Written by: Jenny Shipley
The Preacher and His Wife
We are here. Who are we? I'm Jenny. I'm the Mrs. of Mr & Mrs. Shipley. I am married to a minister. My Mr. is a minister. Mr. Shipley works with teens and their families a lot...for a living. That's what he does. I am at home with two young children whom we have decided to homeschool. Don't worry. I'm not here to harp on homeschooling vs. public schooling vs. private vs. charter. Honestly, I sometimes don't know what I'm doing here, but here I am.
When I met Mr. Shipley I was a second semester freshman at the University of Wyoming. The night we met, I was sitting by myself at the Christian Student Center (CSC) in Laramie, Wyoming. I was early for a devo that was going to take place later that evening. Devo is a word for - a short Bible lesson. At that time, I was still checking out the CSC and had been learning more about the Bible for a few months. Whatever was happening on campus, or at home, or at my job at the campus post office - the CSC was becoming my place where I could go and sit at the feet of God's Word. One of the minister's at the time, Mike, had a Thursday Brown Bag Bible Study. Anyone could bring their lunch and sit and listen to a lesson about the Bible. We listened, but we were encouraged to dig deep and to ask questions about the Bible. I remember that topics were all over the place. Are angels real? Who is Satan? Were the disciples of Jesus credible or were they a bunch of crazies? There were other Devos taught in the evening that were particularly centered on the life of Christ and were taught by the campus minister at that time, Mr. Joe. So, this is where I met Mr. Shipley - at an evening Bible study.
On the night we met I was early for a devo and in came David. I didn't know it, but Mr. Shipley had been a Christian for a while and was acquainted with the CSC already. He was coming back from taking a semester off to attend the National Outdoor Leadership School. And now he was back. But I didn't know that. So, I did what any young, generous CSC student was encouraged to offer someone they thought was a visitor. - I asked him if he'd like a tour of the facility.
Stop right there. I thought he was a visitor. He knew he wasn't a visitor. What do you think Mr. Shipley did? Here's a poll for you:
Did Mr. Shipley:
A). Say, "Oh. That's okay. I've already been here before. I just got back from a semester off of college."
B). Say, "Oh. I see. This is one of those places. Alright, well. I'm gonna head out."
C). Say, "Yeah. Sure."
Uh. Yep. C. He said C. Without a thought. He just went along with it.
I was 19 and he was 20. I had no idea that this guy would later become my Mr. But, here we are.
This blog is an opportunity for us, Mr. & Mrs. Shipley, to reflect upon our life story and share it with others. It's not just about us because it's never just been about us. Learning about life, relationships and faith is not something we've done all by ourselves. We can't do a blog about our story without the people that surround us. We hope to share some of these individuals with you as guest writers, photographic stories, and Devos. Thanks for reading so far!
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- Mrs. Shipley
Photo by: Staci Moore