The Christmas Story

We have a ton of ground to cover so we should get started on South Mississippi Part 2.

The highlight of this trip has to be Caleb accepting Jesus and getting baptized.  He has been asking questions since he was about 4.5 years old and has really challenged a few people with some of the questions that he has had over the last few years, especially the last few months.  He came to me and asked if he could talk to one of my "garage guys", Dr J, who is a pastor at the church (there was a group of WISE and trusted men I used to meet with weekly and talk about them all the time.  They are known as my "garage guys") and we stopped in during the day and talked with him a bit.  Later in the week, Caleb asked if he could go and talk with him again so we saw if he had a bit of time after the kid's Christmas Choir show.  Caleb presented his wanting to know Christ personally and ask him into his heart...and he did.  It was a sweet evening and we did a bit of celebrating with friends that included a bit of hootin' and hollerin', some hugs, and some fist bumps.  Caleb had also asked about being baptized in our "home church" and the necessary parties got started right away with only 3 days in between.  We are so thankful that things were changed as it meant so much to him to be here and have such a memorable and special experience.  Dr J asked me if I would like to baptize my son and I excitedly accepted.  The day came and it was a sweet, sweet morning that I know I will never forget.  Caleb was covered in a smile that outshined the sun all day and told everyone that he saw (literally everyone!) in every place that we went that he had been baptized. 

Caleb is intently listening and conversing with Dr J about the Lord. 

Celebrating with some hugs and fist bumps!

Kamryn dressed herself and did her own hair so she could dress up for Caleb's special day. 

The morning of Caleb's baptism 

This was special day for all of us. 

That's one proud momma. 

Caleb was so happy that one of my "garage guys" (especially this character!) was involved.



This is a proud daddy moment!



That's a Happy boy!

We got a whole of celebrating in to celebrate this great occasion.  We had a marvelous time at Chuck E Cheese.  We went to Lifeway and bought something that would commemorate this day also.  Caleb picked out a 5 inch knight in armor to remind him to wear the Armor of God and he wrote his dates on the bottom of it.  We also had a little party at him that included some finger foods and games.  This brings in another story.  On the way to Chuck E Cheeses we heard a rock hit the windshield.  There was only a noise and no crack...until about 5 minutes later where a crack started and didn't stop until I stopped looking at it about 10 inches later.  Anyway, this led to a story that was worth the cracked windshield. 


Some special time at Chuck E Cheese! 

Counting the loot. 

A little party at home.

Cracked windshields are never a treat.  Especially when you find out that you didn't know that your deductible was too high to cover it (that was quickly changed for next time!).  Kelly contacted a few companies and found a local guy that she really enjoyed talking to on the phone and set it up.  A different guy showed up the next morning and the fun began.  Caleb was out in the cold and damp weather and started telling Mike about his recent baptism.  Caleb, and later Zachary and Kamryn, was filled with a ton of questions about windshields and anything that you could imagine that involve windshields.  As I expected, Caleb got his, "Just let me know if you need any help", statement in and he instantly had a job.  He got to squirt the water bottle to keep the blade cool that removed the windshield and then went on standby for any other help needed.  The few hours that Mike was here was a great time.  We had amazing conversation and ended up praying together before he left.  A great experience after a not so marvelous broken windshield. 


Caleb hard at work. 

Caleb and Zachary taking it all in. 

Now onto the rest of the time here.  We were supposed to be out of here on the 22nd and decided to stay through Christmas and be near friends and stay for another week.  We have spent some wonderful time with a whole lot of wonderful people.  We have had a few folks over for dinner.  We have been over to few others for some great meals.  We have been invited out a few times and otherwise had some great time catching up and sharing an amazing story that has been written over the last number of months.  We spent an evening looking at acres of lights with some friends and the kids had a blast playing in the dark and cold air.  We have also met so many new people, have had a chance to help some folks that we had never met before, and had a chance to serve in a number of ways.  We met a guy in a parking lot that had a dead jumper battery.  We offered to help him and ended up talking about family, travel, Christmas plans and then we got invited to his neck of the woods in Florida.  Kelly met a great lady in a bookstore who asked her for help and they both ended up in tears...I even got a walk-by hug in with her while trying to find Kelly!  We also met and have had some great talks with a great couple here in the RV park.  They are a young Active Duty couple who has chosen to live in motorhome instead of a sticks and bricks home.  Kamryn ended up inviting herself to help put stamps on their Christmas cards and most of them ended up on the correct part of the envelope!  We had the opportunity to go and sing Christmas carols at a retirement facility as a family and had a marvelous time.  We went to sing for one beautiful young lady and ended up singing to everyone in the facility in the dining room!  We met a lady that looked to be about mid 70's and from a fella' that was keen on her, we found out that she was 100!  The guy called Kelly over and pointed across the room.  He said, "See that beautiful young lady over there?  She's 100 years old."  That was quite a nice experience for all of us.



After singing carols to everyone in the dining room, we got to go back and see her beautiful room.  She was so full of amazing words. 

Now, onto Christmas!  We wondered if this Christmas would be any different by being in the RV, but it really wasn't.  We were surround by great friends and otherwise just loved on each other and had a great Christmas.  Caleb said today that this was his best Christmas ever and Zachary and Kamryn enjoyed it just as much.  We watched our "normal" Christmas movies and made some crafts.  Some of our frustrations came in with not trying to hide presents but trying to just keep them out of the way!  That was challenging but worked out in the end.  We all ended up with gifts we love.  We even ended up with a few gifts from friends we have met along the way.  We are so grateful that the Lord has put people in our lives that we have had the chance to leave a positive impression on and they care enough to keep up with us.   We have been out shopping/looking and remember why we retreat to the woods sometimes.  We also attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church and it felt great to be here with friends.  Afterwards, we were invited over to Mrs. Charlotte's house for hot chocolate and snacks and enjoyed conversation with a great lady.  We are so glad that we stayed here for Christmas and feel very loved!

When Kamryn was baby Jesus in the Church play that we were all in 2013, this was her angel!  Kamryn said, "Did I lay on a bale of hay?"

Kamryn and Lexie.  Such beautiful young ladies. 

All the kids gathered to hear the Christmas story. 

Spending Christmas Eve with Mrs. Charlotte.  Couldn't have asked for more. 

Getting a card from New York from a friend we made in Pennsylvania. 

Feeling the love from New York!

Just like a house. Always something to be done. 

Caleb loves this thing!  It is a huge pine cone that opens and closes with the temperature. 

Kamryn and Ally reunited. 

There's about to be trouble out of this crowd!

Christmas antics!

The girls were having a "melt down" (like a snowman) for hot chocolate. 

A good friend of mine that I used to teach boys' Sunday School with.  Very important fella.

So good to be back with friends.   

One of Kamryn's shopping days...excursions. 

Caleb loves this thing. This is his favorite gift.  (I couldn't get this to rotate!)

There was no stress this morning...it was great!

Throwing a party for Jesus!

Daddy helping Kamryn do her nails with her new paint/pens. 

The goods!

Kelly got a sewing machine for Christmas and we made the kids curtains for the bunks. 

Mrs. Charlotte sent us home with roast, potatoes, veggies, beans, and dessert.  This was our Christmas feast!

 

The weather here has been winter like...on and off.  It was warm one day and rained for 3 others.  We will be heading out soon and at this point we think we are heading back to Texas.  We'll see what the Lord has in store. 

We have a few more days here but we will miss Biloxi and our friends but know that we are welcome back any time!

It feels good to be back

We have to start off with our Santa visit in San Antonio, Tx.  We went to the Christmas tree lighting and got to have a visit with an elf, Mrs. Claus, and Santa.  We had some cake, hot chocolate, and saw someone that I was stationed with before.  Made for a great wrap up in San Antonio. 

The kids got the chance to help light the Christmas tree. 

Having a little snack. 

Silly moments with the elf. 

On Santa's Lap!

We left San Antonio and headed east to New Waverly, Texas.  While we were there, we met some great folks.  We had a chance to spend an evening and some other short visits with them and really enjoyed getting to know them.  They were local so we hope to see them again as they hope to make it back...which leads us to another piece of news.  We were asked to be camp hosts for a bit and although we turned these requests down in the past at other parks, we feel that this may be a great opportunity to test the experience for a short time.  If we end up doing it, we will also still have many opportunities to serve in different capacities and share how God has worked in our lives while there. 

We stayed a few days and David Lee flew into Houston.  We picked him up and the fun began!  It was so great for him to not only be able to come here so we can be one big happy family in our small space, but he wanted to.  A number of things happened while he was here.  One of them was when Kamryn said, "I will let David teach me how to take my training wheels off."  Sure enough, her training wheels came off and she is now riding her bike by herself.  Also, he and the boys seemed to increase their slingshot abilities.  We also had one of our old "family dates" and went to look at new RVs.  Not that we are even considering buying, just that we like to look.  We used to do this all the time and still enjoy it just as much.  That along with time alone with the kids individually really made for some great times.  We spent many nights around a fire, hiked, rode bikes, threw pine cones at each other, found bugs and scorpions, and acted like complete fools.  Other than that, it was a nice relaxing time.  Because we only have five seats in the truck, we had to rent a small, tiny, itty-bitty, miniature car.  Yes, if you didn't catch it, it was small but served a great purpose.  Kelly was excited because she got to drive again and the kids enjoyed a vehicle other than the truck.  After leaving the rental place I made a sharp turn and noticed that the truck seemed to be dragging.  I thought it was just a headwind and 11,000 lbs behind me.  About two miles later, I told David, "I smell brakes."  We didn't think too much of it because we just passed about ten automotive garages.  I instantly felt like something was wrong.  We immediately pulled over and I notice that the RV emergency brake cable had pulled out.  This is what would stop the RV if it happened to disconnect from the truck.  We moved everyone back I pulled the fire extinguisher and a few other important items out of the fifth wheel in case it caught on fire.  The brakes and the hubs were HOT!  I prayed, they prayed, we all prayed and then we decided to sit and have lunch to see if they would cool off.  We prayed some more and were thankful that we had noticed it and stopped.  After some more recon, I called our RV parts guy and had a conversation.  It seemed that no major damage took place and things "should" be ok.  We prayed once again as a family and took off.  We constantly watched for smoke and made it all the way to our destination.  This was not only our first "how dumb was I not to think of that" but also our first "it could've been real bad but wasn't". 

 

A few of the folks we met and Kamryn practicing her puppy loving skills. 

Kamryn and Jazz.

David's home!

Loving on his little sister. 

Big girl going to ride her bike with training wheels. 

 

 

Kamryn playing dress up...on a budget!

Kamryn at her pretend wedding. 

 

Picture this...Pitch black outside near a fire.  Then, "AHHHH!"  Caleb knocked himself backwards in his chair!

Kelly is not posing...she is actually running beside the big girl riding her bike by herself. 

All the kids playing in the bedroom.

Cooking up a storm!

Some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.

After we took off after all of that happened, we took ample opportunity to goof off on the walkie-talkies and had a great time even though we were in two different vehicles.  We strategically planned our passing of other vehicles, made jokes about the size of her vehicle in comparison to others, and otherwise had some good conversation. We had about 7 hours to drive to South Mississippi and stopped in Atchafalaya Visitor's Center after the first day.  Some state visitor's centers allow you to stay overnight but don't advertise it.  This place was really amazing.  We were received like royalty and given a wealth of information.  They had animatronics inside that explained the history of Louisiana, the local area, and many animals.  They also had different displays and a separate movie in a small theater.  After seeing all of that, we headed out for some parking lot football, walking/exploring, and chatting with folks.  Caleb found a little bit of standing water and grabbed his bug box to get a frog.  2 minutes later he came inside with a crawfish in hand.  We had tons of fun.  We ended up meeting some people from Georgia who were on their maiden voyage in their Class A (drivable RV) while towing a vehicle.  Kamryn helped walk, carry, pull and push their dogs and we had some great conversation about how God has been working in both of our lives recently and about their trip they were taking to San Antonio; where we had recently been.  Then, we made dinner and had a good night sleep after teaching David the game of Rummikub.  We have always enjoyed it and now I think we have him hooked.  We headed out that next morning with walkie-talkies in the vehicles and headed through Baton Rouge to Biloxi, Ms. 

This rest area was amaing!

Animatronics rock!

This was our yard for a night.  See the mini mobile!

 

We made it back to Biloxi and had company a few hours later.  Two marvelous people that we always sat near at church came to see our home.  They visited for a while, gave us some wonderful gifts, and listened to my rambling while making us laugh.  The weather was beautiful and the company was even better.  They left and we headed to the Christmas performance at the church that was our home church/sending church before we left for the church plant on Vancouver Island, BC in 2013. 

We arrived at the church and not too many people knew we were coming.  We were received with so many hugs and so much love that it was overwhelming.  One might have thought that these folks were glad to see us!  It was so great to be back and it was such a peaceful, joy-filled, loving, amazing evening.  So many people told us that they had just been thinking about us and how amazing it was that we just showed up.  We watched the amazing performance and received some more hugs afterwards seeing more folks.  It was hilarious...Kamryn saw us hugging so many people, she disappeared and started hugging EVERYONE!  People we have never seen before were having squeezed legs and thighs as Kamryn moved down the line.  She had to have hugged at least a hundred people!  We showed up at church the next morning and were received the same by those who we had not seen the night before.  The Lord has put some amazing people in our lives and it seems that it was just last week that saw them. 

We also took a drive and reminisced a bit in the evening.  We went out for dinner to a favorite place, drove down the beach, and visited a few spots that we used to love.  David flew out and headed back to college this morning and we pouted for a bit.  We also turned in the Hot Wheel that Kelly had been driving and went back home.  We had a great time and can't wait until we get to see him again.

Mrs Jean and Kamryn having girl time. 

A happy clan!

Wonderful performance at church.  So blessed to be able to be back and see it. 

Back in Biloxi.

The kids on the pier. 

Back to the buffet.

We will be here for a bit and are filling up a calendar quite quickly with folks to spend time with.  We missed them, they missed us, and we are going to enjoy this stop immensely.   So this obviously leaves a "part 2" to this stop!  Its always so hard to do these because there is so much to tell in each day but I have to stop typing before I bore you and you just stop reading!

Until next time...