Final Notes

Very sad to see this come to a close. Let’s be honest, it’s in the high 70’s and back home in DC it is in the 30’s…would you want it to end?

On a more serious note, it has been fantastic to have 3 generations of men in the mission field at the same time and working together (My father, me, and my son).

The team has gotten close and spent every day together, we have been able to spread the love of Christ and in just one short week we were able to:
- reach out to over 300 people with medical needs,
- engage, love, and share Jesus with hundreds of kids,
- see over a hundred families prayed for, and
- encourage and serve local leaders and missionaries who are on the frontlines daily.

Getting Close

Today was just one of those days full of meetings, emails, and phone calls. I did end the day by playing catch football with the boys in the cul-de-sac. After a long day I think it is easier to relax by playing catch with the boys than it is to relax watching tv.

After rejecting one applicant to rent our home and so many people we have interviewed and shown through the house, we are getting close. We have a great family that has gone through the whole process and we should be signing the rental agreement. Keep your fingers crossed and the prayers coming.

For you die hard, devote bloggers...I will let you in on a secret...I conceded several days ago but tonight I officially told Sharon we can have #4. For those of you who know us well...you'll know what that means.

~David

Father's Day Golf

For Father's Day I decided to take my Father to the Piedmont Golf Course. This PGA Tour course, is designed by Tom Fazio, while the fairways are open the rough will eat your ball in a heart beat and if you go much further than the rough...don't bother looking for that ball! The medium sized greens are straight forward but the only approach is straight on; otherwise you are dodging sand traps and water. It is a Par 72 course that plays 7,000 yards from the back tees. It's a workout when the temperature gets up there.

The course is windy! When we started it was pretty calm but I was told that most days the course is tough to play because there is almost always a constant cross breeze.


We started off great...all 3 of us hit straight down the fairway and landed dead center about 200 yards off the tee. From there on out the rest of the game went well but I won't share the details in order to allow for some story telling by those who swung the clubs. My brother Phillip joined us since he is now living in Northern Virginia and the three of us had a great time cruising around the course and hanging out on Father's Day.

It was a great morning and afternoon as we rounded the back nine and headed off to the front nine. As we approached the 3rd hole, I found out why they call this place "The windy course"...in a matter of minutes a storm blew in off the foot hills (you can't call them mountains once you have lived in the Pacific Northwest) and the temperature dropped from 90 to 70 (or at least it felt that way).



All and all a very enjoyable time, relaxing, and fun to play a challenging course . Thank goodness I brought a dozen extra golf balls...

~David

FSM

Well it isn't quite Father's Day but since I am traveling again on Sunday and I have plans with my Father on Saturday...I thought it was a good idea to take the boys out for a Father Son Moment. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, just some good old fun at the driving range. There is a driving range about 4 miles from the house (Oak Marr Rec Center & Golf Course).

We had fun just swinging the clubs and the boys wanted to go on the 'upper level'...I think it makes them feel like thier golf ball goes further. We had a good time and enjoyed the weather. Just having a quality time with the boys...who are growing up way to fast (10 and 8 now). Colin will be in 5th grade next year...YIKES (I have a 5th grader) and Connor will be in 2nd grade.

For the record...we did not dig tunnels in the sand trap at the golf course. These are photos from of the tunnel I helped the boys build while we were in Myrtle beach several weeks ago during another FSM.

Army Adventures

It is moments like these where I wish I was a kid again. The boys insisted taking me on an 'Army Mission' this past weekend. While they attempted to get me into camo and boots; I was able to convince them that photographers don't have to follow the same rules.

They were fun to watch and appeared to me more guerrilla warfare or special forces rather then a plain old Army mission. Every once in awhile I need to stop and engage on thier level...dream on thier level...and explore on thier level. I read recently that the most significant vision casting is done 12 inches from your childrens face at night right before they head off to bed. Need to be dreaming / vision casting with these 'troops' more often. They are growing up fast.

The 3 D's for 2 C's

The 3 D's:
Direction, Delayed Gratification, and Dirt bikes

The 2 C's:
Colin & Connor

Some time ago we were walking through Toys-R-Us and saw these motorbikes. Of course the boys immediately wanted one. While I thought it would be cool to buy them one, Sharon had an idea and we agreed this would be a great opportunity to teach some key life lessons. We made a deal with the boys we would match them dollar for dollar if they would save there money and practice delayed gratification.

Direction - We set a goal with them and helped them establish a plan to accomplish that goal.

Delayed Gratification - We gave them their allowance that they earned based on a weekly plan to participate in work that needed done around the house. So in October of last year we started this journey and now 6 months later they have achieved their goal...a Dirt Bike!

At the end of the week they had to tithe 10%, 20% to savings, and then determine what they would do with the remaining 70%. That's right, we did not make them save it and when we went to a coffee shop and they wanted a hot chocolate...guess who paid? Yes, we made them buy their own hot chocolate. We went to the movies and guess who bought the candy and soda? Yep...they did. It is amazing to watch them prioritize and what they decide to spend money on.

Cruel? Unusual? Maybe...

Effective? Definitely!

The 3rd D - DIRT BIKE...check it out!

Family Night

Tuesday night we took the boys and headed over to RFK Stadium to watch DC United play Jamaica's Harbour View in the CONCACAF Quarterfinals. We rode the metro from Vienna to the other side of DC and walked to the stadium. Being spring break we had no worries about getting home late. The boys got to hang out with "Sammy the Eagle"...United's mascot. We had great seats in the 'rowdy' section of the stadium. We actually sat just to the right of the group that was throwing confetti, splashing liquids, and beating the drums.

The boys are embracing the great American past time of heading to the local stadium and cheering on your favorite sports team. We left Sybella at home with Granda while we headed out into the cold weather. We decided to get stadium food...OUCH! Forgot how expensive that stuff is. Anyways, it was a fun game and the home team won.

After a 1-1 draw with D.C. United at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium, many were expecting Harbour View to lose the return-leg CONCACAF Champions Cup game in Washington on Tuesday night.

However, a 5-0 thrashing was more than many, yours truly included, bargained for. Tons of scoring, lots of yelling, what a wonderful atmosphere.

At no point did I envision D.C. United, a United States Major League Soccer kingpin, as a team that was five goals better than any of the top Jamaican sides.

DERBY RACING!!!

What fun! Start to finish the boys and I had a blast. My approach is that they are the cub scout and this is their project. So I made them read the instructions, pick a design, trace it out on the wood, cut, sand, and paint! That's right, we spent a lot of time together working side-by-side but I am giving them all the credit. Grandpa came by and help with the paint; it was a family bonding experience. Uncle Phillip (my brother) showed up at the races to cheer them on. It is great to have family who can be close by to encourage and cheer them on.



Now race night was interesting. I did not realize how serious this stuff is. There were mom's cheering, dad's working on cars, and all out chaos with that many children in one place. It was NASCAR meets CHUCK-E-CHEESE. There was a professional track with a laser light counter to clock times. I have to admit that when the 1st heat raced down the track and one car did not finished I prayed, "Dear God, just let the boys cars cross the finish line." Is that wrong? I knew how hard they both worked and I would have felt terrible if their cars did not finish the race. They both did great and almost trophied (both missed 3rd by milli-seconds). I WAS SO PROUD OF THEM! This was not Dad's project & car that they raced, this was their project that they built and raced.


The boys finished the race...

How many times do people start things and not finish the race?

Lesson 1:
Hebrews 12 - talks about running the race set before us. Now I know we are talking about pinewood derby but I believe that kids learn the lessons early in life and carry them through to adulthood. We all have a race to run...do you know what your race is? How well are you running?

Lesson 2:

1 Corinthians 9:24 - Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. I guess I have to remind myself of this because during the project the boys put the tools down, stopped sanding, and I let them go play while I worked on the cars (not a lot) but...the point is I want the boys to run in such a way as to win. I have seen so many people go to work, take on a project, or go through life never giving it their all. No wonder people are unhappy with their jobs, if you are not running to win then all that can be expected is mediocrity.

So I ask...Are you running to win?

FSM

FSM is a new term I picked up..."Father Son Moment". Sunday night the boys asked me to play BATTLESHIP. You know, the game we all played at some point growing up. As a sidenote, we played on the actual set that my brothers and I played on when we were growing up. It is always fun to watch their mindset, strategy, and how the accept winning and losing. I work very hard to find time every week to sit down and engage one on one with the boys.

I am all for working hard, providing for your family, and putting your time in to be successful; however last time I checked there are 168 hours in the week...do you realize that if we all spent just 1 hour a day with our children that would be less than 1/2 % of our week?

Everyone has time to sit down and engage with children. Take time over the holidays to have quality time with the children.

~David