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November 2005 As the fall-that-seemed-like-it-was-never-coming fades into early signs of winter, we pause in our crazy schedule to greet you and to update you on our last few months. Our last Family Camp at Campus by the Sea ended September 19, delaying the launch of our "new year" in New England until late September. But launch it did at that point, and since then, we have not wondered what to do. If you've checked out our website calendar, you know what I mean. H.I.M.'s second-year birthday party was held at St. Michael's Parish in Bedford on September 25 and featured our ministry partners from Trinidad playing inspirational music on their steel pans. Though the afternoon didn't go according to plan (the band was"trapped" in Boston due to streets being closed to accommodate the 375th birthday parade for the city, and didn't arrive until the ninth hour at St. Michael's), we couldn't have had a more understanding and gracious group of party-ers and partners. Good food, good fellowship, and eventually good music filled the afternoon celebration. Engagement Matters kicked off October, hosted by Doug and Julie Macrae in their Weston home and served by Nate and Jeannie King and the two of us. We led attending couples through a discussion of issues germane to Christian marriage. We love doing this weekend and could use more help in getting the word out about this opportunity. There are two more scheduled in the next six months; please pass the word to any pre-engaged or engaged couples! We have met every Thursday night with the New England Patriots and are thrilled to have this opportunity for the sixth year in a row. Don and Yanette Davis are hosting the study in their home and we've averaged fourteen couples each week. It's energizing to be with these folks who sincerely desire to know what it means to live for Christ in the NFL. Go Pats! Counseling together for at least one day a week, speaking at local Mom to Mom groups, and kicking off our Family Focus Nights at Lexington Christian Academy and at South Shore Christian Academy have also been a part of this busy fall. In addition, we’re partnering with Park Street Church by teaching on marriage once a month at their very creative Family Night, and also with Christ Chapel on the Cape by holding two family seminars for them. Weekend conferences have included a return to California to speak at the annual Christian Law Enforcement Fellowship Marriage Conference for the third year in a row (how we've grown to love those couples!), a wonderful weekend with the warm and sincere group of believers at Bethany Gospel Fellowship in Swansea, and an inspiring weekend at First Evangelical Church of Memphis, Tennessee. We are more and more convinced that one of the most effective ways to reach this world for Christ is through healthy, Godly marriages and families. This fall has also included a missionary journey to Catania, Sicily. Invited to teach on Christian marriage and family by Vince and Cathy Costa (career missionaries to Italy), we spent ten amazing days partnering with them. A very faithful group of relatively young believers came out for five evenings and two full days to be fed some very radical (for them) but very Biblical truths about God's design for the family. Imagine being Sicilian-born and Sicilian-raised, meeting Christ as a young adult, and trying to digest God's design for marriage beginning with leaving Mother and Father. We were touched by their desire to understand God's design and simultaneously to wrestle with how to apply it. It would be impossible to fully express our experience with these dear brothers and sisters. They were so open, so eager, so hungry; they embraced teaching about God's design for marriage, in-law relationships, and parenting, even though it collided significantly with their cultural and religious norms. They faithfully came out night after night, and all day Saturday and Sunday, full of enthusiasm and grace. With seven days of consistent contact and interaction, we bonded deeply with this flock and left part of our hearts there as we took them with us in our hearts. So many experiences wove together to make the time rich culturally and spiritually. We harvested the Costas' olive tree and paid a quick visit to the olive processing plant during a break on Saturday's retreat. We roasted chestnuts, not over an open fire but in a skillet, and expanded our culinary palates to include that unusual and yummy nut. We experienced their Christian camp in Ispica, which consists only of one central building containing the kitchen and bathrooms and five old travel trailers for housing. We (re)discovered the delights of spending hours around the dinner table, breaking bread and sharing lives. These folks were not in a hurry, nor were they rushing from one thing to another (a gentle rebuke to our way of life). They’re not particularly concerned with efficiency or schedule, and saying good-bye at the end of anything is a process that lasts about 30 minutes. Sunday worship was a definite highlight. Their singing was full of passion, joy, and life, and was truly worshipful. It was such an affirmation of our unity in Christ; language and culture do not prevent the Spirit of God from making us one. Amazing. The best part of all was the people. They were warm, embracing, gracious, generous, teachable, grateful, faithful. Many of them fight an uphill battle in their personal lives, but are committed to living for Christ now that they've found Him. One young man accepted Christ on Saturday night (after spending the day at the retreat) and another woman was close to making a commitment (according to the friend who brought her). All expressed gratitude for the teaching which was producing growth in their lives. We’re so grateful to have had this opportunity. It was faith-affirming to see the Spirit of God so powerfully at work in His people. How privileged we are to partner with the Costas in His ongoing work in Sicily! So that's what we've been doing the past two months! Thanks for your prayers, your care, your support, your interest, and your partnership with us. May the coming holidays hold moments of joy and gratitude for what God is doing in your life. |
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