Friends and Family

The trip Dave and Jan took recently to Prescott for the memorial service of Dr. Al and Sheila Diddams put them in contact with some other very special friends besides those in the Diddams family.  Two people who have been close friends and ministry partners served as the Balsleys’ hosts after the hotel stay associated with the memorial service.  Bill and LaVeta Sparks were the CAM International missionaries who moved from Mexico to Tucson to help care for aging parents and served in the pastoral role for the Hispanic congregation which was a part of Mission Park Baptist Church for many years.  After moving from Tucson to a retirement community in Prescott, Bill and LaVeta became acquainted with the Diddams, so Dave and Jan enjoyed visiting with both families whenever their travels took them to Prescott.  While they spent some time together during this visit in Prescott the Sparks introduced Dave and Jan to Lynx Lake in the hills near Prescott for a picnic and a short walk.

Jan also took a short hike up the trail to Thumb Butte for a few pictures.

Among the people who traveled to Prescott for the Diddams memorial there were a number who were a part of the Gallup Baptist Church family in New Mexico when the Balsleys were there in the 70’s and 80’s.  Traveling the farthest for the occasion of the memorial service were Steve and Peggy King, founders of the UIM (United Indian Missions) International camp south of Gallup – Summer Park Ranch (now Broken Arrow Bible Ranch).  Steve was also serving as pastor for the Gallup Church prior to the Balsleys’ arrival in Gallup,

After the King family moved from the Gallup area to Shingletown, California – and because their son Rusty was a Downs Syndrome son – Steve and Peggy founded another significant ministry for handicapped adults, Mountain Jewels Home (which became Mountain Jewels Ranch when the home moved from Shingletown to a ranch setting in Little Valley, California).  The amazing story of the Kings’ lives and the significant ministries they founded is told in a book which Peggy wrote entitled “Like Salt and Pepper” which is probably available at we3kings@frontiernet.net.  Traveling with Steve King were his wife, Peggy, and their son Rusty – now living with them in their retirement years.  So it was great to see Peggy and Rusty as well as Steve King in Prescott.

Of course, while Dave and Jan were in Prescott their first granddaughter, Erin Lauren Balsley, was born to Stephen and Meagan, so it has been fun getting acquainted with her since returning to Brea following the Prescott trip.

Jan enjoyed taking a picture of Erin in a doll crib which first held her dolls as a child – then years later son Stephen and daughter Alissa, and more recently grandson Ryan and now granddaughter Erin (lovingly guarded by Lola).

It has also been fun introducing grandson Ryan to his first bicycle – a skill which Dave hopes Ryan will master in days ahead so they can ride their bikes together!

Our lives have been enriched in so many ways over the years by the friends and the growing family the Lord has blessed us to enjoy.  The joys and blessings of family life are among life’s best – and that certainly includes the joys and blessings which come from our experiences with people like the Diddams and the Sparks and the Kings who are a part, with us, of the family of God!

Going and Coming

Dave and Jan were honored to be asked to take part in the memorial service for two very special friends who were key players in the life of the church they served in Gallup, New Mexico (Gallup Baptist Church, now Grace Bible Church) forty years ago. Dr. Al and Sheila Diddams were two people who played a significant part in the Balsleys’ lives in the early years of their marriage and family and ministry. The Diddams were a rich source of wisdom and knowledge on many subjects, so Dave and Jan turned to them for help with church life and family life (especially when children came into their lives) and medical questions (for which Dr. Diddams, a highly respected surgeon, was a valuable source). Here is a picture of the Diddams at their home in Dewey (near Prescott) Arizona several years back.

Sheila Diddams headed for heaven on Christmas Eve of 2016 due to diabetes complications. Her husband, Al, died two months later (February 26th). They were living at the time at King Bruwaert House, a senior care home in Burr Ridge, Illinois – and services were held in that area at the time of their respective deaths. But, because their last lengthy residence was in the Prescott area, where they were active at First Baptist Church of Prescott (now Solid Rock Christian Fellowship) and had many friends, they were interred at the National Cemetery in Prescott and a memorial service was held in their honor on April 21st. Their five children (young people when we were together in Gallup) and their spouses were all present for the service (along with other friends from Gallup days), so it was a special time of family reunion for them, and Dave and Jan thoroughly enjoyed seeing them all once again.

                                      (Susie, Steve, Scott, Shannon, Stan)
Dave and Jan had just checked into the motel in Prescott and gotten dinner when they received a text from son Stephen saying that he and Meagan were at the hospital (7:00 p.m.) because Meagan was nearing the time of the birth of their second child. They were admitted at 8:00 and Jan spent sleepless hours wondering what was happening (while Dave slept soundly, of course).  At 12:08 A.M. on April 21st Erin Laurel Balsley made her appearance – the first granddaughter for the Balsleys after five grandsons.

Meagan is enjoying some time off for recovery and to get acquainted with the new addition to the family.

Gramma Jan, of course, is in “Gramma Heaven” with the arrival of Erin!

And “big brother” Ryan is getting accustomed to the arrival of his sister.

Our lives are rich with special relationships. We are grateful for the 4 South Dakota grandsons we have been blessed with and are looking forward to connecting with them this summer. We thank the Lord for the blessing of family – both our immediate family and our extended family who make up the family of God! We rejoice that loved ones in Christ, like the Diddams, now “absent from the body” are “at home with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8).  And we are very thankful for each new entry the Lord brings into our experience – especially the addition of grandchildren!