From rfepley at gol.com Sat Sep 5 13:45:01 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Sun Sep 6 07:35:14 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] Sept. 5, 2009 Message-ID: <4bf78a88adc89a4bd572904830786119@gol.com> School got off to a good start in spite of typhoons and threats of the spreading H1N1 flu. The end of August and early September are never boring as there are so many details to get together. I'm thankful for everything I was able to accomplish ahead of time during the summer to prepare for this crunch time. I love my students, their parents, and my coworkers. I'm blessed! Thursday, Sept. 10 I plan to fly to the US to attend the Intermission Missionary Kid Education Consultation that I attend every year. I always enjoy this, but it never gets easier to leave Russ behind. He will be staying at the nursing home again. He always loses strength while he's there due to a number of factors including decreased therapy. We have skilled therapists who come to our house three days a week. I asked them if they would be willing to go to the home instead of our house while I'm gone. They were willing, but the care home denied our request. That's disappointing. Please pray that Russ will sense God's presence in a special way and that he will somehow be able to maintain his strength. He'll be there from Sept. 10-19. For those of you who live near us...we need someone to pick up Russ from the care home at 10:00 AM on Saturday, Sept. 19 and drive him to our house. My plane does not get in until the afternoon. The home does not allow anyone to check out on Sundays or holidays. Monday through Wednesday happen to be Japanese holidays. That means Russ would have to stay there an extra five days if he's not picked up on Saturday. He can stay home alone during the afternoon and early evening until I return, but needs transportation home and someone to give him lunch and supper. I'm sure God will care for these needs somehow. I'm just not sure how yet. If you are not able to help us out on Saturday, but have time to visit Russ during the week, I know any visitors would brighten his day beyond description. If you don't live in the area, your prayers would be appreciated. We're thankful for all God is doing for our family. Christie is in Bogota, Colombia with other Bible translators for a conference. Joel is back at LeTourneau University taking one class and looking for a job. Russ and I are finishing up a wonderful study of the book of Hebrews. Thanks! Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Sat Sep 5 20:25:54 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Sun Sep 6 07:35:34 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] Sept. 5, 2009 Second message today Message-ID: After writing to you earlier today, I received a phone call from the care home where Russ was to stay during my trip to the US. The care manager said Russ will need to stay on the 2nd floor this time rather than the 3rd or 4th as he has in the past. (They have to place him wherever there is an empty bed.) We have never seen this floor because guests are always shown the other floors. This is the floor with heightened security so that patients cannot escape. Living ten days with patients with dementia and Alzheimer's would be challenging, but that's not the problem. She went on to say that the flooring is different on that floor and they are afraid that Russ will be unstable on his feet so they don't want him walking around. Every time he needs to use the restroom or go anywhere, they want him to use his wheelchair. If staff is available to help him, then he's able to walk. My concern is that with limited staff, realistically there will not be anyone who will be free to walk with him more than a few minutes a day. I asked if friends of ours could visit Russ and walk with him, but the answer was no because it would be their responsibility if he fell. I understand their concern, but to me having Russ sit in a wheelchair for ten days with decreased therapy and no daily walks sounds disastrous. We have worked so hard to get him to this point in his mobility. At home he is able to walk all around the house unattended. Unless we keep at it, he'll lose that ability. It seems foolish to give up that independence just because he might fall. In our minds Russ' losing ground is more of a threat than falling. He's only fallen three times in 3 1/2 years. We understand that the staff in the home have many considerations. As a school administrator I have had the unpleasant task of denying requests that I would have loved to have granted so I understand their position. I really want to work with them the best I can. However, in this situation I think it would be better if Russ stayed at home. The problem is that he is not able to care for himself completely. He can be home a few hours at a time, but not over mealtime, during his therapy walks outside, or overnight. I considered canceling my trip, but for various reasons, that doesn't seem like the best solution. I decided to ask you to pray with us that God will provide a solution. It's too much to ask one person to stay with Russ, but if a number of people could help, maybe it could work. Just this morning as I was walking with Russ, I sang a simple song that I wrote while he was in the Rehab Hospital for 6 months. Just trust and rejoice. Just trust and rejoice. Just trust and rejoice. I'll always be with you. Then this afternoon I received that discouraging (actually it felt more like devastating) phone call. I hadn't thought of that little song for many months. But having just sung it this morning, it came back to me again this afternoon. God asks me to trust and rejoice in Him. He's not asking me to trust in an inconsistent, weak, space-bound, time-bound being, but in the all-powerful, all-knowing, loving controller of the universe. He promises to always be with me. It boggles my mind to think that such greatness could be interested in such minuteness. What an incredible God we serve! Thanks for praying with us, Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Mon Sep 7 06:24:39 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Mon Sep 7 06:24:40 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] Sept. 7, 2009 Message-ID: Our all-caring God has worked in the lives of His people to meet our need! My brother Tim has been amazing. Within 28 hours after I called him to tell him what was happening and how discouraging it was to us, he had arranged for men to come stay with Russ for all ten days of my absence. What a burden has been lifted! I was feeling bad that I had so much to look forward to when Russ had so much hardship. I get to participate in a stimulating consultation on the educational needs of missionary kids which is a passion of mine. It happens to be in Colorado where our daughter now lives so I get to spend a little time with her. We haven't seen her since last summer. I even get to meet her boyfriend whom neither Russ nor I have met. To top it off, I have other friends I get to see briefly including my honorary new grandbaby (son of my former coworker and dear friend, Talitha). Now that all these friends of Russ' are coming to stay with him, not only can he continue with his therapy and healthy routines, he'll get lots of fellowship. He values fellowship now more than he ever did before his stroke. These men will be a huge blessing in his life. We pray he'll bless them too! My To-do list is a bit over the top so I may not write for a few weeks, but I thank you in advance for your prayers as I prepare and go on my trip from Sept. 10-19. I'll be sure to let you know how it all went. God has answered our prayers Eph. 3:20 style-"exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think." Flossie From rfepley at gol.com Wed Sep 23 21:53:54 2009 From: rfepley at gol.com (Russ and Flossie) Date: Wed Sep 23 21:53:52 2009 Subject: [Epley Update] Sept. 23, 2009 Message-ID: <2c176af23ac28e2feb9a0d9c744940d1@gol.com> Thank you so much for praying for my trip to the US! I am very thankful I was able to go. Russ got along very well with all the wonderful people God sent his way to care for him during my absence. We are so grateful for everyone's willingness to help us out. The conference was valuable and I am so thankful I got to see our daughter. I was sorry that Russ couldn't also see her. Christie does work that can be done anywhere in the world as long as she has internet access so I encouraged Christie to consider coming home for awhile. Miraculously she was able to use frequent flyer miles and get on my flight even though it was a last minute decision. God confirmed that this was His idea by having the seat next to me open. Christie thought it would be fun to come home with me without telling Russ she was coming. I thought perhaps a recovering stroke patient didn't need a heart attack too. So we let him know she was coming. We are delighted to have her home until late November. Tomorrow we have a 19-year-old young lady coming to stay with us for 6 weeks. I think it will be a great opportunity for Christie to have a sister. In one week we're going from empty-nesters to having two daughters at home. Then in a few weeks my father plans to come to Japan for a month. Flossie