Dear family and friends,
BUSY, BUSY,BUSY! That seems to be the word that I would use to describe our lives right now. I will try to give a few more details so you get a clearer picture of life here in Florida at NTM Homes. This morning it was not a quiet morning at the retirement homes for missionaries. As I was fixing breakfast, I heard the sirens of an ambulance and fire truck coming down the road. They turned in at our gate and went past our house. Our chaplain, who lives on the next street over from ours, turned out from his street and was right behind the fire truck. A few minutes later the ambulance left our property with the siren wailing. I have not yet heard who was having the emergency, but we most probably will receive some sort of notification by e-mail later today.
When you live in a retirement community, this sort of thing happens all too often. Last weekend there was a memorial service for one of our residents here. I added Barb, the new widow to my prayer list. George had been sick for some time, so this one was not really a surprise. Even so, these events help one to keep life in proper perspective. None of us know how many days the Lord has for us here on this earth. We need to make every day count for Him. Many times it is just the little interactions with people that can make a difference in their lives. When walking back from taking my garbage to the dumpster yesterday, I stopped to help a lady carry in her groceries. I like to think of these things as little opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the lives of others. You never know when a simple act or a few words will speak the love of Jesus into someone’s heart.
My Monday night college class is going well. The professor spent the last two class periods teaching about how to teach elementary school children about fractions. Along with my 3 ½ hour class each week, I also have homework to do, the textbook to read, and tests to prepare for. We have a big project due at the end of the semester on December 9th. There are 5 of us in our little group. We are preparing a math lesson about “greater than” and “less than” concepts and symbols. We will be reading a Rainbow Fish book about a Big Blue Whale. We have named our whale, Hungry Herbie. Hungry Herbie has his mouth opened towards the larger number. We have several parts to our lesson and seem to be making good progress.
Since this is the first time I have taught World History and Geography to fifth grade students I have quite a bit of preparation as I get ready for class. My students are learning SO much! They have caught my excitement and are enjoying the class. Right now we are learning about ancient and modern day China. I have a class field trip planned for later on this week. We will be stopping by a house just a few blocks from the school. The missionary who works at our mission headquarters has a life sized terra-cotta soldier on her front porch. I want my students to see the statue and make some connections with this part of Chinese history. As one of the oldest ancient civilizations there is plenty of Chinese history to learn about. Last week I assigned a book report to my students. I had several missionary biographies for them to choose from. They will be reading about Hudson Taylor, Isobel Kuhn, John and Betty Stam and other missionaries to China. I am thankful that I can expose my students to these great people of faith.
When I asked Brad what I could write about him and his work in the finance office here, he said that I would not understand:). He simplified things for my sake. and I will share with you what he said. He just finished up the budget for this next year. He has a lot of things that he will need to close out between now and the end of this calendar year. Things need to be established for next year. Our volunteers from up north have started arriving. This means that there is more buying that gets done as supplies are purchased for them to work with. More purchases mean more work for Brad as he pays the bills. The major construction project of our new chapel is almost completed. Brad is in the process of setting things up in the books that deal with paying the upkeep bills that arrive in his mail box. Of course this is over simplifying what he does in the office, but it gives you an idea.
We are enjoying cool fall weather here in Florida. Over the years I have learned that when you start talking about temperatures it is relative. My second grade students are making a graph of the morning temperatures during our math class. So far it has only been down in the 60s. Our weatherman is saying that it could be in the 50s later on this week. We don’t really get all that many seasonal changes here, so the cooler weather has been a nice change. The tree in our neighbor’s yard is dropping some leaves. The cypress trees between us and the road will soon be bare. Even so, our flower garden in front of our house still has plenty of colors represented. I counted over 40 blossoms on the morning glory vines on the trellis by our back door. One of our neighbors just planted her fall flower garden yesterday. The flowers that she has transplanted look lovely and bring a splash of color to our neighborhood.
PLEASE PRAY:
- That we will recognize the little things where we can be a blessing as we serve here at NTM Homes.
- As I, Wanda prepare for and teach my math classes and history and geography class.
- As I, Wanda attend my college math class and do all the work that is required of me
- That I will have opportunities to be a witness for the Lord to my college classmates. (Melissa, Tina, Lexie, and Philip are in my small group.)
- For Brad as he does all the things he needs to do as he works in the office.
We are thrilled that God has allowed us the opportunity to serve Him at NTM Homes and at Lake Monroe Christian Academy here in Sanford, Florida. We are thrilled that you are part of our team. We appreciate your prayers for us. We desperately need the Lord’s help as we do the work of the ministry that He sets before us.
By His grace,
Wanda and Brad Hull