Sunday, July 23, 2006

VBC Missionaries Of The Week: Jeff & Shelly Kessler

The Kesslers work throughout Montana and northern Wyoming forming Awana clubs in local churches and serving as a resource and encouragement to existing clubs. Awana stands for "Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed," comes from II Timothy 2:15, and is one of those words whose pronunciation is difficult to stop, like "banananananananananana...."

Jeff and Shelly also have an unconscionable, if not ungodly, number of children, which is remarkable given Jeff's Pillsbury Doughboy physique and Campbell Soup Kid face. Evidently contraception is in awfully short supply in Montana and Wyoming. Either that or Shelly is more of a "helpmeet" than any other wife on the face of God's green Earth.

I guess the Kesslers' family motto is from Psalm 127:4-5:

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

I'm just glad that the LORD blessed me with eloquence, a sharp mind, and the family motto, "Two is enough."