In Wenatchee...

Well, Dulcy and I (and the kids) pulled out of the parking lot at church Sunday night at 8:30, and headed north to visit her family in Washington State.  It wasn't my first choice to drive through the night, but all things considered, it wasn't a bad idea.  We drove until about 3am, and then I had to stop and sleep a bit.  We got back on the road around 4:15, and kept going.  We pulled into the Carlson's driveway around 1pm.  It was a good trip, but boy, oh, boy is Oregon empty!  Highway 97, which runs north from I-5 in California all the way through Oregon and straight into Wenatchee, is one of the loneliest roads on the face of the earth.

My father-in-law and I took Michael and David fishing today for King Salmon on the Columbia River here in Wenatchee.  Michael caught a 22 lb. one, and David caught a 22 in. one.  They had a great time, and it was a joy to see them having such a  good time.  

While we were out on the river, I caught two phone calls I wasn't expecting.  I got a call from Pastor Rushing to tell me that the pension check from Korea came in today.  Praise the Lord!  The second was a call from Costco there in Concord, trying to schedule me for a job interview.  I knew this was going to happen...as soon as I left town, I'd get a call for a job interview.  Well, I explained to her that I was very interested in interviewing for them but that I was out of town, and wouldn't be back until Saturday morning.  She said that she would call back on Saturday.  Please PRAY that if this is where God wants me that they will call back.

Tonight we're going to be feasting on the fruits of the boy's fortunes on the river today...grilled King Salmon!  Can't wait, either, 'cause I'm hungry since we didn't really have lunch today since we were on the river and all.

Well, that's about it for now.  I just wanted to let y'all know that the pension check from Korea had arrived, since I had asked prayer for that.

In His Service,

Sam, Dulcy, Michael, David, and Katherine Healey.  

In California...FINALLY!...Part Two.

It's been about a week or so since the last update, not counting the emergency update about my sister. Speaking of which, in case you didn't recieve the update about her that I forwarded to some of you, here's the latest that I've recieved from my Dad:

"Brittany had an MRI and ultrasound yesterday and records, images & lab results were sent to U of Md oncologists for a second opinion.
Though not all materials have been received & reviewed, yesterday's tests indicate that the original diagnosis may be erroneous. There is no indication of any tumors or cysts and the endometrial (?) tissue appears normal. A physical exam and new tissue sample are scheduled for Aug 4th. (Delay required to allow her to heal from the latest tissue sample). We're thankful for this news, but are quite bewildered at the specificity of the original diagnosis that led them to conclude it was stage 3, regional lymph node affected, tumors are 4cm, possibly inoperable, etc. Please share this praise and continue to pray for Brittany and her doctors.
I'll provide further updates as results unfold. Thank you so much for responding to our need with love, prayers, and emails."
Jack, Barbara & Brittany Healey

So, please continue to pray for Brittany. This latest news is most definitely encouraging, but the ordeal is not yet over.

By way of update, our car is at the body shop as I type. Indeed, this was supposed to be the last day it was to be at the shop, but I fear the repairs may take longer. But praise the Lord, we aren't having to pay a dime to have it fixed, or for the rental car in which they put us. God is good!

As far as how other things are going here in California, I'm very happy and pleased with our new ministry at Bethany Baptist Church. The people have all been incredibly loving, receptive, and supportive. Pastor Rushing has been a tremendous help and encouragement. God is blessing in my preparations for and leading of the worship services in church. And the area is simply beautiful, with many things to do and in which to take part. Dulcy has remarked many times how much it already feels like home (after only a month). God is truly confirming His call to us for ministry here time and again, and we praise Him for that.

That's not to say that all things are peachy, so to speak. Our faith is still being tested by some things that we had hoped would be resolved by now, and those are our chief items for prayer requests. Probably the biggest one right now concerns the pension money from the Korean Government that I was supposed to recieve upon our final departure. It was to be mailed to us in check form, and was supposed to arrive by July 30th. Well, here we are on the 29th, and it hasn't yet arrived. I've contacted the school's business manager, to see if she could double-check everything on that end, but have yet to hear back from her. It's only been a day since I emailed her, so I expect to hear back from her soon. But this is a rather large prayer request for us, as we were planning on using some of that money for enrolling our kids in school ($1000 for all three kids), and the first month's tuition ($860 for all three kids). So, unfortunately, until that money comes in, we are at a stand still with our kids' educational needs. Please PRAY that the money will come in very soon. We are going to visit Dulcy's family next Monday through Friday in Washington State, so it would really be good if it arrived today or tomorrow.

Moving on, another thing that we hoped would have been resolved by now is supplemental employment for me. The last two schools that I had as possibilities haven't yet come through. One of them would cost us up to $360 a month in gasoline alone because of how far away it is from where we live. And the other is still deciding on whether or not they are going to hire a new teacher. I am going to be contacting the one further away today, simply so that no stone is left unturned. In the meantime, I have begun putting in applications at other places, too. So far, I've applied at Barnes & Noble, Target, Toys R Us, WalMart, and Borders, and I plan on applying at the Post Office, Sears, and hitting a bunch of places at the mall today. The only problem I forsee with these secular places of employment is that I don't believe they will provide enough income for sending our kids to a Christian school. So, please PRAY that God will guide us as He already has in finding supplemental employment as it has direct bearing on getting our kids' educational futures lined-up.

While these two requests loom rather large on our emotional radars, we are increasingly confident that this is where God has called us. Pastor and I have been going out door-to-door two days a week for the last three weeks now, and have made some really decent contacts. It is a joy to work with Pastor Rushing and the others here at Bethany Baptist. There is such a strong love for God here, and a desire to see His Kingdom grow in our area. Dulcy is enjoying having a house to call home. She just remarked yesterday of this, and stated how much she loves having a house. And for the first time in a long time, I have an accountable, mentoring relationship with another Godly man. This has been an incredible source of encouragement for me, as I can share things with Pastor, and ask questions, and now that any response he gives is in love and confidence with no other agendas attached. Not that any relationship I've had in the past wasn't so, but I know that to be the case now, beyond the shadow a doubt. Pastor has taken me under his wing, is teaching and discipling me, and encouraging me in the ministry. I could not have hoped for more.

Well, I should be getting to the list of things I have to do today. this was one of the items on that list, so I am making some progress...:) I only have eight more things to do...:( But it is a joy to be in the service of The King!

Until Next Time...
Sam, Dulcy, Michael, David, and Katherine Healey.
Mark 10:45

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST...

This isn't the update I was expecting to be writing today, but it's much more important than what I had planned, anyway.

I just recieved a message from my Dad in Maryland that I needed to call them immediately. This is the first time that has ever happened, so I knew it was important. So, even though it was 11:30pm here in CA, I called him.

My family just found out today that my little sister, Brittany, has been diagnosed with 2nd or 3rd stage cervical cancer. At least, that's what I think he said. He was pretty groggy as I woke him up in the middle of the night. I know the '2nd or 3rd stage' part is right, as he said that multiple times.

The doctors had been watching something for the past few weeks, and it wasn't until today that they were able to determine that it is cancer.

Both of my parents are taking this news very hard, as can be expected. My older sister, Carrie, is thinking about taking a leave of absence from her job to go live with my parents, and help take care of Brittany through all this. She's a specialized nurse who graduated from Johns Hopkins, so the thinking is that she would be a good person to have with Brittany through all of her appointments and such.

I will be staying put here in CA for the time being. If her condition worsens, I will more than likely be looking into going there. But for all our sakes, I'm praying that won't be the case.

Please PRAY that God will see fit to heal my little sister. PRAY that God will grant the specialists she will be seeing next week increased wisdom and clarity of thought as they examine her case. Please PRAY that God will send an extra measure of strength, faith, and courage to my Mom and Dad. Please PRAY that Brittany will face this new foe bravely. She has a 1-yr.-old son, Bryton, and I'm sure this is a scary time for her.

Thank you for petitioning the throne of grace on all our behalves,
Sam.

In California...finally...PART ONE.

Well, I apologize for taking so long in posting another message to my blog, but it has been somewhat of a whirlwind since we safely landed in San Francisco. Pastor Rushing has been completely flexible with allowing us to become acclimated with our new atmosphere here in Martinez. The first couple of weeks didn't really incorporate many hours at church working, except for leading music and one opportunity to preach during the worship services. But this last week we went out and pounded the pavement on a couple days going door-to-door. We had a few good leads from that, so please PRAY that those we have talked to, and even some of those with which we just left brochures, would come visit the church, and find us to be the friendly, serving church that we are.

The flights over here from Seoul ranged from interesting to rather comfortable. The kids were entirely well-behaved for the most part. Michael was especially helpful as he just kind of jumped in when he saw we needed help with something, whether it was carrying something or just doing something with Katherine to get her to settle down. The most interesting part was when we landed in Beijing. Health and safety officials boarded our plane, dressed in full hazmat gear, and conducted temperature tests on all the passengers. Apparently, they were still on high alert for the H1N1 Influenza virus. Anyway, it turned out that a couple about two rows in front of us were registering a high temperature. So, they made everyone sit on the plane for around 45 minutes while they processed this couple. It was an exercise in patience, to put it lightly. Some passengers were quite upset about having to stay seated. One gentleman actually tried to leave, but eventually agreed to go back to his seat.

So, after we were allowed to exit the plane we were able to get through all of the checkpoints, take a quick bathroom trip, get a drink at one of the stores in the airport, and make it to our departing gate just as they were beginning to board passengers. So, we sat down and rested as the line dwindled, and were among the last few passengers to board. This flight, while it wasn't as well equipped as the one from Seoul to Beijing was nice enough. Fortunately, the in-flight videos were shows that the kids enjoyed, and that helped keep them occupied for the most part. They, and Dulcy and I drifted off to sleep a few times, watched videos or played games while we were awake, and generally had a rather relaxing flight. Praise the Lord!

As we exited the baggage claim area in San Francisco, we were met by Pastor Rushing, most of the deacons and their wives, and a couple other member families of Bethany Baptist. They were all waving American flags, and saying, "Welcome home, Healey family!" It was quite the greeting, to be sure, and something none of us were expecting. We loaded our luggage into Pastor's truck, and we were driven home by the head deacon, Lavoy Byars, and his wife, Mildred. When we arrived at our new home, everyone from the airport was waiting for us. They showed us around our new home, and I was amazed. The church family had donated enough furniture so that we needed nothing...indeed, there was even some furniture in the garage that they couldn't fit inside the house. And on top of that, our refrigerator, freezer, and pantry were all chocked full of groceries. We just made our first trip to the grocery store (to actually buy some groceries) two nights ago, if that helps you comprehend just how much they had bought us (and there's still much left of what they originally supplied). But there were still more surprises to come. After we had seen most of the house, Pastor Rushing led Dulcy and I upstairs to where our bedroom was to be, where we found Dulcy's mom and dad hiding in wait to surprise us! Well, the tears began to flow, of course, and I was so happy to see Dulcy so happy.

The next day, Pastor took Dulcy and I to the DMV to get our driver's licenses. I barely passed the written test, and Dulcy wasn't as lucky as I. But she has sinced passed the test...and to be fair, we were still jet lagging, and Dulcy more than I. So, then Pastor dropped us off at home, and we practically jumped right back into our car, and we went to set-up our bank account. We didn't have all the information we needed to set up the account, and Dulcy wanted to go shopping with her mom and Katherine, so I dropped them off at...you guessed it...Wal-Mart, and I went back to the house to get the rest of the information I needed to set up my account at the bank. After setting up the account, as I was exiting the parking lot, another driver backed into the side of our car, leaving a significant dent in the front passenger-side door (WELCOME BACK!). The driver admitted fault, and was apologetic. We exchanged information, and she immediately reported the incident to her insurance company that afternoon. We are still waiting to get the car fixed, as we haven't been given the full go ahead by the insurance company. But it has been inspected and the damage appraised. So, please PRAY that the insurance company gives us the go ahead soon.

Well, I think this is long enough as it is, so I will close this, and write its sequel either tonight or tomorrow. Thank you all so much for all of your prayers throughout this transition. We are incredibly grateful for them all.

In His Service,
Sam, Dulcy, Michael, David, and Katherine Healey
Mark 10:45

2 days and counting...

Well, it's Sunday afternoon, and the family is all at home resting. This morning's services at church were good. Sunday school was the last installment of a Bible study in Acts, and I brought a message in the morning worship service on the importance of good communication within and without the church. This evening one of our trustees will be preaching, and his messages are usually interesting.

After church tonight, we're going to head home, and get the rest of our packing done so that we won't have to worry too much about it tomorrow. Tomorrow already has a lot in store what with closing off accounts and finalizing bills and all. In addition to that, the bus drivers at the school are going to be moving most of the rest of our furniture out tomorrow as our apartment has to be vacated by Wednesday. By tomorrow night, I'd imagine that all we'll have left in our apartment is our king-sized bed (which is currently in our living room so that we can sleep under the ceiling fan in there...it's been REAL hot lately), the fridge, the oven, and the washer. Still a lot to be done, and very little time in which to do it.

A huge praise for us is that we found someone to take our cocker spaniel, and the family that has agreed to take him are real dog lovers. So, we know that he's going into a good situation, and will be well cared for in the future. This is a tremendous weight off our shoulders. We were ready to take him to the shelter on Camp Red Cloud, but really didn't want to, as his future would have been rather bleak had we been forced to do that.

Pastor Rushing and company have already begun moving the furniture that was given to us by various members of the church into our home. We're both very excited to be moving into a house. It'll be the first we've lived in since being married 12 years ago. The closest we came to living in a house is a duplex in Pensacola, Florida.

Well, not much else to report at present. Just keep us in your prayers as we still have much to do...but we're sooo close!

In His Service,
Sam, Dulcy, Michael, David, and Katherine Healey.

T-minus 8 days and counting...

Well, we have entered our last week in Korea. It's hard to think that this is true...but we're excited to be moving on. Our 7.5 years in Korea have been such a wonderful adventure full of learning experiences. God has taught us so much, and we're excited for what's on the horizon.

We've been able to use Google Earth to look around our new neighborhood a bit more in detail and we're looking forward to all the little things that there are to do around our new home. There's a waterfront park with walking paths, picnic areas, etc. just a few blocks away. The old-fashioned down-town area is even closer than that. There's an Amtrak station nearby, too, with trains that run north and south along the coast, and a couple others that run east. I'm sure we'll be venturing further than our neighborhood, but it'll be neat to have some things to do around the area.

David stole my thunder on Father's Day, this year, as his birthday fell on the same day. We had a good time at church in the morning where I had the privilege of preaching in Pastor Vasel's absence. I brought a message from Colossians 3 targeted at the Dads in the congregation as kind of a charge to do the right thing in their households. After church, we took David to Toys 'R' Us for a couple presents and lunch out. Then after the evening service we were invited over to my director's house, The Freel's, for an enchilada (!!!) dinner, which was totally a cool thing, and a great time of fellowship, during which we cut-up a cake, and sang "Happy Birthday" to David. It was a great day altogether.

Summer school is coming to a rapid close...too rapid for some of the students. Two students have already finished all their required assignments, but three are still working away. PRAY that they will get as much work done as is possible and pass.

Tomorrow, I'll be sending an application to Tabernacle Christian School in Concord, CA. They're looking for a 6th Grade teacher. PRAY that God will guide and direct this process. I have also been contacted by another, much smaller school that is looking for a teacher, too. This school uses the ACE curriculum, and it would be a one-room schoolhouse situation in which I would be teaching my kids and seven others. Please PRAY that God will continue to guide and direct our path.

We are not going to be able to take our cocker spaniel, Rollie, back to the States. From what I read online on the airline's website with which we are travelling, I thought we were going to be able to take him. I called to double-check, though, and because we are flying through Beijing, they won't allow us to take the dog. We've looked into transporting him on a different flight, but that solution had about a $900 price tag on it...not possible at all. So, please PRAY that someone will take him off our hands. He's a tremendously well-behaved and mature dog. One couple has shown a slight bit of interest, but we've not heard if they've made a final decision, yet.

Finally, continue to pray for us as we begin final preparations for leaving Korea. We're going to call a used furniture salesman tomorrow to have him come look at some of our furniture in order to possibly purchase some of the items. We've sold or given away much of our stuff to teachers that are remaining, but there are some other things that we purchased brand new out of which we'd like to recoup some money. We could use a little extra cash here in the next couple of weeks. PRAY that he would be willing to buy a lot and give us a fair deal in the process.

I'll do my best to post at least once more before we depart. I'm hopeful that it won't take too terribly long to get our internet set-up once we arrive, but I know that could take some time. I'll post again as soon as I can.

In His Service,
Sam, Dulcy, Michael, David, and Kathrine Healey.
Mark 10:45

Housing Secured!

Well, as the title of the post denotes, Pastor Rushing and company have secured a house to rent for our family. This is a huge answer to prayer! It's in an older part of town, he says, but that's not a big deal for us at all. We're just happy that we have a place in which to move as soon as we arrive. The picture is of the house itself. The trees kind of obscure a lot from street level. In all, we're pleased.

In other news, Clara, Pastor Vasel's daughter, has made a full recovery! All the tests they ran showed that she is perfectly fine. The doctors said that she had suffered a severe febrile seizure, caused by an abrupt rise in body temperature. She and her parents were able to return home yesterday afternoon. Thank you on Pastor Vasel's behalf for all your prayers concerning Clara!

Summer school is in full swing, now. The first day went rather slow, with most of the attendees seemingly still in shock that they had to be there. Today, however, they buckled down and got to work, with all them taking at least one of their tests, and a couple taking two. Some of these students have a lot of work to do over the next couple of weeks. Please PRAY that they will do their best and better.

Not a whole lot else going on right now. We feel like we're kind of in a holding pattern right now. There are only a few things left that need to be done, and all of them are small in comparison to what has already been accomplished. But please do continue to keep us in your prayers as those final doo-dads come together.

In His Service,

Sam, Dulcy, Michael, David, and Katherine Healey.