We were home the WHOLE month of December and it was good.
We continued walking five miles a day, praying for snow, and preparing for our family Christmas reunion: the first one in New England since 2015 and the first all being together for Christmas since 2019.
We had very high expectations.
Ministry events in December included Engagement Matters, the Patriots women’s study, and LOTS of counseling, but that left plenty of time for decorating the house inside and out, getting together with friends, wrapping and sending packages, sewing Christmas jammies, making gingerbread houses, and preparing for our long-awaited reunion which was to commence the 22nd of December.
Since my last post on Dec. 27, we’ve only been home eight days.
Maybe that contributes to me forgetting that when I last wrote, my reflections ended with Engagement Matters (EM), which was held Dec. 4–5, and not after Christmas, which the blog post date would indicate.
Whatever the reasons, before I write about our most recent last three weeks—which literally took us to the four corners of our great nation—we must finish December. Strangely, that seems SO long ago already. But what fun to sift back through my December photo library and have many sweet memories surface.
It happened.
The “decades birthday-family reunion” celebration, postponed for a full year, is now in the books, but even more deeply, in our hearts.
It was uncertain until an hour before the six flying from Oakland were to depart due to two lost Covid tests, but mercifully, new tests were done at 6 am, the results of which were registered less than 60 minutes prior to boarding.
The trip was on.
It was a sweltering summer day in Louisiana. My 8-year-old self stood in the kitchen of my paternal grandparents’ home in Shreveport, watching with fascination as Grandma Collins stirred the hot pot of boiling figs, on their way to becoming preserves. With sweat running down her brow, just beneath the thin brown elastic that kept her hair net in place over her thinning curly hair, she turned to me and said, “You know, Virginia, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” With that piece of wisdom pronounced, she simultaneously clicked her cheek and winked her eye at her wide-eyed granddaughter, leaving an unforgettable impression.
My plans to write “Part 2” have been derailed by the maelstrom of craziness driven by the Coronavirus Pandemic. I’m taking a break from all Coronavirus talk to take us back a month ago, when "Life as We Always Knew It” was all we really knew. What a difference a month has made!!
After speaking in Maine for the Valentine’s event, we flew to California for the annual ProAthletes Outreach “Increase” conference, which we fronted by spending two days with my dear mama. As per usual, I “made" her go on a field trip each day because getting out is good for everyone. Off to Coronado we went for Paul to get his every 4–6 week haircut by his favorite barber, and while he was getting shorn, my mom and I rolled through town. This photo was taken by accidental tourists, who just happened to be from Lexington, MA!! Small world moment. The time with my mom is never enough but we’re always so grateful for any time we have with her.
Our very full speaking schedule picked up after having one weekend “home” in February (the 16-18th), and the past month has seen us in North Carolina, Oahu, Pennsylvania, and Boston. Whew! We’re thankful for so many great opportunities and continue to be so grateful for good health and an ever deepening passion to continue encouraging marriages and families.
As the “tropospheric polar vortex” descended on New England February 3-–5, 2023, resulting in single digit below 0 temps on the mercury and up to -30 with the wind chill, just under 400 determined souls invaded the Newport Island Harbor Resort (formerly Guerney’s Resort) on Goat Island in Newport, Rhode Island, for the HIM annual marriage conference.
Besides some relatively minor inconveniences (which I’ll talk about later), the weekend was an off-the-charts success and we have nothing but praise to Jesus for being so very present in every aspect of the conference.
January 2023 entered with a rush to finish preparations to “make a proper fuss” for Lisa’s 40th birthday. Though truthfully it seems impossible to now have two daughters in their 4th decade, calendars don’t lie so here we are.
And we were off and running!
It was truly such a joy to finish both a scrapbook and a digital book of affirmation for this beautiful young woman of God we are privileged to parent. Her celebration took place in her Riverside home on January 12th, her “real” birthday, and it was a night full of great food (a yummy Mexican feast mostly prepared by her father and sister Kari) and fellowship among her close community friends. It culminated with genuine affirmation from 35 friends and family whose repetitive tributes confirmed the depth of her character and the positive difference she has made in all of our lives. Each guest brought a flower with which to honor her, speaking a tribute to her expressing the “why” behind the selection. It was a beautiful unforgettable evening of celebrating one of the best humans on the planet.
Beautiful Lisa is well-celebrated at her Big 4-0 party.
Sweet niece Ana and her mama, Kari, present their flowers to Lisa with very moving words.
Lisa’s most faithful fans pulled off the night of celebration, with help from some great friends. The fabulous balloon arch was secured by her dear friends, Jim and Jodi Dickert, and added such a festive touch to the room.
Our dear friend Wendy Turney arranged the growing flower bouquet which was as symbolic as it was beautiful.
Extended Friesen family members who attended the gala included Uncle Wayne and Aunt Carol, Aunt Beth, and cousins Kate, Mark, and Angie.
The dust had barely settled on the party when early the next morning, January 13, we flew to Spokane, WA, to speak for the annual Moses Lake Alliance Church’s marriage retreat held at Camp Spaulding in Newport, WA. We’ve had the honor of partnering with this church for over 16 years and grown to love this group so deeply as we’ve walked through so many highs and lows with them through the years. Following a very painful and unfortunate church split this year, MLAC was joined by the Moses Lake Christian Church for the weekend to “fill the place” and it was indeed full.
And by God’s grace, it was also healing and wonderful.
We were so very thankful to experience the presence of God in some very tangible ways and to affirm that in spite of the work of the enemy, His work goes on. It was a rich and powerful weekend and we are so grateful for Mark and Sharon Blazer, Phil and Andrea Lawson, and Justin and Marilyn Shuck who “made it happen."
We heard afterwards from a. number of attendees how God had used the marriage evening:
““We are starting to pray with each other for the first time ever using the method of Wife prays on even and husband prays on odd days.”
”My husband is taking the time to pray with me and talking to me intentionally. He has never done that. He even bought a book that we are planning to read together.”
”I loved when the Friesens said that my wife/husband is an image bearer of God. This is a fact that I need to remember at all times and live it out.”
”It was so good to get some simple tools to work with in our marriage.”
”My big takeaway was to be more Christlike in my marriage.””
There was a great spirit among the sold-out crowd all weekend and we especially enjoyed getting to know many new couples from the Moses Lake Christian Church.
The retreat community . . . such a celebration of unity in Christ and the goodness of His design for marriage.
And such a joy to be with “old timers” like Duke and Amy Paulson, who are “honorary members” of MLAC as they drive in from Tacoma to fortify their marriage year after year. They were beloved CBS staffers over 25 years ago.
The team that pulled off the retreat: Phil and Andrea Lawson, Mark and Sharon Blazer, and Justin and Marilyn Shuck. They’ve invested many years in this retreat and we love them all so much.
Our travels are always highlighted with some bonuses, and this trip was no exception. Driving from Newport to Moses Lake after the retreat ended, we met up with Ryan and Kaylee Vosbigian for dinner for the six-month marital check-up. It was the first time we’ve seen them since Paul officiated their wedding in late July 2023 and it was so encouraging to hear a very positive update. They are wise, committed Christ-followers and it truly was a joy to catch up with them.
We also met up with Tori Copley, whose parents Kent and Staci invited us years ago to partner with MLAC’s marriage and family ministry while Kent served on MLAC staff. Tori is also a wise-beyond-her-years young woman of God and we delighted in spending time with her.
Ryan and Kaylee Vosbigian are loving marriage six months in!
Tori Copley sets the bar for her generation as she lives surrendered for Christ.
Using the Blazer home as our base, we spent Monday connecting with more dear friends. First stop: Yakima. John and Joy Erb, longtime family campers from Arroyo Grande, CA, relocated to WA just over a year ago and we loved reconnecting with them and taking a peek into their new life in WA. Extra special was having their nephew Ryan and his family also visiting and it was encouraging to update our files on all of these precious friends.
John and Joy Erb with sons Austin, Cameron, and Colton, are joined by nephew Ryan Kitzman and his wife Kirra and baby
On to Kennewick where we reconnected with Scott and Lisa Paulson (yes, Duke’s brother). Scott also served at CBS back in the day and he and Lisa have been in ministry their whole marriage. We hadn’t seen them for ten years and it was so heartening to hear their vision for Kingdom work in their growing church. We love having time with fellow sojourners who are faithfully proclaiming and living the gospel.
We had a wonderful visit with Scott and Lisa Paulson with three of their four children.
Back to Moses Lake for a two-night “Marriage Seminar” hosted by the Moses Lake Ministerial Association. Thirteen churches in the MLMA worked together to make this back-to-back night event happen and it truly was a reflection of the unity we have in Christ. Over 300 adults attended this first time production and it was truly a sacred time. Worship was led energetically and beautifully by a team comprised of musicians from four of the churches. Several pastors, including John Roberts from the Moses Lake Christian Church and Eric Frey from the Moses Lake Presbyterian Church, emceed the evening.
It was so much more than the planners were expecting.
All praise is His.
The combined worship teams from four churches launched the evening with powerful worship.
We were so moved by the engaged, responsive crowd.
Pastors John Roberts (ML Christian Church) and Eric Frey (ML Presbyterian Church, which hosted the event) worked hard to make this a significant event.
Mark and Sharon Blazer were the consummate hosts in addition to providing leadership for both the retreat and the marriage seminar.
After a week in WA, as we flew to CA, we had time to reflect on the glory of God as seen both through His people, but also through His creation. How blessed we are.
We were treated with a clear day for flying from WA to CA and were mesmerized by the beauty of Mt. Hood.
We left the cold behind and after landing in Oakland and having a very brief visit with the Garcias, we continued south to San Luis Obispo for our next conference. Along the drive, we were so happy to drop in on more dear friends, Mary and Daniel Phillips and their two children, as well as Mary’s parents, Dave and Debbie Hazlebeck. The Philips have recently relocated from San Diego to Atascadero and we loved seeing their newly established life in this beautiful area. Their warm hospitality was such a welcomed break in the midst of this long day of travel as they both fed us and delayed bedtime so we could enjoy their sweet family. A perfect “pit stop."
Driving from Oakland to San Luis Obispo, God “painted the sky” with breathtaking beauty.
Partnering with Tim Theule and Grace Church Central Coast, we spent the next three days in a place that holds many sweet memories and hosts many dear friends. Our youngest daughter Julie spent five years in this “Jewel of the Central Coast” town while attending Cal Poly, and Lisa lived with her while working at Mission Prep HS. Julie is actually the one who recommended that we invite Tim Theule to be a family camp speaker—which we did—and that began an almost two decades friendship and professional relationship with Tim and his wife Susie.
It’s always a great honor to work with Tim and his team and this was no exception. They did a masterful job of “covering the bases” during our three days of ministry.
Friday night kicked off this marriage and family weekend with an evening focused on marriage. For the “early birds” there was dinner, and for all there was dessert between the two talks. Well over 300 attended the Friday night event and significantly, quite a few fell in the “young marrieds” category.
Much to our delight, several couples attending were once little kids growing up at family camp. There are no words to describe how deep our joy is to see these “kids” all grown up, following Jesus, and happily married.
That’s kind of a big deal.
All praise is His.
Tim Theule welcomes the crowd on Friday night and sets the stage for our two talks on marriage.
The sanctuary held a “beyond critical mass” group of over 300 for the Friday night evening.
Erik and Caely Anderson and Austin and Haylee Sonnier attended their first marriage conference with us and admitted, “This is different!” All previous interaction with them had been as family campers or family camp staffers. It was so joyous for us to have a few moments with them after speaking.
Saturday morning another very large group of mostly young parents gathered for a parenting seminar. They were so eager, responsive, and clearly intentional about wanting to be coached in Christian parenting. “The best things you can do for your children is love Jesus, live the gospel, put keeping your marriage alive and thriving above your parenting, and PRAY” was our best advice. It was a profitable and hope-giving morning.
An auditorium full of eager parents spent Saturday morning hearing us teach on parenting.
Sunday morning after attending the worship service, we had the privilege of speaking into the lives of the high school and college students on relationships. Though we truly love all that we do, this is our jam. We love to challenge the cultural narrative with Biblical truth regarding this very important, often life-changing subject and found this very large group of students very receptive and thoughtfully interactive. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend of ministry.
Sunday morning we were privileged to speak on relationships to the high school and college students of Grace Central Coast.
The students were very engaged and responsive.
Between the speaking schedule, we managed to walk on the beach all three days we were there and there’s nothing that refreshes our souls more than that.
Beach therapy is always good for our souls and our bodies.
We beat feet out of Grace as soon as we were done teaching and thankfully made it to New City Church Oakland in time for their 4 pm service. We are so thankful for the mission, the vision, and the impact this church is making on the people of Oakland who desperately need to know that God loves them. Gabe preached a great sermon (you can check it out at New City Church Oakland’s YouTube channel) and the worship, as always, was uplifting.
The exclamation point on the weekend was taking the Grands to In-N-Out Burger after church.
What’s not to love about In-N-Out??
And then we flew home. One of the very rare snow storms of this winter waited for our return and it felt like the best homecoming. Sadly it didn’t last long, but it was beautiful while it lasted.
Our dear friend Helen arrived the day after we returned and it’s always good to have Helen in the house. She brings much laughter and a true servant’s heart, pitching in wherever needed.
On Friday night, Jan. 27, she managed our book table at the Arabic Evangelical Baptist Church as we spoke on marriage to launch their four month “Adam and Eve” series. We’ve partnered with this church many times over the past 10 years and loved being back with them. It was an energetic evening with a larger than expected crowd (just under 100) of couples wanting to build in to their marriages. A great night indeed!!
Helen pitches in wherever needed. This night, she “ran” the book table. She is gold.
The very attentive audience at the Arabic Egyptian Baptist Church’s marriage night.
The planning committee for the evening.
Pastor Khaled Ghobari has led this congregation well for many years and we appreciate him greatly.
So yes, this year has gotten off to a fast start and we’re so thankful for these many opportunities to be off and running, fulfilling His purposes.
All praise is His.
We are so blessed.
