AN EXCELLENT CHOICE OF COLOR

Rich, our Painting Pastor (If we can have “Music Pastors”, shouldn’t we be able to have “Painting Pastors”, too?), specializes in ministering to the painting needs of middle-class, middle-aged parents of missionaries. He recently suggested some color options for our front door.

Debra and I had already chosen to paint the house a basic tan with chocolate-brown trim. Initially, we were going to paint the front door the same color as the trim. But Rich had another idea. Debra and I meditated upon his idea for a brief season of meditating and we ultimately decided, as a result of our meditation, that he might be onto something.

So we walked into the paint store, checked out the color cards, and selected the reddish-orange color that Rich had suggested. We returned home from the paint store and I slapped a couple of coats on the front door. The final result validated the wisdom behind the suggested color.


No wonder Rich is a Painting Pastor! He has the gift.

Front door, before and after.

The entire exterior paint job is now finished. Here are a few more before-and-after pictures.

Before and after.

Before and after.

Before and after.

Before and after.

THE LAST LAUGH

I could write a book on the practical jokes done where I work. A big book.

Katie is one of the dozen or so people in the department where I work. Yesterday was Katie's last day. She quit. First she got pregnant and then nearly nine months later she quit.

We gathered together for a going-away lunch in the conference room where we ate pizza, shared stories and laughed. Also, I was asked to bring my guitar and sing a farewell song for Katie. I agreed. But I had trouble finding a song written about girls named Katie. The only one I could find was written in 1918 and was one of the most popular songs of the World War I era. It was called "K-K-K-Katie" and it goes like this:

K-K-K-Katie

Beautiful Katie

You're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore

When the m-moon shines over the cow shed

I'll be waiting at the k-k-k-kitchen door

The lyrics didn't quite fit our particular situation, so I changed them and added about six extra verses. One of those verses went like this:

K-K-K-Katie

I've been worried lately

That s-something might happen while you and I did patient care

It would have been fateful

But to you now I'm grateful

For n-not letting your water break while you sat on my chair

The whole staff laughed as I took this final opportunity to poke a little fun at my partner for the past five years. Lunch ended, we returned to work, Katie and I spent most of the afternoon doing patient care together, then she left early and said "Goodbye" to the staff as she made her final departure through the doors of the clinic.

As Cindy and I finished treating patients through the remainder of the afternoon, three other female co-workers converged around Cindy and me and began talking. Kim asked Cindy, " I wonder how well Depends work for men?"

I thought that was an unusual question.

Olivia replied, "Let's ask Bruce?"

I knew the grinning faces of these four suspicious females were heading in some specific direction.

.

But where?

Then I began to feel moisture gradually engulfing the posterior portion of my pants--the part of my pants that cover the buns of steel. I sat up and looked at my chair. It was soaked. My pants were soaked. Katie had sabotaged my chair as her final act of love toward me before leaving. The whole department ,except me, knew of her intentions and sat around like vultures waiting to witness the event.

Katie did, indeed, get the last laugh.

Singing a farewell "K-K-K-Katie".

A goodbye side-hug to a nearly-nine-month-pregnant now-former co-worker.

.

.

Katie gets the last laugh.

DEDICATED TO ME

Click here.

Thank you, Hannah!

ALONG CAME RICH

Rich knew I had planned on using my tax refund to hire a painting contractor to paint the outside of our house. Kim told him. Kim is his wife and she is also the nurse where I work. Rich and Kim are also big fans of the Moffits.

Rich has experience painting houses and, when he found out I was going to spend a bunch of money to have our house painted professionally, he stepped up to the plate and offered his services. I gladly accepted his generous offer.

First, he came over and pressure washed the house shortly before I left for the Philippines. While I was gone, he came over and scraped, primed, and masked a few spots. After I returned home, we spent a morning masking all the windows and removing all the exterior light fixtures.

The next day I picked up the paint, Rich picked up the rented paint sprayer, and we tackled the house.

When I got home from my visit to the Philippines, Rich's presence during my absence was noticeable. The chipped paint had been scraped and the bare spots had been primed.

A couple of days after I got home, Rich came over and we prepped the house for painting the next day. Rich masks a box which covers a water valve while I remove a light fixture from the back deck. The window in view has already been masked.

All windows masked.

Rich did all the spraying while I assisted.

The base coat now completed, the garage door also done, and all that's left is the trim which will be the same color as the garage door.

WINDOW IMPROVEMENT

Several years ago, I took down all the curtains in the house and replaced them with vertical blinds. Except for one. The sliding glass door in the family room was too wide. Premade headrails for a 116-inch window were not available. That size required special order. So I put it off.

But just before my trip to the Philippines, I made the special order, removed the 40-year-old drapes, and gave those drapes away on Craigslist. Then up went the new vertical blinds. After returning from the Philippines, I installed the valance. The project is now done.

Now, off to another project like, for example, painting the outside of the house.

Before.

After.

THE LAST LEG

I am home in Medford.

I have now been awake for over 30 consecutive hours without even one short nap on the trip from Manila to Medford. I took a sleeping pill before taking the ten-hour flight from Tokyo to Portland, but it didn't work. The flight was comfortable, however, and I will sleep well tonight.

The layover in Portland was about six hours, so Bethany, Silas, Devon and Naomi picked me up and we spent a couple of hours together eating breakfast at McDonalds and then playing games at Chuck E. Cheese.

Silas gave me an envelope and made me promise that I would not open it until I got to Medford. I could not even open it on the plane after leaving Portland, he said. He even put a sticker on the envelope to make it harder for me to open. I complied with his instructions.

Leaving Portland (these photos may be enlarged by clicking them).

Between Portland and Medford.

Flying near one of the Table Rocks as we approach the airport in Medford.

Passing the Table Rock in a prop-engine plane.

Passing the Jackson County Fairground, the Lithia Amphitheater, and the Family Fun Center as we near the airport.

My place of employment.

Coming in for a landing.

Saying "Goodbye" to the last plane I'll be in for awhile.

My welcoming-committee-of-one as seen through a revolving glass door at the airport.

No glass door between the camera and the committee.

Hugging, holding a camera left-handed, and waiting for luggage.

A special message from Silas which I promised not to read until arriving home in Medford.

"I hope you have a good flight back to Ashland. Love Silas".

"airplane" with arrow and drawing.

"runway" with arrow and drawing.

What a great trip!

WHO'S THAT BLOGGING ON MY TRIP AGAIN?

Click here.

MINDANAO TO MANILA TO MEDFORD

This morning, I will leave Mindanao and fly to Manila (It is now 5:36 a.m. Monday morning here in the Philippines and 2:36 p.m. Sunday afternoon in Medford). I'll spend the night in Manila, then the following morning I will board another plane to Tokyo, then to Portland, then to Medford.

The Weathersbys will meet me at the airport in Portland and we'll spend a few hours together during the layover there before the final leg of the trip to Medford. I will be greeted at the Medford airport by a wife who knows how to hug and from there we'll drive straight home.

My trip to the Philippines has been absolutely fantastic and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to be here with Belinda, Josh, Daisy, Ally and Neo for over a week.

I am now turning off my computer and will not be turning it on again for about two days.

Medford, here I come.

Pulling out of the Moffit's driveway, turning right onto the main road leading to Cagayan de Oro, looking over my right shoulder, the building to the far left from this view is the church. The Moffit's house is the next building to the right, just to the right of the tall tree.

CHURCH ON SUNDAY

Today was my second and final Sunday attending church in the Philippines. Tomorrow I leave the island of Mindanao and begin the long journey home.

After a time of song and worship, opportunity was given for people in the congregation to share personal testimonies of how God has worked in their lives. Benjie stood up and shared. Benjie was the one who, along with his wife, invited us to lunch earlier in the week.

After Benjie shared his testimony, it was time for Bible teaching. Today's teacher was Josh. Do you see anything in this photo that would indicate that this is an "informal" church?

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

Proof of informality.

Josh's teaching was received by attentive hearers.

Among those hearers were Daisy, Hannah, Ally and . . .






Neo.

Once the teaching is done, the church gathers for coffee, always served in colorful cups and sweetened with brown sugar.

Coffee is shared inside or outside. Here, Belinda visits with a lady whose son was treated earlier in the week while Belinda was serving at the clinic.

While the older folks enjoy coffee together, the young people push aside the chairs and play basketball in an auditorium that also doubles as a basketball court.

One lesson I learned in church here: If you have a camera, you will have a following.

The Moffit's house can be seen from inside the church.