"I Hate Goodbyes"

Yesterday the news of my my impending yet still distant departure took on a new scope as we announced the coming end of ABF. While many were excited for us and the ministry God is leading us towards, several actually said, "We're going to miss you."

While I appreciate the sentiment, the move is still about two years off. Sure my job is changing soon, but I'll still be around. It reminds me of the scene in Dumb and Dumber when Lloyd, the chaufeur, says to the passenger he just met and dropped off at the airport, "I hate goodbyes." We forget that the world has gotten smaller and that we can maintain any relationship we wish, no matter the distance. I have no goodbyes to give. Not now or in two years. Maybe a few "See ya laters" but that's about it.

For those seeking information on our future ministry, please join me for the final ABF on July 12. We will be launching a new website soon with all the latest information. I'll post that as soon as it goes live. Until then, see ya later.

And a Child Shall Lead Them

Yesterday brought an end to VBS 2008. What a week!

Not only did we have great leadership on the part of Belinda, Nancy and Janet, but we had some great kids. When it was all said and done, 83 kids made professions of faith and our 350 kids donated a total of $7,000 to drill a well in Africa and provide water purification equipment. What a testimony. These kids really got it.

We all could learn a lesson. The "faith of a child" never looked so promising.

All Hands on Deck

I just received an urgent email from our VBS Director, Belinda Boardman. The enemy is attacking our volunteer force, and several have been made unavailable at the last moment. Our VBS begins Monday, and we need a handful of new volunteers who can give 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days next week, June 23-27. Service times are in the morning between 8 am and 12:30 pm.

Please ask God if this call is for you. Don't believe that you can't make an eternal difference. Don't miss this divine appointment for you to be part of God's team in this year's exciting VBS.

General volunteers, please email Belinda at bboardman@grandecom.net

Thanks, and God Bless!

Pastor Steve (on the road)

Back in the U.S.A.

Yesterday was our final day in Mexico. What a trip! Today, we are back in the US, sort of--we are in Chicago, waiting on a flight that has been delayed yet again. Not sure we'll ever make it back to Raleigh and the kids.

I'm going to post my emails to the kids according to the date they were sent. Sorry for the nature of them, but they capture the essence of our trip. Scroll down to read them.

Sixth Day in Mexico

Stephanie, David & Maria,

Our last full day in Mexico was very fun. Nothing new as far as activities go, but a really funny thing happened in the morning I have to tell you about. We were walking back to our room, and as I rounded the corner, I saw a fairly large iguana trying to move around the corner. I called back to mom to get over and watch out for the iguana, but it was too late. As she came up, she and the iguana came face-to-face and both were totally freaked! Mom, screamed real loud and shot back a few feet. The iguana started running so fast his feet were slipping on the tile. He couldn’t go forward because mom was there, so he went to the left and took off up the stairs. I was cracking up. After mom came through the hallway, the iguana, scampered down the stairs and out the building. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.

Anyway, we had a great day, and are getting ready to start our journey home. Can’t wait to see you tonight.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Fifth Day in Mexico

Stephanie, David & Maria,

We had an awesome day yesterday. Again the weather was perfect so we went snorkeling first thing, then moved over to the swimming area—it has white sand way out into the ocean. We floated and played there for a long time.

We had fun watching other people. At one point we say a tall, lanky guy that reminded us of Mr. Bean. His mannerisms and look were so close that we were totally cracking up. A little while later, we saw “Mr. Bean” with a woman we guessed was his wife. Funny thing was, she has pretty, Latina, and not wearing a shirt—weird, I know, but some people do that down here. Later in the evening when we were eating dinner, we saw “Mr. and Mrs. Bean.” I cracked myself up when I told mom, “Now we know was Mr. Bean looks like with his shirt on…and Mrs. Bean!”

In the afternoon we both enjoyed massages in the spa. Wow! Talk about relaxing.

We saw two shows last night. The first one was on the history of Mexico through dance. It was very cool and probably the best show we’ve seen all week. After that, we saw a show that used music from Broadway in New York City. It was okay, but you could tell which of the dancers didn’t know English as they tried to lip sync to Broadway musical songs they didn’t know.

We’ve got another relaxing day before us, and then heading home tomorrow. Can’t wait to see you all.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Fourth Day in Mexico

Stephanie, David & Maria,

Yesterday we took it easy. We did a little swimming and a lot of sunning and sleeping. Mixed in with that we did a little eating. Not very exciting, I know, but after all the playing we’ve done I think we needed a break.

It was so good to talk with you on Father’s Day. Thanks for the text messages also. I love you all so much.

Today we’ll snorkel and swim some more, then we have spa treatments in the afternoon.

Have a wonderful day. We’ll see you the day after tomorrow!!!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Moving Forward

Dear Church Family,

For nearly 12 years, I’ve had the privilege of serving the Lord at Grace Community Church. I began as the Youth Pastor, then for years served as Maturity Pastor and Missions Pastor, and most recently as Children’s Pastor. Each step of the way, the Lord made it clear that though my calling into ministry had never changed, oftentimes my particular assignment needed to.

But that’s the way God works in all of us, isn’t it? Acts 19:21 states, “Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem. ‘And after that,’ he said, ‘I must go on to Rome!’” The only thing that mattered to Paul was that he serve God. Changing locations, though tough, was the only thing he could do when God led him.

As many of you know, God has been leading me and my family to begin a ministry in Costa Rica. We are still in the early stages of putting it all together, but the time of transition is fast approaching. That being the case, Grace will be searching for a new Children’s Pastor to take over my day-to-day duties as I expect to transition to part time by next January.

Our move to Costa Rica will probably not occur until 2010, but the work has already begun. Grace is and will remain our home church. And don’t expect me to disappear anytime soon. We have money to raise and plans to put together. Ultimately our mission is to open a retreat and training center for pastors from all over the Americas.

A change like this is bittersweet. Though it means moving forward on a vision God has been refining in us for several years now, it also ultimately means saying goodbye to family and friends. We would appreciate your prayers during this time and would ask that you consider how you can be part of strengthening the ministry of Son City. My strongest desire at the moment is to hand off the ministry to my successor in the best possible condition, and I know with your help, I can.

Because of Christ,
Pastor Steve

Pastor George Responds...
I have known for some time that God has been calling Steve to fulfill his dream of doing ministry in Costa Rica. I am very excited for him and the great opportunity that exist in reaching and training people for Christ. Steve has fulfilled his commitment to Grace by serving in many different areas throughout the years. I believe God used these roles to prepare him for where He is going in the future.

Steve will be around for the next year helping Grace at a capacity that will allow him to be able to prepare for his future. I am reminded of my own faith walk 20 years ago when the Lord sent Sheryl and me away from Missouri and to Texas to fulfill the calling that He had on our lives of starting Grace. It’s a tremendous step of faith and also an exciting time. Let’s look to God together for what He has for all of us.

I’ll keep you posted as things unfold.
PG

Third Day in Mexico

Stephanie, David & Maria,

Yesterday was action packed! Went started out with a quick breakfast, then snorkeling. The water was great. The fish here are so colorful and you can swim right up to them. They won’t let you touch them, but they don’t swim off. They just treat you like another big fish.

After snorkeling we got some sun on the beach for a little while, but then decided to try something adventurous. We went parasailing. Parasailing is kind of like being attached to a giant kite (called a parasail), that is pulled out over the ocean by a boat. First they take you on a jet ski out to the boat, and you get strapped into a harness. The harness is attached to the parasail, and then they let out the line and you go up and up and up. They let us go all the way up—over 900 feet high!!! It was so awesome. We could see forever. A guy on the boat took a picture of us, so we’ll bring that home as a souvenir.

After parasailing we had a little snack, then went over to the spa to check out what they had. We wanted to do some archery at the sports center, but the archery is only offered as a class and we were too late for the class. The spa was really cool, though. First, we got into this big round pool that had power jets of water shooting down on the sides. You could sit under them and it would massage your head and shoulders. Mom liked that the best. Then they had a large pool with a thing like a lazy river on it. Every so often there would be a mini-pool with jets on and you could massage your back or feet on them. Then they had this little spiral area you walked through with rocks on the bottom and jets of cool water shooting out the sides. It kinda hurt to walk on it, but it was supposed to be good for your feet. After that, mom got back into the round pool with the jets shooting down, and dad got in the sauna, which is a super-hot room that is supposed to make you sweat and get hot.

We went back to the main pool after that and slept and swam a bit. We then took a nap in the late afternoon. In the evening, we got dressed up and had dinner, then went to see two shows. The first one was a Disney show, with characters from a lot of the movies. It was cool. You guys would have loved it. The second show was dancing from all over the world. It was really good too. After that, we went to the disco and watched people dance. We had a good time talking, but too many people were smoking so we left and went back to our room. By then it was after midnight. What a day!

Well, today is Father’s Day. I sure wish I had you guys here to help me celebrate. So we’ll do that next week. But I will tell you now that I am so proud to be your dad. My greatest joy in life is watching you all grow up. I am so amazed by each one of you and I love you very much.

Have a great day, and I’ll call you tonight. Tell Grandpa “Happy Father’s Day” from mom.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Second Day in Mexico

Stephanie, David & Maria,

Today began in a very funny way. Mom was in the room getting her bathing suit on. Our curtains were open, but our room faces a bunch of trees and flowers, so we figured no one would see if we left them open. But sure enough, just as mom is getting changed one of the gardeners walks right by the window. I don’t think he saw her, but it was so funny.

We went snorkeling today. It was amazing. We saw another baby stingray and tons and tons of really cool and colorful fish. The water was amazing.

After spending time in the ocean, we had some lunch, then spent the rest of the afternoon in one of the large pools. It was so fun and relaxing. We both fell asleep in lawn chairs by the pool.

At night we relaxed, and prepared for another fun day on Saturday.

We hope you all have fun with your water balloons and CiCi’s. It sounds like you guys are having a great time too.

Love you much!

Mom & Dad

First Day in Mexico

Stephanie, David & Maria,

Yesterday we left really early from Grandma & Grandpa’s house. We peeked in on you all, but you were still asleep. We both said a few quiet prayers that God would watch over you while we were away.

Our first flight was back to Dallas. It only took 2 ½ hours! Imagine that! All that driving to get to Raleigh, and we flew back in only a few hours. Anyway, we didn’t have much time in Dallas, because we had to catch our next flight to Cancun, Mexico. Our second plane had some problems, though. The water didn’t work in any of the bathrooms, and they couldn’t serve any hot drinks like coffee or tea. And on top of that, the air conditioning in the plane didn’t work until we took off. When we were sitting on the ground it started to get very hot.

Once we got to Cancun, we met up with our van driver who would take us to our hotel. His name was Claudio, and he was really nice. There was one other family on the van going to a different hotel. They were from Kansas, and they were really nice also. It took us about 1 ½ hours to get to our hotel.

Our hotel is the Palladium Riveria. It is really nice, and really big. They have a beautiful beach which we are going to explore today. We are going to get goggles, snorkels and fins so we can see all the fish. When we were walking on the beach yesterday, we saw lots of little crabs, and birds, and one time we got to see a baby stingray swimming along the beach. It was really cute!

There are also iguanas and lizards everywhere! It almost feels like we are in Jurassic Park, but none of them are trying to eat us.

The food here is really good. They have buffets where you can eat as much as you want, and they have a lot to choose from (including pizza and fries). There is a lot of fruit and fish and vegetables and a ton of desserts.

We went to a show last night. It had some good music and the dancers were really talented, but the women had on thongs! Aahh! We were laughing, it was so funny. We didn’t stay for the whole show because we were really tired and needed some sleep.

Next trip we take will be for all of us. We decided we really needed this time together, but we also really miss you all. We have so much fun when we are with you. We wish you were here!

Please have fun and take care of each other this week. We’ll write tomorrow morning and let you know how today went.

We love you,

Mom and Dad

Vacation 2008

Yesterday we hit the road to begin our Summer 2008 Vacation. As I write this, we are over 800 miles away--not a bad first day of driving! We made it past Atlanta, on our way to Raleigh, North Carolina, to see Angela's parents. Cristopher and Flora were left behind to keep an eye on the house and water the plants.

After a few days in NC, Angela and I will be taking a trip to the Mayan Riviera, using the travel voucher given to us by Grace for passing the 10 year mark of service last year. Thanks, Grace Family.

I'm not sure how much net access I'll have, but I'll update the blog when I can for those living vicariously through me. If you don't hear from me for a few days, assume I can't get online, or I'm just being lazy.

Now, back to the van. Another 400 miles to go!

Flora Lucas Weds Cristopher Garcia

Yesterday my oldest daughter got married. The ceremony was in both English and Spanish, and though the event was small, it was quite special.

The day for me was a joyous one. All the angst and anguish of the previous months faded in the glow of the moment as I walked my daughter down the aisle, then turned to preform the ceremony.

The happy couple will make their home in Plano. Please join me in praying for their future, that they may experience all God has for them as they continue to grow in their love for each other and for Him.

One down, three to go.