Annual Happenings '06

This is, in my opinion, my most moving Christmas letter to date. Come back tomorrow to read this year's letter. It is nothing like the previous ones!
I hope that this letter finds you well and leaves you thinking on things eternal. I must admit that this was a year of extremes. We had some very high highs and the lowest of lows. The Lord was with us through every moment and I am thankful that he is my "refuge from the storm"(Is. 25:4), for without Him I feel that I would have been overwhelmed by all of the chaos. I praise the Lord that he gives us the strength to ride the storm out if we will put our trust in Him.
On December 2nd Jeffrey broke his arm playing with his brothers and some friends. I am so thankful that it wasn’t a bad break. He was one tough little man through the entire process and we are grateful that he is not in very much pain now. He will get a hard cast next week and will wear that until after Christmas.
This summer two of Riky’s brothers had surgery and his Dad had a triple bypass. Everyone is starting to get back to normal now, but it’s too bad you don’t get frequent family miles, or we would be set for our next few accidents!
Riky bought us a house at the end of June and we LOVE IT. We now live in Shepherd and get to enjoy the small town life and still are only 17 minutes from Walmart (if I drive)! Our neighbors are wonderful and there is a family right next door with children that have become fast friends for our boys. We had a house warming party in September and 75 people came to celebrate with us. The house sits on an acre and we are so very comfortable here. We have some plans for expansion, but we can absolutely live comfortably while we whittle away at our to-do lists. God was the one who provided this home for us and we are content with the wonderful gift he had just for us. Michael, Jeffrey, Jordan and I were so confident that the Lord would answer our prayers for a house that we started packing, after we were done with school each day, starting in May (well before we even looked at any houses) and then we maneuvered around a huge stack of boxes for about 2 months before we found and closed on our new home. Our Pastor has taught us that to show faith, you pray for rain, then you grab your umbrella. So... we grabbed our boxes and got ready for our new home!
At the beginning of June we took a whirlwind vacation. We had nine days and were able to tour historic parts of Helena, navigate through Glacier Park, see tons of sights in Seattle, swim in the ocean at Crescent City, CA, drive through the Redwood Forest(quickly, of course, Riky was driving), and plunge deep into the earth at the Lewis and Clark Caverns. We were able to stay with lots of friends on the trip and were blessed with such wonderful visits with each of them--and free lodging ; )
The boys did well in wrestling this year, but not spectacular. Jordan is looking forward to being able to join the club this year. We took a trip to Sydney, MT for a state tournament and we all had a lot of fun at the hotel and the tournament.
I have come to realize that as Romans 8:28 says "we (really can)know that all things work together for good..." In March of 2005, I got a phone call that started a chain reaction. Our church’s prayer chain was started and I started calling hospitals. I ended up on a plane with my dad on the way to Tennessee. I was the next of kin for my mom and I was told to come immediately. She was in a coma and was given a scarce chance of recovery. Dad and I spent 2 weeks in the hospital watching Mom recover from massive hypothermia in addition to many other things. But the miracle here was that she did recover! James 5:15 says "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick..." I am grateful that He does answer prayers.
Dad and I spent hours talking about life, death, children, growing older and hundreds of other things. He was able to visit some friends while we were in the South and also showed me where he grew up, played, worked, went to school, played football, hunted, fished, he shared with me his lifelong to-do list and told me what drove him to Montana. He told me story after story. On that trip we laughed, cried, and reminisced, and never once was a cross word said. Dad and I bonded and had a time together like we had never had before in my life. Less than one year later, on January 2nd ,Dad died in a plane crash. I am forever grateful for the time that he and I were able to have together. I now see a little of the Lord’s will in my mother’s illness. She came back to Montana, which is were her heart always longed to be, and is now completely healed, beating all of the odds. But most importantly, my relationship with my dad was mended, at a time when there was not much time left. I am grateful that God gave me that precious time with Dad before he took him Home. I do KNOW that Dad is in Heaven waiting for me, because we talked about that too. I can know this because the Word of God says it’s true. I John 5:13 says "...that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." Acts 3:19 says "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out..." The only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You probably know John 3:16, but John continues to say "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Now is the time to believe. We hope that you will seize hold of these truths this very moment and turn your heart toward the Savior who came to earth some 2006 years ago to give the ultimate sacrifice that we may KNOW that we have eternal life in Heaven. Our prayer is that the day you receive this letter will serve as a turning point in your lives.
Gladly Serving Him with all our Hearts,
The Carlsons