Finally . . . Familiar sights (Some nicer than others.) After a smooth (though delayed) overnight flight, we arrived in São Paulo, Brazil and rode almost two hours to the city of Campinas—and straight to the City of Youth where we were welcomed by children, staff, and board members of Hope Unlimited for Children. It's been two years since I was last here, and it's been a nice day of seeing campus improvements, familiar faces, and new faces of children who now have life-transforming hope. The U.S. board and the Brazilian board met together this evening; joint efforts on behalf of children once abused, abandoned and neglected, often by the very ones who should have cared for them: their ... Keep Reading...
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UP, UP AND (no)WAY
My, my, my... What a day. Yesterday, after a busy morning of work and errands, we packed Renaissance Man's truck with suitcases and tubs of goodies (your Valentines, soccer uniforms, and things for Hope Unlimited's thrift stores in Brazil) and headed to the airport. Too many miles down the road—but not close enough to our destination—we stopped. Involuntarily. Fortunately we'd left home much earlier than necessary because the truck decided to go on strike. Seriously? It's not like we were asking it to take us all the way to Brazil! And fortunately... We were in the right lane, so when it went KAPUT and died, we were able to coast to the shoulder. And there we sat in the heat until our new best ... Keep Reading...
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Building on the Past — Envisioning the Future
It's finally happening. The too-long-neglected downtown in our community is coming back to life! Over a year ago, I told you it was a new day in the Mossy Creek Historic District, and I'm happy to report that we've stayed on track! Today we're crossing Ts and dotting Is—and getting ready to break ground very soon. Empty lots where classy old buildings once stood are going to become a Festival Park for community gatherings and family picnics. The park will include a grassy hillside amphitheater, event pavilion, restroom facilities, playground, and. . . insert drum roll . . . one of my favorite features: an oft-requested by our community Veterans Memorial The Battle ... Keep Reading...
