Faithful God

Bethany and I got to go back to the New England area this past week for a wedding and my brothers graduation. It was also a good time to see both our families. It was great to see familiar faces, a happy groom, a brother with a diploma, family, and green grass!

Our friend ended up doing the same kissing game for his wedding that we did for ours. In the words of Charles Caleb Colton, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". This quote also happened to be the theme of the kissing game because every time the guests rang their glasses a couples name was drawn and read aloud. The couple was then expected to give a public kiss performance and the bride and groom had to imitate the kiss. Bethany and I were the first ones called! My wife cried out, "NOoO!" at the prospect of kissing me in such a public and showy manner but she then delivered a great kiss to me in the eyes of all. One of the things I really appreciated about my friends wedding was the amount of family and prayer that were intimately involved in his life and wedding. What a blessing to see my friend being welcomed into manhood and "trained up in the way he should go" in every stage of life!

After the wedding we had to rush to take a train from Philadelphia to Boston at midnight. It ended up to be quite the interesting (and tiring!) ride. A very generous man offered to give us a ride to the train station and give up 4 hours of his time. However, he really did not seem to be the most well practiced navigator or driver, which are shortcomings I normally like to think I am gracious about - but we had a train to catch! So after a few wrong turns, a couple instances of slamming on brakes, and prayers given aloud by myself we arrived in time. We thanked and gave the man a tip for his time and were on our way.

Thankfully, the train was on time and we arrived in Boston at 8 a.m. so we could be at graduation at 10. It was a long night of not much rest and our bodies had a rough time catching up on sleep. It was fun to see Ben graduate from college and we celebrated with him after the ceremony when we finally picked his face out from among the crowd of black robes and caps.

During the two days at home in NH we went out to a local mountain and lighthouse with our families which was fun. Got to see local friends at our NH church and then returned home to 104 degree Arizona and a rainstorm. I still love the sun!

Praises: I would like to report that our 16 day respite went beautifully. So praise God and thank you all for interceding for us in our Father's heavenly throne room. It certainly made a difference! God had also continued to find avenues for my gifts in computers. God has also continued to show us His love through the fellowship and loving hospitality of our local church! What a blessing the body of Christ can be!

Prayers: Pray for the respite we are about to start. Pray for my wife to see the fruit God is bearing through her. Pray for us to continue to find our place here as long as God would see fit to use us in this ministry. We want to serve with joy, peace, love, and expectation where God has us now without being anxious about the future. (Matthew 6:25-34)