Death and Redemption

As I walked into the fellowship hall of the First United Methodist Church this evening, nothing had really changed. The tables were set up. Supplies were on the counter. Oh, yes, the walls that once enclosed the two classrooms and the CDO office were gone. But, they were gone last week. Nothing new.

Oh, but something had changed. Something big had changed. As I looked around and saw the sleep mats in the cubbies, the numbers to 100 on the walls, the diapers and wipes for the little ones, my heart was filled with sadness. There will be no more CDO in this beloved building. I began to weep inside when I realized that no more would the children and parents come into this building in the same way: with great anticipation of what learning would take place on this day. No more squeals and laughter that only 25+ children can make. I think the old building will miss these wonderful times.

Time was cut short for CDO. Things have happened that just don't allow us to continue in this building. So, now, what do we do? We can smile or cry over the memories. We can be angry or happy that we are moving on. It is up to each of us how we deal with our grief. I have only known this church building for five months. I can only imagine the grief that will be felt by those who were literally raised in this building. The memories that have been forever embedded into the walls. The weddings, the baptisms, the funerals, the first day of "school" - all milestones for so many.

You know, Jesus' time was cut short. Or was it? The saying, "Things happen for a reason" seems to fit here. We definitely don't always understand those reasons - especially if we are right in the middle of "things." I'm pretty confident that even though Jesus was more than willing to follow his Father's will, he didn't really know his life would end at 33. But, the Loving and Gracious God saw reason to end it at that time to redeem the world. And, Jesus did raise from the dead only three days later to be the Savior to all.

I look at this time that CDO is "dead" as a time that is actually redeeming. It is a time to evaluate our mission to serve children. How can we do it even better? How can we be even more of a Christian influence in our community? Take the time to deal with that grief so that in just a few short weeks, when the new building opens, new life will radiate from it. The First United Methodist Church Children's Day Out will come alive again.

Rev. Kristi D. Lounsbury
1/31/09

CDO PLAY DATE

All CDO children are invited to our first play date. It will be held at Steve and Stacie Fowler's home on Tuesday (February 3) from 9:00 a.m. til noon.

The kiddos will get to play for a couple of hours and then lets all plan to eat lunch together. Please bring a sack lunch!

The Fowler's address is 2327 Big Sky Trail, Ponder, TX 76259

Directions to the house: Go west on Hwy 380 about 5 miles. Turn right onto Jackson Rd. Keep going straight. House is the fourth on the left.

No RSVP is necessary but would be appreciated!!!

CDO to remain closed until April 7, 2009

The air quality test on the UMC building has been returned. There is no evidence of asbestos in the air.

However, in the best interest of everyone involved, the Board of Directors of CDO have voted to remain closed until we are able to be in the new building. Our anticipated date of re-opening is April 7th.

I am currently looking for parents who would like to volunteer their home to host a play date for the children of CDO. I am hoping to have play dates once a week until we are able to be in the new building. If you are interested, please contact Kristi.

CDO to be closed January 27 and 29

CDO will be closed next week - January 27 and 29. Although we have been assured by two professionals that our building is safe, we want to take that extra step of pre-caution and wait for the results of an air quality test that will be conducted.

We are hoping this will be conducted in the next few days and we can resume our classes as soon as possible. Because of this inconvenience to your plans, we would like to offer a $25 reduction in next month's tuition.

Situations like this will help us to appreciate our new building so much more! We look forward to our move-in at the first of April. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact our Board Director, Peggy Nichelson, at 214-724-1920.

Donuts with Dad

Don't forget!

Donuts with Dad

January 22nd

9:00 - 9:30 a.m.

Construction Update!

When we return on Thursday, January 22 from our break, our classrooms will look a lot different. The new owner of the building will be knocking out the interior walls of our basement. That means that Ms. Page and Ms. Misty's classrooms will become open air. Ms. Kristi's office will be moved to the corner area of Ms. Page's old room. We are looking forward to our wonderful new classrooms in the new building and the challenge of the moving process.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

No CDO on January 20th

We following the Krum school calendar so we will not be having CDO on Tuesday, January 20th.

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, January 22nd!

2008 Christmas Program

See you Tuesday, January 6th!

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I just want to remind everyone to bring back their blankets and nap mats on Tuesday. I know most people took theirs home to wash them.

Also, Ms. Page's class will start building up to count all the way to 100. In a week or so, we will start sight words too. Watch for an information sheet on our words soon.