Monday Musings

Wow, it's been almost a week since I wrote anything (except silly little things on Facebook). Somebody turned on the furnace today, and I'm not thrilled. It got to 92F this afternoon, and a laptop on the lap doesn't feel good at this temp!

We had a wonderful service yesterday morning, and a good time with loved ones for lunch and the afternoon - one of those serendipitous occasions - I had nothing in the house to eat and didn't get to the store because - Kristen moved Saturday, I had the babies and did Kristen's laundry, and waited for some new furniture to arrive. I have to say I think I got the best end of the deal! But I didn't sleep well last night and am quite tired and wishing I could just sit here. But I wanted to go to church, because I needed another shot of blessing!

The reason I didn't sleep well - I couldn't get the sight of Kristen's new garage out of my mind, and my brain wanted to solve the problem of where in the world she's going to put all of this stuff in a house much smaller than the one she's moving from. She thought that was pretty silly of me, but I ask you, can you tell your mind what to think about and make it shut down so you can go to sleep??

The new furniture has been needed for a long time. Remember all the times the big girls "played cushions" with the old couch? Well, the littles only got to do it one time, but they made the most of being the only ones here before Grandpa moved the couch out of the house and delivered it to ARC or Good Will. Oh, the giggles!!












One really good thing about this six-week "furlough" (read shutdown) is that Grandpa has been home, and is a really good entertainer to the bigger girls especially. They are just all over him!




But then he has his own days where he gets to do what he loves almost as much as being with the girls --





The twins are learning early - and it is a good thing they are learning. Kristen heard some commotion in the kitchen the other morning and caught them (on her phone camera) in the act - of cleaning the floor! Feisty's little toy broom and mop were being put to good use.




The beds were in their new place, but who could find the sheets? And Kristen was totally wiped out. So they stayed one more night with us. There is absolutely nothing more precious than the sight of sleeping grandgirls - especially in their mommy's old room.






Kristen just sent me this shot of the first picnic in the new back yard - one of the very good things about the new spot --




Changing the subject drastically -- last Thursday was the anniversary of Dan's death. The first grandbaby was due on July 16. My friend really did not want the baby to come on the anniversary, but God had other ideas. The little girl was born at almost the exact time our friends were being told of the death of their precious son. Now they have a happy connotation to counter the sadness. I think God knew what he was doing!

A-Camping We Will Go!

The title does not mean the kind of camping that was described in one of the best pieces of writing I've read in a long time - by my good friend Robin. Check it out for a good chuckle or two. I agree with Becky, that you couldn't pay me enough to do that kind of camping!

But going to camp - now that's a different story entirely. I love Bible camp. Camp has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. The memories just poured in this morning when Care Bear left for her first camp experience. She's only going into second grade, but we have a mini camp for kids that young. She was so excited all week, and up until the moment everyone started arriving. I wanted to take a picture of her with her suitcase and sleeping bag. Then she suddenly felt like this:

I finally got her to pose with the luggage in the back of the van. The green sleeping bag you see went to camp with both Kristen and Kevin, as well as her half brother, Anthony, a couple of years ago. It could tell lots of stories!

The report later in the day is that the four little girls are settled in the same cabin and doing fine - I can only imagine the amount of giggling ahead!

One reason this was so nostalgic was that when Kristen was 6, they had this same kind of camp - I took a carload of 6 first graders to camp, and got to stay for the 3 days and enjoy the beauty of that spot in the mountains. I also helped out in the kitchen and even enjoyed that.

When I was single, when I was teaching and had summers off, I spent two summers counseling at that same camp. Such good memories. Such a beautiful place. Summer camp is a place that kids get close to nature and close to God. It is where many children commit their lives to Jesus.

But my memories go way back - to when I was younger than Care Bear. Mom and Dad moved our family to a little place in Arkansas - on the grounds of Trails End Bible Camp. They worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship and we spent our days visiting little country schools, telling Bible stories, singing songs (a trio, my sister, brother, and me, aged 4, 3, and 2 - see next picture). Can you believe that was allowed?? What good days those were in that respect. The children earned their way to camp by learning scripture verses. The camp was rustic, but all I remember is the fun of being around those big kids as they came each week.




I began going as a camper when I was in third grade. I went every year through high school, and then worked at camp the summer before college. We didn't have much money in those days, so in our family we earned our way to camp by working in the school cafeteria.

I have gone back to camp in my mind today - the new friends, the games, the crafts, the times of study, the week-long romances (which never happened for me!), the evening campfires with crazy skits, inspiring singing, challenging messages; the final banquet - the spiritual growth.

Lining up for chow.

The old swimming hole.



Cheering for the team --



The winning team --




The goofy gang - can you tell which one is me? I thought I was overweight in those days - oh, my, how I wish I was fat like that again!

One year my sister and I ended up working in the kitchen (are you sensing a pattern here?) We had to get up way before anyone else to get breakfast going. We had to hurriedly clean our rooms (there was inspection every day!), then head for the dining hall. We worked very hard, but had so much fun. The next year we worked at children's camp so that we didn't have to work at our own. Two weeks of fun! Here are the two guys on our crew - really fun guys.



I am so glad I have such rich memories. Camp continues to impact the lives of so many young people. The camp where Care Bear is this week recruits college students to work as staff every summer. They not only earn a scholarship for school the next year, but they make life long friends - and my nephew met his wife there and they were married there on the grounds of the camp 5 years ago. It is where Dan was last year when he woke up in heaven - and now a chapel is being built and named for him, dedicated to his memory.

God is Doing Wondrous Things

The services in our church Sunday were blessed. I was so amazed to see all of the family members who had not left yet file into church for the early service - 8:30 a.m. The choice of choir song was inspired by God. Here are the words:

Carry me, Father God,

On your strong eagle wings of love.

Through the storm keep me safe;

Through the tears and all my shame,

Carry me.

This world is full of trouble,

And in the night I stumble,

But you never will forsake me.

You see me when I fall,

You hear before I call,

And You're always there to save me.

Carry me, Father God,

On your strong eagle wings of love.
Through the storm keep me safe;

Through the tears and all my shame,

Carry me.

I need Thee; O, I need Thee!

Every hour I need Thee!

O bless me now, my Savior,

I come to Thee!

Carry me. Carry me.

Dan's next older brother, Ryan, was scheduled to speak in the morning service. He and his wife, Emily, were being commissioned that day by our church for their departure to the hinterlands of Alaska for three years (minimum) of mission aviation work. I never thought he would attempt it, considering he had lost his brother 4 days earlier. He prayed about it and told Pastor that he wanted to do it. He and Emily shared their journey and their hearts with us. God has provided every single need. She got a teaching job exactly where she needed to - and was hired on the spot because she came for an interview - a very unusual occurrence in that part of the world. Most of the hiring is done by internet and phone. But - God is in control here - they had to take a trip up there for the mission to familiarize themselves with the area - just at the right moment. What an awesome God we serve, who micromanages details for us!

There were few dry eyes in the House that morning. Can you see another amazing thing that God orchestrated? In the midst of all the sadness and pain, He arranged for all of these loved ones of Ryan's and Emily's to be in the service that day to bless them.

At the end of the message, the altar was full of folks praying for a closer walk with the Lord. Then Pastor asked all ordained elders to come and pray on the platform with Ryan and Emily. Understand that our church is small in relation to many of yours - we run 200 at most in worship. But that morning there were 9 ministers in the audience - What a blessed way to end the service.

But the blessings weren't over yet! My nephew, who has recently moved to Olympia, Washington, to be senior high pastor at a large church, was Dan's youth pastor and drove back for the service and for the family's sake. As a serentipity, we got to hear him preach in the evening service. He is such a special young guy as well. Thank you, God.

I know I'm not alone in sometimes getting discouraged and worried about the future of our land. But when I saw the evidence of Dan's faith and the legacy that he left, and then I saw Ryan and Emily heading for a tough place to serve God - a place that doesn't even have one established church in the village - and I saw my nephew serving God in ministry, and I saw Brook, Dan's girlfriend, who had to return to India early from a mission she had been working on this summer, and I saw all of the others on the platform, several of whom are young, and I thought of Katie who is in Argentina volunteering this summer, and I thought of Pastor's son and DIL who are missionaries there in Argentina, and I thought of Jessica who is serving the Lord while in the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan, and I thought of the large group from our church who are going to Peru in August, and I saw the young pregnant woman who is giving of herself to direct VBS next week, and I saw all the young folks from our church who were working at the camp where Dan died - well, I was just overwhelmed with joy and hope. Thank you, Father.

Dan's life is having an impact already - he had planned to go to Focus on the Family Institute, whose goal is to train young people to make a difference in their world. You wonder why God allows someone with such an awesome goal to die so young. But ours is not to know why. I do know that already, two of my blog friends have shared Dan's story with their late teen-aged sons. I pray that they will be inspired to make a difference for God.

Everyone was pretty much emotionally wrung dry by the end of this week. We praised Him once again when we learned that Dan's younger girl cousin, who spent some time with friends after the funeral home viewing, was going to be okay after being hit in her town by a drunk guy who was driving in the middle of the road with no lights on. Thank you, Jesus.

Another amazing thing is that the company owned by the Walker family (where DC works) is having a huge get-together which they call a Family Reunion this coming week-end. People will be coming from all over the world to celebrate the 100,000th mower coming off the assembly line. They did this for the 50,000th several years ago and it's an amazing thing to see people come from so many states and countries to celebrate with us. Many of their family members were able to stay after the funeral, and have been there to comfort Dean and Suzanne. Thank you, Lord.

Suzanne is the coordinator of the trip to Peru that I mentioned above. Please pray that God will give her the direction she needs to know what to do. And the strength to do it.

(If you have not been by lately, please peruse the previous posts to make sense of this one).

In Memory . . .

From the official obituary:

Daniel Max Walker, 22, passed away July 23, 2008. Dan passed away during his sleep due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

Dan was born Aug. 29, 1985. He graduated from F C H S in 2004, where he participated in football, lacrosse and track.

After high school, Dan attended Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., graduating in May 2008 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

At Olivet, Dan was a four-year member of the football team, a football captain a member of Testament Men’s Choir, built and raced a Baja car and was a stellar disc golfer. Dan was currently working as an activities director at Golden Bell Camp and Conference Center. . .

Dan was a pilot, enjoyed the outdoors and was an excellent potter. Dan was a committed son, brother, friend and follower of Christ. His friends’ sentiments are…

“You were a living testimony to what God teaches us through Jesus Christ. It takes great character to live out your belief, and that trait was very evident in you.”

“You are an inspiration, a true man of God, one day I hope that I can be like you.”

“I know you lived your ‘grown up years’ as a man of God ... a true Testimony of Christ!”

“You set the standard ... you were a great example and an amazing Christian man.”

“You were a Man of God that everyone could lean and rely on. You have not only been a leader to your peers but to the family around you.”

I have been to many funerals in my life, and have played the organ for many as well. I have been to very sad services, and I have been to celebrations of life. This was the latter. Of course we're sad. Obviously there were many tears. But there was laughter and joy as well - our church building isn't large enough to handle the outpouring of love for this family, so we went to a large church in the town just north of us.

I wish I had known Dan better - based on the stories told during the audience participation, he was a truly amazing young man. He was wise beyond his years. Here are some excerpts from his application to the Focus on the Family Institute, where he planned to be for the fall semester.

"I'll probably never be in a full time ministry position in the church, but I'm convinced that I should be very involved in and contribute to the ministry and health of the church."

"I'm by no means perfect, but I have convictions that I hold on to, and I think people respect that."

"There are a lot of people that talk about God without basis or understanding, and I think that one thing I'm called to is to let people know of God's word for them wherever I am, and I know the need I have to know God's truth in order to do that effectively."

"Being a Christian also shapes how I look at everyday tasks. Something very powerful was when I learned that everything, no matter how trivial or menial, can and should be seen as an act of worship to God. So when I see the world through that lens, doing my homework, playing football, or even art takes on a powerful new perspective."

Dan's girlfriend, who would probably have been his fiancee soon, has spent the last month or so in India, doing a mission that was amazingly challenging for such a young woman. She shared with us that the last time she and Dan spoke face to face, they sat on a patio down at the camp and talked about heaven - about the streets of gold - how something we value so greatly here on earth is used for paving the streets in heaven. Did he have some inkling of his future?

I don't presume to understand God's thinking. But I have to say that I have thought often in the last 3 days of how close we came to losing Kev so many times during the years of his lostness (See Kev's story on my sidebar, if you don't know what I am referring to). I am so thankful for the grace of God that allowed Kev to live long enough to be ready to die. Dan was ready. And he will never more feel the sting of death -

A Very Sad Day . . .

. . . in the life of our church. Our church is a family, in the truest sense of the word. The choir is a small group of our family. Some of us have been singing together for over 30 years.

Dean and Suzanne are two of our dear friends who have been in our church and our choir for the entire time. We have watched them grow their family with 4 of the finest young men you would ever want to know. All of them. They've had their share of physical challenges - many trips to the emergency room and knee/shoulder surgeries, but all because the boys are so athletic. All of them have gone to college on athletic scholarships. Three of them have graduated - the last one just this past May. One more to go. All went to the same Christian college in Illinois. Two have married lovely Christian young women. One couple is heading to Alaska for mission aviation work in Alaska in another week.

The third son, Dan - wonderful, handsome, healthy young guy, who was spending his summer working at our denomination's camp in the mountains. His plans for the fall were to go to Focus on the Family Institute (commissioned by Focus on the Family, exists to provide a unique Christian educational community that nurtures passionate and persuasive leaders who are committed to Jesus Christ, equipping them to promote healthy families, vibrant churches and a civil society). His girlfriend is spending the summer in India doing mission work. They were going as a family to Peru next month. They were one of those families who just seemed blessed in every way.

This morning, all of that changed. Their life will never be the same. My heart is just aching. I can't imagine how you continue life when your first call in the morning is to tell you that your son died in his sleep in his bed - at summer camp. Unfathomable. Absolutely incomprehensible.

Please pray for Dean, Suzanne, Ted, Ryan, Kyle, their spouses, their very large family on both sides. And for the roommate who found him this morning. And for all the staff at the camp. And for all those kids who were at camp this week. And for our church, because we are their family, too.

Thank you.