On a warm summer evening, friends old and young were privileged to gather at the home of the parents of Caleb Wertz, one of our distinguished Montgomery Branch missionaries. In fact, all who came were our esteemed missionaries or members or friends. A total of 47 (in honor of 1847) Branch alumni and friends came to mingle and to have fun. Besides sampling the variety of food, some attendees chose to cool off in the pool, enjoy the nice playground, engage in a friendly game of volleyball, jump on the trampoline, or just relax on the cozy hammock. Caleb manned the grill and also welcomed all of the guests and asked me to offer a blessing on the food. The eating then commenced, and the socialization intensified.
Steve and Betty Anderson hosted the Newlywed game with the four newest couples: Caleb & Sara Wertz, Dylan & Amanda Landeen, John & Emily Lim, and Emerald & Kyle Woodward. Steve acted as the eloquent host and explained the rules of the game. Betty was the experienced scorekeeper and judge. The husbands were first excused into the barn, while their wives wrote down answers to five thought provoking questions. When the husbands returned, they tried to match the answers written down by their wives. Then their wives were excused, and their husbands wrote down answers to five more intriguing questions. After the wives answered, Betty announced the very close final scores of 5, 6, and 7 (out of 10). The winner was Emerald and Kyle Woodward, our newest newlyweds. Their prize was a chance to cut a special cake made by Jessica Tsai.
After the entertaining game, Caleb’s neighbor boy came over to take our group photo amid the backdrop of pine trees. As the sun started to set, some guests started to depart and bid farewell, while other small group photos were taken. Although the gnats were out in full force and an impending storm was evident with strong gusts and lightning, our hearts still lingered in conversation late into the evening.
The attendees tonight spanned the whole spectrum of 24 years in the Montgomery Branch history, from Evan Smith, missionary from 1994, to Leo Liang, missionary just returned this year. Members ranged from Steve and Betty Anderson, soon to celebrate their 50th anniversary next year, to Emerald and Kyle, just married one month ago. All ages were present, from the grandparents of 18 grandchildren to the grandson 3 years old. It was amazing to reunite again with those who have blessed our Chinese Branch in so many wonderful ways. These reunions are but a foreshadow of our eternal family reunions. It was awesome to see so many of you this time, and we look forward to the big reunion in Maryland next year in May (more to come). ‘Til we meet again.
Steve and Betty Anderson hosted the Newlywed game with the four newest couples: Caleb & Sara Wertz, Dylan & Amanda Landeen, John & Emily Lim, and Emerald & Kyle Woodward. Steve acted as the eloquent host and explained the rules of the game. Betty was the experienced scorekeeper and judge. The husbands were first excused into the barn, while their wives wrote down answers to five thought provoking questions. When the husbands returned, they tried to match the answers written down by their wives. Then their wives were excused, and their husbands wrote down answers to five more intriguing questions. After the wives answered, Betty announced the very close final scores of 5, 6, and 7 (out of 10). The winner was Emerald and Kyle Woodward, our newest newlyweds. Their prize was a chance to cut a special cake made by Jessica Tsai.
After the entertaining game, Caleb’s neighbor boy came over to take our group photo amid the backdrop of pine trees. As the sun started to set, some guests started to depart and bid farewell, while other small group photos were taken. Although the gnats were out in full force and an impending storm was evident with strong gusts and lightning, our hearts still lingered in conversation late into the evening.
The attendees tonight spanned the whole spectrum of 24 years in the Montgomery Branch history, from Evan Smith, missionary from 1994, to Leo Liang, missionary just returned this year. Members ranged from Steve and Betty Anderson, soon to celebrate their 50th anniversary next year, to Emerald and Kyle, just married one month ago. All ages were present, from the grandparents of 18 grandchildren to the grandson 3 years old. It was amazing to reunite again with those who have blessed our Chinese Branch in so many wonderful ways. These reunions are but a foreshadow of our eternal family reunions. It was awesome to see so many of you this time, and we look forward to the big reunion in Maryland next year in May (more to come). ‘Til we meet again.
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