Is it already the end of February?

We found on Tuesday (silly Americans) that the holiday from Monday was one of the two-day variety, so we had another day off! We did go to work, but only for the morning, then just had to take another swim in the new pool! We visited with Anna Melva again (she was having computer issues) but didn’t want to stay long; she’s still in mucho dolor (a lot of pain) from her tumor surgery 2 weeks ago. She and her mother received a gift of a large crate of grapes – and they gave us a couple of big bunches, delicious!

Thea is beginning to put aside things for us that she can’t take home, so we’re taking those things from her – some to use and some to store for future missionaries. She came over to our house to play Farkle one evening and was thrilled when she won both rounds!

I gave Thea a lacy black shawl that I’d been knitting for her and she was excited about receiving it. I know she and her boyfriend are planning a special dinner in May for their one-year-of-dating anniversary; maybe she’ll wear it then!

We got an email from another missionary friend requesting prayer for her recent diagnosis – breast cancer.  We enjoyed getting close to and spending time with her here before she left for home assignment in the states (speaking and raising support funds).  It’s disturbing to have several friends with serious conditions – makes us think about our our mortality. We’re still particularly concerned about our friend Dawn, recovering from brain tumor surgery, and her husband Ron.

It was good this week to have another online conversation with David and Pamela Clayton, volunteers like us, who will be arriving 2 weeks before we leave. We’ll orient them to the community and the jobs we’ve been doing here. They plan to stay almost 9 months before a time back in the States.

Our Spanish lessons are giving us much homework to do in our evenings. We’ve stayed quite busy! Thursday evening we accompanied Ricardo and Thea to the airport for Thea’s return trip to the States. She is hopeful that the doctors in Kansas City can finally identify and treat her illness (beyond the gastroparesis) that has made her so sick and weak. She wants to be healthy to continue to work remotely for the SAM Region.

We thank God this week; we feel quite blessed to be in good health and having meaningful work to do here both in and out of the offices! We’re changed by all the people we meet and the situations where we see Him at work! He’s an awe-inspiring God!