a swift christmas update 2012

Christmas Update 2012

This year has been fun and lively and sad and hard and beautiful and everything in between.

Do you know what I mean?

There have been many amazing moments from this year. Moments we feel extremely blessed by. Moments we feel loved and valued and cared for by our Creator. Moments like...

*Finishing my first year of teaching middle school science. And on top of that: still enjoying it.

*Chris finishing his first year being full time on staff with The Rock, our church, a church that strives to bring more college students to Christ.

*Traveling to Estes Park, Colorado and getting the opportunity to live there in a little tiny cabin with some of our best friends and work as staffers with Colorado LT, all while living among the mountains that so beautifully reflect our amazing Savior.

Chris and I on Hallett Mountain, RMNP, July 2012

*Traveling to the Pacific Northwest to visit my Dad and family. (My dad lives in Kennewick, WA).

*Celebrating our third anniversary so perfectly where our love began (YMCA of the Rockies, 2007). Celebrating by trashing the dress. (Don't worry people, I've done it before). And celebrating at the Briar Rose, our honeymoon spot from three years ago.

*Beginning to look for a real house. Then falling in love with a real house. Then putting a contract on a real house and then finally buying our first real fixer-upper house. (Which has now been officially renamed from the Swift Bungalow to the Swift Abode [FYI]).

*Getting our first little puppy. And later finding out that (s)he is a girl, not a boy. (I know, I know. I'm a Science teacher. I've heard it all. Get over it. It's our first pup, okay). And she is so sweet and loving but man does she love to chew on my toes. Our little Honeycomb. Or Honeypie. Or Honey Smoke-Moster Swift. Why don't you just call her Honey?

So when we look back... we can't help but be amazed by the Lord's blessings. He seriously has lavished us so beautifully. So wonderfully. So specially. And so perfectly. 

Isn't he so good?

But we would be lying if we said that it hasn't also been hard. It's been hard. Yes, it has. 

Chris has really struggled with so many changes and transitions he has gone through in his role at The Rock. (We planted a church this past fall in Pittsburg, PA and with that lost many of our fellow staff members, including one pastor). We have also added a pastor. Changed service days and times. And on top of that our Canvas Group (small group) has been walking through some really murky water.

For me, it has also been challenging. The Lord hit me hard this summer in revealing some of the sin that so easily permeates my soul. Sin that I hadn't realized had entangled my heart so deeply until this summer. And I would (again) be lying if I said I had it all figured out and worked through and I'm all done with that sin. Oh no, most definitely do not. It is a process, I am realizing.

And yet, we keep going back to the beauty of Christ. The beauty of his blessings. The beauty of what He did for us. What He is doing for us. And what He will do for us in the future. And we can't help but think that he sis good.

In all of that, we'd like to take this time to thank you.

Thank you for being a part of our lives.

Thank you family.

Thank you friends.

Thank you supporters.

Thank you co-workers.

Thank you church community.

We truly believe that the Lord has given each of you as another blessing in our lives.

So thanks.

So in review, we are thankful and blessed for this 2012 year. At the same time, we are excited and hopeful for the new 2013 year. There are so many more things in store. We just know it.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Years!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

Blessings,

Aimee and Chris

MIZZOU Campus Missionaries

Chris' blog here
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