I wrote a Christmas letter this year, and then had a war with my printer. My personality profile says I have a propensity for giving up...and give up I did. So I decided to put it on here instead!
Friends and
Family,
Merry Christmas! We
pray that this time of year finds you healthy, fruitful, and thankful for our
Savior’s blessings!
We wrapped up our time in Gateway Woods residential in June
of 2012. We had worked with a few dozen
at-risk teens, teen moms, and children of teen moms during our 3 ½ years there. It was bittersweet to leave GW residential,
and especially sad to leave our co-workers.
Tallie and Kaia were both born there, and when we left we had been
married more than twice the time as when we started; a lot of growth happened
in our little family both spiritually and dynamically, while we were at
Oak! (Darren also learned how to replace
sink faucets, light ballasts, and run a tractor…all significant enough not to
go unmentioned!) We still have contact
with some of the teens we worked with, and are thankful that we can be an
influence in their lives.
This summer we moved from the Leo area to Winona Lake (near
Warsaw, IN) and settled in before Darren started classes at Grace College. Britni began working fulltime in the Foster
Care department of Gateway Woods. Until
classes began, Darren was able to spend many of his days with Tallie and Kaia,
to help ease the transition from having two parents around full-time to having
two parents that have fulltime job/school.
The girls are currently taken care of at home by an amazing nanny that
teaches them about Jesus and takes them on educational outings in the area. We are thankful daily for God’s provision in
leading her to our family; she was among 52 applicants for the position, and we
couldn’t be more elated at how much she adds to our daughters’ lives!
This year Tallie has gone from a 2 year old to a mostly-potty-trained,
imaginative, caring, social 3 year old!
She is thrilled that she gets to go to Sunday School. Tallie is an adoring and patient big sister,
always making sure that Kaia has a toy to play with (even if that means tossing
one haphazardly into Kaia’s crib after Kaia has already dozed off) and making
sure Mom knows if Kaia isn’t quite pleased with life. As Tallie’s world expands far beyond the
walls of our house, we are reminded of the great responsibility that God has
placed on our shoulders to raise her in the path of righteousness, to withstand
peer pressure and any influence that Satan may throw at her in the future. We are so blessed to have our cheerful little
talkative Tallie!
Kaia has advanced from a tiny newborn to a tiny 1 yr old
this year! She is our resident Tornado;
she learned to climb the stairs approximately 5 minutes after mastering
crawling, and will throw herself off of any ledge without much thought. Kaia follows her sister everywhere, of course.
She has always been our quiet thinker,
and that is more obvious the older she gets. We can’t wait until she can talk, then at
least we can try to get out of her what she is thinking about. Despite being less verbal (ie. noisy) than her
older sis, Kaia makes sure that everyone knows when things aren’t quite the way
she wants them by screeching J We are on quite the parenting adventure with
her! Kaia is the perfect match for her
bubbly sister, and we can’t wait to see how her spicy yet contemplative personality
develops. Excited to see what the next
year brings (hopefully more words!) for our little Squeak. We are so blessed to have our sober little
cuddly Kaia!
God has brought more blessings into our lives this year than
we imagined possible. He provided us
with a beautiful affordable centurial house to rent while we are here in Winona
Lake. “The Muncie”, as our house is
called, is nestled near a beach, a bike trail, and a fantastic park for the
girls! (Which they went to daily during
the summer/fall with their nanny.) Darren’s mom and my mom are both able to
watch the girls some during the week, which gives the girls lots of much-needed
grandma time! Who knew that God would
lead us to live smack dab between both of our parents; amazing! Darren appreciates his professors,
classmates, and classes. Being immersed
daily in the Word has brought on a renewed adoration for our Savior, and has been
enriching for our family and marriage. I
am enjoying my job as a Foster Care Case Manager, working with foster families
and the children placed in their homes.
The girls are also blessed, and a source of blessing to us. They are soaking up Story Hour at the
library, enjoying new friendships, and finding new favorite things (Playdough!
Fingerpainting! Wagon Rides!). We are
astounded as we look back and see the path that God has lead us on this
year. Daily, hourly at times, we are
reminded that we are in the palm of God’s hand, and that His love for us has no
bounds.
The birth of Christ is celebrated in our culture during a
frigid time of year, when most plants and creatures have gone into hibernation,
awaiting the soft warmth of Spring to renew their energy. We pray that the warmth of God’s Love, and
fervency of our Saviors desire for you to be His keeps you close this season
and gives you renewed strength and excitement for the coming year. May your hearts sing praises of joy, and eyes
be lifted beyond the cradle and to the cross.
Keep us in your prayers, and know we keep you in ours. Please don’t hesitate to visit us if you are
in the area, we would love to give you a tour of our house and show you around
town!
Forever in Christ,
Darren+Britni,
Tallie, Kaia
302 Administration Blvd.
Winona Lake, IN 46590
No comments:
Post a Comment