Goodbye 2011

by | Dec 31, 2011 | family, God's blessings, relationships, winter

Happy New Year’s Eve Day!

A friend of mine posted this picture on facebook this morning.  This is the perfect picture in my opinion describing 2011 ending and 2012 beginning.  I am ready for the New Year!

I can’t help but thank God for His faithfulness throughout 2011.  Below is what I inserted in our family’s Christmas card this year, highlighting our year.

The Lefebures’ Top 11 in 2011    

#11    Alissa (Ali) is a Senior, & Zach is a Freshman at Prairie.

#10    Alissa’s year has been filled with club volleyball (last winter/spring), school volleyball, choir, show choir, & Student Advisory Board at school. She began working at Buffalo Wild Wings in June.

#9      Zach has been busy this year with school soccer, club soccer, choir, & A Few Good Men, a select men’s choir at school.

#8      Julie celebrated 17 years in Mary Kay in February, & has found her calling as a Supervisor at Mission of Hope.

#7      Bill is enjoying his position in the Cereal Lab at General Mills.

#6      Alissa became very ill October/November with mono…we are thankful for God’s healing & restoration of her health!

#5      Just this week, Alissa was in a serious car accident. We thank God for protecting her! It was life-altering for all of us.

#4      We spent some time traveling this year: To Madison, Kansas City & Des Moines for soccer & volleyball tournaments, to Missouri to see family during spring break, & to Des Moines during Thanksgiving break.

#3      We had a wonderful summer vacation! We visited St. Louis (& went to a Cardinals’ game!), the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, & Indianapolis (& toured Lucas Oil Stadium!) the end of June/beginning of July.

#2      We made some priceless, never-to-forget memories with friends & family all year long.

#1      Our family continues to experience God’s faithfulness, grace & love as we stand on His promises, & rely on His provision.  We are thankful for His Son, Jesus, for what He is doing in our lives, & for allowing us to journey through this life with you!

God truly has blessed us in more ways than we can count, and has provided for all of our needs.  The things that aren’t listed above are the things that have happened in the “background” of our life.  Such as:

I’m thankful God has healed my heart issues from the year prior, and that I don’t have to be on any medication for it!

The lump I found in my breast turned out to be a cyst…and nothing serious.  I praise God for that!

It’s been a challenging year at times raising teenagers in the way we feel God has expected us to.  Bill and I have stood our ground in Christian ways and values, and we’ll continue to, despite it’s so against what the world believes in and teaches.

We have watched our children change into a fine young woman and and fine young man this year.  It’s exciting to see what God is doing in their lives!

We watched God intervene on our behalf time and time again.

Bill and I have grown together in ways we’ve never experienced before.  God has blessed our marriage beyond our expectations!

It has been a year of transition for us at Mission of Hope and for me there personally.  God has trained me, grown me and is leading me every step of the way. 

It has also been a year of transition for our family adjusting to me working outside the home full-time for the first time in 17 years.  My family understands God calling me into this work, and they support me in it.  What a blessing!

I have cherished my relationships so much this year…with so many different people.  Each one is a gift to me, and I know God has brought each one into my life for special reason and purpose.  I am so thankful for each one.

As 2011 comes to a close, I look forward to 2012.  God will be with me on every step of the journey through 2012.  His Word is very clear about the fact that He will never leave us or forsake us.  That gives me encouragement and confidence as I look into the unknown of 2012.  I look forward to watching Him work in my life and in my family’s life.  Next year will also be a year of transition for our family, as Ali will be graduating and our nest might be a little more empty.  I can’t think that far ahead yet. 

I still want to sit down a put some things down on paper that I can focus on in the New Year, but I want to seek God on these things first.  I plan to do that yet today.

As you close out this year and welcome the next, I pray God blesses you with His presence, His love and His peace.  Thank you for being a part of my life and my journey in Him!

Love,
Julie 

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