Project 365, Week 25

I'm missing a chunk of this week but still managed to have six photos to share for Project 365 :)

Last Sunday we spoke at New Fellowship Baptist in Grand Rapids, a church plant currently sharing a building with several other congregations, including one hispanic group. (The different groups stagger their meetings throughout the week.) Good friends of ours were called there after "retiring" two years ago. We always have such a wonderful time with Brother Starlon and Sister Diane! After the afternoon meeting they took us out to eat and we talked. And talked and talked...

We so appreciate their years of experience and sound counsel.

Monday we headed to Indiana. We stopped and saw what remains of Mike and Rita's house...

...which isn't much! Ivan and I were amazed that they were able to salvage anything, but Rita is thankful that many of those irreplaceable items, like photos and letters, were saved! I'm sure she will have much to share when her life settles down a little and she is able to get back to blogging.

We spent the night with their oldest son and his wife AND enjoyed one of the famous Monday night meals. YUM! Cuisine from North Carolina was featured and we chowed down on Hoppin' John, spoon bread, salad (with fresh greens from their garden) and Blondies for dessert. A wonderful "last supper" before my surgery the next day :)

Okay, maybe everyone knows about these but they were totally new to me...the hospital has special gowns now with a place to plug into a wall unit with a hose that supplies warm (or cold) air as needed. You know I had to try it out, and had way too much fun with the device which inflates the gown in the process...

...it reminded me of Grosse Point Blank when the secretary described attending her 10 year reunion and how everyone had "swelled". Remember that scene?



Okay, no photos for the next three days. Sorry but I'm sure you understand :)

Actually surgery went well (except for the excessive amount of anesthesia which made me sicker than a dog) and the neurostimulator is doing it's job. I'm still trying to find the optimum setting, however, as some toe-twitching continues. Which Ivan thinks is hilarious. I also picked up a cold at the hospital and am honestly suffering more from congestion and a persistent cough than I am pain from surgery. Go figure :(

Saturday morning a group of friends got together at the church to bake cookies for Kyle and Tina's upcoming reception. We blasted through I don't know how many dozens of cookies and had a great time in the process. I took a photo at the beginning...

...but more ladies came later and I never managed another big group shot. But I did get one of the "young'ns", girls who were in youth group together a few short years ago and who are now such lovely young women (the two on the left are both expecting their first babies in early October):

Today we were in our home church where Ivan and Tito shared about the ministry in Argentina, and Ivan preached from Psalms 67. I think it was good for the people to hear about what God is doing overseas, before a number of them headed out for a week-long mission trip right here in the U.S., in inner-city Chicago. Here are the guys loading the trailer with materials, food stuffs, sleeping bags and all manner of items needed for the group of around 50:

Our church is a little different in that mission trips are planned so that whole families can go if they want. This trip there's a mix of families and parts of families, as well as individuals, who are going.

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Well, we're gearing up for lots of traveling in the next few weeks so I won't be back until July 9 with the next P365 post, although there might be the sporadic midweek, meandering post :)