RISK! The game of world domination!

OK, this was last Saturday evening (February 1) and Yvonne's birthday. I won't tell you how old she is. I want to live for a few more years! All I can say is she isn't as old as I am. Enough of that all ready.

But this week we played RISK! This is one of my favorite board games; combining strategy with luck.

Bob Kroeger, Kari Jorgenson, and Andrew Raffety joined Yvonne and me for our epic battle! Notice the facial expressions? Kari's intense concentration, Andrew's expression of frustration, and Bob's apparent indifference? :>)

Hey Kari, look this way! Ooops, not while I'm taking the picture though...

Does anyone NOT know from these picture who won?

Great Weekend!

Saturday Night

We had a new sailor from the USS San Antonio, Robert Howell, come over Saturday evening. Kari Jorgenson joined us too. We ate hamburgers and chips. Then made Oreo cookie smoothies for dessert. Then we played Apples to Apples while we listened to Harry Connick Jr on Pandora radio. It was a fun evening.

Sunday Afternoon

Kari Jorgenson and Andrew Raffety came to Sunday school this morning and then the worship service, and then over to the house for lunch. Bob Kroeger and Robert Howell both had duty.

Yvonne made Creamy Chicken Alfredo Lasagna for lunch, with home made French bread, and salad, and then Apricot Lattice Coffee Cake for dessert. Yum!

Kari left early, and took some lunch to Bob Kroeger who had duty today.

Andrew and I started talking about his new relationship with the Lord and what that entailed, I shared some scriptures with him and answered some of his questions. It was a great conversation!

Then we went back to church in the evening. Dr. James Cossey spoke tonight. He is the USA Missions director for the Church of God. It was a good service.

Azalea Garden Church 2014 Mission Banquet

Every year in January Azalea Garden Church puts on the most awesome missions conference I have ever seen in forty three years of ministry! Missionaries come from all over the world and share their lives with us for five days. Everything begins on Wednesday afternoon when all of the missionaries set up their table displays. As missionaries to the military Yvonne and I always set up our military ministries display too.

This year Kari Jorgenson, Bob Kroeger and Andrew Raffety attended the conference. They were the best looking part of our display board this year!!! Looks way better with them in the picture than just the board - doesn't it?!

Bob Kroeger, Me, Yvonne, Kari Jorgenson, Andrew Raffety

Wednesday through Friday evenings included worship opportunities as well as testimonies and experiences the missionaries shared with us from the field. We had 25 missionaries here this year, from literally every continent!

Leading worship are Jennifer and Neal Lawrence - Missionaries from Kenya, Africa

Then Sunday night, the grand finale is an enormous missions banquet with international foods, international costumes, and global table centerpieces.

Yvonne made the little German house for the centerpiece on the German table

Yvonne and Kari

Kari and Bob

Kari, Bob, and Yvonne

Me and Andrew

One special treat during the week is hosting one of the missionaries or a missionary couple. This year we hosted Suzie and John Pickens, who are missionaries to Malaysia. We had so much fun laughing and talking story, and eating together. It's a wonderful experience to host a missionary. To get to know them and visit with them between conference sessions. This puts a really personal face to the idea of a "missionary"

Me and Yvonne, and Suzie and John Pickens - Missionaries to Malaysia

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Welcoming Home the USS Bainbridge

Yvonne met a Navy mom on Navy4moms.com who wanted us to meet her son. So when his ship came back from deployment we were pier side to meet the ship.

It turned out to be a cold, rainy day, but the excitement and camaraderie among the family members on the pier were not dampened in the least!

There was the traditional tent set up for those of us less hardy folks...

and coffee and snacks for the families while they waited for the ship.

And of course there have to be flags and streamers to welcome the sons and daughters, and husbands and wives back from deployment.

The Navy fleet band was on hand to help liven things up too!

.Then you should have seen everyone when the ship came into view! You could feel the energy level skyrocket!

It always fascinates me to watch the little red tug boats push around those huge naval vessels.

I met a couple of brand new sailors, I mean so new their uniforms still had the original starch in them. When I said that, they sheepishly said, "Yea, this is only the second time we've worn them!" They were just reporting to the Bainbridge, their first duty station. I gave them each one of our brochures and invited them to the house whenever they could. They seemed pretty interested. I hope we'll see them again.

New member added to the family!

What an awesome evening we had tonight! Andrew Raffety came over from the USS Abraham Lincoln. After eating hot dogs and chips I made us a cherry and banana and orange juice yogurt smoothie. It was good!

We played Settlers of Cataan (Yea, I won!) and then began talking about the world's problems. Jesus Christ being the only answer for those problems.

Andrew prayed and invited Jesus Christ into his life. Wow! What an unexpected blessing! Thank you Jesus! The angels in heaven are rejoicing! :)

Christmas was awesome this year!

OK, here they are...the pictures of our Christmas this year. What a wonderful time we had! Yvonne made the time really special by keeping us focused on Jesus as the reason for the season.

We were blessed by having friends of Jennifer and Carlton Shippee, Sgt. Alex Panos (Marine Corps), his wife Leah, and their daughter Zoe,  join us for our Christmas dinner. They were brand new in the area and hadn't even gotten their household goods delivered yet. As it turns out, They knew several of the Marines that had fellowshipped with us here over the years. I guess our reputation preceded us. While we were eating dinner Sgt. Randy Mayzak from New Orleans, LA. called. Alex and Randy knew each other too! All of them are in the Marine Corps bands around the country.

My younger daughter Elizabeth flew in from Minnesota to spend Christmas here. It was nice to see her again. She graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary with a doctorate in psychology. She's doing her residency now.

Brian and Sarah were here too with our grandson Jacob. And so was Bob Kroeger. It was an awesome family gathering!

After dinner we went into the living room and lit the candles on our Christmas tree. A German tradition we've practiced for the last thirty years. And no, we've never burned our house down! :)

The following week Todd Williams and Bob Kroeger came over for New Years Day. We had a ton of snack food and watched the Rose Bowl Parade and then football! One of my three football watching days of the year.

Yea! New Colors!!!

I just couldn't handle the black screen on our blog anymore. So I spent some time today changing things up and making our blog look more like our web site. This way people who come to either our web site or our blog will realize they are visiting the same people! Let us know what you think!

Thanksgiving Day 2013

We had an awesome Thanksgiving this year! See the new cover picture I put up today?

Kari Jorgenson came over on Wednesday to help Yvonne cook. She came by the church and helped load the chairs we needed in her car to take to the house. She even bought some of the ingredients that were needed for the pies.

Then on Thursday morning Kari came over early to help bake the pies. She brought a friend with her from the USS James Williams: Derrek Arceneaux.

 

Football: Greenbay and Detroit

It was a fun day! While Yvonne and the girls cooked, the guys watched football (Greenbay and Detroit). That is, until I got drafted to make the gravy. That seems to be my job at Thanksgiving and Christmas…and whenever we have gravy

Kari and Amy cooking

Kari and Amy cooking

I went to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and picked up Cody Melot  (USS Iwo Jima) and then went to the Naval Station Norfolk to pick up William Seidler  (USS Theodore Roosevelt).

 

Amy, Arwen, Ayden, Andrew, Will, Kari, and Christopher

Derrek, Crystal, Cody, Christopher, Kari, Yvonne, Will, Andrew, and Ayden

Amy Wilson, from church came over with her two children Ayden and Arwen; her husband's on deployment. And Andrew Raffety came over from the USS Abraham Lincoln. Then Christopher Fine and Crystal Schmidt from the (USS Ross) joined us.

We all sat down to eat about 2:00 pm. It was nice to have a dining room full of servicemen and women! This was probably the best Thanksgiving attendance we've ever had.

 

Ayden, Arwen, and Amy Wilson

Will trying to duck for cover when I aimed the camera his way

But I got Will on the way back up!

We went around and everyone shared something we were thankful for. 

Derrek, Crystal, Cody, and Christopher

After dinner we went into the living room and I asked everyone to share their favorite ice cream flavor, their hobbies, and why they joined the Navy.

Then I shared the pamphlet: "Have You Ever Heard of the Four Spiritual Laws?"

After the Gospel presentation we all had pie and whipped cream for dessert. We watched the Oakland Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys play a good football game! The Cowboys came from behind and won! Yvonne and Kari, Cody and Amy helped clean up the kitchen. 

After the game we took Cody and William back to their bases.

Like I said, it was a really good day...one we can be thankful for!

Sometimes It Is Only One...

Daina Moscoso - COMSUBLANT

In hospitality house military ministry it isn't about numbers...you know, "How many were there last week?" Sometimes we have a lot of servicemen at our table, and other times we only have two or three...and sometimes only one.

Rebekah Sooy and Trever Cole

Rebekah Sooy

But that's OK because it really isn't about "how many", but about providing a home away from home for whoever might need one. Every person who comes into our home is important and valuable.

Cody Melot (USS Iwo Jima), Yvonne, Me, Kari Jorgenson, Christopher Fine (UUS Ross)

I know it's more fun for the servicemen and women who come over when there are more here. We often hear the question: "Am I the only one here again tonight?" It leaves kind of a pit in our stomach, because we want to make sure they have a good time and enjoy themselves.

Bob Kroeger (USS Oak Hill), Cody Melot ((USS Iwo Jima) playing Mayberry-Opoly

We can't promise high adrenaline, high impact activities. What we strive to provide is a safe, comfortable home and family environment while these young men and women are away from their families. 

Cody won!!!! Yea Cody!