A New Year Note

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy New Year! We look forward to 2016 even as we reflect on what God has done for us as this year closes.

This year has been one of blessings , challenges, changes, and perseverance.  As a family we have witnessed God's love and mercy, His faithfulness and patience with us, and His reminder to us that He is real and that He cares about every detail of the plans He has for us.

Bryan and I celebrated our 25th year of marriage all year long.  We enjoyed sunny Orlando and even sunnier (except when we were there!) Jamaica as quiet get-a-ways from our busy daily life.   It has been wonderful to reminisce and remind one another of the beginning of our love life together.  How far we've come and how much our lives have been shaped by our love for each other and by the love of God in our lives.

Justin graduated from Grove City College in May and secured a teaching position for the 2015-2016 school year at a Classical Christian school in Beaufort, SC.  We see him (and make room for him) every weekend as he travels 3.5 hours to and from the coast.  It may sound like he's had a hard time separating from us, but in reality he comes home every weekend to see Sarah, to whom he is now engaged! (Yay!)

Joanna started her college career in January at University of South Carolina Lancaster.  She is a teacher's assistant and is balancing classes, work, piano lessons, and teaching Sunday school.  She has been blessed in all her endeavors and truly enjoys life as a college student right now.  She wants to study history and possibly minor in music and will have to decide if she will continue her schooling at USC or transfer to a smaller private college in the next year or two.

Aaron works at Chick Fil A, has been accepted to Liberty University next year, and is in choir, has a garage band, and plays soccer and rugby.  He is in his senior year of high school , always a challenging year trying to figure out what comes next and what to study in college.   He has grown in his faith this year and is a blessing to us as we help him work through all the possible ways he feels called to serve the Lord.

Abigail is in Year 8 in our home school.  She plays soccer, enjoys choir and has good friendships near and far.  She is learning to play the ukulele along with her piano lessons.  She is such a good help to me regularly in the house and a joy to teach.  It will be strange to have only one student in our home school next fall but I look forward to it.

We've seen both sets of our parents this year deal with health stresses that they have faced.  It has been such an encouragement and testimony to us and to our kids to see older saints who are facing life-changing news by trusting in God and calling on His mercy and His healing.   My parents and Bryan's parents are living out their faith and trust in their Savior and do not hesitate to show how much God has cared for them in the big and small things.

It has been a year of reconnecting with family even though we may not see them face to face.  We have had our ups and downs as a family, but feel the love and encouragement even if we can't be with each other in the same room, house, city, state, or even country!  We know that prayers and Christian love surrounds us as we share our lives with one another, even at a distance.

Our hope and comfort has always and continues to be in our faithful Saviour to meet all our needs.   Through disappointments, trials of faith, suffering for Christ's sake, blessings, and trusting in what is unseen but sure, we will face the new year as we did the last: with confidence and joy. 

3 more venues

Missions Organization Venue (Billy Graham Library) All day long it seemed like we would be in for rain and possibly thunderstorms at this venue.  All day long I received cancellations due to illness or scheduling conflicts, too. I tried to not stress about it, but to pray for clear skies and a good turnout from the kids signed up to sing. My prayers were answered.  As I drove out of SC into NC to meet my husband at his work so we could go to the BGL together as a family, the rain ceased. It did not start raining again until we crossed the border again into SC to go home.  Our group gathered behind the library to go over everything before singing. Every one was there by 6:10 --there wasn't as much as traffic because of the threat of rain--so we used the time to practice some of the less-sung carols. We had about 25 singers--they sounded great. I even left my comfort zone and 'fake' directed the kids in their warm up. I think that was more for my confidence than for theirs, because they warmed up their voices just by going through a few carols.  We gathered at the music tent at 7 and 8 to sing for 30 minutes. Even though there weren't a lot of visitors that evening to the BGL, I think everyone who heard the carolers were impressed and blessed by their music. Our contact, Elizabeth, remarked at how gifted the group was; she was impressed that everyone was homeschooled. She also mentioned their good manners and behavior.  As I listened to the group sing, I was reminded of my impressions when hearing them sing at a CYC concert; you could see how much fun they were having, how 'in-tune' they were with each other, the camaraderie and respect they show each other. About half way through the 2nd set, one of the front row guys got the hiccups. Every once in a while it was picked up on the mikes. He took out his water bottle (crackle, crackle on the mike) and took a few swallows, then continued to sing. The singing continued throughout--there were just a few glances around and some smiling facing as the kids heard the mike picking up the small sounds. At one point, I noticed one of the girls missing from the singing faces. I saw her brother turn and look down, then look up and continue singing. Eventually she stood again in the back row and sang. I wasn't too concerned because I felt that her brother would have helped her if she had fainted or been dizzy because he was right next to her.  I was right about him helping. She had a nosebleed, and sat down on the riser. One of the singers handed her a couple of tissues (a guy--these guys are just awesome!). Then her brother took out his pocket knife, pulled his t-shirt out from under his dress shirt, and cut off a square of fabric to hand to her! All this was going on while they sang carols! All I can say is: these kids are just awesome! I love hearing the full sound they have when they are a large group. I love the servant-leader traits they exhibit toward one another and toward those they come in contact. I love the desire they have to do their best and to bless others. Missions Organization Venue As a chaperone to both of these venues on the same day, I must confess that this was a low point day for me. I was very tired the day before, not feeling great, so starting the day early for the SIM venue (we had to be there by 8) was not my greatest desire. Then, upon arriving, finding out that we actually weren't on the SIM calendar did not reduce my weariness. But God knows what will bless and encourage, and He used our unscheduled presence to bless the employees of both SIM USA AND SIM International. He worked it all out for us and the kids came away thinking it was one of the better venues of the season! They were able to carol throughout the office building, surprising the employees after their morning prayer time, after a meeting, as they stopped to listen between phone calls, etc.  Our contact at SIM prayed with us before we caroled; she was excited about springing our 'surprise' caroling on her fellow employees. She called SIM International and arranged for us sing for them, too (a few miles away in SC). The people there served us hot tea and hot chocolate and cookies. They were so appreciative of our caroling.  I learned too, that I wasn't the only one tired; many of our singers had been to the midnight premiere of The Hobbit! I could hardly believe the level of commitment these teens have to Dickens: they were singing at an early morning venue after having only a few hours of sleep, and they were happy to serve and minister even with a glitch in the planning. I think that is what makes working with this group of young people so richly satisfying and edifying: their resiliency, their energy, the underlying love they have for what they are doing and why they are doing it.    Senior Living (Nursing Home) Venue Ok--this venue was hard--there's no way around it. We didn't really have enough singers; it was a mid-afternoon venue; my family who were involved were tired and a bit grouchy; and at the end of it, we saw on the news that young children were killed that morning in their school classroom. Usually when we're done a venue, we leave on a high note (pardon the pun), but not after seeing the TV as we passed the reception room. One of our sopranos (we only had 2) was late in coming so we had to start without her. We had only one male voice--a bass--who did an amazing job singing his part. We asked the listening residents to join in with the carols, and that seemed to help our singers get into the mood of singing. We actually had a fair amount of men listening to us (that is somewhat unusual for nursing home event) and they were singing with us, too. I thought that was a sweet providence since our male voice was all alone.  We were asked to sing for the alzheimer's unit down the hall. Some of those residents also sang along. There were smiles on their faces so we knew we were blessing them with our carols.  I know the Lord uses these experiences to remind us that singing for Dickens isn't about us and what we get out of it. Serving isn't really serving if it's done only when we want to do it, or when we give only what we want to give when we want to give it, without a thought for how the Lord would use us.

Review of Dickens

Hospital Festival Venue

Our family was added the last day to this venue because there weren't enough singers. I was worried before the venue for several reasons. First, it was scheduled right after our 2 hour Dickens Rehearsal that I was leading--I was nervous about leading that rehearsal and wasn't looking forward to chaperoning a venue the same day. Second, I'd had a cold all week and was a little worried that I wouldn't have the energy to be out all afternoon and evening. Third, going to a 'festival' of trees made me nervous; I am not a Christmas Tree aficionado and didn't know what to expect. Lastly, when our group of singers first practiced at the rehearsal, it was evident that they needed a lot more time to practice. Most of the singers for this venue were new to Dickens this year and some were new to choir also. Our group of singers practiced and practiced at the rehearsal, then again at the hospital before we were scheduled to sing. They started to work together as a team, and they prayed for their efforts to be glorifying to God and to those who would be listening. When they finally caroled, they did an amazing job because they had gained confidence and worked with the voices they had so they would harmonize well together. It was really amazing watching the team work in action. And after the venue when we gathered in the little conference room again before leaving, no one wanted to leave. They all sat down at the table and talked and laughed about how it went and what people said. I was blessed to be a part of that group as a chaperone. I knew how hard they had worked to do their best and I knew how much they enjoyed doing it. This venue is caroling in the background; it was so busy in the lobby of the hospital that it was hard to hear anything. But the kids sang from the second floor looking down, and people downstairs were sitting under them, listening. One family commented to one of our chaperones that it is a highlight of their Christmas season to hear our Dickens Carolers. Hospital Venue My kids told me that they sang to some individual patients, one of whom was dying. Her daughter asked the group to sing. They sang Angels We Have Heard on High. The patient couldn't move or respond visibly to them, but they felt she heard them and was listening.  These are the moments when you know that no matter how busy the Christmas season is, you have to heed the call to serve the Lord with your voice and heart. Because the Lord may use that day to gather His children around someone who can hear the Good News one last time before departing this world. rs!