yellow, or something yellow on what they wore. And we had some simple yellow artificial flowers to pin on anyone who didn't have yellow. There is no theological reason for this. It's just that I started it when we were in St. Helens so I could wear my yellow sport jacket and not feel out of place. Agate Beach is now the third church to "inherit this tradition." It is lots of fun and everyone enjoys it because yellow is such a bright color. The cover of the worship folder was a simple, line drawing of a church to be colored in like in a child's picture. Everyone also got a small box of color crayons. During the sermon I had them color in parts of the picture in response to the sermon. I though it was fun!!!!!

The picture is of our pianist and the fuzzy headed preacher! Her name is Joyce so we have to be careful people know which one we are referring to.

Well, hang in there with us. We love the church and the people at Agate Beach but one of these days this blog will be talking about something else. But for now, this is our life and we love it.

Holy Week!

Busy week getting ready for all the activities of Easter. First of all, we had a Good Friday evening service called Tenebrae or Service of Darkness. Those present thought it was a good reminder of what Jesus went through in paying the price for our sins. I thought it was effective but I was disappointed that more people were not there. Saturday we spent part of the day cleaning the church and doing some weeding outside. "Outside" meant working in a light mist and heavy wind. In fact, right now (Sunday evening) it is raining and wind is howling at the windows. Today was good. We began with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, strawberry waffles, fruit, orange juice, coffee, etc. Then Joyce did a chalk drawing from about 10:40 to 11:00. People could sit in the worship area, listen to the music or visit, and watch a scene of the Garden Tomb unfold in front of them. Our worship was mainly centered on those who were witnesses of the resurrection. I think it was a good worship time and the people seemed to agree. We had quite a few visitors from the neighborhood at both the breakfast and the worship with a total of 42 at worship. That included about 5 or 6 children. Many of the extra folks were from the church neighborhood. So all in all, a good day. And I'm tired so this will be short. Keep remembering us.

A Little Different Day

This is a picture of some of the ladies in Joyce's Bible study group. This is the end of the hour when they get to play! They are painting some ceramics Joyce's sister, Sharon brought down.

Things went quite differently at church yesterday -- but still good. If you know me very well, you know that I like things to be all planned out, everything in order, and everything to go as planned. But I know it doesn't always happen that way. Sunday it didn't. We have our music and scripture for the sermon on PowerPoint and projected onto the wall (as a screen). Well, the thing wouldn't work! The guy operating it just couldn't get the projector to recognize the computer and project all the stuff onto the screen. A few minutes before 11:00 I asked him if he thought he could get it working, or should I start photocopying words to the choruses. I photocopied. Fortunately that didn't take too long for the choruses and the two hymns we were singing were in the hymnal. So we did it "the old fashioned way." That worked okay and nobody minded. We'll get the think fixed for next weekend.

Since Sunday was both Palm Sunday and April Fool's Day, I began with a little thing about important events that had happened on April 1. All this was leading up to singing happy anniversary to a couple in our church who were married on this date. This was also Jana and Korak's anniversary. We had a good time and someone commented that the Lord was certainly present. In addition to Him, there were 28 there -- eight were visitors from out of the area. That includes our friends from Grants Pass, Ken and Ruth Curphey. After worship -- actually after our coffee and donuts after worship -- "we" distributed over 300 invitations to Good Friday and Easter. And another 200 are being passed out in the retirement community across the hiway. The "we" who did the distributing were actually ten! Isn't that great!

Speaking of Ken and Ruth, they came Saturday and got "roped" into accompanying Joyce and I to dinner and then to see the play, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." A couple in the church was supposed to go with us but the wife got sick and couldn't go. When you visit us, you never know what will happen!

Last week I had to mow the grass! By "had" I don't mean anyone made me, it was just that tall and the day was great. There isn't much lawn so it wasn't hard except that it was tall. We also took time a couple days last week to go see the whales pass by. We saw a few the second time we went out. There are 3 good view points close by.

Now this week is intense preparation for the Good Friday Tenebrae and the Easter worship. We are praying for lots of local visitors.

Ken ordered a club sandwich. Look at the size of that thing! I won't show you the picture of Ken trying to get his mouth around that! P.S. He did NOT eat it all.

What a beautiful day for whale watching. This is taken on Cape Foulweather looking south. The point of land behind the top bar of the fence is Otter Rock. The next one up is Devil's Punchbowl. The one way up at the top is Yaquina Head. We live just this side of that one.