Anniversary and party

Wow, where do I start?  This has been a whirlwind week and what a time we've had.  

We did arrive in COLD Wisconsin, as I had stated.  But now...we've had a couple of snow storms and some rain, and really cold weather.  

The night of our anniversary we celebrated with 4 of our 5 children and their "other halves".  We had a great time.  And received some wonderful gifts from them.  Their presence would have been enough, but they did present us with gifts.  '

From left to right, Jay and Christine (Child #5) (Jay is her boyfriend), then Dale and Dawn (Dale is child #3) {{his twin, Tim, was not present,  he is #2}} followed by Don and I.  Next is Deb, Todd's wife (Todd is child #1), and Michelle (child #4) then Todd.  We had a wonderful time with them.

On Sunday was the "official party" for our 50th wedding anniversary.  Our daughter, Christine was pretty much responsible for all that went on.  She did so much work, and then worked on the food.  Michelle and I helped with some of the food, but the majority of work was done before we got there, by Christine.  

On that morning, we woke to one of the snow storms.  So much fun... Don repeated many times that afternoon about the fact that on our wedding day, he had gone riding on his Harley.... NOT possible at the anniversary.

But what a turn out there was that day!!  So MANY family and friends.  And a lot of those we had not seen in many, many years.  It was wonderful.  Now for a few of the pictures....  We renewed our vows.  Just as we finished, Dale came up and put a ball and chain on Don.  Then gave me the key.  (I did give Don the key).  The next photo was showing our rings.  Don had taken his in to have it shined, and unknown to me, got me a new ring.  I was really surprised.  It's lovely.   The third picture is Don and I with Duane and Carolyn Schultz.  Duane is the man who's life was a witness to Don (and eventually became Don's boss), and he and Carolyn are the reason Don and I came to know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  An awesome couple who love the Lord and serve Him daily.  Duane led our re-dedication service.  He gave a wonderful message and shared the way to know the Lord for all who were there. 

In addition to Duane, the pastor of our home church (Pastor David) was present, and having them both there, both strong men of faith, was a blessing for us.  These are two men who keep our eyes focused on God and His word!

This may not be the best picture of either of them, but it sure shows that the Lord we serve inspires fun and laughter in all of us... at least we believe God wants us to be happy and joyful... and we are, and these men of God are, too!

Well, I will have to close for now.  I just wanted to share with you just a small portion of the great time we had on our 50th Wedding Anniversary.  Soon I will share some photos that Don and Michelle have been taking of the deer who visit us daily.  They are SO much fun to watch.

We'll have more news from here in the states soon.  We do miss Haiti and our "family" there. But God has richly blessed us while we've been here so far.  Keep tuned for our updates on this trip.  God is working wonders all the time.

So, keep your eyes and ears tuned to the Lord at all times.  Let Him be your guide.  It is such an  exciting time to be serving Him.  I hope you are feeling that same experience in your life!!     BLESSINGS!!!!