Fall / Winter 2011

Yes, this is the same tree from the last post.

Only, less leaves and more white stuff.

In many ways, the CCBCE's fall 2011 semester was a mad dash to the finish line. "Busy" always seems a terribly redundant word around here, but still, it does accurately describe things. The semester itself? Wonderful. It would seem that staff and students alike were blessed and that we - all of us - grew a great deal. As someone rightly said, "Change is inevitable; growth is optional." And I'd say growth happened here these last couple of months. I'd also say that whether we like it or not, growth also requires stretching. Stretching seemed to come in bucketfuls this semester.

Let's all face it, Kara is right:

it's just safer on the sides.

Christmas Eve ice-skating with good friends.

Daddy & Mikayla both enjoying ice-skating

for the the first time.

As for right now on the calendar, we're "busy" doing two different things, and we're doing them at the same time: trying to catch our breath a bit and gearing up for the spring 2012 semester. By the way, Happy New Year! 2012! Amazing.

Christmas Break + Chess = good times all around

Buddy was pretty confident

about this particular chess match.

For this semester coming up, I'll be enjoying the opportunity to teach two classes that will be new ones for me: the book of Revelation as well as a class called "New Testament Synopsis." To be honest, I approach Revelation with a certain sense of fear and trepidation. I also approach it with great anticipation. Revelation is the only book in the Bible that carries a sort of built-in blessing. "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near" (Revelation 1:3). As for the N.T. Synopsis class, we will be embarking on a bit of a crash-course in the closing 27 books of the Bible. Key verses, major themes, etc, etc. I'm very excited for this course as well.

Spring 2012 also brings some exciting news: we will be welcoming two "new" missionary families here to Vajta this year. "New," as in, new to the team here in Hungary. Not new, in that these families have a combined 28+ years of missionary experience. You can be on the lookout for more information in the coming months.

For Christi and me, January 2012 means our 13th anniversary. It also means that Ian will be turning 12. The beginning of '12 also means that we are rapidly approaching the 8-year mark for our time in Europe serving the Lord. All really crazy numbers to me.

2012. Really?

Feel free to pray for us this year. God never ceases to provide for us. We had a bit of...oh, I don't know...bad luck in December. I.D. theft hit us for the first time. Pretty much cleaned out our bank account about a week or so before Christmas. "Awesome" was not the first word that came to mind when I found this out. DON'T WORRY THOUGH...we filed disputes for the hijacked transactions and got it all back. The "good" part of the whole thing was this: perspective. The Foster family really saw God provide for us (we'd also like to say thanks to everyone that had a hand in His work). We also saw that we already have SO much. As American citizens living anywhere on the planet, there's just no way around it: we are super blessed materially. We have WAY more than most any other people. Even if we had nothing new, we already have plenty. All that to say, feel free to pray for God's continued provision in our lives, but also join us in giving thanks for all that we already have!

May our great God bless you and yours in this New Year! 2012, here we come!

Jeremy, Christi, and the kids