Merry Christmas to you and your families! I pray that this letter finds you praising our Lord and Savior in whatever circumstances you are in as we remember that this season is to celebrate the peace, hope, joy, grace and mercy that Our Father freely gave to us in Jesus Christ!
This has been an extremely eventful year for our family! In February, Kelly made a career move to RBC Dain Rauscher Wealth Management after working 2 ½ years with NatCity Investments. The position is very similar, but there was a pay increase, which was a huge blessing. The position has been challenging on many levels, but all in all, we are very grateful for the blessings that have come from it. February also brought us closer fellowship with our congregation as we entered a new Bible Study group that has been a huge support for our family and has definitely pruned us to bear much fruit. We greatly enjoy our new brothers and sisters in Christ.
In April we were able to travel to California to reconnect with some of Kelly’s friends that she made while she served in the military. It was such a gift to receive such selfless and warm hospitality from our friends Mike, Katie, Preston, and little Sarah. While there we had great visits with dear friends, visited Calvary Chapel Temecula, went wine tasting, traveled to Julienne to have the best apple pie ever, eat authentic Mexican food, experience In and Out goodness, walked the beach, rode roller coasters, and ate fresh seafood.
March we gained a new addition to our family, we rescued a feisty Vizsla Hound mix named Copper. In June, we lost a very important member of our family. Paul’s Grandpa Lowe left us after 90 wonderful years of bringing joy, love, and wisdom to everyone he met. This Christmas will be hard without him, but we are definitely cognizant of how precious time with dear friends and family can be.
October was another life changing event, Kelly found out that she is expecting! We anticipate the coming of a new little Carpenter in mid June! We pray that this pregnancy goes much smoother than the first as she went into early labor at 28 weeks where she started dilating and her water broke. Luckily they were able to stop the labor and postpone it to 34 weeks, but she was on bed rest the duration of the time in the hospital. We look forward to finding out the gender of the little one in the beginning of the New Year. Chloe has had an amazing year at school thus far with straight A’s and the heart to declare boldly to her classmates her love for Jesus Christ. We are so proud of the love she has for our Savior.
December has blessed us with more growth in faith as Paul was unexpectedly let go from his position. We are eager to see the miracles of provision God is going to bless us with and how He draws us near to Him in these trying times. We are very blessed in knowing that we can never be in want because of the love of Christ Jesus and the promises He has given us. We bask in His glory and the knowledge of peace that only He can give and are grateful for all that He has done for us thus far!
We encourage you that if you too find yourself in circumstances that seem unbearable or impossible, to cast your cares on Jesus by inviting Him into your heart and learning what true peace feels like. Matthew 11:28-30 promises “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” We also find encouragement in Romans 5:1-4 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”