Final Prayer Letter
Author: The Dahinden Family
Dahinden Update 2020 – December
December 3, 2020
This year has been filled with challenges, frustrations and problems. Yet, I see God’s hand caring for His people as well. As we celebrate the first coming of Jesus (Christmas), I pray you and your family are well and safe. His promises and His assurances that He loves us and will never leave us or forsake us provide solace in a time such as this.
There have been big changes in my life during 2020. Losing mom in January and then finding and marrying my new soulmate in December make for dramatic bookends for the second decade of the twenty-first century. Both are blessings. Mom departed for glory before COVID prevented me from seeing her every day. Then my prayers were answered when Vicky came into my life during a year that none of us will soon forget. Vicky is an amazing answer to prayer. Losing Sherry made me realize I am a better man with God’s woman at my side. Vicky lost her husband about two and a half years ago. Proposing marriage less than two months after meeting seems rushed by some, however, Vicky and I feel very strongly that the Lord orchestrated our meeting, friendship and love. It blossomed quickly and proposing marriage started both of us on a quest to downsize so we could merge households. I needed help so I hired an estate sale company and listed many items on Facebook Marketplace. Preparing the house also has included repainting the interior. My only planned home improvement project for this year was to refurbish the 22-year-old deck. However, hail damage added a new roof to the list of projects. It has been a very busy time.
Health-wise, I am now two years post-surgery with a 0.01 PSA level. That is great news. Please pray for continued freedom from cancer.
Meanwhile, God closed the door for my option to transfer to Cru Military. I will continue my data management, tax and revenue reporting duties with the FamilyLife finance team. Though the headquarters move to Orlando completes in 2021, I will be remaining in Little Rock and work remotely as long as the Lord desires.
2020 Highlights
Jan – Mom was accepted into hospice at the nursing home and my sister Donna flew in from Australia to spend some time with her. We celebrated Mom’s 93rd birthday and 16 days later she was in the arms of Jesus.
Feb – Mom’s funeral was held at Presbyterian Village in Little Rock, AR.
Mar – COVID!! FamilyLife staff vacated the headquarters and began working from home.
May – Completed my last IBS (Institute of Biblical Studies) class. This church history class had to be conducted in a virtual environment using Zoom.
Jul – I had two teeth extracted and began the process of preparing for implants. Met Vicky and had our first date. I took her out for soup as my culinary options were limited by my recent dental surgery.
Aug – The house projects began with the Roof replacement. Iowa RV trip to visit Brian, Malory & Eleanor. Later, Vicky and I visited her daughter Stephanie and her family in Phoenix, AZ.
Sep – I proposed to Vicky (and she said yes!). Began rebuilding the 22-year-old deck.
Oct – Hired an estate sale company and decluttered the house. I now have five empty rooms.
Nov – Got our marriage license, celebrated my 69th birthday and enjoyed Thanksgiving 2020 with Vicky and her family.
Dec – Our wedding is December 5th followed by a week-long honeymoon. After our return we will merge our households and thank God for our blessings.
Please pray for:
- Vicky and I as we begin our lives together. This is an exciting time as well as a time of many challenges as we merge two households.
- The kids. Brian and Malory have announced that they are expecting! Eleanor is about to have a sibling. They have decided to wait until the baby’s February arrival to know if it is a boy or a girl.
- That our health will continue to be good.
- FamilyLife as we attempt to restart the Weekend to Remember conference this spring and for the finalization of the move from Little Rock to Orlando.
- The restoration of my account balance. Giving has been reduced during the pandemic.
You have probably guessed that this is a three-in-one letter. It is a prayer letter for my support team, a Christmas letter for family and friends and a year-end ask for donations. So, what is the deal about donations? I am a missionary working for FamilyLife Ministries. My paycheck is provided by supporters who contribute to Cru to fund my staff account. I use my Navy retirement to lower the support needed. Your support is greatly appreciated and critical to my participation in the mission of FamilyLife, which is to: “Make Every Home a Godly Home”. In this year of COVID, some of my regular support has fallen off. If the Lord puts a year-end gift on your heart, please send a check made out to CRU or go to the online giving portal at: https://give.cru.org/0452799
May the Lord, who loves each of us, meet all your needs and bless you and your family beyond measure in 2021 beginning with a very Merry Christmas.
Serving together,
Eric Dahinden
Dahinden_Update_April
This is my prayer letter for the first quarter of 2018.
Greetings to all – God’s grace is definitely sufficient, one day at a time. I would like to update you on FamilyLife and my life since the last 2017 ministry update. Christmas was very quiet. I took Mom out for dinner and went back to her place and opened a few presents. The next day, I drove north to spend a week in Iowa City, visiting Brian, Malory, and Eleanor. We had an awesome time together, despite the bitter cold. When I headed home, it was minus 19 F.
January passed rather quickly as I returned to work at FamilyLife and found my tasks with the finance group had increased. It has been tough to keep pushing ahead without my champion beside me, but the Lord has been gracious. He has provided friends that have been very understanding, supportive, and encouraging. In that regard, I was asked to consider working at the Charlotte Weekend to Remember (WTR), February 23 – 25. Am so glad I did – it was a very uplifting experience. Frankly, I was worried that seeing all those couples would intensify my pain from being there without Sherry. Actually, I felt like she was there with me. It was ironic too. Billy Graham passed away on February 21st and his memorial service was at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, which was less than 1/2 mile from our event at the Renaissance Suites.
It was at a Billy Graham crusade in 1958 at the San Francisco Cow Palace where I went forward and gave my life to Christ April 28, 1958. Fourteen years later, I walked another aisle and gave my heart to Sherry. Both events were absolute highlights of my life. 
The Charlotte WTR conference had 920 attendees. They heard some awesome teaching from Larry and Anne Kayser and Ben Burns. Here are a few of my favorite comments:
1. I can see a light in my marriage again. I have hope, there is nothing too hard for God to fix! Married 33 yrs
2. This weekend was the final straw. I was doing it to say I had tried everything. I was ready to pack his bags and send him away. This has saved our marriage . Wife, married 9 yrs
3. I am humbled to say that I am realizing that I have been putting evangelism and church ahead of my wife. The Holy Spirit is using these sessions to lift a heavy burden and shift my priorities. Pastor, married 8 yrs
4. It has been life changing! I have renewed hope and motivation to keep going and pressing on for oneness. Wife, married 18 yrs
The Weekend to Remember (WTR) marriage conference has been used by the Lord for over 42 years as a blessing for millions of men and women. Have you ever attended? I highly recommend it. Many parents are giving WTR gift certificates to their young married kids. It is awesome to see so many lives touched by the Lord. Check out the WTR schedule at weekendtoremember.com.
FamilyLife Update
The launch of FamilyLife’s new feature film, Like Arrows, is just around the corner. This film is a powerful portrayal of a couple’s entire life. It is amazing. It is playing May 1 and 3rd in a number of theaters around the country. Check it out!
Search https://www.fathomevents.com/events/like-arrows for a theater near you.
Family Update
Brian, Malory, and Eleanor are doing well, having survived another Iowa winter. I hope to visit them again this summer. A dear Navy friend, Ron, visited me and we took the RV to Branson. We enjoyed a good couple of days there.
I’ve been working on my “picture” project and came across a shot of Brian and Sherry from 2007 that warmed my heart.
Praise and Prayer
1. I have seen the Lord answer your prayers as I press on, serving Him. Thank you.
2. Pray for FamilyLife in this year of many transitions.
3. We are seeing several doctors about Mom’s ankle infection. Pray that her circulation is strong enough to facilitate healing.
Eric Dahinden, Serving with FamilyLife in Little Rock, AR since 1998
16010 Patriot Drive, Little Rock, AR 72212 501-223-9984 (H) or 501-804-9985 (C) dahindenem@gmail.com
Dahinden_Update_Nov
November 29th, 2017
This is the time when many people review their finances and pray about giving a little extra for efforts that are near and dear. I too am asking you to pray about a special gift to support my work with FamilyLife as 2017 draws to a close.
As you know, Sherry has gone on ahead and is now living in the presence of our Savior. The Lord still has me here for a reason and I have been seeking His clear guidance in prayer. It appears that for now He would have me continue serving here with FamilyLife. A recent departure of two members of the finance team has resulted in expansion of my duties and responsibilities. I am also working on major projects with long-term impacts on data management and retrieval for this ministry.
As we count our blessings and the Lord leads us to prayerfully consider our year-end giving, I would appreciate it if you would please consider my ongoing work with FamilyLife. You can go to CRU’s website at https://give.cru.org/0452799, or, gifts can be made by phone at 1-888-278-7233 (1-888-Crusade) Option #1. My CRU account number is 0452799. Thank you for your prayers and sacrificial giving to support the Lord’s work.
Abiding in Christ alone,
Eric
Dahinden_Update_Sep
This update tells of Sherry’s homegoing.
Eric Dahinden serving with FamilyLife 