A look back on 2008

I am normally not sentimental nor do I have the habit of waxing eloquent. Having said that, I have been really reviewing my life over the past year and come to find that it is good. My life here is good. 2008 came and went so quickly and with much learning in the process. The first half of the year as we were coming up on our one year anniversary in CZ, saw me rejoicing as depression was fading (especially for Rebekah) and we were settling into our roles quite well. To state that more clearly, we were finally defining our roles here. We came not knowing what to expect, got thrown into a blender, scratched and bruised along the way, and lo and behold 2008 came with a new sense of purpose. I was able to speak more coherently, and felt that with just a bit more time and experience I could actually enjoy my job as a teacher. My relationships were blossoming even as I was making new friendships. We felt the purpose of our being here in CZ was coming into focus and I was seeing God's provision, mercy and love as I looked back on the year and not just on my day to day life. I could see where He had led me, how He had cared for me and how He had let me get banged up a bit so I could grow stronger and trust Him more. The latter half of the year we grew in joy and faitha nd came to be a family that praises God for His goodness, praises come easily from our mouths now...not strained cries for help. Thank you God for holding our hands as we walked through the fire and for bringing us to this pasture of peace and rest. Help us, our good Father, to enjoy the rest, to be thankful to you and to not take it for granted. Help us to trust in you when we are faced with another furnace that we must go through, knowing that you are there with us.

Things I am thankful for in 2008

• our deepening friendships


• sense of belonging to our community


• that I can see God's hand in our lives this past year


• my girls are content


• my husband finds real joy and fulfillment in his work


• God is showing us each step that we are to take...we can trust that His timing is perfect


• dreams and goals that we had and couldn't imagine how they would be accomplished are coming to fruition by the hand of God...for example, we really wanted to start a Biblestudy here in our home and we had no idea how that would happen, but God has orchestrated everything and we begin on January 16th. To me this is a miracle, it was not contrived by me...only a seed of thought planted in our hearts and God's own work to bring it together.