Deloris Schraegle Winsinger Ball

I suppose there are always more things to experience in life that would be enjoyable, but I'm glad to be able to say that I've lived a very full life already with LOTS of wonderful memories!

While our children were still at home, we traveled extensively throughout the United States, throughout much of Europe, made several trips to the Bahamas where my former husband grew up as an "MK", and visited the Holy Land together. I'm so grateful I learned from my parents that if you wait until you're retired or until you have more money, then your health may not allow you to experience your lifelong dreams. So we took advantage of as many opportunities as we could as a family while we were still able. I'm grateful we did because we have no guarantee of tomorrow. One never expects a spouse to die prematurely from a disease such as cancer as mine did, and had we waited to travel and do the things we really wanted to do until we were older and more "financially fixed", we would have missed so many opportunities.

Now to answer the question -- I've never been on a cruise. My choice of cruises would be one with a well-known ministry such as "Turning Point" (Dr. David Jeremiah) or "Insights for Living" (Chuck Swindoll) or the Gaithers. That would probably be pretty thrilling. So that's what my current husband I would like to do someday, hopefully soon. But first, we're busy getting the kids married off. : )

Having lived 30 years of my adult life on the east coast of Florida and raised our family there, I LOVE the beach.

After graduating from ONC in 1974, I took a teaching position at a private Christian school in Jupiter, Florida -1500 miles away from my home and family in Michigan. Within weeks of attending the little Nazarene church in nearby Riviera Beach, FL, I met a Trevecca grad, Dave Winsinger, who was a computer programmer working for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. He was an "MK", having grown up in the Bahamas, the son of a missionary pilot and a nurse. It wasn't long before we knew God had a wonderful plan for us together!

Dave and I married in 1975, bought a home, and started our family. When the kids came of school age, I home-schooled them until high school. Our family was heavily involved with church and scouting activities, and my husband and I were leaders in everything our kids were involved with. As our kids got older, both Dave and I sensed a call to missions and started pursuing preparation in that area. We completed the application process, attended various training orientations, were interviewed by all of the international regional mission directors, and spent a couple of weeks in Ukraine doing manual labor on a Work and Witness Team from our South Florida District (summer of 2002). While awaiting an appointment by the Dept. of World Missions, Dave was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer (Aug. 2003) and was ultimately healed when God called him home in March 2004.

In the meantime, all three of our children were at Trevecca -- our oldest preparing to graduate in May and marry a Nashville girl in June (2004). Consequently, I was back and forth to Nashville a few times where I met a widower on staff at Grace Church. He had lost his wife the year before. He took it upon himself to help me with my son's wedding rehearsal dinner at Grace, and needless to say, he inched his way into my heart. In the ensuing months, we continued to converse between Nashville, TN and Lake Park, FL until God confirmed to both of us His blessing on our future together. We married, and today Richard Ball and I are happily serving together in the outreach ministry of Grace Church. We can both give testimony to the fact that God has proven to us time and again that His grace IS absolutely sufficient!