Son, Brother, Father, but he was my Papa

J.W. Lueders was born on March 30, 1928 in Cistern, TX. On February 10, 1950, he married the love of his life, Muriel Byler. Together they raised two children, Deborah and Russell in the Muldoon area. They celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary in February of this year.

He was known to many people in Bastrop as Jay. He served our country as a Navyman from 1946 to 1948. Jay started working for the U.S. Postal Service in Muldoon and later in 1974, Jay and Muriel moved to Bastrop,where he continued to work. After he retired from the U.S. Postal Service he spent time working as a subsitute teacher for Bastrop ISD. He enjoyed spending time on the golf course and working in his garden with his wife. Jay served as a deacon at Muldoon Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Bastrop for many years. He is survived by his loving wife Muriel; his children Deborah and Russell Lueders; grandchildren, Jeremy and Kari Hellums, Aaron and Katie Hellums, Randy and Penny Lueders, Dustin Lueders, Matt Hellums, Kaytlyn Lueders and Courtney Lueders; his brother and sisters, Jimmy and Patsy Lueders of Victoria, TX, Billie and Charlie Williams of Upton, TX and Betty and Max Keener of Pleasanton, TX.

He was proceded in death by his parents, Harry and Martha Lueders and his older brother, Harold Lueders.

Visitation will be Tuesday June 30, at Marrs, Jones-Newby Funeral Home and family visitation will be Tuesday night from 6-8 PM.

Funeral services will held at First Baptist Church of Bastrop on Wednesday, July 1, at 10:30 am. Graveside services will be at Pitman Cemetary in Muldoon, Texas at 1:30 pm.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Papa "Went to Heaven"

At approximately 1:45am on Sunday morning J. W. Lueders, my Papa, passed away at his home in Bastrop, TX.

My cousin, Dustin, called at 2:30am to tell me he, "went to heaven."

More to come. Please keep us in your prayers.

God Bless

Michael Jackson Died @ Age 50

Pray for my Papa

I got a text message from my mom today that asked if I was going to be coming to the hospital today. I replied, "What's going on?" She replied that my grandfather, Papa (pronounced Paw-paw), had not eaten or spoken since Sunday. I spoke to my assistant director and asked if I could leave for the day and she quickly said of course.

Kari met me at the hospital and we spent the afternoon with him, Mama, my mom and uncle Russ.

We are not sure what is going to happen, but please pray for my Papa.

God Bless.

PS: Kari and Baby are doing great.

A Trip to the Hospital

Yesterday I took Kari to the hospital because she had been throwing up for 12 hours. The baby was moving the entire time as she was sick, but in order to prevent dehydration we headed to Round Rock.

Baby Hellums is doing fine. After 1 liter of fluid and some anti-nausea medication, which made her sleepy, she started to feel better mid-Saturday afternoon. We stayed at the hospital for several hours. Baby's heartbeat was stong and fine throughout the afternoon.

Kari has not thrown up since yesterday at noon, praise the Lord. She slept the rest of the day away and woke up with a headache.

We thank everyone for the continued prayers. God Bless.

An Email to the Readers

Evening or Morning:

I wanted to give everyone an update on Baby Hellums.

This coming Monday, Kari will be 36 weeks along. We have an appointment on Wednesday and look forward to this time to hear our babies heartbeat and ask the doctor amazing questions like: Can our baby get sunburned in mommy's belly? or Is Jeremy really supposed to gain all this sympathy weight?

All joking aside, we are set to have a c-section on July 14th. Unless Baby Hellums wants to make his appearance early, Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 is the day.

For those of you who have attended a shower or sent us a gift, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We also appreciate the continued prayer and support by many of you.

Looking forward to meeting our baby boy.

--
Jeremy
http://jhellums.blogspot.com
Stay tuned to Insert Title Here for baby news and pictures.

God Bless.

Day One of Journey Camp

The Countdown is On...

Here is just a glimpse of what is invading our home. In addition to receiving many diapers already from family and friends, Kari and I try to make it a point to pick up some when we go into town. I am still illusive as to how our newborn is going to make messes in all these diapers, but I keep hearing you can't have enough diapers.

Our home has been transforming into a baby ready home because crunch time is upon us. We have approximately 44 days until our titles officially change to Mommy and Daddy. The excitement of having a child has yet to subside. Often times you will hear us say, "We are ready to meet our little boy."

The last several months have been an amazing growing experience for both of us. My love for my wife has always been strong and grows daily, but each day throughout this pregency my love for my wife has grown. There isn't a minute I would not want to spent with her and at camp that is almost possible (to an extent). I am so blessed and awed by God for blessing me with such an amazing woman.

Over the past several days, my family has been dealing with my Pa Pa (pronounced Paw paw) who is currently in the hospital. They found fluid on his lungs last week and said he would be going home this Monday, but that changed. Yesterday evening I recieved a message from my uncle that said my grandfathers lung had collapsed. Please keep him and my Ma Ma in your prayers.

I hope everyone has had a great week. God Bless.

Playing Catch Up & It's The First Day of Camp

Catch Up: Kari and I were blessed by the Highland Lakes Camp staff and several close friends who joined us at a baby shower several Sunday's ago. It was awesome to visit, catch up and take a moment at camp before summer to relax and celebrate the upcoming birth of our son. We want to thank each of you (most have already received "thank you" notes thanks to Kari) for the wonderful gifts, the time you spent and your friendship.

Kari and I went to the doctor on Wednesday of last week. Baby Hellums is getting bigger and continues to kick all night long. It is pretty cool to just watch the movements and even more amazing to feel him kicking or moving around inside his Mommy.

Last week was Summer Missionary Team (SMT) training. About 50 college students come out to camp and serve for 12 weeks doing jobs that include (but is not limited to): cleaning toilets, life guarding, doing dishes, making camp videos, selling stuff, etc. This is a short list, but not only do I get to oversee the production on campus, I have an opportunity to direct the Public Relations (PR) staff along side our director, Danny. At this point we are doing great on our calendar; one video completed and one scheduled to be completed by weeks end (the famous "rules video"). It is such an awesome experience to meet and work along side students who have a passion serving Christ.

Camp: As I mentioned, this was the first day of camp. Meaning we have our first big group of students out here. Summer is here. I have only been on staff two months and I have to say, "my job is awesome!" For those of you who don't know, I like to work hard. I said it today, "If I didn't have to have a day off, I wouldn't," not because I don't want to spend time with my wife or my family (because I enjoy that as well), I just really enjoy my job. Everyday is something exciting and new; which is very refreshing for me. An added bonus, it just so happens, that I get to eat almost all meals with my wife and sometimes she gets to help me out with my job. God is awesome!

One story (for Alan):

"I ruined one pink work shirt with blood on it, tore a hole in it, and lost a staff member to an injury."

Today we moved a carport. I don't know to many people who can say they moved a carport till today. It is similar to the one pictured minus the siding. Basically it is large enough to park a RV underneath. Myself and seven other guys were charged to move one of these by lifting it and moving it about 30 feet. Things were going well, besides the large amount of weight until some decided to yell, "drop it!" I am not sure who said it, but there was no "1, 2, 3," hence, there was an injury. The production specialist, Brandon, had the carport slide down his ankle. Thankfully his foot was not caught underneath, but rather he pulled it out before that could happen. Enough damage had been done that he got a trip to the ER and learned it was only a major bruise. However it did swell to the size of a tennis ball. A man short, we eventually got the carport moved into place. Now I can say, "I moved a carport; with my bare hands."

I hope everyone is doing well. Cassie, thanks for the wonderful words. We miss you guys and look forward to another visit to Texas. God bless. Until next time...(hopefully sooner than last time).

Number One Fan - Cassie

Last year I awarded the first ever Number One Fan award on May 23, 2008. Since that date Insert Title Here has over 5,300+ visits from 41 countries. Thanks, to all the readers.

It is that time again to announce the Number One Fan of 2009, Cassie. Cassie and her family moved to Washington a little over a year ago and through the internet and e-mail we continue to stay in contact. She is the author of PACIFIC NORTHWEST: THE SAGA BEGINS... and keeps us all up to date on what they are up to in WA state. It is exciting to read about.

Cassie and her husband, James, were my Senior year Sunday school teachers and she will never let me forget the one time I taught Sunday school, but never returned the teacher book. I am not sure exactly when I finally returned the book, but I did give it back. Cassie, thanks for reading and for investing your time in students even if they don't return your Sunday school book. Seriously, thanks.

I hope that everyone has had a blessed week.

Oh and you have an opportunity to become my number one fan in 2010...so keep reading!

God Bless

Thursday Update

Yesterday I completed the CPR/AED/First Aid training course without to much problem. It was an all day process filled with video instruction, teacher demonstrations and practicing some of these life saving applications.

Kari went to the doctor concerning Baby Hellums for our scheduled appointment. This will be one of the few that I miss. She said the results for the gestational diabetes were fine and everything else looked great. Besides a little back pain, Kari and baby are doing great. It is still very exciting to me that God is forming and weaving a life within my wife. Each day brings something new and Kari and I are both very excited.

Last night I had my first thoughts along the lines of, "Awe man, how am I going to react when my son gets hurt?" I recently hurt my foot and it is scraped and bruised; as I dodged hot water in the shower I was overcome with fear for my child. This pain I was feeling in my foot could one day be a pain my only child has to overcome one day. I winced through the pain, but feared watching or the thought of my son experiencing any similar experience.

I took a moment before bed and was reminded of the following verse, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full and well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place" (Psalm 139:14-25 NIV). Not only is God "wonderfully" making a precious gift for Kari and I, but He is in charge. He knew, knows and will continue to know our son before we even knew he was there. What a thought. This squashed much of the "fear" I was having previous, because I know that ultimately God is in charge because our son is His creation.

Every morning I have an opportunity to have chapel with the Highland Lakes staff. Every aspect of this morning time is "church." We meet, sing praises to God, discuss God's word, encourage one another, etc. (it is a great way to start the morning). Currently, we are preparing for the summer and reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. He compares his fatherhood and his desire for his children "only a faint echo of God's great love" (pg. 53). What a concept that I look forward to.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Work is going well. There is always something to do, from cleaning to setting up I am always busy (it is great!).

God Bless and take care.

Save the Tax Dollars and Photoshop It!

According to "military officials estimated that the mission and photo shoot, aimed at updating file photos of Air Force One, cost about $328,835 in taxpayer money."

I am uncertain as to why this was worth the money or fear that this stunt caused NYC citizens. Maybe it is just more evidence the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

If you need to update your file, please let me know, I would be more than willing to photoshop this picture in order to update your file for half of what was spent.

This concludes the rant. I hope everyone is having a great week. God Bless.

It's Friday...Not Really, Sorta

Today is my Friday because tomorrow I have Sunday off. Right now, Kari is on her way home from Milano and I am hanging out with Brandon and Carter in the PR Shack. The new PR Shack is going to be located in the new Miles Auditorium (pictured to the right). Currently we are preparing the floors in the new PR Shack for the move in. Time flies when you are at camp and sometimes you don't even know what day it is.

Kari and Baby's first shower was today. I have not got all the details, but she said she had a wonderful time and is thankful for all the gifts given. I am looking forward to seeing and hanging out with my wife in about an hour.

I hope that everyone had a blessed week. God Bless.

Not Your Every Day Week @ Camp

The past five days might have been some of the most physically challenging days I have had in recent years. I do confess, I am not in the best shape possible, but the Rope/Challenge Course training kicked my rear.

Highland Lakes Camp has an amazing low and high ropes course. These elements are used throughout the year, but mainly in the fall and spring. Somehow I have overlooked some of these elements (the entire low ropes course!) and am very impressed. Swinging log, nitro swing and the meat grinder are just a few of the challenges you or your group can tackle.

After five days I learned a few things: A. I don't like pole climbing 25'. B. I don't like pole climbing 25'. C. I don't like pole climbing 25'. I did not certify on the highs (thanks Stine), but did complete the course for belay and lows training. I have not received the test scores yet, but felt good about the test.

After five o'clock I was back to my regular duties, taking care of guest needs and cleaning the dining hall. Living and working at camp still seems like a dream. We are enjoying each day and are thankfully to serve at such an amazing place. Please keep us in your prayers as we get geared up for summer (Baby and camp).

Wednesday morning, Kari and I had a date on the front porch. Three hours before sunrise there was a meteor shower. We got to see 4 falling stars and enjoyed the cool morning breeze (we were up at 5:30am not 3:30!). Kari is almost 28 weeks and doing great. Baby Hellums continues to kick daily and is getting bigger. The other day Kari felt him move her ribs; oh, she was thrilled about this (wink, wink)!

I hope that you all had a great week. God Bless and take care.

Review Time!

• Thursday night Kari and I went to Opening Day for the Round Rock Express and saw them blow the Iowa Cubs out of the water; two home runs and 10 runs!


• On Friday Kari, Shelbi and I saw Hannah Montana: The Movie and it was amazing. Seriously, this film is great. The father-daughter interaction on screen is great.


• Later that evening we went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in College Station. I hadn't been since I was a kid and have to say it was worth the $19.


• Saturday we relaxed and spent time with Kari's family in Milano.


• Easter Sunday morning and early afternoon was spent with Kari's family. It was a great sermon by Brother Jimmy that charged the congregation to live each day for Christ.


• Later that afternoon we went to Bastrop to spend time with my family. Everyone was present, except for Courtney. My Papa is doing better, but I would ask that you keep him in your prayers.


• Monday thru Wednesday, Kari and I decorated our new house. We hung pictures, curtains and played some XBox 360.


• Tomorrow we are headed to Round Rock for the April Baby appointment. Keep us and Baby in your prayers.

We hope that you are having a great week. God Bless.

Happy Tax Day (4 of 4)

Happy Tax Day (3 of 4)

Happy Tax Day (2 of 4)

Happy Tax Day (1 of 4)