Our Journey to Redemption Hill Church

God has been doing some pretty crazy things in our lives lately. The biggest is He is uprooting our family and sending us to join a church plant in Washington, D.C., right on Capitol Hill. Our hope is we can move the end of July after we have raised the necessary prayer and financial support we need to join in the new and exciting church. Please watch the video below to get a glimpse into what God is doing through His church, Redemption Hill Church.

2011 Rees Family Update

DAVID (almost 10) – I am in fourth grade and my teacher is Mrs. Jimenez. One time we studied owls. I liked that. We dissected owl pellets. That was cool. I play guitar and this summer I played while some friends and family sang around a campfire. At church I am in Popcorn 45 (4th and 5th grade class). Our church does a thing called Awana. There is T&T, Sparks, Cubbies and Puggles. I am in T&T. T&T is the one that is for older kids. I like to play soccer with my friends. I like to whittle sticks with my pocket knife. I enjoy playing with my nerf guns and love, love, love to fish.

HANNAH (8) – Hi, my name is Hannah Rees. I am in Mrs. Diaz’s 3rd Grade Spanish Class at school. So far the year has been going well and I am really enjoying art. Two things I love to do are jump-roping and gymnastics. I can do lots of things with a jump rope and I am very good at gymnastics. At church I learn a lot and I like church. When I learn about mistakes, I pray to God for forgiveness for my mistakes. I play piano and this fall mom and I learned to play a duet together. I have three stud-muffin brothers and two awesome parents!

Hi, I’m Micah. I am 5 years old. I love going to kindergarten. My favorite part is learning new Spanish words, like “aqui.” It means “I’m here!” I’m getting better at reading. I’m making some new friends there too, like Brayden, Jason, and Ian. I do Sparks at church and I like reading my Bible and learning new verses. My favorite is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I can’t wait for my first wiggly tooth to fall out! Some things I like to do are play with my brothers and sister, play legos, go to Legoland, spend time with my cousins and relatives, ride my bike, and eat out at Culver’s and McDonald’s. Merry Christmas!

“Call me ‘Andrew Joel Policeman’…Because I like to be a policeman!” I am 3, but sometimes I am 26. I carry “guns, tickets, glasses, a picture, grenades, my lizard, pencil and pen, my checkbook, bullets, another pet, a necklace/whip, my throwing knife, my other throwing knife, and my other throwing knives, lightsabors, dollars, my walkie talkie, my swords (of various kinds), my bowling ball wheels, gun parts, my map, directions, my phone, my brush, whoopee cushion, a microphone, my bombs, bracelet, my pin, a fire lighter, my bandaid, my ball, a maze…” and a bunch more in my backpack and pockets! You never know when you might need them! When I’m just Andrew, I’m a smart boy who learns quickly and likes to play legos, go outside, play with friends and ride my bike. I also like to “obey, not be mean, and get a Band-Aid if I have juice blood…” (And if you couldn’t tell, he has a vivid imagination and a fun sense of humor!!)

Robin – My responsibility and delight is to love and nurture this crazy bunch! I enjoy being out of the baby stage, now that three out of four children are in school. I have lessened my involvement in high school ministries this year to spend more time at their public school to build relationships and be the “aroma” of Christ among the teachers, students and moms. I am so thankful that I am allowed to volunteer in my children’s classrooms and get to know their friends and teachers. Some moms and I meet to hang out and encourage one another.

Jon--Well, I get to try and lead this whole crew. I find this to be a daunting task, but I love it! I have had the blessing of continuing to serve my home church in the areas of High School Ministries & Impact Groups (our church's small group ministry). God has been teaching me so much about leading these ministries and it is such a humble honor to do so. If there is a spare minute in the day I'll usually try and read a page or two in a book I'm trying to finish, in a year or so. If I can scrounge up a few hours I'll try and hit the golf course, but that only happens a few times a year. I've tried a few home improvement things this year including installing a tile back-splash and installing a dishwasher (with my dad's help). Amazingly nothing has fallen and no one was electrocuted!

One of the highlights of this year was our summer road trip during Jon’s sabbatical. We went to a cabin up in northern WI, Mall of America, visited family and friends, the Badlands in South Dakota, Mt. Rushmore in Wyoming, Garden of the Gods in CO, the US Airforce Academy, Focus on the Family Headquarters, and visited more friends and family! We will never forget the great memories we made!

We feel so blessed to have godly parents and extended families, wonderful friends, a supportive church, and most of all, our Savior Jesus Christ. Daily we recognize our great need for a Savior to rescue us, Father to carry us, and the Holy Spirit to grow us. Praise God for His gracious Plan!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy 2012!

Jon, Robin, David, Hannah, Micah and Andrew Rees

2010 Rees Family News

Hi. I am David Rees. I am in 3 rd grade. I go too Coventry school in Crystal lake IL.I am 8 and 11/12. My favorite sport is football and soccer and sum times baseball. My favorite colors are Blue and Green. I also play Guitar. In the week I do chores and do homework. I also play with friends. I like to play stick fights and build miniature golf courses in the garage. I also speak and read in Spanish at school. I go to Awana.

Hi, my name is Hannah Rees. I am in second grade. I am in a dual language class. I go to Coventry School. I live in Crystal Lake, IL. I am working on a story about my Halloween party at school. I have a part in a musical at my school that is called “40 Winks ‘Til Christmas”. I also have a musical at my church. I am going to be Mary! I go to Awana on Wendnesday nights, first we say are verses, then we go to the gym and play games. Then we go to the cafeteria and Mr. Bolok talks. Then the parents come and pick the kids up and go home. I also play the piano.I go to gymnastics. This year I climed a rope to the ceiling in gymnastics.

This is Micah Rees. I love cool cars. I love people that are friendly to me. I love race cars. My friends are Josiah, Ben, and Jotham. I do school at home. Mommy is my teacher. I like to learn everything. I’m good at money and time. I have a new bank. I go to Cubbies. They gave me a book for a Birthday present. I love to make forts and I love to play with Andrew nicely. I am 4 and a half. This is Micah. Grandpa and Grandma Hunt came to visit and we played Topple two times. The chicks and the submarine are my favorite parts of the Museum of Science and Industry. I have a lot of silly bands.

Hi, I’m Andrew. I’m 2 and a half. I like to play cars. I don’t like to take naps. I like candy. I don’t like finishing my supper. I like to play with my brothers and sister. I have a contagious laugh. I really like playing outside. I like swimming, running, shouting, riding my tricycle, eating snacks, and shopping with mom. My favorite place to shop is Joseph’s because I get a lollipop!

Mom Kids, teens, moms, parents, husband….These wonderful people represent how I spend my time these days!! Kids – I continue to be stretched as “mom” to these 4 lively young children who each have their own needs. All in one hour I might be changing diapers, teaching how to write the abc’s, advising on friend issues and quizzing multiplication tables! Jon tells me that one of these days I should count how many times I hear the word “mom”! Teens – I enjoy volunteering in the youth ministry and leading a small group of students through Jon’s lessons on the book of John. Moms – A group of us moms from the elementary school continue to meet to hang out or pray twice a month. As our relationships deepen, my prayer is that we all would encounter Jesus this year and respond by growing closer to Him. Parents – We are so blessed by having two sets of parents that give amazing support and love to our family. The way they generously spend their time with our kids has influenced our kids to appreciate our extended family and our faith. Jon and I had a refreshing retreat to Florida without kids in November. We celebrated 12 years of marriage in February and I am so blessed to have a fun, driven, encouraging husband!

DAD While not much has changed in my life in the last year, God has continued to stretch me in ways I haven't anticipated. The thing that has been most consuming in my life over the last year, other than being a husband and daddy to my family, has been making some pretty significant changes to the programming elements of the youth ministry I lead. It has been a great process to try and lead through change, and while not everything is going perfectly, we are seeing lives being impacted for Jesus. The other big happening in my life is that I have finally finished the process to become an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Free Church of America. This has been a time consuming & grueling process, but one that I'm so glad to have undertaken. While I haven't officially been approved by the EFCA, my paper was well received and my council was very affirming of the call of God on my life for vocational ministry.

God has blessed our family richly and for that we are so thankful. We are reminded that every good and perfect gift comes from God’s hand. And as we celebrate this Christmas season we are most thankful for the gift of Jesus who came to live the perfect life that we don’t, die in our place to take the punishment on Himself for our offensive sin, and rise again to give us hope when we place our life in His hands and pursue Him as the only truly satisfying One!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Jon, Robin, David, Hannah, Micah and Andrew Rees

P.S. In case you were wondering, this year’s Christmas photo shows our family caught in a tornado.

2009 Rees News!

DAVID
I’m DAVID. I’m almost 8. When I went to Missouri I went on a boat ride. I got new neighbors. I play soccer. I like science. I want to play tennis. It is my favorite sport. I have a wii. For wii games I have lego Star Wars. I have a favorite book. It is Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot.
(This was written and typed by David. Another big activity in David’s life is Awana Sparks. He is great at memorizing the Scripture verses!~Mom)
HANNAH
I learned Spanish. I go to music makers. I no how to read. I like Thanksgiving. I like art. I am 6. I LOVE MOM DAD ANDREW MICAH AND DAVID! I like gymnastics.
(This was written and typed by Hannah. She is normally a lot more verbose! What she didn’t write is that she is a terrific student, loves crafts, attends Sparks, and she is a great help around the house with her younger brothers. She is loving learning Spanish in the first grade dual language program and has made many friends! ~ Mom)
MICAH
I am a big boy! I am 3 1/2 and soon I will be 5. I can’t wait to go to school when I am 5...and chew gum. I do homeschool with mommy and I am learning my letters and letter sounds.
I learn Cubbie verses and I like it, but sometimes I am shy. At home I am goofy! I like making everybody laugh! Plus, if I just smile, it makes other people smile too! (This is handy when I am told to “go to my room”.)
I love the park, reading books, playing with my trains, boats, planes, cars, tow trucks and other things that move! I like Christmas lights. You can pick me out easily because I am the one with a twinkle in my eye and a bounce in my steps!
ANDREW
Yes, I’m the littlest for now, but I’m gonna catch up to my big brother Micah if I can keep up this pace!! I am 1 1/2 and my goal throughout the day is to get as high as I can by climbing on chairs, tables, the bunk bed, or even the piano! I’m trying to say some words, but the easiest way to get what I need is to grab mom’s hand and bring her to it and point!
I love puzzles, books, playing outside and doing whatever Micah does! Hannah and David take great care of me! I am learning the animal sounds. I can do the best horse sound of the family! When you first see me, you’ll notice my bright, big eyes and then you might think I’m mad, because I can give a really good scowl...but wait just a bit longer and you’ll see that I am a very happy boy who loves playing with anyone who will play with me!
Robin
I get to be “Mommy” to these adorable characters, and, boy, is it an exciting, challenging, busy and rewarding job! I am still in my learning curve of “what boys are like”! (Why does everything turn into a gun??!) This year God has been growing me in dependence on Him, prayer and in applying His Word. I have enjoyed volunteering in the youth group and in David and Hannah’s classrooms at school. God has opened an opportunity to get together with other moms from the school twice a month for outreach and prayer.
When Jon was away on trips this summer, the kids and I flew to CT for a fun vacation of playing at the beach with grandparents and visiting my high school friends. My parents have visited us several times recently now that both of them are retired and that has been a blessing for our family.
Jon
My jobs consist of Husband, Daddy, Youth Pastor and whatever else gets thrown at me. This year a lot has been thrown at me that I haven’t experienced before. I was given the opportunity to coach basketball to five 5-7 year olds. That was a serious test in patience (tests in patience are not new though). After basketball I was also able to coach soccer. I don’t really know how to coach soccer, but I can make my voice heard over twelve 7 & 8 year olds so I guess that qualifies.
As some of you know, I was given the new experience of leading a team to Hungary for an English camp to Hungarian teens. That was a huge learning experience and has continued to give me a heart for the Hungarian people. Before that, I led my 4th trip to inner-city Chicago for a one week mission trip with 9 students. Another first has been joining the planning committee for our denomination’s bi-annual youth conference in 2010. Challenge is a powerful week where students have the opportunity to be challenged by their Creator in ways they haven’t before. I’ve been in charge of web communication (I have zero experience there!) which has been fun to learn. If you want to see some of what I’ve been up to check out www.challengeconference.com.
Life at work has been filled with a lot of things other than youth ministry, but I’m still doing a lot of youth ministry. I have been preparing and delivering two preaching series this year which has been stretching but I’ve seen God work in me and through me in those experiences. I’m still amazed that God has called me to what I do and am continually humbled that I get to serve the local church for His glory.
The last “new” thing I did this year, with a group of friends, was to re-roof our house. No one fell off and the roof looks great. We were able to accomplish this feat in two days - of course, the two hottest days in June!

We wanted to do something out of the ordinary for our Christmas picture this year. You will notice that each of us is doing something we love!

The Names of God

Yesterday during our morning family devotions I asked the kids, "How many persons does our one God exist in?" They answered correctly, "3". I then asked, "What are the names of these persons?" Micah's response: "Joe"
At that point Robin and I lost it and I think the morning learning was done.

Priceless...minus 11 cents!

Our priceless little 3 year old is now worth 11 cents less than he has been for the past 3 days!!! Yes, he swallowed and, just recently, exposed of a penny and a dime!! We have amazing bodies that can handle foreign objects with no ill effects!!!

Sickness abounds

Quotes from Hannah & Micah about their illnesses...

"Mom, I've been coughing a lot today. So you're probably gonna want to give me my medicine now before I go to bed." --Hannah

"Me pick me nose a lot because me nose is sick!" --Micah

Sorry it has been a while since our last post. We'll see if we can be a little better in the future! No promises!