2014 was a long year and we were excited and ready to say good bye to it! We received 2015 with our hearts opened and holding our Papa's hand tighter than ever before! New Year's Eve Our friend invited us to spend New Year's Eve with his family and we had a lovely time together. After fireworks on the streets, lots of delicious food, the president's speech and some dancing in the leaving room, we met with more friends downtown to see more fireworks. We walked around with them for a couple of hours and finished celebrating the new year with some warm tea at 4am!
Small Group Winter Retreat
On the first week of the month we went to Almaty with our small group. After a fun 18hr train ride together, we finally made it to our American and Canadian hosts. It truly felt like a winter retreat; we lived in the same house, cooked and ate together, explored the city and had many great talks. We were able to continue to talk about our Father's love for them and how much He wants a relationship with them. We were hosted by a like-minded couple who have been working in this region for the past 14 years. They are successful professionals who are in love with their Creator and they were an inspiration to us and our friends. This trip was a great opportunity to deepen our relationship with our friends and we are looking forward to seeing how He will continue to guide and work in their hearts.
Visiting Family Right after Almaty
We were bl3ssed with the opportunity to visit family for a week. With so much that happened at the end of last year; this opportunity felt like a sweet gift from our Caring Father. Our time in Spain was filled with hugs & kisses, lots of conversations that helped us process this season of our lives and time of peace & rest for our bodies, minds and sp1rit. We are thankful to our Papa for b3ssing us through them and for the opportunity to connect with dear family members! We were also blessed by catching a slight glimpse of how the L0rd is working in Madrid. There is a great fellowship on fire who is boldly sharing on the streets and deepening in their understanding of what it means to truly be a chu.rch family. It was awesome and a bl3ssing.
Classes
Our semester started off really well. Our students are excited with the new year and we have been enjoying our lessons with them. We just had a student self-assessment time and it was nice to know that they can recognize their progress and also the areas where they still need to improve. This past Saturday we led a teacher's seminar. The goal was to help the local teachers practice their English at a higher level with native speakers. We shared a TED talk video that encourages teachers to be a champion for their kids. We had great conversations about being more than a teacher and actually caring for our students. It was a productive time for them and we were invited to lead more seminar's.
This month flew by but we are thankful that we can see His hand each day in our lives and His care over us. May you also take the time to see how He is guiding, speaking and loving you each day.
Much love from afar,