A great two weeks!

Dear Bekah & children,

The last two weeks have been wonderful.

Last week was something of a mix, because we spent the first couple of days preparing to leave for Havre. That meant that I had to get a lot of extra writing done. Although we originally planned to leave after I got off of work on Tuesday afternoon, I ended up having to run some errands afterward and decided that our best course of action was to leave out first thing in the morning and avoid going through the pass late in the evening.

The following morning, I e-mailed some things in to my editor and woke you all up so that we could get going. Getting five children and tired wife going certainly takes longer than the half hour that I had hoped for, but we managed to get out of the house and on the road at a decent hour.

Before long, we were in Havre, at Bro. Kirby and Sis. Nancy's house. Although they were away in Souix City, IA, Bro. Caleb & Sis. Mandie came over to have dinner and play games with us.

From the very first hour that we were together, Moriah and little Emilie hit it off. They seemed destined to be the best of friends, playing together and even sharing a chair. It was so much fun to watch.

We played games with Bro. Caleb and Sis. Mandie, like Cities and Knights, which was a lot of fun. However, we also talked about the Lord and fulfilling His will for our lives by reaching out to our communities. We talked about deliberately making new friends and establishing a strong relationship, upon which to build a future witness and labor of love for Christ.

We also talked about how I can be a better pastor to them and provide a more ongoing and relevant ministry to them, even though we do not see each other on a regular basis. I'm excited about implementing some of what we discussed, which I will begin immediately following the New Year, with all of the members of our local church and with them in particular.

Bro. Caleb and I went shopping together one morning and Sis. Mandie and your mother went shopping after that. We had a wonderful visit that was, as always, too short.

On our way home, we passed through Cut Bank, which was all lit up with one of the best displays of Christmas lights that I have ever seen. We did not notice it on the way to Havre, because we went through while it was day. Boy were we in for a surprise on the way back, especially when we saw the lights around the town hall.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

















Traveling home through Morias Pass was an experience. The snow was falling hard and fast and we had to follow the tail lights of the person in front of us, when that was possible. It wasn't easy. Part of the time, I had to drive very slow because the wind was blowing and I couldn't see anything. However, we made it through and gave thanks to the Lord for His protection upon us.

When we pulled into Kokanee Bend, it was like being in a winter wonderland, with snow falling all around us and even some new lights put up in the yards of our neighbors. Elijah was quick to get inside and turn our lights on, so that everyone could see our lights too.

The next few days were full of activity, as we had our Christmas program and prepared for Christmas Day, which was just two days away. The Christmas program was very nice. You children made us laugh, because you looked so cute dressed up as shepherds and angels.

Moriah was the littlest angel, and Grandma joked about her halo being a little crooked. She wasn't kidding! Moriah was the busiest one of them all, and it certainly provided an evening of entertainment for the whole church.

The next day was Christmas Eve. Rebekah and I busied ourselves with the final preparations for Christmas, making last minute purchases, hanging decorations inside the house and wrapping gifts once you were all in bed. We hung and filled your stockings with lots of good things, which were as much of a delight to you as the presents beneath the tree.

On Christmas morning, you couldn't wait to open presents. Of course, I had been up typing out a Christmas message to our friends and church members. We ate scones for breakfast, which your mother had prepared--they were absolutely delicious--and then gave each of you a bath so that you would look nice for pictures.

We had a good prayer and talked about why we have Christmas, before we opened presents. Elijah and Alana understood well, which made me very proud. As I prayed, I felt so very thankful for all of the gifts that God has given me, both through the offering of His only Begotten Son, through His forgiveness and the change in my life, and in giving me such a wonderful wife and each of you children, who bring so much joy and fullness into my life.

Once you were finally allowed to open presents, the magic really began. You were all so excited. Even Josiah. Moriah couldn't wait to eat the candy in her stocking, and Elijah and Alana were excited about the flashing light-up balls we put in each of the stockings.

Elijah's favorite present was a Ninja Turtle Paleo Patrol set, with a dinosaur and bone-clad ninja turtle who rides on it's back. He played with it all day and wanted to sleep with it that night.

Alana got two Pegasus My Little Pony figures, which she absolutely adored. Moriah got so excited when she peeled back the wrapping paper on her gift and found a brand new baby doll and stroller. She kept saying asking, "Mine?" and saying, "Open. Open."

Each of you children had paid a dollar to your mother to choose one of the gifts that she picked out to give to me--a rather neat idea, I thought. Elijah was excited to give me a game of Othello. Alana gave me a new pair of gloves, which she set her eyes on immediately and knew that they were exactly what I wanted. Josiah gave me a lighthouse. Moriah gave me a new dress shirt and tie.

Ok, Mom upstaged me, this year, but next year will be different.

All of you got new LEAP books and a dress-up set--three knights and a pirate. Elijah got the pirate outfit, which he guards with his life. You made a great pirate, son, but I'm glad you decided to throw the earing away.

Throughout the day, we fought with the swords. Even Alana got into the action. Of course, Elijah and Josiah ganged up on me and took great pleasure in driving me to the floor, where Elijah playfully severed my head. Thanks, son. I love you too.

The new Lincoln Logs were a big hit, as well, but they were for all of you. Grandma even built a house with them to show you how it's done. Apparently, Grandma is an old pro at building houses with Lincoln Logs.

Grandma and Moriah even assembled a puzzle together, which we gave to your children for Christmas. Not surprisingly, Grandma did most of the work, but Alana later discovered that she could assemble the puzzle all by herself. Good job, Alana!

Rebekah bought me a Thompson Chain Reference Bible. It was just what I needed, gray and black and a travel size, engraved with my name. Thanks, Babe. How did you know? *wink, wink*

Grandma and Grandpa ate Christmas dinner with us. Everything was delicious--one of the best Christmas meals I've ever had, and that included the pies. After dinner, Rebekah and I opened our stockings, both of which had plenty of good stuff, like cologne for me and hair items for her.

Before the day was over, I had gone back for thirds and fourths on Grandma's turkey and stuffing. Eventually, Dave and Melissa came over so that you could play with Tim, Dan, Beth and Andy, while we drank hot chocolate and played a game of Hit The Deck.

At last, we settled down to watch a Christmas movie. Elijah played with his dinosaur while we watched. We all ate popcorn. Josiah and Moriah played swords, ever so nicely, as they sat and watched--one of the most pleasant exchanges of sibling play I've ever seen between the two of you (and, best of all, no one got hurt).

It was a near perfect day.

Updates

For those of you who actually read these letters, I know that I've been slow in posting due to the scarcity of my time these days, but I have made a commitment to post a new letter at least once a week and to post a new message on my Letters to the Flock site no less than three times per week.

Thank you for checking in.

The Last Couple of Weeks

Dear Rebekah and children,

I want to thank you all for being so gracious during the past couple of weeks. I have been so busy with work and the local outreach that it has meant a lot of extra work for all of you.

Working for both the Bigfork Eagle and the West Shore News has placed a lot of demands on my time, doing investigative work, interviews and following up on leads. I know that has taken me away from home more than usual, and that has been a definite adjustment for you.

I want you to know how very much I love each one of you. Coming home to you is the highlight of every day. Seeing what Elijah has done in school, hearing your mother's stories about what Alana, Josiah and Moriah have been up to and seeing your faces light up because Daddy has come home. Together with your mom's embrace, these are the things that I love and look forward to.

Although it has meant a lot of additional work, I have managed to get our website online and functioning. It even looks pretty nice. It still needs some work, but it is already pretty efficient. I have posted three mp3 sermons for download, so far, so that we can reach out to our members, friends and family members who are not able to be in service with us, and I will continue to post these messages weekly.

That has been a goal of mine for several months, so I feel a tremendous relief to have actually gotten it done. Now, I can continue to feed our sheep who do not reside in Columbia Falls, which gives me a lot of comfort, since I had previously been very troubled by my inability to reach out to them on a regular basis.

Last week, Elijah lost his tooth. I can remember him showing everybody who would listen, when we went to Holidayfest in Lakeside. It was a lot of fun to take both Elijah and Alana with me to work that day, since I was covering a Christmas event. I don't usually get to take any of you along with me, since I do a lot of interviewing and meetings. We sure had a lot of fun together.



After Holidayfest, we went to a tree lighting ceremony and the Bigfork parade, which was woefully short due to the incredibly cold temperatures. As soon as the parade had ended, we found ourselves a warm building to hang out in until the blood was circulating in our extremities again. Finding no hot chocolate, as we had in previous years, we returned to our van.

I tried to teach the two of you how to slide on the icy snow on our way to the van and almost lost control on a hill. You both thought it was pretty neat.

Today, I am going to take your Elijah, Alana, Tim and Dan and your mother all to a Christmas play at the Christian Center in Kalispell, for which you are all very excited. Sister Melissa is going to watch Josiah and Moriah while we're at the play. After a busy week, which is not entirely over yet, I look forward to spending some quality time with each of you.

Tabitha has been a lot of fun these last couple of weeks, as well. She is smiling and laughing a lot more, and she loves to spend time with Daddy. She talks to me quite a bit, although I have no idea what she is saying. I've learned that I have a knack for two things: putting her to sleep and making her spit up on me.

I know that there are times when I have to discipline you for disobeying or fighting with one another, but I love you more than words alone can express. I couldn't imagine not having even one of you in my life.