Burgers’ Thanksgiving 2023

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. —Psalm 107:1

Bob

I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. —Galatians 2:20c

  • When Verla’s namesake, Verla Elliot Sutton, was in her late 80’s, she warned us: Getting old isn’t for sissies. We are so thankful to have Stacy’s parents just a 5-minute walk away in Robin Run Village and my parents a 30-minute drive away. Their courage, faith, and love in the midst of pain, suffering, and loss are inspiring. Grateful that getting old is temporary, we all eagerly await the redemption of our bodies when Christ returns.
  • We are delighted to see Evie, Steven, and Charlotte almost every week! To help keep me healthy and fit for playing with the grandchildren, I do the misnamed 7 Minute Workout every morning in eight minutes and take Shaklee food supplements.
  • With all the demands of life, Stacy & I regularly take time away to recharge and reconnect. One of my wedding vows is to live with Stacy in an understanding way, honoring her at all times. The Way to Love Your Wife by the Penners provides good conversation topics that are helping me love Stacy better.
  • In February I chaperoned for the 4-day TeenPact Indiana government intensive training camp. Ben served as a cabin leader, and Verla & John were glad to go for the first time after hearing about it for so many years from their older siblings.
  • In May we visited Josh & Elizabeth in Georgia and helped them get ready for baby Angie. The trails in Lake Arrowhead were beautiful! Josh drove to our rescue when we ended up far from our starting point late in the day. The 3D ultrasound of Angie was amazing, and she stuck out her tongue at us!
  • For our fifth wedding in five years, Mariah married Isaac Hertzler on July 1 in Big Rapids, Michigan. We loved meeting Isaac’s relatives! He has a great heritage.
  • Later in July my parents treated a large group of their descendents to a fun vacation in Wisconsin Dells! We were so glad they could come again!
  • At Christ the King Church of Thorntown, I have the privilege of serving on the worship team with Zach Elliott, Huffy & Robin Tolbert, and Juli Van Kley. Verla & I had fun singing in the comedy choir the Tolberts organized this summer.
  • In September Stacy, Verla & I flew to Georgia to meet baby Angie Marie in person! Josh has worked as an animal control officer for five years, and Elizabeth has worked at Publix for four years. Josh’s parents live nearby, and his dad cares for Angie on the days they both work. It was so good to see them all again!
  • Zach serves as an electrician at Jefferson Electric. Besides taking care of her active children and helping at church, Ruth taught Drama Clubhouse to third and fourth graders at Wisdom Builders with Beth Alsmeyer this fall.
  • Kyle serves as an emergency veterinarian at Noah’s Animal Hospital on the west side of Indianapolis, and Sarah serves as a landscape designer at Eagle Creek Nursery & Landscape.
  • John & I have fun teaching the preschool Awana Cubbies on Wednesday evenings at CrossBridge Baptist Church.
  • At Indigo BioAutomation I am very thankful to work with a great team writing software that helps laboratories automate their analyses. In the summer three interns studying Computer Science in college helped me get a lot done. I look forward to mentoring again next summer!
  • In family devotions we use a systematic plan to read through the Bible in 3–4 years and like the summary animations from the Bible Project and Tim Keller’s Discovering the Gospel in Every Book of the Bible.
  • I appreciate the detailed news coverage in The World and Everything in It podcast.
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