The past week has been utterly delightful! We left Tuesday and drove to Paris. After Stephen got home from work, we went to eat at a local catfish place, which was wonderful. I was privileged to be able to sit between the boys and visit with them throughout the meal. They were SO good! Jesse is usually a picky eater, but he cleaned his plate. I think he must be about to hit a growth spurt. He did the same thing at lunch on Wednesday. I've never seen him eat that much...much less 2 days in a row! The boys are growing and changing so much. Shepherd talks more and better every time we see them. He is so funny! Jesse is smart as a whip and loves to talk with us...as well as play and be read to. As always, our time with them was too short, but we loved every minute of it!
We left Paris and drove to Warren and Linda's Wednesday afternoon. We had time to get settled in, eat supper and visit a bit before time for the service. Keith gave one of the best lessons I've ever heard him give on Daily Evangelism. There were about 130 people in attendance. Refreshments were served after the assembly, then we went back to Warren & Linda's. I think it was 12:30 or so before we made it to bed that night. We decided we wouldn't do that anymore, but we did it just about every night! We just couldn't get enough visiting!
James and Debbie P came over Thursday, and we visited and all went out to eat together. We shared a lot of laughs and good times. Debbie and Dennis and Warren have been friends since they were youngsters, but they rarely have the opportunity for them to all be together at the same time. Everyone really enjoyed our time we had together! Dennis spoke that evening on Worldliness. As different ones came up to him after the assembly to comment on his lesson, Ben and Laura's next to the youngest, Chloe, came up and hugged him and told him how much she liked his lesson. For those who don't know her, Chloe is quite shy and hugs from her are pretty special for us. It was SO sweet! When we got back to the house, Bella (Melissa's daughter) came up to him and did the same thing. These girls are only about 8 years old! I was very impressed! Bella and Dennis hit it off right away. They spent the whole weekend talking and visiting. We also enjoyed getting to know Bowen. Both of Melissa's kids are really sweet and well behaved young'uns!
Friday, a bunch went skating together in Benton (after a wonderful pizza lunch at Larry's Pizza). Dennis and I didn't care anything about skating, but we went to visit and watch. It was a blast! There were several parents that skated, as well as Debbie P...and of course, tons of kids and teens. There were a few minor injuries and one trip to the ER (which turned out not to be serious), but it was mostly a big success. That evening, Garrett gave an outstanding lesson on Godly Friends. He and Lara and 4 of their girls also came to stay at Warren & Linda's. So we had a great time getting to visit with them and get to know their sweet girls a little better. (Dennis and Maggie also became pretty good friends!)
Saturday, Warren and Linda opened their place for a day of fun and fellowship. Ben and Laura (thanks to the Salem Fire Dept.) supplied a water slide and bounce house for the kiddos, which was a HUGE hit (even though the water slide did turn over at one point...no one was hurt). The older kids played Frisbee with Mocha (the dog) and did their own thing, while us older folks ate, visited and sang. The day was warm, but there was a good breeze blowing all day (hence the upturned water slide) which kept things pretty comfortable. John A was in charge of grilling the hamburgers and hot dogs and did an excellent job! That evening we heard a very straightforward and passionate lesson from Ron Tate on Godly Dating. There were over 150 in attendance at that service...the house was FULL! After more food, more singing and more visiting, we headed back to the house for another late night visit among our bunch.
Richard Newhart gave his lesson on Godly Marriage this morning. As always, he did a great job! The ladies served up an amazing potluck dinner, and then Dennis and I had to hit the road and head home. We THOROUGHLY enjoyed ourselves! It was great to catch up with old friends, get to know new friends, participate in some really amazing singing, hear some very encouraging and inspirational messages, and just have FUN! I want to thank all those at the Salem Road church for their wonderful hospitality and all the hard work that they put into the planning and implementation of this meeting. They did an outstanding job!!! It was definitely what Dennis and I needed!
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