...and we're back!

After 3 weeks of Internet problems and a nasty case of the flu we are back! December has just flown by. I can't believe that we have been here in Albania for over 5 months now. Just yesterday, Kaitlyn said that is seems like we have lived here for years already. For every week that has passed that I have not been able to post a blog, I have felt a growing pressure to keep everyone up to date with what is going on in our lives here. I am sorry that we are not able to be more consistent with postings as I would like, and I know many of you would like as well. So I decided that I would catch everyone up to date on a few things that have happened in the past few weeks.

On December 9th the women at our church hosted a Christmas function and out reach. It was exciting to see over 30 women attend the meeting. Our pastor shared about the lineage of Christ from Mary and Joseph and how God showed Himself faithful and sovereign in bringing Christ from the line of David through them both. It was a great reminder of how intimately He moves in each of our lives throughout history. We had a great time watching a food preparation demonstration and then I was able to show the women how to make a rubber stamped card. They don't have anything of that sort here and had a great time making their own Christmas card by hand. Of course, we had lots of goodies to snack on and the fellowship was stellar. I went home encouraged that so many women brought unsaved family and friends. Please pray that these women will see something different in us and be drawn to the Christ that was born and died to save us from our sin. On December 14, Kaitlyn celebrated her 11th birthday! I can't believe that I am old enough to have an "almost teenager". It wasn't so long ago that I remember holding this 6 pound 14 ounce bundle of joy in my arms and crying with the wonder of it all. I think that Christmas took on a whole new meaning to me as I thought of Mary holding her very own baby boy, the Christ-child, as I was holding my sweet child. The amazing condescension of Christ was more impactful as I saw the helplessness and dependence of my baby and thought of the God who created the universe in one word confining Himself to the humanity of an infant. Now, 11 years later, the wonder continues.Kaitlyn has matured so much in this past year. Her heart for others and for the Lord is a gift from God and we praise Him for it. She told me the other day that she prays every night, before she goes to sleep, for her sister's salvation. What a great God we serve for softening the heart of this child for His kingdom. Thank you for your continued prayers for our kids.
For Kaitlyn's birthday we took the 7 girls from her 5th grade class and an Albanian friend from church to a nearby ice skating rink. I couldn't believe that there was such a thing in Albania. It wasn't quite like rinks in the states, but we had a great time. Whitney, Sierra and Breanna had never been ice skating before and were very thankful for the little penguins to help them get going. After only a few minutes, Whitney proved that she is her daddy's girl and took off without any fear. She is a natural athlete. I have to admit that I was happy to "help" Breanna hold onto the penguin. LOL.
Here is the birthday girl herself! She had a great birthday and was so thankful to be able to have a pizza dinner and a slumber party as well. What was her most exciting and different birthday present? She was overjoyed to receive a package of seaweed from a Korean classmate. It is a tasty snack. Maybe God is preparing her for mission work in the orient someday. Who knows. Kris and I are so thankful to God for another year with Kaitlyn. We realize what a special gift she is to us.
On the night of December 15th it snowed in Tirana!!! We woke up on Sunday the 16th to see this out our back window. The neat this is that during the day of the 15th Breanna and I were talking about Christmas and Jesus's birthday and she linked Jesus's birthday with it snowing. I told her that it probably wouldn't snow in Tirana because it rarely does (it hasn't snowed for over 2 years and even then it didn't stick). I told her that she would have to talk to God about it snowing. She asked me if I would help her "talk to God" about it. So we prayed that God would allow it to snow sometime in Tirana. As I turned to go, I heard her sing-song pray, "Let it snow God, please. Thank you!" That night it snowed! It was a great thing to wake her up and tell her that God heard her prayers! She was sooo excited. The snow melted by the afternoon, but it was a wonderful and loving lesson from a gracious Father to an impressionable 4 year old. Of course, I was thrilled as well. I miss the snow terribly, having grown up in Colorado. It was a bright and refreshing blessing from God on His day, Sunday. We were so grateful for a house with heaters and lots of warm jackets, hats, gloves and hot chocolate. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Well, here are a few of the highlights of the past few weeks in the life of the Stires. We pray that this season is filled with joy and hope as you celebrate CHRISTmas wherever you are in the world. "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King."