With Thanksgiving behind us, we are in full-on holiday (and baby prep) mode! Ruth’s 3rd birthday is in 1 week. Christmas is in 4 weeks. Our 5th anniversary is in 6 weeks. And Hudson James is due in 7 weeks! Phew.

This is such a fun and exciting time of the year. But it’s also so so easy to get focused on the wrong things – like buying presents (instead of being present). May our focus during this season be on eternal things, the eternal One.

Some praises:

• Allen’s classes are going well – even just the drive to and from class in Anchorage (an hour each way) is a blessing to him as it gives him time to think, pray, and just relax a little bit. The girls and I are settling into a bedtime routine, too, that usually involves lots of bath time splashing, reading Christmas books, praying, singing, and them fighting going to bed. Thank you for praying for us in this time of transition!
• We have had several new people join our partnership team! We are excited about God’s vision for the people of Togo and how He is leading us and others to join Him in His work there. 
• We have a new laptop! We praise God for His provision in meeting that need of ours.

Some prayer requests:

• I’m continuing to experience pain from my pulled muscle. Please pray for complete healing, wisdom for my doctors, and me to be patient and rest in the meantime.
• Pray for Joan, Pastor Moussa, and others who are diving into research for the orphan ministry in Kara, Togo. 

Our November newsletter will be published tomorrow! And starting this month, we are also releasing video newsletters that can be shown in a church or small group setting. They will be about 4 minutes long and provide a high-level overview of what’s included in the print version. We’ll link to the video on YouTube – feel free to watch and share it tomorrow!

On another note, we’ve had some issues with our ABWE account, so if you have recently partnered with us and not received a note, it’s because we don’t know yet! We’re working to get that cleared up, but it’s taking a lot of time. Thank you for your patience.

Okay, friends. Have a great week!