Greetings, friends. It has been quite a while since I last shared about our family and what various people are up to, so I figured I’d dedicate this post to that.
Adam is now 17, and is proceeding well through the Running Start program where he gets college and high school credit for taking classes at the local junior college. He is on track for graduating from high school and also getting his AA degree by June 2018. He’s planning to do a mission trip to Mexico with the local youth group this summer.
Andrew is 16 and is pretty ready to be done with school. 😉 He’s looking into options for next year, either Running Start or New Market (job skills training). He plans to play soccer at the high school again this spring.
Alyssa (almost 13) is doing well with her virtual online academy, and we are thankful for this since she can continue her education despite health issues and very low energy. Her struggles are leading to spiritual maturity which is encouraging. She is nearly as tall as the boys.
The kids absolutely love our dog Loki. He is the friendliest four-legged animal around, and his life revolves around fetching the ball and snuggling with the kids. Holly and I had no idea having a dog would meet such an important need in our kids for love and affection.
We’ve been having a colder, wetter winter this year than in the past, which has included some good snowfall (unusual in these parts.) We continue to have nightly devotion times, and the kids actually get into it as we’ve been alternating between studying 1 Corinthians and reading a devotional book (In His Steps by Charles Sheldon).
Both Holly and Alyssa continue to have health problems. As much as I wish I could report they are making improvement, that is not the case. Next week, I’ll share more thoughts Holly and I are developing related to a biblical theology of suffering, something very unpopular in America, but very popular in the Bible.
All the family members continue to be very supportive of my frequent trips to train pastors in Africa. Holly has said that this is her ministry, taking care of the family while I’m away, and she really believes in what we are doing, so that is encouraging.
So we will keep pressing on, by God’s grace and in His strength.
Eric, Holly, Adam, Andrew, Alyssa and Loki.