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| HASTA LUEGO, DAD It is with a heavy heart that we share with you the news that the earthly life of Eida’s stepfather, Vern Edwards, came to an end in the early hours of January 31st. It caught us all by surprise, but we look forward to being reunited when we reach our heavenly Home. Although he had turned 97 on the day after Christmas, he was still a strong man. An engineer not only by occupation, but in character, he loved to solve problems and provide a useful service. Despite being raised in a religious environment, he didn’t come to appreciate the true meaning of the Good News of God’s grace until middle age. But once he placed his faith in Jesus, the priority of his life changed to serving the Lord he loved. He taught children’s Sunday School with his wife, Ruth, and helped lead AWANA, as well as volunteering for Thru the Bible Radio and the U.S. Center for World Mission. When he and Ruth married, he not only happily stepped into the role of father and grandfather to Eida’s mother, but he enthusiastically supported our family as missionaries. They made several trips to see us in Colombia and Mexico, where he always found ways to serve. One summer, when we were building the Agua Viva campus and didn’t yet have running water, he assigned himself the job of “Water Boy,” or “W.B.” as he called himself, pumping water from the well into five-gallon buckets and hauling them into the house as needed.  He enlisted our kids to help him plant trees, helped us raise a long bamboo pole for our radio antenna and even helped run the wringer washer on laundry day! Good memories…  We are very grateful to our dear brothers and sisters of San Gabriel Community Church, especially Gil & Debbie and Carolyn, who were quick to step in and accompany Eida’s mom thru this very difficult time. She plans to continue living at Atherton Baptist Homes in Alhambra. We are also very thankful to Eida’s brother, Lou, who has flown out from his home in New Jersey to help Mom make the final arrangements and help her with the transition to living on her own. STEVE’S HEALTH In October of last year, Steve was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was caught early and is not advanced. It is just one step over the line from the “monitoring” stage into the “treatment” stage. So, on Feb. 9th, he began a series of five external beam radiation treatments. The last one is scheduled for the 19th. The treatments themselves aren’t bad, but the aftereffects are rather unpleasant. We’re praying that they won’t last too long. This is a fairly common affliction among “men of a certain age,” and the treatment is well-tested and effective. Nonetheless, we’d appreciate your prayers for an optimal outcome. As you might imagine, all this has set the work back a bit, but as God’s Word says, “To everything there is season” and we trust the Lord for the grace to deal with each trial as it arises on our pilgrimage of service to the Lord.In Christ’s boundless love, Steve & Eida Irwin Ethnos360.org Spanish Language Resources  Passing along his electrical skills to Art.  He loved to have his girls brush his magnificent white mane, a process he called “fingereez.”  In his happy place. His other happy place. Vern and Ruthie |
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