We are leaving very early tomorrow morning for our trip to Illinois! So despite deep sadness I feel for missing our last youth group “thing” I will have to miss it. I am very sad! I had to put together somethings for the girls and I wrote a letter which will be read for us when we miss it. Here it is! Dear Girls, Well it is Friday afternoon and I have procrastinated in writing this as long as I possibly could! This has to be probably one of the saddest letters I have ever had to write! We are so very sorry we can’t be there for our last AWANA banquet but know that we will be thinking of you and praying for you. The last three years have been way too short for Ron and I and we have loved every minute of being a part of your lives. As this year closes a chapter in all our lives close, and what a lovely chapter that has been. You girls have taught me something very important and that is to stay young! We have watched you blossom into beautiful young women. There have been some decisions made by you and we will be praying for you. You have impacted our lives so very much and we won’t forget that impact! You are about to receive a gift bag and in that bag are a few things I would like to explain! First off there is a book titled Don’t Check your Brains at the Door. Hopefully this book will help you to understand the ways in which this world thinks about the God you love and serve and show you how to defeat those ideas with Scripture. You will be bombarded with many things in life and know that you have the troth right before you in the Bible. Second there is a candle…a pretty smelling one at that but as you light this candle and watch the flame flicker remember what Pete taught us by his candle illustration. We are one candle in the dark and we are a light that helps others see the way to God! So be that light. Thirdly you will find a bag of Chocolate- to remind you to always be the sweetest! Also you will find a small bouquet of flowers…These are to remind you that you are beautiful in God’s eyes. But individually the hold significance as well-the white one stands for purity, always stay pure in your thoughts, in your actions, in your speech. This is not easy I know but this leads me to the next color yellow. Yellow stands for friendship. Make godly friends that will help you in your daily walk with God. Pink is for beauty -you are who God created you t be, and finally the purple is for joy. You can be sad and still have joy. Joy is what you have when you know that you are going to spend eternity in heaven, no questions asked. As a Christian you have accepted all that Christ has to offer you and No One can take that away. And nothing you do will keep you from entering heaven! Oh what joy that brings! And last but most definitely not least and perhaps most special of all you will find three letters: One from Tom and Laura, and from Pete and a copy of this letter From Ron and myself. As all of the other letters say please keep in contact with us we want to know the best ways we can pray for you! You are truly very special people and I think I can speak for the other leaders when I say. You guys have been so wonderful and a real joy to work with. We love you and will miss you and your joy that bubbles out of each and every one of you. I could ramble on and on but I am sure that whoever is reading this is getting tired. So again we love you and best wishes. With all of our love
