I totally forgot that I have this Xanga thing.  I mean totally!  Suddenly I thought of it...and took a look.  Hark!  It has been MONTHS since I posted anything on this site.  And a few weirdos had left comments.  Also, some lovely friends had left comments.  (Thanks to the Friends and BE GONE to the weirdos)

Life is flying past.  Like a rocket.  I can hardly believe it. 

Good things are happening.  Our new Ministry Center is under construction.  Trey is safely home from Iraq.  Stephanie and Christian are coming to serve at IMM in Spain for a year.  God has opened up amazing and awesome opportunities for us in Farsi, Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, and Bengali.  John and I both lost weight.  Our health is good.  We have a team of people who could only be known as the DREAM TEAM -- they are terrific.  Trey and his wife are happily settled on an army base in the USA, out of harms way.  John and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in 3 months -- and he still loves me.

All that to say, my heart is overflowing with gratitude to God for all the bounty and blessings He has given!

It's been a long time since I posted.  I know.  All of my adoring fans were waiting with breath held, for me to say something wise and pithy.  Actually, I am just home from 5 weeks of travel.  And much has happened. 

We had Christmas with Chris and Stephanie.  It was their first Christmaas, and we were blessed to share it with them.  It was wonderful, restful, cordial, and FUN.  We got acquainted with Snowy. If that little dog is any 'foreshadow' of how well-behaved their kids will be...well, they will have terrific kids!  Snowy is cute and very obedient.  I liked him.  And for once I did not have an allergic reaction.  I finally figured out that 'fur' dogs and I do not get along well together.  I do better with 'hair' dogs.  Christmas was just great.  It was nice to be together with adult 'children' and share their happiness and love.

Then to make everything perfect:  Trey got two weeks leave!  He came to the USA, to Detroit, which is where his new bride lives.  They had two lovely weeks together.  He was the one and only man from his group (unit?) with leave over Christmas.  We were so happy for him and Lindsey. 

The World Missions Summit.  WOW!  Dynamic, life changing, inspiring, awesome, challenging, encouraging, fulfilling, revolutionary, exhilarating, exhausting, and more.  THOUSANDS of young people who are in love with Jesus, woshipping, praying, giving, singing, dancing, and then GOING.  I mean, right then and there, in front of our eyes, signing up to GO for God!   It was one of the most amazing moments in my spiritual journey.  There is definitely HOPE for this world, with young people such as I saw in Kentucky, who will be taking the reins!!

John and my prayer for the past five years has been for God to raise up committed and qualified workers, which IMM desperately needs.  God is answering!  We have three couples applying and another half a dozen singles who want to be involved in media missions, as a result of the Summit.  Thank you, Jesus!

To my great joy, there was time spent with my sister and her husband in Florida.  A little sunshine in the middle of the winter is a GOOD thing. 

Alas, it is now 2006!  Hardly seems possible. My prayer for this year, is for God to bring PEACE.  And by that, I don't mean the kind of 'peace' that Miss America contestants speak of, but the peace Stephanie's Christmas card described.

Peace.   It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things and still BE CALM IN YOUR HEART.    

May Jesus give you HIS peace.

Photo by Stephanie Joy Merrell Koeshall

It is amazing how often it has to DAWN on me, "If you are just trying to get through this crisis, forget it!  The next one is already starting."  How many days ago did I post saying that we were in this time crunch?  Well, yeah, duh!  And guess what? There is another one happening even as I type and another one on the way.  It never ends....

I am so grateful to the Lord for good health.  It seems like everyday someone whom I know and love (and who is my age!) is found to have very very serious health problems.  And I just want to say, that health is everything.  Without it, there is nothing to life.  So, Thank you, Lord, for health and strength each day.

In less than one week John and I will be headed to the USA for a week of rest and relaxation with my sister in Florida, and then on to Tulsa.  We celebrate John's father's 80th birthday in Tulsa.  Happy Birthday, Papa!  You have truly taught us all how to live a life of servanthood and of laying down of oneself and serving others! 

The best part of our trip is that we will spend Christmas with Stephanie and Christian.  This is their first Christmas as a married couple.  We have had several wonderful Christmas celebrations together with them when they were 'friends', when they were engaged, and now as a married couple.  I am very eager to spend this precious time with them in their first home. 

My greatest joy this holiday season is having Trey in the United States -- home from Baghdad -- and getting to spend two weeks with his new bride!  Hallelujah!  They have had so little time together.  He found out quite suddenly that he was getting leave over the Christmas holidays.  Lindsey has a small place rented for this time and I am sure she is making all kinds of wonderful plans.  I hope they have a time of peace (instead of war), love (instead of hate), life (instead of death), joy (instead of fear).

Merry Christmas!  Feliz Navidad!

Photo by Stephanie Joy Merrell Koeshall

We are in 'pressure mode' at IMM these days.  We are completing the fourth in our series of Bible stories....Parables of Jesus...with a deadline of having it to our distributor, Vision Video/Gateway Films, by the end of this week.  That means editing, covers, DVD master, etc.  So, work has been intense. 

Just discovered a Xanga blogring "AG World Missions Rocks My Socks Off".  I was so surprised that such a group existed.  John and I are A G missionaries, directing IMM in Madrid, Spain.

Wow! I hope to see some of you 'blog-ringers' who want to 'do' missions in Spain someday!!   We urgently need people.  Videographers, editors, computer network manager, graphic artist, bookkeeper, website designer, etc.   John and I already know we are going to see several of you at The World Missions Summit in Louisville, KY, December 30, 2005 through January 1, 2006!  See you there!!