Big Steve

Just a man trying to become a better Christian following Jesus and those that follow him.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Maxwell Update


Some Info

OK! Life here is crazy just because there is all of the stuff you do just to get moved in. The trip down was rather uneventful except for one of my tow-dolly (for the car) lights coming off. Nothing a little duck tape couldn’t fix. We chilled with the Petersons in Colorado Springs and then came on down to the flat lands. The weather has already reached the hundreds and it is April. I am really starting to miss a lot of people. I don’t want to try and name people just in case I leave someone out. Alasha and I took “The Boy” (Jonah) to his grandparents in Louisiana and he is getting properly spoiled. We have been making efforts to get moved in. It is slow but it is happening. I will get more pictures out when I get a chance. We don’t have internet at home yet but it will be coming. I am at the church working on an arrangement of “Give Me Jesus” for special music this Sunday. So far things are very nice. The church is definitely taking care of us. We received a “pounding” which essentially means you get food, toiletries, and gift cards for whatever else you need for your new place and we have more stuff than we have room for. Keep us in your prayers. Alasha is enjoying her new Starbucks and so far so good. I will get out more info soon. Until then, God be with you.

PS. The picture is Jonah with his new friend, Lily Wei Gibbons.
PSS. They have taught each other more sign language and they can both walk. Did I mention we need Prayers. :-)

Friday, April 07, 2006

Starting to Sink In

Starting to Sink In

Ok! Now it feels like we are going to move. The last couple of days have been a blur. I could say that about the last couple of months but lets just deal with the “recent” past. I am in the middle of doing one of those things that I do but I don’t like to do. And that thing is hanging out with people that I would love to hang out with but you don’t hang out with them unless some drastic life change comes about. And for me that life change happens to be the fact that I and my family are moving to Texas. Some people I see everyday and I don’t get to hang out with them the way that I would like to. Now there is comfort in knowing that this is nobody’s fault but mine. I could have chosen to at least ask those people to hang out, but I get caught in the “I bet there too busy tornado” and before you know it I am out of time.
Casey Tucker is someone I really admire and she is one of my homies. We had breakfast not to long ago at a local joint and it was awesome to just sit there with Case and catch up. I went to hang out at the Lowery’s to watch the NCAA men’s basketball championship and that was a lot of fun. Thanks for the chili Karla and the flat screen Kerry. I got a chance to visit two of the many churches I love in the Portland – Vancouver area and it was very nice. It only made want to go and visit the other churches where I know people. I got a chance to go to a roller skating rink with my boy and even though neither of us skated we were around people we love. I went with Jason and Ike to eat Indian food and it was very good. Jonah went with us so it was sort of a 3 men and a baby thing, and that was cool too. I went to see a late movie with Ike and Jason and that was cool. Tomorrow I will get the chance to visit with the VDK’s and that will be cool also. Kerry Vander Kamp (K -VDK) is one of those people who I think is just cool and I did not get to hang out with him like I wanted to, and that definitely goes for his wife Lori too. VDK’s rock!
I will miss Ike a lot. We had a different relationship working together. For me it was an iron sharpening experience. I can only hope I didn’t dull him out too much. I was able to bounce my life off of his and come out better for it. I plan on continuing in this experience from a little farther away.
Lanny and I had this disc golf thing going on that took us on some very cool trips. One in particular was in the Gorge where there was one tee shot that was right across a huge pond. The funny thing is a lot of times I have seen our relationship like the flight pattern of a Frisbee Disc. A strong take off right toward our life goals only to loose momentum and have the winds of change guide us slightly off course; only then to have the Holy Spirit pick us up and hurl us once again toward our goal. Or was that the Holy Spirit guiding us with the changing wind. Oh well, it is nice to know it is the Holy Spirit however the change.
On my last work day I received a text message from someone very special to me – Kristi White. Kristi’s husband Allan and I were made to hang out with each other and could just not find the time to make it happen. He is a music man and those are my people. Oh well! I will be back to hang out with Allan and many others. Ok, back to Kristi. It seems that wherever I am God gives me that person to lean on that has that special set of keys that unlocks the doors to my brain so I can do my job that much better. Every now and then that person also winds up unlocking a friendship that I will remember until we meet again in heaven. At Cascade College it was Pearl Howarth, and Mary Horton; at Acappella it was Barry Wilson and Kevin Schaffer and at PUMP church it was definitely Kristi White. She has more passion than Passion Fruit itself and that makes you want to keep going and working.
Well, tomorrow we load the truck so I better get some sleep. Just look forward to post’s like this as I near the time of driving off into the very hot South. I am excited just in case I don't look like it. It will be bitter sweet for me.
Ike, Lanny, and Kristi – I could not have asked for better co-workers. Later ya’ll – I’m sleepy.