Heading to the other side of the Pond!

The hour of my departure is quickly approaching! I will be leaving on Thursday, Sept. 10th at 6PM. Every day here in the States has been very needful and necessary for health, vacation with family, rest, business development for the new initiative of purchasing hearing aids, personal fund-raising and equipment-raising, and last but not least, for my own new hearing aids. Ask me about my new, cool Bluetooth hearing aids. I can talk on the phone through them!!

Incredible things have been accomplished in my 4 months – I will be leaving with 23 new hearing aids (half of them were purchased through the charity concert at my church, COS, the other half through donations directly to the Romanian Hearing Project). I have also been able to develop business relationships as a 501 (c) 3 umbrella’ed under International Teams with many hearing aid manufacturers. Also, a husband and wife team has graciously offered to help me set up a website, so stay tuned for that. Which country do you think her family comes from?? You got it – Romania! Health has improved as well – my thyroid is now better balanced and my sleep has improved. Praise the Lord for both of those things. I was also blessed to be able to go to a nutritionist while here to build up my immune system.

It was great meeting with many of yous (Philly speak for the plural of “you”). For those of you considering supporting me in this ministry or increasing your present support, NOW would be a great time to start. I appreciate you all for your partnership with me in this ministry. The next time you hear from me I will be on the other side of the “pond”.

Whirlwind of summer celebrations and travel!!

There has been a whirlwind of activity since arriving in the US on May 14th – graduation in Philly on May 22nd, a terrific graduation party the same day here at Linda’s. Then on May 28th, I left for 3½ weeks of travel to visit family – a week in Spokane visiting my father for his 84th birthday (he is doing well), then 5 days with my sister, Margaret, and her family in Salem, OR, and meeting my mother there, then flying with my mother for 2 weeks in Hawaii to visit my sister, Barbara, along with an aunt and uncle and a cousin and his wife who joined us there. Hawaii was beautiful – snorkeled every day and saw many fishies with wide-mouthed grins and turtles galore.

The latest scoop is that I will be staying longer in the States – until September 10th. Over the last 3 years, the Lord has wondrously provided for me since my last fund-raising in 2006, most particularly in the last 2½ years during my doctoral studies when I would not have been able to dedicate the time. Currently I have lost some support and now need to spend some time in personal support-raising AND for some equipment-raising, particularly for hearing aids.

Now that my non-profit, “Asociatia Pro Audiologie”, is fully established in Romania, I will be able to initiate a new model of dispensing hearing aids by purchasing low-cost hearing aids as well as continuing to dispense donated hearing aids. To start this new thrust, “it just so happened” that my church, Church of the Saviour in Wayne, PA, had a charity concert on June 26th which sponsored the Romanian Hearing Project and raised $1000!! This gift will purchase some of the first hearing aids for this new initiative.

During my time here, some lovely folks at COS have offered use of their cars. I still have need of a car for my extended time here past July 23rd. If you happen to be vacationing during July 23rd to Sept. 10th and have need of some “car-sitting” during that time, please let me know.

Hope you are having a blessed summer and look forward to seeing many of you.

Graduation Day at Salus University!!

Graduation Day was May 22, 2009 in Philadelphia. Here is a look of exultation which reminded me of a picture taken when I was five years old. See if you can pick me out in the picture.

The Scoop on soon-to-be Dr. Trish!

Here’s the scoop! Coming down to the final lap of the home stretch of all these studies – have already scheduled my comprehensive exam for April 24th and that is only 22 days away!! Ten more days with these last two courses and then STUDY, STUDY, STUDY for the comprehensives on April 24th and I AM DONE!!

A treat that will be happening during this time as well is that Mike Webb is coming for a visit with his wife and his two youngest kids arriving this coming Tuesday until April 16th.

A special prayer request is for health (fighting a cold, or possible sinus infection, right now!), strength, perseverance discipline and brain cells. I praise Him that He has given me great health and strength up to this point.
Looking forward to seeing many of you when I am stateside from May 14th to July 23rd.

Happy Spring Season of Christ’s Resurrection! We have power to overcome because of His Resurrection Power!

To my Cheerleaders - THANKS!!

Two more courses were finished two weeks ago and now we are coming to the culmination, the final stretch of my doctoral studies – the final two courses were started this week. I have already gotten up twice this week at 3AM to attend my “virtual” classrooms online. I will surely NOT miss getting up in the middle of the night when finished! The task of doing these two challenging courses looks impossible and overwhelming at times but I know the Lord has called me to this and has given me the power and strength up to this point and He will do the same in this final stretch. I just have to stay at it and take it one baby step at a time. This session will be finished on April 12th and then I have to take a comprehensive exam before leaving to go home on May 14th for graduation on May 22nd in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and Audiology which is now called Salus University. So, appreciate your prayers that I accomplish everything well before leaving in May.

I plan to be in the States for two months until July 23rd. I hope to be able to procure some more hearing aid donations while home. I have not been able to dispense as many hearing aids as before but I believe the establishment of the non-profit is the correct way of doing things so I pray some blessings will ensue once that is established. Thankfully I can say the paperwork is finally going forward. I am working with a lawyer and I would say that we are about half-way to establishing it. Isn’t that a praise!?!? Then I will be official.

At the Petros Clinic, I saw a poor fellow yesterday who has a hearing loss similar to mine all of his adult life and has never worn hearing aids. I can certainly relate to his situation. It is only by God’s sweet grace that I have good hearing from great hearing aids. We’ll give him, and his family, a new lease on life next week with one hearing aid in the hopes that I can give him another soon. And, at the pediatric hospital, I am thrilled to announce that the equipment there is now calibrated!! You don’t know what that does to an audiologist’s heart!!

Thankful to you all. You have been my cheerleaders in accomplishing all these things.