Birthday Surprise

Bates Family Uncategorized

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Little did I know what a huge surprise my family had in store for my 45th birthday!

Gil & I had planned to drive to Chicago to pick up 3 of our girls who had gone on a short mission trip to Romania!_MG_1330

Gil took me to the Indiana Dunes State Park and the Holland Michigan State Park for a few nights of sweet fellowship together before picking up the girls and returning home.

During our weekend birthday excursion, the children back home had rounded up helpers to perform the impossible task of turning our red mud yard into a beautiful labor of love! They built a frame for a swing that we had been given. They laid sod and landscaped the yard, on top of the shopping and prep work necessary to perform their surprise! They transformed the yard, the house, and filled my heart with joy by their desire and willingness to do something special for me!

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