Today’s update will be brief. Things are very busy this time of year for everyone. 1. Saturday, we drove 6 ½ hours up to the tip of the UP of Michigan to visit Janean’s uncle Chuck. We had a great time but then we had to head right back after church on Sunday. It was a short trip, but all the driving made it feel two days longer.
2. While we were up there I received a message that my Aunt Sherry, who is back in Milwaukee, had been placed in hospice care. She has been in a battle with cancer for well over a decade and she’s been the toughest person I know as we’ve seen here fighting through all the treatments. She and Hannah also shared a strong connection with their “knitting.” They were two peas in a pod when it came to that craft. We are leaving shortly to go and visit her. 3. We heard of a woman who accepted God’s “Gift of Life” after reading a Hannah Story Pamphlet. God had been working in her heart through various other means to draw her closer to Him, and this pamphlet was a part of her coming to an understanding of her need to accept that gift. It’s a wonderful thing to be used in this way! 4. On the subject of the Hannah Pamphlet, we received our Spanish translation back from Carrie the interpreter. She is extremely busy but has completed the translation for us. We are very thankful for her help with this. This whole journey that God has placed us on with Hannah’s “tragedy” has been surreal and it’s also been something that He has done through the help of so many different people. We do feel that a great burden of responsibility has been placed on us with her passing, and we are trying to do “our part” as best as we can, but we can also see that God uses lots of people, working together, to accomplish His plan. We are only part of whatever He is up to in this. Often it seems that God uses the most underqualified people to accomplish His plans, and we are no exception to that. He likely does this so that everyone understands that He is the one behind the endeavor, not the people that we see, and the “success” is because of Him and not them or us. But He does send helpers along the way, and we are thankful for that! After a few friends have “proofread” the translation, we will send it to BPS for printing. Lord willing, this Spanish version will be able to help reach the hearts of so many who don’t know English. Bridging the language barrier was Hannah’s purpose in minoring in Teaching English as a Second Language and we are excited to see what God will do with this tract. 5. Thank you all for your attention and support. Sometimes this does seem like this is a very lopsided relationship because we just write things and post them, but we don’t actually see most of you. Your notes and letters are very encouraging! Thank you all for your love for our daughter and you support of us and whatever God has planned through the story of Hannah’s life.
We are blessed.
Hannah Helps 