Of course, it never really seems like winter here. Sure, it can dip down into the low 40s or even sometimes into the high 30s, but later on in the day you’re enjoying 70-75°F weather. As I write, David at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown is getting buried in 10″ of snow.
It was great to once again be involved with preaching and leading the worship at church. We are meeting outside, with tarps to shield the heat and brightness of the sun. One Sunday, a gust of wind blew down one of our canvas canopies, causing us all to run for grab the supporting poles. It’s encouraging to see the growth and maturity in many of the congregants. It’s a bit discouraging to see fewer numbers, often because of sickness, but sometimes because of people who have lost the habit of coming on Sundays.
One of the highlights of our winter was having David down during his winter break. Within minutes of his arrival home, we had 10 boys in our house, which pretty much lasted for the duration of his time with us. It was reminiscent of many days and evenings full of craziness, spike ball, soccer and basketball games and, of course, Settlers of Catan.
One of the oldest members of our church is Justiano (Guti for short). Guti helped coordinate several outreaches to his seasoned citizen group. After several Sundays of not accepting a ride to Sunday service, he texted and said he needed a wheelchair. So today we delivered a wheelchair to him, read a Psalm, and prayed with Guti.
Below, a short video of our very busy end-of-year!
