Our Christmas Card to You!
Reflections of our Year
Friends and Family it's that wonderful time of the year when we all seem to take a glance at the past and give each other a glimpse of what has been happening in our lives. As I sit here pondering this past year and all that has taken place, I feel compelled to give you a window into my heart as the Wife and Mother of this great big family of ours. When I look back over the days and months that have passed by, I can't just go back to January 2010 to fully give you a picture of the Grace that God has shed on our family this year.
As many of you know, we had to come off the road back in 2008 because of financial difficulties. We settled in WA. State where my husband was able to get a job, and we began to pray about what God would have us to do next. This was a very difficult time as our hearts were torn from not being in full time ministry any more, We Praise The Lord that we were able to plant ourselves in The Calvary Baptist Church of Roy, WA. We were there for about 5 months when The Lord began to work on our hearts about surrendering to plant a church in Indio, CA. During this time we were able to move to a temporary home of some very dear friends in the Church. This meant another move for our family and it just happened to be that I was pregnant with our ninth child during this move, but we did it and it was a huge blessing to our family! In May of 2010 we found out two things, first, we found out that our son Haden was having seizures and would need a repeat MRI to find out if the spot that they found on his brain was a tumor or just a birth defect. And Secondly we found out that we would need to move yet again (this would be the third move since coming off the road)
It's amazing the Grace that God gives exactly when we need it because at this time I wanted to be stressed and scared but God gave such peace! We were offered another place to live in another beautiful home, in Poulsbo, WA. The Bible Baptist Church had a parsonage that they allowed us to live in while we helped in the church. We lived there for about 4 months, during this time Haden was able to get his MRI. We found out that the spot on Haden's brain had not grown but they do want to repeat the MRI in a year. We Praise The Lord for His watch care over him. Mackenzie also graduated from High School during that time, Congratulations to her and to me since I home schooled her!! ☺ In September of this year we packed up again and moved to California, not knowing where we were going to live, we thought it best for me to come down with some of the kids to find us a place to live. The very weekend that we were moving we found out that my parents would be coming down as well to start a church in Redlands, CA. and to make a long story short we are now living in a home with them in Desert Hot Springs, CA. This is a temporary place for us until we can get a place in Indio. Trying to rent a house with 9 children is a little harder that you may imagine. ☹ We are praying that we would be able to buy something, We will see how God works that out. Our prayer is that by March we can start having services.✞
So here we are in December at the threshold of a new year and at the threshold of a "new life" for our family. Yes, there have been tears, anxieties, moments of despair but when it all boils down I can say with Joy in my heart that God has been sooooo good to us! We pray that you had a blessed year. We want to wish you a Very Merry Christmas. We pray that Christ is the center of your life and that your New Year is surrounded by His blessings!
With Love, ♥ The Knouf's
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