We recently received the following forward from Herb and Marion, and I
wanted to post it on here for Lorena and anyone else reading this:

I believe-
          That we don't have to
change friends if we understand that friends change.

     I believe-
          That no matter how good
a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must
forgive them for that.

     I
believe-
         That true friendship continues
to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

     I just did.

Herb and Marion, I just did, too.  Back to you and all our friends and family out there reading this.  We love you.

Yesterday was difficult.  First Baptist Church here in
Stephenville was packed for Sharon Hawkin's funeral.  Lorraine
could not attend, and I can understand, but I had to go.  I
thought my heart was going to break as I held Stacy ad she cried both
because I knew how much she was hurting and missing her mother and
because it was so much like holding my own daughters as they mourned
Lorena.  Scott is hurting terribly, and I know how devastating
this is for him, but, as a father, I know it has to be so much worse
for those young daughters.  I cannot even begin to imagine the
trauma and pain in those girls' hearts.  Faith is the ONLY thing
that makes such pain bearable.

Yesterday evening, then, we received word that Mary Ann Foreman at TSU
had been  killed in a car wreck.  Dr. Smith in the TSU
Accounting Dept died just recently, so this was another blow because
Lorena knew them all.  I really hurt for her.

Also, Katherine Floyd died June 22 and will be buried Saturday. 
Only 36, Katherine suffered massive head injuries in January when the
horse trailer she was pulling was hit by a train.  I have thought
so often of her and her family as I prayed for a miracle for her. 
I did not mean for this to be so morbid but only to serve as a bit of
history for Lorena. 

Our call last night went very well.  Her nurse Roberto moderated
for us after Socorro received the call.  As always, there was much
laughter and some tears.  Lorena, we love you, and we miss you
terribly. 

I am going to steal a post USA_troops_aide
and urge you to check it.  Our problems pale in comparison to
those of so many of our young men and women who are real, live heroes
for me.  May God bless and keep them...

Here
is a soldier stationed in Iraq,
stationed in a big sand box. He asked his wife to send him dirt
(U.S.
soil), fertilizer and some grass seed. When the men of the squadron have a
mission they are going on, they take turns walking through the grass and the
American soil to bring them good luck.

If
you notice, he is even cutting the grass with a pair of a scissors.  Sometimes
we are in such a hurry that we don't stop and think about the little things that
we take for granted. Please say a prayer for our soldiers that give and give (and
give up) so unselfishly for us.

Life is full of twists and turns, and just when I really start feeling sorry for Lorena and for my family (and, of course, me) I am reminded that hardships are a way of life.  In many ways, our hardships do not even compare to those of others.  Mine, certainly, pale in comparison to Lorena's, and I wish with all my heart that I could exchange places with her.  But so many others suffered so much more than we have.  This posting is simply intended to remind Lorena both of some wonderful friends -- and that adversity can be overcome.  Three of Lorena's closest friends are living examples of this.

Yesterday's post featured an email from Silvia Powledge.  Silvia's father was a very successful businessman in Italy before Mussolini came to power.  However, he opposed the  Black Shirts and had to flee Italy, basically losing everything he had.  He found haven in Argentina where Silvia was born and reared.  Silvia had Argentinean teaching certification to teach Spanish when Lorena first met her.  (The expatriates, Mexican and Argentinean, instantly became friends, and Lorena misses Silvia terribly.)  Silvia married an American and moved to Louisiana -- but, although Spanish teachers [especially native speakers] are desperately needed in the US, she was not allowed to teach in Louisiana because she did not have a LA teaching certificate.  Wanting to teach, she went back to school to earn LA certification.  However, just as she accomplished that goal, her husband was transferred to Texas -- where she could not teach because she did not have a Texas teaching certificate.  She was working on her course work for that certification when Lorena met her at TSU.  [Just as she got her TX certification, life took her to North Carolina...]

Anyway, I digress, so let me go back to her father.  When we met Silvia, her elderly father was living with them.  One night at their house, we began talking about his life and his loss, having to flee the fascist regime and losing his fortune in the process. 

At this juncture, Silvia suddenly rose and told us to come with us.  She had something to show us.  In the bedroom, she pulled out an old trunk, saying that her father had only brought "these" out of Italy "because they had been in the family for generations."  She then began pulling exquisitely beautiful old silk bedspreads out of the trunk.  Lorena and I watched in stunned amazement -- and we often spoke of that incredible moment later.  Silvia would never consider selling the pieces because they were the sole links she had to her past in Italy.

Grace Schouten, as discussed on here before, was born of Italian emigrant parents in Uruguay.  Her mother has discussed with us many times watching the German expatriate youth in Montevideo marching in their Hitler Youth uniforms with their Schwastika armbands.  She and her family watched as the German battleship Graf Spee was scuttled in Montevideo harbor.  Once again, when Lorena met Grace, it was as if sisters had been reunited, and Grace and Bill have become part of our family.

Marion Wooten has been featured on here many times.  Her father, an engineer in Germany, was a member of the SPD who opposed the Nazi's rise to power.  Consequently, when Hitler took power, Marion's father was one of the first victims of the concentration camp at Dachau (the first concentration camp, built for Germans who opposed the Nazis -- and only later used to eliminate other Untermenschen or "sub humans.")  Marion barely survived the war, after which she married Herb Wooten, a US serviceman (and one of my greatest heroes) who had gone ashore on Omaha Beach on D-Day and fought his way across Europe into the heart of Germany where he continued to work for the Corp of Engineers until he retired.  There he and Marion raised their family.  Marion became Lorena's "mother in Germany" -- and the Wootens remain family to this day.

It is a small world, and history and historical connections are fascinating.  Hopefully, Lorena will enjoy this little jaunt down memory lane.  Even more importantly, she will be reminded that hard work, perseverance, love, and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  Work hard, Darling, and come back.  We need you.  We know and you know that you can do it...

We received the following email from the beautiful Silvia Powledge today.  She and Lorena were very close friends when they attended TSU, and Silvia lived in Granbury.

Hi Mike:

Michael y las niñas aqui in Stephenville.  We just got off the telephone with Lorena, and it was a wonderful, although very emotional, call.  We told her about Sharon Hawkins, and that elicited many tears.  I know once again that the tears were both for Scott and Stacy -- and the rest of Sharon's family.  The cause of death has not been determined yet, so an autopsy will be performed.  Apparently, Sharon's father suffered a devastating stroke at a relatively young age, so I have heard speculation that perhaps that is what caused Sharon to drown.  We do know the stark devastation of losing a mother and wife in the prime of life with young daughters, and we mourn for the entire family.

I asked Lorena if they have started her on the new therapy table they have purchased, and she indicated that they have not.  I then asked if they are planning to start her working on it soon, and she said that they were.

Also, I asked if Blanca has said anything about the expectations of Lorena starting to talk again.  She said no.  I followed that question by asking her if she was REALLY trying HARD to talk, and she indicated that she was.  Repeatedly, we stressed to her not to give up but to continue working HARD to get well.  She had not spelled anything specifically for us to be told, but she did indicate that they are setting her in the rocking chair more.

Lya is probably having a blast at the Lake Cisco Christian camp.  She and Maggie Weiss are bunking together.  Stephanie is running circles around here, and Rainey has given her two week notice at Stephenville Floral.  She really loved the work there, but she was simply not earning any money.  Consequently, she has applied at Scott's Flowers, and they appear to be very interested in her.  A friend in Dallas has friends who run a very successful interior decorating business, and she wants Rainey to apply up there.  Needless to say, Rainey is very interested. 

Jonathon Thomas called from Pearl Harbor last night.  Katie is back here in Stephenville, and it turned out that she was suffering from a molar pregnancy.  The surgery was successful in removing the mass, and she appears to be doing fine.  Jon is sounding great, and we had a wonderful conversation.  I am indescribably proud of him and all my family, friends, and ex-students serving in the military.

We spent last weekend at Jerome and Ruth's house again, but I will not list the feasts we were forced to endure out of fear of threats I received from several of you if I do that anymore.  However, Gina, I will mention the huge pan of impossibly rich pecan fudge that she made us eat.  You are so lucky you were not there.  I know how deadly such rich foods are, so you will be glad to hear that I selflessly sacrificed myself by throwing myself on that plate of fudge.  Sunday morning we went to church at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church (where Lorena and I were married a lifetime ago).  I was very moved and gratified to see Lorena's name still on the prayer list, and I know that she is still on many prayer lists in the area. 

Her miracle continues.  To God be the glory.  Thank you all for your support.

Michael in Stephenville.  The girls and I came to Holder today to visit and spend the night tonight with Jerome and Ruth because we have to drop Lya off at church camp tomorrow at Cisco.  As always here in this little corner of paradise, we were having a wonderful time until Travis Stilwell called me this afternoon.  I instinctively knew that something was terribly wrong.

Sharon Hawkins, one of my favorite people at SHS, had worked for several years in the main office at SHS.  The last few years, she has worked as Athletic Department Secretary.  Everytime I saw her, she would ask about Lorena and would give me words of encouragement.  Her daughter, Stacy, is one of my favorite ex-students of all time.

Today, the Hawkins were having a family outing at Lake Proctor when something happened and Sharon drowned.  My heart is crying as I type this.  She was a little younger than Lorena, and Stacy is Lorraine's age.  I called Rainey to tell her and to have her call the Becks and Sandra Walton, and her first response was to cry for Stacy.  Rainey knows what it is like to lose a mother who is perfectly healthy one minute and then is gone.  My heart goes out to the family, and I would ask your prayers for all of them.

I reiterate my supplication to you all.  Love your families as if there will be no tomorrow because in this world there may not be.  Sharon, we love you, we will miss you, we will never forget you, and we are better people for knowing you.  Stacy and the rest of the Hawkins family, we love you, and we mourn your loss.  And we pray God's blessings on you.

Some of you had problems with the bus question.  This, of course would be an American bus, so the driver would sit on the left side front.  The doors are opposite the driver at the right side front.  Preschoolers are always fascinated by school buses, and they can not wait to ride one.  (As a former student who rode buses for 12 years -- and then was blessed to ride "yellow dogs" ten billion miles to and from extracurricular events all during that time as well as for the next 30 years of my high school education, I guarantee those of you who have not had this pleasure that the allure of the school bus is oh-so-fleeting, and it fades faster than Roberto Duran during his "No mas" match...

It is amazing, isn't it, how attentive we are to things that fascinate us -- but how jaded we become when the fascination lessens?  All of us have seen school buses a million times during our lifetimes, but they become so commonplace that we really don't remember any of their key details and most of us that answered the pre-school question had to really think about the question, whereas the pre-schoolers readily knew the answer.

Several years ago, Lorena and I were talking to a Muslim friend who was describing the intricacies of her marriage arranged by her father and her husband's father.  She had never even met her husband until the wedding.  Lorena and I both voiced our personal reservations about (and even disagreements with) arranged marriages.  The friend looked at us as if we were crazy and said, "We had not known each other before we got married, so we had to work really hard to make our marriage work.  You Americans spend so much time and energy and money on the chase, on getting to know your spouse -- and then you don't spend any time on making the marriage work!!!  Then you get divorced, and you hurt the children.  Which way is crazier?"

In far too many ways, I took Lorena for granted.  I dedicated myself to much to school, to "making a living for us", to my other interests, to others.  I "recognized" Lorena, but I did not remember the things that fascinated me about her, that made me want to spend my life with her.  I made a good living for her, I never was unfaithful to her, I knew I always wanted to be with her, but I did not revel in every moment with her as I should have.  I am ashamed of how much I took her for granted.  We were always going to really start seeing and doing (i.e. living) when she finished her schooling.  Then this happened.  I "recognized" Lorena, but I realize now that all too often I did not realize which direction she was going...  I am sorry, Lore.  That is another reason you must work hard and get well.  I have much atoning to do...

******************************************************

I received an update from K, my exstudent, Lorena's and my friend, and my hero, that I am going to post on here.  For her protection, I have eliminated some names of people and places, but I would ask that you pray for K and her mission.

Oh, the sounds of Africa...

I go to sleep with the screeches of the donkeys which live in front of our house. It sounds like something is dying. There is usually some sort of rhythmic thumping coming from somewhere in town as the women pound the grain they use in almost every meal. Several times a day the Muslim call to prayer echoes out from the mosque, a personal reminder of my own call to pray for these beautiful people. Music blares out from an abandoned house next to ours where the local teens meet to dance--the sounds of “Barbie Girl” and Cher’s “Believe” intermixed with African pop music and reggae. The little children who call out to us “toobaboo” (the word for foreigner) as we walk down the street, as though we needed the reminder. And my personal favorite-- the occasional thumping of a few djembes (drums) that, to me, embody what Africa is supposed to sound like...

Answers to prayer:

~ a friend from our people group who has been a constant companion and taken us under her wing in helping us adjust to the culture

~ the last few weeks of successful language lessons (it’s slow going, but at least its still moving…)

~ that both of us have maintained our sense of humor towards some of the less than humorous situations

~ our cell phone works! Both of us have been able to speak to our parents from our house.

             ~~~~~~~~

Please pray for…

~ the Lord to show us what village we should live in (we hope to be living in the village in a few weeks)

~ rapid language learning and eagerness to study (blah)

~ God to go before us and lead us to those who will help us tell the stories

~ open hearts and lives of the people to hear and believe God’s voice

Though there is a church service in our town that we can attend, it is in the trade language, and we have not wandered over there yet. So for now our church consists of the two of us and our friend, who I have decided to call Sarah, and who it seems feels the need to join us every week though she speaks no English. We set aside time every Sunday for us to sing praises to God together and to pray together. One of us tells a story from God’s Word and we discuss between the two of us what God is saying to us through it and how we can obey. All the while she sits with us, watching us as we sing to God and pray and talk about His Word.

We cannot tell her yet how Jesus turned a small snack into enough food for 5000 men or that He is the Bread of Life and the Living Water. We cannot explain to her why it was far greater for Mary to sit at Jesus’ feet than for all of Martha’s worrying and busyness.

But she hears us as we sing to Allah (God), and she has joined us as we thank Him for the food we eat, and she has watched us as we pray in Jesus’ name and try to live like Him everyday.

Pray for Sarah and our other new friends who have not heard yet what we want to share with them. Pray that they will see in us what we don’t know how to say yet. Pray that God will speak to Sarah and explain to her some of the things she sees in our lives and make her hungry to know more.

 Thank you all for your prayers and your support.  Lorena's miracle continues.  To God be the glory!!!

Here is an email Lorena received today from Kay Black that I thought you might enjoy...