Dave’s Blog

I packed the turkey away Thursday and Friday. Now time to pack clothes and strings. I also had to wrap and send all my grandkids Christmas presents since it will be too late when I return. I am done with it. The things are at the office so Lynna can send them Monday.

I already packed 700 strings last Sunday when we packed the sweaters, gloves and hats that we are taking to the girls school. I am taking another 800 with me. I don’t like to put them all in one container since things do get delayed or lost. I would hate to be there without any strings.

I am not used to having so much room in my suitcase. I usually have a couple thousand strings and pack clothes around them. I did not have to make any hard decisions as to what to take. I am taking an extra pair of shoes and a couple extra shirts that I don’t usually take.

I do take a medicine cabinet with me. I take muy regular medications in little packets, one for each day. A Z-pack of antibiotics as well as Cipro, codine pain pills, things to start my system and things to stop my system. You never know what you will get into. I also take a lot of toilet paper. I put a roll in a quart plastic bag and take out the center roller. I then can pull from the center without taking it out of the bag in case i drop the bag on the wet floor or something.

A few tea bags and single packets of coffee as well in just in case. I take 3 or 4 packets of peanuts and whatever they give on the plane so I have food to take my medications with. I am not taking any Ranch Dressing Mix or Cranberry Jello or Turkey gravy mix, because I dont think we will be working with any American Missionaries. They do miss a few of those things. So much for the cupboard.

I put all my toiletries that are creams or liquids in my shipped piece of luggage then I don’t have to dig it out for the TSA inspectors. I wear slip on shoes and no belt for quick entry through the security inspection.

I am meeting the group in Moore, OK at the church and we are driving to Dallas Airport. From there it is in the hands of God. Be flexible is the word of the day when flying. Things do happen and planes have problems. You just have to deal with it or loose your cool. I don’t like loosing my cool. This is a pleasure trip.

I have string in my carry on to do with the team and anyone else in the airport that would like to participate. I have enough so if we meet a team going somewhere I can give them 100 or so. It has happened before. Anyway, I hope to be able to blog from India.

Dave

My day started yesterday with preparing food. I gound the cranberries for a molded salad, made the dressing and put my turkey in the oven last night on low. I also had a phone call from two of my kids and I called the third. All is well and they were thinking of me.

I also went to the hospital to visit a friend that used to be my bookkeeper. She has been moved back to the nursing home and not expected to last much longer. I went to see her there but she is all but gone. Life is very fragil.

Woke up to a good smelling house and after breakfast went to the park to walk my half hour. Came back and had a phone call from Abraham Bleh in Providence, RI. I met him through his brother who was the pastor I worked with in the refugee camp in Ghana, West Africa. He and his family were being persecuted in Liberia and I helped his family with tickets from Liberia.

They had entered a State Depertment lottery and won a place on the immigration list to the US. It would be so scarry to move your family to a new culture, a new country and not have a job or home to go to. They settled in with a nurturing church in Providence and are getting a new start on life.

He just wanted to call and say how thankful they were with their lives and thanked me for the help I gave them. It is amazing how many lives we touch on our journey.

Finished up the meal preperations and waited for the company. James, my renter had the yard looking great. Table set and candles lit. It is amazing how long it takes to prepare and how fast it is eaten. We had 11 and then another 4 came for dessert later.

What a great time visiting, laughing, eating and cleaning up. Everyone pitched in and since many are from Friday nights here, they know where things go and how to package up the leftovers. 3 men came down from Oklahoma City. They hiked the Wichita Mountains in the morning and came to eat at 2:00

One of them, Larry, made his first pumpkin pies from scratch and also a pecan pie. They were great. Vince brought a veggie and ripe olives. I had ask if there was anything that Thanksgiving dinner would need to make it right for him. That’s why he brought the ripe olives. It is not Thanksgiving dinner for him without them.

Everyone went home about 6:00 and I have been finishing up the kitchen and just relaxing. What a grand day with food and fellowship. I just fixed a cold turkey sandwich with some of the Dilly bread that I made. Add a taste of cranberry salad and it tops off a thankful day. How can I be so lucky to have all this?

Dave

I spent the day at Sterling. I was supposed to be there today instead of yesterday when I went. They had things planned well and I was in the Library. I like that. It is easier on my voice than a gym or cafeteria.

The kids were great. Since it is a small school they had two grade levels together so my day was rather short. The room was very full with the Pre-K and K kids together but we had fun and kept them under control.

The 5th and 6th graders came in as all Girls and all Boys because that is the way the gym schedule is set up. It was fun having all boys for a group. They are really reactive to things. We had a good time together. Teachers came in with all the other classes and seemed to enjly themselves also.

I ate in the cafeteria. Small school cafeterias are usually very good and this one was no exception. I only had one group after lunch so I got home in plenty of time to get things together for our Friday night group.

I fixed chicken tetrazini or however you spell it. We had 11 people most of the time then another one came in then 3 more came for dessert. Quite a table full. Glad Lyle made the top of my table bigger. We just have good fun eating and talking and playing farkle. I am tired though and need to go do my exercises before bed.

Dave.

I got up early to drive to Sterling for a 9:00 storytelling and string day at the school. I arrived and went in. They told me the principal was in a meeting and so they got her out. She came over and said it was good to meet me and I was going to be there tomorrow, right?

I messed up the date. We had changed the day and in my haste I just looked wrong. She said that they could make it work today but I said no, the teachers were planning on tomorrow. She seemed relieved and I headed for home.

Thankfully it was only 30 minutes from my home and so I arrived home before 9:00, the time I was to start there. I guess I can sleep another half hour and still make it in time…now that I know which entrance to go in.

Came home and walked at the park, went to the Post Office and the office and came home. A friend came over and we played cribbage for a while then fixed lunch for us. After my siesta, I actually ran the sweeper and dusted. It has been a great day. Tomorrow will be also.

Dave

I gave a program for parents and kids as part of the Title I program at Houchin Elementary School. We had about 100+ people there for hot dogs and cookies and the String Man. It is so much fun to pass out strings and watch adults try to remember some things. Sometimes they do and are so proud. Sometimes it takes just one little reminder from me and they do it.

We had one man from Korea who remembered how to tie up his fingers. His wife remembered the Cat’s Cradle. Another man did a neck trick just a little different than I have seen. We had a lot of laughs and finger pointing to people who could and could not do things.

This is such a multi cultural/multi generational thing. So much fun. They will probably have me back to do a day with the kids.

Dave

I talked with someone from Operation Blessing and they said that their people on the ground in Pakistan said that the government is finally helping the families of the burned out villages. Voice of the Marters has also helped and with the help of everyone who has worked with Pastor Rauf Swan, they have enough help that there are reports that they are selling some of the blankets for their other needs. This is wonderful news. The people have stepped up to the plate and served humanity.

Support now will go for Christmas presents for the childern and the school in Jinah Christian Colony. For now, the humanitarian crisis is ended. That does not mean that there are not great needs going on in the area and Pastor Rauf Swan has the heart of the people in mind. He will help where there is a need.

This is such a needy country with so many situations that Pastor Swan must have a free hand to help where the need is the greatest. I trust his judgement of conditions there to use any monies that he gets to use them wisely. He truly is a man of God.

Thanks to all who have stepped up to the plate. Sometimes it takes a specific need to get us to open our purses and help. That does not mean the the needs have ended. The motorcycle of the pastor in Gojra who reached out to so many villages is still destroyed and needs to be replaced so he can continue his work. The years storage of grain was destroyed for these families. There are other great needs.

Just a note….If my family was hungry I would take a blanket when I already have one and sell it for rice and oil. Wouldn’t you.

Dave

Our little Methodist Church is in a changing neighborhood. Most of the people in the church…which runs about 60 on a Sunday morning are older retired people, a lot of them army career people. They are trying to reach out to the neighborhood.

One way we do that is have a Thanksgiving dinner the is free to all who come. Everyone donates a turkey, three big cans of corn, 10 pounds of butter or the like and everyone signs up to help in the preperation, serving and cleanup. It is really a lot of work and people are not that young.

One woman did all the table decorations, one woman always cuts up the desserts, one has the recepie for dressing and all show up to help. You will be able to tell tomorrow morning who comes hobbeling into church how long they were on their feet.

We served well over one hundred and sent many, many plates home with people also. There was an assortment from the neighborhood, grandmothers with their grandchildren, street walkers, to the families to the members of the church all sitting down together. One hour when everyone is at peace with each other. What a nice time.

When I left they were still packing up leftovers for the Redemption Church, a prison ministry some of us are involved in. They will eat good tomorrow.

We also do a spring and fall cookout with hamburgs, hotdogs and karioke. We don’t usually get new members from these events but when something bad happens in their life they know where to come to for help. They know we may help with utilities, food or a ride somewhere.

I am proud of my church and the outreach it has. When you see these 70’s and 80’s working away for strangers it just makes a warm place. After the dinner the men and boys,,,now young men jump in and move tables, chairs, sweep and take out the trash.

The only way you will know that there was a dinner tomorrow at church is by the aches and pains and a big table of desserts that were left over for our coffee time in the morning. We always have lots of desserts, and good ones at that.

Dave

Whenever I am in town we have dinner at my house. Just an odd assortment of people who either help at the prison church, have been to prison, are part of my church or others that we pick up. I usually fix the main dish and others bring a dish. Lyle always brings Ice Cream and Sherbert. Sherbert for Karen who is milk intolerant.

I fix a jello with fresh red rasberries each week but that is usually the only standby besides Ice Cream. We do eat well.

After we eat we play one game of Left, Right, Center for $1 each. It is a simple dice game and the winner gets to put their winnings in the jar we are collecting for the school in Pakistan. Last time we emptied the jar we had $130.55.

Then we have dessert and play a game or two of Farkle, another simple dice game. That is just for fun. And we do have fun. Good food, companionship and lots of laughs. Lyle made a table top to go on my table that will seat 12 easily. We will probably only have 10 tonight.

When I am not here they still come over for Friday Night Dinner. They may get 6 Chinese carryouts or Pizza or Marj might cook. The table is always open. Tonight we are having Meatball Stroganoff and Rice and I cooked a couple winter squashes also.

We usually serve on throw away plates but if a prisoner is just out and this is his first Friday Night, we use the good china. One guy sat there and then with a tear in his eye said, “This is the first time anyone ever got out the good china for me.” Makes it all worth while.

Dave

Sometimes it is nice to just have a quiet day. I had one of those today. Got up to a foggy morning. Had my breakfast and went to the park to walk my two miles. The sun was burning through and by the end of the walk, the fog was gone. So was the fog in my mind.

Went to the office to say hi. I don’t need to be there for much. Lynna checks on internet orders and takes care of them and does all the paper work that goes with a business and all my personal business stuff. I love it. She is so good at it.

We did a little planning and I talked with Randy about a change to the web and then headed for Goodwill. There I picked up about 9,000 strings that they had ready and went home. Had a quiet lunch and then a well deserved nap. When I got up I went to Sam’s to get some things for our churches Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday.

Puttered around a little in the yard and played solitaire on the computer. Made and received some phone calls. I then fixed dinner. I made salmon patties and had enough that I invited James, my renter to eat. since I fed him, he did the dishes. What a deal. I then settled in for some good reading. I don’t know when I have had such a relaxed day. Could not take them everyday but sometimes they are nice.

Dave

A friend from church, Brenda Scarborough, came over and is helping to count out strings. It goes so much faster when there are two people doing it. One can be putting stickers and cards on the bags and refilling the colors and the other can be counting out the strings. things just go better with company and Brenda wants to help the ministry.

We are doing bags of 110 which are really 111 and bags of 1,000 which are really more also. Bakers dozen, you know. Even though bookings are down we are still selling a lot of strings to churches, schools and camps. I also need some of the bags of 1,000 to take on the next mission trips that I am going on.

At the end of this month I am going to India then in January to Central Mexico and for February to Eastern Germany. I will be needing strings to work with those people. I just signed up for a trip to Kenya in August. I am trying to go on these trips while I still can. At 70 you don’t take time for granted. I try to enjoy each day to the fullest.

Dave