"Christmas Letter"

We want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very blessed Christmas in the Lord. For believers in the Lord, we have so much to celebrate. We cannot celebrate big enough to show our gladness that God is with us, God is for us, God is in us. And in that spirit, we hope that your Christmas will be filled with joy inexpressible and full of praise.

We have had a very full Christmas season so far, filled with giving, singing, and feasting.

The first weekend of Christmastime, we decked the halls with red and green. Evergreens to show that, though we are living in a season and world filled with death, life has come and has conquered. Red to show that only Christ's blood could make this life possible. Thank you, Lord for these visible reminders.

The second and third weekends of Christmastime, we celebrated, sang, and feasted. Who but us have more to be thankful for? So we went to a Messiah sing-along, Grace Community Christmas concert, and Jonathan's preschool Christmas show. We also had the opportunity to sing at Glenwood Convalescent Home for our friends there. The children got to pass out homemade treats and cards and talk and pray with many of the people there. One of the sweet ladies gave her cookies to Geneva with a big smile on her face. Being unable to get out on their own, they do not have the opportunity to give very often and it was a blessing to see her face light up at the chance. In the end, I think we were more blessed by the experience than the patients!

We are looking forward to feasting with my side of the family on Christmas Eve and then having them spend the night to celebrate together early Christmas morning. This is the first year that we do not have to take down the Christmas tree first thing Christmas morning and we are really looking forward to that!

For us, Christmas is a taste of heaven on earth. We send our love to all we won't be with this year but look forward to the day when we never have to say good-bye and never have to stop celebrating, the day when we will see Jesus face to face and forever praise him together.