"We are deep in the midst of Holiday cheer as I write this letter to you! We have had snow, cold weather, caroling, Christmas programs, Christmas cookies and the lights are up! Why? This year has really brought home to me how beautiful the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas is. The Kansas Andersons and McCormicks had Thanksgiving with Phil and Denise and their girls as they were in Kansas doing deputations for their next mission trip. The children sang “His Love Endures Forever” and “Give Thanks”, we ate lots and had an early Christmas. Bang three days later Chris leads Sunday worship as we usher in the Advent season: the first Sunday celebrating the HOPE that we have in Jesus!
God has blessed us immensely this year as HE often does during troubled times. Farm-wise the year has been a year like no other many have said: $4 diesel fuel, $8 grain and then a fall so wet we could not get the crops in to sell them before the market dropped. Not complaining, we know without a doubt that God is in all of this and we fear not as we enter a new year!
The children grew like weeds this year. We have a picture of Collin featured here, perhaps the last Christmas that he will be shorter than me!
At 12 Collin enjoyed a year full of firsts: he played football on the Rec Football team and loved it (and stayed safe) J . He was one of 120 students out of 600 selected for State Honors Choir and he went hunting with his dad and Uncle Phil. He continues in AWANA, piano and now French Horn in band. Honor choir is in February 09 so check our blog for updates.
Erin (10) competed in gymnastics this year for the first time and did very well. She is taking the year off as she is transitioning to level 4 and not ready to compete at that level yet. She also took some sign language classes and is in the 97%ile in math at school (very unlike her mother here). She does AWANA along with the others.
Hans (8) had some big changes. We discovered the poor boy can’t see , so he is now in glasses. His eye doctor did not know how he managed to hit a baseball it’s that bad. But hit the ball he did, he had another really good year with baseball and wants more this next year. He did a basketball clinic as well and AWANA, he hopes to start piano in January.
Alan (6) is in kindergarten this year again and doing so well. The reading thing finally clicked this year! He does AWANA but has not wanted to do organized sports yet. He is a farm boy at heart and spends as much time as possible with his daddy in the field. If backyard sports are any indication of future success, Alan should definitely hold his own when he is ready to go for it!
Our Christmas card features a family picture with Chris’ grandmother Bertha who we visited this summer. We had a nice few days in Aurora before heading up to Leadville for some camping, fishing and hiking. Even though it is never long enough it was fun to see the children love on her and tell her about their lives.
Teri continues to work part time at Sterling College and is adjusting to working and managing children in multiple activities. The fall was a foreshadowing of what will come when they all get going! We try to limit it as we can while still letting the children do new things. Chris got me a new camera last Christmas and I have used it daily and now I think I need an even better camera….. I have also been the story teller at AWANA for the Cubbies or the youngest group. That has been a JOY which completely surprises me. I am not usually comfortable in this arena, but God has laid it on my heart that I can do it!
Many of these events are shared in more detail on our blog, so if you have Internet access you can visit us at http://kansas-wheathearts.blogspot.com/ . I put the children’s program clips and pictures up when I can. I have also recently opened a face book account (www.facebook.com ) This has scared me because you use your full name, but you can also make it private to only your “friends“, so this might be an easier and fun way to find and visit with past friends online (as opposed to remembering Kansas-wheathearts).
This is growing very long, so I’ll close. I hope and pray that God will richly bless you and yours this Holiday season and throughout the coming year.
Much Love, the Andersons
God has blessed us immensely this year as HE often does during troubled times. Farm-wise the year has been a year like no other many have said: $4 diesel fuel, $8 grain and then a fall so wet we could not get the crops in to sell them before the market dropped. Not complaining, we know without a doubt that God is in all of this and we fear not as we enter a new year!
The children grew like weeds this year. We have a picture of Collin featured here, perhaps the last Christmas that he will be shorter than me!
At 12 Collin enjoyed a year full of firsts: he played football on the Rec Football team and loved it (and stayed safe) J . He was one of 120 students out of 600 selected for State Honors Choir and he went hunting with his dad and Uncle Phil. He continues in AWANA, piano and now French Horn in band. Honor choir is in February 09 so check our blog for updates.Erin (10) competed in gymnastics this year for the first time and did very well. She is taking the year off as she is transitioning to level 4 and not ready to compete at that level yet. She also took some sign language classes and is in the 97%ile in math at school (very unlike her mother here). She does AWANA along with the others.
Hans (8) had some big changes. We discovered the poor boy can’t see , so he is now in glasses. His eye doctor did not know how he managed to hit a baseball it’s that bad. But hit the ball he did, he had another really good year with baseball and wants more this next year. He did a basketball clinic as well and AWANA, he hopes to start piano in January.
Alan (6) is in kindergarten this year again and doing so well. The reading thing finally clicked this year! He does AWANA but has not wanted to do organized sports yet. He is a farm boy at heart and spends as much time as possible with his daddy in the field. If backyard sports are any indication of future success, Alan should definitely hold his own when he is ready to go for it!
Our Christmas card features a family picture with Chris’ grandmother Bertha who we visited this summer. We had a nice few days in Aurora before heading up to Leadville for some camping, fishing and hiking. Even though it is never long enough it was fun to see the children love on her and tell her about their lives.
Teri continues to work part time at Sterling College and is adjusting to working and managing children in multiple activities. The fall was a foreshadowing of what will come when they all get going! We try to limit it as we can while still letting the children do new things. Chris got me a new camera last Christmas and I have used it daily and now I think I need an even better camera….. I have also been the story teller at AWANA for the Cubbies or the youngest group. That has been a JOY which completely surprises me. I am not usually comfortable in this arena, but God has laid it on my heart that I can do it!
Many of these events are shared in more detail on our blog, so if you have Internet access you can visit us at http://kansas-wheathearts.blogspot.com/ . I put the children’s program clips and pictures up when I can. I have also recently opened a face book account (www.facebook.com ) This has scared me because you use your full name, but you can also make it private to only your “friends“, so this might be an easier and fun way to find and visit with past friends online (as opposed to remembering Kansas-wheathearts).
This is growing very long, so I’ll close. I hope and pray that God will richly bless you and yours this Holiday season and throughout the coming year.
Much Love, the Andersons
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