Dear Friends and Family,
Warmest
greetings as we enter this Christmas season.
Christmas time has always had a special feeling for us. The giddiness of anticipation that comes
from childlike wonder, tinsel on the tree, ornaments that bubbled as they glowed,
gifts on Christmas morning, family and friends coming over, and the treat of
Mom’s Christmas cookies were just some of the sights and sounds that we enjoyed
as children.
By God’s grace, that all gave way to a complete
understanding of the real meaning of Christmas when, in 1978, Jane and I experienced
our first Christmas as followers of Jesus.
You see, up until that time the manger story was just that, a
story.
In October of 1978 we came to
understand that the baby born in Bethlehem came to bring a peace that was not an
emotion, but a peace that can only come as a result of a personal relationship
with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus. That relationship was made possible as the
baby became the Savior at Calvary. He
came to bear our Sin penalty on the Cross.
It was not enough to have knowledge of the nativity but we
realized that the whole bundle of the events of Christ’s life paved the way for
us to become reconciled with the God of the Universe. We had only to invite Him into our lives,
which we did at the end of that October.
That event began a lasting relationship that has deepened
with each passing year and the Spirit of Christmas lingers on throughout the
year as we commune with God on a daily basis.
What an incredible gift that is available to anyone who
would place their trust in Jesus!
And so we find ourselves in the 37th Christmas
season of our walk with the Savior. And
my how this year has flown by. We will
spend this Christmas with Rebecca’s family in Rome GA and New Years at Maribeth’s
house in Asheville, along with Julie’s family and Jason. Mark, Rachel, and Bowen will be at home in
Florida celebrating with Mark’s family.
We were
blessed to be able to have all of the children and their families join us in
Maryland to celebrate Thanksgiving with Jane’s extended family. Jane’s dad will turn 93 this April. He still lives alone and goes to work most
days, putting in several hours at his Farm Supply store. The Kellenbenz clan has grown to eighteen counting the
grandchildren. Needless to say, there
was plenty of excitement. We had over 40 for
dinner! Thankfully he has a large house
that accommodates such a lively crowd.
This picture of Pop with all of our Grandchildren is precious to us.
Olivia, Ella Mae, Micah, Veda, Wren, Isabel, Bowen
This
year began with Jane having surgery to remove a blockage between her kidney and
bladder that may have been there since birth.
The onset of recurring kidney stones prompted the need to take care of
the problem. The surgery was successful
and a recent sonogram confirmed that all is flowing and no stones are present!
As a
result of the surgery we were not able to do our January and February Sower
projects in Florida. We were able to
resume our travels in April and did four projects this year, April, May,
September and October.
We are scheduled
to be in Florida this coming February.
Our regular January journey will be re-routed to Rome GA for the birth
of our eighth grandchild and sixth granddaughter who is due to arrive mid-January. She will be the third girl in Rebecca’s
family, joining sisters Ella Mae (4) and Isabel (2). Rebecca, Corey, Ella Mae, and Isabel are still
serving the Lord in Rome GA with Shorter University.
Julie,
Eli, and Micah (2) welcomed sister Veda into their family in July. She is a wonderfully happy child, a
disposition she inherited from her Grandfather.
Eli continues his studies in Wake Forest NC at Southeastern Baptist
Seminary.
Rachel,
Mark, and Bowen are doing fine in Bonita Springs, Florida. Bowen will be two in February and he is a
lively boy keeping mom and dad busy. He
is on the move from morning to night.
Jason
continues to build his Snapon tool business here in the Charleston area. He puts in many hours but has been successful
building his route. He lives near us
though we don’t see him that often.
Maribeth, Ben, Olivia (3), and Wren
(1) moved in July to West Asheville, NC.
They have joined with several families to pioneer a new church plant, bringing the good news of salvation through Jesus to the eclectic culture of folks that live there. We sure hated to have them move but we are
excited about the call of God on their lives and their obedience to pulling up
roots and going.
Jane and I celebrated our 40th
anniversary in March. It is hard to
believe that we have been together for that long. She is a trooper and puts up with a lot from
me. Our love is growing with each year.
Well that brings you up to speed on
our family. We trust that your Christmas
Season will be a blessed one as you contemplate the birth of our Savior, Jesus.
Remember, Wise Men still seek Him!
Love, Glenn and Jane
