There is only one thing that today's post could be dedicated to: my brother, Steve, and his testimony!

He shared on Facebook today because it was 10 years ago that a heart surgery changed his life. Mother and I went to his house to stay with Caitlin a couple of days. Here are his wonderful words about it:

"Today makes 10 years since my life was changed unexpectedly. I won't go into too many details, but for those who do not know, I will give a brief explanation. I had to have have heart valve surgery in 2004. I was not given much choice even though at the time I felt pretty normal. The surgery is very invasive since it requires cutting open the heart vs just working on the arteries. At my age then, it should have been a text book case and I expected to be back to normal in a few months. The surgery was successful and my heart is about as good as it gets. However, sometime during the surgery, there was a problem causing me to have a stroke. No one knew the extent for a few days because I did not wake up for about 3 days. I was in the ICU for 6 days. Fortunately, as far as strokes go, it only affected my upper left side. Unfortunately, that included my left hand. For 10 years I have struggled to regain the complete function in that hand. I am thankful for the progress, but not completely healed. I continue to see progress and look forward to continued improvement.

So am I bitter or sad or upset? Not anymore. The first few years were tough and I am not the best at controlling my frustration. My family suffered with me. However, all of this was for a purpose. It took a long time for me to understand that this too was in God's plan. I learned that it is okay to ask God "why?", but the answers come on his schedule not mine. This journey has reshaped my outlook in many ways. God has used this to get my focus back on Him. I was way too confident in my own abilities. I served Him in ways that were easy and not sacrificial. I have learned to have compassion in ways I was too smug to have before. I had to learn to ask for help.

I could share much more, but then that would be way too much to post. What I really want to say is Thanks to everyone who has put up with me during all of this and kept me encouraged. I give all the thanks and credit to God because I know He has brought me through it with purpose and deeper understanding. He has put many people in my life that have helped me grow. My faith has been challenged, but never defeated. This is my testimony whether I chose it or not.

If you know anyone who is a stroke survivor, please encourage them to keep trying. The brain is remarkable and it can find ways to re-program itself in ways we cannot understand. The worst thing is to let the brain accept the body parts that aren't functioning as is. It takes continual effort to keep the brain from giving up and overcompensating with other parts. This was the best advice I was given. Just don't give up. If my story could encourage anyone, I am glad to share.

I apologize for the novel, but I had to share this as part of my commitment to never keep secret what God has done and is doing. I can do most things pretty well now. Someday I will play the sax again and I will count it as a complete recovery. I will try not to post anything this long again until that time comes. Until then, I offer this advice. Never take your health or abilities for granted. Use your talents for God whenever you can and do not underestimate the power of prayer. Show those special ones around you how much you love them. Never give up!"

Well said, Steve, well said!! If you know me at all you know how proud I am of Steve. I have always felt that way but never more so than now as he openly shares all that God has done in his life. I just love him so much and am so blessed to be his sister - his favorite sister!! ☺

I needed to go to the grocery store this morning that is located in the mall for some things that I can't find in the other stores. Not the best plan since Panama has decided to also adopt "Black Friday" as a big shopping day. I got to the mall just shortly after 9:00 and it was already packed. However, the Lord provided a parking place for me just outside the store!! I gave Him BIG thanks for that!! And I was able to find my way back by a different route which was much closer to the apartment. Victory for me!

This afternoon I did another expense report because this is the time of year when they want us to stay up to date with turning those in.

At 6:00 they lit the Christmas lights outside the apartment building and gave a little party for the children:

A snowman without any snow to stand in!! ☺

That helped us realize how many children are in the two buildings - lots!! And they are all excited about Christmas!

I will have to admit I was not exactly excited about this day. When I first got up I was thinking how much I would have liked to be in Tennessee cooking dinner for Rick's parents and our three children! During the years our children were home, we hosted the Thanksgiving dinner in our house. Since then I have not been a big fan of having Thanksgiving dinners in countries that don't celebrate it. That might not be a nice thought but that was just where my brain was.

I walked 3 kilometers this morning and washed two more cushion covers. Then I got the pumpkin pie ready and fortunately it baked well in the oven. My other dish was a corn casserole and the oven stayed on for it, too. Two for two! Those were good victories. We had our meal at 2:00 with our coworkers. The table was set very nicely:

Our host and hostess with their daughter:

Love this girl!! Didi is a senior this year and I am going to miss her when she graduates!

Rest of the gang - ALL these people can COOK!!!

The ladies gathered at the end:

After the MOST delicious meal, we all sat and talked and no one moved to go home until 7:00! It was so relaxing and fun! Guess I may have changed my mind.......☺

I'm using that term because Patrick texted me this morning: "Happy Thanksgiving Eve" and it made me smile! This day didn't look too much like Thanksgiving since our weather was sunny and in the 80's. I did clean the house so I guess I could pretend guests are coming!! ☺ I don't quite have a good cleaning routine down yet. I had to run all the fans and the air conditioning today to get the floors to dry. Another young lady who had lived in an apartment gave me the tip about using the air conditioning to help and it did make the drying go a lot faster. I have to do the kitchen tonight since that is where I hung out while the floors dried!

I am in the process of cleaning all the covers for the cushions on our bamboo furniture. I did two yesterday. I got a late start and it was pretty cloudy so I was happy that they dried.

I did two more today and I was able to put them in the sun. I am hoping that kills any mildew that might be left in them after the washing. I hate those little black specks! The person who made the covers did not put in zippers that were long enough so some of them have broken. When I wash those, I have to sew the covers back together. Maybe someday I'll find someone who can make the openings larger and put in more zippers. I'm sure we will need new covers by the time we return to the U.S. to retire so for now my system is working. I got all 4 covers back on this afternoon. It's a bit of a wrestling match because they fit very tightly (that's a good thing) and they won't slide over the foam rubber (that's the bad thing). So I put a garbage bag on first and use it to slide the cover!

I made pie crusts today so I can do a pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving dinner with our co-workers tomorrow. I am praying that my oven will bake long enough for the pie to get done OR that if the gas cuts off, I will notice it in time to relight the oven. Guess I better keep a close eye!

Tonight my project is trying to work out our schedule for Christmas. We will be home 17 days and I am working with 8 people to get everything coordinated! That's just family gatherings!! When it all happens, it will be lots of fun. But somehow it has to all get on the calendar! ☺

This morning I was happy to be able to go for a walk outside! We have a sidewalk that goes from our apartment to the U.S Embassy. I enjoyed walking it this morning. It's almost 2 miles - a good beginning!

Here are just a few photos from the day. I keep trying to find a way to keep my spices from sticking together. It just gets old trying to chisel them out of their bottle! I am trying these little plastic containers now:

Lawn mowers are not too common here. This afternoon I could see this guy using the weedeater on this fairly large field:

It's the little things that help. Today I got two hangers for doors:

Heat is hard on glue! Had a blowout this afternoon:

This morning I was very touched as I watched the video of David Landrith's youngest son sharing on the night following his death! This is the link:

Josh shares about how his faith was definitely challenged during his dad's illness but in the end, he knows God's Word is true and his dad is with Jesus!! At the end of the service, at least two people indicated they wanted to accept Christ! So death where is your sting? Our enemy wanted to bring disaster to the Landrith family but God got the victory. David could go to Heaven knowing all 3 of His children's faith would carry them through this tough time! What parent could want more?

I love birthday celebrations!! Especially when they involve going to new places AND when they last for a weekend!! We found a good rate at this bed and breakfast called Posada del Mar about 4 hours out of town:

It was in the southern most province of Panama, called Los Santos, just outside the little town of Las Tablas. The beach was small but the scenery was pretty:

Our favorite place was the covered porch:

A happy man!

The owners live in the house and the rooms to rent are around the outside. The walkway to our room:

Looking back to the covered porch:

Our room was very comfortable:

The evening sky was really pretty:

Just a few people were on the beach:

Some things we saw on our walk to dinner:

The little street reminded us SO much of Barbados:

We ate a delcious seawfood dinner at a small restaurant:

Neat little table:

Saw this out the window:

That evening when we went back to our room we listened to the funeral service for our friend, David Landrith! It was a huge blessing to hear all the wonderful things said about him and also to hear our former pastor, Gene Mims. If you would like to watch, you can see it here:

http://longhollow.com/messages/

The next day after our delicious breakfast, we headed out to explore a bit. This is the plaza at Las Tablas:

Then we decided to check out the next town, Pedasi. The road was VERY straight!!

Its plaza:

Which must include a Catholic church:

Loved the roof on this building:

We drove down to Playa Venao:

From here men will boat you across to Iguana Island with white sand beaches and a wildlife preserve. We decided to do it when some of the kids are with us:

Saw some birds on the drive back:

We found a fun pizza place for lunch:

We got some information about tours for the future:

Heading back to Las Tablas it was very interesting to see palm trees...

...and fields of corn:

Lots of corn!

I call these living fences:

They put tree limbs in the ground and then just let them grow as a fence:

When we returned to our room, Rick saw we had missed a phone call on our Magic Jack system so he dialed the number. It was my Aunt Midge who was visiting my Uncle Junior over the weekend in Alabama:

These are the last of the 8 Fortner children, Mother's youngest sister and brother. I have not been able to see Uncle Junior in many, many years. That phone call was one of my greatest gifts!

Our host and hostess for the weekend; he's from Panama and she is from England:

One last photo before leaving Sunday morning:

There were some interesting sights on the way home. Huge windmills:

An airport runway going OVER the highway!

Familiar mountains as we got closer to the city:

The mall ready for Christmas:

We got home around 4:00 which gave me a chance to check my birthday e-mails and Facebook messages. It was lots of fun hearing from so many family and friends. Then I got to talk with Rick's parents and both of our boys. It was truly a great way to turn 61!! ☺

As soon as I woke up this morning I was praying for all the Landrith family and friends since the funeral will be this afternoon. My heart breaks for them because they are going to miss David terribly. For Jennifer especially as she has lost her husband at the very young age of 51!! I can't even imagine.

It was interesting that in my quiet time this morning I read this from Ps. 39:4,5: "Lord, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am You, indeed, have made my days short in length, and my life span as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor."

If the Psalmist is asking the Lord to reveal to him the number of his days, he must have felt his days were indeed numbered by God. I feel that way, too. I feel God has given each of us an exact number of days to live and we aren't going to change that number. I do not know why some get more than others. It's not for me to know. It is for me to make the best of mine.

The verses also say "mortal man is only a vapor." Our life on earth is NOT what everything is about. It is a means for us to come to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior and live in eternity with Him!! Also it is to share with others how they can do that. I'm really glad this is not all that there is because life here gets hard. People lose spouses at age 51. A dear friend of ours shared that his daughter just lost their first grandbaby 3 weeks before it was to be born!! Every single day we pray for people who have cancer, who have horrific accidents, who just struggle. Some wonderful day that will all be over. We will never say goodbye to another loved one in Heaven. It will only be "Hello" and "Welcome" and "What took you so long to get to this wonderful place?"

Another part of Psalm 39 also struck me in verse 6: "Certainly man walks about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they frantically rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them." Oh, please let my life be about more than gathering things that no one is even going to want!!! What a waste that would be!

This week has gone by so quickly. We are trying to get into some kind of a routine that will allow us to do everything we would like to do. I don't know why I keep this as a goal because I really don't think that it will ever happen. I guess it's good to aim for it though!!

Monday was laundry day and I got started on the elliptical in our gym downstairs. 10 minutes was all I could accomplish! That machine is harder than it looks! ☺ Then I did our expense report so we could be reimbursed for the tires we had to buy last week. That afternoon we went to a basketball game where two of the MK girls were playing another championship game in the second league they are involved with. There was a good turnout in the missionary cheering section:

Besides the parents, two missionary uncles and 3 aunts came! The girls played hard but just couldn't pull off the victory so they took second place:

On Tuesday morning I bought groceries and a few things we needed for the apartment. Then we headed over a bit early to the English class because we needed to drop a couple of things off at the mission office. No one showed for class again but one guy did come over and tell us why. This week and next are the last week of class at UMIP before finals and he told us everyone was studying hard! That made sense and we let him know we only wanted to be there to help not hinder so we could start again after the holidays if that would be better. He is going to let us know.

The BEST part is that he told us he wants to go to the English-speaking church so we told him that we will go with him Sunday after next!! That's our real purpose anyway so we were thrilled he has shown an interest. Now we will pray for nothing to hinder Justin!

Wednesday I went down to the gym to see if the elliptical was free and Rick was going to come right behind me. I finished my whole workout (which is really pretty short) and came back to the apartment to find he had gotten a migraine! Just one glimpse into the bright sunlight had taken him down! I feel so bad for him and he ended up feeling bad for most of that day. I got over half of the dining room furniture oiled with the amazing new (to me) product that I wrote about yesterday. In the afternoon I answered email because the inbox had crept up to 81 and I got it down to 44!

This morning I washed towels and we set out to get our driver's licenses renewed. That went so quickly and smoothly we could hardly believe it! We went on over to the mall where I got a cushion for my chair, some more oil because I ran out this morning with one piece left to go, and a birthday balloon for the little girl next door who has a birthday tomorrow. She will be 13 and we look forward to getting to know her better.

Now we are putting a few things together for a birthday weekend away! I am very excited because we are going to check out a new place. Photos and the story to come....

Who know lemon oil came in a spray bottle???

Fortunately for me that was the only kind there was in the store yesterday. This morning as I began to oil the furniture, I realized this was going to change my life. Now I can SPRAY the oil into the carved crevices on the furniture!!

I can't even tell you how much faster it makes the process go instead of trying to get the oil into every little crack with a rag! I don't intend to be without it again!! ☺

Early this morning we got the news that our dear friend, David Landrith, had gone to Heaven. David grew up in Cleveland, Tn and attended First Baptist Church. When we went there in May of 1984, he had just graduated from high school. My very first recollection of David, which I have never forgotten in these 30 years, is going to our first youth fellowship at the Family Life Center. I was walking outside at the pool, when a tall, thin young man jumped up on the other side and yelled, "Hello Mrs. Youth Miinster's Wife!" David had not learned my name yet but it was not going to keep him from greeting me!

This is a photo of David that I love:

You can just see in that face his exuberance for life! That is how David ALWAYS was. We followed him through college, as he would come home for summers and go to camp and on misson tour, as he got married, as he was called to the ministry, as he pastored churches and David NEVER changed! No amount of fame or recognition ever took away his humility. No amount of hardship or pain took awhile his smile or zeal for life!

Today David Platt described him this way: "Humbly gifted. Genuinely wise. Constantly encouraging. Faithful husband, dad, pastor. I thank God for David Landrith". That is a great description. You can read more about David here:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/sumner/2014/11/18/long-hollow-baptist-pastor-david-landrith-has-died/19212645/

This is the family photo I love:

Jennifer also grew up in Cleveland and no one ever had any doubt that she and David loved each other!!! Truly they made the perfect couple and had 3 lovely children.

Friends and family meant everything to David. You see evidence of the fun he had with them here:

And I can surely say that the only thing that meant more to him was His Lord. He served Jesus so faithfully, touching the lives of thousands of people, bringing so many to know Christ as their Savior. Some will ask "If he was such a great Christian doing such great things for the Kingdom, why would God take him?"

I do not ask that. Even though I have been praying for a miracle earthly healing for David, God chose to bless him with a perfect heavenly healing and give him his reward for serving so faithfully. Oh, I grieve and cry for Jennifer, the children, David's parents, all the family and all the church family who now have a HUGE hole in their lives. But I can never grieve for David who has now seen the proof of everything he has preached, of all he has devoted his life to!

And I mean this with ALL respect:I see him this morning seeing Jesus for the first time and in his loud, boisterous, full-of-joy voice, calling out (just as he did to one very new youth minister's wife): "Hello, Jesus!!!"