Visitors for Dad

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,

for he shields him all day long,

and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.

There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,

who rides across the heavens to help you

and on the clouds in his majesty.

The eternal God is your refuge,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

From Deut. 33

This is the passage that the folks' friend, Willy read from what he called "The fifth book of Moses" (that's what they call it in German).  Willy is a 1st generation immigrant.  He was imprisoned by the Russians in Poland during WWII for 4 years.  After the war he was in a refugee camp.  He still has the food bowl he used in that camp and one of the workers from that camp lives here at the same retirement cener my folks do!   He immigrated to the US at the age of 13, unable to read and penniless.  He didn't know English, but was given the opportunity to go to school and he became a teacher and then a principal in western Kansas.  An amazing story of his reliance on the Lord!  He is taking his son back to Poland for a visit in a couple of weeks.

Some other visitors were Uncle Bob and Aunt Alice Ruth from Bluffton, OH.  They aren't my real aunt and uncle - I've said before that missionary kids call the other missionaries that.  My parents were Uncle Pete and Aunt Lois to many other MKs in Japan.  The Ramseyers came to Newton for the Japan get-together this weekend in Hesston.  Former Japan missionaries who have now live in Canada and the US are having a wonderful reunion.  Dad and Mom did a lot of the planning and we are so sad that Dad can't even go.  We asked if we could take him for an hour or two, but unfortunately, permission was not granted as Dad is not well enough yet.  He will be missed!  Aunt Vi who lives here also suffered a stroke a couple of weeks ago but was granted permission to attend at least part of the time.

Here is a picture of the Ramseyers back in '59.  They haven't changed much at all!

I know Dad will be so encouraged by the visitors who come to see him!  Thanks to all who are praying for him!  He wants so badly to regain his strength!   
Continue to pray!

With God, all things are possible!" 

Dad Update

 On Sunday after church, we went to visit Dad.  He was so happy to see his great-granddaughters, Hannah and Sophia!

They had a blast "riding" his bed up and down!

The Hyuga church in Japan sent him some of their recent bulletins - one with a picture of Dad taken from a blog I posted.  Also a picture of the church, pictures of Ken and Sachiko's beautiful children, and a card that looks like a tray of sushii.  You lift each sushii and there is a little message under it.

Dad's right leg is swollen; not sure why.  They are trying get it back to normal.  His heart goes in and out of a fib.  He practices walking with the walker and has therapy on his right hand/arm and his speech daily.  We see little improvements each day.  He is so ready to leave the hospital.  It has been 3 weeks in rehab.  He is tired of being cooped up, and I know he tires of the rigorous training he has to do each day.  We would appreciate prayers for him.

I gave him the book "The Promise" by Robert Morgan that he says has been a blessing and comfort.  A book about Romans 8:26-28 - Here it is in The Message: 

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

頑張って (がんばって)

Ganbatte: Do your best!!!

Joyful

I am so very joyful and honored!  My church gave me this beautiful bouquet and thanked me for the years I have worked in the nursery.  I am so excited to see Lori take my the job and I am going to love still being able to love on the children at Grace, just in a different capacity.  There is a verse in Psalm 8:2 that I just LOVE!

"From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise!"

There is nothing more sweet to my ears than to hear little children sing songs to Jesus!  LOVE it!!

* * * * * *

Other things that bring me joy today - my husband (and his silly side-kick)

Al got himself a bike recently, along with a bike helmet.  But he told me he forgot it this day.  His hair was crazy silly after his 13 mile ride.

* * * * *
Some barn swallows built a nest by my kitchen window.  The past years we have always had to battle them putting nests above our front door or the back porch door.  We are happy to have them here out of the path where guests walk. 

I think they will be flying out of the coop soon!

* * * * * *

Other random pictures that make me happy.

You will fill me with joy in Your presence,

with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

                            Psalm 16:11

May Restaurant Pick

With Dad having a stroke this past month, we didn't know if we would get in our "Restaurants We Have Never Been To" for the month of May.  But one evening we had to run to Wichita for a quick run after some things so we were able to do it! 

It is not like the Noodles they have in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where our son and his family live.  We LOVE that place, but that one is more an Applebees style, whereas the one in Wichita is more fast foodish.

The menu was a little confusing to me, but Al figured it out for us.

The restaurant chain began in Boulder, CO.

Lotsa pasta!

The food was quite delicious though.

We ordered one serving of potstickers (gyoza-a dish I grew up with in Japan) to share.  We had never seen such flat gyoza ever, but they were ok. 

This next month, June, will be busy with not only Dad, but our 5th grandbaby's arrival and celebrating birthdays for my mother and me!  All the family will come home so we will go out with them on another adventure to a restaurant never visited before!

Storms

This week, Al put up my new rain chain.  I didn't think it would rain already.  I was hoping not just yet because the farmers have just started wheat harvest.  But last night the storms rolled through most of Kansas.  Some people had baseball size hail! 

Our back deck affords us a great view of storms.

 Here is a video I took of the clouds moving. 

 Here are a couple photos from a few weeks ago.

 And how about the young couple from Harper who got this wedding photo shoot with a tornado in the background!  Gotta love Kansas!

"He makes the clouds His chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind."

Psalm 104:3

Stepping down

We started attending Grace about 20 years ago.  That first year, we mostly got fed and nourished by the Word.  But then we began to get involved.  For me it was teaching 3-year-olds.  I can still remember teaching the older Lakey kids!  What fun they were!!!  True story - I once asked the children what was grey and had a bushy tail.  They all chimed in, "Jesus!"  I've heard that as a joke, but it really did happen in my class!

After several years, the Sunday School Superintendant decided she needed to retire.  Both she and Steve wanted me to do it.  I didn't want to.  I was a teacher.  That was my passion. 

But after much prayer (and dragging my feet) I knew that God wanted to stretch me and I said "yes".  The first year, I can still remember our teacher appreciation dinner.  10 teachers - and we gave each of them a gift card to Faith & Life.  Now, there is no way we could budget that.  There are 60 workers in the nursery alone! 

We built a new building in '05.  We didn't have enough classroom space in the original building!  I was privileged to be on the building committee.  How excited we were to move into the new facility!!  After we moved in, I continued the job but it got so big I told them it was time to hire a Children's Director.  So Kris  came on board (and later, Becca).  And I became the Nursery Director.  We got pagers, clip on name tags and security tags; we had lanyards for the teachers and began background checks.

That was 7 years ago.  In the nursery, we started out with using 3 rooms (with a 4th added shortly after).  Now we use 6 nursery rooms and have had to push the 3-year-olds into another hall. 

I have LOVED this job!!  Oh, there were parts that were terribly stressful and I won't miss those.  But overall, it has been just the place for me!!  But due to health issues and taking care of family needs I knew it was time to pass this job on to someone else.
 

As I packed up my files, I just cried.  I knew it was time, but I I would often find myself questioning "Why am I quitting?!"  I am so happy to have Lori taking over my position!!  I will stay on as an assistant to help her, but she will help the nursery go to higher level.  These young people have such good ideas and are so computer savey!

Thank you, Grace, and in particular Steve and Aunt Leonore (she was a former missionary to Japan and we call all the missionaries "aunt" and "uncle") for trusting in me to do this job!  God has given me the strength and ability.  Without Him, I could not have done it!  He went before me all these years, guiding me and providing each week!  And what a wonderful team of volunteers I have had to work with each week!!!  I can't begin to name them all.  But truly, SOOO great!!  And of course, best of all - showing the love of Christ to each of the little children in our care and teaching them about Him.  Praying for them, that they would grow up to follow Him with all their hearts!!

"We will tell the next generation

  the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

His power,

and the wonders He has done."

Psalm 78:4

Improvements

We went to the hospital again, as we do daily.  I am so glad our local hospital has a rehab unit!  I would not want to be driving into Wichita every day.  And this way, Mom can drive herself too whenever she wants.

Dad was improved today.  Heart beating well.  During therapy, he was walking with the walker without aid.  Yesterday he could not as his knees were hurting so badly after the walking he had done the day before.  He is able to move his arm more today too.

We have enjoyed visiting with other families during the meal times and hearing their stories about why they are in rehab.  Some who were there before Dad have already gone home.  And new ones have come in since Dad came.  This is hard, but God supplies what we need.  Endurance, patience, joy, strength.

Here is a picture of my parents in their early years in Japan.