YMKTB, Friends, Locks . . .

Delta Airlines kindly returned this old and lonely traveler to his lovely and highly missed Sandy. Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia again suffered my presence. Why visit those venues? Alabama was the sweet home for the union of Brandon Harris and Lacey Fry. They gifted me with the opportunity to participate in their wedding. And what a wedding it was – absolutely beautiful. Indeed, the couple and the families were moved to tears of joy. It was that grand an occasion.

No small part of the joy was reuniting with former members of the Pearl Harbor congregation. The McCoy’s, Courtney Swain (who had wonderful news to share), the Hardy’s, the Gibson’s, Rebecca Carter and her daughter Emily, the Fry’s and of course, the Harris family. It was a union reunion!

Sunday it was on to Tennessee. There Bob and Joann Taylor kindly and bravely put up with me for an extended stay (or so it surely seemed to them). The alleged purpose of the visit was to sort through the contents of our storage room to send worthy items to Georgia for sale. Problem: I did not have a key to the storage room. A greater problem: The storage company irresponsibly sold a highly technical and effective lock to a technically incompetent and ineffective soul – me. The lock defied our bolt cutters. The manager called in her manager and they made no greater headway. So their maintenance and lock wizard was called up from Atlanta. On Thursday the lock was cut and Bob and I sorted madly through the “treasures.” The next morning and after a stressful search we located a truck, loaded it and I was on my way to Frank and Ercy Deal’s peachy Georgia home.

Fay, the hurricane, provided the in transit entertainment as its winds rattled the large, lightly loaded and kite-like truck and its frightened driver. God blessed me with a safe journey and I arrived in Peach Tree City in timely fashion. A blessed group of volunteers quickly unloaded the truck. Frank Deal, an airline pilot and perhaps the world’s most thoughtful heart was not present. Ercy, her wonderful mother-in-law, Ida, and Ercy’s two daughters provided me with a warm welcome. The two Miss Deal’s are a delight.

In Tennessee God blessed me with the honor of gathering with several of the families who participated in the oversight of our Philippine mission effort. Far too much time has past since we last gathered together. The prayers were heartfelt and sprinkled with tears. It was an amazing gift to be among these dear saints.

Perhaps the highlight of highlights was a lunch spent with John and Nancy Mitchell. There have been times when the Mitchells served the Terrys as the shield of last resort. They have always been there for us and shared with us the encouragement of their remarkable faith. John is having a tough struggle bouncing back from a kidney transplant. At the same time Nancy is caring for her mom. She has a double dose of rough duty and yet she conducts herself with admirable grace. What a lady! Please take this splendid couple before the throne of our Father often and with passion.

And now for a crass commercial message: As Sandy highlighted in her last blog entry we are moving to serve the congregation in Brandon, England. If you desire to read more about this effort please visit philsandyterry.org. Paying homage to full disclosure, our move is a bit of a mission effort and the website does contain an “opportunity” to assist us.

We're moving?

Yes, I know. The fact of moving should come as no surprise to me. But the fact is, I've been in denial and have diligently avoided all details of the impending detachment from what has become home. Well, I can no longer deny the reality - items are starting to disappear from closets, cubbyholes, shelves while the stack of boxes in the aforesaid closets, cubbyholes and etc are beginning to - well, stack up!

I've also noticed, very observant person that I am, that two rooms have veritably disappeared from view under a deluge of open boxes, bins, stuff to pack, and other related minutia. How did all this happen outside my line-of-sight? It's a mystery! Or perhaps it has something to do with the state (or country) of denial in which I've been living.

Blindness no longer seems to be an option. The moving stuff has moved into the living room. Right in my sight every single time I walk into or through that room. There is crate in the middle of the room. How can I believably NOT NOTICE that? It's impossible!

So, yes. We are moving - mid-October is the target date for our actual departure from Hawaii. Although I will dearly miss friends, family, tropical weather and many other aspects of living here, England is beckoning with friends, family, non-tropical weather and many adventures. Thank God for his blessings, even in the midst of the disarray. We ask for your prayers for safe travels.