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2 0 1 0 U P D A T E

Greetings from the Kitchens!

Winding down 2010, we are in awe of 

God’s blessings. The birth of Norah

Grace, Klon’s shift to a more flexible

work schedule, and Tracy’s fruitfulness

in homeschool are just a few of the

graces we enjoy.

It is impossible to share all of the ways

the Lord is showing himself to be kindand loving to us, His children; however,

we hope this brief newsletter provides

a glimpse of His glory. In the following

pages you will find “Tracy’s Take” on the

kids, Klon’s “state of the family,” as well

as a few prayer requests and book 

recommendations. Of course, we’vealso included tons of pictures.

You too are among the blessings and

we hope you are spurred on by this

newsletter to consider and recount

God’s goodness to you.

A Year of Blessing

“AND YOU SHALL REJOICE IN ALL

THE GOOD THAT THE LORD YOUR

GOD HAS GIVEN TO YOU AND TO

YOUR HOUSE ...” DEUT. 26.11

THE COUPLE THE GIRLS THE BOYS

THE KITCHENS

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Where do I (Tracy) begin? It's been abusy, but fun, year! We beganhomeschooling Ava this year. I was alittle concerned with how the logisticswould work out, but God has proven

(once again) to be kind and gracious tous. All of the kids are thriving with thisnew schedule and I am enjoying theadditional structure it adds to our daysand weeks. Although I am oftenexhausted, I find great joy in my role athome caring for our family. I am tryingto trust in God completely for thestrength and energy I need to fulfill this

 job he has called me to.

Ava enjoys learning and lovesimpressing us with her knowledge andskills. It has been a joy to teach her! She

is very crafty, and often comes out of her quiet time having constructed acowgirl outfit out of paper or musicalinstruments (again, made out of paper)and posters for her band . We are tryingto encourage this creativity while alsoteaching her not to waste ourresources by flying through paper at analarming rate! She also enjoys writinglong stories and songs. She continues toshow a soft heart and is a wonderful bigsister. Ethan and Liv would do justabout anything she asks and she ishappy to be their leader. She is eager toserve the family and is extremelyhelpful around the house.

Ethan has really come out of his shellthis year. We are still occasionallysurprised by him when we'reentertaining. He has started replacingAva as the conversationalist at thedinner table! He has always been verygood at puzzles and the alphabet. Ihave included a small amount of instruction for him in ourhomeschooling and have beenencouraged by his progress. His favoritetoy right now is Mr. Potato Head andhe has started regularly asking me if he

can play with a tortilla or a pickle. (If you don't understand that, you shouldgo watch Toy Story 3.) He is a verysweet boy and still enjoys theoccasional snuggle with mom.

Liv is, well, Liv. She is wonderful,energetic, talkative and...crazy. Shecontinues to be big for her age andquickly learns how to do whatever thebigger kids are doing. And that is why Idon't feel like a horrible mom forcontinuing to think that she's turning 3and not 2 on December 28th. :) Manypeople think that she doesn't talk at all,but she actually doesn’t stop talkingwhen at home with the family. Sheresponds to music and singing morethan the others did and has started

doing her own solos in the car. Shesomehow finds a way to be both agirlie-girl and a bully, so we are workingon her people skills. :) She is very happyto be a big sister and is constantlytrying to help baby "Wo-wa".

We’re still learning about Norah. Shehas been a wonderful baby and we'vebeen blessed by her easy-going natureso far. She loves to sit up in the Bumboand look around. She is still learning toroll around from back to chest andthen back again. It is not unusual to seeher strangely contorted as if she gotstuck halfway through a roll. We look forward to getting more glimpses intowho she is as she grows.

There are still many times that Klonand I look at each other and saysomething to the effect of, “Can youbelieve we have four children??” Each of these children are such a gift. Klon and Iknow that we do not deserve thisblessing and that we often do notparent as we should. Praise God, He isteaching us more each year about oursin and our failings, but even moreabout His grace and mercy. One of theverses I’ve carried with me throughoutthis year is Psalm 37:3 “Trust in theLORD, and do good; dwell in the landand befriend faithfulness.” My prayer isthat each day I will not seek perfectionas my goal, but that I will befriendfaithfulness to the One who has beenso faithful to me.

Tracy’s Take: A Year of Growth for Our Children

THE KIDS

AVA (02/13/05)

ETHAN (01/19/07)

OLIVIA (12/28/08)

NORAH (07/13/10)

“THERE IS NO CURE FOR

LAZINESS, BUT A LARGE

FAMILY HELPS.” HERBERT

PROCHNOV

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Our family is strong and thriving as

2010 comes to a close. This year

brought some difficulties and sorrows

but many more blessings and joys. Inthe final assessment, we now know

more of God’s grace and provision than

ever before and so we are profoundly

thankful.

Tracy and I have grown in our love for

one another and for our children. Jesus

has allowed us to deliberately

encourage each other in word and

deed and we are trying to incrementally

remove unhelpful distractions from our

marriage. Living this kind of “simple” life

in a town like DC — which is anything

but simple—isn’t easy, but we are trying

and enjoying ourselves.

My transition into academia is also

facilitating a general sense of routine

and stability within our home. For

those who do not know, I am serving a

two-year academic rotation at the

National Defense University’s College

of International Security Affairs. Thisnew position allows me more freedom

to meet with church members and

friends during the day as well as return

home at a decent hour ensuring

sufficient time with the kids before

bedtime. Even with this easy schedule, I

am tempted not to serve Tracy and the

children when I come home and to

reserve my energy instead for my own

pursuits. Nevertheless, the Lord has

kindly grown me in this area and

occasionally shows me the joy that

comes with laying down my life for the

good of my home. Tracy, for her part, is

a model of service—constantly pouring

herself out cooking meals, cleaning the

home, changing diapers, preparing

school work, and about 1 million other

things each day. In this, she is the most

tangible picture of Christ-like service I

have ever known and this spurs me on.

Apart from her faithful work in the

home, I have seen great growth in Tracyover the last year. As has been her

prayer, her capacities for grace and

kindness are expanding rapidly and I

must confess that I am the primary

beneficiary of this increase. She is

faithful in the spiritual disciplines and

daily strives to place her hope in

Christ, rather than in me or my

provision. She is a faithful wife, a loving

mother, and a godly woman whom I am

blessed to call my own.

Our children also are flourishing. With

Norah’s arrival, we now have four

children under the age of six; solidifying

our status as crazy within the culture of 

Washington, DC. Even so, it is

wonderful! Ava, Ethan, and Olivia love

their new baby sister—though Ethan is

sometimes not sure what all the fuss is

about. The biggest challenge is not

encouraging the elder three to takenotice of their youngest sibling, but is

instead, teaching them that it is not ok 

to pick up the baby when she cries. On

more than one occasion, we have left

the room for some forgotten item only

to return to see one of the older

children attempting to lift Norah on to

their lap—typically by her feet. For

anyone from Child Protective Service

who is somehow reading this letter

please understand that we have put a

stop to this and everything is now

under control.

I will refer you to Tracy’s previous

comments for more on the kids except

this final thought: our children are a

constant joy and, save only our love of 

Christ and each other, they are the

greatest objects of love and pride we

will ever know.

Finally, we are thankful. Thankful for the

many friends and family members whohave invested in us over the last year.

Your selfless giving was often the very

means by which God lavished his grace

on us. Whether it was through prayer, a

friendly phone call or conversation,

whether it was by Skype or by email,

you have conveyed your love for us and

so shown us just how blessed we are.

It is because of these many blessings

that we are able to minister to others.Please know that, even if we rarely see

you, we understand you to be a vital

part of our lives and ministry and we

look forward to the day when all of 

those who know Christ are joined

together and the days of distance and

separation are put to an end. Until that

day, praise God for His faithfulness to

our family and to yours!

“AND BE KIND TO ONE

ANOTHER, TENDER-HEARTED,

FORGIVING EACH OTHER,

 JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST

ALSO HAS FORGIVEN YOU.”EPH. 4.32

Klon’s “State of the Family”

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PHOTOS FROM THIS YEAR 

I (Klon) recently completed Greg

Gilbert’s What is the Gospel? and I can

say without hesitation, it is one of the

most concise, complete, and compelling

articulations of the good news I have

read. Greg—a friend and an Elder at

our church before taking his ownchurch in KY earlier this year— 

demonstrates great pastoral care and

insight in explaining the essentials of the

gospel as well as helping readers

thoughtfully discern between the

message of Christ and its implications.

This book is a help to Christians in

their evangelism and in reminding them

of God’s Grace. To the non-believer, this

book recounts the essential truths of 

the Gospel so that they can have an

informed response to the Creator’s call

for repentance and faith.

I also recommend Kevin DeYoung’s Just 

Do Something . If you’re anything like me,

you’ve had times in your life when youhave choices to make but feel paralyzed

looking for”God’s Will” in the situation.

Kevin does a great job of applying

Scripture to these situations and

encouraging followers of Christ to

employ biblical wisdom while trusting in

the Lord’s provision. Both of these

books are well-worth your time. Happy

reading!

Two Good BooksPRA YER REQUES TS

1.  WIS DOM FOR KLON AS HE 

LEA DS & SERVES  THE 

FAMIL Y

2. S TRENG TH & 

PERSEVERANCE FOR  TRAC Y 

AS SHE CARES FOR OUR 

FAMIL Y AN D HOME

3.  THE SALVA TION OF OUR 

CHIL DREN

4. GRO W TH IN GO DLINESS, 

LOVE, & SERVICE 

5. BOL DNESS IN  THE GOSPEL 

& EVANGELISM