Reflections on 2015

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his mercy endures forever.” Psalms 136:1

God is good all the time and His blessings are abundant! Rejoice with us as we reflect back on 2015.

• January began with Melanie’s foot starting to improve after some days of very intense pain from the pressure sore acquired from the boot after her foot surgery.
• Charity, having just graduated from Moody Bible Institute in December ’14, began her new nanny job in Chicago, for which we are all grateful, and that she is thoroughly enjoying.
• BJ & Carissa, having been accepted as student missionaries with Chosen People Ministries, were settling into their new off-campus apartment (with greatly reduced rent!) and began their 2nd semester in Jewish Studies at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

  

• Zach, Bethany & Mason were settling into their new campus housing at New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha, WI, and started another semester serving on staff at the school.
• Josh resumed his bus driving job (after having time off to let his broken collarbone heal) and started his 2nd semester at New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha, WI, which he is really enjoying.
• In February, Charity and Chelsea, her friend who also graduated in Children’s Ministry, moved into their new apartment in Chicago.
• We helped host a mini marriage seminar at our church over Valentine’s weekend.
• In March we enjoyed a week-long visit from BJ & Carissa during their spring break.
• Josh had plans with friends for his spring break, so he came home for a quick weekend visit.
• In April we enjoyed having Zach, Bethany & Mason with us for a week of their spring break.
• We hosted some friends/former coworkers from the MK school in Brazil for a weekend and together we attended the wedding of one of our MKs that we taught in Brazil.
• The first weekend of May, John’s brother, David, became critically ill from his chemo treatments and John, along with his dad and sister, flew to Las Vegas to spend 5 days with David. Praise God for his miraculous recovery!
• We hosted in our home several people passing through our area, including a former student from the MK school in Brazil, and some longtime friends/fellow missionaries who work in Mexico.
• In June the Lord provided for us to make a quick trip to Chicago to visit Charity, whom we hadn’t seen since Christmas. We were thankful also to be able to visit the rest of our children in Chicago and Waukesha.
• In July Josh, with continued summer employment at the bus company in Waukesha, came home with Sarah Elroy, his girlfriend, for a week-long visit.
• We made a 3-week trip to Ontario (with a few stops along the way) to visit Melanie’s side of the family whom we hadn’t seen for 3 years. All of our kids also made it to Ontario for a few days to visit the relatives, some of which had not seen a couple of them for seven years!
• August 6th our grandson, Mason, turned 1 year old! We celebrated with him, his parents and other grandparents a few days early.
• A new semester began for us at MTC, BJ & Carissa at Moody, and Zach & Bethany and Josh at NTBI.
• In our home we provided a meal and meeting place for one of our Brazil MKs who came from Chicago so he could meet up with his grandparents who came up from Oklahoma to trade cars as his grandfather had been fixing his car.
• In September we found out that Mason will be a big brother soon! Grandbaby #2 is due in April 2016!
• We hosted some more MKs and friends/former coworkers from Brazil. We are SO thankful for the large, spacious house God has blessed us with, enabling us to host various people, and having room for all our kids and grandkid(s) when they come!
• In October John attended a security seminar in Kansas City along with two other men as representatives from our church.
• In anticipation of not being together with all of our kids during the holidays this year, and not knowing when we would next be all together as a family, we planned a family weekend in Chicago. We were blessed with a wonderful, memorable time with all 10 of us together!
• In November Josh came home for Thanksgiving break, bringing his girlfriend, Sarah, her parents and her brother. The day after they arrived, Josh and Sarah got engaged at their favorite location here at the Lake. We look forward to their wedding in July!
• December finds us making a quick trip to Waukesha to attend Josh’s baptism.
• We look forward to celebrating the holidays with Zach, Bethany & Mason, coming the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
• Our nephew, Jared, and his wife, Sara, will celebrate their 2nd anniversary with a Christian wedding in his parents’ church in Missouri.

We are so grateful for God’s goodness and many blessings in our lives! Our connection with you is one of those blessings!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!