Gift For Christmas

 Mom and I were a little late to the Berean office this morning not arriving until 9:30 am. When we arrived everyone was already hard at work. Skip couldn't come today and neither could Shirley L so we were a little short handed. Marvin worked at the computer entering studies and Bible request since Skip was missing. Kathy and Leila were the readers. Shirley, Ray and Vonnie worked on opening the studies and mom worked on stuffing envelopes. Bruce ran the postage machine along with labels and studies. 

Once the studies were finished Ray went out to wrap Bibles.

Joan came to take studies for grading. She also hands them out to other volunteers each week. We so much appreciate the volunteers that are willing to grade these studies. 

We  had a lot of mail today so have a lot of studies to grade.  We also had 37 Bible requests which were filled. The Bibles were mailed out at the Hanna City post office along with the next set of studies for everyone that returned a study this week. We sure hope those Bibles make it to the prisoners on our before Christmas. What a gift that would be. 

A Hard Journey

 We got home too late last night to post about our work at the Berean office Tuesday. When we arrived there were already plenty of volunteers hard at work.

Skip had come early and had the coffee done and the mail sorted. Everyone went right to work. Below are a few pictures.

Once we were finished we gathered in the first room around the table. Bill read Psalm 46 and then told us about his cancer journey. We know God is in control and we know God is always good but sometimes when there are no answers here on Earth, we are tempted to ask, "Why". None of the many doctors have been able to treat Bill's cancer. It is extremely rare and now it has become painful. Bill read Psalm 46 (the refuge Psalm) at Magdalena at a wake, after a horrible death of a mother with 4 children and now is clinging to this Psalm when the pain of cancer is bad.  You see Bill and Joan adopted those 4 children one got married this year and 3 of them are still living with them. Below is a picture of Bill and Joan's family with their children and grandchildren.

Please pray for this precious family, pray for peace, pray for healing but most of all pray that God will be glorified during this cancer journey. 

Prayers

 We didn't have a lot of mail as the Thanksgiving holiday slowed down the mail getting to the prisoners. We still got a lot of work done in a short amount of time. At 9:30 am Marvin's alarm goes off each Tusday to remind us to pray. Today the camera was left running while Bill prayed. We are reminded how short life is. Please pray for Bill. He doesn't complain but he is now in pain from the tumors. 

There doesn't seem to be anything the doctors can do for him. He has such a rare cancer that not even Mayo clinic have been able to help him. Below Chuck is applying labels to envelopes so we can send the next set of lessons to the prisoner. 

Benj and Skip were in charge of entering and printing out the labels. Benj also did the certificates today AND ran the postage machine as Bruce was not able to come.

Mom has a new job today. She was putting folded studies into the business reply envelope.

Below Vonnie, Shirley, Bill, Chuck and Aunt Jinnie are all working on studies.

Marvin, Benj and Kathy were kept busy in the other room. Kathy writes letters to inmates while Marvin and Benj were working on an advanced study.

We were happy with how much got done today and very thankful Bill is still able to come in to help. Today he took a call from a prison in Texas that asked if we could send Bibles and studies directly to the chaplain. Bill got those all ready for mailing and those were dropped off at the Hanna City post office today along with the other Bibles requested by individuals.

Make Our Day

 Aunt Jinnie, mom and I took the wheel chair to van to the Berean office this morning. We had a good group of volunteers and really got a lot done. Below are a few pictures of the morning.

Above and below Marvin put a new battery in the clock and was hanging it getting it just right.

Kathy hard at work answering letters.

Chuck was running the postage machine when it froze up. Marvin turned it off and back on again and it worked.

Skip and Shirley are working on Bibles while Shirley and Aunt Jinnie are working on studies.

Skip, Shirley and Aunt Jinnie.

Below Marvin is holding his phone with a picture of me working at this office. 

This was at 9:30 am right after the prayer.

Marvin's phone has an alarm set and goes off at 9:30 each Tuesday morning to remind us it is time to pray.  We pray for the inmates and for this office.

 Shirley read us an encouraging letter today. 

Those letters really make our day. 

Love Tuesdays

 There was snow this morning, Skip arrived at 8:00 am to start the coffee and saw the mail had already arrived along with a pecan pie.  With the snow falling thick he told us when we arrived that if no one else could make it in he was going to have get the pie! We had a decent amount of mail today at the Berean office filling 29 Bible requests but 100 Bible studies came in to be graded. That kept everyone busy.

It was cold outside but warm inside with plenty of work and fellowship. We sure love Tuesdays!

Busy Berean

 We had a good busy day with everyone helping at many of the different jobs. Below are a few pictures of the morning. 

Below is a video of just some of the jobs.

We are very thankful those who come to serve.

A Good Work

 I'm back after missing 2 weeks of volunteering at the Berean office and was pleased to see they had kept up with all the work. When mom, Aunt Jinnie and I arrived they were Vonnie, Shirley and Justin were already hard at work preparing Bibles for mailing. In the other room Leila and Marvin were reading letters while Bruce worked the postage machine and Benj and Skip worked on the computer. 

Mom and Aunt Jinnie went right to work on envelopes while waiting for the first batch of studies to be processed on the computer.

The address stamp mom was using was running out of ink. Below Bruce is working to fill it.

Once the first batch was entered and the labels printed Aunt Jinnie finished processing the studies.

Below she is filling the second envelope with the prisoner's next batch of 4 studies.

Once those envelopes were sealed they were put in the pile for mailing.

Bill arrived to help with what ever needed doing. He shared the news that he is traveling up to Mayo Clinic tomorrow so please pray for Bill that the doctors there could find a treatment and start it soon. We don't know why Bill is going through such a hard time but he really does covet your prayers. We are praying for complete and ultimate healing.

Below Aunt Jinnie is filling the intermediate studies while Justin works on Bibles and Vonnie is folding the studies to be used next week.

Below is a short video of some of the work.

We were pleased that 75 Bible request came in today. The Bibles were loaded into the back of the wheel chair van and we dropped them off at the Hanna City post office on our way home. A VERY good morning's work.

Those Who Serve

 We had a busy morning at the Berean office. That busy morning was a blessing for the Berean volunteers from the start to the finish. 

We had 30 Bible requests today filled. Below Skip, Vonnie and Marvin are working on the Bibles while Chuck is finishing filling the studies and then sealing the envelopes. Shirley is working on filling the intermediate. Not pictures is the other Shirley, she was filling the basic studies, Kathy who was busy writing letters and Bill who was working with the postage machine.

Below is a short video of the morning.

Those who serve are such a blessing both here AND in the prisons, when the Bibles and studies arrive. 

Growing Requests

 Our mail was a little different today, there was more request letters than Bible studies for the week.  Beth came to help mom with her job.

Shirley and Vonnie worked on the studies. Leila and Skip were our readers until Marvin arrived, then Skip worked on the computer entering Bible studies and Bibles

Marvin has to look up all the problem letters on his computer.

When the Bible requests were all entered and the address labels printed out Skip and  Leila worked on getting the Bibles ready for mailing.

We had 30 Bible requests today.

We finished before noon today. Next week we will need to spend some extra time wrapping Bibles as we used all we had ready from last week plus needed to wrap another 4. We are very glad the requests for Bibles is growing.