wrapping the year~

The days of 2014 are drawing to a close, and we have had such a sweet finish to the calendar year here.  December started with a fresh anticipation of Crampaw, Grammy and Michael's visit.  We hadn't expected their return this winter, but were hopeful after great news of improving health.  The call came around Thanksgiving time that they were on the hunt for tickets! 

Within 24 hours of their arrival, we headed to the local live theater to see a great production of A Christmas Carol. My sweet neighbor friend joined us as well. ☺

FirstMan has spent most of the month of December up in Wake Forest, NC.  After 5 years at TCBC, the church provides their pastors with a 4 week sabbatical to use as they choose.  My guy chose to use his doing research with his mentoring PhD professor on campus (as he would say, "using his thinkatron" for the Lord's work). His prof is deep into research of Fran.cis.Schaeffer's personal journals, letters and transcripts.  Adam has been working through spreadsheets, articles and various items of interest to help with the research. 

 

Thankfully, we have enjoyed having him home through the weekends, and for these 2 weeks right through Christmas and New Years.  He has one week left that he will spend there with Will (he has taken our other 2 homeschool kids on other weeks).  The week he was there that the grands were visiting, we all headed up there for a tour.  After spending the night in the spacious, borrowed parsonage with him, we all enjoyed a lovely day on the seminary grounds with gorgeous weather and the opportunity to leaf through Schaeffer's Bible full of notes- what a treat!  The seminary was given custody of these precious gems and Adam's prof will likely write a book based on the research of these many items.  

We had our Christmas with the Grands and Michael on their last full day here (21st), then made a quick drive to Columbia, SC on the following evening to join more Nebraska loves at Liz.ard's_Thicket diner (southern food, they don't serve lizard, FYI).  GREAT catching up with them on their way down to Florida for a family Christmas.

Christmas Day was the icing on the cake, as we learned earlier that week that we had an opportunity to invite some precious ladies from the community to join us for Christmas dinner that have fallen on hard times and have found themselves without a home.  One was about the age of Adam's mom, the other about 20 years younger and came with her teenage daughter.  Both of these women had a COMPLETELY different set of circumstances that brought them to this difficult point in their life's journey, and we were blessed to share a meal, prayers, hugs, laughter and just a whole bunch of the heart of Jesus with them that afternoon.  I can say with full confidence that my husband and I will NEVER forget how precious this Christmas was for us, for our family, and hopefully for these sweet gals who we pray God will lift from the valley and set their feet firmly on solid ground soon.  I am convinced that when God prepares your heart for a particular ministry, no fear, misconception, or obstacle need block His placing that desire to serve Him by loving the forgotten such as these.  As the song goes, "Give this Christmas away.  If there's love in your heart, don't let it stay there."  We are SOOOOO glad we did.

We eagerly look forward to what God has for us in 2015.