We send each and every one of you warm greetings at this very special time of year. We have dedicated this prayer letter to be a special family update, and trust that it will enable you to know us a little better, and pray more specifically for us in this upcoming year! This past year has been one of great blessings and challenges, and we have seen God again stretch our faith, and push us to our knees to look to Him for the grace to help in time of need.
January was a busy time of preparing all the necessary details to return to South Africa for another term of service. In the midst of uprooting again, packing for 3 years, enjoying time with our families and friends, waiting on our return visa's, and saying our goodbyes; we were also adjusting to the addition of our precious third child, and standing with our church leadership in the midst of a vicious onslaught of the devil. Those were trying days indeed, but we praise God that He is the One who indeed gave victory in all these things!
We made our arrival back to South Africa on Feb. 4, and we were thrilled that my sister was able to come with us for 6 weeks and help us with childcare, unpacking, house hunting, house settling, and 100 other sundry tasks that go with that whole process. Thanks, Rachel….not sure what we would have done without you.
We have all settled back into life here now, and are enjoying the place that we call home for the present time. However, we try to never set our roots down too deep, because we know that the Lord's plans are always moving forward, and we want to always be in the center of His will. I am so grateful for the sacrifice of my wife and family to be willing to follow wherever the Lord leads. Though there are challenges, we do love the people and the place that the Lord has sent us too, and we thoroughly enjoy serving Him here.
I won't bore you with many details about my wife and I. We are just getting older, and trying not to change too much. We will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary this coming March. I am so blessed to have such a special wife, and am so thankful that she joyfully puts up with me. We are very grateful for our family, and count it a special treasure from the Lord, that seemingly few enjoy in these dark days.
Joel, our firstborn, turned 5 in April, and started Kindergarten in September with his favorite teacher, Mommy. He is a born leader, and is developing into a very helpful young man. We really look forward to what God will do with him in future days. Some of his favorite things to do right now include: Bible time, Scripture writing, catching frogs, squashing bugs, planting seeds, playing t-ball in the backyard, and doing anything with handcuffs, ropes, and guns. He is definitely 110% boy!
Sweet little Anna will be 4 in just a couple of weeks, and she cannot wait. She even prayed this morning that the Lord would help her hurry up and get to turn 4. She is a special little girl, and we pray often that God will continue to protect her little kidney. She will go back to the specialist in February for another checkup. The doctor will make sure that everything looks healthy with her good kidney, and that the other one is continuing to absorb into the body and not produce any malignant cells. Some of her favorite things to do right now include: doing pre-school with mommy, playing with her baby dolls and stuffed animals, building legos, taking care of little Luke, getting "pretty", helping mommy in the kitchen, and of course, playing with her big brother.
Little Luke, turned one on November 30, and is certainly the baby of the family. Everyone loves to dote on Luke. He is transitioning from crawling to walking, and each day he gets a little braver and walks a little farther. It won't be long and he will be running around the back yard with the others….my how time flies! It was special that he could spend his first birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Hammett in Botswana. Some of his favorite things to do right now include: Chasing his brother and sister, standing and preaching at the front gate to anyone who will listen, playing in the water, and of course eating just about anything, but especially ice cream and cookies….he is a Hammett!
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and we especially thank you for each time that you pause and bring our family before the Lord. Your missionary families are under constant attack from the Devil, and we need your prayers every day. Thank you for letting us be an extension of your ministry and helping us to carry the Gospel to this dry and thirsty land. May God bless each of you and make you fruitful for His service in 2010!
For Souls,
Bro George Hammett
Missionary to Africa
No comments:
Post a Comment