Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas from South Carolina!!!
Our first full year in Columbia, South Carolina has been wonderful. Oh, there have been some setbacks and drawbacks in being here. We have missed the fellowship of so many friends back at our home in NV. Our children especially the younger ones definitely miss all their friends back in Fallon. I don’t believe there is a day that goes by without mention of someone we left there. There is a feeling of sadness that can descend upon us at times as we think of the years spent there; but ultimately, we are thankful for the time there and it brings us much joy to know that our Lord is working in our lives to forge strong friendships here in Columbia.

As for Columbia, in being here, we certainly miss aspects of living in a small town. We miss zipping around town at 25 miles per hour and getting just about anywhere in about ten minutes. Columbia is certainly not a massive city by any stretch of the imagination, but it is much bigger and has far more traffic than our beloved little Fallon. We miss those day trips to Reno to go to the movies or to buy groceries or just to go out on a date. Having said all of that, we absolutely love living here in South Carolina.

The Lord has provided for all our needs here. We have a nice place to live with lots of children in our neighborhood. I came home last night to eleven children in our home. Actually, there may have been more; but I know there was at least eleven! We have a family with three children who moved into the house next door a couple of weeks ago. We have another family who moved into the house on the other side a couple of months ago. The Lord has put us in the perfect house located in the perfect place for our family.

When I walked in last night, Angie was baking cupcakes and getting dinner ready. I cannot think of a better setting than Christmas time with children playing and my wife cooking wonderful things to eat and enjoy.

Our family is doing well. We are enjoying our new church family here in Columbia. We have been wonderfully blessed to be a part of the growing body at Grace Community Bible Church. Again, the Lord put us in the perfect situation. We love to serve the church and to watch the Lord’s work being done. We trust the Lord to build His church and He has not (and we trust will not) disappointed.

Angie continues to do well in teaching our children. She has adjusted well to life back in the South. She thrives on change and adversity! I have certainly found a treasure in my beloved wife. Brandon Jr. is doing pretty well in school. He is a bright young man and he loves to read books. We do have to push him at times but that I am sure is typical. He is playing baseball and actually really enjoys golf. Andrew, as always, is a bright spot for everyone. He loves life and he loves people. He doesn’t seem to have a strong passion for school or sports but, nonetheless, he excels in both! He doesn’t know it yet but he is getting a guitar for Christmas and will be starting lessons after the first of the year! He is very interested in music; so we know he will be excited.

Chloe continues to do well. She works hard in school and does very well. She is currently taking piano lessons and had her first recital a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I was out of town and could not attend; but I saw the recording and was blown away at how calm she was! Cayla continues to amaze us. She is a wonderful little girl who still has a penchant for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She constantly has cuts and scratches that attest to this. She does well in school and absolutely loves playing sports. Both of the girls are on the same softball team. We had a good time watching them play in the fall.

All of our children are doing well and they all have a sweetness about them that we love. I am doing very well. The Lord continues to teach me through trials. He certainly has blessed me with a wonderful family. I have been blessed more than I ever deserve. He is good! We do want to make one announcement in this letter. We are currently working through the adoption process to be able to adopt a child here in the US. We are in the midst of the home study. As soon as that is complete, we will be able to move forward with locating a child. Please be in prayer for our family as we move through this process; but even more so, be in prayer for our newest addition to the family!

We are very thankful for all of you. Your prayers for our family have been coveted and for them we have been thankful. Please have a Merry Christmas and we hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

With love,
The Phillips Family