As I (Martha) write this newsletter, Christmas music is playing in the background, and I can hear kids playing football in the backyard. Adam’s sisters and their families have joined us here in Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, and we are relishing the rare and precious sounds of cousins playing together and enjoying the conversations around the table after meals.
As much as I want to focus on Thanksgiving, I must admit that my mind is being thrust forward into Christmas and the journey we have ahead of us. In just a few days, on the fifth of December, we will pull out of the driveway with a fully loaded van headed across the country toward Los Angeles. I can’t help but think of Mary and Joseph and their long journey to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph arrived at their destination with nowhere to stay. For a long while we thought we might be in the same situation, but God has answered our prayers and provided a place at Atherton Baptist Homes in Alhambra, a retirement community that was established for retired missionaries and that sometimes provides missionaries on furlough a place to stay. It is a huge relief to know where we are staying, and we sincerely thank all those who prayed for us.
We leave Pittsburgh with mixed emotions. We are excited to see our family and friends on the other side of the country, but we are saddened to say goodbye to Adam’s parents and this lovely area. We will miss many things about our stay here: morning chats over bacon and eggs, laying out on the lawn with Asher and Bella watching the birds, sewing with my mother-in-law, going on family walks in the neighborhood, driving through beautiful woods, and my father-in-law’s delicious steaks. And for those who are wondering, we did get our snow, and we will miss that too.
We are so incredibly grateful for Bob and Heather Boyd (Adam’s parents) who have been loving and patient while allowing us to stay with them. It is no easy thing to have a family of five invade your home. They have put up with a lot of noise, messes, and lack of privacy, and they have done it all with grace and kindness. What a blessing it has been for our kids to spend this time with their grandparents! We are so thankful for all their help with cooking, cleaning, shopping, and for all the time they spent teaching the kids new skills. They will be greatly missed!
We are also thankful for all those at Ingomar United Methodist Church, for making us feel welcome. We will miss Pastor David Streets greeting us at the door every Sunday and asking us how we are doing.
We leave the Pittsburgh area on the fifth of the month and arrive in LA on the twenty-second. Traveling through the month of December is going to make for an interesting Christmas season. We typically have very strict traditions that involve Advent readings, the Jesse tree, Christmas caroling, putting up certain decorations, and reading special books. With all the traveling and visiting that we will be doing, we won’t be able to do most of these things, and I find myself asking, where does my Christmas come from? Does it come from baking cookies and putting up ornaments, or does it come from experiencing a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ? If I am honest it is both, but over the years we have steered our hearts and traditions closer to the latter and it has been a blessing.
The concept of waiting seems to be something God is teaching me these days. This is going to sound terrible, but I have not been a person who has spent a lot of time in prayer before making decisions. I always hear people say, “Let me pray about that first,” but until recently, I have not been someone who says that, let alone does that. Stopping to pray about something involves waiting, and I am not very good at waiting. For me, waiting means the idea in my head won’t stop spinning, it can mean sleepless nights and inconveniencing other people because they have to wait. A good friend recently shared with me how she is waiting and doesn’t want to move ahead and go before the Lord. It made me think of all the times in my life when I might have avoided struggles or had something better, if I had just waited on the Lord instead of going ahead on my own. Over the past few months I decided to finally try out this praying-before-making-a-decision idea and waiting instead of moving forward, and you know what? It works! God actually works things out when I choose to get out of the way. If we had not chosen to wait, we would be paying double the amount of rent in California, and I would be begging you all for furniture in this newsletter.
That is what the season of Advent is all about, waiting and expecting God to do the miracle, and believing and trusting that he actually will. The nation of Israel waited centuries for their Messiah, but they never gave up hope or stopped believing. During this season we walk with Mary and Joseph on their journey and wait expectantly to celebrate the birth of Christ, and we are reminded and encouraged to continue waiting expectantly for his Second Coming. May you find your Christmas in the waiting, and may you believe and trust that “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Prayer Requests
Please pray for our trip to LA. We are excited to see and visit with many friends and family members. One of the hardest things about being a missionary family is that our kids do not get to grow up with family. At some point they will have to come back and live in the U.S., and we want them to feel like they have strong ties with their family. These visits are very precious to us. Pray that relationships will be developed and strengthened.
Pray for safety and protection as we travel.
Pray for Jacob as he finishes up school. It looks like he will have to finish up on the road, so pray for increased concentration and motivation.
As much as I want to focus on Thanksgiving, I must admit that my mind is being thrust forward into Christmas and the journey we have ahead of us. In just a few days, on the fifth of December, we will pull out of the driveway with a fully loaded van headed across the country toward Los Angeles. I can’t help but think of Mary and Joseph and their long journey to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph arrived at their destination with nowhere to stay. For a long while we thought we might be in the same situation, but God has answered our prayers and provided a place at Atherton Baptist Homes in Alhambra, a retirement community that was established for retired missionaries and that sometimes provides missionaries on furlough a place to stay. It is a huge relief to know where we are staying, and we sincerely thank all those who prayed for us.
We leave Pittsburgh with mixed emotions. We are excited to see our family and friends on the other side of the country, but we are saddened to say goodbye to Adam’s parents and this lovely area. We will miss many things about our stay here: morning chats over bacon and eggs, laying out on the lawn with Asher and Bella watching the birds, sewing with my mother-in-law, going on family walks in the neighborhood, driving through beautiful woods, and my father-in-law’s delicious steaks. And for those who are wondering, we did get our snow, and we will miss that too.
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| Sledding on a homemade sled |
We are also thankful for all those at Ingomar United Methodist Church, for making us feel welcome. We will miss Pastor David Streets greeting us at the door every Sunday and asking us how we are doing.
We leave the Pittsburgh area on the fifth of the month and arrive in LA on the twenty-second. Traveling through the month of December is going to make for an interesting Christmas season. We typically have very strict traditions that involve Advent readings, the Jesse tree, Christmas caroling, putting up certain decorations, and reading special books. With all the traveling and visiting that we will be doing, we won’t be able to do most of these things, and I find myself asking, where does my Christmas come from? Does it come from baking cookies and putting up ornaments, or does it come from experiencing a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ? If I am honest it is both, but over the years we have steered our hearts and traditions closer to the latter and it has been a blessing.
The concept of waiting seems to be something God is teaching me these days. This is going to sound terrible, but I have not been a person who has spent a lot of time in prayer before making decisions. I always hear people say, “Let me pray about that first,” but until recently, I have not been someone who says that, let alone does that. Stopping to pray about something involves waiting, and I am not very good at waiting. For me, waiting means the idea in my head won’t stop spinning, it can mean sleepless nights and inconveniencing other people because they have to wait. A good friend recently shared with me how she is waiting and doesn’t want to move ahead and go before the Lord. It made me think of all the times in my life when I might have avoided struggles or had something better, if I had just waited on the Lord instead of going ahead on my own. Over the past few months I decided to finally try out this praying-before-making-a-decision idea and waiting instead of moving forward, and you know what? It works! God actually works things out when I choose to get out of the way. If we had not chosen to wait, we would be paying double the amount of rent in California, and I would be begging you all for furniture in this newsletter.
That is what the season of Advent is all about, waiting and expecting God to do the miracle, and believing and trusting that he actually will. The nation of Israel waited centuries for their Messiah, but they never gave up hope or stopped believing. During this season we walk with Mary and Joseph on their journey and wait expectantly to celebrate the birth of Christ, and we are reminded and encouraged to continue waiting expectantly for his Second Coming. May you find your Christmas in the waiting, and may you believe and trust that “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Prayer Requests
Please pray for our trip to LA. We are excited to see and visit with many friends and family members. One of the hardest things about being a missionary family is that our kids do not get to grow up with family. At some point they will have to come back and live in the U.S., and we want them to feel like they have strong ties with their family. These visits are very precious to us. Pray that relationships will be developed and strengthened.
Pray for safety and protection as we travel.
Pray for Jacob as he finishes up school. It looks like he will have to finish up on the road, so pray for increased concentration and motivation.
