Dear praying friends,
I apologize for being so late with this prayer letter. Thank you all for praying for us faithfully.
Matthew’s surgery in San Francisco on July 10 went well. We won’t know the long-term results for at least a few months and more likely for 1-2 years since nerves re-grow at a very slow rate (1 mm per month). His incisions are healing well, and we are thankful for good physical therapy for him here in Kansas City.
Please pray that the nerves will grow successfully and that he will be able to regain movement in his shoulder and upper arm. Pray also that the prosthetics company will get clearance from our insurance to pay for a prosthetic lower arm and hand for him. Please pray that our insurance will cover that, as well as all the remaining hospital and doctor bills.
Matthew celebrated his 22nd birthday and Ariela her 9th. It was a treat for Ariela to be living in Kansas City for this year’s birthday so she could have cousins and friends over for her party.
We visited my (Todd’s) mom and dad and are saddened to see how their health is deteriorating. My sister, Tracey, has been doing a great job caring for them, and now that we are in the States, we will be able to help a lot more. Arrangements are in place now for them for in-home care so they can stay in their house. They are at a place in life now (at age 82 and 81) where they need a lot of assistance managing finances and various aspects of meals, hygiene, house and yard work, etc.
We visited Pam’s parents in the Dallas, TX, area. Because of COVID, we were not able to go into the memory care center where her dad, Mal, lives, but we were able to see and talk to him through the window. It was nice to see him smile and to sing hymns with him. It was also lovely to visit Pam’s mom, and her sister and children while we were in Dallas. Our kids enjoyed hanging out with their cousins there.
Kirsten had orientation at Calvary University, and next week begins early college classes. These count for both her high school and college, so they are a fantastic way to save time and money for her education. She has her driver’s permit, and I am teaching her to drive.
Our belongings arrived from Croatia. Thank you for praying for that huge undertaking!
Daniel is enjoying friends and is very creative and talented. He’s pictured here with a pocket knife he made for a friend entirely on his own from raw materials!
Ariela is quite the reader and was thrilled to get her own library card, and also to earn a free book through the summer reading program.
Due to COVID, I’m not sure when I will be able to get back to Croatia to meet in person with the Bible translators, but we are tentatively thinking of October. All the translators and I continue translating, each from our own homes, syncing our work using the same software. I am currently focusing on Luke 24 and Matthew 1 in all five of the Roma languages and making plans to meet with the translators by Zoom as soon as possible (an earlier Zoom meeting checking Luke 18 is pictured here).
Thank you all for your love, prayers, and financial support!
Todd & Pamala
(Matthew, Kirsten, Daniel, Ariela)