Silver and Gold...

Or, in the words of Michael W. Smith, " And friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them." Those of you who follow my blog and Facebook sentiments should understand that whenever life gets busy, overwhelming, needs processing or the dear hubby is traveling more, that you should pray harder, and that God is working in my life and that of our family.

This last month was filled with conflicting emotions as our family said goodbye to several folks whose lives had intersected ours and while examining my emotions, I realized it is truly better to have loved and lost temporarily,(as these folks will sit on my front porch in Heaven) than to not have loved at all.

Friendships take hard work. In Brownie scouts at the ripe age of 7, I learned the song, "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold." This song has played and replayed in my head over the last weeks as new friends and old friends came and went.

As a missionary, the hardest thing for me has been the cultivation of friendship, only to have the friends move a continent away. Or to see my children finally find a true friend only to see him/her move a year or two later...or to leave my adult children in the U.S., or to watch our eldest son graduate and gather for photos in front of the same sign Brian and I stood in front of more than 25 years ago on graduation weekend, knowing that the large group of friends smiling back at us were experiencing emotions similar to the emotions I write about here.

Friendships forged during those intense college years or in foreign cultures are similar. They are pure gold, and stand firm over time.

Reachglobal Lead Team in California

Reachglobal is an organization that takes healthy missionaries, healthy teams, and healthy partnerships seriously. We are thankful to be privileged to work with some amazing leaders from the around the globe, and could not do so without your support and prayers. This year, our Lead Team conference was held near San Jose, California nestled below some enormous redwoods. One afternoon we were able to get in some mountain biking and spent some time exploring Henry Cowell State Park. Earlier in the week, the ladies welcomed Dora Amalia Ruiz by hiking this same park, savoring a picnic lunch, and capping off the day with a ride on the Roaring Camp Railroad also in Felton, California.

What's on sale...?

A few weeks ago our plumbing was running sluggishly, so Melissa, our newest Reachglobal missionary and I popped into EPA ( think home improvement store like the two we know and love in the U.S. suburbs) to pick up some maintenance items. We had noticed the parking lot was a bit full, but wondered what was up when we approached the checkout lines....

Not a end of season sale, but a new law was about to be enacted that would require drivers to have children up to age 12 in booster or carseats and everyone to have specified items in their cars or face steep fines! Fortunately, we had purchased those items when the first law was proposed, and these kits cost more and had fewer
items in them. Among them, a fire extinguisher, jumper cables, reflective vests and triangles, flashlight and first aid kit, with several items that were proposed months ago removed from the newly ratified law. Melissa kindly took a photo of the required items listed on a tag of the estuche de emergencia(emergency kit) and we found that our kit had everything it needed with a few extras! I wonder if rental cars are equipped with these now?

Happenings in Haiti...

Although neither Brian nor I are in Haiti at the present time, several Reachglobal (EFCA) mission leaders, our friends, Linda and Mike Gunderson, Reachglobal have just arrived as various missionaries rotate in and out to form initial infrastructure so that short and long term teams are able to minister to the Haitian people for the long haul...

To continue reading about relief efforts until one of us is in Haiti, please read
Mike and Linda Gunderson's blog
and the Haiti Crisis Response blog

We thank those of you who donated to the doppler/women's health needs post, and to those who support us regularly, or dug deep with funds for relief in Haiti. Doors continue to open and the hands and feet of Christ are actively serving in Haiti. Pray for those answering the call and for those living out in the open as the rainy season has begun.

Helping women....in Costa Rica, Haiti, and who knows where else....

Most of my friends and blog followers know I am passionate about women's health, pregnancy, birth and motherhood, and yesterday it got the best of me. I clicked a link on Ebay and actually offered an absurdedly low price for a newly recommended pocket Doppler to detect fetal heart tones, peripheral pulses, you name it....anyhow, I won the auction (which saved my missionary budget 50% off retail, free shipping) but wondered if any of my friends who are passionate about women's health, birth, midwifery, the less fortunate worldwide, etc wanted to contribute to the impulse purchase of this piece of equipment (but much needed) and other expenses in helping the women and babies of Costa Rica, Haiti, and wherever God takes Brian and Cathi in forthcoming years!

It has already shipped and will come back to Costa Rica with Brian on one of his upcoming trips! I'll post a picture of the old(electricity-dependent, non-portable and heavy) and new (can't wait to use it!) in use for comparison!

Guess what...the company I just purchased it from is donating a second one for me to take, to use, and to leave with a indigenous midwife in Haiti when I return!

Our account number is #1263 and click on the following link to donate!

http://www.efca.org/give-serve/ways-give

Brian and Mark spend time snuggling some orphans...

A dad's a dad in any language....Brian and Mark went searching for an orphanage in Carrefour yesterday that was in need of provisions (food, milk, diapers, etc) and found an opportunity to snuggle and play with these little ones! They found a group that recognized the neon green EFCA Touchglobal shirts, who offered 400 diapers and some nutritional supplement powder that will be delivered today! Continue to pray for appointments such as these and for the people of Haiti!

Pray for Brian and the team...

I just spoke to my wonderful husband, and my heart is heavy. He spent the night ill, and, in my clinical mind, I can think of possible causes, and pray the bug is the most logical, straightforward, and least harmful. I also know that he is able to diagnose and treat himself, yet will most likely be out working even though the team has been working well into the night for days...

Pray for strength, new supplies of drinking water, restored health, and continued open doors.
If anything, this shows me that the continued fervent prayer lifted by the spiritual contingent around the world, and my own household and countless friends, indeed availeth much.