Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! This post will be my first attempt at a Christmas letter from our family. I guess we should have begun Christmas letters four years ago, but who's counting?
Of course the highlights of our year include our summer vacation to "Scherrer (pronounced sheer) Heaven" as my aunt and uncle call it, and adopting our kitten Eliot. In August David began his final year at seminary, and I began my second full year teaching second grade.
As we look back on these past few years, we are very aware and thankful for God's provisions. Before we left for seminary, we suddenly came to the realization that we are not the ones in control of our finances. I remember meeting David at a Taco Bell the spring before seminary began. Our car insurance agent informed us of our new rate -- it would literally double upon moving to Northwest Indiana! We were desperately number crunching on our napkins after finishing our meal. The only way seminary would "work" on paper would be for me to slide right into a full-time teaching position upon arrival (and that would be pushing it). As you may know, I was not offered a teaching position for the first full year of seminary. The Lord gave me multiple job opportunities throughout that school year. He also gave us financial gifts from our families, our former church, and the seminary to keep food on the table. Trusting the Lord was difficult when we didn't know how we would pay our bills, but He saw us through as our faithful Father and continues to do so in this unique season of our lives.
We are also thankful for many friendships we've been able to develop through seminary life. It has been exciting to see other students graduate and begin ministry. I am very proud of David's hard work and how he has grown. They are very right to say that these three years will fly by!
We have been blessed by becoming members of Covenant Church OPC. In our Wednesday evening Bible study we are learning about Christ in the gospel of John. Another Christmas has come and gone, and yet the light of Jesus Christ has not been snuffed out in this world. He came as a rejected, humble Child, and He died an awful, lonely death to save sinners like you and me. Do you believe He has been raised in victory for you to gain everlasting life? Please consider His Word this year. As my former pastor has said, you cannot push the darkness out--you have to let the Light in!
John 1:9-14
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Also, we have the 2012 pictorial review:
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| David sharing his brownie with a seminary daughter :-) |
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| David, Amanda, Eliot, and Sarah |
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| Labor Day weekend with our parents |
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| Kisses from Sarah |
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| David's sister and mom downtown :-) |
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| Seminary friends Psalm-singing |
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| Eliot relaxing |
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| David's mom and I downtown :-) |
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| My mom and I baking Christmas treats |
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| Sarah's silly face! |
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| Reynolds' Farm Equipment Christmas light display (Fishers, IN) |
