December, in its typical fashion, was full of gifts.
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| I always think of this verse when I think of mom and dad: Psalm 92:14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.” |
My parents were able to join us for the whole month, and we
took full advantage of them! Mom and dad
do member care for missionaries (mostly in Asia).
They are willing to do anything and
everything we ask of them when they visit!
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| Dad checked all our Mavuno children out |
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| Mom gets up close and personal with Hannah's snake, who was, quite unfortunately, "lost" in the house TWICE while she was here! |
We were able to have a mini-marriage retreat at our house one day
with some of our missionary friends.
That was
a blessing, especially since we never have anything like that available in our
area. And of course, it was a gift just
to be together for that long when we don’t see each other often.
One of the biggest gifts of December was Carter and Jake
each asking to be baptized by “Uncle” Bill, a great family friend who has been
very important in the boys’ lives. It
was with great joy that we watched them declare their desire to follow Christ
and we pray that they will follow Him for the rest of their lives!
We spent a quiet Christmas day celebrating the birth of our
Savior, the greatest GIFT the world has ever, ever known.
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| the kids open their gifts at our Mavuno Christmas party |
We don’t dream of white Christmases—they are
almost always sunny and green, and we enjoyed being outside in the beautiful weather. When we first arrived in Africa, we missed
many of the things that we associate with Christmas in America—music, trees,
winter, etc.
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| our annual White Elephant gift exchange is always a big hit :) |
But we have come to enjoy
the simplicity SO much over the years and it has helped us focus on the Reason
we celebrate on a day that outwardly feels much like any other!
Wishing you and yours a beautiful 2013!
John 10:4
When He has brought out all His own,
He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him
because they know His voice!
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| Celebrating the New Year! |
