The A-Team 2016 Christmas/Year-End Update

It's a beautiful warm Christmas morning here in Taipei, Taiwan. I sit here reading last year's newsletter, trying to capture what this year has been like!

So, let me start with our 2016 Formal Family Portraits --

I asked each person to give me a 1-1-1, meaning one word to describe 2016, one word to describe 2017 and one verse of focus.

Alan
2016: Sorrow/Grief
2017: Contentment
Verse:

Isaiah
2016: Fast
2017: Freedom
Verse:

Abby
2016: Strengthened
2017: Release
Verse:
Lovely
2016: Love
2017: Miracles
Verse:

For 2017, our family verse will be Luke 1: 37 --

Please do keep us in your prayers.

Isaiah will be starting university in 2017. We continue to pray that he will test well enough to attend Soochow University where Alan is teaching. The Joint College Entrance Exams will be on January 20-21, 2017. He also hopes to get his scooter license in 2017! A dear brother in Christ has already given him a second hand scooter!

Abby will be a senior in 2017, which means she won't be able to go back to the States in the summer of 2017. She will have to stay to 'cram' for the JCEE. Isaiah and I will leave for the States on June 6th. I will return on July 8th but Isaiah will stay until August 1st. Alan will be in the States from July 8th to September 9th.

I will again be speaking at New Beitou Baptist Church for 2017, even though they have a full time pastor. The pastor and congregation decided that they would still like for me to come once a month. Furthermore, I might continue to share from the pulpit at HOP as our pastoral family has decided to resign by May of 2017 in order to become full time farmers down in the Miaoli area. It was a huge surprise to all of us. I'm not sure when the Lord will provide the pastoral leadership for HOP. Until God does, I think I will be sharing from the pulpit. Please remember to pray for me as I prepare each message.

Alan continues to enjoy his job at Soochow University. He will be in charge of a major debate competition in March/April of 2017. Twelve schools will be participating in this competition. In his free time, he plays tennis and basketball, goes to the school workout room and jogs at the River Park. But he will tell you that he is slowing down! And he follows the Chargers and the Padres faithfully, getting up at 2 am or 3am or whenever necessary just to catch their games!

We don't know what 2017 will bring... but we know the One who holds our lives! He is faithful and good and we celebrate His birth, not only today but every day!

Seek Him First!