Where were you in the Christmas Eve blizzard of 2009?
Everyone has a story to tell; we have one too. Our daughter had to work until 3:00 in the far north part of Edmond (a 45 minute drive home to Bethany on a good day). After making it a fraction of the way home, she got stuck in a line of traffic and could not move. She was a long way from home and we do not have a 4-wheel drive. Fortunately, a close friend of ours lives a couple of miles from where she was stuck and does have a 4-wheel drive. After they were able to get their vehicle out, they came and rescued her and left her car. She spent the night on Christmas Eve at their house; they dug her car out of the snow the next morning and brought her and her car home. She ended up being stuck in her car for 3 ½ hours, some of it after dark. We are so thankful for good friends who came to her rescue.
This year was a very different holiday season for us. Because of Donna’s recent surgery, we stayed home for Thanksgiving and Donna’s sister brought us a Thanksgiving meal. And we chose not to get out our usual Christmas decorations, tree ornaments, etc. We were not able to get out for any of the usual pre-Christmas festivities. Christmas day celebrations were delayed a couple of days. Our hot water heater went out on New Year’s morning, limiting our enjoyment of our alma mater’s bowl game. But the Lord was faithful to show us that all of the usual happenings are traditions we have created, none of which preclude us from being thankful for His work and provision in our lives or from celebrating His incarnation. What really matters in our relationship to Him cannot be taken away.
We pray that each of us and all of those who read this letter will commit to do something to develop a more intimate walk with our Lord during 2010 and to strengthen their marriages (for those who are married). Ed is reading through the Bible chronologically and highlighting God’s words and actions. Along with reading through the Bible, Donna is studying a devotional written by Martin Luther.
We are back to work and Donna is almost back to normal. The healing from her surgery has taken longer than we had expected. We were unable to see any appointments during December but are now resuming a normal schedule. We have a full schedule for January and February.
Our Preparing for Marriage class begins Monday, January 18 from 7:00-8:30. This class is for any couple who is seriously dating, engaged, or in their first year of marriage. The class will meet in the charming, Old Paseo Chapel (in the Paseo district of Oklahoma City). The details and sign-up are on the home page of our website, www.livingwellokc.org. Couples spend a lot of time and money on the wedding, what is their investment in preparing for the marriage? If you know anyone who is at that stage of life, pass on the information about our class or contact us and we will get the info to them.
We are doing a marriage retreat in Chickasha January 22-23. Ed is speaking to a men’s group at Emmaus Baptist Church, Saturday, February 13. We are starting a marriage enrichment class, Sunday evenings, 6-7:30, beginning February 14, at Putnam City Baptist Church. And we are doing a weekend conference in Ponca City near the end of February.
With the Marriage Network Oklahoma team, we are actively sponsoring and promoting Marriage Week, February 7-14; the theme is Forever Together. Churches and organizations have an opportunity to be a Marriage Forever church (no cost) and be a part of this great movement to honor and celebrate marriages. More details are available on the highlighted link.
We are thankful for the end of year donations we received. We are still very far behind in our budget. Our salaries are determined by our board of directors; we have a maximum salary that we can draw monthly but there is no minimum. We do not draw a full salary if the donations do not meet the budget.
We ask you to join us in a concerted, sincere prayer to our Father to provide for our budget, so that we may meet all of our financial obligations.
Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. You may donate to LIVING WELL online or by mailing a check to PO Box 720828, Oklahoma City, OK 73172. All donations are tax-deductible.
