Catching Up with the Thimells

So much has happened since our last posting and it is past time for the Thimells to do some serious catch up!

First Truck Load!

800 Miles from Denver to Mountain Home

In September 2012, Cadence International approved our choice of ministry at Mountain Home Air Force Base serving with Ed and Suzie Buri.  (See the About Us link above).  Eric drove the first truckload of household goods while pulling a trailer with one of our cars to our new home and unloaded with the help of the Buris and Andrew Keating.  After returning the rental truck, he flew back to Denver in time to pick up the second truckload with Janet following in the other car.  This time Mike and Colby Coleman helped us unload.  We soon got most of the furniture in place but there is no room for the books or tools so the garage is currently a storage shed.  We got acclimated and introduced to more folks in the community and began to forge relationships with some great people.  We also switched our driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, and voter registrations so we are now officially documented Idaho immigrants!



The last week of September we drove back to Denver to say official goodbyes to our church family, Grace Chapel in Englewood, and to Janet’s sister’s family, the Bonners, in Colorado Springs. 

In October we drove to Monument, Colorado for a much enjoyed member care retreat at the Hideaway with several other Cadence missionary families who are transitioning between ministry locations.  We drove straight from Monument to Dallas for a 10 day mission conference at our original sending church, Lake Ridge Bible Church in Mesquite.  How great it was to renew friendships spanning some 27 years.   Then we drove to Tucson to visit Janet’s step-mother, Irene, and her husband Matt.  Next stop was a home meeting back in Denver where we shared the Mountain Home ministry with a great group of Denver area friends at the home of Dave Bidwell who has been the lead teacher for our adult Sunday school class at Grace Chapel.  Then Eric drove our third and final (but smaller!) truckload of household goods with Janet caravanning along behind all the way back to Mountain Home. This time the 800 mile trip from Denver to Mountain Home included an early but heavy snowstorm in the mountains between Wyoming and Idaho.  For some 150 miles we drove on in spite of very limited road visibility. But, Mountain Home was completely clear.   We managed to cram this final load into our garage.  By the last week of October we were back in Mountain Home getting revved up for the Thanksgiving – Christmas – New Year holiday season. 



We were back in time for the November elections so we used our newly minted Idaho credentials to participate. 

In late November, Eric began teaching a series of lessons on the Holy Spirit at the En Gedi Hospitality House on Friday nights after an open dinner.  The attendance runs between 20 and 35 depending on work and holiday leave schedules. 

Eric Leading Workshop

Men's Retreat at Cascade Pines

At the PMOC (AKA Straight Shooters) men’s retreat in Cascade, Idaho Eric led one of the workshop’s with help from Mick McNaughton .  Mike Coleman was the chief planner, leader and speaker.  He is an associate Navigator missionary (see About Us link above) as well as an active duty Air Force officer. Dan Kephart led another workshop.  He is enrolled at Southern Seminary Louisville’s online MDiv program.  We know many of you have been praying and the Spirit was in evidence that weekend.  26 men went and well over half of them made some serious spiritual commitments.  We continue to see fruit from that time together. 



Janet at PWOCI in Nashville with other Cadence Missionaries

Janet went on a PWOC leadership retreat in Nashville.  The base chapel graciously funded this event in which hundreds of PWOC leaders from around the world converged at this conference to worship, study, and network. Janet got to reconnect with numerous other Cadence missionaries and long-time PWOC acquaintances from over the years.  She is currently serving as the Prayer leader on the local PWOC board.  To get an idea of the range of ministry events we are involved in (and to better understand this alphabet soup) see the Ministry link above.

Living Christmas Tree

In December we had several well-attended seasonal events requiring travel to Boise.  The Living Christmas Tree program was held at a church in Nampa and Handel’s Messiah was performed by the Boise Philharmonic.  There were numerous food and fellowship events, as well, especially on Christmas Day.  Our son, Ben, visited us from Camp Pendleton for nearly four days over Christmas and caught a glimpse of the ministry.  He had fun jamming with Chris on their guitars at the hospitality house. 



Roaring Twenties Party

On New Years’ Eve the Velocity chapel congregation sponsored a Roaring Twenties’ themed party.  Nearly everyone came in appropriately themed attire.  (Although most of us were born at least thirty years too late to really know, it certainly looked authentic!)

Now January is upon us and little weekly snowstorms have begun in earnest.  (I say ‘little’ because we have yet to see more than a couple of inches come at any one time.)  The temperatures are currently staying in the twenties and thirties in the daytime and ten to fifteen degrees colder at night.  But, Lord willing, we are not slowing down in the New Year.  We have events and strategies partially planned out through the summer.  We will keep you posted.