Christmas 2009 in Krakow !!!

We have had a fantastic first Christmas in Krakow !!! Although we are in a foreign land and far away from family, we tried to keep our focus on the reason for the season, celebrate Christ, and keep a thankful heart for the family He has provided for us here.

Our celebration has been made complete by:

A candlelight service,
Making Christmas cookies to take to friends at school,

Singing carols in our native tongue (by way of charades):
This is Arin and Megan's rendition of "Go Tell It On The Mountain"

The whole group!

Celebrating the story of our Savior's birth as a family and giving presents:

Making Jesus a Birthday Cake !!!

Having a Birthday Party for Him !!!

Then we took some family time in the mountains together to introduce our kids to skiing:
Breathtaking views of His creation !

Successful exit from the ski lift !!! Always a praise !!

After a couple of lessons, they were ready to roll !!!

The Hesskew girls !!!

Our boys !!!


Kaleb's first trip down the big slope.......all smiles!!!

Arin's favorite was straight down and FAST !!!

Relaxation after a hard day's work !!!! This is the life !!!

All for HIS GLORY !!!!!

We pray your celebration was a sweet time with loved ones and a fresh celebration of our Changeless Christ who is worth celebrating wherever you are in His world !!!

Christmas Sights !!!

We are racking up so many pictures, I thought I would download a few to share. These are a couple of the sights we have captured during this preparation for the season of our Savior's birth:

Decorating our home

New Christmas dress from Nana!

Can't you just feel the love?

Visiting the Christmas Market in the square -- blowing glass !!!

Re-enacting the Christmas Story for our International Fellowship

Angels proclaiming His birth (Arin on the right)

Shepherds join the party! (Kaleb on the left)

Singing carols in Polish and English !!!

Christmas Box from our home Church in the States !!! Thank you !!!!

Arin's talking to the pictures of her friends back home - telling them she misses them!

First Sledding Day in Poland !!!!

Retelling the Christmas Story at our Polish Church

They told the story from the perspective of the barn animals........the donkey was the eye-witness to the birth! Kaleb and Arin were sheep....."baaa" only, no Polish necessary for this performance!

Thanksgiving Fun!!!

We had a great Thanksgiving celebration this year..............in multiple ways!! Kirstin got a chance to share about this American holiday with Kaleb's class! We talked about why we give thanks and how our tradition of giving thanks got started. The kids came up with a long list of things they are thankful for...........it was a special time together. After our story time and a game, we made the ever famous turkey out of their hand tracings!

Then we prepped our new home for a Thankgiving feast with 7 of the football guys! We got to share in a little more depth about why we give thanks, and to Who we give all our thanks! The guys got to taste some classic American dishes (thanks to some packages from home), and join in on our family tradition of reflecting on the Lord's blessings !! Then we watched a little American football, of course !!! We had a great time having them in our home !!! Here's a "before" and "during" the feast !!

Then we had a Team Thanksgiving gathering at one of our colleague's home !!! Again we had an amazing spread of food and great fellowship !! It was also the debut of our newest team member, Sophia Grace !! She was only 9 days old! It was a good time of sharing all the blessings we have as a team and a chance to reflect on the gracious character of our God!

We are thankful for our American heritage that sets aside time to be thankful !! And we are thankful for the opportunities we've had to share about our God who is worthy of more thanks than we could imagine...........every day of the year !!! We are thankful for YOU..........and your willingness to join us on this journey!