Merry CHRISTmas!
2012 Highlights
*In June and July, around 100 kids from the Liberty area went to Ponca Bible Camp over the course of 6 weeks! Many of these boys and girls made decisions to trust Jesus as their Savior for the first time. Numerous others committed to living boldly for Jesus when they got home.
*This fall we started a Ponca and Beyond Bible Study for kids in 4th-6th grades. We have 15-20 kids come each week!
*We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on September 29.
*Coralyn had a Dr. Suess themed birthday party when she turned THREE on October 6.
*Kellah turned ONE on December 17 and had a bright, cheery rainbow party.
*We put our house on the market as we feel God's calling us to move to the Kellybrook Area.
Watching and Waiting
That seems to be the theme of our lives throughout this year.
Right now, we are
watching and waiting for someone to buy our house. AGAIN.
In the meantime, we
are watching and waiting for opportunities to reach out to the students and
their families. God has faithfully given
us several chances to do that, and we are watching and waiting to see the results:
*Lawrence is meeting one-on-one with a former
student once a month.
*He is also the
leader of the Boys to Men Club, teaching about 25 5th grade boys
about the character traits of “real men.”
*Sarah is looking to start a Moms’ Prayer Group.
Every quarter, I am
watching and waiting to hear from couples who want to take natural childbirth
classes. God was so faithful to provide,
and I got to work with 20 couples, preparing them for their babies’ arrival.
In December, I was
watching and waiting to hear from a couple to let me know it was “baby
time.” When it was, I got to be their
doula and actually help them welcome their baby boy to the world!
No matter what our
circumstances, though, I feel like God has been teaching us to watch and wait
for His return. The world seems to be
falling apart as we are surrounded by evil and the devastating results of
sin. Each day, I long for Jesus to come
back, to take us home. While we watch
and wait, God is giving me time to mold my heart, transforming it so that I am
more and more like Christ. He is
teaching me about what is most important, to invite Him to be a part of all
that I am doing every single day – even if it is changing dirty diapers and
folding laundry. He is also reminding me
that life is short, that I don’t know how long I have with those I love. And so I am realizing I need to make the most
of every day. I am giving out more hugs
and kisses, stacking more blocks, reading more books (if that is possible), and
dancing across the living room like no one’s watching! And the smiles and laughs I get from my girls
make it all worthwhile!
Still, I say, “Come
quickly, Lord Jesus!”
Looking Back
As is the case with most families here in the United States, we kept
busy this past year.
Lawrence is in his
7th year of teaching 3rd grade. He has a great class of 25 students this
year. He is also coaching
gymnastics at Edge one night a week. His
team girls recently competed at a meet and took home first place.
Sarah is working at
home, providing daycare for 2 precious boys.
She has done a little tutoring for a 5th grade girl as well. Her
“side job” is teaching natural childbirth classes and serving as a doula (birth
assistant). She got to work with 20
couples this year to help prepare them for their babies’ arrival. Two of those families asked her to be their
doula and help welcome their baby boys to the world!
Coralyn is now three
and LOVES to read. She is extremely
observant and has an excellent memory. She
knows all her letters, shapes, and numbers (to 10). She enjoys making crafts and playing
make-believe with the daycare boys and Kellah.
Kellah just turned
ONE and is walking – and climbing – all over the place! She is starting to talk, saying Mama, Dada,
ball, duck, down, and a few others that only we can probably understand. She already has a great sense of humor and
enjoys making us laugh.
As a family, we
spent time at Ponca in April for work weekend and then again in July for two weeks of camp. Once again, we were amazed at how God worked in the lives of the
kids who came to camp. We are already
excited to invite them, and new ones, to come in 2013!
What's Next?
As we get ready for
2013, we are praying for God to keep showing us the plan He has for our
family. We are looking forward to what
He has in store for us.
Lawrence will start taking grad classes again and should
be able to get his Masters degree in School Administration by the end of the year.
Sarah is going to
add another child to her daycare and will keep on teaching childbirth
classes. She is working on becoming
certified as a lactation educator and wants to doula more often too.
The biggest change
we are anticipating is moving to the Kellybrook community. We are just waiting for our house to sell and
for God to show us the exact house where He wants us to live next. We feel a heavy burden for the students and
their families as we see their need for Jesus and want to help make Him known
to them in a personal way. This need as only been made all the more apparent after the school shooting in Connecticut. The only way to truly prevent things like this from happening again, anywhere, is to introduce people to salvation that comes through Christ alone. As people invite Jesus into their lives, He will fill them with love, peace, joy, and good qualities that the world simply cannot offer, no matter what kind of deal or sale they try to convince us will fill that empty spot in our hearts that is meant for Jesus.
On a positive note, we have seen
God at work through the Boys to Men Club that Lawrence does with the 5th
grade boys and in our Ponca and Beyond Bible study. We long to be more involved with the boys and
girls on a daily basis, mentoring and discipling them so they can learn to love
Jesus passionately and live boldly for Him.
Whatever God has
for us, we want to do it well, bringing Him all the honor and glory due His
name!
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