sprucegoose: I'm back

About Me

Location: MInneapolis, Minnesota, United States

I am now a simple Grandpa who's life is made richer as each grandchild is born. My wife and I have raised five children and the 30 year love labor of raising them has begun to yield sweet fruit..... And then there are fruits of 30 years in ministry ... I am a satisfied old man full of the joy of the Lord.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

I'm back

Well, after a long 45 day delay, I am back. My # 3 child, my youngest daughter's wedding was last night and it was glorious. Not to mention just a ton of fun.

I did the ceremony and all I can say is, what a joy it is to be a father who is a pastor. The wedding went off flawlessly. The presence of the Lord was there and the word of God was preached. We had fun, we laughed, we cried.

The reception was off the chain. Everybody was dancing like it was 1999. The D.J. was just perfect for the crowd. The chicken dance was enthusiastically welcomed and heavily participated. The caterer never did run out of food. I even saw some Baptists dancing ! And all of this without alcohol.

To change the subject let me say that the wedding happened just 4 days after I returned from a missions trip to Costa Rica. Eight of us went down there and we saw some great things happen. Construction projects and evangelism were the agenda and both were very successful.
My favorite memory was a trip up the side of Irazu volcano to a small meeting in the living room of a typical Tico house where we celebrated mothers day with many families that had never seen an evangelical witness before. The local priest refuses communion to anybody who speaks to an evangelical. We talked about the difference between religion and relationship. You could see the lights come on in the eyes of the people as I spoke about how nobody is justified by the law. It was great. The ride back down the mountain (11,100 feet) in the moonlight and above the clouds was spectacular.

The only bad thing about the trip was the journey home. It took 23 hours due to an 11 1/2 hour delay in the waiting room of the airport in Costa Rica due to the ineptness of Delta airlines. For this we were given a can of coke, a very small tuna salad sandwich, and about 8 grapes. Thanks Delta. I won't be traveling Delta anymore.

I hope to post regularly now that these events are behind me. July / Aug. 05 has been really special. Thanks for checking back in and I hope you join me daily again as this year progresses into winter. Blessings and agape, Bruce

3 Comments:

Jeremiah's House said...: Hi Bruce,

Good to see you back, but I think the reasons you weren't posting far outweight the need to post. Cogratulations on your daughter's wedding. Costa Rica is a great place...my wife was an exchange student there for a year in the early 90s and that is where I proposed to her when I went to visit her there.
Take care; 10:38 AM, August 22, 2005
Anonymous said...: Glad to have you back. You were missed, but it sounds as if there were others that needed you more.

While you were gone my wife and youngest daughter spent three weeks "underground" in a Communist country and have a new appreciation for God and what we have in this country.

It is amazing the uses He has for us.; 11:01 PM, August 22, 2005
Anonymous said...: Hi Bruce:

The wedding was one of the most incredible things I have ever witnessed in my life. You did a wonderful job! Larry and I were so moved by the ceremony and experiencing the praise and worship. The vision of everyone so moved by the Lord was truly inspiring.

The reception was indeed "off the chain" and everyone had such fun. The love was truly felt by all in attendance! I will be sure to tell the DJ Jerry Beth that he was perfect. He has been a friend of ours for many years and is a great guy. I'm still laughing about the chicken dance!

Hopefully Lynn can kick back a little bit now that she won't have 3 weddings to plan in a year.

It was great getting to know all the Harpels-what a fabulous family you have.

The happiness on our children's faces is something I will never forget. The Lord was smiling on all His children that day for sure-Praise Jesus!

Gail and Larry Hyster; 12:20 PM, September 08, 2005