We are visiting daughter Beth in Knoxville and woke up this morning to 4-5 inches of snow and it was still falling. We have had several wonderful days with Beth--Rodger even spent several hours volunteering at Johnson Bible College (where Beth works) helping stuff envelopes.
Next Monday, (Dec 6) we travel to Camp Lejeune (Marines), NC to Andrea and Mark's home and will be blessed to see our four grand-children. Dec. 7, Mark and Andie go to Portsmouth Naval Hospital for Andie to have surgery and we will take care of the grand-kids! We're looking forward to this time and have been preparing by taking our vitamins. Becky is 11, Tyler is 8, Thomas is 4 and Toby is 3. Mark and Andie expect to be gone for 6-7 days. We will stay there until Christmas. After Christmas Rodger will fly back to Illinois and proceed on to the Philippines as scheduled. Dixie will remain with Andie to help during her recovery and Mark will be involved with his unit as they intensify their preparations to deploy.
We have had a wonderful time with family and friends while we have been in the states. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with Rodger's family at his mom's home. Prior to that we attended the National Missionary Convention in Peoria where we reconnected with many of you and made some new friends too. Even though this trip home was not intended to be a working furlough we did speak at five of our supporting churches--we love to share all that God is doing with our supporters!
We have been richly blessed by God this year as He allowed us to share in His work in the Philippines. He is indeed a God of might and miracles--worthy to be praised! We started out the year not knowing exactly how God would lead and use us but willing to follow Him. Throughout the year we have seen His power as He opened doors of opportunity and provided the finances for us to go through those doors.
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Eph. 3:20-21
May you have a blessed and joyous season of remembering the birth of our Savior.
Rodger and Dixie
