I also met with Pastor Tom Planck of Journey Church in Cincinnati. Tom and his wife were students at Anderson University, just a few years ahead of us; we haven't seen each other often since then, so we had a lot of catching up to do. It was great hearing his "journey" and more about what God is doing in their ministry. There's a possibility of Tom participating in an upcoming Three-World event, and I was to help him better understand the unique, diverse, and exciting ministries and opportunities in the Europe and Middle East Region.
Finally, I ended the evening with my Uncle Dick and Aunt Stephanie at their home very near to where I've been staying the past few days. I've not gotten to see or spend a lot of time with them since my grandmother's funeral in 2005. Their children, Sarah and Tyler, are both married now and Sarah has had her first child, and the first grandchild of the family. It was great just to reconnect with all of them around the dinner table and to get filled up with some very sweet desserts!
Nearly every meeting is done on this brief, and yet long, journey except one: I will conclude this time with some interaction with the Salem Church of God staff during their weekly meeting. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with different groups of this congregation. (I will get to see Pastor Bob, Pastor Nabil, and several from the congregation in August/September for the Lebanon Ana Terzo Camp and annual Heart for Lebanon Staff Retreat.)
And then, it's back to the airport. It's one last, short drive in my wonderful rental car--those who saw me during this trip saw that I got a premium rental for the same cost of an economy :) -- I felt no shame driving a Chrysler 300 around, especially since I spent more time in that car than I did at any single location, logging more than 2600 miles during this trip!
Though it's a short drive to the airport, it's a long trip home. I will take-off from Cincinnati at 3:55 pm on Tuesday, March 5 and not arrive at the Cairo airport until 6:55 pm on Wednesday, March 6 -- subtracting the time zones, that's 20 hours. But that still won't be home--another hour + to get through baggage claim, immigration and customs and then the taxi ride home. I figure by the time I begin driving to the airport and until I walk in and hug my family, it will take between 25 and 26 hours. One last long day!
So, today is part 1 of the long trip home, and today, I list songs in honor of my kids, whom I've missed and I'm looking forward to seeing:
For Grace, Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" :) I love singing this song with Grace because her dramatic, fun personality comes right out--it will soon be her turn to help me with dishes and she can be sure I'll be playing this for that reason!
For Titus, Foo Fighter's "My Hero" - I'm impressed with how well our kids face the various challenges of living in the overwhelming environment of Cairo. Each faces unique situations, and each has had to grow in courage daily. Titus likes this song and I hope he'll realize how much we admire his growing courage.
For Zeke, Jackson 5's "ABC" - I love that my kids have an appreciation for the "King of Pop" and Zeke has the flexibility and the craziness to potentially duplicate some of his dance moves :)
I love my kids, and I can't wait to see them soon and give them the various goodies we have for them.
But as I look forward to seeing my family in Cairo, there is a bit of sadness at the separation that will take place from our families here in the USA. There's an added sadness for which I also seek your prayers: my father, Bill Oldham, will have begin radiation therapy for lingering effects of prostate cancer -- a cancer we had believed to be completely removed last year through surgery. This treatment will be 5 days a week for 7 weeks. Please keep him in prayer for strength during this difficult time; pray also for my mother, brother and sister's family as they continue to encourage him through this challenging time. Praise The Lord--He is Able!
I look to upload the final post of this series from Paris tomorrow, the final stop on my way home.
Pic from yesterday (my uncle's family)...
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