May 10, '99

Dearest Bart,

We have been given an address where a letter might reach you, so we have
not only mailed it to N.Orleans, but are also putting it on this web page.
We felt very blessed to hear your brothers and sisters are seeing the
letters and pray to hear from you one day soon.  We thought you may like
to know your family is well and misses  and loves you very much.  You arein
my constant thoughts and prayers more than you can ever imagine.  A few
weeks ago when we were sitting in church, I felt your spirit and presence
so stronly that you were visible to me and sat beside me.  I wondered if
you felt it also.  It was a gift to have you there with me.  Writing to you
is very emotional.  When I count the 8 years you've been gone and the 5
years we have not heard from you, I think back on the year you were to be
away in S. Africa and wondered how I'd survive not being able to hug
you.

God is good and he has given me strength I never felt possible.  It is our
hope and dream that you will find it in your heart to make contact with us.
You have nothing to fear from us.  You never have.  We only love you and
through all our searching have never planned to kidnap you as some letters, have never used violence, and tried to come peacefully.  Ifyou have heard otherwise, we are sorry.  Sometimes stories get misinterpreted.
It is like the children's game of passing a sentence around a circle. The parents we know  pray for two way communication from their children.

Your brothers and sisters have some very specail families that we have been blessed to know and we try to hold each other up.   Some information you may appreciate is that your dear friend Sammy and  her husband had a baby boy named Jesse in April.  She is so thoughtful of us always. We have heard from both Ian and Karina over email, and it's wonderful how fast we can correspond.  Their emails are:  Ian Jenkinson                                      Karina Finger kfnest@mweb.co.za    kreena@iafrica.com  Also Molly and her husband are expecting a baby. She too is good to stay in touch.  Her email is: mbt@pobox.com   Life goes on doesn't it?  In the letter sent to N. Orleans there are some pictures of your niece, Jordan Faith and your nephew, Thomas William (Tommy), Cheri, Shawn, and Miss Heidi Elizabeth.  The last time we saw a brother, we tried to give him a letter for you along with a picture Heidi  had colored and a pearler bead she made for you.  It saddened us and her that he would not take it.  Somethings are difficult to understand. God is Love.  I think of the fruits of the spirit.  The pictures of Heidi were from special olympics here last month.  She did very well in state special olympics with her balance beam walk and her 30 second routine.  She was alert and made it through.  Dad gave so much time to state special olympics that Bozeman hosted for the third year.  He was one of the directors. Those kids are so GREAT.  In the letter to N.Orleans Heidi sent you a little pearler bead and coloring.  Yes, we are still doing those pearler beads we started in PA.  It is something she is very good at, and she feels so happy to be able to complete and design them.  Sort of artistic like her brother.  Hard to believe that baby is 23 years old.  It is amazing how coordinated she is.  She asks for you daily.  Only you can give of yourself to her.  I hope you will ask, "What would Jesus do?"  She attends a wonderful loving atmosphere in the day at a wonrkshop called REACH in Bozeman.  I've written you all about it before on another email letter. We hope you will pay her a visit there. Heidi and I planted pansies and a lovely geranium she gave me for Mother's Day  and the next day it snowed 8".  Winter is long in Bozeman, but we do love it, and the people are caring and good and you know how we love with Doylestown, PA, 18901.  She too would love to hear from you.  Dad and Heidi send their love,

  All my love, your mom

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