In a week, on January 8, I (Jeff) will be getting ordained by our sending church, SRC. Our entire family is also being commissioned, so the entire day is going to be HUGE in terms of the spiritual encouragement that we will be getting before we fly out, which is the next thing. Our flight leaves on January 17. That is sixteen days from when I am writing this. In sixteen days my wife and I will be taking our three small children on a plane for the very first time, with (almost) all our worldly possessions in about five checked bags to fly across the ocean, around the world, leaving the U.S. and moving our entire lives to the Philippines. So prayer is needed. For sanity, for our kids, who have been having a hard time with this whole transition. We have moved out of our apartment, about two weeks ago, and have been staying with family until we fly out. Our poor girls have had to say goodbye to friends, watch the house they have been living in for the past three years empty out, not have any stability or know where they will sleep next (we do, so don't worry) so they have all made themselves sick with the moving, constant travel, and all the business of the holidays on top of it! Whew! Ok, I think that is enough of the freak out.So this is the year that we finally go overseas. This is the year that we finally see the hard work put in by everyone at our church who has been working on this with us to see what God is going to do with us in the Philippines. This is the year of our Family On A Mission, living out the work that God has given us and our church to take His Gospel to the ends of the earth, may God give us His grace and mercy and strength as we transition from what we have known and been comfortable with to the unknown and putting more and more trust and faith in Him, our God, who deserves all praise and glory. Happy New Year.