Although this is technically planting season, for us personally it seems to be a season of harvest. As we begin our 51st year of marriage and ministry, we have been privileged to see the “harvest” of our journey begin to be gathered. That is beyond gratifying to us and truly, all praise is His!!

Engagement Matters, which was again held in Hollis, NH, at the lovely and spacious home of Matt and Beth Ide, was evidence of this. Eleven of the 40 attendees had grown up at family camp or at Grace Chapel, and four of the couples’ PARENTS had attended Engagement Matters (EM) in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s with us. How crazy is that?? Each of those four couples told us that their parents highly encouraged their attending the weekend because it was still bearing fruit in their lives.

One of the young men, whose parents had not only attended EM in 1999, but who then partnered with us in EM for about 4 years, said to us as he was leaving: “Now I can see why my parents’ marriage is the way it is. They learned how to be married at EM.”

What a gift of encouragement that was to hear! And truly, all praise is His!!

This EM weekend, April 18–19, was the largest we’ve had in a while, with 21 couples registered and 19 couples attending. Illness canceled the two who didn’t come. All weekend, a very sweet spirit was palpable among the couples as they ingested the material and thoughtfully processed it. It is such a joy to us to interact with couples who are still in the “wet cement” stage of making life-affecting decisions. There was a strong commitment to “getting it right” by honoring God and having a marriage that would truly reflect His glory. May that be true for each of them!

*Andrew King and his girlfriend, Zoe, flew in from Georgia for the weekend; Andrew’s parents attended EM in 1999.*

*These three cousins (two sisters on the right), whose parents all attended EM in the late 1990’s, added greatly to the weekend.*

Our teaching/serving team was phenomenal as always! So blessed by Richard Hendricks (far left), Becky Lecklider, Carl and Cathy Blatchley, and Matt and Beth Ide (who hosted the weekend in their home). Not pictured are Doug and Julie Macrae, who did their skit on intentionally investing in marriage, and Ryan Plosker, who presented “The Top Ten Tips” for a healthy marriage.

After EM ended at 4 pm on Sunday, and since we were in the area, we had a short but sweet visit with Gordon and Gail MacDonald. We treasure every minute we get with them and as always, left inspired and grateful.

*This is Gordon and Gail’s signature pose: waving farewell from their porch to their departing guests.*

The Boston Marathon happened the following day, April 20, on Patriots’ Day, and we ventured downtown to take in the sights and sounds primarily because we had a dear friend from Kona/Washington running it. There’s nothing quite so inspiring as standing near the finish line among the cheering throngs and the determined runners. All shapes, sizes, ages, ethnicities, and levels of prowess completed that challenging course and we were in awe. Admittedly it stirred a desire in me to “get in the race” but fear not…that desire dissipated not long after leaving the space of all things related to the iconic event. :)

Our friend crushed it, setting a personal best of 3 hours 22 minutes. Very impressive.

Also impressive was that our dear friends, Doug and Julie, who live downtown, hosted both the runner and her husband, Christi and Trae, as well as her parents, Jon and Ann (who live in Kona and are dear friends and ministry partners.). And on top of that, they invited us to join them for a celebration dinner the night of the marathon, adding a delightful exclamation point to the weekend.

*Our view of the finishers, hours after Christi had crossed the line.*

*Doug and Julie, Christi and Trae, and Jon and Ann—all smiles for Christi’s great accomplishment.*

We returned to the Macrae home the next night to speak to their young married’s small group on temperaments and we had a very fun evening. Speaking on one of our favorite topics is always a joy, but doing it with this group of young couples was extra fun. Several commented on how enlightening it was and felt it would definitely make a difference in their relationship.

Doug and Julie Macrae fed us a royal feast, starting with their egg cups topped with caviar, followed by fresh out-of-the-oven popovers and Lobster Thermidor accompanied with broccolini. The grand finale was Kentucky Derby pie. We were both well-satiated and felt very lovingly spoiled.

*The sun set over the Charles River as the evening progressed.*

The next several days were full of meet-ups with friends, dental appointments, long walks, counseling, and preparation for our 50th anniversary, which we hit on April 24.

And a “Proper Fuss” was made in celebration!!

We can hardly believe we’ve been married for a half century.

But tens of thousands of photos tell the story and we’ve been immersed in reliving many life-shaping moments of our journey together as we’ve sifted through them.

Through God’s great love and generosity to us, we have truly had a great life together and we don’t take it for granted, especially since we’ve walked with so so many people who have endured many really hard things. Obviously our life hasn’t been spared the evidence of our broken world, but those “dark threads” in the “tapestry” of our life have added perspective and produced growth in us, so they haven’t been wasted—nor do we wish them away.

We celebrated with a small group of friends in New England at a party hosted by Ryan and Kelly Plosker, who are experts at “making a proper fuss.” We were overwhelmed by the ambience Kelly created to honor this milestone event, from decorating every room with photos of our life, to having 50th anniversary accessories interspersed. She even made “goodie bags” for each couple to take with them! For dinner, she made a “walkable” spread, which featured salads, dips, chicken skewers, and fruit trays—and no one left hungry. A most delicious cake (and cupcakes) rewarded everyone after the program was done.

Though there were many highlights of the evening, the highest highlight was having our three daughters (as well as Julie’s husband and children) join us for the celebration. We had actually encouraged them not to come, as they all had such full schedules and the timing of the party was not convenient for any of them, but came they did. They also put together the program, which included several appointed spoken tributes, “congregational” singing of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (which was sung at our wedding), a beautiful twelve-minute “slide” show put together by Barbara Steele, listening to a recording of our vows (from our wedding April 24, 1976), and a benediction given by Pastor John Tebay, who was zoomed in from California for the occasion. Pastor John gave the invocation and welcome at our wedding and he, along with his wife Grace, has been our most prized mentor our whole adult life. Now 92, and with over 70 years of marriage themselves, they still pour in to our lives. What a gift!!

And the harvest continues. We’ve received so many calls, posts, cards, and conversations from those who have been positively affected by our lives and ministry over the past 50 years. Grace upon grace of those whose marriages have been “saved” and those whose marriages have been shaped through our teaching and modeling. Beyond humbling, we know that though only He, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can change lives, He has used our gifts and passions to impact marriages and families for His kingdom and there is such reward in being reminded of the great things He has done of which we’ve been a small part.

As we re-listened to our vows (which we wrote, since that was the “thing to do” back them), we were struck by the fact that they have been the infrastructure of our teaching on Biblical marriage all these years. They affirmed the design of a Christ-centered union, which is eternally true, and they have shaped our life together. They set the bar and though imperfectly, by His grace, we have lived out those vows.

So blessed.

And yes, all praise is His.

*Lisa and Kari arrived by Saturday morning and we spent the morning walking Long Beach in Gloucester before the Johnsons arrived at 2 pm and met us at Nick’s Roast Beef in Beverly.*

*“Nick’s Roast Beef” in Beverly has been a family favorite since 1991 when we moved in New England.*

*The not just beautiful but also delicious cake and cupcakes.*

*Ryan, Kelly, and Jordan Plosker knocked the celebration out of the park.*

*Pastor John Tebay “zoomed” in to pray a benediction over the party and that was definitely a high point.*

*The party officially ended on Sunday with a delicious lunch at Legal Seafood before we put Kari on a flight back to California, and the Bachmans on a flight back to Texas.*

We were only home a day before flying to California to do a workshop for the annual Thrive leadership conference, sponsored by Bayside Church. We’ve been honored to speak at every Thrive since they were launched about 25 years ago, and it’s always one of the most energizing and inspiring conferences of our year. The brainchild of one of our dearest friends, Ray (and Carol) Johnston (with whom we’ve been journeying for 4 decades), we always experience great teaching, inspiring worship, and strategic connections with many others in ministry. This year was no exception. Particularly meaningful to us was a conversation we had with a couple who came to our workshop (which they told us they do every year). They shared with us that they had used our book, Restoring the Fallen, with a couple in the aftermath of infidelity, and it had turned their marriage around. They are now using it with another couple. We were so encouraged! The hope of the gospel in repentance and restoration!! More harvest.

*James Herzog is the nephew of my mother’s best friend, Ruth, and every year we look forward to spending some time with him. He did a great job of introducing us at our session again this year.*

*The happy tradition continued of meeting up with Christina Swanson for our annual 7-mile early morning walk, during which we catch up on the previous year.*

*The Thrive conference is packed with people and energy.*

*We spent a couple of delightful hours with Blaine and Adrienne Neufeld recording a podcast that will be aired at some point on Thrive’s podcast, “Change the Odds,” hosted by Kevin Thompson.*

Jake Messner grew up coming to family camps and if you had asked us what the odds were that he would someday be in ministry, we would’ve not put money on him. But God!! More harvest. Standing with us is Carol Johnston and her daughter, Christy Speers. It’s been such a joy to do life with the Johnston clan for 4 decades.

After Thrive ended, we spent Saturday morning with Turner and Tamara Welch and their son, TJ, talking about marriage and ministry. Turner’s parents, Carter and Tracy, heard us speak on Christians and media about 23 years ago and God used that to draw them into a deeply personal pursuit of Him. Years of attending family camp in New England and lots of HIM events along the way have been used by God to draw two of their sons into ministry. We thoroughly enjoyed “talking shop” with Turner and Tamara as they pursue ministering together, serving Jesus on college campuses. More harvest.

*Turner and Tamara Welch and son TJ are preparing to serve together on college campuses in the Fullerton area.*

Our final event in Granite Bay was speaking to a group of 15 Slavic couples who gather about 6 times a year to strengthen their marriages. This group is headed up by Oleg and Anna Myshko, who came to family camp with Ray and Carol Johnston 12 years ago. He told me he’ll always be grateful to Ray and Carol for introducing them to us and our ministry.

After a splendid Slavic potluck dinner, we spent several hours fielding questions and found it to be stimulating and fruitful.

Oleg wrote us after:

It was such a joy to reconnect with you and Paul! The evening was truly outstanding! There was such a wonderful atmosphere and you really captured people’s hearts and time just flew by. Everyone loved it and now we need put into practice what we’ve learned. 😊 Thank you again to both of you for standing for truth and for presenting the Bible, as it is something that is becoming more and more rare these days. May God bless you, your family, and your ministry. May He give you strength and protection.”

The harvest continues! All praise is His!!

*Oleg and Anna Myshko hosted a lovely evening in their beautiful home for their Christian Slavic friends.*

*The group was a delight in every way and were especially good question askers.*

Early Sunday morning, May 3, we flew to San Diego where we were picked up by Brian and Sue McCoy, founders and directors of YWAM base "Rancho Abierto.” For the sixth year, we spent a week speaking on family and marriage at their Family Discipleship Training School (FDTS).

Brian and Sue spent 17 summers attending family camp with their 5 children and in Brian’s words, “Anything I have done right as a father and a husband is because of Paul Friesen’s influence on my life.” Brian was the child of a single mom who passed away when he was 5 and was then raised by his grandparents. With severe undiagnosed ADHD, he grew up feeling great shame and rejection, from which he has been healing since coming to Christ in college. After a number of years on the mission field, God led them to build Rancho Abierto, specifically to train families in the call to global missions.

We love partnering with them and are so thankful for this annual opportunity. Rancho Abierto is a mini version of the camp we ran for many years on Catalina Island, so even in all of its rusticity, we feel very much at home there.

Besides teaching from 9 to 12 daily, we did an all-group family devotional one morning, we spoke to their upper grade Foundations class on relationships, we spoke to their middle Foundations class on friendships, we spent at least an hour with each couple two on two, we spent an evening talking about parenting, and we hosted an all-family game show night, which was a blast. Even with the very full schedule, we managed to get our 5-mile walk in every morning at 5:30 am.

We had no trouble sleeping at night. :)

It was a full and fruitful week and we crossed the border with grateful hearts and dirty feet. :)

*“The Butterfly Song” was, as always, a hit.*

*The families enjoyed doing devotions together.*

The next morning, when one of the adult students was talking with her son about the game show night, he insisted that the hosts had indeed been flown in from Hawaii and there was NO way it was the Friesens.

*The game show night was riotous and fully engaged in by all.*

*We loved spending time with Brian and Sue, and were especially glad that they were our chauffeurs both ways this time. They are “salt of the earth.”*

*Adan and Aleida live on the property and help lead the base with the McCoys. They also capably lead it when McCoys are traveling. What a gift they are to the ranch!*

*Our week ended with a “Love Feast”—a beautiful dinner prepared by Aleida and Adan, and thoroughly enjoyed by all.*

Our farewell committee at 6 am Saturday included Adler and Linda Sho, who, after attending this FDTS last year, are now serving on staff and preparing to at some point return to Singapore where they may start a family camp. They’ve asked us to coach them. We consented with joy.

The FDTS couples write evaluations at the end of the week, and one wrote:

“This week was so enjoyable and fun, which allowed for easy discipleship and growth. Thank you for being so approachable, relatable, and faithful to the Lord. The fruit of your lives continues to grow.”

Fruit. Harvest.

Beyond blessed.

Our schedule will slow down in the next month and we’ll catch our breath after this very joy-filled, intense first half the year.

We will continue to thank the Lord of the harvest for allowing us the joy of seeing some of the fruit of the harvest.

All praise is His!!