Today is a day we are choosing to celebrate. We have several reasons for doing so:
--First, today is Andrew’s four-month birthday! He has grown a lot, quite literally. We took him for his checkup earlier today and he has grown about five inches and doubled in weight since his birth. He continues to bring us joy each new day. We rejoice in God’s continued creation in Andrew and how He has touched our lives, and others, through this precious baby.
--Second, today we celebrate the Latino fellowship’s (which we call Comunidad Cristiana Nueva Esperanza: “New Hope Christian Community”) first anniversary. This will involve a presentation
of pictures taken over the past year, and afterward a short message of love and hope that we share through Christ. Then, a party, complete with many special foods from a variety of Latin American
countries. We’ve invited the group to use this as a chance to reach out to others who might want to belong to the group but who might be shy about coming to a Bible study.
--Third, it’s Luis’s birthday. Luis is a classmate of Caty’s in her Dutch class, a recent arrival from Chile. He is one of those we hope to be able to include in the group, but who hasn’t taken up the invitation yet. But last week, he helped us to arrange our sound system in the ministry center (which we’re now using full-time for church services for the English-speaking group as well). We had to go to Media Markt (Europe’s answer to Best Buy and the Apple store mixed into one) to get some adaptors, and in a store giveaway promotion that day, he and Richard from Paraguay, who was also helping us out, both won 50 Euros worth of gift cards. It was an opportunity to share a lesson about how God sometimes chooses to reward us for our efforts for Him. We hope that Luis, a talented musician, will consider joining the group soon.
--Finally, on a Pittsburgh-related note, Steelers receiver Hines Ward won on “Dancing with the Stars,” and today is the twentieth anniversary of the Penguins’ first Stanley Cup win, which we remember fondly. (No hate mail from Buffalo Bills fans or others, please. You know who you are.)
Thank you for praying for us and celebrating with us! We pray that you may celebrate God’s love and mercy this day as well.
In Christ,
Michael and Carrie (Caty) Hamley
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