Cheryl............................

How often Dad and I reflect on how fortunate we are as parents!  Especially when we hear some people who have little family connection, either because of apathy or quarrels.  God has blessed our family in this respect - we all enjoy, love and accept each other. What a blessing that is, especially in today's society, which is so full of anger, divorce, misunderstandings and apathy in many families.  We all do whatever we can to stay in contact with each other - through emails, phone calls, visits.  That is easier than it was when you were all growing up.  As I remember each of your lives to the present, I thank God for each one of you and the strong men and women you have become in spite of separations and distance from each other.  How good God is!

CHERYL
You were the most precocious baby, Cheryl, you did everything early, sat up, walked, talked, ate solid food.  You were such a sociable baby, smiled at everyone. Of course, our home was full of people - young and old - because we were in church planting. And you readily went to all of them and you got lots of love from everyone, us included! 
You walked early, you talked early - and that was a good thing, as you had your baby sister coming right along behind you, born on your first birthday!  You could not come into the hospital as it was against the rules, but Dad found a place where you could come and see me, looking up to my second floor room. I can still see you standing there looking up.  And you loved your little sister when she came home to live with us.

I have already written much about your childhood, both in Rutland and Santidougou. You attended a variety of schools: kindergarten at home with me, Mamou, Nyack grade school, ICA, a year of French school at Collège de l'Avenir in Bobo, Nyack high school (where you graduated), Nyack College and ATS.  And Now your latest education fling is getting a master's.  Good for you!

We always prayed for each of you kids that God would provide the right mate for you in life. And how wonderfully He answered this prayer.  We could never have chosen better than God chose for each one of you.  I remember when you were in ATS and we were in Africa. You were studying the field of Burkina Faso as your study focus, thinking to go there as a missionary.  I remember getting a letter from you, telling of your going out with another student on a date. I knew this young man from attending classes there, a great guy, but also divorced. Through no fault of his own, but still divorced. And we prayed then that God would guide you and not let you get involved with someone who would change the goal of your life.

There was also a young man, Darrell, whom Dad had had in class at Nyack College the year before when we were Missionaries in Residence at the College.  He was engaged to a girl ( a student) from his hometown and she was also in Dad's missions class.  He came home one day and told me, "There is a guy in my class who would make a great missionary, but he will never make it - he is marrying the wrong girl!  She will keep him from being a missionary, which is too bad." Darrell went on to ATS and the girl went back to her hometown to live.  Somewhere in there Darrell and the girl broke off their engagement and pretty soon we heard that you were no longer studying Burkina, but had changed to Lebanon - and you and Darrell were dating. Wow! What a switch, and were we ever happy!   And the rest is history.

You were married in Simpson Church and we were there for the wedding, a beautiful occasion. You went on to home service in south Jersey, and it was there that you went through the trauma of the birth of a little girl, who was too small to make it. That was a hard situation for you both.  But you persevered, went through the remainder of home service (Dad was there for Darrell's ordination to give the charge) and we saw you off for Beirut.

During that year Beirut disintegrated into all out war. You were pregnant with Nathan, Cheryl, and we were on furlough.  What a hard time to live through. Dad and I were on separate tours when you went into the Beirut hospital to give birth.  He was not born quickly and the war was heating up as everyone was praying for the safe delivery of the "Phenicie baby". I remember the day that all contact was cut off with Beirut and I was on tour and scheduled to speak that night. My tour partner took my place as he realized how upsetting that situation was - all TV contact had been broken as well. LL King was president of the Alliance and had been on a tour but wanted to be kept up to date on the progress of the Phenicie birth. Someone met him at the plane with the news, "The Phenicie baby is born!" And we all rejoiced that Nathan had come to be part of our family. What a trying time for you and Darrell to go through.

When we visited you a few years later, you took us to J'Bael and we saw the bunker where you had to go at times because of the bombing. We saw the port from which you had to flee to the US, you and Rachel first and then Darrell with the boys. Wow - not many missionaries have had to go through all of that.  But you did - and you stuck with it. And God has given you a wonderful ministry in the Middle East and now Africa.

It has always been fun to visit you in the Middle East, and each trip has enlarged our vision of the church.  We visited you in Beirut itself. It was fun to go on picnics with you and the church people (a favorite thing to do in the Middle East - picnics). We went to your church and worshipped in Arabic. We met many people you worked with. You took us on such great tourist type trips and we loved it all.  We have gotten a real love for the people of the Middle East through you. 

You took us on trips - we went to Damascus and through Syria. Down into Jordan and Amman.  We met so many of the pastors and their families as well as other personal friends of yours.  Going to Jordan and down along the Dead Sea to Aqaba was a fun trip - all of us crammed into that small car of yours!  Darrell gets an A+ for being a great packer!  We swam in the Red Sea and visited the city where you would later serve.  So many wonderful memories you have given us.  Including waiting for camels to cross the road and those awful turkish toilets at the Syrian-Jordanian border!  And the visit on Christmas Eve to your friends who lived in a beautiful apartment overlooking the city of Beirut.  We drove back to your place south of Beirut through the gorgeous Christmas lights in the middle of Beirut. 

I will never forget the year you, Cheryl, had to make an emergency trip back to the States for surgery. Rachel was just a toddler so she had to come with you. We lived in Shell Point that year of furlough and so you came there. We got the word of that evacuation while we were in Seattle for Council. Actually, I was speaking that night in the evening missions slot. With all the bad news pouring in, I had to go to a hotel lobby and get quiet to concentrate on my message and let Dad take care of the incoming calls!  Dave Moore, missions vice-president, was following your every move through Dad and your phone calls.  You came to Ft. Myers and stayed with us at Shell Point where we were living.

You had your (successful) operation in Ft. Myers, and Darrell and the boys joined us all there. They also escaped in an open boat, dodging bullets to get out of that harbor.
What a life you have had!

Our two weeks in Kurdistan we had with you recently were wonderful!  You planned such a great time for our team, we still talk about it. We loved meeting your Kurdish friends. Who could forget the fun picnic we had and the conversations - and dancing - we shared with that Kurdish family!  We appreciated everything you plammed for our time there - and a highlight was the week teaching the Iraqi pastors. 

You have given us three wonderful grandchildren. When they were small, we had to have an interpreter as they only spoke Arabic!  But theyhave all become great adults, of whom we are very proud. Along with Rachel's great husband, Josh.  It was such fun to be together last fall in Nyack, when you were highly honored, Cheryl, by having the new school of nursing at the College named after you: The Cheryl Phenicie School of Nursing.  That was a special week - and day - for all our family who could attend.

Now God has taken you to a new ministry.  Who would ever have thought that all three of you girls and spouses would be working on the African continent!  Maybe we can even visit you there in your new country some day!

Cheryl and Darrell Phenicie - we salute you, the dynamic duo!!