Dear friends,
Thanks for taking time to keep up with our story. It is turning out to be an interesting story to follow! All went as planned and we had a wonderful time camping with our friends and family. Then we celebrated Father's Day with Greg before Allison, Jenni and I headed for Seattle. I wondered how many times we would be traveling that road in the process of moving to Seattle in the next few months.
Kidzana
The girls dropped me off where I met up with the others going to the Kidzana training on Whidbey Island for the week. We ferried across and stayed at the amazing and beautiful home of a lady who shares it with groups like Kidzana for retreats like ours. We worked hard all week. We "tested" 24 curriculum lessons by reviewing and teaching the lessons to each other. We were looking at content, transitions, how well we could imagine them working overseas, etc. We also had wonderful fellowship and enjoyed some walks on the beach of Useless Bay. When the tide is out it the bay empties.
I am very excited about the opportunity I have with Kidzana. What a great fit for me! One thing that came out during our planning times, is that Sylvia (the founder and president to Kidzana) feels that my gift of networking is something unique I can bring to the ministry. She asked me to pray about going to a conference in Singapore in September focused on the 4/14 Window.
4 and 14 are the ages between which children are the most open to accepting the Gospel. Reaching them during those years is an opportunity to take advantage of. There are ministries from all over the world gathering at this conference for training, strategy and sharing vision about reaching the children of the world for Christ. I would be going to meet and network there, since personal relationships are often ultimately what brings ministries together to cooperate and get the job done. My connections with Partners International's partner ministries in the 10/40 Window, opens doors for relationships, training opportunities and reaching and discipling children. I am already planning to go to Asia in October for 2 weeks of training. Then in January-February for Greg and me to go 2 other countries in East Asia to do other training.
Wedding plans!
Allison and I spent the weekend working on wedding plans. We found a venue (the Rose Hill Community Center in Mulkeltio), bride's maids dresses, decorations and figured out invitations. We were busy! On Monday I went with Allison to her nanny job. She does an amazing job! The boys, 18 and 3 months, are adorable. I had fun helping out but understand why she is tired at night! Greg and I went from there to our time with visionSynergy.
A job...or maybe not
Greg and I met with the visionSynergy staff on the 28th as planned. We loved connecting with the staff, sharing ideas and exploring the possibility of Greg joining them. That evening Greg received an invitation to come on staff. We were all very excited. He stayed for 2 more days of meetings while I came home. We even found a house we were interested in. On Friday Greg was told that due to a reference that had come the day before, they wanted to rethink the job offer. He was told they would let him know in a week.
At the end of the week the decision was made to discontinue the idea of Greg working for them. They discovered that they are looking for someone with a different skill set from Greg's. We believe in vS's ministry and are very grateful that they discerned that Greg was not the person for the job BEFORE we uprooted and moved across the state. We are actually excited that if the Lord shut that door, He wll open another. How clear He was in communicating that He has a different plan for us. We need to move back to a total support based model immediately and we have set up a ministry account with Allegro Solutions in TX. The Lord is good and will take care of us. We are in a position of complete trust financially and as we discern just what our next steps are to be. We thought the job issue was all figured out. We were 100% sure! But it wasn't. Isn't this exciting??!! What a ride this life of faith is!
Stay tuned as we figure out next steps. We have 26 empty spots in the town houses we own for Moody Bible Institute students. 10 are filled. School starts in a month. Financial ruin lurks around the corner, but do you know what? GOD IS BIG AND HE LOVES US! He has never let us down before, and we have no choice but to trust Him. Let's see what He does.
Mom and High School
I leave in the morning for northern NJ and then upstate NY. First my 35th high school reunion. I have never been to one before. A real adventure. I was planning to go to my 30th, but had chemo instead. Then to see my mom for the week. Greg and Adjua will hold down the fort without me this week. Thank you to Adjua who let me use her computer since mine is in the repair shop for 14 days so far!
I hope you can enjoy the ride with us! Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com gregoryfritz116@gmail.com 509-990-8465.
P.S. Let us know if you'd like to join our ministy as a financial and/or prayer partner!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thinking a lot about Seattle!
Dear friends,
Jenni, Allison and I had a fantastic time with Jesse in Monterey over Memorial Day weekend. He took excellent care of us. We saw Cannery Row in Monterey, the downtown and beach at Carmel- the town that is the most dog friendly town in the USA and probably the world. Very interesting and pretty place. Here are my road trip buddies. They did most of the driving. Early in the morning we found ourselves in the middle of the redwood forest. Here are my "tree hugging" girls!
Jesse took us to Big Sur on Sunday after church at Shoreline. Big Sur was gorgeous! The only wildlife we saw on the beach was a skunk! Big Sur was so amazing there is no way to capture it in a few pictures, but here are a couple to give you an idea.
Jenni, Allison and I had a fantastic time with Jesse in Monterey over Memorial Day weekend. He took excellent care of us. We saw Cannery Row in Monterey, the downtown and beach at Carmel- the town that is the most dog friendly town in the USA and probably the world. Very interesting and pretty place. Here are my road trip buddies. They did most of the driving. Early in the morning we found ourselves in the middle of the redwood forest. Here are my "tree hugging" girls!
We were excited to see Jesse at his house which he shares with several others. He is only 2 houses from the Taylor St. gate to the Presidio, and so is able to walk to work.
We were joined on Saturday day by Heng Hua- our dear friend from Taiwan we met in Denver 6 years ago, and have maintained contact with. She lives in San Jose now and Jenni and I stayed with her on our way home. 
After our day at the beach, we headed back to Jesse's. Here is a statement our our times...All of us with our laptops- including me! Since I got home, Jenni, Greg and I all got i phones for $20! Now I am learning how to work mine. Fortunately Jenni, Greg and Adjua are all good at teaching me how to use it.
Jesse had a huge Arabic exam after we were there and didn't do well on it. He couldn't be studying any harder- at school all day and evenings and most weekends as well. We have been asking the Lord to help him with his Arabic studies and keep him in the course if it is where He wants him. As long as Jesse is putting his all into it, he and we have confidence that the Lord is in this. He has been assigned a personal tutor for the next 3 months. If he does poorly again they will decide what it next- another language (French?), or something else. He said he will be there for a while longer- 6 months or so- regardless. We would love for you to pray for Jesse. He is already an interigator.
After sending Allison back to Seattle on a flight, Jenni and I went to LA. When staying with Karen, we got to see a humming bird nest outside her window. Here is a picture. Notice the size of the pencil next to it! They have since hatched.
Jenni visited with her friends where she worked in Huntington Beach last swummer, and I visited with friends/supporters in the LA area. I really enjoyed seeing so many friends. I also had lunch with Greg's potential new boss who offices out of Pasadena. The actual office is in Seattle.
I realized that it has been too long since I have seen these special friends. We got to meet a new supporter on the way home in San Francisco and visited another family before Jenni and I drove all night to get home. We decided to make a memory and drove through a redwood tree!
Our Transition Update
It seems at this point that the Lord is steering us toward visionSynergy in Seattle. This is almost a finished decision. We will be making a final decision in the next 2 weeks. The Lord closed the door on the TX ministry, and the decision was clear. Thanks for praying. We are excited about the fit for Greg at visionSynergy and are having an interview on the 28th at the office in Seattle. They want Greg in the office without commuting, so we will have to be creative in handling this move. While there for the meetings, we will look at houses. The office is in Edmonds. We have to sell our house in Spokane. So we would appreciate prayer as we work on all this. We also have to find a new family for Adjua to live with. Pray for packing, selling, finding a house we can afford which is also big enough for ministry & hospitality, good-bye's, hello's, etc. Transition is just HARD. But God is BIG! I will have to depend on Him completely. We also know now that we need to find a place for Allison's wedding in Seattle most likely!
Next Week at a Kidzana Training Conference on Whitby Island
After camping this weekend with Jenni, Adjua, Allison and our friends at Priest Lake, Jenni, Allison and I will head to Seattle. They will drop me off to go to a training for the week. We are going to be trained on the updated curriculum. I will be training in Asia in Oct., Lord willing, and early next year in Indonesia and India. I hope I can absorb all that I need to learn. My training mentor for Oct. will also be there as well as friends from Denver. I will hang out with Allison until Greg comes to Seattle for the house hunting and meetings. So I am packing for 2 weeks currently.
Going to My 35th Reunion
I am putting together flying miles, a visit to my mom and my 35th high school reunion. I am looking forward to my first HS reunion ever. I have started making connections with some I will be seeing. That will be July 14-22. And this in the middle of moving, etc. What am I thinking??!! But that is when this came together.
My right knee is the one that has the spur and is hurting. I will get the shots at the end of June. We will be going on Cobra for at least 3 months. That will enable me to continue on with my same plan for this transition time. We are still trying to fill 30 spaces in our MoodyBible Institute housing townhouses here in Spokane. Pray that we would get them full since we really need to have them full to make our finances work.
Well, I need to get to bed and then packing for these trips tomorrow. God bless!
Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Transition update and California here we come!
(My Mother's Day Flowers from my kids!)
Job Update
Greg went to Houston today to meet with one of the ministries he is very interested in. He needs to see them face to face to figure out if this is a match or not. We have been asked by another ministry if we would be willing to move to Seattle. And there is another one we heard from as well today. I think by next week we might have more of an answer regarding what the next step will be. We are grateful for these options that are exciting and strategic. Moving isn't that appealing, but we could if we had to. These opportunities cover a gammet of fully supported to paid to mixed. Please join us in praying for discernment as we make this huge decision. We are officially done at Partners June 30th.
California Trip Thursday- Tomorrow
Tomorrow Jenni and I go meet Allison at the end of work at 4:30 and head for Monterey to see Jesse for the weekend. He has 4 days off and we are all excited to get to have time with him. On Monday morning we will take Allison to the airport to fly back to Seattle, and Jenni and I will leave on Tuesday morning for Los Angeles. Jenni will visit the friends she lived and churched with last summer during her internship, and I will visit supporters. Then we plan to drive back to Spokane the following Monday (June 6th) for 2 days. We would appreciate prayers for safety in travel and to be able to make connections with family and friends along the way. The oil in our Toyota Yaris is changed and new windshield wipers are in place. We are looking forward to this adventure.
Health Update
I have lots of news here... My sore left knee is hurting because of a bone spur on my knee cap. I will get injections at the end of June-beginning of July in both knees. Not steroids, but a material that pads the joint. That helped for 6 months last year and should relieve the problem at least until after China. My oncologist urged me to do what I need to to keep myself moving and not let bad knees stop me from exercizing. My knee is popping, but not all the time.
I saw my surgical oncologist last week. She went over my PET scan, followed up with an ultrasound and everything is clear! I had my annual appointment with my oncologist this Monday and she explained that the right side of my chest is getting smaller because the chest wall is pulling tighter due to the radiation there. The actual TRAM flaps which are primarily fat tissue from my stomach, are basically immune to the radiation. There is nothing to do about the assymetry. So she prescribed a small form I can put into one side of my bra which makes me even. My clothes fit much better now, and I am very grateful! What great doctors!
My neuro stimulator for my bladder is working fantastically. No problems at all. Another praise. I am so grateful to the Lord for providing relief for this problem. I really don't even notice it working much at all. I tried turning it up and turned it back down after I was feeling it too much. All went well at the airport. I went in the scanner where your hands are over your head. That is the safe one for devices like pacemakers.
A Travel 'God Moment'
Greg and I traveled to Jenni's graduation. As we were getting on the plane in Spokane, I heard someone say, "Nancy!" I turned around to find Karol Evans, one of our supporters and a dear friend, getting onto the same plane traveling back home from Spokane where she was visiting family. After the plane took off, she and Greg switched seats and we talked a mile a minute the whole way to our layover in Denver. We were thanking the Lord for this divine appointment. To be on the same airline, same plane and at the same time. What are the odds outside of God doing it? Amazing!
Jenni Graduated!
Jenni is now an official mecanical engineer! It was an outdoor ceremony and rained. Indoors would have been very hot in the gym and Laura Bush spoke, so the crowd was huge. Here is Laura Bush.
Anyway, it was a special time. We helped Jenni move out of her dorm and had a picnic under a pavilion with Jenni's France friends and their families. (France girls below) Greg and I had a nice visit with Dr. Linda Christie, who is a Grove City prof of Laura's who has become a dear friend of ours over the years.
Greg thought it would be smart to check out the housing market and see if she could invest in a house rather than renting. The short story is that she is in the process of buying a small house in Forest Hills! It is skinny and tall and includes a separate apartment which she will be able to rent easily since she is close to 2 universities. She will also get a roommate to share the rest of the house with her. The Lord seems to be opening this door for her. We are shaking our heads amazed at the amazing deal and how all has gone smoothly so far. We hope it all works out with inspections, etc. She is excited to set up her own home.
Laura is doing well. She put on a conference in England for Musahala recently. It went well and 150 people attended from all over the world. She is back in Israel now.We are still trying to figure out where Allison should get married since we don't know where we will be next April.
So there is the update. Email me if you have any questions that I didn't answer with this. I am going to sleep and finish packing. We had our first humming bird yesterday! God bless you. Nancy Fritz 509-990-8465 nancyfritz@aol.com
Monday, May 02, 2011
Transition continues...
Greetings-
I left you with a cliffhanger the last time so I will fill you in....
Neuro inplant went great!
Greg and I arrived at the hospital at 10:00 as we were told to a week ago on 4/22. Well, I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since midnight, so as time kept passing, I felt more and more wilted. I think I finally went in at noon or so to get prepped. Surgery had gone slower than planned that morning, so that was the tie up. Anyway, once the IV went in I felt better and everyone was wonderful. We had been hoping and praying for an anesthesiologist who would understand Dr. R's need for me to be somewhat awake so she would have the added assurance that the "lead" or wire was placed correctly by getting my input about what I was feeling. The doc. doing the annesthesia was fantastic. She understood completely and all went perfectly. I had no pain and remember flicking in and out to give them the answers they needed. So all went very smoothly.
As I expected, I was very sore for a few days and moved slowly. The bladder "pacemaker" is about 1 1/2" to 2" below the surface in my right hip. I can feel the constant background hum of it working but don't notice it without thinking about it. I was taught how to use the remote, which has a few different programs on it. I go in to have it checked over on Thursday this week. I think it needs to be turned up more, so we will do that then. As far as healing, it is still a little tender on the spot where the device was put, but not much. So thank you for praying for this. I have an official card that I am to carry all the time, and have to stay away from the screening machines at the airpirt from now on. I will test how that goes next week when Greg and I fly to Jenni's graduation at Grove City. I think I may need to have a med alert bracelet made.
Since we won't be at Partners much longer, that means health insurance will falll completely on us to pay for. That will be a huge expense. I have a few more doctors to see before that happens to make sure all bases are covered. I see my oncologist and breast surgeon later this month. I don't know why but the right side of my chest is getting smaller or the left bigger so that now it is about a 1 to 2 ratio. That is new and if nothing else, it is getting harder and harder to get clothes to fit. I also have a sore left knee after falling on it a few times this winter- on the ice.
Transitions
This weekend, Allison came home to visit. It is her birthday today and yesterday was her fiance's (Tyler). She did a work project with Greg on Saturday morning and we had a nice birthday dinner Sat. night. Yesterday Greg and Allison ran in the famous Bloomsday race in Spokane. I helped at the Running Water booth at the race helping to raise awareness and donations for some clean water projects for Africa and Indonesia.
So here is the situation... We don't know where we will be living in a year when she will be getting married. If we are here, we have lots figured out. But if we need to move, things get really complicated. She has ordered her dress online and it should be here at the end of the month. It is beautiful and we can recommend some inexpensive websites if you are in the market! Jenni will be here then before she goes back to Pittsburgh for her engineering job in late June.( Jenni asked for prayer that her security clearance will go through smoothly. If it doesn't, it could cost her her job.) Anyway, one transition is to figure out where we will be living, and where to plan the wedding.
But before that happens, we need to figure out what the Lord is calling us to do next. A Christian leader and friend visited us last Monday and gave us some very good input on questions to ask ourselves to help us in our search and decision making. PLEASE PRAY for us as we do this. We are very touched that a friend and co-worker at Partners told us he is doing a 40 day fast to ask God to guide us to the next thing. He is also praying for Partners. We received word on Saturday that a $585,000 gift has come in which will help the ministry out of the truely critical financial situation we were in. We are so grateful to the Lord for showing His desire to have PI survive.
Greg is working very hard these days, listening to the Lord and talking to people. Pray for him to be discerning and for me to be quiet when I need to be. We don't have the luxury of time to figure things out. Our support base is at approximately 50% of what it was, and we will be dependant on that to pay the bills including our insurance premiums. God is big and has always taken care of us, so I know I can trust Him. But I am feeling vulnerable. It takes time to raise support. We do have the best team in all of history though!
If you know me, you know that I really have peace deep down inside, and sometimes just have to feel how I feel. And I process things out loud. I don't hold much in. So know that, and don't worry about me- just pray for me to rest in the Lord. I feel sorry for the weeds I just pulled out of the yard before I wrote this! The Lord and I were communicating as I wrestled with them. It was healthy.
Well, I need to get the guestroom ready for Pastor Noah from Timbuktu who Jesse worked with 2 years ago in Mali. We get to have him overnight. Our friend who is fasting told me that he thinks one of the most significant things the Lord did during our 4 years here is the relationships He has established with our international partners and with the staff. I agree with him. When asking the Lord if we should come here, He told me He was offering me a gift- that it would be like receiving a platter of my favorite desserts. Well, those desserts clearly represent the amazing brothers and sisters He introduced me to during this time. Noah is one of those. I am so very rich for the these experiences and relationships.
I will let you go for now. Thank you for praying and caring. God bless you! Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com
I left you with a cliffhanger the last time so I will fill you in....
Neuro inplant went great!
Greg and I arrived at the hospital at 10:00 as we were told to a week ago on 4/22. Well, I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since midnight, so as time kept passing, I felt more and more wilted. I think I finally went in at noon or so to get prepped. Surgery had gone slower than planned that morning, so that was the tie up. Anyway, once the IV went in I felt better and everyone was wonderful. We had been hoping and praying for an anesthesiologist who would understand Dr. R's need for me to be somewhat awake so she would have the added assurance that the "lead" or wire was placed correctly by getting my input about what I was feeling. The doc. doing the annesthesia was fantastic. She understood completely and all went perfectly. I had no pain and remember flicking in and out to give them the answers they needed. So all went very smoothly.
As I expected, I was very sore for a few days and moved slowly. The bladder "pacemaker" is about 1 1/2" to 2" below the surface in my right hip. I can feel the constant background hum of it working but don't notice it without thinking about it. I was taught how to use the remote, which has a few different programs on it. I go in to have it checked over on Thursday this week. I think it needs to be turned up more, so we will do that then. As far as healing, it is still a little tender on the spot where the device was put, but not much. So thank you for praying for this. I have an official card that I am to carry all the time, and have to stay away from the screening machines at the airpirt from now on. I will test how that goes next week when Greg and I fly to Jenni's graduation at Grove City. I think I may need to have a med alert bracelet made.
Since we won't be at Partners much longer, that means health insurance will falll completely on us to pay for. That will be a huge expense. I have a few more doctors to see before that happens to make sure all bases are covered. I see my oncologist and breast surgeon later this month. I don't know why but the right side of my chest is getting smaller or the left bigger so that now it is about a 1 to 2 ratio. That is new and if nothing else, it is getting harder and harder to get clothes to fit. I also have a sore left knee after falling on it a few times this winter- on the ice.
Transitions
So here is the situation... We don't know where we will be living in a year when she will be getting married. If we are here, we have lots figured out. But if we need to move, things get really complicated. She has ordered her dress online and it should be here at the end of the month. It is beautiful and we can recommend some inexpensive websites if you are in the market! Jenni will be here then before she goes back to Pittsburgh for her engineering job in late June.( Jenni asked for prayer that her security clearance will go through smoothly. If it doesn't, it could cost her her job.) Anyway, one transition is to figure out where we will be living, and where to plan the wedding.
But before that happens, we need to figure out what the Lord is calling us to do next. A Christian leader and friend visited us last Monday and gave us some very good input on questions to ask ourselves to help us in our search and decision making. PLEASE PRAY for us as we do this. We are very touched that a friend and co-worker at Partners told us he is doing a 40 day fast to ask God to guide us to the next thing. He is also praying for Partners. We received word on Saturday that a $585,000 gift has come in which will help the ministry out of the truely critical financial situation we were in. We are so grateful to the Lord for showing His desire to have PI survive.
Greg is working very hard these days, listening to the Lord and talking to people. Pray for him to be discerning and for me to be quiet when I need to be. We don't have the luxury of time to figure things out. Our support base is at approximately 50% of what it was, and we will be dependant on that to pay the bills including our insurance premiums. God is big and has always taken care of us, so I know I can trust Him. But I am feeling vulnerable. It takes time to raise support. We do have the best team in all of history though!
If you know me, you know that I really have peace deep down inside, and sometimes just have to feel how I feel. And I process things out loud. I don't hold much in. So know that, and don't worry about me- just pray for me to rest in the Lord. I feel sorry for the weeds I just pulled out of the yard before I wrote this! The Lord and I were communicating as I wrestled with them. It was healthy.
Well, I need to get the guestroom ready for Pastor Noah from Timbuktu who Jesse worked with 2 years ago in Mali. We get to have him overnight. Our friend who is fasting told me that he thinks one of the most significant things the Lord did during our 4 years here is the relationships He has established with our international partners and with the staff. I agree with him. When asking the Lord if we should come here, He told me He was offering me a gift- that it would be like receiving a platter of my favorite desserts. Well, those desserts clearly represent the amazing brothers and sisters He introduced me to during this time. Noah is one of those. I am so very rich for the these experiences and relationships.
I will let you go for now. Thank you for praying and caring. God bless you! Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Transitions...and surgery today
It is the 20th of April and Easter is coming on Sunday. Our church does a great job helping us prepare our hearts and think about all that Easter- the first one- means to us. Wow! Did God do a cool thing coming to earth as a human after already being a resident of heaven. He gave all that up for us. And then He lived a human life witnessing pain, hunger, disease, unfairness, injustice. He also experienced relationships, love, joy, laughter, sharing meals with friends and generosity. All of it- all of life.
And then He experienced the accusations of crimes of which He was innocent. He paid the price for all of those felonies, lies, and wrongs- all ever committed by mankind born before and after Himself. Wow. That is love. At Bible study yesterday we talked about compassion and how we can learn to express it to those in our lives. Jesus was the amazing example. I do hope He gives me chances to express His love to others.
Transitions...
Greg's job at Partners International is coming to an end at the end of June. We need to figure out what the Lord has for us next. Last week as we had our annual meetings with our international regional directors, other leaders and staff gather for meetings, it was bittersweet for me. I already knew that Greg had been told that we are on our way out of PI. He was asked not to say anything about that during the week, so as I listened to reports and caught up with friends and made plans for a few Kidzana training trips, I was sad to know that I will soon be saying good-bye to this ministry.
At the time when our departure was announced, Greg spoke some and I can just tell you that I am married to an amazing man. He is full of integrity and humility and is an example to me. There were many tears and some sobbing as we hugged and processed this news with friends afterward. I was spent. I am grateful for the amazing brothers and sisters we have had the honor to know during these 4 years. When we moved to Spokane, the Lord gave me a promise that this time would be like a gift for me, and He has fulfilled that promise.
Surgery today
At 11:30 I am scheduled to have the neurostimulator installed to aid my bladder in working properly. I wrote about this in an entry a few times ago. The temporary one worked perfectly, so we scheduled this procedure to put in the permanent one. My doctor needs the aid of a special x-ray machine to get the lead placed exactly where she wants it. I may be sort of awake during the surgery so I can tell her what I am feeling, but it depends on the anesthesiologist assigned to her OR. If they don't understand what she is trying to communicate, they will probably just put me to sleep. She said it takes a special skill to keep me awake and pain free too. The device will be implanted a few inches deep in one of my hips. Then there will be a remote that will operate it which Greg and I will be taught about after the surgery. I have a feeling I will be sore for a few days.
My carpal tunnel surgery several weeks ago went great. I am still sore, but gradually it is doing better. I have been having low back pain and one of my doctors sent me for a PET scan. I haven't seen the doctor about it yet, but I got the report and it was clear. Arthritis showed up in my back. I will take that instead of cancer any day! It really is a relief to have a clean scan. It is like getting a "cancer-free for a year or so at least" card!
Well I have an early meeting about our regional missions conference in November. I am in charge of workshops and tracks and I have a lot to do still. If any of you have ideas of what Greg and I might do next in our lives, we are open to suggestions.
God bless you! Nancy Fritz 509-990-8465 nancyfritz@aol.com
And then He experienced the accusations of crimes of which He was innocent. He paid the price for all of those felonies, lies, and wrongs- all ever committed by mankind born before and after Himself. Wow. That is love. At Bible study yesterday we talked about compassion and how we can learn to express it to those in our lives. Jesus was the amazing example. I do hope He gives me chances to express His love to others.
Transitions...
Greg's job at Partners International is coming to an end at the end of June. We need to figure out what the Lord has for us next. Last week as we had our annual meetings with our international regional directors, other leaders and staff gather for meetings, it was bittersweet for me. I already knew that Greg had been told that we are on our way out of PI. He was asked not to say anything about that during the week, so as I listened to reports and caught up with friends and made plans for a few Kidzana training trips, I was sad to know that I will soon be saying good-bye to this ministry.
At the time when our departure was announced, Greg spoke some and I can just tell you that I am married to an amazing man. He is full of integrity and humility and is an example to me. There were many tears and some sobbing as we hugged and processed this news with friends afterward. I was spent. I am grateful for the amazing brothers and sisters we have had the honor to know during these 4 years. When we moved to Spokane, the Lord gave me a promise that this time would be like a gift for me, and He has fulfilled that promise.
Surgery today
At 11:30 I am scheduled to have the neurostimulator installed to aid my bladder in working properly. I wrote about this in an entry a few times ago. The temporary one worked perfectly, so we scheduled this procedure to put in the permanent one. My doctor needs the aid of a special x-ray machine to get the lead placed exactly where she wants it. I may be sort of awake during the surgery so I can tell her what I am feeling, but it depends on the anesthesiologist assigned to her OR. If they don't understand what she is trying to communicate, they will probably just put me to sleep. She said it takes a special skill to keep me awake and pain free too. The device will be implanted a few inches deep in one of my hips. Then there will be a remote that will operate it which Greg and I will be taught about after the surgery. I have a feeling I will be sore for a few days.
My carpal tunnel surgery several weeks ago went great. I am still sore, but gradually it is doing better. I have been having low back pain and one of my doctors sent me for a PET scan. I haven't seen the doctor about it yet, but I got the report and it was clear. Arthritis showed up in my back. I will take that instead of cancer any day! It really is a relief to have a clean scan. It is like getting a "cancer-free for a year or so at least" card!
Well I have an early meeting about our regional missions conference in November. I am in charge of workshops and tracks and I have a lot to do still. If any of you have ideas of what Greg and I might do next in our lives, we are open to suggestions.
God bless you! Nancy Fritz 509-990-8465 nancyfritz@aol.com
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Holland Tunnel and Carpal Tunnel
Greetings!
We are back from our east coast trip and are grateful for how well everything went. Our time at Grace Church was wonderful. A little girl in Sunday school asked where I grew up, and after a quick moment of thought I told her, "Right here!" That was pretty neat. Greg preached and I shared about China and Ghana with the kids in Sunday school. The group is deciding on dates and who will go. What a treat to be with so many who have known me/us for so long and who have been so faithful in their support of our ministry.
We had a nice time with Greg's family in PA and got caught up with them before heading to Lancaster and Mt. Joy for Calvary Bible Church's mission conference there. We really enjoyed meeting the folks there. What a neat church! I think they were able to grasp the concept of partnering with indiginous ministries very well. Greg did a great job with his presentations and they asked great questions. They are obviously a church that has a heart for outreach and missions. We were blessed! On our way back to Laguardia Airport, we went through the Holland Tunnel. : )
In the morning Greg is taking me for my second carpal tunnel surgery. The other one was done last year and has worked wonderfully. It doesn't take long to do. So I will be taking it easy after that. Late in the afternoon we have a couple from Delhi, India coming to stay with us for the weekend. They have a lot of ministry going on with both Hindus and Muslims. We will get to learn more about what they are doing this weekend. There is a luncheon for mission committee leaders on Saturday hosted by Partners at our office. Others are doing the set up and Greg will lead the meeting.
Well, off to bed. Thanks to all of you who prayed for our trip. I really was a great trip.
God bless! Nancy 509-990-8465
We are back from our east coast trip and are grateful for how well everything went. Our time at Grace Church was wonderful. A little girl in Sunday school asked where I grew up, and after a quick moment of thought I told her, "Right here!" That was pretty neat. Greg preached and I shared about China and Ghana with the kids in Sunday school. The group is deciding on dates and who will go. What a treat to be with so many who have known me/us for so long and who have been so faithful in their support of our ministry.
We had a nice time with Greg's family in PA and got caught up with them before heading to Lancaster and Mt. Joy for Calvary Bible Church's mission conference there. We really enjoyed meeting the folks there. What a neat church! I think they were able to grasp the concept of partnering with indiginous ministries very well. Greg did a great job with his presentations and they asked great questions. They are obviously a church that has a heart for outreach and missions. We were blessed! On our way back to Laguardia Airport, we went through the Holland Tunnel. : )
In the morning Greg is taking me for my second carpal tunnel surgery. The other one was done last year and has worked wonderfully. It doesn't take long to do. So I will be taking it easy after that. Late in the afternoon we have a couple from Delhi, India coming to stay with us for the weekend. They have a lot of ministry going on with both Hindus and Muslims. We will get to learn more about what they are doing this weekend. There is a luncheon for mission committee leaders on Saturday hosted by Partners at our office. Others are doing the set up and Greg will lead the meeting.
Well, off to bed. Thanks to all of you who prayed for our trip. I really was a great trip.
God bless! Nancy 509-990-8465
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Flying east and God is good!
Dear friends,
I am packing my suitcase yet again for our trip to NJ and PA from the 11th-21st. We will be meeting with a team from my home church who are planning a short term trip to Ghana this summer. When a group travels with Partners International, they serve and help the receiving ministry in ways our indiginous leaders have identified. Like the team from our church here in Spokane that went to Ghana and helped open the issue of the women accused of witchcraft for the leaders there to deal with head on. I am looking forward to hearing about the plans that are coming together for the team from Grace Church in Ridgewood. They got to meet the ministry leader from Ghana last month when he was in the States for other things.
After our time at Grace Church, we will head to PA. We will have some time with family and then we will see some supporters before heading to the Lancaster area to participate in a missions conference at that church on behalf of Partners International. We will make our way back to NYC to fly out on the 21st. We would appreciate your prayers for safety in travel and that we would be used be the Lord to be a blessing and also good listeners.
I had the neuro-stimulation test done last week on my bladder and IT WORKED!!! It was amazing! My bladder performed perfectly for the 3 days the wire stimulated the nerve going to my bladder. The next step is to go to the hospital to have the permanent one put in which includes a wire with tines to keep it placed, and also a small unit to control it placed under the skin in my low back. The slight electrical pulse I felt was almost unnoticable and was so very worth the relief of a predictable bladder. This will probably be done in April.
On March 25th I am planning to have my left wrist fixed for carpal tunnel. The symptoms are back after the 2nd shot and it only lasted 2 months this time. The shots cannot be done this frequently and my doctor feels that for me the best way to avoid permanent nerve damage is to do the surgery. I had it done on my right wrist and it worked fantastically. And the proceedure only took about 10 minutes. So that is the plan.
The Kidzana Institute last week was wonderful. 13 people participated and all were blessed and encouraged. Many attended less than the whole time, but all felt that the training was practical and were very glad they had come. And Greg and I got to have a few days with Sylvia, the director of Kidzana and her friend staying with us. Sylvia is an amazing person and she and Greg can talk the big global missions picture for hours.She has become a dear friend. Another benefit of the training was developing deeper relationships with other Spokane childrens workers.
Well, I need to finish filling my suitcase. If any of you are in the Ridgewood area, Greg will be preaching this Sunday morning. God bless you! Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com
I am packing my suitcase yet again for our trip to NJ and PA from the 11th-21st. We will be meeting with a team from my home church who are planning a short term trip to Ghana this summer. When a group travels with Partners International, they serve and help the receiving ministry in ways our indiginous leaders have identified. Like the team from our church here in Spokane that went to Ghana and helped open the issue of the women accused of witchcraft for the leaders there to deal with head on. I am looking forward to hearing about the plans that are coming together for the team from Grace Church in Ridgewood. They got to meet the ministry leader from Ghana last month when he was in the States for other things.
After our time at Grace Church, we will head to PA. We will have some time with family and then we will see some supporters before heading to the Lancaster area to participate in a missions conference at that church on behalf of Partners International. We will make our way back to NYC to fly out on the 21st. We would appreciate your prayers for safety in travel and that we would be used be the Lord to be a blessing and also good listeners.
I had the neuro-stimulation test done last week on my bladder and IT WORKED!!! It was amazing! My bladder performed perfectly for the 3 days the wire stimulated the nerve going to my bladder. The next step is to go to the hospital to have the permanent one put in which includes a wire with tines to keep it placed, and also a small unit to control it placed under the skin in my low back. The slight electrical pulse I felt was almost unnoticable and was so very worth the relief of a predictable bladder. This will probably be done in April.
On March 25th I am planning to have my left wrist fixed for carpal tunnel. The symptoms are back after the 2nd shot and it only lasted 2 months this time. The shots cannot be done this frequently and my doctor feels that for me the best way to avoid permanent nerve damage is to do the surgery. I had it done on my right wrist and it worked fantastically. And the proceedure only took about 10 minutes. So that is the plan.
The Kidzana Institute last week was wonderful. 13 people participated and all were blessed and encouraged. Many attended less than the whole time, but all felt that the training was practical and were very glad they had come. And Greg and I got to have a few days with Sylvia, the director of Kidzana and her friend staying with us. Sylvia is an amazing person and she and Greg can talk the big global missions picture for hours.She has become a dear friend. Another benefit of the training was developing deeper relationships with other Spokane childrens workers.
Well, I need to finish filling my suitcase. If any of you are in the Ridgewood area, Greg will be preaching this Sunday morning. God bless you! Nancy Fritz nancyfritz@aol.com
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