Greetings,
As the month of June draws to a close, I want to report where we stand on the hospital debt. To date, $7,812.00 has come in toward the debt. Many thanks to all who contributed! Our home church in Pennsylvania is collecting funds through the Deacon's fund. When they feel that they have received all the funds possible, they will write a check to our hospital, and send it to us to be hand delivered for credit to our account. I am not sure how the contributions for the Deacon's fund are being earmarked for us, but if anyone would like information about that, please e-mail us for contact information.
When I spoke to our financial contact at the hospital, she voiced the concern that I had about contributions being properly credited to our account. I know it sounds paranoid to think that a check sent to the hospital with specific direction might not be applied to our bill, but she mentioned it before I did. That is the reason I haven't advocated contributions being sent directly to the hospital.
There is life after treatment! Michele has been going to the school most days of the week, putting her library back in order prior to the start of the new school year. I am concluding work on an aircraft that will be used for humanitarian flights in Haiti, and am about to start on another. In a little over two weeks, we will be going to Wisconsin to participate in the missionary aviation component of AirVenture, which is the world's largest gathering of general aviation aircraft.
Between now and then, we will be putting together a long overdue newsletter (on paper). So stay tuned. When the newsletter goes out in the mail, we'll post it here too.
Victorious in Jesus,
Tim and Michele
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Hello Friends,
Since sending the message requesting prayer for the remainder of our
hospital bill for Michele, we have received numerous inquiries about
contributing to the need.
First of all, thank you, one and all, for your prayers and concern! We feel
very unworthy of all the attention and kindness that has been showered upon us.
May God bless each of you, as He has blessed us.
If you feel led to give to our need, there are basically two ways it can be
done. I don't want to muddy the waters with too many details, but neither do I
want people to feel like they are giving in the blind. Since our status with the
hospital is 'Self Pay', it is best if the monies they receive come directly from
us. Consequently, donors can send their contribution directly to us, in which
case 100% of the donation will be applied to the hospital bill.
The other option, if you want a tax deductible receipt, would be to send
the contribution to MMS Aviation marked, "Preference for Obarows". If you send
it to MMS, please do not write anything about medical expenses on the check.
The difference between the two giving methods is that monies received
through MMS will have the 5% administrative fee deducted, and we will be taxed
on the balance. Monies sent directly to us will go directly to the
hospital.
We will give regular updates as to how much has been received, so you will
know when the need has been met. In the event that more funds are sent to us
than are needed, we will return them to the sender. However, monies sent to MMS
are non refundable, so please bear that in mind.
Thank you so much, and God bless you!
Tim and Michele
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Hello Again,
I almost wrote 'January' when I typed the date. Maybe that's because I was looking at our blog posts in January just a few moments ago. I was checking the date on a post I made on January 8th. That was the day I realized we weren't going to stay below our $250,000 cap with Samaritan Ministries. In fact, we are about $39.000 beyond that. But there is good news. Since Michele is cured, and no further treatments are scheduled, the hospital is willing to negotiate additional discounts. Now, I need to reiterate that we received 40% off of all hospital charges right up front, so they have been very generous with us.
We met with Susan, a resource counsellor supervisor last week. I told her that the best we could do is pay $1,000 a month for the next 39 months. She said that would be fine, but she wanted to try to do more, so she submitted a pay-off plan to her superiors. Susan called me yesterday to tell me that if we could raise $30,000 in 90 days, the hospital would accept that as payment in full. That's good news in the big picture, but we need your help. What we need for you to do is ask God if He would be pleased to make that provision for us.
It may very well be that God knows our character will benefit far more by making those payments for the next 39 months. Or, He may bring glory to Himself by meeting that need in a miraculous manner. If the need is met in 90 days, it will surely be because God did it. There's no getting around that. But we are content with whatever decision He deems best. That's the joy of being confident in the sovereignty of a gracious God.
So please pray for God's perfect will in this matter. That's our request. We'll let you know what transpires.
Thank you!
With love and gratitude,
Tim and Michele
Hello Again,
I almost wrote 'January' when I typed the date. Maybe that's because I was looking at our blog posts in January just a few moments ago. I was checking the date on a post I made on January 8th. That was the day I realized we weren't going to stay below our $250,000 cap with Samaritan Ministries. In fact, we are about $39.000 beyond that. But there is good news. Since Michele is cured, and no further treatments are scheduled, the hospital is willing to negotiate additional discounts. Now, I need to reiterate that we received 40% off of all hospital charges right up front, so they have been very generous with us.
We met with Susan, a resource counsellor supervisor last week. I told her that the best we could do is pay $1,000 a month for the next 39 months. She said that would be fine, but she wanted to try to do more, so she submitted a pay-off plan to her superiors. Susan called me yesterday to tell me that if we could raise $30,000 in 90 days, the hospital would accept that as payment in full. That's good news in the big picture, but we need your help. What we need for you to do is ask God if He would be pleased to make that provision for us.
It may very well be that God knows our character will benefit far more by making those payments for the next 39 months. Or, He may bring glory to Himself by meeting that need in a miraculous manner. If the need is met in 90 days, it will surely be because God did it. There's no getting around that. But we are content with whatever decision He deems best. That's the joy of being confident in the sovereignty of a gracious God.
So please pray for God's perfect will in this matter. That's our request. We'll let you know what transpires.
Thank you!
With love and gratitude,
Tim and Michele
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Saturday May 9, 2015
Good Morning,
At least it is here. I drove to the local Dodge dealer to collect the last of the parts needed to complete the rear brake replacement on our Caravan, but the parts truck hadn't been there yet, so I thought this would be a good time to make that delinquent post that's been on my mind.
The late arrival of the parts truck is just the latest of events linked to the brake extravaganza. Last week I replaced pads and rotors on the front of the van, which took two evenings, but didn't go that badly. The rear brakes are a different story. Our van is one of last to be produced with drum brakes on the rear. Most vehicles now have disc brakes all around, and for good reason. It took two evenings just to remove the drums from the wheel. Everything was fused together with rust. Once inside, I could see at a glance that all the components had returned to their natural state; "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, brakes to rust". I bought every kit the auto part store sold, including new drums, but there were still hidden parts not present in the "complete" kits. Hence my trip to the dealer this morning. Incidentally, it took the dealer's parts professional 20 minutes to find my parts in their computer, all of which needed to be special ordered, of course.
On a happier note, Michele and I did make a trip to California for a week to see her family. We stayed with her brother and sister-in-law, who are the consummate hosts. Bless you Greg and Angie. The time went too quickly, but we got to see many loved ones. This was our first visit since Christmas of 2011, so grandniece and nephew, who were toddlers, are now old enough to entertain the older folks in the swimming pool. Michele's mom is doing well over all, but she has the physical challenges which come with age. Travel went as smooth as airline travel ever gets, so we were blest.
We were also blest with a good visit to Michele's Oncologist this week. She is no longer on the blood thinner. The Doc wants to see her every three months for the next two years, then every six months for three to five years. All in all, the doctor is very pleased with Michele's state of health, and so are we.
Michele was also released from the Occupational Therapist visits. She is still doing the daily exercises very faithfully, but no longer requires external supervision. She drove around the neighborhood last week, so we are one step closer to normal. Hallelujah!
Activities at MMS have been at a frantic pace. In addition to the steady stream of aircraft being repaired, MMS is hosting the annual conference of the International Association of Mission Aviation (hereafter referred to as IAMA). The conference is next week, so yesterday we moved virtually every aircraft in our facility at least once, making room for the congregants. Then in the afternoon, I stripped and waxed the kitchen floor (at the hangar). Since I still had 2% of my energy left, I went to the garage after supper and worked on the van. That pretty much bring you right up to the minute, so I'll wrap this up, and hope the phone rings from the parts guy.
Bless you all for reading and caring!
With love,
Tim and Michele
Good Morning,
At least it is here. I drove to the local Dodge dealer to collect the last of the parts needed to complete the rear brake replacement on our Caravan, but the parts truck hadn't been there yet, so I thought this would be a good time to make that delinquent post that's been on my mind.
The late arrival of the parts truck is just the latest of events linked to the brake extravaganza. Last week I replaced pads and rotors on the front of the van, which took two evenings, but didn't go that badly. The rear brakes are a different story. Our van is one of last to be produced with drum brakes on the rear. Most vehicles now have disc brakes all around, and for good reason. It took two evenings just to remove the drums from the wheel. Everything was fused together with rust. Once inside, I could see at a glance that all the components had returned to their natural state; "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, brakes to rust". I bought every kit the auto part store sold, including new drums, but there were still hidden parts not present in the "complete" kits. Hence my trip to the dealer this morning. Incidentally, it took the dealer's parts professional 20 minutes to find my parts in their computer, all of which needed to be special ordered, of course.
On a happier note, Michele and I did make a trip to California for a week to see her family. We stayed with her brother and sister-in-law, who are the consummate hosts. Bless you Greg and Angie. The time went too quickly, but we got to see many loved ones. This was our first visit since Christmas of 2011, so grandniece and nephew, who were toddlers, are now old enough to entertain the older folks in the swimming pool. Michele's mom is doing well over all, but she has the physical challenges which come with age. Travel went as smooth as airline travel ever gets, so we were blest.
We were also blest with a good visit to Michele's Oncologist this week. She is no longer on the blood thinner. The Doc wants to see her every three months for the next two years, then every six months for three to five years. All in all, the doctor is very pleased with Michele's state of health, and so are we.
Michele was also released from the Occupational Therapist visits. She is still doing the daily exercises very faithfully, but no longer requires external supervision. She drove around the neighborhood last week, so we are one step closer to normal. Hallelujah!
Activities at MMS have been at a frantic pace. In addition to the steady stream of aircraft being repaired, MMS is hosting the annual conference of the International Association of Mission Aviation (hereafter referred to as IAMA). The conference is next week, so yesterday we moved virtually every aircraft in our facility at least once, making room for the congregants. Then in the afternoon, I stripped and waxed the kitchen floor (at the hangar). Since I still had 2% of my energy left, I went to the garage after supper and worked on the van. That pretty much bring you right up to the minute, so I'll wrap this up, and hope the phone rings from the parts guy.
Bless you all for reading and caring!
With love,
Tim and Michele
Monday, April 6, 2015
Hello again,
For all my good intentions, I find myself separated from my last posting by a span of six weeks. Bless you for still following along on our journey. We saw Michele's neurosurgeon on Friday, and it was indeed Good Friday. He was very pleased with her progress, and released her from further appointments. More tears of joy were shed, and we had mixed emotions about not seeing these folks again. They have been such a vital part of our lives over the past 9 months, they feel like family. On a personal level we will miss them.
Michele continues to work hard on her therapy, spending a good part of each day exercising her left arm and hand. The therapist comes in once a week to change up her routine and keep her challenged. It must be paying off, considering the neurosurgeon's blessing. She is beginning to think about driving in the future. To that end, I bought a new battery for our Pontiac, which has been comatose in the garage since September. Not a moment too soon, I might add. The day I put the battery in the car, the garage door spring cable let go on the side I park the van in, trapping the van inside the garage until the spring got fixed. Just another example of God's timely provision!
We had a beautiful Easter day here in Coshocton. After church, friends of ours from MMS came over for dinner, and we had a super time of fellowship. That evening we hosted our usual Sunday evening Bible study with other dear friends. It was truly a day of blessing!
In my previous posting, I mentioned a team from LeTourneau University that came in March. They were a really good group, and got a lot of work accomplished. The Aztec I have been working on is nearly complete, due in no small part to their contribution. Today we pulled the Aztec outside and put fuel in the tanks in 3 gallon increments to make a sort of dipstick for the ministry in Alaska to use in case the electric gages prove undependable. The exercise also leak checked the tanks, three of which had been replaced. Once it was full of fuel, we test ran the engines and washed the plane.
At lunch time, some dear friends of ours from Wisconsin picked up Michele at the house and drove up to the hangar to visit. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant, then returned to MMS for a quick look around. This was Michele's first trip to the hangar in nearly a year, so she enjoyed a warm reception from the MMS family while I took our guests on a mini tour. Our friends and Michele left around 2:30 and I went back to work.
In the mean time, another ministry plane arrived with some maintenance needs, and I split my afternoon between the Aztec and the other plane, a King Air. By four o'clock the King Air was climbing into the sky, and the Aztec was back in the hangar. It was a whirlwind day, but very gratifying. A week from tomorrow we will be flying to California to visit Michele's family, so I need to have the Aztec completed and ready to go before then.
My intention is to write another update when we return from California. Many people have graciously commented on these posts, so I will try to keep them going. It may seem that the words flow freely, but the reality is that it takes me an inordinately long time to tap out these few lines, but I recognize the need for me to improve my communication skills, so I'll try not to 'fall off the wagon'.
Thank you for your friendship!
Tim and Michele
For all my good intentions, I find myself separated from my last posting by a span of six weeks. Bless you for still following along on our journey. We saw Michele's neurosurgeon on Friday, and it was indeed Good Friday. He was very pleased with her progress, and released her from further appointments. More tears of joy were shed, and we had mixed emotions about not seeing these folks again. They have been such a vital part of our lives over the past 9 months, they feel like family. On a personal level we will miss them.
Michele continues to work hard on her therapy, spending a good part of each day exercising her left arm and hand. The therapist comes in once a week to change up her routine and keep her challenged. It must be paying off, considering the neurosurgeon's blessing. She is beginning to think about driving in the future. To that end, I bought a new battery for our Pontiac, which has been comatose in the garage since September. Not a moment too soon, I might add. The day I put the battery in the car, the garage door spring cable let go on the side I park the van in, trapping the van inside the garage until the spring got fixed. Just another example of God's timely provision!
We had a beautiful Easter day here in Coshocton. After church, friends of ours from MMS came over for dinner, and we had a super time of fellowship. That evening we hosted our usual Sunday evening Bible study with other dear friends. It was truly a day of blessing!
In my previous posting, I mentioned a team from LeTourneau University that came in March. They were a really good group, and got a lot of work accomplished. The Aztec I have been working on is nearly complete, due in no small part to their contribution. Today we pulled the Aztec outside and put fuel in the tanks in 3 gallon increments to make a sort of dipstick for the ministry in Alaska to use in case the electric gages prove undependable. The exercise also leak checked the tanks, three of which had been replaced. Once it was full of fuel, we test ran the engines and washed the plane.
At lunch time, some dear friends of ours from Wisconsin picked up Michele at the house and drove up to the hangar to visit. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant, then returned to MMS for a quick look around. This was Michele's first trip to the hangar in nearly a year, so she enjoyed a warm reception from the MMS family while I took our guests on a mini tour. Our friends and Michele left around 2:30 and I went back to work.
In the mean time, another ministry plane arrived with some maintenance needs, and I split my afternoon between the Aztec and the other plane, a King Air. By four o'clock the King Air was climbing into the sky, and the Aztec was back in the hangar. It was a whirlwind day, but very gratifying. A week from tomorrow we will be flying to California to visit Michele's family, so I need to have the Aztec completed and ready to go before then.
My intention is to write another update when we return from California. Many people have graciously commented on these posts, so I will try to keep them going. It may seem that the words flow freely, but the reality is that it takes me an inordinately long time to tap out these few lines, but I recognize the need for me to improve my communication skills, so I'll try not to 'fall off the wagon'.
Thank you for your friendship!
Tim and Michele
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Hello Friends,
I (Tim) have been back at the Hangar full time for two weeks now. Originally we had planned that I would go in during the morning, then come home to fix lunch for Michele and take care of any necessary tasks before returning in the afternoon. We did that for one day, then Michele said I really didn't need to come home, as long as she had things arranged in advance before I left the house. So I get clothes out of the dresser and make sure her pills are sorted for the day, then I'm off.
Michele's seeing a therapist once a week who keeps her challenged with hand and arm exercises. The nerves in her arm and hand sometimes cause her to twitch, sometimes cause pain, but over all her strength is increasing. We are hopeful that one day the tingling and 'shocks' will give way to normal sensation and dexterity. Her hair is about a half inch long now, and her eyebrows are back. She is looking very healthy, and just as pretty as ever!
We had a nice evening out for Valentine's day at a local restaurant, even though the temperature was in the single digits and a wicked North wind blew. We had intended to make an appearance at Sunday School the next day, but decided not to venture into the cold. This Sunday the walks and roads were snow covered, so we stayed in again. Sooner or later the weather is bound to cooperate, and we're looking forward to our integration back into society.
We are planning a trip to California in April, and have made our plane reservations. In the mean time, there is a lot of work to be done in the hangar. In two weeks a group of interns from LeTourneau University will be arriving for a week of work with us. Their work needs to be planned in advance, with the object of our mutual benefit. I'm leading an Annual Inspection of a Piper Aztec recently acquired by Arctic Barnabas. When we are finished, they will fly it to Alaska and have one of the engines overhauled before starting their summer ministry season. It's a little difficult getting my head back into organizing maintenance and schedules after such a long time away, but I'm happy to be back. What I don't want to do is shift the focus in my head to the neglect of Michele. I think I'm doing okay, but I need to be on my guard.
Thanks again for partnering with us in prayer. Please do keep us before the Throne.
With love,
Tim and Michele
I (Tim) have been back at the Hangar full time for two weeks now. Originally we had planned that I would go in during the morning, then come home to fix lunch for Michele and take care of any necessary tasks before returning in the afternoon. We did that for one day, then Michele said I really didn't need to come home, as long as she had things arranged in advance before I left the house. So I get clothes out of the dresser and make sure her pills are sorted for the day, then I'm off.
Michele's seeing a therapist once a week who keeps her challenged with hand and arm exercises. The nerves in her arm and hand sometimes cause her to twitch, sometimes cause pain, but over all her strength is increasing. We are hopeful that one day the tingling and 'shocks' will give way to normal sensation and dexterity. Her hair is about a half inch long now, and her eyebrows are back. She is looking very healthy, and just as pretty as ever!
We had a nice evening out for Valentine's day at a local restaurant, even though the temperature was in the single digits and a wicked North wind blew. We had intended to make an appearance at Sunday School the next day, but decided not to venture into the cold. This Sunday the walks and roads were snow covered, so we stayed in again. Sooner or later the weather is bound to cooperate, and we're looking forward to our integration back into society.
We are planning a trip to California in April, and have made our plane reservations. In the mean time, there is a lot of work to be done in the hangar. In two weeks a group of interns from LeTourneau University will be arriving for a week of work with us. Their work needs to be planned in advance, with the object of our mutual benefit. I'm leading an Annual Inspection of a Piper Aztec recently acquired by Arctic Barnabas. When we are finished, they will fly it to Alaska and have one of the engines overhauled before starting their summer ministry season. It's a little difficult getting my head back into organizing maintenance and schedules after such a long time away, but I'm happy to be back. What I don't want to do is shift the focus in my head to the neglect of Michele. I think I'm doing okay, but I need to be on my guard.
Thanks again for partnering with us in prayer. Please do keep us before the Throne.
With love,
Tim and Michele
Monday, February 2, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Good Evening,
I am very happy to report that Michele's PET scan showed that she has no tumors and she is officially CURED! We are very grateful to the Lord for His grace toward us, and for all of you who prayed so faithfully on our behalf!
It will be a few months for hair to grow out (it is already sprouting :-), and for strength and stamina to come back, but the worst is behind. Please continue to pray for Michele's nerves to heal in her left arm and hand. The therapist lowered some of the resistance in a few of her exercises, which helped reduce the discomfort she was experiencing. She also began taking a second Gabapentin which is helping with the nerve pain.
I have been going to MMS nearly every day for a few hours, slowly transitioning back into an active role. I really appreciate Terry, Phil, and Dwight for shouldering my workload during my absence. I'm very grateful for the warm reception I've received from all the folks in the hangar on a daily basis. It is indeed a privilege to serve the Lord in this ministry.
May you be as blest as we are!
Tim and Michele
Good Evening,
I am very happy to report that Michele's PET scan showed that she has no tumors and she is officially CURED! We are very grateful to the Lord for His grace toward us, and for all of you who prayed so faithfully on our behalf!
It will be a few months for hair to grow out (it is already sprouting :-), and for strength and stamina to come back, but the worst is behind. Please continue to pray for Michele's nerves to heal in her left arm and hand. The therapist lowered some of the resistance in a few of her exercises, which helped reduce the discomfort she was experiencing. She also began taking a second Gabapentin which is helping with the nerve pain.
I have been going to MMS nearly every day for a few hours, slowly transitioning back into an active role. I really appreciate Terry, Phil, and Dwight for shouldering my workload during my absence. I'm very grateful for the warm reception I've received from all the folks in the hangar on a daily basis. It is indeed a privilege to serve the Lord in this ministry.
May you be as blest as we are!
Tim and Michele
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