Archive for Bill & Sue's Journal
Monday evening, October 31, 2005
This has been such a beautiful fall here in Michigan. We are glad we were able to come up at this time of year. Weather is turning cooler, but we’re getting used to wearing jackets and sweaters again. We’re taking advantage of our time in the States with plenty of family activities and visits with friends. Of course, weekends are busy with meetings in churches, but those have been encouraging as well, in spite of some glitches with doing the slideshow from our little laptop. We traveled out east for meetings in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and a visit with Sue’s sister and her husband in the Washington, DC area between meetings. Overall, there hasn’t been much “downtime” for us with everything going on.
Although we had meetings the Sunday of her birthday, we celebrated another year in Sue’s life with a family lunch when we got back to Michigan. Nothing cheap about me…I did the cooking (from KFC) and the dishes (paper from a local party store), but that didn’t matter, it was just great to celebrate with family and friends. I’m so thankful to have her around another year! There were lots of calls from friends from Brazil, as well as from Aaron in San Diego.
The trip was beautiful up to Traverse City and Petoskey for meetings last weekend. The colors of the leaves were outstanding (especially after not having seen fall colors for six years), and the view of the bays in that region exceptional. The night before we went on the trip, we had Joel and Lynne over for supper and went out for miniature golf in the cold.
This past weekend, Ben Loftis (who spent a year and a half with us in the ministry in Brazil) came from Pennsylvania for a couple days with us. It was good to reminisce and share stories from Brazil. We were glad some of our family got to meet him too. He also shared what is going on with his wedding plans. He’s marrying a lovely Brazilian girl he met while working there, and we have been invited to be in their wedding party at the ceremony in Brazil in January.
Saturday evening we got a call from Natali in Ypsilanti. She had been in a car accident, hit by a carload of teenaged girls, and she and her roommate Debbie (another MK from Brazil) were injured and taken to the ER of a local hospital. They were quite battered and bruised, but thankfully nothing more serious. However, it looks like her car may have been totaled. We are traveling over for lunch to celebrate her birthday tomorrow. We are just thankful that she is still here to celebrate it!
Once again we are visiting doctors. Sue will be having another surgery next Monday, November 7, to fix the incisional hernia from her last surgeries. We planned to do it when we returned to Brazil, but to avoid further complications decided to have it done here. Our doctor here is a fine Christian and good doctor, and the surgeon is an MK who grew up in Nigeria. After reading the reports and hearing all that had happened to her last year, the surgeon said it is a miracle she is here. Pray for us, as just thinking about another surgery raises apprehensions. It is good to know that God is in control during these times.
My sister Jewl Ann will be having another surgery on the 18th of November, and should be in the hospital for about a week. Please pray for her as well.
Our hearts are divided between what is going on here and what is going on in Brazil. Reports from folks at the church continue to be encouraging. They carried out several special events during October, all with great results! (You can read about them in our November Prayer Prompter.)
It’s getting dark earlier here now with the time change. I’d better turn on some lights and have supper. It’s been great visiting with you. We’ll do this again later. Tchau!
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