The Making of a Man

This past weekend, a small group of young families from Riverbend enjoyed a retreat together at a nearby Christian camp. Each husband/father participates in a men's Bible study, where they are encouraged to be men, that is to be men who lead their homes biblically. We were invited to join them, as Greg was asked to speak to this group on Sunday morning on the subject,'The Making of a Man'. This group of young husbands recognize that they are on the front-line in the fight for the sanctity of their homes and meet together weekly to encourage and support one another in the fight. We were greatly encouraged to see their commitment to be men of the Word, to love their wives as Christ loves His church and to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We were also blessed by sweet fellowship and good Kiwi fun! Greg did a great job addressing the men, as well as involving the wives and children in his Sunday message. We are so grateful for the ministry set before us. May we be faithful ambassadors!

Blast from the Past

Well, the day we arrived home from the states, our long time friend, Linda arrived for a week-long visit. We first met Linda when Micah was in the hospital as an infant. She was in charge of Micah's home health care nurses, when he first was discharged from the hospital. Before long, she was our dear friend and often babysat Micah in his first year. Linda is our first visitor from the US (apart from Kevin Edwards--who came for the TMAI Symposium). We had a lovely visit with Linda, showing her bits and pieces of life in NZ. Of course, we had to take her to the beach, where Micah was intent on boogie boarding for the first time this season.

An Unexpected Journey

Life often brings unexpected journeys doesn't it? And, walking with the Lord is always a journey, of sorts. We don't know what a day holds--despite our calendar keeping skills, our to-do lists, our planning. We do know that nothing takes our Lord by surprise. He is absolutely sovereign in all things and He knows what is best for us. On October 3rd, Greg's dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and was given twelve weeks to live. After having several weeks of medical tests, months of severe back pain and numerous other medical issues, doctors finally determined the cause. Immediately, we began to make plans for an unexpected journey to the US to visit him. With each passing day, his health deteriorated dramatically, and we began to wonder if we would even make it home in time to see him. Well, as the Lord would have it, we didn't make it. We received word on our way to the airport, that Glenn had gone home to be with the Lord. We praise the Lord that he didn't suffer longer than he did. But now, Mom begins an unexpected journey, that of life without her partner of 55 years, whom she met at fifteen years old.