| This is more or less the latest update email. It will change but at least you get to hear the stories. First let me tell you about a little adventure I had last week. I generally park my truck in the same place in order to not lose it, as I would. I live within walking distance of work but sometimes I drive if I have to rush, like on Tuesdays when our Bible study starts at my place an hour after I get off work. Wednesday morning I walked out to my truck to find it not there. I spent the day trying to figure out why they would tow it, having parked it in that general area since I moved here and never having had a problem before. I get home from work and call the police but they say no one towed it. You, of course, know what that means. Stolen! They sent an officer to my apartment and he filed a report, making it clear that I understood that my chances of getting it back were slim to none. See, they get 2-300 reports of stolen vehicles every day. Mine was the 54,462nd this year. I spent Wednesday and Thursday on the verge of screaming tears. I was… a little frustrated. Around 7pm Thursday night I was sitting in my living room, waiting for a phone call from a friend who was supposed to be making plans for the night. I sat thinking about how, among my friends who I hang out with regularly, I’m the only one with a vehicle! And now it was gone and we would never be able to go out again. I perhaps get a little melodramatic at times. The phone rings but it’s not Aaron. It’s the Sheriff’s Department! They found my truck!! It turned out that the fact that I’m poor and have a gimpy truck actually saved my truck. My gas meter is broken and sticks on full. I couldn’t afford to put gas in my truck and it was very close to empty. The people who took my truck thought they hit the jackpot with a full tank but ended up running out of gas less than 20 blocks from my apartment. They abandoned it in front of an alley, blocking it so no one could park there. Those people got mad, called the police to have it towed and that’s how I got my truck back. The thieves were in such a hurry that they didn’t take my cd player or my cds. They did, however, take my insurance card, my registration, all my dimes and quarters and half a bottle of brake fluid. God has a sense of humor and this was just another step toward learning to trust Him before I freak. Last Thursday we dedicated our playground to a child who died last year. He was abused by his mom and finally died of a head wound in September of 2005. We ordered a plaque and had it mounted on a boulder on the playground. We had a small ceremony and it was special to watch the kids’ reactions. They definitely knew it was a somber occasion and some cried. We spent the afternoon talking sporadically talking about Sincear and what they remembered about him. Please keep Brenda and Katie, the director and one of the teachers, in your prayers. They are involved in the court proceedings and it is still messy and painful for them. Last week we had our Christmas party at the Child Care Center. We were given money to buy the kids gifts and a group also gave each one a shirt or sweater. We were able to get the kids things like scooters, dolls and even a couple Spiderman Web Shooters. A local church came in and ran the whole party and did an amazing job. The kids sang Away in a Manger and Jingle Bell Rock. We spent the better part of December talking about the Christmas story, Jesus’ life and things in general that pertain to Christmas. We read different stories each day, adding animals and people to our manger scene as we went. One day we read a story about a lame lamb who didn’t get to go on a little trip with the shepherds but had to stay in the stable. And, surprise, surprise, it turns out to be the stable in which Jesus was born. The sheep saves the night by lying next to baby Jesus and keeping Him warm. That afternoon we added two sheep to our nativity, one, by request, with a lame leg. From that day on Rayshaun followed every comment about Christmas with “…then the cow talked to the donkey.” Or at least that’s where I’m guessing he got it, just mixing his animals a little. We went into the Rocky Mountain backcountry to go sledding. That was really amazing. At least, it was once I was up where I needed to be. Climbing was not fun. The altitude along with the wrong shoes made for a very tiring climb frequented by falling through the snow as deep as my legs would go. Twice I got my foot caught between hidden rocks and had to be rescued. Several from our group tried snowboarding and skiing as well. My friend Paul and his brother made a ramp and I was able to get some really good pictures of them in the air. It’s times like these that I have a hard time believing that I’m really in Denver and get to play in the Rockies. Right now it is blizzarding outside. Looking out my window we have at least a foot and a half though there is a lot of wind so it’s hard to tell what’s really snowfall and what’s drifts. The airport is shut down and people are shut in, many spending the night. We didn’t have school today and I spent the day cleaning and getting ready to fly home Friday. My roommate Laura is flying out tomorrow and we’re praying that she’ll be able to make it. According to my airline the airport should be clear by tomorrow afternoon. Of course, by the time you read this, hopefully, we’ll both be home and safe from the crazy western snow. |
