Here's the latest and greatest :)
We had a more than OK Thanksgiving with Caleb's extended family down in Oklahoma (get it? OK - Oklahoma. Gosh I love these jokes haha.) Thanks to God doing His thing, we were able to drive down for the whole weekend and spend the holiday with family. We got to spend some quality time with Mamaw, Caleb's grandma, and met his aunts and cousins, some for the first time. They were so gracious to us and made us feel very welcome. Can't wait to do it again! Though we may wait til the snow leaves.
Lifeline is moving closer and closer to our Christmas party!! It is one of the highlights of the year for the kids. All the kids who attended club consistently receive a free Lifeline hoodie, which kids ask about constantly. On December 19th, they will receive their sweatshirts, as well as Christmas gifts. The gifts are part of the Adopt-a-Child program we do every year. Many families cannot afford Christmas gifts, especially in such a bad economy, so we bring some joy to the boys and girls of Lifeline and each child receives a gift. We had over 100 children adopted by churches, families, and organizations who are graciously willing to love on them. We will try and get some good pictures of the party so you can see some of the kids we work with.
Caleb and I have continued taking kids out to the Dollar Theater on Saturdays. It is such a great opportunity for the kids to connect and see that we love them. This past Saturday we took a boy named Byron and his brother to see The Smurfs. Byron has one of the biggest smile you'll ever see, but also struggles to stay out of trouble in school. His family includes at least ten kids in his home on a consistent basis, so he constantly has to fight for attention, and that fight flows into school and club. When it was just the four of us on Saturday, Caleb and I saw a completely different kid. He was very well-behaved, excited, and thankful to get to go to the movies with us. He said thank you four or five times. It will be fun to see how God uses us in his life, and he in ours, as we continue to pour out love and attention on him.
Caleb has started coaching basketball for Lifeline's sports league, and is learning how to view basketball from a new perspective. I am pretty pumped to go to the games. My job at the bookstore is going well, though it is hard to resist buying books everyday. Christmas break is rapidly approaching and we are headed home for two weeks!!! We're excited :) We will be in Washington December 21st through January 4th, so if you'd like to see us, let us know! We'd love to talk to you about how things are going, and hear how you have been.
Prayer Requests:
- That we can find a way to get to Seattle while we are home. We don' have the money to fly or rent a car, so be praying that we can find a way to get over there and see the Stantons!
- The Christmas party will go smoothly and we can enjoy the children and have fun, rather than have to spend the time keeping them in line.
