December 2011


Dear Friends and Family ~
Every year, we get to witness new and wonderful ways that God has worked in our lives and in the lives of our friends and family. And each year seems to be filled with exciting things….In our last Christmas letter, we had moved to Tacoma, WA…we are now back in our home in Klamath Falls, OR as of April. It is naturally a long story (as most exciting things tend to be!) but the main thing is that we have been exceedingly blessed and are very happy to return home. Life for our family is both exhilarating and hair-pulling – in the best way! – with four little ones under 7…

Mataya will turn 8 in January and is a natural-born mother, full of kindness, gentleness, and compassion. She’s an incredible and prompt aid to me when I need her. Whether it’s babysitting Jonathan, cooking on the stove, or simply tidying up the house, she is a faithful servant to me. She still plays violin and picked up piano earlier this year. She’s advancing in her 4th grade school work, keeping me searching my teacher’s manual for help! In her spare time, she loves to crochet, draw, and is a prolific writer to her pen pals. She and Katie are on the swim team and participated in their first swim meet in July, where they both did excellent! We had the incredible joy of witnessing Mataya be baptized by Chris in the Pacific Ocean in September. She had been asking us for months about it, along with the simple yet powerful statement “I love Jesus”. She has shown many fruits of the Holy Spirit and in great measure as well. We have no doubt God saved her soul, she loves Jesus and shares Him with others every chance she gets.

Social butterfly Katie, who turned 5 in August, is still our rainbow child, full of surprises and curiosity. She, above all our children, makes us laugh the most – tummy-hurting laughter. She has the most colorful personality and is very intelligent despite her obvious ridiculous behavior. She started 1st grade earlier this year and is already reading, doing math, memorizing Presidents, the United States, and more. She enjoys taking little Joy under her wing and teaching her things. She also adores preparing food for the family and tries to serve us whenever we have the patience to let her! The messes in our kitchen become quickly overlooked when we see her giving spirit. We enjoy this eccentric little girl so much – though she is loud and freaks out about practically everything! – she is a sweet and true friend…an adventure lives inside this child.

Three-year-old Joy is as sweet as they come, very quiet and very tender. She has a smile that brightens the room and a character that draws you in. She too has learned some Presidents and States and is learning how to write her letters and numbers. She is exceedingly meticulous and colors perfectly inside the lines….? Wow. She is also very petite and is being out-grown by her 1-year old brother. We are in wonder at the fact that she is wearing 12 months still! She too likes to serve, albeit her pretend food from her play kitchen. She’s mama’s girl and cannot seem to be around me enough, I love it. I learned how to do braid extensions (YouTube videos) and have never seen such a cute little African girl! Joy says she looks like mommy now…with the long hair she means!

Jonathan, our first boy, is so stinkin’ sweet, we adore him! Still not walking yet, he travels around quickly on all fours. He turned one in October and is a tall babe, a moose. He outweighs Joy and has met her in height. He is a good and content boy – probably why he doesn’t care about walking. His first word was “dada” followed by his rendition of “blankie”…I took an unexpected third place. Daddy is his favorite buddy though, for sure! Between all the girls, he is a spoiled little man who is never bereft of sloppy kisses.

We are doing well, keeping busy with friends, family, church, and homeschooling. Thanks for taking the time to read how our family has been doing this past year. In whatever you do during the Christmas season – and all year – remember that sweet Jesus came into the world to save us (1 John 4:9-10). Peace be with you all!!

In Christ Alone,
Christopher, Shawna, and children