Thursday, November 13, 2008

Life in Iowa

Well, volleyball is officially over now. The girls from Grandview went to the state volleyball tourney, but they lost in the first round. I am sure that they are disappointed, but it was exciting that they made it that far!

Now basketball begins. High school basketball is much different than jr high. They practice two hours per day and sometimes at 6:30 in the morning! Wow. It's going to be an interesting few months.

The semester is starting to wrap up, and the students are getting serious about their studies. They start looking at their grades and giving more effort right about now. I am glad that they are interested, but it would be nice if they had been as interested 5 weeks ago. They wouldn't have so much ground to cover. Sigh.

A friend's husband suddenly died this week. He was 61, which seems so young to me now. It is very sad for her. They were just getting ready to move. They had sold their house, packed their things, and were ready to move in a couple of days when he died. She is such a sweet and lovely lady, and she loves the Lord. We are praying for her comfort and strength in Christ.

Also, a student came in this week visibly broken up about the suicide of a young man that was her brother's best friend. This student is a believer, but she is the only believer in her family, and she is worried for her brother. She had known this young man almost all her life, and I guess they were all just shocked.

We've also had another student ask lots of questions about the Bible, creation, and God. It's been a heavy week of prayer and counseling.

Please pray for our students as they often have heard very distorted versions of the gospel. They need Christ as their Savior.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

After Surgery

Well, two weeks ago today, I had surgery to remove my gall bladder and to fix my acid reflux problem. From what I can tell, the Lord was very gracious and the surgery seems to be successful! Recovery has been going well, and I have been able to come to work this week, part-time for two days and full time for the other three. I am very thankful that everything went well.

I am now embarking on my revised eating program which excludes coffee and Diet Coke :(. Yesterday the doctor told me to go back on a full, regular diet. Mostly, portions are rather severely limited (which isn't all bad), and fat content is limited (no gall bladder anymore). Other than that, I am to eat rather normally.

The church was wonderful and provided transportation for Lorien to get home from school each day, and they brought meals for the family. We are blessed with a wonderful church!

I am so thankful for the Lord's provisions during this time. My husband and children waited on me hand and foot, and numerous friends brought beautiful flowers to brighten up my room. I had regular visitors to keep me from getting bored, and one good friend brought over some Dorothy Sayers that I hadn't read yet, and I got to read those too! I never get the chance to read unless it's vacation time. My college children called to check on me, as did my Mom and Dad. I am so blessed with a loving family, friends, and church family. I am very thankful for all the Lord has given us!