Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace,good will toward men. Luke 2:14
We decided to stay in Hong Kong this Christmas break! Thinking back, I think this is the first time we have not travelled during this time. Indeed, it has been very quiet and very restful. While, we have been terribly homesick of late, we have enjoyed starting our own family Christmas traditions.
It has been so much fun watching Naomi grow up. She is so curious and so silly. Many of the "amas" in the market tell us that she has my face and Anna's hair. One Chinese teacher at my school was even upset that we dyed Naomi's hair blonde! Of her many stunts, Naomi is now running around the house, climbing the furniture, eating scraps of food on the floor, giving hugs and flying kisses, calling every animal a "dog," calling every fruit "nana," learning how to use a fork and spoon, dancing with music and combing her hair. We love her to death and each day is a new adventure with her. We are continually amazed at how quickly she is growing and how much she is learning. For Christmas she got a sweet pair of Puma shoes from Mommy and Daddy, some dinosaur books, lots of chic new outfits from Nana and Popop and a new frog bath toy. Naomi wanted to tell you all "Wow!"
It has been a professionally challenging year for Anna. She has been teaching 4th grade part-time at Norwegian International School (NIS). In many ways, this has been a perfect job as she has still been able to be a stay-at-home Mom while staying current in her teaching career. This is Anna's first experience as a classroom teacher and presents a big shift in approach from her previous experiences as an art education specialist. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of working at NIS is sharing the truth of Jesus to her students.
In October we learned that we will be expecting our second child. Anna has fought a brave battle with morning sickness and fortunately, she is now starting to feel better in her second trimester. Earlier this month Anna began bleeding and we made two visits to the emergency room. At the time, the doctors told us that Anna had suffered a threatened miscarriage and that they couldn't explain her bleeding. But, fortunately, on both occasions we were reassured that new baby was healthy. Since then, we have learned that there was a partial "separation" of the placenta from her uterus. Our doctor told us that while the baby is healthy and growing, it is a situation of wait and see. We have been filled with an enormous sense of God's peace during this trial. Please pray that our child will "reattach" and make it full term.
Lastly, for me, it has been a difficult year professionally. The school year has been filled with lots of negative drama and has, at times, been very discouraging. Nonetheless, as it always is, working with young people has been an absolute joy. I coached the girl's volleyball team again for the third straight year and we medalled for the second straight. I am still teaching full-time middle school PE and the kids are keeping me young despite my hurting and broken body! Last week, I made the tough decision to re-sign another two year contract and we are committed to staying in Hong Kong till June 2011. At this point, it is almost a certainty that we will be returning "home." Where "home" is, we aren't quite yet sure but please pray that God would lead and open and close doors. My golf game is crooked and inconsistent as usual. I'm hitting the ball as long as I ever have in my life but playing once a month is making my goal of shooting in the 70s a pipe dream, at least until the summer. I am blessed with a wonderful supportive wife and a terrific job in order to be a golf junkie. Perhaps the new golf shirt (inset right) that Anna got me for Christmas will inspire a new confidence!
We wish you all a very wonderful Christmas. We are sorry we can't be home to celebrate with you but we hope and pray that we can be reunited with you all one day. We hope to be in Malaysia in March and maybe back in the U.S. in December. If you're ever in the neighbourhood, come golf with me!
