Christmas Newsletter - 2012

Hello all of you amazing people that we love!

It’s been a BIG year for us, so we thought we’d share some of our highlights with you!

We have a GIRL!

On March 6 we welcomed the most beautiful baby girl to ever grace this planet- Ciella Charis Stevens. She was the most peaceful, sweet, easy newborn- sleeping through the night since pretty much day 1.  Now at 9 months, she is very much on the move, ready to conquer the world and grab everything in sight.   Judah just turned 3 in November and is loving being a “big brother” as he gets to do what he does best with one more person: entertain and make people laugh!  He also got to be in his first wedding in June: uncle Josh married beautiful auntie Katie, whom we all love!

Time to run!

I (Crystal) trained for and ran my first half marathon.  It was a fun challenge and through it I can honestly say I grew to love running! Though I am not speedy Gonzalez I did complete the race without stopping and beat my training time.  I was also able to raise (thanks to some of you)- several hundred dollars to fight human trafficking- a passion that has been on my heart for many years. My parents were even in town (all the way from Canada) that weekend which was an extra special treat.

Shave Ice & Texas!

We helped a wonderful couple from our church start a Hawaiian Shave Ice business this summer! It was a lot of work, but fun to pioneer something new and introduce Redding to the delicacy of authentic shave ice. =) If you’ve been to Hawaii you know what I’m talking about.  As we were wrapping up our season in October, Aaron had the opportunity to do some work in Texas. Obviously being away from each other for weeks at a time would not be our first choice, but it came at a time when we needed the work and he is being paid quite generously, making it a sacrifice that is worth it short term.  He is helping a very brilliant man, Steve who has invented a water filtration system that will be used for natural gas fracking.  He’ll be home the week before Christmas and it will be a very Merry Christmas for us indeed!  After Christmas he will be hired on again to do interviews for the school of ministry at our church – a job he has done off and on for the last few years. 

Mexico!

Aaron will have the opportunity in March to co-lead a ministry trip to Mexico City with his brother Josh.  Josh has led this trip for several years and they have seen INCREDIBLE fruit- hundreds of people saved and healed in radical ways.  He’s excited to be able to be part of this trip and we look forward to what God will do!

Africa at last!!!

For those wondering when we will ever be going back to Africa longer term (as we have talked about for years)- 2013 is THE YEAR! Yep, we have recently decided to join Tracy Evans and her crew in Mozambique.  As some of you may remember, we have been to Tracy’s base in Mozambique twice and have fallen in love with her and her ministry (and the people of Mozambique of course).  God is on the move in that nation and people are so open and ready to know Jesus! As Tracy describes, “The harvest is white.  The fruit is dying on the branches because there are not enough laborers to pick it off”.  We are committing to a year for now and at the end will evaluate where to go from there... our feeling is that it will be more Africa but we are playing it by ear and seeing what God does!  Our goal is to leave around June if all of our support is raised by then.  We are also getting all of our “papers” in order for my US citizenship and both of our kids Canadian citizenships before we leave, so pray for quick processing for all of that!  We will be sending another letter in January with all the juicy details of our journey, how God has led us to this decision, more of what we’ll be doing there and a photo prayer card for your fridge. =) For those who already know you’d like to support us financially and want to take advantage of year end giving, we have provided the information you need to get a tax deductible receipt at the very bottom of this page.  And as a little plug for Tracy, if you are looking for an AMAZING book that will inspire & encourage you, Tracy’s life story just came out in a book called, “Outrageous Courage”- by Kris Vallotton (available on Amazon)- I almost read it in one sitting- it was that good!!!

So, as you can see- it’s been a full and exciting year and we know that next year holds many adventures for us as well.  Let us know how you are doing!!! We love hearing from you. =) Merry Christmas and happy 2013!!!

Aaron, Crystal, Judah and Ciella

 Financial Giving Information for our move to Mozambique!!!

1) Please make checks payable to: “Bethel Church”

2) ***DO NOT WRITE OUR NAMES ANYWHERE ON THE CHECK***

3) Our “missionary number” is “M54” and this should be written in the memo line of the check- You may attach a note to the check with our names but if our names are on the check, they will not be able to process it!

4) Mail checks to: Bethel Church / Attention Katherine Edwards, Accounting  /  933 College View Dr. / Redding, CA / 96003 / USA

The Mama Who Thought She Could

I will never forget those days in high school PE class where we had to “run the mile”.  We would all pile onto the field in our running clothes and start making our rounds around the track.  There were the athletic girls that would bolt out in the front and see how fast they could finish, then the majority who would pace themselves and just try to finish, and then there was me… who decided that running a mile was impossible, so why even try? I stubbornly would walk the mile and take a bad grade in PE, every time.  Year after year.  I’m not saying I’m proud of that- it’s just what I did. Fast forward to years later when I was engaged to Aaron.  One day we were spending time with my brother and sister in law- Luke & Janell.  They decided to go for a run and dragged me along with them, in spite of my protests and excuses.  They convinced me that I could run a whole mile… and what do you know? I DID! From then on I knew I could! I still didn’t like running and over the next few years my attempts to “begin running” were sporadic and never lasted more than a few weeks, but I did try every once in a while.  I’m not sure what shifted but I decided once again to try running after Ciella was born.  My first attempt was when she was 5 weeks old.  My legs felt like lead and I barely made it to the end of the block before I felt like I couldn’t go on.  But, the more I got out and just did it, the easier it got.  During a walk with my friend Danielle one day, we talked about how it would be fun to train for a half marathon.  The rest is history! I am now up to 12 miles and my first 13 mile race is weeks away!  I share my history simply to make the point that I have never been a runner.  I think many people feel like they “can’t” run simply because they’ve never really tried or made the decision that they “can”… this could apply to so many different areas of our lives.  Sometimes when I am doing some of my longer runs I think of the kids story about the little engine who “thought he could” and kept repeating, “I think I can, I think I can”.  It is so true that the person who thinks they can and the person who thinks they can’t are both right.  Running really comes down to putting one foot in front of the other and believing that you can.  Yes, there are aspects of training and preparing yourself- when you are going to go longer distances, but really, I’d say it’s at least 90% mental! So, I hope this “mama who thought she could” will inspire you to go after some of those things that you’ve felt like you can’t do… just change your mind and go for it!

 I’m also excited to announce that I am running for more than the purpose of burning some baby weight off- I am running for a cause!!! Some friends and myself will be running the Turtle Bay half marathon on Oct. 7 to raise money for “Idignify” – a ministry through our church that is “developing a network of people & organizations to ban together in the fight against human trafficking and modern day slavery to bring about global justice.”  For those of you who know me, you know that this type of ministry is very close to my heart.  So, in a season where raising my kiddos is what takes most of my time, and it’s a little harder to run off to another country and rescue girls out of brothels, I am super stoked to use this race to raise funds for others that are devoting their lives to bringing freedom and justice to these girls.  To give, simply go to: idignify.com, click on “ways to give” & follow the instructions.  Super easy! Lastly, (and importantly)- please send me a message and let me know what you’ve given- whether it’s $5 or $500- as I’d like to be able to track and report the total raised.  Feel free to give up till race day- Oct. 7- and by all means, continue to support idignify and other amazing organizations long after that if you feel led. =)

Thanks for reading and sharing in my journey…