Thu Apr 10 09:12 EDT 1997
More on our move to Pepperell

Hey, this isn't Monday!

I know but I want to let you know more of the Lord's providential
prospering and blessings.

There is a deaf child in town whose mother kept calling the
high school because the people working with her child were seniors,
graduating this year.  The State of Massachusetts requires the school
system to provide someone for children with special needs.  When Miranda
arrived in Pepperell, she mentioned her coursework in sign language and
the light bulbs flashed all over the place for these school workers.
Instead of working at McBurgerWendy's for $6, the state will pay
Miranda (when approved) $7-9/hour to gain interpreter experience. In
addition, Miranda needs only two courses to finish high school (much
like Jennifer did her senior year) and they may be able to put her in a
community college to finish those two courses and get college credit at
the same time.  This would not have happened in Nashua.

Jessica thinks she recognizes teen from our district, but is reticent
to ask.  They probably go to our Fitchburg and Nashua churches!

Emily has a bunch of girls beginning to flock around her from the
immediate neighborhood.  Better than that is her love for gymnastics
and the flute which will connect her more and more with her school.
She has adjusted well.  (I had every confidence, unless the school
was populated by thugs... even then...)

Andrew is very happy with his changes.  He still likes school.  That
will wear off in time.  ;-)

I met the neighbors on Saturday.  It was warm enough for Stan and Barbara
to come out of hibernation.  Stan and Barbara aren't married; never have
been.  He said they been together for a long time.  I laughed and asked
if they didn't have a common law marriage.  He told me that he checked with
his lawyer and found that MA has no such statute.  Barbara turns out to
be the neice of the spinster school teacher who owned our house before
the Bagbys.

The house has had four owners: It was built as the Ford Estate and at
the time it had japanese gardens and was quite the place.  Then Miss
O'Toole bought the house.  Some have said she was a crabby woman.
She let the place go (I'm sure because it was too much for one person
to keep up).  Barbara has some relative on the other side of us, too, so
it isn't unlikely that the Ford's owned more land that our one acre
when they were the owners.

The Bagby's moved in 8-10 years ago and completely rennovated it, restoring
many of the rock fencing and exotic flora in addition to turning the house
into a showroom.  They moved to another fixer-upper in Pepperell with
five acres of land instead of our one acre.  We are the fourth owners in
137 years.

The kids asked the Pepperell Library if there was any history on the house.
They asked when it was built and they told them 1860.  "Oh, that's a young
house!  I'm not sure we have anything for something that young."  There
are a few older homes in town and it makes me imagine what Pepperell
and the surrounding towns might have looked like in Colonial days.

>From the barn, we can watch the sun set, and in this Spring cold weather,
the sun is gloriously warming.  We are very thankful for what the Lord
has done and are being amazed again and again how well fitting this
prayed-for place is, and will be.

Mark
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