Reinhardts' Christmas 2014 Blog

Christmas greetings once again from the Reinhardts in Philadelphia, Mississippi! We are blogging to let you know what we've been up to in ministry and life these past six months. If you missed it, please read our previous blog from June.

Our Choctaw church, Pearl River Mennonite Church, held its second annual grilled hotdog sale in the parking lot of the church during the evening of the 4th of July. Our church parking lot happens to have a wonderful, unobstructed view of the Tribe's fireworks, so many people enjoy setting up their lawn chairs on the grassy area just off the parking lot and eating the hotdogs prior to the show. It's a great way to make or renew contacts within the Pearl River community, and it's a nice little fundraiser for the church.

In June, as alluded to in our previous blog, Duane ended up injuring some ribs while playing Choctaw stickball with the men's 35-and-over Beaver Dam team, so he was done after just one game. No more stickball for "Running Deer."

A few weeks later, we still enjoyed attending the annual Choctaw Indian Fair. It's always fun to see the exhibits, eat an Indian taco, admire the beadwork for sale, and see friends. We saw the David Crowder Band in concert one evening; we're grateful that the Fair committee tries to book a Christian singer or band each year, in the midst of several country acts.

Verda and Ana

We were happy to host Duane's cousin Verda Weaver (from Goshen, IN) and a missionary friend for a few days in July. It's always fun to get visitors from home!

Baptism

Duane had the privilege of baptizing six youth and one adult into the family of Christ at the community pool one hot August Sunday morning!

Deb, Vickie, Laurie, and Terry

In September, Laurie flew to New Milford, PA to spend a week with her mom. She also enjoyed visiting with her brother Randy and his daughter Matteah, some Van Housen relatives, several Fiske relatives, and some fun Blue Ridge High School classmates (C '76).

Duane, Laurie, Heather, and Emelyn were blessed by a friend with a trip to Kauai, HI to surprise Brittany and to celebrate her younger daughter Kaira's first birthday. What a lovely time we had (but we wish Heather's husband Dustin could have gotten the time off from work to join us!).

Surprising Brittany!

Emelyn, Kaira, and Maile

This fall, Laurie started up the Thursday night Women's Group Bible study again at church. They're studying Courageous Women of the Bible. Usually there are about five ladies attending.

Randy Reinhardt and siblings (May)

On Tuesday, Nov. 18th, we learned that Duane's older brother Randy Reinhardt had sustained a serious head injury in a work-related accident. We headed to Indiana, and as we were traveling later that evening, we were informed that he had passed away. We arrived in Goshen early the next evening. Brittany arrived at South Bend airport from Kauai at about the same time. On Thursday, there was a 7 hour viewing to accommodate all the people wishing to express their condolences to Delora and the family. The funeral was held at Yellow Creek Mennonite Church on Friday morning. We are so very grateful for all the friends who came to the viewing to see and support us at such a difficult time.

JoAnne Ben

Since we live quite a distance from our biological family members, we were grateful for an invitation from JoAnne Ben, a dear friend from church, to join her and her extended family for a Thanksgiving feast at her home. We thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship and the turkey, fried chicken, fried venison, hominy, greens, blackeyed peas, banana pudding, and lots of other yummy dishes!

"BLAST" mission team from WMC

The week after Christmas, a large group of college-aged adults called the "BLAST" ministry of Wakarusa Missionary Church, our home church in Indiana, spent a week ministering with and to our church and community. They led Kids' Bible School for three evenings (which had an average attendance of 50!), hosted a Youth Pizza Party, visited patients at a local hospital and nursing home, and did several work projects. Dustin and Eme came, too!

Heather (7 mo along)

We have experienced great joys and deep sorrows this year. But we look forward to what God has in store for us, under His Lordship, in 2015. One thing we are looking forward to with great expectation is the arrival of Dustin and Heather's second child at the end of January!!!

Please keep us, our family, and our ministry in your prayers. Our church is facing a major change in its affiliation in the months ahead, and we desire to be led by the Holy Spirit with every step. And please faithfully intercede in prayer for the Christians facing horrific persecution in the middle east.

May you have a blessed Christmas and New Year's with those you love! We don't know what the future holds, but we know that Jesus holds the future.


Duane and Laurie Reinhardt
facebook: Duane Laurie Reinhardt
reinos4@juno.com