Such as it is

I'm back. I won't go into the Joplin experience here; that would be redundant since y'all read my blog. I got nothing notable done last week except that I managed to gain 2.5 lbs. I had a feeling that would happen when I had lunch the first day. The church we worked out of feeds 600-800 people a day, so it's a lot of pasta, rice, beans, canned fruit, and bagged salad. They were really trying to feed healthy meals, but cooking for that many, even with donated food, there is only so much they can do. The hotel offered breakfast and dinner, but again, they were cooking for a lot of people. Their dinners were basically kid-friendly bar food. Being out in the heat and sweating all day was not enough to counteract the processed food. I had hoped to come home at my goal weight, but it's not a big deal. I have 5 lbs left to loose. If/when I go back, I'll know to bring fruit and low point snacks with me, and there are enough Subways and other restaurants around that I'll do better next time. And I'll know not to go to Braum's for ice cream with the group at 9 p.m.! After a hot day stripping shingles off the side of a house, that cappuccino chocolate chunk tasted good! The extra couple of pounds are a small price to pay for the good I got out of the trip and the people I got to meet.

If y'all would, please put Joplin Family Worship Center on your prayer lists. They're doing so much for so many that someone from the Red Cross told the pastor the church is hurting the local economy. They're giving away things that people should be out buying. The pastor basically said, "Whatever," and walked away! Whoever that clueless person was obviously had no idea that in the last 7 weeks, nearly 5,000 volunteers from 32 states have come and stayed in hotels, eaten in restaurants, and bought things to donate.

Anyway, that's about it, and I'll try to stop gushing about Joplin after a couple more posts on my blog. This week, it's back to the routine for a while, thank goodness.