God is Protecting Me: An Interview with Arrolene Burrell

Today, I introduce you to the third of my four friends who shared their stories at College Church of Christ Ladies' Night on Sept. 5. Arrolene has the gift of making us all laugh as she shares her story.

"God Is Protecting Me": An Interview with Arrolene Burrell

Arrolene and Robert (Bobby) Burrell were married for 41 years. Bobby had been retired for 8 years, Arrolene for 7 years, when Bobby passed away in September, 2012.

Bobby had been diagnosed with cancer when he was 25 years old, so Arrolene felt truly blessed to enjoy his company for so many fine years!

They had one daughter, Aris. Aris was 3 years old when Bobby was first diagnosed with cancer. Arrolene remembers praying to God that she did not feel ready to be left alone to raise this 3-year-old daughter. Bobby lived until Aris was 33 and had two children of her own! Aris is now expecting her third baby.

After 41 years in a happy marriage (both of them were lucky enough to be on the same sleep schedule--night owls who liked to sleep in during the morning hours!), you miss a lot of things about a person.

Bobby always took care of car repairs and filling up Arrolene's car with gasoline. After he retired, he became quite the gourmet chef, preparing meals that were both delicious and lovely to look at! It eventually got to the point, when Arrolene entertained women from one of her organizations, they would just call up the stairs, "Thank you Bobby!" Everyone knew it was he, not Arrolene, who had prepared the meal!

When Bobby was in UCLA's Medical Center, Arrolene began to realize that she was going to have to find a more economical way to travel back and forth from her hotel than using the taxi. So, by herself, without the help of a girlfriend or anyone except God, she taught herself how to use the Los Angeles Metro blue bus system. 

"One day I got on and paid my 50 cents fare for passengers who are 55 and older and the bus driver looked at me and pointed to the sign that said, "55 and older" with a suspicious look. He didn't come back and talk to me or anything, but when I got off the bus, I showed him my driver's license to show I was an honest woman, and a few years past 55!"

Arrolene was able to stay at a place called The Fisher House, which is provided for United States veterans and their families. This also saved expenses.

Bobby had the "gift of knowing that it was his last night on this earth," Arrolene recalled. "He knew the machine had been turned off and by this time tomorrow, he would be with his Heavenly Father. Very few people have that gift. On that night, those two grandchildren were on the bed with him talking and hugging. The children were on their best behavior. It was like a picture book! At Bobby's funeral, his 4-year-old grandson, Jaden, was a pallbearer alongside his daddy, David Shabaglian. Little Jaden was so poised and mature that day!"

Arrolene had been afraid of funerals ever since her father died when she was a little girl. She stood in the bathroom on the day of Bobby's funeral, thinking, "I can't go." But she knew she had to because this was her husband.

"I felt so much better after I went. Here, all these people came out on a Monday afternoon to say all these wonderful things about my husband. Even though I was married to him, I didn't know all of the wonderful stories people told! And this wasn't even our home town, like Memphis, Tennessee, or Mt. Vernon, New York. We are transplants to California!"

Arrolene said all her family was amazed at the wonderful job Pat McKenzie and her crew did of organizing the meal after Bobby's funeral service. "I was going to have it catered so I could be sure it was high quality," she said, "but Pat McKenzie assured me that she and her crew would take care of things! All the relatives from the South and the East and everywhere else commented on the food and fellowship and how good it was. That was the hit! I really want to thank Pat McKenzie for that!"

Since Bobby's funeral, Arrolene has been more "at peace"with attending funerals and has done so for several of her friends.

There is no question, the dark night hours are the hardest for Arrolene, now that Bobby is gone.

"I am so thankful to God for protecting me. It is God who is protecting me, not my husband. I have this picture framed in my head that God has His arms wrapped around me. So I don't have to be afraid of being in the house by myself."

--Posted by Mama O.

Don't give up!--an interview with Jennifer Bryan

Jennifer Bryan is the second of my four friends who shared their stories at College Church of Christ's Ladies' Night on Sept. 5.  Warning: Jennifer's story will give you an irresistible urge to persevere through life's tough times!

"DON'T GIVE UP!'--AN INTERVIEW WITH JENNIFER BRYAN

In December of 2009, Jennifer Bryan had taken a leave of absence from her job as a trauma nurse at Community Regional Medical Center. She was 48 years old at the time, her daughter, Wendy, was soon to be married. Jennifer was scheduled for neck surgery that month, to remove a benign tumor. Jennifer was at risk for having a stroke because she had undergone surgery five times before. This tumor has recurred multiple times.

Two days after the surgery, Jennifer was sleeping when she had a nightmare. She awoke to a different world. She had a stroke. The entire left side of her body had no feeling and no control. She was confined to a wheelchair. In fact, she had to be strapped in so she would not fall out!

Her doctor gave a dark forecast: she would never walk again! But Jennifer did not believe it. She wanted to say, "STOP! My God is not in a box!" Despite statistics and timelines that would tell her differently, Jennifer knew she would walk again.

With the help of an excellent physical therapist, who truly thought "outside the box" Jennifer began to regain more and more mobility. She used something called a "Light Gait", which was like a treadmill with a harness.

"I had a real fear of falling because I could not feel the left side of my body. It is still kind of numb, to this day," Jennifer said. 

Jennifer also dealt with emotional side effects of a brain injury (stroke). She developed Pseudo Bulbar Affect, or PBA for short, which causes emotional imbalances in people with head injuries. It would cause her to laugh or cry at inappropriate times, making it awkward to go out in public.

"I didn't want to go anywhere because my emotions were not under control," Jennifer remembered.

In working with various natural remedies, the emotional side effects have become more manageable, with time.

There were spiritual side effects to the stroke, as well. Jennifer struggled with feeling hurt by God. Why would He allow this? Did He love Jennifer? But God took Jennifer's hand and pulled her up, helping her to see that she needed to keep going for her husband, Pat, and for her grandchildren (she now has 5!)

Re-learning walking as an adult was "a real trip", Jennifer said. "Hip/Knee/Hip/Knee".

"Most people learn that stuff when they are about a year old and a lot closer to the floor!" she laughed.

At times, she had a person on each leg, helping her re-learn to walk, down the corridor.

Jennifer knows that her career in nursing is too physically demanding, but she is planning to enroll in classes this spring to become a counselor, helping others to overcome the obstacles in their own lives.

Her advice as a therapist-to-be?

"Don't give up! When it seems hopeless, a blessing might be just around the corner!"

--Posted by Mama O.

With love, anything is possible: an interview with Rachel Ammons

 I would like to introduce you to four of my very precious friends from College Church of Christ. These four beautiful ladies agreed to share their testimonies, in an interview format, at our annual Ladies' Night on Sept. 5, 2014. Each lady represents an different segment of womanhood and motherhood, and I believe you will be truly encouraged by each story. Today, I will start with the story shared by Rachel Ammons:

RACHEL AMMONS

Rachel Ammons is a mother of two young children, her daughter, Riley, is 2, and her son, Sage, is 3 1/2 months old. Rachel is married to Kris. 

Rachel was born in South Korea in 1978, where she was left as an orphan as a tiny baby. Through God's grace, Rachel was adopted by her parents, Ron and Carol Chitwood, who were stationed in Japan with the Air Force at the time. Her parents especially requested a little girl because they knew the fate of girl orphans. They were left to make their living on the street, as prostitutes, while the boy orphans were abuducted into the military when they were "of age". Rachel has since discovered, through research, that she was adopted through an organization headed by a godly man named Dr. Kim who prayed over each and every baby who was adopted (around 45,000 of them!)

Rachel grew up in Kansas with parents who loved her and taught her to love God. She played all kinds of sports, and became good enough at soccer to win a college scholarship. Although Rachel's mom was more of a homemaker and Rachel was more of a tom boy growing up, they became very close as adults. Rachel and her mom talked on the phone pretty much every day, just to catch each other up on their lives.

Rachel's mom, Carol, loved children and looked forward to being a wonderful grandma! She taught cradle roll in their local church and would be a "local grandma" to the families stationed in the military in their church.

When Rachel and Kris moved to Clovis and were expecting a baby, it seemed like the perfect time for Rachel's mom to move to California and be near her grandbaby-to-be! But, her mom had been taken very ill by this time and was not able to travel. Rachel's mom was a hard-worker and the forced-rest from her illness was very difficult for her, but she was in a great deal of pain.

Carol Chitwood was blessed to meet her granddaughter, Riley, once, before Carol passed away, when Riley was six months old. 

It has left Rachel and Kris with many happy memories of Carol, with her wonderful hospitality and hard work on behalf of others. While Rachel misses her mother every day, she is grateful that her mother is not in pain anymore, and that she is using her gifts to serve Jesus and the other saints in heaven!

When Rachel was asked what the best gift her mother gave her was, she thought about it, because her mother was such an intensely loving and giving woman. She remembered a time, years ago, when her mother hosted a baby shower for an unwed mother in her church. It was considered kind of scandalous at the time and many of the parishioners did not attend the shower. But, Carol Chitwood insisted on showing the love of God, even to people who don't get everything right in this life.

"My mother believed," Rachel said, "that, with love, anything is possible!"

Posted by Mama O.

Walk with me...

Carolyn Ocheltree and Laura Marziale, celebrating successful completion of all four quarters at Rescue The Children!

My flowers from Dia Martinez

Our gift from Mentor Appreciation Night, made by the mentor and disciple who shared their story

Walk with me, friends--

One of the greatest joys I have experienced these past two years has been walking alongside women who are recovering from addiction and its effects in their lives. Yesterday, my friend, Laura Marziale, finished her fourth quarter at Rescue The Children. She now has a job, working in information technology. Laura and I have spent a great deal of time together over these last months, she has been a student in various classes I have taught, and we have made and sold jam and salsa together.

Dia Martinez and I have walked together for two years now. Dia started the Rescue The Children "Life Transforming Community" in July of 2012. She met me as one of her teachers in a class called "Standards of Cleanliness" that I co-taught with Pam Vogel, a Registered Nurse Practitioner. She asked if I would be a "mentor" for her. I was scared to death to be a mentor when she asked. I had been given a handbook for mentors by the RTC staff. I read it and re-read it, trying to memorize all the things I needed to do to be a good mentor. I interviewed friends who had worked in prison ministries, so I glean from their experiences.

Then, Dia and I began meeting once a week.  And it was as natural as--making a new friend! Mostly we attended Wednesday night church dinner and church service together. She got acquainted with a variety of our church family and received a great deal of encouragement from them. She encouraged them, as well.

Last Friday night, June 27, we had a Mentor Appreciation Night. Dia bought me a lovely bouquet of flowers. Another mentor and disciple shared their story--of spending time together, taking walks on the lovely walking trail behind Rescue The Children, so both of them could pay attention to their health, playing board games with the mentor's whole family, being together.

Yesterday, on Wednesday, July 2, Rescue The Children hosted a promotion ceremony. Each of the disciples moved to the next quarter in the four-quarter system, and received a lovely gift. This mentor and her disciple were there. Laura Marziale was glowing as she accepted her gift for finishing all four quarters successfully.

I have to be honest. Being a mentor can be awkward at first. Like going on a first date. You have to get to know each other. And not all stories have great endings. Some disciples leave and return to their old ways. Others lose their footing temporarily and have to start their entire rehabilitation process over, from the beginning. But, every one of these women needs encouragement and love. And, even those women who return to their old lifestyles may choose to return to rehabilitation sooner if they have someone loving them, encouraging them and praying for them and with them.

Walk with me, my friends. Pray about becoming a mentor for one of these women. Rescue The Children truly is a "Life Transforming Community". It will transform your life, as well. I guarantee it.

--Posted by Mama O.

Dr. Allen Rice 1922-2014

Thank you, to all my church family, who shared stories and music and prayers to honor the life of Dr. Allen Rice on Sunday, June 29. What a dynamo for good this man was! Although I only became acquainted with him in his later years, I always knew him as energetic, persuasive, creative, intelligent and full of love for others.

My eyes were opened to other great aspects of his life when his friends and colleagues shared stories. Harlow Dawson shared, through tears in his eyes, about Dr. Rice's sacrificial leadership of Mountain View Christian School. Dr. Rice always made sure that the teachers on staff were being paid at the top of the standards for the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), while his own salary, as the school's administrator, was at the bottom of ACSI standards for administrators. Many agree that Dr. Rice's leadership turned around the school's failing finances, giving it years more life in the community.

Lalaine Garoutte shared that Dr. Rice always had a special place in his heart for single mothers and their financial struggles. He paid for many children to go to camp.

Lisa Hansen followed Lalaine's sharing, as she said, with tears in her eyes, "I was one of those single mothers!" Both Lalaine and Lisa worked for Dr. Rice at Mountain View.

Lalaine recalled Dr. Rice's ability to defuse even the most tense meeting with angry parents. She described his office, where his desk was pushed up against the wall, so he hosted people in his office with a chair that was not blocked by any other object.

"There must have been something to that chair," Lalaine laughed, because, she said, even the angriest of parents would emerge from meetings with Dr. Rice with smiles on their faces.

Dr. Rice had a gift for praying for others. Jason Locke recalled that Dr. Rice's gifts did not lie in sharing short, concise speeches (he had a penchant for wordiness), but there was something about his prayers that just melted away anger and brought love and life into the lives of those he was praying for.

His son, David Rice, shared that his father, ever the good administrator, kept an orderly and organized home that leaves his children with a gracious gift: an orderly estate.

Doug Baker recalled Dr. Rice's attention to detail, keeping accurate inventory of school supplies, down to the last pat of butter in the kitchen. Doug made the confession that he and Brady Smith (the youth minister at the time) used to take popsicles from the school's kitchen freezer, just to mess with Dr. Rice's precise food inventory. Harlow Dawson admonished Doug that it is never too late to write a check to cover those missing popsicles!

Dr. Rice gifted me with his entire book series of "Through The Bible" with Dr. J. Vernon McGee. I use the series often in preparing Bible lessons and I think fondly and thankfully of my friend, Al Rice, who undoubtedly already has an accurate inventory of the popsicles in heaven's freezer!

We will miss you, friend! We will join you again one day!

--Posted by Mama O.

Opportunity Camp

(Front to back) Brenna Mason, Taegan Frame, Kally Nauheimer, Andrew Ocheltree, Jericho Locke, Jordan Lewis, Jacob Locke (Members of College Church of Christ's high school and college groups who served as staff at the 2014 Opportunity Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains.)

Andrew and Steve Ocheltree and Jericho Locke. Steve prays over these two young men who spent the last week ministering to inner-city youth.



Thank you, Andrew Ocheltree and Jericho Locke, for sharing with the Ocheltree Shepherding Group on Sunday. These two young men were part of a group of high school and college students who spent the past week ministering to inner-city youth at Opportunity Camp at Daybreak Camp, Inc.,  in the Santa Cruz mountains. Opportunity Camp provides a week of camping experience for young people who live in extreme poverty and often with various kinds of abuse. For one week out of the year, these young people get to be "kids", in an environment where all their needs for food and safety and shelter are taken care of. While the camp is not meant to be a "therapy" camp, primarily, there is a lot of therapeutic activity taking place, from games and Bible studies to the personal attention the campers receive from the camp staff. Counselor-to-camper ratio in the cabins was approximately 2 campers to one staff member, according to Jericho and Andrew. The student staff members from College Church of Christ went through two days of training before working with these youngsters, who exhibited various symptoms of living in poverty and abuse. At the end of the week, campers were tearful as they said good-bye. As one camper worded it, "It's a year too long for a week too short." We are proud of our young people who spent last week loving others who come from very different backgrounds than their own. God bless you!

Andrew Ocheltree's post on Facebook after his return read: "This was only my second year in Opportunity Camp and I know that I will be going back next year. This was an amazing experience and I have learned so much. Thank you to everyone who made this experience amazing. P.S. Homeboys for life."

Brenna Mason posted these words after her return: "I'm home from Opportunity Camp! I always say this is one of my favorite weeks of the year, and this week proved that. It's a tough week, but oh so worth it. Those kids have taught me how to smile no matter what, how to love unconditionally, and how to be a kid even in the midst of chaos. I wouldn't trade this week for the world!"

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'" Matthew 25:34-40 (New Living Translation)

--Posted by Mama O.

Blessing Crystal

Youth minister Aaron Scott reads Crystal Alonzo's "Barak" or blessing

Crystal Alonzo gets a hug from youth minister Aaron Scott

High school Class of 2014 from College Church of Christ (clockwise from front): Branden Mack, Jamison Norby, Cheyenne Blackwell, Cheyenne Corona, Sam Amezcua, Andrew Ocheltree, Crystal Alonzo, Marquois Ellis, Jericho Locke, Dustin Swain, Aaron Scott (youth minister)
Not pictured: Akayla Varnel and Viviana Hinojosa

We had the privilege of participating in blessing our graduating high school seniors at church yesterday. We started in the morning, when our elders surrounded seniors and their parents/guardians/significant adults and laid hands on them and prayed over them. Then, in the evening, we had a "Barak" or blessing celebration, in which our youth minister read a special blessing over each graduate. The blessings were prepared by parents or other significant adults in the students' lives. We had the privilege of preparing the blessing for our son, Andrew (yesterday's blog) and our friend, Crystal Alonzo. Cystal's older sister, Christina, became our son, Paul's friend in the Bullard High School Marching Band during Paul's freshman year in high school (Paul is just finishing his sophomore year in college). Christina started coming to College Church of Christ, then brought two of her sisters, Crystal and Cece, with her. Crystal was baptized at College Church in 2010. Here is her "Barak" or blessing:

Lex Henderson, Crystal Alonzo and Steve Ocheltree in April,  2010 at College Church or Christ

Back Row: Katie Kirkley, Mary Tarkenton, Linda Sue, Carolyn Ocheltree,
Front Row: Dawn Frame, Crystal Alonzo, Paige Kirkley, Lauren Gale
April 2010, College Church of Christ

Crystal, you have a way of bringing beauty to the environment! Your pretty face and sweet smile bring a smile to others’ faces. Your ability to imagine and create beautiful things brings beauty to your surroundings.

I remember the fall when you and I created “snow-covered” pine cones to hang on the Christmas tree. You worked and worked at making those beautiful, sparkling cones dipped in glitter. I love watching your face when we go shopping at JoAnn Fabrics. I can see the wheels turning in your creative brain as we pass rows of felt, feathers, glue, glitter, paint and paper! Your enthusiasm bubbles over as you see worlds of beauty to create!

What fun we had when we painted all those silly signs and backdrops for the church Talent Show one spring! And decorating Easter cookies…

I am so happy that you and Andrew are walking together at graduation! You have enjoyed friendship and family events together and now you get to celebrate a huge accomplishment together—graduating high school!

I work with women who have to work very hard to graduate high school after many years of making bad choices, abusing drugs and alcohol. They are so proud when they earn their high school diplomas!  It is a major accomplishment and one you can be very proud of!

We are so happy to be privileged to share your growing-up years with you! Thanks for being part of our lives!

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned. Then the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:8,9

God bless you, Crystal,

Love,

Steve and Carolyn Ocheltree

--Posted by Mama O.