Evie Joy

Evie Joy

11/19/2010

9 lbs, 3 oz

20"

Welcomed by Eric and Jeni, Liam, Kate, Owen and Zane.

Two proud sets of grandparents also enjoyed seeing her within her first few hours of life.

Evie slept soundly for a delightful hour as I held her in my arms and then on my lap. What a pretty little mouth!

Look at all that dark hair.

Babies are so precious. "The Lord bless you and keep you," Evie Joy.

Back Home Again in Indiana

 I had a great three week trip to Eastern Europe and South Africa, but I've enjoyed. . .

. . .arriving back in the USA via Chicago

. . .boarding the plane and seeing someone I know (Cheryl Hartigan from Ossian!)

. . .being greeted  at the Fort Wayne airport by Neil, Eric, Jeni, Liam, Kate, Owen and Zane!!!

. . .going to church

. . .participating in a 5-K

. . .doing laundry on Nov 1 & 2 and being able to hang it outside on the clothesline

. . .having a regular Monday lunch date with Janice

. . .digging up bulbs in the yard

. . .seeing neighbors and friends

. . .making fall foods like stew and chili

. . .spending the afternoon and evening with my GRANDchildren

. . .catching up on the mail and newspapers

Life is good. :)

Sunrise

Jack is the youngest cousin on the Birdsall side of the family. He is 15 years old already!

What a beautiful, large, hilly park right across the street from Brian and Cathy's apartment. I enjoyed walking in and around the park prior to and after coming back from Cape Town. Brian, Cathy, Brooks, Mary Catherine, Tory, Beau and Jack have lots of family memories in this park.

     I’m watching the sun come up in Frankfurt, Germany.  As the plane headed west from Kiev and approached Frankfurt I could look out the window and see the first light of day on the horizon behind us. As we proceeded, the pilot directed the plane to the north and the silhouette of the earth’s curvature was highlighted in gold. The captain came on the p.a. system and said that we were going to have to go in a holding pattern for about 20 minutes. While making a large circle we were able to see the horizon again with more color in the east. I could see other planes in the same big circle. We landed and made a hard turn to the right. Looking behind us, I would see the lights of seven other planes in the sky lined up and ready to land. I saw two more of them set down and by that time I spotted the lights of two more planes that were in line to land. I had never seen such a line-up in the sky.

  My lay-over here in Frankfurt is five hours. L I’m in the right terminal for United Airlines flights to the US. My flight to Chicago is not even posted yet. This is my third consecutive day of long flight—Thursday Brian and I covered 5,000 from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi via Johannesburg; yesterday we covered 3,000 miles from Abu Dhabi to Kiev. Today’s travel time and distance  will be the longest yet. I will be glad to be “grounded” in Berne for quite some time.

    It was great to take a walk in the park yesterday afternoon when we got back to Brian and Cathy’s apartment. Cathy arrived home from school within 10 minutes of the time we arrived. It was obvious that two weeks of autumn had passed since being in the park. Lots of leaves were on the ground and I loved the sound of shuffling among them. After a park in the park Brian and Cathy went home. I proceeded to walk the circumference of the large mid-city park. People were hurrying home from work on a Friday afternoon in their stylish clothes. I stuck out like a sore thumb in my Nike shoes, casual pants and hooded sweatshirt. J It felt great to be really walking and not just shuffling in line with a crowd of other passengers. I walked a block further than I planned to and even realized where I was. The little bit of familiarity with where I was felt good.

  Beau and Jack had activities last evening so it was just Brian, Cathy and me for a good soup supper with pickled apples delivered by a Ukrainian friend and home baked banana bread by Cathy. I preferred Cathy’s food.  Jack arrived home at 9 pm and we all visited for an hour. Brian and I were fading fast! It was a short night—Brian knocked on the door at 3:20 to wake me. I told him ahead of time to just get a taxi for me. He said he would lie awake worrying about me so he might as well get up and drive me to the airport himself. He has been a great traveling companion. Thanks for taking such good care of me, little bro!

  It was amazing to see the streets of Kiev so empty. I thought traffic congestions might be a 24 hour problem there. Brian saw to it that I got in the right line at the airport, gave me directions for the next two steps—security and immigration—and then headed home. The line was moving very slowly. After awhile a man came over and said something to me. I had a hard time understanding him because of his accent and low voice. He gestured for me to follow him. He took me to another line and I got right through! He walked me over to the escalator and pointed where I should go next. I thanked him and he said, “Twenty dollars, please.” I honestly had no cash except a few Euro coins left from my stop in Munich. That’s all he got. Brian had told me over and over that money will get you anything in Ukraine.




 

30 years of mission-related ministry

  Thursday evening continued to be a family time after our leisurely free day. Brian and I had been invited to attend a dinner for board members and guests of Asian Access, the mission organization that Doug and Jeanie have been associated with for 30 years.

  Doug and Jeanie left for Japan in 1980 soon after Doug graduated from Gordon-Conwell Seminary north of Boston.  Doug had met Ken Wendling, founder of LIFE—Language Institute for Evangelism—and caught Ken’s vision for evangelizing Japan.  Jeanie was six months pregnant when they left home and crossed the Pacific for the first time. The name of the mission was later changed to Life Ministries and later, as they expanded into other Asian countries, the name changed again to Asian Access. Until Doug was “loaned” to the board of the Lausanne Congress four years ago, he had been president of Asian Access for several years. 

   Doug and Jeanie looked forward to meeting for supper with the Asian Access board but did not know they were going to be honored by that group. Doug’s schedule was very tight last week so the program moved quickly. After supper about five or six individuals made comments primarily about Doug and his leadership in missions. Jeanie was recognized also for her partnership with Doug in ministry and for a good family of three children all born and raised (for the most part) in Japan—Stacia, Judd and Jessa.

  As his sister, it was nice to hear others who have been much closer to Doug in the last 30 years affirm him as a man of vision, passion, integrity, hard work, humility and humor. He was that way even as a little boy and a definitely as a teenager.  Doug has an incredible ability to remember names and faces and stories about the first time he met people and where and when that was and the circumstances surrounding the introduction. Someone joked about being in Doug’s close circle of 25,000 friends.

  Doug responded by talking about his early days in Japan and the incredible influence of Ken Wendling on his life. Ken recognized Doug as a confident young man and reminded him that “apart from me you and do nothing” and, as Ken would say, “nothing ain’t much.” Doug told stories of how excited Ken would get when he heard the word “impossible.”  “With God all things are possible.”

  Ken has gone on to start two other mission organizations in China.

  It was nice for me to meet people whom I have heard about and seen their pictures but never met. One of them was Adrian DeVissar of Sri Lanka. I have heard Doug speak very highly of him several times and Adrian’s picture has been in many of Doug’s prayer letters. Adrian made some comments about Doug so I saw who he was. After the main activities were over I went to use the restroom. When out in the hall and heading back into the room I saw Adrian in the hall also. I introduced myself to him and his response was of pleasant surprise. He said, “So you’re the one who has threated to shoot Doug.” It seems as though many people have heard of my threat on Doug’s life—and Brent’s and Brian’s, too.

Asian Access board members and friends lay hands on Doug and Jeanie to ask God's continued blessing on them and their missionary ministry.

A Japanese businessman tells about his involvement with Asian Access and his support of that mission organization and the leadership provided by Doug and Jeanie.

  Many years ago after all the scandal related to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and other well-known evangelists, I looked all three of my brothers (all three involved in ministry) in the eye and poked my finger in their chest and said, “if you ever do anything to bring shame to the name of Christ or to our family, I will shoot you.” I’ve repeated the threat several times. They know I’m serious but at the same time we’ve laughed about it on many occasions. The extended family knows that Doug, Brent and Brian are walking the straight and narrow so I won’t rot in jail because of their misconduct. Everyone needs someone to hold them accountable, right?

  Doug is an incredibly God-gifted man. His life of service, faithfulness, and integrity has been his gift back to God. I was pleased to see him in action this past week and especially to see him honored by those who have known him best and longest. To God be the glory.