Monday, December 31, 2012

Jack Louis Wetzel has Arrived!

On 12-30-12 at 12:05 AM our newest grandson, Jack Louis Wetzel, arrived.  Neeley and Stephen are doing fine and there were no complications.  They are due to come home today.  We praise the Lord for His mercy and grace.
Jack just a few hours old in his PJs
My Dayle..the proud grammy
 
I can't believe it...another baby in the family.



All of our children and grandchildren we able to come for Christmas although not all at the same time.  Jason and Shelli and kids arrived on the 24th and left on the 28th.  Mel and Annie and kids arrived the evening of the 28th and departed yesterday the 30th.  Jason's family and Annie's family did meet up in the northern California mountains for lunch and to play in the snow.
 
We plan on being with the Stephen, Neeley and Jack for al least another week then off to Lake Havasu City, Arizona with a short stop with my mom, sister, and niece and nephew.  I am still scheduled to preach on January 13th and Dayle has a doctor's appointment on the 14th for her osteoporosis.  Please keep us in mind for these things as well as our time of ministry at Bethany Bible Church.  We expect to be there at least three months.

Friday, December 21, 2012

No New Grandson Yet--Almost Lost a Grandson

Our daughter Neeley is so ready.
First, let me apologize for not posting an update sooner. Ideally I try to update every 2-3 weeks.  Well here we are in Sacramento with Stephen and Neeley awaiting the birth of their first child and our 6th grandchild.  Tomorrow (12/22) is the actual due date but the doctor said that "Jack" is not ready yet and it may be another week or two.  So in the meantime I have been a handyman here at the house, helping with painting, repairing, refinishing tables and counter tops, gardening, and more. Stephen said, "Having me there is like having his own private handyman. All he has to do is feed me and make sure I get a good bike rider every other day." Dayle, too, is keeping herself busy by decorating and hanging pictures, and housework. Stephen and Neeley bought their home a few months ago and now it is finally looking like it is really their house.  Dayle also accompanies Neeley to all her doctor's appointments and, of course, lots of shopping trips.

Wednesday night our Daughter Annie called with a very frightening story.  She said that AJ, her 10 year old son, ran up to her to give her a hug when she got home from work and then grabbed his head in both hands, screamed, and fell to the ground unconscious.  He was out for about twenty seconds.  She scooped him up and rushed him to the hospital emergency room.  To make a long story short, AJ  had a brain aneurysm.  The doctors conducted numerous tests, brain scans, and more tests are being conducted even as I am writing this blog entry.  While at work yesterday one of the hospital doctor's came into her dental office, where she works, and he told her that this event with AJ was the talk of the hospital because most often aneurysms result in death or at the very least brain damage.  Yet AJ has came through this life threatening incident unscathed.  The doctor told Annie that they need to count their blessings.  Please remember AJ in your prayers and also for Melvy and Annie and AJ's brother, Andy.  Pray especially that God would use this event to draw them closer to Him.

We are all set to be at Bethany Bible Church in Lake Havasu City by Sunday,January 13th where I will preach in both morning and evening services.  Then on the 14th we have Dayle's doctor's appointment.  We plan on staying in Lake Havasu for a minimum of three months and possibly longer if the treatment plan for the osteoporosis so requires.

Next week is Christmas which is our favorite time of the year.  We love all the decorations, the Christmas Eve service, the church Christmas get togethers, family gatherings and all the fuss all because of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Our entire family is coming to Sacramento.  This will be the first time that we have all been together in several years.  We are very excited.  We were hoping to have Jack with us by Christmas but we don't think that is going to happen.  But at least his presence will be seen in Neeley's tummy.

Our wish to every one is that you will have a wonderful Christmas as you remember the birth of the Savior and more importantly the reason why he was born.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Doctor Found

While searching for just the right doctor and one that accepted our insurance we discovered that we already had a doctor.  When we were in Lake Havasu in 2011 Dayle saw a doctor for an unrelated issue.  It turns out that this doctor is just what we have been looking for and he is a contracted provider with our insurance.  Yay!  This means that she won't have to go through all that new patient paperwork and other stuff.  This alone will shorten the time that it will take to get to her started on required treatment by about a month.

She made an appointment with the Lake Havasu City for January 14th.  So Arizona here we come. 

Thank you for praying!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Osteoporosis ???

Greetings to all our friends and family.  Our time here in Port RainMuch (Port Angeles) is almost over.  We will leave the land of rain on Wednesday November 14th.  We will greatly miss our kids and grand kids but we won't miss the rain.  We did have many good days that were ideal for outdoor activities.  I have rode a couple of hundred miles of mountain trails during our time here. We have had a blast playing with the grand kids and had some great time of fellowship with our son and daughter-in-law. But it is good that we are leaving because it is getting colder and Dayle really needs some warmth.

Once we arrived here in Port Angeles in September we tried to find a doctor that could treat Dayle's osteoporosis which she has been battling for several years. When Dayle was in Mexico in September our doctor friend there who had examined her again said that she needs to be in an aggressive treatment program for her osteoporosis.  Today, we finally got in to see a doctor here in Port Angeles. The doctor said that she needs a full blood work up and exam in order to determine the best treatment and that we need to stay put for two to three months to get all this done.  So we will head to Sacramento and try to find a doctor there who can address her needs. The other possibility, and my preference is to return to Lake Havasu City, Arizona and find a doctor there.  At least there in Lake Havasu we can be actively involved in the church.   We have been asked to return there in January anyway because they could really use some help.  It is much warmer in Arizona and Dayle will be much more comfortable in the higher temperatures and low humidity.

Because of having to head south I called Bob Rodgers, our mission director, and asked for a leave of absence until we can get Dayle's osteoporosis under control.  Even though we will be on a "leave of absence" from the Pacific Northwest we don't plan on taking a leave of absence from serving our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.



Saturday, October 6, 2012

From Fir Point to Port Angeles

So much has happened since my last post.  Due to a lousy internet connection in the rain forest outside of Port Angeles, which is where we are, I have not been able to update the blog.  Departed Fir Point Bible Camp on September 23rd and arrived later that evening in Aberdeen, Washington at the Wishkah Community Church where I was to preach in both the morning and evening services.  Then on Monday I drove to our son's home in Port Angeles.  On Friday I drove out son and daughter-in-law to the SEA-TAC airport as they were going to a wedding in New York.  A couple of hours later my Dayle flew into to the airport and we were reunited once again.  She spend twelve days in Mexico with her sister who is recovering from surgery. 

While in Mexico, Dayle went to our doctor friend and had another bone scan.  Her condition has not worsened but it hasn't gotten any better either.  This greatly concerned the doctor and he wants her to see a doctor here and get on a special medication that is given by I.V.  We have made application at a new doctor in Port Angeles and we are waiting to hear back from them about an appointment date.  Also while in Mexico Dayle was asked to speak to several women's groups.  She spoke four times. 

September 1st was my 60th birthday.  This was a day that we have been looking forward to for a very long time.  My 60th birthday marks the day that my US Coast Guard Retirement begins.  We now have free medical insurance and a small financial benefit every month.  It sure felt good to turn in my pink military ID card for a blue retiree ID card.

We still have not been assigned a church in which to minister.  This week is our IFCA Regional Conference in Lynwood, WA.  I will meet with the director and discuss our future with NICE.  Our plan was to be a help to churches and that is not happening.  We did serve at the Lake Havasu Church, and Fir Point Bible Camp, and did speak at a few churches.  But we were hoping for longer stays at the churches.  So I will talk with the director this week.

The folks in Lake Havasu would like us to return.  So we are tentatively planning on going in January after the birth of our newest grandson, if NICE does not have a church for us by then.  But the Lord is in control.

We are also going to try to sell our house next year.  If our tenants don't want to buy it then we will move back into it around April and try to sell it by owner.  Once we sell it, we will move the remainder of our storage stuff to Grant's Pass.  We will also sell or trade our 5th wheel trailer to get one that has just a little more room.

A lot going on and much to do.  We will be here with our kids till the middle of November.  They need us to help out with driving since our daughter-in-law still cant drive until November 15th.  She is now taking anti-seizure medication and seems to be doing quite well.  While here we plan to visit several different churches and introduce ourselves.

So, please keep us in your prayers.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Back at Fir Point Bible Camp

The last wo weeks have been quite busy.  We stopped in Sacramento and stayed with Stephen and Neeley.  They really put us to work cleaning, painting, and yard work.  We also drove up to Klamath Falls pulling a big U-Haul trailer.  Since Stephen now has a huge garage we emptied out our storage unit of almost every power tool that I have so Stephen can have a shop.  He is so excited to finally have a fully outfitted shop.  We also took several pieces of furniture, dressers, my canoe, and other stuff to put on CraigsList in the Sacamento area.  I sold one item the first day and the Canoe sold a couple of days later.  They sold for what I was asking for them too. 

Well now we can see the floor of our storage unit.  We plan to return in the Spring and ave a huge yard sale to sell most everything else.  Of course we will keep the important stuff and we will move it all to a more convenient location such as Grants Pass.  We will also try to sell the house once again then too.

On Sunday (9/16) I dropped my Dayle off at the Sacramento airport.  She will be staying with Ellen in Mexico City for 12 days and will fly in to Seattle on the 28th.  After I dropped her off at the airport I headed back to Fir Point where I have lots of work to finish up.  On Saturday (9/23) I will drive up to Aberdeen, WA and will be preaching on Sunday morning and evening.  After that I will continue up to Jason and Shelli's home in Port Angeles.

We are still awaiting another church assignment but no most churches have a pastor and really don't need anyone to fill in.  I am now going to be contacting churches myself and offer our services regardless of what it may be.  The church in Lake Havasu has lots of work to be done so we may return there for a while but we couldn't go until December.  So we will see where the Lord leads.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Today is a wonderful day!

Today is so wonderful because it's our 41st anniversary. That's 41 magnificent yeas with the love, the joy of my life!!!

The other reason for this day being so good is that we just talked to Ellen and she is cancer free. No further treatment is required. It sure sounds like a miracle to me.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Praise the Lord.

We are praising our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Ellen's surgery went very well and the prognosis is very positive.  She is home recuperating and feels pretty good.   We are still awaiting the results of a couple of tests which will determine any future treatment.

Dayle will be going to be with her on September 16th through the 28th.  She will fly out of Sacramento on the 16th and return to Seattle on the 28th.  I will leave Sacramento on the 16th and return to Fir Point Bible Camp for a few days before going up to Port Angeles.  On the 23rd of September I will be preaching at Wishkah Valley Community Church in Aberdeen, Washington.

Please continue to pray for my sister-in-law and her recovery and for the cancer to be GONE!

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Urgent Prayer Request

My dear sister-in-law, Ellen Parker, just found out that she has an aggressive type of breast cancer.  She goes in Monday for a radical mastectomy.  We are very concerned that the cancer has spread to the lymphatic system.  We will know more on Monday.  Please pray right now and often!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Camp is Finished

Teaching the 5th and 6th Graders about "Real Faith"
We just finished the last camp which was the 3rd and 4th graders.  The previous week was the 5th and 6th grade camp.  The requested speaker  was unable to make it so I was asked to be the speaker.  I was already scheduled for the 3rd and 4th grade camp, so I used the same material.  My theme was "real faith."  I taught the children what real faith is and how it shows in the life of a believer.  We had our two grandsons, AJ and Andy, with us at camp.  Andy got sick almost immediately upon arrival and went home with the stomach flu.  He returned the next day feeling great.  Then Dayle and I both came down with the stomach flu. This was the first time in our 41 years that we have both been sick at the same time.  We were both miserable and we couldn't even pamper each other.  I asked Dayle to rub my head due to a terrible headache and she said, "No. Will you rub mine?"  As miserable as we were for those 24 hours it was very funny.  We even like being sick together...go figure!

The weekend between the two camps was Fir Point's Bible Camp's Family Camp.  There were 40 families for a total of about 200 people.  The speaker was a Pastor friend from Grants Pass, and Jeff Moritz, the camp administrator, was going to lead the music for the four sessions at family camp.  But the day before camp started he got attacked by wasps and got stung in the eye.  His eye swelled shut and was not able to lead the music.  So he asked me if I would fill in for him.  Of course I said that I would.  It was really good to be able to lead the music and the people really seemed to enjoy it.
Leading music at Family Camp

Even though I have been preparing lessons for the kids we both have continued to do lots of work around here.  We continue to clean, repair and organize.  I have used my welding skills to make a ladder hanger to hang the extension ladders on the side of the shop building.  I used my electrical and woodworking skills to make a post lamp over the outdoor campfire stage.  We just had a huge yard sale and a lot of stuff was sold and even given away.  The camp is almost empty of excess stuff.  I made two trips to the thrift store and another trip to the dump.  There is actually room now for the stuff they need to keep in storage.  This next week we plan to finish cleaning out and organizing the maintenance shop.  This should take one to two full days.
As I write this entry we are in Orting, Washington (Sunday 8/5).  I preached in both the morning and evening services at Faith bible Church.  It was good to be back in the pulpit.  We are staying with our NICE mission directors, Bob and Katherine Rodgers, and it was good to be able to spend some time with them.
We plan on leaving Fir Point on or about the 13th of August and will head south to my sister's house for 2 to 3 weeks.  We will help her with a huge yard sale.  While there we will go over to Lake Havasu City and visit our supporting church and see some good friends.  We need to be in Port Angeles with Jason and Shelli to watch the kids for a few days while they fly to the New York for Shelli's brother's wedding.

We are still awaiting for an assignment from the mission.  Bob may have a church for us in Idaho, so we are looking forward to that possibility. It the mean time we will continue to serve at every opportunity.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Back at Fir Point Bible Camp

Well one of us is back at camp.  I returned on June 20th and Dayle stayed behind with my sister and the kids to help her get things in order for my newly widowed sister.  The Lord's work has been quite evident as my sister's friends and neighbors have been rallying around her.  My sister went to Social Security and will be getting "survivor's benefits."  She is getting signed up for MediCal.  She received a hospital bill from Ed's heart surgery in the amount of $42,000.  We are praying that MediCal will pick up that bill and also provide medical coverage for them.  Dayle will be picked up by Neeley on Monday and then she will stay a week with Stephen and Neeley.  I hope to go down on July 13th to bring her back on the 15th.

Just before that dreaded phone call the camp received a face-lift by way of asphalt on all the roads, parking areas and walk-ways.  The place is really beautiful and nowhere near as dusty.


Paved walk ways



The entire camp has been paved.


Part of the reason for me returning to camp was to get the work done.  The children's camps begin on July 9th and there is still a lot of work to do to ready the grounds.  We use an old 1959 tractor to make a lot of the work easier but the water pump went out.  I figured that an old tractor can't be much different than the old cars that I used to work on so I dove right in.  Fortunately I had my heavy duty tools with me.  After dismantling the front of the tractor I was able to get to the water pump and get it off.  did you know that replacement parts for a 1959 Massey-Ferguson tractor are readily available?  I placed the order and three days later the tractor was up an running.....until the voltage regulator went out just the other day.  A new one is on order.

1959 Massey-Ferguson

Emptied storage container
One of the other projects that needed to be done was the organizing and cleaning of the two 40' containers and the lumber storage area which is also the back of the shop area.   We emptied out the containers, disposed of any junk and then organized all the stuff.  One of the hurdles was to devise a proper way to store all the good hard wood.  The chapel was filled with pews and as the pews would break they would be dismantled and the wood saved for future projects.  So I came up with an idea to make a three shelf wood rack which I made out of very old and rusty 1" pipe.  The camp has a working electric arc welder which I put to good use.  The completed rack is below.


The rack doesn't look like much but it is very sturdy.
Loaded wood rack with room for more.

This is how it looked this morning

A closer look


The finished project.  After working all day and making four trips to the burn pile with a fully loaded 4x8 utility trailer.

On a more spiritual note...I found a good church where we can get involved.  To what extent I do not know but we will be involved as much as possible.  I will be leading the devotion time for the camp staff meeting on Saturday (7/7) morning.  Please pray for that meeting as there are some sensitive issues that need to be discussed.

Maybe it is because Dayle is gone and I feel sorry for myself that I have had feelings of worthlessness.  Here I have some great education.  I pastored a wonderful church for nearly 10 years. Retired from the LAPD and the US Coast Guard.  I have done all kinds of "great" and exciting things.  And now I am doing manual labor where no one really notices. Sounds like a prideful person talking doesn't it.  Well it was.  Then I remembered what C.J. Mahaney wrote in his book "Humility, True Greatness."  He said, "Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification.  That's the motive and ultimate purpose of pride--to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him.  The proud person seeks to glorify himself and not God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive."  After a time of reading and prayer I began to once again think right.  Then I realized that I have had the privilege of a great education, the privilege of being the pastor of a wonderful church; the honor of being a Los Angeles police officer and receiving a retirement; the honor of serving in the US Coast Guard for 22 years and the privilege of receiving a retirement beginning this September.  And now I have the highest honor of serving our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ here at Fir Point Bible Camp!  Then I was reminded of one of my own quotes that I have said many times from several pulpits: "No matter where you are....that is where God has you.  And you are there for God's purposes so serve Him with all your heart."


Thank you for your prayers for my sister and her two sweet kids as well as for my mother who is living with them.  Please continue to remember them in prayer.



Thursday, June 14, 2012

A Dreaded Phone Call

On Wednesday morning, the 6th of June, we received a phone call that we will never forget.  My  sister was bordering on hysterical as she told us that her husband just died. He was 55.  Ed had a heart attack the previous week and spent several days in the hospital and receiving two stents.  His prognosis was good.  He went home on Sunday and was feeling great.  He went to sleep Tuesday night and didn't wake up.  My sister went to wake him up in the morning but he was already gone.  She was shaking him and yelling for him to wake up and their two children heard the commotion and also found their father dead in his bed.  Needless to say, there were some very hysterical people when my sister called and asked us to come.  About one hour later we were in the car heading south to Pinon Hills, CA.  After a 14 hour trip, we arrived at 1:30 in the morning and immediately Andrea and the kids embraced and we all cried. 

This past week has been one of extreme sadness, and very stressful funeral preparations accompanied by some wonderful blessings.  Ed had once said that he wanted to be buried at the Catholic cemetery in Mission Hills which is a 1 1/2 hr drive.  We went to the Catholic mortuary on Friday to make the arrangements.  None of us had any real experience with funeral arrangements.  I have performed scores of funerals but never made any arrangements.  We were totally shocked when we learned how expensive it is to bury someone.  Then we found out that the Catholic cemetery is the most expensive of all others in the LA area.  The first price quote for $6500 just for the mortuary and that did not include the cemetery which would have been another $8500.  Just for them to pick up and transport to the mortuary, embalming, and service to this point, we already owned them over $2000.  We told the funeral counselor that we needed a bare bones funeral and we put a stop to the whole thing while we regroup.

My brother-in-law had been out of work for a few months.  He had no life insurance of any kind and they were living from month to month so an expensive funeral was out of the question. 

I found a casket company in LA and we went and bought a very classy casket for 1/5th the cost that the funeral homes charge.  Then we found a cemetery near the house that was one third the cost of the Catholic cemetery.  We returned to the Catholic mortuary on Sunday afternoon and we told them exactly what we wanted so we got the cost down form nearly $15,000 to under $8000.  We still didn't know where all the money was going to come from.  We did already had $4000 donated from family and friends.  But by Monday every cent of the entire cost was covered. Someone from their church gave her an anonymous gift of $1000.  they have only attended this church a few times but the people really helped out.  Her neighbors brought food every night and even money for her.  A company where Ed had worked for many years gave Andrea over $4500 with the promise that more is coming.

I put together the DVD slide show (which saved us a hundred dollars).  We made our own memorial cards and I did the service.  Ed's father was a staunch Catholic and insisted of having a priest come.  To have a priest come and do his mumbo jumbo cost $300 and they will not come if they aren't getting paid.

Well, yesterday was the funeral at the Catholic Mortuary being performed by a fundamental Christian preacher.  I was sure to present the gospel at both the funeral service and the graveside.

One thing that we all learned from this experience with the funeral home and cemetery is that it is extremely important to pre-arrange our funerals.  When we return to Oregon we are going to do that very thing.  We cannot let anyone go through what we just went through.

I plan on returning to Oregon on or about June 20th and Dayle will stay with my sister for a week or two to help her with the future.

Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for Andrea and Spencer, age 12, and Madison, age 10.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Hard at Work at Fir Point Bible Camp


We have been at Fir Point for two weeks and it has been non-stop work but we love it.  There is so much to do and so little time and so few laborers.  There is much to be repaired: Three trucks, Two gas powered golf carts, hand railings need repair and waterproofing, yard clean up, shop cleaning and organizing, RV repair, and the list goes on and on.  Here are a few pictures of what's been going on.

Today I took a 10' trailer with 3' sides filled to overflowing with junk to the dump.  There still is another 2-4 loads to go.  We have been making a burn pile which is about 10' high now and still growing.  I have been teaching Jeff, the Camp Executive Director, to begin using a new term..."Trash it."  Jeff has been using his new term a lot.

Regarding a church, we have attended to two different churches in the area.  There are only three churches here in town.  We even went to the Presbyterian church.  Next week we plan on driving to the next town which is 8 miles up the road to attend the community church.  We were told that it is a pretty good church.  We really want to fellowship with a church while we are here without having to drive very far.

Dayle in front of one of the RV's that she cleaned.  There was no running water so she had to bring pitchers of water.
This looks pretty clean on the outside but it took me two days to get this ready for use, a total of 9 hours!!  Yikes!  A  little tip for anyone thinking of donating used items to a church camp....CLEAN it first.  Also give what is excellent.  On a lighter note....I was cleaning one of the chairs which took me awhile and low and behold when I tried to set it up the thing was broken,  I cleaned a broken chair, sheesh.  Anyway, that was one of those moments when you just have to throw something soooo I threw it outside.  I felt much better.
 

Cleaning and organizing one of the shops.
One section organized and cleaned.

Acres of grass...and I cut it all on a very cool riding lawnmower.
The Paving Project

Wherever I go around the camp I am reminded of my friend, Damon Pollard.  Damon made all the camp signs!

Dayle's toe is just about totally healed.  The antibiotic took care of the infection.  Now she is running around as normal.   

PRAYER REQUESTS:  
1.  Please pray for our daughter-in-law, Shelli.  She had another night time seizure.  The neurologist thinks that it is due to sleep apnea.  She is on anti-seizure medication.  The real difficult thing is that she cannot drive for six months.   This will be real difficult  for them because Jason has to be away so much at the Coast Guard station.  She wants to grow through this trial.
2.  Pray for Stephen and Neeley as they are expecting in December. This will be our 6th grandchild.  Also pray for their new house to close without any complications.
3.  Pray for health, safety, and strength as we are doing a lot of hard manual labor here at the camp.
4.  Pray for a new assignment in September.
5.  Pray for Bethany Bible Church in Lake Havasu.  The need wisdom to deal with a difficult situation. 
6.  Pray that we can be a blessing to a local church and the folks here at Fir Point.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Leaving Port Angeles, WA

The date has been set to leave Port Angeles.  We plan to depart on May 7th.  Originally we intended to leave a week earlier but our Grandson, Asher, has his first baseball game on May 5th.  Asher has never played in any organized sports until a couple of weeks ago.  I have been working with him on baseball skills such as catching, throwing, hitting, and fielding.  So we have to stay at least for his first game.

We will take a couple of days to get to Fir Point Bible Camp.  We really want visit Mt. St.Helens which is in southern Washington.

This evening I got to speak at a home Bible study from the Independent Bible Church of Port Angeles. (Dayle came down with the flu today so she didn't get to go.) They were very interested in my Jewish background, Coast Guard and police adventures and ministry.    They were asking so many questions that I didn't have any time to get into the lesson that I had prepared.  But they did ask us to return next Thursday evening.

The weather is beginning to break here in the rain forest.  There have actually been a few days of sunshine.  Last week we had three days in a row without any rain.  What joy it is to see blue sky and sun shine.  Of course, I capitalize on the opportunity and head to the mountain bike trails.  There is a 25 mile trail called the Discovery Adventure Trail that is quite a challenge.  I have ridden this trail several times now. I leave from our son's house and ride 4 miles to the trail head.  So the entire ride is just under 30 miles and it takes me right around 5 hours each time.  After every ride I loose a couple of pounds.  I have dropped 10 pounds in the last month by riding and eating less.  I will keep up my riding at Fir Point as there are plenty of trails to ride in the mountains around the camp. 

Once we get to Fir Point I am going to try to find a church where we can serve at while we are there.  Our heart's desire is to serve in a local church in whatever capacity the Lord allows.  While we are at Fir Point we will still be available for the mission to send us wherever we are needed.

Please continue to pray for ministry opportunities.  Also pray for my Dayle that she will kick this flu quickly.


Friday, April 13, 2012

Still Waiting

We are still in Port Angeles enjoying the virtually incessant rain and cloudiness. Although I do get to go for a bike ride now and then.  I just acquired full rain gear for the bike so I'm not going to let a little rains stop me anymore.

We are a bit surprised that we haven't been assigned a new church yet.  So about the first of May we will be heading to Fir Point Bible Camp.  There is much work that needs to be done to get ready for the summer camp season.  I will be able to use my technical skills in repairing the RVs that are used for summer staff.  Plus there is wood to cut, buildings to repair, and the list goes on.

We will be just 25 miles from Annie and family so we will be able to spend some time with them.  No surgery has yet been scheduled for AJ.  The doctor wants to take a wait and see posture for the time being.  They may have to go to the Children's Hospital in Portland but nothing more is known yet.

Please continue to pray for AJ and for the entire Galli family -- Mel, Annie, AJ, and Andy.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

From Los Angeles to Issaquah to Lynwood, Washington

These past three weeks have been blessing after blessing.  It started with the Shepherd's Conference in L.A. where I heard great preachers and teachers speaking about the sufficiency and power of God's Word.  The fellowship with many long time friends and meeting new friends was wonderful as were all the speakers.  I attended every session that I could and then I downloaded every session from www.shepherdsfellowship.org   I highly engourage everyone to download these great messages!  They are all free!

The following weekend, March 17 we drove from Port Angeles, WA to Issaquah, WA where I would be preaching on the 18th at Trinity Evangelical Church.  While enroute another motorist pulled up along side of us and was frantically waiving and pointing to our trailer.  We had blown a tire and didn't even know it.  We pulled over and the tire was shredded.  After a quick tire change we continued on our way to Issaquah.

On Sunday I spoke on the Doctrine of Indestructible Joy.  It almost never seems to fail that God always provides a living illustration for me to use in my sermons just as He did with the blown out tire.  After the message the people took up a collection which almost totally paid for a new tire.  What a blessing to be ministered to by such warm and loving people!

Trinity Evangelical Church, Issaquah, Washington
On Sunday we drove to Sunset Bible Church in Tacoma where we would park our house while attending the Pacific Northwest Regional Conference to be held at Corban Seminary.  The fellowship was great as we were able to meet new friends and reconnect with old.  The theme of the conference was "Biblical Church Growth."  I am always suspicious when I hear this topic and it turns out I had good reason to be suspicious.  The speaker's first two sessions were excellent but his last two sessions were quite dissappointing.  It is amazing to me how I can go from one conference and hear some wonderful teaching right out of the Word of God and then go to another conference one week later and hear the exact opposite.  I hope to soon be speaking with the officers of the PNW Regional concerning their last speaker and will be encouraging them to listen to a couple of the Shepherd's Conference sessions that addressed the same topic.

Inside the Chapel of Corban Seminary
After the PNW Regional we returned to Jason and Shelli's home in Port Angeles to be with Autum on her 12th birthday.  Then on Saturday we headed to Lynwood where I would be speaking at Alderwood Community Church in three of their fellowship groups.  The topic that they wanted to me to speak on was "How did a nice Jewish boy like you become a Christian Preacher?"  We had a lot of fun with this topic and always took the people to the Scriptures concerning the sovereignty of God.  As I write this entry we are in Snohomish at Associate Pastor Tim Walton's home and getting ready to speak at one more group before departing back to Port Angeles.

Outside Alderwood Community Church with Merilee, Kristy, and Jackson Walton


Speaking in the Boomers Class


Speaking in the Silver and Gold Fellowship on Tuesday.  Approx 80 seniors.

Concerning future ministry....We were told that we may be sent to Idaho to help out a church so hopefully we will hear more soon.  If nothing comes up we will be heading to Fir Point Bible Camp to work until needed elsewhere.  So please continue to pray for us, and for ministry opportunities.  Also pray for our grandson, AJ, Annie's oldest, for possible brain tumors.  We will know the results of the CT Scan soon.


Sunday, March 4, 2012

Going to the Shepherd's Conference

As I write this entry I am in Klamath Falls, with my good friends Duane and Cora Tucker.  A couple of weeks ago Duane called me and asked me to go to the Shepherd's Conference with him.  I was hesitant for two reasons--having to be away from Dayle and the grand kids for a week; and secondly, I really didn't want to drive for 24 hours down to LA.  Well, Duane and Cora were going to be up in Bremerton which is just 1 1/2 hour drive from Port Angeles.  He convinced me to go.  I met them in Bremerton this morning, parked the car at the Amtrak station in Tacoma, and hopped in the van.  Duane, being a professional driver, plans to do most of the driving, and I can just sit and relax.

Tonight we are in Klamath Falls.  Tomorrow I have a few errands to run, and very early Tuesday morning we will head to Los Angeles.  I am looking forward to a great conference, spiritual refreshment, and sweet fellowship.  On early Sunday morning, I board the Amtrak train and return to Tacoma.

Dayle is staying in Port Angeles...the grand kids were willing to let one of us go, but not both.  Our daughter-in-law said that "mom" cannot go.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Arrived in Port Angeles, Washington

We arrived in Port Angeles on Wednesday (2/15) to all the grand kids waiting for us at the road.  They sure make us feel special!  The last two days have been pretty much constant rain.   When we went to bed we discovered that the bedroom carpet was soaked.  Water had leaked in.  This was very puzzling because we have been in monsoon rains in Arizona with no leakage.  Then I noticed that the trailer had settled and was now leaning the wrong way.  So at 10:00 at night I am out in the cold and the rain, putting a tarp over the front part of the trailer and then I leveled the trailer.  So, no more leaks.  Due to the high humidity here, I had to go purchase a dehumidifier otherwise the floor would never dry.  Fun, fun, fun!  But now we have a real nice dehumidifier.

We are really enjoying spending time with the kids.  They have all grown so much.  Asher is bigger that Dayle, and Autum is almost as tall as Dayle. 

Tomorrow we will accompany them to their church, Peninsula Bible Church.  The following weeks we will visit the three IFCA churches in the area.

March will be a busy month.  I will be going to the Shepherd's Conference.  My friend Duane Tucker will pick me up in Tacoma and I will drive down with him.  On the return trip, he will drop me off at the Amtrak train in Klamath Falls and then Dayle will pick me up in Tacoma.  (Tacoma is about a two hour drive.)  I also still have two speaking opportunities and the NICE Regional conference.  We will be taking our trailer to the regional.  But its cheaper than a hotel and we that way we don't have to worry about the dogs. 

I have lots of picture I would like to post, but we have a very slow internet connection here at our son's house, so I will have to wait for a better time.

We are still waiting for an assignment. 

Friday, February 10, 2012

Rancho Cordova, CA to Klamath Falls, OR to Grants Pass, OR

Wow! so much has happened since our last post.  We spent two weeks with Stephen and Neeley in Rancho Cordova.  We had such a good time with them.  We stayed in their guest room.  Both Stephen and Neeley are very health conscious and they made sure that I ate healthy.  No junk food for me.  I did go bike riding almost every day along the American River Trail.  The first week I rode over 100 miles.  I even rode to downtown Sacramento on a 30 mile round trip ride.

We went to Grace Bible Church with them and we always enjoy sitting under the teaching of Dr. Rick Gregory.  If I ever had to live in California, it would have to be close enough to be a part of this church.  We also attended a home Bible study with them.  It was truly a blessing to know that our kids are in such a good church with such great teaching.

Both Stephen and Neeley work at UC Davis Medical Center and they love their jobs.  Stephen works the day shift and Neeley works the night shift so they often pass each other in the hallway.  They do get plenty of off time though.  On one of their day's off we went to San Francisco for the day.  Among other things, we drove down Lombard Street four times and visited Golden Gate Park.

 


Stephen and Neeley up a tree in Golden Gate Park

My two docs.  Well, they are not doctors, but they look like doctors. Stephen is a nuclear medicine tech and Neeley is an ultrasound tech.
 
 We arrived in Klamath Falls on Friday February  3rd and parked our trailer at the farm of Dan and Kathy Wetzel (Stephen's parents).  What a gracious and fun couple.  Our mission in Klamath Falls was to go through our storage unit and dig out our winter clothing and to separate out everything that we want to sell in the spring.  We decided to sell most everything in storage which we will do in the spring.  We also had the privilege of seeing many friends at an open house held in our honor.  We were able to get everything accomplished that we needed to do.  I even got to see my favorite dentist, Tim Moore, and get my teeth checked and cleaned.

Right now we are staying at Fir Point Bible Camp in Glendale, Oregon which is just 25 miles north of Grants Pass where our daughter Annie and family live.  We haven't seen them since thanksgiving.  When we first saw them Annie started crying.  She said, "I didn't realize how much I missed you guys!"  Well, we missed something terribly too (I didn't cry though).  The boys have sure grown.  We will be staying through Monday so we can see the boys in their respective classes.  Andy is in dance and AJ is in karate.

This is where we will spend our summers if we do not have a church assignment from NICE.



We asked the mission to not reassign us until the end of February so we still don't know where we will be going next.  But I do have two speaking opportunities in March, both in Washington as one (possibly two) conferences to attend.

For more pictures you can check out our facebook page.

Please continue to pray for safety on the road, God's provision, and for the Lord's work to be done.
                                                        

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

On the Road Again

Since our departure from Lake Havasu City, we have been visiting family and friends.  Our first stop was my mother and sister's family in Pinon Hills, CA.  It was good being able to spend time with mom and to help out around the house.  Of course, I just can't sit still.  My sister asked me to install some shades in the living room.  While this may sound like a simple task it was anything but simple.  Her windows are not really designed to accept pull-down shades.  Drapes are what is normally used for these type of windows.  So after giving it some thought, I installed a shelf between the top half-round window and the lower rectangular window, then attached the shade to the underside of the shelf.  It looks pretty good.  I also did the same to mom's room and we used room darkening shades...now she can sleep past sunrise.

On Sunday we went to Grace Community Church and saw many friends that we have not seen in a few years.  After the service I saw a young mother with her two small children walk past.  She looked very familiar but I couldn't quite place her.  then she walked past a second time and I realized that she looked like the young Dickson girl, Lynn.  She would have been 10 when we saw here last, but she looked just like her mother.  We were very good friends with her parents at the church we attended from 1983 to 1986 and we haven't seen any of them since.  I knew that her parents, Norm and Carol, became missionaries with AWANA in Scotland.  But much to my surprise there they all were just 20 feet from us.  I grabbed Dayle by the wrist and pulled her along...my apologies to whomever Dayle was talking to at the time.
The Dickson Family


After church we hooked up with Brian and Christine Rush and together we went to Chili's for lunch.


We also had a great time with my niece and nephew.  We played a lot of hide-and-seek and Dayle played a lot on the trampoline and the skateboard with Madison, our 10 year old niece.

We departed My sister's house on the 16th and headed to our dear friends Jon and Judy Cunningham in Oakhurst, CA.  They live 14 miles from the south entrance on Yosemite.  We didn't go to Yosemite but it sure is pretty where they live.  We also went to see our long time friends, Bob and Beth Clark who live on the opposite end of Oakhurst.  We met the Clarks in 1974 at the very first church that we ever went to.  It was good to catch up and to see how the Lord has been working in every one's life.

Then on Wednesday the 18th we arrived at Stephen and Neeley's house in Rancho Cordova, CA and down came the rains.  I mention the rains because when I went into the 5th wheel after the rains I discovered water.  It wasn't much water but just enough to let me know that the slide-out seals need to be replaced.  I suppose the intense dry heat of the Arizona desert wasn't too good for the rubber seals.  So off to the RV store and a couple of hours of work and all the seals are replaced. 

It has been raining pretty much constantly since we arrived.  However yesterday, Tuesday, the rain stopped and it gave me a chance to get out on the bicycle for a wonderful 23 mile ride on the
American River trail.

We plan on leaving Rancho Cordova next Wednesday or Thursday and heading into Klamath Falls to visit more friends and to get stuff from our storage unit.



We are still awaiting for our next assignment.  But in the meantime we are enjoying our family and friends and still praying for additional financial support.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

We're Gone!

This past Sunday Bethany Bible Church's new pastor, Dennis McBride, delivered his first sermon as Pastor Dennis.  The beginning of the service we had our "change of command."  The local paper printed a press release announcing the new pastor and three people came because of that ad all of whom said that they plan to return.  Attendance was 50 people in the morning and 35 in the evening. Compared to a low of 11 when we first arrived last April, that was a huge increase.  How very exciting for the church.  After the service they had a "hail and farewell" dinner for us and the McBrides.

The church Deacons praying for Pastor Dennis and his wife, Lynda
The Cake  ...very yummy too!

Look at all the people!


Then Monday morning, we packed up and departed Arizona.  We were asked to stay for a couple of weeks, but I have learned that it is never good for the ex-pastor to stay in the church.  Even though I was the pastor for only 9 months I knew that the only way for the people to bond with their new pastor and leadership is for the previous pastor to get out of the way.  So, we did.  But we sure love Lake Havasu City and who knows, we may even settle there some day.

Our dear friends and one of the most hospitable couple's we have ever met.
We will miss them greatly!  And so will our dogs.
So, right now we are with my sister and family and my mom. Mom has been having some problem with her vision so we went to the eye doctor today for an eye examination.  She has cataracts in both eyes.  A surgery consultation is scheduled for the end of the month.  She is not happy about this.  Please keep her in your prayers especially for her salvation.

We will be in Southern California until Monday (1/16) and will then head up to Stephen and Neeley in Rancho Cordova.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

We're Done!

This past Sunday I preached my last message.  On Monday I cleaned out the pastor's office.  What a wonderful feeling to have set out to "work myself out of a job" and have accomplished that goal.  The new pastor arrives this evening. Today a bunch of us are going over to the house that the new pastor has rented to insure that it is ready for their arrival.  Tomorrow morning we will unload their truck and move them in. 

There is a real sense of hope and excitement in the air as the church is looking forward.  We too are very excited for Bethany Bible Church and we are excited about what the Lord has in store for us next.  This next Sunday with be Pastor Dennis McBride's first Sunday.  The Church is going to have a "Hail and Farewell" dinner for us and the McBrides after the morning service.

Right now we are staying in Stan and Stephanie Broder's 5th wheel trailer.  We left our trailer at my brother-in-law and sister's house in Pinon Hills when we went to visit with them for Christmas.  We had to move out of the RV Park to make way for new renters.  So since we needed a place to stay at my sister's house, we took our trailer.  We will be returning to my sister's house on the 8th or 9th and will stay with them for about a week.  Then up to Neeley in Rancho Cordova (Sacramento area).  We plan on being back in Klamath Falls toward the end of January.  We should be in southern Oregon for about a week (+ or - a few days) to visit Annie, Mel and the kids and take care of personal business in KFalls, then up to Port Angeles to be with Jason and Shelli and the kids.

We have not received a new assignement yet but  we are sure that will come soon. 

Please continue to pray for Bethany Bible Church.  Please continue to pray for us as we are still in need of financial support; and pray for safety as we travel, and for our next assignment.