Anne LeGare

Here’s an article from the Copperas Cove Leader Press in @ 2003.

By KRISTAN HALL
News editor - Halstead Elementary is overrun this year. Overrun, not with varmints, but with twins. Halstead has eleven sets of twins enrolled this academic year, a record number.

Aubrey and Alyssa Odum are seven-year-old twins who were born five minutes apart. Alyssa, who is older by five minutes, likes being a twin. “It gives me someone to play with,” she says.

Nine-year-old twins Breanna and Breonne Ande like being twins as well, though Breonne does admit, “Sometimes my mom calls me Breanna instead of Breonne.” Breanna is older by one minute.

Identical eight-year-old twins Maria and Anna Joseph love being twins. Says Anna, the younger twin - by one hour and one minute, “I love being a twin because when our brother is being mean, we still have someone to play with.”
Maria adds that it’s easier to talk to other twins. “Plus when you need to find one twin, you already know what she looks like,” she reports.

Although the girls say they aren’t mistaken for each other very often, Maria did pretend to be Anna once. “One time Maria told her teacher she was me,” says Anna. “It was funny,” giggles Maria. Until mom found out. Will Maria pretend to be Anna again? “Maybe not,” she says.

While eight-year-old twin Nisha Davis likes being a twin, her younger, by 11 minutes, sister doesn’t. “They always get me and her mixed up,” she grumbles. The duo are fraternal twins.

Identical five-year-old twins Hannah and Joanna Legare are often “mixed up” as well, they say. “I’m not Hannah,” states Joanna, the older twin.

Devin and Dane Parsons are the only twins that have one boy and one girl in the set. Eight-year-old Devin only likes being a twin sometimes, but loves being in a school with so many other twins. “You can make other twin friends,” he declares.

Other twins attending Halstead are four-year-olds Sebahn and Ayanna Baxter, four-year-olds Ryan and Aaron Brumels, six-year-olds Sydney and Taylor Phillips, five-year-olds Ashley and Asia Hemphill, and seven-year-olds Celia and Sonia Leslie, all identical.

Halstead Principal Coley Howell likes having a school full of twins. “It’s wonderful to have so many different sets of twins,” he states. The most sets of twins Halstead has ever had at one time is six, he says. He adds that the twins’ parents have been wonderful to work with.

I’ve been supporting Crisis Pregnancy Centers for about 20 years. It took me 15 years to work up the courage to actually volunteer at one. That’s what I’ve heard from fellow volunteers - they were drawn to the work, but it took them a long time to actually do anything about it. And those volunteers were women! If that’s how they feel about the work, can you imagine how much courage it would take for a man to volunteer?

So you can understand my surprise when a gentleman from my church, Carlos Rodriguez, started working at our Crisis Pregnancy Center! I knew him as an usher and deacon, who was forever escorting guests at our church to their various Sunday School classrooms and to the nursery. He and his wife Cathy were also participating in “Experiencing God Together” retreats at churches all over the country. Carlos was also a bereavement specialist at a local funeral home. He really didn’t need any more jewels in his crown, but that wasn’t what Carlos was about. He was about his Father’s work, sharing the gospel in as many venues and with as many people as he could.

He marched to the beat of the drums, and saw God working powerfully at the Crisis Pregnancy Center. Clearly, Carlos wanted to join God where He was at work. He started by teaching our “Dad U” parenting classes at night. Eventually we saw him during the day too, answering phones, and doing any task required. He had a servant’s heart.

Poor Carlos! We used him to do the “honey do” list that most girls hate. For example, he worked up in the attic, tirelessly moving boxes, and sorting donated items. One day, a passerby came in to tell us there was a dead rattle snake on our sidewalk. “CARLOS!”

The really neat thing about working with Carlos at the center was his interaction with the husbands and boyfriends who came in. While I would be counseling with a woman, Carlos would be in the waiting room talking to her boyfriend/husband. “Hello young man!” was the greeting. Then he’d sit down with them and just strike up a conversation. By the end of the meeting, many of the young men had given their lives to Christ even before the woman was done with her session! Amazing. But that’s what Carlos’ life, driven by the Holy Spirit accomplished on a weekly basis.

Did I mention that Carlos had leukemia? He struggled with it for years, but quietly and with dignity. He never complained or felt sorry for himself. He was more concerned with other peoples’ problems. For example, when I had to move my mom to assisted care, he was the one person who always asked me “How’s your mom?” Or when I was sick, Carlos would grab my shoulders and pray for me - without prompting. I started to look at him as my spiritual father at church. I felt I was his special friend. But I found out that many people felt that way. Carlos had a way of making everyone he knew feel like they were the center of his universe.

Carlos was faithful to attend our church’s Wednesday night prayer sessions. When it was time to pray, he was almost always first to pray for everyone. I felt my prayer requests being taken straight to the throne of grace when Carlos prayed.

Last summer I found out that Carlos was struggling with another bout of leukemia, but this time he couldn’t shake it. When I went to visit him in late July, he was already in a coma. When he heard the voices of his loved ones, I could tell he really wanted to come out and talk and pray, but he was too weak. It broke my heart.

A few days later, we drove to Colorado for a family vacation. After visiting Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs, I put in a prayer request there for Carlos. As we walked out of the building, I got the telephone call that Carlos had passed away. I cannot tell you the sense of loss and grief that came with that call. My friend had died and I would not even be at his funeral.

No one can replace Carlos. But I do have the comfort knowing that he’s not riddled with pain anymore, and that we will all meet again on that glorious day. In the meantime, he joins the ranks of the saints who make up the “great cloud of witnesses,” cheering us on to the work God has given us. Until we meet again, sweet Carlos.

As I drove in the funeral procession today and watched the oncoming traffic pull over to the side of the road to let us pass, I wanted to say to each one of them: Do you know who’s in that hearse? Did you know that Buck died Tuesday? Do you know this is S.C. Lee - the one our Junior High is named after?

Then I said out loud, partly to God, partly to myself: “Our world is a little bit worse today because Buck Lee is gone.”

We’ve only lived in this small town for 11 years, so we’re newcomers. The cemetery where they laid Buck to rest today held graves of citizens from 150 years ago. Some of their “kin” still attend our church. I can’t imagine having roots in one place for so long. A lot of them were related to Buck.  His parents were some of the original founders of our church, after all.

At the funeral today people talked about Buck’s lovely wife, Lynette, who died before we got here. Buck loved Lynette deeply, and couldn’t wait to be with her in heaven. I learned that Buck could cook, and people loved his banana pudding, pecan pies, and peach cobbler. Our family never got to sample those things or even visit him in his home.

But we were still blessed, because we worshiped with Buck and his family, even if it was for a short time. Buck drove himself to church well into his 80s. When we dropped off our children at Sunday School, we would see Buck sitting in the hallway, taking roll for the children’s department. That was one of the places he felt most comfortable in his 74 years of church membership. And the children loved him.

He told funny stories, mostly about himself. One story that stuck with me was about when he was the Sunday School Superintendent. He said he put out a suggestion box for people to comment about the quality of the Sunday School department. After several weeks with no responses, he practically begged for suggestions. He said he finally got one scrap of paper in the box, and it said “Get a new Sunday School Superintendent!”

When we sat near Buck in church, I would steal glances at him because I kind of hero-worshiped him. He was so kind to everyone. He had a smile for all reasons, for all seasons, no matter how old or stooped he got. Christ lived in him.

When we visited Buck in the nursing home, he was as interested in our children as their own grandparents. He often said he wanted to steal our twins. It made us all feel special.

Yes, the world is a LOT worse today because S.C. Lee died. See you in heaven, dear Buck.

I love these Verizon network ads, where someone can be just about anywhere in the world and get cell phone coverage. We get the ideas that there is an army of Verizon employees “behind” every cell phone call, eliminating any communication “dead” zones.

As Christians, we have an even bigger army making sure our communication with God is crystal clear. First and foremost, we have Jesus Christ, who is always interceding for us. Then we have a network of angels fighting in the heavenly realms on our behalf. Finally, we have each other, providing prayer cover and support.

Wow! What a network!

Those who have never lived on the outskirts of an Army post might be amused at what it’s like to have your life imprinted with all things military. For example, at 5 p.m. every night, we hear the bugle playing “Retreat” over Fort Hood’s loud speaker system. When units are in the field, our windows rattle to the thud of artillery rounds day and night. We are the first to know when a unit has returned from Iraq, because we can’t miss the big gray jets on final approach to Robert Gray Army Airfield.

Fort Hood is open to the public in certain places, which makes for some great shortcuts to areas of our town. I drive onto the installation daily, and use back roads to take the children to school. Just recently, this sign was erected at both entrances to warn of the dangers of driving on an Army post.

The first time I saw the sign, I thought: Wow! Maybe they’re firing artillery close to these roads! I looked around and drove cautiously for a few days. I knew the dangers before the signs went up. I could see the tank trails for crying out loud! But for some reason, the sign made the danger seem more real to me. As with most warnings, however, now that I’ve traveled safely for a week, I cross my fingers and forge ahead, knowing that nothing terrible could possibly happen to me.

But if something did happen, wouldn’t people say: “They warned you! Didn’t you see the fine print that said ‘By Order of the Commanding General?’” Or maybe some would say: “I can’t believe that nice family was hit by artillery fire when they were crossing the tank trails on Fort Hood! What an injustice!”

Either way, we’d be hurt, even though we were warned.

Isn’t it like that with our Christian walk? Before we were saved, we lived lives filled with danger, but were supremely unaware. But after salvation, we’ve been given all kinds warnings to keep us out of danger.

We have the testimony of the Holy Spirit speaking directly into our minds and hearts. We have the Word of God telling us of specific dangers. We can’t claim to be unaware. In fact, God speaks to us in military terms about the tactics our adversary, Satan, uses and how to avoid being hit by his artillery.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  ¹³Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  ¹⁴Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, ¹⁵and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;  ¹⁶in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Again we see a warning about the devil’s tactics in 2 Corinthians 2:11, and are told to see to it “that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”

Will we cross our fingers and forge ahead, thinking: That’s just the Bible - nothing’s going to happen to me? Or are we willing to join David, who said “I delight to do Your will, O my God; your Law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

When trials come, I’m going to avoid shortcuts, heed the warnings and obey the orders of my Commanding General, so I won’t be hit by artillery fire.

This book was a joy to read! It was like reading an “Idiots Guide to the Brain.” My mother has a rare brain disease, and now I understand which parts of the brain are controlling (or not controlling in her case) different parts of her.

I loved how Henslin incorporated the spiritual with the physical, without excuse, and with great enthusiasm. He has a way of making the hard-to-understand simple, yet not simplistic.

I can now read my mom’s MRIs and understand what I’m seeing, and I feel I can help her with some dietary changes and my own new awareness of how she “ticks.”

Henslin’s writing style is not condescending, and comes across as friendly and helpful. I have never read a book like this from cover to cover and understood what I’ve read. Now I have.

Here is a somewhat true, mostly allegorical novel, in which author Andy Andrews describes how his life got a rough start: both parents were dead by the time he was 23, and he found himself living in a roughed-out sand cave under a pier. He was barely surviving until he had a strange, almost supernatural encounter with an old man named “Jones.” Jones told him to get a new perspective on life, and introduced him to biographies of famous people. As Andrews absorbed the biographies, his life started to change.

Through a series of similar “chance” encounters with people in a small beach town, Jones introduces how gaining a new perspective on life and using different communication principles can change someone from the inside out.

The author effectively uses Jones to show how one person can make a difference in the lives of others. One story in the book, however, was the internet tale of a man being buried with his fork - awaiting the “dessert” of heaven - which somehow became attributed to Jones. The inclusion of an urban legend in the book made it a bit smarmy.

Another tale involved Jones giving a married couple a lesson on effective communication. The five “dialects” he laid out were strikingly similar to Dr. Gary Chapman’s “Five Love Languages.” Nothing new here.

Who is Jones? He’s a shape-shifter, and the author said it happened right before his eyes. Is he an angel? The reader is left pondering that question, as the townspeople and Andrews sort it out.

I applaud Andrews’s desire and exhortation to bless each other and pursue lives of good character with honorable perspective. But this book was produced by a major Christian publishing house. I expect a stronger Christian message. If our “perspective” isn’t on Jesus first, we will quickly lose focus. What saves us from our sinful minds and deceptive motives is a changed life through faith in Jesus Christ. Transforming truth and hope can be found in Him alone.

Andrews’s focus was the man/angel, Jones - and our own righteousness. Our focus should be on Christ, his life, death, and resurrection. Without Him, we have no righteousness of our own. When we trust Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit to help give us a heavenly perspective - the only one that can sustain lasting change.

John 12:12-13 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.”

On Palm Sunday, our pastor conducted a mini-sermon for the children about this event. He told the children that when people laid out the palm branches for Jesus, it was like rolling out the red carpet to the man they wanted to crown king.

But we know what happened the rest of that week. The people quickly rolled up the red carpet when Jesus didn’t meet their expectations. Toward the end of the week, associating with Jesus was something even his closest friends found difficult.

Jesus knew all this, and still chose the pain, the suffering, and the cross. We were difficult, yet He didn’t forsake us, and will never forsake us. His sacrifice demands our attention and vigilance, however. The book of Hebrews has much to say about our responsibility to grip tightly to our salvation.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 13:12-16 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Heb 12:2 …fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

In case we didn’t get the message, Hebrews reminds us over and over who Jesus is and what He did for us. When He died on the cross, Jesus rolled out the red carpet for us, so that we could be joint heirs with Him. We are now His chosen people, a royal priesthood of believers.

I’m reflecting on His passion for me this week. Let’s celebrate Easter with hearts ready to roll out the red carpet to Him, full of worship for the One who died and rose again so we could live!

After a drive to Houston last weekend, our family van was covered in bug guts. So after picking up all three children from school, we headed over to our local gas station to buy slushy drinks and a car wash.

This is our favorite car wash, as it’s “touchless,” and does a great job, even on the tires. I punched my purchase code into the machine, but had to wait for a truck in front of me before I could proceed. While we watched the truck being washed, we were laughing, because every time the strong water jets made a pass around the truck, everything in the bed of the truck would fly into the air, (to include a large box and styrofoam inserts) and then settle back into the bed or around the car wash bay.

When the wash portion of the cycle was finished, a very sheepish soldier stepped out of the truck and started picking up all the things that were strewn about the bay. He tossed them back into the bed of his truck and drove toward the powerful dryer, which was already working. Once the dryer hit the bed of the truck, all the stuff flew out again. The soldier drove off, oblivious to everything he’d left behind.

The green light went on for me to “Drive Forward,” but I was afraid the big box left in the middle of the bay would get hung up under my van. So I told my 13-year-old son, Daniel, to hop out and go move the box for me. Daniel willingly complied, and ran into the bay.

Whoops! As soon as he entered the bay, the tire wash sensors triggered, and powerful jets of water hit Daniel from both sides, knocking off his hat and giving him a thorough soaking!

The look on Daniel’s face was priceless! He must have jumped three feet in the air when those jets hit him. The girls and I laughed so hard we couldn’t catch our breath. Daniel got back into the car, soaking wet, with teeth chattering from the cold water.

Now I understand what a “touchless” car wash is! No car required.

Where are the video cameras when we need them? That would have made it onto America’s Funniest Home Videos for sure!

Have you ever pulled nursery duty and prayed you could avoid changing a diaper? How come other kids’ poopy diapers smell so much worse than the ones our angels produce? Or have you ever had to clean a public bathroom area to make it nice for the next occupants of a cabin, time-share, or youth camp? Gross. Give me heavy rubber gloves, lots of Lysol, and a clothespin for my nose.

Another difficult ministry for me is food preparation and delivery. For starters, I’m not much of a cook. Then there’s the problem of getting the meal to the person. Sometimes I’ve just wanted to leave the meal on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and run away. The actual ministry part of the meal delivery was difficult for me. I didn’t want to go inside the house and engage with the people, because occasionally the houses were stinky and depressing. Sometimes the people were a bit too needy. A clean escape was always utmost in my mind.

Later, when I got to thinking about my bad attitude in this regard, I started calling it “ministry on a stick.” Like a jailer, I wanted to deliver a meal on the end of a long pole, so I’d never have to touch the person. What kind of ministry is that?

Ministry isn’t always pleasant – but somehow in God’s economy it produces treasure. I think I’ve finally cracked the code. It’s in the book of James. When I first became a Christian, my mentor used to tell me to be thankful for the particularly offensive “opportunities.” She consistently referred me to James, asking me to pay close attention to the first four verses. The passage always struck me as containing non sequitur logic: in other words, an end state that isn’t easily connectable to the premises. See if you agree with me after reading this:

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

How in the wide world of poopy diapers am I supposed to find joy in trials? What’s so fulfilling and life perfecting about delivering a dinner to someone in a house that smells like propane and sausages? The secret is hidden in the first six words. Go back to verse one and see what James calls himself. Yup – a bond-servant. Here’s what scripture has to say about that:

Exodus 21:5-6 But if the slave plainly says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

Well, there it is. If I want to be a bond-servant to the Lord Jesus Christ, I willingly place my ear against that doorpost, nail it in, and surrender to His leading, no matter what. My attitude is supposed to be in line with and conformed to the attitude and likeness of Christ. Here are His words on the subject:

Matt 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

While I’m still not the greatest cook or baby changer, I am being transformed through service. I’m starting to consider it joy to serve my Savior and His people, and to face trials along the way. Are you?