NOVEMBER 2020 Letter LIVING WELL

Just when we thought life couldn’t get more difficult . . . .  . . . IT DID!

The Oklahoma ice storm at the end of October was very distressful for all of us. We were without power for nine days and iced in for two. Looks like every tree in Bethany has damage. We have been through this before – twice in this house. This time we were more prepared. We bought a generator several years ago – in anticipation of another ice storm, but have never used it for our home. We powered our furnace, fridge, and a few other things. So, we were warm and had food. Our camping gear came in handy! We are thankful for the heat and food!

We hope that you are surviving these days successfully and staying well.

If you have ever wanted to own a Thomas Kinkade painting, NOW IS THE TIME! One of our supporters donated several Thomas Kinkade pieces of art work for us to sell to raise funds. We are in the process of doing that now! What a great opportunity to buy for yourself or a loved one for Christmas.

We wanted to alert our supporters before we put them out for the general public. All of the pieces are priced at least half of the retail price. You can see more info online here (photos of all pieces of art and prices). You can also see them in person at our office by appointment. Please email us at info@livingwellokc.org if you are interested. 

End of Perfect Day

Garden of Prayer

All of the money from purchases will go towards funding WISDOM Christian School. The sale of these pieces of art will make a huge difference for the CHILDREN of WISDOM! 

The latest news at WISDOM is that ALL of the students returned to school near the end of September. They are trying to catch up for the 6 months that they missed. Please pray for their health, safety, and school work.

We heard that our shipment of computers and science lab equipment has arrived in Ndola. The shipping company delivered the containers yesterday!

This year has certainly been one of the most difficult that we have experienced. To keep from hitting bottom emotionally, it is important to focus on all the good in our lives. This page about thanksgiving and gratitude is one of the most well-received that we have published. It’s an encouraging reference to have on hand and go back over. Having a habit of gratitude is important all year!

Please let us know how you are doing. Our office is only open by appointment but you can email us at info@livingwellokc.org. THANK YOU again for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement. We could not do what we do without YOU!

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Please pray for us as we seek to raise funds with our art sale.

The water that I will give him will

become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. 

John 4:14b 

LIVING WELL is a life source, not a life style.

Art for WISDOM

Have you always wanted to own a Thomas Kinkade painting? 

NOW IS YOUR TIME!

A generous donor gave several pieces of art work by Thomas Kinkade to LIVING WELL for the purpose of raising funds. All of the money from purchases will fund WISDOM Christian School in a slum outside Ndola, Zambia.

The retail prices listed below are what you would pay at a store or art dealer. 

We are selling all of our Kinkade's for 50% or less! 

Many are no longer available to purchase anywhere! If you are interested in viewing or purchasing a Kinkade, please email Donna - dedwards@livingwellokc.org .

Wherever it says "canvas", those pieces are canvas lithographs. They are printed on canvas and many have been highlighted by hand by an artist in the Kinkade studio. "A/P" means artist proof and is a more limited edition than the S/N (signed and numbered).

You can click on any picture to enlarge it.

All pieces are available to view in the LIVING WELL office at 6636 NW 39 Expressway, Suite 106, in Bethany. 

Garden of Prayer
25"w x 34"h A/P Canvas
Retail $2,795
Your price $1,200

The Mountain Chapel

32"w x 40'"h  A/P Canvas 

Retail $2,410

Your price $1,200

The Forest Chapel

24"w x 30"h  A/P Canvas 

Retail $1,998

Your price $995

A Quiet Evening at Riverlodge
(End of Perfect Day II)
25.5"w x 22"h   Canvas Retail $750
Your price $350

Hidden Arbor

20"w x 16"h

A/P Canvas (with certificate 221/375) 

Retail $1,070

Your price $400

Hidden Gazebo

20"w x 16"h

S/N Canvas (with certificate 2172/2400)

Retail $860

Your price $400

Christmas at The Ahwanee

16"h x 20"w A/P Canvas

Retail $1200 SOLD

Your price $500

Moonlit Village
with verse from Fairest Lord Jesus
Paper
Retail $200
Your price $75

A Quiet Evening at Riverlodge
(End of Perfect Day II)
34"w x 25"h   Paper
Retail $800  SOLD
Your price $400

Bloomsburg Cafe

18”w x 22”h Canvas

Retail $400

Your price $200

Beside Still Waters

21"w x 22"h Paper

Retail $120

Your price $50

If you are interested in viewing or purchasing a Kinkade, please email Donna - dedwards@livingwellokc.org .

LIVING WELL Letter AUGUST 2020

When we sent our last letter in April, we had no idea that the COVID virus spread would be worse now than it was then. We had the attitude of many, “we can do this for a while; it will all be better soon.” We are now 4 ½ months into it! Now what?!

As stated in a previous letter, we are not taking new counseling appointments. We have had some appointments by phone and by Facetime during our work-from-home time.

Being confined at home for an extended time can strain a marriage. See this blog post to find ways to make the most of these times.

We have been very busy with the Zambia mission – at home. We ordered and prepared 20 computers for the new computer lab at WISDOM Christian School. We use the Raspberry Pi setup (if you are interested in computers, it's worth checking out). They come in a kit. Ed assembled them. Donna programmed them. The operating system and software all run from a micro SD card (used in many cameras). 

Because of generous donors, we were able to buy all the computers, keyboards, monitors, etc. that were needed. Then, Ed carefully packed them into three containers. We added some microscopes for the science lab. A shipping company picked them up on July 12. They leave the east coast on a ship soon and arrive in Ndola in late October! [see photos and info about the computers on this page]

We had hoped to go to Zambia in early December to set up the computer lab and science lab, but that looks doubtful at this time. We sent detailed instructions for setting up the computers in case we don’t make it. The COVID virus seems to taken hold recently in Zambia. Please pray for protection of the children and staff.

Part of our June mission (that was cancelled) was to build the science lab with sinks and high, fire-proof counters. Since we were unable to do that project, we hired our Zambia contractor to do the work instead. He is hard at work on it!

The 7th graders started back to school on June 1st. The 52 students are divided into three classrooms right now with three teachers for each group. Normally, they are all in one classroom together. They wear masks, have their temps taken daily, and use hand sanitizer. They have exams at the end of the year to determine if they will pass to the 8th grade next year. Grades K-6 will not return to school until January 2021. This is nationwide and mandated by the government. [see more photos here]

On a more personal note, our daughter, Jacquelyn was married on July 4th to Sam Eagleson! We are very excited about their future together. Their original plan was to have the wedding in Santa Fe with lots of friends and family. Instead they had it in OKC, outdoors, with a small group of friends and family. Ed had the privilege of officiating the ceremony and it was a day full of joy for all of us!

 

And we added a puppy to our home – a Corgi named Molly!

Please let us know how you are doing. Our office is closed but you can email us at info@livingwellokc.org. THANK YOU again for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement. We could not do what we do without YOU!

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Please pray for us as we go through this unusual situation in our world and for continued support for the ministry.

The water that I will give him will

become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. 

John 4:14b 

LIVING WELL is a life source, not a life style.

Be Strong and Courageous

Be strong and courageous.
Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, 23; Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, 19; Joshua 10:25; 1 Chronicles 22:13; 1 Chronicles 28:20; 2 Chronicles 32:7

Don’t we need strength and courage right now?

After repeating that phrase so many times, I think our God really means it. Anything that He calls us to do, He also equips us to do.

Joshua 1:9 goes on, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

What can we say about these unprecedented times that we live in?

Certainly, we have nothing to say that is new or will change what we are experiencing. The phrase that we have used for so many situations applies today as well – this too shall pass. 

WE ARE . . .

We are tired of being confined . . . . of not getting to see the people that we want to see . . . . of being afraid of everyone we see when we go to the grocery store. We are overwhelmed by all the death and sickness. We are sad to miss coming together with other believers on Sunday. We are anxious about how this pandemic is affecting the economy. 

But we will make it through. Our Lord has promised to be all we need when we seek Him. “How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11) “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him.” (2 Peter 1:3)

THE POSITIVE

Our prayers are for some positive, long-term, side benefits in our culture. We see families spending more time together than they ever have. We see people relying on personal worship in the absence of corporate worship. We see people encouraging each other. People are showing their creativity and humor to the social media world. We are all s l o w i n g down. We recognize that the true heroes in our world work in health care, the grocery store, teaching, food service, and delivery trucks. We can live without the athletic and entertainment superstars. We can live without our hurried pace of life. But we know that we can’t live without each other and without HIM!

PERSONAL

On a more personal note, during this time, we went through a health care scare that had nothing to do with the virus. Ed had some pain in his leg. Went to the doctor. Had lots of x-rays and tests. For a week, we thought he had multiple myeloma. By the grace of God, he does not. He was diagnosed with a condition with the acronym MGUS. A small percentage of the people with MGUS do go on to develop multiple myeloma. He will have six-month checkups to monitor his condition. Please pray with us that it will not progress to MM. 

ZAMBIA

We did cancel our Zambia mission trip for June. We were all disappointed. We really need to go before the end of the year to help prepare the computer lab and science lab for the high school. Zambia closed schools starting the last week of April. They do not have very many cases that they know of at this time. But they do not have widespread testing and their health care system will be inadequate to cope with a widespread epidemic. In the slum where the Children of WISDOM live, there is no running water in homes. So, their ability to be hygienic during this critical time is very limited. Please pray for our students and teachers, for their health and protection.

Please let us know how you are doing. Our office is closed but you can email us at info@livingwellokc.org. 

THANK YOU again for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement. We could not do what we do without YOU!

Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray for us as we go through this unusual situation in our world and for continued support for the ministry.

The water that I will give him will

become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. 

John 4:14b 

LIVING WELL is a life source, not a life style.