Unfortunately,
I’m starting this month’s update with sad news. Early on June 25, during
an overnight shift, two men were killed in Lockport, NY, when several slabs of
Corian fell on them. The younger of the two men, Chris Klosin, was
married to Krista’s niece, Kristina. Chris was a wonderful husband and
step-dad to Kristina’s children, and he is greatly missed. Please keep
Kristina and her family in prayer as they mourn their loss. Praise God
that the gospel was clearly preached at the funeral, and, even in our sorrow,
we trust that our Sovereign God can somehow that we don’t understand, use this
for His perfect purpose.
On June 29, I
had the privilege of getting to spend some time with my friend, Jeremy.
He and I worked together at Roberts Wesleyan for a few years, and we’ve kept in
touch as much as our growing families have allowed. He was up here
visiting other friends and reached out to me so that we could get
together. It was wonderful catching up on each other’s families!
Of course, this
time of year is when we celebrate our Independence, and we made the most of
that this year. On June 30, we saw the fireworks at Hamlin Beach with the
Sommers and Mickles, then we saw fireworks with them and other church friends
again in Brockport on July 3, and finally, Krista, Zach, Jem, Levi, and I went
to the Rochester Red Wings game on July 4 and watched their fireworks after the
game. The Civil Air Patrol was tasked with doing the color guard and
holding the big flag during the National Anthem at that game, so Zach and I
helped with that. That will probably be one of our last CAP activities
because as Zach goes into full-time college, he will not be participating in
CAP anymore. Our current membership expires in August, and we don’t plan
to renew. I have enjoyed doing it, learning and serving, and I’m thankful
to God that He provided this opportunity for us.
On July 4, we
also went to the Rhodes reunion (Krista’s Mom’s family) at Krull Park in
Olcott, NY, with the Mickles and Sommers. We always enjoy seeing family,
walking by Lake Ontario, laughing at the kids at the amusement park, and the
good food and fellowship.
July 10 was my
brother, Gary’s, birthday, so I remembered him that day. See, that’s an
accomplishment when you get to be my age, to remember anything. I’m
thankful for technology where I can record these things so it can remind me.
The sad part of
July 10 was a funeral for a family friend named Pat McTamney. She was an
elderly person at our church who we originally came to know personally when she
hired Zach to walk her dog. Then as Zach got too busy with school and
work, the job was handed down to Jemmie and Levi. Eventually, Pat’s
health deteriorated enough that she needed to move into a care facility.
Jem and Levi continued contact with her, visiting her weekly when her health
allowed to play Rummikub and other games. They all really enjoyed these
times! At the funeral, all of Pat’s family were delighted to meet Jem and
Levi, and told us how much those times meant to her.
Other
celebrations this month were Ivy’s 2nd birthday on July 11, and Hannah and
Kevin’s 5th anniversary on July 13.
Our final
excitement for the month was a visit from Carissa, Matt, Ruby, and
Caitlin. Krista’s nephew, Brandon, recently got married and had a
reception this past Saturday, July 14. The four of them made the trip up
here to attend that and to visit with us. Matt is recovering well from
his accident last month, and we all appreciate your continued prayers for
him. Ruby is still delightful (of course), and we all had lots of fun
watching her interact with her cousins.
This week is
our church’s VBS that we run in the evenings. Zach, Jem, and Levi are all
helping in it, and it seems to be going well so far. Please pray that God
will use it to build His kingdom.
Thanks for
reading! Just for fun, I'm going to end with a video of our silly dog, Zuzu, picking raspberries.
Until August!
