Our Christmas Letter

Greetings Friends!

I trust you have all had a great fall! With Christmas just around the corner (or just past depending on when you receive this!), it’s time we get another letter out.

Rather than the usual update on what’s been happening in our ministry, this will be mostly a few snapshots of our Christmas experiences. We hope you like it!

But before we get there, I thought I’d point out a few things you might want to check out. We’ve updated our web site (www.vanbruwaene.ca). It’s now mainly in the form of a blog with posts of our letters all the way back to the beginning. We’re hoping it will be an alternate place you can go to get our newsletters, and also get a glimpse of how we’ve gotten here.



We also finally have a new prayer card that includes Zane! You can post it on your fridge or bulletin board as a reminder to pray for us.

I’ve recently completed the web site for a ministry International Teams is a part of in Hamilton. Check out www.truecity.ca.

We hope you have a great Christmas! Enjoy reading some snapshots of ours!

Family

Both Steve and I come from close families. We have been blessed not only with parents that live in the city, but also with families that have become friends.  As a result, we have a special christmas eve tradition that involves both families. We spend Christmas Eve Day opening presents with Steve's family, and then both families attend a Christmas Eve service together. After the service, we all go back to my parents' house for a party.  This year we're stretching Christmas out over three days that will be full of family events.

Aunts, Uncles & Grand-dogs

My sister and Steve's brother both attend school far away(Ottawa and California).  Christmas is extra exciting for my kids because they get to spend some quality time with their Auntie Amy and Uncle Dave.  Aris and Zane have also been enjoying playing with their "cousin", Dave's dog Tess. 

It's great to reconnect with my sister and do our crazy girl thing. She's grown up a lot this year and it's been neat to hear her perspective on life. 

Dave is the closest to my age(he's two years older), and we have a cool relationship. He has a very different perspective on issues so I've been taking advantage of having him home to ask him all sorts of interesting questions.  He also fills the niche of being a brother, so we have great fun harassing each other and being silly.

The Christmas Story

Having children has forced me to see the Christmas Story in a whole different light. Part of it is that I think about it more. Last Christmas, I told the story several times a day for about a month. 

My children are fascinated by babies, which explains part of their fascination. For Aris though, it runs deeper. Jesus has two daddies, just like she does. This year we have been talking more about why Jesus came to earth, and have explained that He understands what it's like to be a child. He understands what it's like to have a blended family, what it's like to be three and how hard it is to use our words, obey, etc...I think Aris is really starting to understand that Jesus is God, and that He cares about her and is on her side.

As a mother, I see the Christmas story in a whole different light. I understand some of what Mary felt, having had a socially awkward pregnancy. I can relate to being pregnant, to having an infant, and I can only imagine what it was like to hold that helpless little baby and know that I was holding God in my arms. It's mind-blowing. At Christmas time, I look at my small children and realize that Jesus was like them once.  He was a little boy learning how to walk, eat and communicate. He was a preschooler, learning how to share and how to express his feelings. Jesus came to earth, not just to die for our sins, but to understand what it's like to be human. He understands not just what it's like to be a small child, but what it's like to be an adult. And although His life looked a lot different than ours, the underlying issues are the same. So this Christmas, I'm learning that God doesn't sit in judgment of me, wondering how I could struggle with that, but that He understands me when I feel overwhelmed, or in despair because He's been there too.

Christmas Decorations

This year we have a tree for the first time. This is a very special tree. It was my father-in-law's first artificial tree when he was a child, and then the tree that my husband grew up with. Now this tree is a part of a third generation of Van Bruwaene Christmas. 

Zane and Aris are loving having a tree. They are fascinated by the lights. Currently my tree is decorated rather uniquely as the children have been decorating the tree with the contents of their toy box. The decorations get moved around the tree many times a day, and the tree itself has been moved slightly.

This tree is a survivor which is good considering that it has fallen over twice so far this season. Fortunately, Zane was ok after tree landed on him.

Prayer Items

Thanks so much for your continued prayer. It makes such a difference! Here’s some things you can be praying about:

• As I take on new projects, pray for God’s direction, that what I do might further His kingdom


• Wisdom in raising our kids


• Praise God for Grace’s healing. Pray for continued health for all of us


• Wisdom, love, and grace as we work with the youth, that God would continue the good work He’s started in all of us


• Continued financial provision

Kids Corner

Grace has been quite busy lately chasing after two very active kids.

Potty training has been an adventure. Between May and August, Aris usually did No. 2 in her pull-ups, usually about 15 minutes after we put her to bed. I was beginning to fear that using the potty would never happen. But the tide changed this fall. She’s now fully trained — even at night. Aside from a couple of wet beds, we’ve had no accidents in almost a month!

Zane has been growing and learning lots too. He’s become quite a climber, and is getting into everything! Several times, Grace has found him sitting on top of our 5-foot high entertainment unit. He also seems to be fascinated with technology. It’s a wonder he hasn’t wiped out our computer yet! Recently, he managed to partially disassemble the bathroom scale. We still haven’t found some missing parts. Perhaps he’s destined for a technical field of some sort.

Zane has also been learning lots of other stuff too. He’s talking more, and we’re even starting to understand him! He has also learned to take his shirt off. While it’s exciting to see him develop, it is frustrating to see him come down the stairs with no shirt when we’re trying to hurry out the door.

Aris’s fall has been a stretching one. One of her grandmothers was quite sick, in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Aris had a really hard time with that. She’s been praying faithfully for her grandma though, and has seen those prayers answered. It’s been exciting to see her deepening interest and understanding in spiritual things.

Both kids have discipline issues ranging from tempers to trouble sharing to making messes. After seeing the kids for a few hours some days, I’m amazed Grace is still sane. She may be dealing with stuff that’s universal to motherhood, but I still think she’s amazing.