My Father

On December 3rd, 2011 my father's battle with cancer ended, he died at the age of 50.

He informed us in the spring time of his condition and that it was terminal. Part of me didn't want to believe him, seeing as how he had defeated cancer twice before. Part of me understood that he had taxed his body through out the years from smoking and we would need a miracle.

On December 2nd I sat by his bed side, held his hand and wept. His body had regressed to a semi-vegetable state of suffering. He had lost a considerable amount of weight, he couldn't breath clearly, he couldn't control his body and he could not speak very well.

As a boy I always thought my father was the toughest man alive, as most boys do, and for the first time I saw how weak he had become. Thousands of thoughts ran through my head as I sat with him. He would never see my brother or sister graduate high school. He wouldn't be able to walk my sister down the aisle. My boys would grow up without a grandfather, just like I did.

For the first time in my life I understood what sorrow felt like.

My father had meant a lot to me. Over the past few years we had grown closer. Far closer than we had ever been. He opened up a lot to me after my parents divorce and shared a side of him I had not seen before. We had started saying "I love you" again something we hadn't done since I was a boy, as well as were more affection towards each other. I remember telling Sam after we hugged one day that I couldn't remember the last time we had hugged - something I now deeply regret not doing as a teenager and young adult. This was a lesson I learned that I will remember when my boys are teenagers and young adults, always show this affection and always tell them how much I love them and how proud of them I am. Even now when my oldest boy, Noah, goes potty in the "big boy" potty he'll say, "daddy so proud of you," because he knows how proud of him I am.

The verse that has taught me through out this process is Psalms 90:12 "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Life is short. My father had 50 years, his father had even less. I want to number my days so that my days have value and so that my heart has wisdom. This process has taught me a lot on fatherhood. I have seen how much responsibility I have as a father and how important it is as a father to leave your children with an inheritance.

The last thing I had ever told my father was how much I loved him and how proud of him I was for fighting as long as he possible could have fought. Though he could not do much, he found the strength to tell me the most important thing a father can tell his children, I love you.

Romanian Food Festival-Dallas

Last weekend we had the opportunity to attend a Romanian food festival here in Dallas. We got word of this event last year but were unable to attend because we were actually in Romania, so we made a point to attend this year. To be honest with you I really had no idea what to expect. Romania isn't exactly known as a culinary juggernaut. Below are pictures that tell the rest of the story (note: not all of these pictures were taken by us, we tend to forget to photograph our happenings).

The event was hosted by St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church - or according to Noah, a castle.

Here is an inside look:



There was tradition dancing and singing.

  

At one point there was even a group conga line that I unfortunately or purposefully missed out on.

The best part of the event though was the food. There were two items that I could have eaten my weight in, Sarmale and Cabbage Rolls. Below is what it looks like and though it might not look that appealing it was pretty amazing.



The desert in our opinion was pretty hit or miss. I do think that desert in other countries isn't as sweet, chocolately, buttery, sugary or whatever in America, so it probably just takes getting use too.


Overall it was a really great time. We actually spent most of it with friends who live on campus with us and who are actually Romanian and they showed us the ropes. As great of a time as we had, we are looking forward to actually experience this entire culture and living there day in day out.

Here I am pigging out and Sam caught mid conversation.



Ezra enjoyed it... I think.

Fulfilling The Great Commission-Basics

"Go, send, or disobey."

- John Piper

Anyone who has attended a church for any particular length of time has heard of the Great Commission in one way or another. They have either read it, heard it read, or have heard Matthew 28: 18-20 preached at least once in their Christianity if not dozens of time. Most Christians would also probably agree with Hudson Taylor that, "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered, but a commandment to be obeyed." Yet so much of the Great Commission still goes unfulfilled.

I'll briefly unpack 4 common aspects of fulfilling this commandment. Pray. Give. Go. Send.

Pray. This should go without saying, but even in the age of technology, wealth, innovated ideas... God is still far more creative than anyone else and far more wealthy. Prayer is still the fundamental cornerstone in all that we as Christians are and should be. Yet I do believe God calls us to do more than pray.

Give. Probably the most common form of missions involvement (and just as important) is when believers give of their own finances. Never let a missionary tell you his or her job on the mission field, local or overseas, is more important than those that give financially - if he or she does then stop giving and they'll understand how important both sides are. More than likely though the missionary already understands this. The sacrifice of giving is just as great as one who lives overseas.

Go. When I quit my job during a failing economy and packed a few bags and took my wife and 4 month old baby boy across the ocean to the Philippines people thought I was crazy. They still think I'm crazy when I plan to quit my job again during the same failing economy and taking my toddler and 2nd newborn to Romania. Yet, this is what God has called my family to do. He calls certain people for a certain work. Some he calls to do missions in their work place, their neighborhoods, their friends - some he calls to head overseas to other countries.

Send. This form is really only done by churches or missions organizations. They help equip and train missionaries for their future work and provide a covering for that missionary in terms of praying, helping, supporting, encouraging them and making the missionary accountable while they are on the mission field. Missionaries enter dangerous territory when they decide to go as lone rangers without the backing of a church or organization.

Our family has been fortunate enough to be a part of Trinity Dallas Church where all four of these aspects are being fulfilled. They pray about missions and missionaries. They give-this year alone they've given over $200,000 to missions. They go-they have multiple scheduled missions trips open to the congregation each year, I think in 2012 they have 6 trips open. They also send. In our short time there we have already seen videos of missionaries they sent out and have heard missionaries speak that they personally sent out. They aren't the only church doing all 4 aspects but they are where we call home!
Like I said this post was mere a brief unpacking of fulfilling the Great Commission. There is much, much more to it than what is above but I felt compelled to simplify things and post a reminder of what we as believers should be doing.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28: 18-20

Wait.. what? Oh yeah we had a baby!

So I just realized that we haven't updated this blog in awhile and while this post really won't do justice for what has been happening in our life it will have suffice for now. Sam will get around to updating her birth story soon.

Well the short story short is that we did have a baby on August 15th at 7:43 in the morning. Ezra was 8 pounds 10 ounces and 21.25 inches long. He has been an incredible blessing to our family and becoming a father all over again has been just as fun and remarkable as it was with Noah. I truly think you learn more about love with each child. We've stayed busy having a toddler run around the house and a newborn needing constant attention but it's the best kind of busy I could ask for.

Having children makes me love God more, but I think that was His point from the beginning.

39 weeks and waiting...

We are currently in the process of trying to accomplish many different things:

• The arrival of Ezra Nolan Allen - He should arrive literally any day now, possibly even today. We've been waiting 39 weeks to meet him and we have been sitting on the edge of our seats waiting.
• Raise monthly support and partners so that we can move to Romania in 2012 and work and serve the Gypsy people.
• Beat the heat - as cliche as it sounds we truly are encountering an incredible heat wave in Texas. I don't remember the last time it rained, or the last time it was below 100 degrees honestly.

Two of those three things we can not control, and if we could they would both be different right now - we'd have a baby and it would be at least 25 degree cooler each day than what it already has been. The one that we can control, raising support, is currently on pause right now. It is hard when you are nearly 40 weeks pregnant in 100 degree heat to be out and busy each weekend so we are going to take advice given to us and rest. Someone once told me and I don't remember who, that resting is one of the holiest things you can do and we believe that, so that is exactly what we will do.