Prayer Walking on Norfolk Naval Station

This afternoon Yvonne and I went to Norfolk Naval Station, and walked up and down the pier in front of the aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines, praying for the crews on board the ships. We prayed that God would keep them safe and help them to do their jobs well.

But more importantly we prayed that God would open their minds and their hearts to spiritual things. We prayed that the young men and women stationed on those ships would receive a hunger for God, and His Word. The bottom line for us, is that they would come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

While we prayed and walked, I thought about the passage of Scripture in 1 Corinthians that say the enemy of their souls has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. And in Isaiah it says there are those who sit in dungeons, their throats parched with thirst. They search for water, the prophet says, but there is none.

We walked by pier after pier, with young men and women standing as sentries at the gates. We prayed for each one as we walked by them, asking God to open their eyes that they might see Him! That He would connect us with some of them so we might share God's love with them.

The thought was overwhelming of there being four to six thousand men and women on the carriers. And while there are only a few hundred sailors on the destroyers and cruisers, there were many of them in port! Young men and women being tempted by the world, the flesh, and the devil.

But I was encouraged by the thought of what Jesus said in the Gospels. He told Peter that He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. In other words, while the devil may have taken them captive to do his will, the iron bars and gates of bronze that he has them surrounded with, will not stand. Because greater is His that is in us (Jesus Christ) than he that is in the world (the devil). God has given us a love for these young men and women that just will not end.

In Isaiah God said that the captives will be set free, and those who are in dungeons will not die there. Please pray with us...

Eric Trejo and Captain George's Restaurant!

Yvonne and I got together with Eric Trejo again last night for dinner - at Captain George's in Williamsburg. Oh! Did I say OH! I love Captain George's...it's my favorite restaurant! We've never been been to the one in Williamsburg before. Usually we go to the one on Laskin Road in Virginia Beach. Unfortunately, the one in VB totally redecorated and took out all of the nautical ambiance. It just looks like an upscale, nice, but plain restaurant. But the one last night was beautifully decorated! The buffet bars where the food was served were all tall masted ships. As we walked in there was a beautiful stone waterfall.The sound of the waterfall really added to the visual experience as we walked in. The whole thing was a visual and auditory delight right from the beginning.

Then there was the food...oh! Did I say OH!!! The food was delicious! Did I say OOOOHHH?!!!! So, was it the asparagus? I love asparagus! Or the oysters Rockefeller? The fried oysters? The scallops? Or could it have been the unlimited, huge, crab legs? Yes, unlimited HUGE crab legs, I think it was probably all of the above! :) And then some!! Did I mention the dessert bar? No wait. I didn't mention the dessert bar? Oh my, were has my mind gone? The baklava, the rice pudding, the chocolate moose, the bread pudding, and the banana pudding were awesome too! Yup, I had a little bit of each...topped off with a couple cups of delicious coffee.

But was it only the ambiance, or the delicious food, or was it the fellowship we had? Yup! I think the fellowship with Eric was a huge part of it! We got there at 4:30 and didn't leave until 9:00! We shared and talked story...we talked about the Lord, and about our churches. We talked about our families, and our ministries. It was an awesome evening with an awesome young man!

Just wait, there are pictures to come! We forgot our camera so Eric took the pictures on his phone. When he sends them I'll post them.

And for anyone who doesn't like the use of the word "awesome", I'm sorry...but the evening was...

The Return of Eric Trejo!

We always love it when servicemen and women come back into this area and get in touch with us to reconnect. Yesterday Eric Trejo contacted us about coming over today. He joined us for Sunday school and worship at church and then joined us at the house for lunch. Yea!

Eric was in the Army at the School of Music in 2003 and came over to the house on the weekends. He played the tuba. It was really nice to see him again! He contacted us back in August when he was in the area so we could get together. But we were on vacation in West Virginia. He's out of the Army now and lives in California.

Yvonne fixed Creamy Chicken and Broccoli for lunch and finished it off with Blueberry Macadamia Nut Coffee Cake and ice cream.

Eric reluctantly agreed to let me take a group picture of the three of us, and then really groaned when I said yes after he asked me if the picture was going to be on Facebook. Thanks for being a good sport Eric!

Today Was German Food Day!

Wow! Today was definitely German food day! What an awesome meal Yvonne made! I love her Sauerbraten (marinated rump roast), Spatzle (German noodle dumplings), Sauerkraut, and Creamed Spinach. Add to that her homemade rye bread, and oh! what a meal!! That was our Sunday dinner today! That was topped off with her German apple crisp and ice cream for dessert. Now I'm ready for a long nap! :)

Kari joined us for worship at church this morning and then for dinner this afternoon. I really think she enjoyed the meal as much as I did!

After we ate we prayed together...especially for her time underway, as well as the advancement exam she will be taking.

I shared a couple of scriptures with her for encouragement that I will share with you here too: check them out.

1 Corinthians 10:13

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Philippians 4:6-9

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

Matthew 6:33-34

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Please keep Kari, Crystal, Christopher, and Justin in your prayers as they go underway for a few weeks.

Monopoly Electronic Banking!

Well, no one came over tonight. Cody's ID card dropped over the side of the ship, and everyone from the USS Ross had to get ready for an underway.

Yvonne and I bought a new version of Monopoly called Monopoly Electronic Banking this week that we were going to try out tonight. So even though it was only Yvonne and me, after dinner we played the new game together. It is really fun! No cash to pass out or count. An electronic debit machine does all the calculating for you. You play with a credit card that adds or subtracts money from your account. Everyone starts out with $15,000,000 at the beginning of the game. But properties cost between $600,000 and $4,000,000. So the stakes get pretty high quickly! But it is fun!!! :)

Yvonne won! She ended up bankrupting me and still sitting on almost $20,000,000. I'm glad it's only a game!! Tee Hee...

A "Fine" Labor Day Weekend at John and Yvonne's!

Last night Crystal Schmidt, Kari Jorgenson, and Christopher Fine came over for grilled hamburgers, pretzels, and watermelon...then ice cream cones for dessert. Crystal brought over a new game called: "In A Pickle!" We laughed a lot as we tried to figure out what goes inside what. Huh?

This morning Christopher and Kari joined us for Sunday school and worship at Azalea Garden Church. Christopher had duty so he had to back to the ship. Crystal and Kari and Cody Melot came over for dinner. Cody helped make dessert: Blueberry Crisp. And BOY! was it yummy! :) Dinner consisted of Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and homemade bread.

Yvonne spent time with the girls while Cody and I had another round of chess. He beat me again. However... I won the second game today... (I really hope he didn't just let me win) ...hmmm???

Sunday Afternoon At The Wagners...

Cody Melot, Crystal Schmidt, Christopher Fine, and Kari Jorgenson came over for dinner today.

Crystal serving the pineapple and raspberries

Cody checking out the fresh homemade Italian bread

I wanted to get a picture of the food on the table.

On the menu was spaghetti, salad, and home made Italian bread. Crystal brought pineapple and raspberries. Then for dessert it was Apricot Lattice Cake and coffee and tea. Kari was in the kitchen helping Yvonne today.

Cody challenged me to a game of chess. Now, you have to realize, I haven't played chess in over thirteen years! But was a good game. Cody almost let me win...NOT! He pounced on my queen the first chance he got after a move I didn't see. :(  After that it was all down hill. Yea, Cody won!

You see, this was early in the game.

I think Cody knew he was going to win!

The Winning Move!

Awesome New Group Tonight!

We had five sailors here tonight for our Saturday game night. Four of them were new! Crystal Schmidt brought three friends from the USS Ross (DDG71) with her tonight: Kari, Justin, and Christopher! And Yvonne has been in touch with a Navy mom on Navyformoms.com who got us connected with her son, Cody, from the USS Iwo Jima.

We ate hot dogs and chips, and Klondike bars for dessert.

Then we sat around and shared stories, getting to know each other. Finally, it was time to play! Yvonne brought out the Skip Bo cards...Cody won the first round...beginners luck! Yvonne won the second round.

We ended the evening in the living room, sharing prayer requests and praying for each other.

Rick Matheny Brings His Family Over On Saturday Night

Group shot 1

Group shot 2

Yesterday Rick Matheny brought his parents, Tim and Elizabeth, and his girl friend Kristina, over to the house to meet us and to join in our Saturday night activities. Rick is going on deployment so it gave us a chance to anoint him with oil and pray over him; that God would keep him safe, and enable him to do his job well.

Wednesday is also his birthday, so we were able to celebrate together a couple of days early. Rick likes cheese cake so Yvonne made one for dessert. she went out and got a small birthday gift for him: a journal, so he can keep track of the events of his first deployment.

Crystal joined us too; and brought frozen yogurt. As I always say, there's always room for ice cream! :)

Dinner included grilled hamburgers and baked home fries. then we played "Apples to Apples" which is Crystal's all time favorite game! Elizabeth, Rick's mom won the game, and the trophy!

Presenting the trophy  to the winner!

Monday Night Bible Study: Daniel Chapter 7

Last night Bob Kroeger came over for Bible study. We talked about Daniel 7. Daniel had a dream that bothered him. The interpretation of the dream was that of the Antichrist that will rule on the earth during the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, called the Great Tribulation. John wrote about it in Revelation. We correlated the little horn of Daniel's dream with the Antichrist in Revelation chapter 13. We also talked about Nebuchadnezzar's dream about the kingdom that kingdom God sets up that will fill the earth and that will crush all other kingdoms. A kingdom that will have no end! I love connecting the dots; tying together the different parts of Scripture that speak of the same event. It was a good study!