The Faithful Four

Ida & Patience, Diana, Betty, and Catherine & Marikos

Yesterday was the first time I saw my reading class since July. Home assignment lasted four and a half months, and I was anxious to see my girls. While Tracy and I were in the States Beth Rice, a fellow teammate, met with them on Wednesdays to tutor them in reading English. It was great to see them again. In the picture to the left, they are holding a gift I brought them from my friend Judy Willard. Made of Bavarian glass, these bookmarks were created by Judy and her daughter, and sent especially for these women. Thank you, Judy!

Working with these ladies has been a joy and our relationships have deepened in the past two years. However, while on home assignment I began to question if I should be working with the rest of the APC wives as well. Initially, the reading class included ten women. But due to distance and different cultural issues, six had dropped out. These four have truly been faithful to the reading class, often walking for an hour to better their English skills.

In the weeks ahead Beth and I will be discussing how we can best serve all the APC wives. Because their husbands will graduate in November, we don't want to begin too many new programs. But, what we sense God leading us to do is begin a monthly fellowship time. Who knows, maybe we'll call it APC Christian Women's Club!