27 May 2016 

I have already been here in Seattle for 10 days; which just does not seem possible!  I am almost over jet lag but have not yet adjusted to the big difference in climate.  Thank you, God for home furnaces, fleece jackets and heavy socks!!

So far there have been challenges that I expected, and some I did not expect.   The day after I arrived, I discovered that the 2 suitcases and 2 storage boxes; which contain all the clothes & paperwork etc. that I use on furlough; and which I had stored in my brother Dan’s garage, had been moved to my brother Kim’s house.  This would not have been a problem at all except that Kim lives 90 miles south and I had no transport to go retrieve the things. 

Fortunately, I did get transportation to go to Kim’s house and I got to spend 4 nights with my brothers Paul and Kim & Kim’s wife Christine.  For the past year Chris has been undergoing chemo therapy for abdominal cancer and I was so shocked by the changes in her.  Physically she has lost almost 45kg and has aged 20 years.  Her hair is just starting to grow back so it is very short and makes her ears look huge. Well, I suppose her ears were always big but she wore her hair long and so I never saw them.   But the biggest change has been in her mentally and emotionally.   I had to keep reminding myself that #1) it was the drugs reacting and not the “real” Chris and #2) it’s not all about me.  I should be there to give her support as she is the one in crisis.

Less than 2 weeks here in the States and God already provided a vehicle for me to use during the next 4 months!  I could not have been more surprised, although, each furlough God surprises me with a transportation gift from a totally unexpected source---often someone I don’t even know.  This time it is Marylou, my sister-in-law Christine’s mother.  Marylou is 88 and should not be driving so her car has been sitting in Kim & Chris’s driveway for months and she said I could have it for the 4 months of my furlough.

Next week is my home church’s annual women’s 3-day retreat and I am looking forward to that time of spiritual refreshment and fellowship.  I am also hoping and praying that it will jump start me into a new program (for lack of a better word) of prayer, Bible study, daily exercise and better eating habits.

Tomorrow Dan & Jane are going to the east coast to visit her family for a week and as it is also a holiday weekend, I have invited my sister Heather to come stay with me for 2 days.  I am a bit nervous because of our past dysfunctional relationship but also hopeful and looking forward to building a better friendship based on the steps we made during my last furlough.