We were overwhelmed with notes about praying for my Mom. Here's an update.

Update Marjory Patton: She had a total hip replacement last week and apparently sailed through surgery without problems. Her right arm and shoulder have been immobilized by velcro splints holding her arm to her side. This weekend she was discharged from the hospital and sent to the rehabilitation center, but rehabilitation may be slow because of limitations from her shoulder. I was wrong in stating her right hip had been broken previously. It was her left hip - so now she has a prosthesis on the left and a total replacement on the right.

They say that as you age, your basic personality comes out as your defenses are weakened by age. Fortunately, Mom has always been an upbeat person, even when she was a young woman in concentration camp during World War II. We have noticed her sweet behavior at the retirement center, and how the nurses like caring for her. My sister-in-law mentioned two incidents last week. A nurse came to give her a pain shot. She responded: "O dear, I don't have money right now, but I will be sure to pay you..." Then later, she was heard talking to herself: "If you had only used your walker, then this would not have happened. And she answered herself back: But if you had called for help after I fell, then I would not have lain so long on the floor...." Again, we so appreciate your prayers. It appears that the Lord will have Mom stay with us here on earth a bit longer.

Meeting with Ricanau Mofo men: One of our leaders at Sunny Point, Mejo Banwarie, was concerned that his father had no real back-up at the church in Ricanau Mofo, as the men lacked training. His father requested help. Two weeks ago, a team of men from our churches went to Ricanau Mofo to speak with the men there concerning our Bible Institute and further working together. For those who may not know, Darrell Champlin began work in Suriname at Ricanau Mofo in 1965 and trained a number of nationals. The work was turned over to the nationals three years ago. The pastor, Abana Banwarie, came to the city with four of his key young men. They attended both our basic and advanced Bible Institute classes, and met again with a team of our men. They will be following the first Bible Institute, and have decided that they will plan on requiring their leadership to complete the Institute to function as leaders. When I spoke with Br. Abana today, he asked for twenty books in addition to the 15 which they already have. So we are encouraged.

Fiftieth anniversary: Liz and I will be married 50 years, Lord willing, on May 30^th. We wanted any celebration to be God-honoring and to encourage strong families in our church membership. This is a "big deal" for our entire church family, and they want everything to go well. We had a preliminary meeting last Thursday to see what we will do. We felt that our 50^th is really not something which we can go off and do what we want, but we do have a responsibility to the church, and pray that the Lord will truly bless the occasion. We are looking at renewing our vows, and inviting any of the married persons in the church to join us. We also hope to have a special evening program perhaps two or three weeks before which will encourage our married couples as well as six engaged couples in the four churches.

Distribution of Sranantongo materials: Our good friend Steve Guiamo has placed much of our Sranantongo materials in his bookstore to sell. He expects that there will not be a rush on the materials, but there will be an increased demand as people from the interior see what we have available. Dutch is the language of education, but in the interior, many speak only Sranantongo or very limited Dutch.

Advanced Bible Institute: I am finding the materials presented very challenging, and so are our students. Last night, I completed the history of missions, including the beginning here in Suriname, and started teaching about the importance of world view and attitude in development and independence of the churches. The concept of one's worldview and its influence is new to them, and I will have to slow down a bit, but trust it will prove helpful.

Prayer requests:

1. Strength and health for the work
2. Our spiritual growth
3. My mother's health and recovery
4. Bible Institutes, including work in the interior
5. Souls saved and discipled
6. Independence of the churches