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Claytons. I talked to Cesar about his future. He has been accepted at several schools, and has chosen to attend California Baptist University in Riverside. Athletic and academic scholarships are in the works, including a scholarship our church offers CBU students. Matching funds are available from CBU as well. After CBU, his future is uncertain, except for a continuous unrelenting desire to serve the Lord the best way he can. Let’s pray together for Cesar as his exciting future unfolds. Grandpa Dick

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines ! The exciting “Grand Prix” AWANA model car race on Sunday April 30, 2006 at 4:30 pm in the courtyard is a highlight event in our Church’s Children’s programs that you don’t want to miss. If this newsletter gets to you before the end of the month, this is your special invitation. “End of the year” awards presentations will be held immediately following the race. Let me tell you about the AWANA program at our Church. The scriptural foundation of the AWANA program is found in second Timothy 2:14. It says to… “present yourself Approved to God as Workmen who Are Not Ashamed”. AWANA is a program for children and Youth designed to teach Bible verse memory, game skills, competition, teamwork and team spirit. Workers in AWANA experience the joy of seeing youngsters grow in the Lord through Bible based lessons and activities. Current workers, led by our Commander, Byron Henson, have done an outstanding job of leadership this year. You will not want to miss the excitement of the car races and the presentation of awards. Cars are made by the kids with help from parents and adult workers. Cars can be of any design as long as the AWANA car kit materials are used in construction. The cars, which must weigh 5 ounces or less, are judged for design and speed by category, based on age and AWANA grade. There is also a division for adult entries, and another category we call “Vintage cars” from the past. Carissa and Veronica Gonzales have a car made a few years ago by their Dad that was really fast. It had a “I Love Lucy” design and was quite cute. Every year “Lucy” is invited back to defend its title as “Speed Queen.” Other cars of the past include a batmobile, a car made entirely of Lego blocks, a Nascar replica, a whale with Jonah, a racing pig, and so on. I can’t wait to see this year’s cars. Yes, Grandpa Dick makes a car each year. Last year’s “Greased Black Lightening” was a dandy of a design, but not very fast. This year I have a car I call “.Captain AWANA” complete with caped driver. This year the AWANA awards ceremony will include “game square player of the year”, and parent of the year awards. We will also have a “Game Square” competition between Staff and kids. Sunday April 30, is a great day in our Church’s year. Hope to see you at the race, followed by awards. Grandpa Dick

Garden Consistent with Scriptures !!! The Garden in Grandpa Dick’s back yard is planted and little seedlings are coming up among the weeds. The weeds are winning. This year we planted tomatoes, okra, carrots, watermelon, pumpkins, bell peppers and three kinds of squash. In a recent sermon, Pastor Frank used the parable in Matthew 13 about four kinds of seeds growing in a garden. The scriptures describe our garden with pinpoint precision. Let me explain. After tilling the earth and adding some mulch, we laid out the plots for each set of seeds. We raked all the rocks into a pile on one side, and tamped down the soil to make paths between the different future veggie patches. When the rows were ready, our granddaughter, Kari Jane, helped with the seed planting. Except for a few carrot seeds that spilled onto one of the paths, and some okra that accidentally spilled on the rock pile, the sowing went well. We began to water with earnest daily, and a couple weeks later the little plants began to appear. First, I noticed the carrot seeds that had spilled on the path were gone, eaten by birds. Then I noticed the okra seeds that had spilled on the rocks had come up quickly, but had been scorched by the early heat and did not make it since they had no soil to hold the little roots. The rest of the garden is growing fast, along with an annoying weed plant known as ‘Nut Grass” or “Nut Spikes”. These weeds are very hard to get rid of because they grow from a small nut in the soil left by last years weeds. When you try to pull these guys out, the nut breaks off, and in another week you have a new plant coming up. This is definitely a problem for the little plants that are competing for sunlight and water. Of course, there are some plants that are doing very well, and the yield of fruit will come from these. The Bible says these healthy plant will produce a crop of 100, or 60, or 30 times what was sown. So….what does all this mean? “If you hear the message about the kingdom, and you don’t understand it, and the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in your heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life…choke it, making it unfruitful. Now the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He can then go about reaping rewards many fold.” So my advice is this: If you don’t understand the scriptures, get someone to help you understand; second, don’t let the worries of our busy lives distract you, but make your foundation strong; and third when you pull those pesky devil nut spikes, be sure and get the whole weed, including the root with the nut on the end. Grandpa Dick