.Real.Greg.Lee.

We can’t send personal Christmas cards to everyone, but we wish we could.  Here is our Christmas letter from this year…the only part you are missing is Jack’s personal artwork at the top of the page and the kids personal signatures at the bottom!

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Dear Family and Friends,

I (Greg) took Jack out for dinner the other night and our conversation turned to how fortunate we are.  It became kind of a game to name everything we are blessed with, both tangible and intangible.  Jack finally just said (loud enough for everyone to hear), “God has given us a ton of stuff!” 

Yes…He has.  And it hit us that the only way to write this letter each year is with gratitude.  Like most families, we do have our struggles.  Still, we can genuinely say life is good because of the people and experiences we have encountered this year.  Here is what we are thanking God for at the end of 2009…

We are grateful for YOU.    We think of you like family.  Maybe you are better neighbors than we ever could ask for.  Maybe you are part of Suncrest – and we are growing together in ways unimagined.  Maybe you are old friends and we wish we saw you more (but have enjoyed reconnecting on facebook!).  Maybe you are family – which would make you the greatest blessing God has given us.

We are grateful for our KIDS.  Jack and Abby, who are now 6 and 3, keep us on our toes and provide a lot of laughter around the house.  Jackson loves going to kindergarten with his friends from the neighborhood, and hanging out with them after school (usually “crafting”).  He played soccer again – scoring 4 goals on the day Grandpa Larry offered him $5/goal! He’s been taking piano lessons, and will joyfully play you a song, whether you ask or not.  But Jack’s biggest accomplishment may have been raising over $700 for clean water in Africa by selling the seeds from the Giant pumpkins “he” grew at Grandpa Larry’s house.

Abby has a big personality when she’s at home, but still acts shy around people she doesn’t know very well. She really enjoyed going to Kindermusik in the spring, and has been doing “tricks” for us that she learned in her gymnastics class this fall. She still loves taking care of babies (real or not) and dressing up (usually like Cinderella).  Abby likes leading our prayer at mealtime, but at bedtime she wants to pray “to herself”. (We always wonder what she is saying.) 

We are grateful for OPPORTUNITIES.  Jenny and I went to visit Suncrest missionaries in Liberia, Africa and it affected us more than anything in 13 years of marriage and ministry.  It is impossible to describe the need, but we (personally and as a church) are committed to being part of the solution.  Jenny will return for a 2^nd trip in February with a 15-person team from Suncrest.  It will take a long time to make a lasting impact there, but these words of scripture have been a difference-maker for me since I read them, “and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday” (Isaiah 58:10).

Thank you for being part of our lives.   We know in this crazy world that true joy and peace can be elusive, so this scripture from Romans is our prayer for each of you, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him.”

Merry Christmas!

Greg, Jenny, Jackson, & Abby

~ by Greg Lee on December 23, 2009.

Posted in Suncrest