Bar-b-que

Now that we're in Texas, we've come to realize that bar-b-que means something very different than what we thought. What does Bar-b-que mean where you are? This Saturday, I have the priviledge of attending a 14 hour Texas (the real bar-b-que...so I'm told) bar-b-que session. I'll make sure to get pictures for ya'll.

We'd Like You to Meet...Part 1

We've decided that it's important for you to meet some of our friends and colleagues so that you know who we may be talking about. A face with a name is always a good thing. So, below are our friends the Lexows. Chuck (Dad) is an oil guru and Tamara (Mom) is the director of Middle School Ministries at Christ the King. Shelby (the older of the two) and Seth rule the house. Chuck and Tamara have been incredible friends who have made us feel welcome and normal. We've enjoyed many a night of games and movies. They're pleased to meet you.

Picnic

There is nothing like the church picnic. I remember growing up and having potluck with the whole church. I thought this was heaven...everybody brings something they really enjoy and I get to eat it. Yeah, baby! I distinctly remember the green beans with onions on top, KFC, and of course, orange/red drink.

This past Sunday was the church picnic and while there was no potluck, there was enough Bar-b-que (we are in Texas, after all) for all who attended. There were plenty of games and activities for the children, plenty of meat for the men, and nothing but blue sky for all. Enjoy the pictures. (See post below for Brian in the dunk tank)

Feeling Wet???

Yes, it's the middle of October, but as you can see, Brian had the distinct pleasure of doning his swim trunks and climbing into a dunk tank this past Sunday. We realize that where you are this seems like cruel and unusual punishment and, well, it probably is, but that's church work! (Or at least that's what his colleagues have told him.) Thankfully it was a balmy 85 degrees outside and the sun was beating down on the red tank of doom. Kids of all ages lined up to play "Dunk Vicar Boy" and had a blast... We think Brian may have enjoyed it a bit too. The verdict is still out on that one...

A New Sort-A House Bug

Below is our friendly, yet shockingly quick, chameleon. There are plenty in this area of the country. We've been told that they're good to have in the house because they eat mosquitos and spiders. That's little comfort when a lizard, which camouflages itself regularly (the ones outside have even picked up the brick look), is running about on the floor. We should name it...any ideas?

Don't you think he's super cute? We certainly do!

Our Core Group

We would like to introduce you to our core group. The students in this picture are members of the high school program at Christ the King. Part of the program is small groups; a place where they can talk about the highlights and lowlights of their weeks and a place where they can openly talk about faith struggles. Erin and I are looking forward to our time together. Please pray for these students as they interact in a world that is far from Christ centered.

Vicar Boy

Brian gave his first official vicarage sermon this past Sunday. The topic for the weekend, "Love is Patient." It went really well and he has received wonderful feedback from both the staff and the congregation. It shall remain to be seen if his new vicarage title will be "Vicar Boy." You'll have to ask him about that one...

He also helped lead worship by being a part of the worship band. Hope you enjoy the pics!

What does the name Rita mean to you?

You've probably seen the pictures...traffic jams, houses destoryed, streets deserted, flood waters rising, "Out of Gasoline" signs... but let us tell you about our journey with a hurricane named Rita...

Tuesday, September 20th: We learn that a hurricane just might be headed our way. We are advised to fill up on gasoline just in case. After finding one gas station out of gas already, Erin sits in line for half an hour at another while panic sets in. People are angry because your line is in their way, they're frustrated because the person at the pump is filling up a gas can, too, they make hand jestures at each other that don't need to be repeated. We're all in this together, right?

Wednesday, September 21st: A category 5 hurricane is definitely headed our way. Houston sits right smack dab in the middle of the dreaded "cone of uncertainty." We hit the grocery stores to find the shelves scraped clean of almost every nonperishible item they once held. We gather some canned green beans, mixed tropical fruit, apples and Propel water (which if you're wondering, we found the strawberry-kiwi flavor isn't bad!) No such luck finding a flashlight, batteries, and other items for hunkering down. People have reverted back to pushing and shoving, jumping in line, it's mass chaos... and this causes us to feel stress. In bed that night we say to each other, "It's like the movie Armageddon... As if the end of the world is coming tomorrow and their is nothing we can do to stop it, so we'll just try to get some sleep so we'll be awake when it happens."

Thursday, September 22nd: The associate pastor has invited us to evacuate with his family to a town near Dallas. We look at our belongings and decide which items are irreplacible and imperitive for us to have on our person should we come back to nothing. What a sobering experience that was! After some futher discussion, it's decided that we should head to San Antonio to stay with Kari instead. As we learn more about hurricanes, we are told that to be on the west side means to be on the "safe" side. Pastor Al gives us back road directions in an effort to avoid the wall to wall traffic along I-10, the main road to San Antonio. Despite contraflow lanes being opened, people are moving nowhere. We depart at about 11:30 a.m. Half an hour later we're still in Kingwood. We aren't getting anywhere fast. With the windows rolled down to save gas and temperatures hitting record highs of 100 fehrenheit not counting humidity, we trudge our way west accross Texas averaging 10 mph. 10 hours and surprisingly only half a tank of gas later (it's amazing how far you can go when you don't have to press down on the gas pedal), we find ourselves just outside of Giddings, TX. We've seen cars out of gas, engines overheat, animals left on the side of the road to die. Despite trying to keep ourselves hydrated, we have yet had the need to use the restroom. It's 9:30 p.m. and we're ready to be done. Pastor Al's parents live in Giddings and low and behold they would love to have us stay with them. Curtis and Ruth Doering become our angels and take care of us as if we were their own grandchildren.

Friday, September 23rd: We wait... and get to visit the Wendish Museum just outside of Giddings. The Wendish people are strikingly similar to our Slovak friends. We think that's great! The Texas Department of Transportation gives us 5 free gallons of gasoline. Yes, free.

Saturday, September 24th: Rita passes Houston to the east leaving Matt and Beth's home virtually untouched. As Kingwood has no power, we make the drive back to Houston, this time in 1 1/2 hours, to stay with Matt and Beth until our home is up and running. Later that evening we are blessed to be able to return to Kingwood... power, water, unspoiled food, everything we had left behind, was waiting for us unscathed. How good God is!

Sunday, September 25th: We worship God with about 350 fellow believers and thank Him for his mercy. Later that afternoon we wish He would show a little more mercy by turning down the thermostat while we're cleaning up the yard. It's another 100+ degree day...

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

The following is a glimpse of the clean-up that awaited us upon our return. I've never seen so many pine needles in my life! Well, maybe on a tree, but not in my driveway. Our measley five "bags-o-fun" were nothing compared to other homes with fifteen or twenty!



By the way, if you're wondering, if God ever blesses us with a little girl, we won't be naming her Rita...