From rfepley at gol.com Wed Mar 4 11:26:06 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Wed Mar 4 11:26:10 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] March 4, 2009 Message-ID: <8b996300e7a1b333ae719631358a5157@gol.com> We're in the middle of a fruitful week. At school we finished up a school accreditation visit yesterday. It was very encouraging to review how much progress we've made in the last three years. Today I plan to travel with the school leadership team to the base of Mt. Fuji for a three-day working retreat. I work with great people so this should be both fun and productive. While I'm gone it means that Russ needs to go into the residential section of the care home for a short stay. While he's not one to complain, it's definitely not home. There's not much to do and it's a challenging environment. For example, last time he stayed overnight his roommate with dementia unknowingly took Russ' pants. I made some homemade granola to augment Russ' breakfasts so not everything will taste...well...not like home. I'm praying that God will give Russ some unexpected blessings during his stay. Christie's sign language survey trip in Jamaica as a linguist is going well. Joel is looking into some new possibilities for a job. Please pray that God will use Joel's life to glorify God. Blessings, Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Sat Mar 7 22:23:04 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Sat Mar 7 22:23:09 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] March 7, 2009 Message-ID: <77d980a8ec199e802672e533533c7ea2@gol.com> Thanks for praying for Russ and me while we were apart. Wednesday, after admitting Russ into the care home, I drove away and immediately felt the pain of separation even though it was only to be for three nights. It was a good reminder to me to cherish each day we have together and to pray for those who have lost loved ones. Even though I missed Russ, I enjoyed the working retreat with Christian Academy's leadership team. Mt. Fuji dressed in white was a beautiful backdrop for my morning walk. As a team we were able to talk through important issues that can get overlooked in the tyranny of the urgent. Having stimulating conversations with trusted coworkers beside a roaring fireplace made it all very pleasant. Russ got along fine in my absence though is mighty happy to be home again. Today we had gorgeous weather. For the first time in weeks Russ was able to go outside for a walk. Russ persevered and managed his all-the-way-around-the-block walk that we attempt once a month. After his fall January 20, he hadn't recovered enough to do it in February, so it was a great victory to accomplish that milestone today. Russ has moments when speaking is especially challenging. Today at lunch he was trying to pray and just couldn't get the words out. After struggling awhile, he gave up and finished talking to God aloud with, "You know. Amen." It was rather humorous, but also prompted me to remember that even when we can't find the right words to say, Jesus truly does know what's on our hearts. I'm glad to be His child. Blessings, Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Wed Mar 18 21:04:05 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Wed Mar 18 21:04:08 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] March 18, 2009 Message-ID: <1b59f0212ead8eb5b95441279ee0116c@gol.com> After months of losing ground it has been encouraging to hear some good news. Yesterday Russ' therapist commented on what good control Russ has of his leg. This particular therapist has been working with Russ since December and has seen some improvement. We're happy for every glimmer of hope. Today Russ went back to the orthopedic surgeon who treated him when he broke his arm two months ago. The x-rays show that the arm has healed well. Unfortunately the lack of exercise has caused the arm to further separate from the shoulder, but we're ready to get working on it again. We hope to be able to regain some of that muscle tone. The warm spring weather made for a lovely therapy walk today. We haven't heard from Christie yet, but she was scheduled to arrive back home late Tuesday evening from Jamaica. We are grateful that she seemed to have a fruitful trip. We're looking forward to hearing more about it now that she will have better internet access. Blessings, Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Sun Mar 29 21:33:04 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Sun Mar 29 21:33:10 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] March 29, 2009 Message-ID: We had several special blessings this past week. TEAM missionaries in the western part of Japan met for our Spring Prayer Conference. We love our mission family and were privileged to pray for each other. I had a long "To-Do" list for my spring break from school. In my last hours of vacation I can look back with satisfaction over the gratifying number of checks on that list! I loved being able to squeeze in several days of scrapbooking between helping Russ with his seven appointments with doctors, therapists, and his kind-hearted care manager. It's a little tricky getting Russ' blood thinner regulated, but all the other appointments were routine. This afternoon I enjoyed attending a ceremony to install the first Japanese pastor at Yahara Christ Church (a church Russ and I assisted in it's beginning stages about five years back.) The visiting pastor who led the meeting told how he was led to Christ by missionary Ralph Cox. The new pastor told me he was led to Christ by missionary Myron Hegge. Several church members told how they came to the church and were baptized by missionaries Bob and Virginia Travis. It can get a bit discouraging being a missionary in Japan, but a day like today encourages us to persevere! It has been fascinating to hear about our daughter's work as a linguist with SIL. Christie had a great trip to Jamaica?safe travels, profitable data collecting, and added to her already vast repertoire of friends. Now her hard work of synthesizing the data into reports begins. Blessings, Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Mon Mar 30 21:45:13 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Mon Mar 30 21:45:17 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] March 30, 2009 Message-ID: At school today I realized I had neglected to turn in two forms I should have. To think that I had inconvenienced others bothered me a great deal. I tried to make them right, but had a difficult time forgiving myself. I just like to do everything right, every time, perfectly, without fail. Is that too much to ask? (Don't answer that.) For about two hours I had trouble keeping back the tears. Everything just felt so overwhelming. I'm a recovering perfectionist. God reminded me of an epiphany I had several years ago that excellence doesn't equal perfection. By supper time I needed some extra encouragement so Russ and I went out for supper. We don't do that very often. Three years ago today Russ had his stroke. Tonight he walked into the restaurant (with a cane, but no wheelchair). Tonight he was able to eat his food with very little assistance from me. Tonight he was able to carry on a conversation with me. It's not worth staying stressed with all those blessings. God is good. Life is good...not easy, but good. Celebrating God's graciousness, Flossie