Christmas 2009

Greetings from Sunny Southern California,

That’s right; we are still in Southern California. To make a long story short, after much discussion, prayer and consultation, the decision has been made that we will not be returning to the international field. The primary concern expressed by Paul’s doctors is related to the cumulative effect on Paul’s back of both weather and travel in the area where we were serving. At this point, Paul is doing well. On October 29th Paul had a “nerve ablation” procedure. In essence, a pain management specialist inserted a small electrode in three spots in Paul’s back and used high frequency radio waves to “burn” nerve endings in these areas. While he is still not “pain free”, this procedure has resulted in a tremendous amount of relief. Paul is now much more active and energetic. He can even give Nate piggy-back rides!

This has led us to another rather big decision to move back into our home in Highland, California. The family that has been renting the house has chosen to find another house and will be vacating at the end of January. Our current address is: 626 North Dearborn, Spc 103, Redlands, CA 92374. As of February 1st we will be receiving mail at our Highland address: 7686 Alta Vista, Highland, CA 92346. We are planning to take a week or two to clean, prepare and move into the house. We should be completely back in the house by February 13th.

So much has happened in the last few months it would take a lengthy letter to communicate it all. As this is a Christmas letter, and we understand that you all will be receiving lots cards and letters this season, let us simply say that God has been faithful in every way - from providing a safe and comfortable place to stay, to cars for us to drive, to a scholarship for Nate at preschool, to lots of toys for Nate to play with while we were waiting to retrieve our household goods from storage. In addition, Kathy was rehired at Prime Line Products in the position she was working before we left for Latvia. Not only was she rehired but they offered her the same telecommuting terms which means she will do much of her work from home and has flexibility in her schedule. We have always felt that this was important for Nate.

While we are praising God for His marvelous provision there are still needs we will have moving forward. The most critical is a job for Paul. He is actively seeking a job and has several applications out. There are also many friends “keeping an eye out” and forwarding his resume as the opportunity arises. Another major issue we will need to deal with is vehicles. Amazingly, God has already provided one car (and a very nice car at that) through the generosity of a friend but with us both needing to work we will need another vehicle as well. This also means that we will need to secure insurance for both the vehicles and for our house.

We so much appreciate all the love, encouragement and support we have received since our return to the States. We are looking forward to what God has for us in this latest season of our lives. We also look forward to seeing and spending time with friends and family. We covet your prayers as we re-integrate into life in the USA.

May God bless you with a wonderful Christmas and a terrific New Year!

Love,

Paul, Kathy & Nate