Dear loved ones, December 2013
Last year was the first year in our entire
marriage that I didn’t send out Christmas cards or photos, at least via email. I
regretted it all year long! I won’t try to catch you up entirely on 2012, but
merely will sum up 2013 the best that I can.
As you can tell from the enclosed photograph,
our kids have grown! Isaac is 14 ½, Abigail is 11 ½, Elijah turns 6 this week,
and Owen is almost 4. The lovely blonde holding our silliest little boy is Julia,
our unplanned, but God-given, German exchange student. She brought additional
laughter and love into our home from the time she arrived on September 2 as a
big sister to our children, and 16 year old daughter to James and me. She just
returned home to her parents, and while we miss her terribly, we know her
family is happy to have her back home. We are thankful for long-term connections
we maintain via international texting and Skype and will be utilizing each
until she returns someday! 100 days with her wasn’t long enough, but it was
plenty of time to love her tremendously and for her to become part of our
family.
Speaking of travel, many of you supported and
encouraged me on my first trip out of the country in May 2012. My experience in
Swaziland dramatically changed my life. As a result, much of the remainder of that
year, and all of 2013, has included great amounts of time spent on increasing
awareness and support for a CarePoint where nearly 200 children are fed daily,
and receive assistance with school fees, basic medical care, and are shown
Jesus’ love. The highlight of this year was definitely returning to Lesibovu,
the CarePoint for which I am sponsorship coordinator, with James, Isaac, and
Abigail. Five other dear friends from our church completed the team that spent
a week loving on the children, and sharing time with the Swazis and our missionary
friends who feed and work with them on a regular basis. We had a layover in
London going and coming, so added another stamp to our passports there and saw
great landmarks in that country as well. You can read more about the work that
is happening in Swaziland and our long-term commitment to being involved at litsembaforlesibovu.blogspot.com.
James continues to work for St. Vincent’s
Home Health as a nurse traveling throughout a several county area. He misses
flying on the helicopter since he left his position at Children’s over a year
ago, and it is truly a sacrifice that he gave up that job for the current one.
We don’t take that for granted and are so grateful to have him home nightly and
on weekends. He remains the best husband and father I could ever imagine, and
we celebrated our 17th anniversary this past summer.
We were given tickets to Auburn’s homecoming
game this year, and enjoyed showing the sights to Julia, and our big kids loved
being back in “the loveliest village on the Plains.” Even more exciting, we’ve
cheered our team on all the way through the season until they’ve now qualified
for the National Championship game. Julia has gotten into the Tiger spirit and
loyally sported orange and blue, jumping for joy at great plays and exciting
finishes along with us.
Sadly, this fall also included the loss of my
precious Mamaw, my last grandparent, and the one to whom I was closest, as I
grew up spending many weekends at her house being spoiled rotten as the first
grandchild. We miss her greatly and cherish memories that remind us what a
great lady she was and what a special part of our lives she will remain.
I continue to serve as administrator of our
church’s cover for homeschooling families and we have grown to well over 100
member families this year. It is an honor and great responsibility to educate
my three younger children, and to encourage others as they do the same. Isaac
began 7th grade at Thompson Middle School last year and had a
wonderful experience, and we were so glad when he again had the same wonderful teacher
this year for 8th grade. He is in a small class of kids with similar
abilities, and enjoys the atmosphere and learning with peers. Mr. Chuck, his
bus driver, is an absolute hero in our book, for being supportive and
encouraging (and a great Auburn fan), and he has made Isaac’s transition to
public school much easier.
Almost a year ago, I connected with a couple
from church who own land and a couple of horses. They were interested in some
help caring for, and spending time with, the horses. Since Abi has always
longed to have her own horse, but it wasn’t financially feasible, we are
grateful to have the opportunity to work twice a week, caring and feeding for the
horses, in exchange for riding lessons for Abigail. It’s a match made in horse
heaven! We are all learning to appreciate God’s intelligent creation of such a
beautiful animal, and the practical side of their care reminds me how great it
is that we can just help with, and not be completely responsible for, them.
Throughout the year, James and I have often questioned “what exactly is God doing in our lives?” as circumstances can be frustrating, and at times, downright frightening. Through financial struggles, car issues, parenting concerns, loss of various kinds, God has continually provided for us, encouraged us through others, and reminded us that His plan for our lives is something we are seeing only a tiny glimpse of at a time. Our study through the Book of James this year at church has been so timely as we are reminded that we are to consider trials as joy, because “the testing of our faith produces perseverance.” As we persevere, so many times, things come into focus and we start to see more of the big picture of what God is doing in our lives. Our prayer for your 2014 is that you will trust Him, and in His plan for you. If you aren’t sure about that, we would love to share more with you about the peace that only comes through faith in Jesus.
We are extremely grateful that you are part
of our lives. Sending lots of love and wishes for a very merry Christmas,
James,
Jennifer, Isaac, Abigail, Elijah, and Owen Vines
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