¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año!

Dear Family and Friends,

This has been a whirlwind year for us.  The first 3 years we were in Ecuador prepared us for the challenges of 2008, and we’re thankful for God’s preparation, timing, blessings, and direction in our lives.

In January the first NILI students arrived!  Stan is the director of NILI (Nazarene International Language Institute), which is a college semester study abroad Spanish program.  The goals are twofold:  (1) to provide North American students an excellent, Christian Spanish program and (2) to use NILI tuition to raise funds for Seminary student scholarships and Seminary campus improvements.  The Seminary has a goal to be self-financed, and NILI is helping to achieve that goal.

God has answered our prayers beyond anything we could have imagined!  The Seminary hired an Ecuadorian president for the first time in its history.  He brings many talents and experiences to the position, and we are thankful for his leadership.  Also, the NILI funds sponsored many more Latin students to attend the Seminary.  At times we had over 100 students living on campus!  Finally, God has greatly impacted the lives of our NILI students.  Many received a call or a confirmation to a call to missions while in Ecuador.  Others expressed that God was working in their lives during their time in Ecuador.

This summer we traveled through 22 states on our deputation tour!  We are grateful for the love and care given to us by our own families and our Nazarene family wherever we went.  Some personal highlights during the summer were visiting Dallas, Washington D.C., Boston and Niagara Falls.

This Fall flew by as Stan continued directing NILI and taught three classes at the Seminary.  Stan also created the NILI-Professional program for adults who want to learn Spanish while living in Ecuador.  We had our first couple come in October.

Mary played varsity girls soccer and grew as a team leader.  She learning to play the saxophone along with playing the flute in the varsity band and sings in both the choir and the vocal ensemble.  Landon takes both guitar and piano lessons.  What he enjoys most, though, is writing songs using the Garage Band program or playing them on the guitar.  Sherri continues with several writing projects, but mostly tries to keep up with her family!

As we finish 2008, we look forward to hosting a 32-member team from Eldon, MO.  We will be in Shell, Ecuador, to continue building the church’s school, and we will take the teen group into an indigenous Shuar village for a VBS-type program.  We are very excited to see how God moves in and through this team.

God has been so good to us, and a BIG part of that blessing comes through you, our friends and family.  We cannot express how much your prayers and support mean to us.  We love to hear from you so keep the emails and letters coming.

Love, Stan, Sherri, Mary and Landon

Sweet 16 Luau Party

Our baby, Mary, turned 16 and we had a luau birthday party to celebrate.  It was supposed to be outside, but the rain wouldn't go away.  We still had fun.

Photos:

• Our 16 year old baby girl
• Our family:  we had a time to honor Mary and different people shared what Mary means to them.  In this photo, Landon is sharing.
• The menu was complete with roasted pig and fruit salad.  Of course, birthday cakes too.

My Baby's Sweet 16: Part two

Guests included friends from the mission and from school.  At the end, the rain let up and we were able to light our luminaries and to roast marshmallows over our bonfire.  A magical ending to a fun night!

New Thanksgiving tradition--the Beach!

We usually try to get to the beach for a family vacation at least once a year, usually during Christmas break.  This year, however, we went at Thanksgiving.  Because Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here, this was considered "off season" so we had our rented condo and the beach to ourselves.  It was paradise!  Although we'd rather be with our families at holidays, this is a great "plan b."  

Pictures:

View from the kitchen window:  This is the closest we've ever stayed to the beach.  It was incredible.

A dad and his son:  riding the waves . . . all afternoon!

A boy and his dog:  Landon and Snuggles relaxing poolside.

Mary at the pool . . . chilling.

Snuggles as guard dog . . . he thinks he's so big!

Soccer Season--came and went too fast!

Mary has been playing varsity girls soccer since the 7th grade.  With any sports team, some years are better than others.  This year was a fun year (even though the team was young and they didn't always win) because Mary emerged as a strong leader on the team.  In fact, she won the award for "Best Defensive Player" for the team.  We are proud that she's not only coaching the younger players in the game but is a big sis for them too.  As a mom, it has been fun to see her grow in this way.

The pictures:

Photo of her team with the tournament trophy (they got 2nd place).  Mary is in the center and is wearing her Best Defense medal.

Photo of the team after the final game.

Photo of Mary doing what she does best -- blocking out a player on the other team so that the goalie can get to the ball.