We met while I was a Junior in high school and my husband was a sophomore at Toccoa Falls Institute (College) in 1960. We were married 5 years later in 1965. But let me go back and tell you why I would like to replace this ring. His father served as a pastor in very small churches and so they lived on a very tight budget. He was not able to purchase a high school ring because of that. Perhaps I should mention here that my parents went to Vietnam in 1947 and worked with the same mission. I lived there for many years until I returned to the USA to complete my high school education.
My husband worked very hard to graduate from college. He was a committed young man and a natural leader. He was preparing to serve in an international ministry. In 1963 he graduated with honors, in fact he received the Delta Epsilon Chi award for academic achievement and leadership. The Greek letters for that award were on his ring. The ring held a very special place in his heart because of all that it stood for. In 1967 we went to Vietnam to serve as workers with The Christian and Missionary Alliance.
In January of 1968 there was a large Communist offensive in which the city where my parents served was over run. My father was killed along with five other missionaries and my mother was the only survivor. My husband and I were studying Vietnamese in another city. That city too came under attack and we had to leave quickly for our own safety as well as wanting to be with my mother at that very difficult time.
We returned to the United States to help my mother recover and adjust to a new type of life and ministry. We returned to Vietnam by way of Laos. When we returned, we found our home had been broken into. My husband’s ring had been stolen along with other jewelry and belongings. At that time we were unable to replace the ring. We continued to serve in Vietnam until 1975. After the change of government, we served in Java, Indonesia for 17 years (1977-1993). We then served in Cambodia from 1995 until 2009. During the years, Rick has occasionally mentioned he really would like to replace his ring. We have not been able to do that. I think that as we celebrate 50 years of marriage, it would be a good time to replace his ring.
Thank you for listening to my story.