Tis Almost the Season

Hello to everyone out there. I hope that all of you have been having a good few weeks. I apologize again for going a little hiatus.

It has now become November! The time of the year filled with Starbucks Specialty Drinks, and calories galore! (Well, not the calorie part for me..health nut..) This time of the year really is my favorite. Every time Thanksgiving and Christmas come around, it not only means to celebrate Christ and his birth, but it means to celebrate Christ and his birth with family members and loved ones! As much as I claim the Newman Family has no traditions, I have come to realize that the Newman Family in fact does have some traditions. During this time of year my mom and I usually spend a Saturday, when I am home, baking warm apple crisp and then watching the film Little Women as we devour the pan of the apple crisp. Usually around this time of year in the Newman household we have our spa going. This usually results in us spending a morning sipping on tea, or coffee and talk about life until the mid morning. This is the time of year when the Newman girls get so cold they demand dad to go get wood and make a warm inviting fire. This is the time of year when my mom and I get up at three in the morning for Black Friday. All of these little memories and traditions I am going to miss. Around this time of year last year, I remember getting antsy in LA, and I just wanted to go home. This time, I am surprisingly doing well. I know that I would love to be home with momma, papa, and sister to enjoy all of these little traditions, but, it has been a new taste of tradition over here.

For the first time in my life I have a massive “family” and we all help out decorating, help up thinking of ideas for Thanksgiving, we all bring our family traditions into one massive tradition over here. This year I have a few new things that are going to be happening this Holiday season! For the first big thing that is happening is Lum's 16th birthday! That is right, Lum is turning the big 16, so we are having a big family dinner this weekend, and then the following weekend throwing her a big party with her friends. It is another excuse to decorate the house and make fabulous food, I am very excited for this!

Also, this year we are not only having a Thanksgiving meal, but around Christmas time we are headed out to the Ocean! I am going to finally be able to feel the sand in my toes, and swim in warm waters. I am so excited for this. Also, this December, I will have the privilege to FINALLY meet Karissa Jackson! She is on break from University, so she is packing up and coming home for the Holidays. I have heard so much about Karissa, I am so excited to meet her! (Last time I met her I am pretty sure she was 5..)

And finally, the thing that I am currently looking forward to the most, is care package day! My loving mom and aunt have put together big care packages for me and sent it in a big sea shipment that is coming hopefully by next week! It is currently in Duwala, so it is somewhere in Cameroon at the moment!! I have no idea what the care packages have in them, and to be honest, I really do not care. Just knowing that I have care packages coming from my two favorite people..it makes me jump for joy. Kathleen and I both are so excited, it is like an early Christmas Day for us!

As for work, I am currently on Lesson 20! It has really been coming together well. Kathleen, Karen, Chris, and I have been putting all of our time and effort during the week to get these lessons complete. In two weeks we are going to be having a training session! We are going to be going out to the Bush and teach the Sunday School teachers and showing them how to use the materials. I have to say, it is going to be really amazing to be able to see this. Kathleen and I are both so looking forward to this day!

Although it is really hard to be away for the holidays, there are really so many things to be looking forward to. New traditions and being in new places for the Holidays really is what makes life so interesting and exciting.

As for my support, I would like to send a great big thank you to Donald Lemons for the additional donation. It really is encouraging to know that so many people are in support of the Childrens Lessons!! We are all putting our heart and soul into this project, so again it is so encouraging to see people who are so supportive of that as well.

My current needed support: $2350.00

I hope that all of you have a wonderful week.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”

-Sarah 

Kathleen, Me, and Katelyn