First election experience

Yesterday was an interesting day.  It was my first day to serve as a poll worker.  It was a primary, so the turn out was light - very light, too light!  Only 6 or 7% of that particular precinct.  Thus it was very boring.  The next election, you know, the presidential one, will be a different story.

We were trained to handle difficult people (voters), but they never mentioned difficult co-workers!  I enjoyed the job I was given, and the gal that I worked with.  The worker that sat next to us was another story.  In the 14 hours we were there, she never quit talking.  Is there another word for "know it all but was wrong about it all?  That's the word I'd also use for a description as well.  I was so glad to get home and put my feet up.

I am hoping that more people take their responsibility as an American seriously in November and come out to vote.  If you don't vote, you can't complain one voter told me yesterday.  It is painless and doesn't take long.  Even if you don't like the choices, you still need to vote.  Ok, enough of the advertisement!  Just wanted to make sure you all get out and do your part for our country's choice in a new leader.

Debbie

There are whitecaps in our yard

Yeah, you have to stop and think about that one for a moment.  "Fay" showed that she has a mind of her own.  She turned early, came ashore much sooner and has not decreased in speed.  Since she turned inland earlier, that meant that the eye went 8-10 miles east of us rather than several miles off the coast to the west of us.  At 10:30 a.m. the eye was directly east of here where we live.  The winds have been constant since last night but got much stronger throughout the morning - getting very fierce at times.  Our house is holding together fine.  The lanai is completely wet, clear up to our sliding doors.

There has been more than 5" of rain.  Here is a picture of our right side neighbor's backyard.

This is our left side neighbor's backyard.

We must be at a slightly higher elevation because our yard is a little less flooded.

Considering we're practically in the everglades, that must be a foot or 2 in elevation!

The electricity has flickered on and off some but has stayed on, for which we are thankful!!

By tonight the rain should stop and tomorrow we'll see the sun again.  Then will come to job of putting the potted plants back outside, cleaning up the lanai, etc.  Praise God that it has not been worse for us and the rest of the area.

Hurricane Fay is on her way!

We are sitting in the projected path of the eye.  We are grateful that it is only going to be a category 1.  The outer bands are just coming over our home now.  It's dreary, heavily overcast, breezy and much cooler than it usually is.  We've taken in most of our potted plants and outdoor furniture.  We have food and water, the cars are gassed up, and things are fairly ready.

Dawn is at school, but school is canceled tomorrow.  We should feel the full effects tomorrow from 4-9 a.m.

So we'll see what she ends up doing.  More tomorrow - we'll let you know how things have gone.

The Leadership Summit

August 7 and 8 I had the opportunity to attend the Willow Creek Association "The Leadership Summit" they produce every year.  It is beamed via satellite into more than 100 locations in the US.  What a great opportunity to be immersed in awesome teaching. As speaker after speaker shared from their hearts about leaders and spiritual as well as practical principles of leadership, I was challenged and re-vitalized. 

It was a great time of input into my life personally and as a leader.  I have some good input that will help me as an RMI leader.  I was also able to make some good contacts for possible future sister churches.

But mostly I appreciated the emphasis from all the speakers on the need as leaders for spiritual holiness, freshness, and devotion to Christ.  No matter the ministry, organization, or company, the first order of business is your own personal pursuit of holiness.  Funny how that sounds so biblical!  However, in the pursuit of providing good leadership it is so easy to forget the foundation. 

I needed to hear those words.  I was challenged in my own faith to verify my continual pursuit of Christ.  How close am I to my Lord?  How sold out am I for Him?  Can I say as one speaker said, "Bring it on God! Whatever you want, I am yours". 

How about you?  Are you pursuing God?  What is your first order of business?  Can you say to God, "Bring it on God! "? 

Dan Shoemaker

Back to school for the last time

Today was the first day of school - for the last time for Dawn!  She is a senior!!  I'm not too sure about this and I do not know how it happened! Yesterday she was knee high to a grasshopper in braids with a scrapped elbow.  Today she is a senior thinking of colleges.  Do you know what that means?  We will be quasi-empty nesters!   That means that we are kind of empty nesters as the quasi-adults try to spread their wings, fly off for a while, come home to roost and have someone do their laundry then fly off again.  And for all of you with new hatchlings, don't think you're day isn't coming!!

Back to Dawn....she was immersed in volleyball most of the summer, but especially this week as tryouts and first practices started even before classes started.  After last year's powerhouse team, she is now the only returning player from last year's team.  That and being the one and only senior, she is really feeling the pressure!  Pray for her as she leads her team.  The coach has asked her to be the spiritual leader and may possibly name her captain.  He took one idea she had for the varsity team and made it mandatory for the whole high school volleyball program.  She wanted the girls to write in a journal 3 things every day:  a verse or inspirational quote, 1 thing they are going to work on during that practice to better the team and 1 thing they are going to work on to better themselves during that practice.  So I got the job of buying the journals, printing and gluing in a note explaining it from the coach.  They were handed out at the parents meeting/first practice.  It was received very well, especially by the parents and coaches.

Pray for her as she looks at colleges.  It's a daunting task with so many things to consider....play volleyball or not, close to home or far away, majors, and the biggest - how on earth will she pay for it????!  It's mind boggling.

We have senior pictures to take, a senior trip to find the money for, homecoming, prom, yearbook, graduation and who knows what else to face, too!  We'll all give a big sigh of relief when it's over on May 22, 2009.

Catfish sting!

It had been a successful day of fishing in the mangroves for Devon, his grandparents, Herb and Shirley Shoemaker, and his cousin, Caleb and his wife, Katarina last Saturday.  That is until Devon's grandmother pulled in a catfish.  As it came out of the water, it swung wildly.  Devon tried to dodge it but it struck his stomach.  What most people don't know is that catfish have a stinging barbs on their dorsal and pectoral fins.  One of those barbs penetrated his stomach area.  It was in him so well that he had to really yank hard on the fish to get it out!  The toxin caused immediate, intense pain throughout his whole body.  They took him back to the house and looked up the treatment for catfish sting on the internet.  Surprisingly, it's to apply heat to draw out the poison.  Even with some heavy painkillers and hot compresses, he was in intense pain for hours.  He told us the next day that he really thought he was going to die.  He showed us the entry site and it looks just like a pinprick.  Amazing.  I'm just glad that he was with people who could take care of him right away (that he wasn't alone!) and that it didn't hit him in the heart area! 

He sure keeps his guardian angels busy!

[As of today, his stomach area is still very sensitive and he is starting to feel much better overall.]