Greetings from the Heartland

Greetings from the Heartland

Hello to all of you out there. Today marks our fifth week back in the United States on furlough. Many of you may have been wondering, “what’s up with the Forbess family?”. Well, we are here in Chillicothe, Missouri with my parents and supporters of the Chillicothe and Hamilton churches of Christ. So far we have visited supporters, friends and family in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Missouri. Next week we will go on to Rogers, Arkansas for a week and then we will be in Hot Springs Village for a week.

Let me jump straight to Jubilee whom you want to hear about first anyway. She is loving her time here and two of her favorite things are parks and water fountains. Not that we don’t have parks in Bolivia, but we happen to be back at a great time of year when it is the perfect weather to spend time outdoors. In Brownwood, Jubilee got to reacquaint herself with Granny Bobbie and eat her delicious food and basically be spoiled rotten. She also got to ride around Lake Brownwood and had many opportunities to get her toes wet which she loves. In Dora, NM our friends Mickey and Alicia Burkett have several tractors and school buses so Jubilee thought it was great fun to hop up in those with the help of Mickey and pretend she was driving. In Colorado Springs, Jubilee got to see her friend Pamela, daughter of our close friends Roberto and Johanna Batres. Pamela and Jubilee were born within a week of each other so it was nice for them to have each other to play with. In Evergreen, Jubilee got to see many people we love dearly, among them Santa Steve. Jubilee is quick to tell you if you ask that Santa lives in Evergreen not the North Pole! In Denver, Jubilee got to see more friends and so did mommy and daddy. Visiting the University church of Christ in Denver was very special as this was the congregation where the elders had said a special prayer for her future although she doesn’t remember that. We spent one night in Kearney, NE and then on our way to Chillicothe. In Chillicothe, Jubilee has got to spend lots of time with Grammi and Pops as well as a short time with her three aunties and cousin Janet. We have still yet to take her to Chucky Cheese’s or bowling which she has repeatedly asked about though. Please pray for Jubilee as she is dealing with a stubborn cough and she has started to ask for her favorite people in the world, Michaela and Nathan.

Katie and I are also doing well. There have been so many wonderful things to happen during our furlough. Probably the best part of our time back in the states are the countless encouraging conversations that we have had with other saints who are out there on the front lines as well. It has been so nice to talk with other people and receive and give encouragement. Thanks so much to all who have lifted us and the work up in prayer. Please pray that the rest of our time in the United States goes well and that we are blessed with good health as traveling can begin to take its toll.

One more item before I close and that is Baby Chippy. No, that is not the official name; Chippy is the name Jubilee has chosen and until we chose a name this is what we are calling the baby. Everything with Katie’s pregnancy continues to go well. There are the regular things such as occasional morning yuckiness and tiredness. Aside from those things however, Katie has been feeling well. We did have one scare in Santa Fe when Katie took a little tumble. At first her ankles hurt very badly, but by the next morning they felt fine. We are so thankful to our dear friends Jean and Leroy who I know said a special word of prayer for her. Praise God that Katie did not suffer any serious injury as a result of her fall, and please continue to pray for Katie and Baby Chippy that they may enjoy good health.

To our friends whom we have already seen and visited with, thank you for your encouragement and love. To our friends and family whom we have yet to see, we can’t wait! And to our church family in Cochabamba, nos hace mucha pero mucha falta y les queremos mucho! May God bless you in richness and fullness of His abounding love.

La Familia Forbess