He is still in the hospital, but he is doing well. They did a stress test on him today, and the doc said he did well. There is no damage to his heart, they are just working on keeping it regulated, and they are putting him on a blood-thinner. He is in high spirits, and looks forward to going home in a couple of days once they get his meds worked out.

Praise the Lord! And to those who prayed, thank you! :o)

***I forgot to add that my parents had planned to come down to Guatemala for a visit in a couple of weeks. We are hoping that Dad's health will be good so that they can still come! ***

It's been a long, busy day today, and I am just weary. Classes at the Seminary resumed this morning, and they always have a special chapel service on opening day. Our whole family got to participate. Daniel directed all the music, I played piano, and the children sang beautifully with us, "O Worship The King" and "He Hideth My Soul".

How those songs minister to me! They are precious old hymns that I learned growing up, because my family went to a good church where they sang them. Our hymnbooks never got dusty (tattered, yes, but not dusty), and I tell you, the exquisite language and rich Bible Truths contained in those hymns were written on my heart early in life.

I will take a humble old hymnbook over all those rock-music, vain-repetition, flesh-feeding "praise and worship" songs in the world.

My Dad was always my music director until I reluctantly left the nest. My favorite songs were songs that he sang. He led the church in singing hymns that minister to the soul and not the flesh, and many of those I can sing today from memory, verse by verse. Thank you, Daddy!

I guess I should get to the title of my post! My brother called me today to let me know that my Dad was admitted into the hospital. He and Mom had gone in to their doctor for a check-up, and they detected an irregular heartbeat from Dad's heart. They wanted him admitted in order to observe him and try to get his heart regulated, and that is all I know at this point. I would appreciate it if Christians would pray for Bro. Graham, my dad. Thanks so much!

And now, a couple of verses for you, Dad, from what we sang this morning (but in English :o)...

"A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, He taketh my burden away,
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day!

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand."

from He Hideth My Soul, by Fanny J. Crosby, 1918

And this one...

"O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His Power and His Love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with Praise.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In THEE do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender! how firm to the end!
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend!"

from O Worship the King, by Robert Grant.

I know, I know, your life is busy too! But that's my excuse for not posting in a week. Indulge me? :o)

We have been making preparations for the first Sunday meeting of the Iglesia Bautista La Esperanza on the 22nd. That's this Sunday. Woo-hoo!! Chairs and other furnishings are in place, and Daniel and Pastor Oto are building a wooden pulpit. Songbooks are being printed up, and I'm making up some visitor information cards to help us in our visitation. I still need to sew some curtains for two windows, as well as a couple of table runners.

It's all so exciting! It feels almost like preparing for the arrival of a new babe.

In the midst of this, we are also helping a church in Xela on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights while their missionary is in the States this month. And we continue our regular activities in the church here in San Juan on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

I told you we were busy! But there's nothing else in the world we'd rather be doing. Pray for the new work!

We had a good send-off for Hno. Eddy today, and many of the people prayed with him and had some words of encouragement. He has been a tremendous help to Pastor Oto and has carried much of the church's music program. He will certainly be missed! Early tomorrow morning, after their regular 5 a.m. prayer meeting, Daniel and a brother from the church are going to drive him to the border. Please pray for them as they travel, and especially for this single young man as he goes to the mission field of Honduras.

This is an exciting event, because here is a young church, planted by a missionary, organized, and carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) on its own. Here is a work that has completed the circle; it is doing what every normal church should do - reaching out to the world outside of itself! Praise the Lord! This is the desire of every church-planting missionary.

When one climbs onto their Daddy's lap, they all want to take a turn, or they just all try to pile on at once! We sure miss Daniel, and look forward to having him home again this week. Please pray for safety as he travels through Mexico.

This dear little girl is the baby of Pastor Jaime and his wife Maribel. She was born with fluid on her brain - enough to make her head unusually large. Please pray for her. I do not know exactly what causes this, nor how they hope to correct it, but Jesus knows! May the Lord give the doctors and surgeons wisdom, and comfort her family, and provide their every need.

My dear husband has come home to us, and it has been a wonderful afternoon! He brought some nifty souvenirs from Panajachel, the tourist town by the lake up there, and some mp3's of the wonderful preaching he and Joseph enjoyed this week. I can hardly wait to listen to them all! But first we have been swapping stories of things that happened this past week. Joseph was a blessing to his Dad, and I am so glad they had the one-on-one time together at the camp. There was an elderly (but active!) couple there who had been in Central America helping build a church building. They travelled down in their RV with a Spanish-speaking guide, and were now needing to return to the States. They asked the brethren if one of them would be able to guide them back up through Mexico. Daniel felt led to help them out, so he is planning to leave for the border on Monday.

This evening we received some bad news from family in the States. Perhaps I will be able to share it here in the future, but for now, if you are a praying Christian, then please pray for our family. The Lord has got to work a miracle, or two souls will be lost! The timing of Daniel's trip to help that elderly couple, could not have been more perfect, as he will be able to minister to the family, however briefly. Thank you for praying! I will keep you posted as I am able.