Church, Family and Medical

The past couple of weeks have been full. On Sunday, July 22, we decided to visit the House of Faith Open Bible Church here in Des Moines.  When Pastor Sheila saw us walk in, she welcomed us and asked us to share a few words during the service.  We did so and then to our surprise, they took an offering for us!  It happened to be that Pastor Sheila's birthday was the week before, so we were invited to join the congregation and celebrate with cupcakes after church.  Thanks House of Faith!

Mike sharing at House of Faith

 Last Wednesday, we were invited to share a little bit about our ministry at the First Church of the Open Bible prayer meeting here in Des Moines.  It was a joy to be able to share with these prayer warriors who not only faithfully ask God to help and bless us but also give generously to our ministry. They also surprised us by taking an offering for our ministry. Thank you, First Church!

The next day, as Nancy was taking her power walk, she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and fell, breaking off her front tooth and scraping her face.  Thanks to her sister and brother-in-law, Nick and Leona Venditti, she was able to see a dentist right away who repaired the damage with two root canals and two crowns.  She is doing much better now and is healing quickly. Praise God!

Shawn and Sammy

Friday evening, we were surprised when our son Mark, his wife Nadine and their youngest child Elysha arrived.  They live in Montana, but decided to come to Des Moines for the wedding reception of our great-niece Sammy and her new husband Shawn.  They didn't let us know they were coming so it would be a surprise.  It was so wonderful to see them and spend a little time over the weekend with them.

Saturday was the above-mentioned wedding reception of Sammy and Shawn. When we greeted Sammy, she introduced us to her new husband and told him about the two weeks she had spent with us in Hungary as a teenager, a time we remember fondly also. Paul and Kate and Levi, our son and his family from Minnesota, came down for the day and so we had a great time visiting with them and with all of the family who came for the reception.

Paul and his family returned to Minnesota on Saturday, but on Sunday we again gathered with the family who remained in Des Moines for more food and conversation.  Then later that afternoon, Mark and Nadine flew back to Montana.

The extended family ate together at Pizza Ranch

 Monday afternoon, Mike went to the dermatologist who removed a section of skin from his right arm due to basal cell cancer.  The procedure was successful with the only downside being the doctor's orders that Mike not play golf for a week or so to allow it to heal.

We thank God for his goodness to us this week, for generous, loving church family, for allowing us to see our extended family, and for the healing and protection he has given us.