Adam's Base, Camp Bucca hit June 9

For us, this was huge. In the media it was a tagline to larger events that happened in Baghdad that day. My mom doesn't usually watch the Sat. morning news, but that day she did and saw the news scroll across the screen. She called who she could and we all prayed. Later that day, Adam called to say he was fine but couldn't/wouldn't say much else. There wasn't anything on CNN, but Fox had a blurb. Elizabeth

From FoxNews:

In southern Iraq, an apparent rocket attack at the U.S.-run Camp Bucca military prison killed at least six detainees and wounded 50, the military said. No American casualties were reported.
The U.S. military oversees more than 20,000 inmates at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq and Camp Cropper, near the Baghdad airport. Military officials refuse to give a breakdown of how many prisoners are at each facility but say the majority are at Camp Bucca.

Email Grandpa Stone sent out:


Grandchildren all,Sarah got a Fox News release: ATTACK KILLS 6, INJURES 50 DETAINEES at Camp Bucca. No American casualties. (Praise the Lord.) This is Adam's camp. Please keep him in your prayers and remember Sarah and Rex. They must be going through a trying time.Love,Gpa Stone

Andrew's appendectomy June 3

Late Sunday night of June 3 Andrew had terrible stomach pains and ended up going to the ER with my mom and Kristen. Later that night he had an emergency appendectomy - they got it before it burst! Andrew has had a lot of pain and has tired easily but is healing well. Please pray for his continued recovery.

Glass half empty - They probably are looking to God's peace in his timing, as this happened only 3 days before he was to be covered by health insurance with his new job! Glass half full - We all praise God this happened here with both of their families around to help and not while they were in CA in a little apt. and no family around.

I will get Andrew on here to tell about his new job and surgery himself....

Elsie

Adam arrives in Iraq

Hey everyone, Again thank you for the emails and prayers, your words of encouragement are always welcome as these times can be trying more than not. This past Thursday, I beleive, we made our 30 min helicopter ride from Camp Beuring in Kuwait to Camp Bucca in the very sothern part of Iraq. Our mission as a unit is still to run the Iraq Correctional Officer Training Academy (ICOTA). Currently I am assinged as the ICOTA Administrative NCO (non-commisioned officer). I was told by my command that I was chosen for the position due to my "outstanding organizational skills." So thats good, anyway its a great job because I provide logistical support the ICOs (Iraqi correctional officers) as they train each other through out the work week. My possition keeps me behind a desk, in air conditioning, with free internet access (which is huge over here) and the ability to calll home on my DSN line (a secure phone line the army sets up). So the position definately has its perks. Although to say we dont know how long we will be in our current positions, due to the continued changing needs of the Army. So i will definately enjoy it while I am in the position. We are currently living in 11 man tents, on cots. We are supposed to be upgraded in housing to "Pods", which are little appartments for two personel. This move is supposed to take place in around a month or so. Luckily the tents have AC, which is great cause the high right now is around 110 degrees. Please again feel free to email, now more than ever, as I am able to respond daily. Thank you again for all the support and prayers-Adam Rogers

Adam arrives in Kuwait

Hey there family and friends, Well I’ve finally made it to theatre! Kuwait is warm, sandy and barren, just the spot to spend a nice one year paid vacation. The base camp that I am currently at is not my final stop where I will be spending the next year but it is close. Due to operational security I won’t be able to share certain points of information so I will be speaking in generalities when it comes to location and other mission sensitive topics. Over time these points of information will be able to be shared, but until that time I won’t be able to share many specifics. Anyway things are going great here. Yesterday was 109 degrees during our training. We are here in Kuwait for a little while to get acclimatized and get used to the 7 hour time difference. While here they are having us do some minimal training to keep us busy and out of trouble. One of the bigger events of the past couple of days has been my promotion. I wasn’t promoted as far as grade or rank but rather position. I was moved up to the position of squad leader from team leader. So now instead of just being in charge of 3 lower enlisted personnel, like your privates, I am now in charge of 2 teams, which consists of two team leaders and between 3 to 4 team members. As far as the military life goes this is a huge jump in responsibility as I am now in charge of other NCOs (Non-commissioned officers, like me), especially since one of them out ranks me in time in grade and time in service. Anyway needless to say I was thrilled as my platoon sergeant picked me among my four other peers for the position. Other than that all is progressing as usual. We are being told that we will be moving to out final destination soon, but that also we are a lower priority company, so the transportation resources are being used for other companies. So again, needless to say we are staying flexible as the Army is keeping us on stand-by. For those of you that may not have heard, Morgan Dee Webb my girl friend of 11 months said yes to the big question on May 7th during a surprise proposal. We have been engaged now for less than 15 days and already picking out locations and dates for the up coming big event. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she truly does have the hard job of the two of us as she is finishing her degree back home and beginning to plan the wedding. Which reminds me to thank you all for the continued prayer and support during my time here and back at Ft. Bliss, your continued emails, letters and packages are always a welcome sight at the end of a long day, so thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Which also reminds me, for all those of you who have continually asked if there is anything you can do to help or support my mission here, I have found one request thus far. Other than an occasional email through an internet café, my main line of communication for a while for calling home/Morgan will be through an AT&T calling card. If you would like call the following 800 number with the provided pin number and add some minutes using a credit card. I will continue to use this same calling card during my deployment until other preferred cheaper ways to communicate become available, when that does I will let you all know. Again thank you for all your support and prayers. From Kuwait-Sergeant Adam RogersDial 1-800-269-7241 Pin # 439-288-1735 Follow automated operator instruction to add minutes with credit card over the phone.

Family Updates

Hello all. We haven't been doing a very good job keeping this up-to-date, but there is a lot to add. I will endeavour to catch everyone up on some of Adam's emails and to also write everyone again to they can log on and add their own updates. Hope all is well, Elizabeth

Sledding and Snowmobiling!

These are some pictures that Eric sent me recently. The sledding pictures are of Elizabeth and kids, Eric, Andrew and Kristen, and Adam and Morgan sledding together the Saturday before Adam left for Texas in February. The others of are Eric snowmobiling the next week in Colorado.

I just got off of the Merry-Go-Round

Adam's Address for the next 82 days....

I (Elsie) am posting this for Adam.

I landed safely earlier today (this was Friday the 23rd) in Texas at Ft. Bliss. We then got on transportation and moved north to New Mexico, where we are going to be spending the next 2 1/2 mounths at Ft. Mc Gregor. Mc Gregor is 26+/- miles north of El Paso. Tomorrow wake-up is at 4:00am so I am going to make this short. I do have wireless internet in my room through a service here on post. I will try to check my email everyday as time allows. Thank you all for your continued supprot and prayers as I begin this new chapter in life. My address here is as follows:

SGT Rogers, Adam L
HHC 384th MP BN
Mc Gregor Base Camp
Bldg 2453
Fort Bliss, TX 79916

Thank you all so much again-Adam

The Future Title of the Family Webpage

As we are working on developing the current family webpage, I am developing a new one in dreamweaver. This heading is a preview of the cool stuff that is to come. I developed it in macromedia fireworks.

Joe Drouillard

Crazy Pictures

I have been working on some new techniques in the fireworks program for web design. This is basically a computer editing program for artwork and pictures. I will be posting artwork and images from time to time. This way, I can see how they are going to look on the web. Here are some of my first designs. Obviously, I am learning, and these are poor at best.

Adam's Corner is now becoming active.

Don't forget to visit Adam's Corner. We have some new pictures that show where he has been staying, and there is also a video of his troup getting on a plane to Texas. I had to make the link go to the family site because of our protection sign in. So, just go to Adam's Corner from there.

Joe Drouillard

All is Well

Yes, all is well in the Donehoo household. I am sore but recovering well. Rose loves her new little brother, however, she is craving my attention. it's going to take some time to get used to for all of us. It's been really helpful to have mom here helping us out this week. i'm a little nervous as to what i'm going to do next week. I hope that everyone is doing well. It sure would be nice to hear from more of you.

A New Stone Cousin!!

Welcome

Timothy Josiah Donehoo!!

Timothy was born on Sunday, February 18, 2007

@ 11:52am.
He weighed in at 8 lbs. 2 oz.

and was 20 inches long.

This is also Gwen's birthday, so she gave herself a present!! Gwen says that he sleeps and eats well, and now that he is born, she is sleeping well, too! Right now Aunt Rose and Uncle Mervin are up to help for a few days. Cara was able to come to be with Gwen for the end of the birth. The rest of us in Grand Rapids were able to visit with Marty and the Schramm kids.

We all praise God that this birth, though hard, was easier on Gwen than Rose's birth. For Rose is was 24 hours of labor that ended with a c-section. For Timothy, it was 12 hours of labor that ended with forceps! Gwen is very thankful that she didn't have to have a c-section and says it is a great answer to prayer!

by Elsie

A little about Tom(my)

It's been over twenty years since talking with most of you, and many of my cousins and their families are complete strangers to me. So here's a short abridged version of the last twenty years or so.

I currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota with my wonderful wife of thirteen years, Anne-Marie, and gorgeous little girl, Silvi. I left Florida a few weeks after graduating and have only returned once for a visit. These last twenty years have largely been marked by moving. I've always been restless, wanting to see what lies beyond the next mountain or city skyline. After high school, I moved to Chicago where I went to Bible college. However, I spent more time exploring the city than reading my textbooks. Turns out, that's kind of hard on the grades.

After a semester, I decided to see the world and joined the Army. I was stationed in Ft. Riley - KANSAS! There must have been a typo. I eventually grew to enjoy the wild grass fields of the plains, and spent my free time riding my bike down many country roads. I volunteered for anything that would allow me to travel and made it over to Germany, to the Mojave desert for a very long month and down to the humid Panamanian jungles. After finishing my "tour," I returned to Chicago for another year of Bible school, but the lure of the city streets proved to be too powerful. With bad grades but good memories, I left school and moved to Wrightville Beach, NC, where I lived in a shack on the beach for a few years. My brother, Luke, eventually moved in with me, and we had a lot of adventures together (like skateboarding nearly 100 miles up the coast to go to a reggae concert.) In the early nineties, Luke and I decided to head to California, planning to sail around the world. I made it as far as Denver, Colorado.

There, I met my wife, where she was working as a nanny. A missionary kid from Africa, it still amazes me how we ended up together. My sister, Tracy, and my parents also moved to Colorado, and we spent the days hiking and snowboarding. I followed my wife to Minnesota, where we married on the banks of the St. Croix River. (Luke continued to California, where, after some time in Scotland, he lives today with his wife and three kids, making a living as an investment banker in Newport Beach. Tracy is married and lives in the Detroit area with her husband and their daughter, Emily. Their youngest daughter, Hannah, died in her sleep last year at the age of 1 1/2 years.)

After getting married, we moved back to Colorado, where I began my career in video production. I wrote scripts and eventually became a documentary video director and editor. But… there's that restlessness again. In the late nineties, Anne-Marie and I sold everything and backpacked through Europe for the better part of a year, making promotional videos for a non-profit. We went to Kosovo a few weeks after the war and spent a few months in Greece, then edited the videos on a farm in the Alsace region of France for the summer. After the money ran out, we headed back to the States and out to Seattle.

I went back to school in Seattle to study philosophy. Kind of a hobby of mine. I freelanced as a cameraman, and got the chance to spend some time in Fiji, shooting a documentary and interviewing the president after the coup. After a few years in coffee shops and ferry rides in the most beautiful city on the planet, we moved back here, to Minneapolis, where we've been for the last three years. Being in one place for a bit has given us time to start a family, and I wouldn't trade all the exploring in the world for my daughter.

Right now I make training and marketing videos for a lot of the corporations here in the Twin Cities area, and still get to travel a little (made it to Mexico last year). We rent an apartment in the city a few blocks from the lake. I've always been a city boy. My mom and dad live near by; my dad's a pastor and my mom has a private practice in counseling. All the in-laws are here too. When we get together for events, there are around thirty of us. Most days after work, Annie, Silvi and I walk to the lake for the free concerts, sit in coffee shops, explore used bookstores, or watch "The Amazing Race" on tv. I'm still trying to do my own work on the side. Drop in at www.narrowridge.com or at my blog www.narrowridge.blogspot.com.

Sorry. A little long-winded. Drop me a line once and again over at eckblads@yahoo.com.

Tommy

I just want to encourage everyone in the Stone family to send pictures to Elizabeth and I. We would love to get more of the family in the website. Also, be sure to post your events in the family calendar. We want everyone to be able to participate. The site will grow if we all use it. Also, we have the capability to have multiple authors in this blog. It would be outstanding if the Stone family could use this blog site as a communication hub.

Joe Drouillard

Only 3 more weeks!!!

Well, we only have 3 more weeks until our new little boy is born. February 17 is suppossedly the big day. Hopefully, it will be earlier than that as I am very uncomfortable. Please keep us in your prayers that labor and delivery will go smoothly and quick. :)

The One Campagn and Other Stuff

Elizabeth and I have had a heart for Africa for many years. Bono is one of the creators of "The One Campaign." Not only does the band U2 have amazing lyrics that inspire us to think. We are inspired and challenged to act. When it comes to Aids and Poverty, Christians should be at the forefront of helping the people in society that are hurting the most. Elizabeth and I have really grown to love the music of Bono more than ever due to his lyrics that are honoring to the work of Christ.

More than ever, I desire that God would lay out a path for my life that would make a difference to the people of Africa. I could never figure out how I could make my own skill set fit in to this because I could never see myself living in "the bush." Elizabeth could tell you how much of a suburban guy I am. Sometimes it is difficult to see the path that God has laid before you from the beginning. I am convinced that we get too involved in our thoughts when it comes to our life path. We want to make our life what we want it to be, rather than listening to God. When this happens, things turn into a mess one way or another. Well, I think that God's answers are often the most simple and beautiful answers. I am convinced that God wants me to use web design for his kingdom.

It has been an amazing relief to see that other Christ following people are using the web help the most forgotten people in our world. Recently, Elizabeth told me about another man from Mars Hill Bible Church who is using his web design skills for the God's Kingdom. If you want to see what type of work he is doing check out his site, go.bowles.es.

In the following weeks, I ask you to pray for me. I am certain that God is leading me towards a new path that involves web design. I am unsure how all of this is going to work out, but several prayers have already been answered. Recently, one of Elizabeth's friends has directed me to an extensive computer training site that has already been helpful.

Joe Drouillard

Now to add the rest of the family

I will be adding the whole family into the site registration. Hopefully, we will all be able to make posts to the blog.

The Stone Family Blog Begins

In an effort to make our website a totally cool place to visit, Elizabeth and I have decided to use an outside company to blog. We are very excited to hear from the entire family regarding a variety of topics.