Jackie's 75th

What an awesome party for an awesome lady!!!! Jackie's family was so gracious and anxious to meet all of us. Jackie was sooo happy! It was so great to hear all the fun stories of the many aspects of Jackie's life. We love you, Jackie! Thanks for all your service to the East Area.

Seder Meal

What a wonderful Seder we had this year! Thanks to everyone who fixed a dish or dishes for our meal. It was so great being in the kitchen and seeing everyone working to get the tables set, the drinks poured, the ceremonial foods divvied up, the lamb cut, and the food served. Then afterwards people worked hard to wash dishes, put away tables, and clean floors. Everyone did their part to make the whole evening work so smoothly.

Women's Cook-off

Area cooking night

Here's some fun pictures of the women of the area cooking up a storm in preparation for Judy's needs after surgery. Fun night of fellowship. Thanks Jennifer for getting us organized.

Week of April 15th

Praise God as we continue to celebrate Easter! So great to have the sun shine!

In an effort to make our communication more exciting I thought I'd start an area blog page. Some people will not be able to access this info so I will still send it out via e-mail. Please feel free to send me stories and pictures from your lives that we can all share. This is a great way to see each other's faces and encourage one another during the week.

The week-end of April 28 -29 is small groups. I sent the list as an attachment to the e-mail.

Praise God Dan is still anti-biotics free! This is a real victory! He is feeling so much better. Keep praying for him and for Irene R., who is now home from Indianapolis, for Colleen, Chris and all our needs.

In honor of Dale I included everyone's comments from last week. They were very moving.
Have a great week!

Our delightful brother, Dale

This is the same Dale who weathered out into a blizzard one night in December, 2003 (and got lost driving around in Winding Brook) to pray with my niece, Gloria. She was here from Seattle, in answer to her prayers to come to South Bend for Christmas. Gloria was battling stage four cancer and had been through a bone marrow transplant a few months earlier. Dale shared his belief that she would be healed. His prayers and words of encouragement brought - and still bring - such hope to all of us. Thank you, Dale! -- Bev B.

Ken and I are still snug under our roof put on 10 years ago by Ken and Dale in an absolutely scorching week in June. We'd just bought the house with the stipulation that it had to have a roof put on within 10 days of purchase or something along those lines. Several others helped but Dale was here day after day, and making us both feel he wanted to be just where he was. And that's only one instance.

We love you so much too, Betsy, and I know how you often were marking time at home while Dale served--and served. That part's not easy, but you supported him. Thank you for all you do too. Two great servants and most of all, great friends. It's hard to put into mere words Ken's and my feelings for you both. --Pam P.

I still remember about 10 years ago when Dale had his close encounter with the chain saw and it went throiugh the prayer line to pray for him. Dale called the community office from the hospital about an hour later to say that he couldn't do his community service that night. What a wonderful brother. --Mike Z.

An awesome guy. A servant leader. The true Energizer Bunny. The best chair setter-upper and taker-downer I ever knew (tho Jim Feehly is great at that too).God bless Dale who lives through his family and through all of us who knew him and were so well served and loved and encouraged by him. Praise God. --Mary Lou