My New Wheels!

Well, I did it! I purchased my new (to me) wheels this morning. In case you don't recognize the vehicle, which I wouldn't have until a few weeks ago, it's a Scion xB. It's not the car I would have purchased if things were different; it's also not the color I would have chosen if I had had a choice. I never would have imagined that I would drive around in a vehicle shaped like a rectangular box, but things change as one ages. I pray it will serve me well in the days and years ahead. 

Other Pictures from the Post-Christmas Celebration

Among others visiting my younger sister and her husband are this couple. Philip is Mary Ellen's fourth child. He is standing here with his wife, Elizabeth, whose birthday we celebrated on Sunday. Philip and Elizabeth live in California, so it was really good to get to see them again this year.

It's been a difficult year for Philip and Elizabeth, as Elizabeth lost her mother, who until a few weeks before her diagnosis of terminal cancer, thought she was in good health. Pray for Elizabeth and her family, especially for her father. As you might imagine, it's been particularly difficult for him.

Our Post-Christmas Celebration

 These children have been a part of our Christmas celebration. The picture was taken after church yesterday. The four lighter-haired children belong to Rebekah, the second child of my younger sister. The four with darker hair belong to one of my nephews, Mary Ellen's oldest son. He doesn't wish the children to be identified in any way.

With four children, nine and under, the noise level around here has been a bit higher than I'm used to hearing. It's amazing how quickly these children grow from year to year. The youngest of these children was born in the spring, so I've never before seen her. And it will probably be another year before I get to see any of them again.

The Terrific Organist at the Mighty Wurlitzer

There are organs, and then there are organs. And there are organists, and then there are other organists! I think I may have heard one of the best yesterday evening as several of my Bible study friends and I went to the Grand Rapids Public Museum where the mighty Wurlitzer organ is housed. Wow! What an organ! If you live in the Grand Rapids area and have never heard it, you will want to do that sometime soon.

The organ was built in 1928. By the 1950s, it had fallen into disrepair. Thankfully, someone realized its value, and had it restored. It made its way to Grand Rapids in the mid-1970s, where it was used in a pizza parlor until 1991. It was moved to the Meijer Theater in the museum and dedicated there on November 14, 1995, where it proudly remains to this day.

The organist we heard last night is Jelani Eddington, a Hoosier by birth, as am I. At an early age, he decided that he wished to be a professional musician. That is not too surprising, since his mother was a professional music teacher of many years, and his grandmother was a piano instructor for many years. Is musical ability inherited or learned? In either case, Jelani acquired it. He began piano lessons at the age of four, much younger than most students are when they begin studying the piano.

I would have enjoyed the concert even more if Mr. Eddington had played more carols, but he did two medleys of Christmas carols. One of them included a wonderful rendition of one of my favorites, "O Holy Night." Among other songs he played were Sleigh Ride, Brazilian Sleigh Ride, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and many, many others. It all added up to make for a delightful evening.

A Recent Project

Each fall the senior housing building in which I live sponsors a bazaar in which residents sell projects they've made in order to help other residents who have run out of resources since moving into this facility. The picture above shows one of the baby afghans I made for the bazaar. 

The staircase in the background is beautiful, isn't it? It's just a part of the beauty of this building. God has been good to me to allow me to move here. He provided what was needed in order to allow this to happen and I praise Him for it.

Since donating this afghan, and another that was very similar, I've made one for a great-nephew who recently joined our family in Massachusetts. And I'm ready to begin another. I enjoy doing this in the evening, after a day in the office of Bibles International.

Busy Weekend!

When most of you see this title, you will naturally assume that I've been out Christmas shopping. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, I've been busy at home. I had copious amounts of laundry to do, since I didn't do all I should have done last weekend.

But the more interesting and satisfying thing I've done is proofreading/editing a fellow BMM missionary's book. I love editing and proofreading and when the text I'm reading is interesting, I enjoy it all the more. The book is by Nancy Sheppard, who spent some weeks working in the ELWA hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. That hospital is one of the main hospitals attending to the needs of Ebola patients in Liberia. To the author, Nancy Sheppard, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol are not just names heard from media sources. Instead, they are personal friends with whom she worked, prayed, and suffered through the beginning of the Ebola crisis in Liberia.

Having lived in the country that borders Liberia to the east, Ivory Coast or Cote d'Ivoire, I was back in West Africa as I read the manuscript. Nancy will soon be publishing her book. As soon as she has, I'll let you know. It will be available on Amazon.com.

Give Thanks unto the Lord!

We've just celebrated Thanksgiving, but we ought to be thanking the Lord on a daily basis. Psalm 106:1 commands us: O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good.

I have several things for which I'm thanking Him.

I have a new great-nephew, born three weeks early on November 28. He joins his two older brothers who are almost 4 1/2 and almost 2 1/2. I would say his mother is going to be busy, wouldn't you agree? Pray for his mom and dad as they try to teach him in the ways of the Lord. 

This great-nephew brings the total number of great-nieces and/or great-nephews 

to 18. That's a passel, wouldn't you say?

I've recently passed the 18-month anniversary of the removal of my two, unrelated cancers. That event occurred on May 30, 2013, so November 30 was the 18-month anniversary. I visited my oncologist this week and learned that there is no sign of a return of the cancer. I'm grateful 

and am praising the Lord for that fact. Will you join me in thanking Him 

for what He has done?