Anna Ruth and I were blessed beyond measure when Galen and Marie Burkholder and Ann Landis favored us with an hour and a half visit just before dark yesterday.  I can barely contain myself when I think of that.  It is only a few days since Paul’s death and here we were!  My, my.  God has surprises for us.  Our conversation was as precious as one can imagine.  We took our fellowship in Jesus even further, now with Paul off to glory and Ann settling into her widowhood.  This is the morning after, and my heart still leaps at the fact that they paid us that unforgettable visit.   Bless them.

Human relationships are important, that we know, but blend the human with the spiritual and we begin to understand the gift we have in Christ.

Paul was a student at Lancaster Mennonite School when I taught there.  That relationship remained strong through the years, tested and tried, troubled and smooth, promising and disappointing!  And much more.  That is all now in the heart and memory – praise God for His goodness in giving us life-long friendships.  Paul and Ann walked with us all those many years.

So the visit with us yesterday had that aura of love and friendship.

Galen and Marie have been soulmates of ours and workmates in ministry for many, many years.  We will always praise God for the mercies we have received as we walked together, as people in Jesus and as colleagues in ministry.