Birth of Two Babies!

On Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. I had a nice Christmas Eve at my stepBrother's house. We had a snow storm that day but the snow stopped at 1pm so it did not hinder our evening plans of a Christmas Eve service at church and then a meal with presents.

On December 26th, the day after Christmas there was another birth. I now have a new Grandniece, Emery Noel. Her parents have been married for nine years, and then waited for ten days after her birth was "due'.

I've had a virus which brought quite a lot of coughing. I have spent a number of days at home and am getting back to normal but as I type this I am coughing.



Today's Positives:
1. My Christmas was nice.
2. My grandniece Emery Noel was born.
3. My cough is about done.

More soon ........................ in the New Year!  334 

Merry Christmas!

                                                                                    Merry Christmas from my home to yours!

I have celebrated Christmas all month with lots of parties and activities. Yesterday Omaha had 7-8 inches of snow so it was/is truly a "White Christmas". I went to Christ Community for their Christmas service on Wednesday and then yesterday went to Emmanuel Fellowship with stepBrother Bill and his family yesterday. We then had a nice evening at Bill's home. Today I am at home and enjoying the day.

Swedish Rye Bread!

Each time I packed barrels for shipment to Africa I put a five pound bag of rye flour. Then each Christmas I used enough to make 5 loaves of Swedish Rye bread but froze the rest of the flour for the next three Christmas seasons!
I don't plan to make bread this Christmas.

Today I went to a Christmas Boutique at a local High School. There were many craft tables but one bake goods table and guess what I bought... a loaf of Swedish Rye bread. That's what I had for lunch...with ham and cheese. Yum!

Today's Positives:
1. I finally went to a Christmas craft show.
2. I was able to buy a loaf of Swedish Rye Bread.
3. I've been enjoying watching some TV but I'm about to get up and MOVE.

VETERAN'S DAY!

Yes, it is Veteran's Day and I am a Veteran. I served in the Army Nurse Corps way back before my 40 years as a Missionary Nurse. Today is Veteran's Day and many of the restaurants have free meals for Veterans. It's a really fun time for everyone. My friend Ann and I went to HyVee Grocery Store for a buffet breakfast. Here we are standing behind the Women's Quartet who was there singing patriotic and fun American songs.

Mid Morning I went to the eye doctor for a routine check up after cataract surgery. I have "dry eyes" which I've known about but now I know more details. My left eye always feels like it has something in it. The Dr. said that my eye glands were not producing enough oils. I need to start taking fish oil, doing eye drops more often,  4-6 times a day, and also do hot packs every evening. I then go back to see the Dr. in two months. My vision though has improved. My right eye is 20/20 and my left eye is 20/15!!

After the eye doctor I met my friend Ann at Wed. morning prayer meeting at church and then afterwards we went to Applebee's for our FREE LUNCH!!!  I teach Conversational English tonight so won't be going out for a free supper!

Carving Pumpkins!

Last night at English Conversation class we carved pumpkins. I have five Asians at my table. One was absent but the other four and I enjoyed carving pumpkins. I have not done it since I was a kid. They had never before carved pumpkins.

My Condo!

Over the last three years I have lurked online to find what condos were available in town. I wanted a Senior community rather than a condo where I did not know my neighbors. I figured out what condo buildings where affordable, or perhaps affordable, but only one seemed possible. When I returned from Africa I got an apartment but with the idea that it would not be a permanent move. I got the lease for ten months but the lease said that I had to inform the managers two months in advance if I were moving. That meant that they needed to know by the end of September.
On June 30th I officially retired from the Alliance and then got serious about finding a condo. My apartment was just too expensive to keep with only a Social Security check coming in along with savings. I got regular emails telling me what condos were available in Omaha. Then a one bedroom came up in this condo building. I really wanted a two bedroom but decided to at least look at the one bedroom condo. I contacted the realator. Then I found out there was a two bedroom condo available in the same building so I visited both of them. The two bedroom home came with a garage on the ground floor but the one bedroom did not. That was the selling point. I needed underground parking!

The garage is actually below ground on the South side but on the first level on the North side.
My lease in the apartment was up at the end of November but the manager found someone to rent it in November so I got out of the lease one month early. I signed for my third floor, two bedroom condo on October 30th and started moving in. On October 16th, with the help of 13-14 people, I got moved in just 2 hours and 45 minutes. That was from loading the truck, driving across town and unloading the truck! I am now in my HOME.

This is a Senior community. One must be 57 years old or more to buy a condo here. There is a community room with Friday morning coffee breaks, potluck dinners and other events. They know I drink tea instead of coffee so bought tea just for me! November 2nd we're having a catered Turkey Dinner. Since it will be my first official meal in the "house", it is free this time!
The building was built in 1981 by the American Baptists. It is next to a Care Center but is no longer associated with either. The condo's association is made up of those who live here with elected officers from the residents. There is

a company that manages the property and keeps the financial records. We pay a monthly association fee.
The 43 condos do not have a laundry in them but downstairs there is a community laundry room. We sign up for our time slot for doing laundry and then have the whole room to ourselves. The machines are part of the association fees, not coin operated. Also, it seems like many have purchased utility carts to get back and forth from the laundry so I have one now but it is still in a box, not yet put together!! More photos of my condo when I get settled!!

Refrigerator Magnets!

Over the years I have moved my refrigerator magnets with me. I lived in Africa but when I would return to the States for six months or a year, I would bring my magnets. I just moved into my newly purchased condo and finished putting my refrigerator magnets up. That is my signal that I am HOME. Now that my move is over, I need to get to work at losing weight. I've been using my move to eat a lot more fast food than normal. I now have good food in my refrigerator and need to start fixing my own meals!

Mini Reunion!

On October 9th we had a mini reunion dinner here in the Omaha area. Two of my brothers came into town as did nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, etc. Along with those of us who live in town, including cousins, we had a nice group to help celebrate Mom's 90th Birthday again.

Out to Lunch!

Today Mom and I went out to eat with my friend Nancy and her Mom. Both of our Mom's turned 90 this month!! Here is my Mom and me.

Did you notice what Mom's T-shirt said?

P. S. The T-shirt says, "Not Everyone Looks this Good at Ninety"!

Scavenger Hunt!

Last year, when I lived and worked in Africa, our team had a photo scavenger hunt. We were given a list of things we had to find or do around town and then take a picture to prove we had found it or done it. There were four teams who scattered in the town for a few hours and then there was a prize for the team who did the best at finding and photographing what they had found. No, my team did not win. It was fun though. I was the photographer so I am not in these photos. Here are a few of the pictures.

Registered Nurse for 45 years!

I'm going through old photos and digitizing them. Here is my Nursing Graduation photo. I've been an RN since 1970.

June 30, 2015 RETIREMENT!

June 30th was my official RETIREMENT from the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Here is a short video of me reflecting on my 40 years with the Alliance.

June 18 and June 25th I had cataract surgeries. I now see without glasses! See what I look like now!

Right Here in Nebraska with The String Beans

What's Wrong with this Picture?

I took this photo in a church parking lot. What's wrong with this picture?



Today's Positives:
1. I am having a great trip in Minnesota, visiting relatives, friends and also speaking. I spoke last Sunday in one church and plan to speak this coming Sunday in another.
2. We had a wonderful mini Cousins' Reunion on Saturday with nearly 30 in attendance. I'll post a photo in another blog.
3. I'm staying at my brother Larry's home, but going out each day to meet friends. Some of these friends I've not seen for 5 years or so.

Fun at a Mini Reunion!

Saturday night I went to a mini reunion of my Nursing Class. We graduated 45 years ago. Eleven of us showed up plus seven husbands. Next year we will have an official, real reunion.

Newest Gabon MK!

For the past 40 years I have been a Missionary nurse at a Hospital in Africa. All the children of the other missionaries call me "Aunt Carolyn". I know these Missionary Kids (MKs) almost better than I know my real nieces and nephews. 
Next door to me the past five years has been a couple from the States, Eric and Wendy Hofman. Eric is the Bongolo Hospital Bookkeeper and Wendy is the Ophthalmologist. Eric grew up in Omaha. They just had their third baby on Tuesday, here in OMAHA!!
Yesterday I went to the hospital to visit the newest MK so she could meet her "Aunt Carolyn"!! Her name is Hannah Marie.

On the BEACH!

Ok, so I am not swimming. There is still snow around but I am staying one half block from the Long Island Sound. I am in Milford, Connecticut but moving to Madison, CT for my last conference. I will be speaking in Madison for the next five days and then fly home to Omaha, NE.

The first photo is of me in Stratford, CT. The second one is close to my host home in Milford.





Today's Positives:
1. I have about four hours "free" before being driven to the next church.
2. My asthma is bothering me less this week then last.
3. I only have six more days before flying HOME!

SNOWING in SPRING!!

Happy Spring! I am in Connecticut where it is now SNOWING. We may get 3-5 inches. Every prediction is different. I am lodged in a Hotel for this five day conference, looking out the window. I will go out this evening. I hope I will not need the boots that I brought along.

I have been able to do some site seeing this week. I ate lunch one day in the Curtis House, the oldest Inn in CT.



I was in the oldest church in Woodbury, CT.



I saw they grave of Fanny Crosby. She wrote thousands of Hymns such as, Blessed Assurance, All The Way My Saviour Leads Me, I Am Thine O Lord, Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross, Praise Him, Praise Him, Rescue The Perishing, To God Be The Glory, and Tell Me The Story Of Jesus. Fanny's grave marker was very small and said, "She hath done what she could". Later friends made another much larger grave marker for her.

New England Speaking Trip

On February 27th I flew from Omaha to Charlotte, North Carolina and then on to Albany, New York. The day before my flights the Charlotte airport had canceled hundreds of flights because of the weather but the day I flew it was beautiful outside! Thanks for your prayers. I was picked up in Albany and driven to Bennington, Vermont where I have been on Missions Conference speaking "tour" at the Missionary Alliance Church.

My tour partner is Janice Quinlan who has worked in Thailand since 1985. She is on Home Assignment in Florida so she flew up from there and we are visiting the same churches.
The conference in Bennington, VT has gone well with good attendance. Janice and I stayed in the same home but have been invited out to eat with others several times. On the way to one meal we went through an old covered bridge. There has been plenty of snow on the ground as well as fresh snow on most of the days.

We transfer to Green Mountain Chapel in Brattleboro, Vermont this afternoon for our next conference. We will go over two mountains to get there. Janice will be there until Saturday before she transfers down to Massachusetts but I will stay until Monday when I will join her in MA. That way each of the churches will have a Missionary speaker on Sunday. We will do "tag traveling" for the rest of the month.

 Please pray for Janice and I as we continue on "tour" as follows:
·         March 4-8 Brattleboro, VT
·         March 8-11 Amherst, MA
·         March 11-15 Manchester, CT
·         March 15-18 Southbury, CT
·         March 18-22 Stratford, CT
·         March 22-25 Milford, CT
·         March 25-29 Madison, CT

Graduation!

Yesterday, March 1st was graduation for the Nursing School students in Africa where I taught for the past 37+ years. I just left Africa at the end of November. I am in the States but was able to see photos on facebook. Here are two of them.





Today's Positives:
1. I was able to see Graduation photos on facebook.
2. Vermont is beautiful in the SNOW today!
3. I am warm in a home, and have no speaking engagement today. I do speak for at least the next eight days straight!!

Congratulations to the Class of 2015!!

Sleeping Better + Packing!

I was recently diagnosed as having Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I have been sleeping with a CPAP machine for three weeks. CPAP IS "CONTINUOUS POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE". I wear a mask and humidified air is blown into the mask. I breath in this forced air through my nose and it has enough pressure to make sure that my airway stays open. It had been closing off or partially closing off. Some people use a nose mask but I do better with a full mask, even though I do not generally mouth breath.

During the sleep test I had 24-25 times EVERY HOUR where I either stopped breathing for at least ten seconds or else breathed very shallowly for ten seconds or more. Since using my CPAP machine to keep my airway open I now only have about ONE "event" each hour. I am sleeping deeply for 5 or 6 hours, much longer than I had been restlessly sleeping before.

Friday I will be "Leaving on a Jet Plane" from Omaha to Albany, New York. Someone will pick me up there and drive me to Bennington, Vermont where I will be speaker at a half week Mission's Conference. Each week I will be speaker at two different churches, eight total during four weeks in eight cities in three States (Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut). I plan to fly back to Omaha on March 30.

Please pray for preparation for my messages to be given at these conferences, for safe travels and that I not fall on snowy, icy paths. Pray the the Lord will speak to those who attend these conferences. Thanks.



Today's Positives:
1. I got some errands done today which I needed to do before my trip.
2. I have canceled other plans for the next two days so that I can just work at home, getting ready for my trip, and my speaking.
3. The weather in Omaha on Friday, as well as in Albany, New York where I must "land" should be good.

Carolyn's Capers- Valentine's Day

February 14, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,
What am I doing for Valentine's Day? Well, nothing. But last night I met three women from church at Applebee's for dinner and then we went to the Omaha Community Playhouse for an excellent Musical of "Little Women". It was billed as "the ultimate LOVE musical"! What a fun night out.

Success! After many trips to many Goodwills, I found two gently used bookcases to complete my living room furniture. My next project, finding a gently used bedroom dresser that will somewhat match my bed and bedside stand! I enjoy checking out the thrift shops!

My learning curve is high as I try to figure out about Social Security and Medicare. I will officially retire from the Alliance on June 30. At that time I must have  health insurance along with Medicare and also must decide when to go on Social Security as my 66th birthday will not be until August. I have seen a Retirement Insurance Adviser and plan to go to a S.S. lecture. More decisions.

Here is a photo of me taken at my Bongolo Hospital Farewell dinner. I'm holding one of the 15 children of Doctors who live on the Bongolo station. Pray for these children, that they come to know Jesus, that they play together well, that they stay healthy.

The first two prayer requests from Gabon came from Barry and Terry Newman. The rest of the requests come from me.

1) Pray for the village churches as they are small, struggling fellowships, often without a trained “shepherd” to help them grow in their spiritual lives.

2) Pray for God’s ongoing work in and through the hospital…that the staff would be renewed in their Christian walk, and that through them the Gospel would be powerfully communicated…in word and deed.

3) Pray for the Bongolo Nursing Students who will take Comprehensive Exams February 16-20. Pray that all students pass all exams.
4) Pray for Terry Newman, Wendy Bastin and Sandra Freeman as they prepare for the Nursing School Graduation ceremony for March 1st.
5) Pray that for the 14 new Nurses who graduate on March 1st, that the Lord would guide them as to their future.
6) Pray for the wisdom for the Bongolo Hospital to know how many and which new graduate nurses to hire.

February 27 I am scheduled to fly to New England where I will speak at Mission's Conferences in eight churches during a four week period. These will be in Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The dates and places of these conferences are as follows:
·         Feb 28-March 4 Bennington, VT
·         March 4-8 Brattleboro, VT
·         March 8-11 Amherst, MA
·         March 11-15 Manchester, CT
·         March 15-18 Southbury, CT
·         March 18-22 Stratford, CT
·         March 22-25 Milford, CT
·         March 25-29 Madison, CT
My flight back to Omaha is scheduled for March 30th. Please pray for me as I prepare for and speak at the above conferences. Pray for the WEATHER in these areas, that conference meetings do not have to be canceled because of SNOW. Pray for safe travels, that I keep warm and that I not FALL on the icy, snowy paths. I have been warned by an orthopedic surgeon to "NEVER FALL".

Other  scheduled dates are as follows:
April 21- Christ Community Church (Omaha)- Super Adults
April 27- Christ Community Church (Omaha)- Alliance Women
May 10- Maple Plain Community Church (Maple Plain, MN)- Adult SS class
May 17- Hope Community Church (Cottage Grove, MN)- Sunday morning
May 24-31  Alliance Council (Long Beach, CA)- attending, including Retirement luncheon
June 7-14 Christ Community Church (Omaha) Global Mission's Conference

Thank you for your prayers and your continued support of the Great Commission Fund (https://secure.cmalliance.org/give/). That is the fund that continues to support me.

Have a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

Carolyn Thorson
Soon to be Alliance Retiree!

Needed: Nurses!

This poster is from  NursingSchool.org


Image provided by Nursing School.org

Comprehensive Exams!

I am thinking and praying for the Nursing Students who I left in Africa. February 16-20 they will take Comprehensive Exams of everything they have studied since September 2012. They will then have one week off  before their March 1st Graduation from Nursing School. They will be new Nurses. Many will be hired by Bongolo Hospital. A couple will take the Midwifery course. Others will move on, some to return to their families they left in order to get an education.

SNOWSTORM!

Having lived on the equator most of the last 40 years I have avoided living in SNOW country. I'm now back in Omaha, NE and after a mild beginning of the Winter season, it has shown up this past week!! This past weekend we had a snowstorm which closed down many activities on Sunday and Monday. I watched my church church service online so I did not have to drive the ten miles or so back and forth. I heard that there were 2000 people online for the services.

Here is a photo taken Sunday from my apartment's balcony.

I was able to attend a Bible Study at church on Tuesday morning, and then do some shopping. It was very slushy on most roads but other roads still had lots of snow. Today though, Wednesday, it snowed again. Most if not all the Omaha schools closed for the second day this week. On Wednesday evenings I have been one-on-one teaching English to Internationals but that too was canceled for tonight.

The snow today did not stop a Respiratory Therapist from arriving with my CPAP machine. I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea. Actually, during the Sleep Study I only had 5 times of apnea  (lack of breathing for at least 10 seconds), but I had 91 times of hypopnea (very shallow breathing for at least 10 seconds). This Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine will force air into my mouth and nose to keep my airway open so that I will sleep better. Tonight will be my first night on the machine besides several hours I was on it during the Sleep Study.

Since I will be retiring this summer, I am trying to figure out how to continue to communicate with my many friends and prayer partners. Using this blog is one way that I can share photos and let people know what is happening in my life. In the right column you can sign up to get an email when I write a blog entry. That will help us keep in contact.

Thanks for your interest in my blog.
Carolyn

Update!

My last months in Gabon at the Bongolo Hospital and area were good with many farewells as I said goodbye to the churches where I had ministered in the past over 37 years. Also farewells given by the Hospital and my missionary colleagues as I left Gabon at the end of November, for eventual retirement.

I have been in the States on Home Assignment for two months now as I finish up my 40th as an Alliance International Worker. The Lord has helped me with the many decisions I have had to make: phone, apartment, car, etc. I feel settled in my new apartment, even though it will take me quite awhile to sort through all my stored "bins". I have seen friends and a few relatives but still have many to see, those who do not live in the Omaha area.

Four weeks from today I will fly to New England to participate in Mission's conferences in three states: Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. I will be speaking in eight churches as I finish up my last tour. Besides tour I have spoken at Alliance Women and adult Sunday School. I also have times set to speak in two churches in Minnesota and to other Nebraska groups as well.

During the past two months I have had doctors visits, various medical tests and even a biopsy which was negative. I did have it verified that I have obstructive sleep apnea, something I already pretty much knew. I am now willing, however, to get treatment for it. I am awaiting my CPAP machine which should help me sleep and keep me healthier (breathing!!).

I will be at the Retirement Luncheon at Alliance Council in California during the last week of May. In June my home church will have their Global Mission's Conference and will recognize me for my retirement. I am seeking the Lord's will for some future U.S. ministry as I shift my focus from Gabon to Omaha.