Winter Update

There are days when I really feel like I could use a clone.  This is one of them.  But I haven't posted anything in a month so I will try to hit the high spots.

First, I was pleased this past weekend when I assigned new student #12,000 in the IBTM Online Bible Courses.  I wish I could say that all 12,000 + students are diligently studying the Bible right now but as anyone who has ever worked with correspondence students knows well, that isn't the case.  Generally, about 1/2 of those who enroll never do anything more, so we have to concentrate on that other half.  If you would like to know more about the program just click here.

Next, the latest edition of The Seeker is ready to post.  I will be sending out the email version just as soon as I finish here, so I had better hurry.  If you don't get it by email but would like to just leave me a comment with your email address and I will add you to the mailing list.  It is also available if you click here.  It has a Valiant Volunteer section and I'm always pleased when I get to write one of those.

I guess the third major news is that I started a new Facebook business page even though I'm not really going into business.  My focus is mission work.  But I learned about essential oils when Jimmie was diagnosed with renal cancer and was amazed at how helpful those were in some very trying times.  I used them with him faithfully, but I'm afraid that after his death I pretty much stopped everything that wasn't absolutely essential to survival.  I had trouble remembering to eat so the essential oils were certainly forgotten.  But after getting really sick myself (I went through 5 rounds of antibiotics for a case of bronchitis that just would not go away and then got shingles) and many reminders from my daughter that I needed to take care of me, I started with the oils again.  I mostly concentrated on building up my immune system in 2013, and it worked.  Now I'm tackling some other problems, like this really annoying thing called arthritis.  Anyway, the Facebook page is an easy way of sharing some information about this healing gift God provided and I knew nothing about until recently.  If you are interested you can find the page here.  If you are on Facebook already then please "like" the page.

I'm liking my new dog, Sadie, much better since the accidents in the house have stopped . . . but house-training in this frigid winter was not fun.  Personally, I think it's funny that instead of running to the door to tell me she needs to go out, Sadie runs for my coat.  Come Spring that signal might not work so well.  By the way, I was right.  That gate was definitely  not high enough.  It only took about 3 days before Sadie was sailing right over it.  So I got a taller one.  She hasn't cleared it yet but the way she is practicing she will, soon.  Julie tells me I should be training her to do jumping tricks, but who has time for that.  In fact, I'm out of time now.

New Things

It is barely more than a week into the new year, and already it has brought something new in several categories.

• New Christian - One of our online BCC students from South Africa started the year by putting on Christ in baptism

• New Experience - The blast of cold weather that swept across the USA also swept under my house and froze some of my water pipes, so I was without hot water for 3 days.  (Thankfully, it didn't get the cold line.  It froze everything at my daughter's house.)  Naturally, my pipes had burst when they thawed yesterday.  That happened to a lot of folks in the area but a wonderful plumber worked well into the night fixing the problems for a long list of us.  But this was a first for me.  Growing up in Florida freezing pipes were unheard of.

• New Friend - My daughter, Julie, had been bullying suggesting I get a dog for a while now to have some company in the house.  A few weeks ago I finally decided she might have a good idea and started the search for a pet.  

And I found one, a cute little chocolate Rat Terrier that had just been dropped off at the Humane Society by her owner.  I was the first to apply to adopt her and was told it would take 24 - 48 hours before I could take her home.  Two weeks later after many phone calls and an email query that they never responded to, I found out via Facebook that the dog had been sent home with someone else.  That place may be good with animals, but they stink at human communication.  

But this story still has a happy ending because Julie found another little dog at a pound about 2 hours away that she thought I might like.  The problem there was that this little dog was on death row, scheduled to be put to sleep two days later.  She had been picked up as a stray so nothing much was known about her, but they thought she was a Feist Terrier mix about 1 year old. She also had the same coloring as the Toy Fox Terrier I had as a kid growing up, so Julie was right.  I brought her home last Saturday.

I named her Sadie, partly because I was looking for an old-fashioned Southern name since Feist Terriers were bred as hunting dogs in the rural South.  But I also liked the name because that was a restaurant Jimmie and I enjoyed in Amerika Samoa.  Sadie was very quiet and scared on the long drive back.  She was super excited during the shopping stop at Pet Smart, realizing immediately that the new dog bed was hers.  And she has been very happy and loving since arriving at her new home.  But I quickly learned that when she gets excited Sadie is a bouncer.  She jumps for joy, bouncing up and down just like Cole on his new pogo stick.

My gate might not be high enough.

Happy New Year!

2014 has arrived and as usual it took me a few days to get the hang of writing the new year at the end of the date, but I think I'm finally getting there.  Before I officially move on, though, I need to reflect on 2013 for a moment.

2013 was a year of great change for me, the biggest being a move of 400 miles.  In January I purchased a house a few blocks away from my daughter so that I could be close to family, something Jimmie urged me to do before he died.  My future home was an old Victorian farmhouse built in 1902 that I chose because it had a great space for an office, but it needed some work. 

I soon discovered it needed more than I had expected so for the next five months I basically lived out of a suitcase as I traveled between the two states overseeing renovations.  Finally, in July, I was able to move and sell my house in the Atlanta area.  Both of those jobs were monstrous but setting up my new home and office has been just as exhausting.  And it isn't over yet.  It is embarrassing to admit that there are still packed boxes littering some of my rooms, but I have made progress. 

Changes after my move include adjusting to small town living after dealing with the rush of Atlanta for fourteen years – but that has been surprisingly easy.  I met more neighbors my first week here than I ever met in Georgia.  I also had to change to a new church family – which was not so easy.  Jimmie and I were part of the group that started the New Hope Road congregation, and Jimmie served as one of her elders until his death, so I dearly loved that work and everyone there.  Leaving was hard.  However, I have now placed membership at a local congregation and am learning to appreciate this friendly group of Christians.

One change last year was not good because during the summer I lost three contributors within a few weeks of each other.  Immediately after Jimmie’s death I lost a few who preferred not to support a woman, but these new losses were due to economic changes with the contributors.  I can understand both situations and greatly appreciate the support these wonderful folks sent in the past.  However, the new losses totaled approximately one-half of my income so they have been a bit worrisome.  The Eldership at the New Hope Road Church of Christ, who continues as my sponsoring congregation, is currently trying to do some fund-raising for me so I would appreciate your prayers that this effort is successful.

But overall since I managed to survive the changes – plus a bout with the shingles while all the renovations were going on – I would say that 2013 was a good year.  Being close to my two adorable grandsons is an absolute delight.  

Losing the Atlanta traffic headache is simply a bonus.

Of course, one thing has not changed - my work with International Bible Teaching Ministries.  Since the things I do with IBTM/ICOTB are via the Internet even the frequent travel didn’t interrupt anything.  My laptop became my portable office and I just looked for those “free Wi-Fi” signs when I was on the road . . . although I will admit that the menu at McDonald’s did get old.   Last year 5,235 people enrolled in our online study program so I was busy assigning them to one of our more than 100 teachers, keeping records and assisting teachers or students when there are problems, as there are almost daily.  When people ask what I do that is usually all I tell them, but actually I do a bit more.  I also keep all of the statistics for IBTM/ICOTB, run an online advertising campaign, help with The Seeker, upload materials to the two websites, and do a variety of secretarial chores and special projects.  Sometimes I actually do need to be in Cookeville to do things – such as when I set up new databases – so I travel there to work for a few days.  And two special projects I began last year have kept me particularly busy:  the library of e-books I have been creating for the college site, and typing/formatting the Bible correspondence courses.  I am very happy to report that I just sent the last course to the printer so soon we will have the entire study program in hard copy.

International Bible Teaching Ministries is still a fairly young mission work, but it has seen amazing results.  In 2013 alone more than 500 souls were baptized into Christ and at least 13 new congregations of the Lord’s church were established.  The schools of preaching assisted by IBTM graduated 67 new preachers for the kingdom and more than 150,000 books, Bibles and tracts were shipped overseas.  The Internet outreach continued to grow as people from 218  nations came to our websites to read our materials 228,409 times.  That's over 625 visits per day!

And 2014 is starting with a bang since one of our online students has already put on Christ in baptism this year.  I am thrilled to be just a small part of International Bible Teaching Ministries. 

- Linda

P. S. The latest newsletter for this mission work can be read by clicking here.  

Fall Update

Fall has been busy . . . lots of IBTM projects, "still unpacking boxes" projects, and a few craft projects.  

In addition to the day-to-day work of the online study program I have been trying to finish the hard-copy version of the correspondence courses to get them to the printer.  I also made an extra push to get more unpacking done in the house and finally feel like three of the rooms are finished.  

The little old man playing an instrument on my coffee table is perhaps my
favorite piece that Jimmie brought home from Africa.

The taro leaf on the dining room wall was a gift from a couple we studied with in Samoa.

I seldom drink Coke, but I love to decorate with the memorabilia.

Unfortunately, my guest room wasn't one of these and my first out-of-town guests were coming for Thanksgiving.  It was a rush to get it habitable but thankfully my son-in-law and daughter were a great help with that.  To finish the other rooms, though, I first need a few more pieces of furniture - especially a desk. I had both Jimmie's and mine hauled to the dump before the move because they were in such sad shape, so I have been working off a table in my office. It's time to get serious about finding another.

I tried my hand at chalk painting for the first time, and now have several other pieces on my to do list.  I enjoy refinishing furniture but all the sanding and stripping are a pain.  This was so much easier - and I love the look!  I bought an old table for my foyer that I plan to paint, hopefully soon.

Cole and I did one project together.  The Arts Council asked for folks to be part of their kazoo band walking float in the Christmas parade, and Cole eagerly joined.  We decorated his bicycle and I took him to kazoo practice to learn the New Orleans version of Jingle Bells. 

 The parade was yesterday and was a lot of fun - despite the fact that it was only 30 degrees and breezy.  But Cole had many layers of clothing under his Santa hat - and I had hot cocoa ready for him at the end.

Jasper was snug-as-a-bug before the parade, but quickly decided he had to get into the candy action when those in the parade began throwing it at the viewers.  He discovered lollipops recently and they are his new favorite thing.

Of course, I have also helped with the IBTM newsletter, The Seeker.  You can read the latest issue by clicking here.

Furnace

Do refrigerators and furnaces only breakdown on weekends when you can't get a repairman - or does it just seem that way?  This summer the frig that came with the house died suddenly, something I didn't notice until all the food got warm and had to be tossed.  Then this morning my furnace quit heating, something I noticed right away as I shivered getting ready for Bible class.  I'm hoping this will be an easy fix but I had no luck calling someone today.  I guess Sunday afternoon in the country they just turned their phones off.  So tonight, I'm back to shivering.

But today was actually a good day.  The sun was shining on a gorgeous fall day and I figured out how to light the gas wall heaters that I had never touched before, no mean feat considering that the gas was turned off on the first one I struggled with but finally conquered.  The confidence boost led me to break out the hammer and nails for some other moving-in chores I needed done.

Cole asked me a few days ago if I had gotten used to living alone.  I'm really not sure what I told him because I'm really not sure if I have.  But I got a few things accomplished today that were totally out of my usual realm, so that was a step in the right direction.

Samoa

Still in a South Pacific kind of mood, and looking at a few pictures from our last campaign.

Pacific Island

I heard a report on mission work in the Pacific Islands tonight - an instant recipe for nostalgia.  I thoroughly enjoyed living there and still delight my grandson, Cole, with stories about Samoa.  I tell him about the men wearing skirts, tatoos made with a shark's tooth, and houses that had no walls.  I've described the men cooking in the underground umus on Sunday mornings so that the whole island seemed to be filled with a smoky haze.  I've talked about drinking coconuts fresh from the trees, his Grandad eating octopus straight from the ocean., and another octopus that my sister, Carolyn, won't soon forget.  It sat whole in a bowl, cooked in its own ink and coconut milk so it appeared to be swimming in grey gunk each time the dining table was jiggled.  It swam quite a while beside my sister's plate before she got enough courage to sample a tentacle - an absolute must since the dish had been made by our Samoan friends especially for her.

Cole has heard about Hurricane Ofa that hammered us with horrific wind and rain for 3 days and left us without power or water for long after that.  I've shown him pictures of the Flying Foxes, the world's biggest bats, and told him about the giant centipedes that were terrifying when they got in our house.  I think I have even told him about how in the beginning I repeatedly got lost driving on the island even though there was only one road that went from end to end.  (Palm trees all look alike.  I would just forget which way to turn on that one road when I came back out of where ever I was.)

This week there was a new story as I unpacked yet another box to discover 2 starfish.  Julie had played with those starfish when she was younger than Cole on a day when the beach seemed to be filled with them.  It was the day that we first walked on the coral reef and discovered how awesome that can be with hundreds of brilliantly colored tropical fish swimming around your feet.  Still, we lived in Amerika Samoa for 5 years, so there are more stories to come.

Yet when I think about the island of Tutuila it feels like an incredibly long time since I've been there.  It came as a bit of a shock this evening when it suddenly occurred to me that it has been only slightly more than two years.  Jimmie and I were on Tutuila in May of 2011, our last campaign together.  So much has happened since then.

But, the place I'm living now has a few perks as well and no doubt stories for the future.  I especially like losing the heavy traffic jams.  After living in the Atlanta area for 14 years not being stuck in constant traffic either inching along or screaming down the interstate at 80 mph is wonderful.  And I like this quaint, old-fashioned town filled with homes from another era and open friendliness that I had forgotten existed.  And, of course, having Julie & gang so close is a wonderful perk all by itself.

Still, few places can compete with a South Pacific island for beauty.