Is it Still 2020?

I reread my last two posts before starting to write this and I couldn't help but think, "Is it Still 2020?  Will this year ever end?"  I'm sure we have all felt that way during this time as we work our way through restrictions and more restrictions, plans and cancelled plans, political campaigns and rhetoric, no olympics, no sports, no getting together in large groups, no congregating as the church!!! I think that for most of us, we feel that this is a year like no other we've ever experienced!  I am pretty sure that I've never had a year of cancelling so many plans whether it's a simple time of getting together, a trip or a major event.  To me, all of the loss and change do help in one respect.  They cause me to work even harder to lift my eyes off of my own petty situations and look to Jesus because I know He is the One person who is definitely not out of control in all of this.  And oh I am so thankful to know that He not only gives us peace, but He IS our peace (Ephesians 2:14) and it is such immeasurable comfort to be able to run to Him as that place of peace in the midst of all that this year has brought.  I trust that you, too, are finding His peace and His presence as a place of great refuge.  

​Through all of this time, I have made plans for a Celebration of Life service for Leon, cancelled them because of quarantine, and waited, albeit rather impatiently for a future time for the service.  Well, though we are still in quarantine to varying degrees in California, some things have fallen into place and we are planning to have a service on Sunday afternoon October 4, 2020.  Pastors Joe and Laurie Pacheco expect to be here to officiate.  We do not have a meeting facility as yet because we don't know if we will be able to meet inside or if we will need to find a place outside for the service in order to meet social distancing requirements.  If anyone locally has any suggestions, please let me know.  I will keep everyone informed on all the details via short updates here  as we go along.  My concern is that if we do not have the service by that time, with the coming of winter, flu season, and perhaps another round of Covid, it could be well into next year before we can meet.  And that just seems too long!   So if you plan to come, mark that date on your calendar and please let me know so we can figure out roughly how many people we are to expect.

In the meantime, I am keeping quite busy here at IMS still learning more about keeping the books as well staying in contact with missionaries and pastors and looking forward to when I will be able to travel to visit and serve with them.  I am so thankful for FaceTime and Skype as well as social media to keep in touch with them and I appreciate the love they have shown by their checking in on me.   We have been so blessed to work with such wonderful people around the globe!  
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I pray that this e-mail finds each of you in good health and holding tighter than ever to your faith and the person of the Lord Jesus.  As I mentioned earlier, He is our peace and no matter the insanity going on around us, we can always find solace as we run into him.  As the Psalmist, David, said, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  Psalm 18:2   Blessings to each of you!  

Leon and I at Oak Glen, CA last fall. He was holding an apple picker as we enjoyed the beautiful apple orchard owned by our niece, Faith, and her husband, Tim Riley.