Our Mahoney Retreat

Instead of traveling a distance for another of our allotted vacation weeks for this calendar year, we chose a restful, quiet spot not far from where we live - at beautiful Mahoney State Park. It was just perfect for our needs to get away, rest, and be refreshed in the midst of a busy life of family and ministry. 

The view from the upper level of our tree-topper cabin looked out over the Platte River - such a beautiful season to be there with the changing colors of the fall leaves. We spent hours there, reading, resting, being refreshed - with windows on all four sides of the room to view the beauty through, and warmed by the wood stove. 

Beautiful weather for taking walks along the Platte and through the hills of the State Park - the perfect time of year to be there. Click here and here for more words and photos on Cherry's Pursuing Heart blog. We are so very thankful to God for giving us this quiet retreat - perfect for our needs, and beyond what we even hoped for.

Fall Family Day

A beautiful fall day for family fun at Skinny Bones on Saturday, October 19th! Here are a few favorites from the many photos that we took ...

Sharing a beautiful day together with three daughters, one son-in-law, and six grandkids!

Adorable little Eva - 19 months old

This play jail was one of the grandkids' favorites at Skinny Bones

Our four youngest grandkids

Love this shot of Levi with ET

Our fun day ended with a bonfire at Sean & Sara's, which included a birthday cake and presents for grandson Levi, who had turned 11 on the 11th!

Click here to see a few more photos, in digital scrapbook form, from our day together (on Cherry's Pursuing Heart blog).

Colorado Vacation

After taking part in the DCC planning meetings near Denver the weekend of Sept. 19-22, we stayed on in beautiful Colorado for a week of much-needed vacation time. Our summer had been very full; no time for a vacation trip, so this was the perfect time. 

We drove to Grand Lake, Colorado, where we had reserved a cottage for the week of Sept. 23-27, and stayed for night on the way at the ski resort of Winter Park (with their lower off-season rates). A first for us to stay in at a ski resort, so that was fun. And even more fun, as we woke up to snow the next morning!

Driving from Denver to the beautiful mountains.

The first snowfall of the season in Winter Park.

The cottage we had reserved online by Grand Lake was just perfect - so restful, and with a gorgeous view, overlooking the other cottages and Grand Lake in the distance. 

Our restful Eagle's Nest cottage.

We could not get enough of the beauty all around us. Our first full day we walked or drove to a number of spots nearby, right on Grand Lake. The weather was perfect ... 

Gorgeous Grand Lake with a view of the mountains.

Our second full day we drove past Grand Lake, to Shadow Mountain Lake, by Granby Lake, and then spent some time at a beautiful little lake, Monarch Lake. We spent several hours hiking the four-mile trail around the lake. Again, it was just perfect weather, even though rain had been in the forecast.

Restful, peaceful Monarch Lake.

The next day we drove to nearby Adams Falls and walked the mile-long trail along the streams and up to the falls. 

Along the trail to Adams Falls.

After lunch back in the town of Grand Lake, we drove into Rocky Mountain National Park, and walked the Coyote Trail through a quiet valley - so peaceful, and such gorgeous views.

Walking the Coyote Trail.

On the way back to our cottage we drove through a magnificent display of aspens in their beautiful fall foliage. We were continually amazed at the perfect timing of our stay in the area - the days were just gorgeous, and the trees were at a peak of brilliant autumn color.

Beautiful aspen trees.

We took many, many more photos - this is just a very small sampling. There was so much beauty at every turn. We thank God for the incredible blessing of this week away. Besides the walks and drives to the nearby lakes, we spent many hours at our cottage - resting, relaxing, reading, and being filled up with God's love and the rest that He provided for us.

(Many more photos will be used in the coming weeks/months on Cherry's Pursuing Heart blog.)

DCC Planning in Denver

Student conferences are a big part of Cru, as conferences are a place where college and high school students are often impacted for eternity. And as staff, this requires a lot of prayer, planning, and concentrated effort, following God's leading to put on conferences that will meet students in their places of need, seeking to create a place where great spiritual growth can happen.

We traveled to Denver as a couple for the weekend of Sept. 20-22 to be part of one of these planning sessions in anticipation of DCC (Denver Christmas Conference), the student conference that takes place in Denver between Christmas and New Years. 

Students from our Omaha area campuses will be traveling to this conference in late December. Last year was our first year to bring students to this conference, as we had previously taken them to the FastBreak Conference in MN. We are grateful to be asked to join DCC with our high school students, and it is a valuable time to be in on the ground floor of planning this conference. Our presence is important, as we give input from the viewpoint of the high school students that we work with.

More detailed news about DCC 2013 will be coming in the near future, and will be posted on our Cru Omaha blog.

Our Sweet Crystal Mae

It has been quite a year so far for our beautiful, sweet 15 year-old granddaughter in Texas. And there is much more that she will go through this calendar year.

After some physical concerns in the beginning of this calendar year, and after a series of doctor visits and lots of testing, we heard the devastating news that Crystal has Juvenile Nephronophthisis. This is a very rare genetic kidney disease (chances are one in a million), where a person's kidneys will fail sometime in their teen years. There is no cure; and the form of treatment is to have a kidney transplant.

At the time of diagnosis, Crystal's kidneys were functioning at about 40%, and the doctor estimated that she would be in need of a kidney transplant by the spring or summer of 2014. 

However, at Crystal's testing and reevaluation in August, it was discovered that her kidney function had already dropped down to 24%. This is the level when preparations for a kidney transplant begin in earnest. All the paperwork in preparation for a transplant and for insurance coverage has been done, and has been approved. And tomorrow Crystal will be going through a full day of lab work, testing, and meeting with an array of doctors who will be involved in the process of transplant. 

We don't know yet when the transplant will be, but are assuming that it will be before the end of this calendar year. Cristy & Mark, our daughter and son-in-law, will be considered first of all as possible donors. Cristy will begin some of the necessary lab work tomorrow to see if she will qualify. Both Cristy & Mark's blood types are good matches for Crystal, but there is much more that is checked to find exactly the best possible match. 

Please pray for Crystal, for her parents, and the rest of their family - Abigail (17), Luke (11), and Brianna (7). It has been a year with a lot of doctor visits, and a lot of unknowns. We are so grateful for their strong faith and trust in the midst of this difficult situation. 

Even Crystal has been so strong, and has often been the one who encourages the rest of us. She suffers daily from the affects of poor kidney function, struggles with nausea through much of each day, needs to have repeated shots, takes medications to keep her blood pressure in normal ranges, and experiences general overall fatigue. She continues on with her sophomore classes in the midst of all that she is going through. Her sweet spirit and her faith and trust in God are a blessing to us; we thank God for His presence and love in her life.

Of course, this is so hard for us as grandparents, as well. How we would love to be nearby and be of help on a continuing basis. Our trip to TX the end of May was a very special time. And we are so grateful for the support and encouragement we have been given by our leaders at Cru headquarters in FL - granting us time off to help our family for two to four weeks at the time of transplant.

You are invited to read many more details that our daughter, Cristy, puts up on Crystal's CaringBridge site - click here. And we greatly appreciate your prayers - and thank those of you who have already been praying for our sweet Crystal Mae. 

Our Legacy of Love

We love because He first loved us.

Because we are loved, we love. Because the author of Love, the One who is Love, loved us by giving His very life for us, we are set free to freely give love.

The words above from I John 4:19 were printed on our wedding programs forty-two years ago this week. In our twenties, as we prepared for our wedding ceremony and hoped to capture the depth of what our special day would signify, these words came to our mind. Filled with gratitude to God for His Love and for the love we would celebrate together as husband and wife.

God's love is perfect, beyond our comprehension, and has no end. " ... Indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39)

And because of this never-ending, all-encompassing Love, we can live in the best of love. On the days when all is well, and love bubbles up, overflowing and spilling out everywhere. And also when life is difficult - when we feel helpless to love. In all these days, we are held tightly together by His Love. For we love, because He first loved us. 

His Love, in us - flowing out from our marriage to bless others. A never-ending supply of Love. For though we are imperfect, and weak, we are loved by a perfect God who through His Spirit in us, loves others through us.

"He died for everyone,

so that those who receive His new life

will no longer live for themselves.

Instead, they will live for Christ

who died and was raised for them."

(II Cor. 5:15)

A Legacy of Love - coming from the Source of Love, lived out day-by-day and moment-by-moment. A channel where this Love flows through us from the Source. Flowing through the imperfect and the weak - so that it is obvious that it is not our own, but it is His Love. Because He first loved us, we are free to love.

Thanking God for 42 years of living and loving as a couple - for the joys of love, for the lessons in love, and that we are blessed beyond measure to know the Source of Love. 

Rotator Cuff Surgery

We started out the month of August with ... surgery. Rotator cuff surgery. Early this calendar year, Gary began to notice that something was not quite right with his right shoulder. We are thinking that it probably came as a result of his doing pull-ups on a wooden bar in our family room. Something he has done off and on for years, but over time, it seems that it caused some stress and pain.

The pain had started gradually, but increased over time, and he began to experience difficulty in using his right arm, especially when extending his elbow and arm above shoulder height. He also began to experience pain while sleeping on his right side. 

He tried various kinds of treatment, including weeks of chiropractor visits, then physical therapy for several months at the advice of his doctor. Nothing seemed to help, and finally, the doctor prescribed surgery after an MRI revealed that he did in fact have a torn rotator cuff. 

So, after a full summer of travels, the surgery was scheduled for the first day of August. The outpatient surgery went well on Thursday, and we were back home by mid-afternoon. Besides the anesthesia for the surgery, Gary also was given a "block" - total numbing of his right shoulder, arm, and hand. 

And after three days of recovery so far, we are thankful that all is going well. It was a relief when the numbing wore off, as Gary is now free to use his right hand - carefully, even though he is not to use his right arm above the elbow. Doctor's orders are to keep his arm in a sling, and use it only while at therapy. For four weeks. It will be a challenge to function without the use of his right arm for this whole month. 

We're thankful for minimal pain. On Friday he experienced quite a bit of nausea. We figured out that the nausea was coming from the pain meds, and took the risk of skipping a few doses. Amazingly, he is not experiencing much pain! So, three days after the surgery he is doing well even without pain meds. We are so thankful.

Please pray for complete healing, and for full use of his right arm and shoulder again. Also, please pray for us this month, as it is a full month of starting up with another school year of student ministry. Pray that we will pace ourselves, giving adequate time for healing from surgery - and that we will trust Him with all the details of family and ministry.