Friday, November 18, 2016

Marriages and a Funeral

We had the incredible opportunity last week to attend a Marriage Coaching Training in Poland.  Marriage Team's Al and Autum Ray did a training for 11 couples from Josiah Venture and we were priviledged to be one of those couples!  We came from Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Solvenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and, of course, Germany!  I love that Josiah Venture is commited to the health of their missionaries and to the health of their marriages!  Check out Marriage Team's website!

Joshiah Venture Couples at the marriage coaching training
Jim and I were able to go two days early and spend some much needed time together at beautiful Selah, the cabin Josiah Venture provides for their missionaires to "get away"!
Selah


We returned in time for youth group on Friday.  We had gotten the word a few days earlier that my mother's cousin, Wilhelm Kaiser, had passed away at the age of 93.  Many of you may not know, but most of my mother's family still lives in Germany, as her father was the only one who immigraged to the United States.  So, on Tuesday, we drove the 4 1/2 hours to the little village of Raibach near Schwäbisch Hall.  What an incredible time with my German family!  There were about 200 at the funeral and afterwards was a dinner for "family only" which numbered about 120 people!  I was so thankful my German has improved so much, as this was the first time that I could actually understand and interact with them on a visit!

Wilhelm in front of the tree he planted in 1949 in the yard of the family home.



Frieda Feichter (spelling may be wrong), oldest living relative at 96 and the cousin my mother was named after!
What a special time with family!

Next week we fly to Latvia to celebrate Thanksgiving with our JV Latvia missionaries.  The weather should be in the low 40's and 30's and we are told there is snow.  Looking forward to it!

Even though we will not be able to be with our immediate family during Thanksgiving, as I told Jim on the way home from Raibach, "I am full to over-flowing with the joy of being with family!"  God is so good to me!