The Heavilin Herald

We have arrived in Peculiar, MO. We arrived Tuesday and had dinner with Matt and family on Tuesday evening.

Greg and Maxine

On our trip East this year, we visited Marilyn’s cousins, Louise and Ed in Surprise, AZ.  Also Ed and Louise’s son Keith was visiting them from his home in Merida, Mexico. Keith sometimes appears on HGTV, House Hunters International. We also met up with our long-time friends Elaine, formerly of Flint, Michigan and Greg and Maxine whom we met years ago when we were all attendees at Community Bible Church in San Bernardino.

Old Conoco Station

We drove through and stayed overnight in Shamrock, TX. Do any of you recognize this building? I am told it has appeared in the movie CARS.  That is our house parked in front of the station.

OKC Memorial

We also stopped in OKC and visited the OKC. memorial again. Even though this was our third visit to the site of the explosion in 1995, we still find our visits to be extremely emotional.

Tombstone

We, of course, visited Tombstone, AZ and got a taste of the Old West once again. We even got to see a ‘western’ wedding. The bride arrived at the park, the wedding site, in a horse-drawn stagecoach.

We plan to continue toward Keswick after our grandson Caleb graduates from homeschool, with an extended stop in Indianapolis and a quick visit to Marilyn’s cousin in Niles, Michigan.  We are also hoping to attend the Heavilin reunion in Illinois.

We plan to arrive in New Jersey by the end of June.

It is always appreciated if you will remember Marilyn’s sister-in-law in prayer. Karen is battling Ovarian Cancer.

Much love in Him,

Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Well, we are now back in Redlands, and we have traded this view:

A day of flying kites at Morro Bay, CA

for this view:

Snow-capped mountains near Palm Springs

We love both views, and we have truly enjoyed getting to see all of our Redlands friends again. We have eaten in restaurants nearly every day since we arrived back in Redlands.

Marilyn with Drew Carey

While we were in Morro Bay, Marilyn read about an event that would happen at Hearst Castle. The event was part of the SLO International Film Festival and would include a silent auction and a showing of Citizen Kane as well as the appearance of several celebrities. We ordered tickets on Wednesday and attended the event on Friday, March 9. Drew Carey was a very personable celebrity and quite willing to have his picture taken with Marilyn.

Since we have returned to Redlands we have spent many of our days checking in with our doctors. Marilyn’s heart doctor feels all is well and she should continue taking her meds and with her program.

The foot doctor spent a lot of time with Marilyn.
After several x-rays and two doctors, the verdict is Arthritis There is little the doctor can suggest except some even stiffer shoes and some shoe inserts. We are checking on-line for those. Marilyn was praying for a diagnosis that was more definite and had a specific solution.  The diagnosis will be an adjustment, but she will work with it. Apparently pain will be a permanent companion and she will continue to move slowly. Thanks so much for praying for her. Also, please pray for Marilyn’s sister-in-law as she continues to be treated for Ovarian cancer.

We will begin our trip toward Kansas on the 13th of April and plan to be in New Jersey by the end of June.

Blessings,
Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Another memorable sunset at Morro Bay, CA

An Otter Convention. They wouldn't all fit in the picture, but there were 14 otters in all.

THE REWRITE IS FINISHED! It is almost ready for the printer. Hopefully, we will have it ready for this summer. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please contact Marilyn at rosesindecember1@aol.com.  The cost will be $13 per copy, and the title is Profound Common Sense. This will be a book with practical and spiritual advice for both men, women, and young marrieds. People of all ages and life experiences will benefit from the guidance offered in this book.

We have enjoyed entertaining Lowell and Shirley Linden, Ken and Harriett Clark, and Lauren and Randy Briggs while we were in Morro Bay this year. We have been blessed by the church and the Sunday night Bible study. It has been wonderful to see our dear friends again, and Glen has really enjoyed singing in the church choir.

Marilyn had the opportunity to speak in Santa Barbara and at the church in Cambria this past month. She loved the speaking and was very well received in both churches, but she was also very tired after each event. Now she knows why she is retired. ☻ In Santa Barbara she spoke at the church where Dale Swanson is the lead pastor. We haven’t seen the Swanson’s in 20 years. This time we got to meet two of their three children, and they are nearly grown! Their daughter is a senior in college! What a joy it was to see Dale and Amy again, and to meet their sons.

Elephant Seal leftovers.

As we drive to church each Sunday we comment on the beauty of the drive. We get to see the ocean, the mountains, and some of the wildlife in this area. There is a special spot where the otters hang out. Marilyn often sends pictures to her friend Vicki in Memphis and reminds her that the otters miss her.  We have learned where the Zebras will frequently show up and we make sure our friends get to visit the elephant seals. The last time we were there, many had already left to return for molting season.

We look forward to seeing our friends in Redlands on March 13 where we will be for about a month. Then we will begin our trek east, and will attend our grandson Caleb’s high school graduation on May 18.

Thank you for your continued prayers for Marilyn’s sister-in-law Karen and for us that we will have health and safety on the road.

In His love,

Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Another gorgeous sunset at Morro Bay, CA.

Elephant Seals

Here we are in Morro Bay, CA again. We have been coming here and parking in the very same space, #97, since 2002. We love it here. We have been attending Cambria Community Presbyterian Church since 2005. It was wonderful to see so many friends at the church this year. We went to the Sunday night Bible study the first Sunday we were here, and Glen went to choir practice the very first week.

Our first visitors, Lowell and Shirley Linden, came the very next week after we arrived. Of course, we went to see the elephant seals with Shirley. Yes, they were there again this year. It is amazing that they show up at the very same place every year, just like clock-work. I can’t help but wonder who gives them directions. ☺

Marilyn has been actively involved with rewriting Becoming A Woman Of Honor. She has set the goal of having the book ready to go before we leave Morro Bay in March.

We are so very proud of our granddaughter Kate. She was recently awarded a scholarship to KU grad school. Her hard work for the first semester is paying off!

Attic Wolves, Nate Heavilin, far right

We recently received a phone call from our daughter-in-law Deb, reminding us that our grandson Nate’s band Attic Wolves was going to be presented on the radio. Thanks to our computer, we got to hear the band be introduced and then a song featuring Nate Heavilin be played. We are so grateful for the mechanical advancements we get to enjoy. In just a few minutes, Deb posted a video of the band members running around the room yelling “We’re on the radio; we’re on the radio.”

We’re expecting at least one more couple from Redlands to visit us during our stay here.

We watched the DVD Courageous a few nights ago and heartily recommend it to all families. One warning…have the Kleenex handy.

We would like to ask you to please pray for Marilyn as she will be speaking for the Presbyterian women’s luncheon on March 1, and please continue to pray for Marilyn’s sister-in-law Karen who is continuing with chemotherapy this month.

Also, we truly appreciate your prayers for our health and safety.

In Him,
Marilyn and Glen Heavilin

Sunset, Morro Bay, 2012

Bottom row, 2 from left, Don and Jean Peterson

It is nearly 2012. As we look back over 2011 we have many great highlights and memories. The first highlight that comes to mind is visiting the Flight 93 memorial; next would be attending Women of Faith and seeing our friend, Patsy Clairmont.

Patsy and Marilyn

Marilyn continues to be amazed at the frequent e-mails she has received this year about how Roses In December has continued to be a comfort to those who are bereaved. That book has been in continuous print since 1987. Marilyn is planning to work on a re-write of  Becoming A Woman of Honor. She has set that aside to be her Morro Bay project.

On New Year’s Eve. Marilyn finished reading through the Bible for the 47th time. On January 1, she will start her 48th complete reading of God’s Word. For the past several years, Glen has joined Marilyn in her reading endeavor

We saw all of our doctors recently and we are both doing fine. Marilyn is still praying that her left foot will improve, but thanks to a cane, her balance seems to be much improved. Her prayer each day is simply “Lord, please keep me upright.”

Along with the joy has come the sorrow when many friends have said Goodbye to loved ones. We have felt the absence of our friends, but especially Marilyn’s cousin Al Cronkright and our dear friend, Dottie Noel.

Please continue to pray for Marilyn’s brother’s wife, Karen, as she continues to wage a very valiant battle against Ovarian cancer.

Much love in Him,

Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

In the November Herald we had already arrived in Peculiar, near Matt in Olathe, Kansas. We were there for a month, and had a wonderful time.

The Attic Wolves

We got to hear our grandson’s Nathan’s band, AtticWolves. Nate suggested we take in a concert where we wouldn’t need earplugs. ☺ We actually enjoyed the concert and most definitely did not need earplugs. We were impressed by the other members of the band. They were all good-looking young men.

Dennis and Buelah Apple

During our stay, we entertained Dennis and Buelah Apple. The Apples are also bereaved parents, and Dennis is the author of “Life after the death of my Son.” Marilyn told Dennis, “We are very hospitable, two people at a time.” Entertaining in the rig is reminiscent of our first home…a 28′ mobile home. Marilyn laughingly recalls, “When we entertained in the mobile home, our guests became our captives. We seated our guests on our couch and shoved the table up to them. They couldn’t move until we moved the table.”

Niki and Marilyn

We also met Niki Hughes and her family for lunch. Niki wrote to Marilyn several years ago telling her how much she appreciated Marilyn’s book, “Becoming A Woman of Honor.” We met Nikki soon after she wrote, and Marilyn and Nikki have kept in touch since then. This time we got to meet the whole family. What fun!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Mike, Mellyn, and Christian joined us for a couple of days. We had our Thanksgiving during the day on Wednesday, and Matt and Deb’s family had Christmas with us on Wednesday evening. On Wednesday morning we had family pictures taken using the entrance to the subdivision where Matt and Deb live as a background for our pictures.

Mike, Mellyn, Christian, Matt, Deb, Nate, Kate, Caleb, Marilyn, Glen

Christian, Marilyn, Nate, Kate, Glen and Caleb

We are currently in Shamrock, Texas for the night. The weather has been very cold. It was 27 degrees last night, but no SNOW! Praise the Lord! We plan to arrive in Redlands on December 7. We will see Mike and Mellyn for Christmas and plan to arrive in Morro Bay where we will be until the middle of March.

Please remember Marilyn’s sister-in-law Karen who has started her third round of chemotherapy to  help her fight against Ovarian Cancer. She will appreciate your prayers.

Much love in Him,

Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Sunset in Peculiar, Missouri

JD, Walt, and Karen

Well, we’re in Peculiar, MO, finally. We arrived in Peculiar from Whiting, NJ by way of Shanksville, PA, Indianapolis, Niles, MI, Nashville, Memphis, TN, and Branson, MO. I know we don’t travel very fast, but we do enjoy visiting the areas we drive through.
On this trip, I guess the theme could be Family. We managed to visit all six of Glen’s siblings, Marilyn’s brother and his family, Marilyn’s cousin Sharon, Glen’s Aunt Mary, her son Willie and his wife, Glen’s Uncle John and many cousins on both sides. Besides getting to see so much family, we were able to attend Glen’s 55th high school reunion and visit our friends Vicki and Wally in Memphis besides a revisit to Graceland and the Civil Right Museum.

Brownsburg High School class of 1956

Marilyn had another fall last week which resulted in lots of bruises on her left knee and big toe. A week later a large red spot which was inflamed develped on her lower leg. We went to the ER near Peculiar. The doctors assured us it was not a blood clot, but a severe infection in her leg. So after extensive blood tests and an ultra-sound test, we came home with a prescription for ten days of antibiotics. So far, we are seeing, slowly but surely, some improvement in the redness and swelling.

Us on our 53rd anniversary

While in Branson, we celebrated our 53rd wedding anniversary. We know we are truly blessed that we not only LOVE each other, but we LIKE each other. God has truly blessed us and we definitely enjoy being together almost 24/7. While we were in Branson on our anniversary, we enjoyed eating lunch at Mel’s Hard Luck Diner where the waiters sang. We had a lovely anniversary dinner in the beautiful dining room at College of the Ozarks in Branson.

Marilyn’s 74th birthday will be on the 4th of November We just found out that we will be attending Women of Faith in Kansas City on that day. What a special birthday that should be. Marilyn is excited because she will get to see and hear her dear friend Patsy Clairmont.

We plan to enjoy the entire family at Thanksgiving as Mike, Mellyn and Christian will be joining us in Kansas. We will head toward California on November 28, and should arrive in California the first part of December.

Thanks so much for your continued prayer for our health and safety.

Much love in Him,
Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Fall colors on drive to Memphis

Hymn Sing, September 2011

We left Keswick on September 26. We have lots of good memories. Each month Keswick sponsors a Hymn Sing for the community…a Continental breakfast, a served lunch, and two hours of singing out of the hymn book. Each month over 500 people pay $10 each which includes both meals and a planned program. We love attending the monthly Hymn Sings.

We feel the Colony of Mercy represents the heart of the ministry at Keswick. For 114 years Keswick has provided hope for men who are dealing with addictions to various things such as alcohol and drugs. More than 20,000 men have gone through the program in the past 114 years. The success rate is over 60%. It is a One-Step program…JESUS is the One-Step.

Men from the Colony Of Mercy

The cost for a minimum of 120 days is $250. The men are assigned to work in one of two kitchens, the maintenance department or housekeeping for the 120 day stay. It is so exciting for us to get to know the men and watch Jesus change their lives from Hopeless to Hopeful.

We feel there are only a very few places in this country where the music quality can be matched. We don’t even mind contemporary music when it is sung at Keswick. ☺ We’re trying to figure out the reason. 1. Everyone sings. 2. They are experiencing the Joy of the Lord. 3. The words are posted on the screen and we sing the songs often enough that the music is familiar.

Five-piano concert, Carolyn Hibbard, Bill Welte, Robert Hayes, Michael Faircloth, and Jeff Duffield

We had the privilege of attending the Five-piano concert where Carolyn Hibbard, Robert Hayes, Michael Faircloth, Jeff Duffield and Bill Welte, who are all concert pianists in their own right, all played together.

Memorial plaque of Hindenburg crash

We were able to visit the crash site of the Hindenburg this summer since Lakehurst is fairly close to Whiting, NJ.

Don and Jean's names on memorial wall of Flight 93

We miss our friends at Keswick, but we have had a chance to visit friends and special places on our trip West. We had the privilege of visiting the Flight 93 Memorial Park near Shanksville, PA. A Keswick Board member and his wife, Don and Jean Peterson, were on Flight #93. Even though we did not have the privilege of meeting the Petersons, we know they were special people and we feel blessed to be able to remember them. The memorial park is a beautiful tribute to them and the other passengers.

We visited Marilyn’s brother and his wife, Karen, in Indianapolis. We were also able to meet Glen’s brother Al for lunch in Dayton, Ohio. We got to visit Southside Bible Church on Sunday and enjoyed another excellent sermon from Pastor Dalton. Then we met our new friend Trace for lunch at the Cracker Barrel where Marilyn enjoyed the Homestyle Fried Chicken which is featured on Sundays only. We met Trace when he wrote Marilyn that as a bereaved parent he had found Roses In December to be very helpful. We are thankful to the Lord that we have had the opportunity to make many new friends because of her book.
We also enjoyed visiting long-time friends Jack and Carol Peterman in Bloomington. It is our hope that on this trip we will get to see all six of Glen’s siblings.

It is our plan to visit Marilyn’s cousin Sharon in Niles, Michigan, Glen’s sister Ruth near Lexington, KY,and  our friends Wally and Vicki in Memphis, TN as well as our family in Kansas. We are heading West, but we will not arrive in California until some time in December.

Please continue to pray for Marilyn’s sister-in-law Karen. Her third round of Chemotherapy against Ovarian Cancer will begin after October 16. Karen’s faith is very strong. She was asked to be the spokesperson for Ovarian Cancer Awareness month in September in the Indianapolis area. We are very impressed and proud of her.

Thank you for continuing to pray for our health and safety.

Much love in Him,
Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Sunset in Indianapolis, October 2011

Our healed awning

Well, this certainly has been an eventful summer. First, the wind-destroyed awning which has now been healed. Praise the Lord! Then the air-conditioning went out right in the middle of a heat wave. We thank God that the a/c was fixed within 24 hours. We also thank God for insurance, our ability to pay the deductible, and God’s provision for our safety and protection.
The next thing that happened is we had a 6.0 earthquake ON THE EAST COAST! What a shocker that was. Marilyn’s first thought was What state am I in? That very same week we began to have warnings of Hurricane Irene. Our thinking was We’re almost 20 miles inland from the ocean, surely we aren’t in danger here. But we felt restless, so we decided to send a note out to our e-mail list and see what they thought. We received many notes back from readers saying: “Get out now!” “Drive, drive, drive.” Your sense of urgency sort of woke us up, but we decided to extend one more fleece: If we could find a space in a campground in Lancaster, PA, we would leave. The next morning we called our favorite campground, knowing that they never had openings on the weekend, at least not the very same day, but they had two spaces left. What more sign did we need? We left that  morning.

The brown grass is where our RV was normally parked

The drive was horrendous. Apparently everyone else decided to leave the area, too. The drive that normally took two hours, took four! But we finally arrived in Lancaster. It did rain, and the wind did blow, but not like it did at Keswick.
We knew we had done the right thing when a friend sent us a picture of the tree which had fallen right where our RV would have been! We could not go back to Keswick for several days. They were waiting for the Power Company to make sure the tree was cleared for cutting and the power lines could be restored. That did not happen until Wednesday, so we got back on Wednesday afternoon and were allowed to park in our usual space, minus the tree.
While we ‘vacationed’ in Lancaster, we had lunch with Jack Noel and enjoyed treating the Bitler family to a pizza dinner at CiCi’s. We also rode the steam engine train to Paradise, PA. We had the 1st class parlour car all to ourselves. The views of the Pennsylvania countryside were spectacular.

The view of the countryside from the train's parlour window

We love dining at the Amish-style restaurants that serve such good food, and we also found time to stop at the ice cream shop in Strasburg.
We got back to Keswick in time to enjoy a couple of sessions of the Young At Heart conference and this month’s Hymn Sing.
We will probably stick around for the five-person piano concert the latter part of September. We have no deadline, but we do plan to attend Glen’s 55th High School Reunion, October 1 in Indianapolis. Afterwards we plan to visit Niles, Michigan, Kentucky, Virginia,  Memphis,  Tennessee and Branson , Missouri, as well as a few other places. We don’t have our dates set yet, but  have set most of the locations.
Marilyn did experience quite a fall in the shower while we were in Lancaster. She thankfully escaped serious injury. Her fall resulted in a couple of very large and colorful bruises, but thankfully her fall did not involve a visit to the ER.
We would appreciate your continued prayers for Marilyn’s sister-in-law, Karen who is continuing her battle against Ovarian cancer. She will return to the chemotherapy treatments in October.
Please continue your prayers for our good health and safety.
In Him,

Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Sunset at Keswick

Since we wrote to you last, Marilyn has managed to write and nearly complete a thirty-one day devotional book called WALKING VICTORIOUSLY THROUGH THE VALLEY OF GRIEF. Several people who have experienced loss have contributed articles to the book. Marilyn wrote twelve articles and her co-editor Bill Welte will be contributing several articles as well. We don’t know the release date yet, but when we do, we will include the date and how to order it in the newsletter.

Our broken awning

Friday, July 22, we had a very bad storm that came up so quickly the automatic sensor that is supposed to roll up the awning didn’t have time to respond. So…we are in the process of having a new awning installed.
Some of you may have read that we are having a heat wave in New Jersey. We came in from the meeting last night and quickly realized our air conditioner is not working. So…the a/c repairman is supposed to come today. We’re waiting patiently…at least we’re waiting.(Just about an hour later, the repairman showed up and was able to fix the a/c on the spot. Praise the Lord!)

Bruce and Cindy

Our friends Cindy and Bruce attended last week’s conference here at Keswick, and they loved it! Cindy hired Marilyn as a speaker several times in the 1990′s, and they stayed in touch. Marilyn has been inviting Cindy for several years to come from Chambersburg, PA to visit Keswick.. And they finally came. Remember each of you is invited. We know you would be blessed.

We keep forgetting to mention that it is possible to watch the meetings via the Keswick Homepage, Watch Live, www:americaskeswick.org.  We encourage you to check out the meetings at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm Eastern time. You will have the opportunity to hear excellent preachers and amazing musicians. We hope you all get to hear the congregational singing. These people enjoy singing praises to our God. Check out the evening program for August 1. Precious 3 year old Carter made his singing debut!

Three year old Carter

That little guy just belted out the words he knew in the chorus to “There Is A God.” What a joy to see little ones praising Jesus.

We loved getting to see Marilyn’s cousins Becky and her mom, Judy. Becky is on vacation from her mission assignment in Togo, West Africa. Their visit was short, but we were thrilled to see them.

Marilyn has enjoyed the Ladies Tea which has now occurred twice this summer, once each week. We generally have about 80 ladies in attendance at the teas.

Candido and Marilyn

Marilyn’s very favorite food is fried chicken. Her favorite meal here at Keswick is when fried chicken is served, which is rare. The head cook, Candido has delighted in providing fried chicken for Marilyn. Each time it is served, Marilyn is told several days ahead that ‘fried chicken is coming.’ Candido is a Colony of Mercy grad, and he loves the Lord, and loves to serve God’s people. We thank God for the continued work of God through the Colony of Mercy Addiction Rehabilitation Center. The colony has continued to serve God since its founding in 1897.

Our health remains fairly good. We think we have seen some improvement in Marilyn’s left foot, but would ask you to continue to pray for our health and our safety.
Much Love In Him,

Glen and Marilyn Heavilin

Sunset at America's Keswick, 2011