So many people are asking updates on a few things so we thought we would fill you in:
Yes our dog made it here safely. Thanks to Heather Fretz who took fantastic care of him and loved him as her own,
he made the trip OK. He is now settling into his new home and fits right in!
Yes we got our truck! Thanks to fantastic donors, we were able to purchase a much needed truck.
We are really grateful for this provision, it has started to make things so much more efficient for us and the mission as well as making things a whole lot easier.
For the buffs out there, it is a
Toyota Hilux 4 x 4 ... yes this is a place where 4 wheel drive is a necessity ... even without curbs!
We had a great visit from our friends Ken, Debbie and Heather and it
was so nice to have people from home visit.
The kids are now on Christmas vacation and although Laurens and I are not, they are enjoying the visit from the
Johnson kids (kids of our mission directors) who visit every Christmas. Photo: The Girls bottom, The Guys above.
As we approach Christmas, we have a lot to think about here. As we listened to the sermons from The Meeting House (our home church) these past weeks, it struck us that things are so different for us now. Bruxy and Joel our pastors were talking about Christmas and money and the commercialization of the season. They were challenging us all to think about how rich we all are in the global world. It occurred to us that this year we get to see this first hand. It really is TRUE! We (and you) are so wealthy in this world and we take for granted so very many things!
As we approach this Christmas, we do not have stores to buy our kids lots of presents at; we do not have a ton of Christmas decorations; we do not have to "keep up with the Jones'". We are now able to realize, how much we were affected in North America by commercialization. Although we knew this in principle before, we fully see the difference now that we have been removed from that culture.
It is our Christmas wish that each person reading this is able to remember that Christ's birthday is not about how many gifts from the store that we can give each other. We pray that we all remember that Christ died for us and that He did not leave it at that.....He then told us to follow Him. Read, I mean really read the story behind Jesus' life and you will see how He wants you to do that.
Merry Christmas!! (we miss you all)
2 comments:
Hi Laurens, Cheryl and family: I really enjoy reading your blog as you go along. You guys are doing amazing things over there, and I wish you the best this Christmas celebrating Christ the way we all are meant to be. What fantastic work you are doing while serving in Haiti. Thinking of you guys often!
God Bless!
Karen Aspden and family
Thanks for the update on Jaqueson. It's so good to hear that you are feeling the power of all our prayers!
Happy Christmas to each and every one of you. We miss you and are definitely celebrating Christmas differently this year, along with you. We are writing letters to each other, telling others how much they mean to us.
Big hugs to you all!
Tam, Ben and Rowyn
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