July News

Ok…maybe a little late…but it has been a BUSY month.

June was filled with mountains and valleys in every sense of the terms. From Estes Park, Colorado down to San Antonio, Texas…my physical altitude status was just as diverse as my emotional one. Read on to find out why…

Camino Global in Estes Park

The entire Camino Global (formerly CAM International) family converged on the YMCA facilities in Estes Park, Colorado in mid July. About 450 missionaries and their families from all over the world joined together for Convocation 2012. Worship, reunion, communion…so many things during this amazing time. The organization had not met as a whole for over 10 years…it was time to do it again. During this week, we reviewed the amazing 122 year history of Camino, installed a new president (Doug Livingston), and officially introduced the new name and branding. You can see more details by clicking here (a great video explanation of the name change, not to mention viewing the brand new Camino website…there are lots of things to discover there).

I made so many new friends that will last a lifetime. I met many missionaries that have spent their lives sharing gospel and Christ’s love in areas that do not have the abundant resources that we do. I am so honored to be counted among these people! You can see more photos here.

Friends in San Antonio

Not long after returning home from Colorado, I took a short trip to see some old friends in San Antonio. Roger and Kim Poupart served at my home church (Country Bible Church) for eight years. Roger served as senior pastor and Kim was involved in the women’s ministry…we worked on many projects (VBS and more) and planned many retreats together back then. I had a great weekend catching up, getting to know their three kids (Sarah, Hannah, and Zachary), and was blessed to attend their church (Wayside Chapel) to see Roger in action. What a great ministry God has blessed them with there! You can see more photos on my Facebook page. We toured a couple of the missions and had lunch on the Riverwalk, so there are a few fun photos to see.

Missing Our Pet

We said goodbye to our sweet Schnauzer “Sunday” last week. I know she was just a pet, but she was seven pounds of unconditional love and my closest companion during some of the hardest years for our family (she was almost 12 years old). Those of you who knew her understand the connection…especially in the years I have worked at home alone with her sitting in my lap.  Georgia can tell that something is wrong as well. She spends a lot of time looking around the house …like she will find Sunday hiding or something. We will certainly miss her.

Retiring From Politics

The primary elections are finally over…ending my fourteen year journey through the world of politics as a marketing consultant. I have to admit that I am very glad to be done with that…not the most pleasant job in the world. But I made quite a few friends along the way (now I am name dropping)… Sheriff David and Janas Byrnes, Senator Dr. Bob and Marilyn Deuell, Judge Mike and Elise Chitty, Judge Howard and Linda Tygrett, Judge Erleigh and Aaron Wiley, Judge David and Joyce Lewis, Judge Bruce and Suzie Wood, Ray and Susan Clark, Jim and Jody Deller, and many more (forgive me if I missed someone)! The sweet relationships will be the only thing I miss! I so appreciate these people and the work they do…and the things they have to put up with to serve the way they do. It is never what it seems from the outside looking in…we all think we could do it better…but these people do a great job and I certainly wouldn’t want to attempt it myself. As always, I will continue to pray for our elected officials (even the ones I don’t agree with)… I Timothy 2:1-4

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Now I can turn most of my focus toward building my support team and getting ready to go to Mexico. If you are one of those who has verbally committed to support…I will be giving you a call soon. It is time to finalize my commitments and have them officially in the books so we can see what work remains to be done. I am still short of my goal, so if you know of anyone who may be interested in a ministry like mine in Ixtapaluca, please let me know. Here is a new quick link for making donations (one time or monthly support)…Give Now!

Here We Go!

Now! Ready to jump into August…Joe moves to College Station at the end of the month and Amanda begins her senior year at DBU! Woohoo!

Update Note: As of Friday (8/3…after my newsletter went out) Joe decided to keep his job in Dallas and take classes closer to home until his Junior year. He and Amanda will be living at home, taking care of each other, the house and the pets.