The Lord willing, Linda and I are planning on being in the States for about 2.5 months. We hope to depart Naples on the 13th of February and arrive in Orlando where someone will pick us up and take us on to Haines City. There, we will be centralized at my mother's house, and available on a limited basis to visit churches from the end of February thru April when we return to the mission field. Please contact us ASAP if you want us to be with you.

I absolutely need to be checked at the Veteran's Hospital in Tampa. That must be a priority, and if it's like last time I was home, I made about 17 trips there. It is also our desire to have new perscription glasses made for Linda while home, as well as the great need for new clothing.

If possible, it is our desire to visit several of my supporting churches in the SE USA while home. Marie - my daughter - and her family will still be there from their home in Wisconsin for a couple weeks until the end of February. Additionally, Linda and I also hope to see our son Joshua; he is a Marine at Camp Lejeune, but don't know how that's going to work out.

But, the biggest reason I'll be in the states is for mom -83- who has major heart problems. She just yesterday had a second stint inserted. The one she had done this past August has collapsed, but this is a different one altogether. She needs an additional stint inserted in a couple weeks as well. The bad heart valve that needs to be replaced isn't going to happen; the doctors say that her heart is in too bad a shape to replace the valve. I hope to see her soon.

I was raised in a non Christian home back in the 50s and 60s, but by parents that loved me and my brother. I trusted in Christ for salvation back when I was 13 years old because of some family friends that kept taking me, and encouraging me towards church. My brother was saved in prison while reading the Bible, and Mom has been a Christian since back in the early 1980's (I was a student at TTU) when she trusted in Christ for salvation, so that relieves my heart a whole lot. I sure want to see her again soon.

Yesterday (Thursday, the 19th of January), Linda and I resubmitted all the paperwork to the Italian government for the renewal of our Soggiornos, which is like a visa (Green Card). The Soggiorno allows us to live and work in Italy as missionaries. For yesterday's part it was Red Tape intensive, and cost us a lot of time, effort, and almost two hundred dollars. We have our renewal meeting at the Questura scheduled for February 8th which that will be another hundred and thirty dollars each. This is a two year event and, Lord willing, we will be approved. Please pray for this to go well.

The Lord has brought several good, godly, and faithful folks in this church and it should be able to be self sustaining for the period that we need to be away.