There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
Isaiah 11: 1-3a
Isaiah turned 14 and is now an 8th grader. Some of his highlights from this year include going on his overnight wilderness camping trip, his school Athletic Meet in which his class won the relay, English Reading and Speech Contests, badminton competition (his class came in first), improving his drumming skills, growing taller than his mom, and his first outreach activity with his youth group. The verse that he is trying to live out for this coming year is
Gal. 2:20 --
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The word he would use to summarize this past year is -- CHANGE!
Abigail turned 13 and is now a 7th grader. Some of her highlights from this year are: graduating from elementary school, going on her awesome graduation trip, winning the Watermelon Basketball Competition and being the MVP of the tournament, attending youth group, hanging out with cousins and friends this past summer, meeting a lot of Mom and Dad's old friends from Evergreen days, and celebrating her entry into being a teenager. The verse that she loves to proclaim for this new year is I Corinthians 10:31 --
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God."
The word she would use to summarize 2012 is -- FULFILLING!
Lovely officially retired on August 1st and is loving it. Her days are filled with fun and interesting things. Being retired has given her time to rest. She thought it would also give her more time to run, but that has not yet happened. By March 31st of 2013, she would also be officially "over" menopause. Yes, you read that correctly! Her only side effects thus far have been fatigue and hot flashes. She knows that God is carrying her through this season of her life with joy and grace. The verses that are being spoken over her for this coming year are
from Isaiah 12: 2-3,
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salation."
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
The word that she would use to summarize this past year is -- FREEDOM.
Alan continues to enjoy teaching at Soochow University. Although there is pressure to conduct research or to join conferences, he has no complaints. With Lovely being retired, he can step away from most of the homeschooling responsibilities and concentrate on his school work load. He plays tennis and basketball on a regular basis and sometimes he runs. His body feels certain aches and pains, but that has not stopped him from playing sports. This past year has been special to him as there have been many opportunities to see friends who no longer live in Taiwan. The verse that he is meditating upon for
this new year is Isaiah 62:6-7 --
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.
The word that he would use to summarize this past year is -- HEALING!
Happy Chinese New Year!
Our family verse for 2013 --
Luke 6:45
"The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good,
and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil;
for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."
As we look towards 2013, we ask you to be praying for the following requests --
1. For Isaiah to have a heart of obedience and relief from his continual struggle with allergies
2. For Abigail's homework load and to have perseverance
3. For us to honor God in our marriage relationship and parenting style
4. Favor for Alan at his school
5. Wisdom for Lovely in all that she does
6. Service opportunities at HOP and during the Spring Break
7. Our hearts to yearn for more of Him and less of self
Seek Him First!
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