A Tribute To Grandpa Zimmerman

Richard A. Zimmerman

On July 30, at 12:15 a.m. my Grandpa, Richard A. Zimmerman, took his last breath and went home to be with Jesus. He has "fought the good fight, he has finished the race, he has kept the faith. Now there is in store for him the crown of righteousness." (2 Timothy 4: 7-8)

O victory in Jesus!

Anyone who knew this man of God, knew that his life was a story of faithful, unconditional love. He spoke this in words, he even wrote it in a book, but truth the of it came from the testimony of his life. His legacy will be carried on.

I cherish the close relationship I shared with my grandpa, I cherish the memories, and I cherish the last sweet moments we cried together and said "Goodbye." I ache that I will no longer hold his hands or hear his voice here on earth.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Death has been swallowed up in victory." 1 Corinthians 15: 50-58

We are on the move!

A few weeks here, a few weeks there, a few weeks everywhere. As you may know, this has been a fairly consistent theme of our time in Jamaica. Whether it is considering our times back in the States or the various campuses we have been asked to work at in Jamaica, we have been on the move. We have now redefined our concept of a suitcase to include a dresser, chest of drawers, and closet. It is such a blessing that wrinkled clothes have never really been a pet peeve, because if it had, I would not be able to live with myself. It is just a way of life. It feels partly like vacation, partly like work, and partly like chaos. Granted, this is just for two weeks. We are moving out to the Jamaica Deaf Village to host two teams as the Huber family is in the states. Our kids are pumped because for them, it will feel like 100% vacation. New toys, different bed, and new scenery, what could better describe a great vacation to a kid. Today, we are moving out there and are excited to see what the next 2 weeks will bring. We are hoping the parts of vacation and the parts of work far outweigh the parts of chaos. Here we go again, bring on the transition, bring on the grace.

They got married!

Sunday was the wedding of Blake and Tashi. A beautiful affair from which we didnt even take a picture. The wedding service was done by Blake's dad. Watching that interaction of Father to Son had tears running down my face. Then, throw on top, the unique bridges being built between deaf and hearing, American and Jamaican, as well as Widmer and Bent. It was cool.

Also, we had the honor and privilege of hosting the head pastor of our sending church. He is also Tashi's pastor and was a part of the service. Lynn, along with his wife and two sons, spent the week with us at Knockpatrick. We spent time with the workteam, did a little bit of work, saw some sights, and enjoyed sweet fellowship. We were blessed by their visit and rejoice in the power of the body of Christ.

A crazy week, yes, but it was also one filled with witnesses of our Father's unfailing love and tender mercy towards His children. We saw evidences of His grace in the wedding and experienced it ourselves through our many varied experiences last week.

Preparing for Marriage

This Sunday, is the wedding of our teammates, Blake Widmer and Tashi Bent. Awhile back, we wrote about their engagement story. This week, we are privileged with the opportunity of watching them prepare for a wedding and a marriage. Family and friends are here and the preparations are being made. The Lord works in mysterious and wonderful ways and they each testify to His goodness in their story. The confluence of cultures, coupled with the normal busyness of preparing for a wedding, have made their preparations especially interesting. We have been enjoying the fellowship with visitors and we pray that the chaos of a wedding doesnt get in the way of the harmony of their marriage. They seem to be doing a great job and we are excited to witness their faith and walk. I am guessing we will be writing more about this event after the weekend. Have a great day!

Visiting Kendon

Several months ago, I posted a prayer request for my cousin's son, Kendon. Kendon, the one in the ball cap, is 8 years old and needed a heart transplant due to a serious disease. We followed their journey through their "caring bridge" blog. Since the transplant, they have remained in Rochester, MN to continue receiving their health care from the Mayo Clinic. On our way to the wedding in Minnesota, we were able to set up a time to connect. It was blessing to see Kendon and witness the faith of that family. They have walked through a long valley but consistently testify that the only reason that they made it through is because of God's Grace. Our conversations about their experiences were woven with testimonies of answered prayer, support from the body of Christ, grace, and the faith of an 8 year old boy. We were so thankful to be able to witness God's faithfulness to this family. Thanks to those of you who prayed. The transplant ourney will never end for this family. This past weekend, they were finally able to move back home to Iowa. But, it will never be back to normal, only settling in to a new normal. I know that they would appreciate your continued prayers. Praise the Lord!

My Toast to Lindsay

The week before our departure I had the honor of being in the wedding of my friend, Lindsay Gramm. It was a beautiful wedding, on a beautiful day, of a beautiful couple! God was truly glorified through the message and by the union of this couple's lives.
My only disappointment was that the toast for Lindsay and Marcus somehow slipped by. And although I'm not much for public speaking, I do feel that my dear friend is very deserving of this.

So, Lindsay, this is my toast to you, my faithful friend!


Lindsay, I'm was so honored to be standing next to you
and thankful that God allowed me to be there to witness your wedding day.
I'm so blessed by your friendship.
I met Lindsay over ten years ago. I think it was our different personalities that drew us together (I, the traditional, and Lindsay, the not-so-traditional :).
She always got me to do crazy things that I'd never do around anyone else! We've had so many fun times. But, what I think about most when I think of Lindsay is that she's been such a faithful friend.
After about four years our lives took different routes. I married and moved out of our big white mansion by ISU, and she continued to grow in friendships with many other girls. I could have thought that she didn't need our friendship. But she never allowed me to believe that.
Lindsay, you remained a faithful friend.

Life continued, she moved back to Minnesota and God provided a new church for her, new friends, and then a Godly man. I moved many more miles away. But, distance never separated us. In fact, she put me to shame.
Lindsay, you continued to be a faithful friend.

Marcus, Lindsay will be a faithful companion. Just as you've experienced Christ's unconditional love for you, Lindsay will reflect that love in your life.
No matter the distance that separates you when you're on the road or the trials you face, I have no doubt Lindsay will be your faithful companion.

Thank you, Lindsay, for the gift of your friendship.
I thank God for you.

CONGRATULATIONS Lindsay and Marcus Montana!!

(Go to http://tamipaigephotography.blogspot.com/2011/07/marcus-and-lindsay-wedding-sneak-peek.html for wedding pics and more about Lindsay and Marcus).

Arrived Safe!

We are thankful for a great day of travel yesterday. And, I mean great in terms of as good as traveling 14 hours with 4 kids can get. No, it was not perfect, but the drive to St. Louis was uneventful, all the kids slept for the majority of the plane ride, no layover, and a breeze through immigration/customs. The reintroduction to Jamaican roads at night was certainly the most uncomfortable part of the trip, but necessary none the less. Thanks for your prayers!

By Grace

By Grace we came and by grace we will go! Lord Willing, we are flying back to Jamaica today! Thanks for your prayers for our travel. We have never done this with 4 kids. 4 kids means that we are each responsible for 2 and Daisha requires one on one attention. You do the math. That is why we only go by grace. That is the only way the math works. Thankfully, His math does not follow the same rules as our math. Thank you Jesus!

packing and preparing

There are always wild cards when packing to leave. The obvious obstacles involve whittling down wardrobes into only the clothes that are necessary, paring down 2 tons of junk into five 49.5 pound bags, and doing all of this while keeping our cool. We are doing good so far, but we havent reached crunch time. I think it should all go well. But, the other wild card, is the kids' behavior in the midst of packing. This morning, while Drew was brushing his teeth, Truitt decided it would be a good idea to hit his brother for what seemed like no good reason. Because of course, why not add a screaming boy and some tension into our morning. In the midst of interrogating Truitt as to why he hit his brother, he said, "I hit him because I love him." Ohhhhhh, that makes sense, thanks for picking such a logical way to express your love for your brother. What a great way to help us start a stressful day with a little extra strife for good measure.

A visa for Danae

Last week, we went to the Jamaican consulate in Chicago for Danae's visa. It was an easy process. If all your papers are in order, it goes smoothly. And, the Consul is one of the nicest gentlemen you would ever want to meet. It is so refreshing to come out of a government office having had a positive experience. Whether in Jamaica or America, it seems that working with government agencies can be a very frustrating experience. But, be it known, the consulate of Jamaica in Chicago was a positive experience characterized by respect and efficiency. Thank you Mr. Hyde.

Writing Again

Thanks for your patience during that small hiatus with no writing. We have been moving out of our house in Indiana, getting a visa for Danae, attending a wedding in Minnesota, doing alot of driving, and now saying goodbyes. We will try to begin documenting our return journey to Jamaica.

In so many ways, it feels like we are going for the first time. It has been hard. We have been back in the states for such an extended period of time that the transition looks like it could be unsettling. It is always unsettling, but unsettling in a bigger way. In our training, we were taught about the various stages of transition to a new culture. The transition from being settled in your old culture to unsettled, to living in chaos, and the long return to living a settled life in the new culture. We have been across that bridge during our initial time in Jamaica and our previous trips to the states involved shorter trips across that bridge. But, going back this time feels as if we may have a longer trip through that transition as we have been gone so long. We are anxious. Lord Willing, we will be flying to Jamaica on July 15th. Thanks for praying.