Holloway Christmas Letter 2010
This has been another busy year for us here in Saskatchewan and it’s hard to believe that the year is almost over! Where to begin? This could be quite long, so maybe you’d like to pause, make a cup of cocoa and find a comfy chair.
We were kept fairly busy last winter adjusting to our newest addition and this year we’ve watched as she rolled, crawled and learned to walk. You could say the same thing for us as a church. Seeing people growing, changing, reaching out to others in the community. To fellowship in the church building that the Lord provided and celebrate the 1st anniversary of our church.
Spring and summer here were very unusual. There was so much rain that we had ponds, creeks, and pools of water in the fields and in our yards! It was rare to see more than 3 days without any rain falling. Being born on an Island I do love rain, but definitely felt sorry for those farming. I know the crops need rain, but not so much that their fields are flooding. The Lord lengthened the time before the winter snow though and we had 2 beautiful Fall months that almost made up for the lack of sun this summer. The mosquitoes kept us inside for a lot of the summer, due to the fact that they would swarm any person daring to come outside. I have to say I’m that I’m thankful when the weather gets too cold for them to exist in this part of the country.
The month of May brought a missionary family that I’d been looking forward to seeing for quite some time! I’d known Victoria (Ellis) Wonser since I was little and it was amazing to see how we were able to pick up where we parted, so to speak. Our kids LOVED playing together and it was hard to see them leave. We’re so blessed to serve the Lord and I’m really happy that we have an eternity in Heaven to look forward to. At the end of the month, Scott and Garrison drove to B.C. for the annual Preacher’s Conference! I think it was a good bonding time for them.
In June my mom came for a visit. The two oldest stayed up til 11 to meet her at the airport. They were so excitedJ. Before she left she asked Garrison if she could take him back in her suitcase. He was very excited about that and told Elyssia that he was going to live with Grandma! Elyssia said, “You can’t leave, I’d miss you!” When Garrison heard that he would be missed he told grandma, “Leesie would miss me, so I have to stay.”
In July we took a trip to Calgary to visit with family and go to the zoo. The best part was on the drive home. Garrison had been asking to get saved for the past couple months, but on this day he was pleading with me to help him. We’d wanted to make sure he understood why he needed to be saved and although his attention span wasn’t always that long he really seemed to understand. He feared being left behind if we were raptured and also feared going to Hell. On that car trip Garrison prayed and asked the Lord to forgive his sins and to come and live in his heart. I have to choose that as the best day of 2010. We were also blessed to celebrate Kindersley’s 100th anniversary at the end of July. Very busy times!!!
The next 3 months passed quickly as we started homeschooling full time. There was also the start up of Ladies Bible Study and Men’s Breakfast. We’re enjoying the extra opportunities to study the Word of God and fellowship with one another. We celebrated 3 of the kids birthdays, making Kiersten-1, Elyssia-6, and Garrison-4. I would say, where has the time gone, but by the length of the letter I don’t have to look far. We were also blessed by the Lord’s protection and provision as Scott slid off the road and totaled the Matrix. He has had no pain or soreness and we’ve been able to replace the Matrix with a Pontiac Vibe. It’s the same year, same color and less mileage. Praises for all that the Lord did in giving us a 2nd vehicle again. We went a couple days without it and found how challenging it is to try to work around each others schedules.
So now, for the fun part! Updates about the kids and the pets:
*Elyssia has had an amazing year. She started reading last October and has far surpassed all our expectations. She’s reading anything we put into her hands and always looking for more. She’s a big helper with her baby sister and enjoys playing with her brothers too. She’s got a wonderful imagination and thinks of fun things to play and make. She’s been a great blessing and we thank the Lord for her.
* Garrison is growing like a weed! Eating like a teen-ager and rapidly becoming Scott’s right hand man. He was our first to get stitches, after jumping on a carpentry staple. It’s healed really well and hasn’t stopped his activities at all. We started the ABC’s of ACE learning to read program in September.He’s almost finished with all the letters and has started reading a bit from the 2st reader’s books and also a reader similar to Dick and Jane. We’ve also discovered that the Lord blessed him with a gift for memorization. We’re trying to put it to good use-memorizing Scripture, poems, stories, etc… He’s had the opportunity to go to work with Scott a bit these last couple weeks and LOVES it! Now he keeps asking if he can go everyday.
* Caleb-Hmmm… Where to begin? He’s such a cheeky little fellow. He’s actually a very good helper. Always interested in helping make and EAT the food. He’s the first to run and get something we ask for and also to start cleaning up. He’s started reminding the others to put their shoes away.
*Kiersten has changed the most, seeing as how she was only 2 months old last Christmas. She’s now walking and climbing everywhere. She tries to keep up with the siblings. She’s up for trying most foods, although some she finds are leftovers of her siblings and not intended for her consumption! She’s also tried dog and kitty food, which she seems to like. Hmmmm… She has a very sweet disposition and loves to snuggle. She seems to love books like the other 3 and is content to play with almost anything left out for her.
*Last, we come to the pets. Sam has turned out to be the size of a small horse! He still has puppy traits, but he’s a very good watch dog. Thankfully he’s settled down a bit, but still has a tendency to almost knock us over when he’s excited. The cats are doing well. Nothing too exciting about them. They try to sneak in where it’s warm whenever the kids leave the door open. Our mouse population has decreased, so I think they must be doing their jobs. The two newest members of the family are frogs, found downstairs, in our house! They must come in wherever the crickets do. Their names are Hopper Jack and Rosie the Ribbeter. They have lived a lot longer than we expected them too and seem to be happy, if their noises at night are any indication.
*Last, but not least, the parents. We’re doing pretty good. It’s been a year full of adjustments and busy schedules. We were blessed to go on 3 dates, thanks to his parents being willing to watch the children. The Lord has blessed Scott with an abundance of carpentry work this year and we have much to praise HIM for! The second best blessing this year was watching the Lord bless and seeing HIM provide all the money to pay off the church building!
Wishing all of you and yours a very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!
Love,
The Holloways
Cute:) I didn't even know you had a blog. YAY!!
ReplyDeleteGreat letter! We plan to write our this week. :)
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