Happy Anniversary

20...yes I said TWENTY....years together!  Today we will celebrate our 20th Anniversary.  Wow how our lives have changed since that day when we overcame the odds of young love and actually said "I do".  And we meant it.  We really meant it.  Those of you closest to us know that our challenges began the next month as we packed up that moving truck and headed for California...just the two of us.  I'll spare the details here on the blog but the truck barely made it there and we had to grow-up and overcome during those 1500 miles.  God continued to increase our joy day by day along with allowing challenges to come our way.  The ups and downs of marriage and just life in general can be wearing.  And yet, as we look back, we see how God has used each and every heartache and test to prepare us for the task he has given us here in Texas and in Brazil.  We see how God has grown our faith, matured us through some very unpleasant circumstances and trials, and shown us how HIS WORD IS TRUE and HE IS FAITHFUL.  We are grateful for the five great kids he has given us.  Even though the quantity can be a challenge, we recognize that each one has a specific purpose in his call on our lives as a family.  I find it significant that God would give us an even 20 years to learn and grow and prepare us for service in Brazil.  With a group like us....I guess I can see why it took so long!  Actually, God's timing is perfect, and even though there are many days, most days in fact, when we feel completely inadequate to raise our own five kids, let alone take them to another country to help raise 85 more kids, we are COMPLETELY CONFIDENT that God will provide everything we need and equip us with all things for this task.

Now, time to curl the hair for the big day.  We can all be thankful that my hair is not nearly as big as it was in 1992.  I know Brad is.

Smiling, smiling, smiling,

Robbyn