Great Time in Maine

I’m in the air between Maine and Denver on my way to Zambia. It’s a good time to spend time writing a blog. As you know, writing blogs is a time consuming task. It is easy to feel that it is a waste of time, and if it wasn’t for my family and friends, I wouldn’t waste a minute doing it. (But what would life be like without you? I can’t imagine. Therefore, the sacrifice is worth it, because you are my family and friends.) Like the last blog, this is in the form of a diary, just day-to-day boring stuff.

May 17, 2013

It's a fine, hot day in Colorado. David Katsma and I just came back from eating at Hu Hot. Good stuff. (I owed him one for rescuing me last week when I forgot my teeth on the way to California to the dentist. No, I don’t wear dentures. I lost my crown. You didn’t know that I wear a crown? It is mostly hidden. Presidents are not Monarchs, you know.)

I preach tomorrow at EVI, but I don't have a sermon yet. I’ll try to find something from the past. (Finally, I chose to preach on sight. “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are. What we are colors all we see.” The main text is Titus 1:15 “Onto the pure is all things pure; onto the defiled is nothing pure.”

 I sent an applications out today for my Canada Old Age Pension. Yes, my time has come. I am officially a senior citizen. Ugh! The thought is enough to make me gag. (Don’t get me wrong. I respect seniors and love them dearly, but it ain’t for me, yet. Except that I can’t seem to be able to put a stop to it. More exercise, I guess . . . and greener than green drinks.) On the other hand, I hope getting my Old Age Pension works as well as getting the Social Insurance pension--$293 per month—hoo-hoo! It took me months to get everything together so that I could finally send the application.

Ignacio's dad died this morning (Ignacio is our farmer. Unexpected. He was 80.)  He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't like to go to family funerals because they are Catholic and they do much that is strange to him. So we gave him permission to go if he wants to go and to stay if he doesn't want to go. (He went.)

Diana Mitchell, a lady I led to the Lord, it must be 30 years ago, in Canada, is still writing to me and sending money to support Janet’s projects. Amazing dedication, especially if you consider that she is no longer an Adventist. (Evangelical.)

Felix Velez, who use to work at EVI, came over and spent some time with me at the office. He hasn’t come around since we asked him to move on. He seems to be doing fine, looking a little scruffy for the crazy beard he sports. Claims he is not looking for a wife. He says he isn't good at choosing them. He expects the Lord to choose for him next time. Good deal . . . I guess.

Last time I looked, our apple trees were blossoming. I think we'll have apples this year. That is news folks, apples are not easy to come by at EVI. It’s too cold at the wrong times.

May 18, 2013

It is Sabbath. I am managing some rest, though it is hard to rest from my thoughts. I must get a lot done in the next few days and I'm not sure I can cover it all.

I preached at EVI today. It went well. Not many people. Our students are gone to Wyoming to two Army Camps, and many of our staff are on vacation because there is a big space of time between Lifestyle sessions this month. Besides that, many choose to go elsewhere to church. I guess they heard I was preaching.

May 20, 2013

Yesterday, we, Leonard, Leasa, Bev and I drove to DayStar Academy. We left at 5 AM and got there for lunch. At one o'clock, we started our board meeting. It was pleasant, easy and finished on time for supper. Jerry gave every board member two pounds of asparagus and we picked more for EVI.

Jerry is still president of DayStar, and we elected Alexa Hernandez to be the principal. To help her we recommended that she appoint two vice-principals--Wendy Harris and Susan Duerhssen. (That didn’t work out. In talking to Alexa, I suggested that she use Linda Learned and ask Wendy to oversee her work. I haven’t heard since.) DayStar is doing very well, relative to yester-years. They finished the year in better shape than usual, financially, and they have 20 students applying already, which is ahead of the usual number for this time of the year. The staff say they've had the best year ever. That is good enough for me. They are entering upon a huge project in town. It may cost more millions than I care to write. The Lord will open the door or refuse to open the door. The next few years should prove interesting.

Felix introduced me to a retired dentist this evening. He was hoping we could use him as a dentist at EVI or as a doctor. I don't think so, but you never know what the contact will produce.

Today I had a prayer meeting with John (my bro.) and three others over the phone about the meetings in Maine.

I received $1,156.55 from the Canadian government today. Good thing because my visa statement was over $2,500. It is hard to keep track of all the charges on my card. My Lover uses it, and many of the charges belong to ASI. I’m suppose to remember all that is going on. I cannot imagine not losing money somewhere. My Canadian check didn't even last three minutes. Better than not having it, though.

May 21, 2013

Another day is over. I'm packed and ready to leave for Maine. What a hectic day. I sat on three Conference Calls. The Lord, and my friends are helping me to manage this ASI business.

I don't know if this is my last hurrah in life, or if the Lord is preparing me for something more, but He sure has me carrying and juggling more than I ever had to do in my life. Thankfully, all my balls are in the air . . . I think.

I hope there is Internet in Maine. I've got to participate with whatever is happening as much as I can. Donna McNeilus, my ASI Gen. VP, is going to try to make things happen in my absence. (She did a great Job. We are negotiating with the NAD for a specific replacement for our present Secretary Treasurer. I couldn’t do it without her help.)

I think I taught my last class to this intake of EVI students. I'll come back to speak at their graduation on June 15. That means I've got to prepare a sermon sometime in my travels.

May 23, 2013

I left EVI at 8:15 AM on Wednesday morning. I was supposed to arrive in Portland, Maine, at 9 PM, but my flight was delayed in Newark, NJ, until 9:30. I arrived after 11PM and we got to bed around 12:45 AM. (I made an appointment, in Maine, with our future Sec/Treasurer. I am well impressed and grateful that it is working out.)

Miss Elizabeth Boyd, 75, a girl called Lauren and I drove two hours to camp Lawroweld, an Adventist Youth Camp in Maine. John and Janice, my brother and his wife, got there ahead of me. We are living in the same multi-room cabin. It's a tremendous blessing to be able to visit together. John preached a home run sermon the first night. The Lord is blessing us tremendously. The people in Maine are like people in the Canadian Maritimes--rough, earthy, down to earth and very spiritual.

I've never been involved in a Retreat where people prayed more than we pray here.

May 26, 2013

I'm in the air between Chicago and Denver, coming home (tho' I will never reach home) from the North New England Conference Prayer Retreat. I stressed over that Retreat for a long time. The lady organizer had her ideas as to what we, John and I, should present and how we should do it also. Then, I managed to mess up her life by changing my ticket to Africa, which messed up her schedule. (John and I were meant to preach the last message together, but because I had to leave early that couldn’t happen. Then I was scheduled to preach four sermons and I didn’t know what I would do for the last one. Stress! 

Praise God. It turns out the Lord organized all of that to get what He wanted and not what Kelly or I wanted. 

I have never been to a more prayerful retreat in my life. Approximately 100 people from New England, mostly from Maine came to the retreat. The people were down to earth, practical, common stock people, very spiritual and friendly. There were some pastors there and conference people. I felt that the Spirit of God took hold of John and I and spoke powerfully to the people. The food was great. The weather was cold and raining--tolerable. In the end, I was forced to prepare a brand new sermon on the last day. (No sermon is brand new when you have been preaching for 40 years, but it was a brand new arrangement.) John told me it was the most powerful of my talks. When was John ever wrong? 

I met a couple that was Lifestyle Guests at EVI in 2010, Paul and Dana Shortall. She had cancer when she came to EVI. The cancer was reduced considerably by the time she left. They kept up with the program for some time, but it became too much work and they slacked off and her cancer began to return. She is still alive and looking good. He feels like they should have stayed at EVI for two sessions. 

There was a fellow there named Tommy who was sent by Larry Fleming to come and hear what John and I had to say. I had half expected Larry Fleming to show up, but he never did. 

On the home front, Leasa tells me Matthew and Jennifer broke up the courtship in favor of maturing. That is good news, I think, except that now we must get Jen out of the Lifestyle Kitchen. We will put her in the student kitchen and put Ashley in the Lifestyle.

I haven't managed to sleep much in Maine, and now I face a long trip from Maine to Denver to Africa. Fortunately, I have a hotel in Frankfurt. I would never do that on my own, but Leasa can't imagine waiting out a layover of 11 hours. Good for me. 

Dr. John Clark is expressing just the slightest hint of being interested in being our Dr. I will pursue it. 

Now I sit in the Denver airport wishing I could just go home instead of half way around the world. Never mind, life is fun.

So says the Preacher to his Tribe.