We Made It

We made it to the mission home last night aroun 10:00pm! We will be having breakfast, a devotion from Pastor Anthony McCullum and then we'll be headed out for Saire. We should have our clinics and chapels operational just after lunch for a half of a day's work.

The only real close calls we had yesterday were with one of our team members passports. We had a small problem that caused a close call, but we prayed very earnestly and I believe that God worked everything out. As you read this it won't sound like much of a dynamic praise report, but from our perspective it is.

It has been good to see Spike and the team from Jacksoville. They made it yesterday at lunch after a very early morning.

May God bless you all as you worship this morning. Be praying for God to accomplish His good purposes through us. I hope to find internet in Saire. If I do I will update often. If not, I will update again on Thursday. We are off!

Mission Trip

Lins and I are getting ready for the church's mission trip toNicaragua. I am excited about going. I hope that as you read this post you will begin praying for us.

Other news. All is well. Cade it pulling up and crawling like a bulldozer. Curry James is singing his own version of the alphabet song! It is precious. He gets it right sometimes, but other times he puts any letter anywhere he wants it. We love it, and we aren't sure how he learned it. Cade is huge. Have I mentioned that he is growing like a weed. Both boys are doing well and we are in a very good season of life in Petal. I will try to do a better job updating the blog in the days ahead.

Welcome, Cade

Cade arrived Thursday and we're all so pleased to meet him! Mom proved to be a champ in round 2 and blessed us all with a second little gift from God.

Cade sleeps a lot right now, but I think he's dreaming of camping trips and off road adventures with dad and Curry James. He smells like a baby (ahh, the fountain of youth) cries like a baby (soft and sweet for about two more weeks) and all in all he is filling the Skipper home with the thrill of parenthood expanded.

I'm proud of my big man. Curry is off to a stellar beginning as big brother. He wanted to show preacher his little brother in the hospital and of course he wants to hold him. Tonight he helped me put Cade's pacifier back in - a little forceful but effective. He is mostly bored with Cade's naptime, but there are moments when he's interested. He gives Cades kisses and tries to peek into the bassinet from time to time. I'm waiting for the day I walk into our bedroom to find the bassinet pushed against the bed and Curry sitting in it with brother watching Cars and telling diaper jokes.

Lins and I are new parents again and we love it. Be praying for us and let us in on what's happening in your life.

Ben

Drummer Boy

Curry James is a drummer. He has been beating things for months and it is shaping into a spectators sport. The second drawer, the one with the mixer beaters and metal serving spoons is marked from one end to the other with the remnants of his melodic sessions from weeks past. Pencils make good drumsticks. So do screwdrivers and sticks and anything else that is long and somewhat straight.

He leaves the church nursey every Sunday morning on a mission. He has a need to get into the sanctuary, up the steps and to find some willing accomplice who will put him on the drum throne so he can play for his live audience which is just the last of us to leave the building, still finishing our dwindling convesations and lunch plans. But he will sit and play for as long as we let him. And if the sound guy leaves the drums turned on....bonus! But it doesn't seem to matter. He'll play by himself with no sound. If he has sticks in his hand - he's happy.

So for Christmas, Kat and Pops got him a drumset. Not a real one mind you, but a small one that is loud and more off key than a real one, but just as much fun for him. He beats on that thing and wears out the one clangy symbol audience or no audience. It's a show worth seeing. You should come over sometime. We don't charge admission. God Bless you and pray for our little man as he grows up.

Ben

Hiking in Georgia

Austin (fancy pants), Charley (the red dragon), Andrew (press on) and I hit the road late on Wednesday night after church and made the drive to north Georgia to hike the first 30 miles of the Appalachian trail. Yeah, we chose to start on the day that it was wind chill of 4 degrees at Neels Gap. And yes we chose to start in the midst of a very sad search and rescue for a missing hiker. But it was a great trip.

Not the Hostel
Our plan was to stay at the hostel in the Walasi-Yi Center at Mountain Crossings - which by the way is an amazing gear store. They have great stuff, no kidding - so there's the free promotion. The hostel is in the basement of the attached room, not the upstairs which is the living room for some of the employees. Yep, we arrived at 5:50am and slept for an hour and a half on their living room floor. They were confused, surprised and very polite all things considered. We were stupid, sleepy and embarrassed. The door was unlocked and the one think I remembered was that the hostel door was always unlocked, so I thought - hey, we're here - be quiet and don't wake anybody up - what a nice hostel - didn't' expect a tv and x-box. Oops.

Springer Mountain
The southern end of the AT. It was neat to be there. Good views. Cool register embedded in a rock. Took some pictures. A few Thru hikers had already begun their journey to Maine.

The trail
Loved it. There was some snow and some steep up and down hiking, but a lot of well graded trail as well and some very impressive views that were at their best against the clear winter blue sky. Met Uncle Walt at the Hawk Mountain Shelter!

All in all, the first 30 miles were better than I expected. Georgia was beautiful even in winter and Blood Mountain was particularly beautiful, but so windy and cold. Great Hike. Can't wait to hike the rest of the trail in Georgia.

The Update

We've had a great summer in the Skipper house. We had summer trips with the youth group and a vacation in Destin as well as just the pure joy of watching Curry grow up. We've had great times in swimming pools, at the creek, in the front yard and everywhere in between this summer. Here's a brief overview of the last few months.

May
We had a great rafting trip with the college students from our church. Followed by a long awaited hiking trip on the AT. I hiked with some students from church for 70 miles through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park on the Appalachian Trail. What a wonderful Trip! You should see the DVD. Classic documentary - even though Stroo doesn't care about it.

June
Curry's first VBS (he skipped last year on doctors orders. Turns out that 2 week olds souldn't be at VBS. Whatever).

July
Super Summer, Basecamp, Children's Camp - a big old church trip blur - with a birthday! And Kelly Wheat moved back to Mississippi with his beautiful family. Go Chocs!

August
Big Seven (middle school kids are the best). Beleivers Bash was the hottest night ever! And of course the fantastic family vacation that ended with a stomach virus.

Lot's to catch up on, but that's a start. Sorry it's been so long since the last post.

Peace

Curry's Birthday & Other Fun Stuff...

Sorry it's been so long since we last updated everyone. There is really no excuse because I've been home the last month with Curry just playing! I love having the summer's off with him, but by about 5 o'clock each day we are both ready for Ben to come home!

Curry celebrated his first birthday on May 27th. We had a great time with our families and had lots of friends to help us celebrate! If you came...thanks so much!

Curry is really growing fast and getting around so good these days! He loves to play outside - helping mom in the garden, swimming in his pool, chasing Skip and Sandie. Most days he wears just his diaper and a smile!

Curry has had a few "first experiences" in the last month or so, including his first Vacation Bible School and his first campout. Check out the pictures!