Elephant Bar

No, I didn't go to a bar to drink!  The Elephant Bar is a chain of restaurants.  Sondra and I met up with Mr. Freeman and his wife for a little dinner tonight.  I just thought Elephant Bar would get your attention...ha ha.

This afternoon, I got a call from my brother David.  He is scheduled to be released from federal custody on Saturday, June 5.  Just about six weeks away.  I have been in touch with the California parole department and we are working out a plan to get an extra day of travel after picking David up in Texas.  We may go to Oklahoma for a half day to see family and relatives.  Nothing in concrete for plans yet, so we will wait and see in the days ahead.
The days seem to just fly by.  This past week was a blur.  In the Census Bureau office of Riverside where I work, we are gearing up for the NRFU operation.  NRFU stands for Non-Response Follow-Up.  If you didn't send in your census report, you will get a visit sometime in the next month probably.  We are putting together all the materials for the "enumerators" to go door to door and follow up to get the data on population in the area.  It really has been interesting and fascinating to see this decennial census (ten-year census) up close and in detail.

On Wednesday, our Truth Project focused on the aspect of work and labor.  God ordained the aspect of work, as he worked six days and rested.  He set the pattern for us.  We have a divine role in our labor and work.  It is a joy to behold, to see what God does through us and in us as we work.

On Friday night, I went to the VA hospital in Loma Linda for an appointment.  My doctor had scheduled me for a 9 pm appointment to have a Sleep Test.  It was to determine if I have sleep apnea disorder.  I checked in, got all "wired" up, and was put to bed around 9:30 pm, sleeping without any machines.  At midnight, just like the technician told me would happen, I was awakened to put on the mask that was hooked up to the CPAP (continuous positive airflow pressure) machine and I then went back to sleep.  I was awakened a little before 6 am, as that was the scheduled end time for this test.  The tech handed me the mask and said, "Join the club!"  I will get my CPAP machine to take home in about 3 weeks from the VA pharmacy.  The tech said that, according to the readouts, I "slept like a baby" from 2 am on through the rest of the night with the machine.  I drove home well rested!

Then, as soon as I got home, Sondra and I got ready to drive to Anaheim (but not to Disneyland...ha).  The regional meeting for the Southern California section of the Potawatomi tribe was to be at the Sheraton there in Anaheim.  Jason (our oldest who lives in Oklahoma and works for the tribe) was flown out with other administrative team members for this event.  So, we got to see him and go to dinner later.  We went to Bubba Gump's Shrimp House close by.  Fun time and good food.

At the meeting, other family members attended as well.  My brother John and his wife Cathy were there, as well as nephew John Ross and wife (Caryn) and their kids (Hannah and Seth).  Nephew Kirk and his wife Tamra and their son Kyle made it too.  We had our own little table of "Bergeron" descendants.

We also took little grand-daughter Bailey with us to the meeting, then brought her home with us to spend the night.  She is growing and walking.

Church today was a special time.  I preached on the story of Jeremiah being thrown into a mud slime pit, a prophet who was treated poorly because of his message of repentance.  When we have our times of being in "the pit" of life, we must do three things.  First, believe that God is the great creator of all, who is holy and loves his creation.  Second, we must pray in a way that asks God what his design is.  We like to "ask and get" when we pray, but we must be selfless and follow his purposes.  Third, we must wait.  It is hard to wait.  Many of us get impatient with things in life.  The seven major commands of God are go, come, wait, sit, stand, walk and run.  We need to take special time to wait for God's awesome timing.  Jeremiah had to wait, but God delivered him.

Tonight, I go in at midnight to work the "graveyard shift" at the Census office.  I haven't worked that shift for
"many moons."  Hope tonight goes well.  So, good night to you and hope you had a blessed week too!