New Beginnings

Last week was a big week for our family. Our sweet Joshua turned 2...another year of his life has begun. We invited two couples to celebrate this special occasion with us, and Joshua loved his birthday dessert and gifts. This little guy truly is a gift from God who brightens our lives in so many ways. He also does great job of keeping us on our toes!

In fact, I'd have written about his special day sooner, only now that he's two, I've been pretty busy helping him adjust to the idea of using a potty. Fun times, I have to say!! For as brave as he is in many ways, he does remind us at times that he is a little boy. For example, he'll fearlessly attempt to climb the ladder of our bunk bed (and usually fall in the process), but for some reason, he's spooked at the idea of sleeping in a regular bed. Before Nathan's arrival we had to buy a second crib so that Joshua did not have to be kicked out of his crib. And now we discovered that the potty is a scary thing, too. We all need patience and wisdom as we navigate this journey toward greater independence of boyhood!

But I digress. On Friday we also celebrated the beginning of the new year with our friends. Their calendar begins with the first day of spring, so at 1:43 (or so!) we found ourselves saying "Happy New Year" to about 120 folks who had gathered that day. Six individuals were given the opportunity to demonstrate their new walk with the Lord as they were dunked during this New Year's service. Since four of these people were from the outer cities, Joe was given the privilege of dunking them. Two of these folks are on the far right in this photo. It was a great time and a great opportunity for several relatives of our friends to hear the Truth for the first time. We're praying that the new year will be full of many blessings and spiritual growth for these friends who have become dear to us!