Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

It’s February and we are in “full-swing” here in Jeffreys Bay! But before I talk about February, I wanted to give you a quick update on our time with Grandma and Grandpa last month! What a gift!

It was such an awesome time and we got spoiled rotten! They were here for a whole month and enjoyed the warm weather and beautiful sights. They cuddled baby lions, saw penguins up close and personal, swam in the Indian Ocean (actually Mom got knocked over by the waves - so funny! see below), got sunburned on the beach, "shopped until they dropped" in open African markets, had lunch with monkeys, held a parrot, and even rode an elephant! We were even able to take them to Cape Town for a week! Beautiful! But I think that the highlight for everyone was just hanging around Jeffreys Bay and spending time together. The kids especially enjoyed riding their new bikes for Grandma and Grandpa to see. (We all got blessed with bikes for Christmas! Thanks Mom and Dad! You're so good to us!)

I’m glad to say that, in the middle of sightseeing, Mom and Dad were also able to have a good rest. The funny thing was that Dad rests best when he’s fixing or building things (lucky for us :)! And you can imagine that after a month of staying with us, he was able to fix a lot! And Mom rests best when she is cleaning or decorating! I am so blessed! Even now I look around and I can see their “fingerprints” everywhere! It makes me feel “closer” to home somehow!

Celebrating a Tropical Christmas was definitely a unique experience! We shared our celebrations with Becky Vaughn and it was so special to have her join us! For those of you who don't know Becky yet, she is a Canadian who has been living here for 4 years and is currently working at Victory4All. She's quickly becoming a dear friend! It was weird, though, having to cook a turkey in 30 degree weather. No wonder most people just serve cold cuts and salad (they probably thought to themselves “what crazy Canadians!”). Thank you, Jesus, that it actually rained on Christmas Eve, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to stand the heat in the kitchen! But, man, that turkey tasted good! It was worth all the effort!

It was definitely tough saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa after such an incredible family time for all of us! There were many tears, and even Erwin didn't want them to go home! (How many sons-in-law do you know who actually WANT their in-laws to stay longer?)

"Mom and Dad, Thank You for coming to visit us!
We REALLY LOVED having you here! And you are always welcome!”

Fortunately, we didn’t really have time to feel sad because we went right back into “back to school” busyness. We’re back into regular routine now and here’s what’s happening…

Raelynne is in Grade 6

Joshua is in Grade 4
David is in Grade 1
and yes… Rachel is in Kindergarten!

Can you believe it? This is the first time in 11 years that I don’t have a preschooler at home in the mornings!!! Wow! What a change! So what is Shauna doing? Reading, walking, sewing, etc, and still actively involved in the Worship Department and in the Mentoring Program.

But I’m also excited to say that I’ve got the privilege of heading up the new reading program this year at Elijah School. It’s called “Reading to the Stars” (based on the reading program at Jackson Heights School in Edmonton) and it rewards children based on how many minutes they read, not how many books they read! The response from the student body has been overwhelming and both parents and teachers are ecstatic! I’m delighted because I love to see my own kids read, it’s something I’m passionate about, and it feels good to offer my strengths to see it happen in other families.

Erwin is also doing well. He had a good rest over the Christmas holidays and is now gearing up for our first Worship Retreat on Feb 22-23. (Watch out everyone, the “Queen of Games” is back! :) We’ve also got a whole new group of Worship Academy students, and we’re looking forward to another season of growing deeper relationships with each other and pressing into deeper places of intimacy with God! There's been such an intense expectancy in Victory Church about the coming year! God is doing some incredible things! Please pray with us that God will give us clear direction for the year and favor with everyone we come in contact with!

We love you all and miss you dearly! Please keep the emails coming—we love to hear from you!

Erwin, Shauna, Raelynne, Joshua, David & Rachel

P.S. Isn't this a great picture? Mom took it just outside Cape Town in a place called Hout Bay. What a beautiful world we live in! What precious memories!