Back to School

Well, hello again from Israel. The summer was certainly a blessing. I got to spend a lot of time with my family which was exactly what I needed. Can't believe how fast my nieces and nephews are growing up. The oldest is now 20 and the youngest 4. I'm not sure when that happened as I'm sure I'm not getting older! :)

There were a lot of adventures this summer: I got to help with the church's July 4th picnic which was a lot of work but also a big blessing as the people who helped were so encouraging and great to work with. We also had a free hot air balloon ride at church which was a huge amount of fun. We stayed tethered in the back parking lot of the church but what fun to experience the freedom of flight in a balloon! Christopher and Alexander went up with Mom and I. It was an amazing experience.

We got to go to a wave pool/water slide with Amy and Susan's kids which was a lot of fun and later helped to celebrate Dad's 75th birthday. We also had a chance to have a surprise birthday party for Mom. It's always fun to surprise her even though it doesn't happen very often.

During the summer, a friend from church, Bob Bacolas, got me a job at the local Safeway. I worked in the bakery packaging bread and other goodies - it was hard on the diet but a lot of fun. I enjoyed the folks I worked with and it was definitely a break to not think about school for a little while. One of the tasks I was responsible for was baking french bread at 4 and 5 p.m. When it came out of the oven, I then had to wander around the store saying "Hot french bread". It was embarrassing but it sure smelled good. :)

I also was able to participate in the women's retreat at church. I'm not usually a person who enjoys doing all "girlie" things but the retreat was really a blessing. My friends Debi Benedict and Tammy Noble asked me to help with the singing. It was a stretching time for me but God as always proved faithful. Those ladies have become such an important part of my life in such a short time.

Another fun thing I got to do was to go to the Running Y resort with my best friend Betty. It was such a blessing to get to spend a couple days just relaxing and visiting with her. When we came back to Central Point, we were also able to go to a Casting Crowns concert with my nephew Christopher. That is one of my favorite groups and it was a huge encouragement to hear about the opportunities they have had for ministry this past year and to hear their music. What a wonderful time of praise and worship!

I got back to Israel about 1 1/2 weeks ago and am now studying the respiratory system. The first week we learned about the physiology of the system - what is the function of the lungs and how does the body accomplish this function. It has been interesting but quite challenging. This week, we've moved on to the different diseases that can occur in the respiratory system. The lecturer this week is one of the doctors who interviewed me before I was accepted into the school. He really is a good teacher and I've enjoyed learning from him. He wrote an article entitled For Everything a Blessing. I'm adding a link to the article as I think it is something that you will enjoy. It definitely touched me - it's always good to be reminded what we're doing here. It's about the patients not just learning to be medical technicians. Anyway, the link is: http://www.daat.co.il/daat/kitveyet/assia_english/prager.htm

Well, I need to get back to studying. For those of you who are praying, I do have a couple of specific requests: 1. I'm having trouble getting my phone and Internet access reconnected. Please pray that this will happen - soon! 2. Please pray that I will be diligent in studying and that I will be able to understand the things that I need not only to successfully complete the course but also to be a good doctor. 3. Please pray for my friends the Moyers as Mel passed away this past week.

As always, thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. You are a blessing and never forget that this endeavor is a partnership!
Blessings,
Peggy