Gathering around the campfire on a pleasant evening at Faith The first 2 weeks of the new year found Cathy buried in the computer for much of the time (more about why later), while Dave began attending to the church’s internet infrastructure, working on some deferred maintenance. Between tasks, we enjoyed a milestone celebration, tried out a new smoker grill, and enjoyed the company of our neighbors here at Faith.
Pastor Barry celebrating his retirement with son, Ryan Connecting the Past and the Present
A few weeks before Christmas, Cathy was asked to prepare a video for Pastor Barry’s retirement celebration, scheduled for the 2nd Saturday in January -- a pretty daunting task to capture a decades-long career. So, once back at Faith, she began to work on it in earnest. Thanks to pictures supplied by church members, Nomads and Pastor Barry himself (unwittingly), the finished product was much more comprehensive, and it was well-received at the event that celebrated a life’s work in ministry to others.
A few weeks before Christmas, Cathy was asked to prepare a video for Pastor Barry’s retirement celebration, scheduled for the 2nd Saturday in January -- a pretty daunting task to capture a decades-long career. So, once back at Faith, she began to work on it in earnest. Thanks to pictures supplied by church members, Nomads and Pastor Barry himself (unwittingly), the finished product was much more comprehensive, and it was well-received at the event that celebrated a life’s work in ministry to others.
Dave, Evalyn, Cathy, Fermin and others at Barry's retirement dinner. The celebration brought together those who had been touched by Barry over more than 4 decades of his ministry. There were church members, mission partners and other pastors who had been supported by him throughout those years. And many took this opportunity to express their appreciation for how he had touched their lives. The word most repeated was that Barry was always saying “yes”, which opened many doors.
Physical Connections
While much of our work this year is not very visible, (since it involves things like re-configuring routers, upgrading software or working with Netgear to replace failed switches,) there was one task that was very visible, at least to a small group of members. The sanctuary projector that faces the back wall is used by the choir and those speaking from the pulpit to follow the service. However, the display had been dimming lately and wasn’t very readable. We spent a morning, along with Joe trying various solutions. Joe replaced the light bulb. No change. Cleaned the air filter. No change. We made some adjustments to the brightness and contrast settings. A little change. Finally, after discussions with the manufacturer of the bulb, we came to the conclusion that the unit needed to be replaced. In the meantime, we decided to try dimming the ceiling fixture closest to the screen as a stopgap. To our surprise, the following Sunday the choir was congratulating us on the improvement. It looks like we bought a little more time.
While much of our work this year is not very visible, (since it involves things like re-configuring routers, upgrading software or working with Netgear to replace failed switches,) there was one task that was very visible, at least to a small group of members. The sanctuary projector that faces the back wall is used by the choir and those speaking from the pulpit to follow the service. However, the display had been dimming lately and wasn’t very readable. We spent a morning, along with Joe trying various solutions. Joe replaced the light bulb. No change. Cleaned the air filter. No change. We made some adjustments to the brightness and contrast settings. A little change. Finally, after discussions with the manufacturer of the bulb, we came to the conclusion that the unit needed to be replaced. In the meantime, we decided to try dimming the ceiling fixture closest to the screen as a stopgap. To our surprise, the following Sunday the choir was congratulating us on the improvement. It looks like we bought a little more time.
Joe caulk possible leaks on Pastor Jacob's roof. Joe’s willingness to work up on a ladder helped on another task as well. Pastor Jacob’s roof was showing signs of a leak, so Dave and Joe spent an afternoon caulking to hopefully fix the problem. It’s been raining here every few days, so the repairs were tested pretty quickly. Unfortunately, there was still water coming in. The next step was to cover the vent openings in the area of the leak. Not expecting much, it was a big surprise when Jacob said the leak had stopped. A permanent fix is still needed, but at least the source of the problem is known and the water is staying out.
While most of the older electric panels had been replaced over the years at Faith, there was one major one left to be upgraded. This one was in the office. Dave worked with the electrician to have him estimate and schedule the work. While Dave wasn’t moving wires, he helped oversee the work and coordinated the outage with the groups on campus. The conversion job turned into a long day, complicated by issues with the electrician's supplier, the constant rain, and some unexpected complexities of the installation. As the electricians pulled out around 9:30pm, the complex job was complete and well-done, and Dave was glad to call it a day as well.
Dave maneuvers the new liner into place on the truck's rear wheel well. Connecting Less with the Road
Our new truck, surprisingly, came without liners in the rear wheel wells to protect the exposed body of the truck above the tire. After some research, Dave found that these were easy to install and ordered a pair for our truck. They arrived in a huge, but very light box, with the necessary hardware included. Since we had driven over 1,000 miles, we made sure to clean the metal that would sit behind the new liners. After power-washing and scrubbing the metal surface, Dave sprayed some wax on it as well.
Our new truck, surprisingly, came without liners in the rear wheel wells to protect the exposed body of the truck above the tire. After some research, Dave found that these were easy to install and ordered a pair for our truck. They arrived in a huge, but very light box, with the necessary hardware included. Since we had driven over 1,000 miles, we made sure to clean the metal that would sit behind the new liners. After power-washing and scrubbing the metal surface, Dave sprayed some wax on it as well.
Looks good! The hardest part of the installation was maneuvering the liners into the correct position. Installing the fasteners was the easy part. Using what we had learned from the installation on the passenger side, we made much quicker work of the driver’s side. These are supposed to last a long time, so hopefully we won’t need to get any more practice.
Pit Boss Smoker being put to the test. Dave’s New Toy
He almost bought it a year ago. But we still had questions about what our new truck’s payload would eventually be and how much space we might lose with a shorter truck. So, the weight was a big drawback. But with the new truck secured, we decided we could handle the weight, and the new truck had more room in the bed because of new hitch. So, with the objections resolved, Dave was excited to find his new Pit-Boss pellet smoker tucked away on a shelf at Wal-mart for a great price. It didn’t take him long once we returned to Faith to set it up.
He almost bought it a year ago. But we still had questions about what our new truck’s payload would eventually be and how much space we might lose with a shorter truck. So, the weight was a big drawback. But with the new truck secured, we decided we could handle the weight, and the new truck had more room in the bed because of new hitch. So, with the objections resolved, Dave was excited to find his new Pit-Boss pellet smoker tucked away on a shelf at Wal-mart for a great price. It didn’t take him long once we returned to Faith to set it up.
It took a long time, but the results were worth it. A couple of days later, we had the pellets to fuel the smoker and a pork tenderloin to try as our first attempt. This went so well, we were ready to step it up a notch to smoke a pork butt.
After preparing the meat with seasoning, we put it on the smoker around 10am, expecting it would take about 8 hours on the grill. So, it should be ready for a later supper. Well, when we finally removed it around 10:30pm, we still had to let it rest for another hour. Our 11:30pm supper was delicious, but we had learned a few things in the process. We keep trying new things and have generally been pleased with the results, and we are definitely still learning.
And, while not everything is about the smoker, it dominates most trips to the store. Then, before the first significant rainfall, the strong hints about needing a cover had Cathy by her sewing machine stitching one that would be custom-fit. At least we both benefit the mouth-watering results that come from it.
After preparing the meat with seasoning, we put it on the smoker around 10am, expecting it would take about 8 hours on the grill. So, it should be ready for a later supper. Well, when we finally removed it around 10:30pm, we still had to let it rest for another hour. Our 11:30pm supper was delicious, but we had learned a few things in the process. We keep trying new things and have generally been pleased with the results, and we are definitely still learning.
And, while not everything is about the smoker, it dominates most trips to the store. Then, before the first significant rainfall, the strong hints about needing a cover had Cathy by her sewing machine stitching one that would be custom-fit. At least we both benefit the mouth-watering results that come from it.
A colorful salad at the church's Wednesday lunch gathering. Friends and Family Connections
Gathering around a campfire or at a table for a shared meal or just relaxing in the camper, we have been enjoying time together with friends – new and old. Joe was here when we arrived back from Christmas travels, and Pat and Fred followed a few days later. After helping Beverly with a few computer issues at her house one Wednesday, we brought her to church for the lunch gathering which included the Nomads team and other church members. And we had another gathering over BBQ at Bono’s after church one Sunday. One beautiful Friday, we drove south to Palatka with Pat and Fred to have lunch at Corky Bell’s, sitting on their patio overlooking the St. John’s River.
We even had a visit from Carolyn as she took time away from her conference on St. Simon’s Island one Saturday afternoon. It’s been a good start to the new year. We look forward to see what connections we make next.
Gathering around a campfire or at a table for a shared meal or just relaxing in the camper, we have been enjoying time together with friends – new and old. Joe was here when we arrived back from Christmas travels, and Pat and Fred followed a few days later. After helping Beverly with a few computer issues at her house one Wednesday, we brought her to church for the lunch gathering which included the Nomads team and other church members. And we had another gathering over BBQ at Bono’s after church one Sunday. One beautiful Friday, we drove south to Palatka with Pat and Fred to have lunch at Corky Bell’s, sitting on their patio overlooking the St. John’s River.
We even had a visit from Carolyn as she took time away from her conference on St. Simon’s Island one Saturday afternoon. It’s been a good start to the new year. We look forward to see what connections we make next.
