Ginter Christmas 2023

 Ginter Christmas 2023

First, let me begin by stating, it's been way too long since my last post.  So much has transpired since 2016, it's hard to know where to begin.  The Ginter family has added two gandkids, Samuel and Thaddeus.  Our oldest grandkid , Lexi, is driving!  And I've changed churches, twice!

So let me resume my blogging journey with Christmas 2023.  The Ginter family congregated at grandma and grandpa's house this year.  All sixteen of us!  While it may have seemed like organized chaos, it had been a while since we were all together.  It was a time for delicious food, fun games, Christmas gifts, and tales of school activities and work challenges.

As you can see, we almost fill up a room.  Such contrast and diversity in this family!  Two pharmicists,  a school teacher, an aeronautical engineer, a steel construction worker, and a stay at home busy mom.  Add to that the grandchildren; Lexi (17), Katie (16), Jill (14), Kyle (12), Alli (12), Mackie (8), Samuel (3) and Thaddeus (1 1/2).  So much fun! 

Well, the Christmas decorations are put away for another year.  Our children are back to work, the grandchildren are back to school.  Grandma and grandpa are settling back into their normal routine.  As the January winds begin to blow and the temperatures rapidly fall, and with nowhere to go in this wintery weather, one has time to sit back and contemplate the life we now live.

Nola and I have lived here in Haviland for forty-five years.  We have made this house our home.  Our children were raised in this house, in this community, surrounded by loving parents and grandparents, and by friends and neighbors that we have come to love and depend upon.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that Nola and I have so much to be thankful for as we venture into 2024.

I begin by thanking God.  Every day I thank God for my wife, Nola.  She is my spouse, my traveling companion, my partner in crime!  In many ways, we complete one another.  Even in our church ministry, she has become an integral part of church life, church ministry, and church outreach.  So much of how I approach ministry is because of her inspiration, her input, and her Christian ethic.

I also thank God for my three children, Bethany, Ben, and Brittany... and for their spouses, Matt, Laura, and Matt.  As parents, Nola and I understood our responsibility in raising our children.  We strove to ensure their proper education, encouraging while not pushing. Making sure they had the opportunities to pursue their dreams.  An essential part of their young and formative years involved regular church attendance.  Today, Nola and I are overjoyed that our children and their families attend church, and are actively involved in the life of their churches.

Alli, Mackie, Jill, Lexi, Bethany & Matt

Katie, Matt, Brittany, & Kyle

Laura, Thaddeus, Ben, & Samuel

I thank God for my grandchildren.  While we do not live as close to them as I would like, Nola and I still strive to support them and follow their activities.  We enjoy attending the softball games and the band concerts; the science fairs and the senior friends breakfasts.  We participate in the school fundraisers and Girl Scout cookie sales.  We keep track with calls, texts, and FaceTime videos.  We love our grandchildren and enthusiastically follow their growth and progress.

Finally, as we venture into 2024, I thank God for my churches; Ohio City UMC and Willshire Union UMC.  It is an absolute joy to serve the people of these two churches, individuals and families that Nola and I have come to love and appreciate.  Each and every person is a blessing to us, and they lift us up and fill us with joy and expectations for the coming year.

Ohio City UMC

Willshire Union UMC

In closing, I just want to say that I will endeavor to do a better job of blogging in 2024.  All around me I see the Hand of God, touching my life, the lives of my family, and the lives of my congregations.  We have so much to be thankful for.  

Thank You, Jesus!

Gary "Gintzoo" Ginter