Can’t believe that I was complaining of the heat just a week ago, come on turn the heat up! Our blood must have thinned so much, David and I can’t stop shivering. The wind kicked up the day we arrived home and when we stepped outside it took our breath away. Both of us were speechless (which you know is unusual for me..) What a pleasure to drive up and down on smooth, flat roads without having your bones and teeth jarred continuallyJ.
Thanks so much for the prayers, our flight home was smooth and uneventful until we arrived..God has been so gracious to us, he has continued to teach us patience and how to appreciate the good things in our lives. On our property in Michigan is a small pole building that we had converted into a efficiency apartment a number of years ago. We remodeled it thinking my mom would move in, but when she didn’t we rented it out from time to time. We talked to the family that leases our property and after they agreed we decided to move into the apartment while we were home these next few months. No expense for us and convenient… Upon arrival on Wednesday, traveled to the house to pick up our car (a 1995 Toyota Corolla which was my moms’) it started right up, but the brakes were locked up and it wouldn’t move. While David was taking wheels off, I walked over to the apartment, opened the door and what a surprise. Apparently sometime during the last year, a pipe leaked and the whole inside of the building is black mold, everywhere! Furniture, carpet, closets it’s the worst I’ve ever seen. The carpet is immersed in water and the smellL…
After the last two years living in Zambia where it takes SO long to get anything accomplished and response time is so slow, imagine our surprise when within 12 hours the disaster recovery team was at the apartment waiting our signature to gut the building down to the studs. He was followed by the insurance adjuster who expressed his deep concern for us and our situation. On the spot he wrote us a generous check to cover the cost of a motel room until they can get the building remodeled. Within 26 hours of landing in the US, the car was fixed, we had the peace of mind that all would be taken care of and David and I were just stunned. In Zambia, let’s just say it would have been weeks..maybe months. But… it would be comingJ The speed at which things move here is taking a while to get used to, remember those playground spinners, that just go round and round and you jump on or off while they are in motion. The US feels like that right now… We are adjusting. God is so good, he takes care of all our needs. I could just picture us wandering around in our little car with suitcases bulging out everywhere looking for shelter (my sense of the dramatic hasn’t changed..).
One of the first things we did was go to our church and visit with our pastor and his wife. It was wonderful to see them and felt so good coming “home” to our church. We missed them so much. Looking forward to spending time with our family and friends.
We are busy scheduling speaking engagements at many churches and can’t wait to see all of you. Don’t hesitate to contact us, Beth 517-918-4229 or David 517-918-4805. We’d love to hear from you. If your church would like to arrange for us to speak, please contact us via telephone or email. Just a reminder, there is still time for your donation to be included in this years’ charitable contributions.
World Hope InternationalP O Box 96338Washington, DC 20090
Make sure to mark our constituent number 28163 on the memo line of your check. If you’d prefer, you can donate on line via www.worldhope.org.
As we celebrate this season that leads up to the day of Jesus’ birth, take a moment to count your blessings, little and big but most of all the freedom to worship openly and share our faith with all around us. Have a blessed Christmas!
Many thanks to all,
David and Beth
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