Ghana RPCV Betsy Suhre goes from a personals ad to a 20-year marriage



"Mike Bullard, adventurer to Alaska and its salmon spawning grounds, keeper of the sheep yet in their watchful care, maker of melodic diversions and crafter of ideas, and Betsy Suhre, trekker to Machu Picchu's heights, teacher and student of West Africa's Ghanaian culture, player of string and weaver of words, wish you to share with us the celebration of our marriage."

Ghana RPCV Betsy Suhre goes from a personals ad to a 20-year marriage

COMMON GOALS, FAITH KEEP COUPLE TOGETHER;

Aug 26, 2006

Spokesman-Review

"Strong, gentle, open-minded professional seeks intelligent, assertive lady to start family with shared responsibilities. Signed, Confidential #850."

Something about the succinct personals ad in the March 1986 edition of Indianapolis Magazine struck a responsive chord in Betsy Suhre. She didn't waste any time responding. She drafted a generic response, personalized it and sent it out to #850 and half a dozen other hopefuls; met all six "delightful" bachelors for six one-time dates, and decided Mike Bullard, #850, was to be the father of her sons. The sooner the better.

Betsy and Mike didn't waste any time. Their first date was on April 26, the typical all-day canoe trip featuring sandwiches on the riverbank. Three days later, their second date was dinner with Betsy's gourmet club at the home of the president of Ball State University, where Betsy worked. Seventy-two hours later, their third date centered around a meal of rice and ground-nut stew, staples of Ghana, West Africa, where Betsy had served in the Peace Corps. A pattern was quickly established. The next date, only the end of week one, was, of course, another dinner, this time at Mike's home with eight people from his church congregation.

Mike served sunfish he'd caught that afternoon in a lake just outside Plainfield, Ind.

Five weeks from the day they met, sitting beside a parishioner's swimming pool, Mike proposed, pulling out all the romantic stops. "Let's do it," he suggested. And on the spot, Betsy pulled out of her purse the wedding invitation she'd just drafted. It read, "Mike Bullard, adventurer to Alaska and its salmon spawning grounds, keeper of the sheep yet in their watchful care, maker of melodic diversions and crafter of ideas, and Betsy Suhre, trekker to Machu Picchu's heights, teacher and student of West Africa's Ghanaian culture, player of string and weaver of words, wish you to share with us the celebration of our marriage."

Mike, defending their whirlwind courtship and three-week-long engagement, says, "We were both around 40 years old, we both wanted kids right away, and we weren't afraid to tell each other what we wanted."

The couple quickly broke the remaining dates they'd scheduled with others through the personal ads, and put together not one but two weddings. The first, for their friends and family in the East and Midwest, took place at Hope Presbyterian Church in Plainfield, where Mike was then pastor. There was no time for a rehearsal, as Mike had to officiate at another wedding and Betsy, a violinist, was performing in a symphony concert the night before her own wedding. After an unmapped, three-week-long honeymoon that included climbing Mount Hood and touring the World's Fair in Vancouver, B.C., they held a "repetition of vows and joining of families" at the home of Betsy's mother in Monument, Colo.
Both families were present at both weddings. Betsy wore the same dress her mother had worn in 1938 and her sister had in 1969.

Keeping their shared dream of instant family close, Betsy gave birth to their son, Harrison, just 11 months after the wedding, and Daniel followed soon after. Between births Betsy underwent surgery on her jaw and the installation of braces on her teeth, so for the first couple of years of marriage, Mike recalls, his beautiful bride was pregnant and in braces.

The Bullards have lived in Coeur d'Alene since 1993, when Mike was called to be the pastor of First Presbyterian Church. Their sons, who were 5 and 6 years old at the time of the move, were convinced they were moving to Silverwood, where the family had vacationed.

Although not a theme park, their parklike yard reflects their interests in beautifying the world around them. They describe themselves as scavengers. Betsy says, "We both have funny taste in anything used or homemade. We're ad-lib people. Our house, our yard, our wardrobes are all put together from things we've scavenged. We make do with what we've got." Mike adds, "Betsy keeps things. Everything! She doesn't throw anything out, even if it's old and worn out. It gives me a certain sense of security, being somewhat old and worn out myself."

The Bullards would've celebrated their 20th anniversary this summer, but June 29 found Betsy in India, on a mission adventure with some church members. Having had two weddings, they have double the opportunities to celebrate, and Mike, an inventive practical joker, never passes up a chance to celebrate special occasions in creative, unusual ways. Reminiscing at their backyard picnic table about past Mothers' Days and birthdays still produces giggles in both of them.

Mike and Betsy have carved out lives of serving and building community - Mike as pastor and singer, and Betsy through work with the area symphonies, arts commissions, and now as a counselor with Aging and Adult Services. The church has been at the center of their lives together, and continues to provide the foundation of a fun- loving, spontaneous relationship.

From a personals ad to a 20-year marriage. Mike concludes, "We hadn't known each other a long time before we were married, but we'd known ourselves a long time. We share common goals and similar faiths. We both knew what we wanted and we recognized it when we found it."

When this story was posted in October 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

---

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

---

---

The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

---

He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

---

September 12, 2006: This Month's Top Stories John Coyne writes: The Lion in the Garden 12 Sep John McCain says: We passed up an opportunity after 911 12 Sep Jody Olsen speaks at Headquarters about 911 11 Sep Bill Moyers Returns to Investigative Reporting 8 Sep Boating Accident kills two PCVs in Mali 7 Sep Director Vasquez bids Farewell to Washington 7 Sep James Rupert writes: Pact reached with pro-Taliban forces 6 Sep Carol Bellamy to speak at Global Risk Conference 5 Sep New trial ordered for Jerry Mark in murder case 2 Sep Ken Hill to step down as NPCA Chairman 1 Sep Clintons, Gearans dine at resort 1 Sep 'Chris Matthews' Turns 5 31 Aug Taylor Hackford thinks Chuck Berry is a pain in the ass 31 Aug John Kefalas alleges dirty tactics in house race 30 Aug DRI receives Charity Navigator's highest ratings 29 Aug Kris Holloway writes "Monique and the Mango Rains'' 28 Aug Richard Celeste writes: Watch Out For Voting Day Bugs 28 Aug Donna Shalala boosted UM's image 27 Aug Leonard Robinson devoted his life to the underserved 24 Aug Phil Hardberger will run for re-election in 2007 24 Aug Snakes on the Plain - the black mamba 23 Aug Eunice Kennedy Shriver still going strong 20 Aug

---

Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director Read our story about Ron Tschetter's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was carried on C-Span. It was very different from the Vasquez hearings in 2001, very cut and dried with low attendance by the public. Among the highlights, Tschetter intends to make recruitment of baby boomers a priority, there are 20 countries under consideration for future programs, Senator Dodd intends to re-introduce his third goal Peace Corps legislation this session, Tschetter is a great admirer of Senator Coleman's quest for accountability, Dodd thinks management at PC may not put volunteers first, Dodd wants Tschetter to look into problems in medical selection, and Tschetter is not a blogger and knows little about the internet or guidelines for volunteer blogs. Read our recap of the hearings as well as Senator Coleman's statement and Tschetter's statement.

---

Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable In a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense.

---

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

---

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

---

Support the US-Peruvian Trade Pact Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, the Peace Corps President, has been lobbying both Democratic and Republican legislators to support the US-Peruvian trade pact before July 28, when his term ends and a US congressional recess begins. If President Bush fails to get approval before Congress goes on recess, it will be a case study proving that the United States does not reward its friends. Please call your representatives.

---

PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

---

History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

Read the stories and leave your comments.