# I'm still kicking!



## Clay3063 (Apr 12, 2018)

It's been a while since I got on here. Been real busy of late. Mary and I have decided to stay in Colorado, at least for the foreseeable future. We are working on building a Mission here in Southern Colorado to give a hand up to the homeless and others of lesser means. We planted a church here out of our travel trailer in January. We started with 8 people, 3 other couples besides Mary and myself. Since then we've grown to 23 on our rolls, almost half of them homeless people. The goal is not to build a church building, but a Mission as an extension of the Church. We have finally procured financial oversight from a group of men in Texas. The plan is to purchase a plot of land and begin a self sustaining community. We have plans to build a large shop building / barn that will allow us to teach several skills, woodworking, welding, plumbing, electrical, etc. We have also seen the need to provide educational instruction as many of these people do not have a high school education. I have been in contact with several retired school teachers who have expressed desire to come help us with that end of the Mission. The barn will also serve as a place of worship on Sundays. We will build the barn first, then as it comes to completion, we will start the process of building small houses to put our people in and get them out of the tents they've been living in. 
While we wait on the funds to begin that process, we have already started teaching them how to make various small wood working projects to sell instead of having them panhandle for money on the street corners. Our first project is making walking sticks. Mary went back to Texas last week for the grandson's birthday and while there she brought back my lath and turning tools, etc. I'll start turning pens again pretty soon and also start teaching the others how to do the same. 
There's a lot going on. We came here to treat and cure my cancer. We've done that. But we've decided to stay for the opportunities that God has put before us. We're done with pretty churches with pretty pews, pretty stain glassed windows, etc. We're gonna build a barn. I figure if the Good Lord found one worthy to be born in, then we might as well carry on the tradition by worshiping in one. LOL. 
Just wanted to check in. Tell you all I'm alive and kicking and doing very well. I feel better than I have in years. I've also dropped 75 pounds from the 325 I started with when we got here in September of last year. I aim to lose another 25 or so and get back to my optimum weight. I got tired of being a fat body with no energy. And I got tired of being sick. I forgot what it feels like to feel good. Praise the Lord. 

Shalom!

Clay

Reactions: Like 3 | Great Post 4 | Way Cool 1 | Sincere 3


----------



## Tony (Apr 12, 2018)

Clay, good to hear from you! Sounds like all is good out there, y'all are doing good things for people that really need it. Tony

Reactions: Sincere 2


----------



## Wildthings (Apr 12, 2018)

I was thinking and wondering, yesterday, about you? Great to hear from you and the new adventure

Reactions: Sincere 1


----------



## SENC (Apr 12, 2018)

How awesome and incredibly exciting, Clay! Will pray for continued blessings on your church!

Reactions: Sincere 1


----------



## Nature Man (Apr 12, 2018)

A new door is opening for you! Do you need any wood to get you kickstarted? Chuck

Reactions: Sincere 1


----------



## Lou Currier (Apr 12, 2018)

It’s great to hear from and that you are doing well...been thinking about you and suddenly there you are. Please keep in touch with your WB family. God bless.

Reactions: Sincere 1


----------



## Clay3063 (Apr 12, 2018)

Thank you everyone for the kind words. As per Lou's request to keep in touch, I've thought of you guys often but just haven't taken the time to connect. We have been going sunup to past sundown 7 days per week for months now. This work is the most rewarding I've ever done as a minister and also the most heartbreaking. We deal with it all. And I mean ALL. One at a time as we can, sometimes more. Just depends. We've sold most of our personal stuff with the exception of my tools to support this work. We're all in now for sure. We will use all of our tools to facilitate the teaching aspect of this project once we get a parcel of land and get the barn built. As per the question can we use any wood? Yes. But right now, hold off. I have to get some things done right now before I can actually start turning again. The plan for now is to put a camper shell or small slide in camper on my truck to use as a mobil workshop for turning pens, etc until we get the mission itself started. I got it all in my head on how to work the mobil workshop. But will probably make some sort of slide out so I can work off the tailgate. One thing we can use is pen kits. Any kind at this point. I've still got a few blanks from Texas so I can probably turn several but don't have the kits on hand to make them with. So there is that. So if anyone had any old kits they don't want and can afford to donate, please send me a message. Thanks again brothers. It's good to be back. 

Shalom

Clay

Reactions: Sincere 2


----------



## Eric Rorabaugh (Apr 12, 2018)

Great to hear from you Clay. Send me your address. I just did a trade with @FranklinWorkshops and got some pen kits. I'll send them and some pen blanks for the people to start with. Glad to hear everything is going well and God bless you both!!! I'll be gone next week but will get it in the mail when I get back.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## rocky1 (Apr 14, 2018)

Brother Clay! 

Like many of the others above, you've been on my mind of late; have been wondering how you were doing. It's truly good to hear from you; you've been missed!! Glad to hear all is well on your end of things. 

Believe I have an overstock on Slimline/Thinline kits in the barn. (_That dang CRS thang, ordered a bunch... twice!_) Let me look and see what's there.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | +Karma 1


----------



## gorfoncam (Jan 25, 2022)

Hey, I didn't hear any news, how things are going? I also want to open a home for homeless people in my town, but I don't know what to start with. I just know that I need to write a lot of papers, but writing was never my strong point, this is why I postpone it. In college, I was always using an editing service which I found after reading the Proof-Reading review, to correct all my mistakes in order to get a good mark, but now I don't know what to do. Thanks in advance for your reply.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## 2feathers Creative Making (Jan 25, 2022)

@Clay3063

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Clay3063 (Jan 27, 2022)

Hello everyone. It's been an exciting and wild ride over the course of the last 4 1/2 years. I survived the cancer that was trying to kill me and in the interim Mary and I have built a church around the homeless in Trinidad, Colorado. We meet every Sunday in a city park where we engage in a short devotional period, which includes a Word of encouragement and then we take communion together with any and all who wish to participate. Then we serve them a meal like my momma used to prepare for us each Sunday after worship. We average around 50-75 folks in the winter and 75+ in the spring and summer. I won't expand on all that's going on with us here. It'd take days and you all don't have that kind of time to waste. But suffice it to say we're still going and still serving. In the last 4 1/2 years we've baptized 57 people in the Purgatory river. The latest was in November of 2021. Just before it started to ice over. You gotta really want to get saved to brave that water in November. LOL! It's tough work. Covid has changed a lot of things for a lot of people and the economy hasn't helped much either. But we still give all that we have to help those who have little if anything of their own. If you want to know more, send me a private message. I'll get back with you. One thing of note: Last month, two weeks before Christmas I had the retina in my right eye detach itself. I spent two weeks in Colorado Springs while it healed after surgery. Also had a tear in the left retina that they welded back with their little laser gadget. Then right after New Years Mary and I finally got the Covid. We were pretty sick for a couple weeks and I had to visit the ER in Pueblo. They gave me a steroid and an O2 concentrator for a couple weeks. I had just gotten over that when there was a new tear in the retina in the right eye. SMH. So back to the Springs for a second surgery to reattach it. We've been up here for 13 days now I think and I get to go home tomorrow. All seems to be well but the doc said the laser surgery(s) exacerbated the cataracts in both eyes and as soon as he is sure that all is well with the retina in my right eye they want to replace the lenses in both eyes. So we'll be back up here in a couple months for that little procedure. It is what it is. I watch Wood barter a lot and think of all of you often. Just haven't had much of a chance to do much of anything with wood except fell a bunch of trees and cut them into lumber for cabins etc that we are trying to build for the homeless. It's time consuming but we're getting there. It wouldn't be so hard if it weren't for all the rules regs and jerks that don't want us to help the homeless. Anyway, that's another update. I pray each of you has a blessed New Year! And again, for those who want to know what I know (which isn't much) about homeless andhow to help, send me a message and we'll connect and visit. Shalom!!! - Clay Mason

Reactions: Like 1 | Sincere 7


----------



## Eric Rorabaugh (Jan 27, 2022)

Good to see you on brother Clay! Take care my friend.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## 2feathers Creative Making (Jan 27, 2022)

Thanks for the update. Sounds like you are having pressure regulating eye problems. Is diabetes involved or maybe side effects from cancer treatment? Is that milling being done with your chainsaw bar based sawmill? 
Will remember you when chatting with 'poppa'

Reactions: Thank You! 1


----------



## Wildthings (Jan 27, 2022)

Clay you are one B.A. preacher man!!

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 1


----------



## woodtickgreg (Jan 28, 2022)

Clay it's always good to hear from you. Don't be a stranger and post your adventures in life here with us. It's inspirational. God bless you and those around you.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Sincere 1


----------



## Clay3063 (Jan 28, 2022)

2feathers Creative Making said:


> Thanks for the update. Sounds like you are having pressure regulating eye problems. Is diabetes involved or maybe side effects from cancer treatment? Is that milling being done with your chainsaw bar based sawmill?
> Will remember you when chatting with 'poppa'


Thank you so much for your prayers and concerns. It's not diabetes related. Most likely has to do with a fall I had earlier in the year when I slipped off the top step of the front porch and bounced my head off the bottom step before the rest of my body made it to the ground. And yes, altitude plays a big part in this, thus we stayed in a motel room in Colorado Springs for almost 2 weeks in each instance. Pretty sure and the doc seems to agree that this second detachment was caused by inflammation associated with the Covid virus which got us both right at New Years.

Reactions: Sincere 3


----------



## Tony (Jan 29, 2022)

Good to hear from you Clay! You keep hanging on my friend, fight the good fight!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


----------

