The ear an issue once again - in US til January 2008

This is just a quick communiqué to all of you on my email list including those who have not known the events of the past month. The main thing to communicate is that my ear has once again become an issue. A week before returning home to the States for my “proposed” month’s stay, I developed a bad ear infection. At least during that final week in Romania, I managed to complete my two courses, take my finals, get started on antibiotics and get on the plane for home. I arrived back on October 2^nd.

Since being home I enjoyed traveling with my mother and visiting family in California and Oregon from the 9^th – 20^th. (FYI - flying is not an issue since I have a hole in my ear drum anyway.) I have been under the care of my ear doctor for this infection during this time and since the ear is not healing as swiftly as expected, I will be extending my stay here in the States. I expect that I will stay here till after Christmas and return in January.

So now I will have a little more leisurely time to visit with many of you and to rest and get this ear healed, not to mention to be here to enjoy the holidays.

Looking forward to what the Lord has in store during this time.

Article about the Romanian Hearing Project

The Hearing Journal published an article about the Romanian Hearing Project entitled "Good Samaritans of hearing care cover the world to help those who cannot hear". It appeared in their August 2007 edition.

You can go to this link to read it (you may need to copy and paste it onto the web address field):

http://www.audiologyonline.com/theHearingJournal/pdfs/hj2007_08_p21-29.pdf

Trip to Poland with a Rental Car

Forget summer, fall is here and my down comforter is already back on the bed!

This is just a quick update to let you know that after finishing two courses in August I took off for the IT Conference in Poland. The opportunity to drive there with Kinga, a Romanian missionary in Turkey, in a rental car made it a great, sight-seeing adventure. Along the way, we visited northern Romania called Maramures, where you can find bride’s dowry trees which have colorful pots hanging on them (an old tradition) and a “merry” cemetery where all the tombstones have pictures painted on them in colors and tell a story of the person’s life. Spent a night in Debrecen, Hungary and then drove through Slovakia and on to Ustron, Poland just over the Czech and Slovak borders. The trip was like going from the Appalachian Mountains (Maramures), across the plains (Hungary is totally flat) and on to the Rocky Mountains (Slovakia has tall mountains like the Alps), within the span of only a day and a half. Beautiful vistas! The only thing different is the roads – it is like going across the US on back roads, like the old Rt. 66 or the Skyline Drive. No highways as yet in Romania or Slovakia and in parts of Hungary, so it makes for a little slower driving (don’t tell them that, they drive fast!).

While in Poland, we were able to visit Auschwitz and Cracow. It was my first time visiting a concentration camp – something I had always wanted to experience, but nothing can ever prepare you.

Got back to Cluj August 21^st and was catapulted into two more courses (about 200 pages of reading a week and that is only for one course!) and seeing patients at Petros. There are 3 more weeks left in these courses and then I will be heading home on October 2^nd for a month in the States. Please pray with me for endurance and discipline to “stay the course” with these studies. Thanks! Hoping to see many of you when I am home.

Homestretch of Two Courses and Travel to Poland Planned

Here is a quick update with a new email address. Hard to get used to new electronic things for those of us born before 1980!

In the homestretch now for these two courses – only another week to go with a boatload of assignments. Glad that the Petros Clinic is closed for summer vacation so that I can dedicate my time to finishing well.

Afterwards, I have two weeks off and will be heading up to Poland for an IT conference. I hope to be able to rent a car to drive there and finally get used to driving in Eastern Europe. Pray for traveling mercies. Will also be fun to explore some of the countryside.

Mike Webb is over here with his daughter, Anna, for a week as well. As most of you know, he was the fellow who started the Romanian Hearing Project in 1993 for three years. Pray I don’t talk his ear off – no one here in Romania really to talk “audiology” with over here. And, he understands in ways few do. I promise a picture that he really exists.

In September, back to seeing patients and will take two more courses. Then will be home in the States in October for a month. Hope to see some of you then.

Hope you are having a wonderful summer.

At the Rear Window!

Anyone who knows me well knows I love old movies. Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Rear Window, oftentimes comes to mind as I work at my computer studying and writing (sometimes all day!) in front of my rear window hearing all the activities surrounding me in the nearby apartment buildings. No, no one is getting murdered! In the discipline of studying, the hardest thing for me is keeping my fanny in the chair! The writing and processing take loads of time which has consumed all my free time! Only one more week left in my second 6-week course! Just 14 more to go with two week pauses in between!

I have been busy as well organizing at the Petros Christian Free Clinic and seeing patients there on Wednesdays and now Fridays. After seeing patients all day and speaking only Romanian with them, I arrive home pretty much brain-dead. For now, the pediatric hospital is on hold until autumn when the docs expect another doctor to arrive who will specialize only in audiology and in developing the new department there. I will then be able to share my knowledge with her. Please be in prayer with me – the $20,000, specialized piece of equipment that was donated to the project in 2004 is broken. Please pray with me that my computer guy, Attila, can fix it. Thanks!

Also, since Easter much has progressed in regards to my Mom’s transition from her home of 51 years into retirement living. Her house sold last month and the closing will be on June 20^th. She moved yesterday to an apartment in Annapolis in walking distance to my sister Cynthia and her husband Dave and I heard that everything went very smoothly. A wonderful praise! Plus the house is even cleared out. Miracles! Please pray with me for her adjustment and comfort in this new stage of her life. Grateful to you all!