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