Friday, January 28, 2005

Okeechobee, FL

Abundant Blessings Assemblies of God Church in Okeechobee, FL, was very good to us this past weekend. We got there Saturday night and spent the night with our dear friend and co-laborer, Holly Stewart, and her husband, Larry, and son, Robert. We were given the opportunity to speak there Sunday and were blessed.
Then we rushed to eat some sandwiches and jet up to Sebring, (an hour away), hoping to catch at least the end of the Sunday afternoon service there at the mission. Well, when we got there we found out that the tradition of decades at the mission had recently been changed. We had missed the newly established Sunday morning service and were heartbroken. I guess it just goes to show that no matter what it is you get used to, you can’t take it for granted.

Gainesville, GA

Wednesday, in Gainesville, GA, we visited with a good friend of Katrina’s from her high school years, Terry Borcheller. We hadn’t seen Terry since 1997, or so, but he has been a faithful supporter.
What a joy to see him again and his get to know his growing family. There’s his wife, Tracy, and their two children, Taylor, their 6 year old little girl, and Trenton, their 3 year old little boy.
They took us to their church and we really enjoyed ourselves. The church is called Free Chapel and is a very large church. The praise was fun and we heard from a guest speaker by the name of Wellington Boone. What an excellent meeting it was.
Tracy, thanks for the yummy soups and such, and Terry, you play a mean game of football. I’ll be ready next time.

The McIntyres

Monday and Tuesday we spent with Jimmy and Susie McIntyre, in Blairesville, GA. They’ve been friends since I returned to Sebring from Teen Challenge in 1993. They always wanted to have their own custom built home overlooking a mountainous countryside. It makes me happy to see them realizing their dreams. God bless you guys.

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Katrina's doing great!

She returned to Texas yesterday, January 11th, for her two week post-op check up and Dr. Knoll said she had healed so well that no cast would be necessary. The tumor was benign, as hoped for, and the rest is just to monitor her healing. Hallelujah! Thank You Lord! And thanks also to Dr. Knoll for all her help. Thank you all for your prayers, as well!

The word is, that she will only need one more check-up with Dr. Knoll in Texas. The last one will be done in Honduras by another specialist who will be there at the appropriate time.

At The Tutens'

This past Sunday we spoke at Guyton Christian Church, in Guyton, GA. Guyton Christian Church is a Disciples of Christ denominational church and their pastor is a friend of ours named Gerald Demarest. They have been very generous with us each year now for the past three years running, ever since a group from their church visited us in Puerto Lempira, and we hope to have an ongoing relationship with them for many years to come.
One of the great things about coming to Guyton is the hospitality. Mr. Jack Tuten Jr. and his wife, Joyce Anne, have hosted our family this year and last and we have not wanted for anything. It's almost like having another set of parents in Georgia.
The peace and quiet is hard to beat, as well. We are thankful for the little refuge that Guyton has become to us. We always look forward to our visits here.
So if you're ever in Effingham County, or in the Savannah, GA area, period, visit Guyton, and in particular, Guyton Christian Church, and be kind to those you meet. You can be sure they'll return your kindness.

Friday, January 07, 2005

In Alabama

Well, everybody here seems to think Auburn should be the national champions. Who understands how these championships are decided anyway?
We've just spent the past few days as guests of Dr. Elizabeth Hollingsworth in Tuscaloosa, where we had dinner with Missions Pastor Vial Fontenot and two of his missions co-laborers, Dan Shea and Beverly Davis, from 1st Baptist, as well as our dear new friends, Giovanni and Marciela, (I hope I got their names right), and their daughter Dina. The following night we had dinner with Dr. Mckinney and his pastor from the Methodist church. They sounded as though they may be interested in coming to visit the House of Hope.
Our thanks to Dr. Betty and those friends with whom we had the chance to visit in Tuscaloosa.

Katrina's Surgery

This past Thursday, Katrina had surgery on her hand and the tumor was removed. Dr. Knoll said that the tumor appeared to be the type she had originally believed it would be, and there, she said, is probably benign. Katrina will be returning to Plano to find out the results of the biopsy, and to have her hand casted, this coming Wendesday on the 11th.
Thank you all for your prayers and concern. We'll try to keep you all updated.