Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from the end of 2008! As I sit here in the Wells family kitchen and look at my surroundings, I’m thinking that by describing what I see, I can give you a few clues as to what our life has been like this year.
On the table is an assortment of markers, papers, sippie cups, and Christmas paper plates. On the floor I see a green stuffed snake, a few random balls, several pez dispensers, a baby rattle, and some soggy cheerios. The high chair is sitting next to me, cereal and baby food hardening and crusting as I type. On the wall is a brown construction paper squirrel with a dead brown leaf for a tail, a black and white drawing of a head with mismatched magazine cut-out facial features, and some manilla construction paper covered in colorful scribbles…and just beyond that is a stack of moving boxes waiting to be unpacked someday. The sink is full of dirty dishes, and the counter top is littered with dirty bottles and empty baby food jars. I hear Christmas music on the TV, Michael Card’s lullaby CD over the baby moniter, oh – there went the dryer buzzer. And mmmm…that coffee brewing sure does smell good.
Isn’t life grand?! 2008 was busy – we had a baby; Conner fell and knocked out his two front teeth; Bret resigned from his job as the preaching minister in Louisiana and we began raising funds to join the church planting endeavors of Christ Journey in Burleson, Texas; we potty-trained Micah; we evacuated for Hurricane Gustav; we moved over 600 miles in October; we began our new job as domestic missionaries; and we are now in temporary housing while we are trying not to stress out about finishing our fundraising.
Conner turned five in August. He is into The Backyardigans, Pokemon, superheroes, and reading just about anything he can get his hands on. The other day I actually found him reading the glossaries of a few books! (A little Bret in the making?)
Micah is now two, anxiously awaiting his Spiderman birthday in February. If you ask him, he will be eight. He is proud that he is a “big bo-wee” now and can make coffee for his daddy, as well as pull up his own pants and underwear. He is into anything his big brother likes. Conner is Micah’s best friend in the world; Micah absolutely adores him.
Josiah was born in March. Though state lines said that he was born in Louisiana, rest assured that there was a bag of Singleton, Texas dirt under the bed. He is a Texas boy! Joey is into Cheerios, cruising along the couches, pulling hair, and laughing at his big brothers. He is NOT into having his diaper changed. He is a joy and definitely fits right in.
Bret, now a church planter, is loving his new job. The verdict is still out, however, on his true feelings about “officing” from home (a small table in our bedroom). He is super-excited about his role as the father of three boys, being in Texas, his new gas grill (we had been saving for quite awhile), and the Bunn coffee maker that we were given for our eighth anniversary this month.
Me, well, when I’m not chasing three preschool boys or listening to my husband talk, I am into making and cleaning up messes like the one described above.
And yes, the Christmas card is so very appropriate – it looks like those crazy boys are lying beneath the tree eagerly scheming mischief of one sort or another…no doubt resulting in another mess for me to clean up!
We continue to have so much to be thankful for – including you, our friends and family. It in part because of our financial partners -- many of you, your trust in us, and faith in God that we are where we are today.
Merry Christmas from Bret, Rachel, and the Well brothers –
Conner, Micah, and Josiah
Greetings from the end of 2008! As I sit here in the Wells family kitchen and look at my surroundings, I’m thinking that by describing what I see, I can give you a few clues as to what our life has been like this year.
On the table is an assortment of markers, papers, sippie cups, and Christmas paper plates. On the floor I see a green stuffed snake, a few random balls, several pez dispensers, a baby rattle, and some soggy cheerios. The high chair is sitting next to me, cereal and baby food hardening and crusting as I type. On the wall is a brown construction paper squirrel with a dead brown leaf for a tail, a black and white drawing of a head with mismatched magazine cut-out facial features, and some manilla construction paper covered in colorful scribbles…and just beyond that is a stack of moving boxes waiting to be unpacked someday. The sink is full of dirty dishes, and the counter top is littered with dirty bottles and empty baby food jars. I hear Christmas music on the TV, Michael Card’s lullaby CD over the baby moniter, oh – there went the dryer buzzer. And mmmm…that coffee brewing sure does smell good.
Isn’t life grand?! 2008 was busy – we had a baby; Conner fell and knocked out his two front teeth; Bret resigned from his job as the preaching minister in Louisiana and we began raising funds to join the church planting endeavors of Christ Journey in Burleson, Texas; we potty-trained Micah; we evacuated for Hurricane Gustav; we moved over 600 miles in October; we began our new job as domestic missionaries; and we are now in temporary housing while we are trying not to stress out about finishing our fundraising.
Conner turned five in August. He is into The Backyardigans, Pokemon, superheroes, and reading just about anything he can get his hands on. The other day I actually found him reading the glossaries of a few books! (A little Bret in the making?)
Micah is now two, anxiously awaiting his Spiderman birthday in February. If you ask him, he will be eight. He is proud that he is a “big bo-wee” now and can make coffee for his daddy, as well as pull up his own pants and underwear. He is into anything his big brother likes. Conner is Micah’s best friend in the world; Micah absolutely adores him.
Josiah was born in March. Though state lines said that he was born in Louisiana, rest assured that there was a bag of Singleton, Texas dirt under the bed. He is a Texas boy! Joey is into Cheerios, cruising along the couches, pulling hair, and laughing at his big brothers. He is NOT into having his diaper changed. He is a joy and definitely fits right in.
Bret, now a church planter, is loving his new job. The verdict is still out, however, on his true feelings about “officing” from home (a small table in our bedroom). He is super-excited about his role as the father of three boys, being in Texas, his new gas grill (we had been saving for quite awhile), and the Bunn coffee maker that we were given for our eighth anniversary this month.
Me, well, when I’m not chasing three preschool boys or listening to my husband talk, I am into making and cleaning up messes like the one described above.
And yes, the Christmas card is so very appropriate – it looks like those crazy boys are lying beneath the tree eagerly scheming mischief of one sort or another…no doubt resulting in another mess for me to clean up!
We continue to have so much to be thankful for – including you, our friends and family. It in part because of our financial partners -- many of you, your trust in us, and faith in God that we are where we are today.
Merry Christmas from Bret, Rachel, and the Well brothers –
Conner, Micah, and Josiah
