Luc n Anna's wedding

 

So happy to add Anna to our family circle. We made the trip to PA. Our last trip was 10 years ago. We prefer to head west instead of east but a son's wedding is good reason to make the trip. We met some really nice people there and it turned out to be a very enjoyable trip. We stayed for two nights at Larry and Naomi Burkholder's. Naomi is Anna's coworker and good friend. We loved our time there.They showed us some of their many photo albums of trips they had made together....Alaska, and Hawaii. They introduced us to their Water Buffalo and Yaks,  and sent us home with a package of their Burkholder coffee, grown by their missionary son in Honduras.It is very good and when we grind it and drink it we think of them with warm memories!

  We met Anna's sister Kate, her friends Gwen Martin and Rachel Oberholtzer, who were also her bridesmaids. On Saturday after the wedding we ended up together at Luc n Anna's house and spent time together getting to know each other and having a good time.Sure enjoyed our time with them too. We were a little hard on them about PA compared to what we are used to here in Wi :) Please accept our apologies for that. You certainly helped make our stay there enjoyable. You all are welcome to come visit us, would love to have you.

Matt n Kaitlyn~Engaged!

I have been waiting on an official engagement picture, but I decided to go ahead and post this one.

Jesus is the sweetest friend I know ~by Tebo

 "Jesus is the sweetest friend I know"

Jesus is the sweetest friend I know,

He walks with me wherever I must go.

Through the valley of the shadow of death He's there I know

Jesus, yes Jesus is the sweetest friend I know.

Chorus

I'd never make it through his life without him by my side.

Guiding every footstep and wiping every tear I cry.

When the trials of this life seem to overwhelm my soul

its then that I'm reminded of the sweetest friend I know

Jesus is the sweetest friend I know

He's my only comfort and I love him so

When the pain that I am feeling is heavy on my soul

Jesus, yes Jesus is the sweetest friend I know.

Jesus is the sweetest friend I know

As I walk in pain here on this earth below,

My heart cries out to my Savior, and faith just fills my soul,

Then I've got peace beyond all measure from the sweetest friend I know. 

This is a song written by Jeff Kropf (Uncle Tebo)

written in the midst of the valley he walked through.I checked youtube but I couldn't find that he had recorded this one.Too bad, it is a beautiful song 

In honor of Tebo, by Darwin Hostetler

         A Battle lost....But a victory won!

My minds been traveling down memories lane

But my heart is in prayer for a family in pain

Yes, I know that our loss is Tebo's  gain

But The tears still come like falling rain

Tebo,

I stood there beside you when you said "I do"

And you were faithful all these year's thru

I'll not forget when you stayed in our home

You played with my children like they were your own

You wired my shop,then at the end of the day

We gathered to sing and took time to pray

We wept with you as you struggled in pain

Not knowing how soon your life would see gain

Your battle is over, our race we still run

You went on to Glory not knowing your son

We continue the fight in the army of prayer

And trust that one day, you'll meet them over there.

I set here with tears as I send you this prayer

Yes I know, it's so much better because Jesus is there.

So we wait our turn, and one day we'll meet with our King

Jesus is the sweetest friend I know....together we'll sing      

                                                                   ~Darwin Hostetler



     In our teen years Jeff spent time at our house a few summers and we have lots of good memories. Darwin and Jeff were partners in crime, the first thing that comes to mind is when they killed and ate a rattlesnake.My Mom wasn't home .......does that tell the story?:) I wasn't home either, thankfully, because I know Jeff would have coerced me into taking a bite:(               Now they are no longer partners in crime but brothers in Christ.

    I really like these lines in the poem........

We continue the fight in the army of prayer

And trust that one day, you'll meet them over there.

......referring to Jeff's family. Lets please remember to pray for his family, I know Jeff wants to see them again.Pray for their spiritual condition and that they can be reconciled to the Kropf family.