I made some new friends today. I spoke on the phone with Gary and Trudy Gregory, friends of my sister Hope and her family. They are planning an auction and setting up a bank account for donations to help with medical expenses. I love these people! I can't even imagine the staggering costs of a week of hospitalization, plus surgery, plus another few weeks in a rehab facility.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 2, from 1-5 p.m., and plan to attend a silent and oral auction at the Halsey Mennonite Church. They are seeking donations for the auction, so if you would like to donate something or are connected with a business that would donate, they would love to hear from you. Call the wonderful Trudy at 541-491-3529. She would like to have everything by February 15 so she can get them cataloged and numbered. She said many local community and church friends are already on board to help.
Hope and her girls ran the Shedd cafe for about a year in 2009-10, and their family is loved and respected in the community. Brian is a self-employed cabinet maker who is well known in the area for his fine craftsmanship.
My schedule has prevented me from making the trip to Springfield to visit her for two days, so I have no first-hand information. I was surprised to get a text from her last night asking if I had called our cousin in Salem. (She had directed her daughter to send it to me.) So I quickly called the cousin. I haven't heard news of any significant changes in her condition. I'm looking forward to visiting tomorrow afternoon.
The bank account is in the process of being set up. My new friends will let me know the details when it is up and running, and I will keep you posted with how you can donate at any Key Bank.
This brings to mind the stories my mom told of how God provided when she had a mastectomy in in 1968. She had two surgeries and spent two weeks in the hospital. Many people and churches sent love gifts, and my parents had received $620 to pay toward the bill when she checked out of the hospital. A few weeks later, a family visited and brought $360 from their church, which paid the remaining hospital bill of $358.75. (My dad was a self-employed mechanic, and they had no insurance.)
A few days later they received a check for $590 from another church. This paid the doctor bill of $500. More money came in. Mom was physically unable to continue using her wringer washer, so the remaining donations allowed them to buy a new automatic washer.
Two months later, they received an $80 check, then $110 from a Sunday School class in another state. They wondered why God was still sending money. When Mom went to the pharmacy to pay the bill a few days later, it was the highest it had ever been - $59.19. The next week, she finished her Xray treatments and got the bill for $128. Can you do the math?!
She wrote all this down, and added that they were encouraged through this difficult time as God continually kept his promise to supply all their needs -spiritual, physical and material.
I am excited to see how the same faithful God will continue to supply all the needs - spiritual, physical and material - for Hope and her family as we continue to pray and ask for His help and healing.
"My God will supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
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