Day of Prayer for future of AG
Today, Thursday, is a day set aside for prayer for the future of the AG on the blog site developed for that concern. I have read several of the blog comments today….many are written as prayers. How touching they are, and how encouraging that we can be of one mind and truly seeking God together.
“If my people …. humble themselves and pray….”
Future AG
… a blog site about the future of the Assemblies of God fellowship
Since I am a member of the Assemblies of God fellowship I am very interested in our future. I just became aware there is a blog site that interacts about the future of the Assemblies of God. This includes the upcoming elections which includes voting for a new General Superintendent. There is even an opportunity to ‘vote’. I liked seeing the list of the possibilities a group of people have put together. When you vote you can see the results thus far. Of course, this will not influence the voting in Indianapolis at General Council, but I think the research providing a simple profile on these potential candidates may be helpful. I liked that this list includes the three people that come to my mind as I pray about this important crossroads. I am wondering if we will have an older, current person to complete Thomas Trask’s term (2 years yet) as an interim that then shifts to a new, younger person in 2009. Or, will we go with someone younger right now? Or will we have the most progressive, older person in the position for whatever time possible?
Great time to be praying for God’s direction to those who will be voting!
Appreciating our roots
I am convinced the older we get the more we value our roots and relationships we have had in the past. I have seen that in my siblings and I, especially after we were all over 50 years old. Now this summer I had the fun of connecting with classmates from grade school. The same weekend I was at the Page activities my high school class in Valley City was having a “UNreunion”. Timing with my immediate family and Page activities did not allow me to pop in on these activities. But there is still a way to connect! This week I received an email alerting me a web site had been developed for the Valley City High School Class of 1967. There are pictures of those at the UNreunion (low key with limited advance organization). Also we are to post ”THEN” and “NOW” photos. Since I was the newspaper editor I have a copy of several years’ newspapers.
I scanned and sent a page with numerous photos of classmates when the National Honor Society members were named in our senior year. The photo above (hijacked from the VCHS 67 site) is the distinctive Hi-Line Bridge in Valley City. We were called the VCHS Hi-Liners.
THEN – Jann Peter – Valley City High School Class of 1967
I like this photo. I’m not particularly sure why. A couple ideas. I grew up close to railroad tracks both on the farm near Page, ND, and when we ‘moved to town’… Valley City. And then there is the fact that our son, Andy, is into railroading now and we go on train rides with him. This was taken June 1 when the kids came out to celebrate Glen’s 60th birthday. 
We went on three train rides. This was while we were on the Mt. Hood Railroad excursion ride. It went down to Odell, south of Hood River.
Pages that Heal
I had a wonderful experience this week. I made a memory book for my dear friend, Earl, who is 83 years old. After I completed it I was reminded of this phrase, “Pages that Heal”. It was the title of an article my friend, Anne, wrote for the scrapbooking magazine “Memory Makers” in the July/August 2000 issue. It captures how scrapbooking can help the process of healing when experiencing loss, grief, or abrupt change, etc.
I made this memory book for Earl since he was preparing/has suddenly moved to Minnesota to live in an assisted living community near his daughter. His recent health problems have required this decision which was made only last Thursday. Within one week’s time his family helped prepare his home to be put on the market and his things for his move. Whew!
Hearing about this decision last Thursday I started thinking about the photo that was taken of Earl and I where we usually connect… at the back of the church sanctuary before church starts. We met years ago there and continue to meet before the first service starts when he has arrived early and I arrive at 8:30-8:40 since Glen is there for choir practice. Earl is always so interested in what is going on in my life and what new project I have going or trip we are planning, etc. He loves the choir and I call him the #1 cheerleader for the choir. He has been so active helping his neighbors to doctor appointments, etc. He is so sharp you would never think he is 83. Our photo was taken on my birthday last December and I realized I had not given him one yet. I also had taken a photo of he and our other two friends that come in at 8:50. As I planned to print out the photos I felt God prompting me to take photos of other friends at church and put them in a neat, small Creative Memories album called a Minutes PicFolio. It even has a strap that goes around to the back and makes the album like an easel so the photo book can sit on a desk/dresser. I had a pack of journal and photo mats that would go great with a PicFolio I had on hand. It worked out really slick!
The idea expanded. I ended up getting photos from some friends over email that I did not connect with Sunday morning. I included photos of the church taken Sunday morning (I made this collage), his home and neighborhood (took when Glen and I went over to his home Sunday night), and some photos/postcards from different locations in Portland and Oregon.
Earl loved it!! He was so happy to receive this. He called this afternoon from MN (he flew there) to tell me again how much he enjoys it.
The beauty of all this is that it gives me a strong reminder how important it is to listen to God, and obey, when He alerts you to do something. God knows how this memory book will be helpful for Earl. I am realizing one example is that after Earl’s health deteriorated quickly in mid June he had not had the strength to get back to church before he moved. The church collage captures what it would have been like his last Sunday there. I did not comprehend this at the time. But God knew, of course.
As I prepared the memory book I could savor the great friend Earl has been/is to me. I will definitely miss Earl very much. I am so thankful I have been able to have had Earl’s friendship this amount of time. If I do not see him again in this world, I will see him again in Heaven.
Memory books. They can be “Pages that Heal”.
When my friend, Cora, visited us last week on Saturday we ambled down the Columbia Gorge and turned south at Hood River. My relaxed goal was to see the Hood River Lavender Farm. It was beautiful! The hummingbirds and butterflies sure seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was neat to see the sea of lavender with Mt. Hood in the distance. We continued south and drove closer and closer to Mt. Hood, around the south side and back to Portland. It was a gorgeous day though it was quite windy and had been very cool in the morning. And now this week it has been hot! Yesterday the high for Portland was 102. Today was 95. Tonight close to 9:00 p.m. there was a mini earthquake, 3.3, at Barlow, only 19 miles south of Portland. I was at the computer and my chair jolted a bit. Interesting.
125th Anniversary Celebration
of
Page, North Dakota
It was so fun to go back to North Dakota and celebrate at the farming community, 7 miles from our farm, where I grew up and attended school 1st through 8th grade. I saw numerous classmates with it being the 40th year since our class graduated. Yeah, 1967!!! My parents semi retired between my 8th and 9th grades. We moved to Valley City where I attended high school. I went from a class of 21 to 135! Whew! Though I didn’t graduate with these ‘kids’ I definitely still have a bond with them. They invited me back for the 20th reunion in 1987 and it was fun to connect with them then. Now 20 years later it was even more fun. Delightful! I had more chance to visit with individuals as well as in a couple groups. I enjoyed getting acquainted as adults. There were 22 that graduated from high school together and 16 were there. Two are deceased so that left only four who were unable to come. I got to interact with 12 of those 16 in one short day. Of the 15 of us who started 1st grade together (And yes, I still have our photos, cute!) there were 11 that graduated from 8th grade together. Eight of us were there!!!!! (Two deceased and one unable to come.)
The parade was 1 hour and 10 minutes long! Our class was the first class float in the parade. I wasn’t expecting it so I took a photo in a hurry. Then I looked at the people. I kind of panicked!! “I don’t recognize anybody!” Finally I saw one guy I could recognize! Several of the others had caps on so I decided I could give myself some grace for not recognizing more. 
At noon was a barbeque at the City Park. After standing in line and touching base with some relatives and short tail relations, it was our turn to get food and sit down. My husband and oldest son, Andy, took off for the antique tractor pull and I found a group of classmates. They are left to right, Sally, Marilyn, Dean and I. We came from a variety of places. I came from Oregon and others from Iowa, Washington and Minnesota. Later in the afternoon was an open house at the school. There were rooms with photo displays. The gym was set up with chairs with signs above saying 50s, 60s, 70s, etc. 
The great fun in all this is that I had so wanted to see my best friend, Renee, from grade school. I had lost contact with her and she was not at the 20th reunion. I was very hopeful Renee would be there since my brother, Carl, had been in contact with her brother about their 50th class reunion booklet. I learned at noon Renee had come!!! (And so had her two brothers.) She had been on the float and I didn’t see her. It took us awhile to connect with the crowd and activity. At the school we finally got to sit down in our class section and take a photo with a couple of our classmates. L to R: Renee, Sally again, and Scott. Then Renee and I shared email addresses and photos of our families. It was like starting out where we had left off in high school when I had last seen her. I love how that often is the case with friends who have been close.
Renee and Jann (Janet in grade school) from Page, ND
Of course, with time, there is change. When I was growing up the population of Page* was 500. Now it is about 250. There are no longer big families of 5-7 kids, and there are fewer families with the farms bigger. The school is consolidated with Hope some miles away. They have had consolidated sports teams that prove quite interesting in announcing the players; the announcer has to say what town they are from too. We are no longer the “Page Panthers”, but it was fun to be able to sing our school song at the historical pageant that night. That pageant was fantastic!! Talk about work and so well done!! I was so glad I was able to attend these festivities.
“Maroon and white, dynamite!! Go, Panthers!!!”
*Page is in the southeast portion of North Dakota. It is in the northwest corner of Cass County, 60 miles northwest of Fargo and 35 miles northeast of Valley City.
Lake McDonald. It was a cloudy day at first, but people enjoyed themselves so we enjoyed watching them.
Falls with no name? We named it “Terrace Falls”.
On the east side in the Two Medicine area.
Jackson Glacier. The one glacier we got to see since the Logan Pass on the Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed. We went in from the west and looked around and drove around the south and back up into the east side in a couple places. Jackson Glacier is near St Mary’s Lake. 
This is the east end of the Going-to-the-Sun Road and one can see what is involved in having/building a road in this area. It gives you an eerie feeling when you see it while approaching from a distance. Driving above it you don’t notice and it’s fine. Whew!
We are having a great time on our road trip through Montana and North Dakota.
