Dearest Friends and Family,
I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season! I have been hiding out in my house for 72 hours during our huge snowstorm; shopping online, baking, cooking, wrapping… not being a very motivated home-schooler (what happened to those lofty ideas of science experiments, milling grain and sewing are own clothes?) The boys have been outside more than inside(Praise God) and digging a snow tunnel. Also I’ve made my second visit ever to this blog...crazy. So let me take this opportunity to wish you Grace and happiness in 2009 (and to thank our normal editor).
2008 was blessed with trips!! A conference in Orlando in January with Young Life, Kona with the Smileys!, a SW tour with my sister Jan, sunny trips to Calif., my nephew’s wedding with lots of family in Henderson, NV, a quick trip to Colorado (where I didn’t throw up in my husband’s boss’s car), camping in Moab and an American History trip to PA, VA and DC! I love the trips as much as the cherished visits from friends and family. It fills my love tank.
Another highlight for Josh and me included taking kids to camp. We both went to Lost Canyon (absolutely different than living here), but I went for a week during the summer with high school girls that came from a small town an hour away and Josh went with William’s Wyldlife (middle school boys) last weekend for Winter camp. We probably expended the same amount of energy. A huge praise was getting to see the mission of Young Life camping up close and personal (and loving it!).
It’s been two years that we’ve been here and that is a comfort in many ways. It’s nice to not feel so “new”. It’s a relief to not be as pained about being away from our Colorado community. There’s also the chance I might get to do it “right” because I know what to expect a little bit more, but I still seem to miss the mark on lots of stuff…alas.
Getting to be around the phenomenal staff (and assignment team) and the precious college-aged people who live here all summer (and then visit after) is the reward. I pray God would let us be faithful to whatever He has for us to do.
We have taken some baby steps in hanging out with some great families in our William’s home school group and the boys seem to be happy learning at home. They are taller and a little more adolescent and we are thankful to live life with them. They like to play in the snow, play with the dog, play on the trampoline in the summer, eat candy, watch movies, play video games and read when they have a book they are enjoying. Justin likes the projects he’s continually creating and Ryan likes board games with Josh. Josh likes playing any game and working and is getting to drive tractors today to clear the snow.
We grieve this Christmas with our church family in Colorado for the loss of precious friends Paul (in May) and Vickie (this December) yet are comforted by Jesus' words in John 11:25,26.
“Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.'”
We hope you see God loving you this year. We would love to welcome you here.
Amy, Josh, Ryan and Justin
