Merry Christmas 2011! The Truitt family has had a full year. For this year's update, we asked the boys to write some highlights of their past year and have added them to our own highlights. They each came up with three things they wanted to share.
Josiah's first event was his baptism. In his words, "Josiah was ready. He wrote out what he should say. He was getting baptized! Dave took the video of him. When they were showing the video on the screen Josiah was getting ready. He went out. "I will now baptize you in the name of the Father"..."Son"..."and Holy Spirit!" "Praise the Lord!!!!" He was baptized.
Another highlight was Josiah playing the role of the King of the Jungle in his school musical. In Josiah's own words, "Josiah's music teacher called out the roles. Josiah was the lead. He practiced and practiced. The musical was great!" Josiah's Gram came to see him.
At the end of John's 6th grade year, we were very proud to find out that he had been awarded the Banner of Truth award for his team.
The boys both were in the musical "Aladdin" at Harrisburg Christian Performing Arts Center. They had a wonderful experience. Among those who came to see them were their grandparents and cousins.
When June rolled around, Dave and I became the parents of a teenager! Our little John John, who was only 2 lbs. when he was born, has grown into a wonderful young man. We celebrated by playing outdoor laser tag, and then going to the beach and celebrating there some more. John's Delaware cousins celebrated with him.
The boys had the opportunity to do some clowning at Messiah Village.
Josiah's third highlight: "Josiah's Birthday '10'. Josiah was excited! He would get lots of presents! He was turning "ten"! He ripped open a gift. It was just what he wanted--legos!"
In John's own words, "This fall I became a C2J (a Christian club) leader. At first it was busy for me, organizing "See You at the Pole", but now it has slowed down. I could use prayer for my leadership."
In September, my friend Angelica and I began teaching Zumba classes. We got licensed to teach in March and spent much of the year having meetings, learning songs and choreography, getting CPR trained and learning the ins and outs of running a class. It has been SO rewarding to exercise in a fun way, and to meet new ladies and dance with them. We've also had the opportunity to pray with many of these ladies and that has been my very favorite part.
Our house has been filled with the sound of instruments.
In November, Dave coordinated the "Engage" Children's Ministry Conference at West Shore E-Free. The kids and I had fun joining him in balloon decorating and teaching balloon twisting classes.
We spent a lovely Thanksgiving at my brother's house with my side of the family.
In early December, we all went to Camp Joy-El for an elementary retreat where Dave was the speaker for the weekend. This was one of John's highlights for the year. According to John, "In December we went to Camp Joy-El and taught elementary kids about prayer. It was a fun experience. We stayed at a lodge and ate awesome food. We taught the kids how to twist balloons. I personally had a lot of fun. That was our "Joy-ful" camp experience."
While we were at the camp, we had the chance to spend some time talking to the camp chef. John was fascinated by the large kitchen and how everything comes together and asked lots of good questions. This is an area that John thinks he might pursue in his future. Hence, his final highlight of the year, "This past year I visited two new restaurants--"Happy Days" and "Famous Dave's" They were both really good."
Well, thanks for joining me in our snapshot journey of the past year. We feel incredibly blessed for all of the opportunities we have had this past year. We are thankful for the special friends and family that we have the privilege of having in our lives. We are grateful to God for being our strength and guiding our path. Many blessings to you this upcoming year!!
