Our lives were changed in mid-course the day we heard a little old great-grandmother who was volunteering in the Wycliffe Headquarters in Guatemala City say, “I never dreamed of all the ‘fun things’ God had planned for the last part of my life.” Shortly thereafter, we began exploring avenues for a career change, and it was in 1984, influenced by the friendship and example of long-time Cadence missionaries Gordon and June Gustafson, that Al left the presidency of an engineering firm in Cambridge, MA, (his Career Number Two), and Marilyn left her role as suburban housewife with grown children. We applied for short term membership as OCSC missionaries. Cadence (OCSC) proved a perfect fit for us, as we both had learned to love military families during a long period of service in the U.S. Army (Al’s Career Number One). During our first 12 months with Cadence, we served for short terms in Schweinfurt, Germany; Baumholder, Germany and Rota, Spain.

The little old great-grandmother’s words were becoming true for us, but we lacked a “formal biblical education.” In order to prepare more adequately for career number three and to do a job of excellence, Al enrolled at Gordon-Conwell Seminary in South Hamilton, MA, and received a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies. Because of a liberal course auditing policy at the seminary, Marilyn also went to school full time, but without the burden of papers or exams or seeking a degree. In 2003, Al again returned to academic studies pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at Gordon-Conwell.

In January 1987, we returned to the field, specifically to St. Leon, replacing Dick Patty as Field Director until June while Dick attended a full immersion course in German. During that spring we commuted to Ludwigsburg on the weekends and led the Hospitality House there. Early each Monday we cleaned the House and then returned to St.Leon to manage Cadence-Europe, which in those days included Malachi and Christian Resources. In June 1987, when Dick Patty reassumed his duties as Europe Field Director in St. Leon, we assigned ourselves as permanent House Directors in Ludwigsburg. Somewhat later, God gave us a special surprise. God brought our Army son Mark and his family to an assignment near Ludwigsburg for a four-year tour. Mark, his wife Karalee, and their children proved a real asset to the house ministry and an encouragement to us personally. One of the saddest days of our lives occurred in May, 1993, when all the facilities in the US military community in Ludwigsburg closed as a result of the drawdown of US forces in Germany. It was so very hard to turn the key in the front door of the Hospitality House and walk away.

We settled in Alexandria, VA, to be near Marilyn’s mother. Alexandria still remains our home base when we are not deployed to Europe. In our roll as substitutes, we have had the privilege of serving three to five months at various locations: Baumholder, Schweinfurt, Hanau, Vicenza (five times), Naples (twice), Rota (five times), Aviano, and Darmstadt. Darmstadt occupies a special place in our hearts because it was our first Army assignment after our marriage in 1950. “We never knew then what ‘fun things’ God was planning for us.” Meanwhile, back in Virginia, we provide hospitality to military personnel passing through D.C. We also continue to host and teach a Tuesday night Bible study for the “Mount Vernon Flock.” The Flock meets weekly in our home whether we are there or not. Al is the Cadence Area Representative for the D.C. Region, representing the Mission and recruiting new members for the Mission. He also serves as one of the chaplains at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. This ministry is part of a faith mission called Metropolitan Washington Airports Interfaith Chapels, Inc., with outreach to passengers, staff, and employees at the airport. We both share the goal of remaining active in Cadence for as many years as God sees fit to give us, and we realize afresh every day that “we have no idea of all the ‘fun things’ that God has planned for us for the last part of our lives.”