The Year in Review
The Year in Review
What
a very busy year! January was the
beginning of “life coaching”. Struggling
to move from depression and grief, I joined forces with a very godly coach (Tommy Echols...thank you) to
help get life back on track. Mom’s loss
the previous September pulled the rug out from under me in ways I couldn’t have
imagined. I had not realized how much
she was part of me…the person I turned to for guidance…the person I turned to
for sharing good news (or difficulties).
How I still miss her. But life
kept going and I needed to jump back into the fray.
Sizeable
checks had arrived from the inheritance my parents left. This was not money I ever wanted…it was not
money I wanted to keep. So I gave away
over half of it…to struggling family members…to friends who needed a boost to
help them along their way…to a church that has faithfully cared for us through
the years and to the college ministry in South Africa that had blessed me so
richly several summers ago. It was not
hard to hand out the money…and to get the blessing of satisfaction that comes
from giving with a cheerful heart.
It
was also pleasant to make a sizeable payment on school loans…whew!
Then
it was time to decide the best way to use the rest of the money. Spoiling grandchildren was fun…I like buying
clothes for the little ones. We put a
new roof on the house and garage…and replaced all the windows in the house (I
can tell already what a great difference this has made…our house is staying
warm and comfy this winter because of that change). We remodeled the living room and it’s such a
room of comfort now. Sometimes I just
sit and stare at it…so hard to believe this room can be this nice. Special thanks to Kevin Halstead and his crew
for all the hard work on our house this year.
We’re still in the process of remodeling one of the kids rooms into “my
office”…but since this is a DIY project it may take a couple of years. All the furniture is purchased for the office…it
just needs a room to be set up in.
I
will remember this year as a year of travel.
The first week of March was a wonderful week spent high in the Rockies
with friends Leisa, Shawna and Vicki.
Fireside chats…snow fun…a spa day…dinner theatre…dining out…dining in…beautiful,
breath-taking vistas…it was a wonderful week to re-connect with women who had
made such a positive impact on my life.
April
and May were full of preparing for a trip to South Africa after Dan quickly
agreed to give up a one-week cruise to Alaska for a ten-week trip back to the
place where I’d left a chunk of my heart four years ago. We crammed a lifetime of fun and service to
God into those ten weeks. Working at
Durban Bible College again blessed my life…and Dan’s. Our service included teaching, school
maintenance, a fund-raising concert, a missions conference and a “Lead Like
Jesus” seminar. Our side trips
included: a safari to Kruger Park, The
Drakensburg Boys Choir School, uShaka Sea World, Sunday services in Mandeni,
Butterflies over Africa and an 11th year anniversary celebration 32
stories high in a revolving restaurant that allowed us to see all of the city
and port and ocean…a very memorable anniversary supper. Our “suspense” included two car incidences
(two flat tires late one evening and a terrible auto accident that totaled two
vehicles but demonstrated God’s care for all of us), run-ins with local monkeys
(one stealing bread INSIDE the kitchen). Our wonderful hostess, Marcia Gustafson could not have been more
gracious. It was ten weeks full of
memories.
It
was also a year of listening to God and hearing a call to give our lives
full-time to missions. Durban Bible
College has invited us to come and serve with them. I’ve been offered an opportunity to set up a
music department at the school and teach classes on “Worship and Music” and “Fundamentals
of Music”. I would also teach private
music lessons to the students and work with the college choir. Finally, I would set up a ministry “team” to
go to local churches, ministering in music and word and helping to promote the
college. Dan has been invited to come
and teach classes on Evangelism and Missions and facilitate “Lead Like Jesus”
seminars in Durban. Now we begin the
process of seeking support to serve overseas.
South Africa does not allow Americans to work in their country because
all jobs are protected for South Africans.
However, there are no South Africans willing to serve in our position
since the school pays nothing for the teaching.
Therefore, we qualify to help on staff because our support will come
fully from the United States. Please
pray for us as we begin this process.
God
wasn’t through with us when we returned from South Africa! We spent the first week of November working
with two Navajo churches in New Mexico…along with four other members from our
church and 9 folks from other churches in our denomination. What a busy week we had. I taught children on Sunday morning and
Thursday evening. Dan helped replace a
door that had been destroyed during a break-in and theft at one of the
churches. He also spent a very busy
Thursday chopping and stacking wood at Pine Tree Church. Kirkland Hope Church was a gracious host
church to our group of 15…and what a blessing to see how God put together the
right team to accomplish all the tasks of the week. I cleaned out a garden shed, straightened up
and re-organized a basement storage shed and cleaned out a tomato garden and
prepped it for next years plantings. Two
other large storage sheds were re-organized by team members…and a great job was
done on preparing the “lawn” (dirt and burrs) to be a little friendlier and
nicer looking. A two-car garage was erected at the home of missionaries Dave and Carol Kochendorfer. Paneling was hung inside
the church building and everyone else participated in the log-splitting/chopping
and stacking. Wonderful side trips to
some restored “ruins”, ShipRock, Four Corners and Mesa Verde made for a lot of
memories from a very busy week.
We’ve
enjoyed having a special guest in our home for two months. We’ve hosted Pastor Stephen Chisonta from
Durban, South Africa since October 16th. He’ll be leaving day after tomorrow, and
after having his company for two months he is going to be dearly missed. He’s had the opportunity to speak at the
Bradford Area Christian Academy, the YMCA Bible Study group and Sawyer
Evangelical. He’s joined with the men’s
group on Saturday mornings. He’s
continued to minister to friends and family through his computer and through
our telephone which has rung off the hook while he’s been here (I have to
confess I won’t miss the phone ringing all the time – smile). Stephen’s been a gracious and sweet guest,
and we look forward to his next visit to the United States…with his fiancé, Brenda,
who will be his bride by then!
I’ve
made a New Year’s resolution that I’m NOT FLYING in 2013. We have a new grandbaby due sometime in the
middle of summer and we’re looking forward to that. Holden is 5 now and is doing well in
school. Orlando, who turns 4 at the end
of the month, is also doing well in school.
Roman, 2.5, is starting to talk and chatter and is just a delightful,
curly-headed sweetheart. And princess
Shannon, the only girl in the bunch, continues to delight our hearts. Andy and Jen bought a house in Portville this
summer…about 40 minutes away…and are working diligently to get everything up to
par (it was sort of a fixer-upper).
LeeAnne has stayed busy as a teacher’s aide and spent a few weeks this
summer as surrogate mom to her niece, enjoying having two kids at home. Steve and Enith have had a challenging year,
but seem to be settling in to anticipate the arrival of their third child. Overall, 2012 will be a year of blessing for
our whole clan.
God
has been working on my heart in a myriad of ways. I struggle still with selfishness and wanting
“my” way. He keeps proving that His ways
are much better for me. I’m ending this
year having just joined Weight Watchers and losing some of the weight I’ve put
on since my surgery three years ago. I struggle
with some pain issues…lower back and knee pains that make it difficult to
walk. I’m hoping the weight loss will
help me rid myself of those problems. I’ve
been “busy” this year, but not so busy that I could get out of the “slump” and
out from under the cloud that seems to have hung over me since losing mom. I think I’m really just finally dealing with
the loss of both dad and mom…having never really had the time to grieve for dad’s
loss before losing mom. I now understand
what I never understood before losing them…knowing they’re in a better place
doesn’t really fill up the hole left in my heart when I lost them. Do we ever really “lose” people we love since
they continue to live on in our hearts?
This
year ends with some sadness in my heart too.
We’ve just experienced the great loss of lives in a shooting at an
elementary school. Twenty first graders
and six adults were killed by a young man in a fit of madness. It’s difficult to “cope” with tragedy on this
scale. But I end the year doing what I’ve
done since the beginning of the year…holding on to God and thanking Him for
sending His Son Who loved us so much He gave up His life to pay for our
sins. People talk about the “free” gift
of salvation…but that sacrifice came at a high price for God. He knows what it is to face an unreasonable,
sinful world that was never intended to be like this. He knows the pain of watching us make
senseless choices and decisions and He has felt the pain of our rejection as a
society. And yet…HE STILL LOVES US.
2013
will be another year to love God…love my family…love my friends…and be loved in
return. Thank you for being one of those
friends who has made my life better!
Comments
Post a Comment