Incredible Video Testimony that Explains Why We Do What We Do

This video is long, but totally worth the investment!  This paints a great picture as to why we do what we do.  It will be worth it to watch the whole thing, but I would especially encourage you to watch Alison @06:35, Dana @14:41, Scott @21:00, and Dan @32:02.

This is a video of a church service on Nov 3, 2009 at one of RMI's churches, CrossRoad Church UMC in Jacksonville, FL.  They tell their story of the broad impact of the partnership they have with their Sister Church in Tiburon, Haiti, through RMI.

For your convenience, here are some timestamps…

• 00:00 – Pastor Scott Crawford (Community Life Pastor) gives an introduction to their Sister Church Partnership.
• 06:35 - Alison (Recent Team Member) shares her story, specifically related to RMI’s Hope for Kidz child sponsorship program.
• 14:41 - Dana (recent team member) shares her dramatic story of Kingdom impact, salvation, being a God Parent.
• 21:00 - Scott shares more Kingdom impact.
• 26:15 - Scott shares message from Haitian Pastor Lundy to the congregation at CrossRoad Church UMC.
• 32:02 - RMI President Dan Shoemaker thanks the congregation for their compassionate partnership and impact.
• 37:38 - Sr. Pastor Gee challenges his congregation to live below their means to make a difference.

Finally, here is the video:

CrossroadUMC Compassion Month Church Service from RobandBecky Thompson on Vimeo.

Now what?

We didn’t even have time to see who makes that special “no escape” system for Duke (see the previous entry!).  He dug under the fence again this morning and went to Walmart AGAIN!!  Thankfully he didn’t get hit by rush hour traffic.  He’s so friendly, he searches out anyone who will be friendly in return.  Thankfully each time that person has called the number on his tag to find his owners.  He’s like a cat with 9 lives!!

Now what do we do?!?!?!

The perfect way to keep Duke inside the fence!

I saw this on a friend’s blog (Thanks Pastor Mike!) and it sure seems like a great idea of how to keep Duke inside the fence!  I wonder where we could buy such a contraption?

By the way, Dan has fixed the fence and reinforced the rest of the perimeter.  Good thing our yard isn’t any bigger!

The dreaded 3 a.m. phone call

A parent’s worse nightmare….the 3 a.m. phone call letting you know that one of your children is in trouble.  Dan and I got that call last week. 

It was Walmart asking us to come get our DOG.  He was found shopping at Walmart again (see our Feb. 9, 2008 blog entry)!  It was hard to comprehend how it could be possible…he sleeps inside the house with us.  But it seems that when he was let outside for his nightly constitutional, he was left there.  We both thought the other one had let him in.  I guess he got bored and decided to go walkabout, again crossing the busiest east/west road in the county at night (he’s a black dog), through the parking lot and right to Walmart. 

Dan got dressed and retrieved Duke (leaving a $20 reward to the employee that found him).  The next morning we found where he’d pawed aside the heavy 12” X 12” pavers, tore through the chicken wire the dug under the fence to find freedom.

One would think that we could write a blog about Dawn’s team and how they came in 2nd in their region and are now able to go the the national finals (in Kissimmee this year – hope we can attend some of the games!).  It’s so cool!

Or how Devon is looking for his first apartment in Naples.  His childhood friend (fellow missionary kid and his best friend), Kyle Vrooman, has moved down and is working with Devon in the shipping warehouse.  They are staying with Devon’s grandparents in Naples and hope to find an apartment in the next couple of weeks.  He is so excited!  Maybe he’ll take Duke off our hands!  HA HA 

But no, the dog gets the headlines this time around.