JANUARY 2025

Happy New Year Saints,

First thing I want to do is acknowledge and Thank Chris for leading us all this past year. He did an excellent job in 2024. His desire was to see the community grow in numbers at the Walk weekends & Monthly meetings and I believe it is headed in the right direction.

We often find ourselves reflecting on the previous year in the beginning of the new one. As I reflect on 2024, I know our LWE community grew in numbers, we added 127 new members WOW!!!

We also lost four who were promoted to Heaven. Dee Rice, Ronald Clay, Jeff Braselton, Ethan Soto. I didn’t personally know Dee or Ronald and I only knew of Ethan. But Brother Jeff….man, he was a force to be reckoned with. He LOVED people, and he LOVED them well.

The Braselton’s continued staying committed to the community and faithfully sponsored I’m guessing a few hundred over the last 15+ years. One of the ladies they sponsored was Jennifer Schmidt, who in turn was my sponsor on walk #52.

I didn’t remain active in the community for various personal reasons, but I became active again in 2012 when I went to work for the Braselton’s. They invited me to ride with them to the monthly Community meetings and we had so much fun, and laughter and we bonded.

I’d be willing to bet most of us can look at our sponsor and it may closely trace right back to The Braselton’s. Jeff left a legacy in the LWE community and Debbie continues to do so. All this to say let’s be like them & not only take time to reflect on this past year but literally be a reflector.  Let’s reflect the love of Jesus to a hurting and broken world. I would also personally like to challenge you all to come back to the Community or Sponsor a pilgrim. We miss so many of you and would love to see you again this year.

DeColores,

Diana Rowten