Bankwatch at the Crossroads

David & Kathie McKeon 2007 Christmas Newsletter Well another year has passed and again we find ourselves trying to keep up with the lives of our friends and family. We would like to share some of the highlights of our family’s past year. The winter months of January, February and March would have passed relatively mundane, except for a pleasant interlude provided by a visit from Philip. We had had 2 feet of snow and he had time off so he came to enjoy our northern snow! And enjoy he did, he was able to go skiing several times and we enjoyed having him. With the coming of spring we were kept busy with the normal home projects: Dave and Tavis cutting downed trees and cleaning up the yard, Kathie working on the garden (which seems to get bigger every year). In May we had a little excitement, while we were driving up the road, Dave and I kept smelling gas (I thought it was from Dave’s clothes, he had been working on the lawn mowers) but we were wrong! As we pulled into a driveway our car burst into flames! Dave pushed me out then he got into his fireman mode and just started pulling things from the car, popping the hood and the trunk, while I called the fire departments (thank goodness for cell phones). Well the chief of our department came up and stayed to bring us home, I still am having some problems with the whole thing it was incredibly scary. Thankfully no one was hurt and we have insurance so it was just a matter of time before we got a replacement car. June brought a whole lot of changes in our lives. On June 1st my dad went home to be with the Lord, he had been living on borrowed time for the past 5 years. And we have loved having that extra special time with him. He was alert up to the very end and then just slipped away. On June 10th Brian and Hellen were married in Nairobi, Kenya. We made the trip, Tavis, Katie (Philip had to work), Dave and I. We left on Thursday and returned on Monday, nothing like a whirlwind weekend trip to Africa. The wedding was beautiful and Hellen’s family was very gracious to us. While we were in Africa, we somehow found time to go on a short safari and then Tavis stayed on and went to Mombassa for a short vacation. On June 24th we drove down to Long Island for young Dennis’ high school graduation. Brian and Hellen had an “American” reception in Chattanooga, TN, (where they live at 4618 Tennessee Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37409) at the end of June. (Philip made it to this one! Then in July my niece Deborah got married in Holland, Michigan so we took another weekend road trip to be there for her special day and again it was a beautiful wedding. In August, we had not one but two reunions: We had the first one with the McKeon(e) family, it was good to get together and catch up with one another. Cousin Jimmy DeSantis tried to make it but was unable because of his failing health, he lost that battle about a week later. He will be missed. Then we had the O’Connell family reunion/memorial service. We had a special memorial service for dad in which all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren participated. It was a wonderful time of remembering and we concluded the service with a fantastic firework display provided by Aimee’s husband Matt. The following day we all played with Tavis’ “new” jet-skis and on Dennis’ boat. Dennis also brought up a zip line that he set up in the yard and of course “Grannyma” had to try it and actually did it twice. We also had our piñata courtesy of Jennifer and her sisters, and Becky took over the Christmas in July portion of our time while Melissa’s Mya and Aimee’s Molly, added to all of our celebrations. As usual we ate too much, laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed each other. Mom stayed for an extra week to look for a new place to live, her house in NC sold a lot quicker than we though it would and so we needed to find her a new place. God proved again how faithful he is, at the eleventh hour he provided a wonderful apartment in Scotia, about 12 minutes from us. She seems to be quite happy with it and with the close proximity it has to stores, churches, the library etc. Jim, Don and Dennis drove down to NC and brought all her stuff up and moved her in, in one day. Since she has moved in several people have come to visit, her sister Ada, Dennis and his family and Jim and his family. Fall was again a quieter time. We were able to visit with the “Maas” girls at the Yankee Candle Factory in Massachusetts, Katie had come for a visit and so she was able to go with us as well as Tavis’ friend Vanessa. We had a great time. A few weeks later Mom, Dave and I met Tavis and Vanessa in the city after we went to Calvary Cemetery to fix up the graves, then we went to Radio City Music Hall for the Christmas Show. It was all we could have hoped for, and then we went out to dinner at Becco’s and had a great time. Katie is currently working on pursuing her teaching certificate at UTC in Chattanooga, while continuing to be an Ad Hoc professor for Covenant College’s Quest program. Philip is busy as always either at work or working on their house. Brian has been doing a lot of traveling for MTW Disaster Relief as well as for his church mission committee. Hellen continues working on her degree at Covenant College. Tavis continues to come up whenever he can and he and Vanessa have been busy helping out where ever they can. Thanksgiving was a small affair; neither Katie and Philip nor Brian and Hellen were able to make it up for Thanksgiving. So it was Mom, Tavis, Vanessa, Dave and I, but we still had a ton of food and dessert. On Saturday, Jim and his family came up to Grannyma’s and we were invited over for dinner and to visit. It really is nice having her so close to so many of us. Well now it’s December and time to reflect on all that God has done for us, and this is our prayer for you. “That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 With Love, Dave & Kathie McKeon

Thanks for your prayers as we went down to the Earthquake area in Peru, and for those of you who checked in on Hellen and were praying for her as well. It was an intense trip, but successful. God opened some incredible doors for us to get in and make the contacts we needed. Despite the news coverage, there are great needs down there, and we will be sending teams beginning this weekend. The first teams will be disaster trained experts, counselors, and medical folk. There may be work teams beyond that first month to help with the rebuilding, particularly in the rural areas at the foot of the mountains. More Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/bripatmc/PeruEarthquake Report: I was notified by MTW Thursday at 2pm, and left Chattanooga at 9:30 the next morning - a little crazy. I met up with the other three team members in Atlanta, and we arrived in Lima, Peru that evening. Early the next morning we were flown into the disaster area on a military cargo plane along with relief supplies and a few VIPs. This was an early response for us, arriving while the search and rescue (SAR) teams were still at work, and before the UN and many of the large international aid agencies. The city of Pisco was 80% destroyed by the 7.9 earthquake, and the damage area extends for a hundred miles in all directions. The quake hit at 6:40pm on Wednesday, and many people were in local churches at Mass. One large church in Pisco had some 70 people killed when the roof caved in. SAR teams were still searching the building, and bodies were laid out front for identification. At that point in time there was basically no access to food, water, medicine, toilets, etc in the city, so if that is not addressed quickly there will be much more trouble. People were sleeping in the street, in their cars, or in the ruined shell of their homes - all dangerous because of the many aftershocks and the high level of armed crime. Prisons were destroyed and over 600 dangerous criminals on the run. We were unable to get out into the outlying rural areas, but we heard the situation was bad there as well, as most of the help efforts were directed towards the large cities. Leaving the disaster area we were again put on military cargo planes. As we went to get on the first plane, we noticed a number of families with small children and also a group of firefighters returning as well. We of course moved aside to give them our spots, and then a line of ambulances pulled up. The wounded were being evacuated to Lima, so I helped carry them from the ambulances onto the plane, where they were laid on the floor, with IV bags strapped to them. When we did eventually get on a plane Much of our time was spent meeting with various people. Being on site so quickly meant people were looking to us for advice, and we were asked to turn in written reports of our findings and recommendations to some government officials we worked with. We were also trying to get a good handle on what and where the needs were, and whether our teams would be of assistance in meeting those. We were blessed to have many great connections, and the Lord gave us great success. Disaster response teams will begin going this weekend, with a heavy emphasis on crisis counseling - a great need that is currently not being met. Teams of volunteer work crews may follow in the upcoming months. We also had a great support crew on the ground there. 5 of the 6 missionaries we worked directly with have a New City connection, and Jeremy & Amanda Ross are old Covenant College friends of mine. There were also quite a number of local leaders who we were able to connect with. For more information, or to get involved with Disaster Response, keep an eye on the MTW website (www.mtw.org). To give you can either do that through the MTW site or through New City (www.newcityfellowship.com). Please keep the affected ones in your prayers, as well as the teams that will be continuing the work there. Thanks again, and please free to contact me with question! Brian McKeo

Hi Folks

  I just returned on Oct, 19th from a week trip to assist one of my two sons (Brian) efforts in Slidell.  It was one year ago that I along with my other son Tavis, my daughter and son-in-law Katie and Philip Huffine spent 10 days in Slidell .  I thought that I might try to share some observations, in hopes that you all might continue to pray for the people, the work and the faith of the believers in that area.

  When Brian asked me to join him (several times) I agreed for two reasons.  The first reason is that Brian has inherited the full measure of the strong willed child from our family gene pool.  As a matter of fact as I think about it all my children are strong willed. The second reason that I went is that I have have been convicted by 1Tim 5:8, to put it in my own words, "your religion is not worth a hoot if you don't care for your family". The result of this conviction is a strong desire to put my faith working through love in my family. Gen 1:28 has helped me understand that to accomplish the praise of God obedience in nurturing my family is the right way to be obedient.  Having said all that, I don't want you to think that having some good Cajun food and some good times with my kids entered into my decision.

  My first impression on the trip was around exit 51 on route 59.  This is the staging and storage area for the FEMA trailers.  Acres of trailers sitting there aroused some very bitter memories of the way things were handled during Katrina. It also reminded me of the great job that was done and is being done by the local churches and how necessary they are.  News of their deeds is rare and usually biased.

  I got a chance to spend one day with Kate and Philip, we took a ride and I got a chance to see some beautiful country and sights as well as seeing some of the work the kids have done on their house. We also went up to covenant college, where Kate works.  I wish I had more time to get to know the college and especially the Chalmers Institute.  I was privileged to work with several of the students and one professor as well as one staff person.  These people as well as several others from New City Church and one very hard worker from UTC, (aprox 30 in number) had volunteered time to help during a break from school.  Certainly this was one of the highlights of the trip to interact with them.

 They were a great bunch of servants.  We gutted houses that were full of mold and dirt some with all the contents still where they were when the water came. We also did some odd jobs of painting and pick-up for various people in the Lincoln Park area.  I met some very precious people who continue to put their faith in action through their love for other people and their community.  It never stops amazing me how picking up the towel of service unites the fellowship of faith people despite some very different beliefs and backgrounds. These are important lesions for the young people to learn as well as some of us older people.  One hardy man of 62 years gave me a look into the window of his soul (and the light was on there).  His comments and questions continue to haunt me.  He asked what he should do with some of the older folks who have no money, they have returned to live in their houses, mold and all.  He has tried to talk to them about the dangers but to no avail, they have lived in these houses for generations and it is all they have.  Archie said some of them have blisters and other sores from exposure to the mold. We suggested that they get a visiting nurse to come or set up a senor center for food and medical and legal help.  There was a center in the area, but has not reopened.

  Time does not allow me to continue writing but please drop Brian or myself a line and continue to pray for these people.

 

Simul Justus et peccator

 

David G McKeon 

Subject :  Flights problems and walks in Kibera | | | Inbox Greetings from Kenya! Our ministry here has been an amazing time thus far and the team is excited about what God is doing in and through them.  We have people working in Kibera with St Lazarus school, serving over 90 children from this massive slum area.  Another group recently returned from visitng a remote muslim tribe, with great success in helping further the relationships there.  Our two high school boys are on fire - they work with disabled choldren three days a week and in a smaller slum the other two, plus have built quite a ministry to the kids in the area they are staying in.  The last group has begun working witht he pastor of a church/school/clinic/AIDS/street kigs/abused girls ministry.  Their first day brought them into contact with the mother of an infant who had just died of AIDS. A huge prayer request: our travel agent messed up and we ended up not leaving till three days later, at a significant added cost.  Pray that they will refund pur money and make up the difference.  We currently have no money left in our budget. I was deep in Kibera the other day, visiting the new building site for the St Lazarus school. They are able to purchase buildings there at $278 a room - or around $3000 per building! One of the classes has already moved there, but because of the dust and debris from construction needed to move across Kibera to the old building.  Gyven Nabors and I were volunteered for this task, so there we went, through Kibera with 20 kids hloding our hands.  Everyone stopped to stare... Brian mtembezi.covblogs.com | | | | | Inbox

Get the latest updates from MSN

MSN Home