March 2011: Moni had a benign, carotid body tumor removed from her neck in mid-March. These tumors are found 20 times more often in women in their 50s who live in cities above the 5,000' altitude. She had an excellent doctor, Chambers, and everything went well. If she does nothing, the tumor has a 20% chance of returning. Therefore, we decided to move to near sea-level, which greatly reduces reoccurrence.
April 2011: With lots of forewarning and a promise to cover my medical expenses, Moni’s job was repositioned at Focus on the Family (Focus) at the end of April. It was certainly a most enjoyable 15-years serving at Focus. Moni arrived at Focus in October 1996 to work with a team of 12-15 programmers, all men. It was quite an adjustment! Since that initial beginning, Moni almost equally shared her time between the Technology and Marketing departments, which was about 7 years in each area. The time has been abundantly graced with many dear friendships and rich memories.
With all of these changes, Moni was also forced to recognize that folks look at her as “older”. She just doesn’t think of herself as “older”. In fact, she still thinks of herself as 40. It was probably her most thought-provoking internal discussion of the year. As she looks for another job, she finds her age is definitely putting her at a disadvantage. So, Moni has done quite a bit of research and hopes to start a small business called Office Pizzazz. The plan is to offer email services and marketing help by working out of our small 5th wheel RV.
September 2011: So, bottom line, we've decided to move to sea-level and are first looking at the Southeast Texas area. We had put together a short-list of requirements (e.g. a sea-level home with a thriving church, located about an hour from a metropolitan city, gardening capabilities, fishing opportunities, small business promoter, college town, good retirement benefits, and small business options. We want to live in a simple, semi-rural, family-friendly community, which welcomes new-comers.) We don’t know where we’ll end up. But, when we built our first home in Colorado Springs, Ern drove around for a year just to pray over the land and seek God's face. So, we recognize that there won't be any fast decisions in this household. Therefore, we've purchased an RV to make it easier for everyone while we look for a new home. Thank the Lord for His provision and direction at this season of our lives. We know it’ll be an adventure!
September 19, 2011: We closed on our home September 19, 2011. Ern did such an excellent job getting everything ready! Here's the virtual tour link of our house. [Click here.] We count it a complete miracle! Kevin, our son-in-law, was the realtor. He did a great job for us. In our stay in Colorado Springs, Kevin was involved in both of our house sales.
October 2011: Ernie and Moni completed 5-years of service at a local medium-security prison where they provided Biblical studies every Friday evening. This opportunity was a special blessing, forever to be remembered!
November 2011: We spent our November in Artesia, NM, as we learned so much about Habitat for Humanity. It was an amazing project to see a house come together in about three weeks. We met such great people, many of whom live a life of giving to Habitat, even some 10-14 years. Some have travelled internationally to help build a house. Others have done 20+ homes a year. Such giving folks! Each one was so very nice to all of us! My Habitat friend, Kathy, has loaded Habitat's pictures week by week. To see the building progress [click here]. It was a great experience!
December 2011: During all of these transitions, I am most thankful for my dear Bible study friends, who are such a special part of my life. I miss these friends dearly! You can see what the Lord has done with Chosen by [clicking here]. I’ve now transitioned out of Chosen's small group leadership at New Life. What a change!
Even though so many things have changed this year for us, we are expecting and waiting for the “new thing” the Lord will do in our midst. The Lord is forever faithful!
