Wow! What a whirlwind life has been for the past four months.
We packed up the last quarter of a century in our home and moved it into one room in the basement, so Kevin and Julie could move in with their family. Their house had been on the market for several months without any success. The week that we moved to Los Angeles to begin the Formation Program in final preparation for our mission to Cameroon, they got a successful offer on their home. In the past, we might have thought that was just plain good luck. However, we know that the Holy Spirit has been instrumental in many ways to prepare us for this mission. This is only one of the paths He has cleared for us.
At any rate, in late January we began our life in Los Angeles. It only took about two minutes before we realized "Dorothy, you aren't in Kansas anymore." In spite of the many changes in lifestyle we soon grew accustomed to our new home. Our new home was a 15 bedroom former convent. The only full-time residents were Jim and I and the caretaker, Patti. Crowded we were not.
After a few days of orientation, our formation began in earnest. What an incredible experience the program was. We have through Mission Doctors Association and Lay Mission Helpers encountered some of the most wonderful people. Not only were the instructors, well-qualified, but they were living examples of faith. We have no doubt been blessed to share the lives and experiences of present day saints. Jim frequently likens our formation program to a mini-seminary. We have concluded that the opportunity to have participated in this program and get to know so many people who are living their faith through serving the least of His brothers, is a gift that all people should have a chance to receive. And who knows, maybe you will become a missionary along the way.
It was most apropos that on May 23rd, Pentecost Sunday, we were commissioned as missionaries to the Diocese of Bamenda, Cameroon. We have made the long drive from Los Angeles back to Moses Lake, Washington. Fortunately, we did get to break up the nearly 1200 mile drive with an overnight stop to visit Chris and Amy and our two grandsons.
We are now homeless in Moses Lake, living with Kevin and Julie for a few weeks while we tie up a few loose ends and do the real packing. Whew, I don't envy us that job. We shall have a chance to visit with friends, play a little golf and fish a day or two. We are planning a family trip to Hawaii, it should be a nice opportunity for quality time with the boys and their families, as well as relaxation and fun. As a parent I hope that it is a time for our sons to establish a precedence for family bonds that they will be able to maintain in our physical absence.
And then will come July 10, 2010. It is the day that Jim and I have been preparing for for the last nearly three years. He of course, has been preparing for that day for over 30 years. He just forgot to let me in on the call for a couple of decades.
You have been so supportive of our mission, both prayerfully and financially, for quite some period of time. We are most appreciative of that support. The housing that many of you have had a very direct hand in providing is under construction. The monsoon season has arrived so it won't be completed by the time we arrive, but who knows maybe that means we will have input into what color the walls will be. I must tell you though that seasoned missionaries tell me that there are only a couple of mission paint colors. I shall keep you posted on the housing progress.
We hope that you will continue to support our work in whatever ways you can. And know that we will be praying for you.
