From rfepley at gol.com Sun May 3 20:08:51 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Wed May 6 14:24:12 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] May 3, 2009 Message-ID: Last December we began a new aspect of Russ' rehab with massage therapists coming to our home. One man comes each Tuesday and another on Thursdays. Both men are very skilled and have enjoyable personalities. I was a little disappointed when I first heard the time slot Russ was assigned because it's right at the time we usually eat supper. However, it's turning out to be a blessing. Since Russ is their last patient of the day and the therapists don't have another patient waiting, many times they extend the therapy a bit. We're grateful for every extra minute. Recently we've been able to have some good conversations with both therapists about how God has worked in our lives. I wouldn't exactly say they are interested in spiritual things, but they are open. We are very fond of these men and would like to see them know the joy there is in having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Russ won't need therapy when we get to heaven, but we'd be delighted to see Mr. Eguchi and Mr. Sawada there. Thanks for praying! Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Sat May 16 21:25:06 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Sat May 16 21:25:09 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] May 16, 2009 Message-ID: We appreciate all your prayers for us. Here are a few updates. We thank the Lord that after many months without work, Joel has various jobs lined up this summer. We are especially eager to see him when he comes home for three weeks in June. My mother is recovering quite well from her broken hip. It is difficult for her to remember to not walk on it without assistance. We are praying that she will not fall again and undo all she has gained through physical therapy. She would very much like to move home from the nursing home where she is receiving therapy and care. Russ was able to get new prescription glasses today. We are praying that God will protect him from losing his balance as he adjusts to slightly different trifocals. Strokes have a way of making just about everything more challenging. I am grateful that Russ does not let inconvenience keep him from enjoying life. He keeps focused on things that last for eternity. I am looking forward to the opportunity to share my testimony tomorrow afternoon in a ladies' meeting. The common language of the multi-national group is English. That is the language I know best, so I'm not nervous, but would appreciate prayer that the ladies will be able to see God's trustworthiness as I share my stories. Blessings, Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Wed May 20 20:40:14 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Wed May 20 20:40:17 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] May 20, 2009 Message-ID: <57366658692b217dd33e612deaa820e9@gol.com> Recently God has been speaking to me about embracing the changes He brings into my life rather than balking at them. He used an everyday occurrence to bring this home to me. It is common for businesses here in Tokyo to advertise by passing out flyers to people as they leave train stations. When I was a child I remember passing out tracts with my Dad outside Ikebukuro station. One of the earliest phrases I learned in Japanese was, yonde kudasai. ("Read this please.") Back in the early 1960s, everyone accepted the flyers we distributed. Some time ago people quit accepting flyers, so businesses began handing out ads in packages of tissues. This worked for awhile, but even that is getting less attractive to passersby. The other day I saw someone trying to pass out flyers. Person after person walked on by without accepting her offer. I thought to myself, "Why does she keep doing the same thing when obviously it isn't working?" Immediately the same voice in my head said, "So why do you resist change when I can use it to help you be more effective?" I'm not planning on any big life changes, but in the smaller areas of life I want to learn new skills and approach changes as an adventure rather than dragging my feet. I love learning new things that are related to education. I am not naturally enthusiastic about technical things like digital cameras or cell phones. But surely, even I can learn to remember to charge my cell phone. Smile. On a more philosophical level I've been praying about how to relate to people in this postmodern world. God is challenging me to walk closely with Him, but not to be afraid to see value in viewpoints different than mine. I want to learn to be more grace-filled. I like my opinions just fine, but I don't want to assume they are the only good opinions. Blessings, Flossie -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 1875 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://charlotte.lightoftheweb.org/pipermail/epleyupdates/attachments/20090520/5cd79ea9/attachment.bin