Moments to Remember 2006

There were so many GRAND things happening in 2006!! Some of my favorite things.....first, I got to go to SUDAN to teach at a Women's Conference in the Spring....and then the wedding of our son Andraus to Amy in July...Wow!! Another great thing happened in October... ...I got my right hip replaced!! Yeah! And today I walked 2 miles!!

Christmas in Oregon

Trust you had a GREAT Christmas!! We did! We went to church on Saturday night (what a magnificent service!!!); had Swedish Christmas with Pat's sister and brother-in-law on Sunday....and enjoyed prime rib with the same relatives at their home in Newberg on Christmas day....But first we had our annual Christmas breakfast together with our friend Karen and her daughter Leah. ...On Christmas Eve (late) we went for a ride to look at Christmas lights and captured the lights (in the rain) down-town Gresham....the other picture...from our visit to the Cemetary in Newberg on Christmas Day....remembering our loved ones!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

With a lovely summer picture....we want to wish all of our friends around the GLOBE a very Merry Christmas!! You are in our thoughts and prayers....we love you!!

Reunion

We enjoyed a GRAND Reunion at church today!! Several of our friends from across the Globe stopped in for a visit....there were the Alexanders from Russia, Melissa from Germany and Dave and Joy and kids just in from the Far East. And before we took this great picture we had the joy to hear from Joel and Amy from Slovenia in our Global Outreach sharing time....and in that meeting we also enjoyed fellowship with Scott from East Asia, Jenni from Russia and our Frenchspeaking friend David, the Bible Translator. What a grand REUNION!!!

Christmas Time

Well, this is what it looked like at the Thurman House the other night when we all got in the Christmas mode....although Ebenezer was not too happy...

The Party

Sunday was our Annual Global Outreach Christmas Potluck here at our house....a fun time with ethnic food, great fellowship, reading of the Christmas Story in all kinds of interesting languages, a time of singing beloved Christmas Carols...and a time of precious prayer for those who labor in the various areas we represent...I just LOVE these dear people!!!

It is starting to look a lot like Christmas

Yesterday, we went to the Buckners farm and got our tree!! Always a fun thing to do...then we brought it home and with all the ornaments and decorations in place... here it is, The 2006 Thurman Christmas Tree. Very nice!!

We just realized that this will be our 10th Christmas in this house...wow!! New this year.....our MonaLisa has been appointed Santa in our house!! We had our Annual Global Outreach Christmas Potluck this afternoon. Ill write more about that in a day or two...it was such a nice time!!

More Pictures From California

We have had some fun days in California....now it is back to Oregon again, and more Christmas celebrations....

California in December

Visiting with our kids in California!! A great time of fellowship and fun, sunshine, palmtrees and all those wonderful things we don't have in Oregon. What a treat!

Is Everyone Busy Out There???

Sitting here with my cup of coffee....having lit the first ADVENT candle ....it is the first Sunday of Advent. I was also checking blogs this morning....not a single update. ...again. Maybe I am super spoiled, but it is sooooooooo nice to read updates from friends all over....BUT I suppose that everyone out there is real busy?? We do love it when we hear though.....so keep it up. You are in our thoughts and prayer daily!!

The Weather

Around here, the weather has been the big talk of town....first it got cold, then we saw the flurries...then the snow ...and some places had more snow than others...(ours did not stick (: )...then it got REAL cold...and yesterday it never got above freezing...and last night we had black ice...and then this morning, just plain old rain...There you have it....Oregon weather in a nut shell. Weather is always big news around here....with updates ever so often...do we care? I think we do...ice and snow around here become breaking news...the city comes to a stand still and school and other places shut down...Where I grew up, weather was never the main thing...it just came and went and you lived with it, spring, summer, fall and winter....you rolled with it, dressed for it, and enjoyed each season tremendously.... Every Season had it's charm!!

The Season

Tis the Season.....with Thanksgiving behind us (trust you had a GREAT time...we did), we are fast approaching The Most Wonderful Time of The Year!! Today our good old Christmas trunks came down....and once again it was great to unpack those many special Christmas things that have followed us around the world...I love Nativity Sets, and the one in the picture is from Kenya. It is very special and is one of several Nativity Sets around here ( I actually have one I bought in Bethlehem a few years ago). My Kitchen window is now full of lights and home made Snowflakes....looks cozy...The interesting thing is that our TREE is not up yet...and won't be for another two weeks. We are heading to CA to visit our kids this next week.....so the tree will have to wait. But everything else is up...and the Christmas Spirit has decended upon the Thurman Household....cool!!

Thanksgiving

Well, on this Wednesday evening, the night before Thanksgiving....I thought it would be appropriate to do some Thanksgiving...for the family God gave me to grow up in. Here is a picture with two of my sisters and my Dad.... The other picture is the three of us with our two Grandmothers...cool hats!!

Another PDX Farewell

Time again to say farewell to some of our Global Outreach Staff!! Jason and Tiana left for Lithuania this morning.....we are so blessed and so honored to be able to send such neat people to the Regions Beyond! Our prayers go with you guys!

Global Outreach Weekend

It is that time of the year again, November. And with November comes our Annual Global Outreach Weekend at Good Shepherd. It is a GREAT time to focus our attention on some Global matters...this year we are sharing with our body the fact that there are still a good 3000 languages out there with NO Bible Translation!! No Word of God!!!! That is why our Weekend title is "The Word of God - Who needs it?" . It will be an awesome service and we look forward to see what God is going to do as we also receive our Thanksgiving Offering. I'm including a picture for you from my visit in South Sudan in the spring. The Word of God....being used, being read!!

HE IS BACK!!

Pat came back to town last night.....Yeah!!! After 30 hours of traveling he finally flew in to PDX last night...I ventured out to the airport together with Seth and Trina, because I am not allowed to drive yet. Trina had fun running me around in a wheel chair at the airport. All in all, I overdid it yesterday...and had to pay the price today...pain and ache...and feeling sick. So I did the only thing I know how to do...I stayed in bed today. And I am feeling a little better tonight. Well as you can imagine this was a little discouraging since I thought I did REALLY well yesterday....so it is back to the drawing board, taking it easy and just watching the world go by. That is a little hard when you think you have tons to do. Anyway, I am so happy to have hubbie back....even though he was up and about around 3 this morning....taking a nap again this afternoon. All those things you are NOT supposed to do when adjusting to jet-lag....well, I don't care...it is just nice to have him around.

Fall Colors

Summer Memories

Watching the World go By

Time for another update from the Thurman House.

What a week it has been....and believe me..... not all of it has been viewed from this particular angle. The good news is that I am doing so much better, getting around and learning to do all kinds of things......slowly.....with my new hip and all!!

UP and down the hallway...with my walker....Amber ( a friend) even pointed out that she could see the racing strips I leave in the carpet...This has been a great opportunity to slow down...not just physically, but also slow down on the inside, spend more time with the Lord...read and pray...and writing to my friends all over the world.

Another thing that has made this week very different is the famous Oregon RAIN...it hit big time!!! It is very wet out there....and not too cold...but WET!! And now there is talk about flooding here and there in the area.

Pat will be back from Africa at the end of the week, and I can't wait to hear more about his adventures. Take care.....

An Update from my Kitchen Table

Just a little note this morning from my kitchen table.....since I am still officially "walker bound" ....we have rigged up my laptop to work at the kitchen table...I am doing real well, although have not had a full day up yet...who can expect that....I had surgery last week!!! But with tools like a bellie pouch (where I keep my phones) a sturdy walker, good flat shoes, no obstacles in the way, and the ever present "Tommie the Tong" (an invaluable gripper that works as my extended arm) I am all set to move about...well not too much , but I am getting there. So I am able to put in a few hours a day at my beloved laptop. Other news this morning...Pat left for Africa....he will be attending the Great Lakes Consultation in Rwanda and Congo....representing Good Shepherd at this annual get together to talk about relief and projects and progress in the Great Lakes area (Rwanda, Burundi and Congo)...we appreciate prayer for all of this...I have my schedule slowly filling up with people to come and visit, check in on me and help me out with all those "bending things" that I cannot and am not allowed to do yet....so if I have not heard from you yet......come by and visit!! Would love to see you!!

A Done Deal

Well, it is a done deal...I have a new body part!! My right hip was replaced a week ago. I am home now, up and about, still taking it easy, and learning how to use my new hip properly! Quite an adventure! I am learning so many new things, and one of the most overwhelming things is to see how many wonderful friends we have out there. Thanks for all your prayers...your cards, your calls and your e-mails (most of which I have not read yet).....Love you all!

New Parts

One thing that happens when you get older....some of your body parts wear out and you have to get new ones...well, on Tuesday I go in to have hip-replacement surgery!! Guess what will happen as I go through security at the airport....I will set off all the bells and whistles!! Anyway, thinking about it, I have not really been in a hospital as a patient since I had our kids....and that is a long time ago. Yes, I guess I am getting old. So to cheer myself up, I will post another "golden oldie". This one was taken in the town of Luxor in southern Egypt as we were crossing the Nile together with the locals. The baby on my shoulder is Andraus...

A Week to Remember

Well, this was a week to remember.....our house was full of people...there were meetings, and get togethers, and then our kids came to visit!! What joy! Here are some pictures!

Golden Oldies

Monday morning is a good time to be nostalgic...believe it or not, but this is the first team I was on in Lebanon...it is Easter 1972 and the speaker at this team conference was a friend of ours from Sweden named Bertil. Well, he is here at our house this week, sharing about the ministry he is still involved in. Cool to see someone go on with the Lord and continue to be so dedicated to taking the Good News to those who have never heard. Another note of interest .....this was the year when a certain young man in an orange jacket in the front got interested in a Swedish young lady in a blue dress all the way to the right!! Oh boy, where does time fly?

Just a little note

Just a little note from our little outpost here in Oregon. We just got back from Missions Fest Seattle....our global batteries are charged ! There were a lot of people there...tons of exhibitors, great seminars and fabulous speakers...wish you all could have been there.

Going Global in Gresham

I am not quite sure how it all goes together...the fact that you can actually GO GLOBAL and still live in Gresham. I believe that it is not so much the geography that determines your global involvement as it is your HEART!! If the Scriptures says that "God so loved the WORLD..." that is really must mean the whole world, Gresham included... In our hearts we have turned this thought up side down... we limit our perspective of the whole world to only our immediate world... and we easily forget the WHOLE WORLD! Do we really have a choice? To forget the whole world? How do we become inclusive in our World vision? How do we GO GLOBAL in Gresham?
By staying informed, praying, connecting, reaching out, sending, giving and also going...... to the regions beyond, until the WHOLE WORLD has heard the Good News!!

Oregon in September

It is really hard to decide what Season we are in.....today the sun in shining, it is warm (and getting warmer)...the sounds of lawn mowers are all around, and it is plain out just nice. Yesterday was another story....rain, rain, and cold....and for the first time this Fall, we had a fire in our stove!! Now that is early!! But in order not to totally forget how beautiful post-summer can be here in Oregon...here are a couple of pictures for you.