God's timing

The weekly Sunday bouquet from my Tennessee-cousin is made up of blooms that have not yet arrived in our region.

However, I do believe we had a weather event they did not experience--a heavy snowfall this late in April. Did I hear it was a 100-year record? I think Mike measured a 5" accumulation by Tuesday night

Friends with blossoming fruit trees, fear a total loss, like last year.

The tree I see from my writing loft, Tuesday and Friday

The Winter-in-Spring Wonderland was wondrously beautiful. The heavy-laden branches bent over our lane created a Narnia-like effect. Each of us commented on the snowy-branch tunnel we drove through, but none of us managed to get a photo.

Later, in the car with Rebecca, as we were listening to the song "He's got the whole world in his hands," she added "And the snow!" So true. Job referred to God's control over nature, “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’" And the Psalmist wrote "He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes."

Snow is referenced often as the ultimate white, representing flawless purity. God's amazing gift of forgiveness through Christ's sacrifice in our place, also mentions snow: 

Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.

Top: Tuesday night (can you see the zip line?) Bottom: Wednesday morning 

The weather delayed the cement pour on Stephan's house from Monday to Thursday. Karen tells more in her post (Un)cooperative Weather. 

Michael helped at various stages of the process. The most physically draining was to shovel snow off the protective tarps, lest moisture be trapped in the network of tubing.

The least strenuous and most fascinating was to watch the pumper truck and the crew of ten men pour the cement.

This week, Abuelo tried to teach us to play chess. Rebecca picked up the roles and rules quite well. And, of course, she is very good with certain cell-phone features as the following pics attest.

Kendra made a meal for us on Wednesday--gyro wrapped chicken marinated in tzatziki sauce.

Wednesday, April 21, was Uncle Dan's 103rd birthday. He is my only living uncle on Mother's side.

Top: Hirschy siblings and spouses in birth order from L to R.

Lower: Siblings in birth order from R to L: Joyce, Harlan, Daniel, Lois, Kathryn, Philip

Four of them became missionaries, two in Africa and two in South America.

Uncle Dan and Aunt Eleanor were approved to go to French Equatorial Africa (now Chad) in 1945 and left in May 1946.

Four daughters and several terms of service later, they left the girls in the US and returned to Chad a seventh and final time. Here I quote from his biographical sketch:

What was to have been a four year term turned out to be four months. The government, endeavored to go back to the old ways, to wipe out all traces of years of foreign domination. All who had never gone through their idolatrous initiation rites were ordered to do so. Government spies were in the church services to see if the pastors were complying with their orders. I believe the Lord took us back to Chad to encourage the Christians to stand true to God. In the face of great persecution, they did just that. I remember messages being preached from Daniel about the three men who were cast into the furnace and Daniel who was cast to the lions. Rather than destroying the church, the persecution cleansed and strengthened it.

Eleanor and I were placed under house arrest and given 24 hours to pack our bags for eviction from Chad. But a few hours later a government car came to get us. We were taken 75 miles to Ft. Archambault where we were detained at the Bureau of the Police. . . At midnight we were loaded with our baggage on a truck. Two guards with machine guns rode on the back of the truck with us. We men sat on top of the 55 gallon drums and the women on a pile of suitcases. Following a 400 mile trip over unpaved road we arrived at the capital tired and filthy. That night we had devotions, reading Psalm 40 and tried to get some sleep on a cement slab in front of the Bureau of Immigration. We were accused of being subversive because our teaching kept the people from obeying the government demand to submit to the initiation rites.

Monday we were sent to Paris. . . We flew to NY the week of Thanksgiving. . . and traveled by bus to Pittsburgh. . . extremely tired, but rejoicing in the Lord's tender care.

They were willing to die, if necessary, to spread the message of the Gospel. 

This week the gifts I planned to give each of our families on Resurrection Sunday finally arrived, though ordered long ago. 

April Memories

The awaited explosion of blooms happened this week--narcissus, daffodils, jonquils (I never know which is which). There are hundreds, and thousands (maybe even millions, billions, and trillions!)I go out every day and bring in an abundant bouquet of only the fallen and hidden ones. Their beauty needs an audience!

Very old memories also exploded this past week. I am nearing the end of letter resources, so I looked into the photo album about our life in Argentina. I had put it together for my parents years ago. There were many that were difficult to arrange chronologically. I took along 10 pages-worth of 2"x 3"-size photos when I went to visit Mother on Tuesday, April 2, which would have been Dad's 98th birthday.

After sharing them with Mother and Aunt Margaret, using her big lighted magnifying glass, I decided to scan and enlarge them before our next visit. In the process I made some interesting discoveries that help piece together the story of those early childhood years.

I also posted the entire collection on Facebook for my Argentine friends to comment and hopefully recognize some of the faces in the pictures.

When we first arrived in La Carlota, our first mission assignment, we worked with the Dowdy family. Here you can see them in the back center, my mother next to Dortha, and me on the shoulders of one of their boys.

Now it's your turn for the find-Rita-in the-next-photos challenge.

After a few months, the Dowdys moved on to another assignment and my parents were left to carry on the work, which included three other small towns as well as La Carlota.

Summer camps and annual church conferences took place in the sierras during the summer months, January - February.

Me with Mrs. Dowdy and camp cook.

Looks like I got passed around quite a bit.

An extra challenge: find my brother Lynn also!

Photos add to my memories and available records. My father seemed to get involved in a building project wherever he went. This was the start of the Templo Evangélico in La Carlota. I wrote about a related memory in this blog post.

The children seem to be holding a model of the church being built. Next time I will see if Mother remembers this.

In my search for more resources, I wrote to my cousin who has access to the family archives. Kae is an archivist herself. She enlisted her mother's help. Aunt Fae wrote a very timely note:

As I am going through the diary for Rita’s book items, I came across this writing of Grandma’s—

This is Sam’s birthday, and we planned to celebrate Daddy’s [Grandpa’s birthday was April 4.]

and his together—were going to have ice cream after service,—but we got a telegram from the War Dept.,—stating  Phil was missing in action  since the 16th. [copied from the 1945-49 diary.]

 I imagine the planned party turned into a prayer meeting.

Esther and Norman Hirschy (my grandparents)

The diary contained a note about the previous day, Sunday:

Sunday—Sam played two  numbers on his new horn in church.

 They were having special services with Ralph Stoll.    This is when they learned the chorus ,”I Believe the Answer’s on the Way”. 

Yes, their prayers were answered. Uncle Phil came back to them, having narrowly escaped death, and lived a good long life.

I realized this week that I never knew any great grandparents, yet so many in our circle of friends and acquaintances do. We ourselves are blessed to have a great granddaughter. We treasure every opportunity to spend with her.

I usually pick her up and taker her to a community children's program at our church Wednesday evenings. This time abuelo brought her to our house first. She is growing up so fast, not soon enough for her, though. Rebecca says she wants to be five like her friend Sophie. She didn't quite understand that in the same month Sophie will be six!

Friday, I had a delightful time as the mystery reader in Zion's third grade. I introduced them to the oldest truly American picture book--Millions of Cats. 

Zion told his mom all about it and summarized the story like this:

Millions of kittens and the humble kitten was the most beautiful of all!

The reading and talk about old books that have remained popular, segwayed perfectly into the teacher's story of one of her favorite old books that has come to her after many years with the library card signed out to her more than once. 

Another memorable event of the week was a baby dedication. Sharon and I travelled to Edinburgh about an hour and 40 minutes away to support our young friend Trisha as she dedicated her son and commits to raising him to know and follow Jesus.

Sharon Ewband and me, holding Jackson.

Trisha's family support system

 The couple standing behind Trisha were her foster parents when she was very young. Over a period of 14 years they fostered 41 children and still stay in touch with several. Their daughter continues the family example. Some of the little ones in the photo have come through the system. God bless their faithful service.

2016 Week 5: Celebrating 46, 91, 50 years

January 31st was our 46th wedding anniversary.

 Last week I left you wondering whether we'd have time to celebrate. We did enjoy dinner out at a Teppanyaki Buffet.

My second plate

Meanwhile, our thoughts were very much with Uncle Phil's family after hearing that he passed away early that morning.

Monday night, of course we had dinner and fun at Stephan's. The evening ride there was so beautiful as we watched the sun setting.

Tuesday I informed my students that we would not have class on Thursday as I would be traveling to Pennsylvania to celebrate my uncle's life of 91 years.

My brother Alan and I drove to Pennsylvania and arrived at Aunt Fae's Thursday evening. Other family members were gathering. Such precious reunions!

Aunt Fae and the special rose

The little peuter vase, brought back from Indonesia by Jim and Beth years ago, has a sweet story to tell. Uncle Phil would sneak it out twice a year  to the flower shop (for birthdays and anniversaries) and ask the girls to find a beautiful rose to take back to his wife. It was like a game. Aunt Fae tried to hide the vase so he wouldn't spend the money. He would always find it.
So on this day, family members searched for the vase, one grandson went to the flower shop and brought back a special rose.

Uncle Phil's family has experienced much loss.
The first to go was grandson Shane (Beth and Jim's son), deputy sherrif, who died while on duty some 16 years ago.
Daughter Dawn, the oldest, was next, in 2000.
A few years later, son-in-law Jim, passed away suddenly.

Beth and her new husband, Bud                                               Two brothers, Seth and Jimmy, with Shane's widow, Lynn

Lynn taught us a Dutch word gezellig, which she used to describe how grandson Hirschy looks after his grandmother--makes coffee and popcorn and spends evenings with her.

The memorial service in the Baptist church, where Uncle Phil served faithfully all his life, was well attended. Many shared wonderful, inspiring and some humorous memories of Philip Hirschy--teacher, friend, community servant. . .

As a veteran of WWII, who miraculously survived the Battle of the Bulge, the service included military honors.

A meal was served in the building in the back left, named for Norman Hirschy, my grandfather, who pastored the church for over 30 years.

Evans City Baptist Church    The original church later converted to a home for missionaries.    The old Hirschy homestead

So many childhood memories are wrapped up in these photos. Our family lived in Evans City the year I went to eighth grade.

Three of us cousins wandered the cemetary that afternoon and found the grave markers of several family members. On Uncle Phil's we discovered a strange little gift. Can you guess?

If you'd ever met him, whether you knew him personally or not, you would likely have gotten a kiss from him--a Hershey's kiss! He carried a plastic bag and gave them out freely. Several of the memories shared were of times he'd caught people off guard offering a kiss, before clarifying what kind!

I rode back with cousin Rosie (who then went on to Chicago) and arrived home safely long before Mike was back from his long day at robotics. He's worked there nearly every day.

Sunday, however, was a good day at home. And in the evening, together with Leah's family, we celebrated the 50th Super Bowl and especially the Broncos victory with QB Peyton Manning, who still belongs to us in Indiana!

Watching football intently

. . .not so intently 

A very full week is over. What will the next one hold?

2015 Week 30: Visitor and Conference

We had a special visitor from the Basque Country stay with us a couple days.

Monday we drove around to each of our family members' homes. They've all moved since Irati was here last.

First we stopped to see Leah. 

Next, Kayla. . .

But the little munchkin stole the show.

Then we went to Stephan and Karen's "farm" and as cute and soft as the bunnies were, Irati was not very interested.

Nor did she care about the chickens. Not even Foghorn the rooster could get her attention. Nova the cat showed a lot more interest in the hens.

Later we got to observe Kayla in action as a dance instructor in three classes of different ages and styles. We especially wanted to see Zion in the tap class.

"It's summer" (from movie Frozen)

Finally, we ended up at Sam and Kristie's house, had dinner with them, including entertainment!

El mago Elijah

We missed Sam. He was working in Michigan all week.

Tuesday's plans were changed somewhat, so instead of a longer trip, we went to a county fair and introduced Irati to that aspect of American culture.

"Irati, is that what you think of the fair or of being photographed?"

Of course, we had to try fair food. I had never seen spiral potatoes like these.

On the way back we stopped to see Sam's shop and skateboard area.

Irati examining the bowl

One more stop to show our friend the pottery studio where Mike works with kids.

Remember the clay figure I thought he was going to recycle? Looks like the poor guy's been rescued and given a second chance.

Wednesday a large envelope arrived in the mail with old family photographs. This one of my grandfather and two uncles was enclosed by mistake. I had never seen it. The younger boy, my uncle Dan, still lives and is quite active and involved for his 97 years.

The next three days, I attended the annual Midwest Writers Workshop in Muncie for the fourth time. I had been hesitant to register, but Michael said, "Why wouldn't you go?" So, trusting that I was meant to be there, I rose early, drove the half hour there and back each day and sat through many sessions.

Thursday, by mid afternoon break I had to go out and sit in the car until my feet had thawed out.
No more sandals, only socks and enclosed shoes the next two days, and sweaters.
They say they have no control over the air conditioning in the building. (Or is it that they want to sell more MWW sweatshirts?)

The entire conference was very beneficial--excellent and practical sessions, great new friends in "my tribe" (who write in the same genre), and fun times!

Only a few of the wonderful writers I met

I came home greatly encouraged and motivated to continue telling stories through my writing.

Meanwhile, Michael had a root canal, an appointment with his doctor and more x-rays. They're still trying to figure out what is causing the painful episodes.

Looks like Stephan has kept busy. I'm glad he posts these photos on Facebook and doesn't mind if I share them with my readers.

What surprises await us all in Week 31? Come back next week.