A new path through the snow: spring

Something new has been happening in Eden; the snow has melted, the birds are singing, and the sunshine (70 degree weather) has come out!! Not only were the birds and the flowers and sunshine out in the open air but the snow has receded in most all places and green grass is starting to appear. After a long winter, spring has come. What shall we do about it? Have a picnic and celebrate!! :)

Christmas in Eden...

Never before have I seen so many outdoor Christmas trees decorated and displayed. With a light dusting of know on the ground, it makes living here in Eden like walking through a Winter Wonderland. Except I never would have expected that it would be here where I find the Christmas trees and little images of Santa Claus. As one friend and mentor put it, it is strange to see that here Christmas is celebrated without meaning or even foreknowledge of its true meaning.

Soon we will be sharing the story to students in hopes that they might come to understand, believe, and claim the story for their very own, pray for us in this! Christmas, Christ's miraculous birth that brings life to...everyone who accepts him.

Surgery

6am: My brother Kevin and I got to the hospital to visit with Mom a few minutes before they took her out. She shared with us after we prayed around her bedside that Ps 52:8-9 were the verses that were really standing out to her. "But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God;I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints."

6:30am: Preparation for the surgery

9am: Get a call that surgery has just started

10am: Get a call that the tumor is "VERY benign!!" NO CANCER!! :)

During this no-news waiting-time, it was hard to wait, but there was a group, waiting, praying, itching to hear news...

2pm: Surgery done, Mom survived and is in recovery!!! :)

6pm: Mom has moved to ICU from recovery.

7pm: I finally get to see her and say that I love her!

God brought her through--thank you all for praying! God is able!

My Mom's pre-surgery

Here I am in Portland, OR at the hospital waiting as my Mom finishes up her angiogram, her surgery is tomorrow. She is doing really well! And I am so glad that my parents were able to fly me out here to be with her! I arrived on Friday and will be staying through some of her recovery period to be able to help out. At the moment, I don't know quite all of what to expect. But I do know that I have seen the hand of God in the little things leading up to this surgery. The fact that my Mom got headaches, usually there are no symptoms to alert the doctors or patients. The fact that when I was first told about the news, my passport was still in the Passport office of Eden being processed so they were able to quickly put an "Exit - Entry" visa into my passport. Also the dates that I wanted were at the price that I had prayed for! God is good, and He is here; in the big as well as the little things!!

Some News...

I just got a phone call from my Mom last week, she said that she has a brain tumor. And the doctor's recommended that they do surgery on it...now. It's a little un-nerving, I don't quite know what to think, but I do know this that God is in control and that even here in this little unknown brain tumor, He is taking control, thank you for prayers during this time. Depending on flights, school, and all the other details, my parents have said that they would like to fly me out there to be with them at this time, I'd like to be there for them too.

Russian to French to English to...?

Learning Russian is not the easiest language in the world. Here in Eden, there are two main languages: Russian as well as the native language. At a presentation done by myself, some other Americans, and Mike (whereas I played the part both of an American as well as a Belgian) the teachers also presented the benefits of the language program. At first the Language staff at the school was talking about learning BOTH languages at once, but I think that we'll just stick with Russian at the time being.

In my Russian classes, I am grateful that I have a knowledge in French. Why?, an inquisitive person might ask. Well it is not because of the similarities of the two languages. Instead it is because of our language teacher. In an effort to teach us Russian, she doesn't know any English, so she instead translates the Russian words into French whereas Mike or I will translate the words or instructions into English and upon need the words will also be further translated into either Chinese, Korean, or Spanish. It is indeed a multi-lingual class!

In the dorms!!

Apparently the dorms of Eden are a bit different from what I am used to here. The hallway is broken up by different pods of rooms, each door has a toilet room, a sink room and two bedrooms--one with two beds, and another room with three beds in it, I am in that room. The mattresses are comfortable but different from what I am used to in the States. Our shower times are Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 4pm to 9pm. I am currently getting a little bit of internet from the lobby floor, but it is not always there, stable, or dependable. Culture shock has become a word in my daily vocabulary.