2015 Christmas Letter: Change

Dear friends and family,


What a year it has been for our family!  When I was thinking about a word to sum up our year, it didn't take long to come up with one. So this year's Christmas letter is brought to you by the word "CHANGE"!

     Abby is 3 years old and is a bundle of energy and ideas. As I type this, she is watching over my shoulder and shouting, "A for Abby!" every time I type her favorite letter. She is having fun listening in and participating when her buddy Ezra learns his letters! She loves singing hymns, pretending and dressing up with Ezra, and having books read to her.


Ezra is 5 and makes us laugh every day. He is easing into PreK and Kindergarten with some school time at home, and he loves joining his older siblings in what they're doing. He enjoyed participating in Cubbies at our church in Texas last year. And he loves imagining all sorts of things, complete with costumes and his little sidekick Abby!




Johnathan is 9 years old and in 3rd grade. He loves that his reading level has now caught up to his favorite adventure and fantasy books.  He's also a fan of all kinds of strategy games like Risk and Stratego, and he loves the creativity of Minecraft.  Johnathan is a faithful helper in behind-the-scenes sort of ways - he and Dad help set up chairs at our Colorado church most Sunday mornings.



Naomi is 11 years old and in 5th grade.  She still devours books and loved singing in the children's choir at church.  Cooking is one of her favorite hobbies, and her family is the beneficiary of the lunches and treats she likes to whip up.  Naomi also has a soft spot in her heart for little children - she's a great babysitter-in-training!











Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17


It's amazing how fast the kids are growing and changing.  But the biggest change for our family this year came at the end of August, when we tearfully said goodbye to our family at Zion Church of Kurten in Kurten, Texas, and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Kevin is now 3 months in to a year as a "church planting resident" with Cathedral Rock Church in Monument, Colorado.  We are partnering with Cathedral Rock and several other churches in Colorado (and beyond!) to start a new church somewhere in the region some time next fall. In the meantime, Kevin is working with the pastors and staff at Cathedral Rock as we get to know the needs in the area.  He is also serving in the community by doing some substitute teaching.

It has been a big change, going from serving at a 120+ year old church to preparing to plant a brand-new one!  After packing up and leaving the parsonage in Kurten, we stayed for 2 months in Rachel's parent's basement.  Then at the end of October, we moved into a rental home in the north part of Colorado Springs.  We've been overwhelmed with gratitude for the financial and prayer support we've received from our family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ in Texas, Wyoming, Hawaii, Colorado, and more!  We're overwhelmed with gratitude for the provision of the house we're living in, the big backyard and nearby parks, our family nearby, the cottage school that had space for Naomi and Johnathan when we moved to Colorado, and the fun of introducing our kids to snow!

In every chapter of life, no matter where God takes us, we are grateful that we trust Jesus, who "is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8)

Merry Christmas from Kevin, Rachel, Naomi, Johnathan, Ezra, and Abigail