Dear Family & Friends,

We are already wrapping up the second month of Jackson’s Word by Heart continued studies and he is having a special time doing 3 focus groups where he is using the Word by Heart method to train these various focus groups. In parallel he is also memorizing the Gospel of Luke along with the regular class. Yes, he is busy, but not too busy! It really feels this quarter we are in such a balance between work, study and family life and we are not over stressed and the children are doing good.

I started working as an assistant for Loren & Darlene’s scheduling and correspondence since January. I mainly use the hours where the girls are in bed or Jackson is with them. I feel privileged to be able to work while being a full time mom as well. I am learning so much from this experience and the wisdom and experience Loren & Darlene have is just incredible. What a blessing!

Hope is entering the 8^th week of Keiki Corner and she absolutely loves it. She has so many friends there now, knows all the songs by heart and comes home with various crafts. She prays for all of her 8 Keiki Corner classmates almost every day and the prayers range from “so and so.. had an auwi” to “so and so.. did not have an Auwi”. She is also eagerly protecting her little sister when she comes to Keiki Corner once a week with me. The other day she ran to one of her friends and said “so and so can you share with REJoyce? Or do you want a Time-out?”. So it sounds like we have a little mother in the making. REJoyce has started crawling and pulling up to standing now. The other day we found her inside the coffee table where she had climbed into. So we are back to baby proofing the house and forgot that she is able to spot every tiny thing on the floor including a morsel of Chocolate that had fallen down. So then I found her with a chocolate mustache… Those of you who know us well know we try to avoid sugar as much as possible for the first two years of our children’s lives and especially chocolate. Oh well, I guess in a few days times she will have forgotten what she enjoyed today ..

Then we are busy preparing the Word by Heart Global Track. At this point 5 of Jackson’s classmates have already showed a serious interest and the plans are unfolding more clearly. The start of the track will be this October when Jackson will run the Word by Heart School in Kona. The year of 2015 will then be the around the world period doing seminars and trainings, presentations, outreaches and studies of the Bible around the world at the diverse locations. More and more locations are unfolding and this makes it all really exciting for all of us.

In the shorter term we are now preparing for our trip to the Netherlands in May. In May my brother and his fiancé will be getting married. This is an occasion we do not want to miss! So this means that in March/April Jackson will have to get his Dutch Visa in the mainland USA and then we can fly together end of April and stay for the wedding on the 9^th. Then Jackson is planning to visit his family and do a short medical and water outreach in the village to continue last year’s efforts. If there are any among you that are interested and available the last two weeks of May, do let us know and we will give you the details!

Blessings,

Jackson & Anneke, Hope and REJoyce 

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God is Faithful

Dear Family and friends,

As I sit here writing this it is January 3d, our 5^th Wedding Anniversary! What a beautiful time to reflect and look back and see just how much the Lord has been faithful to us. We have been able to live in 4 different nations, 8 different homes and so far we have been able to give birth to two beautiful girls. It is a wonderful season and an adventurous future that lies ahead. At the beginning of the New Year we also would like to appreciate you as our friends and family for your love and support. It has been such an incredible journey of God’s faithfulness. Every time we get discouraged or worried about the circumstances of life, we are at the brim of another miracle as we continue to walk with Him. This past trip especially was a big step of faith and the Lord provided. We were able to have our own home in the Netherlands which made the time despite the busy schedule a restful time as well. We want to thank all of you who participated in lending furniture etc to this home.

Now we are back in Kona. It was quite a long journey but our girls did great. When we arrived here we had a beautiful place on campus waiting for us which now has 2 bedrooms. This is an answer to prayer as our previous home on campus was all in one room. I am eager to unpack all our stored boxes and make this our home. The jet lag is affecting us a little bit, but that is normal. Jackson has resumed his studies and I will be catching up next week. It is so good to see our friends over here. It really makes me realize just how much this really is home for us and we are very grateful. Hope consistently talks about the trip and her grandparents and aunts and uncles and REJoyce is just excited to smile at all the new people that are here.

Wishing you a year full of the Lord’s faithfulness!

Blessings.

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