Dear family,
It’s amazing how much attention our bodies need. Feeding alone can happen three times a day – let’s
not get started on how we crave sleep, need exercise and avoid pain like
crazy. Just eating and thinking about
what we want to eat can take an abundance of time. Seth cooked lasagna I had made a while back
and froze. He had been eyeing it for a
while and finally it was time. I enjoy
the food. I’m glad Seth put forth the
effort.
Bobby made a friend’s grandma’s recipe of Beef
Stroganoff. It was yummy and his friend
was tickled. How fun, the recipe lives
on 😊.
Middle school group was full of laughter and fun. I played foosball as a pair and was chagrined
when the ball flew through my goalie.
The student’s response, “You had one job, Cristy!” That makes me laugh again as I am writing
it. Youth say the funniest things. I was then challenged to flick chess which I
enjoyed thoroughly even though I lost 5 games.
It’s just so fun to see the pieces fly!
During
the lesson time Bobby mentioned that “C---------- comes E--- to us . .” (Exodus
5:1-22) Bobby asked me to mention the one thing he complains about at
home. I rattled off three and could have
gone further when he realized he might complain more than he thinks. I turned to the female beside me and said,
“He’s a baby whiner.” She said, “But you
love him, don’t you?” And indeed, I do,
very much. Later, I had to ask (because
of his surprise at how much he complains) if I complain at home. He mentioned one thing and couldn’t think of
more. Yup – it’s in us all. The innate ability to feel disgruntled. I like the Message’s 1 Peter 4:1 “Think of your sufferings as a weaning from
that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you’ll be
able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being
tyrannized by what you want.” That sums
it up quite nicely. (The blanks are “Complaining
comes easy to us”.)
High school group had great chats
and fun thinking. I enjoyed
brainstorming with someone who is writing a book that will include characters
based on the people around her. Sadly,
several people will be killed off but that’s OK because they will come back as ghosts.
Bobby tried a joke that I thought
had the best answers. What is free and full
of teeth? One student said, “Me.” When Bobby came back with, “A smile” another
student said, “You think that’s
free? Don’t you know how much the dentist costs!” Ahhh, yes, I remember my parents complaining
about the cost of braces. “We could have
bought a jet ski instead”. Good times.
A fill in the blank that made me
chuckle was this. (Romans 5:25-5)
Understand C--------- actually S--------- us.
A student shouted out, “Communism actually separates us!” Not even close. . it was ‘challenges actually
strengthen us.’
Thursday Bobby and I went on date
night because we could! The food at
Keizer Pho is so yummy I told Bobby that if he drank from the bowl, I would
take a picture. Good times. YUM!
Adriel continues to let me know she
is alive and sometimes we even get to chat, which is special. Because I was wrapping Christmas presents, Adriel
reminisced about how she used to take the boxes of wrapping paper, bags, ribbon,
and such upstairs in her room. It
reminded her of the bounty at the Gilbert house and that gave me joy. That’s as crafty as I get. Present wrapping and scrapbooking.
Friday Bobby went on a retreat with
the middle schoolers. I am thankful we
have other leaders who are willing to go while I can continue to work or – in this
case – meet our new pastor! I am so glad
Pastor Ed, and his wife Leanne are a good fit!
We voted them in, and they might start as early as the middle of December. How exciting.
Yay, God for bringing just the right person at just the right time.
Ahhh, a bright future! May you look forward with delight and look
behind with nostalgic grace and joy. May
your memories of God’s constant provision give you vision for His amazing
future. May you go forth boldly and be
excited about what God can do in and through you. Love and hugs,
Cristy
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