December 24, 2025
Susan Hoover
Dear family and friends,
The year is almost over, and it's time for another update! I'm not even sure how long it's been since I sent the last letter, but I have a feeling it's high time for another one anyway!
As always, the Lord has been so very good to us. Daily loading us with benefits and blessings, more than we deserve and definitely more than we can count. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
We are enjoying summertime temperatures -- most days in the 90's (30's C) and in the last few days, lots of rain and some thundershowers too. Certainly no one is dreaming of a white Christmas here! But the joy of the season is the same wherever we are. The fact remains, Jesus came to earth, for us! That story never grows old. The wonder. The unusual circumstances surrounding it all. One can think about and meditate on that for a long time! Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!
I'm not sure if I ever mentioned that we were looking at an apartment that was for rent, just down the street a little from the Home. Living at the Home, we had only one room, plus a bathroom, and no cooking facilities or any such thing. We ate our meals at the Home with the other staff. Which was okay, but as time went on we were longing for a space of our own, and for me to do our own cooking again as we were used to. We had volunteered at the Home for six months. When those six months were over, we agreed to stay and help as needed for two more years, but we would look for another place to live. We had seen this little apartment building just down the street, earlier. Just three apartments, but they are nice, and simply, but attractively finished inside. Peter asked around as to who the owner of this building is, and found him to be a man in town who owns a paint business. Ramon is his name, and he was glad to rent us an apartment! At the time, all three apartments were empty and available, so we got to choose the one we wanted. We got the one at the south end. The contract was made, and here we are!
Not quite that simple. I am still not fully on my feet. Loving friends offered to come clean the house, and help us move. It went so slick. Henry and Trudy Friesen and two daughters, plus Justina Knelsen, came on Monday afternoon (15th) and cleaned the whole house, walls, ceilings, and floors. (It is small. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, and an open kitchen/dining/living room area.) Peter and Henry put up hooks and rods for curtains, and Ben Knelsen helped Peter pull weeds and clean up in the little front yard. As soon as the house was clean, the men started bringing the furniture over. The last pickup load was just under the porch roof, when the rain started pouring! Thank You, Lord! Trudy Friesen had bought curtain material, and sewed curtains for me, so when the windows had been cleaned she hung them. They are very nice! Anti-solar, she said the fabric is, and I've learned how nice that is. They are thick and sturdy enough to keep out a lot of the heat from this powerful South American sun.
The walls of the house are plastered, inside and out. The inside is painted a soft off-white that sometimes looks slightly green or yellow, depending on how the light shines on it. I really like it! Nothing loud and glaring, just a soft neutral colour which probably could be called oyster white or something like that. The ceiling is white, and the doors and woodwork are white. It all has such a clean look, and it's easy to keep clean. The floor is marble tile, shiny and easy to clean as well.
So, by now we are pretty well settled in and loving having our own home again! It is 4 weeks now since my surgery. I am not walking on my own yet -- in the house I still scoot around on my stool a lot. I also use the walker, or the crutches. Doctor and nurse both said, don't rush it. Do what is comfortable. It could take six or eight weeks. But I've found that I can do a lot of my work while sitting on my stool. I can scoot over to the sink, then stand up to do the dishes. I can cook, and I can sweep the floor. Peter helps me a lot, which I also appreciate.
This house is only about a 5-minute walk from the Home. Actually I'm sure it doesn't even take Peter five minutes. He still goes there to work every morning. He comes and goes at various times during the day, to help with the old people, help with the laundry, and whatever else comes up. After I can get around better I will probably go there again to help as well, but right now that is not possible yet.
Had I ever written about the Knelsens? They are also here, volunteering. They are from the Rio Verde colony which is about 3 hours from here. They are going home for a few days over Christmas, then after they are back they are moving into the apartment beside ours! We're delighted to have them as neighbours. We've learned to know them quite well over the recent times. They came here right after my knee surgery, which was well timed, because they could help fill in the gaps which I could not fill right then.
On Saturday we had Julian and Emily here for supper. She had texted me in the afternoon and said they are coming and are bringing supper! What a wonderful treat. They grilled hamburgers and made the sandwiches, with all the trimmings, and each hamburger wrapped in foil. They also brought cupcakes for dessert. It was a very special evening!
We attended a Christmas singing-program evening on Friday, at the Missionsgemeinde. Very good singing! Then last evening was the school Christmas program which we attended, also at the Missionsgemeinde. It's so interesting how those children learn by memory, and recite piece after piece, and sing song after song! All by memory! We really enjoyed the evening. The crowd was very large last night.
Tomorrow we plan to attend the Christmas morning service, again at Missionsgemeinde, which is where we usually attend. We appreciate and enjoy the fellowship there, with believers who are sincerely seeking after the Lord.
Yesterday we did our laundry here for the first time. We had tried to do it last week one time, but the water pipe came apart and flooded the floor, so we quickly shut off the main water line. Peter then took the laundry over to the Home and did it there. The owner of the apartment sent out an employee to fix the line here, and so yesterday we tried it again, with better success! I had bought a spinner washer at an auction. The washer is in the kitchen, since there is no laundry room here. We don't have a washline put up yet so Peter hung the wash over the fence (not barbwire). It worked well. And in spite of no sun yesterday and a rather sultry day, almost all of it dried by shortly after lunch.
Well, I'm not sure what else is new. Some of the residents at the Home have gone to their homes over Christmas, so there are fewer there right now. So Peter has less work to do too, right now! His times over there are shorter since two of the men that are gone right now are the ones who need quite a lot of care at bedtime.
Wishing you all the peace of the Lord through this season of joy and gladness!
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And His name shall be Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
Hallelujah! And He is coming back, as He promised. Let's watch and wait for Him!
Blessings for the New Year,
Susan for the Hoovers