(The last time I sent out Christmas cards it cost me nearly $200 and hours of time, so today I just sent this to those on my email list...Wow, that was cheap and fast!)
Season's Greetings from Darrel, Heather, Brandt, Carson and Jordan!
2008 has been a big year. We have had our ups and downs just like everyone else. We are on a journey to get back to the basics in life, putting first things first. We made many changes this year so we could be home more and available to our boys. I realized how many years I spent running from one meeting to the next and I missed out on so many of the "here and now" moments. No more. It's time to slow down, breathe and just be as a family.
We have been attending a small Assemblies of God church since the fall of 2007. I have enjoyed leading worship with my Dad again. He has been at Family Worship Center for almost ten years and we would visit from time to time. We have enjoyed getting to know some of the folks there better this year, especially the ones on the worship team. In August we came together with other local churches to help with "The Valley Crusade For Christ." The week was a blessed time, unifying many churches and coming together in the common ground we share in Christ. I long for more events like this.
Last fall, we began processing the idea of home schooling our boys. They had been attending Cornerstone Christian School and while we loved the school and all it had to offer, I was yearning for more time with them. I wanted to home school, but knew that I had to wait until Darrel was open to the idea. Finally, he was ready and the journey has been amazing. Such peace has come to our home. The boys miss their classmates, but they so much more relaxed, at ease and content now. They enjoy each other and the fighting and bickering that used to be common place is no more. We wake up each day, start school by 8 and usually they are done with classes by lunch. In the fall they played soccer for CCS and Darrel continued to coach. In January they will play basketball. We throw in lots of other field trips, visits to the children's museum and have company over often to keep them socialized. I love being the one who gets to see their faces light up when they have an "Ah ha!" moment. What a blessing to have them so close to me each day. The afternoons are quiet and laid back, usually spent around their Lego table building new creations.
God is faithful. Even in a time when many are losing jobs, homes and worse, we are seeing His hand of provision in our lives. We live comfortably, but modestly and He stretches our resources each month. Darrel continues to sell Superior Walls, along with whatever else he can do to keep busy at the office--manual labor, accounting, electrical and computer jobs. I have been a consultant with Creative Memories for almost nine years and am blessed by the extras that income helps with. I am wanting to do more with photography, as time and resources allow.
Darrel and I have completed three years with "Christ Quest Institute." We plan to start over in January for the next three years. This course has brought much life and hope to our home. Life Partners Ministry is based in Phoenix, AZ and we have the privilege of being mentored and taught by them each week. We cannot wait to see how God uses our struggles for His glory, and this is the place where we have found the accountability and tools that help us to grow to become more like Him.
For more of our lives, check out my blog at http://hisbestforme.blogspot.com or find me on Facebook!
Blessings and peace to you and yours,
The Baker5
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