Cherish Every Moment

It is with a sad heart that we write this latest update. On October 23, 2018 John's dad, Conrad Frank Thalheimer, went home to be with The Lord. During the last four months we have been full of so many up and downs, but ultimately ending in the sadness of the loss of John's father. We knew this time would come, but we never expected it to be so soon.

The Lord has also been teaching us during this time that we must cherish every moment with our loved ones. He has been orchestrating our lives during the last two years so we could spend precious time with John's dad. It all started when we noticed a change in our ministry back in 2016. Was the grace lifting or was it a gentle nudge from God that we needed to spend more time with family? During 2016, we made more frequent trips back to the states to check on John's dad but still continued to minister in Costa Rica. However, it was not until September of 2017 that we made the decision to leave Costa Rica and return to the states. During our prayer times over the last year we kept hearing God say "wait" anytime we would ask what should we do next. We now know that God was telling us to wait so we could spend more time with family, but especially with John's dad. By not being overseas, John was given the opportunity to spend more time with his dad. In fact, John was able to be with his dad when he departed this world and entered into Heaven. God has shown us that ministry is important, but that family is important too. God cares about families and we believe they are drifting further and further apart from what God desires. We are thankful for the time that God has given us with John's father and he will be missed.

1 Timothy 5:8 (NIV) Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Therapy Dog

During the month of September, we adopted a dog from the animal shelter. Her name is Callie and she was turned in by her owners. We really don't know why they turned her in because she is such a sweet dog. We are training her to be a therapy dog. In case you are wondering; a therapy dog is a dog that visits schools, hospitals, nursing homes etc. Once she is certified as a therapy dog, we will then work on her certification to become a comfort dog. A comfort dog is one that visits people that have been affected by natural disasters, traumatic events etc.

In the short time we have had Callie, we have already seen how people are drawn to her. This has opened up new doors for us to minister in. We are grateful for the new opportunities that God is given us.

2 Corinthians 1:4 (MSG) He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.

Callie Therapy dog in training	Training Day Learning socialization skills at a dog park in NC. She loved playing with the other dogs.

Disaster Relief

While we have been in the states, we have started doing some disaster relief work. Once the roads opened up to Wilmington North Carolina, we headed there to do some cleanup after Hurricane Florence. However, we did not stay in North Carolina as long as we planned due to the fact that Hurricane Michael had greatly affected our church family in Albany, Georgia. The water supply was affected in Albany so we stopped along the way home and picked up cases and jugs of bottled water to distribute to people in need. We were really shocked to see all of the power lines down, broken power poles and the amount of trees that had been uprooted by the storm. We were able to help with cutting up trees and then dragging everything to the road, putting a tarp on a roof, and doing basic yard cleanup.

Our work will not just be limited to the initial cleanup after a storm; rather we will be continuing to help people rebuild. When someone has been affected by a storm, clean up and rebuild does not last for only a few months, but can last years after a storm. Right now, we really feel drawn to go help in areas a few months after the storms to show people that God has never forgotten them and that He loves them.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.

We are continuing to pray about how all of this looks like. We are feeling that the best option for us would be to buy a travel trailer to use as a mobile base. We also feel that we do need to take sometime to mourn the loss of John's dad and to make sure that this is the direction that God is calling us to.

Another way we will be showing the Love of Jesus is by packing and distributing meals to people in need on Thanksgiving Day! We are excited to have the opportunity to volunteer with a local church in Wilmington, NC and to make this Thanksgiving Day about serving others.

As always, we are so grateful for your prayers, love and financial support. We continue to trust God for all of our needs.

Love and Blessings,
John & Cindy Thalheimer

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Cleaning off a roof

One of the trees that John cut up.