Vyta, thanks for the encouraging words. Where are you in Southern Illinois? I’m not far from you at all. I may be able to get down there.

Thank you for sharing this wonderful news. Many blessings on this printing and many more to come!
Marilynn

My nephew, in order to save me money–ahem–decided he and a couple of friends would help me move. Everything was packed more or less higgledy-piggledy. I, and a few other helpers, marked all the boxes as to contents. However, some people did not. As a result, most of the books that were in the area where my computer was–and that includes your book, my digital camera, my power cords, my grammars and dictionaries as well as other vital things–have no tags as to contents and I’m still looking for all of these things. It’s driving me crazy especially since I really need some of those things to get on with my life. I know that sounds crazy but, e.g., I need the camera to take pictures of the things I want to sell on eBay. I needed it for my vacation too. I ended up paying for films to take along to RD, then had to pay for the films’ developing. I’ve had to replace other things as well, and in my pecuniary state that was just too much. As I said, all that has contributed to the other problems we have discussed. It seems that I keep paying, and paying for that disastrous move. My first impulse and act when I heard Ewa’s parents had finally gotten their visas was joy for her and her whole family. I impulsively hugged her–I rarely do that. It didn’t occur to me what it actually meant for me to have to pack all my things in just over 2 months, look for a for-me-affordable apartment without a car for transportation, etc.

So that’s the story of my “lost” things. What got me even more on edge was that I kept hearing something gnaw on the pipes and little squeals from under the floor. I suspect rats. What have they done to my things downstairs. I finally told one of the owners about the problem and he got rat poison and put it out on Thursday. Since then, I haven’t heard many squeals or much gnawing. I hate to go down there myself however. I hate to see dead things.

Thanks for sweet words, Rhonda! Are you going to be at the conference this year? I plan to be there. I hope we get to see each other again.

Sigrun, what happened to your book. Did you lose/misplace it in the move?

Xenia, that young girl’s note was so special. The comment about the grade being the best she’d gotten really did something to me. To be able to encourage a child–now that’s a blessing.

Angela, that’s funny — about your young cousin. Hey, you could always pretend to me. On second thought, maybe that’s not a good idea.
I’m sorry the book wasn’t in the store when you looked. They’ll be back out soon.

I would say with Xenia that hearing from a reader, a student at that, is probably more thrilling since you can see what a difference it is making. I don’t know how she reacted to the message that you were trying to get across but you can see how enthusiastic she is about the book. Your prayer request for God’s preparing hearts for what He wanted you to say is in this book was/is really vital.

I know my mother was always quite upset about 2 things that came up in prayers at church: praying for the missionaries and praying for the sick. She was certainly not against these prayers. However, she felt that we needed to pray as much if not more for God to prepare the hearts of those who would hear the missionaries. Only a heart that God has prepared and opened can truly receive the message that the missionary is trying to convey.

The other prople that she realized needed prayer were the caregivers of those who were ill. She cared for my father for almost 10 years after he had a debilitating stroke. She knew she needed prayer just as much as my father did. From my own experience later in dealing with her Alzheimer’s, I know I definitely needed prayers myself to know how to deal with her in her condition. I was on the prayer list for my own illness but the double burden was sometimes way beyond me.

I really wish that I could find my copy of “The Amen Sisters”. I so much want to read it.

Thanks also for your prayers on the other matter. It is not yet resolved but I hope it soon will be. Thanks so much for your insight on that matter as well.