Sunday, October 21, 2012

Fourty Eight Years

 
 
At 17 how could we know 48 years would pass so quickly. Oct. 20th, today, this young looking man and I got married in the oldest church in Illinoios. I am sure lots of advice was given to us since we were only 17 but for life of me I can't remember what it was. Oh yeah I do remember they said it would not last.  God was at work even then.  
Ten years into our marriage we still did not have children. Ace had a massive heart attack at age 27 which was quite a wake up call on our lives. God would use this to bring his prodigal son around along with the birth of our first child after 12 years of marriage, a little girl, Tara Jo. Four more years passed so quickly and along came our son Jared.  

God was working in our lives to bring us to him and through an agressive soul winning church we got invited to pay them a visit.   It was exactly what we needed, 16 years after our wedding Ace came back to the Lord and I got saved. 

Of all the change since getting married this was the biggest one...God always has a plan for His children.

We became active in our church, growing, learning how to walk as a child of God should.  The church we attended was known as the getting saved church so we learned early how to take our Bible and lead someone to the Lord.  Twenty two years into our marriage Ace left his job with TWA and we went full time in the ministry.  Life was taking on some drastic changes but God was not through with us.

Missions was something our church kept before us and there was nothing we like better then having  what ever missionary  was visiting our church over for a meal.  It was exciting to hear their stories and pray for them, never thinking God was going to ask us to do that.  I mean we were doing our part right there in good old Kentucky for the kingdom of God. 

Somewhere in our 27th year of marriage God was going to send us on a different path.  I remember Ace telling our Tara he was going to show her the world.   True to his word August 1991 we left for Bolivia, South America to serve with New Tribes Missions.  Those were great years, our kids were with us, we were serving over seas, life was good. 

There are too many details to list of our 48 years together.  God has allowed us to serve in two countries and just this past year, Sept. 2011 we returned home to serve in a stateside ministry with New Tribes.  Which brings us back to this Oct. 20th, 2012...anniversary time.   As you can tell from the picture we did not have a big wedding...simple...and we have remain simple people. God delight in using simple people to tell His story.

The question always comes up,  would you do it again?  Yes is alway my answer but not at 17.  No one is mature enough to take on a marriage at that age.   There is some value in allowing yourself a few years to go to college or just work and learn a little about yourself before taking on the responsibility of marriage.  Some of those years were hard ones, still not sure how we made it through them.  But here we stand...48 years later and the only advice I would give anyone getting married is to get to know the Savior first, learn to walk with Him first, learn to follow His lead, learn about His love for you first. 

In two years we will celebrate our 50th and I want a party, a big one and you all are invited.  So put the date on your calendar in bold print and Lord willing I will see you there.

                                             

 

22 comments:

  1. Congratulations Betty! And please tell Ace I love the tie! :)

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  2. Bill, I think he had to borrow the tie, his daily dress was jeans and t-shirts when we got married. He had been working on an oil rig since he was 15, no call for a tie. I feel like I am looking at two strangers in this picture, so much besides our weight has changed since that day.

    It is a testemony of God love and His faithfulness to His Word that we can celebrate 48 years. He is the glue that hold us together and helps us love each still. Thanks for the comment brother.

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  3. Congratulations Betty! You look like my aunt Sharon. What a beautiful bride and good looking groom. Ready to take on the world... to find it belongs to God and all are subject to Him is the gift of true life. Thanks for the example of faith in service. For God and for your family. May God continue to bless you, Ace and your entire family.

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  4. A girl can love eternal at 17, but she doesn't know much about marriage and all the sharing called for in it. Amazing how the Lord brought you to him and how He gave you children, and then - - wow. Thank you for sharing at "Tell me a True Story."

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  5. Congratulations on 48 years! Time does fly.

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  6. Hazel...as I have said before I love jumping over to your place and reading other blogs.

    Well I did love with all the might a 17 year old could love. I really did not learn true committment till I got saved, it is honoring to our God.
    Blessings my wise hearted blog friend.

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  7. Floyd...committement is a huge word to a 17 year old. Of course we had no idea how our life was going to play out. God's grace on my life makes any committement easier. Thanks for the blessings brother.

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  8. Thanks Pasty for coming over for a peek of my blog...pray all is well with you. I just wrote down a couple of books on your blog to check out at the library. Blessings

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  9. Congratulations, Betty! Almost 50 years. :) Wow, married at 17, and a heart attack for Ace at 27. That's young for both. :) I was married young too, at only 20 yrs old.

    Re your comment on my site,your statement "If people have not been touched by Jesus, then we are not doing our job" is thought-provoking. I'm going to have to ponder that more. Thanks, Betty, for this input. Sorry for my delay in getting back to you.

    Jennifer Dougan
    www.jenniferdougan.com

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  10. Jennifer I am just glad you took the time to read this old womans words. I love visiting your blog when I have time. YOu have more to take up your time with children still at home. Blessing my sister.

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  11. A beautiful testimony you have! My mother married when she was 15 and my dad was 17. She always told us that was WAY too young. :-) And I agreed.

    But, with God, all things are possible, and she and my dad made it work. They celebrated 55 years of marriage before they both died of different causes in 2010.

    Hope you'll have a blow-out party on your 50th! And your 49th in preparation. :-) Congratulations.

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  12. Thank you, Betty. I appreciate your wrestling too, and the courage pendant idea.

    Blessings tonight to you,
    Jennifer Dougan
    www.jenniferdougan.com

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  13. Thank Lisa for visiting...we are stick with it generation if its it's failing...which our marriage often but God is so good at fixing broken people then He fixes broken marriages.

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  14. Jennifer send me your address and I will send you a pendant...it is my ministry and have given away hundreds as a means to encouraged. Also when I know I am in the prescence of a wise hearted woman. my email address is"
    ace_draper@ntm.org

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  15. I am so happy for you and Ace for making it to 48 or so and approaching the Golden one.

    I know God has been with you all the way, even to places where you took the Gospel with you to spread. Any relationship or commitment will thrive with God at the center of it, no matter what age you entered into it.

    Blessings and love for more to come and I wish I could come too, but that would be a little impossible. Anyway, I will be with you in this virtual community we have... complete with words and pictures.

    May all be well and abundantly so, in God's grace, with you and yours.

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  16. Happy anniversary. I think you're right about your generation being the 'stick with it' age. Today's society throws everything away all on feelings or dis-functional behavior. Send me an email if you want to find out more about the Sisterhood of the Traveling Scarf.

    sillyoldme at yahoo dot com

    Mrs. Mac

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  17. Lolita...love seeing your name in the comments...always miss your wisdom when you can't show up. Blessings my friend.

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  18. I thank the Lord that you and your husband heard His voice so He was able to use you both in such an amazing way.
    Congratulations for sticking with your commitment for 48 years.

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  19. Terry & I married at 18, just 5 months out of High School. So I know how much the Lord was working in YOUR lives because I know how much He worked in OURS.

    Marriage is definitely not for the faint of heart under the best of circumstances. I rejoice with you in the endurance of your union. What a milestone!

    We'll celebrate #46 on November 19. I still pinch myself even as I praise the Lord for all He has done in our lives.

    Congrats & blessings,
    Kathleen

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  20. what an incredible story betty...48 years wow!..bernie and i have been married 40 years.
    guess what betty?..when i was 17, i was the prodigal that got saved!..when i was struggling so hard to be saved i cried out to god, "lord you are just too far away you may as well send me to where i belong as a sinner and that is to hell!"
    and then for some reason, i read luke 15 about the prodigal son and when i came to verse 20 "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on
    his neck, and kissed him."
    and then the light shone into my troubled soul betty..."oh" i said "it is not YOU that is afar off lord!.it is ME!"
    betty, the father was there all the time just waiting for me to come!"
    this post brought back this memory to me.thank you so much..love terry

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  21. Terry, your understanding comments warmed my heart. I think I have met another wise hearted woman and it spills our of you through your post. Thanks for visiting. Blessings

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