International Getaway!!!

Hello, friends! 

It's a few weeks late but I wanted to give an update on International Getaway. 

This year's Getaway was the biggest we'd ever had! We had 77 students from over 20 countries attend this year, which was massive! When you include the staff and families, I think we ended up with over 100 folk in attendance. Wow! 

My role was kid duty (as usual). Because of some flooding in our basement earlier in the week, JoJo and I didn't come up until Friday (it started on Thursday) but that didn't stop us from having a good time. The older kids especially enjoyed hanging out with another staff kid who was there. They spent pretty much the whole time on the dock, trying to catch fish, frogs, and collecting shells.

A few highlights: 

- Watching the kids play. As Ezra and Thaliea have gotten older, their sense of independent play has grown. They're also much more responsible than they were a year ago and can fend for themselves a little better. That was great because it gave me more energy to focus on JoJo, who is still growing and needs my help a little more. 

- Fishing. Not only was it fun catching fish (isn't it always?), but it was also fun watching others fish for the first time. For many of the international students, it was there first time with a rod and reel. The look of elation they had when they hooked their first fish was so great! 

- Cultural Showcase. One of the highlights of the weekend is the Cultural Showcase. Students get to show do a performance and it's always a good time. There was dancing. There was singing. There was beat boxing. There was a PowerPoint presentation. The Cultural Showcase had it all! 

- Dari-B. There's an ice cream shop not too far from the camp. We go there every time we're at the camp and it's always excellent. =0). 

- Seeing Megan at work. Megan had been director for the past few years but this year was "just" put on hospitality. Still, it was so great seeing her in her element, whether it be making students feel welcome, having great conversations about Jesus, or just making sure that everyone was well fed. 

I've said before that International Getaway is one of the best things that we do as a Region and this year was more proof of that. Hooray for International Getaway! 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Growing Up...

Hello, friends! 

Last week, we hit a big milestone in our family. Jonah learned how to swing on the swing by himself! After many weeks of wanting to learn but also wanting to be pushed constantly, he's now decided that it's better for him if he swings by himself. He was very proud of himself. 

Megan and I had some mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, we love how Jonah continues to grow and develop. We also love that we don't have to stand behind him and push him for forever when he wants to swing. Megan is especially excited for the prospect of Jonah being able to entertain himself while she does some summer gardening. 

On the other hand, it is a reminder that our kiddos aren't as young as they used to be and that they're becoming more and more independent. We are getting closer and closer to the point where we're going to have 3 school aged kids, which I think will be a major transition for us. 

It's not just JoJo either. Last week, Thaliea celebrated her 7th birthday, and she wanted to have a "spa day" birthday party, which meant a bunch of little girls at our house doing their nails and putting on face masks (the boys and I were banished from the house so I took them to an arcade). Her friend group has changed in this school year and her personality is becoming even more pronounced. Ezra has also seen his friend group adjust and his interests have changed some too. He's finished the first 2 books of Harry Potter and we're finding that he can do a lot more things on his own (like cook eggs for breakfast). He also can swim on his own now, which is HUGE. 

Ultimately, all these things are good things. We want our kids to be independent. We want them to be able to think for themselves. We're thankful that they continue to learn and grow and develop into people that other people want to be around. Still, it's weird... 

A few months ago, Jonah had a really big problem of sleeping through the night. He'd get up around 2 or 3 pretty regularly. Sometimes he would cry in his bed for us. Sometimes he would walk into our bedroom and drag us out of bed to put him back to sleep. It was a really rough time for getting good sleep but it was also sweet in its own way, knowing that he just wanted his mommy and daddy. I just noticed last week that we haven't had any problems with him sleeping through the night in quite some time. I guess he's growing up, and that's OK. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

 

Swim Lessons!!!

Hello, friends! 

One of the things that I like to say a lot in our house is that "we Leongs are not a sea-faring people." This mostly comes from the fact that there are lots of folk on my side of the family who have some pretty bad motion sickness (myself included). I remember one time we took a family trip to Catalina Island. It was just a short trip via boat but it was ROUGH and we had to take some time off the boat to gather ourselves before we could enjoy our vacation. 

Added to that is the fact that I am a terrible swimmer. When I do my triathlons, I always dread the swim section (which is first). I've gotten better as a swimmer but I still manage to get myself lost in the lake during races. It's kind of the worst... 

I only remember taking swim lessons once in my life. It's possible that I took it more than once but I only remember it one time. We didn't have a pool growing up and none of my friends did either. When we went to the health club where we had membership when I was a kid had a kiddie pool section where we could just play and not have to actually swim. When I went to the beach, we'd play in the ocean but it wasn't swimming. So, I'm not entirely sure that I actually had much experience swimming properly before I started doing triathlons. 

The kids are another story. We've been getting them involved in swim lessons for the past few years now. The YMCA has good swim lessons at a decent price and it feels like a good idea to give them a better swimming foundation than I got growing up. 

You can really tell a kid's personality by how they handle swim lessons. Ezra is hyper competitive. He's less interested in doing it right versus doing it faster than anyone else. Thaliea is much more cautious and wants to make sure that she's doing the right thing at the right time in the right way. She also has more swim anxiety, which is why I don't have a good photo of her in the pool... Jonah is just living his best life and is constantly smiling in the water, which sometimes means he chokes a little. All three improved this year, including Ezra being able to swim half the length of the pool by himself and tread water for a minute.

We're going to be visitingthe city pool quite a bit over the summer as well as at Scout Camp, so getting these lessons in now is a good setup for the next few months. The kids will all be able to swim faster than me at some point, it'll just be a matter of how soon. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

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