Arnie and Joyce’s life together has led them to have many interesting stories. Growing up in Newton, they knew each other from high school and through attending the same church, First Baptist Church.
They married in 1961 and had their first two children, Scott and Shelly. Arnie graduated from Bethel College with studies in economics, business administration, and industrial arts, and served eight years in the Kansas International Guard at McConnell Air Force base with his twin brother Terry. Joyce worked as a medical transcriptionist and recorded notes in surgery, oncology, radiology, and more.
Through the Newton Bible Church, they were inspired to join the New Tribes Mission (now known as Ethnos360) in Camdenton, MO, close to the Lake of the Ozarks, after hearing guest speakers from the Philippines and South America come to their church and speak on the Mission.
They relocated, and once there, they lived and worked for the Mission for five years — from 1967 to 1973. Joyce worked in the Linguistics department in the Language School and Arnie, using his working hands and building skills, helped with a plethora of needs and services, including installing 100 telephones. While working for the Mission, Arnie and Joyce had their last two children, Julie and Jana.
In 1967, they moved back to Kansas and Arnie got into finance and insurance and Joyce worked as a medical transcriptionist. In 1988, Arnie began a clock-working shop. Eventually, it merged with his son’s, and to this day, Arnie goes and works with Scott on clocks at the shop. Once retired, Arnie and Joyce loved to go to Branson for April and October and go boating and RV camping.
Arnie loves creating ideas he sees in his head. In his lifetime he has built three-foot ships, radio-controlled helicopters, race cars, and paddleboats, and, after dreaming about it, five mini circuses that function and light up, creating beautiful merry-go-rounds, Ferris wheels, cannons, and a control panel that makes it work. (Fun fact: By going to junkyards, Arnie bought the mechanical motors responsible for raising car windows and installed them in the circuses to make them run.) Arnie also has an extensive stamp collection that he began when he was 12 years old.
While Arnie tinkers, Joyce is a people-person. She loves going to lunch with her friends, seeing her family — all 14 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren — shopping, and re-decorating their home when she wants.
Joyce and Arnie owe many of their journeys, strengths, and stories to God. On April 7th, they will have been married for 65 years.