Still Spinning my Wheels

Sunday, July 21, 2013

My wife called a couple of hours ago. She just boarded the plane in Dar, coming home. I expect to pick her up tomorrow at noon. In the meantime, I’ve got tons of work to do. (So, why am I writing this blog? Ans: Because you are worth it and this is something I can do while I am burning the last three sermons I preached at EVI unto cd’s.)

I’ve been working all week with our ASI Search Committee to find a replacement for Ramon Chow, our ASI Secretary/Treasurer. With that, I need to come up with a gift for him and his faithful secretary, Gail Bosarge. It is my job to present them with a going away present at the main meeting of the convention. Our first idea didn’t pan out. We thought to get them each an I-pad, but David, my nephew, says Ramon already has an I-pad. Ok, back to the drawing board.

I am solicitous for one of our present Lifestyle Guests. She’s had all kinds of trouble in life, and now she has cancer. Yesterday, she found out that her granddaughter contracted special viral meningitis. Apparently, 30 people have had this special form of meningitis and none of them survived. She is quite distraught with grief. All we can do is pray. The child has less that a 1% chance of survival. How do you comfort someone like that except to point out that God can overrule. And so we are praying in those terms.

The raspberries are on. We had a great feed of cherries from Wenatchee last week, as well. Alex Fowler came by with a truckload of the fruit. Alex’s mom, Kate, works at EVI.

(What follows is what I communicated to my wife in Africa since I last blogged.)

I haven't written in a couple of days. Life has been super hectic for me. It seemed like I had tons of clerical work to do. I never thought I'd get through it, but I did. Amazing. I've been praying more and asking the Lord's help. I've edited all of the Faith Ventures this week--all but yours, of course. I still hope to receive something from you today.  Yesterday, I wrote another article for ASI Welcome magazine for the Convention. I've also had to respond to all the people in Germany, Singapore, and Nova Scotia who wanted titles, themes, bio's, and description of seminars. I can hardly know what I'm preaching for next Sabbath, much less know months ahead what I'll be presenting, but they are forcing me.

I had a fourth of July supper with the Roeskes and the Smiths last night. The food was great, but the sleep that followed was awful. (Blame it on Big Franks inside of little Frank.)

Christina and a girl from Julie's church are now in Florida for Youth For Jesus. They had a difficult time at two airports, but managed to get there in the end.

Angie is determined not to do Foster Care anymore. Julie and Angie are at the Light Bearer's Camp Meeting.

Today, I get a haircut and see a dentist at 3:30 PM to get my cap put on, if the dentist doesn't charge more than I am willing to pay.

Yesterday, while I was having my devotion, the Lord impressed me with a possible title for my ASI Keynote Address. (No sermon, just a title.) When I got to the office, I had an e-mail from my Program Director saying they urgently needed the title of my sermon and a description of it. How do you describe something that doesn't exist? Well, the Lord gave me a title, so I made up a description out of thin air. Now all I have to do is prepare a sermon. Simple, n'est pas?

Actually, that is what I've had to do all week. People want titles, themes and descriptions. I just gave them what came to mind. I don't have time to do better.

On my way back from Denver I stopped to eat at Subway. I was alone. As I was turning into Subway I saw a girl with a sign that read, Need Gas. Seeing that I had $100 of offering money in my pocket, I went to investigate her situation. She was going from Georgia to Washington State with a van and no money. When she'd run out of gas, she'd pull out her sign and someone would help her along. Her car was indeed empty. It cost me $65 to fill it. The girl was about 20 to 25 years old. She drove an old beater of a van. I prayed with her and off she went. Did I do the right thing? I have no clue. Did the Lord organize this meeting? It's possible. Who knows? I hope she's ok. 

I've been trying to pray for two hours per day, lately. As a result, I got a lot of work done last week. I'm surprised. I leave the day after tomorrow to speak at the 1888 Message Study Committee meetings. I need God's Spirit. I only have a few more pressing issues to deal with, but I think I'll manage. 

On Jul 7, 2013, at 9:57 AM, Janet Fournier wrote:

Hi, sorry you are so busy--nothing like a ton of pressure. My green house is up with the plastic over it, but I don’t have the ends covered yet. Cleaned one container today, I hope to get them all organized before I leave. Was texting Julie on Skype a few minutes ago back and fort. That worked pretty well. I guess camp meeting is over and they are starting to pack-up. Bill Ross from Kibidula was there. I checked to see if you had Skype on, but you didn’t. 

The girl with cancer on the face is in the hospital. I went to see her yesterday. She has no one to provide food so I will pay for her food to be delivered to her 3 times a day and I will pay the hosp. bill. Her cancer has more than doubled in size. Her eye was closed before, but now it is wide open with the inside pushing out and the lump on the side is more than double. I will probable pick her up at the hospital and bring her to her aunts tomorrow.

Back to Me

I'm sitting in the Denver airport . . .  again. This time it is off to the 1888 Message Study Committee Conference in Washingtion DC. I'm praying a lot for the meetings I am to have this week. Also, they have invited me to sit on their board as an invitee. I have no intentions of becoming a board member. Perhaps my connection with ASI is influencing these invitations. I'll find out.

We rejected a request by Karen Lewis to take over her Denver project. She has accepted a call to be a Bible Worker Trainer for the Minnesota Conference. I feel bad, but we cannot stretch ourselves any thinner than we are already.

We still don't have a guest speaker for our convention. We've been trying, through Larry Romrell, to get Doug Batchelor.

Last week I rec’d a letter from the Rocky Mountain Conference asking if I was interested in keeping my name on a list to be the pastor of the Franktown Church.  I’m flattered and honored, but too busy with too many things to even think in those terms. I pulled my name out of the running. Maybe in the future when I am ninety or something.

This time I'm sitting in the Baltimore airport. I'm on my way home from the 1888 Message Study Committee Conference. I had a great time, very spiritual and inspiring. I'm determined to pursue a study of Righteousness by Faith until I am perfect in Christ. Some of the people, who were in Maine, came down to Takoma Park for these meetings. The Maine folks make everything more spiritual.

I spent 4 hours yesterday with Jason and family. We went to the park with David, Arwyn, and Ramon and wife. We had supper at Ramon's place. Ramon took me back to the Washington Adventist University and David took Jason to bed--jet-lagged. I gave Jason my credit card. When I get home, I'll contact the bank to get Jason his own credit card. Everyone is looking good. Shiloh is still the belle of the ball.

 Julie's place. (The first two photos.)

My rose bush.

Preparing, preparing, preparing.

In less than three weeks, my wife should be with me again. I look forward to it. I know that it is discouraging for her to be alone in Mago. It was easier when Deniece was there, but now it is extremely lonely. I talked with her a couple of days ago. She was chipper at that point because she is busy building a greenhouse. She is so much like her mother. If she has a project and help to accomplish the project, she is happy.

Janet had a pretty good Sabbath a couple of weeks ago. She wrote, “Yesterday, Sabbath was a big day, 2 weddings, 4 baby dedications, communion, 16 baptisms from all around, 1 ordination, and 3 girls graduated from sewing school. We took all day and then had a bunch sleep over. Pulled 2 teeth this morning.” That, for my wife, is happiness!

I spent a wonderful week in Whitehorse, Yukon, with Julie and her family.  The last Sabbath was a high Sabbath. We started at 10 AM and I quit talking at 8:30 PM. The house was packed and I talked all day. Everyone seemed much interested and Julie was overjoyed. For potluck there was twice as much food as there was people. I ate too much. (French Canadians, Americans, Philippinos, Hungarians, Venezualans and others I cannot account for, like, not-French-Canadians.) Three or four of the people were not SDA . . . yet. I don't know if they will ever be, but they acted like they were positively impacted.

Julie works all the time sewing and gardening. She made enough money to put two of her boys through Young Disciples Camp, and to pay for her trip to Washington State, and to the Light Bearer’s Camp Meeting, and to pay the IRS of the USA seven years of back taxes. (Her husband is a US citizen. He never had to pay taxes to the US before, but they passed a new law, and now he has to pay taxes.)

Lately, I’ve been swamped with requests to write. I've been praying more and asking the Lord's help. I've edited all of the Faith Ventures this week. Yesterday, I wrote an article for the ASI Welcome magazine for the Convention. I've also had to respond to all the people in Germany, Singapore, and Nova Scotia who wanted titles, themes, bio's, and description of seminars. I can hardly know what I'm preaching for next Sabbath, much less know months ahead what I'll be presenting, but they are forcing me. Also, I was asked to write an article for the Review on the meaning of ASI, besides preparing sermons till they come out my ears.

Matthew Imes and Jennifer Dettman are planning to marry on August 25.

Today, we  (the EVI Staff) worked at weeding the raspberries and the garlic patch. We got it all done. Looks great. It looks like this is finally the year of the raspberries. They are coming on strong. Also, Ignacio planted strawberries in April and today there are tons of fruit. Impressive really. They are fruiting like they were mature old plants. We all had lunch at the Village today, and had strawberries on cake for desert.

I'm sitting at the Denver airport. (What else is new?) My flight to Atlanta was to be at 1:15 PM. Now it is only at 5:45 PM. I was supposed to drive to Uchee with Steve Grabiner, but I missed that ride. Now I had to rent a car. $155 for two days. I'll be at Uchee around midnight if I don't get lost. (Arrived at 1:45 AM.)

On my way home from Uchee, I wrote an article for the Review. Sometimes the Lord gives me these things easily. Sometimes it is like pulling teeth. This time it came wonderfully easy.

I'm almost finished reading a manuscript on the Trinity by Barry Mellor, Deniece's husband. Learned much, some reservations.

I finished praying through my Bible, the Conflict series, 7A and all my Spirit of Prophecy etchings in the margin of my Bible. It took three years less two months, to the day. Today, I started to read through the Testimonies to the Church. It took me 17 years the first time. Hopefully it won't take that long this time around. I probably don't have 17 years left, (or right.)

I had a board meeting with Northland Sanctuary Ranch, last night. Today, I sat on a Search Committee to replace Ramon Chow. Tomorrow, an ASI Exec. Comm. At least, I get to exercise to de-stress. Tomorrow, I have an appointment with Karen Lewis. She has accepted a call to train Bible Workers in the Minnesota Conference. She wants EVI to take her Denver project. The Executive Committee will wrestle with that in three days.

Life has been super hectic for me. It seems like I had tons of clerical work to do. I never thought I'd get through it, but I did. I had a fourth of July supper with the Roeskes and the Smiths last night. The food was great, but the sleep that followed was awful. Christina and a girl from Julie's church are now in Florida for Youth For Jesus. They had a difficult time at two airports, but managed to get there in the end.

Angie is determined not to do Foster Care anymore. Julie and Angie are at the Light Bearer's Camp Meeting having a blast.

Today, I get a haircut and see a dentist at 3:30 PM to get my cap put in, if he doesn't charge more than I am willing to pay.

I preach tomorrow, but I have no sermon prepared. I guess I should tackle that next.

Yesterday, while I was having my devotion, the Lord impressed me with a possible title for my ASI Keynote Address. (No sermon, just a title.) When I got to the office, I had an e-mail from my ASI Program Director saying they urgently needed the title of my sermon and a description of it. How do you describe something that doesn't exist? Well, the Lord gave me a title, so I made up a description out of thin air. Now all I have to do is prepare a sermon. Simple, n'est pas?

Phew! Wasn’t that fun?