July - August 2012
Busy Furlough
We bought a little red Chevrolet Cavalier to use for our furlough travels. Many thanks to my brother Jerry, who helped us to get a very good deal on this car. We are really putting a lot of miles on it, so we are thankful that it is in excellent mechanical condition. It gets good gas mileage (33 mpg!), which is important now that gasoline is nearly $4 per gallon. We plan to sell the car at the end of this 5 month furlough and get back much of the purchase price.
In July and August, we visited churches in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia. God blessed with many opportunities to preach, and to show our video presentation. It was a great blessing to see many friends that we knew from years ago in Bible college. Some of them are serving in our supporting churches as pastors and staff members. Others are serving as active church members, and it is great to see that they are still faithful to the Lord 30 years after we were students together.
During this furlough, we are having many blessed times together with our family. We make regular visits to Ruth’s mother in the nursing home. I have been able to visit my father in Michigan several times. He is still in good health at age 76, so I want to make the most of our times together. I asked him to tell me many stories about his childhood, college, and the early years of his marriage. I learned a lot! If your parents are still alive, take some time to learn more about their life story. Ruth and I both were happy to visit all of our brothers and sisters, and other relatives. Of course, we are also spending as much time as we can with our children and their spouses, and especially our new grandson, Blake. He is only a few months old, but we can already tell that he is a remarkable and exceptional child. (This is the unbiased opinion of his grandparents!)
I was surprised to find out in July that I have high blood pressure. This was never a problem for me before. The doctor says that I am in good health, and my heart is in good shape, but I will have to take medication for my blood pressure from now on. I also need to put away my beloved salt shaker.
Three new churches have taken us on for support this summer! I was not really seeking this, but we have lost some support over the last 13 years, so this is a blessing.
Special thanks: In our last letter, I mentioned a special need. I plan to accompany evangelist Bryan Sharp on a 10-day trip to Israel in February 2013. He wanted someone who can witness and preach in Russian, because about 20% of all Israelis speak Russian. I was very pleased with the quick response to this request, and all of the needed funds were donated. Thank you very much! If any other money comes in, I will use it for Hebrew Bibles that will be distributed in Israel. Send donations to: BIMI, P.O. Box 9215, Chattanooga, TN 37412, and designate for “Ossewaarde - Project Israel”.
In the service of the King,
Don Ossewaarde