Remembering

A week of remembrances: Holy Week to meditate on Jesus' last week on this earth; the annual Seaman memorial; ongoing condolences for friend and coworker from M/V Doulos, Em Namuco from the Philippines; photos and posts about the visit of the new OM ship, Logos Hope's visit to Uruguay; and the surprise visit of a family friend who grew up with our kids.

The fifteenth Taylor University Chapel in memory of Richard A. Seaman was followed by a special luncheon with family and friends. We look forward to this inspirational event and to reconnecting with the family each spring. He was a beloved business professor who impacted many in his short life. He died suddenly at age 42. Ironically, this memorial coincided with tax day.

In this old photo we were celebrating Em Namuco's 35th birthday in Santa Rosa de Calamuchita, at my parent's home in Argentina, forty years ago. We were there with a team from the ship Doulos. Our children were 8, 6, and 7 months. And my youngest brother Alan, in the middle next to Em, was only 16. So many memories.

Eduardo Wojnarowicz (on right) was a member of the Doulos Singers forty years ago. Their music touched many hearts, however, the greatest impact was on their own lives. Eduardo was thrilled to be able to visit this newer ship. Here he posed with ministry leaders onboard, Randy and Kimberly Grebe. They have stayed in our home a couple times!

Kyle Doane moved away a long time ago, but he has always been a good friend to Leah, in fact he is Kayla's godfather.

So Holy Week began with Palm Sunday and a special Kiddie Kampus program with Rebecca and all her preschool friends singing excitedly, expressively. So cute!

Maundy Thursday I was thinking of one of the last things Jesus did with his disciples when he knew his time had come--He washed their feet, and urged them to do the same (John 13). I am reminded of two things: the daily cleansing available to us from taint of sin, and Jesus' commandment to love one another.

Interestingly, the 2019 calendar dates are identical to 1946, the year I am working on as I write about my childhood.
April 20, 1946, my parents wrote:

This is Easter season and a big one here in the Argentine. Last night at 6 o’clock (Good Friday) we put Rita in her cart and went up to the main street to see the big parade. It looked like all of La Carlota was there to parade the streets in hopes of saving their souls. The procession began with a boy carrying a cross. He was dressed in a fancy white cape. Behind him came about 75 children dressed in their best clothes. Next in line came men and women carrying lighted candles, chanting as they went. All the women wore netted veils. Throughout the whole procession were three images. These they bore on staves like the Israelites did the ark. The first image was of Christ, the second of Mary and the last of Christ resting at the foot of a cross after His death. The priest walked before the last image and at every street crossing he would stop the image and chant off a few lines of something. . . On a cross out in front of their church is written in Spanish “Save your soul” so I suppose they were in the process last night. . . Mrs. Dowdy told us that every year they bury or go through the act of burying Christ and some people actually think that the Lord dies every year. 

Saturday, Michael and I visited Mother in Grace Village. Brother Alan and nephew Daniel joined us in the main dining room to celebrate Easter with her. It is always good to catch up with one another. The big news was that Daniel is moving in June and will be taking up a new career--culinary studies.

On Sunday our family got together to celebrate the Resurrection. There were many precious and memorable moments. I can only highlight a few. Our little ones entertained us delightfully. 

Jude is in Kindergarten, already reading well. He read us the Easter story.

Zion loves the book I read to his third grade class and wanted to read it to the whole family. He did so with great expression.

Then Rebecca danced for us (with Kayla's coaching, of course) as a celebration response.

Michael told us of an Easter Sunday long ago, probably 45 years ago, when he and Bob Craton were in Turkey to make a documentary. Interestingly, Bob wrote about the same memory.

Christ is risen! Many years ago I celebrated Easter in an Armenian Church in Eastern Turkey. Many members of the congregation remembered relatives and friends who were martyred for their faith during WWI. One woman told me how her father, brothers, uncles and cousins had sung a hymn as they were marched away to their deaths. Christ is Risen had a meaning to that congregation that most of us American Christians cannot comprehend.

Michael added a few other aspects of that memorable experience. The host served everyone from the roasted lamb by tearing off pieces and handing them out, no utensils needed. Their home was part of the jail complex where the condemned men were held. Another memory of that march to their end, was the sound of the women making the high-pitched tongue-trilling sound for celebrations--the kelele (?) Martyrdom ushered the men into the presence of the risen Christ.

 He is risen indeed!

2016 Week 10: Spring Break

Many photos this week. 

Sunday, Michael helped with the first grade Sunday School class again. This time they were focusing on some of the metal works in the Bible so he explained and illustrated the 6000 year-old lost-wax process: sculp clay figure; make a mold then a plaster mother-mold; coat with wax; parts on a tree; coat with ceramic slurry; melt wax out; fire in kiln; melt bronze and pour; break off ceramic; saw tree apart; weld parts together; chase; fix joints; texture; patina. Voilá!  I may finally have understood it, or not!

Monday.
Proud of grandson Skye who is completing high school courses online. . . with a little helper.

Speaking of Rebecca, here are a few photos that appeared on Facebook this week:

Trend setter: a new style--pant-leg arm-warmers; Budding artist; Dog-lover; Sesame Street fan.

Tuesday.

Spring break allowed me the freedom to take Mother to her six-month check-up. She had prepared a carefully written list of concerns, among them a persistent cough which kept her awake. He ordered a chest x-ray and the results sent us to the ER. After hours of waiting and more procedures, she was admitted for overnight observation and treatment for pneumonia.

I went back to Mother's apartment and took care of some things like laundry and cleaning out the fridge. I had not come prepared to spend the night, but Mother has extra toothbrushes and one can be resourceful.

Wednesday.
Soon after I arrived at the hospital, a family friend and neighbor showed up. Mother asked if he was going to sing for her. He did. She mouthed the comforting words. I was reminded of her college years when she was quite the singer herself, as her letters to her parents revealed.
Speaking of old letters. Last week I received a packet from a cousin--correspondence from Grandpa Hoyt, the grandfather I never knew, who left the family when Dad was 16. I always questioned why. I read all those letters to Mother and was comforted by this loving exchange with a granddaughter who'd taken the opportunity to reach out to him. He recognized in his lonely old age the many wrongs of his youth and expressed regret for all that was lost. He had wise words for her and spoke of faith and trust in God. I imagined him now reunited with all his children.

Mother's room was the last one on the top floor. We heard that the resident doctors had started their rounds at 7:00 a.m. on the first floor. It was closer to 7:00 p.m. when one of them made it to her room. He discharged her with a prescription for an antibiotic. It was closer to 8:30 by the time we were settled for the night in her apartment at Grace Village.

Thursday.
Mother was very glad to be able to keep her appointment with the beautician. "They washed my hair at the hospital and it's a mess," she said.
We met Aunt Margaret (as we called her when we were growing up in Argentina) for lunch in the dining room. What a dear friend she has been to all of us. To think that she was our neighbor in La Carlota when they began missionary service in Argentina, and now again lives nearby Mother in the same hall. Margaret will be 95 on May 25th!

That afternoon I drove home eager for a change of clothes after three days and ready to communicate online again. Thankfully I had been able to post a couple photos on Facebook to let people know about Mother, but my phone ran out of data so I experienced a forced semi-technology fast.

Friday

We planned to go out in the afternoon, but Michael was coming down with a serious cold so we couldn't do much. However, we couldn't miss Malachi's performance that evening! We enjoyed watching him and Lexi, his girlfriend, play two of the leading roles in the Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, as Hero and Claudio.

Meanwhile in Alaska, the World Ice Art 2016 Championship's award ceremony was taking place.

Of course, we couldn't be there, but I watched it online, and you can too if you go here. At 20:51 you can see his team receiving 4th place in the realistic category. If you hang in there, or go to the end, you will see the ice candles being lit--six huge towers of ice with wood inside. They said the ice does not melt. Really?

And if you go to Site #15 of the Multi Block sculptures you can see some of the daily photos which show Stephan at work.

The baby gorilla cannot be seen in the final view. Stephan later posted a side view that shows who papa Silverback was protecting, in the nest at his right side.

Saturday.
Michael spent another loooooong day with the robotics team despite the miserable head cold. BTW, the robot has been named Sir Plus.
I drove back to Winona Lake to check on Mother and take her some things.
I had almost forgotten that we were expecting an overnight guest--Kyle Doane, who grew up here and went to school with our older kids. He is now a traveling planetarian--one who virtually displays and explains the universe with the help of the Digitarium Planetarium System.
I arrived home in time to get the guest room and bathroom ready. I had just finished when the doorbell rang!

We had a delightful visit. Kyle has stayed in touch with Leah's family all these years. They all came over that evening and he shared some of his learning games.

Without the special dome, he lit up the guest room with numerous pictures and aspects of the mysteries of our vast universe.

Do you recognize some of the constellations? Notice the varied paths of the stars. We could even virtually fly over the earth. Can you see old lady Spain touching noses with Africa?

Sunday after breakfast, we said goodbye planning to see him come back and do a presentation in our area for a much larger audience.

After 20-some years, the red hair is almost gone. He is now the "salt and paprika" version.

A full week. A different spring break. Much to ponder. Confronted with life and death issues. A family member faces cancer. A community member passed away. A recurring thought, "How does one die well?"