I had a good lunch with my Angel Ashley today! Yeah!

Today I checked back on my team from FBC Hattiesburg. I had a fun time driving around shaking hands and shooting pictures and video.

It’s always especially meaningful to me on the last days they’re here because that’s when they really share the Gospel. Getting to see kids pray to accept Christ is always a very powerful thing!

My throat has been worse today. Didn’t sleep well last night.

I came on home early and went back to bed. I feel a little better now. I have a long day planned tomorrow, so I figured I’d better try and rest a bit before I really got worse.

Had a great day working with my team from Mississippi this afternoon! They’re doing a great job at the missions.

Then later in the day I went to meet up with my team from Princeton, Kentucky.

I gave them a briefing about the work and then took them over to the eight locations they covered in Avondale, Scottdale and Clarkston. Although this team has never done work like this before, they seemed to be really taking to it! PTL!

I’m back home now working on my admin duties.

My voice is still really rough. Been feeling a little weak. I’ve worked too many days in a row without a break I reckon.

Ever wondered why traffic suddenly will get bad for no apparent reason? Here’s why!

This morning I met the team from FBC HAttiesburg at FBC Doraville and gave them a briefing/introduction to the International Village. They’re an enthusiastic group!

Then we split the group into half and Kathy and I took them on a tour of the Muslim and Hindu sections of Atlanta. It’s always fun to take kids to different areas of the world, right here at home!

This afternoon K and I went from site to site to check on the teams and make sure everything was going well.

They seem to be a very organized group with a great attitude. They’re fun to work with.

Came on home to Stone Mountain and worked on getting Kathy’s phone working. Pretty simple problem: I didn’t know how to turn it on properly. Pretty embarrassing, but I’m glad it was easy to fix. We think she’ll inherit my old iPhone when I get my new one in about two weeks. Groovy!

I’m at home now working on my admin duties which means, email, phone calls and uploading pictures I took–about 220 today!

I also download all the video shot today onto my computer’s external hard drive. Then when the week is over, I edit all the video together. It’s a labor of love. But mainly labor. I do think it’s those extra effort things we do that makes people keep coming back to work with us year after year!

We’re looking forward to Lie to Me coming on tonight, our favorite TV show.

This morning I felt flat worn out. My throat was a mess after all the yelling I did at the Outreach Event trying to make myself heard. So I spent a quiet morning.

Also worked on knocking out all the videos for the four teams I had last week.

Got them all edited, burned DVDs and by this evening I’ll have all the videos uploaded to YouTube. Mission accomplished.

I watched England get clobbered by Germany. Ouch! Watched some of the Argentina vs Mexico game but fell asleep. Just tired.

Got up and went in to Doraville to meet with my team from FBC Hattiesburg, MS! They’re a terrific bunch!

Ian North and I took the two big buses around the cities where they’ll be serving to make sure they know where they’re going.

It’s always a stressful job when you’re dealing with those buses. But it all worked out great!

Then I took Ian and Ruthie out for supper. Always enjoy hanging out with that sweet couple. It’s their anniversary weekend: 6 years! I’m SO glad to have them back here in the ATL! They plan to go to Chattanooga for a couple of days to celebrate. I told them all my favorite places to stay and hang out. I hope they have half as good a time as K and I do up there!

Now I’m finishing up my admin work before I crash out. I’ll be back at FBC Doraville at 9:30am to do a briefing and then take them around the International Village.

My team from Kentucky arrives Tuesday evening. Ashley will be coordinating that team. Glad I have her!

This morning Kathy and I went to the Post Office so I could mail our newsletters to our supporters!

Always great to finish a job!

We went on to Clarkston to help our team from Eagles Landing Baptist Church at Southern Place.

We had a great group of refugees at the Outreach Event. It was a fun time!

I was also glad to spend some time with Bennett Ekandem and his family! I finally got to meet the three boys that he and his wife Idong hope to adopt. They are some really cute kids!

This afternoon I watched Ghana beat the USA in the World Cup 2-1. I was sad about that, but I’m glad that there’s still an African team in the running!

This evening we went to Jason’s Deli to celebrate Kathy’s sister Ruth’s birthday. We had a fun evening hanging out with our family.

I’ve been editing video since I got home. Always admin jobs to do. I still need to edit the video I shot for Clinch River BC and for Valley Ranch BC. Just knocked out the video from this afternoon.

I thought this cloud was cool!

This morning I focused on producing this month’s newsletters. Ashley and I wrote our articles and laid out the pictures.

Today is my “day off.” Didn’t really work out that way. But I did have fun for an hour studying the brain–one of my hobbies.

I’m interested in neurology and how that fits with our spirituality. Especially in the field of prayer. “How can we communicate more effectively with Jesus?” It’s something I think about every day.

Seems to me the brain is the heart of the matter.

After producing the newsletter, I went to Azalea to check on my kids and have them help me label the letters. Also picked up stamps for the letters.

I usually buy a couple of dozen doughnuts as their reward. But, honestly, every kid gets doughnuts whether they help or not. They mainly help because they just love me.

Ironically, I see my mission kids less in the two months of the summer than any other time. I’m busy checking on all the other missions with the teams in town.

Did I mention it was hot?

I came home, put the finishing touches on the newsletters and went to Staples to make the photo copies.

Now I work on admin duties and then to newsletters.

Yesterday I also edited the video for my team from FBC Salado, TX. That DVD and the links to the video on YouTube and the pictures in the Photo Gallery are all on line now. When those duties are done, I consider the team officially “complete.”

I still have to work on the teams from Clinch River BC, TN and Valley Ranch BC, Dallas, TX. Once the newsletters are complete, that’s my next priority.

I have my team from Eagles Landing Baptist Church coming to Willow Branch, Clarkston tomorrow. I’m looking forward to helping with that and hanging out with Bennett.

Looks like storm clouds are moving in!

I liked this bumper sticker.

Wednesday I got ready to do my blog and other admin duties and my internet connection was dead. Bahd luck.

So here’s some catch up info!

I had a great meeting with Mel Rhoden, Ian North, Ashley, Kathy and Bennett at Madina.

We talked about expanding work into the more African American areas around Clarkston where there is little or no work being done.

We went over the maps for the areas and how the teams were going to get to them next week when we have FBC Hattiesburg, MS in town. It’s all about logistics!

Checked on my team from FBC Salado and took their leader over to FBC Doraville so we could check out the service project for Thursday (which is today as I’m writing this.)

Wednesday evening, Kathy and I made the trek down to Eagles Landing Baptist Church which is a great church and faithful supporter of our work.

They had a cool display about our work!

Bruce Mewborne is one of my favorite ministers!

This Saturday they’re sending a team to help us in Clarkston. I’ll be over there with my partner Bennett to make sure everything goes well.

I also taught some of the folks how to make balloon animals.

The night went well and the crowd was enthusiastic! Hope to have a good turn out this Saturday. K and I got home to Stone Mountain about 10pm.

Beautiful sunset!

Thursday morning I went over to FBC Doraville to check on the team’s service project. They did a great job! Place looks awesome!

I went over to Perimeter Mall for lunch and saw HUGE lines outside the Apple store for people waiting for their iPhone4! I ordered mine last week. I’ll be getting it in July. They’ll mail it straight to my house. It’s thinner than my old iPhone. It also has video and video conferencing. The camera on the phone is MUCH better and the device is a LOT faster than my old iPhone, which I still love, just not as much.


After lunch, I went to Norcross to check on my teams, but never could catch up with them.

I was totally exhausted after yesterday’s (and the day before that, and the day before that) marathon, so I came on home and started working on editing all the video I shot so I can send DVDs to the teams.

K and I also finished calling all the managers so everything is totally set up for next week’s missions! AMEN!

Tomorrow I’ll also start working on the newsletter. . .

I liked this bumper sticker. Sounded like me.

And while I was at the mall, they had this display titled, “What Inspires You?” I thought some of the replies were amazing. Hair?

Maybe they were talking about the musical.

And did you ever like these 3d Magic Eye pictures? I liked this one.

Had a great day watching the teams go at it full blast!

This morning my team from FBC Salado did their regular incredible job going through brush like professional axe men!

Amazing difference in the area already.

For lunch, K and I enjoyed visiting with some of our favorite people, Ian and Ruthie North and a new friend Mel Rhoden who is a partner with Global Frontier Missions.

We had fun talking about ministry and how we can work together.

This afternoon I spent most of my time chasing around town talking to the teams and shooting video and pictures of them in action.

Another hot day.

But fortunately, “it’s surprisingly cool in the shade.”

Back to admin work. Just finished cutting checks for utility bills. Have a big insurance bill coming due. Finances can put pressure on me. Don’t the on everyone?

This morning I did a briefing with my team from FBC Salado, TX! They’re a great team!

This is their third time to work with us. PTL for these guy who are extraordinary workers!

They have 40 people working on a massive service project behind/between four apartment complexes in Chamblee/Doraville.

it’s a type of no man’s land that is terrifically overgrown and just flat nasty with trash.

They cleaned up the whole area and will start doing major brush cutting tomorrow.

Pray for Mikey, one of the youngster who sliced his leg on a glass bottle. He’s doing great, but had to have 12 stitches in his leg today. Also for Casey who picked up a dirty old jacket uncovering a nest of yellow jackets. He was stung at least ten times on his arms, hands and neck. He’s doing fine now too.

We haven’t gotten any more word about Lauren, the 11 year old that fell out of the top bunk and had to have brain surgery yesterday. I heard she’s in stable condition but nothing else. Pray for her!

The teams served in the Chamblee and Doraville area and are doing a terrific job!

My team from Clinch River, who I was also supposed to brief at 9am this morning didn’t make it into town until about 5:30 pm. They had a tire blow out on their trailer which caused it to rip off a bumper on the van. They also had a fan belt break. Wow! Spiritual warfare for sure.

I took them over to their four locations off of Roswell Road this evening. They’ve never done any kind of outreach like this before, but they did a terrific job!

I was very proud of them. Their Pastor Keith TIllman was ecstatic about their attitude. “After all they’ve been through, it’s amazing I never heard one complaint!” That’s a Jesus thing for sure!

K and I finally got home around 9pm this evening.

We enjoyed talking to Jesse on his way home. He’s doing great and enjoying New Hampshire. It was in the 70s today. My car said 99 degrees at one point today.

My catch phrase with the teams is, “It’s surprisingly cool in the shade!” That’s what they’re supposed to say if someone mentions it’s hot. You know, it really is surprisingly cool in the shade. . . ark, ark, ark.

Had a great day today with my Texas team! I always think they’re the best teams!

Guess cuz I’m a natural born Texan!

Although, honestly I love living in Georgia more!

Ashley, Ian and I each led a Greyhound sized bus to the missions in three different areas. These buses are HUGE! 8 foot longer than a standard bus. Yow!

Ashley covered the Clarkston, Decatur and Scotsdale section, Ian covered Chamblee and Doraville, and I also covered Norcross and sections of Dekalb and Gwinnett Counties.

We had a good time making sure that the bus drivers knew exactly where to go and the team leaders who came with us are ready to lead their teams into action!

The team from Valley Ranch BC will be covering 26 different apartment complexes. Awesome!

Then this evening I met the whole group at Georgia Tech where they’re staying. I did a briefing with the whole group then a more detailed how to section with the 130 folks that will be helping me at the missions.

Ian and Ruthie North also came to share a little about their ministry Refugee Beads. They do a great job with that.

Got home about 11:30pm. Furiously trying to knock out my admin duties before crashing out. I have to be back in Doraville at 9am to do a briefing with my other Texas team from Salado and then take them to their service project for the week.

My team from Tennessee had van problems and had to spend the night in Chattanooga. Hopefully they’ll get it fixed and be in town for me to give a briefing and show them their sites before lunch tomorrow!

The team from VRBC had one of the girls in their team fall out of the bunk bed at the GA Tech dorm, and cracked her head. She ended up having brain surgery this morning. Pray that the Lord will do an amazing healing on Lauren. AMEN!

I had a great talk with my Dad today! Give it up for Al Cummins! Best Dad EVER!

Jesse sent me a sweet message this morning.

Of course, nothing better than kisses from the most beautiful daughter in the universe!