The Gunn Site: 2015

Frank & Lydia

We found out in February that we were going to be grandparents – a new role as “Pappy” and “Honey” that we are beyond excited to embrace!! It was fun to see Mary Lindsay “grow” as we were blessed to see her several times during her pregnancy when she flew south! Our first grandchild, Durango Ryan Jackson, was born on October 22!!! We feel like the Lord parted Dallas traffic during rush hour for us to catch a flight, and we made it to Denver for Durango’s arrival! After being in and out of the labor room at the birthing center, we stood right outside of the door as Durango was born, hugging each other with tears streaming down our faces as we heard his first cries. Words are so inadequate to describe that experience – a new generation of life in our family. What a gift from the Lord! The midwife dubbed us “The Weeping Grandparents”! Mary Lindsay was superwoman during her natural delivery, and Slater was an amazing partner, support, and coach through it all.

We were so proud to attend Annalise’s Baylor Graduation in May, then move her to Charleston in August to start grad school and her internship for social work! We saw her in Denver around Durango’s birth, and we are loving having her home during this Christmas break! Frank left Miami in November and came home for Thanksgiving. The three of us drove to Denver for the holiday, then he flew to Hawaii to be on staff for YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Kona. It will be tough to not have him home for Christmas!

With the oil & gas industry in a downturn, Lydia has had to diversify! She taught English and Louisiana History March-May at Keithville Middle School, then she helped kick off one of Caddo Parish’s summer school locations. In June, she began traveling in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas as a sales rep. She is still a part of the Coordinating Team for Perspectives of the World Christian Movement in our area. Frank still enjoys biking and is continuing his work on his Doctorate of Ministry. He feels so fulfilled in his role as Family Minister at Broadmoor Baptist. He loves counseling with couples and has such a passion for discipleship. Currently, over 75 men are involved in the disciple-making process! Frank’s personal group multiplied in the summer, and he is facilitating two new groups that kicked off in the fall. Preschoolers recognize Frank as “Chapel Man” for our weekday preschool. We are still loving teaching a BGroup (Sunday School class) of young married couples. Our class has been blessed with many babies this past year! We count it such an honor and privilege to do life and Kingdom work alongside the folks of Broadmoor Baptist!
In extended family news, our nephew Garrett Jackson was married in Houston in June – such an incredible weekend—welcome to the family, Suzanne! Frank’s parents both turned 80 this year, so we had fun surprising each of them with family gatherings in Mississippi. We have a new great nephew who made an early appearance in September - Hudson John Mitchell. We rejoice with his parents, BethAnne and Tyler Mitchell, for answered prayers that he is doing great after his stint in the NICU! Can’t wait to meet him and see our extended families this Christmas!

Mary Lindsay & Slater

What a monumental year for these two as they became new parents! There was the excitement of announcing the pregnancy and the months of preparing for Durango’s arrival, researching the safest products for him and preparing the nursery (Slater’s wood accent wall is amazing, and Mary Lindsay got crafty making Durango’s crib mobile!). Throughout the year, they hosted numerous family members and friends in their home, and they loved getting to see many of their overseas friends that attended a conference in Colorado. They made trips for weddings, work, and both of their sisters’ college graduations. Mary Lindsay was blessed with a baby shower hosted by family friends in Shreveport and a surprise baby shower hosted by her co-workers in Waco! They took a trip to Florida this summer as a celebration of 5 years of marriage and a “Babymoon,” stopping in Miami (saw Frank while they were there) and traveling through the Keys. Mary Lindsay has enjoyed getting more involved as a Wellness Advocate with Doterra essential oils. Slater is still taking advantage of the slopes! He has also won some awards after only two years with KB Home: his team won Best Customer Service scores in the CO division, and he tied for 4^th place in the CO division for sales this year! Mary Lindsay resigned from her job with Baylor University upon the arrival of their son, Durango Ryan Jackson, born October 22, weighing 8 lbs. 10.5 oz, measuring 20.75 inches!!! Their current favorite pastime is trying to make Durango smile! Life will never be the same!

Frank

Frank returned to utilizing his culinary skills, cooking for the Blue Marlin Fish House on the banks of the Oleta River in Miami. The restaurant is on the site of the original Blue Marlin Smoke House, circa 1938, where fishing captains would dock their boats and barter their catch. Frank eventually became head chef and manager of the restaurant. The restaurant is a part of the Florida State Parks system, and management changed hands, so the restaurant temporarily closed for remodeling. He started work for the new management company, BG Capital Group. They are preparing to manage multiple state parks and open several restaurants, so Frank helped in all types of capacities: construction; rentals; preparing restaurants for opening; conducting scuba, kayak, and snorkeling tours; and certifying folks in scuba. Sensing the stirring of God’s Spirit for a new direction, Frank applied to be on staff at YWAM (Youth With a Mission) University of the Nations in Kona, HI. He was accepted! So, he packed up his worldly goods that would fit in his Jeep, Craigslisted the rest, and drove to Shreveport mid November. The three of us drove to Denver for Thanksgiving so he could meet his new nephew! He stayed a few extra days with Mary Lindsay and Slater, then he flew on to Kona. He is loving being there again, experiencing daily corporate worship, working on base, and discipling a group of young men. He has started working with Deep & Beyond, a ministry to the mentally and physically challenged. They are introduced to the ocean through snorkeling, scuba, swimming, and boogie boarding. To pay the bills, he is working in the evenings at Longboard Legends restaurant. We are so excited to see what God has planned for Him, knowing that YWAM has been so instrumental in his life, providing opportunities for ministry and missions.

Annalise

As the year began, Annalise started her last undergraduate semester at Baylor. She had several jobs there, including leading tours for housing, working reservations in the Student Union building, and conducting telecounseling recruiting. She continued her social work internship, doing case management for the Family Abuse Center. On campus, she stayed involved with Student Foundation, was a Team Leader for Baylor’s Youth Ministry Teams, an officer for the Social Work Student Association, and a member of the School of Social Work’s Honor Society. She volunteered in student ministry at her church, leading a middle school Life Group and discipling a small group of girls. She became a Baylor graduate in May!! We are so proud of her for accomplishing this in three years! She enjoyed a fun beach trip with friends to celebrate, then she worked for Baylor through the summer. We moved her to Charleston, South Carolina, in August. The Lord really paved the way for her to do grad school there--opening up an internship and providing a house with awesome roommates! She is taking virtual classes with Baylor. This allows her to serve her internship at a Children’s Advocacy Center where she counsels children and their families who have experienced a traumatic event. She also leads a weekly group for adolescent boys with sexual behavior problems and assists one of her professors with a seminar for parents about child body safety. She attends Seacoast Church and small group, and she and her roomies host a college house church. She was honored to be selected to serve on the Social Work Field Advisory Council for Baylor as their children and families concentration representative. She is also working as a graduate assistant, conducting research. She flew to Denver in October to meet her new nephew, and we were so glad to spend time with her there! We gave her a camera for graduation, and her hobby has turned into a good side-job for her! Check out her photography website: www.annalisegunn.com

Durango Ryan Jackson, Born October 22!!!!

Proud of our Baylor graduate!

Cooking for the Guy Harvey Lion Fish Tournament

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

. . . of course this happened!

Frank & Lydia

As “empty nesters,” we continue to find creative ways to navigate this stage of life! We look for opportunities to connect with our adult children whenever possible. Annalise seems to be the one that gets the “privilege” of seeing her parents the most since she is only four hours away! Haha! New Year’s week was the first time that all six of us have been together since last Christmas (which explains the late New Year’s card)! Frank's parents rented a beautiful cabin for the family in Evergreen, CO, and we all had a blast being together and playing in the snow! We truly treasure time together since distance prevents it from happening often! Frank had a conference in Orlando in May, so he drove down to Miami to see Frank3. We both flew to Denver in October to see Mary Lindsay and Slater’s apartment and “stomping grounds” before they moved to their new home. Our extended family continues to grow – two weddings in May and two new babies this year! Our niece BethAnne Clark married Tyler Mitchell, and our niece Jordyn Gunn married Brandon Fletcher – two beautiful Mississippi weddings! We have two new great nieces – Presley Mac Beassie and Adalynne Gilbey Clark. Frank traveled to China this summer to partner with good friends doing Kingdom work there. They went on adventure travels, camping and mountain biking in the Himilayas—such an incredible trip! Lydia’s oil and gas work is centered in Texas, so we have enjoyed discovering historic Texas towns and antiquing in quaint Texas town squares. Our BGroup of young married couples continues to be such a blessing – we love them! Frank meets weekly for discipleship with several young men, and Lydia is still a part of the coordinating team for Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, as work travel permits. Frank has finished his course work for his doctorate, and only his final project and paper (or should I say book!!) remain! We continue to feel blessed beyond measure to serve God’s people at Broadmoor Baptist Church and be a part of His Kingdom work!

Mary Lindsay & Slater

Thanks to the natural beauty of Colorado, Mary Lindsay and Slater have taken full advantage of outdoor activities! They have hiked numerous 14ers (mountain peaks that exceed 14,000 feet in elevation); have enjoyed snow skiing in Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, A Basin, Winter Park, and Park City, Utah; have gone camping; and have vacationed in Pagosa Springs and Durango. Slater also ran a 10K this year. They loved hosting many friends and family members that have traveled to Denver! Mary Lindsay took a new position with Baylor University as a Regional Admissions Coordinator for a 7-state region, traveling primarily to Colorado and Arizona. She is so thankful to be working for her alma mater! We are so grateful that we get to see her more often since she travels to Waco several times a year! Slater continues to sell new homes for KB Home. They officially became first-time homeowners in October, and they are enjoying settling in to their home and community. Speaking of community, they found a great church called Northern Hills that is close to their neighborhood. They traveled to Austin to spend Christmas with Slater’s family, then practiced their great hospitality as our extended family converged on the Denver area for New Year’s week!

Frank

Frank finished out his school year at Barry University in Miami, then got to travel this summer to Bonaire, an island in the Dutch Caribbean, as part of his program in Sport Management in the Diving Industry. His classes included tropical diving and underwater photography. He took some incredible pictures! We loved getting to see him in October when he flew to Arkansas to be a groomsman in Matthew Pope’s wedding. He had a great time reconnecting with life-long friends. He loves all things outdoors, including riding his fixie bike and, of course, diving and spearfishing! He shot a beautiful wood duck on a recent duck hunt. Frank still enjoys cooking for friends and family. He put those skills to work some while he was home for the Christmas holidays, working for his former employer – Shaver’s Catering. They got to serve the Duck Dynasty boys at the Independence Bowl! When Frank is home, we realize how much we miss his easy laughter and joy for life when he’s not around!

Annalise
Annalise finished out her school year at Baylor, then spent her summer as a videographer and Bible study leader for CLEAR Camps. This is her second summer to serve with CLEAR, and she loved traveling with her team to conduct camps, vacation Bible schools, and day camps throughout Louisiana, Texas, and Tennessee. We are so grateful for the financial and prayer support from so many of you! She was also excited to be a counselor for high school camp for Broadmoor Baptist. In August, she began her senior year at Baylor (even as I type this, that doesn’t seem possible!). She is a junior in attendance, but she will graduate in May. She plans to continue on to get her master’s in social work. She started her internship at the Family Abuse Center where she leads support groups, meets with clients, and answers hotline calls. She is gaining such invaluable experience. She works as a tour guide for Baylor Housing, and continues being a part of Baylor’s Student Foundation. She loves being a team leader for Baylor’s Youth Ministry Teams, serving area youth ministries. She is a middle school Lifegroup leader at her church in Waco, Antioch Community Church, and she disciples a group of middle school girls. She and her numerous roommates have a new addition to the apartment – a kitten named Louis! Annalise wanted me to add that she did indeed pass neuroscience last semester!