Practical Help - How To Change A Flat Tire

Hey Ladies!  Here's an excellent guide on how to CHANGE A FLAT TIRE.  As always, be sure you are in a SAFE PLACE before attempting to do this, and always refer to your car's USER MANUAL.  Many cars, especially in recent years, have additional safety features (such as wheel locks) or other components to prevent theft or further damage to your tires/rims.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I found this out the hard way -- changing your own tire only works if the lug nuts aren't on so tight that you cannot loosen them yourself.  I recently managed to get a large bolt stuck in my rear tire, creating a slow leak.  I was all set to change out my tire out in front of Amanda Cave's house one morning during CARE when I found I could not loosen the lug nuts. Neither could Mr. Neighbor across the street, who kindly wanted to use a sledge hammer (not recommended).

Catherine's husband, Rick (aka resident auto expert), suggested one should ask the mechanics who service the tires to manually tighten the lug nuts, in the event you would need to change a flat yourself.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: I ended up getting the bolt removed and the tire plugged at Hampstead Auto Center on Hwy 17.  For this service, they were fast, affordable and very friendly.  AND had toddler toys in the waiting room.  Some other ladies in the ministry have had great experiences with them as well!

2011 SHBC Operation: Hope Front Conference Details

You should be getting this via email, but just in case...

Dear 2011 SHBC Operation: Hope Front “A Day of Hope” Conference Attendee-

We are SO excited that you have decided to join us on Saturday, May 14^th for our 2^nd Annual Military Family Conference at Scotts Hill Baptist Church. This day is quickly approaching and we wanted to send you all the information you will need to know! Please read through all these details so you will know what to expect, especially if you have registered your children!

Saturday, May 14^th:

Women’s Event: 10am-3pm

Men’s Event: 10am-11:30am

Childcare: 10am-3pm

Directions:

Scotts Hill is located at 185 Scotts Hill Loop Rd. Wilmington, NC 28411.

                From Jacksonville:

Take 17 South towards Wilmington. Just before the 40/17 split, you will see “Poplar Grove Plantation” on your left. Immediately after is a stop light (there is a restaurant on the corner, next to Poplar Grove) onto Scotts Hill Loop Rd. Turn left at the light onto Scotts Hill Loop Rd. The church will be located on your left. There should be a sign located at the stop light directing you.

Arrival:

If your children are registered for the event, please arrive at 9:30am to check them into the appropriate area. If you do not have to check in your children, you may arrive anytime between 9:30am-9:45am. See below for more information as to where children should go. If you arrive late to the event, come on in and find a seat after checking in your children in their appropriate areas! We will have someone near the door to give you a raffle ticket for door prizes.

Parking:

We ask that the first entrance parking lot between the sanctuary and the Family Life Center be used as an unloading zone. Please use this lot to park while you take your children into their appropriate areas. Use the main parking lot for the remainder of the day.

Children:

Children ages birth through 4 years old will be located in the nursery areas located in the main building. Take the first left entrance into Scotts Hill. You will see a large awning on your right on the back of the main sanctuary. If you go under the awning, you will see doors to the left and right. Above the doors are the ages of children that should be in each hall. Follow those signs for your child’s age. Parents of babies will be given a beeper to alert them in the event their child is inconsolable or the childcare workers need your assistance. Parents of older children will receive a wrist band with a number and the number will be announced to alert them in the event their child is inconsolable or the childcare workers need your assistance. Please label all of your child’s necessary items: diaper bag, bottles, etc. Please do not bring any peanut products. The day is long for little ones so be sure to pack any comfort items your child might need and be sure to label it. Children will be enjoying play time, crafts, movies and more depending on their age.

Children ages 5 years and up will be located in the Cross Point Center. This is the furthest building back and has a sign on the building. You will enter through the multiple set of doors on the right to check in your child. These children will enjoy our incredible youth center will a variety of things to do such as video games, basketball, and more. In addition, children may be playing outside, weather permitting, and doing field day like activities including face painting, relay races and more. Please make sure they wear tennis shoes and appropriate play clothes.

PLEASE LABEL ALL OF YOUR CHILD’S BELONGINGS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: BOTTLES, DIAPER BAGS, COMFORT ITEMS, ETC. PLEASE ALERT THE WORKERS IF YOUR CHILD HAS ANY ALLERGIES AND DO NOT BRING ANY PEANUT PRODUCTS INTO THE CHILDREN’S AREAS.

If you have a breastfeeding newborn and wish to keep your child with you in the conference area, you may do so. Please be respectful to those around you and step out in the event your child becomes a distraction to others. We will have an area set up in the women’s bathroom for breastfeeding.

If your husband is attending and he wishes to take your children home after he finishes at his event, this is fine! Please just be sure to write his name on all papers that you fill out with our workers and let them know that your children will be leaving after the men’s event.

Lunch/snack for Children:

McDonald’s of Surf City and Wilmington has graciously donated lunch for children ages 2 and up. They will either be serving chicken nuggets or hamburgers and apple dippers. We will serve lemonade as well. Children will not have a choice as it will depend on what is donated. If your child dislikes this menu, please bring a lunch for them.

We ask that you bring a lunch for children under the age of 2 years (23 months and below). This will ensure food is served in the manner that your child is able to eat it (cut up, etc.) and will help our childcare workers in feeding the smaller children. We will have a few extra meals in the event you forget to bring a lunch for your younger child, but we cannot guarantee we will have one for all who forget.

A small snack of goldfish (or something comparable) and water will be served in the afternoon. Again, please alert our childcare workers of any allergies. Older children may have popsicles.

Men’s Event:

The Men’s event will be located in the Family Life Center, the building directly behind the main sanctuary, on the Scotts Hill Campus from 10am-11:30am. Men will be enjoying a light breakfast, guest speaker COL Rich Juergens, door prizes and then for those who wish to, they may play basketball in our church’s gym.

Women’s Event:

The Women’s event will be located in the Cross Point Center Worship center from 10am-3pm. This is the farthest building back (which will also be where kids ages 5 and up will be) and is labeled. You will enter through the left set of double doors. Women will be enjoying a light breakfast, guest speaker Diana Juergens, games, door prizes, worship, and more.

Our prayer is that you are ready to be blessed! This day is a celebration of YOU and the sacrifices you make as a military member and as a military family!  Thank you for your service and thank you for joining us next week. We look forward to what God has to say to us as military families! If you have any questions before the event, contact us at military@scottshill.org or call the church office, 910.686.9885. See you Saturday, May 14^th!

In Him,

Operation: Hope Front

DOD Childcare Resources

Operation: Military Child Care

is a Department of Defense (DoD) initiative to support

the child care needs of parents who are

activated/deployed.

WHY is Child Care needed?

When military parents are

for child care often increase and so do their

activated/deployed, their needsout-of-pocket

child care expenses.

HOW does

Operation: Military Child Care

support activated/deployed parents?

Helps eligible families locate child care options

in local communities

Reduces child care fees for eligible families who are

already using licensed or legally-operating community

child care programs and providers

WHO is eligible to participate?

Families/Child Guardians of National Guard & Reserve

Service Members who are

activated/deployed

Families/Child Guardians of

Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who are unable

to access child care on military installations are eligible

during the deployment period and for

the return of the Military Parent

deployed Active Duty60 days after

Note:

The fee assistance program is intended to help support military

spouses’ employment, education, or special medical circumstances.

Fee assistance will only be provided to single military families, dual

military families, and military families with a spouse who is working

or enrolled in school. It will also be provided to military families

where the spouse is looking for work for a period of up to

60 days.

HOW much will child care fees be reduced?

Fee assistance will vary for each family depending upon

total family income, location, DoD child care fee policies,

and available funding.

CLICK HERE for more information on childcare resources available to your branch.

Marriage Resources

I will be doing a marriage resource list to hand out at study but here are a few to get you started:

John Piper:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ Go to sermons, 2007, then start looking through the year. There are about 10 or so on different topics on marriage

Mark Driscoll:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/ There are several sermons that include things on marriage and sex. Check on the Peasant Princess series, incredible!

Craig Groeschel:
http://www.lifechurch.tv/ Multiple sermons on marriage, sex, etc.

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs http://loveandrespect.com/about-us/

Love Dare for Military Spouses:
http://excellentorpraiseworthy.org/40-days-of-the-love-dare/

REMINDERS

Don't forget:
-Military Men meet THIS Saturday 8am at my house!
-Deployed Spouses Dinner NEXT Thursday! See my email for details
-Conference Sign ups: Tell EVERYONE you know http://www.operationhopefront.org/ for registration forms!

Lifework: Purpose of Marriage

Life Work:

Going to the Chapel and we’re gonna get married…

Scripture Memory Verse:

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Genesis 2:24 ESV

 Life Work Assignments:

(1)   The truth is most of us did not enter into marriage in an effort to show the world Christ’s covenant with the church. Instead, our reasons can be somewhat superficial. He was nice. He had a good job. He made us laugh. Think back about the reasons you entered into the marriage covenant. Were your reasons God honoring or self honoring? Be honest. If you find there were some selfish motivations, ask God to forgive you of those.

(2)   Marriage is designed by God. He knew we were not made to be alone. Yet, for us military wives, we spend much of marriage alone. But, God knew we would. Think about the ways you can use the design of marriage, showing covenant to the world, in a military marriage. What might that look like in times of waiting?

(3)   Our society is quick to end marriage. We are so quick in fact that many are ending it before it even starts with choosing cohabitation instead of the permanence of marriage. What are the dangers of this mentality? How does looking at marriage from such a disposable point of view seep into our minds as Christians? The rate of divorce is no different between those who claim to be Christians and those who don’t. Why do you think that is? What impact has society’s view on marriage had on us as believers?

(4)   Start thinking about the covenant of Christ and the church. What were the terms? What was the binding sacrifice? How did Christ view His bride? Begin to apply that covenant and that relationship to your own marriage. What are some ways you need to bend grace towards your spouse? What are some ways you need to display the covenant of the loving God with His people in your own home? How can you do that regularly?

(5)   Marriage is God’s doing and it is His design. How can remembering that help your marriage? How can it strengthen your marriage? Do you believe now that perhaps God designed marriage to make you holy, not happy? How does that change your actions?

Practical Help - How to Jump Start Your Car

As most of you know one of the things that Operation: Hope Front does as part of its ministry is provide practical help during deployments.  For a while I've been thinking of gathering information and "How-to's" on things that we often have our husbands' take care of for us.   Therefore, I'm going to start sending practical information on things you should know about your home, your vehicle and other adventuresome things that may come your way to this blog.  I'll mainly research the information on the web and/or ask experts and post the info here for you as well as add my own two cents if I have any to offer from experience.  Also, if your husband/family member told you a different way to go about something rather than what is posted here .... go with their information!   Often, there's more than one way to skin a cat, as they say, but I don't want a call from your little brother telling me that their way is much faster... 

And always, when you get in a bind or have a household problem -- PRAY.  Then GOOGLE it or search it on YOUTUBE.

HOW TO JUMP START YOUR CAR

This website was very helpful, simple and has photos.

- First off, you may not always be in a situation where it is safe or easy to jump start your vehicle on your own.  Check and see if your insurance company, cellular service carrier,  or vehicle manufacturer offers roadside assistance (if you don't have AAA or similar service). Make sure the contact number is in your cell phone and/or glove compartment for emergencies!  Also, 1-800-POP-OPEN  (Pop-a-Lock) is a good number to have on hand - they have locksmiths/services in 38 states & D.C.

- Double check your car's user guide - it may offer some helpful information specific to your vehicle (such as the below information).

- Trying to start the dead vehicle too quickly MAY result in the alarm blaring!  If vehicle's battery that needs jumping is SUPER dead (i.e. you can't remotely unlock the doors, NO lights come on when key is in ignition) you will definitely want to let the dead battery charge for about 10 minutes before turning the ignition.  Many vehicles with factory-installed security systems will do this. I learned this the hard way and I'm sure I annoyed my neighbors. About 3 times.

- Yes, they DO make portable battery boosters!  They run $130+