MOM’S MEMOIRS – IRENE LOUISE (NEE KUCKKAN) MUELLER
(Continued)

Mom’s Autobiography – Chapter 50 – In Book, Page 120

Tim accepts Call to open a Teen Center in Watertown, Wisconsin, Elaina Wilson is Born, Move to Watertown, Invitation to attend Anniversary Celebrations in Zambia and Malawi, Africa, Football at Luther Prep, Lecture at Immanuel in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Christina Caban is Born, Article for Forward In Christ, Visiting Zambia and Malawi

JULY – 2003 – OUR SON, TIM, ACCEPTS A CALL TO THE ROC, WATERTOWN, WI..

Tim, after much deliberation, accepted the Divine Call from the four Wisconsin Synod Lutheran churches in Watertown, Wisconsin. He is to be the Pastor/Director of the ROC (Recreation & Outreach Center for Youth). So, Tim, Sue, and their family moved from Medford to 1411 Wedgewood Drive, Watertown, Wi. 53098. Because when Dick retired from the full-time ministry, we decided to retire in Medford where our son was the pastor, we now decided to move to Watertown, the place of my birth and also the place (NWP) where Dick and I met. We lived on a country dead-end road, but we decided to put up a “For Sale” sign to try to sell our property. Within one day a lady came to our door, asked if she could see the inside of the house, and bought it on the spot! What a miracle!

AUGUST 23, 2003 – ELAINA ANN WILSON WAS BORN

Ann (Seifert) Wilson and David Wilson became the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. And Emma became the proud sister of Elaina. An e-mail letter which we received from Dave, the proud father says, “Hi all, Mom and Dad Wilson asked me to forward these pictures of Elaina Ann Wilson to you. She was born on Saturday, August 23, at 6:20 PM. She weighed 7 lbs. 8 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. Both Ann and Elaina are doing well and back home resting. Take care. Dave”. There are beautiful pictures of Ann, David, Emma, Elaina, Debbie, Glen, Nicki (Chmielewski), and great grandmother Elaine Wilson, Glen’s mother. Thank you, God, for another little great-grandchild for us too!!!

AUGUST 27, 2003 – And so we became un-retired from our beautiful home in Medford and retired PARTLY into a lovely condo at 1520 Lakeside Terrace, Watertown, Wisconsin. God’s plan for us, looking back, transcends all our understanding. Why? Because Dick and I are now living in a beautiful “Light House”. The whole south side of our two-bedroom condo has many windows so that the sun shines into our home, warming it and filling our hearts, too, with its warmth. We love our “home, sweet, home” – our gift from our all-knowing God. We are living a stone’s throw from the old “brickyard” where we had walked on our first date here in Watertown, Wisconsin, the place of my birth.

We met at Northwestern Preparatory School (now Luther Prep) and College. And we are members of St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, where I was baptized, attended its Parochial School, sang in choir, taught Sunday School, and was married. Our loving Lord brought us back to Watertown to retire when He called our Pastor son, Timothy, to be Pastor/Director of the ROC (Recreation and Outreach Center for Youth. How wondrous are the works of God!

When I wrote above that we moved PARTLY into a lovely condo, it was because when we decided to move to Watertown, we went there and looked for a place to live beforehand. We looked at many homes, but those which were in our price range were old, dreary, too big, etc. After the realtor showed us one, I said, “not enough light” and Dick said, “too big”, so we kept looking. As we drove from Lakeside Terrace onto Franklin Street, Dick spotted a sign which said, “Condos for Sale by Builder”. Dick told me to write down the telephone number, and the next day the builder, Mr. Jerry Keeser, took us through the two condos which were left out of three. We chose the one on the corner with a lot of windows – and light. It is beautiful and modern, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms (one off the master bedroom with a HOT TUB which is big enough for a loving husband and wife who have been married over 50 years – as of June 7, 2003 – it is great to soothe our aching bodies) and a double garage, which can be heated! Mr. Keeser had just built them, and the condo was in our price range! Miracle among miracles! Now the PARTLY comes in ————

SEPTEMBER – 2003 – AN INVITATION TO CELEBRATE THE ANNIVERSARIES OF THE ZAMBIAN AND MALAWI MISSIONS

The condo was ready for us to move into, but an invitation came to us to join in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Lutheran Church of Central Africa/Zambia – as well as the 40th Anniversary of the Lutheran Church of Central Africa/Malawi. Dick was one of the first missionaries in Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia), so was asked. Before we had signed the papers, Mr. Jerry Keeser was kind and trustful enough to allow us to move our possessions into the large double garage. Tim, Sue, and children, Sue, Jim, and children helped us move via U-Haul to Watertown. What would we do without relatives and friends! Thank you!

FOOTBALL GAME AT LUTHER PREP

We went to Luther Prep (formerly NWP/C) to watch Matt (number 76) and Mitch (number 35). Wow, are they ever two handsome guys! On one of the pictures the hospital, the former St. Mary’s Hospital where I was born, is in the background. It was beautiful red brick then, but sometime through the years it was painted an ugly gray. But I am happy to say that all that paint was taken off, and it is now the original red again. It is called “Swifthaven” and is a completely remodeled apartment building. We were there on Opening Day. It even has a swimming pool. Dick said, “It’s nice, but I wouldn’t want to live here.” We’re not ready for that, but I sure do like the swimming pool.

Coming back to Matt and Mitch, it sure was a treat to watch them play football so well. Of course, we proud grandparents thought that they were the best football players on the field.

AN INVITATION FROM IMMANUEL LUTHERAN SCHOOL, MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN

Kevin Poston, Jenny’s (Mueller) husband, invited Dick and me to come to the school where he was teaching to lecture to the children about our mission work in Zambia (Northern Rhodesia) and Malawi (Nyasaland). We got our African lecture materials for display out of my grandfather Koplin’s trunk (which he used to travel from Germany) where it is stored and put everything on tables which Kevin had ready for them. It brought tears to my eyes to see and hear my husband once again lecture about our mission work. It also brought tears to my eyes, to see and hear Tim, our son, who was born in Africa, also answering questions about Lusaka, Zambia (Northern Rhodesia), which had been his home for thirteen years – until he came back to the United States to attend Northwestern Prep. Kevin and the children were so interested and asked many questions. After the lecture, the children looked at the display and again asked many questions. It was a joy and blessing to be with all of them (there are pictures of some of them in Album 2003 – 2004).

OCTOBER 3, 2003 – CHRISTINA ESMARELDA CABAN IS BORN

Our 10th great grandchild was born, the daughter of Kelly (Mueller, daughter of our son, Dick, and Wanda) and Ismael Caban.

AN ARTICLE FOR FORWARD IN CHRIST – SENT ON DECEMBER 15, 2003, WRITTEN BY RETIRED PASTOR RICHARD WILLIAM MUELLER – MISSIONARY IN CENTRAL AFRICA FROM 1957-1972 – “SO! IT WAS ALL WORTH IT!”

Before I write about all the blessings which were poured upon us by our gracious Lord, please read my husband’s very interesting article, “SO! IT WAS ALL WORTH IT!”. It is contained in Volume I – 2003 – TRIP TO LUSAKA, ZAMBIA, BLANTYRE, MALAWI – October 5, 2003 – October 25, 2003. We used it with pictures for our CHRISTMAS – 2003 letter, as it was not published by Forward in Christ as we had hoped it would be. It is also located on the Internet.

AFRICA!!!!! – OUR HOME FOR FIFTEEN YEARS – 1957-1972

Then came the time for us to fly to Africa. Our daughter, Sue, when she heard we were going to Africa, said, “I’m going with you!” And she did, paying her own way. Four of our six children were born there (Sue being the second of them), and it was home for all of them. How excited we all were! When we landed in Lusaka, Zambia, Sue had tears in her eyes, and said, “I’m home!”. How happy Dick and I were too! It had been 31 years since we left.

Before we left, Dick said, “I don’t know if I’ll remember Chinyanja. I said, “As soon as your feet land on African soil, you will” – and he did!

There were so many blessings. Missionary Steve Lawrenz met us at the Lusaka, Zambia, International Airport. We passed an absolutely beautiful Flamboyant tree as we left it. We stayed with Steve and his wife, Lori. We remembered visiting Missionary Orlin Wraalstadt in that very same house so many years ago. Everyone welcomed us! What shocked us so much is that now all the homes in Lusaka have high walls around them, with barbed wire on top of the walls! When we were in Africa there were robbers who even came into our home when we were sleeping, but we were told that now they have guns. How sad!

But the work of the Lord goes on. Steve told us that he would take us wherever we wanted to go, and he did. We visited many of the mission places where Dick had served. What a joy to again talk to people who remembered us. Many told Dick that they had been baptized in villages where Dick had been privileged to labor for our Lord over 30 years ago. We met children and grandchildren of those who were Dick’s co-workers then. One of those grandchildren is married to one of our present African pastors, Mr. Hachibamba. He was one of Dick’s students in the 60s, and is now one of the professors at our Seminary in Zambia. Some of them had gone to their heavenly home, but their children and grandchildren welcomed us!