RALPH KLINE

Ralph Eugene “Gene” Kline 65, of, Russell, Pa., died on June 30, 2008 at Warren General Hospital, following a brief onset of cancer.

Gene was born December 29, 1942, in Russell City, Pa., the son of the late Edgar and Vera Moyer Kline.

Gene was employed as an Allstate Insurance Agent for 35 years in Warren. He served his community with an open heart and a generous smile.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and spending quality time with his seven grandchildren. Most of all, Gene found great passion through sharing his faith in Jesus Christ with friends and strangers alike.

He is survived by his wife, Joanne Conners, whom he married on June 25, 1966 in Kane, Pa.; two daughters, Heidi Kline Wilson and her husband, Steve, Russell, Pa. and Sherri Kline Cabascango and her husband, John, Clayton, NC; seven grandchildren, Mark, Megan, Abigail, and Erin Wilson, Esteban, Santiago, and Cristian Cabascango; two nephews; and two nieces.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by two brothers, Lloyd and Edgar Kline; and two sisters, Ermajane Kline and Mary Kline Petruney.

A memorial service will be held at the Praise! Fellowship Church, 315 Rt. 62 North, Russell, Pa., at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 6, 2008. Friends and family are invited to attend.

Memorial contributions may be made to Wycliffe Bible Translators World Wide Project Fund, 1800Wycliffe.

My father, Gene Kline, passed away early this morning.  We love him, and will miss him greatly.  We know he is with Jesus, and no longer has to walk with a cane.  He is dancing, jumping, and worshiping God.  And while we will miss him here, we know we will see him again someday.

Loving Daughter,

Heidi Wilson

For those of you who have been praying for us (thank, guys!), just wanted to let you know what we’ve learned so far.  It is small cell lung cancer.  Not good.  Yesterday he got the chemo port put in.  Next week he goes in for a surgery to stick his lung permanently to his chest wall so that the fluid can’t fill up in his chest again.  That will be pretty major, he’ll be in ICU for awhile, and in the hospital for 4 days or more.  At the same time they’ll give him a major dose of chemo.  This will be a very painful procedure… but they think that once this is over, the chemo and radiation will help him feel a lot better.

We’ll know more over the next few weeks as they explore to see if the cancer has spread to other parts of his body or not.

Love,

Heidi

Human tragedy marks the earth daily. Things happen every day to someone. A mother, a father, a child… unless we are a part of it, life continues to move forward for the rest of us. I cannot say that is right or wrong… it is just what I observe. We don’t generally stop going on because of it, unless it is happening to us.

Saturday, my parents received a call confirming that my father has lung cancer. This isn’t a tragedy on a global scale, but it is a tragedy none the less for our family. The doctor said it is “the worst strain he could have… very aggressive and the outlook is not good.” Thursday they will find out more about the prognosis, and how they will treat it. And life goes on for everyone but those of us holding our breath to see what will happen next. Suddenly, although we function as if we are still moving, we are in that limbo where life moves around us, but we are still.

This touches a few people in the circle of our lives, some close friends of the family, but mostly it touches us. My mother, my sister and myself, our spouses, and our children. Most people will hear about it, and cluck and mutter ‘how sad and terrible’ and then they will move forward, not to think of it again unless an obituary shows up in the local paper. They may attend the viewing, send flowers, or bring a casserole. Some may offer up a prayer, and that is a huge blessing to us. But it is mostly just our private battle.

I heard the news as I was packing my children into the car for a birthday party we had been invited to. I knew there was possibly bad news coming… the testing and surgery to remove the fluid and biopsy the tumor they found last week had more than indicated something was very wrong. My father’s worsening health indicated it also. He is not well at all.

I finished putting my children into the car, and drove myself, my husband and my kids to the party. And I wondered, how can I be doing something so normal when life was suddenly not ordinary. How can I sit here making small talk, and passing out cake when my father just received news that will change his life forever… and quite possibly end it.

Yet, for my children, I said nothing. They have a week of school left, and although they know that ‘Papa’ is sick, they won’t know more until we are ready to talk with them about it. And while we have our suspicions, based on the doctors pessimism in that phone call, we won’t know solid facts until Thursday.

Some people came from their church yesterday to pray over him. My parents have barely attended in years… but it was nice that these people came to pray.

Erin and Abby are loving their new umbrellas

Mother’s Day braiding assembly line

I braided Megan’s hair, and she braided Abby’s

Yay, Spring!!!

Mark graduated from the Bear pack at cub scouts, to Weebelos!

And he is now playing Baseball and having a great time!

And here is a video clip (I missed the hit).

I’m playing catch up today. Our photos from Easter gifts with the kids and my parents are here! Why don’t I have any pictures with Steve’s parents!??! We have to get some major picture taking going, Rita!

Erin:

Abby:

Megan:

Mark:

I’ve been being spammed badly. I don’t have the hour everyday it takes to clean up the several hundred spams, so I’ve added a little thing for comments that you have to fill out. Sorry for the inconvenience!!!

AND, it appears that youtube videos screw up something with this version of wordpress, so I’ve had to delete several posts.  If there is something you wanted to see again, let me know and I’ll let you know where I found it.

We need to preserve our daughter’s heritage. How exactly we are going to do that, I’m unsure. One of the most important traditions in Ethiopia, also known as the birthplace of coffee, is the coffee ceremony. Here is a link to a slideshow of an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.

When I traveled to pick Megan up in Ethiopia, we got to go to a traditional restaurant, and experience a coffee ceremony. I was sitting closest to the woman performing this, and trust me…. the insense and the smoke from the coffee beans nearly drove me out of my seat. But it was so neat to experience it! And the coffee was full of sugar, and flavored with clove. It sort of reminds me of a pumpkin spice coffee. Delicious! And talk about fresh! Megan tells me that she has picked coffee beans herself before. Our coffee must be a poor substitute for Ethiopians who are used to fresh!

Also, a friend gave me a link to an Ethiopian TV channel here in the states. You can check out the Ethiopian Television Network. I’m hoping it will refresh my daughter’s language skills that she has lost.

Another way I plan to try and preserve her country’s language for her, is to purchase an Amharic language program for her. Her first language is her tribal language, Wolaytania, but since there is no program available for that, we will attempt to maintain her second language… Amharic. There is a website for Ethiopian Children that helps preserve some of their heritage called KidMia. They partner with Shining Star Multimedia’s software to help the children maintain the Amharic language, or to learn it for the first time if they are younger when adopted. They also have a program called English for Amharic speakers, for anyone who wants to learn English.

And, as you browse the Kid Mia and the software site, you’ll find some products for children. They are working on the language program for children also. When they are done, perhaps we’ll be able to afford it.

I just found a new site I didn’t know about until just now. Ethiostork. Check it out. Maybe there will be some helpful things there. For a fee they have a web seminar for adoptive parents!

And last, but certainly not least, here is a link to an on-line Amharic Bible. We printed some of this out for Megan when she first arrived.

Megan lost her language QUICKLY. It is amazing how quickly these children adapt to the new culture, new language, and new family.

Heidi

Update: Mark and Megan both got first place for their science projects. Way to go, kids!!!

Mark and Megan had their science fair this past week. They both worked really hard on their projects. I’m going to put them both into this post so you can see their hard work. They also had to come up with a biblical application for their projects.

MARK’S PROJECT: Rainbow in a Jar!

He gathered his materials, and then demonstrated density and miscability, and how they work together to create layers of different types of liquids.

The finished project!

Biblical Application:

This reminds me of the promise God made after the flood.

Genisis 9:13 (NIV)

13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

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MEGAN’S SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT:

Dancing Raisins!

This project uses the bubbles of carbon dioxide. They adhere to the rough surface of the raisin, raising it to the surface. At the top, the bubbles pop, and the raisin floats to the bottom again.

Gather materials. Add raisins.

Pour in club soda

Watch the raisins float to the top, and back to the bottom again.

Biblical Application:

When the raisins dance, it reminds me of people being joyful.

Jeremiah 31:13

Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.