Don't name a pig or a cow you plan to eat.
Your fences need to be horse high, pig tight, and bull strong.
Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.
A bumblebee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
Don't squat down with your spurs on.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Don't interfere with something that ain't bothering' you none.
It's better to be a has-been than a never-was.
The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm. The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
Sometimes you get and sometimes you get got.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
You can't tell how good a man or a
watermelon is 'till they get thumped.'
Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new sibling. They found out that the new baby was going be a girl, and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in mommy's tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her.
The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. Finally, after a long labor, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in very serious condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The days inched by. The little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell the parents there is very little hope. Be prepared for the worst. Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house for their new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral. Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. I want to sing to her, he kept saying.
Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before the week was over. Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids are never allowed in Intensive Care. Karen decided to take Michael whether they liked it or not. If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never see her alive. She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket.
The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, "Get that kid out of here now! No children are allowed."
The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line. "He is not leaving until he sings to his sister" she stated. Then Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. After a moment, he began to sing. In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray." Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse rate began to calm down and become steady. "Keep on singing, Michael," encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. "You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away." As Michael sang to his sister, the baby's ragged, strained breathing became as smooth as a kitten's purr. Keep on singing, sweetheart. "The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms." Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over her. "Keep on singing, Michael." Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen glowed. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don't take my sunshine away..."
The next day...the very next day...the little girl was well enough to go home. Woman's Day Magazine called it The Miracle of a Brother's Song. The medical staff just called it a miracle. Karen called it a miracle of God's love.
If you work with teenagers, you probably already know that accidents and injuries do happen. The better prepared you and your team are the more confident you can handle the situation and the better off it is for the student and their parents. (Don't forget to read the 
2. First Aid Kit. This is vital to have with you at all times. Take it in the church van or bus. Don't rely on the little store bought kits. Have an EMT, nurse, or doctor put one together for you.
8. Contact Numbers: Communication is so easy in today's cell phone world. Pastor Anthony our Family/Youth Pastor here at Rock Family Church always gives parents about 6-10 leader cell phone numbers whenever he is taking students on any kind of event or activity. If an emergency issue arises on the home front you always want parents to be able to get in touch with their son or daughter. On the flip side, make sure that you get all of the contact numbers for the parents on your medical release form.
The main article in this issue was inspired by Teen Mania / Global Expeditions and my 16 year old daughter Allyson. Ally was on a two week mission trip to Lima, Peru in June and came down with appendicitis. She ended up having surgery before Kim could make it there. (There is just no fast way to Peru).
