There is something just darn special about being the VERY last to get their holiday letter done. We hate to mail until someone is leaving from this area because so much mail tends to get stolen, and we’ve had some life changes that are our excuse this year, but there were three major events for us this year:

1. The decision to return to Africa: leaving a great church, a wonderful job, beloved friends and family was so hard and so easy at the same time. We had a fantastic life in the states, but the bottom line was this: we are supposed to be in Africa. It has been confirmed to us in many ways that this is the place for us for a season.
2. September 11 changed everyone. For me, looking at pictures of firemen setting their faces as they charged off to probable death or injury made me want to throw off the cynicism and apathy that I’ve ingested for so long. The heroes made me want to be better.
3. Those of you on our email list already know, but we were led to adopt six-month-old twins who had been abandoned. Katie and Ben have been with us a month, and it has been a wonderful time. It has changed everything for us, but they have been good changes (with the possible exception of sleep deprivation). What we’ve noticed the most in the last month is that they know they are home, and that they know we are mom and dad and big brothers. It’s just the most wonderful experience to adopt, and it has brought all of us closer together.

We can’t look forward without thanking all of you for helping us do what we are doing. From kind emails to monthly support to toys for orphans, we have been overwhelmed at the kindness and goodness of our friends and families. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

It is going to be an exciting year. JT becomes a teenager next week, so we will experience what few will ever know: infants and teenagers at the same time. He and I are climbing Mount Kenya in February to commemorate this special time in his life.

We’ve gotten permission to begin a project that we hope will make a difference in this country, and we have lots of duties and responsibilities on the campus. It will be a year that will be full of about everything.

We’re excited. Thanks for all you do. May it be a wonderful rest of the year for you.

We pray God’s blessings on your new year too–

Steve, Nancy, JT, Matthew, Katie and Ben (Katie is in Matthew’s lap)