2008 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas from the Hudson Family!

From 2008 in Review

From 2008 in Review

We have had a great year! We spent a week in Washington DC in May learning more about our country. It was great to see all the things that we had been reading about in school. We went back to Juarez, Mexico for the week of Thanksgiving serving, playing, feeding and witnessing to the people there. God showed up in amazing ways providing just enough food for the amount of people we had and protecting our team in a very violent area.

From 2008 in Review

Collin - 2008 was good because I have love, joy, peace, and kindness. I like going to karate with Connor. I liked going on the Subway in Washington DC. It was really fun playing soccer in Mexico with all the kids who were really, really, good! I like memorizing the book of James in school.

From 2008 in Review

Caileigh - I had a good year. The best was having a sleep over with Carli and Didi Bulow. The boys were gone so I had a whole week alone with Mom doing girl things. I have been taking Irish Dance which I really like. In school we learned about Fungi, which was really interesting. We went to Mexico and I was able to see a girl open my shoebox present. I liked going to Jenny's Feeding Center in Juarez and serving food. Merry Christmas!

From 2008 in Review

Connor - My favorite things this year was being on a First Lego League team and having my 10th Birthday at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. I enjoy doing Karate and am going to test for my yellow belt soon. I am enjoying Singapore Math in school.

From 2008 in Review

Dawn - I continue to homeschool the kids, Connor is in 6th grade and the twins are in 3rd grade. They are a joy to teach and we so enjoy being together. This year marked a difference with the amount of activities (karate, Irish Dance, soccer, piano etc) that the kids were in so it seemed like I spent a majority of my late afternoons playing chauffeur. I am very grateful that we got a new car in April so the car time was much more pleasant ( I love my Subaru Tribeca - it makes me smile). I spent Nov and Dec directing the Christmas play at church which turned out well - other than the fact that I completely forgot the last song. Oh well, no one's perfect ( I am almost perfect- like Mary Poppins).

From 2008 in Review

Scott - I'm still an XML consultant and active in several OASIS technical committees. This year, I expanded my horizons and decided to coach a First Lego League team. We set our expectations to having fun and learning. At Regionals, we tied for 5th place and won the FLL Rising Stars award! I have a new call sign this year, too: W0XML (yeah, pretty geeky). I also can't forget my new ride! I got a Honda Shadow Aero in January and have been commuting almost daily to work. At 55mpg, it's quite an improvement over the truck!

From 2008 in Review

As this year ends and the new year begins, we pray that God will bless you and yours. With all our love,

Scott, Dawn, Connor, Caileigh and Collin

Categories: parenting

Be strong and courageous!

We're back and although I don't have time to go into everything (the Christmas play looms...), I wanted to give a brief update.

The trip was amazing. God showed up in amazing ways - ways that I haven't ever seen before.

A few highlights:

There were over 50 murders in Juarez the week we were there, some close to where we were, but we were safe the entire week. It was a little disconcerting to take my kids into a military zone, complete with machine gun stationed on either side of several roads we were on and full military convoys with men in full swat gear but God kept us safe and in good spirits all week.

We fed over 1000 people through out the week. One meal, God provided food until the very last person in line was fed with the very last of the food. We didn't count food or people but God knew.

Being the first customers of ladies that have been taught by missionaries to sew and emboider dish towels, aprons, and purses to help provide food for their families. I have never seen "hope" and "pride" in a more tangible way.

We had 100 bags of food and various items and God provided us with exactly 100 women. Again, we didn't count, God did.

Seeing Connor read a pamphlet of salvation to a little girl - in Spanish. Caileigh knocking on doors to invite people to church with as much Spanish as she could remember. Collin escorting an older lady who was a translator with us around the colonia so that she would be safe.

Scott was amazing as always, never quitting and helping all the rest of us translate. He makes me so proud.

I loved being able to teach children whether in English or Spanish and it was one of my favorite things to do along with playing with legos with the children in the orphange. You should have seen me trying to understand their directions as to what piece they needed. My Spanish was stretched to the limit.

So much for a little update. I get so excited by what God did in their lives and in our own. Thanks for all of you who prayed and helped us to get there. We could tell that our loved ones were praying and God answered your prayers in absolutely amazing ways.

Here's a link to some pictures...
http://picasaweb.google.com/shudson310/Mexico2008#

Categories: parenting