9 Days Later

well, it has been 9 days since we have returned to Chile. They have been very busy days to say the least. We arrived in Santiago on a Wednesday morning. ALL of our suitcases arrived with us as well for which we were very thankful. There were so "much" of us that they actually HELPED us right through customs to get us out of the way!! We're hoping that the guys that come down next week get the same treatment. We then went to Pastor Luis' house and cleaned up, got our spanish tongues in tune again and they had a cook-out for us! Wednesday night we got on the bus and traveled through the night to get "home" to Temuco. Amy Heinz and her girls were busy in the kitchen cooking breakfast- bacon, eggs and pancakes! Hmm! the house smelled good! Yes, after 2 nights of sleeping on planes and buses we were tired but so very happy to be back in our house. All was in order. Garry's dad was happy to see us and so was the girl that takes care of him. She was so happy that she left THAT DAY on vacation!! We spent Thursday trying to unpack as much as we could but our bodies demanded some attention so we ended up resting and not getting too much unpacked. Friday we went to Labranza where my husband preached in Bro. Heinz' missions conference. We are so thankful for the Heinz family and their friendship over the years. They have been such a help to us while we were off the field and helping us to get back in the "saddle" again. Saturday we went to the mission work in Lastarria. They didn't know we were coming and the looks on their faces was worth it!! They thought we were NEVER coming back! They are doing well and have remained faithful. They went and found a separate place to meet in that would be easier to invite visitors to. It needs some work but its a step in the right direction. Sunday, of course, we went to the church in Loncoche and then on to the mission Pucon. All were happy to see us! The mission in Pucon has also moved into a separate building. All signs of growth for which we are thankful. They had a cook-out for us too!! So much for coming back and losing weight! In between all this we were still unpacking and finally got down to the last suitcase on Monday. On Thursday my husband preached in Temuco which is now in Fundo el Carmen. The brethren dismantled the auditorium and moved it across town to a new housing developement where they are purchasing the property that they have re-built the church on. They did a great job of putting the church back together! We were kind of nervous about what it might look like but we are so proud of the way they have been so careful to preserve the original "look". They are doing well and have endless opportunities in the new comunity that they are in. Yesterday, the ladies in Loncoche had their weekly Bible-study time and I went down on the bus and was able to teach and share a special "tea-time" with them. They have also remained faithful to the Lord and have grown spiritually. Of course, there are a few negative things that have happened while we were gone but the positive definitely outweighs the negative. We have also been to our new house in Villarrica. The lady that we bought it from is moving out and next week the house will be empty. We have decided to move at the end of the month since we have visitors coming very soon! Please pray that we can sell our house here in Temuco SOON! It is on the market and in the paper. Want to buy a house in Chile????? We are very happy to be back to out place of service yet a bit homesick as well. The changes coming back don't happen from one day to the next. We enjoyed our time in the States, have some precious memories to store away in our hearts, and have come to appreciate our families and our church family even more. Until the next time.............

Today Is the Day

Well, today is the day we have been feverishly packing for! 15 suitcases later we are ready to begin our journey "home". Are we excited? Yes. It has been our home and place of ministry for 14 years. Is it hard to leave? Always. I have come to the realization that I live in 2 worlds. When I'm here in the States I miss being in Chile and when I am in Chile I miss the people in the States. Every once in a while when we have visitors the 2 worlds come together for a brief moment of time and then separate again. I've come to realize that those 2 worlds will never completely come together until we reach heaven. So for the meantime we have to be happy in whichever world we are in knowing that someday we will all spend eternity together with the Lord and there will be no more good-byes.

Good Memories

Today is our last Sunday here in the States and I can't help but review over the last 4 months and think about some of the special moments that we have experienced. Today Sarah Anger brought me a small foto album that she had made (she was very sneaky and very THOUGHTFUL) of some of the activities that I had the opportunity to participate in while here at the church: the ladies Christmas dinner, special times of sharing with our ladies groups, good fellowhip around the lunch table, birthdays, etc. just to name a few. Of course, any time spent with our families is always special for us. This year was truly "Christmas At Home" for us as we were able to be with my family for Christmas and New Years. We were also able to spend some special moments with my husband's sister, brother and nephew. My children will NEVER forget their week-end with Aunt Terry: chocolate chip pancakes (that their mother would never make because of all the extra energy they produce afterwards), playing LIFE, drinking hot chocolate, and going shopping and being able to buy ANYTHING they wanted(that won't happen too often in their lifetimes!) We were able to spend several weeks with my mom and brother just hanging out, watching movies, laughing together and tripping over each other in my mom's BIG house! The recent passing away of my grandmother was certainly a sad but precious moment in our lives as we were together as a WHOLE family for the first time in many years. All in all it was a precious 4 months of memories that we have made that will have to last us a few years. There are no regrets but only thankfulness to the Lord for His perfect timing in our lives so that we could be a part of other people's lives for this moment of time in our lives. Thank you to all of you that have made these months special and memorable for us.

A Special Day

Yesterday was my grandmother's funeral. It was really a special day for so many reasons.

1. I saw family members that I had not seen for 15 years.
2. I got to sing with my brother and sister.
3. My grandfather didn't fall apart at the funeral.
4. It was a beautiful, Kentucky, spring day.
5. We knew my grandmother was in heaven at that moment.
6. But most of all, the gospel was preached in a very special and personal way and ALL my family members were there to hear it! Something that all Christians dream about doing and yesterday, for our family, it happened! Many of them have a profession but there are some others that we have a burden for.

Thank you to all of you that were praying for us and for my family during this time. Your prayers were felt. We are traveling back to PA to get ready for our trip to Chile!

A Time To Live And A Time To Die

I know it's been a month since my last posting. We finally got our new computer so I should be able to catch up on some things. This has been a busy month for sure and today was a very emotional culmination to a fairly emotional week..... Today my grandmother (Mamaw) died at the age of 86. She was my last living grandmother. She suffered a stroke this past year that caused her to be paralyzed on one side and caused her to have kidney failure which resulted in dialysis treatments. We have watched her ebb away ever since. But today, while holding my grandfather's hand, she slipped away into eternity. She had a testimony of salvation and we can rejoice knowing that she is no longer paralyzed or bed-ridden. We will miss her greatly, to say the least, and our hearts and minds turn towards my grandfather knowing that my grandmother was the center of his life and his reason for living. How much longer will he be with us?? All is in the Mighty Hands of an omnipotent God that allowed us to still be here, allowed our plane tickets to be changed without cost, provided patient and understanding people so that we can be part of a final farewell to our beloved grandmother. Heaven seems just a little bit closer today as the clouds of eternity parted and we are experiencing His love and peace as my grandmother slipped through and will be waiting on the other side. Please pray for our family as we will be traveling Monday to Kentucky. We will be returning by the end of the week to prepare for our return to Chile Tuesday, April 3rd.

Home Again

After almost 3 weeks on the road we are finally "home" in Pennsylvania. It feels good to spread out, do laundry and get back to some much needed studying. (I'm sure my children would NOT agree with me about that third item) You know how us ladies like to have routine in our lives! In less than 5 weeks we will be heading back to Chile and we are very much looking forward to that. In the mean time, we are enjoying the days that we have left here with our church family knowing that we will soon have to say good-bye, again.

I had all kinds of pictures to share with you but once again tragedy strikes our computer world and all of my pictures were downloaded into a computer that has burned up!! So, this will be another pictureless report of our family. You'll have to use your imagination as I relate some of the things that have happened in our family.............
1. On Monday, Joshua turned 3!!
2. Garry has been going to the dentist everytime we are back in the area for some much needed dental work. He's been "crowned"!
3. Three new churches have taken us on for support.
4. I was able to "reconnect" with an old college friend of mine.
5. We were able to spend a day with my aunt and uncle in Atlanta, GA. I had not seen a cousin of mine for 15 years.
6. My grandparents were voted the Valentine's Day King and Queen in their nursing home.
7. My son Andrew has a new blogspot. findtheefaithul.blogspot.com
8. My sister will complete 2 years of marriage on my son Timothy's birthday.
9. My kids FINALLY got to play in the snow. It was so icey when we got home they made an igloo instead of a snow man!!
10. We were able to meet a lot of special people on this last trip out. Many of which have sacrificed financially to help us as we are here in the States.

Our home church is finishing up missions month and my husband will be preaching this Sunday night and next Wednesday. Andrew will be singing a special for the first time here in our home church. On March 3 we will head out to the midwest to visit my family and have a couple more meetings. We are thankful to the Lord for his traveling mercies. We missed all the snowstorms (sometimes within 24 hours) and the van has run great! Thanks to all of you that are praying for us! Until the next posting......................

On The Road

Hello! Sorry that hasn't been anything to read lately. We are out on the road and have been spent more time in the van than out of it. We have been in several new churches and one in St.Marys, GA took us on!! We've done some other fun things and will be seeing some old friends so I should have lots of pictures to share soon!! Don't give up on me yet!! Please pray for us as we have another week of traveling before we get back to our home church. Hasta luego!!