Christmas in Montana

Today we drove from Billings to Red Lodge, a rustic mountain town full of snow and lots of skiers. We travelled to Montana Christmas Eve.  It snowed early Christmas morn...I know firsthand because I was driving in it at 2:30am looking for cough syrup for our third child who was wheezing in the middle of the night.  She ended up in the ER on Christmas morn and is doing better with an inhaler and other meds. What a rough Christmas for her!

 Ethan's sister and brother-in-law live here in Billings where Bill is the pastor of the Lutheran Brethren church in town. Their two teenage boys keep us entertained with plenty of jokes and games, especially the youngest's favorite game of Chess.  Ethan's mom and dad came from Arizona yesterday, and we have already played a game of Rook with Mom.  She is a huge risk-taker in Rook and won by over 300 points.  Now we are off to play another game of Rook.

We are blessed to be with family here in Montana.  My mind is reeling with memories since my parents are from this town, and I spent my summers here as a child with my grandparents.  The rural ranches and horses are another world from Minneapolis where I grew up.  The mountains are beautiful and the air is fresh.  But sad memories also fill my mind, and I know that God redeems it all.  We are blessed.

It is a happy Christmas indeed.

Memorial Day 2011

We remembered many of the relatives from Ethan's Mom's family this Memorial Day. We visited Bethel Lutheran Church in Little Sauk, Minnesota today for their annual Memorial Day gathering. Around 50-60 people were there to remember the saints who have gone before them, and to remind themselves of the reason for this gathering, Jesus Christ and the Word of God that guides us throughout the generations. Rick Klukken was the main speaker who shared once again the reason for the hope that we have, and Wayne Larson, who is the chairman for the Bethel organization, led the meetings. It was quite an honor to be there. We also got to take part in a good old Minnesota pot luck with great food from lots of different folks who came out. There was quite a spread!


Bethel church was one of the first Lutheran Brethren churches and was founded in 1901. It no longer has a weekly congregation that meets but this organization of relatives from past members continues to support the building and cemetery where many of their relatives were buried. The kids along with Ethan and I planted some geraniums on the grave site of Andrew and Sarah Johnson, Ethan's great-grandparents. Down the road we planted flowers at Ole and Beret Johnson's grave site, who were Ethan's great-great-grandparents. Ole was a Civil War veteran so that has particular meaning on this Memorial Day.

On the way home we stopped by Kvam church in Dalton, MN to remember the Overgaard family buried there and Knollwood Memorial Gardens to plant flowers for Gustav and Ella Overgaard, Ethan's maternal grandparents. One theme that stands out as we remember each of these grandparents is the faithfulness to God and His word, the Bible. These people lived and died for Jesus and depended on His word for their very lives. We honor them today.