Christmas Greetings 2009

Dear Friends & Family,

We are thankful to God for the blessings of another year and hope each of you is able to rejoice in our Savior, Jesus Christ, this Christmas season!

Keith celebrated fifteen years at Camp Assurance this summer and was given a very generous gift by several churches on the camp board this fall. We are thankful for the opportunity to labor together as a family in this camp ministry.

The boys continue to bring us our greatest joy as well as our greatest challenge. Brandon is seven and in second grade. He loves to learn and enjoys reading, drawing, swimming, playing soccer, riding his bike, and inventing stories and pretend adventures for himself and his brother. He is learning to play to the piano and is very diligent to practice daily. Tyler is five and in kindergarten. It has been a big year for him. He is learning to read, started piano lessons, played on a soccer team for the first time, and learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He loves to make us laugh and enjoys helping (especially Daddy). The boys have been praying for a pet (other than our fish and frog) for a long time. At the end of the summer we were given a four-year-old English Setter named Penny. She is a sweetie and the boys have especially enjoyed having a dog.

We enjoyed two little vacations this year - to St. Louis, MO in the spring and to Brown County, IN and Indianapolis this fall. We were thankful for the opportunity to get away, spend time together, and have some fun!

The months of September – November were especially eventful (for lack of a better word) for our family. An uncle passed away; Steph’s grandma had a heart attack and bypass surgery, followed by multiple complications; and her dad suffered a ruptured appendix. Preceding all of this, and probably the most defining time of our year, was the loss of a much-awaited and longed-for little baby to miscarriage. Added into these fall months were a new nephew, two busy ladies’ retreats and other camp activities, a trip for Steph to see college friends in Tennessee, preparation for Christmas programs at church, homeschooling, and all the other day-to-day things. No wonder we were already tired coming into the busyness of December! We don’t always know why God allows the hard things into our lives nor do we understand His timing, but we do know that He is good. He has been gracious to walk with us, help us, and teach us through every step of this year, and we are thankful!

We always look forward to hearing from all of you at this time of year. We are praying for God’s blessings on your life in 2010!
Love,
Keith, Stephanie, Brandon, & Tyler Augustus