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Dear Family and Friends -
I only have time for a short letter- like many of you, I have pies to bake, last minute things to pick up at the store, a turkey to fix, and LOTS of details to work out! Still, I just wanted to take time to write a short note to tell you just a few of the MANY things that I am thankful for:
*I am very thankful that God has given me a new son-in law! Sami and Heather (Ross) were married in July, and are happily living in Santa Cruz. Sami is a very kind and thoughtful man, and I truly think of him as a second son. I thank God for his life, and for all of the joy and happiness that he brings to Heather’s life!
*I am very, VERY thankful to be a grandma! Nicole is a sweet baby, and it just amazes me to see such a perfectly formed person in miniature! It is also pretty cool to see your kids become parents! Angie and Andrew are very loving parents and are responding amazingly well to all of the adjustments that the adventure of parenthood brings. I asked Andrew the other day if he enjoyed being a Dad, and he said, “Well, I definitely sleep a lot less, but yes, it is very cool.”
*I am very thankful for all of the amazing things that God has been doing in Katie’s life. We got to see Katie for 2 brief and unexpected visits this fall, because Samaritan’s Purse (SP) offered her a job to fly to La Paz to accompany 2 children who were returning to Bolivia after heart surgery. The most amazing thing of all, was the dates she arrived.
On the first trip, she arrived the day before Nicole was born, and on the second trip, she arrived the day before Kep’s birthday! Now some people might chalk that up to coincidence, but we had no way of knowing when Nicole would be born, and in fact, she was born about a week before her due date! Besides, I know that the people in SP are not arranging their activities based on the events in our family! I only know that it was amazing for me as a Mom to have all of the family together for 5 days for such an important event, especially since we normally live pretty scattered apart, and I thank God for that unexpected gift! I am also thankful that Katie passed her nursing exam - especially since after all of her traveling she really didn’t have much time to study.
* I am very thankful for the opportunity to co-lead ESI (Equipping Servants) with Kep and for all of the things I am learning. It has been painful to see all of my pride and the things I do that hurt God and others, but I am very thankful to Jesus for loving me and making me part of His family. We realize, of course, that sometimes God allows times of difficulty and pain in our lives. We don’t thank Him only in the happy times, but also in the difficult ones. Still, I am feeling pretty overwhelmed with joy at the MANY incredibly wonderful things God has done in our lives these past few months, and didn’t want to let the moment pass without giving thanks.
I love you and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!
Love,
Debbie James
