Merry Christmas 2014

Our 2014 Highlights

We give great thanks and praise to our Savior Jesus Christ for these blessing, and more!

 ·         Matt’s mission trip to Tanzania, Africa visiting the villages of Kondoa & Mairowa, hiking Mount Kilimanjaro, and spending an afternoon with our sponsor child – Nehemiah (on Nehemiah’s 13^th birthday).

·         Micah made his personal decision to follow Jesus as his personal Savior!! (February)

·         Jodie made another big change in our families “fueling” process to improve/maintain good health in our home.  We purchased a juicer and began using YL essential oils for aches, ailments, and boosting our immune system.

·         Two weeks in Tennessee and Alabama.  First week in Gatlinburg, TN with Jodie’s family celebrating her parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary.  A trip to the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center. Five days in Savannah, TN with Great Granny Rich (and other Rich relatives) – sitting on the front porch swing, touring the Shiloh battle grounds, catching lightening bugs, picking fresh blackberries, and celebrating the 4^th of July.

·         Annual trip to Flagstaff with Uncle Charlie & Aunt Alice – week at Bear Paw!

·         Family vacation to LegoLand California!  Two days at the park riding roller coasters and one day at the beach.  Pure fun!!

·         The kids have rhyming birthdays:  eleven & seven.  They think this is so cool!  On the way to CA they saw a 7-Eleven convenient store.  “That’s us, that’s us!!”

·         Four camping trips this summer!  All with great friends making great memories.

·         Hours spent playing with Beanie Boo stuffed animals.  Micah and Lilly have so much fun with these.  They are integrated into everything.

·         Homeschooling is such a joy!  Micah is 5^th grade and Lilly is 1^st grade.  We are beginning our journey to read through the Bible, and our “together” study is Science – Apologia Zoology 2.

·         A week of “hanging out” with our dear friends, the Vega family.  They are from Argentina, missionaries in Malaysia, and were visiting for our church’s Global Missionary Conference.

·         Micah & Lilly made a public profession of their faith in Jesus and were both baptized on November 8, 2014.

·         Micah & Lilly continue to enjoy participating in their extra-curricular activities and continue to improve in their skills and abilities.

o   Micah – baseball, flag football, piano

o   Lilly – gymnastics, … reading and losing teeth

·         Preparations for a 2^nd family mission trip to LaPaz, Mexico (January 2015).

“And this I (we) pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;”  Philippians 1:9-10

December 2014

Hard to believe the last month of the year is here and almost over.

We took a family vacation to LEGOLAND.  It was so much FUN!  None of us had been before, we rode all of the roller-coasters and just had such a great time spending two days at the park and one day at La Jolla beach.  The weather was fabulous.

When we got home it was time to prepare for Lilly's 7th birthday party.  She and Micah have LOVED the Beanie Boos this year, so she chose the theme "Beanie Boo Birthday Party".  Kelli T. came over on Friday to decorate the cake ("Ollie the Octopus"), and nine of her friends attended on Saturday.  They had a blast with crafts, games, and eating Ollie's legs.  (hehe)

This month during our Barton House visit both kids shared their testimonies (we were able to show the video of their baptisms), played the piano, and read Christmas stories.  It was a beautiful comparison to when we started doing Bible studies there 6 years ago.

Christmas activities and traditions will lead us into our Christmas traveling to Indiana this year.  We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Jesse Tree Tradition