Saying Goodbye

Several weeks ago, I made a concerted effort to contact a good friend, Ron Baker.  He had sent me an email saying he was praying for us after Glenn's recent heart attack.  I tried several days by email, skype and texting to connect with Ron.  
No luck.

Finally on Friday morning an unfamiliar voice answered the phone.  It was the neighbor across the street.  Sadly, she announced that Ron had had a heart attack the day before.  She handed the phone to Marcia but she was still very confused and very much in shock.

Several days later, Ron died.

My memories:

• Ron was one of 3 team leaders in 1977 when I travelled with 50 other young people  through Mexico and Central America 
• He teased me constantly
• I got iPhone lessons and learned about his favorite apps
• Ron had genuine concern for the Guatemalan brothers with whom he worked
• You could count on him remembering important dates in our lives and the lives of others. He would contact all of us by a phone call or note
• Joking, teasing, laughing
• The Bakers helped me survive a 2 week experience of Wycliffe Bible Translators' Jungle Camp in southern Mexico
• Ron had a tiny mustache comb he would pull out and use to get a laugh
• He certainly had a big heart for people
• Ron and Marica were always together and would often be color coordinated
• He had genuine love for others and especially his sweet wife, Marcia 

  

Last year, we had a team meeting with the 3 new families who were heading to Guatemala.  We invited Ron and Marcia to join us at Spring-Creek Bar-B-Que to share his Guatemalan experiences with the "rookies". 

Ron was constantly telling me that I had such a cute grandson.  So back in June, I took my mom and 2 year old David to the Bakers' Mesquite house.  David loved meeting his new friend.

I am thankful for

• Ron and Marcia's 35+ years influence in the Stewart family
• Their ministry with Camino Global (formerly CAM International and Central America Mission) 
• Most important, his BIG, BIG heart that he had for God, the folks with whom he served, his family and for his friends....and he had a LOT of them.

 ~J

Family Heritage

 Several months ago, we got an email from a long lost cousin.  She was wanting information about the Stewart side of the family.  I tucked the email away back in the corner of my mind.  Then, upon arriving in Southern California, I remembered her mailing address was near San Diego.  We started corresponding again and on our last day in the Los Angeles area, we connected with Marilyn.

Marilyn's grandfather was the brother to Glenn's grandfather.  Get it.  I think that says "Second Cousin".

Marilyn has done extensive research on the Stewart side of the family.  Her mother had boxes of information that helped her in the research.

Glenn's grand father.

Do you see the Stewart nose?

The West Coast Has Some Beautiful Sunshine

Our 2 week cruise came to an end in California.  We made the most of it by visiting friends we hadn't seen in over 3 years.  

We enjoyed reconnecting with Pamela and Gary again.  Thinking we hadn't seen enough of the water, they drove us to Huntington Beach to stroll along the parkway, witness a beautiful sunset and celebrate my belated birthday by tasting some 'to die for' fish at Duke's Restaurant.  (Also famous for its location in Hawaii.)  They also blessed us with their Jeep Liberty to drive up to Fresno and around Southern California.  Thank you Gary and Pamela!

We were blessed to spend some time with dear friends, Ken and Mary!

And to top it off, we did some letter-boxing with Mary.  She had planted one within walking distance of her house.  What a treat!  Ken even gave us a mini concert on the piano.  We are so blessed to have these friends who love us, care for us and counsel us along our life journey.

An added bonus was having lunch with Lois and the Seifords, retired missionaries from Camino Global (formerly Central America Mission).

 

We connected with my "OLD" youth director from Northwest Bible Church days.  Thank you Mark and Jeannie for your support over these 30+ years.   

And finally we saw Tom, who served with us in Bolivia 25+ years ago.

As I think about the people God has placed in our lives, I smile as I see and think about how just our Southern California friends have blessed us in every chapter of our lives.  We knew Gary and Pamela from Moody and Foster Ave Baptist Church days, Ken and Mary from my Practical Missionary Training days, Lois and the Seifords from Central America Mission days, Mark and Jeannie from high school days and Tom from our years living in Bolivia.

Cool.  We are blessed.
~J

My Favorite Port Part 3 of 3

We sailed to a new port I had never heard of Huatulco, Mexico in the state of Oaxaca.  There were homes hanging on the cliffs in this beautiful port town.

Again, we walked through the town, got a taste the local culture, sipped on some local coffee and watched the people.  We found a taxi driver who took us to a cobbler who repaired and polished Glenn's dress shoes, all for 4.00$

Our next stop was Puerto Vallarta.  We took a taxi into town and then the public city bus back to the dock.

While Glenn was getting a haircut, I sat in the lobby and connected to the internet.

...and my favorite port of call was......Cabo San Lucas...

And my favorite shots:  Reflecting on a relaxing time.

Thank you Jesus for new life and another new day.

~J

Celebrating my Birthday Part 2 of 3

On Oct 20, we were out at "SEA". We had a relaxing day of walking the deck, reading, cross stitching and taking a nap.  Then we had a birthday party with a couple we met on the ship from NY/FL and a single gal from Jamaica/FL with cake and all.  The attendant even decorated our stateroom.

We had stops in Costa Rica and Puerto Chiapas, Mexico (on the Mexico/Guatemala border).

I loved this sunset the best!  There were rain showers off in the distance.

Part 3 tomorrow.

Doctor's Orders Part 1 of 3

While visiting Glenn's cardiologist in Guatemala City earlier in October, he wrote out a prescription for Glenn.  "Caribbean Cruise as soon as possible". And we always obey our doctor:).  Thanks to a dear friend that generously gave to us, I was able to find a "last minute" Panama Canal Cruise - 14 days. 

We had stops in Cartagena, Colombia.  It is a colorful town.  Hot.  Friendly.  Glenn was there back in 1976 on his bicycle ride.  It brought back memories for him.

4 days after leaving Miami, we had a day long transit through the Panama Canal.  Magnificent!  It has wonderful technology and it was educational.

It took approximately 8 hours to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Did you know?

• The canal is not just a “path” of water between the two oceans. There are a series of 6 locks in two parallel tracks that raise and lower ships between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
• The canal runs North and South, not East and West.
• Each vessel has to pay in cash for their transit.
• The locks are gravity fed. (the Pacific is lower than the Atlantic and the Gatun Lake which is the primary part of the transit is about 80 feet higher than the oceans)
• A cruise ship pays over $200K in cash, well in advance, to enter the canal. You pay the same amount whether you go completely through from one side to the other other or turn around in the middle and go back the way you come in.
• The lowest toll paid was $0.36 and was paid by Richard Halliburton who transitted the Canal swimming in 1928.
• “A man a plan a canal Panama” is a palindrome. Check it out.
• There are no pumps on the canals. Valves allow water to pass from the higher elevations to the lower ones by power of gravity. The water accumulates in man-made lakes produced from tremendous amounts of rainfall.
• Ships do not simply sail through the canal. They are aided by tugboats and are guided by electricity-powered “mules” attached to the ship with cables.

I love the Panama City skyline!