Merry Christmas 2012

Dear Friends and Family,

This year has flown by. We can't begin to count the things that God has done in our lives on one hand. We are overwhelmed by how much He has done in one year  all in His perfect timing.


A year ago we were sitting in our home in Omaha, Nebraska far away from family praying the weather would cooperate so that we'd be able to make a quick trip home for the holidays. We were so homesick but knew that we were right where God had planted us for that time and purpose. (Click here for more details on that adventure)


His timing is perfect.

Last spring God began to stir our hearts and prepare us for change- a change that happened so very quickly. Months before I told John I could never leave the boys we worked with until I felt that our ministry with them was complete. God orchestrated the timing of each of them completing or exiting the program right before we found out we were moving. After much prayer about God's tugging his heart back toward youth ministry, John applied for a job at a church called New Life Church in Woodbury, MN and last April God answered a long time prayer and brought us back to MN. (Click here for more details)


His timing is perfect.

Weeks later God provided a job for me at New Life Family Services (not related to the church) in Richfield, MN- the adoption agency and pregnancy care center that I completed my senior internship with 2 years prior. I now work in the position I had interned under two years ago.

His timing is perfect.

Months later John and I were surprised to find out that God was giving us exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we had ever asked or imagined and blessing us with a sweet little boy or girl whom we cannot wait to meet on May 8th, 2013. As "unplanned" as this little darling was to us, God's evidence of planning are literally ALL OVER as we've found. Another delightful surprise was finding out that this sweetheart will most likely be born on or around my mother's birthday- and if they're later than expected at least close to Mother's Day! What joy flooded my heart when I realized this. It was also fun to be able to tell my parents the news of their first grand baby on Grandparents Day, and tell John's parents on his father's birthday. (Click here for more details!)

His timing is perfect.

As we reflect on the past year and look ahead to the next, it is a comfort and a joy to recognize his perfect timing. Yes, there were definitely trials this year. Moving several times, finding out that a high school friend of mine and a college friend of mine both passed away suddenly, and dealing with several health problems have  caused us to question God and ask, "Now? Really? Again? This?" In other ways waiting on God has been difficult and hearing "no" or "not now" have been frustrating. Yet, I cannot go on without recognizing how faithful he has been in the past and how faithless I am to not trust Him in the future.

My dad always quotes an old woman who once said,

"There is just one thing that God can't do and that's fail!"

And just because we can't see all the pieces of the puzzle doesn't mean that He lost one.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time and has set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what He has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11

"Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

He has provided in the past and He will continue to provide in the future. The gifts He has provided for us have been a constant reminder of this- but He gives freely a much greater gift to each of us! The gift of His Son and the gift of eternal life.

Romans 3:23 says that we have all sinned and therefore we all fall short. We deserve death for our sin (Romans 6:23) but the gift of God is eternal life that comes through Jesus!

Romans 5:8 explains that the demonstration of God's life was Jesus dying on the cross in our place even while we were still living in sin. His love is what saves us! Not religion, not attending church..etc.

We can be saved by accepting this gift. Romans 10:13 says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! If we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we are saved.

What greater gift or reminder of His never-ending love and faithfulness could we ask for?

Merry Christmas friends and family!

We pray you are blessed and know Christ's presence in your life deeply as you celebrate this holiday season.

Love,

John, Autumn and Baby Anderson

Merry Christmas 2011

Dear Friends and Family,

As it's that time of year again, I sit in my favorite spot on the couch next to our little Christmas tree ready to give you the annual run down on the Anderson's. I knew that before I would be ready, I would need to journal my thoughts on a blank piece of paper so I would know where to start. This year has been a crazy year of ups and downs, of laughter and tears, and of business and rest. Through it all, the one steady thing that stands out in my mind is how great the love of God has been shown to us over the past 12 months. I am paging through the events in my mind, and the truth of the matter is: GOD IS GOOD. I will proclaim his love all day long. He has been good to us and my heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness. That said, I want to tell you the top ten great gifts we've enjoyed this year:

10: Our new jobs and home in Omaha, Nebraska! In September, John and Autumn were offered jobs at an agency called "Omaha Home for Boys." We work with boys that are wards of the state as well as parent placed kids with behavior issues. We are on several treatment teams that work to prepare the individual boys for reunification with their families after undergoing months of residential treatment here at our facility. We also have the opportunity to work right with the boys and their families as behavior coaches and family teachers. Last week we finished our final week of rigorous training and feeling very thankful that we have the opportunity to work with the intercity kids of Omaha.

9: During the months before our move to Omaha, we lived in Black River Falls, WI where John and I both worked temporary jobs- John learned to make hand-made furniture for a family owned furniture business and Autumn got to work with her brother at Hoffman Aquatic- which was way to much fun ;-)

8: While in Wisconsin, we had the opportunity to spend some time with some dear friends of ours and Autumn was able to be involved in a women's book study with some of her friends.

7. We were able head to Anderson cabins  multiple weekends throughout the summer celebrating birthdays and the 4th of July and making up some lost time with our beloved nieces and nephews, brother's and sisters!

6. Autumn was able  to spend her birthday with her Papa (with whom she shares the day) in HER favorite spot to vacation- Lake Michigan in Door County! It was positively perfect!(also in attendance were her best friend/ brother, Garrett, Nana, mom, dad and Johnny!) =-)

5. John was able to go fishing multiple times this year with his dad at Hayden Lake (Anderson cabins) and Autumn was able to go fishing with her dad in Black River as well! Both were pleased with their catches!!

4. John has had three different state driver's licences in the past year and a half!

3. We were able to go on a missions' trip to St. Paul with the Kiel Alliance Youth group (all of whom we miss and love SOOO MUCH!!)!

2. Autumn was able to spend a weekend with her brother out west rock climbing  in Spokane, Washington while John  spent that time with his family fishing and hanging out in Minnesota!
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1. We get to spend Christmas with the Andersons' and New Year's with the Buselmeier's!!!!

Much love to all of you as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior this Christmas! May we be reminded of the many gifts He has showered upon us- mainly that of sending His Son to earth to take away our sin!

Loving you always and so grateful for your friendship,

The Andersons' 

God is With Us

Dear Friends,
Guess what we finally got...SNOW! That's right. We have not had snow until this week!! It's true...and sometimes that makes us miss Minnesota more than you know. Today, however, I am sitting at my kitchen table looking out my window at a winter wonderland. It's strange because I actually think Kiel is a prettier town with snow. It seems like cold weather brings people together doesn't it? It's my hope that it does. It could have the opposite effect though-- it's so cold that everyone just stays shut up in their houses. Johnny and I are trying to make sure that doesn't happen. This year during the kids' christmas break we're planning a "week of winter" during which we will have outside winter activities for jr. high and high school students every day throughout their break to make sure that no one is sitting at home playing X-box for hours on end ;-)
(Sometimes I feel like we're already parents of teenagers.. ;-)  My sweet Johnny just loves the snow and being outside in the cold--which most people might think is crazy, but I think these kids are blessed to have a youth pastor with so many creative ideas! Two days after christmas John and our new friend Sid are taking some boys from their sunday school class winter camping. Sid is from the UP and has done this kind of thing before so they are totally prepared for what lies ahead. They have already gathered firewood and stashed it like good ol' mountain men.;-)

Tomorrow morning, before the service, the youth will be hosting a pancake breakfast as a fundraiser for our missions trip to St. Paul with Youth Works. We're hoping for a great turn out and are very happy for all the parents and students who will be there to help. Please pray it goes well. Also please pray for the leadership team as we prepare for this trip.

Tomorrow's Sunday service will be the annual Christmas Cantata in which the choir will be singing. Arthur, the choir director, has also asked John and  I to sing so we will be singing one of our favorite Christmas songs, "You are Near" by our friend Drew Collins.  

As we look ahead to Christmas, I find myself full of joy and anticipation. John and I recently attended a Christmas concert at Lakeland College with a friend that was accompanying the choir. While we listened, the music  brought us back to our years of singing in Christmas at Crown. It was strange because while many of the songs were the same songs we'd sung at Crown, something was very different. As I thought about it further I realized it was that the choir's faces did not express at all the joy of which they were singing. Dr. Donalson always used to remind us of what we were singing about by bringing us the history of the songs sung as well as sharing his own joy that the Messiah had come! It was sad to John and I to see that most students appeared to have no idea what they were singing about and although the president claimed that Lakeland was "unapologetically a college of the church",  we wondered how many of their students actually grasped the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The chaplain closed the concert with a prayer that we would have peace in our hearts and that God would be with us. I did not pick up on this, but John left with an uneasiness saying, "But we DO have peace and He HAS come! Why didn't she tell them that?"

To my Crown friends who remember often hearing Dr. Mann and many other faculty tell us that Crown College is a school like no other, I want to tell you that as cliche as it always sounded, I now understand. Though there is nothing magical about Crown there are not many schools around like it and I was deeply reminded of how fortunate I was to attend such a school that not only claimed to be christian, but where one of the main requirements was to see that we are GROWING in the faith.

KAC will be holding a Christmas Eve service here. This will be the first time I have not been with my immediate and dear church family from Black River for Christmas Eve. I am so excited though, that they will be able to come and share a late christmas with us on Sunday and will also celebrate my sweet Johnny's birthday with us on Monday! We're excited to see both my parents and my dear brother Garrett who will be flying home on the 16th. Please pray for the safety of our  traveling family.

Finally, I want all of my beloved friends and family to know that due to the amount of money I have spent on stamps this year (with save-the-dates,  invitations and thank-you notes) we've decided to wait to send out christmas cards until next year. Soo, when you don't get one, realize you are not being overlooked! We've decided to let our parents do the christmas letter writing for one last year =] We do enjoy getting yours tho! In fact, we've started a little collection on the wall next to our fridge. =]


Much love and prayers this Christmas season. May you remember sweet words of Drew's song as you not only prepare your homes, gifts and travel plans, but also prepare your hearts for our King..

"And His name shall be called Emmanuel...God is with us even now. You are near." -Drew Collins

Love in Christ,


Autumn and John