Dear Friends:

Christmas has come, and another New Year is being welcomed. We give thanks to God for another year of grace, and the continued promise of a love that abides and grows in each season of life.

This was a year full of change. Last December, we coped with a move from our home of 14 years in Rancho Cucamonga to becoming home owners in Riverside, California. That move came about as Jeff took on added duties as part-time pastor of the Riverside Brethren in Christ Church. Jeff continues to serve on a half-time basis in the conjoint roles as Bishop/Conference Minister for the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference, and as President of Shalom Ministries, an inter-Anabaptist urban mission agency. He now splits his time between working from home in Riverside and working from the Mennonite Office in Pasadena. Jeff is inching closer to completion of his D.Min degree at Spurgeon’s College, London. 2008 WILL be the year he writes his dissertation on urban Missiology from an Anabaptist perspective.

We also coped with extended family transitions. Debbie’s mom, Leora, moved from the family home in Kremlin, Oklahoma, to live in at Golden Oaks, a retirement community in nearby Enid. This month, we observed the first anniversary of Jake’s death, and took time again to remember a warm and loving father, father-in-law, grandfather and great-grandfather. Deb copes with transitions in her work as Administrative Assistant II in the Child Development Center at Chaffey Community College. She finds the commute not always to her liking, but she has re- discovered the joy of reading (on breaks, not while driving!). The new administration at the Center has slowly begun to realize that Debbie’s experience does come in handy…

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Our daughter Bethany completed her B.A. at Goshen College, majoring in Biblical Studies, with a concentration in Conflict Transformation Studies. In July, we celebrated with Beth as she and Marcos Kuhns married at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp. After a honeymoon in the Southwest, the new couple set up their first home in Goshen, Indiana, where Marcos (who graduated from Goshen in 2006) works as an Applications Developer for Haiku Learning Systems (www.haikuls.com). Beth is working at the Electric Brew – Goshen’s coolest coffee house, and sending applications for admission into a graduate-level M.S.W. (Masters of Social Work) program in the fall of 2008.



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Jordan and Celina continue to grow in their relationship. Jordan finished his studies at Riverside Community College and is now working on a degree in Political Science at the University of California at Riverside. Celina continues to work on her degree in Speech Pathology. Jordan works as Supervisor at a local Starbucks and as a file clerk for a law firm. Celina works with autistic and special needs children, and occasionally treats us to her great cooking.


Jacob warms our hearts with his grin. He has begun special needs home schooling this fall and will begin riding the bus in the spring. We were thrilled to see his first painting! He continues to teach us much about grace…


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As 2008 begins, we wish for you a continued experience of God’s grace…