Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

My Friend Angie

My friend and coworker Angie from one of my Chicago jobs told me her story. It is quite a testimony of the experience of Christ. I loved working with Angie. She was a hard worker and it was a joy working and sharing our life experiences.

By the time I moved to Goshen (January 2007), she relocated to another job within the same hospital campus. She had requested this move. There had been a major personality conflict between Angie and the part time technician, Jay. Offense had occurred between them. His presence made her sick. She avoided him in every aspect and him with her. They were not in speaking terms. She wanted to work where he was not. Little did she realized that trying to move away from Jay, she would find herself jumping from hot frying pan to the fires of hell.

In her new job, she was working with a manager who would cause intolerable suffering. She does not know when and where he decided to be her enemy. He was out to get her in trouble. Each morning she was in fear and trembling. She prayed that her manager would have mercy on her. Her mental and physical health deteriorated daily.

We prayed over the situation many times…as time went on I suggested that she quit her job. She is a talented and excellent worker and that she would be a good asset to any employer. She endured one year in a situation that I could not have endured.

By November of 2007, her husband was seriously worried about her. He begged her to quit her job. She told him,’ I pray for you day and night that God will keep you safe and that your heart will turn to Christ. Instead of telling me to quit my job, please pray for me.’ He was at a loss. He could only do one thing…that is to start praying which he has not done before. The next morning he woke up early and went to 5:30 am prayer gathering at the nearby local church. He started to go every morning and continued to go.

After a few months, another job in the medical campus opened up for my friend. She moved on to a much more rewarding employment that she loves, in fact she feel so blessed that this job opened up for her. Meanwhile, she told me that her husband still goes to prayer gathering every morning. The Word and prayer has been her life sustenance. She told me that triple blessing has occurred in her one year suffering.

1. By leaving her original job, it created a full time position for her co-worker Jay who was the very reason she left that job.

2. Through the trial, her husband found Jesus Christ. Even when he is on a business trip he still looks for a church which has daily prayer gatherings.

3. Through the trial of fire, the Lord spoke to her. ‘You were not willing to forgive your co-worker. Forgive him even now.’ She saw how she was not willing to forgive. She knelt in repentance and asked the Lord to forgive her hardened heart and asked the Lord to help her forgive Jay. She experienced the forgiveness of Christ and even more unbeliebable thing was she was able to forgive Jay. She told me it was amazing. Her hate towards Jay disappeared. She brought a gift for Jay and presented to him. She was released from the bondage of offense.

Now she goes to morning prayer gathering with her husband daily. She always went to bed at midnight but now she makes point to be in bed by ten so that she can get up at five in the morning. A new fresh joy and love has entered into their lives and especially their marriage.

If you had known Angie the way I knew her, you would realize that what an incredible work God has done through her trials. You would also have known that her forgiveness towards her co-worker also was the manifestation of God’s grace and love.

Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

Dear Family and Friends

Happy New Year!

It has been one full year in Goshen for me and one and half years for Tom and Elizabeth. We still have our Chicago home and it is happily occupied by our three older children.

As I reflect the past year there were so many experiences. For me 50 years of city life to adjusting to a small rural community is vastly different. Tom has found himself a home immediately. Elizabeth also adjusted to new school better than we thought possible. Yet she misses her Chicago friends much. Thanks to modern technology she communicates with them with ease.

Goshen church life is small, more like home meetings, and very close knit, and I love them all.

We have visited Chicago often (usually 24 hour visits), wishing always we had more time for our friends and family. My life is richer for having known you all. As I am immersing myself into a church life and community life in Goshen, I am thankful for all the paths I have traveled. I am thankful for the roads the Lord has paved for us.

I meet so many interesting people in my work and life here. Recently I have joined Painters’ Guild in Goshen. Although I have just started to paint it is exciting to be with significant people in the community and in March we may have opportunity to sell our work.

JaeHi and Family

Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

Sammy

On December 1, 2007, Elizabeth got a dog, an adorable eight-week-old Bichon Frisé. He weighed about two-and-a-half pounds and was (and still is!) so cute. The first night both the puppy and Elizabeth were so excited that they could not sleep. She set her alarm clock for 2 AM so that she could take Sammy outside for potty. I was so happy that it was not me responsible for midnight care.

After two weeks at our home, Sammy has trained us quite well. We are taking him to his potty box every time he wakes up from his naps and after meals. We praise him profusely for a job well done and give him treats. He takes naps on our laps as we work at our computer. When he wakes up and licks our faces, he gets such loving hugs.

Elizabeth’s view of Sammy:

I got a new puppy! I have been wanting a puppy for many years. I have begged my parents for so long and my wish came true.

My dad and I went to get my puppy, when we got to the seller’s house, the first thing I saw was two little puff balls wobbling around. I didn’t expect to see them that tiny! I got to spend time with both puppies. I finally made my decision to get the more energetic puppy and named him Sammy.

In the car as we were riding home, I thought this really was a dream of mine. When we got home, it was funny how Sammy would be running full speed and stop with his front paws and end up in a full hand stand. It was hard to walk around Sammy because he would run in front of our feet and stop and we would kick him across the floor. We ended up dragging our feet as we walked in the house.

Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

Roxi

In South Bend Kroger, I work with Roxi, a delightful and hard working woman in her fifties. She came to work hobbling. It was her first day back to work after her foot surgery. I tried to keep her sitting down and do paper work or computer work. Soon I realized that she was the familiar face and I was the stranger for the day. Everyone knew Roxi. She knew their name as well as their loved ones. When they called her name she would hobble to the window. Soon they would ask “What happened to your foot?” She would tell her full story to each one of our patients. Every time she told her story, she was just as animated as last time and kept our customers keenly interested. Each one of our patients went away thinking that he or she got the special inside story from Roxi.

Helping an Elderly man

One day a elderly man, oh in his eighties, came to my pharmacy window and asked me to help him get some OTC medicine for his bed bound wife; she had stomach problems. He told me that she had all the ailments you could possibly think of and was paranoid of so many things. He cooked, cleaned, and took care of her. He said, “You know I am a man. I don’t know how to do many things. So I hired a housekeeper to help me. My wife fired her. You can’t have two women under one roof.”

He got married to this woman in 1944. She was so beautiful; more beautiful than a famous actress at that time. He was warned by friends and family that she will bring with her large medical bills due to her paranoia. He said, “Well I loved her. She was so beautiful. What could I do? I married her. They were right. Her medical bills never ceased. I am so tired of her nagging and all her illness and it may all be in her head.” He looked at me with his sad eyes. “I guess that is my lot in life.”

Wabash Store

A pharmacist drove 60 miles to relieve me. Next shift pharmacist had called in sick. This is Kathy’s first day at this store. She eagerly accepted overtime for Christmas expenses. She said she had six children. I looked at her in dismay.

“You work not only fulltime but overtime? How do you do that?”
“Oh I have a friend that takes care of them while I work”

This friend lives with her so that her children have a caretaker. She said each of these children started out as a foster child. She loved them and after some time she could no longer give them back. So she started to adopt one at a time. They range from age twelve down to age four. They are all very smart and wonderful kids. They also have syndromes from their natural mother’s abuse of alcohol or drugs during pregnancy. She just stopped taking in foster children. She said six kids keep you hopping. She is planning a trip to Disney World this coming summer for her family.

My Dog Ate My Pills

A woman walks into my pharmacy. She was in desperate need for the pills that was filled just 3 days ago. She explained to my technician that her dog ate them. Indeed when I saw the bottle, it was all chewed up and cracked. She pleaded that I call her doctor for replacement prescription. I did not even ask her if her dog was dead or alive after eating all those pills, eighty of them. Upon calling, the doctor said, “No refills.” He had just received an anonymous call saying that she is selling drugs on the street. My technician told me that there are many such customers. They will wait for a pharmacist like me who do not know them or their history and try to plead. I learned that both her and her brother had been in jail for selling drugs.

Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

People of Kroger Stores

I was hired to be a part-time pharmacist at Goshen Kroger Food and Drugs. Because I chose NOT to work full time, when Goshen Kroger near my home hired a full-time pharmacist, I became a floating pharmacist. I go to different stores as they have need. The long drive is arduous, but Kroger pays gas and time.

Typically, I don’t work with other pharmacists. We rarely overlap. I work mostly with technicians who are an integral part of the pharmacy.

Dave
When I go to Kroger pharmacy in Wabash, Indiana, Dave is there—a retired part-time pharmacist who loves to work there. He once had his own pharmacy, and oh, how he loved it! He had a fountain bar, oak cabinetry, and all of the old beauty that was the “pharmacy” of the bygone era.

He moved from the Chicago area to a small town south of South Bend, Indiana. He bought a failing drugstore and gave it a face lift. His wife ran the store, and he was the pharmacist. Soon his pharmacy came alive. His amiable and caring personality did much to rejuvenate the dying business. Those sixteen years were bliss—he loved it. His store was the center of town happenings. Dave and his wife were closely involved in town affairs…until politics made the work harder with no matching financial gain, so he sold his pharmacy to CVS. I asked, “What did they do with the beautiful addition and fountain bar?” “They got rid of it all,” he replied.

Prior to owning a drugstore, Dave worked on an Indian reservation as a clinical pharmacist. "It was like M*A*S*H, the TV program. It was just like it,” he said. “It was so much fun.”

“Why did you move?” I inquired. He said, “We wanted to have children. White children are not accepted among the Indian children.”

Brandie

In Goshen Kroger, I work with three technicians. Brandie is a hard worker. She holds the pharmacy together with the help of Penny and Laura. Brandie told me her story. When she was nine years old, she was coming home from a birthday party. The whole family was in the car—her dad, mom, and the three children. They were hit by a drunk driver. Her dad was killed instantly. Her mom and the two older brothers were in the hospital for months. Her mom was fired from her job because she became an invalid. She worked for a health insurance company, and they did not have wheelchair access. Brandie came out okay—or so she thought.

Now, at age twenty-eight she has many unexplained pains that can immobilize her for hours or days at a time. In October of 2007, her husband of one year was killed in a car accident outside of Goshen. Yet she is a strong and wonderful person to be around. I pray that her future will be richly blessed.

Crystal

In La Porte Kroger, I work with Crystal, a bright young girl with strikingly clear blue eyes and very blond hair. She tells me that she will get married today (11/15/07) at the local courthouse. Ricky, her fiancée, is German. She will go to Germany to re-marry her husband there the same way. In the spring, they will have a formal traditional wedding with all the fanfare.

Crystal wanted her grandfather’s approval before marrying. He is in his mid-eighties. When he was nine years old in Russia, German soldiers came into his town. The Germans killed his whole family but spared him. He had beautiful blue eyes and very blond hair; the rest of the family did not. The Germans took him into the army. He was the boy who would patch their pants and run any errands for the soldiers. Crystal said no one in her large family knows anything about his childhood. As a teenager, when the war was ending, he was asked by the American soldiers if he wanted to join the US army. He said, “Yes.” He was an orphan with no place to go. After the war, he came to the US, met a nice American girl, and settled down in Michigan City, Indiana.

Crystal says her whole family is very close and live within blocks…all of them. It was very important that her grandfather accept her husband-to-be. With much anxiety and hope, she explained the situation to Ricky. She arranged a meeting between them. When the two were brought together, Ricky began by speaking to him in Russian, her grandfather’s mother tongue. Her grandfather responded to Ricky in German. Her grandfather came out of the room with his arm around Ricky’s shoulder. Crystal knew that Ricky had received Grandfather’s approval.

Joshua

Joshua is a young college student who works in the La Port Kroger store. He is taking pre-pharmacy courses. He would like to be a pharmacist one day. He knows that he will have to put himself through school. His mother and father just got divorced and finances are very limited.

“It must be very difficult for you.” I commented.

“Not really. I am very busy. I am glad that mom is happy now. She found a boyfriend who makes her happy. I don’t see her much,” he said.

He asked me what I like to do. I told him that I started to write and found myself loving it. Joshua loves to sing. He brought me a CD to hear him as the baritone in a choir. He also sings in a barbershop quartet.

He has very definite ideas about the rampant illegitimate child births in the US. After some conversation I said, “Maybe the political route is your calling.” “Maybe,” he said.

Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

SPRINKLE OF JOY

Biking on a trail near my home.
We started to go on a bike ride, Tom and I. The last time I was on a bike was when I was in high school ….more than 30 years ago. It was exciting getting re-acquainted with a bike, a long lost relationship... To ride a bike in a trail canopied by trees and woods as long as your eyes can see is so beautiful.

Music is back in our lives.
Tom has been spending time going through some classic hymns and matching them with beautiful old tunes. He is always looking for tunes old or new that will enhance ushering us into our spirit. He is singing at home, and I love it. There are experiences only songs can portray. Tom has written so many songs decades ago…and the spark of music is reignited in him.

Amish country
Last night , as we were driving through Middlebury, we passed so many buggies and horses. Tom said, “they must be going to an Amish ball.” We laughed. I wondered when they decided that world was evil and thus they will not continue with modern advancement? When did outward manifestation replace the inner life?

A music weekend at Ashland Woods.
This weekend we were at a music workshop with about 70 musically inclined Christians. I don’t have music gift, but Tom does. The purpose of this weekend was to usher rest of us back home… into heavenlies through music…I wish you were here to experience this with me. To be brought into the love of Christ, to soar above the sky with joy as my spirit is ignited by Christ Spirit… So many new songs written by young and old bubbling from their spirit…a sign of enjoyment in life

Today one of our work-shop was learning to write a song. Mark gave us some techniques and we all participated. In 45 minutes we came up with 2 verses and a chorus with a new tune… before the day was over we had a song with 4 verses and 2 chorus. For the evening session; each group performed their music. Some were classical hymns with 4 or more part harmony with no instruments. Some were hymns with matching classic old folk tunes; others were completely new songs. Instruments ranged from piano only, guitar only, and/or combination with viola, base, and drums depending on the song...

One group consisted of 2 adults and 3 children; their songs were so moving we all stood up and sang with all of our heart in our love for Jesus. I wish I had the lyrics for myself and for you. Our group sang 2 songs that we have written within last 2 weeks.

It’s been so long since I was awakened to my love for Christ through music. It was so reminiscent of my earlier years as a Christian when I poured out my love to Christ through music, and the Lord spoke to me through music.

Slice of Life

Slice of Life Index

Tennessee

Dear Friends and Family,

I have a new job in Goshen, Indiana. It is demanding, and there is so little time to reflect. Yet I am enjoying the new environment I'm in and its new challenges.

This week we are in Tennessee at Paul and Mary’s house (Mary is Tom’s younger sister). They were a couple I've always admired for their ability to give so much. In Streamwood, Illinois, they served the young people. High schoolers were constantly in their home for fellowship, meals, or just to have fun.

Mary’s desire was always to bless others in her blessing. Now their home in Tennessee is continuously filled with family and friends of all ages who desire to come, rest and soak in God’s beauty. Rolling hills, view of Smokey mountain from their front window, 2 horses to ride on, swimming pool on hot days, acres of land, and continuous provision of wonderful cooking,… oh the peace that God could provide in his beautiful creation…They are also enjoying rich church life…

One of the couples at Tuesday evening Bible study, has for pets – 6 peacocks, a goat, lambs, a pig, dozen chicken or so, cats, and many dogs, a small petting zoo…. Many neighbors own horses, land is so plenteous… and it seems each family owns so many animals.

Tom and I took a walk this morning, oh the fresh fragrance of woods, the music of cock crowing, cows mooing, birds singing, dogs barking….horses stopping to gaze at us,…thank you Lord for your beautiful creation….

This weekend we will go on to Canada for Faith’s wedding (my niece). Henna, Mary, and Faith were born within six months of each other. They spent so much of their youth together. It is amazing that one is getting married already…. We will have a wonderful big family gathering.

With love,
JaeHi

Still Discovering Goshen

Slice of Life Index

I am still discovering Goshen. We walked along a canal and river today(5.16.07) just a few blocks from my house… we discovered a woodland-like state park which includes marsh, river, canal, and wild Midwest grass land. We saw a wooden walkway out onto the marsh. Along the pathway there were nice labels of tree types which Tom especially appreciated. As a city person, I often don’t know or distinguish many different trees. Oh what beauty God created for us to enjoy. It was a discovery so amazing and unexpected. Hidden beautiful flower park, ...I am fast forgetting that I am a Chicagoan. I am always seeking the beauty of nature on vacations or when the stress of life gets to me. I had no idea that God provided that for us within minutes from my home. As Tom and I stroll in these lovely woods, it’s so reminiscent of our courting days, just in love and loving everything surrounding us and appreciating God for His creation and so thankful for His provision.

Oh the joy of being in Christ…Oh the joy of having Him speak to us in our daily lives, …Oh the joy of serving in Christ…. Oh what precious Jesus we have….

Here are some amazing things.
City Hall is 3 blocks away.
County Seat is 5 blocks away
The center of Goshen downtown is 3 blocks away
The only hospital in the city, less than 5 minutes away
The only library in the city is across the street from us
Lizy’s Middle School (the only one in town) is less than 5 minutes away
The only High School is less than 5 minutes away
The only college; Goshen College is within 1 mile
Now we discovered “wilderness” within minutes
My first Indiana job, just walking distance from home…

Goshen is very artistic town, in paintings, pottery, woodwork, quilts, baking, and music.
We walked into a music shop where the owner actually carves and hand makes guitars and other instruments. He said he is one of the few artisans making everything by hand. He gets commission from music artists. His wife owns “Rachel’s Bread” shop. She makes bread from open hearth fire place as well as modern ovens.

In our move to Goshen, we downsized to a smaller home built in 1860, affordable even if we have difficulty in selling our Chicago home…Thank You Lord for your wisdom in directing our paths…

Beauty

Slice of Life Index

Beauty in Music

Yesterday (5-20-06) my family had the privilege of attending a concert with Mary Rose Jordan as the solo piano player accompanied by the Elkhart Symphony Orchestra. She has won many musical competitions in Indiana and now she is somewhat of a celebrity here. I know her as Henna’s childhood friend and not as an accomplished musician.

I am not a musical person, yet in Mary’s music I was taken into a wonderland of imagination. It was like I saw sceneries so diverse: I saw the thundering of wild horses stampeding through vast grasslands; I saw gentle fawns munching on sweet grass, delicate fairies dancing in the air, wild storms causing all creatures to seek safety, a rising sun bringing new hope and a fresh dawn. Then I would watch Mary’s face as she played on stage. She also was lost in her music. Mary has won a scholarship from Northwestern University to continue her music program in Evanston.

My drive home from Indianapolis

It was an experience of God’s beautiful creation—majestic land, fields, farms, trees as far as the eye can see. Coming home from Indianapolis (job training & orientation, 6-5-07) I took US-33. With the winding and bending of the road, I was never quite sure what beauty lay ahead for me…like our lives. As we travel our lives’ paths, following Christ, we see the bends in the road, yet we’re never quite sure what awaits us…quite a romantic life.

Oh the beauty, oh the fresh air, partaking of God’s beauty, what healing for my soul. Then we slow down to pass small towns, just two stop lights or stop signs, then out into the open vast field of winding road to be interrupted by another small town, and again the vast expanse of beautiful fields. Oh, I see Wal-Mart. I am coming into Goshen, college, downtown, then my neighborhood…old Victorian homes…another type of beauty, so similar to my Chicago neighborhood I left behind. Thank-you Lord, any beauty You bring to me reminds me of You.

Rejoice with Me

Slice of Life Index

Oh dear friends and family,

Come and rejoice with me...for my father who is 80 with failing health, bed-bound, has received Jesus Christ into his heart. He has had a very difficult life, and when his oldest daughter (JaeHi) became a Christian, it was very hard for him to take. I got saved at age 14, and at age 18 met a wonderful group of Christ-centered Christians in the local church in Chicago. He disowned me at age 18 and told my brother and sister never to be so foolish as me. I feared him and respected him all my life. To his dismay, I later chose to marry a Christian man who would choose to serve the Lord full time. I prayed for my father since age 14, never quite believing that he would receive the Lord.

On Tuesday when I was visiting him I asked him if I could pray for him. This was the third visit where he did not protest my praying. I started out by saying, “Dear Jesus, please give my father comfort and peace.” To my surprise, he repeated after me, “Dear Jesus, please give me comfort and peace." I said a few more prayers which he made into his own prayer. Then I said, “Lord Jesus, I pray that my father would ask You to come into his heart.” He followed me by saying, “Lord Jesus, please come into my heart.” I was amazed. My prayer of unbelief had been answered.

I told him, “Father, Jesus waited your lifetime for this moment!” and he replied, “Yes, Jesus waited my lifetime for this moment.” I asked him, “Father, would you talk to this Jesus about all your concerns, cares, sadness, and fear?" He said, “Yes, I will!”

Dear family and friends, please pray for my father that he would have much experience of Jesus Christ during the short time he has here.

With much love,
JaeHi

Busy life

Slice of Life Index

Dear Family and Friends,

So much has happened since I last wrote to you. The Lord is so rich. His grace and supply are so available to us in His word. I have passed the Indiana State Board which means I can look for a job. My intention is to get a job working about 20 hours per week.

From January till now (I worked full time in Chicago till December ’06) has been a precious time, getting to know the saints (believers in Jesus) in Goshen, studying for my exam, waiting for the result, getting excited about all our plans for the gospel—oh, the precious and wonderful church life!

Elizabeth has won first place in an art contest, and her sixth grade orchestra has won first place in a regional competition. She has adapted to our new home and the new church life very nicely.

This morning I was enjoying Romans 11:33: "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and untraceable His ways!"

There is a group of us who have committed to reading the Bible one hour per day. I don't always make it, but it is a precious and wonderful experience as I fellowship with others concerning how the Lord spoke to me.

I am in Chicago now preparing for my first open house. Oh, by the way, our home is finally ready for sale. If you know anyone who wants to buy a home in the Old Irving Park area, please forward this link [no longer active]. I don't have all the info uploaded yet.

with much love,
JaeHi

Small Town Life

Slice of Life Index

Dear family and friends,

I would like to share some experiences of small town life. I have only known big city life.

In Goshen, as Tom and I enter a shop, people are curious as to who we are. We tell them that we bought a home recently across the street from Goshen library (the only library in town). Often they know which home we bought and who the previous owner was.

During a heavy snowfall, I asked our neighbor if I could borrow a snow shovel. The next day I found all of our front, side, & back sidewalks shoveled. Lizy and I made a thank-you card for our neighbor. An old lady (between 80 – 90 years) came to greet us with a pan of cinnamon rolls. She told me that if I needed anything, I should not hesitate to call her. She owns a local coffee shop where she bakes pies and sometimes cooks. She opens her shop at 4:30 AM every day for her regular customers.

Our next-door neighbor came with a batch of cookies—the same neighbor who shoveled about two feet of snow for me twice. They knew that Tom was at Chicago.

This is one of the memorable incidences: I left Chicago at 10:30 pm with Lizy. (We are often coming to our Chicago home as we are preparing it to sell. We often leave Chicago very late because there are so many things to do and people to visit, including Henna and Christian who are in Chicago.) We had been on the highway for 1.5 hours when we ran into a snowstorm, a common lake-effect blizzard (locals are very familiar with these) on I-80/90. Snow (more like sleet) was pounding against the windshield. The direction of the sleet was changing every few seconds. Visibility was so poor that the rear lights of the car in front of me was just a faint glow. I could not see anything else. To my side could have been a plain or a precipice. Even the road signs and exits were not visible. We were crawling, just following the light in front of us. I saw the US-31 exit sign. I knew I was supposed to take US-31, but I wasn't sure if this was the exit. I exited only to realize it was the wrong exit. The toll collector told me to go straight and turn onto US-20 until it turns to US-33, then follow it to Goshen. I kept going. The signs disappeared. I was in a small town somewhere in Indiana. I looked for signs of life. The whole town was asleep. I stopped at a gas station. It was empty, deserted. I filled up the tank—thank the Lord for automated machines. It was 2 am. Lizy woke up and was determined not to fall asleep so that mommy could find her way home. I saw that I was somewhere in South Bend. I had never been in this town and had no map. I couldn't even find a motel. As I talked to the Lord about my dilemma, a car pulled up next to me in this totally deserted town. A lady of about 60 got out of the car and asked me if I was in trouble. She told me to go down two stop lights, turn left, go another three stop lights, turn right, then go two more stop lights and keep going straight a long haul all the way to Goshen. She was not able to give me any clearer directions, such as street names and distances. We repeated her directions twice from where we met her before realizing that her directions did not take us anywhere. Then there was another car opposite from us. I rolled down my window. This time a young girl in her 20s told me to follow her and at a certain point turn right and then straight. I passed South Bend, Mishawaka, a couple more towns, Elkhart, and then to Goshen. We arrived home at 3:30 AM, so happy to have arrived home. What is normally a 2.5 hour trip took us four hours. The Lord took care of us the whole time.

The church life is very sweet. So far Elizabeth is somewhat lonely in the meetings. She is the only child there most of the time. She is getting accustomed to it. She is learning to make friends with adults. There is one sister (46 years old) who has bonded with Lizy. You will often find them laughing together almost like children. Lizy and I are praying that the Lord would bring a girl of around 12 years old to be a companion for Lizy.

Lizy has adjusted very well to Goshen Middle School (the only middle school in town). Already she has many friends, and she feels at home there.

I have so much to tell but I will save it for next time. Grace be with you!

JaeHi

Move to Goshen, Indiana

Slice of Life Index

Dear family and friends,

We have moved to Goshen. I would like to update you on what we are doing and how the Lord is working in our lives. I feel that writing to you periodically is one way for me to keep all of you in my heart.

Elizabeth has been attending Goshen Middle School since August of 2006. She is in orchestra and loves it. She plays violin, and she is improving daily. She is also taking art lessons in an adult class. So far the teacher says she is the most advanced student. She is fitting in well with four other students who are in their 40s to 60s.

Our older three children are in college. Christian and Henna will stay in Chicago. Henna is going to Harold Washington College studying languages: Spanish, French, and Swedish. Christian is at the University of Illinois (UIC) studying Industrial Design. Seth is going to Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Tom and I bought a house across the street (about ½ block south) from the Jordans. Mark and Sherry have taken in Sherry's dad. He is 82 years old and has Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. He needs full-time care, and Sherry is providing the care. When she needs a break, Elizabeth or I stay with him to give Sherry a break. It is such a precious experience for Elizabeth to see the care a daughter is giving her elderly father who is not able anymore. It is also so good for Elizabeth to participate in Milford's (Sherry's dad) care. The care that Mark and Sherry give to her dad is such an expression of the love of Christ.

The church life in Goshen is very sweet. The congregation is very small, and there are so many new ones who are just babes in Christ. At our last Bible study meeting, Mark told us that 75% of the participants were new since last year. I see that we will be very busy. Mark and Sherry are so glad to have us here and happy that we have some foundation and years in Christ.

A sweet highlight: In October, one new couple invited the whole church for dinner, bonfire, breakfast, then morning meeting on Sunday. There were about 15 children and 30 adults. We camped on their land. Everett, the brother, hired a local musical family (four children playing violin, ages 12 to 17) before dinner. They were from the denomination he used to meet with. Oh, they were so good! They reminded me of "The Sound of Music." This event itself was such a sweet time of fellowship. There were so many testimonies of how the Lord is working in each one's life. The children had a great time too.

The Lord is so wonderful.

Your sister,
JaeHi