Greetings Dear Friends,
This message comes to you after a whirlwind of prayer, decision making, and travel. Without going into too much detail I write to let you know that we flew back to the United States last Saturday, March 20th. Our daughter, Alicia, who lives close to Chicago picked us up with a thankful heart. Happy and relieved that we were able to return to go help our son and his family. Alicia drove us to our home in Wisconsin and stayed with us because of the late arrival. We were thankful to spend time with her and grateful for her help as we unpacked and started to repack for the next leg of our trip. Sunday our daughter Heather, and her family who live in Wisconsin, came to join us for a few hours. We were again so thankful and happy to see all seven of them! After a few hours which included family time around a meal of pizza they left to allow us time to continue our repacking.
Monday morning we started our driving trip of 1770.3 km (1,100 miles) to Amarillo, TX. We drove a bit over half way on Monday and arrived at our destination the afternoon of Tuesday, March 23rd. Our son Chris, his wife Jamie and their littlest, Zoe happily greeted us after our VERY long trip of flight and driving.
The quick departure from our ministry at Greater Lisbon Christian Academy was able to occur because of the love of our ministry partners and the prayers of those who were aware of the circumstances involved. The already over extended teachers willing to fill in for us in our absence, lifted us in prayer as we prepared our departure.
As all of the parts and pieces for our departure were coming together, I was reminded of one of the Riverside Meeting Point Zoom get-togethers in which several of the members shared how they “suddenly” found themselves in Portugal, coming from various countries. I recall how at the time I wondered how a move to another country could occur quickly and surprisingly. Within weeks of that being shared we find that the same type of sudden move has occurred for us as well. My husband is continuing to teach online as we continue in our ministry role at GLCA. The administrator of our school has stepped in to take over my classroom who the week before our departure were able to return to face-to-face instruction. (I am very grateful for this as it helped with the goodbyes to these sweet students who have been praying for us and our family.) Suddenly the Lord had started to close a door on our ministry in Portugal and show us that we were needed in another part of the world, in a different type of ministry, supporting our own family in crisis.
Our son Chris, who lives in New Mexico has suffered with an infection in his foot that has landed him in the hospital multiple times since November. The desperate call to please come and help came after a partial amputation of his foot, with great concerns for possible additional amputation and concerns over the ability to stop the spread of two antibody resistant infections. His body was going septic as he slept 20 + hours a day and was not able to regulate his internal temperatures.
The needed treatments include a 24 hour IV drip of antibiotics and oral medications to try to stop the spread of the infections and treatments of 2 ½ hours each, 5 days a week, in a hyperbaric chamber to aid the healing of the foot. The closest wound center to handle such a situation is in Amarillo, Texas, 3 hours away from their home in New Mexico. Our first decision was that Chuck would fly home to go be with Chris so that he had someone with him at all times. After our discussion with Cal and Joyce Voelker, our GLCA administrator and his wife (and close friends), we were both encouraged to go. This way Chuck could stay with Chris and I would go on to New Mexico where I could help Jamie with the 3 children. The school staff, who had been updated throughout this ordeal, were 100% supportive and helped us in every way possible to prepare for our departure.
Throughout this ordeal we have been uplifted in prayer and encouragement in a similar way as that of early believers who encouraged Paul.
2 Corinthian 7:6, “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me so that I rejoiced still more.”
Eph 6:21, “So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.
Many have been our “Titus” or a “Titus” for our son and his family through this journey. Pastor Brad, our son’s Pastor, and a church member came and completed some needed repairs around the house that our son was not able to do. Ladies from their church prepared meals to help during all the travel and hospital stays. Our staff and students in their prayers and hands on support have uplifted and encouraged us. Prayer partners from our Portugal ABWE churches, Riverside International Church, and church families in the states have lifted us in prayer upon hearing the news of our needed departure.
My husband and I thank you for your encouragement to us in the same way that Paul wrote to the Colossians in Col 1:3-8, “We thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing – as it also does among your, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.”
You, dear friends, encourage our hearts as a family of God who together bear one another’s burdens. We thank our Lord Jesus Christ for you and your encouragement to us. In your love for us you have been our Titus, our Epaphras, our Prisca and Aquilla. (Romans 16:3) We might be one, or two, or seven time zones away from each other, but one of the best ways that we can help and encourage each other is to earnestly support each other in prayer. That is the love and power of having a church family.
Dear Jesus, (1 Chr. 29:13) “And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.” I thank you for the love of fellow believers around the globe. I thank you that no matter where we live, work or play we can come together to praise you for who you are, and to thank you for the way you work in our lives. I thank you for both the hands-on help and the encouragement that you provide through fellow believers who exemplify their love for you and serve you and others with their hearts and hands. We praise you and thank you for your church family, our family of believers from around the globe. We count ourselves blessed because of your precious love for us. In Jesus name, Amen
