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May
15, 2007
It’s been a long time since we wrote a family letter. It’s hard to
believe we are on the threshold of four years with Gospel Express.
We still feel we are where God wants us and are enjoying life here
in the south. We covet your prayers as God lays us upon your heart.
Landscaping -I
sold my business in Ohio 4 years ago when we moved to SC, but
thankfully I still remember how to manage some great employees….that
way I don’t have to work so hard. These “employees” value is
priceless, and they’re much cuter than my former concrete employees.
I love to do landscaping related work around our house; something I
rarely had time for when we still lived in Sugarcreek.
Virginia Tech -On
our way home from the Gospel Express PA benefit auction in April we
made a 20 minute detour to visit the Virginia Tech campus. In the
physical realm this senseless crime was such a shameless and
horrible tragedy. However as we viewed the memorial stations for
each of the 32 victims, the memorial for the shooter, and thousands
of memento’s, tributes, and signatures, I realized that once again,
what Satan meant for evil, God meant for good. Peoples hearts are
being drawn to the only real source of strength and comfort……Jesus
Christ. It was a very solemn, reverent atmosphere; similar to
attending a viewing. I was very impressed with the spiritual
emphasis that could be seen mixed into everything. None of us are
promised that we will see the light of day (earthly) tomorrow. Let’s
treasure each moment that God blesses us with while on this earth,
and most importantly, let’s make sure we know, and rejoice that our
name is written in the Lambs Book of Life.
We were devastated to hear of the death of Abe Knepp in a plane
crash in Daviess County, IN. Rachel is very close to the Knepp
family. Abe was her pastor and preached our wedding message. Abe
left an endearing legacy of servanthood and generosity and will
continue to be missed greatly. Please pray for Viola (wife), Gary,
Nelson, Sharon, Starla (children), and their families.
Rachel -I
reflect on Mothers Day and all that Rachel (the beautiful lady in
this picture…no, she’s not a hired actress/model……she’s my wife)
does for our family. AJ, Kimmie, and I are blessed. “Rachel – thanks
for all the TLC you pour into our family and all the sacrifices you
make. We love you.”
Baseball -Coming
home from the FL auction in February we were able to swing past
Winter Haven, the Indians spring training sight. It just happened to
be team photo day, so I was able to get some good pic’s. Shown in
the photo are Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, and Victor Martinez,
the three main cogs in the lineup.
Shrock Family/Biltmore -We
were very blessed to have the John Shrock family from OH visit us
over spring break. John has been a long time friend of mine and
bought my waterproofing business, Superior Basement Systems. He has
definitely taken the business to another level - “Way to go John.”
We met them here at the Biltmore house in Asheville and then they
spent 3-4 days with us. The Biltmore is billed as America’s largest
private owned home. It is really something to see……175,000 sq.ft. –
equivalent to 88 average size homes, 250 rooms, 40+ bathrooms. I’ll
make you a deal – come and visit the Biltmore and then we’ll put you
up for the night.
Krispy Kreme -It
seems there is always something interesting going on at Gospel
Express. I have a great group of people to work with. Yes, it’s a
blessing when people choose to bless us with some sweet goodies. One
day when us guys came back from lunch, the secretary’s seemed to
have a plan to convert our building to a donut shop. I don’t think
that ministry by-laws amendment would have flown with the Executive
Board.
Lonnie for the Rabers
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