first week of June

Here are some highlights from the first week of June:

• Tim returned to preaching at Primera Iglesia Bautista.  He also led the viewing, funeral, and graveside services for Olivia (Lucy and Dolores’ mother).  It is a blessing to see him back in ministry.  He is quite a gifted pastor.  It was amazing to me to see the family dynamics and the way they surrounded Olivia with love as they cared for her at home during her final days.  Family members drove or flew in from all over the country to be with her.  Sometimes there were over 20 people at Olivia’s house!  It was incredible to see how the family came together, supported one another, and grieved together.  What a priviledge it was to minister to this family during and after Olivia’s passing.
• We attended Verronica’s graduation from Santa Fe High School.  Verronica is Eunice’s daughter, and Eunice is the accompanist at Primera.  It was a very hot and very buggy evening.  We were really far out in the country, so I think there were 10 species of bugs that landed on me throughout the night!
• I had fun spending time with Harriet- taking her to pay bills and installing a shower curtain, liner, and bath mat.  I picked up the grab bars for her bathtub at Lowe’s.  Hopefully they will be installed this week.
• On Wednesday, Tim and the rest of the UMCOR staff attended the Texas Annual Conference, the annual meeting of Methodist Churches in Texas.  The Rita Recovery organization from Beaumont was honored for all their work since Hurricane Rita.  I think they completed around 735 homes over several years- wow!  Disaster Recovery from Hurricane Ike was also honored for completing 100 homes.  Everyone wore their official 100 homes shirts.  Tim was humbled that we received an almost standing ovation.  Tim went out to lunch with some of the UMCOR staff and the leader of the Russian team, Evgeni, who is here this week.  Of course, there were no pictures of this fine event since I wasn’t there, but maybe there will be some soon on the TAC website: http://www.txcumc.org/.
• I couldn’t go to the conference due to my OB appointment.  The doctor says the baby is doing well, and my stomach is the right size for being 28 weeks.  I heard the baby’s heartbeat, and everything sounds good.  I also had my 1 hour glucose test, anemia test, and Rhogam injection because my blood type is Rh negative and Tim’s is positive.  Apparently, it prevents my body from developing antibodies that would hurt an Rh positive fetus.  Unless any of the test results are an issue, I won’t hear anything back until my next month appointment.  I am feeling well except sometimes dizzy in the mornings, which could be any number of things.  It is a blessing to feel Curly Bean moving.  The baby is definitely getting bigger and so is my belly! 
• Attending the annual Sandcastle Competition on Saturday- see separate post below.
• Finding a nice “country cookin” restaurant off the island called Kelley’s for Sunday lunch.  One plate of chicken tenders is enough for 3 meals!  The portions were ridiculous, but we like leftovers.  The food was really good too, but it was incredibly countrified (which in my book means all the extra calories that come with goodness).  Definitely shouldn’t make weekly trips there.  🙂
• Cutting Barkley’s hair short again.  After taking Barkley to the seawall for a long walk early in the week and discovering a new doggie scent which Tim called “death sweat,” we decided it was time to shave the pooch.  He was so incredibly stinky it was unbelievable.  So, I spent an hour and a half with my stinky dog shut in the bathroom shaving off the hair (and the stink!).  After a nice bath, he smelled much better!  He is much more comfortable now during 9o some degree days in Galveston. 
• It was my sister Amber’s birthday on Wednesday too.  She is coming to visit for a month on June 22nd.  I am so looking forward to it!  🙂

Those are all the highlights of the week that I can think of.  It was a good but hot week.  I can’t  believe it’s the first week of June already!  Where is the time going?  Hope you had a good week too!

Galveston prayer update from 6-2-10

Here is a copy of the prayer update we sent out recently via email to those on our list:

Hi all!

It’s been awhile since we emailed a prayer update.  We have mostly been posting things on our blogs.  We are looking forward to sharing more of our ministry and lives with you once again!  We are so so so grateful for the way you all have lifted us up in prayer recently.  We have felt your prayers and desperately needed them!  Thank you for blessing us with your constant love and support. 

If you want to check more frequently for updates, here are the blog addresses:
–https://timandjenn.wordpress.com

–http://meandmybraintumor.wordpress.com

We will be blogging about Tim’s recovery specifically on the brain tumor blog, while our other blog will continue to share updates about ministry, life, and other fun stuff in Galveston. 

Here are some ways you can be praying for us:

• Disaster Recovery- Please continue to pray for UMCOR and their work here.  Pray for missionaries Susan and Monty as they travel home and take a 3 month break.  Please pray for future direction for their ministry also.  Pray for the new staff members arriving from Beaumont in the next few weeks.  Pray for our friend and construction manager Sandy, who had suffered a minor stroke and heart attack.  Doctors are still monitoring him and trying to figure out what’s wrong while he returns to work light duty.
• Primera Iglesia- Now that Tim is recovered from the surgery, he is back officially working at Primera.  He preached this Sunday, which was a blessing.  We ask that you also pray for our friends Lucy and Dolores, whose 97 year old mother had a heart attack a week ago and went home to be with Jesus on Saturday.  The entire congregation knew and loved this founding member of the church.  Please pray that in the future months, the congregation would be available to the Holy Spirit and ministering to the community. 
• Other friends who need our prayers-
  • Friends at University Baptist Church- especially Ruth who is struggling with blood clots with an unknown caus
  • Billy and Dawn- used to pastor UBC and still don’t have jobs.  Billy is finishing a temporary job and Dawn is providing childcare for their son who lost his wife at the beginning of April.  Please pray for discernment and peace for their family
  • Dawn’s brother Keith who had a stroke that has left him blind in one eye
• Healing for Tim- It has been an incredible journey for us over the past few months, both with Tim’s surgery and recovery and with carrying and preparing for the arrival of our baby in September.  Tim has successfully made it through the first week of chemo, so we are grateful for that.  Please pray that the chemo would shrink the tumor and that Tim would remain healthy and strong throughout taking it.  Tim is taking the chemo 5 days, then has 23 days off.  In this monthly cycle, they will be monitoring his blood work and MRIs to see if the tumor is shrinking.  We pray that God would continue to write his story in our lives and develop a testimony of his goodness!  (which he already has and is!)
• Discernment- We are at another stage of our lives and work in disaster relief.  After taking a few months break to deal with health issues, we are trying to figure out what we should be doing.  There are also many complicated decisions to make in the next few months regarding details such as insurance, work, and ministry options.  Please pray that we would remain available and aware of what God wants to do through us.  We expect to be in Galveston at least through the end of the year, but we are also waiting on God to provide the next step.  Who knows?  It may be staying here in Galveston for longer than we anticipate.   
• Curly Bean-  We are excited about the birth of our baby in September.  Please pray for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.  🙂  We are starting childbirth classes this month and are preparing the nursery for our little one. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord turn his face toward you and grant you his peace!
Blessings!

the word from pastor tim 6-6-10

Now it’s time for a sermon in English!  🙂  Tim preached at Primera today, but no one translated.  It was an opportunity for him to develop some rhythm while preaching because he didn’t have to pause every sentence for translation.  In the sermon, Tim talks about what it would be like if Jesus came to Galveston, but, basically, you could remove the word Galveston and insert your own town and the message would apply to you!  Be blessed!

Sermon: “Galveston Jesus”

Text: Luke 7:11-23

To listen, click here:

To download, click here: Galveston Jesus 6-6-10

Sandcastle Competition

Galveston Idol

Tap that App

A Throne for my Castles

Rock music

Saturday afternoon we attended the AIA Sandcastle Competition on the East Beach of Galveston, which is the most eastern point on the island, a few miles out from the ferry.  It was a beautiful day for some fun in the sun- if you like Galveston heat.  I think it was about 92 degrees when we decided to go around 2:30pm in the afternoon, which was around the time of judging.  We wanted to see the sculptures in their final form, although so did everyone else- hugely crowded.  I think we may have picked the worst time to go.  We parked for free and tried to take a free shuttle from Stewart Beach to East Beach- a few miles away.  By the time we found the shuttle, there was a long line.  I was not too impressed at waiting 45 minutes in the blazing heat, especially since I am pregnant.  I did bring a huge bottle of water with me and lathered on the sunscreen so all was well to start out.  I was grateful for the wonderful breeze coming from the gulf.  Thank God the shuttle was air conditioned, which helped prepare my body for the next part of the journey.  East Beach was packed full of tourists and kids playing in the gulf.  There was about a mile long stretch of sand castle sculptures which we walked through and then walked back along the gulf to keep our feet in the water.  Of course the wait for the shuttle back was over an hour, and we were two dehydrated monkeys by the end of the day! (It didn’t help too much that we took a four mile walk on the seawall on Friday; my legs were already tired!)  In reality, I don’t think there would have been a better way to get to this remote point on the island; if we drove ourselves, we would have sat in traffic for hours anyway.  Then again, the car would have at least been air conditioned.  🙂 

The sand sculptures were quite amazing.  Themes ranged from Alice in Wonderland (sand) to legos, to sea life, to all kinds of crazy things.  It is obvious how much planning goes into each one and how talented the people are who make them.  A lot of them had themes that played on commericals or movies.  My favorites were the Space Invaders one (lots of detail and geometry) and how to train a dragon.  I think Tim’s was the throne for the castles one with a big toilet… just kidding.  He liked the octopus one the best.  I have posted a bunch of pictures of the ones I thought were really good for those of you who have never seen this type of art.  There are many pictures, but there were many more creations.  I had never been to a sandcastle competition before, so I was very impressed at everyone’s creativity!  There was a sand version of the Stanley Cup there.  N0 worries- we claimed it for the Philadelphia Flyers- so even if they don’t win the real one, they will have this one instead!

Overall it was a fun event worth going to, but I think I might plan a little differently next year so we wouldn’t spend hours sweltering in the heat!  

Legos

20,000 Legos Under the C

More legos

Sandville- lots of turtles

Now famous volcano

Texas focused entry

i byte

Droid

Alice in Wondersand

Another Alice exhibit

Alice in Galvestonland

Wonders of the world

Train Your Dragon

How we Train our Dragon

Seuss in Sand Made by Hand

Building one block at a time

Etch a sketch

Snow in Texas?

Bone Appetite

Buckyball

Car crashed into castle

Tim claiming the stanley cup for the Flyers

Space Invaders

Huge state of Texas

Heat Survivors