You may want to read this now or save as a resource….

Embracing the Pain – A Transforming Journey Into Grief

This article appeared on the Outreach of Hope web site. (Ministry to cancer victims and amputees.) This article was an excerpt from the book “A Grace Disguised” which was written by Gerald Sittser. Gerald suffered great losses and shares his decision to face the pain of his losses. Though I have read several books on grief over the years of ministry, I find this book very thought provoking and captures things not mentioned in other books. Even though he had multiple losses, we can all relate as we have our own intensity of grief and may have numerous secondary losses as a result of our single loss.

Especially for sherylshearer and family

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers

Here’s a view of the inside (somehow missed the outside) of Teddy’s Bigger Burgers on the island of Oahu. There are several locations; we went to this one in Kailua on the eastern shore. Online it says they are “reinventing the burger joint” and their “Original Double 9oz Burger” was voted “Hawaii’s Best Burger - 2007″.

This trip to Hawaii had an extra fun component. Fellow blogger, sherylshearer, had lived on Oahu recently and was gracious to give me a list of great places to stop on Oahu as well as the Big Island. Thanks, Sheryl!!! The burgers were delicious and I can certainly see why it is a favorite of Sheryl and her family. The first photo shows Glen waiting for his peanut butter shake he ordered as a special treat. (Don’t see those very often any more. We used to have great ones in Grand Junction, CO, where we lived when our kids were born and early elementary age.) It was incredible! That view of the ordering counter was rare as usually there were all kinds of people standing there. The next two photos were on the wall to our right. What an interesting mural… just happened to catch that lady and didn’t take time to crop her off. The burger photo looks like it is the actual winner … Original Double 9 oz Burger.

My brother, Carl, who lives in Valley City, ND, alerted me today has been a record breaker with 32 degrees below zero!!  Then here we are in Portland, OR, with a high of 54 today. Whew! What contrasts. 

A mini vacation tool for winter …..

Though one blogging friend feels my Hawaii blogs may be “tantalyzingly” painful for those in the midst of real winter, I will still post this as a mini vacation tool, especially for Glen’s sister and her daughter, and sherylshearer. They live where snow has been dumped once more this weekend (and continues) - in Wisconsin and nearby Chicago. I’m wondering if this is a record year for WI and how many inches! Hope it doesn’t mean flooding in the spring.

There’s always that hope, THIS TOO SHALL PASS!! Meanwhile, GRACE, GRACE, GRACE to those of you ‘swimming’ in snow re: strength for shoveling and the getting stuck challenges, plus patience with the sight of snow.

                                                 photo by Jann ~ Jan 2008
Sunset Beach – North Shore – Oahu - Hawaii 

  

 

  

Happy Valentine’s Day 2008
from Jann & Glen

 
photos by Jann ~ Jan. 2008 ~ Dole Plantation Garden ~ Oahu, Hawaii
 

                                                    photo by Carl Peter ~ early 1960s

       Harvest time on our family farm near Page, ND

This photo is my response to OumaB’s inspiring devotional post “God’s Strategy of Global Harvest.  Be sure to go see/read it!!  

Her blog rings such a strong chord with me as I am a farm kid and have been thinking, ”It’s Harvest Time!!” Interestingy, I have also been thinking about printing out this photo from my brother, Carl, to serve as a vivid reminder.  These thoughts are because I am so touched/inspired by the unfolding opportunities for Kindgom harvest through Network211, an online evangelism and discipleship ministry which is a part of Assemblies of God World Missions. Their tools and volunteers will greatly enhance accomplishing the Harvest through use of the internet.   www.network211.com    Go to www.project10million.com to see a graphic and explanation of how Network211 ministry all fits together.  

The launch for our online evangelism/discipleship system is very close! I have been involved with the beta testing of the custom software for the eResponder system with N211.  It’s wonderful/very neat how we can respond to/interact with/disciple/help connect with a local church those clicking at an evangelism site* to say “yes” to accept Christ, recommit, more questions about Christianity or prayer request.

See what our director of 1-2-1 connections, Jean Morgan, has to say. If you scroll down the page there are testimonies of when the N211 team was part of another ministry’s response system. With the volume anticipated, the N211 team knew N211 needed their own system** which has been designed and tested over the last year.  The field has been prepared, seed planted, God’s sun and rain, and now it’s time for Harvest!! In time this harvested grain will plant and produce more harvest/growth of new believers.

If you have an interest to become involved as a 1-2-1 connections volunteer, or would just like more info so you can be praying, please contact me per my message click at the left. The first people now volunteering will receive a free MP3/video player – “MP4 player” which includes some training, devotions and music clips. (MP4 Player — I’m learning what all this terminology means…slowly!) The software is ready, the preparation of the online training manual is being wrapped up, and the actual training of volunteers soon follows.  It’s a great time to get on board

FYI
* Network211 is developing evangelism sites at www.journeyanswers.com and www.answer2despair.com  This eResponse system can also be linked to other evangelism sites that would like our team to respond.
** Also, an individual church/ministry can use this system for their own, separate evangelism, follow up and discipleship system.  In addition to that N211 provides an undergirding for churches/ministries www.network211source.com which provides many resources to be linked to/viewed.  These are resources already online plus new articles written for N211 that can come into a church/ministry’s web site as an RSS Feed, this keeps updating with new resources.  Churches can also custom design the content they want to use by viewing and selecting articles rather than have the general feed on that topic automatically come into their site.  This can help build the web ministry of that church. A favorite site for families is the Kids Resource Center. (Click on the left side for other centers.) This resource center area is where I am already involved as the manager of the Crisis Information Resource Center.  Anyone can access these resources by clicking Resource Centers on the left of the www.Network211.com home page.

Can you believe it?

Postage to go up — again  — on May 12, 2008.

Monday afternoon while I was in the PO I heard a lady getting rolls of one cent stamps to go on postcards because of an increase.  The funny thing is the postal worker didn’t seem to know about it…. but sold her the stamps anyway.

Got into a coughing jag so I woke up and am still puttering online and looking at my Hawaii and Norway photos.  Great entertainment when you can’t sleep…. the photos especially.

I happened by this article I hyperlinked to above. The price increase was announced and article posted yesterday, Feb 11. (Maybe that’s why the postal worker didn’t seem to know.) Sure enough, the postal prices are going up May 12, 2008.  1 cent for First Class bringing it to 42 cents, etc. Learned yesterday that the extra (second) ounce changed to 17 cents from the usual same price as the postcard stamp.  (I’ve been very slow to catch on to that and have slapped on an occasional, extra postcard stamp this year. Oh, well, help out the USPS.) The postal worker told me that happened last May when there was the last change. The 17 cent price will stay the same. International mail will go from 90 cents to 94 cents. (Not complaining as I had to pay equivalent to $1.75 to send a regular size postcard from Norway to the US in 2006.) I got a few international stamps yesterday as it seems to be so hard for me to get to the PO to get stamps to send stuff to my Norway cousins and genealogy friend. It would also be nice to surprise one of our missionaries once in a while.  Say, a letter/card other than Christmas would really be a surprise. I guess if I would have made a New Year’s resolution this year (I don’t very often.) it would be to stay in better contact with the missionaries we support. Thankful for email and blogs, but there’s just something about snail mail that surprises me and warms my heart. That person took the time to not only think of me, but also to mail me something.  Hmm, reminds me.  Since yesterday afternoon I bought some Valentines to mail, I better get at it so I can get them mailed early in this day. People we know are often 3 days away via mail. But maybe some sleep first would be in order.

Note: I am feeling much better and the swelling of my salivary gland is almost all gone. Had a very good visit with my doctor Monday afternoon. Dr Saldivar is such a good guy. He answers my questions with such patient expertise. And he has the art of not making me feel weird for asking the questions I have. Inquiring minds want to know, you know. And I wasn’t finding it on the internet! Will report that info soon. (See toomanyhats, not everyone thinks/treats me like I’m weird. It’s not just about the sherbet float, she thought I’d lost it when I decided to post a festive blog of ’double nickels’ in different fonts. Well, I eventually explained it’s a teasing thing in my extended family when you turn 55. Hey, it beats the alternative!! I better go back to sleep before toomanyhats finds out I’m up and harrassing her.)

VIP — Very important poll*

Rainbow sherbet with Squirt (float)

1. Weird.

2. Sounds good/cool.

3. It’s delicious.  In fact, it’s quite refreshing.

4. Rootbeer floats only!!

5. Doesn’t everyone have this on their “when you’re sick” comfort food list?

6. Your other comment.

*More than one answer is allowed.
*This discussion began in the insights/comments on my Feb 7 post.

Life is never dull…
   when it comes to my health

Once again I have the CD player on with this song on repeat. I’m realizing I had a couple typos from when I had posted it two times this year - on Mother’s Day and my birthday. This song’s words are powerful, and then add the Gaither Vocal Band’s harmony and dynamics, and the orchestration … it makes it incredible for me! Repetition of God’s message to me, through music, pours it into every crevice of my heart.

Through
by Gloria Gaither, William J. Gaither, and Michael Sykes

When I saw what lay before me
“Lord,” I cried, “What will you do?”
I thought He would just remove it
But He gently led me through
Without fire, there’s no refining
Without pain, no relief
Without flood, there’s no rescue
Without testing, no belief
Through the fire, through the flood
Through the water, through the blood
Through the dry and barren places
Through life’s dense and maddening mazes
Through the pain and through the glory
Through will always tell the story
Abba God who’s power and mercy
Will not fail to take us through

Shortly after we got back from Hawaii Glen and I got quite sick. It has probably been the cruddy cold going around and with airplane travel it is dry…. thus more vulnerable to getting a bug. I need not go into details on that. Just want to share a strange/unique twist in things for me. I hadn’t felt like eating much of anything and when a friend brought different chicken noodle soups that hit the spot. But the first actual meal I made (from scratch) was Sat nite when I made  a stovetop/microwave version of my recipe with chicken breasts, rice, and cream of mushroom soup. It was very good. After I ate I noticed under and alongside my tongue kind of hurt when Glen offered me some rainbow sherbet in Squirt. By time I went to bed I felt a bit odd. Soon I noticed I had a lump on my neck and indeed my neck was swelling, and swelling, and swelling. By morning the swelling on the right of my chin was completely from my chin/jawline down to the top of my clavicle and back to my ear. I looked like a chipmunk!!! My new, endearing name from Glen is Ja-Alvin.

Sunday morning we went to urgent care and learned I have a ‘stone’ in my salivary gland and infection with that. I have been on Penicillin and also asked for a cough suppressant for my cold and continuing to drink lots of fluids. After 2 days the feverishness of that area subsided and my coughing is now subsiding enough that I am getting some soild blocks of sleep. It is very good to know I am improving and this will be gone soon. After the infection subsides I will probably find out if it somehow came out (though the doctor could not feel it). I read online, if not, or if swelling is reoccuring a surgery procedure is necessary. I have an appointment with my regular doctor next Monday.

None of the people I have been in contact since then have heard of such a thing!! I did a trusty internet search in the middle of the night to at least have an idea.  Ends up when you eat and saliva comes into your mouth, if there is full or partial obstruction of the gland the saliva gets backed up into the gland. That causes swelling and also infection at times. The other thing they prescribed was to suck on sour candy as that really makes our salivary glands work!! The doctor also noted to not take Sudafed… as it dries you out.  I asked what she thought could have caused this. She said I may have gotten dehydrated early on in my illness. So much for thinking I was drinking enough water on the plane, I guess.

So when I go on a long airplane ride again, I will not only take my own water along (which I had) but also ask for more water, and be sure to have a stash of Ricola sugar free lemon drops!  My new friend!!!!!!!!  Ree— co-la!!

I agree, Sheryl, how thankful I am this illness came at the end of our trip rather than at the beginning!!