December update...

As I sit to write this entry, it’s early Saturday morning. Joel has left for town and the girls are still asleep. I’m enjoying the quiet and the crackling of our fire. I can’t believe that the days go by so fast. We have had a great month. Things “feel” like home in many ways, but we have been doing a lot of adjusting this past month. We have battled some “loneliness” “homesickness” and even “frustration” at how things are different. Let me pause and say thank you for all the encouragement we receive from you. It’s a wonderful thing to be part of a bigger family that lets you know you are loved and appreciated.

The “what” we do each day can be difficult to describe. Overall we feel that we are sensing the “beginnings” of being accepted in this new community. It is the little things that seem to happen at just the right moment to encourage us to keep pressing forward. Joel has had various opportunities to meet up and develop relationships with individuals where they are at, through their work/life. Examples of this include visiting a logging site and also spending two days helping someone gather cattle. My days are mostly spent with the girls, I’m so thankful to be able to be full time mom and wife. We spend one day a week (normally Wednesday) still coming together as a team (Sewell’s, Gillaspie’s, and Horsman’s) to fellowship, be in the Word and Prayer, and continue to learn and develop the way will work together. The other scheduled events we have are Community Wellness (every Tuesday evening); which is a family oriented night where different activities are taking place simultaneously (i.e. exercise, crafts, games, etc.) and our Sunday morning service that is an avenue for discipleship and fellowship with other believers in the community. Along with these activities we have various opportunities to join in on community events, for example I will be joining Joel in town today to take part in a celebration that is being held for a recent victory in court concerning land settlements. Another highlight of our month has been a fun evening in Williams Lake with other believers; some who used to live in our community but for the time being are in town.

We are doing well as a family. We have been challenged to use this time to set good habits and grow in areas of our spiritual walk. The girls are doing well; they are such a blessing and so much fun. Well I should go and start getting ready for our day. Thanks for taking time to be a part of our lives.

Amanda (for Abigail, Ruth, and Joel)

PS (for those who are interested) Though this new family picture may not show it, our winter has finally arrived, and right now we have over 12” of snow and temps have dipped as low as -24 (F).