Announcement....

Hear ye, hear ye...we have an addition to the Gordon family. Kyle bought himself a Jeep Wrangler today. He's officially a member of the Jeep club. Now he can do the little finger wave to all of the other Jeep drivers (what is that all about, anyway? I never waved at other Grand Prix drivers...)

He's like a kid at Christmas...oh, wait, he IS a kid at Christmas. It's a happy day in the Gordon household, (almost as exciting as Jill's news!). Now, all he needs is a puppy to ride along with him with the top off in the summer and all of Kyle's wildest dreams will have come true.

Good News!

For any of you who read my last prayer and update, I have some exciting news to share! Sean and his wife Lydia, who have been living in Poland since 2003, emailed to let me know that we've already got a person of peace! There is a woman named Ela, who is good friends with Lydia and a professor at the University where we'll be working with the students. She heard about what Amber and I will be doing and wants us to come to her classes and invite her students to meet with us outside of class! Apparently, this was totally her idea; neither Sean or Lydia asked her to do this, she came up with it on her own. She has been friends with Lydia for two years now and is totally open to studying and hearing the Word of God and even to helping them as they share about Christ, but is not yet a follower of Christ herself! She definitely fits the "profile" of a person of peace!
So, thank you for praying and praise God, who is the Lord of the Harvest...this just totally reminds me that He is "not willing that ANY should perish" 2 Peter 3:9...He has been at work in Northeast Poland, drawing people to Himself, long before we even knew to pray for a "person of peace"! It's His heart that is passionate about each one of us having new life and forgiveness in Christ. What a good God! It's also such a reminder to me, especially at this time of year, that He is Emmanuel...God with us; that He is a God who came to earth to live as we live, with struggles and frustrations and weaknesses, and made a way for us to know Him (John 17:3) and to have "life in all its fullness" (John 10:10). He is truly a God who loves us and cares for us!

Tree Down! Tree Down!

The picture says it all...

We've resorted to tying it down with a rope and nailing the rope to the floor. This poor tree has no dignity.

Home Sweet Home

Hello! I blog to you greetings from Huron, Ohio! I survived the training down in Virginia and am back in Huron for Christmas and New Year's.
My time in VA was amazing. I think it's going to be one those times in life that grows in significance as time passes. I think I'll look back and continue to grow in appreciation for everything that I got to experience and learn during that time. Right now, my brain feels like it's on overload and needs to process a LOT, yet is still reeling trying to think through all that needs done in the next few weeks.
We had a commissioning service in Virginia Wednesday and my parents and friends, Tim and Teresa, came down for it! It was a great day, then I flew home (while my parents and Tim and Teresa drove the 9 hours home!) Thursday. I got to spend some time with my friend Brandi on Friday, then spent today with my family picking out our Christmas tree (by the way, I spent yesterday morning scouting tree lots with my dad...tree selection is serious business in the Gordon household!). Every year we go as a family (or as close as we can get) to a tree farm to pick our tree. It's definitely one of our family traditions. And, if I asked who of the Gordons was the most nostalgic about traditions, who would you guess...Kyle? It's true. He's SOOO sentimental and nostaligic, it's great. So, fortunately Kyle wins the prize for spotting the "perfect tree" this year! Way to go bubby! Right now, my parents are trying to figure out how to replace all of the burnt out light bulbs for the tree lights. There are, like, 20 working lights on the whole strand. Good times. And for any of you who read my Christmas Survey about my dad insisting that we had to let the tree branches "fall" after being in the car for 40 minutes even though it had been standing for decades will be pleasantly surprised...he pulled the tree out of the van, trimmed up the trunk, and put it up on the SAME DAY this year!
As we speak, he's off for a walk over to Drug Mart to buy some new Christmas lights. I'll post a picture of the finished product. And for the Ohio constituents of the Davis family, you'll get to see the finished product in a week!

Christmas Survey

My cousins Amy and Lori have both filled out this survey and I have to admit...I'm a sucker for the online surveys too. Combine a survey with Christmas and I'm sold! Especially since it's been hard to get in the Christmas spirit down here in Virginia...I don't know how you Texas girls do it!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? ewww...egg nog??? Gag me with a spoon! (That's for you Lori!)
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Ummm, hello? The ELVES wrap the presents!
3. Colored lights or white lights on tree/house? Definitely colored blinking lights on the tree...white outside.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No
5. When do you put up your decorations? well, I decorated my door here the weekend after Thanksgiving
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? hmmm...fisherman's stew; crab legs; fondue are some family favs
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: singing songs all the way home from Aunt Lennie's house on Christmas Eve to keep me awake so I'd actually sleep that night (NEVER worked!); staying up most of the night with Kyle; my dad SHAVING before we could go out and open gifts (can anyone say cruel and unusual punishment?!?!);
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? what are you talking about? Is there something I should know????
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? As if! (Lori, I think this one is technically early 90's, but it's close!)
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Colored blinking lights, random and memorable ornaments, tinsel, and the star gets put up by Kyle Christmas Eve
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Thinking I'd better learn to REALLY love it!
12. Can you ice skate? I guess you'd more or less call it ice coasting
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My Cabbage Patch and the tea cup and saucer from Grandma D
14. What's the most important thing about Christmas for you? the more I get to know the Lord, the more I'm amazed that He became Emmanuel...God with us. To think that God, the Creator, would send His Son as a normal baby born to normal people, out of love for us is precious. Of course, I love all the family time, the excitement, the decorations and special traditions, too, but that God stepped into our world to be with ME is rad (I'm really getting into this, Lori!)
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? candy cane ice cream pie with chocoloate syrup on it!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? cutting down the Christmas tree wtih my family, especially at the old place down in Bellville, fearing for my life as we drove up and down the "mountain" with a tree precariously hanging out of the back of our car, then getting home and dad insisting that we couldn't put the tree up that day because it had to stand up in the garage and let the needles fall....because that 40 minute drive in the car negated the 15 years of an upright position that the tree had previously been in
17. What tops your tree? star
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I really like finding the perfect gift that you're so excited to give to someone!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? O Holy Night
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum, definitely, especially in candy cane ice cream pie!