We leave to pick up Jaron in an hour! Yippee!!!
~MJ~
Friday, August 17, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
The Concert and Baseball Game Yesterday
Oh my goodness! Yesterday was SOOO much fun!! Rachael and Jamie Douglas and I went to Faith and Family day at Minute Maid Park. We had to wait 30 minutes in the hot hot sun to get in but it was SO worth the wait!
Berkman came out and gave his testimony and a bit of encouragement to everybody. It was SOOO awesome! Its great to see guys like him strive to live what the believe and encourage others to do the same!
Jeremy Camp then took over. His concert was wonderful!!! I absolutely LOVED it!! He sang about 7 songs.
Jeremy signed autographs after the concert but the line was HORRENDOUSLY long so we didn't get one. Rachael did manage to get a close up pic of him though. He got to throw out the first pitch of the game. It was quite funny because he did a whole fancy windup and everything and then when he threw the ball it bounced about 10 ft in front of home plate!! He was like "AHH!! That was bad!" (I read his lips). It was SOO funny! (Of course the 9 yr old who threw out the "first" first pitch got it all the way over the plate and into the glove. How embarrassing!!)
We had over an hours wait between the concert and the game so we mostly just hung out. We took several pictures. Some goofy ones like this one of Jamie and Phil Garner(she doesn't like Phil so she did her best to convey that in her expression).
Then of course Rachael got a picture o ol' Bidge and I joking around. :-) (I just love this picture)
The game was great too! We didn't win but it was SUCH an exciting game with TONs of hits and sweet plays that we really couldn't complain. We made a cool sign too. Fun fun fun!!
Fun fun fun!!! Go Astros!!!
~MJ~
Berkman came out and gave his testimony and a bit of encouragement to everybody. It was SOOO awesome! Its great to see guys like him strive to live what the believe and encourage others to do the same!
Jeremy Camp then took over. His concert was wonderful!!! I absolutely LOVED it!! He sang about 7 songs.
Jeremy signed autographs after the concert but the line was HORRENDOUSLY long so we didn't get one. Rachael did manage to get a close up pic of him though. He got to throw out the first pitch of the game. It was quite funny because he did a whole fancy windup and everything and then when he threw the ball it bounced about 10 ft in front of home plate!! He was like "AHH!! That was bad!" (I read his lips). It was SOO funny! (Of course the 9 yr old who threw out the "first" first pitch got it all the way over the plate and into the glove. How embarrassing!!)
We had over an hours wait between the concert and the game so we mostly just hung out. We took several pictures. Some goofy ones like this one of Jamie and Phil Garner(she doesn't like Phil so she did her best to convey that in her expression).
Then of course Rachael got a picture o ol' Bidge and I joking around. :-) (I just love this picture)
The game was great too! We didn't win but it was SUCH an exciting game with TONs of hits and sweet plays that we really couldn't complain. We made a cool sign too. Fun fun fun!!
Fun fun fun!!! Go Astros!!!
~MJ~
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Two Updates!
A New "Home" ( 2007-07-31)
Thursday was a day to settle into our new “home.” Since everything was dirty and dusty from the mountain, everything and everyone was cleaned. The guys set up their tents in the morning before breakfast- Hannah and Aimee tried to make doughnuts, but running out of oil and having an unevenly heated skillet caused us to just have sweet rolls instead. There was a mandatory shower time, we had library time, Bible marking, and even a GG (God’s Gentleman/ Grubby to Grace) class after dinner. Late in the afternoon, Peter returned from Moshi where he had been taking care of some business and drove the team out to the construction site. It was about a fifteen-minute drive from the house to the site, which included a drive through a creek. Once there the team had the chance to walk around the perimeter and pray for the land, the work that we will be doing there and then the use of it after we leave. The views from the property of Mt. Kilimanjaro were gorgeous, especially because we went as the sun was setting. Friday morning Peter, Aimee, Jesse and Sean left shortly after rise and shine to drive to the airport then on to Moshi to take care of paperwork concerning the land. The rest of the team had breakfast after we left followed by devotions and Bible marking led by Hannah, the topic for the day being Creation. The team then had free time until lunch, followed by library reading. After library Peter came back to pick the team up to take them to do EV at the Light in Africa orphanage. The kids sang to the team first, and then the team did a short presentation and colored with some of the kids. A taxi came to pick the team and four of the children to take them to another home (part of the same orphanage). There they had another short presentation and more coloring with the kids. Because the second place was near, the team just walked the five minutes back to the house, changed and had more free time. Following dinner on Friday we had another GG class and Rachael led evening devotions. Saturday morning, everyone was excited that we could finally begin construction. We had free time, breakfast and devotions and then we were off to the work site. Our first task there was to clear the land of the corn and rocks. The team went to work right away and actually got a lot of the land cleared. We also began prayer closet while at the work site, We drove back to the house for lunch and had library time so the team could take a short break before going back to the site. This afternoon all the layout was done and bricks moved from the roadside where the truck drooped them to the site. We have dug the foundation and plan on laying our corner stones most of the team is really into work. Pray that we can take our project to the end.
Our Many Adventures! ( 2007-08-05)
Sunday morning, July 29 we attended an English speaking church back in Moshi. Once there, it was such a blessing to be able to sing praises in a language we understood, as well as listen to what the speaker was trying to teach us. At the end of the service, the church asked the team to come up and sing two songs, one for the congregation and the other as they walked out. That evening Greg led devotions. At the work site we continue moving rocks and digging out trenches. After lunch and library, the team returned to the work site for the rest of the afternoon. That evening for devotions, Caleb led the discussion. Sometime early Wednesday morning it started raining, and the guys were in tents, many of which were uncovered. So a lot of their things were soaking wet, especially the two tents right under the edge of the roof. Jaron’s tent was nicknamed ‘Lake Texas.’ They tried hard to dry out their things, but a lot just had to wait to air out. The team began the morning then in a GG class, followed by breakfast and another day at the work site. Thursday morning, after breakfast and devotions the team split into three different groups. Most went with Peter to the work site and began pouring cement and laying the foundation. Three team members stayed at the house with Hannah. They returned to the work site to continue pouring cement, and in all they worked close to eight hours that day. After showers and dinner, Jaron led the evening devotions.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Tribute to Biggio
If they were all like Biggio, it would be a wonderful world of sports
R. Justice
His legacy will be in the simplest things. He played the game the right way. He had his priorities straight. He believed it was important for a professional athlete to leave a legacy beyond the field. In ways large and small, he was the prototype for what they all should be.
His lasting legacy will be that he set an example for every player that walks into the home clubhouse at Minute Maid Park. Do it the way Craig did it, son. Be as much as perfectionist as he was. Be as charitable, too. Play with the passion he played with.
The truth is, there won't be another one like him. We were lucky to have him here for all 20 of his big league seasons. If he'd played somewhere else, they would have named a candy bar after him. Here in Houston, a lot of us named our kids after him.
He's not an emotional sort by nature, but there are times he has gotten choked up in recent years as he gazed into the stands and saw all those kids in their Bagwell and Biggio jerseys. Yes, he's reminded, we mattered.
He helped turn a franchise that hadn't done much of anything into one of baseball's most consistent winners. He arrived in 1988, Jeff Bagwell joined him in 1991 and the Astros were about to have the best run they'd ever have. This season we're reminded that winning isn't as easy or as routine as they made it look. I wonder if he'd like to be general manager. Or manager.
Beginning with the break-through season of 1997, Bagwell and Biggio led the Astros to six playoff appearances in nine years. Along the way, both established themselves as among the greatest playes in baseball history. Stat guru Bill James makes a compelling case that both are among the 50 best.
They didn't just produce on the field, either. They took care of business off it. Theirs was a perfect partnership. Bagwell was the good cop, the guy everyone liked. Biggio was tougher. He played with more of an edge. Some didn't appreciate his fire.
He had perfect role models. Alan Ashby took him under his wing. So did Billy Doran. Biggio replaced both of them in the lineup, and their unselfishness stayed in his mind forever.
Seeing him now in the twilight of his career it's hard for some to remember what he once was. For about five seasons, he might have been the National League's best player. He was a .300 hitter and a doubles machine, a base-stealer, a winner.
He announces his retirement a dead solid lock to be a first-ballot induction in the Hall of Fame. He'll walk through the doors of Cooperstown in 2013. Book your room now.
His resume is stunning: 3,014 hits, 661 doubles, 4 Gold Gloves, 7 All-Star Games and the Hutch Award, given annually to a player of character. I'll also remember that final day of the 2004 season, about an hour after the Astros had clinched a playoff berth.
I walked into a clubhouse that was a mess after the wild champagne party. Ice was strewn on the floor, sheets of plastic hung from he lockers. There sat Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, alone, laughing, sipping champagne. They could have passed for the two happiest guys on earth. Weren't we lucky?
His legacy will be in the simplest things. He played the game the right way. He had his priorities straight. He believed it was important for a professional athlete to leave a legacy beyond the field. In ways large and small, he was the prototype for what they all should be.
His lasting legacy will be that he set an example for every player that walks into the home clubhouse at Minute Maid Park. Do it the way Craig did it, son. Be as much as perfectionist as he was. Be as charitable, too. Play with the passion he played with.
The truth is, there won't be another one like him. We were lucky to have him here for all 20 of his big league seasons. If he'd played somewhere else, they would have named a candy bar after him. Here in Houston, a lot of us named our kids after him.
He's not an emotional sort by nature, but there are times he has gotten choked up in recent years as he gazed into the stands and saw all those kids in their Bagwell and Biggio jerseys. Yes, he's reminded, we mattered.
He helped turn a franchise that hadn't done much of anything into one of baseball's most consistent winners. He arrived in 1988, Jeff Bagwell joined him in 1991 and the Astros were about to have the best run they'd ever have. This season we're reminded that winning isn't as easy or as routine as they made it look. I wonder if he'd like to be general manager. Or manager.
Beginning with the break-through season of 1997, Bagwell and Biggio led the Astros to six playoff appearances in nine years. Along the way, both established themselves as among the greatest playes in baseball history. Stat guru Bill James makes a compelling case that both are among the 50 best.
They didn't just produce on the field, either. They took care of business off it. Theirs was a perfect partnership. Bagwell was the good cop, the guy everyone liked. Biggio was tougher. He played with more of an edge. Some didn't appreciate his fire.
He had perfect role models. Alan Ashby took him under his wing. So did Billy Doran. Biggio replaced both of them in the lineup, and their unselfishness stayed in his mind forever.
Seeing him now in the twilight of his career it's hard for some to remember what he once was. For about five seasons, he might have been the National League's best player. He was a .300 hitter and a doubles machine, a base-stealer, a winner.
He announces his retirement a dead solid lock to be a first-ballot induction in the Hall of Fame. He'll walk through the doors of Cooperstown in 2013. Book your room now.
His resume is stunning: 3,014 hits, 661 doubles, 4 Gold Gloves, 7 All-Star Games and the Hutch Award, given annually to a player of character. I'll also remember that final day of the 2004 season, about an hour after the Astros had clinched a playoff berth.
I walked into a clubhouse that was a mess after the wild champagne party. Ice was strewn on the floor, sheets of plastic hung from he lockers. There sat Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell, alone, laughing, sipping champagne. They could have passed for the two happiest guys on earth. Weren't we lucky?
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