Christmas Letter 2011

It has been one eventful year. We have experienced some life changing events like welcoming our fourth son into our family in September. He was born at a birthing center. I had my heart set on a water birth, so that’s what we did. Click here to read his birth story. Simon has been such a blessing, and a wonderful addition to our family. Having four boys is not easy, but it sure is fun. I have a blast staying home and teaching my boys. Because we are home schooling, I am able to spend a lot of time with them. They are all wild and energetic, but what else can you expect from little boys.

Jameson is 6 and is learning things so fast. He doesn’t stop talking and asking questions. He wants to know everything. He loves to draw pictures, and make up stories.

Teagen is 3 ½ and is our resident klutz. He is always tripping or hurting himself somehow. He has a great sense of humor, and loves to build things.

Gavin is 20 months and is growing up too fast. He is talking so much and in full sentences. He is huge, tall and stocky, bigger than some 3yr olds I’ve seen. He is a great big brother. He loves the baby and even has his own baby doll he has to sleep with. (Yes, we let our boy have a doll. It’s a great way to practice being a daddy.)

Simon is 3 months and was born with red hair. None of the others had any hair for the first year and Simon has lots and it’s red. It sticks up and is so cute. He loves his brothers. They poke and pull on him and he doesn’t care. He was sick recently, and wouldn’t sleep. We had a couple weeks of no sleep, but he seems to be better now.

Another major event this year would be Scott making two trips to Haiti. He came back in February a changed man. He was baptized shortly after his return. He returned to Haiti in November, and encountered one of the poorest cities, possibly in the world. Scott has a heart for the Haitian people, and feels led to continue to serve God in Haiti.

We moved in April to an apartment closer to church. We have been really involved with Bible studies and other events. We attended a “Fundamentals of Faith” class, and also “Financial Peace University”.

In July, we had some trials. Scott lost his job. He was unemployed for three weeks, and then got a job at Chick-Fil-A. It’s a fast food restaurant, which Scott has lots of experience in. It is also a Christian organization. They are closed on Sundays. Scott has been able to spend much more time at home with the family. We had been praying for more time together, and this is how God provided it.

We took a trip to Tampa over Thanksgiving to see Scott’s family there. Everyone was there, and it was great to see them all. We had a blast just hanging out and playing cards, and swimming. The boys loved seeing their cousins.

After returning from Tampa, the transmission went out on our van. It is now fixed. There really isn’t much more to say about this. It wasn’t covered under warranty because we are not the original owners.

I am working on keeping my blog updated. I haven’t posted for a while, because I haven’t had a computer to use. The boys, though behaving very well, are sometimes destructive. There was an incident with my coffee and the laptop computer. All I can say is that now a fund is set up to buy a new computer. I do now have a temporary replacement, so please continue to check my blog for updates and pictures.

We are spending Christmas this year in Florida. We miss you all a lot, but hope to make it to Minnesota sometime in late spring or early summer. We wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

In Christ’s Love

The Foster Family

Rainbows

What are Rainbows? Wikipedia explains it here, as "an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere."

That would be the textbook definition of a rainbow. But what really is a rainbow? What does it mean?

There are songs about rainbows like, "Over the Rainbow", "Rainbow Connection", "Catch the Rainbow", and "Rainbow Eyes", just to name a few.

There are myths about rainbows like, the Pot of Gold, the Other Side as in another dimension, the Pathway to Heaven, and many more.

Today the rainbow is the symbol of diversity, and the flag of the LGBT. (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender)

I don't know about you, but every time I see a rainbow, I think about God. I think about the flood that destroyed the earth. I think about the Ark, Noah and his family, and all the animals that were spared. I remember what the Bible says about why the flood occurred, and that the rainbow is the symbol of the covenant God made to never destroy the earth with a flood again. I also think about what the earth looks like now and imagine that it is as bad or maybe even worse than it was in the days of Noah. I think about the second coming of Christ, and anxiously await His return.

I am in awe every time I see a rainbow. The beauty and the details that have to be in place for it to exist. Only God can make that happen. This also makes me think about Creation. There are so many things that prove Creation, yet some refuse to admit it. That is another post entirely though.

Genesis 9:8-17
⁸ Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: ⁹ “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
¹² And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: ¹³ I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Lots to Tell

I have not been able to post for a while, due to some computer problems. Let's just say that computers don't like coffee.

This post is the first of a few that will get everyone up to date on what has been going on in our lives in the last month or two.

Scott was able to take another trip to Haiti. He was so excited to go, and upon his return couldn't stop talking about it. He went with four others from our church, and our sister church. While he was there, he visited a place called Cite Soleil. It is one of the, if not the, poorest places in the world. It is extremely dangerous, so they didn't even get out of the vehicle they were in. After their visit there they proceeded to Canaan, where they were staying. They spoke to about 40 Haitian pastors there. They also made some steaks for them, just to serve and show their love to them.

There is a link for "Never Thirst Again" to the right. Please visit that site for more information. It is a mission that some friends of ours have set up.

Click here to see the video from their visit.