This semester has been full of all kinds of adventures. Our spring started off in Florida where we enjoyed a warm! month of ministry with a church in Titusville. My kids couldn’t believe that there were orange trees right next to our trailer. I had to keep telling Asher not to eat the ones off the ground! On our way to the next church we stopped over in Orlando and enjoyed a day at SeaWorld. Asher loved playing in the kid fountains, Lala and I enjoyed riding the rollercoasters and the log flume, Liam was oblivious to it all, and Ella’s favorite part was the dolphin show…well, it was, until she spotted the cotton candy. It was a great family outing, and we were thankful for the opportunity to have some fun in between our meeting schedule.

We stayed at Pastor Vance’s house while we ministered in their church in Fort Myers, Florida. While we were there, Lala and I went “gigging” in the river behind their house. “Gigging” is basically taking a spear and stabbing a fish while standing in a boat. It is quite an experience to be in the dark with someone holding a flashlight over your head, yell that there is a fish right underneath you, position your spear overtop of it, jabbing it into the fish (hopefully), and picking up the spear with a flailing fish. I have to admit that there was also some high pitched squealing going on when I got my first one into the boat. That’s my kind of fishing.

My kids were able to go “grass skiing” by getting on a water tube and being pulled around behind a four-wheeler. They had a great time getting whipped around on that thing in the pastor’s backyard. The pastor also gave the kids and Aaron a ride in the front loader of a tractor. I was thankful to be the photographer for that adventure.

While we were in Tampa, Lala and I took the kids on a morning out to Clearwater Beach for a picnic while Aaron went fishing in the bay with some church men. It was a beautiful picnic spot with a great lunch, until the sea gulls thought that they would join us. The kids were hiding under the picnic blanket to escape the “angry birds”. I laughed at Lala as she tried to run away from them as they chased after her ham sandwich. The kids enjoyed collecting shells and splashing in the really cold water. All in all, it was a perfect outing!

The Lord has been kind to allow us to enjoy some beautiful weather this semester that has been a great blessing to enjoy. In addition to the warm weather, I praise the Lord for the warmth of God’s people as they have responded to the Word this semester. I am overwhelmed with the privilege to serve alongside of so many believers and gather together around the Word each week. What a blessing!

Holiday break is always a big highlight in our family! We typically travel until the third week in November, and then we take a break for Thanksgiving and Christmas to be with our families and our home church. This year, we enjoyed Thanksgiving break with my (Stephanie) parents. The menu is always a big “to do” and everyone has their assigned dishes to prepare. At the Thanksgiving dinner, everyone eats until they are full…and then some! After getting a cup of coffee, we all gather in the living room to partake in a tradition that I have always remembered our family doing. Each person gets three kernels of corn. A basket is passed around the room and upon receiving it, you share three blessings from the past year. Of course, my three kernels have many “sub-points” in it. I could probably pop a bag of popcorn with how many kernels I could have used up…God has been so good to me, my family and those around me.

The week after Thanksgiving, Will and Christy Galkin invited me to help out with their upcoming recording. I was thankful for the time to fellowship with the team and be a part of their music ministry. It was one of the most worshipful and enjoyable recording projects I have ever been a part of. Stay tuned for By Faith…it’s coming out in the Spring of 2012.

We went up to Rocky Mount, North Carolina for the Christmas season. It’s always a blessing to go back to our home church and get plugged in for the time we are at home. Ella jumped in and had a part in the children’s Christmas program. We got a chance to participate in the church’s Carol Sing and sang a new Christmas song that I have fallen in love with.

Read on for the lyrics to Immanuel: