Grandpa Charley

Jane's beloved Grandpa Charley passed away on November 26. He was 92. It was a blessing that Jane and Nicole could fly back to Indiana to be with him a couple of days before he died. Grandpa's last days were lived like his others--praising God and loving on his family. Many tears were shed but we do not grieve as those who are without hope (1 Thess. 4:13-18) for we know that Grandpa is now with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers for the family, especially for precious Grandma Freda who remains.

An earlier picture of Grandpa Charley & Grandma Freda

For Rachel S.

At Rachel S.'s request, here's a larger picture of me (Jane) as spaghetti and meatballs. Ingredients for this recipe: colander, mop head taped or hot glued to colander, meatball-colored poms sewn to "noodle" strands here and there, spaghetti spoon, and a piece of french bread. Optional: Take another mop head apart and attach to red shirt with more poms. Hungry?

Halloween and other fun

Halloween brought a lot of fun for the Fiscus Family. Nicole dressed up as Bat Girl, Mitch was a "quarter" back, and Jane was spaghetti & meatballs. We thought it would be fun to dress Jake up too, but he was not cooperative. (It's really no fun to simply wear a t-shirt or bandana when you can have more fun trying to chew it off!) Nicole enjoyed the school's Halloween carnival and later that evening our church participated in its first trunk-or-treat. Several of our members decorated their vehicles and passed out goodies (see pictures on our church blog). We also gave each trick-or-treater a gospel tract. Our family finished the evening eating pizza and watching a movie with church friends. The next day we gave Jake the smallest jack-o-lantern to see what he would do. He enjoyed rolling it around and then he devoured most of it. (It was nice of him to save us the trouble of discarding it!)

In other news, we are excited about the opening of a grocery store in Pioche. Miner's Market opened its doors on October 31. Our first shopping experience was nothing short of exhilarating. In church news, Mitch is continuing his sermon series through the book of John. And next week church and community ladies will begin a walking workout at the church two days a week.

Thanks for your prayers for us. God has blessed us with tremendous joy in serving Him here.

Busy, busy, busy!

So much has occurred since our last post. Here's a summary of the many things that have kept the Fiscus Family busy the last few weeks:

• Subbing - Jane has subbed four times since the last post: once in Kindergarten, twice in 2nd, and once in 6th. The 2nd grade has been by far the most challenging but it is in this class where God has revealed Himself the most. He is our strength and an ever-present help in time of need!


• Ladies' Bible study - This daytime study taking place in our home is drawing to a close. Fifteen ladies will finish this in-depth study of the book of Luke in two weeks. The ladies have grown in the Lord, in the knowledge of His Word, and enjoyed the fellowship. The ladies are already talking about a new study after the first of the year!


• Wednesday night studies - Adults are enjoying learning the key events, people, and places of Scripture. Some adults have even memorized the books of the Bible using a few of Mitch's memory techniques. Kids have enjoyed learning more about God's character and have already studied that He is our Provider, Battle Fighter, and our Peace.


• Homecoming - The county high school celebrated its homecoming a couple of weeks ago in typical small school style. Nicole's school took part in the homecoming parade and she enjoyed riding on a float for the first time ever. (See if you can find her in the picture below. She's sitting behind and to the right of the blond on the end of the trailer.) Jane enjoyed the opportunity to line judge during the high school volleyball games. (The picture below is blurry but you can tell she's determined to make the right call.)

• Missionaries - We took the opportunity to share the Truth in love with missionaries of another religion who came to our home recently. We invited them back but we'll see what develops. It is our prayer that the Scriptures we shared and the questions we asked (during this two hour visit!) will be seeds well-planted.
  
• Jake the Destroyer - This is our new nickname for Jake the dog. We love him but he chews EVERYTHING. His most recent adventure was with a UPS box left on the porch by an unsuspecting driver while we were gone. Jake was kind enough to help us by shredding the box and opening several of the inner packages! In addition to the cabbage experience (see last post), this has prompted the posting of a sign on our door: Please leave any item/package outside of fence or dog will chew it up.
  
• Projects - Having the parsonage's septic pumped, changing a water heater thermostat, buying a church laptop, patching a leaky church roof, and preparing for a concrete pad to be poured for handicap parking are just a few of the projects Mitch has been involved in recently.
  
• "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" - Mitch and Jane recently had opportunity to see this incredible documentary about the suppression of Intelligent Design in the scientific community. If you haven't seen this yet, do so. Learn more about it and sign an academic freedom petition at expelledthemovie.com.

Well, that's about it. We'll try not to wait so long between posts but perhaps you can see that the things summarized above have kept us pretty busy. Thanks for taking time in your busy lives to keep in touch with us and to pray for the ministry here. We love and miss you.

Having a ball with cabbage!

On Monday a thoughtful, anonymous church member brought us a head of cabbage the size of a beach ball and a huge turnip grown from his/her garden. No one was home at the time. . .except Jake the dog. When Jane got home later in the day cabbage was strewn all over the porch. Jake must have had a ball rolling the cabbage head all over the porch, chewing pieces off as he went. Jane found the gnawed-on turnip sometime later in the yard. Was there more? Maybe a carrot or two? What about a note? Who knows! We can only guess that if there was, Jake devoured any evidence of either. It's kind of funny unless you think about the time (and Miracle Grow!) the church member spent to grow these vegetables and the joy he/she may have had in sharing them with the Pastor and his family only to have all of it fall into the hands (or rather, paws) of a playful pup. Moral of the story for Mitch and Jane: Warn people not to leave things on the porch unattended. Moral of the story for Jake: Have a ball with whatever you're given!

"Fort" Pioche

Nicole and Jake the dog have new forts. Nicole's is actually a spot in a nearby tree. At some time in the past, we suppose a PK (preacher's kid) put a small ladder in a young tree in front of the parsonage. The tree has since grown around the bottom of the ladder providing a secure pathway to fun. This week we trimmed lower branches and wedged some wood in the limbs for a bench. Since then Nicole has enjoyed spending time in her "fort."

Jake's fort seems to be the hole he is working on beneath the deck in the backyard. Every day he digs like there's no tomorrow and then later watches as Jane shovels and sweeps dirt from the sidewalk back into the hole. It's become a fun game for him. Does this look like a fella who would do a thing like that?

Well, a picture's worth a thousand words. . .

We have seen how the Lord has fortified us here. We are encouraged by His recent provisions for us. We have seen His faithfulness in meeting our financial needs as well as providing encouragment in little ways. Thank you for your continued prayers for us.

Potluck birthday party

Tonight church friends helped Jane celebrate her birthday with a potluck and presents. You know Baptists. . .any excuse to get together to eat is welcomed. Enjoy the pictures!

Deeper Still

This past weekend I (Jane) went with five other ladies from our church to a Christian women's event in Las Vegas. "Deeper Still" was a Friday evening/all day Saturday event which featured the Bible teaching of Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, and Priscilla Shirer, along with the music of Travis Cottrell and a praise team. The fifty-five hundred women that gathered gave the stones no reason to cry out, we danced like David danced, and we clapped and lifted holy hands to the Lord in praise. The worship in music alone would have made the weekend unforgettable but there was so much more. The Holy Spirit used the gifted teaching of Priscilla, Kay, and Beth to speak to us powerfully. And the result? My friends and I enjoyed such a sweet fellowship which spilled over into our worship this morning in church. Praise the Lord!

What did Mitch and Nicole do while Mom was away? Well. . .everything they could. They went to the first home game of the high school football team. They ate pizza with church friends. They went shopping in St. George. They went to the shooting range (yes, Nicole loves to join Dad in this activity). And, they missed me. . .well, I believe they did. I know I certainly missed them!

My birthday is this week. It's been said that age doesn't matter unless you're cheese so I'll not disclose my age in this post. (Most of you know my age anyway!) Instead I think it more fitting to borrow the words from an old hymn: "Everyday with Jesus is sweeter than the day before." At my age, that's a lot of sweetness!

Mitch surprised me last week with an early birthday present--a beautiful new twelve-string guitar. I was excited today to be able to play it in church!

I guess that's all the news from Pioche. Thanks, again, for your prayers for the ministry here. We love and miss you all.