Bible Teaching

​G.B. and Ruth

Shelburne

Mission Work

4307 55th St
Lubbock, Texas 79413-4621.
713-614-8210
WhatsApp +17136148210
bshelb@shelburnes.com
December, 2024

[Pictures below]

Christmas allows us to reconnect with friends and loved ones. Ruth and I are thankful to still be around as we approach 88 and 89 years. We have now lived in Lubbock, Texas for 12+ years in semi-retirement. Ruth enjoys reading and her favorite TV shows, and likes to talk with family and grandkids on the phone. She loves to go out to eat! The Lord has been good to us, allowing us to still be together in our own home.

I still work part time with South Houston Bible institute overseeing the distance learning program. I enjoy having contact with people all over the world. You can see a list of about 40 free distance Bible and personal growth courses at shbi.org. They are sent out by email, WhatsApp or postal mail. I'm still serving on the boards for SHBI and Namikango mission and publish a free quarterly digital magazine for Christians and church leaders in Malawi and Africa. [It is mostly in English if you would like to receive it.] I love still being involved with these ministries that have been in our life for so many years.

I am about to finish writing one of two books I would like to leave behind when I go. Ruth has more health issues than I, and I am thankful to be able to take care of her. It is good to still be together. 
Our family is such a blessing to us. Ian and Danetta live in Abilene, Texas. Ian teaches as an adjunct at Abilene Christian University and Danetta tutors students at Abilene high. Both of them are very involved with the Eden Community which has laid the groundwork for a conference and retreat Center southeast of Abilene and operates an affordable apartment complex in town. They will soon celebrate 40 years of marriage. Only two of their seven children remain at home. Our David has worked as a bank courier for several years. He teaches a large and very popular Bible class. His son Ryan has his own place and is engaged to be married. Anne-Marie and husband Kent have a successful franchise business in Parker, a suburb of Denver. They also lead international tours. Only one of their children remains at home. We now now have 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Last summer Kent and Anne-Marie took us on a dream tour of four national parks: Grand Teton and Yellowstone (both of which our family has always loved), Glacier National Park in Montana, and Banff National Park in Canada. We saw amazing beauty in all these places. Just before the tour was over, Ruth fell and cracked her sternum and a neck vertebra and spent over a month recovering back at home. She fell again Dec. 13 and broke 4 ribs. She still suffers from the back and shoulder pain which have long troubled her. But we are thankful that her cancer checks have continued to be good.

One of the most meaningful experiences this year was the gathering of Ruth and her siblings and other family members at a beautiful, peaceful country cemetery where Ruth’s parents are buried. It is near Gunter, Texas. We all sat around the graves and recalled memories. Ruth's father was killed when she was five years old in 1942, and her mom passed away in 2004. The gathering was all the more important because a few months later Ruth’s brother Truman Hayes passed away at 92. We greatly miss him. He was a wonderful Christian leader.

Some of our regular activities include: worshiping on Sundays at Quaker Ave. Church of Christ, or watching a streaming video of the service on days when Ruth is not able to go. Having David and lady friend Patty with us every Sunday evening for supper and videos. Regular lunch date for Ruth and me on Thursdays and sometimes another date on Wednesday evening. Occasional drives through nearby Yellow House Canyon looking for wildlife. Driving through neighborhoods to view flowers and landscapes and Christmas decorations. Walking most mornings for exercise. Our grandson Kasen spent a week with us this fall. Ruth and I celebrated 68 years of marriage on June 1st.

One year a long way back, I asked Ruth what she wanted for Christmas.  Immediately she answered, "Read the "One Year Bible" and pray with me every day." This custom has helped our marriage and blessed our family more than any other. I don't mention this to make us look righteous (we are far from perfect), but in hope that it might encourage others to enjoy the same blessing. In our broken world we are bombarded with negative influences. We and our families so need the regular influence of God.

We had an interesting Sunday last summer. We heard that our son Ian would be guest preacher at a church in Stanton, Texas. We decided to surprise Ian by showing up for the service. Before church started, I walked a block with Ian to the place where my paternal grandparents had lived when I was a child. I was shocked to see the house gone except for the concrete front porch. Nothing is permanent in this world. My dad had grown up in Stanton. My grandfather had been an elder in that church and also at different times held many non-elective offices in the city government, including city judge. So we and Ian had quite a welcome that Sunday. That church has been closely connected with our family for four generations.

We wish you a blessed Christmas and the grace of God in the coming year. May we pray for peace on earth and may we all live a life that contributes to that peace and all that is good.

Our love to you all,

B. and Ruth

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