Our townhouse is more than just a home; it’s a divine gift to our family. Despite being missionary kids, our daughters always have a home to return to. They lived here together, started their relationships from here, and three left to begin their married lives and families. We are so grateful to God for this refuge.

Chuck and Bobbie were missionaries for five years when we began our journey, and they are still going strong over 36 years later. They are our heroes because you can see from their faces how they are not burned out. They still love God and people.

The Browns have invited our family for about ten years for Christmas. Roasting meat over an open fire while catching up is a tradition.

With a God who can create this out of sunshine, dust, and water and Who desires relationship with us, the only thing we have to worry about is worry itself, because worry is the opposite of faith.

The Bible’s story, from page one on, is about how God wants to bless people and have a relationship with them, but people struggle to believe in God. People frequently take matters into their own hands, with disastrous results. Thankfully, we have a patient God who keeps bailing us out again. Our primary task, then, is believing God and trusting Him.

Think of Abraham, and how many times he took matters into his own hands, until he finally learned to trust God completely.

“Yet he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Ro 4:20-21).

I found some crab apples on my early morning walk.

The sunrise behind our house, over Mt Baker in the USA.