Loving YOUth Minstry!

Tonight was a special time for me. I arrived at church for a youth sponsor's meeting unsuspecting of the party awaiting within! Sponsors and youth surprised me not only with their presence but also with a gift of a friendship quilt, cards, words of encouragement and a group prayer. It is a blessing for me to know people love and care for me and will continue to pray for me. Girls from my Bible class, now moved on to high school-I am so proud of them, for the choices they make and they way they look to God to help them through the tough times. My D-group girls who taught me more than I taught them-I would love to have had more time with them. The class of 2014...I had so many of them in the Pre-K class at Rainbow school. They will always be special to me! Sponsors, some who were once students-now teaching and serving where God has placed them. Other sponsors who have helped me raise my kids...my heart will always be endeared toward you, for what you have meant to my family and to me.

I have to tell you that when I started working with youth, I had no idea they would become the focus of my life. I had no idea of the joy they would bring or the heartbreak I would feel when they hurt. I rejoiced in their accomplishments, cried at their personal failures, laughed at their antics and cringed at their middle school awkwardness. No one told me what a blessing they would be in my life. No one told me they would become a part of my story. No one told me anything...I was just asked to be a sponsor. Would you consider being a youth sponsor? You may make a difference in their lives....they will make a difference in yours!

If you are reading this and are/were a part of this fantastic group of people~ I love you! Thank you for a wonderful, thoughtful evening, for the gifts and sentiments, and for the love you have extended to me. You are a blessing!

Dr. Malavolte

I have a toe nail fungus. I would not tell you this if there were any other way to tell this story. I think I got it from my last pedicure. (Last February). One day in May, I was removing the remnants of the old nail polish and found a strange discoloration on my nailbed. A long narrow, funnel-shaped discoloration where my nail was no longer attached to the nail bed. YUCK!

I was removing the old polish because we were about to go on a look-see trip to Egypt and I wanted to 'look good' all the way down to my toes! Now I could see that the future held a nail-less big toe! ( I tend to go to worse-case-scenario)

I decided that I would not mess around with going to my GP-I would go straight to the top~ a podiatrist. So I get out the phone book and look up a close one. Dr. Malavolte--wait, mala means bad in spanish...oh, wait, I have a bad toe! So off I go to meet Dr. Malavolte---the next day!

He is a friendly doctor and so kind. He examines my toe and we decide to do a culture because the medicine is hard on the body, it requires blood work and it has to be taken a long time before one sees results.

Fast forward 10 weeks to today. I tell Dr. Malavolte we are heading to Egypt and now there is no time to take the medicine because it requires follow up. I mention that it looks like it is healing itself. Dr. Malavolte concurs.

Then an amazing thing happens: he begins to testify of God's love for us, for His plan for us, his preparation of us, and our equipping to do God's work. He spoke of the adversary's attempt to get in God's way through trials and disappointments. He encouraged me to trust God in our journey-that he would show us His purpose for our new adventure.

I have never had this experience with a doctor before. He sent me away, saying I was healing by the power of God. He blessed me. Dr. Malavolte is Dr. Buenavolte in my book!

At Last! The Adventure Begins!

The last few weeks we have been doing things for the 'last time' before our move. We had our last "Americano Family" Starbucks date. We have had 'last dinners' and last doctors visits. We have made our last rent payment. Sam made his last trip down to the river... and we have seen some people, perhaps for the last time. So...setting out on the adventure in these last days in Tulsa has been bitter-sweet. We are thankful for the friendships that last despite days or miles. We are thankful for memories made that will last until we lose that function. We look forward to making a lasting difference in the lives of people we are yet to meet. Sam left Friday for his new job--AT LAST~!