Today, those four girls are still doing life with each other, even with two of us living across the ocean!
In June 1984, thirty years ago this month, Joyce, Laura, Jerri and I left for a summer of ministry with Malachi Singers in Germany.
We served on two different teams that summer, traveling to American military bases to share Jesus with teenagers of Army, Air Force and Navy personnel stationed in Europe.
It was a life changing summer in different ways for each of us as God did His work of transformation in and through our hearts and lives.
But above and beyond that, a friendship was sealed between us that is still alive and precious today.
Laura and I live in Czech and Poland, serving with Josiah Venture, while Joyce and Jerri live in Denver serving with Cadence International (the same organization that Malachi Singers began with all those years ago).
We have joined with each other in all different seasons of life, sharing in joy and sorrow, with laughter and tears.
There is a true bond of lasting friendship that is precious to each of us, a gift from the Lord that we cherish.
They joined us last week-end for Caleb and Haley's wedding which was another link in our friendship, coming alongside me to share in our joy of that day.
While we stood together for pictures, I remembered that it was thirty years ago, almost to the day, that we gave a concert at Faith Evangelical Free before we left for our summer in Germany. And Caleb and Haley were married at that same church thirty years later. That church family has been a part of our lives for a very long time!
Who would've ever guessed when we were young women, just starting out our adult lives, that one day we'd be back in that very spot for the wedding of my son?
Our wedding week for Caleb and Haley was filled with all sorts of extraordinary details. This reunion and celebration of thirty years in friendship was definitely one of them!
** For a post on our twenty five year anniversary of friendship, see HERE! **
I absolutely love that in the first picture, you all have curly hair, and in the second one, you mostly have the same length, but it's straight! Styles do change! :)
ReplyDeleteAhhh, I love this. Next time you are all together you should sit in the same order as the original picture. I see these pictures people do of the same poses of their kids when little and when grown up.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing your special friendships.
Since the original picture was 1984 and this is 2014, you will have to do one more picture in 2044...another 30 years!
ReplyDeleteNow THAT will be an epic blog post!