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In this newsletter:

CURRENT SITUATION
FAMILY CHRISTMAS
UPCOMING WEDDING
QUICK NEWS

CURRENT SITUATION

Last time I wrote to you how I felt like the widow at Zarephath who had only a little flour and oil left to eat before dying. I was blown away when only a few hours later Paul preached on that very same passage! What a confirmation!

However, we have not seen the hoped-for breakthrough yet. We're in the same situation today, having food for one more day left and nowhere to get money from. We also have two unpaid bills from the mechanic as our car broke down two days in a row. We have no money for electricity so power will probably go out tonight. In a few days the next installment of school tuition is due, and we haven't even paid all of the first yet. We also have to pay internet for the year as well as car insurance in January. The situation seems impossible.

I want to thank those who have given recently, and ask those who have not to please still do so. Many lives - widows, children and adults - depend on money coming in for food, medical help and education. And spiritually many lives also depend on your donations as they allow us to visit our village churches and keep preaching the gospel and seeing people saved and healed. Just this past Sunday we had a lot of people in our village church in Goro who don't usually come and many gave their lives to the Lord.

In the US, send a check to
our Wichita PO box (on the left).

In Europe, make a transfer to
our bank account (details on the left).

FAMILY CHRISTMAS

Thanks to a special donation we were able to take everyone out for our traditional Christmas chicken dinner. We had a wonderful time of fun, fellowship and great food - for most kids and adults the only time per year they get to eat a restaurant.

Then we all returned home and 43 people crammed into my living room to celebrate Jesus's birth together. We talked about Christmas and its meaning, Jesus the light of the world, and lit sparklers as a symbol. Then we handed out the gifts - little bags full of goodies for all sponsored children, and additional gifts for those in our household as we had each drawn a name to give a gift to. We also ate the Christmas cookies our children had baked in three groups. It was late at night before everyone left full and happy. Thank You, Jesus, for your coming to earth and for having given us such a wonderful evening together!

More Christmas pictures here.
More December pictures here.

UPCOMING WEDDING

It is with great joy I'm inviting you to my wedding on February 28th near Randy's hometown in Eupora, MS. I would love to see some of my special friends share that day with me. A month later, on March 28th, will be our wedding in Vienna, where I hope to see my European friends.

Engagement pictures here.

QUICK NEWS

•       New Family Member - Former street child Abdiel moved in with us on Christmas Eve. He is going to be our new night guard and has already been faithfully serving the last few weeks. As soon as Adama has his driver's license and starts as the driver, Abdiel will be our full-time night guard.

•        Healing - Please pray for Karim's healing and deliverance from a very persistent parasite he's been battling for the past 6+ weeks. So far everything we've tried has helped but not gotten rid of the parasite.

•        Sponsorship - Ex-street child Suma (21) had been our night guard for over a year when he started school this last October. As soon as Adama has his license, he'll become our day guard instead of our night guard. Now that he attends school, we still need someone to become his half-sponsor for $30 or 20€ per month.

•        Millet & Corn Field - We have harvested our millet and corn, but we still have to take it to the mill to be ground. Unfortunately the rainy season was not very good and so we only have about a half-year supply.

•        New Truck Needed - We desperately need a new Toyota pick-up truck, which unfortunately costs as much as $40,000 or 30.000€.

•       Volunteers - We always need volunteers in Mali who can stay a few months or more. If you'd like to come help us, please contact me.

Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity). (1.John 3:18, AMP)

Crying out to HIM ,

Claudia