Are you feeling forgotten, or at least neglected,since I hit US shores? It is hard to believe I’ve been back on US soil for nearly 3 weeks already! Had some great “brother time” in St. Louis the first day on the ground before my Hoosier brother & wife needed to return home. That plus an essential stop at Wal-Mart to buy camera batteries BEFORE getting “home” kept jet lag at bay—at least for a few hours.
My Kansas brother & 2 of his kiddos came on to Poplar Bluff with us to help find wheels. My 1st day in town we set out – my young niece & nephew were armed with clipboards & checklists (including assigned photos each were to take) to help gather vital info to facilitate making the choice. Miraculously we found several good options – one of which I’d seen online back in April while still in PNG. It had only 60,000 miles on it & was advertised at a price ‘too good to be true.’ Whe
n we test drove it, the odometer reading was the same as had been posted online – meaning no one had been enticed to buy it yet — and making us suspicious that God had “hidden” it just for me! Final price was $1000 less than advertised, and better yet, after buying the car my brother realized he knew the original owners. Their family concurred that it is a great car they’d just traded in for a newer model. Amazing, isn’t it, how God works things out!
Moving into the old family homestead has put a new slant to this Home Assignment. It’s just so different having my own U.S. digs for a change! Total set up has been delayed as the keys to the shed (where the household items are stored) are missing. All in God’s good time, eh! I could start on the yard. It still looks much like it did when this photo was taken some 90 years ago when my great aunt bought the house. Ah! Home, Sweet Home!
God has also so orchestrated it that I have had my first meeting – sharing with the Sunday School class here in Poplar Bluff who have been key encouragers over the past years. One never feels ready for meetings this early on in HA (Home Assignment) time, but when God opens a door, He also smooths the path for going thru.
That means He surely has answers too regarding the presentation I will share in churches this coming year. I had it finished before I left PNG except for obtaining permission to use a popular song as background music. Although I’ve been working to get approval from the artists for over 2 months now, that official authorization is still pending. The fees the first contact charges are pretty steep and they are now telling me that I will need to apply for permission from 3 more sources. Each of them can charge for the use as well. It may prove too time consuming, and too high a price to pay to use their music! I guess I need to begin again, looking elsewhere for an appropriate song whose artists are less focused on the lucrative side of their music ministry. At this rate I fear my HA time might be over before I have the legal okay to use any digital background music at all! Anybody out there know of a good song that could accompany a missions report focusing on sharing God’s Word? I’m open to suggestions!
New printer, eye doctor appointment, & ordering new glasses, buying a cell phone, and getting secure internet service are all FINALLY accomplished feats. My phone savvy brother was needed to activate the phone and install the internet modem. Sure is nice to have my own personal phone man! And it’s good to have my office set up before I start out on my 1st road trip, leaving the 16th.
A few quick notes regarding my cell phone –
– Someone asked me if it’s a “smart phone” — and I can only reply, it’s definitely smarter than I am! No surprise there!
– That being the case — I will be at a New Tribes conference the 16th – 22nd so will likely have my phone turned off much of that week. I’m just not phone savvy enough to handle many incoming calls.
– I do theoretically have “unlimited” everything (not that I know how to use it!) so if you want me to call you, please e-mail your phone number to me! Once I’m home again the 23rd, I’ll anticipate lots of practice by getting in contact with many of YOU!
– My email address is at the bottom of this page.
My sincere thanks to each of you who prayed me home and thru the frenzy of getting “settled” stateside. It’s been a whirlwind venture thus far but life should reach some stage of normalcy soon. Or maybe I’m kidding myself into believing anything about HA time can be “normal” ? I do look forward to delving into setting up a travel schedule, to make plans to see as many of you as possible in the months ahead!
Co-laboring with you for the King!
Hope Sharp
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