Christmas, 2007

“That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!” Philippians 2:10-11

Hello, Everyone!
We did not get a chance to get a Christmas letter out with our cards this year, so this blog entry will just have to suffice. We have been so busy this year with various things, most of which have been really fun, and we are looking forward to what the next year will bring.

On the job front, Wesley is continuing with his job at the College of Education IT department at Purdue. He really enjoys his job, and he hopes to stay at Purdue for a long time. As for Sara, she officially quit her job at BASi at the end of May. However, we guess they just couldn’t get along without her (just kidding!), so they called her in July to work on a special temporary project. The good thing about it is that she can work on it part-time at home. And get paid more than she was when she permanently worked there! So, she took the job, and has being doing that ever since. Since the job is only temporary, she was scheduled to be doing it until the end of this year. But, true to BASi fashion, it will continue until at least next April. It is nice that Sara can work at home, though, and she is enjoying the freedom that brings. In addition to that job, Sara has also been baby-sitting for a couple of afternoons a week for a child of a friend from BASi. Brooke’s daughter, Maya, is currently 4 months old, and what a cutie she is! Sara has been enjoying that immensely.

As for our church this year, it has been a year of exciting changes and transitions at Faith Baptist. Our Community Center opened in July to much enthusiasm. In the fall, our friends Doug and Karen Helmer left our church and ABF (Sunday School class) to embark on a new adventure with church planting though Harvest Chapel in Chicago. We are so excited for what they will be doing for Christ through that ministry! Since that change, we have a wonderful new leader in our class. Pastor Rob Green has been such a blessing to our ABF, and we look forward to learning from him and growing with him in the future. We were very involved in the “Christmas for Everyone” program again at church, and, of course, the Christmas musical. Another new adventure with which Sara will be involved next year is our church’s “Vision of Hope” ministry. Vision of Hope is a residential treatment facility for young women struggling with unplanned pregnancies, eating disorders, and addictions. Our church is very excited to be able to start this important ministry, and Sara is as well. She has been attending training for the past few months, and the doors are set to open January 1st, 2008.

This year has also been another year of exciting travels for us. In January, we went with Sara’s Mom and Dad to St. Augustine, Florida, for another of Sara’s Dad’s conference trips. It was so nice to get to go to Florida in January even though it was still a little chilly. St. Augustine is a fascinating place to visit historically. We had a great time taking the trolley around town and also finding some great places to eat! We found a great little restaurant called “Scarlett O’Hara’s” that served some of the best barbeque we have ever had. (Sorry South Street Smokehouse!)

In June we decided with Sara’s Mom and Dad to take off to South Dakota for a road trip. We rented a mini-van and drove from Indiana, through Chicago, across Wisconsin, across Minnesota, into South Dakota and ALLTHE WAY ACROSS South Dakota, down into Nebraska, all the way across Iowa, across Illinois, and back home again to Indiana. The trip took 8 days, and it was a great trip. We saw so many neat things, including Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, buffalo at Custer State Park, Wind Cave, mammoth remains at Hot Springs, Deadwood, the Homestead of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s family, the Corn Palace, Wall Drug Store, the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Rozenblat Stadium where they play the College World Series, and even where Wesley graduated from high school—Bellevue East! We had so much fun touring that part of the country. Sara had never been to any of those places, so she was really excited to see it all!

In September, we were invited by our good friends Troy and Sherry Cole to go with them and another couple (the ever-cool James and Kristal Arnold!) to Orlando, and we jumped at the chance. We had wanted to take an Orlando trip for a long time, and this turned out to be the perfect way to go. Wesley and I flew down on a Friday and spent a couple of days at Universal Studios before meeting up with the Arnolds and the Coles to do the Disney thing. We all stayed (along with Sherry’s sister, Jolene) in a condo that Troy and Sherry had set up, and we had a great time! We spent 5 days visiting the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and MGM. We laughed and “played” and relaxed and had an awesome time! Thanks, Troy & Sherry for inviting us!

The next few blog entries have a few pictures from our many adventures this year.
We hope everyone is doing well, and drop us a line or send an e-mail anytime!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!