From rfepley at gol.com Wed Feb 4 21:14:47 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Wed Feb 4 21:14:46 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] Feb. 4, 2009 Message-ID: <1b8000453f970856136d512b9f556d72@gol.com> I'm very thankful for a refreshing Ladies' Retreat and for all the men that came and helped make Russ' time go well while I was gone. God is gracious. This morning I work up with a migraine headache. I was really quite sick and wondered how I'd make it home. I praise God for touching me. After a few hours in bed I rallied and was able to make it to the closing meeting of the retreat. God had compassion on me. Blessed, Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Thu Feb 12 21:31:41 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Thu Feb 12 21:31:45 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] February 12, 2009 Message-ID: <256db1c89004e275497771fd1b6f945e@gol.com> The more challenging life gets, the harder it is to see God's blessings unless we look for them. In late December I bought a little pocket calendar with space to write about one sentence's worth for each day. I call it my "2009 Blessing Book." Each day I write a blessing that God has given us that day. I've recorded blessings such as the first crocus in our garden blooming (February 8!) and getting a ride home from church with a lady I met in a convenience store who accepted my invitation to church and brought her daughter. I was delighted she came and appreciated the ride. Yesterday morning I needed to get to school earlier than the designated time that Russ is picked up. Before his recent fall, we had gotten to the point where I could take Russ' wheelchair outside and he could walk to the driveway. However, Wednesday as soon as I got to school I felt very anxious about that arrangement since Russ had been experiencing dizziness that morning. I knew that some former missionary neighbors were visiting Japan and staying next door, but I hadn't seen them. I called them from school and was able to make arrangements for them to go over and be with the Russ for those minutes before he left. I was greatly relieved and Russ got to have a lovely visit with our friends. God is so gracious. Russ is having many dizzy spells and times of feeling weak this week. The doctor asked me to take his pulse at those times. His heart beats are a bit erratic and his pulse seems slow. We are enjoying the blessings of each day and trusting God for the hard things. Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Fri Feb 20 21:33:54 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Fri Feb 20 21:33:57 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] Feb. 20, 2009 Message-ID: <8883c582d8031802d328e0fc7e4a3a77@gol.com> Tomorrow, Saturday Feb. 21, my coworkers and I are expecting 165 kids with their parents to attend our 11th annual Arts & Skills Day. We organize various events throughout the year for homeschoolers, but this event draws the most people and takes the most preparation. Please pray that everything will go according to God's plan. We anticipate a great day. Then on Tuesday, Feb. 24, the CAJ PTA is sponsoring a parenting seminar in Japanese. This has been on my heart for a long time. It's exciting to see it happening. Please pray that the biblical principles that are shared will be helpful to parents and instill an interest in the Bible for those who are not yet Christians. Feb. 25 to March 17 our daughter Christie plans to be in Jamaica doing her first sign language survey trip for SIL (related to Wycliffe Bible Translators). We would appreciate prayer for success and safety. She will be working with a young missionary couple who have been doing these survey trips for a few years. It is a tremendous amount of work and requires spiritual, physical, and emotional stamina. It should be very interesting too! Russ is making good progress. Thanks for your prayers! Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Tue Feb 24 22:15:28 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Tue Feb 24 22:15:32 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] February 24, 2009 Message-ID: God answered prayers abundantly for the two major events on my calendar the last few days. The Arts & Skills Day was a roaring success. I'm amazed at how beautifully things came together in spite of the hundreds of details that needed attention. We had great volunteers, beautiful weather, and a fine bunch of students! We received enthusiastic reviews and are already looking forward to the same event next year. The Joyful Parenting Seminar today went very well. Kaneko Sensei was an excellent speaker and we were pleased with the turnout. We had 88 attentive listeners. We pray that the things they learned will reap blessings in the years to come. Christie leaves tomorrow for three weeks in Jamaica. We appreciate your joining us in prayer for her safety and success. This is her first trip as a linguist. That means the excitement level and learning curve are both high. Our son Joel is still in need of a job. As Russ' strength and balance are improving, I am feeling more confident about leaving him alone for even a few hours at a time. This came in handy today so that I could attend the seminar without being overly concerned about him. He doesn't try anything daring while I'm gone. Blessings, Flossie