New Years Greeting from the Lotvolas
Christmas has come and gone and the house is still empty. We are holding down the fort while all our German colleagues are at home enjoying their time with families and friends. I always enjoy the peace and quiet in this time. We catch up on reading, hobbies, and this year the girls have enjoyed playing in the snow. It wasn't a white Christmas here, but a couple days afterwards the flakes started to fly. It has even been cold enough out for the snow to stay so our ladies can play hard and sleep soundly.
Since today is the last day of 2014, it's natural to look back on the year and contemplate what has happened in the past 365 days. We have all grown. It's easiest to observe in the girls. Anika is now 8 and in 3rd grade. She has shot up and we are beginning to have non-kid conversations with her. A couple of weeks ago I found myself in a discussion with her over baptism. She's a lovely little lady who like school because of her many friends, but doesn't like math too much. She's getting it though.
Naomi is 5 and looking forward to being 6 in March. She isn't in school yet, but is one of the biggest kids in pre-school, (which is called Kindergarten here). Naomi is our spunky one. She loves adventures and "fighting" with papa. Whenever she can she tries to coax me into wrestling with her on the floor of the living room. Also at the end of our meals she more often than not will slide out of her chair and climb onto my lap for a quick cuddle.
Madeline, or Maddie, is the boss. Of course she is the youngest of our troop, but has the personality of a lion. She a leader and will often pretend to be a jungle animal. Of course she has her tender side. She can often be seen dressing her babies and driving them around the house in their baby tram. She has been going to kindergarten for about 6 months and her German is just as good and any German kids. It's amazing raising bilingual kids. Sometimes we bust a gut laughing at the sentences they put together.
The discipleship program is going well also. Hard to imagine that on March 28th we will have been here seven years. Most of that time we have been in charge of the discipleship school we have in the house. With our good friend and co-worker, Anna, we are able to make this thing work. We have ups and downs. When we get to know these kids we often find lots of brokenness and pain. But by the grace of God we get to see healing an growth as well. Sometimes it comes in dramatic ways and sometimes slowly with time. To God be the glory.
The church on the other hand has stabilized. We still have about 30 people when everyone come to a Sunday service. I have to remind myself, it's not about numbers, it's about disciples. I can get down and out sometimes when I remember the reason we came to Deutschland was to see a church planted and stable. But our focus has changed to work with the discipleship program AND the church. Growth on the church is something you can all pray for. Not just numbers, but depth.
Bird is an awesome wife and mom. I really couldn't have asked for a better wife. She is busy with the kids most of the time, but has learned to enjoy her mornings when the girls are at school or kindergarten. She has a group of friends as well who she drinks coffees with. Over the break she crocheted her first winter hat. Always industrious.
Me? Well, I'm doing alright. When I'm not preparing a sermon, a seminar, or attending some type of get-together/meeting, I like to find time to go out to the garage and make something out of wood. It's my man-cave really. I have really enjoyed it over the last year and a half or so. I've made some nice pieces of furniture for ourselves and friends.
When I look back at the near seven years I can clearly see the hand of God working to provide for, care for, encourage, and lead us. I'm sure that if we were somewhere else we might take his hand for granted and not thank him for his goodness in our lives. I am astounded at how our pitiful efforts can be used for his glory in this dark place. We simply follow him and he works things out through us. The Israelites knew this and often forgot. As they were about to move into the promised land Moses recalled the wilderness years. He said to the people, "For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing." He's still the same with us today. Always faithful and true to his word.
Tonight we are having friends over and celebrating the New Year with a nice meal and when the bell tolls we'll shoot some rockets off. Whatever might happen this coming year, somehow I think 2015 will be alright. He will provide, both for food and fireworks. He alsways has and always will.
Be blessed with peace and love from our corner of Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Mike
Since today is the last day of 2014, it's natural to look back on the year and contemplate what has happened in the past 365 days. We have all grown. It's easiest to observe in the girls. Anika is now 8 and in 3rd grade. She has shot up and we are beginning to have non-kid conversations with her. A couple of weeks ago I found myself in a discussion with her over baptism. She's a lovely little lady who like school because of her many friends, but doesn't like math too much. She's getting it though.
Naomi is 5 and looking forward to being 6 in March. She isn't in school yet, but is one of the biggest kids in pre-school, (which is called Kindergarten here). Naomi is our spunky one. She loves adventures and "fighting" with papa. Whenever she can she tries to coax me into wrestling with her on the floor of the living room. Also at the end of our meals she more often than not will slide out of her chair and climb onto my lap for a quick cuddle.
Madeline, or Maddie, is the boss. Of course she is the youngest of our troop, but has the personality of a lion. She a leader and will often pretend to be a jungle animal. Of course she has her tender side. She can often be seen dressing her babies and driving them around the house in their baby tram. She has been going to kindergarten for about 6 months and her German is just as good and any German kids. It's amazing raising bilingual kids. Sometimes we bust a gut laughing at the sentences they put together.
The discipleship program is going well also. Hard to imagine that on March 28th we will have been here seven years. Most of that time we have been in charge of the discipleship school we have in the house. With our good friend and co-worker, Anna, we are able to make this thing work. We have ups and downs. When we get to know these kids we often find lots of brokenness and pain. But by the grace of God we get to see healing an growth as well. Sometimes it comes in dramatic ways and sometimes slowly with time. To God be the glory.
The church on the other hand has stabilized. We still have about 30 people when everyone come to a Sunday service. I have to remind myself, it's not about numbers, it's about disciples. I can get down and out sometimes when I remember the reason we came to Deutschland was to see a church planted and stable. But our focus has changed to work with the discipleship program AND the church. Growth on the church is something you can all pray for. Not just numbers, but depth.
Bird is an awesome wife and mom. I really couldn't have asked for a better wife. She is busy with the kids most of the time, but has learned to enjoy her mornings when the girls are at school or kindergarten. She has a group of friends as well who she drinks coffees with. Over the break she crocheted her first winter hat. Always industrious.
Me? Well, I'm doing alright. When I'm not preparing a sermon, a seminar, or attending some type of get-together/meeting, I like to find time to go out to the garage and make something out of wood. It's my man-cave really. I have really enjoyed it over the last year and a half or so. I've made some nice pieces of furniture for ourselves and friends.
When I look back at the near seven years I can clearly see the hand of God working to provide for, care for, encourage, and lead us. I'm sure that if we were somewhere else we might take his hand for granted and not thank him for his goodness in our lives. I am astounded at how our pitiful efforts can be used for his glory in this dark place. We simply follow him and he works things out through us. The Israelites knew this and often forgot. As they were about to move into the promised land Moses recalled the wilderness years. He said to the people, "For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing." He's still the same with us today. Always faithful and true to his word.
Tonight we are having friends over and celebrating the New Year with a nice meal and when the bell tolls we'll shoot some rockets off. Whatever might happen this coming year, somehow I think 2015 will be alright. He will provide, both for food and fireworks. He alsways has and always will.
Be blessed with peace and love from our corner of Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Mike
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