Greetings Family and Friends!
Can you believe another year has come and gone? It amazes me how much changes in the small window of one year. I love to watch how God works in our lives and in the lives of others through different events, big or small as they seem. Let me try to give a short recap of the Slegers family’s year and what is happening in our lives.
Chris is still working his dent business, 82nd Dent Repair, and is doing wonderfully! The Lord has been so good to us and continues to provide for our family through Chris’s work. Chris is also heading up our church’s FriendQuest ministry as he trains believers how to share their faith and the Good News. This is where his passion is and it fits Chris’s personality perfectly! (Ask anyone.)
I (Hope) am enjoying the life of a stay at home mommy. I didn’t realize the “work” that goes into this home business! I figured a few games, educational television programs and a healthy snack was all I’d need. Little did I know that along with the title of homemaker came financial administrator, full time housekeeper, short-order cook, nurse, pharmacist and teacher were also in the job description. (Along with many other tasks. The list is just too long to type it all out! LOL) Mom’s out there, thank you, for your example of how to keep sane in the midst of chaos! I’m still selling Mary Kay and enjoy the experience and the friendships that come with it. My passion, however, is still the music ministry I’ve been heading up for the last 10 years! I love our little church with the most genuine fellowship of believers. How God still blesses me and these people minister to me as I lead worship with our worship team!
Little Collin is now 3 years old! He is just…amazing! (Forgive me for gushing, but have you MET him!?!) He currently loves to read “the Jesus book” aka the Bible. He likes soccer, basketball and baseball. Collin was able to join a 6 and under soccer team this fall and loved getting a trophy at the end of the season! He was so proud of himself. Needless to say, so were his Mommy and Daddy! Our sweet boy is growing up so fast.
I said, I’d give you a recap of our year so here we go: Our year started out pretty hectic, but things slowed down after a bit. We had a great camp Heart Attack in March. In June, Collin and I were able to go visit Nana and B-pa in Georgia. Aunt
Chrissy and the kiddos met us there too! July was crazy busy. And hard. And sad. It started off with a trip to Idaho for a camp that was beyond amazing! We met so many great people there and have such fond memories that I’m sure will be cherished for a long time. It was a great time of ministry but also difficult as we found out a dear friend had passed away and we would not be home for the memorial service. We spent two weeks on our ministry trip and then after being home not even a week, I got the dreaded call that my Grampy had passed away. What a challenging time. Why in the world would God allow such heartache as a loss as great as these? What a precious time. How God brought me such peace in the midst of a loss as great! He is forever FAITHFUL, friends! What love and hope he brings those who seek it!
Out of such pain and loss there is hope. Ours came with the news that Collin is going to be a Big Brother to a little boy!!! I think this came to remind us that there can be joy in the midst of sorrow. Collin REALLY wanted a girl baby, but when I explained all the fun that brothers could have…he’s not quite as disappointed. Baby boy Slegers is due in April and we would greatly appreciate your prayers for our growing family.
I suppose the past months seem to blend in together. Our church celebrated it’s 10th Anniversary in September. I suppose a milestone for me is I celebrated (I use that term loosely) my…gulp…30th birthday. I actually think I got another gray hair just typing that message… Okay deep breath, moving on! At the beginning of this month the three of us took our last “family of 3 vacation” to Branson, MO. We took Collin to the Dixie Stampede. His highlight, the “free” pre-show, where a young man juggled. But we all enjoyed the dinner and show as well! On our way home, we stopped at the Talking Rocks Cavern and took their tour down into the cavern.
So that’s it! We plan on celebrating Christmas in Georgia this year so I have a bit of packing to do. I hope this note finds you blessed and full of God’s grace. May your Christmas be one to remember this year as we celebrate the greatest Gift the world could ever know, Emmanuel, GOD WITH US!
Peace and Love to you,
Chris, Hope and Collin Slegers
