Change: I guess I don't like it after all

Hello friends. If the events of today are any indicator I am not a fan of change. I had lunch with a friend of mine. He mentioned an employment interview he will be having tomorrow. If he gets this job and accepts it, he will have to change churches and we will no longer attend the same church. I am interested to note how wrapped up I am in this situation even as the possibility of him receiving the job is still a possibility. I thought I liked change, on my terms. Now I am thinking I just don't like change. We'll have to see. Please pray that God's will would be done in this situation.

Last night Becca and I met with a guy from our church to discuss mortgages. We found out how much we pre-qualified for and now are starting the search for a home in which we are interested. We also know a realtor from our church who will be helping us find a home in the area we are looking for, for the price we want, with the features we want/need. Becca and I completed a survey earlier tonight which helps us determine what we want in a house and what we need in a house. There is an important distinction between want and need and learning about this distinction is an interesting experience. We hope to move into the house when our lease is up on 28 May so we have a lot of work ahead of us.

As I think about the upcoming months I get tired. I am looking forward to the things ahead of us, but there is a lot ahead of us. In addition to looking for a house and moving in, we are working on the mission trip to Thailand, youth ministry at church, with our jobs. I know we are all busy but I just wanted to update you all on this.

We are headed to Cleveland this weekend to visit my parents and my aunt Leslie. Becca has not met her yet so I am looking forward to seeing her again and introducing Becca to her.

That's all for now I think. Have a good night!

Happy weekend!

Happy weekend friends! I don't know where this week went but it is over and the weekend is here. Tomorrow we are having a special worship service at church where we will be showing some different methods you can use during worship. I am excited to see how this will go. I was at church earlier preparing a piano solo I will be playing.

I stopped at Jesse & Rhonda's house and it looks better each time I come over. Jesse is pretty much done sanding the dry wall and will start priming the walls next week. We found out today that Habitat For Humanity sells building materials and other things for homes so he is going to check out their doors, carpet and other things. I am excited about this because I am sure Habitat sells these things at a good price.

We are in the midst of the Thailand trip preparations. We have a meeting with the team tomorrow to take the team picture, finalise support letters and schedule the next meeting. A local government rep is willing to come church to accept our passport applications. I thought this was really cool as this is something we need to get done soon. I believe God is going to teach all of us a lot as we prepare for this trip, while we are there and when we come home. I am amazed at what I have learned so far. I will admit working with youth is not my forte but God is giving me more and more confidence which I am glad about.

Once again, my hair is not all brown. We went to Paula's on Thursday night and she put light brown highlights in my hair. At first I thought they looked really orange but I am getting used to them. I will try to put a picture on here soon so you can see them.

I think that is about all for now. Have a great weekend!

Sad times

I think it is really sad how wrapped up I am in the fact that I am loosing my laptop at work. I knew this day was going to come as I do not need anymore as I am not traveling anymore for work. This morning one of the Help Desk staff told me I would be getting a new computer (which is exciting) but it would be a desktop and not a laptop. Oh well, I guess life goes on and there is more to life than laptops :)

It is scary that this is the biggest news for me right now so I'm going to Zeeland now to play Help Desk for the doctor.

Laterz...

Sanding dry wall

I had another interesting experience today helping Jesse and Rhonda at their house in Moline.

Earlier this week, a contractor friend of Jesse's sent his dry wall subcontractor with one of his crews put up the dry wall for the whole house. This contractor paid one of his crews to install and mud the dry wall. This contractor does not know Jesse very well at all. I am so excited that the dry wall is done. Before you can paint, the mud on the dry wall must be sanded down so that is what Becca and I helped Jesse with today. This is not the cleanest experience however it is not that hard. I am glad to be able to help out though I do not have a lot of technical knowledge about working on houses.

We're now at my in-laws in Zeeland. I really needed to shower at doing the work out Jesse's. I just need to be clean. You may feel free to call me a preppy person, I just don't care.

We are continuing to work on the Thailand trip in June. Everyone is working on their letters. We are having a meeting this coming Wednesday night and I hope we can get the letters in the mail soon.

Well that's all for now...

What's going on in Chris' world

How's everyone doing? It has been an interesting week. This week was budget week. Anita, Grace and Albert were in the office to prepare the budget and submit it to Finance. I am very pleased to say the budget has been submitted and I still have a job! :) (We were not planning to cut jobs at all. We did have to cut some special projects and find creative ways to do some things.) It was good to see Anita again since she moved to Brazil back in August. She and I communicate a lot through email for work but seeing each other in person is better.

I have a theory about change: People who do not like change need change a lot so they can become used to it. Becca and I moved the furniture around in our bedroom. To me it was not a big deal but I think it is good to change things up every once in a while. Also, because we moved the furniture we were able to clean some areas that are not normally cleaned. I thought this was good because if we never moved the furniture before we move out we would have a lot of cleaning to do in May.

On Monday of this week I put the deposit down on the airfare for the mission trip to Thailand this June. At this point the teens are working on their support letters and applying for passports. I think this experience is going to be a stretching experience for the teens, especially those who have not been on a missions trip before and/or have never left the US. I have to remind myself a lot that this is a big experience for a lot of the teens though it may seem like just another missions trip for Becca and I.

That's all I can think of for now. Make sure to visit Amelia, Ked, Becca, and Debby's blog.

New blog

I have created a blog for the missions trip Becca and I are leading this summer. Check out the new link in the links on the right or click here.

What a week

It has been an interesting work. God is doing something though I am not completely sure what it is. The lack of knowing can be annoying at times but I have to remember that God is in control and that is better than me being in control all the time.

Nothing too exciting to report from Grand Rapids. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Ilana Marie Rhodes

Ked and Amelia's baby girl is here! She was born on Friday. Check out Amelia's blog for pictures of Ilana.

Debby's back...again

Debby's blog is back up again. We both hope it will stay up this time. I love the picture and the fun new design. Check it out!

Banished from home...

Debby's blog is having difficulty right now as Debby is changing servers where her web site is hosted. I will let you all know when her site is live again.

I also want to take this opportunity to show you Will's website. This kid is not even a week old and he has a website. I am an adopted uncle who spoils my nephew's rotten. It is not much right now, but I will :) add to it as time goes along.

I write this blog entry from Panera Bread. Tonight my wife is having a Junior High girls sleep over so I have been banished from my apartment. I will be spending the night with my in-laws but I could not pass up an opportunity to spend some time at my 2nd home. My wife will not be at all surprised that I was here.

I was very excited to receive a phone call from a friend named Rob who was wanting information on flights to and from the Philippines. I think being a travel agent could be a very fun job. I have been playing travel agent a lot lately as I have been trying to find airfare for our missions trip to Thailand this coming June. I have used a travel agent in Oregon in the past and again their fares are turning up better than some local people. I am really looking forward to this trip as we will have opportunity to see a new country and new people but also to learn more about the real life of a missionary. Missions has been close to my heart for quite a while and I am anxious to see how the Lord uses this trip in my life and in the lives of those coming along.

Well, tmsaisti...

Debby's back

Some of you may have noticed that Paradise Of the Blog has been down for a while. Well, the site is back up now with a new design. Check it out and welcome Debby back to the blog world!

The baby's here!

Jesse and Rhonda had their baby last night. William Jesse was born at 11:22pm weighing in at 8 lbs, 6.2 ounces at 19" long. Becca and I went to the hospital this afternoon to visit Rhonda and meet William. He is the cutest baby. Of course we took pictures. See picture below and links in this post.



Chris and Will Becca and Will

Update from Noel about Sri Lanka

Here is an update I received from my co-worker Noel about the situation in Sri Lanka. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters there.

Noel's Update

News from Sri Lanka

This is an email I received from a co-worker in Sri Lanka. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka and other countries affected by the tsunami.

Dear All,

The reality of the magnitude of destruction caused by the killer waves that hit Sri Lanka and other nations in the Indian Ocean are now being brought to light and it is far worse than one could ever imagine.

I watched with horror as TV images showed a group of Sri Lankan soldiers (who had no other choice and so this is not about them but the sad task they had to perform) with gloves and masks across their faces, pull out bloated, naked bodies out of some muddy areas. Some others had to be wrenched out of places where they were stuck with long pieces of wood. The bodies were unceremoniously dragged and lined up on higher ground. Since it is now a few days since they died, the bodies are decomposing. Hence, they were then taken and buried in a mass grave. Hopefully they were properly fingerprinted and photographed in order that they could be identified.

Unfortunately, there are still some areas and some people are still out of reach and are not receiving anything. This was reported to me by a colleague who I sent with the Methodist Church to the Eastern province with a truck full of relief supplies. Unfortunately, the distribution is also hampered in some areas because the landmines in this formerly war ravaged area have now been dislodged making the entire place a different sort of death trap.

On a worse scale are isolated stories of looting of broken houses by local thugs. A couple of my daughter's colleagues were horrified when some local government officials diverted the truck of relief supplies to an area unaffected by the tsunami. (More such incidents were reported in the local media later). They were powerless. Then in some areas people not affected are joining those affected and collecting relief supplies (understand able to some degree as they too are poor).

Yet in the midst of the calamity and human evil, it was also heart-warming to see the efforts of so many Sri Lankans. People from all walks of life were sending essentials to those affected. People were lining up along the roadside with their parcels of food and handing them over to the many trucks that were on their way to the affected areas. One seven year old girl brought her entire little piggy-bank of USD 21 and gave it all for relief. "Please give this to some other child to get something she likes"she said as she handed it over. And an old lady, a pensioner in her eighties gave USD 2 saying, "Please buy something for someone to eat" Young and old alike are helping. The response is overwhelming.

Moreover, all of the help that is being given is not necessarily financial. Many are going and cleaning up Children's Homes, Homes for Elders, the homes of friends and even those of strangers. Others are riding with trucks to deliver food, packing food and so on. It is taking every form of help imaginable to meet the needs of those who have been affected.

But the psychological damage is not even being addressed. Many are traumatized and still walk around in a daze. we do not have people who are trained in helping these people. Often the friends they turn too are in equal need of emotional help. One young woman was miraculously saved when she was thrown out of the train (some of you may have seen the over turned carriages on TV) but right now is unable to speak from the shock. Some of my friends were trying to help her - I pray they will be successful.

Then there are the inevitable questions and many have called and asked for help in trying to understand this tragedy in particular and tragedy as a whole. Many Christians too are bewildered and some are even questioning their beliefs. Some like Job may trust in the goodness of a sovereign God who permits calamities while others may begin to doubt.

We are offering to our readers and some churches, the booklet, "Why Would a Good God Allow Suffering." We have it in Sinhalese (for some reason we decided to print this title in November ahead of schedule). We will do an urgent print in English and if possible translate and print it in Tamil as well. We are trying to do the same with another book, "When Tragedy Strikes". We hope that our Christian brothers and sisters may be enlightened by the reading of these books and be better informed so that they could to help explain some of the more difficult issues to those who are confused.

Last night, our neighborhood in Mount Lavinia was like a ghost town. The last night of a year is filled with the usual parties, dances, fireworks and celebrations. Yet, everyone was muted and not even wishing each other a Happy New Year...it will take some time for the shock of a disaster of this magnitude to wear off. A death toll of more than 40,000 as of now with some entire families being wiped out is definitely not easy to handle especially when everyone seems to know someone who has perished. And so ALL are affected in some way or another.

In HIS firm and loving GRIP
Noel

Happy Barnabas Week

I love the last week of the year. I usually take the week off work and do what I really enjoy doing: going out to lunch with friends and encouraging people. This year I called the week Barnabas Week.

On Tuesday I was at Jesse and Rhonda's house during the afternoon. Jesse is fixing up the house before he and his family can move in. I had an education in insulation installation. I was amazed at all the work we were able to accomplish.

On Wednesday I went to lunch with Joe and his brother Eric. Joe and Eric are starting a tree serving company here in town. I was very interested to hear about starting a company. I must admit the entrepreneurial spirit was making an appearance. I love what I am doing at RBC Ministries, however it think it could be equally fun to not go to the office everyday and have a more freer work routine.

Yesterday, Duane and I had lunch. We had not seen each other for a while. It was great to catch up a bit and learn about what is going on in his life. He and his wife Hiba have become good friends since Becca and I were married in June.

I must admit the biggest thing this week has been waiting for Jesse and Rhonda's baby to be born. To say that we are impatiently waiting would be an understatement. At any moment my cell phone could ring and it's baby time. We are so happy for Jesse and Rhonda and hope the baby comes soon.

I hope your Christmas celebration was a blessed and happy one. Best wishes for God's richest blessings in 2005!

What an interesting day!

I went to church this morning at the church where I grew up. I was asked to sing special music. Singing at this church is not like singing at the church where Becca and I attend in Grand Rapids. Needless to say I was a little nervous. I think I did okay though I am always a little hard on myself.

After church my mom, dad and sister went out to lunch at Ruby Tuesday. As we made our way to our seats I noticed the former Assistant Pastor at my parent's church was there. He candidated to be the new Senior Pastor but was not voted in. He has formed another church in the area. When this first happened I was very apprensive about what was happening. However, I now look at this situation in a different way. I think the church where he was Assistant Pastor was stuck as he and others were doing so much. Now that he and some others are gone, this has forced people to step up and be involved. I think the church will be better off as a result of the circumstance though it was very hard at the start.

This afternoon my sister, Becca and I went out to do some shopping. We wanted to go to Ten Thousand Villages however it was closed. So we went to Caribou Coffee and got some needed liquid refreshment. Caribou is not in Grand Rapids so I always make it a point to go there when I am visiting my parents in Cleveland.

I'm not sure if you have read the news today or not but large tsunamis and earthquakes have hit some countries in Southeast Asia today. I received an email from a co-worker in Sri Lanka. He and his family live in a home on the beach. Needless to say, it has been a long and hard day for them. At last word their house is okay and I hope it stays that way. Please pray for the Berman family as they come to your mind.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends. My family followed tradition and made sos for breakfast this morning. Becca and Melissa stuck to French toast though.

Many fun gifts for everyone. Becca, Mel and I all got 128MB memory sticks. I lost mine so I am glad to have one again. They are very helpful for transferring files. 128MB memory stick is the equivalent of 88 floppy disks. Two other fun gifts were a Michigan State Spartan sweatshirt and Livestrong yellow bracelet. I finally have one!

Enjoy your day and take lots of pictures as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Greetings from Bay Village, Ohio

Becca and I are here celebrating Christmas with my parents and sister Melissa. We decided to come down from Grand Rapids on Wednesday night and I am very glad we did. There was a ton of snow during the night Wednesday night which we would have had to deal with on Thursday morning. Not exactly my idea of fun if you ask me.

Tonight is the Christmas Eve service at my parent's church. It is always fun to be able to go and see people I haven't seen in a while. This has been a very hard year for my parent's church as there was a church split in June. Many people left along with the former associate pastor who was not voted in as the new Senior Pastor. Very difficult times to say the least.

One of my co-workers in Singapore posted a new website for him and his family. He is a photographer and graphic designer for RBC Ministries. He does amazing work. Check it out here. I also added a link to Alex's site in the links section on the right side of the page.

I am not sure if I posted this on here or not but BECCA HAS A JOB!!!! She starts on Tuesday with Catholic Family Services in Downtown Grand Rapids. She will be working 30 hours per week doing general office work. We are both very happy about this job. She is contracted to work with them till April. Praise the Lord for this provision and wonderful Christmas gift!

Well I think that is about all for now. I'll post some pictures of my dad and I shoveling snow when we get back to Grand Rapids. Very entertaining for sure.

Merry Christmas to all! / ¡Feliz Navidad a todos!

Thank Wal-Mart for helping Salvation Army overcome the Target loss

Hi everyone - The following is the text of an email I received today from the American Family Association. Becca and I were at Walmart last night and were excited to see the Salvation Army kettles there. I had no idea what Walmart was doing to help the Salvation Army and needy families this Christmas season. Please read the email and act as you feel lead.

Folks dropping money in Salvation Army kettles at Wal-Mart stores can make their money go twice as far. The world's largest retailer announced last Thursday it would match up to $1 million in donations.

The company said the clock started Thursday on the match and runs through Christmas Eve.

Wal-Mart is helping raise money for needy families, while the Target Corporation continues to serve as this year's "Ebenezer Scrooge." Earlier this year, Target told the Salvation Army to "take a hike" with its red kettles, refusing to allow them to raise much needed funds to help children this Christmas.

"We hope our customers join us in donating what they can to benefit an organization that does so much in our communities to serve families in need," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Betsy Reithemeyer said in a news release. "The Salvation Army red kettles and the bell ringers are truly a holiday tradition worth keeping."

The Salvation Army said the kettle donations are spent locally and said the Wal-Mart match will extend local donations.

I hope you will consider making your Christmas purchases with companies, like Wal-Mart, who support one of the nation’s most beloved charities, the Salvation Army.

In the meantime, please take a moment to thank Wal-Mart for supporting the good work of the Salvation Army.

Send your email to Wal-Mart now!

Our Christmas Tree is finally up

Our first Christmas tree is finally up. You can see it below. I will work on the other pictures and post them next week or during the weekend.