Tornado!

Hello, friends! 

"Looks like the storm will probably miss us..."

"Dome-aha strikes again!"

Those were the messages that Megan and I sent to each other around 2:45pm last Friday. Not too long after that, the tornado sirens went off and for the next few hours, we were glued to the weather coverage, watching, waiting, and praying. 

Ultimately, we were both right. Most of the tornados didn't hit Omaha proper and we specifically weren't in any real danger. However, that doesn't change the fact that the day was absolutely WILD and we're thankful for God's protection. 

In all, 23 tornadoes touched down in the metro area, which includes Omaha, the surrounding suburbs, and Western Iowa. The most damage was done to the cities of Elkhorn and Bennington. Miraculously, there was only one recorded death. Homes were destroyed and communities were devastated, but the limited loss of life is really something incredible. 

I was in Bellevue for lunch with some students in the early afternoon but decided to head home right after just in case the storms got bad. I'm glad that I did because I would not want to be stuck out on the road during the worst of it. Megan and Jonah were already home. 

Our most tense moments came between 3:30-4pm. It was right then that things started to get bad. We normally pick up the kids at 4, so there was a question as to whether the kids would be released from school or not. Megan left early to get to pickup so we could be first in line but it didn't matter. So long as there was a tornado warning, the kids weren't going anywhere. Some parents stayed at school to ride it out but Megan opted to come home. We finally were able to pick them up around 5:30. According to Megan, Thaliea was a hot mess at pickup and Ezra thought it was the best day ever... 

JoJo watch Tarzan 2 and was completely oblivious to all thing (as is often the case). 

Friends, please be praying for our neck of the woods, especially Elkhorn and Bennington as they rebuild. We're thankful that it wasn't worse but still aware there's plenty to do. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

It's Baseball Season!!!

Hello, friends! 

We are now squarely into Spring, which means it's the most wonderful time of the year. Baseball season has begun again!!!

The beginning of the baseball season is the best. Everyone still has a shot and hope springs eternal. With 162 games, the stakes are a little lower game to game. All you need to do is stay close and anything can happen later in the summer. 

It should be well documented that I'm a die hard St. Louis Cardinals fan. Last year was tough, watching our boys go through a really bad season. I kept waiting for us to turn it around but we never did. There were injuries, sloppy play, slumps, and poor front office decisions, which turned our season into a largely forgettable one. Of course, I'm well aware of my baseball privilege. The Cardinals hadn't had a losing season in over 15 years, the second longest active streak up to that point. I'm used to playoff baseball and being in it until the end. Last year was a weird one but I have faith that last season was an anomaly, not the norm, like for some fans. Of course, I hate losing but that's also the great thing about baseball; there are so many games that the sadness doesn't last for too long because there's another game tomorrow. 

A few years ago I wrote about how baseball always has and always will be my first love. Even though I don't watch as much baseball as I used to watch (the kids are more into watching soccer and football), there's still something about sitting down and watching the Cardinals play that really gets me to my happy place. 

Ezra and Thaliea are signed up for baseball again this summer. Jonah is signed up for T-ball too. For Ezra, he'll be in player pitch, so we've been working on his chuck. It's not great but it's coming around. He still has a long way to go but I'm looking forward to continuing to teach him, and the others, about America's past time. 

Go Cardinals! 

~Adam

When your alma mater has a racial incident on campus...

Hello, friends! 

I don't know what's happened to Demitrius or Wingo in the past 17+ years since I graduated from WashU (#GoBears). What I do know is that while I was a student, Wingo would also put a few extra fries on the plate to go with my double cheeseburger (Swiss cheese, in case you were wondering) and that Demitrius would always refer to everyone as "young man" or "young lady" when taking their order. They worked at Bear's Den, the food spot visited by every student who lived on the South 40. They, along with the rest of the mostly Black food workers at Bear's Den were kind, courteous, funny, and really good at their jobs. I never had a super long conversation with any of them (they had to get through the line of students as quickly as they could) but I liked them and seeing them behind the counter at Bear's Den was a constant throughout my 4 years there. 

A few weeks back, there was an incident at Bear's Den. According to those present, eggs and racial slurs were thrown in the direction of Bear's Den employees, allegedly as part of a Greek Pledge Week event. One Fraternity and one Sorority have been suspended while an investigation takes place. 

When I heard about what went down, a few things went through my head. First, I felt sad for my alma mater. Y'all know that I have as much school pride as anyone, so to see WashU in the news for something like this was not ideal. (I also had to question my school loyalty, seeing as how I wasn't even aware of what went down, but that's a different thing). I was brought back to my old stereotypes that I'd believed about Greek life before and during my time in college. (Thankfully, seeing how Greek InterVarsity operates has disabused me of that notion.) 

Mostly though, I thought about Demitrius and Wingo and the rest of the workers I encountered at Bear's Den. They don't deserve to feel unsafe at work. They don't need the added stress of wondering if they are going to be assaulted, verbally or otherwise, while they are trying to serve students. They deserve to be treated with with respect and dignity, just like anyone who is made in God's image. I doubt that Demitrius and Wingo still work at Bear's Den but whoever is there now still deserves better. 

The one thing I haven't figured out yet is whether or not there's anything I need to do beyond just feeling sad from afar. I don't live in St. Louis anymore. I'm not the staff  at WashU or have direct access to students like I did before. I don't think that WashU losing my meager contributions would have a whole lot of impact. It's not that I'm stuck; it's more that there isn't much to do. 

So, I'm going to pray. I'm going to pray from my alma mater. I'm going to pray for the students who allegedly perpetrated these acts. I'm going to pray for the Greek system at WashU, which probably has some things to work out. I'm going to pray for the InterVarsity students at WashU too. I'm going to pray for Demitrius, Wingo, and all the workers at Bear's Den, past and present; that they may know that they are seen and loved by God. 

#GoBears

~Adam    

Soccer season... eventually

Hello, friends! 

It's Spring time, which means that the youth soccer season is upon us! Ezra's team, The Black Widows, is back and I'm back in the saddle as the head coach. 

I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned this before but I have exactly ZERO soccer experience, so coaching has been an adventure. There's an old clip from the Simpsons that always comes to mind at the beginning of the soccer season:

This Spring Season will be a little bit easier because this is our second season in the 3rd/4th grade division. The kids are a little more acclimated to the size of the field and what it takes to play good offense and defense as a team. 

Really, there's only one thing that's keeping us from having a really good season... the weather... 

Winter and Spring have been really weird out here in Omaha. It feels like April and February switched places. During February and the first part of March, the weather was consistently in the 60's and 70's and I was certain that we were going to have a terrible summer. Well, as soon as Soccer season started, February decided that it wanted to make an appearance. 

Our first match was scheduled for March 23rd. Unfortunately, the temps were too cold to play (in the 20's with a wind chill). Our next practice the following Monday had to be cancelled because the field was too wet to play. We didn't have a game scheduled for last Saturday (on account of Easter) but then our practice that was supposed to happen a few days ago got cancelled AGAIN because it rained all day Monday and the field was no good again. 

For the past 2 Mondays, I have been in a bit of a funk, namely because it's my call on whether or not we cancel practice. On the one hand, I want the kids to have fun and they have fun playing soccer. On the other hand, I need to keep the safe. On the other hand, making a late cancellation is a big of a headache for parents who need to change plans. On the OTHER hand though, the parents don't want to be out there in the cold and wet while their kids get good and muddy. I'm pretty sure I've made the right call both weeks but I haven't liked it. 

Soccer season will eventually officially start. We'll play some games and we'll score some goals. We'll give up some goals and everyone will get a snack. Ezra will hopefully enjoy himself and I'll hopefully put the kids in a position to be competitive. Then we'll wait a few months and do it all over again. 

If you live in the Omaha area and want to see some youth soccer, we're playing @ 9:30am at the Maple Street Y for the next 6 weeks. Let me know you're coming and we'd be happy to look for you. 

#GoBlackWidows

~Adam

Onboarding!!!

Hello, friends! 

Last weekend we welcomed the 5 new hires into our Region to Omaha for our first ever New Staff Onboarding Weekend (NSOW)! 

NSOW used to be called MPD 101, which was when the new staff would come to Omaha (or be online) and I'd get them set up to do good MPD throughout the summer, wit hopes that they'd be fully funded by the beginning of the next school year. This year's class was bigger than I was going to be able to manage, so we decided to enroll them in the National training program. However, we still wanted them to have some good community building time and learn more about the Region. 

When Megan took on her new role as Assistant Regional Director for Training and Development, one of her roles was onboarding the new staff and making sure they got acclimated well to Regional and National policies. We realized that we could use this weekend as a two-fer, and NSOW was born. 

Megan and I decided that the best way to schedule things, both from a content and a childcare standpoint, was to do an onboarding sandwich of sorts. Megan started things off Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. I took over Saturday in the late morning (after what was supposed to be Ezra's soccer match) and then we'd work together on Sunday morning. We covered some of the nitty gritty of staff life (policies, expense reports, etc.) while also doing some reflection and community building (axe throwing, anyone?). We also had a great dinner with some amazing ministry partners who have been advocates of ours for a long time with their church and a friend of ours came and gave a great talk on faith and power in ministry. 

Things didn't go totally according to plan. We had two of our 5 staff need to leave early Saturday morning because of illness. Ezra's soccer match was cancelled due to cold weather (the right call but still a bummer). We also didn't see that the AirBnB where the staff were staying had a full dishwasher, so I bought some bowls when I didn't need. But, those were all minor compared to the great experience everyone had, including us. 

Friends, please be praying for Hannah, Alison, James, Jaqui, and Steven as they begin their InterVarsity staff journeys. We'd love it if they were in it for the long haul and had a good staff experience. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Justice Program Recap!

Hello, friends! 

A few weeks ago, I told you about the Des Moines Justice Program that our family was doing over Spring Break. Well, it happened and it was great! Here are some of the highlights: 

Pre-Program: Megan had the great idea of us going into Des Moines a day early so we could have a mini-vacation. The plan was simple: swim in the hotel pool and eat a free continental breakfast. Mission accomplished! The kids had a great time in the pool (we went before and after dinner!) and slept really hard. They also decided that hotel waffles are better than the ones that I make... =0). 

Set up: We got to the church where we were going to be having the program around 10am on Friday. Students weren't arriving until 3, so we had plenty of time to setup. If there's one thing our kids love doing, it's helping setup for things. They took it upon themselves to help with registration and get show students where their beds were. 

Program: The program itself was great. We did some bible study. We visited a homeless shelter. We went on a city walk, imagining that we were someone in the city who needed help of some sort and trying to find the resources available to people (NOTE: DON'T NEED HELP ON A WEEKEND; EVERYTHING IS CLOSED!). We heard from some dynamic speakers and worshipped together. What I especially liked was that we had 2 Bellevue students come with us and they had a great time. Also, another staff couple brought their kids too, so our kiddos made some new friends and childcare was WAY easier since our kids could go play with other kids. 

Coming home: After the obligatory Bubble Tea stop on our way out of town, we made our way home. Proof that it was a good trip? As soon as we got home, out kids started crying about how they wanted to be back in Des Moines. =0). 

Overall, it was a really great experience for the whole family. It was good to be back in the Justice Program space, even if just for a weekend. We say God do some cool things amongst students and staff and even our family too. Hooray for Justice! 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Pinewood Derby!!!

Hello, friends! 

Last week, Cub Scout Pack 481 in Omaha held it's annual Pinewood Derby. We had 23 competitors build cars that we raced throughout the morning, including cars built by Thaliea and Ezra. Thaliea got the bronze medal and Ezra was just one point off the prestigious Turtle Award. It was good times had by all. 

Well, mostly all... 

I will be absolutely honest. The Pinewood Derby is not one of the most favorite things that the Scouts do. Growing up, I was never good at the Pinewood Derby so I don't have fond memories from that. In fact, the only memory I do have is cutting my finger so badly while trying to carve my car that I had to go to the ER. I still have the scar. 

Of course, I'll keep doing the Derby because the kids want to do the derby. I do love seeing their faces as they pick out a car design and get to use a band saw and power sander (with adult supervision of course). It's fun watching their visions come to life, even if it's super stressful for me as a dad because I want their cars to be perfect and for them to feel good about what they've accomplished, while full well knowing that I don't have the woodworking skill to actually put together a winning car and that ultimately, they'll probably be disappointed at the end of the day. 

This year, Ezra's car was much harder to put together than Thaliea's. He went with a really cool sleek and aerodynamic design that would have been great except that I didn't have the tools or the supplies to add any weight to the car. Coming in at just under 2.5 ounces (the limit is 5 ounces), gravity was not going to be his friend. 

Thaliea's Barbie inspired car didn't have that problem. Hers was boxier which meant I could carve out part of the body to put some weights in it. Apparently, we did something right because she did take third place. 

All in all, I have to remember that it's about the kids having fun. I've come to peace with the fact that it would take more money and time than I'm willing to spend to make their cars perfect. I'm hoping that at the end of the day, they remember the good times of the Derby and not the underlying stress of car making. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam