The Latest at the Wallins

I wrote about our anniversary but didn't mention that Andy gave me a special gift. He had given me a set of ruby earrings for Christmas. And anyone who knows me, knows how much I love RED! So I was thrilled to get the earrings from him.
Then when we were away for our anniversary, he surprised me by giving me a ruby bracelet. Isn't it gorgeous?!! I love it.
The Bible mentions rubies several times and compares their worth to the value of wisdom.

Proverbs 3:15 - [Wisdom] is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare with her.
And Job 28:18 - ...the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.

We had a delightful evening last night with 3 German girls who are staying in our upstairs apartment right now. Here's the story:

Johanna is an au pair who is here in New Jersey on a work visa. Several months ago, Andy taught a class at church on baptism. Johanna attended and expressed a desire to get baptized. In the process, we became acquainted with her and enjoyed her company. She is very active in our Young Adult Ministry and loves our church. She has a sister and a friend who wanted to come to America to visit while she was here. She heard we had an apartment and asked if the 3 of them could stay with us while her sister and friend were visiting. We said yes, and here they are. We invited them to have dinner with us last night. What nice girls. Johanna herself is only 20, her sister is 24, and I'm not sure how old the friend is. They were happy to spend time with us, showing pictures of their families and friends, then asking about our children and grandchildren. They also wanted to hear our testimonies. Apparently, Johanna's parents are German, but moved to Russia after the war to escape persecution in Germany, because the family were extremely conservative Baptists. Russia wasn't much better because there you could be put in prison if you were caught with any literature with even a hint of Christianity. An uncle actually went to jail for 2 years for having a letter on himself that mentioned a Bible verse. The family moved back to Germany in 1978.

Johanna, Melanie & Evelyn

The girls arrived here on Friday, December 26th and will be leaving next Monday, January 11th. They are having a good time in America! The one girl said it's a dream to be here!

Andy worked on the porch again today and was able to finish the railing down the steps. There are only a few minor details left to do.
I didn't have to make dinner tonight. Andy's dad decided to make a salmon quiche and share it with us. It was so delicious - a special treat!