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            There is quite a story behind the conception of Tiuts2Women.  I scarcely know where to begin.  Well, as a famous song states, and this is somewhat loosely translated: It is better to begin at the beginning, a very good place to start. (Julie Andrews, I believe in The Sound of Music)

             We arrived in Hammond, Indiana three weeks before Christmas, 1996.  Caleb was a scant 20 months old, Evan had just completed the first semester of his Junior year of High School and we were officially middle-aged, beginning our forties by moving to a new area, starting a new life and beginning college.  I guess life does begin at 40!

             The winter was full of new experiences and illnesses due to our bodies adjustment factor.  I spent MANY Sunday and Wednesday evenings home from church with young Caleb, bemoaning my fate and my loneliness.

             Across the street from us lived another older couple, also in college, but nearing graduation.  We belonged to the same college wives club and our older boys were the same age.  Esther Godsoe became a good friend and encourager.

            After the beginning of the school year that fall, Esther encouraged me to become involved with the church’s Women’s Missionary Society, since our husbands were both in the Missions Program at college.  WMS began their year with a large kick off banquet at a local restaurant, so I bought a ticket and planned on attending.

             As I entered the large, beautifully decorated banquet room, Esther came rushing up to me and said in her inimitable Phillipino accent, Come here darling, there is someone I want you to meet..you just HAVE to meet this lady."  Well, not knowing in the least why I had to meet this lady, I walked with Esther to the other side of the room, where she introduced me to Mrs. Sharon Merhalski, the then leader of the Europe Circle.  I do not know today, if Esther realized the role she played in putting the two of us together for God’s glory.thank you, Esther Godsoe.

            Somewhere in the garble of communication, Mrs. Merhalski understood us to be candidates as missionaries to Ireland.  Well, I am definitely Irish, but unless my husband had announced to others and NOT to his wife, that we were called to Ireland, I did not have a clue what these people were talking about.  There was another new lady there that day, the wife of a  prospective missionary to Scotland (for real), and I sat and chatted with her throughout the delightful luncheon.

             Mrs. Merhalski took my name and number, since of course we were going to be missionaries to Ireland, I would of course be joining the Europe Circle (of course?!?!?!).  Well, my intentions were to become involved, I could straighten out the whole Ireland thing later.

             A few days later Mrs. Merhalski phoned me to tell me about the first meeting of the Europe Circle.  It was several weeks away, so I put it on my calendar and basically forgot  about it, being exceedingly busy with the beginning of school for Evan, and a new college semester for us.

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