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One morning while having our coffee date and devotions Gloria became very emotional and tearfully shared, "Honey, I don't know what's coming ahead, but I feel God is telling us to 'gird up and hold tight to me'." She then continued, "Larry, I feel like we are going to face some real challenges and trials; we are going to need all of Jesus to go through this...not just us, but everybody. Our faith is on trial and is going to be tested. We will need to hold tight to God, to each other, and to consistently encourage one another.
Okay...so I'm a wimp! Larry's only been gone for 24 hours and I'm already stir crazy without him. We truly are joined at the hip - ha! We took Larry to the Phoenix airport Tuesday morning at 5:15 to catch the first leg of his missions trip to Africa. He arrived in Atlanta, Georgia where he was to meet up with Pastor John Brady and 8 of his men from the Minot First Assembly of God church in North Dakota.
Years ago a friend of ours who was struggling with his marriage came to the conclusion and told us, "I found out it's easier to maintain a marriage than restore it." If you've been married one year or fifty years you will know that fact to be true. Of course the best chance of your marriage ever making it is that you are both committed to Christ.
When a person thinks of Hawaii - immediately those beautiful descriptions come to mind. When Larry and I come to minister, we not only see the side of paradise, but we see a side that most tourists seldom see. It's a side of pain, poverty and hopelessness.
Aloha from Oahu, Hawaii! As they say in Hawaii, "It's another beautiful day here in Paradise." A balmy 82 degrees, birds singing, south trade winds, the fragrance of picture-perfect island flowers...ahh, it's good. We've been here for almost 2 weeks. Larry is finally on the mend after catching a "flight" bug. Now to get rid of the cough. I know Larry's okay when he wants ice cream again! We are being rejuvenated in all the beauty of God that surrounds us.
I could definitely describe the month of December as a kaleidoscope of love, joy, laughter, sadness, grief, mixed emotions and memories. Larry and I had so anticipated coming home to unwind and snuggle up in our home after a wonderful but challenge-filled year only to have our hopes and ideas altered by the homegoing of our dear sister-in-law, Connie Lundstrom, as well as several other funerals of close friends.
Merry Christmas and announcing Connie's passing.
Home sweet home...what a joy to be back in our own home again after a long year. The Sunday before Thanksgiving we ministered in Prescott Valley, Arizona with Pastor Dan and Nancy Crouch. We've known them for years and it was so nice to be back with them. It was our last service of the year. We had a small crowd, but a precious altar call. When I think of ending the year 2011 of our ministry tour that altar call is the one I want locked into my memory bank.
I wanted to share an article from our November newsletter as the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaches: "This Thanksgiving season I'm extremely grateful to be on the road again. I may be moving slightly slower than I like, but I'm gaining new strength every day.
Greetings from Boulder City, Nevada! What a majestic view of the mountains from where we have our motorhome parked at the edge of the church parking lot. We are only 7 miles from Hoover Dam. We have been parked here for nearly 2 weeks. Pastor Duane and Fran Jordan and their church have allowed us the privilege to park and rest for a week.