It's Christmas Eve and Joey, Laura, Robert, John and Sarah are all in the house! Merry Christmas to people who remember Christ everywhere, and to families who gather on this occasion. Now that we have adult children, we especially look forward to these occasions, although I have found occasion to mention how welcome any grandchildren would be as well.
This year will go down in our family as the year Sarah married John Forcey. John, that's 2014! It's also been a year when Laura and I haven't traveled outside the US--first time in many years. We celebrated Colorado by Laura's Friday hikes with international women friends, Steve and Joey's second backpacking trip together, a Colorado State Parks sticker on the minivan (mountain biking at Cheyenne Mt State park anyone?!), and daily sitings of Pike's Peak. We declared our US homeowner identity by finishing our basement, buying a third queen sized bed, welcoming many guests into our home, and visiting even more garage sales. I realized this year that we've actually been back from Taiwan four years now, so we're becoming increasingly comfortable shedding our Taiwan identities and owning our Colorado selves.
For TEAM, my focus shifted toward assessment this year, so I got to meet many potential TEAMers from afar, connect with a growing group of missions coaches and appointee mentors who invite, encourage, and welcome potential TEAMers in their journey to international ministry assignment, and work with a great Global Care team spread around the globe to provide counsel and care. Laura has not only worked alongside me in this but also had a delightful set of connections with international women through the international women's connection, welcoming me into this as well in different ways. Laura also got to care for her dad after his knee replacement last December and for Sarah after her ACL knee surgery in February, and she is very grateful for all the help we got planning, hosting, and celebrating Sarah and John's wedding in July! The international women showed up in force, many for their first American or Christian wedding. She also made a trek east with her mom to see her older brother and his extended family while I hung with her dad Bob here in the Springs.
Robert is completing his second year working for an optometrist here in the Springs and enjoys both his Colorado connections as well as his Houston connections. He adds that he is in good health. Joey and Laura live in north Austin, where Joey is now a software product manager for NI and Laura delves into cutting edge chip packaging in her UT research group. They are part of the Austin Stone (a church) and rock climb, bike, and generally help Austin become slightly more sane. John and Sarah have decorated their first apartment in College Station, where Sarah is in the internship year of her PhD (all encouragement to work on her dissertation is welcome) and John is in his fourth year of about seven years in a PhD philosophy program. They bike slightly less than before they got married, but have discovered a new route to a nearby lake.
Our ministry funding has continued to decline, but we are very grateful, not just for the partners we have now, but also for everyone who has partnered with us in ministry since 1990--24 years, but who's counting! We continue to invite your partnership and continue to work through TEAM--who will be happy to accept any contributions at their website TEAM.org or the address below. Our ministry expenses and living allowance come directly from the money that comes in designated for our ministry.
One of my favorite parts of the Christmas story as an international is that God entered a family, community, and nation in order to share in it and ultimately bring new life and light to all of us. This to me is what incarnational living means, and I think we all need to do more of it whenever we can! Happy Incarnation Day and Merry Christmas!
Your friends and companions in the journey, Steve and Laura
PS This is my "best attempt ever" at writing a traditional Christmas letter. My family advisory council made me throw the less traditional one away last night, although one charitably said I could post it on my blog.... Love to all who read this far (and those who stopped sooner) and we can't wait to see you again as soon as possible.
Steve and Laura Spinella
street: 1930 Springcrest Rd, CO Springs 80920
mail: 9685 Otero Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80920
Steve cell 719.355.4809, Laura cell 832.755.4261
TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60187, 800 343-3144
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <lauraspinella@alumni.rice.edu>
TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60187, 800 343-3144
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <lauraspinella@alumni.rice.edu>
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