September Memories

September is always such a beautiful month with a mix of summer and autumn. With patio planters filled with the bountiful pink begonias of summer, mixed in with pots of the rustic colors of fall mums. It really is the best of both seasons. Some days the weather reached into the 90's, and other days we felt the crispness of the coming autumn season.

It was also a month of a mixture of blessings, of work and of rest. A mix of busy Cru days, of times spent with family and friends, of quiet days at home. It was a good time of year, and I always want to hang on to September a little longer. But it goes by quickly, as each month does.

Sharing some glimpses from a few of our September days ...

Student meetings have started up for a new school year on six of our eight area campuses. It is an incredible joy to meet with students, often right on their campuses!  The photo above shows students at Omaha Central High School, meeting as an after-school club on Thursdays each week.  In the center foreground you see Seven, our amazing college student volunteer who helps lead, and also coaches the student leaders as they lead.  He works closely with Gary, who took the photo.  Please pray for these students, representing a variety of countries of origin, as they grow in their faith.    

And it's always a blessing when some of our national Cru leaders come to our area.  Here you see Bill Kollar, serving on the national leadership team with Cru High in Orlando. He also had served with the Cru collegiate ministry in Lincoln NE in the past. He took us out for breakfast at Paradise Bakery & Cafe on the 20th of September before driving to Lincoln to speak at the Fall Retreat for the Cru students there.  It's always an encouragement when we spend time with him.

What would life be like without grandchildren? These two live just a seven minute drive from us. Jake & Cole seem to always have a football, baseball, or soccer ball in their hands! This year they are playing tackle football as fifth graders, and are loving it. We are thankful to have these two close by, along with our daughter Sara and son-in-law Sean. 

The rest of our family lives a distance away, though two more daughters and their families are in our same state. Our two sons are in New York City, and our other daughter and family live near Dallas, TX. 

And Texas is where we went for a sweet visit the beginning of September! You can see some of our fun in the digital scrapbook page above. It was an absolute joy to spend time with Cristy & Mark, Abigail & Addison (married in May of 2018), Crystal and her boyfriend Braden, Luke (a senior in high school!), and 13 year-old Brianna!

September was a beautiful month, and now here we are already in the middle of October!