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.