| December 2010 | | 
Merry Christmas
O Come let us adore Him! This was the theme of the Christmas program we hosted in our home recently with 8 other missionary families. Hannah, our little angel, belted, "Glory to God in the Highest!" right on cue. Jude, our smiley shepherd, had been counting the days until he could sing his solo in "Go tell it on the mountain". And Elijah, our serious wise man, shushed his fellow wise men as they prepared to go on stage... "You guys, this isn't practice anymore. This is the real thing!" It was a joyful evening of celebration and worship together as we recounted the story of Christ's arrival on earth as a baby.
| |  Elijah Wesley
Our oldest is already 6 1/2 and sprouting up past all of his buddies. I just told him today that I'm going to have to take him to the market soon for new clothes as he's growing out of his whole wardrobe. Elijah is a deep thinker and is always throwing questions at us, "How could God never have been born?" "How can heaven last forever?" "How do you make plastic?" "Who invented the piano?" He began piano lessons a few months ago, and although he isn't so sure he loves it, we often hear him plunking away and figuring out how to play some of his favorite songs. He enjoys reading "The Boxcar Children" and doing science experiments and art projects. He can't get enough of fishing with Dad in the Nile River, just a mile from our home, or playing soccer. He and Jude have become gardening-lovers, like Dad, and have their own tomato, bean and corn plants that they faithfully take care of. Elijah is our official egg-checker (we have 11 layers) and he takes this job very seriously.
Our prayer for Elijah is that he will grow to be a humble man of prayer and a bold testifier and follower of Jesus. | | Judah Benjamin Jude is our passionate 5-year-old. You never need to guess how he feels about something. His love language is no doubt "physical touch". If we ever need to help him get out of a foul mood, a little snuggling and kissing will do the trick every time. He is an avid book-lover, and is quite excited about the fact that he can now read 3-letter words all by himself. He and Elijah joined a gymnastics class a few months ago, and he loves it so much that he can't stop giggling whenever it's his turn up on the trampoline or on the mat. Like Daddy, he loves bird-watching. If you ever catch sight of our little blondie flying out the front door and racing to the yard, peering up at the sky, it's probably because he has heard the familiar bird-call of the "Turaco" (his favorite bird) and he is eager to catch a glimpse. Our prayer for Jude is that his driving passion in life will be to follow Jesus and serve others. | |  Hannah Ellen
"Hannah, how old are you?" "Four," is the reply every time. Our 2 1/2 year old is eager to be a big girl and to be a part of everything her big brothers do, including school time. This is the reason why she no longer includes naps in her daily schedule. The afternoon is when the boys typically sit down to work on their math, writing and reading. She was not at all okay with missing out on all that fun. She now hurries through a 30-minute quiet time in her room and then races out to join the fun, taking up residence at the end of the table, coloring away or seriously sorting beans. Hannah also enjoys pretending that she is Jeremiah's 2nd mother. She is thrilled to no longer be the lowest on the totem pole in our family and has already begun bossing around her infant brother. I'm sure he has many years of this to look forward to.
We are praying that Hannah will grow to know how deeply loved she is by her Creator, and that she will find her worth and identity in Him alone. | | Jeremiah Daniel  On June 29th we received an amazing and precious gift. Jeremiah Daniel was born in Kampala, the capital city, after a long and intense labor. We laughed and cried and praised God for this new life that He has entrusted to us. He was joyfully embraced into our little family, and he could not be loved more fiercely by his proud siblings. He is a jolly and roly-poly little man who is content to hang out on a quilt on the floor or in Mom's baby-carrier, watching and giggling at all of the activity around him. One quote by Jude that we'll never forget, said when Jeremiah was a few months old: "I love Jeremiah the best in our family, but I think he likes milk more than me."
Our prayer for Jeremiah is that he will boldly follow Jesus all of his days, and that he will continue to be a joy-giver to all of those that he meets. | | 
We are soon to celebrate our 8th anniversary of marriage, and we have just passed our 4-year mark here in Uganda. We feel abundantly blessed to be married to each other, to be the parents of 4 healthy, happy, rambunctious little kids, to be living and serving here in Uganda, but most of all, to be the recipients of God's forgiveness and amazing love. Our prayer for our home is that it will be a place of peace and grace, not only for our family, but for all who enter. If you're ever in East Africa, let us know. We'd love to have you! With love, Nate & Rhoda Elijah, Judah, Hannah and Jeremiah | | | | |
