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Vol. III, # 39, May 6, 2005
 Last
night PH and Brenda went to see and hear the four and five year
old preschoolers perform at the annual songfest presented by the
preschool program. We were there because our grandson Hank was among
the performers. On this occasion many parents and grandparents attend
to see their special child or grandchild. Many of those attending
are not members of RRCB. This ministry that goes on daily through
the school year is one of many outreach programs of RRCB. PH saw
other Shepsons in attendance. The children sang a variety of songs
including Working on the Railroad, Mosquito Burrito and a wonderful
version of Jesus Loves the Little Children. There is a joy and reverence
to this program that displays the potential of the next generation.
As Preschool Director Margaret Collins said last night, "The
human brain learns more in the first six years of life than any
other time."
Arlene Perry provided PH with an update
on her current situation and requested our prayers.
Henry
I know we are not in the class but every time
I read your "news" I want to make a prayer request.
As we adjust to our move away from Richmond and as we start our
new business we are in need of prayer support. So the request
has been made.
Blessings on you and all my dear friends at RRCB
Arlene A. Perry
ACA Home Repairs and Improvements
252-480-2375
acahomerepairs@charter.net
What follows is Arlene's account of her life since
late last year:.
What an adventure………………..somewhere
back in October my son, Alexander, had an idea: what if Cecil
and Mom moved to the Outer Banks and start a home repair business
together. Well, I laughed and said good luck getting Cecil on
board. A little later that week I had the opportunity to throw
the idea out on the table for Cecil and guess what – he grabbed
the idea and things began to whirl. We talked about it, talked
with Alexander lots, and we realized for the first time ever we
all wanted the same thing at the same time so the adventure began.
 We
had already been looking at houses in the OBX (in the hope of
helping Alexander buy something) so we just changed gears a bit.
There was a couple of weeks where we actually thought we would
all live in the same house but that one did not last long. Anne,
Alexander's girl friend had a deal on a "fixer upper"
and we found a little house that met our needs. We probably should
have switched houses. Alexander and Anne are not as experienced
at turning a house into a home but they are doing a great job.
They have had lots of problems arise but have weathered the storm.
Our little house has had its own set of problems – mainly
where are we going to put all of our stuff – and what are
we going to get rid of and what are we going to keep. Being a
collector of sorts, this has really been an emotional journey.
It has been fun when Alexander and Anne have wanted some of my
"stuff" and I have been able to give it with love.
Backing up a bit….we put a for sale sign
out in front of our house Thanksgiving weekend. Lots of people
found out about the anticipated move at our Christmas Open House
– there were times of tears and times of remembering. Since
I had to get everything all cleaned up for Christmas it was good
timing to "show the house". I figured it would just
stay decorated for Christmas until it was sold. We had a contract
on a house in OBX so selling the Richmond home was high on the
list. Christmas week we had an offer and everything just started
to fall into place.
The next big news was when I found out that I
was going to be able to keep my job and work out of my home in
OBX. So, we had a new home with closing in January, we sold our
Richmond home with closing in March and I had a job (a good thing
when you are giving up all financial stability to start a business).
Packing and moving and getting the new house ready took every
free moment we had. Until last weekend Both Cecil and I have been
working 7 days a week – either on houses or at our jobs.
Getting the word out to folks was a challenge
– it seems people just thought it might happen someday in
the future. Well, the future happened quickly. I moved to OBX
the first week in February and set up the CBF of Virginia office.
Two weeks later I went to Brazil on the church mission trip. When
I got back on March 4, Cecil was working his last day for Food
Lion. That weekend was our first weekend together in our new home
in Kill Devil Hills. Of course everything was still in boxes and
in disarray. Last weekend was the first weekend that our home
was actually in order. Not to say we don't still have projects
to do but we are settled in.
ACA Home Repairs and Improvements is well on
its way. Cecil had his first job waiting when he got here in March.
We have done an assortment of jobs and Alexander and Cecil seem
to be enjoying the work. Me – well, I've been stuck
in the office trying to get all the business stuff organized.
I think I am on my way – lots and lots of details and bumpy
roads. Starting a business is a challenge but we are enjoying
the satisfaction.
Working out of my home for CBF of Virginia has
been a good experience. Things seem to be working out just fine.
I still have a touch of "workaholic" tendencies so I
find myself in the office at odd hours. Everyone is on my back
about getting out and doing something other than work. So I am
trying hard to listen and heed the message.
This morning (Sunday) was a very special morning
(inspired me to finally take the time to write this message).
I have put off finding a church in OBX for two reasons. One, as
stated above we have been so busy with setting up our new lives
that not much else has happened. The other was thinking I needed
a time break from River Road Church so that I could enter a church
without making comparisons. On Tuesday I drove by a church and
turned my head and replied that was where I was going to church
for the first time in OBX. Now let me tell all my Baptist friends
that I have been keeping my ears open for a Baptist church in
the area that might meet my needs but this is not too likely.
But I also know how important it is for me to worship in Christian
fellowship no matter the denomination.
I pulled up to St. Andrews By the Sea (Episcopal)
and was really quite nervous. But I plowed through the wind with
my hair going in 50 directions and walked through the doors. A
bright beautiful church greeted me. A tree of Easter Lilies in
the narthex reminded me of missing Easter Sunday at RRCB. Into
the sanctuary and found a pew about mid way (now for those who
really know me you know I'm usually right up front but not today).
Without any control the tears started to flow – I had to
use great control to not actually sob out loud. Then a small Praise
Band started singing "Shout to the Lord" and I worked
hard a getting myself together. But then they sang "Sanctuary"
(not on the program) and I wept through my prayers of thanks to
our Lord. Having attended an Episcopal church for a few years
in my youth I was able to follow and enjoy the order of worship.
When The Rev. Charles E. B. Gill (he was at St. Marks in Richmond
for a while and grew up in Richmond) did his sermon he was standing
in the center aisle. He began talking about his mission experience
in Belize. (So, first we have Sanctuary and then a sermon on missions,
hmmmm.) The sermon was followed by a beautiful baptism of an infant
and then by Holy Communion. I was pleased when a woman served
me communion. At the end of the service I stayed back and listened
to the Praise Band a little more. But actually I think it was
meant for me to stay back because I had the opportunity to walk
out with a delightful lady who told me all about St. Andrews and
what was offered. Then she introduced me to Rev. Gill. There was
an immediate connection with Richmond quickly coming into the
conversation. I thanked him for his words on his mission project
and told him about our trip to Brazil in February. He was so excited
to hear about this – he told me this was their first mission
project and he invited me to come and talk to him about my mission
experiences.
I may not have found a Baptist church but I know
I was definitely in the right place on Sunday morning.
After church I went to the beach – I must
tell you this is my first trip to the beach since this whole adventure
started. I was in awe over God's vast presence. However,
He had the wind blowing so hard I could not stay very long.
So dear friends, that is where I am today. I
miss all of you and hope that you will keep in touch and visit.
Blessings,
Arlene
Sandra Sizemore's great-aunt is ill. Sandra
writes::
Dear Henry,
Please add my great-aunt, Myrtle Kurz, to the prayer list. She
is 99 years old and has just been diagnosed with cancer. She will
have some more tests to ascertain if she can have surgery.
Thank you.
Sandra Sizemore
Audrey Thomson provides an update on her
sister's condition.
Henry,
I just wanted to update the class on my sister Sharon's condition.
Yesterday she completed her last radiation treatment and is doing
very well. Thanks to all of you who have prayed on her behalf
(and ours!) and have inquired as to her condition, over the past
eight months. She has requested that we keep her on the Prayer
List, and I have assured her that her place there is secure!
Thanks for all your support--it has meant so much to us!
Audrey
Many should recall that Jane and Norm Vaughn
made a prayer request last week with the following wording:
"We request prayer for John (whom we know),
Jennifer (whom we don't know) and for a swift and positive resolution
of the situation."
This situation hit the national news with a frenzy
on last Saturday morning. The prayer request was answered in that
Jennifer Wilbanks revealed her location and confessed to running
away because of panic in anticipation of her large wedding. One
wonders what John Mason is feeling.
Remember in your prayers: Arlene and Cecil Perry,
Sandra Sizemore's great aunt, Myrtle Kurz, Audrey Thomson's sister
Sharon Ruben and Sharon's family, Teacher Bob Shepherd, Jared Oliver,
Charlotte Ladd, Kirk Dadisman, B J Seymour, the VCU BSU, Cecil and
Dot Sherman, Julia Tyler and her parents, Kay and Bob Culpeper,
the Church clergy and staff. Prayers should also be offered for
our military and civilians in harm's way and for those only known
to you.
 Sheila
and Terry Marsh are busy acquiring speakers for our Catacombs Lectures,
scheduled for a nine week time period from mid July to early September.
Currently, the tentative speakers are Chris Lindbloom, Rob James,
Tom Graves and Lynn Dickerson.
(last week's message on the Goochland Baptist Church
sign, contributed by Kitty Alvis)
 ISH
DIAPER CAMPAIGN
SET FOR MAY 1-31
River Road Church will sponsor a diaper campaign
on behalf of ISH from May 1-31.
Needs:
For infants and toddlers, diapers sizes 1, 2, 3,
4.
For infants and toddlers, pull-ups sizes 2T-3T,
3T-4T
For senior adults, small, medium, and large undergarments.
Contributions may be brought to the Shepherd-Simpson
Bible Study Class on Sunday mornings and to the church office on
weekdays from 9 A.M.-5 P.M.
If you would like to participate, but don't have
time to shop, Charlotte and Bill Simpson at 285-3185 will shop for
you.
 According
to the Spire we will be in chapter 25 of First Samuel this Sunday.
There are thirty-one chapters in First Samuel. Will we complete
First Samuel before the Catacombs? Will Samuel and Saul still be
with us by July? Read your Bible and come to the SSBSC.
 The
Honeymooners, Kitty and Miller, are joyously celebrating thirty-three
years of marriage today, all day long. In addition Emily King will
reach age twenty-nine on Monday.
Martha Mason is probably not a person that most
of you know. Graduates of Gardner Webb University and Wake Forest
University may know about her. She had polio at the age of eleven
in 1948. She contracted polio two days after her older brother had
died from acute polio. She experienced a severe case of paralysis.
For the last fifty-six years she has lived in an 800 pound iron
lung in her parent's home in Lattimore, North Carolina.. Her parents
are now both deceased. With a zest for life she began college at
nearby Gardner-Webb Collegeand after two years she transferred to
Wake Forest University. She graduated from Wake Forest in 1960 as
valedictorian of her class. The reader may read more about her on
the Wake Forest website at http://www.wfu.edu/wowf/2003/032703.html.
With the encouragement of friends she has written a book that has
recently been published. The name of the book is Breath, Life
in the Rhythm of an Iron Lung. Modern technology made it possible
for he to write this book and to free her mind from the confining
environment of an iron lung. She writes of this freedom in her book.
Listen to her words:
"Along with Dragon Dictate, I have Cintex,
a program developed by Silvio Cianfrone for NanoPac in Oklahoma.
These two sublime pieces of software have changed my world. When
I was feeling for the first time the constricting tendrils of
real bondage, they freed me.
Cintex, now Cintex 3, gives me the luxury of
doing what most people consider mundane tasks. The telephone is
ringing. I call out, "I'll get it." I say, "Answer
Phone,"" and I do. After a brief conversation with the
caller, I say "Hang Up." Then I say , "Dial Director,"
and my directory of numbers for friends and emergency services
pops up. I choose Polly's number with my blue highlight line.
I say, "Dial." After a couple of rings, Polly's affable
voice greets me. "Hang Up" follows an exchange of entertaining
gossip.
What's on NPR? I say, "Radio On." A
news program fills my room. It's interesting, but I want music.
I say, "Radio Off" and "Bring Up CD Player."
Instantly, the "Moonlight Sonata" sweeps away the description
of carnage in places around the  globe.
I listen to this favorite since childhood while I write a letter
to Jane in Delaware. When I pause to glance out the window, I
see that the sun, like an overripe peach, is barely clinging to
the western horizon. That's the signal for me to say, "Porch
On." Through the window I see the warm glow of the bug bulb
hailing my friends. "Lamp On" gives new life to the
old lamp that has been a part of my world since time began and
now stands, a brass sentinel, in my room. Before I have finished
my letter, I realize it's time for the Wake Forest/Carolina basketball
game. I say, "TV On." The screen is filled with Rugrats.
I call out, "three, nine," the channel number for ESPN.
Could there be anything more exhilarating than
this for me? The answer is "yes."
The miraculous Dragon unleashes the bonds tethering
my world to the backside of nowhere. A newsstand with newspapers
and magazines from around the globe awaits my click. The Internet
puts me in libraries across the face of the earth. I don't need
a library card, I'll never be fined for a late return, and the
volume I want is always in. This morning the Britannica informs
me about emus. Mindful of the burgeoning health-foods market,
a farmer just outside our village has recently begun to raise
these small ostriches that are indigenous to Australia. Merrium-Webster
lets me know that entomology is the study of insects, prepping
me for the entomologist coming to visit with a friend. While I
wait for lunch, I read a chapter from Ecclesiastes. In the afternoon,
I will perhaps read a few of Emily Dickinson's gems - maybe even
a Shakespearean sonnet or two. I order Anne Rivers Seddon's most
recent book for Jane's birthday next week. It's hard for me not
to put Grisham's latest work in my shopping cart, but I have a
feeling that Barnes and Noble will save one for me - perhaps even
on the bargain table. Before I start working on my writing project,
I look up a recipe in response to Melissa's plea, "What can
I do different with pork chops? You don't like them fried."
Since E-mail is the cement holding friendships
together these days, I can hardly wait to check my mail each morning
when I arrive at my office. (Actually, my office arrives at me.)
My mailbox is usually cluttered with spam, but there will also
be personal messages from near and far. A joke from Al makes me
laugh out loud while Joann has passed on a message of inspiration
accompanied by "Somewhere My Love." Rusty fills me in
on his scores - in romance and golf. He always makes me smile.
Bob writes of his disappointments in the Demon Deacons' basketball
season. I zip off a couple of lines to wish Teresa well on the
first day of her new job. A note flies to Ed to thank him for
some work he did on my PC the night before. Charles' message tells
me he'll arrive from Myrtle Beach on Friday afternoon. Dr. Dale
writes a moving letter about a patient who has touched his heart
in an extraordinary way.
As amazing as these thing are, the propellant
that launches my rocket is writing - putting words onto paper.
No matter how many times a day I speak into the microphone and
watch what I have said pop onto my monitor like excited kernels
of corn in a hot pan, I am breathless. I still have difficulty
believing that I'm actually writing. Since childhood I have seen
magic in words. I like feeling them on my tongue. I like putting
them on paper. I like seeing them in print.
Suddenly, in the cold days of February of 1994,
after forty-four years, I could write anything to anyone without
fear of embarrassment or misunderstanding. I could even begin
to write the story of my idyllic childhood, the time I was given
as a gift before one life ended and another began. Like a slightly
giddy Rapunzel gazing into the eyes of her charming prince, I
looked into my monitor and felt my head spinning in wonder when
at long last I began to write."
Attached to this PHA is a photo of Martha Mason
and Mary M. Dalton (Wake Forest '83), assistant professor in
the Department of Communication, and a filmmaker and film critic.
PH
April
29, 2005
April
8, 2005
April
1, 2005
March
25, 2005
March
18, 2005
March
11, 2005
March
4, 2005
February
25, 2005
February
18, 2005
February
11, 2005
February
4, 2005
January
28, 2005
January
21, 2005
January
14, 2005
January
7, 2005
2004
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