My January blues of missing all of you have been broken up by the visit of our friends, Bob and Linda Goodwin. We worked together at BYU Hawaii in the early 70’s and have been in contact through the years even though they stayed in Hawaii and we moved around here and there. It has really been a boon to have them come.
It took them a lot to get here. Twelve years ago Bob and Linda prepared a special place in their home for Linda’s Mom and Dad to stay with them. Her Dad died about 6 years ago and her Mom has needed daily attention since then. Bob and Linda have stayed pretty close to home since then. Bob wrote to us saying Linda was in need of a break this Christmas season. We, of course, invited them to come and see us. They began planning to come in early January. They had arranged for Linda’s Mom to stay in a care center while they were away. On the day they were to take her in, she passed away. There is a lot more to the story, but ultimately they were able to be postpone the trip so they could come after the funeral. They had the most horrible flight experience we ever heard--eleven hour delay for numerous reasons and we were waiting at airport for them. They were pretty shaken up by the time we connected with them.
Bob and Linda built a home in Hawaii in the 70’s when it was unheard of because of the high cost of land and materials. They said they built it on faith and prayer. Later, Bob went on to help, to some extent, each of their children remodel a home or build one for their families. Woodworking has been a really big part of his life. He has made some beautiful furniture for their own home that are exquisite. Consequently, he wanted to check out some woodworking here in Israel. One of our adventures was to take him to a shop where he could select some wood to take home.
Our next woodworking adventure was to take them to a carver of olive wood. It was late in the day and I wondered if the shops would be open. We headed for Omar’s. As we turned the corner we could see that the shop was closed. When we were about to turn around and go back, we hear a voice saying. “ Welcome, my friends, welcome.” Omar was coming up the street with open arms. He opened his shop and proceeded to show his work. This is Omar.
Linda was looking for a three-figure piece of the Holy Family to take home. She looked in other stores but hadn’t found what she wanted. Well, Omar seeing a very discerning lady pulled out this masterpiece and said, “This is the first one I have ever done of this type. It took me 2000 hours. I’ve worked on this for a year. My next one will take less time because now I know what I want.” He showed us the different grains in the wood and how he had worked into it their clothing. Bob immediately wanted to buy it for Linda, but Linda wasn’t quite ready to commit. Omar ordered some schwarma for us and he told us the story of his conversion to the church, the threats on his life and his need to save his life by forsaking the church. And yet he is constantly carving the figures that speak of the restoration. Ultimately, the Goodwins purchased the sculpture and 6 other small nativities for their children.We then headed home ….Linda cooked us a chicken curry meal using the mix that she bought in Provo and brought with her.
What a great way to end a day; we all play and she cooks!