The Latest from the Lungs
July 2008
Dear Friends,
This month we have been able to visit several churches with a presentation or a VBS missions moment. We enjoyed our visit to Swan Quarter Church of Christ where their VBS kids raised over a thousand dollars as well as collected can goods. We also had a great visit with Powell's Point Church of Christ where we presented a program to the Ladies' and Men's Bible Study groups and were blessed with a whole lot of bread. The wonderful kids at Woodards Pond Church of Christ came to Open Door with their offering and loads of paper products, ketchup, and other things. Olivia and I went to Wilkerson Church of Christ and helped cut out fruit when we were finished with our presentation. Vacation Bible School is a lot of fun for us and we enjoy visiting with the kids and adults there.
We have also been blessed with a youth group service project from Powells Point Church of Christ. The kids painted the girls and boys hallways, gave the woodshed a first coat of paint, and played with our kids. Thomas especially appreciated the extra attention the youth group gave him as they accepted him as one of their own.
On the sad end of the news, we had to say good-bye to Logan this month. As Wendy and I have always said, "the two saddest days are when the kids come and the day they go." It is sad when they come because of the circumstances that have brought them to Open Door and it is sad when they leave because we have grown attached the them and want the best for them. Please pray for Logan.
I just want to share with you a bit about my weight loss journey. At the end of last year I was fast approaching 300 pounds. I was miserable. My blood pressure was high. My self-esteem was low. I suffered from gout and back pain. I had trouble sleeping. And I couldn’t stop eating...the worse it got the more I ate. My mother had pleaded with me to start dieting. Dad and her have lost a lot of weight and they know first-hand the benefits of good health and mental well-being that it brings.
As a preacher it was hard for me to stand in the pulpit and tell others to live as well-disciplined believers in Christ when I had no control over my eating. I wanted to set an example for them but I just couldn’t get started.
The final straw came on May 1, 2008 when my doctor told me he was going to put me on some medicine because my bad cholesterol was getting too high. I really didn’t want to take anymore pills. He told me I had to lose a lot of weight if I didn’t want to take the pill. I joined WeightWatchers that very day.
I went back to the doctor in June because I had lost enough weight that my blood pressure had dropped too low. I had already lost 33 lbs since my last visit. He was impressed and that made me feel really good. I have more energy, my blood pressure is better, my gout is gone, I sleep better, and I am learning to take each day at a time. I am determined to accomplish my goal weight of 163! That sounded impossible a few months back but now I can imagine myself there. I can’t wait to be able to wear my wedding band again. It hasn’t fit for nearly 25 years!
When I weighed myself this morning I was astonished to see the scales at 240lbs. Yes, I have a way to go but that makes a weight loss of over 50lbs since I started this thing. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with God's help and the prayers and well wishes of my good friends at WeightWatchers.
Please contact us if we can do a presentation at your church, be your missions project for VBS, or if you would like to have a group come and do a service project. Unit 2 is still available for retreats, workgroups, or visits. We also have plenty of land for camping as well. Please feel free to come by for a visit.
God Bless You,
Loren Harold Lung
houseparent