65 Years

My grandparents are celebrating 65 years of marriage this summer.  Many family and friends gathered in Spokane over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate.  

We didn’t celebrate my Pake and Beppe “toughing it out” for 65 years and we didn’t celebrate the delirious happiness of two soul mates, although their marriage may have moments of both.  We celebrated God’s faithfulness.  We celebrated a couple that chose to serve the Lord.  They aren’t perfect, yet God has used them to establish something big.

My Pake was a bright student from the Netherlands and my Beppe was a tall blonde farm girl from Washington State.  

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They were college sweethearts determined to share Jesus with the world.  They worked as missionaries in Nigeria, they pastored multiple congregations, served as Air Force chaplain, established a non-profit for business professionals, and created a safe home and training for homeless women and children in the Seattle area. 

Yet what I saw at their 65th Anniversary party was not a list of accomplishments or reasons to be proud.  I witnessed a couple joyful and steadfast, even amidst trials and pain.  I witnessed four generations gathering to celebrate a legacy of faith. 

My grandparents had eight children.  

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