Great First Day

My first official day on the Des Moines First Assembly team went great. It was BUSY in the nursery but we had fun...even with a few fussies. It was wonderful to have the whole Stinson fam visit!! Julianna came in like she had been there many times. She was so cute and I got some good hugs. Of course, it rocked to see Mary, too. She is getting soooo tall and even more beautiful.

My head is already spinning with some ideas to go from great to fantastic. All the gals who volunteered were so helpful and glad to have a new leadership. The gal who left had done a very good job so I have some big shoes to fill. The only reason she left is because she has three little ones herself and it was just too much time from her family.

It was also cool that many of the staff that I hadn't talked to since coming on board made it a point to stop by and welcome me to the team. I thought that was so nice since they all have busy schedules on Sunday, too. Made me feel at home already. I'd say the first day was a success!

Amazing Life Lessons

I thought these were worth a blog entry. You may have seen them before but are sure a great reminder of how we should treat others.

Five lessons about the way we treat people

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely, " said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. " Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away". Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Great Christmas

Mike, Lori, Julie, Dan, Norman and mom Diane in front

Are we from the south?

Jakob and Dylan

Rock Star

Keaton and Michelle

Our matching sweatshirts - Go Wolverines!

Goin' "Gangsta"

Mic's new bomber hat

We had such a great Christmas! Our travels to Sioux City had good weather and tons of laughter in the van all the way there. I can't even tell you what all we laughed about but it was a noisy trip. :)

We got to meet Randy's new sister-in-law, Georgia, on Christmas Eve. We are happy for his brother, Don, who found new love after being widowed a few years ago. Randy's mom was having a better day with her health than usual and it was good to spend time with her. She turns 80 next week and her Parkinson's Disease is progressing and causes her a lot of discomfort. It's sure hard to see her aging and struggling with everyday tasks.

Christmas Day we spent partly with my family and back at Randy's mom's. We got to see my brother, Mike, for the first time in at least 8 years. He has been in prison for drugs but is doing great now and has given his heart and life to Jesus. I am so thankful that all of my mom's kids could be together for the day. We are like so many other families with "issues", but it was a great time with everyone. The twins are now 8 years old and were actually excited to see us and gave voluntary hugs! They are growing up. Not sure what my brother was thinking but they bought them BB guns for Christmas!! Yowza...I wouldn't be that brave (if that's the right word!)

We bought Micaela something she has wanted for four years...a bass guitar. She was pretty excited and has been fiddling with it none stop. Thank goodness it came with headphones so we don't have to endure her teaching herself how to play it. I threatened to send her out to the Main's house to make noise, but I love them too much!

We even got to spend some time last night with Keaton's friend Michelle and our second son Michael aka Obie. I feel so BLESSED to have my kid's friends come to our home and actually have fun hanging out with us. My sides hurt this morning from laughing so much! We had a slight scare with Michelle and a kernel of corn at dinner but all is well...no medical attention needed! :)

We praise God that our holiday was so good with family, friends, food, travel, and new ministry excitement and are mindful that not everyone had such a great Christmas. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and can share our fun through some of these pictures.

Isabella - A Star is born!!

Lisi Lou Lou - the real doll

Sandy and Adele May at DMC Grandparent's Day

My good buddy Amy at Cracker Barrel

My dad and step mom from Michigan

Me and my daddy at Thanksgiving

Micaela and me at Evangel

Here are some pics that I haven't posted until I got my new laptop!
It rocks...and is Flamingo Pink!!

Exciting News!

Today, I accepted an offer for a new ministry position at First Assembly of God in Des Moines. I am very excited about our opportunity to serve at such a great church. I will be a part of the children's ministry team starting December 30. My official job is a part time position overseeing all aspects of the nursery and I will be jumping into children's church ASAP teaming up with my friend Pastor Brian Bopp (aka BBopp), the children's pastor. There are so many possibilities for growth and expansion and we are all praying that I will be able to come on full time later this new year. BBopp and I have been dreaming up some awesome plans and are really looking forward to working together for the Lord.

I am a little surprised at how quickly this all transpired but am ready to jump back into leading children to Christ. We appreciate the welcome and enthusiasm of the staff at our joining the team at First. 2008 is looking to be a great year for the Eilers family!

Happy Birthday Angela

It's my buddy Angela's birthday! Let me count a few of the ways that Angela blesses my life and those around her....

Angela is a great listener when you need a shoulder.

Angela makes some rockin' potatoes that have a bizillion calories in a serving!

She's a Godly woman who is spiritually mature and obedient to the Lord.

Angela is a terrific mom of 3 and a half darlings: Jordan, Jacob, Jadyn and J____. I am always amazed at all she accomplishes with the kids in tow.

She has a great laugh and a quick wit.

She is a wife that makes her husband, Ed, very proud.

When you look up the word - Organized - in Webster's dictionary, it says Angela Sustala! :)

Angela is a wonderful friend and I a so blessed to know her and have her in my life. Sure glad God brought her here from Texas! Have a birthday that is as special as you are! Love you bunches!

Feeling Old or Maybe Well Seasoned...That's My Excuse!

Oh my-lan-ta! I had one of those "feel old" moments while working at school today. I had a class of 6th graders come into the computer lab and I saw this kid and knew I had to know him from somewhere. I just couldn't place him for sure. You know, I meet so many kids between churches I have ministered at, church camp for 13 years, Junior Bible Quiz for 13 years and working at a public school for 9 years, and various preaching opportunities. After I gave the class all their instructions, I asked the young man what his name was and he replied, Nathan. The light bulb came on....he was just a little guy when I last saw him at Berean where he would occasionally come with his grandparents. I said, "Oh, I know you! You used to visit Berean and I used to be one of the kid's workers there." He looked right at me and said, "Oh yeah, you're Pastor Lori!" What is kinda funny is that when I knew him, I wasn't officially a pastor yet but he always called me that anyway. I love it when I get "reunited" with my old kids, even though it made me feel a little "well seasoned."

My other moment today came at the post office. I stopped to mail a ministry class I finished and the post office was a ZOO!!! The line was moving fairly fast but I noticed that most everyone had either many packages or a stack of 500 cards. I had one manila envelope so when I got to the counter, and without thinking mind you, I said to the nice gentleman, "I'm easy!" He smiled and said, "You better not say that too loud." I about died! I was stammering and trying to clarify myself with, "No, No, I meant easy as in I have one envelope!" I was beet red, of course! My age must be having an affect on my speech...or something like that!

Changes

It appears that the Lord is bringing about some changes once again in our lives. Sometimes when you have a decision to make, it is black or white, obviously yes or no, or doesn't take much thought. A very wise man that we know once gave Keaton some advise about a decision that didn't have an obvious answer. He said to pray, step out, proceed in faith and ask God to close the door if it needs to be closed. Go until God says yes or says no...put some feet to your faith. Randy and I are in one of those spots right now. I am going to step out and see what God has in store. I trust that His ways are higher than mine, His plan is better than anything I could ever ask for or dream and that He sees in me possibilities that are yet to be discovered. I am being reminded that when God gives you a vision you need to remain focused on that vision and He will take care of all the details of getting there. When we think we know how to achieve the vision, God may remind us that His plan to get there may be different than what you thought. If I stay close to Him, He will continue to use me. My vision for the children of the Des Moines area is still the same...the journey has just been updated! I used to dread change, I'm learning to embrace it.

Back in the Swing

My first day back at Parkview Middle School was a little surreal. It felt weird to be there but strangely comfortable; I worked there for nine years, after all. All the staff was so welcoming and excited to hear about the kids and life in general. It was fun to "catch up" with everyone and be with people who I've known for so long and hear about their kids, too. The staff at Parkview was with me during my weight loss five years ago and were my biggest cheerleaders! I remember a group of them were so proud of how I did that they were trying to get me on the Oprah show!! Too funny! Made me smile to hear my friend Lisa call me by the nickname she gave me several years ago...Lucky. She always calls Randy "Mr. Lucky." Even got to see a couple of "my kids" from our Berean days who go to PVMS. Crazy to do hall duty and watch how 6th and 7th graders behave and interact. Middle schoolers are strange creatures, for sure. :)

I had so many opportunities to share Christ with coworkers over the years and I'm praying that the Lord will use me while I'm there again. I'm determined to make the best of this season in my life and to get past my own sorrow and still be a light in the world. There are several new teachers on staff since I left not quite two years ago so there is much to do this week. :)

Christmas Programs

How about this wonderful Iowa weather? Makes for interesting driving and walking with my crazy knee! We had a GREAT time at the Des Moines Christian School Christmas program yesterday. Thanks so much to the May family for allowing us to be fill-in grandparents for Adele. It was one of the best kid's programs I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of them! The kids did such a fantastic job and you could tell the whole presentation was bathed in prayer. Even with the stinky weather there was a record crowd. DMC was a wonderful host with lots of coffee and cookies and smiling faces to welcome all. We even had some bonus hugs from other kids we knew!!

This morning we went to Christian Life Assembly and it was their adult Christmas program. It was super good, they have some very talented singers! They even had some impressive choreography! If you are bored and want something to do, they are having another performance tonight at 6 PM. We had planned to surprise Keaton this morning and drive to Montezuma but the roads that direction were pretty dicey. I really wanted to go since it was their kid's program and Keaton was preaching in big church. Bummer! Keaton and I had chosen the same Christmas program so I was dieing to see it performed. Oh well, we enjoyed our visit to CLAG.

I bought the new Josh Groban Christmas CD and it is awesome! Highly recommend it and it's on sale at Family Christian Bookstore. I had an extra $10 off coupon so I pert-near got it for free! Sweeeet! Gotta love that Josh Groban. It's funny...one of my kids LOVES Christmas music and the other HATES it. Can you guess which one is which? I've been listening to the Elf soundtrack and The Rat Pack Christmas, too. I even broke out the old Avalon Christmas CD, it's an oldy but goody. I need to buy the old Mariah Carey Christmas CD. I had it on cassette and it's one of the best one's ever. Let me know if anyone sees it out there for cheap.

Happenings

I finally connected with my pal Amy G. on Monday. She is one of those friends who you may not see forever but can pick up talking like you just saw them yesterday! So good to spend a couple hours catching up and encouraging each other.

Tuesday was my first day back on the job in the Ankeny Schools. I filled in for a study hall teacher for the whole day. It went well but I'm sure not cut out to do that every day all day long. Too quiet!! It looks like I will be able to work as many hours as I want, which is good. Back at my old school all next week!

This morning I was at Des Moines Christian for chapel. Our Big Idea was, "Serving isn't just for a season!" It was fun to have the principal, Mr. Lambert, be my helper. I think the kids enjoyed seeing him being a good sport. Got to see some of the JCFC kids which was a real treat. They are all such good huggers! Randy and I will be back to DMC on Saturday as stand in grandparents for Adele for Grandparent's Day. We are so honored to be invited and are really looking forward to it.

Tonight, I'm supposed to have dinner with another old friend, Jenn Y. She and I worked together at the school and have stayed close. She has two sweet baby boys but we are leaving them home tonight!

Church Visit

It's still kinda weird just going to church and not preaching, moving things or knowing everyone that's there, but it has been enjoyable experiencing different congregations and preaching styles. Today, we were at First Assembly of God and saw some familiar faces including Shanna Kempers' parents, Scott and Lynette. We have been there enough that it wasn't totally unfamiliar. I stopped by kid's church to see my good friend Pastor BBopp. He's such a great guy and a very anointed children's pastor.

Pastor Dave Beroth preached a wonderful message about finding joy. Randy and I talked about the service and both got something different from it but were both encouraged and challenged. It was great to see Pastor Christine, too. She is their Connections pastor and was super excited to see us. Although Randy was a little bent out of shape that she gave me a big hug and not him! You know Randy, Mr. Huggy. :)

My Friday date with my old buddy Amy G. had to be postponed until tomorrow so I'm really looking forward to that. We took advantage of the bad weather and had Keaton to ourselves for part of the weekend. Always great to spend time with the boy! I cooked a big ole breakfast Saturday morning and a slammin' good pot of chili for dinner! Cold, nasty weather always makes me want to cook.

Christmas Tree

We put up the Christmas tree and finally got it all decorated. One of my favorite things about our tree is that I have, over the years, been given all kinds of ornaments from "my kids." It brings back such great memories and I always look forward to receiving new ornaments each year to add to my collection. Some are homemade, some are store bought, some are fancy and all are loved and appreciated! After being in ministry for about 20 years, you can imagine the assortment! This year, I thought about how different Christmas will be with not having a church home yet. Then I remembered that the Adair family gave me a beautiful ornament as a going away gift on my last day at JCFC! It looks great on the tree and has a sweet message on it, "A friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart."

Our tree will never be one of those fancy "theme" trees cuz I just can't part with all the sentimental favs. You know; Baby's First Christmas, the Our First Christmas Together one and all those funny ones your kids pick out for you. I must be getting old...I feel all sappy!