25 Dec 2008 Thursday 6

We have said for years that we are now one year closer to our Lord’s return and the indescribable mess the world will be in prior to that wonderful event! But all that now sounds like mere poetry compared to what is really happening all around us—just turn on Fox News or CNN! With every breath today, we trust that you are telling the Lord that you need His help in every way to prepare us for this galloping future that is charging into us. We all have dark clouds that often blot out the sun of hope and joy; some of you know exactly what we mean. At the same time, like the sailor in a bad storm, he may not know where north is, but he knows that his needle does! That needle is Jesus through His Holy Spirit who can and will today give us exactly what we may need for hope and joy and pure peace that He will work everything out for us, if we give Him our Yes right now. Our mutual text in this house is Proverbs 3:5-8 and we truly could not live without out knowing that these words are precisely what we can trust. Yes, even when the clouds are very low.

Arise and thank Him for your measure of health today, for His promises to take your hand into any of your challenges, and for our family ties and hopes. Love is eternal and that is exactly where we place all of you!! Cheers!

2 Oct 2008 Thursday 10:16am - Been three weeks since lumbar stenosis surgery. The surgery seems to have been successful. I have no discomfort in buttocks and thighs as I had for more than a year. Attended Emily’s wedding in Corona last weekend and all went well. My personal task is to get my legs strong again—not easy to walk around the block! My blood work in all the areas looks great: Cholesterol—99; Ratio: 2.8; Triglycerides--95; PSA—1.4 Will be going to South Lancaster Oct 10-12 to speak at Alumni service.
2. Norma’s second rotator cuff, now two weeks passed, is going well. Took off her “loaf of bread” harness yesterday. Of course it is still sensitive but she can raise her left arm already higher than she can her right—that was done last February. What a tiger—tries to do everything she can without asking for help, which to me sometimes is ridiculous but that is her way of being responsible.
3. Thanks for your cards and cheers, means a lot. These are very interesting times. Exactly moving in a grand convergence of unintended consequences that we all know lies ahead. Simply the Great Controversy coming to is predicted head. Cheers!

4 Sep 2008 Thursday 11:54pm - We are now home after 10 days of an exhilarating, refreshing cruise from SF to Alaska, as far as Skagway and back. Herb saved us the bother of leaving our car at a garage in SF for a hefty price, door to door service! The other half of the EGW Encyclopedia (1100 pp or so) I finished on the cruise—the only time I would ever get so much focus for such an important project. Chip and Judy joined us again and by some kind of good fortune they were upgraded to a mini-suite with their private Jacuzzi, two rooms, etc. Imagine that, a swell Jacuzzi soak on a cruise—nice!! Alaska weather this time was typically cloud cover with light rain at times. Victoria was absolutely beautiful with plenty of sun and flowers everywhere. Sep 11th: I will have my back surgery to eliminate lumbar stenosis. New procedure these days that some orthopods are using called “X-Stop.” Some say “X-Blocks.” Not a normal open back surgery that I have had three times already. We shall see. Then a week later, Norma will get surgery on her left shoulder for rotator cuff. The right shoulder still has not returned to normal. But they both hurt now. We are getting good practice on running a rehab shop here. It’s a good thing that otherwise we feel refreshed, exhilarated, and most grateful for a wonderful Lord who never disappoints us. Our task is not to disappoint Him. Courage and peace, to all—you dear ones!

23 Jan 2008 Wednesday 2:26am - It is now midnight right on the mark, but we wanted to register our return from the two weeks away in the Ukraine. It would take a long note to describe our enormous pleasure with the whole trip, including the plane travel on the 777, business class. What a real treat (using up all our Frequent Flyer Miles did it!). Talked to 400+ physicians and nurses on the first weekend—3 days. And then a week plus at a school/LifeStyle Center. If you all could see the CD they gave me of their improbable start 7 years and then their present circumstances, you might think that someone was using computer graphics to give you a Harry Potter imaginative story! People like that are not often seen on this planet. They have 40-45 guests each session and they are already booked up through December 2008! Anyhow, thought you would like to know where we were for the past two weeks. I have close to 300 emails to sift through tomorrow. But for now, to bed. It is already 10:00 AM, Kiev time! Cheers

7 Jan 2008 Monday 10:01am - Alexey: My bookmaker is finishing the last chapters in my next book, The Fork in the Road. It may be necessary for him to send his work to me through your computer. I have already prepared him for this possibility. My family members are now being notified, with this email, of your email address in case they want to reach me. We surely are looking for your smiling face on Thursday. We hope you are expecting a heat wave for the next two weeks, in Kiev City, Ukraine. Cheers!

21 Nov 2007 Wednesday 11:28am - We are getting requests about our train ride in 2007—so here goes. We left Roseville, CA, at 10:30 AM on Wednesday morning, Nov 14th. The train stops for about three minutes! The Amtrak California Zephyr 6 is an elegant monster with many, many cars. Our tickets were bought by phone and all we had to do was present them to the conductor who already knew who we were before we met! Took us immediately to our Roomette and off we went on the most delightful wedding anniversary weekend. Roomettes are in the sleeper but we found out there are larger compartments that include a sink, and still larger that include a shower that pours out on a little closet above the toilet! But they all paid much more than we did! We sat across from each other, with a bunk that opens above for one person at night—the two seats fold into a bed. Restrooms are not far away.

For those in sleepers, meals are already paid for. Frankly, the food was very good but, but, but, the menu is the same every day! For those traveling to and fro from Chicago or even New York—the same menu daily! Vegetarians always have a choice (that’s right, singular) while the carnivorous passengers have perhaps five choices. Dinner companions were always, always, delightful—so much to learn and share.

It would take many pages to even try to describe the rolling landscape. Even going through the foothills of the Sierra was a new experience because we saw country that could never be seen by auto. And it only got better by the mile. No snow yet anywhere except man-made in one Winter Park, CO. We both think that the time goes exceedingly fast on a train. We brought magazines and books to catch up with, but we found ourselves simply looking out the window!! Although we did get a lot done that I had been hoping to get at, such as editing my talk that I gave at Andrews University in October, plus some appendices yet to write—some are urging that it should be published soon. We’ll see.

Darkness rolled over us by the time we went through Elko, NV. But the half moon journeyed with us until bedtime. Trains in the United States are on a different planet than those in Europe—the swaying while walking is far more exciting than an ocean cruise and the noise is something one gets used to.

Morning came while entering Colorado and we saw towns that we have only heard about all our lives. Truly an unforgettable delight! The weather has been exceedingly glorious, day and night, all the way to and from. In fact, Denver was about the same temp as Lincoln Hills, CA!

At Denver, Thursday evening about 5:30 P.M., we called the shuttle from the Marriott Residence Inn, which was only 5 minutes away and there we stayed until Sunday morning to catch the 8:00 A.M. Zephyr 5 back west. I know you will all sigh, but we spent the time in Denver eating fantastic breakfasts at the Inn and reading stuff that we planned on, dozing, reading, walking, dozing, reading, walking, etc. Exactly what we wanted and exactly what we experienced! The Residence Inn is like the time shares we have enjoyed through the years.

On the return we saw eastern Colorado and the Rockies that we missed in the dark on Thursday evening. Just watching the train go through the circling as we travelled up the grade was an engineering marvel. We noted how often freight trains were sidelines at various intervals to let the Zephyr go by. But then again, we stopped now and then, because a freight train ahead had troubles, sometimes an hour wait! But in someway, our train kept making up the time loss until we were approaching Roseville. We stopped for a half hour within eyesight of our station stop!

We can’t forget the superb service and amenities that the crew provided. Some years back, in several trips to Reno with children, we were disgusted with the lack of professionalism and courtesies of these long-time, union-obsessed conductors and car attendants. Somewhere they had been taught how to be customer-friendly and it seemed contagious. We passed out a lot of tips along the way. A lot!

Interesting also, but possibly because it is nearing Thanksgiving, the long train was full. Some people paid lots more than we did because they bought their tickets within days of travel. We paid about $650 RT for the Roomette, food included, and a USA TODAY every day! Plus lots of bottled water everywhere in the sleepers. Makes us want to plan another trip some time, just for the relaxation and the charm of seeing new country.

We are sure that we have left out something that you may have wanted to know. But nothing takes the place of being there! Cheers to all, wishing everyone a peaceful, wholesome Thanksgiving holiday. One of these days, we will have a Thanksgiving holiday that lasts forever—everyone at a bountiful table that never ends, all of us together!! Cheers!