Wes Relaxing

Here is Wes Duncan (He was the life of the whole party) Relaxing on Ambergris Cay.

Wes was our Eye Doctor this year. You can't see it in this picture but Wes has a heart the size of Texas.

Lynetta & Gary

Here is a picture of me and Lynetta from our last night in Belize. We were at a mexican restaurant on Ambergris Cay. So our trip wasn't all work and no play.

Where is God?

This is a reprint of a comment i made on Russ' blog last week. I wanted to show you the pictures of the little boy we found.

When Lynetta and I first went back into the village, I was pretty upset. I was actually a little mad - at God. I thought: "how could the same God who blesses me so much simply forget these precious people? " When I finally got brave enough to get out of the van I noticed a little girl about 6 years old peeking out from behind what looked like a broken down chicken coope. I went back through the weeds to talk to her. Her teenage sister appeared from behind the same chicken coope (which was really their house)She told me that her brother needed a doctor but could not come out of the house because he had sores all over him. As I looked around the back of the house, I saw the little boy throught the door. It took my breath away. Over 50% of this little boy's body was covered with open sores. My first thought was leprosy. We all waited while his sister put some pants on him, then we rushed him to Martin Chaney. It turns out that it was a very servere case of Impetigo. Left untreated he probably would not have lived through the year.the odds of us finding this little boy hiding in his house was a million to one.

So, where was God? He was busy leading this Belize team from half way across the continent right to this little boy's house. God really is good.

What do Heros Look Like?

I meet some interesting people last week. They looked like ordinary people. They were hot, sweaty, tired, and hungry. They looked out of place in the little make-shift medical clinic. They looked like rich, spoiled Americans. But, I know what they really were - they were heros.

Since there was no where to buy lunch, these rich spoiled Americans had stuffed their backpacks full of snacks to get them through the day. But when they found themselves surrounded by children, who's only food consisted of a few small fish they had cought in a polluted creek, and a handfull of rice, they quickly lost their appitites. Soon all of the children were all walking around with cupcakes, candy bars, and peanut butter crackers. The heros were still hot, sweaty, tired and hungry. Their backpacks were empty. But, their hearts seemed somehow fuller than they had ever been.

I am convinced that given the oppertunity everyone I know would have reacted the exact same way. There is really a hero living in all of us.

II Corinthians 9:11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Home Safe & Sound - But Somehow Different

We are finally home! We arrived in Nashville last night about 8:30. It was quite an adventure - a life changing adventure. Thank you to all of our family and friends who missed us, and prayed for us. I can't wait to share with you all of the pictures and the stories. As soon as we catch our breath I will start writing. I really hope you kept up with us through Russ' Blog . If not please go check it out.

Belize Medical Mission Trip

This Saturday, June 30, Lynetta and I will be heading down to Belize in Central America on a Medical Mission trip. We are going with a group from the Maury Hills church, Carmack Bulavard Church of Christ, and the Hohenwald Church of Christ. Lynetta went with the group 2 years ago. This will be my first time.

According to Lynetta and the others who have been before it is a life changing experience. I believe that it just might be. Because, after all of the horror stories about bugs, snakes, monkeys that bite, sickness, heat, hour long boat rides through less than ideal conditions, rude customs agents and bad plane flights, Lynetta still longs to go back. It has been her dream ever since she came back the first time to return again and take me with her. So, here we go.

So please remember to pray for us. Pray for the safety of our team. Pray that we will all model the love of Jesus to everyone we meet and everyone we serve.

Oh yeah, and while your at it, please pray for our teenagers that we will be leaving at home. Pray that they will behave and not kill each other before we get back.

To see daily updates of our trip go to the Maury Hills web site, or Russ Adcox' blog page. (Both links are at the bottom of the page.)

3 Down, 2 To Go

When you have 5 kids you would think that some of the standard milestones in life would become a little more familiar and a little easier to handle. Well here we are graduating number 3 and it wasn't any easier. Me and Ma still spent the entire evening wiping away tears.

I still remember the lost feeling I had when we dropped Kari, our eldest, off at college in Searcy Arkansas - some 5 hours away. Just knowing that we were not going to see her from August until she came home that fall for Thanksgiving was a little overwhelming to say the least. We really thought it would be easier with the next one. Andrea went to Tennessee Tech. only 2 hours away - it wasn't. I was surprised to feel the same sense of loss and emptiness that I felt with the first one.

Well here we go again. Matthew plans to go to Lipscomb this fall. Lipscomb is less than an hour away. But I know from experience now that the distance does not have much to do with it. The loss and the emptiness is real no matter how far away they go.

I always jokingly say that I will be dancing when I finally get the last one through school. But I don't really mean it. Yes, I've been there - done that, but that just means I know what to expect. So if you happen to see me or Lynetta at the next two graduations, and you happen to need a Kleenex, just ask. We will have a pocket full.

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May he grant all your request Psalms 20: 4-5