Let’s Stay In Touch

Cornelius Chronicles, July 2018 DownLoad Now

CBI NEWS

Is it possible that the summer is winding down and the fall 2018 semester is around the corner?  Some of us wish we had more time.  Clearly, there is much to accomplish before the students return on August 17.  Classes begin on the 20th.

The big news is that CBI still needs a president.  The Board of Directors was seriously considering calling a man, but he has withdrawn his name.  Rest assured that even with this turn of events, the school is moving forward.  God is in control.

The kitchen and dining hall manager position has been filled by Laurie LeBar, wife of Board member Jon LeBar.

We are working hard to be ready for the opening day.  Teachers are preparing syllabi and tweaking lesson plans.  Other staff are gearing up for their particular areas of responsibility, including facility maintenance, as the picture below depicts.

Another prayer concern is that enrollment is down compared to last year.  Four new students will join ten or eleven returning ones.

SUMMER TRAVELS

Our California trip (May 15-20) was a special blessing as we visited the Dyer family.  This was Marilyn’s first trip to California and her first experience on a California freeway.  Wow!

Our ministry/personal trip (May 24-July 2) went too fast.  The major highlight was a family reunion (planned by Marilyn) in Burlington, North Carolina.

The reunion actually took place on the north edge of Burlington in historic Glencoe Village where our daughter Sarah and her family live. Glencoe was the site of a textile mill that operated from about 1880-1954.  Preservation North Carolina bought the property in 1997.  All three of our children were there with their respective families.  Also, Owen’s brother from Florida was present as well as his sister and her husband from Indiana.

We were able to report on our ministry to two churches in the Burlington area—Grace Bible Fellowship and Hope Baptist Church.

We treasured the time visiting with Hugh and Ellen Enicks in Signal Mountain, Tennessee.  Hugh was Marilyn’s principal when she taught at Shakamak High School in Jasonville, Indiana.  We also cherished the visit we had with Bernice Cox, a supporter, in Estill Springs, Tennessee.

Making our way back north, we stopped at the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky.  If you haven’t been there, we recommend it.

In Newburgh, Indiana, we enjoyed a visit with another supporter, Mary Ellen Fuller.  And in Vincennes, Indiana, Marilyn was able to connect with a childhood friend, Barbara McGaughey and her husband Jerry.

We traveled on to Sullivan, Indiana, close to Owen’s hometown. We spent some time with Owen’s brother, Jon, and again with his sister Mary Ann and her husband Chuck who live in Terre Haute.  We also visited part of a day with Marilyn’s cousins Gena and Roger and his wife near Washington, Indiana.  A highlight here was worshiping on Father’s Day at Bethel Community Church near Dugger, Indiana.  Owen met Christ in this church in March 1968.  He found it heartwarming that the church continues to preach the gospel.

From southern Indiana we traveled to Springfield, Illinois, to stay with our son Joe, his wife, and daughter for twelve days.  Among other things, we had the privilege of touring the Lincoln Museum and enjoying ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery.  But the best part of that visit was getting better acquainted with our granddaughter Elise. Owen also helped Joe with a small painting project when it wasn’t raining.

We left Illinois on June 30, headed for Ashton, Iowa, via Cedar Falls, where we had lunch with our son Tim.  He lives in Waterloo and works in the media ministry of a large church in the area.  Owen preached at Ashton Bible Church on July 1 in the morning.  Dan Kunnari, a Cornerstone Bible Institute graduate, pastors the church.  He and his wife Diana are doing a great work there.

Up to this point, we’d had an accident-free trip. However, on July 2, just west of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, our van’s windshield took a stone from a semi. Owen found an auto glass place in Mitchell, but by that time the crack was too large to be repaired.  Thank the Lord the windshield did not shatter, and we made it home safely.

BACK IN HOT SPRINGS

While we were in southern Indiana, Owen started seeing flashes in his left eye.  They stopped, but a week later floaters appeared.  His eye doctor saw him on July 3.  Our big concern was a possible retina-detachment; but after some extensive tests, the doctor ruled that out and diagnosed it as vitreous degeneration. In other words, it’s an age-related disease.  Oh the joys of growing older!

As in past years, we planted a garden before leaving on our trip.  Because of a great amount of rain in June, we returned on July 2 to a garden full of weeds. But Owen won the weed battle, and we are now enjoying some of the fruits of the garden.

It is now the end of July, and we continue to receive amazing rains in the Black Hills.  Owen heard a comment the other day that some ranchers are saying they have never seen it this green in July.

Please pray about the matters we have shared in this letter.  It has been a refreshing summer, and God knew we needed that.

–Owen and Marilyn