June 2015 in Florida & Ohio with 'Bump in the Road'

                       Furlough dinner with library staff, volunteers, and friends. THANK YOU!    Great evening of fellowship - catching up with former colleagues and chatting with a few of their friends.

What a delight to see a pre-pub copy of Diane E. Keyes' new book, Peas Let Her Be A Princess. Diane, YOU GO GIRL!

 

Women's lunch and Bible Study, most from Orlando First Alliance Church, the home church of my Orlando hosts, Wayne and Bonita Slaymaker. Such a privilege to sit under the teaching of 91-year-old Clara Lowe (top, center). It was great to chat with new missionary, Cambie Wilson  (pic above, beside me) preparing with husband, Greg, for service in Kenya via "Sports Friends."

Awesome weekend at a Beth Moore conference in Tampa with these ladies from Alliance Church,  Orlando. 

It was a real joy to visit with a dear senior friend in Hospice care (doesn't like her picture shared publicly) who remembered my using puppets during children’s messages at Orlando First Church  of God.  She smiled ear to ear and sang “This Is the Day the Lord Has Made” along with puppet David several times.  Friend, Marsha Hanshew, and I went to brighten her day, but she brightened ours!

Medical 

~Medical appointments in Florida -  two tests (including a biopsy) and two consultations with a previous surgeon yielded a diagnosis of breast cancer, stage one. That activated my contingency plan of accepting my sister, Juanita's invitation to come stay with her and husband Dick in Granville, Ohio and she take me to the renown OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Both Florida and Ohio doctors recommend a lumpectomy and radiation -  surgery scheduled, radiation to follow.

This is a bump in the road. As God permitted the cancer diagnosis despite many prayers from both sides of "the big pond," I am expecting God to work good things through this situation. I hope during the upcoming medical recovery time to work on a book that has been on back burner, Interactive Teaching with Minimal Space and Resources for third world children’s ministry.

 

Please pray for successful surgery with no lymph node surprises, follow-up treatment, and that I may glorify God through the journey as family and friends have in their cancer journeys.

I am still aiming for returning to Cameroon in January, Lord willing.