Christmas Letter from us to you!

Happy Christmas from Kampala, Uganda!

It’s strange that this year is NOT beginning to look a lot like Christmas. But, we are tremendously blessed to be able to spend the Christmas season with 65 abandoned/orphaned babies. It’s also neat to be experiencing Christmas in a different country with a different culture. We are all celebrating for the same reason, Jesus coming to the world as a baby, but celebrating differently! It makes me so thankful that Jesus came to the world for EVERYONE all over the world!

Here is a brief update on our 2009 year.

December ’08 – We were privileged to celebrate Christmas three times last year. It was our first Christmas and we celebrated at home in Abbotsford. I worked over the holidays and Matt did some much needed relaxing after his finals. It was a very white Christmas in Abby, which made for some fun trips to and from work. After Christmas in Abby we proceeded home to Lloydminster for Kaminski Christmas and celebrated Nic and Aubree’s wedding in Saskatoon! Finally, New Year’s was spent with the Morgan side of the family. It was a wonderful holiday season!

January ’09 – Back to the grind. Matt began his second semester of his second year of school as well as volleyball! Matt’s team last year was a ‘building’ team as there were only two returning players and the rest freshman, mostly walk ons. It was a character building team for Matt. He handled himself so well, loving and leading them! I was back to work at the hospital caring for sick and premature babies. I love my job and work with great people!

February ’09 – February was the month of visitors at our little condo. We do love visitors!!! We hosted many friends and both sets of parents. Mom and dad Morgan were out to celebrate Matt’s birthday, and mom and dad Kaminski came for Matt’s volleyball finals.

March ’09 – March was a month full of culture and athletics. We started off the month traveling down to Seattle to visit our good friends Thomas and Ruth and together we attended “The Lion King”, an amazing play with breathtaking costumes! The following weekend I ran my first half marathon in Abbotsford, the weather was terrible, plus 3 and pouring rain the entire time. I decided after the run that I didn’t want to do a full marathon, ½ were a perfect length for me☺ We also traveled down to Eugene, Oregon to see Rebecca for a weekend. On our way home from our weekend away we stopped in Portland to see the new musical “Wicked”, amazing! We ended the month with Matt’s volleyball banquet. He received so many awards not only for being such a good volleyball player, but also for his leadership and academics. I was a very proud wife!

April ‘09 – We used this month to spend our tax return. I had terrible eyes and was blessed to receive laser eye surgery!!! Matt finished his second year of school and before he started his summer job we went on a little trip to Las Vegas. Neither of us had ever been and it’s a place everyone should go once. Nathan drove up form LA to spend some time with us. Also in April we said good-bye to our good friends Nikki and Morgan Oliver who moved from Abbotsford back to the prairies. Game nights haven’t been the same since!

May ’09 – May was a busy month. Matt started his new summer job with White Glove Landscaping and mowed many lawns over the summer. A pregnant Correna Oliver came to visit and we went to the spa. Matt spoke at a CBC fundraiser banquet about what it meant to be an athlete at CBC. Our very good friends Phil and Cheryl were married and Matt was a groomsman. It was a perfect day! On the weekend of our one-year anniversary we went up to Kelowna to celebrate the wedding of some close friends from Green Bay Bible Camp. We stayed at the camp, the same camp where we were married at exactly one year earlier. Matt planned a beautiful scavenger hunt, which took me all over camp to places that meant much to us. May was also our last month in our beloved little condo. We packed up and moved out at the end of the month. We miss our little home!

June ’09 – We graciously moved into the basement suite of our friends Eddy and Marlene Becker. They blessed us with lodging for the entire summer and we had our little experience of lower mainland country living. The first weekend in June we went to a local bed and breakfast in the area to officially celebrate our first anniversary. It was a beautiful time of relaxation together! June brought an end to our Sunday School teaching experience. Matt and I taught a kindergarten class of kids at our church. I ran my second ½ marathon in Seattle and I like to think that I have ran a full marathon now as two halves make a whole☺ Matt played in a beach volleyball league in the summer which started in June.

July ’09 – EPIC month involving what I like to refer to as the LOVE TOUR! Somehow I was able to take all of my holidays in one chunk and what a treat this was. I spent the first week of July camp nursing at Green bay Bible Camp. The second week Matt and I were at Southridge Camp. Matt spoke for the week (and did a FANTASTIC JOB!) and I nursed. We love camp ministry! The third week was spent with the Kaminski’s at the family at the cabin. The final week was spent in Didsbury with the Morgan’s. It was the BEST month with family and friends and all things summer!

August ’09 – We spent the month of August getting ready for September. We worked tons and said many good-byes. We also made many to-do lists and crossed them off in preparation for our upcoming 8 months. We enjoyed the last little bit of Canada and summer, and then on August 29 we were off to live the dream!

September ‘09 – April ’10 – We are living in Uganda!!! Check out our blog for more details, there is not enough room here. We have been stretched, challenged, and greatly blessed!

Praying that you all can look back on your past year and see the hand of God over it! May you know that you are loved so much that God choose to send His perfect son to this very imperfect world to be the sacrifice for us so that we might live life to the fullest for all eternity – Merry Christmas!

Love,

Matt & Sarah Jane Kaminski