Getting ready for another week.

We got back just fine last week. We were greeted by some serious heat and some good friends who came to get us from the airport with our dog. I was right back to work Wednesday, but since there were no teams here, Amy had some time to catch up at home. I was helping with some framing on a house that needed to be done last week so we could get the electrical run. I'm happy to say we got most of it completed. The electrician should be able to get it done this week. It was really hot in that house, like a sauna at times. I hadn't been used to working, and when you add the 95 degree weather with some wicked humidity, it's tiring. It seemed like I couldn't drink enough water. I just kept sweating, which I guess is a good thing, eh?

This week, I'll be back to supervising. I've got a couple of job sites going. Rock of Ages will be getting some tile work done. The laminate flooring is all done, as well as the painting, and some of the trim work. We're really getting close now. At the other job site, we'll be finishing the drywall. A couple of weeks ago, the construction team worked together to get it started and polish the technique that we'll teach volunteers when they come. So now I'll get to practice that as we finish the rest of the house. Then it will be time to paint there.

Amy's back in the kitchen this week. She'll hopefully be doing breakfast most of the mornings from here on out. This will give her a bunch of time during the day to pack as we prepare to move home. As many of you may know, the passing of my step-father back home has been really tough on my mom and caused us to think about our stay here in LA. We've decided to move back home and be with her. We will move on June 21st.

This decision is bitter-sweet. We have mostly loved being here. There have been some set backs here and there and some complications, but, for the most part, we've really enjoyed our time here; making friends, meeting tons of people, and seeing God work in some amazing ways. At the same time, we felt it was time for us to start looking to get back home. There were several things we wanted to be a part of back home. We had prayed that God would be preparing our way home, if that's where He wanted us to go. We had talked about the timing of it all and had initially thought August would be a good transition time. But God had another idea.

We had seen God working in a number of ways around Bill's passing, and we saw this as an answer to what we had been asking God to do in our lives. I've mentioned before that I had lined up a job interview for the week we were back home weeks before we left for Chicago. I had told them I would be back in August and that didn't scare them off. As the interview approached, we started to realize this was God's way of saying "it's time."

This is what makes it sweet. We're following God's plan. It became very clear to us that this was the right thing to do almost immediately. Without a plan, we had tremendous peace about it. That makes it really hard to find sorrow in this decision. We'll miss the people here, we'll miss what we're doing, but we know this is what God wants for us right now, so we need to follow, just like we felt when He called us to serve in Louisiana.

While this circumstance that has caused this decision is awful, we're grateful that we have the opportunity to be there for my mom. We are also thankful that we've had the opportunity to see God in a whole new way, to meet such wonderfully special people, to have learned about rebuilding of homes, but more so rebuilding of lives. It has truly been a pleasure.

We are anxious to finish well here. We have a lot of ends to tie up before we leave. We want to be able to spend a lot of time with the people on our team here and with the homeowners we've made connections with. Please pray that this time of transition will go well for all involved. Please continue to pray for my mom and Bill's family as they grieve his death. Pray for the continued work in the city of New Orleans as thousands of people are still without homes to live in. Pray of the ministry to continue sending out people to the community to reach the lost in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Last, but not least, thank you all for your wonderful support. We have appreciated every word of encouragement we've received, every financial donation that has been made on our behalf, and every prayer that was prayed for us in our time here. From the bottom of both our hearts... THANK YOU!!!

Phil (for Phil and Amy)


*Please note that if you are a monthly donor to our ministry, you'll receive a separate email from us in the very near future.

We're on our way home

Finally on the way back to LA. It's been really good to be back home in Illinois the last couple weeks. We've had a chance to see a lot of friends and family. Probably more than we had planned. We're flying out of Milwaukee tomorrow AM and will be back in New Orleans in the afternoon. 

We have a lot of catching up to do with our jobs there. The high school youth group from Lakeland will be coming down in just a few weeks. Amy and I are really excited to see them all again and have the privilege of working with them when they get there. 

Please be praying for our trip back. Amy got pretty sick last time we flew. We are asking you all to join with us as we prayerfully consider what further impact the passing of my step-dad will have on our term in LA. Please pray for wisdom and clarity over the next few days as we meet with some people in New Orleans. Thanks again to all who offered words of encouragement and prayers to and for us during the past few weeks and please continue both. We love hearing from you. 

So here we are... wherever that is.

First off... thanks to everyone who has left notes, comments, emails, voicemails, prayed for us and gave us words of condolence and comfort in this time. All were tremendously appreciated. Please continue to pray for my mom and Amy & I, as well as all of Bill's 8 living children, their spouses, and 20 grandchildren, as we grieve the loss of this wonderful man. 

Well, it's been a bit of a whirlwind since last Friday night. We just arrived back to Chicago from Tulsa, OK where we had a funeral service and burial for my step-dad, Bill. We had a wonderful service in the Chicago area. Most of Bill's kids made it to that. That was Monday night. Tuesday night, we flew to Tulsa for a Wednesday night/Thursday morning service. We had a great time at both, getting to see some friends and family and honoring Bill's life on earth and his new birth into eternity! It's funny how death can bring people together and offer a tremendous amount of healing. It's also hard to not see God in all of this. From our presence in Chicago for my mom during this time, to some of the things we're all learning from interacting with one another, God's fingerprints can be seen are all over. 

The interview for the job I applied for a couple of weeks ago was this morning. I feel that it went pretty well. I should hear something in the a couple of weeks. Continue to pray for this opportunity as we plan our transition back to IL, whenever that may be. 

My mom flies back to Chicago tomorrow night, so pray for a safe, uneventful flight for her. (Unlike ours this morning, Amy's still not feeling well.) Pray for a restful time for Amy and I this weekend and coming week. We are extending our stay here in the Chicago area at least another week, so we look forward to catching up with as many people as we can. Hope to hear from you soon. 

Phil  

Urgent Prayer Request

My step-dad, Bill, passed away last night. We have already seen God working in this situation. The fact we're home this week has been one of the many mercies we've seen from God through this. Please pray for my mom (Noreen), Amy and I, Bill's children and several grandchildren. Pray for strength, peace, and guidance these next several days.
Lastly, Bill loved the Lord with all his heart and we know he's with our Savior this morning. We're thankful for that and grateful for the time we've had to know a wonderful, loving, caring, man.

Just about there

We're catching our flight back to the Chicago area tomorrow AM. Be praying for our trip; for a relaxing time with friends and family, and re-juvination of our bodies, minds, and spirits.

I'll try to update the blog while we're home, so check back every so often. Hope to see many of you soon!

Phil