Spring is here!

Our temperature has been lower than in Alabama and Georgia.  We cannot complain even with low mornings in the 50's and afternoons in the 70's.   There has been a strong breeze with blue skies but not  even a single cloud.   Everyone loves this time of the year in Florida before the hot summer and the hurricane season arrives.

I was able to transition from the protective boot to a supportive shoe for my foot that was injured 9 weeks ago.  It still does not feel quite right but I will be cautious for a while long and not use it unnecessarily.  It needs some time to stretch and return to normal, but I think it will be okay.

Ron and I celebrated our 68th wedding anniversary last Saturday.    Leigh Ann went with us to a seafood restaurant in Tarpon Springs, a seaside town about 10 miles north of Dunedin.   It was a beautiful day and we walked a few blocks after lunch to enjoy a special ice cream treat.  I told Ron we have to hang in 2 more years to reach the 70th.   Sounds like a good goal for a milestone year.

Two of our girls in a safe house in Nepal were baptized a couple of weeks ago.  As soon as I get more information about them, I will post their pictures.   We are pleased that the 320 + girls in our care in Nepal, Laos, Thailand and the Philippines are being taught the Bible and many of them are accepting Christ as their savior.    They come from backgrounds of Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic and "ghost religions" that are traditional in rural Laos.   I think the backward worship of some tribals is a family tradition without it being a taught religion.  You can imagine having known only these teaching in your youth and how hard it might be to accept the Bible as God's true word.    We are proud of each heart that turns from a pagan upbringing to belief in the Word of God.

Ron changed doctors because the Neurologist we have been seeing is in St. Pete.   It is getting to be more traffic and a longer drive than we want for the future.    The new doctor is like an old-fashioned family doctor.   He knows a lot about Parkinson's Disease and spends time with a patient explaining and answering questions.   I wonder if he actually has Parkinson's Disease himself.   He is old and slow but as long as he is in practice, we will see how well Ron can work with him for medical care.

Ronald and Gigi are leaving the U.S. next week to return to their orphanage in the Philippines.  The school term changed and the children have summer vacation earlier this year.   The same group of Christians from Greenville,  TX are traveling to conduct a VBS for them the last of May.   Ronald and Gigi will be busy with activities for the children but when they return to school again, they will come back to the U.S. to give progress reports to their supporters and to our SAS supporters and sponsors also.   This two-month trip they are winding down was planned for Ronald's surgery and time of rest.  At an orphanage, the work is 24/7 and there are no breaks so they really needed some R & R.   They still kept in touch with their workers every day handling problems. in addition to preparing the newsletter and planning a schedule of activities for the children's summer vacation.    

We hope everyone has a good spring and summer and stays in good health.   We are always thankful for our good days and pray for the well-being of our family members, friends and co-workers in Christ's kingdom.  

May God bless you and be with you in coming days.

From Rejection to Redemption:

The Unbreakable Story of Ganga Praja - Nepal 

Ganga Praja’s life began with rejection even before she was born.  

While she was still in her mother’s womb, her mother married another man. Ganga’s biological father had refused to marry her mother and had already abandoned them. When the new husband discovered that the child in her womb was not his, he became deeply unhappy. The couple even decided to end the pregnancy through abortion, but it was already too late.

After Ganga was born, the situation became even more heartbreaking. Both her mother and the man she married reportedly tried to bury the newborn baby alive. What stopped them that day, no one knows. But somehow, the tiny life of Ganga was spared.

Even though she survived, she grew up in a home without love. The man who raised her never accepted her as his daughter and never showed her any affection or care.

When Ganga was only four years old, a tragic accident happened because of her mother’s carelessness. She was badly burned. The burns affected several parts of her small body—her ear, stomach, head, and hand. Even today, the scars remain as silent witnesses of the pain she endured as a child.

Life became even more difficult when Ganga turned eight years old. The man who raised her sold her to a wealthy family to work as a house servant. Instead of receiving kindness, she was treated harshly. She was forced to do heavy work far beyond what a child should do. She even had to wash the undergarments of the house owner.

If she made even the smallest mistake, she was punished severely. Sometimes she was forced to sleep outside the house at night. For a young child, those days were filled with fear, exhaustion, and loneliness.

After enduring this suffering for about a year, Ganga gathered the courage to escape. She ran away and returned to her own home, hoping perhaps to find comfort or protection. But sadly, she still did not receive love or mercy from her family.

Instead, she was sent to care for the family’s livestock. When she asked for food because she was hungry, her mother responded cruelly. On one occasion, her mother even put tobacco into her mouth instead of giving her food.

Feeling completely rejected and unwanted, Ganga ran away once again.

During this difficult time, she met a man named Mahindra Chaudhary who showed her some kindness. He allowed her to stay in his home, gave her food, and helped her attend school. For the first time in her life, Ganga experienced a small glimpse of care.

However, Mahindra’s wife treated her harshly. Despite the difficulties, Ganga continued her studies and managed to complete Grade 5. One day, when she accidentally broke a glass, she was beaten badly. The daily mistreatment became unbearable. Eventually, she called her brother and returned home again.

She then stayed with her brother and his family, but even there the environment was not peaceful or supportive.

Later, she went to Kathmandu with a relative who promised to care for her. Unfortunately, that promise was not kept. Instead of helping her, the relative placed her as a servant in another house.

At first, the family treated her kindly, but over time the situation changed. She was forced to work very hard, given little food, and often abused. One day, the house owner even tried to behave inappropriately toward her. Terrified and determined to protect herself, Ganga ran away once again. 

This time she stayed with a friend of her mother for some time. During that period, she came across an awareness program organized by the SAS team. That moment would become a turning point in her life.

Through this program, Ganga came to stay at the BIG Safe House in Narayangarh. For the first time in her life, she began to experience safety, care, and hope.

With the help of the SAS team and the love of her sponsor, Ganga’s life slowly began to change. She received proper food, clothing, and education. As she started eating regularly and living in a healthy environment, her body also began to recover and become stronger.

Ganga received tailoring training under the guidance of Mira Khati, with direction from Lokendra and Ranjit. She learned diligently and worked very hard to build a better future.

During this time, Ganga also made an important spiritual decision. She was baptized for the remission of her sins and became a faithful believer. She never missed Sunday worship and continued to grow in her faith.  

After completing her training, she was provided with sewing machines so she could begin her own small business. This opportunity changed her life. Sister Carole Booker encouraged her greatly and even visited her shop in her village to support her.   

A few years later, Ganga got married and was blessed with a daughter. However, life again brought some difficulties. Her business faced financial struggles, and she went through a very hard period.

In that difficult time, she reached out to Sister Pat for help. Seeing her sincerity and determination, Brother Ron and Sister Pat decided to support her again. They helped her with new fabrics and resources to restart and expand her business

With perseverance and renewed support, Ganga’s business began to grow successfully. She eventually opened her own shop in the local market called Bandara Bazar.

Today, Ganga Praja is doing very well. She runs her own business and provides for her family. Her daughter now studies in a boarding school, and Ganga is able to give her child the opportunities she never had.  

Looking back on her life, Ganga is deeply thankful. She expresses her heartfelt gratitude to the SAS team, Sister Pat, Brother Ron, and especially her sponsor who supported her during her darkest days.

From a child who was rejected, abused, and forgotten, Ganga Praja has become a woman of strength, faith, and hope. Her story is a powerful reminder that even the most broken beginnings can be transformed when compassion, support, and faith come together.

                      By: Sagar Khati, Director of SAS safe houses in Nepal 

Positive things happening now....

Ronald's surgery went well yesterday. They are back at the motel.  He had a good night's sleep, is eating well and feeling fine.   

The polyps were removed and the doctor gave him a good report.    

We got encouraging news this week from our tests and check ups too

Ron's kidney cysts seem unimportant and no treatment is recommended.  His heart echogram was good and she said it was better than any she had seen for a person his age.   Although my foot feels completely well, she insisted I wear the boot two more weeks and then have another X-ray to be sure it has healed and is strong.  Our daughter, Leigh Ann, had a doctor visit today and she seems to be doing well.   Tatum, our granddaughter, has had recent blood tests due to aches and pain.  The blood work indicates she may have an autoimmune disease.  She will know more when she sees her rheumatologist again.  We are praying there will be answers for an easily treatable condition.   

Ron and I took the cognitive quiz testing our insurance company requires once a year.   The stylus didn't work part of the time.   This is our story and we are sticking with it!    It really did not work well and caused us to miss a few.

Our work is going fine in all locations.    Sagar, our worker in Nepal, is back working and feeling better now.   He is beginning to send us new reports for the girls. Our work should return to a routine now following holidays and illnesses behind us.

Yesterday was the beginning of Chinese New Year celebrations that continue for almost two weeks.  We don't have work going on in China now but we remember being in Beijing one year for Chinese New Year.    Fireworks were beautiful the first two nights but after that, we wanted to sleep and by the end of the celebration, we hoped we never saw fireworks again.    

We are looking for a good spring soon.   We have another cold Canadian front coming here this weekend to chill us for a few days but we are having warmer days this week.

Wishing everyone good health and a wonderful spring and summer.    Thank you for keeping in touch and remembering all of us in your prayers.

February outlook

We are looking forward to a good February.    My foot feels like it is 99% healed.   I will see what the X-ray tomorrow reveals.  Even wearing the boot, I've been getting back to normal activities this week.

Ronald is likely to have his colon polyps removed on 2/18 or 2/19 by a Christian doctor in Jonesboro, AR who is willing to do the surgery for him.   We are eager for him to have a successful surgery and return to normal health before the end of this month.

Our weather is improving but slowly with temperatures milder but still cool.   We can expect some warm days in February but no really warm Florida weather for another month.   Although they heat the outdoor pool during the winter months, it is still too cold to get out of the pool.   

Sagar, our worker in Nepal, is returning to India this weekend for a check up.   We are praying there are no signs of pneumonia and he will receive a good report.

The condo management worker came to see our bathroom situation yesterday.   She took pictures so the drywall company will know what work they have to do to return our bathroom to normal.  She found a bow in the wall that remains so they may remove it before doing the reconstruction.  We hope this work will be done soon so we can get it back in order again.   It has been torn up for a month now.

I have no other news to report but wanted to let my followers know of Ronald's upcoming surgery so you can pray for him.

May God bless everyone with moderate weather and good health.

Groundhog says 6 more weeks of winter!

I am sure most people in the U.S. are eagerly awaiting springtime.   The cold wind and freezing temperatures reached middle Florida this past weekend.   I didn't see any here, but iguanas are falling to the ground and dying in this weather.  Farmers sprayed water over the blueberry and strawberry farms to protect the crops.   We have another cold week with next Sunday being down to freezing temperatures again.   

One weatherman's post says our warmer temperatures will return about the middle of February.  We have sympathy for the many people suffering without power due to ice and snow storms in many cities of the U.S.

The past three weeks have been a challenge for us personally.   While we could relax that our girls in Asia are doing well and safe with house parents, our personal lives have not been easy.   

While I still work from the couch with my fractured foot propped up in a "boot," our condo life has been busy.   Ron continued to prepare meals and keep the kitchen clean while workers were in and out tearing up our bathroom.   Because the leak was a sewage pipe, they returned and torn out our ceiling, another wall in the bathroom and the closet wall behind the toilet.    They (supposedly) wiped pipes and treated all areas to kill any bacteria.   They ran large fans/air purifiers that were too loud to sleep with, so we unplugged them at night.   They roared like a train coming through and pulled a lot of electricity.  Our electric bill increased and the next one will also reflect an increase from the continued fans and heat because of the cold weather.    

The contents of the closet had to be removed and piled on the bed but since they finished the demolishing of the well, we temporarily have things back in the closet.   We cannot move anything back permanently into the bath or closet until they return with workers to replace the drywall.   No one has any idea when that will be so we continue to live in a mess until that is completed.   When they install drywall and ceiling but we have to do the painting ourselves.    

I will go for an X-ray of my foot on Friday.   Although it is much better, there is still soreness where the bone was fractured.   I expect to have to wear the boot for an additional two weeks (a full 6 weeks).   It is not painful and I am able to get around and help with the cooking but not the cleaning just yet.  Walking with the boot, I don't feel very stable and I can not move around very well.   I will have to be careful once I am out of the boot to allow the foot to strengthen again.

Ronald and Gigi are on their way to the U.S.   They will arrive in Atlanta on 2/3 about 12:30 p.m.   After a few days' rest, he will be searching to find a doctor to remove the polyps in his colon.   That has not been worked out yet.    We are praying they have a safe trip and his health issues will be resolved soon.

We hope February will be a more uplifting and easier month than January for our family.   We are all looking toward having stronger and better health with the arrival of spring.

The instability of our country and the entire world is enough to concern us all.  But, remember that God is still in charge over the universe and He can do everything.    He cares for us and no matter what struggles we have in life, God is with us and He cares.   Just knowing that heaven awaits us, makes us winners!    

May God bless all of you with a great New Year.

Some days seem longer than others...

This is the 12th day since I sprained my foot but it seems much longer to both Ron and me.   Ron continues to take care of me and do almost everything.   Although I can walk with the boot, he wants me to stay off of my feet as much as possible.   It is still slightly swollen and sore on the side where the bone is fractured.    I guess it is slowly improving but progress is hard to see each day.  Finding a comfortable way to sleep is difficult.   I hope I can realize that there is improvement soon.

Our plumbing problem turned out to be easier than expected.   The workers started in our condo on the lst floor at 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning.   By the end of the day, we had the use of our facilities again. They said we got the work done first since we live on the first floor.  They continued to be in and out on the 2nd day as they continued upward with the installation of a new drainage pipe.   The men were very kind and professional.    We are now waiting to hear when the drywall and ceiling will be replaced.  We will be responsible for the painting but that is not a major problem.   The cut in the wall was done neatly and no tile or other things were damaged.

Ron will have a CT scan of his kidneys on the 29th.   He has cysts on both kidneys and a CT scan is needed to determine what, if any, treatment is needed.   We just pray this is not a problem for now and it can just be checked again later on for complications.    

Ronald still has no confirmation for a doctor or schedule for removal of the polys in his colon.    The doctor we hoped he could get does not have an opening in his schedule until May.   When I have more information, I will post again.

Weather for January is difficult for many people as many places in the world are experiencing a very cold winter.   A new winter storm is heading across the southern states this weekend.  We pray for people who suffer with the cold, power outages and potential accidents that are weather-related.  We hope Ronald will not have frozen and broken pipes in his condo in Cartersville if they lose power this weekend.

It is chilly here in Florida but more like fall weather this far south.  

Our work goes on normally without anything to report.    Our girls and the children at the orphanage in the Philippines are doing well.   We are thankful for routine and ordinary times for them to attend school and live normal lives.

I have, somehow, from a couch, sent out the majority of the tax letters to donors.   I expect to complete the task by the end of this week.   Again, we thank our sponsors and supporters for continuing to help our work in Asia.

God bless you during this cold winter!  

Can we go back about six months?

 I was working in my little lanai office Friday afternoon just moving ahead as I prepare tax letters for our donors.   It was a beautiful day.   Ron was out on the patio painting something.    The front wood door was open and the glass storm door was letting sunshine into the kitchen.   Someone knocked on the front door and I stood up to go to the door.   I realized my right foot was asleep and I stood there a minute, shook my foot and the lady at the door knocked louder.   I hollowed and told her "just a minute."   I started slowly walking and my foot twisted.   I did not fall but hobbled to the closest chair and told the lady to "come in."  It was a neighbor upstairs that I had not met before.   She only stayed a minute and Ron walked in from the patio door.   I told him I needed some ice as I had sprained my foot.   Saturday and Sunday I used the internet RICE suggestion  (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation).    We had a compression sock we wore on international flights and it was perfect.    Monday, it was better but I went by the clinic and they X-rayed it.   This morning they called and said there was a small fracture so I needed to wear a boot.   I went and got the boot and it feels like I am walking and balancing on stilts.    I will use it some but I also taped my foot where the small bone on the side is apparently the spot that got the most action.    My foot is still swollen some and it has turned dark from my toes to my heel but the soreness is about gone.

Ron has been my nursemaid....nursing and keeping house, fixing my meals, keeping the kitchen neat and asking me what I need.

We went to St. Pete to his Parkinson's doctor yesterday and traffic was horrible both directions.   He will take another cognitive test the last of May but the doctor said he seems to be stable without much change since the last visit.    She wants him to continue to do all the physical exercises he can as this is the best help for Parkinson's and mental stability.     It is too cold to swim now but he is going to L.A. Fitness for exercises and he can increase the days he goes there.  

The clinic made me an appointment to see an orthopedic doctor in St. Pete but I cancelled it and said it is too far and the traffic is horrible going there.   We will see our P.A. on Friday for an update on my foot and find out what she recommends about Ron seeing a urologist about the cyst on one kidney.

Ron and I are reminded of friends in Alabama who have gone to their heavenly rewards now.   When Ron used to call them, they would say they were well off enough to make their doctor appointments.  I am not a good patient...I think the healthcare system is OverKill on appointments and people are not in any better health than they were many years ago when we had nothing but a family doctor and only went to see him in a real emergency.

Last Thursday night, before my foot-twisting, I heard water running and went to the bathroom and found it flooding with water pouring from the ceiling vent.    My neighbor and I went upstairs to the man above us and he went to check his bathroom and found it flooding too.  He said water was coming through the wall so he didn't have an overflowing toilet, as I suspected.  I reported the problem to management and soon the water stopped.   I thought they had turned the water off but we still had water.   Friday morning, the management people came and said a plumber was coming soon.  In a few hours, we learned that they had corrected the leak but it was the drainage pipe and it would be replaced from lst floor to 3rd floor.   They brought in a big fan and dehumidifier and cut a hole in our ceiling to dry it out.  The fan and dehumidifier ran all weekend.  I learned today that they will come back next Monday and tear out a wall or two to replace the drain pipe.  We have a beautiful bath with wainscoting which they will not put back.   They will only replace the opening with drywall and we have to repaint it ourselves.  I don't know how many days it will be in a mess next week.  

Our three-story condo building is strong but upon inspection they found the metal and concrete stairwell on each end of the building must be replaced and they are supposed to start that very noisy work soon (it was actually suppose to have started last week).  Each condo owner had a monthly increase of $226 for a year to pay for the stairwell replacements.

Now you know why I want to go backwards (or maybe forwards) about six months...before our last reported health problems (Ronald, Ron and me) as well as our building problems.  We are not starting the new year off right but things could be a lot worse and we are still blessed.   Just listen to one day's news and then count your blessings as I do every day

I hope all of my blogspot followers have started off on the right path and have a wonderful year, day by day throughout the entire year.   God bless you all!