Soul Patrol Children's Ministry

Jeremiah 29:13 says:
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

That is our goal ….to Seek Out U Lord!

Our children's ministry is on Patrol this summer. The Soul Patrol.

On our PATROL we are ministering to people that are on their own “SOUL Patrol”. First, we ministered to the elderly in the Nursing Homes. They are seeking the Lord and asking what his will is at this point in their lives. God is giving us the opportunity to share and let others know that He still has a purpose for their lives and He still loves them very much.

We played bingo with the residents and sang songs. We even made sock puppets on Wednesday night to entertain while we sang. The kids and residents seem to really enjoy the Friday night visit.

Sunday morning as I picked up my grandkids from Sunday School class, their SS teacher handed me a pack of papers. She said these are for William. I just saw a little boy named William run past me and I thought, Oh, did he forget his papers. I looked a little bewildered so she quickly explained that the kids told her there is a man at the nursing home named William and he is having a birthday. The children wanted to color him some pictures and birthday cards. She said I didn't know what else to do (she was asked at the last minute to sub) and the kids really wanted to do this. You could have knocked me over with a feather.

William is one of the residents, he is missing both legs below the knees and I think he is also blind. He told Mr. Mike he is 57 and about to have a birthday on Sunday. Apparently, he told the kids about his birthday or they overheard. Wow! What an awesome blessing.

Now isn't this what the Soul Patrol is all about. Teaching our children to be ministers. I had to wipe the tears just realizing that what we are doing with these children is not only ministering to the elderly, the broken, the bruised, but also to the children, teaching them to be ministers, and to the adults.I learned a thing or two about ministry from these little ones. What an awesome blessing the Soul Patrol has already been and we only just started.

Matthew 4:19-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

Second, we will minister to families that are going thru hard times and they too are wondering what God has in store for them. Again, God is giving us the opportunity to share his love with the parents and the children in a shelter in downtown Dallas.

The SOUL Patrol Leadership Team is very excited about the opportunities that God is opening to us to minister to those in need this summer. A perfect opportunity for us to continue to seek the Lord’s will in our own lives and to help others do the same in theirs.

William is the gentleman on the left with his hand over his mouth. Happy birthday, Mr. William.

Tripping out at the Lake

Hubby and I decided it was time for a getaway from it all trip so the first week in May we scheduled time off from work. After spending our life savings on a timeshare we didn't want to let it to go to waste so we used a banked week from almost two years earlier. It was either use it or lose it.

We wanted a short trip this time and possibly a visit to the ocean. Of course, we're terrible at planning ahead so we only had a few choices left. I found The Landing at Seven Coves on Lake Conroe just outside of Houston, Texas that looked promising.

On the way, at about Huntsville, we pulled into a rest stop and discovered the most beautiful scenery with a lake, some flowers, and even butterflies.

Taking pictures of nature is one of my hubby's hobbies that I also enjoy, so we took advantage of the setting and spent some time behind the lens.




Not knowing what a vacation resort will be like when choosing online, you always hope you get a decent place to stay. I loved the idea of our balcony jutting out over the water and this time we were not disappointed.



It was beautiful, spacious, and quite comfy. We slept peacefully on a pillow top king size bed without even adding the memory foam pad we brought from home. A big improvement from some of our other home away from home choices.

We fished off the balcony and I even snagged a huge fish, okay it wasn't huge, but was a pretty nice size, maybe more like a baby. We tossed him back in the lake to swim another day.

Internet online access was not free at our resort but I managed to get a skimpy signal from the resort next door so we could keep friends and family updated on Facebook. Not to rub it in but to let them enjoy the week with us. Maybe rub it in a little. They were having storms in Dallas while we were birdwatching.

I loved spending time on the balcony feeding the ducks. They were always ready for a bite to eat.


We also noticed the other wild creatures that enjoyed hanging out with us. Two humongous snakes made their home right beneath us while sunning on the rocks. They came back a couple of times during the week for family photos sessions.



On the other side, a very large egret spent some time recuperating from an injury until he was able to fly back home. He kind of looks like a grandpa doesn't he?

We spent a day (or two) shopping at Sam Moon's and at some other neat places along the highway. Yes, I spent a few hundred dollars on souvenirs. Okay, mostly for me but a there were some friends and family that got a trinket or two.


We also had some good exercise fun riding bikes.

They were $3.00 rentals and were quite archaic.

No gears or hand brakes.

Mike had no trouble cruising around. I had to peddle hard (or walk) to get up some of the hills in the neighborhood and was very lucky I didn't go flying into the lake reaching for the hand brakes.


We spent Thursday relaxing at the beach. We rented an umbrella with 2 chairs and took turns splashing in the ocean for some photo ops.

The giant sea gulls diving into the ocean tried to snatch up a fish or two for their next meal kept us both entranced during most of our Galveston trip.




The Southern Empress docked next to our resort and one evening we captured the most beautiful sunset behind the grand historical paddle wheel boat.





It was right by the pool that we had spent one of our days freezing in while I did my aquatic therapy. Not too bad once you get used to the water. I did get a nice tan.

Mike wasn't too keen on the freezing part so he sat in the chair most of the time and burned to a crisp.



He was quite grumpy after that but we were leaving the next day so it didn't spoil his vacation.

On the way out we drove around and took some pictures of bird island and the lighthouse across the cove.

That was after our car battery went dead and we had to call Progressive to come give us a cable jump. Thank goodness for those road hazzard folks. Last vacation we called OnStar to tow us to a local dealership. Gotta spread the love around.




We came home happily renewed and ready for, okay, not really ready for work, but ready to muddle through until our next great, relaxing vacation. Our next days off will be in July to clean the garage or put down flooring so I'm not counting that as a vacation. We're hoping to make it back to Missouri in the fall to see the grandsons, and our daughter and son-in-law too. I'm afraid they're growing up too fast and I'm missing it. Gotta make sure they don't forget Grandmommy and Papaw.

God's Symphony

Written November, 2004
by Karen Arthur

God Orchestrates the universe, A symphony He leads.
He does it just for me, but too, He does it just for you.

God points to all His servants, He knows just what we need.
He does it just for me, but too, He does it just for you.

His love to us He demonstates,
With nail scarred hands He orchestrates.
Each lesson that He sends we hear
As beautiful music to our ear.

When He reveals to us the Word, His messages are sweetly heard.
Now can you hear God's symphony?
He plays it just for you, but too, He plays it just for me.

With nail-scarred hands He orchestrates,
So we can know God's saving grace.
Just listen, you will hear. God's symphony is near.

Thankful - Branson Vacation - Part 3

Mike and I happily drove from Branson heading to Kansas City with just enough time to make it to a very special 2 year old's birthday. We drove through majestic mountains taking in the beautiful scenery. An hour later we passed Springfield and got a little turned around when took the wrong exit on the highway. What a long 2 miles before we came to a turnaround. No problem, we just laughed at our mistake and were about pass the northern side of Springfield when Mike said, "We just lost power."

"What?"

"The car isn't running."

"Um, we're on the highway."

He edged over to side of the road and pulled in right before an entrance with a motel in walking distance. We decided maybe the gas gauge had quit working and we really were out of gas even though it said we still had a quarter of a tank.

So what to do? I'm thinking we're going to walk to that motel. Hello, push the OnStar button. Immediately a voice came on the line and we explained the issue. No problem. They even knew where we were stuck. Which is a good thing because we didn't. We were using our GPS to figure that out. They were so nice and sent a tow truck right away for free.
We had a great spot to wait, I got out and walked around in case some giant semi crashed into our car. It wasn't long before the tow arrived and we ended up right back in Springfield. After sitting for couple of hours at a Chevrolet dealership they came in and gave us the good news...and the bad. The fuel pump had gone out but it was covered under warranty. That's the good news. The bad news....they didn't have one to replace it. It had to be shipped overnight for Saturday delivery but the warranty insurance paid the shipping since we didn't have car rental on our warranty. And....

There was a rental company right outside the door in the garage of the dealership to rent a car. We are so blessed. We grabbed a cute little car and threw everything from my van into the the rental (amazingly it fit) and took off for Kansas City.





















We checked into our hotel and were just a few minutes late for Elijah's birthday party at Mark and Erin's house. (James' dad and stepmom)



Unfortunately, Mike and James had to drive three hours back to Springfield the next day to retrieve my van and drive another 3 hours back to KC. Lacey and I spent the morning at our hotel room hanging out before going on a shopping spree. She introduced me to Gordman's. Love that store. You'll have to check them out. Great prices, cool stuff. The girls clothes were adorable. Wish we had one in Dallas. Although Mike is probably glad they don't.

We chose our hotel for the indoor pool since Patrick didn't get to swim again at Branson but it was so cold you couldn't get in the freezing water. So we opted for the hot tub spa and the kids had fun playing with the sudsy bubbles. If only Eli could have stayed in the spa instead of getting in and out and slipping on the tiles. I was so worried he'd bust his head open.

We left Sunday after a trip to McDonalds and a few tears and drove home through Oklahoma.


I miss my boys and Lacey and James but I know they're happy. They have a family support group in Missouri so I know they're not alone. Now when I think about them in Missouri, my picture of them is a lot clearer. They may be moving to their own house so I'll have to go back to get a new snapshot of their surroundings to carry in my brain. Plus a few for my computer. At my age, the brain gets a littly foggy.



We also had to stop at the biggest McDonalds in the United States just to go look out the window. It actually is the bridge that goes over the highway.





















We had a spectacular sunset on the way home. The car did not have any more hiccups and we were very confident in our drive back to Texas. We pulled into our little circle for our vacation to come to an end and I had to be ready for work the next day. Next time I'm taking Monday off. Maybe.




As we were in the midst of car trouble, we couldn't help but thank God for the wonderful way it all worked out. Even though it was inconvenient, we were so grateful that we were out of the mountains and had a good open spot to pull over. If we had not taken a wrong turn, we would have been farther away from Springfield. We were actually just up the road a ways from the dealership. We had OnStar that sent the tow truck within 20 minutes. The dealership was open, (could have happened on the way home Sunday in Oklahoma) the warranty covered the repair, and the list goes on and on. God is so good and He takes such good care of His children.

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
I Thessalonians 5:18

Vacation part 2

What a great time we had with our two grandsons, our daughter and our son-in-law James. We went swimming in the indoor pool at the Wilderness Club on the outskirts of Branson. That lasted about 20 minutes. Elijah refused to stay in the water and wanted to run around the slippery edges. We gave up and went back to the room. Poor Patrick never got to go back to the pool there. We tried the outdoor pool by our room but it was cold outside and we couldn't figure how to open the child proof gate into the pool area. Sad, I know. When we found out how to open it, we never got a chance to go back to it since the kids only had one night with us.

The shows at Branson are too expensive but we couldn't resist taking the kids on the Ducks. These are the amphibeus vehicles that drive on land and then plunge into the water. Patrick and Eli got to be captains on the water. Elijah didn't want to give up the wheel. Somewhere we have pics out of the millions on our camera disk that I will add when I find them.

We stayed in one resort area for 3 days and moved to another one in town for 3 days. The Wilderness Club was by far the best of the two. Yes, they talked us into an upgrade. Why are we so gullible? I don't know, but now we have more points and more owners fees. Hopefully, we will live long enough to figure out how to get the most out of our reservations plus our money's worth out of it all. Time will tell.

The kids left Sunday and we enjoyed the rest of the week just hanging around Branson. We didn't do alot but we tried out the Rosetta Stone on our laptops to learn Spanish, got in the hot tub at the second resort, and spent the day at Shepherd of the Hills. We bought the multi ticket and enjoyed the Sons of the Pioneers dinner, the tour, going to top of the tower to see all of Branson, and then topped it off with the play from front row and center. I literally felt the horses breath. I could have reached out and petted him if I wasn't so intimidated by his huge head. It was great.

This was my second time to see the play. It brought back many memories of our family trip we took along with some friends when I was in Jr. High. It was very nostalgic. After the play, Mike and I went down and talked to the actors after the show.

The next day we visited the Butterfly Pavillion and had a blast taking lots of pics of some pretty butterflies. It was so hot in there we were poring sweat. Downstairs we went through the mirror maze. Not a great idea for someone with claustrophobic issues but we managed to find our way out. Thank goodness.

On Friday, we drove back to Kansas City for Eli's birthday party and found disaster on the highway.

(To be cont)

Vacationing With the Kids

We rolled out of Garland, October 8th, Friday morning, with stars in our eyes and happy expectations. My daughter Lacey moved to the outside of Kansas City in the little town of Oak Grove in May with her husband, James, and my two grandsons, Patrick, 7 and Elijah, his second birthday in two days on the 11th. After nine hours on the road and taking the short cut James suggested, (let me interrupt here for a moment. The shortcut may be nice in the daylight but by the time we got there it was dark and the road was very curvy, hilly, and a quite scary.) So around 9 p.m. we arrived very worn out after nine hours on the road. My arthritic knees along with various other body parts do not fair well cramped in one position for long periods of time. Still, thrilled to see our little extended family for we had not seen them since July.

Patrick, with a touch of ADHD seemed more calm than usual but Elijah, the baby, had already hit the terrible twos before his second birthday. The little stinker talks like crazy but his most favorite word is "NO!" Lacey and James are handling his independence well. Much like I did with my son when he was around two. Give him what he wants to keep him happy. Not saying I was always right, just easier. The girls now understand why we always gave in to their Bubba. Both have been guilty as charged.

Eli, or Jujah as he calls himself, is very competitive and loves every sport that utilizes a ball. Maybe even the ones that don't. If there is one. I'm sure when he's old enough to play competitively, he will not allow anyone to get, have, keep or touch the ball/puck, meaning he will either win every game or get kicked out.

Patrick, or Bubba as Eli calls him, will always be Grandmommy's sweetie. He can be a perfectionist and upsets easily but Grandmommy can always get him back to his happy self. (Later, we spent a lot of time in the Spa having fun with Patrick stealing all the bubbles. He loves the water just like me and we spent much of the trip wrinkled like little old ladies. I say this in jest because I am NOT a little old lady nor am I wrinkled like one. Yet.)

After we arrived, we talked for a while and played with the kiddos before bedding down for the night at Lace's house, I took the couch and Mike made do in the recliner. Not bad for one night only. The next morning, we hopped up, okay, some of us creaked up slowly, and headed out for a four hour drive to Branson to stay at our vacation club resort for a few days. James was able to get off work Saturday so the kids followed us down there. Patrick couldn't miss school and James' work needed him for a job on Monday, so they could only stay one night. We had to cram a lot of fun into those two days together.

(stay tuned for more details to follow)

Weekend Cleaning

I wrote this little poem a couple of Monday's ago after working on cleaning my bedroom all weekend. Still haven't got back in there to finish!

The weekend is past
It went way too fast.
My bedroom’s half clean,
I got really mean.
Threw a lot away.
I miss it today.
I have more to do,
I’ll never be through.
It's no easy feat,
But it looks pretty neat.