End of October

Hi,

last week was great, in the fact that we got electric work done on our house. We got a new remote-controlled ceiling fan, a sink disposal, a bathroom light, a bathroom exhaust fan, a garage light, and 2 outside decorative lights.

We also cleaned out Courtney's parents' basement. We even used their dumpster to throw away some of our old awnings.

The network went down at work. First we couldn't communicate with the outside world. Then the next day, we couldn't use even our own systems. Things are back to normal now.

I think this document is rather striking.
http://www.stemcellresearch.org/facts/treatments.htm

Serving in the community and Lowes #2

Today we got to the church at 8 AM for our service project. We were assigned to the Shawnee Community Center at 67th and Nieman, which is literally 1 minute from our house. (It is a place that provides food for poor people, and otherwise sells old stuff to pay bills). Jeff Meador provided the supplies. And Brent Ahsmus, our small group leader, assessed the situation and decided we needed a coordinator. He appointed Courtney to do that. And she did a great job. Although I managed to jokingly ask "Who made her boss?" when she wasn't around.

The first task was trying to open a 5 gallon bucket of paint. We tried to open just a small hole at the top, and we shook it. But it still came out nasty (nastily?). So then we had the idea of popping the entire top off. And then we stirred with sticks. Then the wonderful tool of an electric drill paint mixer appeared, and that did the trick.

My dad happened to be there, and he caulked some holes. We primed some spots that were especially corroded on the wall. Then we painted with a grey-ish paint. All 4 walls were painted with different colors. Due to the free paint that we recieved from Porter paints, we didn't have much choice. But they were all nice colors.

In addition, the front of the building got new panelling, and it was painted as well. It looks really great. We drove by the place this afternoon.

I also helped carry in some food from a lady's van, and some fruit from a lady's car.

Courtney also discovered another person at church who has the gluten allergy. He said he was the 3rd case of this in Kansas City (long time ago). This happened when everyone was eating bagels and donuts except for us two apparently.

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Our second visit to Lowe's we waited around for 20 minutes for help in the ceiling fan section. Does anyone else not get much help at hardware stores? The fan we wanted on display could not be found as a box below. It was the kind of waiting where you finally decide to sit down on the floor, and play Bejeweled on the Palm Pilot. And it was the kind of waiting where the guy from the plumbing section is trying to help in the ceiling fan section. Finally, the Carl, the real ceiling fan section guy, discovered there were not any in the store. So Carl offered the display for $15 off. So we thought that was worth the wait. He removed 3 blades for us, so it would fit in my Camry, and we were on our way. So props to Carl.

Altar

We went to the Altar at YouthFront Camp South. It's just a time to spend time with God in nature, and to also have worship times and small discussions. Bryson Rumple, our church's year-long intern was there. I beat him in ping pong.

Don Chaffer of Waterdeep led worship, surprisingly with 2 other aquaintances of mine. First, Greg LaFollette, he went to KSU and is friends with my friends Ben Deaver and James Beecher. So I said hey to him. Then UJ the incredible electric guitarist was there. He is friends with the Thiessens, and even plays in a band with Matt. So I said hey to him, and he was happy to meet me.

Then Don Chaffer gave Courtney a free CD for working the merchandise table. I chose "Enter the Worship Circle". One of my all-time favorites, but I've never owned it. I always just listened to my roommates' copies. Courtney has a similar story with the CD. I could have met Don but kind of froze. It did not make sense, but that is what happened.

KC legend, Buck O'Neil

This quote of Buck O'Neil from Wikipedia almost made me tear up.

After hearing that he had not been elected to the Hall at age 94, O'Neil spoke to about 200 well-wishers who had gathered to celebrate, but instead stood hushed and solemn, telling the crowd:

"God's been good to me. They didn't think Buck was good enough to be in the Hall of Fame. That's the way they thought about it and that's the way it is, so we're going to live with that. Now, if I'm a Hall of Famer for you, that's all right with me. Just keep loving old Buck. Don't weep for Buck. No, man, be happy, be thankful."

Re-thinking what is my purpose?

Eternity will be wonderful, but there is one thing heaven will not contain, and that is the call, the possibility, and the priviledge of living a supernatural life here and now by faith, before we see Jesus face to face.

Christians are called upon to be a demonstration at our point of history that the supernatural, the normally unseen world, does exist; and, beyound that, that God exists.

Francis Shaeffer, 1971

Christian Zouein

Katherine, Ann, Christian, me, Mo, and Nate

We had a great visit from my long-lost cousin Christian Zouein, who has been traveling the world. Also, as a bonus, Katherine, Ann and Nate, and Aunt Elizabeth were there at my parents for dinner/dessert. Above is a picture by Courtney in our house when we were doing the house tour.

Where were you a year ago on Sept 24?

Tonight we had a wonderful time at the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate one year since our engagement. Since we had a $25 gift certificate that Courtney found on the ground while we were house shopping back in February, we were able to splurge on some fruit smoothies. Those reminded us of our honeymoon in Cancun, where we got free strawberry daquiris and pina coladas whenever we wanted. It was a nice break from the weekly routine. I have not taken a full vacation day since our honeymoon, so I really needed that! Thanks God for this wonderful gift, and the wonderful wife you have given me!

one year ago:

Disposable Camera 2006 #1

Master Bedroom Pre-Dan and Courtney

Here is the Best Of Pictures from Disposable Camera 2006.

The Fall Altar at YouthFront Camp South. I guess this is also Disposable Camera 2005!

We didn't like Grandma's style. All 4 layers of it had to go! This is me with a wallpaper steamer.




Courtney is having a great time discovering how every layer of wallpaper is less and less in style.

Mom tackling the South wall.






Sorry I don't know how to rotate pics, but here is dad cheating by painting with a sling on. It's just like him to do that. But the room looks better, doesn't it?




Here is us after Courtney's first vocal solo at Lynn and Devin's wedding.

The end. May the next Disposable Camera be just as great.

A favorite wedding pic

Sept weekend #2

Church things:

• Courtney and I went to a meeting to become members of our church
• played bass guitar in the service.

Entertainment things:

• Tried to rent the Sentinel, but it was out, and that means we got a free coupon to rent it within 30 days. Rented 24 Season 3 Disc 1 instead.
• Watched Simpsons Season Premiere

House things:

• removed all wallpaper from the bathroom. Tried to remove the panelling and discovered that our countertop is glued to it.
• Used a Verticutter on our lawn and applied seed
• Used our waffle maker for the first time

Labor Day Slide Show

labor day slide show attempt #1

recent happenings

We had family Labor Day get together at a bed and breakfast in Pleasant Hill, MO. Things to do were: go to Powell Gardens, attend the Big Creek Country show, and go for a run, and watching Batman Begins by myself, and seeing my two nieces, and sleeping. There was good food too, and they took special care about my wheat allergy.

Had Ben Taussig over to watch our wedding video. He's back in Uzbekistan now.

Went to Devin and Lynn's where Devin tried out his new illusionist routine for us.

Cleaned out the garage (Courtney did that while I mowed the lawn), and put the wheel barrow together.

spider and tree pics

As promised, here are spider and tree pics

This spider is outside our front door. We feed it boxelder bugs that we find in our house. In these pictures, it is feeding on one. It only comes out at night, so it was difficult to focus in on the spider.

Here are pictures of 2 Saturdays ago when Dad and I cut down limbs from my lawn. My dad was up in the tree with a chain saw like a crazy man. We even had a chain saw break down, and he went and bought a new one!

our first win

We got our first (and last) win in softball last night. Courtney hit a 2-run triple. And it wasn't one where the team made a throwing error and she ran an extra base. It was way over the outfielder's head and it was a guaranteed triple from that point on. We ended up winning by 2.

I will post some spider pics and my tree trimming adventure pics soon. But first, I want to post an article I came across today. It is written by the son of one of the martyrs speared by natives in Ecuador, and depicted in the movie "End of the Spear".

From http://natesaintlinks.blogspot.com/

If you want to read a long article bout it, please read on:




Angels, Yes, I think it was Angels
by Stephen Saint

A number of years ago Olive Fleming Liefeld and her second husband Walt visited the site in the Ecuadorian jungle where Olive’s first husband Pete had been speared to death, along with Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Jim Elliot and my father Nate Saint.

Flying into a remote jungle airstrip they were met by my father’s sister Rachel. Aunt Rachel and several members of the Waodani tribe led Olive and her husband down to the sandbar my dad named Palm Beach.

Seeing for the first time the place where her husband had been killed, brought questions back to Olive’s mind – questions that had gone unanswered for over thirty years. Answering her questions, with Aunt Rachel translating, was Dawa, wife of one of the attackers who was present during the attack. Dawa, still a teenager at the time, hid in the dense cane bordering the far side of the river, opposite Palm Beach, afraid to actually watch or take a more aggressive role.

As Dawa recognized Olive’s interest in what had happened that memorable day – a day that shocked and transfixed much of the world, both Christian and non – she began to volunteer information that she thought might be of interest.

In the middle of her commentary she pointed to a place above the jungle canopy bordering the ridge just south of Palm Beach. “That is where we heard the Cowodi (foreigners) singing,” she stated matter-of-factly. As Aunt Rachel translated, Olive stopped her, “What does she mean she heard foreigners singing above the trees?”

Dawa said they were dressed in cloth like she saw a group of Cowodi do who sang in a church she visited with Rachel in the U. S.

Olive, Walt and Aunt Rachel wondered if it could possibly have been a choir of angels. What a wonderful and humbling tribute that would have been from a gracious God who had just had five sons killed, their spear riddled bodies dumped unceremoniously in the river by the beach where they had just two days before had an exciting and completely friendly first contact with two women and one man from the same village where their killers lived.

Olive wanted to include this account of angel visitation in her book, Unfolding Destinies, so she asked me to ask the three surviving Waodani warriors who had been part of that fateful killing party for verification. The opportunity came when I flew to Ecuador to help members of the tribe bury Aunt Rachel after she died of cancer.

One by one, each of the three men told me that they saw what appeared to be lights in the same place where Dawa had said she saw the heavenly choir. They were further away, which might explain that what they saw was different. But all of them said they heard singing. Nevertheless, they were somewhat tentative in their description.

Very recently when a project was initiated to make a feature film and a docudrama about the “Auca Story”, the script writers wanted to include the “angels singing over the Palm Beach martyrs.” As I reviewed the script I felt uncomfortable including any detailed reenactment of something that I was sure had taken place but which had only been vaguely described.

In January, 2002, I was asked to take the documentary film team to Ecuador to interview the Waodani who are the other half of the story. In the interviews with four of the five remaining Waodani survivors who took part in the Palm Beach attack in which my dad and his four friends were killed, I tried to elicit more definition to what I had been told previously, but without success.

The day after wrapping up the filmed interviews with the Waodani, the film group and I were joined by two friends of ours – Kevin McAfee and Steven Curtis Chapman. They had flown out to join us to do filming for Steven’s upcoming tour which will feature the “Auca Story,” as well as to film some footage for the documentary. Steven and I were sitting in the cooking house talking while Kimo, one of the warriors I had just interviewed, was trying to communicate with a member of the film team.

I was startled to hear music coming from the thatched long-house immediately behind us. Then I realized that Kevin was just checking out the sound equipment he had brought.

Suddenly Kimo turned towards the music and listened intently. After a minute he commented, “Manami ihindabopa,” (“Just like I heard it”).

I didn’t understand what he was referring to until I put together the obvious fact he was referring to the music and remembered that I had recently asked him about what he had heard at Palm Beach.

Kimo resumed his sign language conversation. Suddenly he turned towards the music once again and very specifically affirmed, “I have heard that before, long ago. That is what I heard, just like that, when your father died.”

I explained to Steven Curtis Chapman what Kimo was saying, then called to Kevin to hold the music at that spot. It was clear that Kimo was referring especially to one motif in the music as being what he remembered.

I invited Kimo to enter the long-house with us. Unfortunately, Kevin could not tell us specifically where on the CD the music Kimo was referring to was located. Kevin started playing various pieces on the soundtrack. I couldn’t remember enough of what it sounded like to identify it. As the fifth or sixth piece started to play, Steven Curtis Chapman commented, “I think this might be it.” Almost simultaneously Kimo declared, “I saw lights like stars and that is what I heard.” Then he added, “When I heard that long ago, I didn’t know what it was. I was afraid. Hearing it I knew we had done a bad thing there. Now, no longer living angry and hating, I see it well that you have returning brought this back to us.” (They don’t have a word for instrumental music that I know of). Then he got up and left the long-house.

Kevin pulled out the CD to find the title of the piece Kimo had identified. “You won’t believe this!” Kevin exclaimed. “Look,” and he pointed at the CD; “It is cut #8.”

Jesus told us, “Go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations.” My father and his four friends joined the ranks of thousands of “God followers” who have given their lives to fulfill that commission.
The title of the soundtrack Kimo recognized as being what he heard after killing my dad and Jim, Pete, Roger and Ed – a piece written by Ron Owen especially for the documentary film (being made to tell the story of God’s plan to reach a tribe of people off in the Amazon jungle who were insignificant in almost every way except that God loved them and wanted them to know they could become His children throughout the sacrifice of Iota “God’s only child, a son.”) – is “Every Tribe, Every Nation.”

God has entrusted “His very good carvings” to us! But only the uninitiated or extremely unobservant are wont to believe that He doesn’t still have His hand in seeing that His message reaches every tribe, every nation, every tongue and every people.

I have never questioned God’s right to use my father’s life. Dad turned his life over to God as a young boy. I have never asked for an apology from the men who killed him, and I have never received one. I never hated them or held anger against them so there was no forgiveness needed. I just accepted my dad was gone and with Jesus. It never occurred to me that I should forgive them for something which, though they meant for evil, God very clearly intended for good.

But as a father, I have agonized over what I have thought must have been going through Dad’s mind as he lay dying out in the middle of nowhere, betrayed by the very people he and his friends had so carefully and methodically befriended. His failure would leave Marjorie (my sweet mom) a widow. He would never teach his two little boys to fly. His little girl would never sit on Daddy’s lap to hear another original bedtime story. He would never again fly sick Indians to the new hospital he and Roger had been working so hard to complete. His passion for sharing the message that had set him free with people who had never heard was suddenly ended.

I have imagined all these years that this must have been the pain of Dad’s last conscious minutes of life. But now I believe that I was wrong. If Dawa, Kimo, Yowe, and Mincaye heard an angelic choir from the world beyond, I have no doubt that Jim, Ed, Pete, Roger and Dad were made even more aware of their presence. They didn’t die alone. Now I do believe that God sent a reception committee to sing for them and to escort them into His presence.As I listened to music, just written, which Kimo clearly asserted he had heard at Palm Beach, my heart swelled with a sense of well-being. God took what five men could not keep and exchanged it for something they cannot lose. It’s our turn now to make the same deal and give our lives away!

good weekend

I had a great weekend.

Friday, we went to Lowes with my parents. And we bought a kitchen sink disposal, a bathroom ventilation fan, and an above-mirror light fixture. Then we got a bidet. Just kidding, that was the first time I learned about those. From Wikipedia: "Users who are unfamiliar with bidets often confuse a bidet with a urinal, toilet, or even a drinking fountain. The user should use the toilet before using the bidet; its purpose is to wash afterwards"

Then we played Skip-Bo at my parents. We saw my grandparents, before they went to bed.

On Saturday, we went to YouthFront Camp West and Courtney lifeguarded. I went down the waterslide for the first time, and then at the end Courtney and I went down together. It was a blast! Then I played disc golf with Andy Garlich. Then we spotted my sister Mo at Wal-Mart.

On Sunday, I played guitar at the worship service at Community Covenant. Lots of people liked "Sweetly Broken". It was fun to be part of the service were people thought the music was awesome. You always have to focus it back on God.

Then we went to Courtney's parents' house. We fished 4 frogs out of their pool. (Because there was a lot of rain ever since Saturday night.) We saw Courtney's brother. Overall, we saw 8 relatives. So it was a great weekend!

baby shower

My cousin Ann Zouein had a baby shower. Courtney went. Ann, I think is the youngest cousin right now having a child. You have to understand my family...i have 30 cousins on the Taussig side, so we are experiencing exponential growth right now. And there is always someone having a baby.

I am leading worship at CCC again. The guest worship leader could not make it, so I was asked to fill in on guitar. And I get to be the lead vocalist on 2 songs. Please pray that I'd put God first as I sing, and then I know everything will feel right.

Courtney's new responsibilities

• I will be the communicator to Carrie for all the jobs we are contracting her for (camp brochure, altar promos, F/S M/D retreat brochures, golden pin stuff, etc.
• I will do all print media needs here at HQ: letterhead, envelopes, business cards, forms, etc.
• help people do things if they don't know how: scanning, convert to PDFs, laminate. I will use the big cutting machine in the PMB and be in charge of ordering paper/ printed products/ Risso supplies
• Content, and functionality online registrations & the store/giving section of youthfrontorg
• Maintain and safeguard the visual Corporate Identity and Image of YouthFront and its programs throughout all of YouthFront's external communications.
• (which means protect our logos and make sure they are not being misused)
• and finally, manage snack shop stock at both camps

See her site at http://www.youthfrontzone.com/index.cfm?PAGE_ID=2009

trying again

Trying to post...

redeemed myself

I hit a home run at softball last night. That is the first time I've ever hit a home run. That came on the heels of me striking out looking for the 2nd time in 3 at bats. The reason I strike out is because I greatly desire the Walk. In our league, if a guy walks, he gets to go to 2nd base, and the girl behind him gets to 1st base. Last season, I got at least one walk per game. That's why I usually bat leadoff. This season, the pitchers are better, and I have only walked once.

So I decided that I need to swing. So I got the home run and the double. We haven't won a game yet, and we have one more chance next week.