RETIREMENT..................................................

The Psalmist says, "Many, O Lord, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us no one can recount.  Were I to speak of them, they would be too many to declare!"   This has been the story of our lives....God has blessed us in so many ways - too numerous to recount them all. 

But after a lifetime of doing God's work in another country, there comes a time which we call retirement.  Much as we tried to put it off, it eventually caught up with us, and in 1998 we were scheduled to retire from overseas ministry. So we had to seek a resting place in the States.  The usual retiral age in Alliance missions is 62 for singles and 65 for marrieds.  In our case, Dad was 72 and I was 67 when we officially completed our ministry in Burkina Faso.  We really had not planned ahead for where we wanted to live on this side of the ocean - and it was during our last year, as we were working hard to finish up the Bible and other jobs, that we both came to the idea of retiring in Toccoa - since both of you boys lived here then.  It had to be of God, as we had had no experience of Toccoa and had only ever made a couple of fleeting visits here during the years.  But in retrospect we see this was God's will for us, and we have become transplanted Southerners! 

We had been assigned to tour in the North and so lived that first half year in a missionary apartment on Nyack campus.  Then headed South in December - that famous trip when I went to sleep at the wheel and ran off the road into a shallow gully. I almost didn't need a place to retire!  But God spared me and we eventually got to Toccoa and settled in. 

We were assigned to a Spring tour as well, and then IM sent us back to work in San Pedro for that one year. An interesting, eventful year - again in God's providence we were able to put the finishing touches to the Bobo Bible that year and also write a teaching manual for the pastors to use in teaching their people.  As well as receiving people from forty different missions and churches as guests at the San Pedro Guest House which we managed. Then back to Toccoa again.

A little later on, we again were asked to go back to Mali for a year, this time to direct the work of that field.  Our home did not remain empty during that time, but was a refuge for other friends who were between houses or jobs.  And so the Shadys, Strongs, Wahls, Michael Albright and Mark Pierce's have all made a home here for a while. I wish I had kept a guest book of all the people who have come our way - many for meals, some for a longer stay.  We have been blessed by all of them.

For some years, after being officially retired,  we went on regular missions tours in the United States and even in Puerto Rico, which we loved.  This helped to bring in a little money.  I taught one year of French at TFC and enjoyed that.  We both began subbing in the public school soon after our return from overseas.  We started out in the Middle School and then went on to sub at the high school.  I was curtailed in my subbing when I had my brain tumor, but Dad still gets called in from time to time. Not bad for 83 years old!   

There are also lots of opportunity for ministry here in Toccoa.  Occasional teaching at Toccoa brings us in contact with students, and we continue to have students in our home for meals.  Those who examine candidates for overseas ministry in this district have also involved us on many occasions to help examine candidates for ministry.  This helps to keep our hand in missions also.

Dad was involved in sponsoring an inter-denominational fellowship of churches here in this city, and this has brought us into contact with many people outside of the Alliance.  We have a number of black churches here in town and the surrounding towns, and we have frequently visited them.  Dad is honorary pastor in a couple of them, and they greet us as one of them when we visit.  For a while we went to early service in our church and then visited one of the black churches in town each Sunday.  Dad is also a member of the anti drug coalition here in the area and meets regularly with them.  Each year we participate in the anti-drug march here in this town.  So our lives are full of variety and we have many friends, both at our church and in the local community.  All of this adds a certain richness to our lives. 

Getting involved in working in the jail has been an additional ministry - but I will talk about that next time.  Suffice it to say, we live rich, interesting lives and praise God for His care for us each day!