Starship III

 We lost our beloved Coco on Wednesday night.  She was almost 13 years and 8 months old. We got her not long after we found out Babydoll had a collaped trachea,  I knew as attached as we both were to Babydoll I knew Cheryl would cry for weeks if something happened to her.  We found Coco at breeder in Perryville AR.  She soon captured our hearts just like Babydoll did.   We had a lot of good times together.  The most fun was probably the trip to Alaska.  Don Turney took a beautiful picture of both of the girls on that trip.  Most of you know about our NOMADS work, we even canceled one project when we found out pets were not allowed.  They went with us on all of our projects.   Fortunaly we still have the Bitsy to keep us company.   She is lost too, but probably doing better than we are.  After all, she lost her best friend and playmate.

 Bill has a Pastor friend that he likes to fish with at Lakeview.  Last Monday they decided it was a good day to fish - Any bad day fishing is better that an good day anywhere else, right??  Well...... Doug was helping Bill get into the canoe and somehow something went wrong and Bill fell in.  Billfold, cell phone, credit cards, etc., etc.  Doug happened to have a blanket, so he gave it to Bill to dry off somewhat so he could drive home.  Immediately jumped into a hot shower. About an hour later, Doug called to make sure Bill had made it home okay.  He apologized profusely. Later that afteroon Doug called again. Same thing, asking if he was okay and asked if Cheryl was mad at him for "throwing him in". Then, Tuesday we had friends over for lunch.  While we were eating, Bill got a text from Doug........ "When I got home and told my wife what happened, she accused me of deliberately tipping you over, so I could count you as a baptism for my preacher...

 We are in and somewhat settled in our new home in Texas.  We are SOOO happy to be Texans! Their motto is "Don't Mess With Texas!"   The move went smoothly.  Because of the one-lane driveway and the fact that it had rained on Saturday, the moving van driver decided it was not wise to try to make the turn into the driveway, so he had to go rent a U-Haul, back it up to the van in the road, transer everything into the  U-Haul, back the U-Haul up the driveway, unload, repeat, then repeat again.  They finished about 6:30 on Sunday night.  But surprisingly, the only thing that was damaged was a fan.  We highly recommend United Van Lines for anyone who needs to move.  They were great to work with. Grace, our housekeeper and great friend, showed up the day after the movers came, and literally unpacked all the boxes! We could not have done all this without her!  She has been such a wonderful help.  She had Christmas with us, then left t...

 After spending five months this summer at Lakeview and much prayer and listening, we came to the conclusion that we are supposed to be in Texas.  So we came back home and decided to put the house on the market, and if it sold quickly, it would be God's sign to us that it is the direction that He wants us to take.  We expected it to take two or three weeks for it to sell. It sold the first day!  With a backup offer the next day for more than full price.   Let the whirlwind begin!  We bought a house in Texas on three acres, where Bill can have a woodworking shop and Cheryl can have a small space for stained glass.  Mind you, we haven't SEEN the house yet, but we bought it!  How is that for Faith?  We did have someone do a Facetime, so we got to "see it" a little. We are excited about it! The  movers will be here Saturday, then we will be on our way to a new chapter in our lives.  I'll try to write more often when (IF) things slo...

  This was our radar at 6:38 this morning.  Palestine is left center on the screen.  Praise God it missed us.  We didn't even have any wind or rain from the hurricane.  Many of the guests who evacuated from Beaumont have returned to their homes.  Some have stayed on.  God is so good!

 We have been preparing rooms for up to nearly 300 evacuees from Hurricane Laura.  Mostly from Beaumont and the Houston area.  She is scheduled to hit tonight, and we are grateful that these people were able to get out.  Many are from Assisted Living homes.  Some came in ambulances.  Some drove all night.  Some came with their belongings in U-Hauls, at least one family brought a hospital bed, another has a generator in the back of their truck.  This is real life, folks.  It is so rewarding to be able to help in this situation, and we thank God that we are here.  Please pray for us that we will be shining examples of ambassadors for Christ.   It has been hot and humid, so it's very difficult to work outside except early morning, just like in Arizona, except we aren't used to the humidity again. Today is Coco's 13th birthday!  She is still going strong.  Bitsy is just Bitsy! She was moping the other day because she knew...

 Last month, we did something we have never done, and will probably never do again - we went on a hog hunt.  There are approximately one and a half MILLION hogs in Texas, and people are encouraged to kill as many as possible.  They are a very invasive species and will ruin entire fields of crops in one night.  They destroyed several areas of lawn, including rooting up irrigation systems.  Lakeview hired some professional hog hunters and we got to go along.  I won't gross you out with the details, but the night we went with them, they got a 250 pound hog!  That was a lot of bacon!  One of the guys processed it, which included soaking it in salt water for four days.   We have painted exterior doors on one entire set of dorms, cut lots of bushes, trimmed more trees and served in the cafeteria.  We have had two groups of people.  Most have cancelled.  One group was 185 people,  youth groups from a few of the local churche...

lakeviewmcc.org   for pictures and info about where we are. We have now been at Lakeview for over two months.  We have completed several small projects and a few large ones since our last post. 1.  We painted and redecorated a small bathroom in the Great Hall.  2.  Stabilized some overloaded bookshelves in a storage room and built new ones along one entire wall and part of another. 3.  Repaired walls, removed tape, glue etc.  Repainted Game Room. Added chalkboard paint to one area, hoping the kids will write on it instead of the walls and windows!  Also added a divider between the game room and the snack room.  Made a board covered with burlap and put behind the dart boards. 4.  Started painting 24 doors in one of their dorm sections. We drove over to a little country store about 35 miles away.  Had some of their famous homemade peach ice cream and bought some fresh veggies.  Love the little stores in rural Texas. Eve...

This has been a wonderful two and a half weeks at Lakeview.  We did lots of little odd jobs but felt like we made a difference.  One major project was we helped build a new stage background wall at one of the conference halls.  That took two and a half days. We got a screwdriver bit (of all things) in a brand new car tire.  One of the maintenance men plugged it for us, then we went into Discount Tire the next morning to have it fixed.  They did not charge us anything.  Another blessing!  God is always taking care of us. Cheryl made face masks for all the staff and employees.  Bill gave them all a pen that he had made.  Everyone seemed so appreciative. They gave us parting gifts,  family pictures, a framed picture of the Cross in Lake Lemon, hand made soap and a beautiful new wind chime after ours broke. Some had brought us homemade muffins.  They are just the nicest people and we love them all.  They are falling on some har...

Good morning from the beautiful Piney Woods of East Texas.  We escaped to one of our favorite places in the whole world, Lakeview United Methodist Conference Center, in the middle of 1300 acres of nowhere, south of Palestine TX.  We have worked here on numerous NOMADS projects. It is, unfortunately, closed for summer camp this year because of the virus, so they are taking this opportunity to spiffy everything up hopefully to host the Texas Aggies Freshman Orientation in the Fall. It's good to be back in the South, where everyone takes care of everyone else.  Yesterday, a lady brought cookies for all the employees. They invited us as one of them.  One of the Maintenance men was helping us with a tire, so one of the Housekeeping ladies wasn't sure he could make it, so she brought him some cookies.  It's the true sense of Community. We somehow picked up a screwdriver bit in a tire on the car.  Brand new tire, bought them just before we left AZ!  One...

Good Afternoon from Deming New Mexico.  We escaped Sun Lakes on Monday morning.  Spent a couple of nights in Casa Grande.  Will spend a couple of nights here before going on to Pecos TX.  Ok, ok, before y'all all get your panties into a wad, we haven't had contact with any more people than we would have at home.  We stopped once for fuel at Flying J, Bill used his mask and gloves to fuel up and to pay.  Stopped at rest areas for lunch and to let the girls out.  Ate from the freezer and fridge.  When we get to the RV park for the night, we have already made our reservations and paid, so they have our instructions and site number in a mailbox outside - don't even have to see anyone!  They have people parked farther apart with at least one space (about 20 ft or more) between coaches.  Everyone is friendly but keeps their distance.  Contrary to what our government thinks, we Americans DO have common sense and can think for ourselves....

Last week in Sunday School we were talking about plans and how our plans must be in line with God's plans. Plans are changing by the hour, it seems, because of the virus. The coach is all packed, except for freezer and fridge stuff, and a few last minute things.  Plans were to go to Palm Creek (RV resort in Casa Grande) a few days then go to the Family Motor Coach Assn (FMCA) RV rally in Tucson next week.  Palm Creek has closed all its buildings, and the rally has been cancelled. So that took care of that!  Then just this morning, we got news that all the NOMADS volunteer regular and Disaster Rebuild projects have been cancelled until May 7.  That was the three-week project we were going to be doing in North Carolina.  God had other plans, so we are forced to hunker down for several more weeks.  Bill is working on making some more pens, and I will order fabric on-line and make a quilt!  Bill is having withdrawals from shopping!!! We pray tha...

If you wish to be notified when we do a new post, please click on SUBSCRIBE at the top of our blog, and you will receive an email when we post. You ask "What is NOMADS?" NOMADS is an acronym for Nomads on a Mission Active in Divine Service.  It is a mission of the United Methodist Church, but you don't have to be a Methodist to belong.  You just have to have an RV and love helping other people.  We have been a member since 2008, but we started our work with Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  There are two "sections", regular projects which include helping at churches, colleges, nursing homes, and summer camps and conference centers.  The other is Disaster Rebuilding.  We have done both.  Disaster Rebuilding is our first love.  We love meeting the homeowner, however we don't always get to do this.  This puts a face with the home where we are working and makes it more personal.  Homeowners are those who don't have insurance or other means of ...

Gosh, it has been two months since I have posted an update.  Time flies when you are having fun. Bill has finished his outdoor kitchen cabinet. It has one big drawer on one side for charcoal, lighter, and wood chips and three drawers on the other side for utensils, etc.  We picked out some really gorgeous tiles with a metallic element for the top to make it heat-resistant.  He trusted me with the painting!  He is now working on sliding shelves to go under the bathroom sinks for laundry supplies.  I had one cataract surgery done two weeks ago.  That eye is completely recovered nicely.  I will have the other one done tomorrow.  Praying that it will go as well. I learned how to sew at my mother's knee when I was 8 years old, or younger.  I learned on her old Singer treadle machine.  Remember those old machines you had to pump with your foot?  And you had to turn the wheel BACKWARDS to get it going?  I have wanted one sinc...

Let me preface this by saying that people all over the U.S. read our blog, many knew our dilemma before we left on our trip, many do not.  We have had the Spirit's urging more and more recently about whether we are in the right place in our spiritual life.  We thought that the time away from everything on our Texas trip would help clear the fog in our minds.  We think it did.  We are now in the process of moving our church membership to Risen Savior Lutheran.  Before leaving we visited several different churches and we have come to believe that this is where God wants us to be at this time.  We were beginning to realize that the church we were going to was getting farther and farther from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and more toward the culture of today and trying to please everyone without offending anyone.  This is not to say we are right and they are wrong, but to say that this is not where our spiritual security is.  We cannot afford to jeopardi...

We have had a blessed, safe, and uneventful trip home.  God is so good!  We must have seen at least 25 deer on the side of the road that had been hit by cars in central Texas.  We just prayed that God would give us safe passage as we drove through the Hill Country westward.  It rained on us a lot and the wind blew like crazy!  Flags were straight out and fluttering endlessly, which means wind speeds of over 25 mph.  We normally only drive about five hours a day and like to get settled in an RV park early so we can relax (and watch Jeopardy!)  Time spend with friends and family on this trip have been greatly cherished!  Thank you all for your special memories.  We are already planning our next project and will keep you posted on plans as they are finalized.  It is so rewarding to know you are helping someone recover from a disaster.  We have never been through a natural disaster, and hope we never do.  We just can't imagine,...

We finished our three weeks volunteering at Port Lavaca on Thursday.  Wish I had the foresight to take before and after pictures of the house, but I didn't.  We got there, unloaded tools, then started in.  By the end of the day we were all too tired to think about pictures.  The last two weeks we hung lots and lots of sheetrock, and taped and mudded lots and lots of sheetrock!!!  There were other jobs to be done too, like fixing flooring, doing some electrical work, wood siding, etc. but the majority of work at this point on the house was getting the ceilings and walls up and prepped.  This house had the roof blown off during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.  The homeowner has been living with relatives for two years.  We hope the rest of the volunteers can get her back in her house before they have to quit for the winter before Christmas.  The weather has been in cycles.  Two or three pretty days, then a front comes in, then two or three ...

Our first week is finished and we have somewhat recuperated.  We work Monday through Thursday from 8 to 4.  This may not seem like much to most of you, but we are all OLD!!!  We enjoy what we do but we work intensely.  The house we are working on was pretty much destroyed.  It would have seemed easier to have leveled it and built new, but the cost would have been much more, so we are doing what we can to get the homeowner back in her home.  Bill installed a new toilet and bathroom door, did some electrical work. I removed some floor tiles. He and I hung sheetrock.  I started mudding the sheetrock.  Other team members removed some rotting flooring and replaced the plywood.  I learned how to remove popcorn ceiling.  This is a depressed area, many homeless here, possibly because of the many hurricanes and they cannot afford to go somewhere else.  The church where we are staying has a meal on Monday night, and about half were homeless...

We stayed at Lincoln Parish Park a couple of nights backed up to a beautiful little lake.  Been here several times before while visiting Bill's (now) oldest brother.  Charles is now in Memory Care in a very lovely facility.  He has Alzheimer's and is not doing well.  He starts a sentence but cannot seem to finish it with any cohesion.  Please keep Charles and wife Wanda in your prayers.  It's very sad to see him like this and has been especially hard on Bill.  From there we went to Lakeview United Methodist Conference Center in Palestine TX  Lakeviewmcc.org    (double click)  We worked here many times and is one of our favorite places to work.  Josh Pulver, the new President, showed us around the acreage and new buildings that have been built since we were there last about 4 years ago.  This is where Cheryl did the 153 stained glass crosses for the Gift Shop that came from the Chapel windows.  Got to Port La...

We are doing our usual driving time, from about 10:40 a.m. until about 3 p.m.  Why 10:40?  Well, we don't TRY to make 10:40, nor do we try to NOT make 10:40, it just happens that we leave about that time!  A couple of times early in the trip we left at 9:40, our bodies hadn't made the switch in time zones. We reconnected with Cheryl's friend of 40+ years and spent some good time with them.  Bill saw kids and grandkids, Cheryl and Janice did lots of shopping and just hanging out.   Then to North Little Rock to see one of Cheryl's cousins which she hasn't seen in about 15 years.  We enjoyed spending time with them.  Got to eat David's Burgers, REAL burgers, hand pressed and cooked on a flattop, with endless fries, hand cut. Yummy! Then to Pine Bluff, where Bill was raised.  Went to Trinity Lutheran Church Sunday where Bill grew up.  They had their 125th Anniversary celebration.  Special service plus lunch of fried chicken a...