Help the Adams

JULY AND AUGUST

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulations bring about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.“ Rom. 5:3-5

Dear Loved Ones Near and Far,

It does not seem possible that summer is almost over. Never ceases to amaze me how quickly time goes by. We hope that this letter finds you well, and that you had a great couple of months.

I was able to go to Bible camp, with three of my nieces. I had a blast. I also had a very busy week as teacher, dorm mom, and camp nurse. It took me a lot longer to recover, but it is a good fatigue. August 1-3 was our Dickinson Teen Camp-out, which went well. We had quite a few thunderstorms, but no hail and high winds, and except for lots of things getting wet, it all went well. The kids were great and it is also very rewarding to us.

Steven was able to come home for a couple of weeks prior to the start of classes. He leaves the 20th. It is so nice to have him home, and he has been getting caught up on some much-needed rest. He does enjoy Omaha, and loves the church in Bellevue. It is always a relief to us to know he is taken care of by family and friends.

Mindy has had a rough few months. She has seen several doctors, and been on several different medications. One problem is that because the kids have been on so many medications throughout their lives, many no longer work, and when they get an infection, it is much harder to treat. This has been the case. She has been doing better the past two weeks, and was able to go to the camp-out. It was very tiring for her , but it was very uplifting to be around her close friends in a spiritual setting, and that often is the best medicine. Thank you for the many prayers. We are quite concerned for the upcoming months when illnesses are more prevalent. She has decided to quit 2 of her 3 jobs, which will be a challenge for her and Ian, but it is too much for her. Her and Ian are doing well, and their puppy Dudley keeps them busy.

My job has been renewed for at least one more year, but the funding has been cut quite a lot. I have been looking for a new job, but it is hard, as I like what I do. I do start at Dickinson State University on August 29th, teaching one class, so that will help. It has been stressful, but I am so grateful for what I have.

Dean is doing great and gearing up for the start of school. He is keeping busy as usual with preaching and teaching.

We thank God for you and all you have done for our family. God watch between us while we are absent from each other.

God bless each of you, and keep you safe in His care!

Love and Prayers,

Dean, Sherry, Steven, Mindy and Ian

 

 

 

 

 

 

“He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek His refuge, His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day.” Psalm 91:45

 

End of February

Dear Family and Friends,

Another month is quickly coming to an end, and we are beginning to see that spring will soon be here. We hope that this letter finds you doing well. I am sorry it is later than usual, but it has been kind of crazy the past couple of months.

 

Mindy and Ian are doing well. Mindy continues to struggle with her health, but she keeps pressing on. She had hoped to finish her Psychology degree this semester, but due to her health, she has had to cut back on her number of classes. She has three left, but she will get it done! Because of her nursing and psychology background, she has been offered a promotion at her job, as a counselor helping individuals struggling with jobs, family, etc. She is pretty excited. They will work around school schedule, so she can finish her degree. Ian is still a volunteer fireman and now almost finished as an EMT. He loves both.

 

Steven has had a time the last few weeks with definite highs and lows, but he too continues to persevere. His first week back, he had a bad fall and broke his arm, twisted his ankle, and cut his head. Then last week, influenza hit the campus hard. Even though he had his flu shot, he came down with it. We had a call last Sunday morning at 4:00am that he was taken by ambulance to the hospital…with a 104º fever. He is still quite run down and coughing a lot, but next week is mid-terms and so he needs to go to class. He is going to try and come home for spring break, which will be nice so he can get caught up on sleep. I worry about him driving the 11 hours, not feeling well. On a positive side, he did have a couple exciting things happen—in between the illnesses. He was one of 5 chosen for young republicans scholarship to go to Washington DC (all expenses paid) and attend the Republican Conservative conference. He actually sat in a meeting with President Bush. He was so excited. He then was chosen to attend the Presidential Inauguration next January. We can’t afford to send him, but it was a nice honor to get an invitation.

 

Dean continues to preach and teach. He is doing a great study on the first five books of the Bible. He does such a great job. His parents recently moved back from Las Vegas. This is their home area, but they have been gone for the last 25 years, so a lot has changed for them.

 

I have been struggling with some health issues, but fortunately they have ruled out cancer. I am on a couple new medicines, so we’ll see if that helps. Hasn’t slowed me down too much, just don’t have quite the energy.

 

Well, thanks for all you have done for us. We continue to struggle with the still rising medical bills, so please continue to keep us in your prayers. That is why I love the above scripture, as we are not alone. God watch over you and keep you in His care.

 

Love always,

Dean Sherry Steven Mindy and Ian

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is in the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by the stream and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” -Jeremiah 17: 7-8

January 2008

 

“He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek His refuge, His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day.” Psalm 91:45

 

End of February

Dear Family and Friends,

Another month is quickly coming to an end, and we are beginning to see that spring will soon be here. We hope that this letter finds you doing well. I am sorry it is later than usual, but it has been kind of crazy the past couple of months.

 

Mindy and Ian are doing well. Mindy continues to struggle with her health, but she keeps pressing on. She had hoped to finish her Psychology degree this semester, but due to her health, she has had to cut back on her number of classes. She has three left, but she will get it done! Because of her nursing and psychology background, she has been offered a promotion at her job, as a counselor helping individuals struggling with jobs, family, etc. She is pretty excited. They will work around school schedule, so she can finish her degree. Ian is still a volunteer fireman and now almost finished as an EMT. He loves both.

 

Steven has had a time the last few weeks with definite highs and lows, but he too continues to persevere. His first week back, he had a bad fall and broke his arm, twisted his ankle, and cut his head. Then last week, influenza hit the campus hard. Even though he had his flu shot, he came down with it. We had a call last Sunday morning at 4:00am that he was taken by ambulance to the hospital…with a 104º fever. He is still quite run down and coughing a lot, but next week is mid-terms and so he needs to go to class. He is going to try and come home for spring break, which will be nice so he can get caught up on sleep. I worry about him driving the 11 hours, not feeling well. On a positive side, he did have a couple exciting things happen—in between the illnesses. He was one of 5 chosen for young republicans scholarship to go to Washington DC (all expenses paid) and attend the Republican Conservative conference. He actually sat in a meeting with President Bush. He was so excited. He then was chosen to attend the Presidential Inauguration next January. We can’t afford to send him, but it was a nice honor to get an invitation.

 

Dean continues to preach and teach. He is doing a great study on the first five books of the Bible. He does such a great job. His parents recently moved back from Las Vegas. This is their home area, but they have been gone for the last 25 years, so a lot has changed for them.

 

I have been struggling with some health issues, but fortunately they have ruled out cancer. I am on a couple new medicines, so we’ll see if that helps. Hasn’t slowed me down too much, just don’t have quite the energy.

 

Well, thanks for all you have done for us. We continue to struggle with the still rising medical bills, so please continue to keep us in your prayers. That is why I love the above scripture, as we are not alone. God watch over you and keep you in His care.

 

Love always,

Dean Sherry Steven Mindy and Ian

Dear Family and Friends,

Another year is about upon us. Hard to believe how quickly time flies by. We hope you had a nice Christmas and we wish you a very happy and healthy 2008. Thanks so much for the cards, letters and pictures you sent. They were great!

December was a hard month for the kids. Steven ended up with a bad sinus infection right before finals week. He was fortunately at the clinic during the time of the shooting at the mall in Omaha. He goes to that mall quite often, so we were grateful that he was not there that day. He made it through finals pretty well, and home safely. He is enjoying his break, and is working some at the Alzheimer’s unit.

Mindy has not felt well all month, so going into finals was pretty touch. She did well though, and only has 5 classes left for her psychology degree. She had her wisdom teeth cut out on the 19^th. She unfortunately had a pretty bad reaction against the anesthesia, so she has been very slow to mend. She spent several days here, so Ian could continue working. She has a doctors’s appointment on January 4th, to run more tests. Hopefully they can find out why she is not getting better. Ian is doing well. He is now also taking EMT classes, as well as still being a volunteer firefighter.

On the 19^th we also had a bad scare with our dog of 11 years, Belle. She woke up and was pretty much paralyzed. We thought she had a stroke, but it is a bulging disc. We didn’t want to put her down that day, as she is mainly Mindy’s dog and she was not well, so the vet put Belle on massive doses of steroids. She is doing somewhat better and can now walk, so we will see how she does once the drugs are done. Belle was the dog that sat day and night with the kids when they were so sick. She is more than a pet. It is pretty hard.

We had a nice Christmas and spent Christmas Eve with Gina and her family, which is always a blast! And Christmas Day we went to one of the families from church. It was pretty nice.

Dean and me are doing pretty well. I actually took about 10 days off from work, which has been nice. Dean was able to take a couple extra days off, and we have been enjoying have the kids around. It will be very quiet when Steven leaves.

Well, we thank you for all you have done for us over the years. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. God watch over you in 2008!

Love and Prayers,

Dean Sherry Steven Mindy Ian

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“If Thy law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Thy precepts, For by them Thou hast revived me.”

Psalm 119:92-93

December 2007

 

Dear Family and Friends,

Hard to believe that another year is quickly coming to an end. Seems like yesterday we were thinking about the new millennium and “Y2K” . We hope that this letter finds you doing well. This year has been one filled with changes and challenges. Good thing that God is always a constant. One of my biggest challenges is learning to cook for two again.

Mindy and Ian are adjusting well to married life. Mindy ended up sick again and had to have more rounds of antibiotics. She has to have her wisdom teeth cut out on the 19^th. Hopefully they won’t get infected, but they are causing her some problems. She is just so worn down. She will be done with finals in couple of weeks.

Steven’s car died totally, but with the help of many, he was able to come home for Thanksgiving. People from the church have been so good at picking him up. We had a nice visit. I was happy to cook for more people and he was happy to eat! He has been feeling a little better, just worn out. He only has about 3 weeks and then will be home for three weeks.

We spent Thanksgiving with Dean’s grandma—for her 93^rd birthday. It was nice to see everyone.

Dean got his deer, and has been making jerky and sausage. He also has been pheasant hunting with Duchess (the dog). They have lots of fun! He still keeps busy with church as well. We started the monthly teen activities again. We always have lots of fun.

My job is still keeping me busy, but I am going to take some time off over the holidays, to help Mindy and be around when Steven gets home. We will go to my sister Gina’s for Christmas Eve, which is a lot of fun. Her girls just love Uncle Dean!

We have adjusted to the many changes this year. The challenges have certainly been a test of our faith. We have been struggling a lot this year financially, but when my insurance changed the middle of the year things continued to get worse. The new insurance doesn’t cover much and has a high deductible, which starts over next month. We take it one day at a time and we are thankful to God for each of you and your prayers.

We do not know what lies ahead in 2008, but we know that God is there. We wish you a happy, and healthy Holiday season and Very Happy New

Year. God bless each of you for your continued love and kindness.

 

Love Always,

 

Dean Sherry Steven Mindy and Ian

“The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble, And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; For Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee.”

Psalm 9: 9-10

September and October 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

I must apologize for being so late at sending this letter out. I feel as though my head is spinning, as things have been so crazy over the past couple of months. I hope that things with you are doing well. “Even though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit”.

I do not know where to begin….Steven had a rough transition to Omaha…not so much school but other things. In one weekend, his cash card number got taken—and all his money stolen….he didn’t have a lot but it was the idea. That same weekend, his car radiator broke. Two days later, he got extremely ill—most likely from stress, but had to be taken to the hospital. Fortunately for him, the church people there helped him out. He has been doing better, and just was home for his “fall” break. He went back today. (10/20) It was so good to see him, but I miss him a lot. It was also nice because several of our other college age kids were also back for a visit. It was fun to have a houseful of “kids” again!

On the same weekend that all that transpired with Steven, both Mindy and Ian ended up at the clinic with upper respiratory infections. It is that hard time of year, when the “bugs” start to reappear. Unfortunately, stress does a number on the immune system, especially one that isn’t functioning too well. Mindy got very sick again this week, and is back on antibiotics, which have made her very sick to her stomach. Please keep all of them in your prayers. Good news though, there is enough flu vaccine, so that will help with that.

Dean is doing well. He got his antelope, and several pheasants. He will deer hunt in a couple of weeks. To him, it is a time for quietness and one on one time with God. Getting the extra meat doesn’t hurt either. HA! He continues to preach and teach.

People have asked, how I have been with an empty house. I tell them the key is to be so busy and tired, you don’t have time to think about it, which has been the case with my job. Not so much that I plan to be that busy but things have been crazy. Our grant was renewed another year, but with all the new requirements. I actually just got back from Washington DC/Arlington, VA for training. I continue to teach a lot as well, but this is all good…because I like what I do and I really need to have a job.

We also keep busy doing things with the youth. We had our young adult retreat in September, which was fun. We’ll be starting back up on our teen activities as well. Keeps you young…at least mentally. My bones tell me differently. HA!

Attached is a letter from a friend of ours who is helping us try and raise money to pay our ever increasing medical bills. It has been so very difficult. Please keep us in your prayers.

Well…do take care, keep in touch, and know that you are in my prayers….as always and with our love…

Dean, Sherry, Steven, Mindy and Ian

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“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall praise Him for the help of His presence.“ Psalm 42:5July and August 2007Dear Family and Friends,It seems like forever since I last wrote. It has been a crazy 2 months, both easy and hard. I like the above scripture, as sometimes we just get so overwhelmed, that we need to stop and think we are not alone to face things. We hope you have had a good summer. Hard to believe that it is quickly coming to an end.Our dear friend Lloyd, made a tremendous recovery from his heart attack and except for fatigue, seems to be doing well. We are so thankful for that.We had a busy summer with youth activities. I was able to help with teen camp and family camp. Mindy was able to go to family camp. We always enjoy being able to go to camp together. We had the Dickinson Teen campout with about 34 kids. It was our 12th year of doing this. We were fortunate, and had good weather, no bees, and very few mosquitoes. The kids were great and Dean did a great job on the lessons. We are planning the young adult retreat in September and then the monthly teen activities. This is our 25th year working with the youth. What a blessing for us.We had a rough month when our old computer and Steven`s from graduation both crashed on the same day! The next day Dean`s old work car, Mindy`s car, and Ian`s car all died! We are not sure why but we blame the weather because it was over 105 degrees for several days and the cars are only used to the cold. Well, couldn`t fix the computers, so am using my work one, and couldn`t fix two cars, but they were able to fix Ian`s. Then they switched our insurance–still Blue Cross, but the state plan which has a huge deductible and covers a lot less. Not sure what we will do, but at least we still have insurance. Later that week my dad got very sick with breathing problems and ended up several times at the hospital. He is doing a little better. At least we still were not nearly as hard hit as Job. HA!Mindy and Ian are adjusting to married life. It was kind of hard at first as Mindy was sick for several weeks after the wedding. I think all the stress finally caught up with her. They have adjusted her medicine. We are still putting the medical bills under our name for her for now–we just don`t want them to struggle with medical bills too. She goes back to college on the 21st. She should hopefully finish her psychology degree this year or next. She did quit Penneys as it was too hard for her to do two jobs, and will go back to part time at her other job while in school. It will be hard for them but they are close to each other and God, so that will help. Now she has to get her wisdom teeth out. She is going to try to wait until Christmas.Mindy and me took Steven to Nebraska this past weekend (August 17)–very long drive in more ways than one. We got him all settled in. We were able to visit my grandma and also got to see an aunt, uncle and cousin, who I hadn`t seen for a long time. It was great. It was very hard to leave Steven–but I only cried 3 hours of the 11 hour trip. HA! Mindy had a rough time as well–as they are so close. It is easier to leave him, as we do have family there and also know several from the church there, so that is nice. He is doing pretty well–although tonight (August 20) they were hit by a tornado and golf ball size hail. They have tunnels in each dorm, so they were safe.It is hard to have a house empty of children when we have had so many. I do worry about Steven and his health especially living in a dorm. It will be tough for him, but he is excited for this new phase of life. We will just keep on one day at a time.On a positive note, my grant got renewed for this year, so at least I still have a job until next August….when they look at it again. Dean is still keeping as busy as usual. He has always been so strong. It was hard for him, as well with the kids being gone. They were so much of everything we did. We are proud of them and that they have remained strong through so many trials. Please continue to keep them in your prayers….especially getting into the “sick“ months.Keep us in your prayers as well, as it gets harder and harder to keep up with the medical bills past and present….Keep also in touch. It will be good to hear from you.Thanks for all you do. God be with you until we meet or talk again….

Love and Prayers,

Dean Sherry Steven Mindy and Ian