Last Tuesday night was terrific.  As I was driving to the library last night, I thought to myself, "A second Tuesday night in a row that has been fantastic. Wow!"  And then it all went downhill from there.  Nothing major, just dumb stuff.  But if you think my life is all cherries and roses and sparkles, think again.  Sometimes, happiness is a choice.  I am so thankful for discovering Ann V. and the "multitude monday" that she hosts each week.  It is changing my mindset to look at the little "gifts" in life. 

Since I didn't want to leave a post filled with my grumbles, I thought I'd tell my paternal family history in a nutshell.  I promised a few posts ago that I would tell you our story.  Here it goes!

{Before I start, please remember that this is oral history.}

In the 1400's, Catherine the Great {a German} married a Russian king.  The Russians needed help farming so an offer was made to the Germans.  This offer included free land and  no taxes for a certain number of years as long as they taught the Russians how to farm.  These Germans settled along the Volga River.  My ancestors were in this group of people.  We refer to them as the Volga River Germans.

Fast forward to the early 1900's.  My great grandparents came from Russia to America.  They were trying to escape the C*mmun*sm there.  All of my great grandparents came to America through different avenues.  Some came by boat {through Boston...inside joke} while others escaped with barely their lives.  Somehow, they ended up in the Flint area.  Of course, GM was booming at the time.  Many, many, many of my family members have worked at GM.  Also, they were not Christians before they came to America.  A sponsor for one of the family members was a Christian and led them to the Lord.  Through this Christian testimony, family members were saved.  This was the beginning of my godly heritage! 

As the Germans in the Flint area were saved, they banded together and formed a church but not under a denomination.  They called it the "Brotherhood."  Both of my grandparents grew up in the Brotherhood.  My dad also went to the Brotherhood meetings as a child with his maternal grandparents.  The Brotherhood sounds like it was very fundamental and based soley on the Bible.  They were kept very busy.  This is an example schedule:  Sunday - church all day; Monday - soulwinning; Tuesday - youth group; Wednesday - prayer meeting; Thursday - band practice, etc...My Nana {maternal great-grandmother} was chided as a child for rollerskating because it was seen as a worldly activity.  That's just a small example of how they eschewed the world.

My Oma was an only child and her mother {Nana} was an only child but my Oma had a lot of cousins from her dad's side {we called him Pa}.  When my Oma was older, her cousins formed "Cousins Club."  I had the privilege of attending a Cousins Club.  What fun!  So many funny stories from the Brotherhood were told with German words and phrases sprinkled in and lots of laughter, of course!

This past Thanksgiving, I was thinking a lot about my heritage.  My great-grandparents {both sets} were very godly people. 

My dad's maternal great-grandparents:  We refer to them as Mumma and Bobba.  They left a huge impression on my dad.  Bobba read the Bible at each meal {reminds me of Ann V.}.  The memories my Dad has shared with us give me the impression that Mumma and Bobba lived very simple lives.  They were so thankful to live in America plus be Christians.  I aspire to be like them in their simplicity and deep love for the Word.  My Oma was greatly influenced by Mumma and Bobba, as well.  She grew up speaking German because she spent so much time at their house.

My dad's maternal grandparents:  Since my dad was the first and only grandchild, he spent a lot of time with his maternal grandparents {Nana and Pa}.  I believe they had a huge impression on my dad; he is very much like Pa.  And he traveled with them a lot in the summers as they went to Brotherhood meetings in the Midwest.

My dad's paternal grandparents:  We refer to them as Grandpa and Grandma Gaus {rhymes with house}.  They had seven children.  Grandpa was an evangelist and traveled the U.S. preaching in other Brotherhood meetings.  They started a yearly tradition of having a Gaus Christmas party. That side of the family is a loud, crazy, happy family.  As each branch of the family grows, I can sense new "trees" being formed.  For instance, none of my grandpa's family will be at the Christmas party this year because my cousin is getting married down South.  The core of the family lives in MI.  Because we've always lived in IN, I have always felt like an out-sider to the real happenings of the family.  As years pass, more and more are beginning to move away from MI.

I think I'm typing this out more for my remembrance than for your information!  :)  As I re-read this, there are so many untold stories peeking from between the lines!  Someday...someday....!

I'm so blessed to come from a Christian family.  Everyone is saved {or claims to be} except for a few second/third cousins who have married Catholics {horrible choice!}.  I hope I never forget who my great-grandparents were.  I hope and pray that I carry on the tradition that has been set before me.

"The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." Psalm 16:6