Saturday Shout Outs!

It's almost May- can you believe it? Seems like just yesterday I was trying to #SaveThanksgiving!  But 2014 rolls along, with lots of exciting news and lots of good reasons for another edition of my Saturday Shout Outs!  If fact there is so much shouting to do today I may be hoarse when I'm done. So let's get the ball rolling- and remember, if you have news to share, a prayer request or a cause to lift up, let me know. My blog readers are family to me, even if I've never met ya!

• So many of us from the FUMC-Kissimmee were saddened this week by the passing of Beth McKenna, wife of Mark and mother to Brooks and Nolan. Mark was part of the best dang youth ministry team ever during my years at First Church, and Beth was always a huge support to me as well. I saw them last year at the reunion and knew she had been fighting illness, but she was in great spirits and seemed to be getting stronger. Her passing was rather sudden. A memorial service will be held May 3rd, 2 PM at the church. Mark shared on Facebook that Beth had always said she wanted no one to wear black at a celebration of her life; the more bright colors the better! I think Hawaiian shirts would bring a big smile to Beth's face...I'm just sayin! Our prayers go out to the family and the many lives she impacted. Beth will be missed.
• Our friend Karen Chester (Springfield Friends Meeting) discovered an old picture of her family, the Lori Cox family and our family at WDW in 1994 last week. It was a reminder of the many great times we shared with so many wonderful people at the Disney parks over the years. Karen and Lori, (and Jimmy & Jeff!) we miss you guys!
• Had a great lunch on Wednesday with my good friend Todd Willis (FUMC-K). Always great to catch up with Todd and share a little bit of our hopes and dreams with each other. And I can't wait to see his lovely wife Kristin so we can get serious about her take on all things How I Met Your Mother! She's another big fan...
• Please keep Susan McBane Tuggle (Quaker Lake Camp) and her family in your prayers. Her mother fell and broke her ankle last weekend and is having a hard time with recovery.
• Does anyone on all of Facebook post cuter pictures of her kids than Meagan Hill Halquist (FUMC-K)? Seriously, almost every day there is an "awwwwww" worthy picture!
• Continued prayers for Ashley Goad (Springfield Friends) who is once again working with a team bringing fresh water wells to Haiti. 
• Many of you know that Teresa Reep Tysinger (FUMC-K) is one of my favorite people in the world...but for right now, she is only the 2nd coolest person in her family! Her husband Eric, a stage manager, is currently working on rehearsals for a new musical on Broadway called The Last Ship- and currently he is in the same room as STING (who wrote the music for the show) almost every day! How awesome is that! And while we're talking about Reeps (and you can never talk about "too many Reeps") Teresa's sister Cyndi Reep Browning and her family moved into a new home this week, even as Cyndi is nursing a badly sprained ankle. No unpacking for her- good work, Reep! But seriously, keep Cyndi in your prayers.
• My little sis from Twitter, Jenn Ganley, is going to be at WDW next week and it looks like I am going to finally get to met Jenn and her family. So stoked to start seeing some of my Twitter friends face-to-face in the months ahead!
• Almost every week I hear from a former youth who remembers something we did as part of a youth ministry, and those stories often end with "I can't believe we did that!" This weeks memory- playing Centipede and having shopping cart races in the K-Mart parking lot at 2 am during a Rec Around the Clock. Yep...these are my people!
• I'm thinking about a Springfield Friends youth ministry reunion (1986-1994) in August. Anyone interested?
• Some of you may have heard that Jennifer Minnigan Kuramochi (FUMC-K) and her husband Jun will be closing their sushi restaurant in Clearwater after tonight. While disappointed, they are bouncing back in a hurry and ready to try life with actual weekends and nights off! Please keep them in your prayers and they face a new and exciting future together. And Jun...Rays game. Soon! :)
• Thanks to prodding from my dear friend Denise, I have been toying around with writing a novel based on the adventures of the group of friends I had in NC back in my late teens an early 20's and the incredible bonds we shared- and in some ways still share. I'm thinking of calling it Amazing Stories of the Society of Secret Shriners. What do you think, gang? "Coy... dadblame it this here is Bubba!" It's time to break out your fez...
• I am so proud of so many of my former youth for the way they live their lives, raise their families and serve God. But I am continuously amazed by all that Kelly Jeck Trace (FUMC-K) does for her church, her friends and her community.
• Had a long talk with my "seasoned (but never old!)" friend Donna Haynes Myers (Quaker Lake Camp, New Garden Friends, Guilford College...geez we had a lot of connections!) yesterday. I think we reached three conclusions- we had a lot of great friends back in the day, QLC was an amazing place, and while we remember facts from the old days, the dates are lost forever the dark misty corners of all our minds! Thanks for a great visit, Donna!
• Marilyn and I noticed last week while looking at a few old pictures that Ann Saunders Hale (Springfield Friends) looks about the same now as she did in the early 90's. We are happy FOR Ann. We are not happy ABOUT it!  Show off! :)
• I am starting to get serious about planning a couple of big trips to cross more than one bridge at a time. Still not sure when or where. However, I am currently accepting bribes to add YOU to my short list!

So that's all for now. Have a blessed weekend, and remember- Easter didn't end last Sunday. We are a resurrection people every day!

Because of Jesus,