My husband was in the Navy and I meet him through a friend who gave me his address. We
exchanged letters for a couple months and he came home on leave.  We met and were married
3 weeks and 1 day later. I was only 16 and he was 19.  All the chances of the marriage 
succeeding was very slim with so much against us. But who can tell; two kids madly in love. 
We were married and I later joined him in Hawaii. It was there our first son, Bob was born.  

After his discharge we bought a little farm and moved in a week after the arrival of a daughter. 
We had both been brought up in the church and knew the Lord when we were younger. Over 
the years we just went to church when we felt like it. My husband was drinking heavily and 
staying out all night, just getting home in time to go to work the next morning. I knew our 
marriage was failing and then I found out we would be expecting another child. We had been 
married for six years and I still loved my husband very much. With the arrival of Eddie, the 
pastor of the local Nazarene Church where we attended visited me in the hospital. The day
we came home he made a house call and after much discussion my husband said he wanted 
to get things settled with the Lord and live for Him.  

That night in our living room we both knelt in prayer and gave our hearts and lives to Jesus 
Christ. I didn't have much faith as I remember thinking, "Well I wonder how long this will 
last"? Well the Lord didn't only take my husbands drinking problem, but his smoking ended 
that night as well. That was really the beginning of our marriage. We attended church faithfully
and we were both Sunday School  Teachers and Youth workers. The date was May 13th. 
On October 1st we lost Eddie due to Whopping Cough and double pneumonia.  

Just new Christians and to lose a baby was very hard on us and the devil used this to his 
advantage. My husband said one day while praying he asked God where were  you when 
Eddie died? He said the answer that came to him was, "The same place I was when my son 
died". It took me longer to find my answer but it came while I was praying. It was just before
Thanksgiving and I was asking the Lord to show me what I had to be thankful for. My answer
was "Can't you be thankful for the time you had him instead of thinking about the things you 
will be missing with him?  After all he is and always will be with me." 

God has been so faithful and blessed us so much over the years. Things have not always been 
easy but He has always been there for us. I couldn't get through a day without my Jesus. I think
of the beauty of a rose, yet they have thorns on them.  Just because we are Christians doesn't 
mean life is going to be easy and perfect for  us. If that were the case everyone would accept 
Jesus as their personal Savior. He later blessed us with two more sons and a daughter. He has 
lead 21 Foster Children and 9 Exchange Children into our lives and home. We are expecting our
13th natural grandchild in about 3 weeks and our 4th great grandchild just arrived  a week ago.  

I could write so many stories on how God has blessed and used us. This December 29th we 
will celebrate our Golden Anniversary. Not a day goes by that we don't tell each other 
I LOVE YOU. What a miracle. Only God could pull this together 

Joyce Young
Greenville, PA