Here's a note from Israel for the family...
From: "Vonnie Michels" shalom247@gmail.com
To: Kemp Family
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 23:37:35 +0200Subject: Grant and Therese in Turkey
Hi Mom,
Hi Family!
It was so great to hear Grant's voice from Dubai saying they safely arrived out of Afghanistan. They had blessed farewells in Mazar and Kabul and I'm sure they'll be writing when they can.
We got an email today that they arrived at 1:30 am to Istanbul and found their way to an apartment via taxi with MANY bags to an apartment (probably an OM contact). They have gone to Antalya for a week on the coast--this time of year, they were happy to get a bargain at the beach city.In the email he said they were pretty exhausted and looking forward to this week to rest and also to take the time to process.
Loads of love to you all,
Vonnie
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Things are looking better for Kevin
Thanks again for your prayers. Carolyn has written a summary of the situation - the Police located Kevin's car. He's got it running again.
We spent Saturday morning with Kevin - and Sonya, too, before she headed out to Solo. Kev and I took an extended bike ride all around Point Loma, Ocean Beach, up to Old Town and Mission Hills... then through Balboa Park and down to the Harbor for lunch at Anthony's on the waterfront (just beside the Star of India). It was like the old days when I had lunch with him weekly before graduation, marriage and fatherhood.
Check out some shots!
Love to all.
Ken
We spent Saturday morning with Kevin - and Sonya, too, before she headed out to Solo. Kev and I took an extended bike ride all around Point Loma, Ocean Beach, up to Old Town and Mission Hills... then through Balboa Park and down to the Harbor for lunch at Anthony's on the waterfront (just beside the Star of India). It was like the old days when I had lunch with him weekly before graduation, marriage and fatherhood.
Check out some shots!
Love to all.
Ken
Friday, October 20, 2006
Carolyn Reports: Update on the Stolen Honda
From: Carolyn Kemp [mailto:ckemp572@adelphia.net]
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 6:56 AMTo: KempFamily@yahoogroups.com; HunerdosseClan@yahoogroups.comSubject: [KempFamily] Kevin & Sonya
Hi Family,
I know many of you have been praying for our kids and all they have been through these last couple of days with the stolen car. Well, the police called yesterday and told Kevin they found his car. He was excited at first, but then found out it had been towed to a place that is not in the car repair business and it was without wheels, an ignition part and had a dead battery. The radio and speakers had also been stripped from it. He also had to pay for the towing, which wasn’t cheap. He was very discouraged, to say the least, plus they had stolen the really nice stroller Kevin and Sonya had splurged on for Em and also a car seat. When I talked to Kevin last night, he was on his way to pick up tires, he told me. Well, I didn’t realize fully what his bright idea was. I just knew I was praying like crazy for him. Well, he found 3 friends who have Honda Civics and they all have a spare tire (the little kind that is well hidden in these cars). He found 3 friends who were willing to loan their spare tire plus he had the one from his car (fortunately they hadn’t stripped that from the car also). He went over to the place where his car was and they fork-lifted his car to him. He put on the 4 funny looking spares, borrowed jumper cables and used a screw driver to start up the car. It actually started and he called me from the car today as he was driving it. He was so proud of himself for only” putting out” his friends for less than 24 hours of their spares. He found a deal at a junkyard on 4 wheels and tires, with better tread on them than he had before. He still isn’t sure how the car is running, since he only drove it with the little tires, so it felt a little funny. Keep praying, and hopefully this will be the end of this saga. He did get a steering wheel lock (I forget what you call them). Oh, and Ben had recently given Kevin a new CD player for his car, which was stolen, but he still had the old one, so he still has his music as soon as he installs it. I’ll keep you informed of any new news.
Love to you all,
Carolyn
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 6:56 AMTo: KempFamily@yahoogroups.com; HunerdosseClan@yahoogroups.comSubject: [KempFamily] Kevin & Sonya
Hi Family,
I know many of you have been praying for our kids and all they have been through these last couple of days with the stolen car. Well, the police called yesterday and told Kevin they found his car. He was excited at first, but then found out it had been towed to a place that is not in the car repair business and it was without wheels, an ignition part and had a dead battery. The radio and speakers had also been stripped from it. He also had to pay for the towing, which wasn’t cheap. He was very discouraged, to say the least, plus they had stolen the really nice stroller Kevin and Sonya had splurged on for Em and also a car seat. When I talked to Kevin last night, he was on his way to pick up tires, he told me. Well, I didn’t realize fully what his bright idea was. I just knew I was praying like crazy for him. Well, he found 3 friends who have Honda Civics and they all have a spare tire (the little kind that is well hidden in these cars). He found 3 friends who were willing to loan their spare tire plus he had the one from his car (fortunately they hadn’t stripped that from the car also). He went over to the place where his car was and they fork-lifted his car to him. He put on the 4 funny looking spares, borrowed jumper cables and used a screw driver to start up the car. It actually started and he called me from the car today as he was driving it. He was so proud of himself for only” putting out” his friends for less than 24 hours of their spares. He found a deal at a junkyard on 4 wheels and tires, with better tread on them than he had before. He still isn’t sure how the car is running, since he only drove it with the little tires, so it felt a little funny. Keep praying, and hopefully this will be the end of this saga. He did get a steering wheel lock (I forget what you call them). Oh, and Ben had recently given Kevin a new CD player for his car, which was stolen, but he still had the old one, so he still has his music as soon as he installs it. I’ll keep you informed of any new news.
Love to you all,
Carolyn
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Kevin and Sonya
Here's a prayer request from Placentia... we're thinkin' about our kids in San Diego...
On Monday morning, Kevin left the apartment like any other morning to head for work at the university. When he got to the carport, their Honda Civic was gone. During the night, someone broke into the car and somhow started it. This morning, the Police located it.... but it was "stripped" of all four wheels, the stereo and the dashboard is smashed at the ignition. Some personal stuff left in the car is also gone... including Emerson's carseat and their good stroller.
Hard to understand a car thief. Hard to adapt to the loss, the surprise expenses, the inconvenience and the distractions. Tough for a great young couple just starting out...
Kevin's attitude is good. Sonya's, too. He's diligently working to figure it all out. Please pray for them as they sort through the decisions. We're burdened for them, but thankful for their maturity and all of us trust a God who works all things well.
Thanks for bein' there... and for your support and care.
Ken and Carolyn
On Monday morning, Kevin left the apartment like any other morning to head for work at the university. When he got to the carport, their Honda Civic was gone. During the night, someone broke into the car and somhow started it. This morning, the Police located it.... but it was "stripped" of all four wheels, the stereo and the dashboard is smashed at the ignition. Some personal stuff left in the car is also gone... including Emerson's carseat and their good stroller.
Hard to understand a car thief. Hard to adapt to the loss, the surprise expenses, the inconvenience and the distractions. Tough for a great young couple just starting out...
Kevin's attitude is good. Sonya's, too. He's diligently working to figure it all out. Please pray for them as they sort through the decisions. We're burdened for them, but thankful for their maturity and all of us trust a God who works all things well.
Thanks for bein' there... and for your support and care.
Ken and Carolyn
Dad's 80th Birthday
Here's a terrific e-mail from Vonnie... read, and comment...
Happy Birthday to our Dad
sent - Wed 10/18/2006 12:24 PM
It really struck me again today when I was thanking God for our Dad on his 80th birthday.....sure miss him being around and so thankful to have had such a great dad and grandpa for our kids...........just needed to share that with our brothers and sisters and Kemps--no one knows it like we do.
He'd sure be proud to see his growing grandchildren and how they have done......he'd have sure been proud of his great-grandchildren and seeing a number of his grandchildren in their roles as parents. He'd have felt old to hear his own kids be called "grandma and grandpa." :) Today, I could really hear his laughter and joy and delight in his family.
And of course, he's always been proud of his loving wife......
We miss you, Dad.
Vonnie
Happy Birthday to our Dad
sent - Wed 10/18/2006 12:24 PM
It really struck me again today when I was thanking God for our Dad on his 80th birthday.....sure miss him being around and so thankful to have had such a great dad and grandpa for our kids...........just needed to share that with our brothers and sisters and Kemps--no one knows it like we do.
He'd sure be proud to see his growing grandchildren and how they have done......he'd have sure been proud of his great-grandchildren and seeing a number of his grandchildren in their roles as parents. He'd have felt old to hear his own kids be called "grandma and grandpa." :) Today, I could really hear his laughter and joy and delight in his family.
And of course, he's always been proud of his loving wife......
We miss you, Dad.
Vonnie
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
The Test is Now History
Well… I’m home now. They tell me I should consider this a recovery day… Carolyn drove me home. As I left the Surgery Center, they told me not to drive. If I got caught behind the wheel, they said, it would be a certain DUI. So I sat in the passenger seat – relieved and thankful.
As I regained consciousness, Dr. Bali told me that the one polyp discovered by Dr. May several months ago is all they found. The colonoscopy took the scope all the way up into that abysmal internal tunnel; no more polyps, I’m told. No suspicious evidence of any other complications. The test confirms that I’m basically healthy. The polyp got snipped and sent to the lab. The good doctor expressed her doubts that the tiny growth is cancerous; the biopsy will confirm that view. That will take some two weeks.
We’ve not talked a lot about this little sidetrack in our regular schedule, mainly because there is no real news here. I went in for a routine inspection with our family doctor last May. Guys my age should do this, I’ve been told for a decade or so. Sure enough, they found a tiny polyp – which is not a trigger for a declaration of war on cancer cells – but is a cause for concern and warrants more thorough testing. That’s what was scheduled for today.
For both procedures, the preparation is worse than the test. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, I’ll spare you the detail.
All to say that this morning, I’m feeling relieved and grateful. While I’m still a little foggy… after one of Carolyn’s first rate breakfasts and a cup of hot coffee, I’m sitting here with the laptop, feet up in a comfortable chair, filled up with gratitude that I’m done with this (at least for the next three years). I know people who are fighting the good fight… and after a day’s journey through the system, I’ve got just a little taste of what life is like in the world of sterile machines and monitors with graphs and beeps and needles and open-backed gowns and IVs and people buzzing around in royal blue scrubs and caps and white masks and badges and stethoscopes and pointless, muffled jabbering on the other side of a curtain as you lay there contemplating your eternal destiny.
It’s a world I rarely observe from a mattress and pillow inclined on a bed with rails… until today. The work of the anesthesiologist was a welcome exit as the beeping droned on in a darkened room and doctors snapped rubber gloves over their wrists and chattered on about the traffic on the 57 and then it all faded gently into a relaxation state one rarely finds unassisted by some sort of chemical.
It feels incredibly self-centered to be so thankful for good health. All God’s gifts are good and his blessing of grace extravagant. Somehow it’s just a little easier to feel it now that the doctor looked me in the eye with a smile and said, “looks like you are clear.” Not everyone gets that word. But there are other reasons to be thankful at a time like this; mainly people. Like my life-long partner, Carolyn. She’s there with me. And our kids… their spouses and their children. And then my colleagues in ministry and partners in Kingdom work and many friends who in their own way show how much they care.
It causes one to be humbled and grateful for God’s goodness; and the blessings of each new day.
So thank you for caring enough to read this little blog entry. I’ve got to add one more thing – some time ago, I committed Psalm 23 to memory. David’s words are inspired; and as I repeated it over and over again on that hospital bed, IV attached, eyes closed, surgical center clanging and chattering as ambient noise, I did indeed experience that peace that passes all understanding. My sister told me over the cell this morning that she would pray that I would know it… and I did.
Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything that I need
He makes me lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside still waters
He restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil – for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff – they comfort me.
You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
It’s for real.
Thanks for your prayers and your friendship. It means more than I can say.
Ken
As I regained consciousness, Dr. Bali told me that the one polyp discovered by Dr. May several months ago is all they found. The colonoscopy took the scope all the way up into that abysmal internal tunnel; no more polyps, I’m told. No suspicious evidence of any other complications. The test confirms that I’m basically healthy. The polyp got snipped and sent to the lab. The good doctor expressed her doubts that the tiny growth is cancerous; the biopsy will confirm that view. That will take some two weeks.
We’ve not talked a lot about this little sidetrack in our regular schedule, mainly because there is no real news here. I went in for a routine inspection with our family doctor last May. Guys my age should do this, I’ve been told for a decade or so. Sure enough, they found a tiny polyp – which is not a trigger for a declaration of war on cancer cells – but is a cause for concern and warrants more thorough testing. That’s what was scheduled for today.
For both procedures, the preparation is worse than the test. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, I’ll spare you the detail.
All to say that this morning, I’m feeling relieved and grateful. While I’m still a little foggy… after one of Carolyn’s first rate breakfasts and a cup of hot coffee, I’m sitting here with the laptop, feet up in a comfortable chair, filled up with gratitude that I’m done with this (at least for the next three years). I know people who are fighting the good fight… and after a day’s journey through the system, I’ve got just a little taste of what life is like in the world of sterile machines and monitors with graphs and beeps and needles and open-backed gowns and IVs and people buzzing around in royal blue scrubs and caps and white masks and badges and stethoscopes and pointless, muffled jabbering on the other side of a curtain as you lay there contemplating your eternal destiny.
It’s a world I rarely observe from a mattress and pillow inclined on a bed with rails… until today. The work of the anesthesiologist was a welcome exit as the beeping droned on in a darkened room and doctors snapped rubber gloves over their wrists and chattered on about the traffic on the 57 and then it all faded gently into a relaxation state one rarely finds unassisted by some sort of chemical.
It feels incredibly self-centered to be so thankful for good health. All God’s gifts are good and his blessing of grace extravagant. Somehow it’s just a little easier to feel it now that the doctor looked me in the eye with a smile and said, “looks like you are clear.” Not everyone gets that word. But there are other reasons to be thankful at a time like this; mainly people. Like my life-long partner, Carolyn. She’s there with me. And our kids… their spouses and their children. And then my colleagues in ministry and partners in Kingdom work and many friends who in their own way show how much they care.
It causes one to be humbled and grateful for God’s goodness; and the blessings of each new day.
So thank you for caring enough to read this little blog entry. I’ve got to add one more thing – some time ago, I committed Psalm 23 to memory. David’s words are inspired; and as I repeated it over and over again on that hospital bed, IV attached, eyes closed, surgical center clanging and chattering as ambient noise, I did indeed experience that peace that passes all understanding. My sister told me over the cell this morning that she would pray that I would know it… and I did.
Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything that I need
He makes me lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside still waters
He restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil – for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff – they comfort me.
You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
It’s for real.
Thanks for your prayers and your friendship. It means more than I can say.
Ken
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Dennis and Emily tie the knot
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Butteris!
Watch the video. Enjoy. You'll hear Louis Armstrong... "Let's Fall in Love"... the song that played during the recessional as Dennis and Emily celebrated their new status as Mr and Mrs.
It was a terrific event.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Dennis and Emily at the River Hills Community Church
The rehearsal went well... it's a Hunerdosse family reunion. As you can see, Emily and Dennis are very happy. Today's the wedding. More to follow. More about Dennis and Emily.
Here's the bride with her sisters and Maid of Honor...
Here's the bride with her sisters and Maid of Honor...
Friday, September 01, 2006
Festim Gashi - Visit to Festim's Family
Just prior to our week at English Camp in Shengjin, Albania, I visited Festim's family in their village about forty five minutes south of Pristina in Kosova. I've got a series of photos from that visit on the site. Also, if you aren't familiar with Festim's story, he wrote a compelling summary you can download.
The Gashi family welcomed me warmly. Check it out.
The Gashi family welcomed me warmly. Check it out.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Greetings from North Carolina
Carolyn and I are enjoying our summer’s end vacation. We’re with our daughter, Candy, her husband Jamie and their three month old son, Noah. For the first few days, we’re at the beach on Oak Island on the Atlantic in North Carolina. We’re just south of the Outer Banks.
After a few days in their home town, Holly Springs, we head North to Chicago and a wedding. Carolyn’s niece will be married in Janesville, just south of Madison. We’ll spend another few days in Spring Green.
Check out the video - then tell us what you think! You can add a comment below.
We’ll be back home on Friday, September 8th.
After a few days in their home town, Holly Springs, we head North to Chicago and a wedding. Carolyn’s niece will be married in Janesville, just south of Madison. We’ll spend another few days in Spring Green.
Check out the video - then tell us what you think! You can add a comment below.
We’ll be back home on Friday, September 8th.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Ted's gone home...
My good friend Ted is home with his "beloved Dorothy." Hard for me to be on the other side of the world... but Joan was with him on Friday evening about 8PM. A life well lived.
More detail to follow.
More detail to follow.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
On the road
Today, we leave for Pristina. I'll be posting some personal family notes here. Leave your comments!
So.. personal stuff here...
Keep in touch with our journey and the team at our church BLOG site...
http://rcckosova.blogspot.com/
So.. personal stuff here...
Keep in touch with our journey and the team at our church BLOG site...
http://rcckosova.blogspot.com/
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