We trust you all had a very merry Christmas.
Nativity set made by Mel Willett and Deb Heavilin
Our Christmas began on Thanksgiving evening in Olathe, Kansas. We traditionally have Christmas then so that we can share the holiday with Matt’s family. This year Marilyn noticed that all eyes were fixed on her as she opened her ‘big’ present. She quickly realized that the present was a wooden cutout nativity scene.
Marilyn felt like her father had just walked in the door, but her dad died in 1996.
Where did this nativity set come from? Our daughter-in-law Deb filled in the answer. It seems that she came across the box of unassembled pieces in her garage. She used to help Marilyn’s dad; he did the cutting, and Deb did the painting, and signed all of the pieces, ‘Grandpa and Me’. This box of pieces had survived at least four moves, including a cross-country move and a span of about twenty-five years. But when Deb found the box, she knew what she must do: assemble, paint, and dress the figures and give it to Marilyn as a Christmas gift. We quickly found a spot in our RV to display the set for Christmas. What a joy to have Mel share our Christmas with us.
We got to enjoy sharing meals with many of our friends here in Redlands. On Christmas Day we spent the day at the Lindens’, our pastor and his wife. We were also joined by Monte and Nelda Stuck, friends from our church.
On New Year’s Day, our friend Jean Nease joined us for dinner in our RV. We watched the Rose Parade and especially enjoyed the reunion of the soldier and his family.
Marilyn has an update on her foot:
Many of you know I have been dealing with excruciating pain in my left ankle for over a month and a half. Some doctors say it is gout, but others say no, it is not gout. While they ‘discussed’ the matter, I was still in extreme pain and my steps were very limited. Although rising in the morning had become a time I dreaded, I still found a way to spend time with God each morning. I must admit, though, that my devotional time had become more routine than refreshing. One day I woke up and caught two words that kept appearing on the page; endures forever. What endures forever…the pain? NO! His Faithful Love! I cried out to the LORD… I need evidence of Your faithful love, Lord! This really hurts!
I wish I could tell you that the pain left instantly, but no, the pain was still with me. But what also stayed was HIS FAITHFUL LOVE! I was reminded that His love endures forever…even when I am crotchety and lose patience with everyone around me; even when I lose patience with God Himself; even when the pain seems more than I can bear; even when the doctors can’t agree on the diagnosis OR the treatment…HIS FAITHFUL LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.
On Christmas eve, I was completely unaware that one of my doctors whom I had not seen for over a year was present at the second service and saw me attempt to walk. He sought me out after the service and told me I was coming in to see him on Thursday. So I went…not expecting much. But he listened to my story and my concerns and gave me an injection. HIS FAITHFUL LOVE ENDURES FOREVER! God cared enough to arrange that I needed to stay for the second service, something I don’t usually do. I am walking fairly well. HIS FAITHFUL LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.
Indeed we are blessed. We are learning that HIS Faithful love endures forever. He continues to care for us even when we aren’t expecting it.
We will be leaving for Morro Bay on January 9, arriving on the 10th . We look forward to spending two months there. We will return to Redlands for about two months and then we plan to begin our tour of several National parks.
Please continue to pray for our health and our safety as we travel.
Blessings,
Glen and Marilyn Heavilin
