2013 is only days away from being done! It seems like January 2013 wasn’t that long ago, and here we are, the end of another year. Time flies by so fast; it’s a good reminder that we need to make the most of every moment that we have been given.

Our year had two major events. We had another baby in May. Tre is now just over 7 months old, and is now mobile. Look out world! He is a sweet boy, who adores his family, and readily gives a big smile to anyone who catches his eye. Then, in July, sensing the Lord was calling us into something new, we moved to Kona to serve as full-time volunteer missionaries with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). It wasn’t easy to say “Yes, Lord”, because we were content in Lynden, but it has been the right thing for our family to be back in YWAM. We are grateful to be part of how God is using YWAM to spread the gospel around the world.

This Christmas was very different than the last few years. We will have to figure out some new Hawaiian Christmas traditions. This year, we went to the beach on Christmas Eve. I guess not everyone can say that!! 🙂 We spent part of Christmas day celebrating as a family, part of the day with Paul’s parents, and the rest of the day with friends. Here is a picture of Tre, enjoying a new book.

Watching our children open gifts on Christmas day, I was reminded of some other “gifts”: for many families, 2013 was the year they received the gift of clean water! Justice Water (a ministry birthed in Kona, but with hub locations in Haiti, Togo and from April 2014, in Cambodia) produces an excellent Annual Report each year. For those not familiar, Justice Water uses inexpensive technology to give people access to clean water. For example, a BioSand Water Filter that can eliminate 99% of water impurities can be built for under $20. Gifts like these water filters can radically alter a family’s life and their future, and once they receive that gift, we have found they are often more open to hearing the gospel message. Click here to view the 2013 Annual Report. It’s a great read!

We also reflect on the incredible privilege it is to serve here with YWAM. As volunteers, we rely 100% on funding from generous donors like you. We are so thankful for the team of faithful supporters we have, that give to us each month without fail. We are so blessed to have these partners alongside of us. Having said that, we are still looking for a few more people to commit to supporting us financially on a monthly basis. If you would like to partner with our ministry in this way, visit our Partner page to find out HOW you can give.

If you would like to make a one-off financial gift before year-end, time is running out. Since this coming Tuesday is the last day of 2013, if you would like to have your contribution count towards your 2013 taxes, I suggest you call the Donor Processing Office (808-326-4428) promptly. If that doesn’t work, please call us (360-393-8662 Paul) and we will be glad to help. Thank you so much to those of you who have already sent year-end contributions! May the Lord bless you richly!

With all that happened in 2013, I think we can be confident that God will do even greater things in 2014.