Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

Merry Christmas! We are wrapping up 2007 with thankful hearts for all the many ways, both big and small, that Jesus has loved on us. It has been a year of blessing, of growth, of provision, of waiting, a year of hope. Our Savior is truly our Emmanuel - God with us! He does not leave us on our own to figure things out. He loving and faithfully guides us, nudges us, sometimes pushes us...to grow and trust in Him, and not in ourselves or our understanding of things. He proves Himself with unexpected blessings, with daily provisions, and with sustaining us and teaching us in the difficult and, at times, disappointing times. Our faith in Him has been tested and strengthened this year!

We have traveled the world this year! Christiaan and Kristina had an amazing opportunity to travel to Israel with our church during the spring. (Christiaan's parents came from Holland to babysit!) The four of us were able to spend three weeks in Holland in August, reconnecting with all of Christiaan's immediate family. Then, in November, a special family from our church blessed us with a free 7-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera, for all four us! Our passports have certainly been well-used this year! Scroll down the blog for more pictures and stories.

Our big news is that we are currently a "waiting family", waiting to adopt a baby! We are with a non-profit adoption agency - Independent Adoption Center, or IAC - and plan to adopt within the U.S. We have completed all of our paperwork and requirements and could receive news at any time! We are so excited to bring a new child into our family, another hand to hold.

Our adoption website is: www.christiaanandkristina.com.

Christiaan continues to enjoy his work at Cornerstone Fellowship as the Director of Children's Ministry. He also enjoys working on computers and staying up-to-date on the latest technology. He's looking forward to becoming a new dad again!

Kristina spends her time as a stay-at-home mom and a part-time piano teacher. She has stepped down from doing music for the women's ministry at church, in preparation for our new baby, but still occasionally participates in the weekend services' music. Both kids are in school now, but it's still amazing how busy life has stayed!

Mariana just turned 8 in December. She is in 2nd grade at Valley Christian. She loves school and is becoming an expert reader. Her favorite subjects are science, math, art, music, and reading (I told you she loves school!). Mariana loves Jesus and knows that He loves her! She started piano lessons this past fall, and loves it. So far it's working out to have her mother as her teacher. We are embarking on our orthodontics adventure (yikes!). In January, she will have four teeth pulled, the first set of several. It's a bummer when both your parents needed lots of work done on their teeth.

Jack celebrated his sixth birthday in Holland and started Kindergarten at Valley in September. He loves school, too! He is a hard-worker and is so proud of the assignments he brings home. He loves transformers and all kinds of action figures. Jack is learning to pray and loves learning about the Bible.

That's us in a nutshell! We pray that you might experience the true Joy of the season, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the reason we celebrate at this time of year!

Come, let us adore Him,
Christiaan, Kristina, Mariana and Jack