Hey Friends,
This is Odie checking in from West Plains, Missouri. We are thrilled to spend this pre-Thanksgiving weekend with our friends at Junction Hill Pentecostal Church. This weekend, we will add many wonderful memories to our collection with the Galiher family!
This coming Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in America. Happy Thanksgiving 2023!
We will be spending Thursday together with our little family. I am so thankful for my parents and the life we get to live! God has blessed us abundantly! I will forever be grateful to Him!
In November, I have used my posts here to be extra thankful. The first Saturday was about Heaven. Last week, I focused on our Veterans. Today, I am thankful for our friends.
Right now, we are with some of the best people I know! I am thankful for our friendship with the Bro. Dwain, Sis. Brenda Galiher and their entire family. They are amazing people! I am grateful that God allowed our paths to cross and connect! I will forever treasure their love, encouragement and friendship! It does not matter where we see them; they are our friends. We can pick up where the last visit ended.
God has used Bro. Dwain's preaching to help all three of us through the years! He is a man of God who is not ashamed to preach the truth. I count it an honor to know him as our friend!
Dad and I often write about many wonderful people God has placed in our lives. We would not be where we are today without the countless people who have stood by us, prayed for us and encouraged us along the way!
Looking back over my life, I am amazed at how many childhood friends are still my friends today. I was homeschooled. One question I received from people sometimes was, "How did you make friends growing up?" I did not have trouble making friends.
We were always going to different churches. My friend group has always been a bright spot in my life. Many of you have been our friends for the long haul. Some of you may be new friends, but we are always excited to add new friends!
My Friend Amanda Hasty
There is a special lady I want to feature right now. One of my long time friends is Amanda Hasty. We were toddlers when our families met. Therefore, my life has mostly included memories of Manda! We grew up attending the same church at Dryden Road. We spent many hours together for Sunday school and children's church. Oh, the fun we had together!
Then, our families were neighbors for over two of our preteen years. Amanda and I spent many hours playing together during that time. We played house, church, school, cowboy and Indians and went to many places in our imaginations. Those are some of my favorite childhood memories!
Amanda also loved talking on the phone back then. She would call me, and we talked on the phone whenever we could not be outside. The daily phone conversations continued when I moved to another house in Ohio.
Things changed when we moved to Wichita, Kansas. Amanda was heartbroken. I kept being her friend! Amanda was upset with me for moving! I could not convince her that moving was hurting me, too!
The funny thing was she was always Dad's friend! She was thrilled to see him when we came home to visit! I got the cold shoulder. It was hilarious. Dad was the reason why I moved away. Somehow, to Amanda, I was the bad guy in the scenario! Our family just had to laugh about the situation!
24 years later, we are past it all. This year, she proudly introduced me as her best friend again. I was thrilled to have the official friend status back. 😎 I never quit loving her, but it took her a long time to recover from losing me to another state.
Amanda's parents, Bro Mith and Sis. Mary Hasty pastor another church in the Dayton, Ohio, area. We do not get to see them often. I was glad to see Amanda a few times at church this summer.
November 16th was her 37th birthday. Happy belated birthday, Amanda! I love you, my sweet friend! Thank you for being my friend. You are precious! You always bring a smile to my face!
Amanda is a beautiful person, and I am so glad we grew up together. Everybody loves Manda! Across the country, people who have met her in the past never forget her. We have people asking about her frequently.
Church is her favorite place to be! She is happiest working at the altar, helping others pray! I am thankful for her prayers! I know God hears her prayers!
I hope you enjoyed meeting Amanda today! Thanks for spending a moment of your day here. Thank you to all of you for being my friends! See you next week.
Odie
