We started off the year Down Under...on the end of our amazing trip to Australia. It truly was an answer to prayer to be in Sydney for the fireworks, with our traveling saints, Ron and Rebecca, and my parents. Words cannot express how grateful I am that we got to share that experience with them. My parents were then able to come to Hong Kong and spend two weeks with us here...such a gift!!
From there, it was a steady stream of travel and guests. The Sweetmans, Geshays, Cannelongos and Gehrmann Family all came before we traveled home to the US in the summer. We are so incredibly blessed to have dear friends who have made the effort, and have had the resources and time, to see our Hong Kong life. Then this past fall, the Marletts traveled from Japan, Anne Isabella made her second trip to see us, a group of young missionaries from the US serving in Xian came to stay twice, and Andy's sister, Christy, and her daughter, Brittany, were able to come for about 10 days. If you are still interested, you have about 6 months to plan...flights are the cheapest they have been since we moved here and we have a guest room open:)
As far as travel, we have certainly been blessed to have taken advantage of being in an Asian hub, so accessible to some amazing places. In 2016, one or all of us have been to Cambodia, Korea, China, Guam, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Australia and finishing the year in New Zealand. Of course, there are a few places in Asia that are still on our list, but we are incredibly grateful for the opportunities to stretch our perspectives and behold some of God's incredible creation.
The kids have done "some" changing...here is a snapshot of their year:
Grace, 15yrs, is now a sophomore in high school. She is maturing into a beautiful young woman, inside and out. Her list of activities is lengthy, but highlighted would be show choir, worship team, and soccer. Also, this past summer, she was able to go to Young Life's Malibu Club in British Columbia with a group of 70 students and adults from Hong Kong.
 |
| Grace and Marina before her freshman banquet |
Emma, 13yrs, is in 7th grade, and has been affectionately given the nickname "the Asian Caucasian" by her siblings because of her self-discipline and borderline perfectionism. She has also enjoyed basketball and soccer, and came to the realization that the Lord has given her a heart for the Cambodian people, serving their on two different occasions.
 |
| Emma after her MS show "Beauty and the Beast" |
Joshua, 10yrs, is in 5th grade. He is compassionate, energetic and active...enjoying basketball, tennis and soccer. He is also known to use his skill of relating to and getting along with girls...having four sisters is serving him.
 |
| Josh and Andy after hiking part of the Wilson Trail |
Abigail, 8yrs, is loving 2nd grade. She is quite social, reads up a storm, and has been very self-disciplined in getting homework done. Her niche is gymnastics, as the Lord has given her a lot of flexibility...she does front and back walkovers wherever there is room.
 |
| Abby having fun on Sports Day |
Sarah, 4yrs, is quite the personality. She started school in the fall, and apparently, makes sure she is heard:) We laugh a lot at Sarah who loves riding the train, eats everything, and loves to get into her siblings stuff...like a good baby sister.
 |
| Sarah and her "bus stop buddies" |
Andy has done his own fair share of traveling for work, mostly in the region, but went back to the US once in the fall. He also part-times as "travel agent" for the family, and still chairs the Hong Kong Young Life committee.
I continue to take advantage of help in the home by our wonderful Marina, and get involved with things I normally wouldn't have the opportunity to do. Playing on a tennis team, coaching soccer and basketball at the school, and being a Young Life leader are some of my commitments
As far as family in the States, who are never far from our thoughts and prayers, we are grateful for how the Lord has covered them. Andy's parents have both had cancer in the last few years. His Dad's cancer is still in remission, and after a very long summer of chemo, Andy's mom is fighting her cancer, battling through the surgery and recently, last radiation. All praise be to God, all of my Dad's MRI's have been stable, showing no change in his brain tumor. And just last week, after a two year wait, my sister received a new kidney from my sister-in-law, Amy. Both of them are recovering nicely, Kathy getting home today.
As many of you know, we are in our last year of living in Hong Kong and will be transitioning back to Pennsylvania this summer. We can't believe that we will have been here almost five years, as we look at all the changes that have taken place...both at home, as well as in us. It certainly has been an adventure that God has used to shape us and prepare us for whatever comes next. While we will miss Hong Kong, it will remain a part of us that will never be forgotten, we look forward to our next adventure. We believe that while we are headed back to our "old home," that God, in His goodness, has NEW things planned for each of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment