March Forth! Marssige Edasi!

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The Salvation Army is a truly international movement, sharing in the mission of Christ for the salvation and transformation of the world. Its members are at worship and at work in over a hundred countries.
Browse these pages to learn about the international mission and activities of the Army or click the map to choose a country or region to find out about The Salvation Army in that area.
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Use our map to select a Salvation Army Web site in your region or choose from the countries listed below:
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Please Pray. . .
In the aftermath of the humanitarian disaster in South Asia, please pray for:
traumatised survivors and their families
that missing persons will be found and reunited with their families
the IHQ Emergency Disaster Assessment Team now in South Asia
the work of NGOs in their recovery work
the financial resources needed by The Salvation Army to support the territories affected by the disaster
Pause for Thought
for the week of 23 January:
All Things Work Together for Good
Part of the land allocated to The Salvation Army
In the wake of the South Asian tsunamis, The Salvation Army throughout the region is moving from immediate relief to long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes. A major first step will be the building of 1,000 new houses on 344 acres of land allocated by the Sri Lankan Government. These will provide permanent homes for many of the 53,000 people in Galle, the hardest-hit area of the island, who lost everything in the disaster.
More. . .
Audio File: Developments in India
Lieut-Colonel Roland Sewell from International Headquarters is in India, where he is helping to coordinate the Army's response to the longer term needs of those rendered homeless by the tsunami, many of whom have also lost their livelihood. He spoke by mobile phone from Chennai.
Listen to audio (Flash pop-up).
Video Clip: Compassion in Action UPDATED
Ruud Tinga of The Netherlands visited an emergency clinic established by The Salvation Army in West Aceh, Indonesia, where he filmed scenes of the Army's relief work. His clips may now be viewed using Real Player.
Compassion in Action: Meulobah
Compassion in Action: Aceh Clinic
Video Clip: Hope for the Homeless in Sri Lanka
Captain Ted Horwood, coordinator of the international team working in and around Galle, southern Sri Lanka, visits a makeshift camp housing people who lost their homes in the tsunami. View the clip here using Real Player.
Sri Lanka: Hope for the Homeless
New PowerPoint Presentation
The Communications Section at IHQ has prepared a new PowerPoint presentation on the Army's post-tsunami work in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. It uses images supplied by Ruud Tinga, Robin Bryant, Captain Peter Hammond, Lieut-Colonel Dawn Sewell and Martin Herring. The presentation, which works best at 800 x 600 pixels, lasts just over five minutes. It has no accompanying music or audio track and the slides change automatically, so it may be useful as a visual aid during an offering, with suitable music, or as a point of focus during prayers. It may also be looped continuously. All the files needed to modify or add to the presentation are included in the compressed (zip) file if you have a current version of Microsoft PowerPoint. The presentation folder is large (over 26 MB) and may be downloaded here.
Extract the compressed file and copy all the documents contained in the folder to the root of a blank CD-ROM. If you wish to run the slide show from your hard disk, double click on the presentation file: Tsunami-2.ppt
To fund the purchase of the massive amount of supplies it will need to carry out its aid programme The Salvation Army has launched a special South Asia Disaster Fund. Donations can be made by credit card by clicking on the button shown here or sent to any Salvation Army headquarters worldwide (addresses at this website – see panel above right), quoting the South Asia Disaster Fund.

from Sojourners:
Aid for Earthquake and Tsunami Survivors
As we join in prayer and concern for the millions affected by the earthquakes and tidal waves in South Asia, we offer this list of humanitarian organizations that are responding to the crisis. Many have been recommended by our readers, and Sojourners is aware that this list is by no means complete or exhaustive of all worthy organizations.
+ Action by Churches Together
+ Adventist Development and Relief Agency
+ American Friends Service Committee
+ American Jewish World Service
+ AmeriCares
+ Baptist World Aid
+ Catholic Relief Service
+ Christian Aid
+ Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
+ Church of the Brethren Disaster Response
+ Church World Service
+ Compassion Radio
+ Doctors Without Borders
+ Episcopal Relief and Development
+ Food for the Hungry International
+ Gospel for Asia
+ Habitat for Humanity
+ Heifer Indonesia
+ International Association for Human Values
+ International Diabetes Federation
+ International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
+ International Orthodox Christian Charities
+ Jesuit Refugee Services
+ Kairos Canada
+ Lutheran World Relief
+ MAP International
+ Mennonite Central Committee
+ Mercy Corps
+ Nazarene Compassionate Ministries
+ Northwest Medical Teams
+ Opportunity International
+ Oxfam
+ Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
+ The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund
+ Salvation Army
+ UNICEF
+ United Methodist Committee on Relief
+ World Relief
+ World Vision

Fellow Salvationist blogger Jonathan Howell just wrote about his new tattoo, which sounds a lot like my first tattoo! "It is on my right arm, and it is the cross, with the salvation army S going through it, and the swords criss crossing. It's whats inside of the crest. I didn't get the whole crest, just the s, cross, and swords."

Mine is also on my right arm. It is the cross with the swords inside a circle, also a simplified crest. I didn't get the S because I won't always serve in an English-speaking country. In fact, the Salvation Army crest in Estonia, where I am currently stationed, has a P not an S!

I got this tattoo just before taking up my first appointment, as a cadet-lieutenant. I got my second tattoo (left arm, Salvation Army flag without writing) just before being commissioned as a captain in the Crossbearers session. I figure I'll get my third tattoo when we become majors!

I've always wanted to add to my first one, making it more like the crest, maybe adding a crown. I've also been thinking about wrapping words around the second one, probably "to be anything or nothing, go anywhere or stay anywhere for Jesus" (Brengle quote).

I've heard of some Sals who have Isaiah 58, or I assume some portion thereof, as a tattoo. William Booth supposedly referred to this passage of Scripture as the charter of The Salvation Army. (I am anxious for any actual confirmation of him saying/writing any such thing!) Works for me! "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always" gave me a lot of comfort when we were in Chester and I quite literally felt spent!

I personally think no one under 30 should get a tattoo. Of course when I said this to the man doing my tattoo, he said they would have to close down if that were the case! But I thought for several years before getting mine.

The really funny thing is, my ears aren't pierced (neither is anything else!), I don't (won't) dye my hair; most people think I am the last person they can think of who would get a tattoo -- never mind two or three! But it is a really awesome way for me to be reminded of covenant, a subject Captain Court is always going on about (rightly so).

Evelyn

We got about a foot of snow, and church was cancelled yesterday. So we will be doing the meeting at the Portland Corps this Sunday instead. Please pray for us at 11:00 a.m. (that's 6 p.m. for those of you in Estonia) on 30 Jan.!

We are still going through our various illnesses. I started making a list: colds, flu, food poisoning, pinkeye, ear infections (I think that covers all our maladies so far!).

Tim is convinced that we got food poisoning from the American chop suey at the bean supper on Saturday night. Of course my mother (whose church hosted the supper) says this is not so!

I am starting to feel a bit like Job, with one thing after another hitting us. I am sad that we have not seen my mother as much as we'd like, since it is not safe for her to be exposed to all of our illnesses while she is still weak from receiving radiation.

Our theme this month has been "God is good, all the time" (Jumal on hea)! And we are clinging to that truth.

Your prayers are sustaining us!

Evelyn

It is 0 degrees C in Estonia right now (that's 32 degrees F!) but 0 degrees F here in Maine (that's something like -18 degrees C).

Cold. And lots of snow on the way in Maine. No wonder we miss Estonia!

Evelyn

So my sister Mary-Kay and I both live in countries which were formerly part of the Soviet Union: Evelyn in Estonia, Mary-Kay in Moldova.

Here's a little factoid I read today:
the United Nations rates Moldova as the least-developed country in Europe, 109th out of 175

Estonia, on the other hand, is the land of milk and honey. And we are terribly homesick for Tartu!

Of course, being sick the whole time we've been in America certainly hasn't endeared our homeland to us. But we're hanging in there!

Evelyn

The Salvation Army's role in tsunami relief - Audio Update

Please be sure your speakers are turned up and click the link below:

http://sweettalkaudio.com/salvationarmyappeal.htm

"The Left mocks the Right. The Right knows it's right. Two ugly traits. How far should we go to try to understand each other's point of view? Maybe the distance grace covered on the cross is a clue."
- BONO, lead singer of U2

www.sojo.net/godspolitics

If the essay below is too long to read (from Urbana.org), at least check out the stuff in bold print!

Thanks,
Evelyn

The Streets of Amsterdam (Urbana 87)by Floyd McClung, Jr.
read more Urbana 87 talks.About Floyd McClung (as of 1987).
A testimony of ministry in the darkest corners of one of the hardest cities in the world
I have been living and working with my wife and our two children in the city of Amsterdam with Youth With A Mission for the last fourteen years. We live in the red-light district of Amsterdam, which is twelve blocks long and six blocks wide. There are sixteen thousand prostitutes who live and work in that neighborhood and twelve thousand drug addicts. There are also six thousand male prostitutes. In fact, Amsterdam is one of the gay capitals of Europe.
When we moved into the red-light district, two doors to the right of us was a Satanist church. Four doors to the right of us was a homosexual brothel. And two doors to the left of us was a twenty-four hour porno cinema. We didn't write home about our neighbors very often.
The original purpose my wife Sally and I had in coming to Amsterdam was to work with alienated young people. We started a halfway house, but not long after we arrived, we became concerned for the entire city. One of the first things I did was to walk the streets to try to get a feel for the city, to get to know it, to get God's heartbeat for the city. I once heard Billy Graham say that if he ever started a ministry anywhere in a city, he would spend six months walking its streets getting to know the people and the neighborhoods and praying. Il took that advice literally.
As I began to walk the streets and to pray for the people, I became acquainted with the various neighborhoods and people groups. It was an overwhelming and daunting experience. There was neighborhood after neighborhood of high-rise apartment buildings. The city of Amsterdam has about 2.5 million people in the metropolitan area and about eight hundred thousand in the city proper.
I tried to find all the evangelical churches I could in the city, but I only discovered seven or eight that preached the gospel. I went to the university campus. I went into the inner city. I went to places where young people hung out. I went to the ethnic neighborhoods. I saw building after building, and home after home, person after person who did not know the Lord Jesus Christ, and it all seemed to be too much for me. I felt that there was hardly any hope. Humanly speaking, it seemed impossible.
I remember one night in particular. I knelt and began to pray in desperation to the Lord. In fact, I gave the Lord an opportunity to admit that he had made a mistake in inviting me to come to the city. But he didn't change his mind. Instead he began to call me to work alongside other Christians who were in the city. Together he wanted to use us to make an impact on that city. As I prayed, faith began to grow in my heart that God could make a difference.
I had been reading the book of Jonah, and I was struck by how weak Jonah was. He went the opposite direction when God called him to Nineveh. He was a proud prophet, a man who hated the Assyrians, the archenemies of Israel. Yet that was the man God used in Nineveh. He went and simply proclaimed the gospel, and God used his obedience to make a profound impact on that city. The whole city turned toward God in fasting and prayer. And I began to believe that it could happen again. If God could touch the wicked city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, then he could touch the city of Amsterdam.
I took a little piece of paper out, as I knelt in prayer, and I began to list all of the peoples that I had seen as I walked the streets - the university students, the drug addicts, the homosexuals. I listed all of the minority and ethnic groups I could find. There are one hundred fifteen languages spoken in the city of Amsterdam and forty-four major ethnic neighborhoods. As I listed the people groups, I began to ask the Lord to somehow start a ministry among every one of those peoples. I prayed that they would experience God's grace and God's hope in a way that would be understandable and meaningful to them.
Not a Christian City-Yet
That was fourteen years ago, and today I am thankful to tell you that God has begun to answer those prayers. When we first went to Amsterdam, there was no association of Christian groups or ministers. In fact, I invited some of the Christian leaders to meet on the little houseboat where we lived. It was so unusual in the nation of Holland at that time for evangelical ministers and leaders to meet together that the national news media sent out a television crew to film it.
We began to meet monthly. That group has met every month since that time. We call it The Evangelical Contact. There are now more than fifty churches and parachurch organizations that meet every month and have a wonderful spirit of unity. God has begun to touch the city of Amsterdam.
We were thrilled when Billy Graham came with the International Congress for Itinerant Evangelists in 1983 and again in 1986. Can you imagine ten thousand evangelists sitting in a conference for two weeks without preaching? Impossible. Every street corner had a black or a brown or a yellow face proclaiming the gospel. Every tram and train and bus had moving street meetings.
During the conference my wife was walking down the street and heard a man mumbling to himself. As she walked beside him, he was shaking his head and mumbling the word Jesus. "Oh, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," he said "Everywhere I go I can hear nothing but Jesus."
One young German tourist saw teams of young people with crosses. (Arthur Blessitt had been to town, so we had crosses everywhere.) Innocently she asked one of our workers, "I've gone to almost every major square in the city. I've been in bars and cafes and restaurants. Everywhere I've gone I've met Christians. Is this a Christian city?" It's not a Christian city-yet!
A Week of Ministry
In our organization, Youth With A Mission, there are over two hundred staff working full-time in the city. There are twenty-four fulltime evangelistic and caring ministries. We have church planting teams, halfway houses, neighborhood Bible studies and a church renewal team. There are children's Bible clubs, bands, drama groups, a ministry to prostitutes and urban training programs.
I'd like to take you through a week so you can see what God has done. On Tuesday night there is a Bible study that is led by my former secretary. Laura was a missionary in South America for about sixteen years. She's sixty-nine years old. Four years ago she said to me, "I would like to start a Bible study far Spanish-speaking prostitutes." Thousands of them in the city have been brought in from Latin America. So she started with two or three people four years ago, Today she has Bible studies for seventy converted Spanish-speaking prostitutes on three nights of the week in three different cities. The result? I've lost my secretary. A few weeks ago she told me, "I can't serve you and keep going with the Bible studies. They are multiplying too much. You'll have to find another secretary."
Also on Tuesday night we have a work in the red-light district that is centered in what we call The Cleft. The Cleft is a little residence, a retreat, a hiding place for people in need who come to us. We also run a restaurant, where we serve Dutch pancakes. One Christmas, a Muslim man joined us for some free meals during the holidays. He had experienced the fellowship and the warmth. He went back to Germany where he lived and didn't quite understand how to contact us, so he wrote a letter and addressed it to The Cleft Pancake House Church.
Every Tuesday night, workers from The Cleft go on the streets of the red-light.district and invite prostitutes, drug addicts and anybody who will come to a Bible study. They share the gospel, they give a free meal, and more than that they get involved in people's lives. For example, a few weeks ago there was a lady I'll call Paula who was standing out in front of The Cleft. She was invited in for a meal. After a lot of imploring she finally came. Paula had been a prostitute and a heroin addict for over twenty years. That night the grace of God finally broke into Paula's life. Weeping, she discovered that God loved her and forgave her.
Paula is now in a rehabilitation program. Every time I've seen her in the last few months, there has been a glow on her face. She can hardly enter into a Bible study or a Christian church service without weeping because of the joy that she has found in being forgiven by the Lord Jesus.
On Wednesday nights we have a Bible study that is for punks and other Amsterdam young people. About three years ago, a young man on our staff named David said he was concerned for the alienated youth of Amsterdam, especially the punkers. It is estimated that one out of every three seventeen-year-olds in Amsterdam is involved in homosexuality. Seventy per cent of the children born in the inner city are born to unwed mothers. Because of the surveys we have done, we estimate that in the nation of Holland eighty-five to ninety per cent of the young people are still interested in God, but they have turned their back on formal religion. It is a city with tremendous social problems and tremendous spiritual potential for the young.
For eighteen months David and his team of workers went out night after night into the nightclubs and the cafes of the city. They did not see one person respond to the gospel. Then about a year and a half ago, they started a Bible study. Young people began to come. David is very contemporary (and very appropriate to Amsterdam) in the way he communicates. He started a punk band called No Longer Music. Some would debate whether it's a band or not. They do make noise. Joyful noise. It's a very colorful Bible study they have now. It's been a breakthrough. About one hundred-fifty punks have come to know the Lord Jesus along with many other Amsterdam young people.
Eddie, one of the young people who became a Christian, was kicked out of his home when he was eight years old. His father told him he never wanted to see Eddie again. That was eleven years ago. A year ago, Eddie heard about what the press had begun to call the Chrunk movement - the Christian punks. (Leave it to the press to come up with a name like that.) As a result he came to David's Bible study. When Eddie saw young people like himself who were excited about God, who were dealing with the issues that he was facing, he considered Christianity.
Eddie found Jesus Christ a few weeks later, and then a national television team came and interviewed him. He gave his testimony. His father saw Eddie on television for the fast time in ten years. The next day Eddie got a telephone call. The day after that they had lunch together, and they were reconciled together as father and son after ten years of alienation.
Also on Wednesday nights, a Christian family in another part of the city leads a new congregation. They moved into a neighborhood of about twenty-five thousand people where there was no active church and began a Bible study. The husband began going door-to-door while still working in business full time. Later he brought in teams of people to help him. Now there is a new church in that neighborhood.
On Thursday nights we have a Bible study for Iranians. There are many refugees from Iran all over Europe. There's a young man, a German, who leads our work with Muslims. On Friday nights he leads a Bible study for Moroccans. I asked Harry why he didn't have the Bible study on the same night since the Iranians and Moroccans were both Muslims. He reminded me that there was a war going on in the Middle East. He said, "My goal is to get both groups converted and then we'll bring them together."
On Saturday, believe it or not, we have a Bible study for normal people. We have a young lady who coordinates our follow-up in Amsterdam, and she came to me very excited in the spring of this year. "Floyd, you won't believe this? We've had a great breakthrough. Yesterday in the outreach, two normal Dutch girls got saved."
One of the young men who became a Christian in our work when we first moved to Amsterdam fourteen years ago was John Goodfellow, a thief from the streets of Nottingham, England. After going back to Nottingham to make restitution for some of the crimes he committed, he rejoined us. He'd seen a street preacher in Nottingham, and he wanted to preach on the streets of Amsterdam.
At that time we emphasized friendship evangelism. I had experienced street meetings, but I didn't like them. I had seen people standing on street comers in America preaching about hell and yelling at people. I had a negative impression of what street meetings were like. So when John asked about this, I said, "No way!" And a few weeks later, he came and asked me again. And I said, "No, we're into friendship evangelism. We want to care for people. We love people. We don't want to yell at them."
Over a six-month period, he came back to me about every two or three weeks. He wouldn't give up. One night, I was walking down the hallway in the building where we were living, and I heard a voice. Listening more closely, I realized someone was praying. It was John, weeping and crying as he interceded with God. Then I heard him praying for me, "Oh, God, please change his mind. Lord, touch his heart. Please, Lord, let him give me permission to go on the streets and preach the gospel."
So the next day I said to John that he could go - on two conditions."John, please don't yell at people, and please don't talk about hell." He was so excited he would have done anything. John with some others went out on the streets of Amsterdam to the main square, and I stood in the back of the crowd and watched. They used some folk dancing to attract a crowd. Dutch people, especially the Amsterdamers as we call them, love something that has joy, that has humor in it.
John told the people about the joy the Lord had brought into his heart as somebody who had found ]esus on the streets of Amsterdam. He shared how he had become a thief, running from the law, running from problems. But he had found the joy of his salvation in Jesus. I was amazed as I stood watching at how open people were to a loving, joyful presentation of the good news of the gospel. We outjoyed the joy that they had known in the world. Many people came to those meetings that we began to conduct on the streets.
I began to read about the early days of the Salvation Army, and I read a book called The General Next to God. The Salvation Army was too stubborn to give up. When they went into a city, if they couldn't penetrate it, they tried something else. They would keep trying different approaches, with different people groups until finally they would break through.
I read about one young lady, an officer in the Salvation Army, who was having a hard time in one city. So she decided to have a funeral. She got a coffin, got a young officer to be the dead person and put him in the coffin. They walked down the street and finally stopped and leaned the coffin against the building. When the crowd they gathered was big enough, this young man jumped out and began to preach on "The Wages of Sin is Death." So I told John about this, and a few days later heard some hammering in our basement I went downstairs and discovered John building a seven-foot black coffin. Since that time we've had many funeral services in Amsterdam.
John now heads a ministry in Amsterdam we call the Go Teams. This last summer, between May and August, John had teams in nineteen different countries. A team in Bombay helped plant five churches in three months working with missionaries there. Another team was in North Africa worked with a small, struggling church of about sixty believers. It was doubled in two and a half weeks as seventy people found faith in Jesus Christ They're still preaching the gospel.
The Dark Continent
I love the city of Amsterdam. I celebrate the Lord Jesus in that city. I believe that God longs for and looks for those who will go to the cities of our world Amsterdam is a city that is surrounded within a [small] radius by one hundred-fifty million people. Europe is a continent of great need. It is a spiritual wasteland.
Though there is great revival in China, though the church is growing three times as fast as the population in Latin America, though there are some days in Africa that up to twenty thousand people a day become Christians, in Europe we have not experienced the touch yet of God's Spirit in great renewal. We have not seen the church turned around. There are five hundred-fifty million people living in Western Europe. About seventy percent of them live in cities, and of that seventy percent, it is estimated that less than two per cent go to church on Sundays.
I present to you Europe as a mission field. I remind you of cities like Amsterdam and Paris and London which desperately need the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amsterdam has more than four hundred financial institutions. It's one of the seven or eight most influential financial cities in the world. It is a city that waits to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
I discovered in reading the book of Jonah that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. If we will simply follow the example of our Lord Jesus, if we will give up our rights, if we will be willing to give up our reputation, if we will come as servants to stand beside people, not over them but beside them, to love them and share joyfully and lovingly and patiently the good news that we have discovered many people will respond.
Floyd McClung, Jr. is executive director of international operations and director of urban missions for Youth With A Mission a worldwide ministry training young adults in missions.

Now we are all sick. First it was Elizabeth, then Peter, then Tim, then Chris, and now finally even the Big Bad Mama (me!).

So we are not really seeing anyone much, not accomplishing our super long to-do list much (except already-scheduled doctor appointments!), not enjoying Maine as THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE.

We have another two and a half weeks here in America. We are really homesick for Estonia!

We have had some great visits with my mother, which is what this trip is all about. We really don't have anything profound to say to each other. What more can we say that hasn't already been said? But it is so good just to BE together.

So, prayer partners, please pray for our health! And that my mother's good days would outnumber the bad ones. Thanks!

Evelyn

Today when Uncle Reggie and cousin Cassandra left the house, Peter waved good-bye to them!

Divisional, Territorial, National, and International leaders met in Philadelphia, PA, January 8-12, 2005 to consider three key aspects of Salvation Army mission – the Membership, the Message, and the Messenger.

After thought provoking and prayerful deliberation the National Conference of Leaders issues the following proclamation in a spirit of unity and resolve:

· Membership - We affirm that we will nurture and encourage our members in The Salvation Army to willingly and radically embrace and emulate Jesus Christ – His mission, His teachings, His disciplines.

· Message – We affirm that God’s love is understood through relationships made manifest in community and proclaimed in the joyful embrace of personal sacrifice. For Salvationists the Biblical message is best expressed through the coming together of holiness and incarnational ministry.

· Messenger – We affirm that as God’s messengers we will be spiritually vital and holy people committed to a relevant gospel with power to transform the world.
Daily dependent upon the Holy Spirit, we will carry out our incarnational ministry, demonstrating the power of God’s kingdom to transform lives and build communities of compassion.

The Smith siblings: Dan, Bob, Evelyn, Mary-Kay and Katherine. 

Mama and Dick with the Smith siblings. 

Mama and Dick 

Mama and Dick with the Clark kids. 

Mama and the girls looking through old family photos. 

100 Sheridan St. 

Chris blows out the candles on his cake during the celebration at Mama's. 

Elizabeth enjoys tea at Mama's. 

Chris, Kiara and Cassandra during his birthday celebration at The Village Cafe. 

The cousins gather together for Chris's birthday. 

At mama's house, after Chris's birthday 2005 

One of the big goals for this trip to America will be met tonight! My mother is having all five of her children (Danny, Bobby, Evelyn, Mary-Kay, Katherine) over for supper tonight. She is going to make chicken fricasee, an old family favorite!

Please pray that we will all be calm and good-natured and not overly emotional. Pray that this will be a positive time for each of us. And pray that the suggestions of a wise old man will be met:
I think you should take the time while Ev & MK will be home to set up a family meeting with your mother and Dick.
The five of you should meet someplace (your mother's house?) and talk over the obvious.
Do I need to suggest topics? (Her health prognosis, plans for a funeral, personal effects, statements of love and forgiveness, statements of support)
I do not want to think the worst, because sometimes miracles happen that shock everyone. If anyone could get a miracle, it would be your mother.
I just want you to take the window of opportunity of all five of you being in Portland at the same time.

The Salvation Army, one of the first to respond to the tsunami disaster in South Asia, is working diligently to help those affected recover from this tragedy. Relief teams are providing daily necessities to residents and ministering to millions recovering from the devastating tsunami.

In India, The Salvation Army has begun to make plans for the reconstruction of homes and villages, including working with the Indian government to re-establish two villages in the Kanyakumari District on the southernmost tip of India. The Salvation Army will be helping to rebuild or relocate houses as well as assist families as they adjust.

In addition, The Salvation Army is working to restore the fishing industry, the main economic source in the coastal regions, by rebuilding fishing boats and replacing fishing nets. Salvation Army representatives have flown to the Andaman Islands to assess needs and find ways to assist people on these remote islands that were hit hard by the tsunami.

In Sri Lanka, The Salvation Army's relief and development work is being coordinated in a town close to Galle, which was destroyed by the tsunami. Caterpillar, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of earth-moving equipment, has offered to let The Salvation Army use its heavy lifting equipment, already in the area, free of charge.

Salvation Army officers have met with local authorities in the northern tip of Sri Lanka and Jaffna. Due to hostility, many non-government organizations have been unable to help in that area. Thankfully, The Salvation Army has had a presence in that area for a number of years and has been able to meet with residents and authorities to meet needs. The homes of 174 families were completely wiped out by the waves, and other basic supplies have not been able to get into the region. The Salvation Army is sending cooking utensils for 5,000 families and providing shelter for families who have been living in a school that is now needed for the recommencement of classes.

The Salvation Army team in Meulaboh city, in Aceh, Indonesia, is working with the military to aid residents in a community where 80 percent of the buildings were leveled and over half the population killed by the tsunami. The military is supplying transportation and security for The SalvationArmy's 14-member team which is providing medical aid in this area of civil unrest. A clinic has been established at a compound, and in one day, the team gave medical aid to nearly 360 people. With the help of the military, the medical team is visiting refugee camps to provide free medical assistance and medication.

Donations of goods are not being taken at this time. If disaster teams identify particular items that can not be secured closer to the area, a specific appeal for those items will be made. The labor, shipping and storage costs related to providing goods-in-kind is often prohibitive and frequently, procuring those same items as close to the site as possible will give a boost to their economy that will benefit the region tremendously.

In order to continue and expand relief work, The Salvation Army is urgently appealing for funds to support this enormous effort. Monetary donations may be sent to your local Salvation Army, made online at www.1800salarmy.org, or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

Submitted by Suzanne Henson
Forwarded by Vicky Copicotto

We are purposely being rather stingy with our links, unlike Steve Court who has gone link mad! (Just teasing!)

But we have added another link to our elite list. Check it out!

Father in this time of uncertainty I pray for both my Mother and my Son David in Iraq. I am trusting that you are holding them in your hands. Please give Mom and David the peace that you are watching over them.

I pray that you protect them and send legions of angels to watch over them.

Father it is hard not to ask that my desire for them be done, but I know that you have a greater plan for these two.

I ask that you give my family peace as to what you have in store for my Mother and David.

You know how we feel about them and remind us not to let them know just how we feel for them.

I am trusting your word that anything I ask in Your Son's name will be given.

Daniel Smith
A+, NET+, MCSA
297 Cumberland Ave
P.O. Box 3647
Portland, Maine 04104-3647
(207) 774-6304
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In the ongoing relief efforts in Southeast Asia, The Salvation Army is providing food, water, shelter, clothing, medical care and other immediate needs in the affected areas. Counseling and pastoral support is also being offered to survivors coming to terms with the devastation that surrounds them. The Salvation Army is working to help survivors look ahead, by beginning reconstruction projects and helping to boost the local economy.

A Salvation Army relief team in Indonesia was able to reach Aceh in northern Sumatra, the area nearest the epicenter of the 9.0 earthquake that set off the horrific tsunami. Until recently, the area has been cut off from ground transportation. When The Salvation Army team arrived, they discovered that the immediate need was for medical aid, which they were able to provide. The tsunami devastated the area, leaving over 80 percentof the buildings damaged or destroyed.

In Indonesia, The Salvation Army has been working in the hardest hit areas, delivering relief supplies and clothing in a coordinated effort with other church groups. Three Salvation Army nurses, working in separate healthcare centers on the island, report that they are short of medication to fight the diseases, such as malaria and anemia, which they expect to increase in the community in the coming months. The Salvation Army has committed itself to community rehabilitation and rebuilding ruined homes, of which there are more than 200. Small loans will also be provided to assist people who have lost their businesses to start again and have the chance to, once again, earn a living.

The Salvation Army India South West Territory was quick to bring aid to the stricken areas along the south west tip of India. Many who have lost their homes are living in extremely congested conditions in camps set up by the government. Working with local authorities, The Salvation Army has been able to deliver several hundred sets of bed sheets, mats, water containers, clothing, and food, to those who have lost everything.

The Salvation Army high school in Kowdiar, Trivandrum, has been providing shelter for many who are waiting to return to what is left of their homes. Young children from The Salvation Army corps (community service and worship center) have collected clothing and distributed it to those who lost theirbelongings.

The Salvation Army is working with local governments in numerous areas to provide a safe water supply, housing for families, replace fishing boats and accommodate children who are now orphans.

The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) is monitoring radio transmissions to collect and relay information from the disaster-affected areas. SATERN is also providing health and welfare information to those concerned about friends and loved ones. To fill out an application for a health and welfare request, please visit www.satern.org.

The Salvation Army's greatest need, at this point, is financial support.The outpouring of generosity and kindness has been overwhelming. TheSalvation Army is incredibly grateful for all of the donations that we have received, and with the financial contributions, we are able to provide for the needs of those affected by this disaster. If you would like to make a monetary donation you may visit us online at www.1800salarmy.org, call1-800-SAL-ARMY or send a check to your local Salvation Army. Please be sure to earmark all donations "Southeast Asia Disaster Relief Fund."

Submitted by Suzanne Henson
Forwarded by Vicky Copicotto

We are here in America now, and we are SO grateful for all of your prayers! Our trip was loooong but uneventful, and we thank God that there were no problems and for the angels He provided along the way.

Our first flight was a little commuter (I call it a putt-putt plane) flight from Tallinn to Helsinki. I sat next to a woman from Tallinn who was also on her way to NY, to visit her sister who lives there. She ended up being a big help with Peter at the Helsinki Airport and also on the flight to JFK! We exchanged contact information, so hopefully we will see her again when we are all back in Estonia.

I only got teary-eyed one time so far, and that was when someone at JFK recognized our Salvation Army uniforms. He let us skip the whole customs line and pass through right away. In Estonia, no one even knows what the Salvation Army is. That this man knew the uniform, even though we wear Ps rather than Ss, really made me feel quite emotional! (I am not telling that story very well, sorry!)

Right now we are staying with my cousin Reggie and his wife, Bea, and daughter, Cassandra (Casey) -- who is six months older than Elizabeth. Tonight we will play Cranium together!

My mother is okay. I have not had a lot of time to spend with her yet. We had supper at her house Saturday night, saw her at the corps Sunday morning, and had a little birthday party for Chris (15 years old!) Sunday night.

We are doing alright with jet lag, but it sure is hard on Peter especially. He thinks it is very strange that people stay up so late in America! (7:00 at night here is 2:00 in the morning in Estonia!)

Please keep praying. It is good we are here.

Evelyn

Here is the web site of an American (he) and Australian (she) couple who moved to Tartu.

http://www.piip.org/

Please scroll down to the Dec. 31 post "We Need Your Help" -- because we still need your help! And many thanks to faithful blog readers Julie (my former roommate from Dayton, Ohio) and Kristi (soldier of the Kopli Corps and RHQ employee) for pledging prayer times!

In case you are not sure where to begin, here are some prayer requests:
children and youth
travelling mercies for our family
my mother
a good 4 weeks with family in America
our new translator, Ermo (pray, pray, pray for Ermo!)
our "old" translator, Kerli
Tõnis Valk, who will be moving out of the apartment while we are away
our official corps opening, scheduled for March 26
Finland & Estonia Mission Team
European Youth Congress in Prague this summer
Majors Derek & Helen Tyrrell, RCs
Majors Phil & Susan Wittenberg, COs in Tallinn (and their 4 children)
Captains Anya & Dan Henderson, COs in Narva (and their 5 children)
Anna, Beth, Janice, Jen, Katie, Pene, Suzanne, Wendy -- my prayer partners here
Karl-Gustav, and his mother and grandmother
homeless friends we met Sunday night, and the woman who cooks for them
Leho Paldre and his wife (Enne?), expecting a baby next month
Chris as he turns 15 on Jan. 9 ("God shall have all there is of ....")
Estonia Regional "Days Before the Word" Jan. 29-30 in Tallinn
Chris & Elizabeth's homeschooling

Whew! THANK YOU for praying!

Evelyn

Tomorrow we will pray for my Uncle Billy. Last but not least!

ECC 3:1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
ECC 3:2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
ECC 3:3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
ECC 3:4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
ECC 3:5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
ECC 3:6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
ECC 3:7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
ECC 3:8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
ECC 3:9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

Check out this article:
http://theconnexion.net/wp/index.php?p=644

It's been a busy few days, so I haven't had much of a chance to blog when I was supposed to. Tomorrow we head up to Tallinn, and on Friday at 11:25 we will fly back to America. We have been making all of the final preparations: washing clothes, deciding what to bring, making arrangements to be sure things are covered while we are away. Plus, the owners of the house will be staying here for two of the weeks we are away (they are in the area and we figured since the house is empty, why not) so we are trying to set our stuff aside enough that they feel comfortable in their own home. So we have been busy, but I keep telling myself that no matter what gets done or doesn't, everything will work out okay.

Besides our preparations, I was involved in the training for the Finland & Estonia youth mission team, which is a group of young people from the territory who will do evangelism and outreach. Chris is a part of the team and we timed our trip around the monthly training sessions! It was interesting because we had four languages going (Estonian, Russian, Finnish and English), and things sounded especially cool when we were singing. What was wonderful was that despite the language differences and cultural differences (which are more dramatic), the kids blended together and worked hard to help one another.

On the trip back, I took a route I have taken only once before, which brings me on more remote roads but which is far more direct. It had snowed earlier, so the roads were white with packed-down snow as I drove kilometer after kilometer past pine trees and, eventually, widely scattered farm houses. On one stretch, I drive for 30 minutes and had only two cars that whole time pass me going the other direction. It was very remote and lonely. I was grateful for the studded snow tires on the van, because if I had gone off the road I probably wouldn't have been found for a week! But I enjoyed the drive and taking in the natural beauty of the moon glistening on the snow and the vastness of the land. I even saw a moose!

Today I took Karl-Gustav to see his mother one last time before we leave. This time we also took my translator, Kerli, and a social worker from the city of Tartu, because his mother is getting better and we were meeting with the hospital staff to talk about what is next for her. She would like to return to Tartu and be with her son (naturally) but this seems unlikely because she still has health concerns that need attention. They are trying to find the best place to offer her the care she needs, but it was clear that the social worker and staff have her best interest in mind. It turned out to be an opportunity to build relationships with the hooldekodu (nursing home) that may lead the Army to offer broader assistance in the future. It is the perfect type of place to do League of Mercy.

This visit and the mission team training were the perfect send off before we leave, reminding me of the work that lies ahead when we return and assuring me that even in our absence, God will be working out His plan!
--Tim

Tomorrow we will pray for my brother Tom and his wife Vicki. In Tom's own words:
I will be available all month as I will complete my work with Abbott Labs on 30 Dec 04. Our Christmas news is my acceptance of the call to be Senior Pastor ofthe Dennis, MA Church of the Nazarene. We will be moving to the Cape in late Jan. or early Feb. I am very excited about being in full time ministry again am convinced this will be a long term ministry opportunity. This journey of seeking employment has been very significant to me, spiritually, and I am passionate about building the Kingdom and discipling those in our faith community.

State Song: "State of Maine Song" words and music by Roger Vinton Snow
Grand State of Maine, proudly we sing
To tell your glories to the land,
To shout your praises till the echoes ring.
Should fate unkind send us to roam,
The scent of the fragrant pines, the tang of the salty sea
Will call us home.
CHORUS:
Oh, Pine Tree State,
Your woods, fields and hills,
Your lakes, streams and rock bound coast
Will ever fill our hearts with thrills,
And tho' we seek far and wide
Our search will be in vain,
To find a fairer spot on earth
Than Maine! Maine! Maine!

Tonight we will pray for my second cousin Taylor.

She is named after her great-grandfather Don Treadwell.

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
(Proverbs 4:18)

Today we pray for Tim's sister Susan and her husband Scott, who are the corps officers in Salem, Massachusetts.

Hey, check out the new Links to the left!

Peter is 10 months old today. He has lived 4 months in America and now 6 months in Estonia, so he is more Estonian than American at this point!

Chris is at Camp Loksa with the territorial Mission Team.

Elizabeth is on her way to sleep over at a friend's house.

We are packing and cleaning before we leave for 4 weeks in America the day after tomorrow.

We miss it here already!

Evelyn

Tonight we spent time with our people, The Salvation Army's people.

Our friend Leho Paldre, the pastor of Kolgata (Calvary) Baptist Church, invited us to join him when he visited the local homeless shelter. A woman from his church prepares meals to bring there every Sunday evening, and he occasionally does a service for the people there. He thought we might be interested, and we jumped at the chance.

The shelter is run by the city of Tartu and is housed in the basement of a large apartment building. We had been told by people at the mayor's office that the place "wasn't fit for animals," but to be honest, I've seen worse in America. I saw the men's dorm room (they also house women), and it had 25 or so beds tightly packed in, so certainly not the best conditions, but the place was clean and the people seemed to be well taken care of.

We met in the dining room and Leho led a song and then introduced me and Evelyn. She told a bit about who we are, then I shared a brief devotional based on 1 John 4:9-10, and John 3:16. Leho translated for us, and I'm sure enhanced my devotional as he did! Then the ladies served the meal (a typical Estonian potato-based dish) and we were able to visit with the folks.

What was amazing to me is that these could have been the people we served in Chester. They looked just like the homeless friends we came to love there, so we immediately felt a kinship to the people here. Being a novelty act as Americans in funny uniforms, they were interested in talking to us, but they also were willing to talk about spiritual things, which I think Leho found surprising. Based on past experience, I was not surprised at all.

It was frustrating that I wanted to speak with some of the men as they ate, but was not able to very much because of my limited Estonian and their limited English. I still had some good laughs with some of the guys, though, as much about my Estonian as the things we were able to communicate to one another. Evelyn was definitely in her element and was generous with hugs (very American; not very Estonian). We didn't go there for selfish reasons, but it sure felt good to be among these people. It is just another example to me of how God is leading us to know people, more than to "programs." Knowing that this woman does meals every week, we hope to visit this place regularly.

I'm sure someday soon we will learn why these folks are homeless and the social ills that may need to be addressed. Tonight, I'm just happy I came to know these people.
--Tim

Tonight we will pray for my cousin Reggie, who is like a big brother to me. His father was like a father to me. His mother was a second mother to me. Yesterday he married off his brother Andy, and hosted the wedding reception at his own house!

"Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity."
(1 Timothy 5:1-2)

Evelyn

Holy Ground

One of the most visible practices among the American Anabaptists, the Brethren love feast exemplifies humility and community.
By Frank Ramirez

When writer Phebe Gibbons caught a train to Lancaster County in 1871 to visit a Brethren love feast, she prepared herself to enter what she thought would be a strange world. As a reporter for a major magazine she intended to write about what would no doubt be an odd, perhaps even bizarre practice by an obscure religious sect.
What she experienced was the equivalent of a three-day slumber party.
Surprised by loveThe love feast was quite different from other religious practices of the day. It stemmed from the peculiar theological synthesis of the Brethren—part Anabaptist, part Pietist, and fully determined to implement those ordinances that they found in Scripture as the result of joint Bible study.
Their reading of John's version of the Last Supper mandated both a full meal and a feetwashing service. John 13:14-15 indicated to the Brethren that Jesus had commanded they wash each other's feet. Moreover, the meal, therefore, did not precede or follow worship. It was worship, and was as essential to Communion as breaking the bread and drinking the cup. Finally, Paul's command to greet one another with a holy kiss (Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:26) meant that men kissed men and women kissed women on the lips.
Gibbons was surprised by more than the kissing. First, she had thought of the Brethren as a homogenously German group. But the Lancaster love feast was multicultural: she was astonished to discover folks named Murphy back when the Irish were nearly as reviled as blacks. She was also surprised by the almost raucous good fellowship among these quiet "plain people." The plates of sweet pie and cups of hot coffee never stopped. Venerable patriarchs and matriarchs held court, to be sure, but infants suckled, teens courted, and children hollered during worship. ("Want pappy! Want pappy!" one toddler complained, while struggling to break loose from his mother's restraining arms.) Relatives, friends, and relative strangers mixed freely together as one family.
It was, in short, a feast founded on love.
Gibbons was also surprised to discover she was drawn into everything—hearty meals, sermons in German and English, inspiring hymn singing, good fellowship, and a giggly sleepover in the church attic with the women—the men slept only a few feet away beyond a partition.
In some ways Gibbons's description of a 19th-century love feast is just as true today. Some things are different, of course. Three days have become compressed to a single evening. You won't hear much German anymore, although Spanish is spoken now upon occasion. And the menu includes more fruit and vegetables than in the old days.
But after nearly 300 years, the love feast, based on John 13, remains an essential Brethren practice. Though it is a movable feast, it is also Holy Ground—a place where all people can come together, remove their shoes, and meet Jesus.
A feast for the sensesIf you arrive at the love feast (usually held twice a year, often on Maundy Thursday and the first Sunday of October, to many known as World Communion Sunday), you will be welcomed at most congregations as a full participant. The evening will begin with a short service of examination, prayer, and meditation. Generally the congregation then moves to the room or rooms where the feetwashing takes place, men with men, women with women, and children with whomever they choose to sit.
Never will you see such clean feet as those that are brought to the feetwashing! One believer will gird him or herself with a towel, bend a knee, and wash the feet of another in a simple basin, drying the feet with the towel that is wrapped around the waist. The two will then rise and embrace, and sometimes (depending on the congregation) share the Holy Kiss, once again men with men, women with women. The person whose feet were washed will then don the towel and wash the feet of another, and so on. Throughout this time people sing, usually from memory.
After hands are washed, the meal follows. Generally it had been cooking all day, and the smell filled the church even as people arrived. Now the food is served. Often there is some form of beef and broth, with bread soaked and sinking into the soup.
In some churches there is a tradition of absolute silence, but at most love feasts the conversation is lively. This is a joyful occasion, a time spent with people who matter, which leads to many words and a good deal of laughter.
Finally, the bread-and-cup communion is shared. Communion bread is often thick and sweet like shortbread, a cookie really. Even in those congregations where children do not take part in the communion until they are baptized, it is normal to share the bread with them afterwards. It is considered a real treat.
The service engages all five senses—the sights of the tables, the smell of the meat, the taste of the meal, the sound of singing and praying aloud, the touch of water and feet as well as the feel of venerable old eating utensils still in use after decades or even a century of service.
Jesus turned the world upside down when he took on the role of a slave and washed the disciples' feet. The common meal of the early Christian church was just as revolutionary. The Roman Empire was every bit as our age: rich and poor, slave and free, male and female, Jew and Gentile, Roman and Celt. Yet the meal named Love crossed cultural, economic, ethnic, and gender lines. So it is today.
Frank Ramirez is pastor of the Everett (PA) Church of the Brethren. He has written over 20 books including The Love Feast (Brethren Press), a coffee table book, and He Took A Towel (CSS), a short guide for those celebrating the love feast for the first time.Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian History & Biography magazine.Click here for reprint information on Christian History & Biography.Issue 84, Fall 2004, Vol. XXIII, No. 4, Page 29

We have been praying specifically for a different family member every night since Thanksgiving (November 25). We have done this alphabetically, using the names we call people by (Aunt, Mama, etc.). Today just happens to be the day for us to pray for Rachel. And it is also her Wedding Day!

In about 12 hours, she will legally become part of our family. But she has already been a real family member for some time now. One of our most precious memories is the night we spent with her and Andy and Mary-Kay at Moussam Lake on the Fourth of July the day before we flew to Estonia.

"Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful." (Genesis 29:17)

Congratulations, Rachel & Andy! And welcome to the family!

Wedding Song (There Is Love)
He is now to be among you
At the calling of your heart
Rest assured this troubadour
Is acting on his part.
The union of your spirits here
Has caused him to remain
For whenever two or more of you
Are gathered in His name
There is love, there is love.
Well a man shall leave his mother
And a woman leave her home
They shall travel on to where
The two shall be as one
As it was in the beginning
Is now until the end
Woman draws her life from man
And gives it back again
There is love, there is love.
Well then what's to be the reason
For becoming man and wife
Is it love that brings you here
Or love that brings you life
For if loving is the answer
Then who's the giving for
Do you believe in something
That you've never seen before
For there's love, Oh there's love.
Oh the marriage of your spirits here
Has caused him to remain
For whenever two or more of you
Are gathered in His name
There is love, ah there is love.

SASB prayers:
#28, For the Beauty of the Earth [this song has the lines "for the love which from our birth over and around us lies" and "for the joy of human love" which I really like]
#947, O God of Love
#948, O Perfect Love

Evelyn

It is hard to believe it is 2005. It was so exciting to ring in the new year in Estonia. We literally brought the year in with a bang, as it is Estonian custom to set off fireworks. From outside our window on every side of our house, we could see colorful lights filling the sky as our neighbors celebrated. I can still hear the crackling and popping of fireworks as I type, although it was at a full roar at midnight.

Earlier in the evening, we and Karl Gustav attended a new year's eve service at Colgata Baptist Church. We even were able to understand the sermon because the pastor (who was not preaching for this service) sat behind us and translated. One moment that stood out for me was when we sang the gospel spiritual "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" in Estonian ("Mind vii kui inglikäel, tule kanna koju mind siit"). What feeling, to hear the familiar music, sing in flowing Estonian language and know what I was singing. I'm sure those who first sang this song never imagined it being sung half way around the world in a language they weren't even aware of. I had the same sensation on Sunday when we sang the Appalachian hymn "Go Tell It on the Mountain."

After the service, we wanted celebrate by having lasagna at a local restaurant we really like. We wanted to go for this on Christmas Eve, since having lasagna that night is a tradition in Evelyn's family, but the restaurant was closed. Well guess what: It was closed again. In fact, we tried most of the restaurants we knew in town and they were all closed. So we learned another lesson about Estonia. The only place that was open was McDonalds, so we treated Karl Gustav to a burger, and as we ate remembered why this is only the second time we have eaten there in almost six months! That is one part of American cuisine I don't miss.

From there, we brought Karl Gustav to the childrens home and headed to the home of some American missionary friends of ours, the Masons. We had chocolate fondue together, dipping fruit like bananas and cherries, pretzels and sponge cake. The kids had a lot of fun. Then we watched the movie "Iron Will" together. Unfortunately, Peter has been getting new teeth (his third tooth--his first on the top--came in yesterday) and was miserable. He was crying uncontrollably and finally we felt it was best to head home. So that is why we saw the fireworks from our house. But it was good. From the top floor, we had a good view of all that went on, and the kids went from window to window watching it all.

We've seen God do amazing things in 2004. We are excited to see what He will bring our way in the new year. Happy new year!
--Tim