IMAGINE...IMAGINE...

Imagine...with all your mind.

Believe...with all your heart.

Achieve...with all your might.

As a girl of fourteen I imagined,

with all of my mind, all sorts of things...

at times I imagined myself a nurse;

at other times I imagined myself a mother...

after all, I had four younger sibs.

I believed...with all my heart, that some handsome prince would sweep me off my feet,

carry me off to his castle where we'd live happily ever after.

Achieve...with all my might? 

Not...I wasn't into achievement...I was into coasting!



1958...my prince and many sons later...I was into achievement for the life of me. 

M and I have four men that we are extremely blest to have nearby...we are blest to have them in our lives...period.  Those four guys married wonderful women...lovely wives...we are blest in the same way...blest to have them in our lives.  Between them they have gifted us with ten wonderful grandchildren and one great-grandgirl.  Blessings galore...happiness!

I've lived in every state except two...lived in foreign countries, shared homes with Greeks and Germans.  Even worked in Germany and China...in my wildest dreams that never happened but in real life it was monumental.  And it grew me...or rather, God grew me. 

As our youngest son dubbed me 'a late bloomer'...he spoke the truth.  I was a late bloomer, perhaps a slow learner as well...all depended on the subject I was interested in.  My interests were wide and short-lived.  I didn't stick with anything very long.

The experience of China changed that...quite dramatically.  I lost my reticence in telling others about what God had done and was doing in my life.  Guess I'd say I threw caution to the wind and it was wonderful.

Michael and I came home from China in December, 2004.  My youngest brother Johnny died suddenly in January 2005, my mother died in March 2005...my heart was totally broken.  Both Michael and I suffered severe depression for some time; we just couldn't seem to pull ourselves together...get our feet on the ground.  Those were some days, some weeks...but with God's help we powered through.  We made several trips back to China to encourage His small family there...those were good times. 

Life has its' ups and downs ~ most of us have those times, right?  Oh yes!  M had a couple of health issues that sort of took our breath away for a day or two but we weathered that and continue doing so.  With God it isn't so difficult to keep balanced...at least that's what I've discovered.

Many things have taken place...so many special things have happened along the way and I want to tell you about one thing I call extraordinary...for M and me!

Ken and Debbie Xie were a couple we first met in China.  Debbie was one of our first visitor's in Changsha.  She, along with three other Chinese, called on us (staff at the University where we would be teaching); Debbie sat by me on the couch and said, "I believe you're a Christian aren't you?"  I said that I was.  She said "I thought so". 

The next day she returned, alone.  She stood inside our apartment and said, "I know why you're here."  You do, how is that?  "God has send you, I've been waiting".  Long story short, we baptized her a few weeks later; taught and baptized her boyfriend, Ken.  A year later they married and our relationship continued growing.  They were our children and we, their parents. 

They came to the U.S. several years later; earned degrees at Sunset in Lubbock, Texas...had a little baby boy...named him Michael.  Returned to China where they work full time for God.  They have a second boy...named Clay, after my grandfather.  If Clay had been a girl she would be Vasca.

In October, 2015 they came to Texas for a month to report on the Chinese work and we had lots of wonderful 'catch-up visit time'. 

Clay and Michael speak perfect English...at that time Clay was 4.  He had never met us so as soon as they were settled w/some friends we arranged to meet for dinner. 

Debbie said that on the way to the restaurant Clay was unusually quiet.  Then he piped up with, "I'm very nervous".  Debbie asked why and he said, "I'm nervous because we're going to meet some important people."  That would be M and me...what?

Okay, dinner went fine...apparently his nervousness subsided and all of us had a good time.  When they arrived back where they were staying his hostess asked, "Clay, did you meet Michael and Vasca?"  "Yes, they are very important people"...she asked why he thought that and he said "Because, they taught my mommy and daddy about God, Jesus and the Bible...they are very important people." 

I wanted to tell you that...to share something so precious from a child. 

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for...always!

Something for me to remember everyday of my life...be thankful, Vasca...be thankful.

From my heart...to yours, Vasca