Merry Christmas to All - by John

Hello dear friends!

As we enter the Christmas season proper, we would like to wish everyone peace and grace. May your celebrations be filled with happiness and renewal of spirit. We wish that we could be with you in person, please know that we are with you in thought.

We pause to reflect over a tumultuous year and hope that we can extract some pearls of wisdom. Here's what we have come up with:

Thanks for staying in touch!
Just by taking the time to read our blog you are participating in our mission. We thank you that you continue to take an interest in our work and experiences in Africa. We hope that the “blog format” works for you. We also have email, and if you feel so led don’t hesitate to drop us a note at wielerfamily (at) gmail.com.

God is in control
It has been demonstrated to us over and over that God is in control and knows what is going on. Throughout all the turmoil, a sense that God wants us in Africa has been re-affirmed through the actions of his followers here on earth. We thank everyone who prayed and supported us during this year, and ask you to continue to pray for us during our coming transition to Zambia.

Visitors are wonderful
We were so fortunate to receive visitors this year, including Aunts (Anne) and Uncles (Dave). Having both sets of parents visiting was a highlight for us and provided many good times and shared experiences that will not be forgotten.

It takes a global village to support a service worker
It’s a big world, and we are blessed to have experienced more of it this year. Working and living in South Africa has been an incredible learning experience, and it has been good to have many of our stereotypes blown away. There are good people all over the world, and it was our privilege and gift to get to know some of them in White River and Nelspruit this year. Friends from church, school, and work made our lives richer than we had thought possible.

It really is a world wide church
If only to reinforce the previous thoughts, it’s important for us to say how exciting it is to worship the same God in word and deed with believers from many different geographic, economic and social backgrounds. We’re looking forward to many more experiences in Zambia
in the coming year.

Please stay tuned to our blog as we describe our transition to Zambia, more news about visitors, and post some interesting pictures. It's been a turbulent year with all sorts of suprises, next year promises to be interesting and exciting as well.

During this season, with the world putting the emphasis on gifting and consumption, please take a minute to think about the real gift of the season, the birth of our saviour. Also, please think about the poor around you, and do something for them.

Merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy new year!