12/25/17

Dear Family,

Merry Christmas!!  I just read a great book that introduced the concept of God’s sacrifice.  Losing a child is hard.  I can only imagine the loss Jesus and God felt when Jesus came to earth.  Philippians 2:6-8 New International Version (NIV) says about Jesus that although he is in the ^{6b “}very nature^[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!”

We rejoice because their great sacrifice is our gain.  Our library will hold the book “There’s a Sheep in my Bathtub” by Brian Hogan as soon as I put laminate on it. 

Choosing to ponder the significance of God’s great sacrifice is the least we can do.  We are blessed to have our church facilitate these thoughts with a fantastic Christmas Eve service at West Hills Community Church.  I always find lighting candles to be significant and beautiful.  We met a person named Ben who will be deployed soon to be in a submarine for three months at a time.  That he joined our family for communion was special.  That he complimented Adriel on her voice was sweet. 

            How fun to celebrate and enjoy parties!  All year I enjoy looking for white elephant gifts at the Union Gospel Mission for the Youth Group White Elephant exchange.  This year I truly enjoyed going to the party and seeing the reception of the presents.  The youth fought over a Gorilla Mask and large Sperm Whale that squirted water.  I love to laugh and laugh we did.

            We also enjoyed a party with our Homegroup.  How fun it is to gather and enjoy each other’s company.  How yummy it is to share snacks and time.

            Bobby has been a dear this week.  I enjoyed watching Star Wars with him on Monday.  He is good company, and I am glad we are still in love after 21 years.  Bobby also let me into the church to do some library work this week.  I am having a wonderful time putting laminate on books to make them more durable.  It is nice that Bobby can be there for me even when the church is empty. 

            Bobby cooked a fantastic meal for us.  We were able to visit with Mom Webb, Dad VanKleek, his girlfriend Sandy and Caren VanKleek.  It was nice to eat yummy food, and open Christmas presents with them.

            Bobby rescued me from my silliness.  We usually keep the kitten out of our room because of the dead mouse incident.  One night I didn’t.  While I was sleeping, I felt something very soft and tiny next to my pillow.  I gasped with enthusiastic emotion but didn’t wake up because I figured out it was Ripley's paw.  Bobby was coherent enough to get up and put her outside.  My hero.

            Adriel smiled at me for a picture.  Her smile is special now because I usually get frowns or silly faces.  Teens! 

Adriel also cracks me up.  Bobby invited youth over to our house impromptu.  Adriel heard of this and vacated immediately.  Apparently, she is allergic to Junior High kids.  She can handle the 4-5-year-olds.  Adriel just isn’t called to help with the Junior High group at this time in her life. 

            Seth and Adriel helped clean!  They are a blessing when they do what I tell them to do without complaining. 

            Before relatives came over, Gbod showed me how blessed we are.  As I cleaned, I felt lead to pray for refugees who had to leave all their stuff behind.  God wanted me to know that cleaning is not horrible – cleaning shows I am taken care of and truly blessed.

            That God came down and slept in a manger does show how much we do not need “stuff” to survive.  I know there are people cold and hungry today.  I am thrilled Caren gave “Chickens” to people in need for me.  We can only do so much.  Isn’t it wonderful that God is in control and not us?  I can pray for those in need and give to God’s work; I can do my part.  God, who is love, is in control.  He says, ^“29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^[a] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  Matthew 10:29-31 New International Version (NIV)

God cares, He is in control, He has sacrificed and continues to be involved in our lives.  He came down as a baby.  He sacrificed all, and we are free to celebrate His love.  May you feel his blessing in your life.  May you rejoice in His grace.  May your heart be full this Christmas season no matter how much “Stuff” you have or don’t have.  May you know the most important gift of all is Jesus Christ, come down to earth.

Much Love,

Cristy

Christmas letter 2017

Merry Christmas,

            How beautiful it is to share life with each other and celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.

            I enjoyed looking through my journal for this year to highlight the things that made us laugh or were interesting.  May they bring you joy.

Visiting Newport as a family this year was delightful especially since our expectations were meagre.  Seth was especially glad to find out that the Wax museum was much more interesting than he imagined.  He thought it would just be pieces of wax.  I teased him, “And over here is some ear wax circa 1945.”

Adriel wanted to revisit the “Now she can date because she’s 16” rule this year.  She wanted to know if this meant she could have a boyfriend.  Oh boy, Bobby’s heart rate rose, he had a lot of trouble with this.  He said, “Well, I don’t know about that.  Maybe, if you want to have a significant other or a special friend, only date in groups.”  Sigh – She wants to respect his wishes and said she would.  Meanwhile, I feel frustrated!  For crying out loud – I just want to know the guy's name!!!  I made Bobby say it, “Say, Boyfriend.”  He did, but was pleading, “Can’t you wait another year?”  I know his first kiss was at the age of 21 and that this is good, it is a good thing.  I guess he’s right.

            Adriel cracked me up one week.  She was angry because her hair was pretty, she had to go to marching band, and it was raining outside.  How could her hair do this to her on a day where it would just get ruined.  Oh, the angst of being a teen.

I baked some yummy food.  Seth asked, “What is that for?”  When I said, “Me.”  His response was, “Not anymore!”  Its fun to share and I don’t mind as long as I am appreciatedJ.  For some reason, Seth’s comment brought a smile to my face, and I felt lovedJ.

Seth said his Spanish teacher is funny, “She calls her kids at home ‘little terrorists.’” 

            I brought home a fun new fruit called Jack Fruit.  When Adriel asked what it was, she felt like I was racist!  She heard me say, “Jap fruit.” 

Being the church librarian is so very, very fun.  I enjoy featuring books and asked Bobby if he thought I should highlight a specific text.  He said, “As long as you don’t get me fired.”  I show him the title, “When not to obey your parents.”  “No,” Bobby says, “Don’t feature that book.”  There are so many hilarious titles!  We also have, “How to make people like you when you know they don’t” and “Interviewing Your Daughters Date, eight steps to No Regrets.”

            Adriel can be very expressive and loud especially when she is gaming online with her friends.  Bobby doesn’t like the quietness shattered and mentioned that maybe we could spray her with water.  This is hilarious, and my imagination had a hay day.  I said, “No” because we all know Bobby would have way too much fun.

A little boy gave Adriel some marbles for Christmas last year.  It was a delightful way to show love.  When Adriel cleaned out her room, I donated the marbles to our church Sunday because there are toys for the kindergarten kids that use marbles.  I brought them to the Sunday school room, and the teacher said, “Now we can bring a certain toy out!”  Apparently, the toy had no marbles anymore.  The one person most excited about this was the little boy that gave the marbles in the first place!  I didn’t tell him where they came from, but I felt that Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." is genuinely modelled here.  We can’t out give God.  Also, this increases my faith; God owns everything – he cares for us.  He is in control and makes sure we are taken care of.  His timing is perfect. 

Bobby bought a new game, and it was enjoyable to play with him and Adriel.  One of my favourite things about the game is that Bobby knows the maker of the game.  Since we sometimes disagree on rules, it was super that Bobby could text the creator to resolve our differences.  It was great.  In life, we also have a mediator who is the creator.  I am reminded of prayer and how God can be our mediator as well.  Everything is better when we are in touch with our creator.

            Wasn’t the eclipse unusual?!!  My most significant thought was that, If the sun went dark when Jesus died – yes, that would get a lot of people’s attention!  The eclipse was a way bigger deal than I expected and I am glad.  It felt special to see God arrange the sun and moon that way; His power was displayed for all to see.  I am so happy our entire family woke up and was willing to gather at the church to view the eclipse from the grassy field.  Experiencing that with family and friends was fun.

Other highlights of the year are: Bobby is now ordained, my dad survived a mini-stroke, Adriel and the Marching Band won regionals in San Jose, Seth is now in High school, and we have a cat who chases balls, bells and darts.  Her name is Ripley.

May you find joy in those you encounter.  May you be so filled by God that you can fill others.  May you delight in this beautiful, incredible Christmas season.  Much Love,

Cristy and the VanKleeks

12/18/2017

Dear Family,

                Have you ever had good advice that you just didn’t take?  I have told one of my children over and over again to put the heat register where it belongs.  Adriel loves to crank up the heat, take the heat register out of the floor, place it aside, place her feet in there, add a blanket and just bask in the warmth that flows under her desk.  Ahhhh, but when she leaves the register cover to the side, the kitten can bat a ball, hair tie or paper clip down in there.  That is annoying.  Forever, things are lost.  There seemed to be no reason to obey until one day the kids couldn’t find the kitten.  They thought maybe she went down the register and would become a toasted piece of meat.  I believe there was panic.  But what could they do, they had to go to school.  So they went, and they worried.  No one knows if Ripley was in the depths of our house and came out – but one thing I do know – Ripley is in good health, and the register is placed back where it belongs every time.  Nothing like a little panic to help matters along.

                 Seth reminds me of myself.  He doesn’t care that much about clothes.  Every Sunday he wears the same black shirt and black shorts or pants.  Every Sunday.  I didn’t think much of it until last week when we wanted to match for a family picture.  We couldn’t have him wear that black shirt because he wore it in last year’s family picture.  I had him try on the other dressy clothes in his closet.  They were either not comfortable, Hawaiian print or too small.  Goodness!  I went and bought him five shirts.  Yeah – he has new clothes.  I had him wear one for pictures and then told him to please wear a new shirt to church.  He refused!  What is this!!  Someone gave me this advice when I was early married, “You need to dress nicer, so it looks like you are being taken care of.”  I told Seth of this, and he doesn’t care.  Sigh, comfort seems to be the only thing that matters to him.  He did wear a different shirt to Church that day – too bad for me it was also black with a collar – looks the same.  The joke is on me.  This reminds me of Johnny Cash or Ian Malcom (Jurassic park).

                Our whole family battles a cold.  I win over colds because I not only value sleep, but I relish it.  I can sleep well and long.  I also use preventative medicine; cold calm, cold Eze and Zicam.  The rest of the family – well, the kids were diagnosed with Asthma when they were little, so maybe that is a factor.  Bobby hates to sleep and feels like he is checking the clock every ten minutes.  Poor guy – so he did stay home Monday.  Adriel stayed home Tuesday – and both were miraculously better Thursday in time to go to the new Star Wars movie.  (They enjoyed this very much.)  Now they still have symptoms when they haven’t had enough sleep.  Adriel was very excited that on Saturday she was able to take a nap.  The whole family seems to be getting better – please continue to pray for our bodies to fight well and be healthy.

                Christmas carolling with the youth group was very fun.  I enjoyed being in Bobby’s team visiting Capitol manor.  Singing for people brings joy to both them and us.

                Love is giving the kitten to someone.  It’s fun to see Seth do this for us and it is fun to do it for him.  Our purr box is a gift we can give each other for a turn.    

Bobby and I enjoyed a lovely gift card to Bobby’s favourite restaurant to frequent with me (Orupa).  Bobby has a lot of favourite restaurants, but I can’t handle fat on any meat, so this is the place I complain about the least.  (Steakhouses are out.) The Serve-safe food managers training has ruined me for several other places.  Thanks Matt Torres J!

I enjoy watching Seth encounter any technology new or old.  I was able to get a free video camera (for Seth) from Buy Nothing West Salem, and Seth likes it J Yeah!!

Adriel had several Babysitting jobs to do, and it was lovely to know she enjoys the kids as much as they delight in her.

Bobby and I enjoyed a Christmas party with Deacons and pastors.  We gave each other fantastic food, and Pastor Marcus facilitated a gift of kind words.  It’s fun to feel all gooshy inside and to appreciate each other.  We also heard some of his vision and were encouraged to stay the course.  Delightful!

One of my favourite yearly practices is the night in Bethlehem.  It’s fun to have young and old experience the sights and sounds of Bethlehem.  There is also a spice shop, so some good smells as well (thank goodness not the bad smells).  I had a blast telling people (as a shepherd) about the glowing, floating man in the sky telling me about great news!  Hamming it up is a blast.

May you find this Christmas season brings pure joy and peace.  May you delight in the yummy foods people give.  May your hearts rejoice that Jesus cares so much about us.

Love and Hugs,

Cristy

12/11/17

Dear Family,

            Even in the wintery, blustery cold, there is beauty among us.  The lights are beautiful!  I am glad humanity chooses to give time, money, and effort into keeping landscape cheery. 

            I am also glad Bobby chooses to cook.  This week he made some Chinese food, and everyone loved it. 

I also chose to make something this week.  I made cookies.  I have been buying whole wheat flour, so when we ran out of the white, I used whole wheat.  I believe there is nothing wrong with whole wheat cookies.  The kids thought otherwise.  Seth gagged and spat his bite out.  Drama in real life!  The next day I went out and bought white flour – goodness.  After I checked out Adriel had to text me saying, actually, the cookies were good – when she added frosting.  She had eaten four. I had to laugh – teens keep surprising me.

Adriel’s had no time at home because of, “Winter at West.”  They had practice and then performances every night last week– two on Saturdays.  I am so glad that is all done!

Seth cracks me up.  He loves playing with Ripley – she runs to catch things he throws.  He also enjoys petting her.  She will just lay spread eagle on his lap.  I wish Seth would let me take a picture of them without wrenching the phone out of my hands and deleting them immediately.

I enjoyed helping with the youth group and attending HomeGroup.  Bobby leads well, and it is fun being more part of his life.

Bobby also went to a play at Western Mennonite.  Several youths were actors, and I wish I had been able to go. 

Bobby and I also enjoyed attending Jacob Young and Rebecca Elmer's wedding.  They are adorable and are very excited to be married.

            Seth is excited to inherit Bobby’s old laptop.  I am glad Seth is getting some use out of it.  It’s dying.  Seth also mowed the lawn this weekend.  What a great guy J.

            May you feel joy and excitement as you anticipate the celebrations to come.  May you give love to all around you.  Hugs,

Cristy

            

12/4/17

Dear Family,

            Life certainly remains interesting!  Bobby cooked several yummy meals.  It was great to hear the kids compliment him.  I enjoyed a date with Bobby, and it’s terrific that he remains good company.

            This week was awards night for Marching band.  I enjoyed listening to their silly awards and hearing the director talk of how he figured out they were going to win regionals.  He judges competitions, and was thinking, “Well, we are better than that one, and that one . . . “  He said while they played he was shaking and crying because he just knew.  It was fun to hear that he was that excited.  He wants to bring them to Nationals next year.  Goodness!  It was nice that Adriel thanked me for going.

            Seth greeted me at the door one evening with, “Do you want the kitten?”  That’s one of the sweetest things someone can say to me!

            The youth group was a bit empty around 6:30 PM and Bobby said, “They usually don’t come the night after a holiday.  About 6:35 we had record attendance with friends of friends attending.  It was fun to feel the energy and to see the excitement youth always bring to the table.

            Bobby braved the great outdoors to get our tree all by himself this year.  It was great to come home to a tree already set up.  What a guy!

            I enjoy watching Bones with our family.  She is charming, and I like how she says, “I’m not that good with social skills.”  It’s nice to see someone portrayed as apologetic and kind instead of pompous and overbearing like House or Big Bang.  (House just went downhill.  He’s so nasty I had to stop watching.)

            Our kitten cracks me up.  She chases balls, bells, and nerfs darts.  Seth enjoys shooting Nerf darts and watching her run to get them.  What fun! 

            I am so thankful for the joy and peace Jesus brings to our household.  We are modelled forgiveness and can work out life together.  May you find comfort in knowing your sins have been paid for.  May you rejoice that God came down to us and wants to relate. 

Much Love,

Cristy