Merry Christmas!
What an amazing year it has been! Has this year gone as fast for you as it has for us? As we reflect back on this year one of the most prevalent things I feel is awe. I am in awe of what God has done in our lives this year and I am in awe of how He used you to contribute toward His work! Thank you!
Obviously the most significant thing of the year was our journey to Africa. And by journey I mean all the supporters who contributed to our prayer and financial needs, all the friends and relatives who assisted in providing care for Gloria and Elizabeth, in addition to the actual trip there and back. God really opened our eyes to what He can do no matter how impossible on paper it seems to us. He challenged our faith and tested our obedience but revealed how He is the ultimate provider and orchestrator of everything from our home in Florida, all the way to the homes in Malawi. We learned what a beautiful people God has created in Malawi and such simple and pure hearts. We learned that language, culture, skin color, and economic status do not have to be barriers to developing truly genuine relationships when Christ is our common bond. We also learned how God can use anything for His glory. Sometimes it really is just someone being available for God to speak through that can change a person’s life, its not all about the perfect training and preparation. Other times God really needs what I used to consider “simple” financial gifts to further his kingdom. There are many willing and able people in Malawi to minister to their own people, they just need resources to do so. We were privileged to get to experience two different Malawian villages. One, Mtsiliza, is where Children of the Nations has been working for ten years. They have schools, feeding programs, and a trade skill program to teach and provide for the villagers. The other village, Chirombo, COTN has recently partnered with. There are no programs implemented yet as they continue to develop their presence there. These children were hungry and not clothed properly. I saw what a difference these simple programs can make in the lives and futures of these precious people.
In the end we learned more about ourselves than we probably gave to the people of Malawi. We learned that God can use us even when we don’t see how; we learned that relying on Him for everything is hard but so worth it!; we learned that we don’t want to be complacent but that we don’t have to do anything big and dramatic either to serve God.
As if Africa wasn’t enough, there has actually been a lot of other things going on in our home! Gloria is four now and turning into quite the little girl instead of a preschooler. I can’t keep up with her! She has very deep conversations daily about “Why did God…?” I love that she sees God in everything around her but its quite exhausting trying to find an explanation for everything from “Why did God make trees?” to “Why did God make me be sick?”. She has switched from her part-time daycare to a part-time preschool. She misses her old friends but has really done well in this new program learning to make new friends and follow new rules. (It doesn’t hurt that they have an awesome playground either. ;)
Elizabeth is already a year and a half old! She is in to everything! She’s been walking since March and now her favorite activity is turning anything into a stool, climbing on it and searching for food or something else she shouldn’t have. She’s quite the eater so we had to put a lock on the refrigerator because she was just helping herself at her leisure! She and Gloria play beautifully most of the time and I’m so proud of them. Elizabeth does not go to any sort of school or daycare now and she really misses Gloria while she is gone. I really think the highlight of her day is picking up Gloria, or when Daddy gets home. She’s very much a Daddy’s girl and will even refuse to do things sometimes if its me and not Daddy doing them with her! (Of course he doesn’t mind and horribly encourages her. Can we say SPOILED!)
Sydney (the dog) is doing just fine. She would enjoy more exercise and less attention from the girls but she is coping. They have a love/hate relationship since she gets all their food, especially from Elizabeth! Her favorite activity is roaming the neighborhood at night with her local dog friend.
Eddie has just completed his fifth year at the Bradenton Police Department. He continues to thrive in the Business Beat Officer position and has received numerous accolades for his service from citizens. I still love the family friendly schedule he keeps and we are grateful this opportunity has lasted as long as it has. As a result of his preparations for our Malawi trip, Eddie is now a guitarist and helps lead worship! He has begun to play in a band that performs each week for a Men’s Group at a local church. This has been a huge blessing for him and we are proud of his hard work!
I am still floating about. I love that my primary title is “Stay at home Mom”. I do enjoy working two days a month and some extra days here and there at the local psychiatric hospital leading therapy groups. I have continued to do assessments for children in the child welfare system as well, which keeps my skills active and me connected to the local community. Unfortunately the frequency of those assessments has continued to decrease so I have decided to pick something else up in the next year. In January I will try out being a therapist in the Employee Assistance Program for a couple hours a week. If that goes well I may build that up and stop the assessments all together. We shall see.
As for what’s next, more excitement! We will be traveling (by car) to visit my mother in Illinois for Christmas. Its been over two years since we have all been up there as a family and our first major road trip with two kids! Then we hope to visit Eddie’s parents in the spring by traveling to the Dominican Republic. It will be a learning experience for all of us and a nice reunion for Eddie since they retired and now live in his childhood home that he has not visited in 13 years. Finally, I also plan to visit my Mom again next year, to watch her graduation. She is anticipated to graduate with an Associate’s degree next summer. So proud of her for doing it!
We have also been facing some tough decisions lately. We believe God is at work again calling us to make some changes that will not be convenient. First we have left our home church of five years and are currently looking for where He wants us next. We are starting to believe that place may not be anywhere locally, and that He may be calling us to move. Please pray for us as we try to be obedient yet wise in this decision.
So I guess that sums up our year. Thank you for your role in it. We pray blessings on you and your family in this upcoming new year and rejoice in celebrating the birth of Christ our Savior this Christmas.
Merry Christmas!!
Love,
Eddie, Tricia, Gloria, Elizabeth, and Sydney Genao
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