Family of 6, Part 2: 2016

December, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

We are so thankful to God for another year of life and breath here and beyond. We enjoyed time in the Sierras, visiting friends and family in Germany and Switzerland, sharing time with family in New Jersey (where we also took Lily and Trey on a field trip to NYC), Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Monterey. We enjoyed family visiting us for my dad’s 80th birthday celebration, as well as visits from friends near and far.

Carl - He’s super busy at the moment reading a towering stack of books and writing pages and pages of papers for the Doctor of Ministry program at The Master’s Seminary with his coursework due on Friday. It’s been really tough with the death of his father at the end of August. We were thankful for time with Grandpa a few weeks before his death. Carl is a fabulous father who loves to spend time with all of his children. Just now I heard him jump out from a hiding spot and roar at Trey, scaring his son (to both of their delights)! The verse he wants to share is Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

Kerstin - I am quite busy with the growing needs of our family. Although the kids are older, there has been much going on and much need. I continue to homeschool, paint commissions, have 4 children’s books on Amazon/Kindle/iBooks, and work on local pen and inks. I ran a half marathon, swam a mile open ocean swim in Seaside Heights, and enjoyed traveling, as well as lots of field trips. It was incredibly encouraging for me to spend time with sweet friends in Berlin, and family in Bochum, Basel, Nürnberg, and Erlangen. I also treasure time with my sister (even if only on the phone) and the women from our church in Bible study and fellowship. It’s been great to spend time with old friends and make new ones. What a gift. God’s promise from Jeremiah 31:25 encouraged me today: “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Johanna (19) - Sweet Hanna graduated high school in May, and the next day graduated from the EMT Academy! She spent the summer in Alaska at Victory Bible Camp as head lifeguard, health helper, and counselor. Hanna has a knack for the medical, enjoying lots of volunteering as a victim or helping out in the EMT classes. She is taking a full load of college classes while looking for a job in the medical field (EMT, ER Tech…) with the intention of getting a degree in Paramedicine and going through the Paramedic Academy. Some strange, recent medical occurrences have been extremely frustrating as it remains unclear as to why Hanna has passed out and been unresponsive a few times, with the most recent event showing seizure activity. The many tests have not given any answers, so we’ve definitely appreciated lots of prayer from family and friends, as well as trusting that God knows everything and holds it all together. As Colossians 1:17 says, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Magdeline (17) - Beautiful Maggie has had a year of added responsibility (much to her dismay, since she's realizing it’s not super easy :). She got her license, is about to get her motorcycle license, and is taking concurrent college classes during high school. Maggie did well in track, going far in high jump. She is working on learning the guitar and loves music, especially the groups Beautiful Eulogy, I Am They, Shane & Shane, and Steffany Gretzinger. Maggie also spent the summer in Alaska (like Hanna) on full time staff doing lifeguarding and activities. She has had some frustrations with her jaw, and is going in for surgery next week. She is so encouraging, sharing thoughtful notes and Scripture she has recently read. Maggie loves these verses from Mark 12:29-31: “Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Lilyana (12 1/2) - Lovely Lily is so thoughtful. She loves taking people (me :) out to coffee or buying little gifts with money she earns from dog sitting jobs. This year, Lily enjoyed piano, cello, dancing in a ballet show, and playing on a champion soccer team. It’s been a different school year with her attending classes on Thursdays at a local Christian school PSP, getting braces, and fracturing her wrist. Sometimes she feels as if “my life is like a tangled string that isn’t long enough—it doesn’t reach.” Lily likes to say “Goodnight” to each of us many times before settling in for the night. She makes herself and us laugh with silly poems, jokes, and songs. Lily composed this one to sing for Trey:

Sister, sisters,

I have too many sisters.

But I shouldn’t be complaining,

And you should be.

I only have 2,

And you have 3!

Lily seeks to be a light to those around her so that they see Christ in her. Ephesians 1:3-10 is her favorite, which starts out with “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Carl III a.k.a. “Trey” (10 1/2) - Our little guy is not so little anymore. He has crazy energy (I hear him loudly playing soccer and/or basketball in his room as we speak since it’s raining outside…keeping a running commentary the whole time, and later he could be hiding out ready to ambush his unsuspecting dad with a nerf gun or a play sword). He’s funny and loves to make up puns or crack jokes that he can laugh at too. Trey loves planning ahead (usually finishing his school bookwork early in the day), especially when it comes to celebrations. His schooling has also been different with his attending Campus Day on Thursdays, and learning all about fun playground games like four square and nine square in the air. He is playing the violin and the piano, especially enjoying playing songs from Legends of Zelda. When he got a big scrape on his face, he commented that it looked great and “I always wanted a scar across my eyelid.” Sometimes Trey sleeps under his bunkbed, or next to it, stating, “I know I’m weird!” He dreams of a future being a famous video game designer and soccer player. He was chosen for Player’s Choice on his soccer team. A really big deal this year was that Trey wanted to be baptized “because I believe. Jesus saved me. To eternal life. And I am so happy. And when I have problems, I can still be happy.” He was baptized in the frigid Pacific Ocean with many from Grace Church watching. Trey likes Proverbs 30:5-6: “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and God’s peace in 2017.