Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year From the Roberts Family

Savoring Every Moment
Christmas is my (Beth’s) favorite time of year. I love baking cookies, spending time with family, and remembering the birth of our Savior. However this year is different. We are still doing many of the same activities like baking, sledding, exchanging gifts, playing with the nieces and nephews, and drinking lots of coffee. But at the end of it all, there are some BIG goodbyes that have to be said. So my motto for this season is “savor every moment”. I am enjoying each and every conversation. Sometimes I am sitting back and watching the nieces and nephews play together, and at other times I’m getting in there and playing along with them. I’m allowing myself to feel the intense emotion of the moment. Therefore I have been crying and laughing a whole lot. I’m giving lots of hugs and saying encouraging things to others. I’m not going to let the holidays end with any regrets. So how does that translate into savoring every moment with our Savior & King? Are we putting forth effort to have conversations with our Father? Are we sitting back and noticing what He is doing all around us? Do we feel the Father’s heartbeat for people around us? Do we say encouraging uplifting words? I pray that you will Savor Every Moment with our Savior & King. How will you look back on 2010? Did you savor every moment and have NO regrets?

Zane and his cousins


Our New Year
2010 will start with continuing to fundraise. Our prayer is that we can still leave late January. If you were wanting to give, NOW IS THE TIME. Contact us with any questions. We wait in great anticipation for what the Lord has in store for us this year. May we savor it ALL!

The Langlois Clan


Praise God for:
*precious time with family
*living in a warm and fun home with Beth’s sister and brother-in-law
Please pray for:
*Our hearts to grow more and more for the people of Argentina
*the goodbyes we have to say at the end of the holiday season
*us to reach our financial goal of 100% by late January. (WE ARE AT 88%!)

Friday, December 11, 2009

"Are you excited?"

The question has been asked frequently this past year. "Are you excited about moving to Argentina?" The answer seems obvious, "Yes, of course!" and this is how I have answered each time sincerely. The reality is that I have always hesitated before answering this question. I remind myself that I am deeply excited to serve God as a missionary in Argentina. A reminder has been necessary because I haven't always experienced the emotion of excitement in our preparation to be missionaries. We have been on a 2 year journey to depart for Argentina and many times the road has seemed long and hard. Traveling, letting go, and support raising have at times kept us from remembering our excitement.

If you ask a young child right now if they are excited for Christmas, you will probably see a big smile on their face as they tell you about their Christmas wish list. Ask a child the same question in June and he or she will probably give you one of those you must be crazy looks! They aren't excited because Christmas is so far away, it is out of their minds. They haven't given it any thought and aren't preparing for something that doesn't feel like a reality yet. Well, we are a lot like kids when it comes to excitement for our departure to Argentina. For months and months, going there has felt like a far off dream. Now that has started to change. Excitement has been building in our hearts as we have been approaching several of our goals. Financially we are somewhere around 85% of our monthly support goal. Logistically, we have sold our home and many of our possessions and have completed all of our required trainings. The time is getting close and we are becoming less like disinterested children in the summer and more like children unable to sleep on Christmas eve. Our goal has been to leave by the end of January and this very well could be a reality. The excitement has always been there, but now it is being fanned into a flame that is burning more strongly each day.

We don't know all that God has for us in Argentina. He has placed desires in our hearts and we have brought requests to his throne. We can't wait to step off of a plane in a foreign land and begin to see the great gifts our Father has for us. We don't expect comfort, notoriety, or worldly successes. We are simply trusting that God will be faithful to walk with us and guide us as we attempt to make an impact for his kingdom.