"Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

--Phil 4: 6-7 NSRV

The peace that surpasses all understanding ... this is the peace I desire for my wellbeing, this is the peace I long for in my community, this is the peace our world groans for. In The Message, Eugene Peterson translates the verses this way: "Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." And this peace, this wholeness, begins with me. And it begins with me saying YES....

--Melinda Mackey-O'Brien

Encounter God in Lent beginning with an Ash Wednesday service of contemplation, reflection and the imposition of ashes, Feb. 13, 2013.

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It is difficult to write for the January Newsletter as we work through all the emotions of the tragedy of violence at an elementary school, and its impact within that community and our sense of our limitations. And also because we do realize that there is violence in so many ways.

And it is by our sense of commitment to continue with what we are doing, while also adding what may be needed, to make this a more caring, just and peaceful world. So although things like our Sunday coffee hour and "healthy" snacks, and our other community activities we are planning for 2013, may sound, at this time, maybe so "little", they are part of one answer of how to be there with each other week by week, through the whole year.

And so we encourage all of us to enter 2013 with a renewed commitment to "encourage" each other in the life of LBPC.

Margarita and a friend of her wrote a brief article on how to balance ourselves so we can support our children. And although it is written for the specific event in mind it is something that could help through the year as we confront the challenges of our world.

Helping Our Children Respond to Traumatic Events

--Margarita Suarez, RN, MS and Sharon Loeschen, LCSW

The tragic school shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, has propelled us to share our thoughts about how you can help your children cope with traumatic events. What we want to do here is outline a process that we have developed that we believe will be helpful to you. There are six steps that make up the process and they can be used to help yourself and others. We will begin with how to apply them to yourself, as that is where you need to begin.

• Connect: You need to connect with yourself first, which you can do by taking time out to slow down and go through these steps.
• Validate: Sometimes parents question their capacity to be able to change things when there has been a traumatic event. This can affect one's sense of competence and value as a parent. So it's really helps to be compassionate with yourself for insecure feelings and remind yourself that you are a valuable person and your child needs you.
• Become Aware: It's important to notice what is going on inside of you, your thoughts and feelings for when you notice them, you will feel more balanced and have more choices.
• Accept Your Reactions: Accept your feelings and reactions, rather than judge them. People respond very differently to traumatic events. There is no "right" way to feel, or not feel.
• Make Choices: One of the struggles with traumatic events is that they remind us of our limitations; therefore we need to see what choices we have, and not be paralyzed by the event. For example, a very moving "action" was after 9/11 when those working in NY with the Red Cross received several boxes full of teddy bears for the children and the note that came with the teddy bears said: "For the children of NY, from the children of Oklahoma." Like the children from Oklahoma, we cannot stop the pain, but you can do something that allows you to be pro-active for good.
• Seek Support: For many people, reaching out for support is very hard but if you are feeling in pain, alone and/or abandoned, it is important for you to reach out to others. Support really does help, as one of our deepest needs as humans is for connection.

So now that we have covered how to use these steps to help yourself, here is how you can use them to help your children.

• Connect: Let them know you care and find a time and space that fits for them to share.
• Validate: Children feel valued when we spend time with them. And also they may need to hear from you something like: you love them, that all feelings or lack of feelings are okay and that you are glad they are alive. Somehow the attention to those who have died could be interpreted that it is through dying that we become important. So be there for them to celebrate who they are. (Today, for example, a very sensitive 13 year old, who was crying about all those children who were killed, also got an honor award from her school, so her Dad is taking her today to get her a gift to celebrate her award.
• Become Aware: Help the child with his/her feelings and thoughts, paying attention to their developmental age. Let them tell you. Remember also that children tolerance for our "adult" talking is low, so let them guide you.
• Accept Differences: Accepting differences in how we react and see events is so important at times like this. It is hard to deal with children's fears and the temptation is to come with answers too fast. Be patient to hear their fears, and then together come up with some answers. This may take more than one conversation.
• Make Choices: Here is where you and the child can be creative in some of the things you can do similar to the children of Oklahoma sending the Teddy Bears. It is our experience that children can be amazing creative and see choices that will help them if we create the space for this.   And at the same time, there is the importance of routine...
• Give Support: Help kids to find out what are some of their own inner supports they can use, such as slowing their breathing, remembering their courage for hard things that they have learned to do, and some of the smart things they do for safety, like wearing a helmet when riding a bike. Help children also by identifying other people who can be helpful to them, such a friends and relatives, special counselors, teachers, and other adults in our community.

 This is not easy, yet we can work out some ways of dealing with trauma and pain that allows us to have some choices.

HEALTHCARE TEAM

Q My husband is 64 years old and becoming increasingly isolated because he can't hear and won't wear a hearing aid. Is it true that poor hearing can lead to cognitive problems?

A It is estimated that 26.7 million adults in the U.S. age 50 and older have hearing loss, yet for various reasons only one in seven of these individuals uses a hearing aid. There is strong evidence of an association between hearing loss in older adults and poorer performance on some cognitive tests, and also evidence that using hearing aids may help improve this performance. For example, research published in February 2011 in the Archives of Neurology suggests that over time, mild hearing loss can lead to double the normal risk of dementia, moderate hearing loss can lead to three times the normal risk, and severe hearing loss can increase dementia risk by a factor of five. Other research suggests that a 25 decibel increase in hearing loss among older people is equivalent to an increase in seven years of age in performance on cognitive testing. In research published in the June 2011 issue of Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, older adults with hearing loss who were provided with hearing aids experienced significant improvements on tests of cognitive function over six months compared to similar participants who did not have hearing aids. Hearing-aid technology has improved considerably in the past decade or so, and your husband may not be aware of how effective and unobtrusive a modern hearing aid can be. A discussion with a medical care provider might help your husband understand the possible consequences of long-term hearing impairment, familiarize him with the options available, and encourage him to have a hearing assessment.

From Mind, Mood and Memory, Massachusetts General Hospital, May 2012 

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Charge: To provide for spiritual nurture and growth for all ages to an engaging faith that articulates the Gospel with words and demonstrates the Gospel in love, justice and action

Carolyn Carpenter and Steve Turner, Chairs; Committee members: Gail Lane, (Presbyterian Women) Sally Mackey, Peggy Meyer, Sarah Pham (staff) Linda Shaw, Nola Sparks, Sonya Vasilieff, Don Weber, Dawn Wilson, Dee Wix.

December was a really great month in the children's department. We hosted almost 60 people at our annual Christmas dinner with the children and families of the after school program. It was an amazing night of celebrating Jesus' birth, giving gifts to all the kids and enjoying a wonderful meal prepared by a fabulous volunteer team. December also brought a chance for the children of LBPC to come together to put on a Christmas Eve program that displayed the children's talents. It was great to see them so excited about putting on a program that they were so proud of.

In looking forward to the new year, I am excited to report that the Encounter team and myself are going to be working together to have the children more involved in the Sunday worship service. I think this will be a wonderful way to have the children feel more included and a true part of the LBPC family. I also look forward to a few new volunteers who are interested in helping out with the after school program! This is a true answer to prayer and I am excited about the people who are going to come alongside the kids of the after school program.

I love that January offers a time to have a fresh start and anticipate what the New Year is going to hold. I pray that you look forward to this time as a way to start anew and begin 2013 looking to Jesus to do new and amazing things!

Happy New Year!

Sarah

Presbyterian Women All-Church Dinner on January 26

Bring your family and friends to our All-Church Dinner at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26. We will feature a Hobby Display and Talent Show. Tickets will go on sale after worship on Jan. 6, 13, and 20. Adults and youth tickets are $25 and children 12 and under are $12.50. Call Gail Lane if you can help contribute to ticket scholarships for families who need help.

The church van will be available to pick up people from Wesley Gardens and Judson Park. If you would like a ride, please contact Clyde Watkins at 206.242.7360.

As this is our annual Presbyterian Women (PW) Fund Raiser, the funds raised from the ticket sales and the dessert auction (brought back by popular demand) will go to support our PW mission causes. One project combines our PW, United Gospel Mission (UGM) and World Vision together in contributing food for UGM families needing support for their weekend nutrition. Each year our PW contributes funds to our Seattle Presbytery PW, which includes more mission outreach projects. Also, we contribute to our Church-wide PW, which supports projects in the South Sudan and India.

Invite your friends to join you in the Fellowship Hall at 5 p.m. Everyone can check out the hobby displays and then look over the table with the donated desserts. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. During dinner, each table can add a donation to their table's envelope. After dinner, the envelopes will be collected. The envelope with the most money will choose their dessert first and then the second highest next and then so on and so on. Then we will all enjoy a talent show featuring all ages.

Contact Gail at 206.246.5898 or Lucille Wheeler at 206.246.2097 if you plan to bring a hobby to display or a photograph of your favorite hobby. Also, please call them to volunteer to be in our own LBPC Talent Show. We look forward to an evening with a delicious meal, fascinating hobby exhibits, a talent show, and great fellowship among friends and family.

Boy Scout Troop 360

Boy Scout Troop 360 thanks Lake Burien members for supporting their sale of wreaths and poinsettias. We hope you enjoyed them. The Scouts are currently preparing for Scout Sunday on Feb. 10. We invite you to attend and see the Scouts participate during and after worship.

Volunteer Opportunity

Two classrooms from Seahurst Elementary School will be going on a field trip to the Seattle Aquarium on Jan. 22 and would like to have some chaperones volunteer their time and go on the field trip with these two classrooms.

Ideally, we are looking for between eight and 10 volunteers to go on this field trip. If anyone is interested in going, they first need to be cleared by the district in order to go. Each person needs to come into the school office at Seahurst Elementary and fill out some paperwork. Then, this paperwork is sent to our district office. This process takes about two weeks to clear, so people will need to come to Seahurst as soon as possible so they will be cleared in time to go on the field trip. The school office will be open through Dec. 21 and then reopens on Wednesday, Jan. 2.

The two classrooms that are going on this field trip are:

Brigid Koontz: 4th, 5th, 6th grade teacher

Mimi Krsak: 4th, 5th, 6th grade ELL teacher

Volunteers would ride the bus with the students to and from the aquarium so no one has to drive downtown. They can park in our school parking lot while they are on the field trip.

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013

Time: 10 to 3

Field Trip Location: Seattle Aquarium (meet at Seahurst Elementary at 10 and ride the bus with students)

Cost: This will be covered by the district

Please bring a sack lunch for yourself since students will be eating lunch at the Aquarium

If you have any questions, you can contact Kim Gansneder at 206.242.0645. She is an employee at the school and can answer any questions you may have.