Final BLog

Due to my lack of commitment to this blog, I am going to stop trying! We are enjoying some wonderful travels,meeting encouraging people, and helping out where we can. If you find this blog and want to know what we are up to or where we are, please don't hesitate to call or email! God is continuing to bless us in so many ways. Rick and Gail

Family in Nevada

 Rick was able to join his family for a week in Mesquite, NV and I joined him for a week.  It is a beautiful desert landscape.  It was so cold in the mornings and warmed up nicely each day.  The weather as been wonderful.

Roger, Rick's brother, joined us down to Las Vegas for two days to go to Hoover Dam.  Now we are heading further south to Lake Havasu City.

Starting 2012

 First, forgive us for not keeping up with this blog.  In fact we may not continue it because we lack commitment to it!  However, we have been blessed to travel to south Texas to sojourn at the Sunny Glen Childrens Home.  What a wonderful place!  We enjoyed meeting the staff and children and seeing the wonderful work they do.  Also, getting to know fellow sojourners.  We were headed across Texas to meet up with some of Rick's family when we got the call of the death of my nephew, Cody.  He had been fighting cancer for two years and lost.  It was difficult taking off when we knew his death was close, but we shared a wonderful Christmas together and knew there was nothing but prayers for us.  We are now back in the Village to share in the memory of Cody.  My sister, Diane, posted this tribute to Cody and I know I could not have done better.  So, I copied and pasted it here.  We are surrounded by love and faith to know we will meet again.   Gail

Monday, January 16th Cody Mabery was peacefully carried by Angels to his new home.
Many of you took part in helping it to be easier to provide medical treatment for Cody so that man-made interventions might help him to be with us longer. His Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers who organized one of the first fund raisers, the Kutting Korner Salon & Spa who offered a benefit day, and the Village Church of Christ who organized a benefit sale for financial support, and the Village Voice for their coverage. Other individuals contributed privately. Our church family and many of you provided prayers, visits, and, food, and those of you that would come by and take Cody for a ride –just so he could get out of the house. Many others were supporting in ways that we may never be aware of. How much more can be endured when shared with others who love, who care, who are concerned. Thank-you and gratitude from the family go out to you.
I have been humbled over the last few days. A week ago Cody made the decision that he had had enough and it was time to come back home to Arkansas and prepare to leave this earth. Not everyone gets to say good bye to their friends and family. On Friday night and Saturday Cody was surrounded by family and friends. Telling stories and sharing memories. Laughter, tears, but lots of love and caring. Many personal moments took place. Others have written or spoken about Cody’s character and what he meant to them. Besides his sense of humor, the characteristic that stands out to me and what I bear witness to is his thoughtfulness/ generosity. Maybe it was fish he had caught that he would share or firewood he would provide ; but importantly it was his time, his presence he would give.
Even at the end Cody was still thinking of others. He wanted to share many of his personal things with his friends and family. He gave his cousin, my son, one of his hunting guns. Cody had taken him hunting and this represented times that they had shared. How many of us have that opportunity or even make use of an opportunity to do this before we are gone from this earth? The following is what my father, Jim Mabery, Cody’s Papaw, would be saying as to Cody’s passing: adapted from Henry Van Dyke “Gone from my sight”.
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads his white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. He is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch him until at length he hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says: “There, he is gone!”
“Gone Where?”
Gone from my sight. That is all. He is just as large in mast and hull and spar as he was when he left my side and he is just as able to bear his load of living freight to his destined port.
His diminished size is in me, not in him. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, he is gone!” there are other eyes watching his coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here he comes!” We love you and will miss you dear nephew.

Abundant Life Retreat - Branson, MO

Rick did a great job of sharing the mission of Sojourners with the group who are attending this workshop.  There was a panel of four representing different ministries sharing how people could be involved.  We have also heard some good talks from Bruce McClarty, Howard Norton and Harold Hazelip.  The weather has been beautiful and we are enjoying the physical and spiritual uplift we are having here.

Camp Bee

We are starting our second week here in Marshall, Tx at the Sojourn Workshop. There are some great speakers and interesting topics. We are getting to know more sojourners and Rick is even teaching one class. The weather has cooperated and we have some wonderful cool mornings.

Home and Gone Again

We spent a week in the village but are back in Marshall Tx again for the Sojourners Workshop. A good trip back from Colorado and a few days to see family. We did stop and see Brandon and Kristy Procell in Wichita KS on our way home. They are a lovely family with kids, Gracie and Jordon. The Mabery clan joined together in our home for bbq and it was great to have Cody healthy enough to come. Then it was on to Benton to see Greg and Janice's new home in Maumelle. It will be fun watching them make improvements. I need not say they already have begun with painting! After getting the rig set up in Marshall we headed on to Jacksonville to hug on memaw, Brit and Zac. It was great sharing lunch with Judy and Larry also! Brit and I skipped out to do some shopping and missed seeing Brent and Laura and their boys Brooks and Hayden. Hopefully I will see them Thanksgiving. Brenda just called and said she is coming, not to get Hoppy here!

Estes Park

We are ending our 2011 travels in Estes Park, CO. The views are incredible, the Elk were everywhere, the Rangers clinched the division, and the weather was perfect. Topping off seeing God's nature was meeting with our brothers and sisters on Sunday. What a great lesson from Bob Lewis and meeting new people. We are heading back to Arkansas with a quick stop to visit with Brandon and Christy Procell in Wichita. It was been a wonderful summer and looking forward to more!