Sounds like you're getting some wonderful fellowship, Sharon!

Peggy

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Sharon Hooley" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2011 2:54 PM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Update 3

> Here I am again with more news.
> 
> As some of you also may remember, I talked Gracie and San Juana into 
> going to a large church called Christian Faith Center.  While Gracie and 
> I continued there, they built a larger place to accommodate more people 
> at a time.  While we were waiting for the ride home at the old place, we 
> met a lady named Delores Hakala.  We didn't see each other often, but 
> eventually she and I started emailing.  After we started going to the 
> new building, Delores made me aware that the attitude of the leaders and 
> some other members was getting sour.  So she and her husband and our 
> household stopped going there.  While Delores was looking for another 
> group to settle down with, I went with Virgil and Tabita to their 
> Romanian church.  I took my Victor Reader Stream there with things to 
> listen to while they had services in their language.
> 
> Delores had a knee replacement surgery, and we girls went to see her.  
> She lives just a couple of blocks from us!  She and I started visiting, 
> and we talked about minister to people who are in assisted living homes.
> 
> 
> 
> Then she found it; a small Assemblies of God church not too far from 
> where we lived.  Gracie, San Juana and I've been going there now.  It's 
> very nice!  I started playing my QChord there for worship, without 
> having to go through commitees/worship teams, and the pastor's wife 
> asked me to play for the offering just before service started.  They 
> have a nice piano, maybe a baby grand, which I played for that.  They 
> even let me play before service, even if just to practice for Christmas!
> 
> Although I've had some emotional hupheival when I was talking with 
> Delores and getting some emails that triggered it, The Lord is helping 
> me grow into a closer relationship with him and other believers, and 
> He's surely guiding me into more service through Him.
> 
> Delores started making lunch and meeting time with other women, and we'd 
> have fellowship and prayer together.  Sometimes I've been the only one 
> of our house, but all the girls in our house have taken part.  There is 
> a lot of interaction between Delores and us, giving and sharing. We 
> seemed to have formed a good friendship.  I've been to a nursing home a 
> few times with her.  She writes poetry, much of it inspired by God.  The 
> last time, I played Christmas music on their piano, and she read some of 
> the poems while I played QChord.  We want to do more of this, and 
> establish a support group for anyone in need.  She is putting a book 
> together of many works.  She's taken photos and put them with music on 
> DVD, and she and I are working on a CD with her narration and music that 
> I'd already recorded.
> 
> Women's aglow came, the second Tuesday of the month since last fall, and 
> I've gone with Delores most of the time.  There is another Christian 
> group called God's Girls.  They had me play for the Christmas meeting.  
> I plan to just go to Aglow.
> 
> Some of you may remember the hard time my dad went through.  He was able 
> to have the stomach tube removed, but there may be some scar tissue or 
> something sticking to the back wall of his stomach, which they want to 
> look at this Friday.  He's still on oxygen.  My mom has had back pain 
> for some years, and it's gotten so bad that not even lying on the floor 
> helps anymore, so she sits a lot with handywork and a heating pad behind 
> her.  I'm sure they would appreciate your prayers.  Thanks!
> 
> Well, I think I'll stop here.  I hope all is going well with all of you.
> 
> Sharon