“From the Road” Texas Update
Brought to you by After the Storm 4 Christ (Bob & Cate)
Hello family & friends, (I am sorry I must have misplaced my sunset? trust me they are beautiful)
This is just one of the many beautiful sunsets that Bob & I have been able to experience since we have been here in Texas, coming home from Port A, Aransas Pass or Rockport after a day of helping the sweet folks that we have met here. We have been in Corpus Christi Texas since the end of September, our host church family, Calvary Chapel Coastlands have been amazing in their support and they continue to tell us that we have been more support to them then we will ever know, aw shucks! Our time here has been amazing, we have had the privilege to work with so many amazing teams from all over the U.S.; TX, CA, NJ, PA, FL, OK, OH, NV, CO, CT, IA, LA, TN, AZ.
The end of 2017 was a great leap of faith that we stepped out and hit the road. October was a really busy month, we had many teams in and also got our feet really wet in what it takes to run a base camp for disaster recovery/relief. At times it was a love/not-so-loving relationship I am not going to lie. Bob & I really discovered were our strengths and weaknesses were and how delaying us to go out was needed, time to bring us closer together and really begin a work in us to make our marriage stronger. We have been blessed by Ed Schreader who has ACTS1129 ministry. His wisdom and encouragement and leadership helped season us even more.
The folks that we have met here are just so loving and are so thankful that we are here to help, it brings to mind Ephesians 2:19-22 we are no longer strangers. We met a wonderful single mom whom we adopted and we had numerous teams come and help to get her back to her home. November rolled into October and we continued to work on Lisa’s home as well as Tim & Jenn’s home, and others whom we have spent one day with or a month with. And on each site, we have had the honor to see how God’s love is orchestrated thru prayer and provisions or just a sweet amen.
Next CC Minot from North Dakota rolled into Corpus in November with a BIG Thanksgiving bang. Their team came in for the week of thanksgiving and they did outreach every day that week until Thursday. We served 150 plus people a deep fried full on turkey dinner with Pastor Dave Lamb at CC Coastwinds in Ingleside TX. We deep fried 20 fresh turkey’s it was amazing and so much fun to be a part of. If you don’t know where Minot ND is it is like an hour from Canada and these folks drove from the north straight to the southern part of Texas.
To round out November our home church Aurora came out and made it possible to tie up Lisa’s home and get us closer to getting her home. During their time here, it was wonderful catching up on things, fellowship and it helped with being homesick. December was a great month here, we had a Colorado snow storm and the folks here don’t normally get snow so it was a BIG thing for them. CC Tustin blessed the 6 families that we have been helping with Christmas, we had the honor of shopping for each family. We had our girls out for Christmas and of course it was just like at home with a ton of humidity and wind. They stayed a week and then we sent them home we miss them a bunch. While they were here we had a team with us from Connecticut. Our family was totally blessed by one of their team members who is a pastor and was so moved by our sweet little bee that we had a laying of hands on her for her Type 1, there was not a dry eye that evening.
Again, the Lord continues to turn that cube and bless us and those whom are in our presences. I want to share with you that each one of our church bothers and sisters who have been here they have brought so much joy, wisdom, hope, humor, love and friendship to us and those they have served that it makes one humble and just a blubbering mess!! LOL.
January was also busy, we had the pleasure of having 3 teams come back and stay a week with us. They already came out during 2017 so sweet to have them come back. Bob & I both started bible studies with the women’s/men’s groups at CCC. Ladies did the Armor of God, it was or is an amazing study. I really enjoyed the message and also the fellowship. Bob is still in his and it’s on Daniel, he has only missed one class and that is because the day got the best of both of us. February has been busy also even though when did not have any teams we kept moving forward to tie up loose ends with those who are ready to get into their homes and also working on Steve & Maryann’s home. This lovely couple homes was damaged from the wind and rain and we have been able to put a new roof on it with a ton of peoples help, this included 5 guys who we call winter Texans here. They were northerners, Frank, Dennis, Bob #2, Rick, Jerry. We just finished the roof the last week of February.
It is now March 2018 and we are amazed at how the Lord continues to use us here, I equate it to a GIANT Rubik’s cube and yes there are days where I am able to here the sound of a turn and see how He has provided for everything here. Lisa’s home is done and she will be completely moved in by the week of the 12th, will be posting pictures soon. The winter Texans friends have pulled up and gone back home, and now a new relationships surfaces. Harvey & Donna (Steve’s little brother and sister in law) have joined us in the rebuild of their home. Again, the Lord said let me send a disaster to this area so two brothers who have not seen each other in 25+ years reconnect, CLICK! And we have been apart of this and Wow! Not only have these 2 brothers reconnected but Bob and his older sister Rene have also got together again after 35 years, it was so natural that God’s hand was all over it. They live in Friendswood Tx. And it’s just a 4-hour drive for us to see them, CLICK!
Our next adventure comes on the 12th of March we will be hosting a team from CC Garland Tx. It will be a youth group of about 15/20, they will be with us for 3 days. We have a couple of projects for them to complete and then they will be doing a beach outreach for kids. Wait did you hear that? I did again a turn of the cube and God opened the door for us to take this on. It is spring break during their time here so please keep them in prayer for travel and the beach reach. We don’t know what the spring break season will be like here in Port A, we have heard many stories about college mayhem and horrible traffic jams. I know many of the locals are ready for a change of pace and the need to get back to a new norm. I pray that it’s better and that people will realize the gem they have in their community and in themselves and how God is working to change them to less and more towards Him.
As for Bob and me we have closed down Laundry Specialists and moving forward to sell any assets to help cover expenses, please be in prayer for this for wisdom, spiritual strength and all that it will require to be done with it. We thank the Lord for what it had provided for us and also pray for our employees as they seek employment else were. We also have been asked where we will be going next? Where ever He leads that’s the word for now and how we can continue physically in this line of work daily? It is by His power not by ours that’s for sure:) We give thanks for all of your prayers, words of encouragement, support and love Colossians 3:14-15 (NLT) Please keep up with us on Facebook okie dokie God Bless Ya’all we love ya!