How can you say no to these cute faces....

My wife came home from work last week with a couple of bars of soap in her hand. She shared a story with me that one of her students was raising money to buy her own airplane ticket to visit an ailing grandmother in Florida. I love the "I can do it attitude" of these kids and asked their Dad (he's a teacher at The River Academy as well) if I could help them out. I have a few bars of soap on consignment that I'd be glad to share with you for $5.00. I have four different scents, Coconut/Lemon Grass, Lilas Summer Breeze, Merry Mint Swirl, and Citrus Energy. They look great in a guest bathroom or make a great gift.

Incidentally, in case your wondering how a family came to make soap here's the rest of the story. This family has a friend with a child that was having severe reactions to soap products. They did some research on how soap is made and experimented with different recipes until they found one this little girl could use safely. Now that's love in action.

Haiti update

Nazarene General Superintendent JK Warrick was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake to preside over District Assembly. The Church of the Nazarene has over 500 churches and nearly 120,000 Nazarene's in Haiti. Dr Warrick has been airlifted out of the country but has remained in Southern Florida to help coordinate relief work for the church. You can donate to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (100% of all funds collected will go to Haiti relief work) by clicking here.

View the video below recorded by Dr Warrick, it will stir your heart.

Sixty years ago the Church of the Nazarene began in Haiti with two members. Now 116,000 Haitian Nazarenes, living in the poorest nation of the Western Hemisphere are facing death and destruction, and yet they remain strong and resilient, true to their faith. They are depending on Nazarenes around the world to pray and give as they seek to rebuild their lives, their towns, and their country. God bless you for your prayers and the support Haitians are already receiving.

There is simply no adequate answer to the question "why?" We must leave that for some future time. "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12). So let us focus on this question: "How can I help?" As we respond to this question our great Nazarene family around the world will make a difference for the future of the Haitian Nazarenes and the Haitian people. This will please the heart of our Lord!

Thank you for your faithful response.

Nazarene GS in Haiti during earthquake

Arriving for district assemblies just hours ahead of a devastating earthquake in Haiti, General Superintendent J. K. Warrick has issued a call for the Church of the Nazarene around the world to pray and respond immediately and generously to the needs of nearly 110,000 Haitian Nazarenes. Warrick and the others traveling with him are reported to be unharmed. The magnitude 7.0 quake — the most powerful to hit Haiti in a century — struck shortly before 5 P.M. Eastern Time and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, the United States Geological Survey reported. It could be felt strongly in eastern Cuba, more than 200 miles away, witnesses said. "The earth became like an angry ocean — it was quite a ride," stated Warrick in Haiti. "We drove around the city of Petion-ville (Tuesday evening) where the Nazarene seminary campus is located. Large buildings have collapsed and there are thousands of people in the streets," Warrick reported. "They were using headlights to look into the rubble of a Catholic church and a four story grocery store. The search for trapped victims and bodies has hardly begun. It is heart- wrenching to see the devastation and to know of the suffering of the people here," Warrick added. Warrick issued this call for help - "Nazarenes everywhere need to rally to the needs of Haiti. This is the time for action. I plead with our people to respond with prayers, financial gifts, and other types of assistance as may be appropriate. I am sure it will be worse in the daylight." Persons and churches wishing to make a donation can mark their checks "Caribbean Disaster Response ACM1204" and mail them to the Global Treasury Services, PO Box 843116 Kansas City, MO 64184. In Canada, checks should be made payable and sent to the Church of the Nazarene Canada, 20 Regan Road, Unit 9, Brampton, Ontario L7A 1C3. Online giving is available at ncm.org. —Board of General Superintendents Note: For further updates, check ncnnews.com throughout the week. Remember that our regular tithes pay for all the overhead costs of Nazarene Compassionate Ministry so every dollar you give goes directly to the effected area. Nothing is held back for administrative costs. You can give online or drop a marked check or envelope in the offering plate this Sunday.

Pastoral search update

The church board did meet with a pastoral candidate on Saturday afternoon for an interview. I am not privy to any information about what happened but I did want to inform you all that the church board is moving deliberately and will not discuss their next step with this candidate until Sunday afternoon, January 17th. Click here and you can read my previous post on the expected course of action to get an idea of where we are in the process. There should be information to share with you shortly after that upcoming meeting.

Remain in prayer for your church board and the next Lead Pastor of our church.

The substitute

I've always been a little different. In lots of different ways and in different situations. My family of origin is no exception. My parents are both retired elementary teachers and my sister is currently an elementary teacher. I always liked going to visit my parents classrooms but I also knew it wasn't the right path for me.

Today I had the opportunity to substitute teach in Katie's 6th grade class. Her teacher hurt his back and will be out for a few weeks. I only filled in for their history hour but I had a great time and the kids were all wonderful. But I'm not planning on going back to school to get my teaching certificate.

God's beauty

Who would dare argue that Wenatchee is a beautiful city. Took this picture today as I was out running errands. Click the image to see it full sized.

Growing up too fast

Our girls have asked before about getting their ears pierced. We have always told them it is their decision and to let us know if and when they are ready. Well, this week Stephie said she wanted to get her ears pierced. I did my best to talk her out of it, selfishly I don't want my baby growing up so fast. But I know that she will grow up regardless of whether her ears are pierced or not so we trudged over to to the mall today and pulled the trigger. Literally!

They were really busy today. As the technician was readying the supplies a rush of people came in and since she was the only sales clerk we had to put the big moment on hold as she helped other customers. Stephie was brave and no tears were shed. They grow up far too fast!