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MOUNTAIN TOP MISSION
Looking for a good home missions project to support? I may have just the thing.
Way out in South Dakota, a little outside of Hot Springs, there is a piece of property on the top and sides of a mountain in the Black Hills that is being developed as a primitive Christian campground. And I do mean primitive. The kind of place that would make great practice for those called to third-world missions.
According to the current plans, the camp will build windmills to generate basic electricity. Use solar panels for water heating. Collect rainwater in cisterns for all the necessary uses. Raise chickens, goats, etc.
Structures at the camp will be built in what is known as "stackwood" construction. Small logs, about 18 inches long, are laid long-wise in mortar, so that what you see is the round ends, not the long sides. And this construction can be performed by "ordinary folks".
So if you would like to learn more about it, and/or possibly take a trip out to help build a cabin, contact Father Chip at sdanglican@gwtc.net. The camp is called Ruah, and is a ministry of the Anglican Mission to the Dakotas.
Full disclosure here. Father Chip is my Dad. And, no, I do not call him Father Dad.
KAREN'S MELODY
For some of you, when you read the headline proclaiming two stories about our children were coming soon, probably knew that at lest one of those would have to do with our dog, Wellington. And so it was. You can read Wellington the Wonder Dog here.
After all, you know that Karen and I do not have children.
But the last four words of the above sentence are wrong. Karen and I do have a child. And this article is about that child: Charles David Samuel.
Or maybe Kayla Michelle.
But we refer to that child as “our melody”.
You see, sometime in the Christmas season of 1994, six or so weeks after we were married, Karen became pregnant. And aside from the wedding itself, this was by far the happiest, most anticipated, moment of her life.
But it was not to be. God, in His Infinite Wisdom, chose to allow our baby to be born and raised in Heaven. Not at all an easy decision for someone like Karen. She absolutely adores kids. Loves to be around them. And would have had several had it been possible. But “Karen’s melody” was to be our only child.
We know that our child is in the best place possible. We know that Jesus, Himself, has been our child’s “homeschool” teacher. The Bible says, “all our children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace” (paraphrase). When you think about it, we really do have the “perfect child”. It gives us great comfort to know nothing we do can screw that child up. Karen’s melody will never go through heartache, or heartbreak. Our melody will never have to endure trials and tribulations. He or she will never fall to temptation.
And so we celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We recognize September 16 as the likely birthday. Being pro-life, we really have no other option. If life begins at conception (and it does), and if we believe in a loving God and a future home in Heaven (and we do), then our child is as much a child as any other. And he or she is in Heaven waiting for us, messing up our mansion!
That is why, whenever we are asked, we say, “We have one child, in Heaven”. And are proud to do so. Not to make others uncomfortable. Not to elicit sympathy. But to celebrate that life. A life worth celebrating.
We invite you to celebrate with us.
WELLINGTON the WONDER DOG
Eleven years ago, eleven l-o-n-g years. Minding our own business, just walking around a facility owned by our vet. And there he was. All fur and paws. BIG paws. Sliding around on the linoleum, playing with (tenderizing maybe?) a cat.
On the way home, as we pondered appropriate names, we passed the Wellington Condominiums. And the legend was born.
I know I promised two articles about our children. And if you know us, you know I am fulfilling that promise. Wellington is the most human-acting, human-treated dog in the world.
We got him at a time early in our marriage when we were still feeling the aftereffects of circumstances beyond our control. You'll read more about that in the next article. But he quickly took his "rightful" place in our family.
He does not lack for character. He is quite a character. We mistakenly left the sliding glass door unlocked one day and came home from work to find him sitting on the sofa, just waiting on us. Unfortunately that taught him he could always do that. And he tried, and tried, and tried. So much that he eventually broke the latch. So much that, once we had an alarm installed, he could wiggle the door enough to set it off. Even now, years later, and at another home that does not have a sliding door, he still thinks that by pushing it hard enough, he can get any door to open. What a character.
As with many dogs, he does not like thunderstorms and firecrackers. And since he has also learned to turn doorknobs, we have come home a couple of time to find him inside the kitchen cabinet, under the sink. What a character.
And you can still sit on a sofa or chair and call out, "Come see me" and he will come running and leap into your lap, as Karen taught him to do as a puppy. Did I mention that he is now about 55 pounds? What a character.
And he likes his "mama". At our home in FL he would jump up on a sofa in our office and look out the front window whenever Karen would go to the mailbox. When we were given a piano, we decided to put it in front of that same window. Partly because we liked it there, and partly to stop him from jumping on the furniture. It didn't work. I happened to be watching one day as Karen went to the mail. Next thing I hear is the sound of a dog jumping on top of the piano! What a character.
But he served his purpose. He was adopted to provide Karen some companionship while I was at work. Shortly after getting married we moved 600 miles from her home. Without family and friends around, and recovering from health challenges, it did her good to have something around to care for
That is why I wrote this first article about our "children" about him.
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