Little did we know when we posted a month ago, how much we would be looking at "Home" though the eyes of my Mother. Yesterday, she left her apartment in Lancaster County under the power not of big black iron wheels of an Amish carriage powered by the draw of a horse, but by the power of other wheels, black, but not so big, of her wheel chair. In a moment, just one moment, she left one home and was escorted upstairs to a new one where she will receive necessary care. The old apartment was now messy from the uprooting and packing of the days before. The new one awaited with most of her favorite things in place, neat and in order and lovely. But soon I suspect, she will be moving again - this time for her real Home. She is looking forward to that day and asked me if it was sacrilegious to say, "Whopppie!!" at the thought. No, not at all!

Keith had shared with her on Sunday the gist of the sermons he had the privilege of sharing at Westminster these last two weeks (www.westpca.com). As a visual aid, he had drawn a pair of eye glasses with the bottom half darkened; the kind used in therapy at times with autistic children, forcing them to look up and out and around, rather than just down. Likewise my Mother appreciated the reminder of our focus on the unseen reality, living today with an eye on Eternity. Paired contrasting words in the text (2 Cor. 4: 16-18) - inward/outward; wasting away/renewed; slight - encourage us not to lose heart!

momentary/heavy eternal; seen/unseen! To "fix" is to see with concentrated attention! So we fix our eyes on Jesus as we wait with her to be with Jesus - at just the right time!

Our March trip to the Philippines will now probably be our fall trip to the Philippines! In the meantime we have much work at hand with Barnabas and are scheduled to be teaching the final class on the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course in Florida in April, challenging the attendees to "broaden their perspective and to understand the teamwork that is necessary for us to do the work God has called us to do well." We did make it to Israel for a delightful time together with Jonathan and Jennifer and three of our grandchildren. More to come on that....