Mon May  6 07:59 EDT 1996
Weekend Update May 3-5, 1996

Friday night began the church softball season.  Because we had
Hope (Joy's sister) and Tom coming for the evening Emily, Tom,
and I only got to see some of the game and left without knowing
the outcome.  We were behind when we left, but I don't care.
I go to schmooze with some really nice people, and occasionally
I'll get caught up paying attention to the game.

Hope is a CPA, which means that she works like a mad dog frothing
at the mouth until April 16th or so.  This weekend was time on
Cape Cod after tax season, and after stopping to see us and her
children (Hi, Tom and Charity!) at Gordon College.  They'll be back
in two weeks,along with Faith and John, and Pop and Mom Crawford
for Tom, Jr's graduation.  Despite the rain and cool temperatures
we are getting today, we'll have the pool open and maybe we'll dunk
the graduate!  (We'll have the hot tub open, too.)

Also on Friday night, Jessica and Miranda went to a Carmen concert
in Worcester (pronounced wuh-ster), a Christian contemporary music
artist.  I like him, but can't be in two places at once, plus I
didn't want to crowd my kids. ;-)

On Saturday, Miranda went to a deaf wedding.  Joy went to a "Secret Pal"
luncheon. (Say, isn't there something about *my* weekend in here?)  We
asked Mandy is the wedding was quiet and she said no; that deaf people
are quite loud because they can't hear themselves.  Mandy got to try
out her signing skills with real deaf people (as opposed to the
classroom experience) and she said that she did well.  We're hoping
that this skill (her gift) will help to support her way through college.

Saturday evening was spent with a lovely new couple, Tom and Pam
Quatroccioci.  You might want to call him Q (Star Trek NG fans know
what I mean), but his family calls him PST.  The Metcalfe family
concurs.

Sunday was a milestone Sunday for the Metcalfe family.  Almost two and
a half years ago, we began helping an effort to establish a church in
the Windham, NH area.  Our original intent was to stay on one year,
after which we would evaluate our role, and where the church was,
and determine where the Lord wanted us.  After the first year, the
church was progressing, but we felt like it needed us for a while
longer.  Yesterday, after much discussion and soul searching with
the Pastor (who is on this distribution list), we determined that
it was time for us to complete our active ministry in Windham and
return to active ministry in Lowell MA (whose Pastor is also on this
distribution list).  (By the way, is there anything but active
ministry?)  It was not an easy, nor emotionless decision, but Joy
and I know that it is the right one.  And we pray that God will
bless these two churches through it.

No news on the housing front, except that we had some people through
on Friday.  We're in a buffer of time that would enable us to build
before the next school year, so we're not terribly concerned at the
moment about houses.

My brother Steve severed his achilles tendon and reading about it
was kind fo painful and makes me thankful that I'm not the athletic
type.  ;-)  Hey, Steve!  Will your insurance cover one of those
motorized wheel chairs?  That would be so cool!  We could all take
rides!

Mark
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